Anchorage passes gay rights ordinance - veto possible
(Anchorage) The Anchorage Assembly approved an ordinance Tuesday banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity by a 7-4 vote.
The vote falls one short of the eight-vote supermajority needed to override a mayoral veto. Mayor Dan Sullivan has seven days to decide. He has said he has …
Tags: Anchorage Assembly, Discrimination, Gay Rights Ordinance, Gender Identity, Mayoral Veto, Seven Days, Sexual Orientation, VoteHow long has Seattle supported gay rights?
Seattle: 1st in gay rights
Seattle has been at the vanguard of gay rights for at least three decades. Remember Anita Bryant? While she was getting cities across the county to repeal gay rights ordinances in the 1970s, Seattle voters held the line — the first city in America to vote in favor of gay rights. The City of Seattle adopted a fair employment ordinance in 1973 which specifically prohibited discrimination against gay people in the workplace, followed by a fair housing ordinance in 1975. But in 1978, Initiative 13 attempted to repeal the ordinances. It went down in defeat, and Seattle voters successful stopped the national movement to turn back the clock of gay rights. Since then, the cities of Tacoma, Spokane, and others followed suit; Seattle has elected openly gay city council members for decades and is considered to have one of the largest gay populations in the nation.
– Leonard Garfield
Sunday’s gay pride parade marks the event’s 32nd year. See photos from the event here.
Learn more about Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry at seattlehistory.org.
See How long has Seattle supported gay rights?
Seattle Post Intelligencer
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Supporters come out to support gay rights ordinance
About 500 people gathered Sunday at First Congregational Church to rally in support of a proposed ordinance to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination.
“We’re on the steps of a church … it’s peculiarly appropriate,” said Commissioner Steve Mulroy, who introduced the measure. “It’s just the Christian thing to do, to treat people with respect.”
The ordinance goes to a vote today before the Shelby County Commission. The results from an early vote Thursday were 5-5 with abstentions from Democrats Sidney Chism and James M. Harvey. Speakers at the rally called the two out by name in hopes for a change in their favor today.
“A great number of people are misinformed and a great number are just plain bigoted,” said former commissioner Walter Bailey, who argued that the gay community’s struggle is a civil rights matter.
See Supporters come out to support gay rights ordinance DeSoto Appeal - * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Oscar Winner Dustin Lance Black Testifies in Support of Harvey Milk Day, Which Promply Passes Key Committee
Sacramento – Dustin Lance Black, the Academy Award winning writer of the film Milk, testified before the California State Senate Education Committee shortly before it passed the Harvey Milk Day Bill, SB 572, in a 7-2 vote that included bipartisan support from Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) who voted for the bill.
“When I was 14 years old, a theatre director in the Bay Area told me the story of Harvey Milk,” said Black, an advocate for equal rights. “It was a story about an out gay man who stood up to prejudice and bigotry, lived openly as who he was, was elected to public office, and lit the fire of today’s national and global LGBT civil rights movement. Not surprisingly, his story gave me hope,” he said.
The bill, sponsored by Equality California (EQCA) and introduced by Senator Mark Leno (D – San Francisco) calls for a “day of special significance” honoring Milk and is designed to educate Californians about the former San Francisco City Supervisor, who became the nation’s first openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) person elected to political office in a major city.
“We may have lost Harvey Milk, but we have not lost his passion, his commitment, and his courage,” said Geoff Kors, EQCA Executive Director. “Harvey Milk’s endurance in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges is a source of pride and inspiration for every Californian.”
Milk’s groundbreaking service as an openly gay official helped bring LGBT people out of the closet and into civic life. During his time in office, he was responsible for both passing San Francisco’s first gay-rights ordinance and helping to defeat the controversial Briggs Initiative, which sought to ban gay and lesbian teachers from public schools. Milk, along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, was assassinated in November 1978.
“Harvey Milk gave hope to an entire generation of gay and lesbian people whose basic humanity and freedom had been denied and dishonored,” said Senator Leno. “He literally gave his life so that I and other LGBT elected officials could serve in public office. Thanks to Dustin Lance Black and the creators and stars of the movie “Milk,” Harvey’s incredible story continues to be told around the world. It is only fitting that we continue our work to preserve his legacy for generations to come,” he said.
The legislation was originally introduced last year by Sen. Leno, but Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the measure at the time, claiming Harvey Milk was not well known enough beyond San Francisco. Since that time, however, Harvey Milk has become a focal point of national conversation following the successful release of Milk, the critically acclaimed film depicting the life of the slain civil rights leader for which Black and actor Sean Penn received Academy Awards.
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“Miss California” Nailed on Countdown
Countdown’s Keith Olbermann has reported that Miss California, a Christian college student named Carrie Prejean, had a boob job paid for by the Miss California Competition. Talk about performance enhancing additives! And we thought she was such a good, church going gal.
In a move reminiscent of beauty queen Anita Bryant’s 1970s crusade against gay rights, Prejean has joined in a television ad campaign against gay marriage this week. Her move upset homosexual rights advocates, including a head of the Miss California pageant.
In the 1970s, another beauty queen named Anita Bryant, a former Miss Oklahoma, became a voice against homosexuality after leading a campaign to repeal a Miami-area gay rights ordinance. She was famously quoted as saying, “If gays are granted rights, next we’ll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail-biters.”
Keith Lewis, the co-executive director of the Miss California pageant, said Prejean was attended to by gay beauty experts before the Miss USA contest, and that he always knew her to be friendly to gays like himself.
Maybe it is time to take away her Miss California “crown?”
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Oscar Winner Sean Penn Leads Call for Harvey Milk DayPenn Joins Equality California and Sen. Leno to Introduce Legislation Honoring Slain Civil Rights
San Francisco - Sean Penn, Academy Award-winning star of Milk, called for a statewide “day of special significance” in honor of slain civil rights leader Harvey Milk. On Tuesday, Penn joined State Senator Mark Leno and State Assemblymember Tom Ammiano at a press conference to introduce the Harvey Milk Day Bill, SB 572. Sponsored by Equality California (EQCA), the bill seeks to educate Californians about the former San Francisco City Supervisor, who became the nation’s first openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) person elected to major political office.
Milk’s service as an openly gay official helped bring LGBT people out of the closet and into civic life. During his time in office, he was responsible for both passing San Francisco’s first gay-rights ordinance and helping to defeat the controversial Briggs Initiative, which sought to ban gay and lesbian teachers from public schools. Milk, along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, was assassinated in November 1978.
“We may have lost Harvey Milk, but we have not lost his passion, his commitment, and his courage to fight for equality and justice for all,” said Geoff Kors, Executive Director of Equality California. “Harvey Milk is not just a hero to LGBT people. His endurance in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges is a source of pride for every Californian. This bill aims to give people a positive representation of who LGBT people are – an image that inspires pride and self esteem for all.”
“Harvey Milk was a true American hero,” said Senator Leno. “He gave hope to an entire generation of gay and lesbian people whose basic humanity and freedom had been denied and dishonored, and he literally gave his life so that I and other LGBT elected officials could serve in public office. Harvey’s courage still inspires us today as we continue to struggle for equal rights following the passage of Proposition 8 in California. His story has been told around the world in “Milk,” starring Academy Award winner Sean Penn, and today we fittingly continue our work to preserve that legacy for generations to come.”
The measure would proclaim May 22nd ‘Harvey Milk Day’ and add it to the list of state holidays, although it will be crafted in a way so as not to generate additional state costs or increase the number of paid state holidays.
The legislation was originally introduced last year by Sen. Leno, but Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the measure at the time, claiming Harvey Milk was not well known enough beyond San Francisco. Since that time, however, Harvey Milk has become a focal point of national conversation following the release of the film Milk. Following the Milk’s success, both Sean Penn and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black received an Oscar for their work on the film.* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Subcommittee on gay-rights ordinance to meet Friday
KALAMAZOO — A subcommittee formed to study a possible compromise in the city of Kalamazoo’s recently rescinded gay-rights ordinance will conduct its first meeting Friday.
Commissioners David Anderson, Don Cooney and Stephanie Moore will review means for getting public input regarding the ordinance that was meant to protect gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination in city housing, public accommodations and employment.
The city repealed the ordinance last month, but Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell said he still hoped to find a compromise.
See Subcommittee on gay-rights ordinance to meet Friday
Kalamazoo Gazette - MLive.com, MI -
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Kalamazoo passes - then repeals - gay rights ordinance
(Kalamazoo, Michigan) Six weeks after passing an ordinance banning discrimination in housing and employment based on sexuality or sexual identity, city commissioners have voted to repeal the measure.
The unanimous move was not a change in position, but an attempt to halt a move by a socially conservative group to force …
Tags: City Commissioners, Conservative Group, Discrimination, Gay Michigan, Gay Rights Ordinance, Kalamazoo Michigan, Sexual Identity, Sexuality, Six WeeksBigots file Petions to strike down new gay-rights ordinance - Is hate a family value in Kalamazoo?
KALAMAZOO – Petitions seeking the repeal of a newly adopted city ordinance that extends discrimination protections to gays and lesbians in Kalamazoo have been filed.
City Clerk Scott Borling said former city commissioner and current Kalamazoo County Treasurer Mary Balkema officially turned over 189 pages of petitions that circulators said contained about 1,600 signatures.
Due to the New Year’s Day holiday Thursday, Borling said certification of those signatures will begin Friday.
Borling expects the process to extend into next week before it is officially determined that the petitions contain at least 1,273 signatures, the minimum Borling said are necessary to trigger reconsideration of the anti-discrimination ordinance.
Under the charter, if sufficient signatures are certified next week, the ordinance is immediately suspended and the Kalamazoo City Commission must either repeal the entire ordinance or put it on the ballot for city voters to decide.
That action must occur at the commission’s next business meeting, which would be Jan. 26.
The current ordinance expands existing housing and employment protections to include gays, lesbians and transgender individuals, protected classes that are not currently included in existing state and federal anti-discrimination laws.
See Petitions filed Wednesday in opposition of new Kalamazoo gay …
Kalamazoo Gazette - MLive.com, MI
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