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January 2, 2009

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Rothan, Farrell seek vacant Columbus council seats

by Eric Resnick

Columbus-At least two gay and lesbian city residents are seeking appointments to vacant Columbus City Council seats.

The two vacancies occurred when Maryellen O'Shaughnessy was elected Franklin County Clerk of Courts and Governor Ted Strickland appointed Kevin Boyce as state treasurer.

United Way lobbyist Steve Farrell and Stonewall Columbus director Karla Rothan have applied for the two positions.

Council began taking applications in late December, and the remaining five council members will appoint the new members on January 12.

At press time, eight others besides Rothan and Farrell had applied.

Farrell was passed over for an appointment in 2007. That became contentious because, while city officials deny it, the council has for years used vacancy appointments to give voice to under-represented communities. Often the council has cited its commitment to diversity.

The body has also done "like for like" replacements when possible. But when openly lesbian councilor Mary Jo Hudson became Ohio insurance commissioner in early 2007, council broke with that tradition, naming Priscilla Tyson to the post. Three moths later, Farrell was passed

over in favor of Hearcel Craig. Many believe Farrell, who has a master's degree in public policy from Georgetown University, was the most qualified applicant and had demonstrated that he had the backing to hold the seat in the next election.

The uproar caused LGBT Democrats to sit out the election that year in protest, and in some cases, to support Republican Bill Brownson, who is gay.

Both Tyson and Craig are still on council.

It is not yet clear how the identity dynamics will shape the current appointment. However, the Columbus Dispatch is already saying that it could.

"Democrats will pick one of their own, and council members often have chosen someone to fill political and demographic slots," wrote the paper.

"O'Shaughnessy is the only white woman on the council right now. Boyce's seat has long been held by black men, including Mayor Michael B. Coleman, former state Sen. Ben Espy, and the first black candidate elected citywide, Dr. John H. Rosemond," according to the Dispatch.

Rothan has directed Stonewall Columbus since March 2007, after years as one of its volunteer leaders.

Earlier, Rothan ran a rental business and handled public relations for the Central Ohio Area on Aging.

Rothan and Farrell are both Democrats.

Cuyahoga County is sued for anti-lesbian job bias

by Eric Resnick

Cleveland-Ohio's largest county is being sued by an employee claiming discrimination because she is lesbian.

Shari Hutchinson of Willowick has worked for the Cuyahoga County Support Enforcement Agency since 2002. She says that she has been denied promotions, raises and given low performance evaluations after supervisors discovered she has written for a "lesbian porno magazine" and that her license plate bears her pen name, "PACK 8.”

Hutchinson sued the county December 19 in the U.S. District Court in Cleveland. She names the county commissioners as defendants, along with four of her agency's administrators: Mary Jane Coleman, Tony Sharaba, James Viviani, and Joe Gauntner.

Hutchinson, who has a masters degree in business administration, says she has been kept in positions well below her ability, and attempts to move up have been thwarted by supervisors removing job postings that had been active for months when they learned she was interested.

Once she challenged that practice,

Hutchinson says she was assigned to areas where she had no experience or training "as punishment" and retaliation.

According to the complaint, "CSEA, despite its obligations to comply with state and federal regulations which would have been addressed by filling the position, chose to honor the views of defendants Gauntner, Coleman and Sharaba that they, individually and collectively, did not want an openly gay person working in the critical area of policy develop-

ment."

The suit says that Viviani refused to recommend Hutchinson for a temporary position, openly telling management that she was "bizarre."

The temp job went to a straight woman with less work experience, and Viviani paid a consultant to help her do the work, Hutchinson says.

Hutchinson is also challenging a new county-wide policy that begins this year. To save money, Cuyahoga is giving married employees $100 per paycheck if they are on their spouse's health insurance instead of the county's.

However, Hutchinson, who is on her partner's plan, is only getting $50 because they are not married, even though Continued on page 10

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Joyous festivus

Proving once and for all that the holidays are a queer time of year, artistic director Clyde Simon chats with Sade Wolfkitten while Tony Thai dances to live music performed by Mark K at the Convergence-Continuum Saturnalia Party on December 27.

The revelers, mainly cast and crew from the theater's shows and their loved ones, all brought dishes to share, including jambalaya prepared by Lucy Bredeson-Smith, who stage-managed their most recent production, Lord of the Burgeoning Lumber. BredesonSmith also brewed up some coffee liqueur, and each guest was given a bottle as a gift. Tyson Douglas Rand, the gay actor who played the straight park ranger opposite two straight actors playing young gay lovers in Lumber, supplied "pig candy"-bacon topped with pecans and maple syrup. Stuart Hoffman, who played an early 20th century "sensitive" young man in Act a Lady, brought chocolate-covered everything-pretzels, grapes, apricots, Nutter Butters, Lorna Doones and mint Oreos, among other dipped delights.

The theater was filled with the warm scent of mulled wine, made by Wolfkitten, who also DJed. Videos by Tom Kondilas, who played Spooky in Lumber, were projected on a screen against the north wall while guests ate, and chatted, and caught up on old times.

-Anthony Glassman

"Jim Bailey" in "ONE NIGHT ONLY”

"Judy Garland Live”

At the Canton Palace Theatre

"The supreme consummate performer and master of his own inimitable presentations

"A Star is Reborn

New York Times

He becomes these singers to a degree that defies disbelief”

London Times

"If you stopped doing this, how will Fever see my mother again

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NCHED IT

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN

Brad Neikirk

Test Drive a New Mazda Today!

Park

3363 S. Arlington Rd. Akron, OH 44312 330-645-7275 You're Dealing with Family and Friends

Liza Minelli

"One of the great showmen of our

times

L.A. Weekly

January 31, 2009

8:30pm

For Tickets Please Call 330-933-0124

Tickets: $75 $55 $35

An Evening of Entertainment and Illusion 2009

A Colanade Room/Bill Weaver Production 330-477-0806