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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Victor L. Holmes and Mark A. Phariss of Plano have |
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made a lasting, positive difference through their advocacy for the |
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LGBTQ+ community; and |
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WHEREAS, A longtime couple, Vic Holmes and Mark Phariss were |
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two of the plaintiffs in DeLeon v. Abbott, a successful lawsuit |
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against the State of Texas that ended its prohibitions against |
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same-sex marriages; they also supported the right to marry by |
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filing amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in Obergefell v. |
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Hodges and the Texas Supreme Court in Pidgeon v. Turner; their |
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stalwart efforts garnered national attention, and in 2017, the |
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University of North Texas Press published a book, Accidental |
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Activists: Mark Phariss, Vic Holmes, and Their Fight for Marriage |
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Equality in Texas; they wed on November 21, 2015; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Phariss has practiced business law in Texas for |
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38 years; dedicated to civil rights, he has championed the Equality |
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Act and nondiscrimination ordinances in San Antonio and Plano; he |
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has served on the boards of such organizations as the Human Rights |
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Campaign, Equality Texas, and the Hendrick Scholarship Foundation; |
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in 2018, he became the first openly gay candidate to be nominated in |
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a contested party primary for a Texas Senate seat, and in the |
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general election, he carried the vote in Plano, Richardson, and |
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Dallas; and |
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WHEREAS, For more than two decades, including the Don't Ask, |
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Don't Tell era, Mr. Holmes served his country in the United States |
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Air Force, attaining the rank of major; today, he teaches aspiring |
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physician assistants as an associate professor at the University of |
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North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth; he serves as the |
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faculty advisor for Pride at UNTHSC, and he has shared his time and |
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talents with the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations, among |
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them, Ed-U-Care Dallas, the LBGT PA Caucus, and the Coalition for |
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Aging LGBT; and |
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WHEREAS, Vic Holmes and Mark Phariss have demonstrated an |
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unyielding commitment to the advancement of human rights and the |
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LGBTQ+ community, and in so doing, they have earned the admiration |
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and appreciation of innumerable people; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Victor L. Holmes and Mark A. Phariss for |
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their civic engagement and contributions to the LGBTQ+ community |
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and extend to them sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Holmes and Mr. Phariss as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |