GAY PEOPLE'S

Chronicle

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Ohio's Newspaper for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com Volume 24, Issue 12 December 5, 2008

BRIAN DEWITT

Cleveland Heights Mayor Edward Kelley jokes that his city is "alive and well" after voters passed a domestic partner registry there in 2003. Wearing a rainbow sticker, Kelley testified during a December 1 committee hearing for a proposed Cleveland registry. On the panel with him are Equality Ohio director Lynne Bowman, Buck Harris and, at far left, David Caldwell.

U. Toledo official, fired for anti-gay screed, sues school

by Anthony Glassman

Toledo A former University of Toledo administrator who was fired after publishing an anti-gay screed in a local newspaper has made good on her threats to sue over her dismissal.

Univeristy officials said that Crystal Dixon's op-ed in the Toledo Free Press contradicted the school's policies when they fired her last spring.

Dixon filed suit in United States District Court in Toledo on December 1, arguing that her termination violated her First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. She alleges that punishing her for her private political speech violated her constitutional right to free-

dom of speech, and that her due process rights were violated because the university denied her a forum for her opinions.

The university pointed out at the time of her suspension, and eventual dismissal in May, that her name was closely associated with her position as associate vice president for human resources, and her opinion piece went against school policy on LGBT rights.

Dixon is being represented by the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which was started by Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza. The organization champions religious conservative ideals in court, and has pushed for abortion bans, "intelligent design" education, and

Inside This Issue

other far-right and anti-gay causes.

"I hope that the University of Toledo sticks up for what they ⚫ decided a long time ago and takes the side of what's right instead of following something that they know is wrong," said Equality Toledo executive director Jon Borland.

Dixon's article, published in the paper's April 18 online edition, was a response to editor-inchief Michael S. Miller's April 4 column, "Gay Rights and Wrongs," lamenting Ohio's poor record on LGBT equality. Miller pointed to his friendships with gay men and lesbians as impetus for his open-mindedness and noted

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Oregon town turns out for the nation's first TG mayor

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Partner registry, TG rights bills approved

by Eric Resnick

Cleveland City Council is well on its way to including transgender people in the city's non-discrimination code and creating Ohio's third domestic partner registry.

Ordinances to do both were been approved on December 1 by council's Legislative Committee and will likely be passed by the full council at their Deir December 8 meeting.

Mayor Frank Jackson is expected to sign both the registry and the measure to add gender identity to the city's equal rights ordinances, said his spokesperson Maureen Harper. The equality ordinances have included "sexual orientation" since 1994.

Sixty-five people squeezed into council's 44-seat hearing room for the committee session on both measures. Most wore rainbow stickers supporting them.

The committee took up the partner registry first. It is sponsored by 13 of council's 21 members.

The proposal would allow unmarried couples over the age of 18, same-sex or opposite sex, to register their partnership with the city. It would be open to both residents and non-residents of Cleveland.

The registry confers no rights or benefits. However, registration will allow couples to access

benefits offered by insurance companies, employers and health care providers.

There were 29 witnesses speaking for the registry, including clergy, attorneys, activists and Cleveland Heights officials.

Voters approved the Cleveland Heights registry in 2003. The Cleveland proposal, like the Toledo registry created in 2007, are modeled after it.

Committee chair Phyllis Cleveland of Ward 5 opened testimony after accepting an amendment from the city administration to make the registry effective 120 days after passage, rather than 90 days.

Clergy supports measure

Six priests, ministers and rabbis opened the supporter testimony.

Rev. Melanie Sunderland of the Cleveland Clinic spoke of hospital visitation and said the registry would "begin to change the culture of hospital settings."

Rev. Amy Greene, an American Baptist who also works at the Cleveland Clinic, said that the Clinic has its own registry.

"It's hugely important to me," said Greene, "that my grown sons be free to choose whom they will love and whom they will live with."

The Very Rev. Tracey Lind, Continued on page 2

ANDREW MCALLISTER

PART ARKON AREA PRUECOLLECTIVE $mundo TEN THOUSAND ULLARS ADDITIONIS

Got gay history?

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Letters to the Editors.

Charlie's Calendar ................ 11

Comics

Classifieds.

..... 15

Building a new home

Gay Community Endowment Fund board members John Grafton, Christopher Hixson, Judy McClelland and Jim King present a $10,000 check to Akron Area Pride Center board representatives Ken Ditlevson, Steve Antalvari, Trish Casserly and Tim McCarragher to support the "Building Pride" capital campaign. The November 18 donation will help complete renovation of the Aster Avenue building in the background into the new Pride Center. It was the fund's largest grant to date, and part of $32,994 given out to nine organizations.

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