TITLE: Honoring Victor L. Holmes and Mark A. Phariss of Plano for their civic engagement and contributions to the LGBTQ+ community.

SUMMARY: Honoring Victor L. Holmes and Mark A. Phariss of Plano for their civic engagement and contributions to the LGBTQ+ community.

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