A Houston-area political club came under fire on Monday after inviting Democratic state Sen. Borris Miles — who has been accused of sexual harassment, including groping and forcible kissing, by at least six women — to a weekend fundraiser.
The Meyerland Democrats Club “get out the vote” event was attended by several other Democratic lawmakers, including state Sen. Carol Alvarado, who shared a post on Sunday with a collage of photos in which she appears smiling next to Miles.
“Enough is enough,” wrote 36-year-old Tayhlor Coleman, in an Instagram story on Monday. Coleman is a Houston native, political consultant, and voting-rights activist who, in a July story for Texas Monthly, accused Miles of groping her in 2016 at a statewide Democratic event in San Antonio.
“What does that say about how little you think about the safety of the young women who organize for our party @MeyerDems?” Coleman posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), sharing a screenshot of a text exchange between herself and event organizer Art Pronin.
“Was very disappointed to see this,” Coleman texted, according to the screenshot. “Moving forward I sincerely hope y’all will think about the message this sends to Texas women.”
In response, Pronin wrote, “Yea he came with a check. Gina Ortiz Jones was to speak but never made it! Sigh. Hope to see u soon. Still doing the voter reg van?”
Coleman replied, “Extremely disappointing to hear that from you Art.”
“To anyone else planning to host @BorrisLMiles as women across Texas are stripped of our autonomy: I hope you’re prepared to answer how you can claim to fight for Texas women while choosing the side of the men accused of preying on us,” Coleman posted on X.
In response to Coleman’s thread, several others tweeted notes of support, solidarity, and anger. “If your organization is in such dire straits that you can’t turn down a check from a man credibly accused of assault and harassment MULTIPLE TIMES, you should step down,” wrote @dianelyssa.
“This kind of behavior is appalling and should never be normalized. thank you for your strength and sharing your story,” wrote @solomonni_.
Coleman’s story was one of many reported in Texas Monthly’s investigation, which this reporter co-bylined. The story chronicled years of pervasive harassment in and around the state Capitol and included a new allegation against Miles from 2019, in which he allegedly forcibly kissed a colleague in a meeting. (Miles did not respond to requests for comment from Texas Monthly, but his spokesperson has repeatedly denied all previous allegations, calling them “unfounded and implausible.”)
When reached by text message on Monday, Pronin said, “This was an open event for Meyerland Area Democrats to support our get out the vote effort.”
“The invitation was distributed widely to the Democratic Party and open to the public,” he added. Pronin directed all other questions to Miles’s office.
Miles shared photos on Sunday smiling with Pronin and Alvarado, along with a poster for the event on X, in which his name was prominently featured.
Of Miles’s accusers, per Texas Monthly’s reporting: “Two said that he forcibly kissed them, one that he groped her, one that he propositioned her. Another said he cornered her, suggested she had been hitting on him, and ogled her in a ‘cartoonishly obvious’ way.” In 2017, for The Daily Beast, this reporter wrote that Miles was accused of repeatedly hitting on, and then forcibly kissing, a journalist in 2011. That same story also included an allegation that Miles propositioned another woman, an intern, after the close of the legislative session in May 2013.
The former intern told this reporter in 2017 that she ran into the state senator on South Congress during “sine die” celebrations: “I said, ‘Hi Representative, how are you?’ Then he slowly looked me up and down, counted out more money, reached out his hand and said, ‘Bitch, you want to fuck with me tonight?’” Her boss, a Democratic state representative, confirmed the former intern’s account.
Before those stories, Miles was indicted in 2008 on two counts of deadly conduct after he was accused of pulling out a gun at a party and forcibly kissing a woman. Though a jury acquitted Miles of the criminal charges, the woman sued for assault and battery. She received a settlement.
Though the Texas Senate and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick both have the power to investigate the allegations against Miles, they have declined to do so — even after the latest story was published in July. (Several Democrats have since called for changes to the Senate’s sexual harassment policy.)
Days after publication, Patrick — who had declined an interview with Texas Monthly — told the Texas Tribune: “Texas Monthly has falsely maligned me and the nearly 75 different senators I have proudly served with as a Senator and as lieutenant governor. The members and I take this issue very seriously. Harassment of any type is not tolerated on my own staff. Each of my staff, including myself, has taken sexual harassment prevention training, as have Senators and their staffs.”
Two days after Texas Monthly’s story was published, Patrick appointed both Miles and Republican state Sen. Charles Schwertner, who was also accused of groping and sexual harassment, to new committee positions.
