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 15 January 16, 2009

Registry foes won't let go after falling short

Repeal will probably be on fall ballot, say measure's backers

by Eric Resnick

Cleveland-Opponents of the city's new domestic partner registry failed to collect enough petition signatures to force a referendum last week, but they will now try to repeal the measure by initiative.

Meanwhile, the registry, signed by Mayor Frank Jackson on December 10, will open April 9.

The registry opponents, called the Greater Cleveland Coalition of Churches, have been circulating two petitions simultaneously. The failed one was for the referendum, to stop the measure from taking effect until a vote was held. The other is for an initiative to put a repeal on the ballot later.

The coalition needed to submit 10,228 referendum petitions by January 7.

But the initiative would require only 5,000 signatures. It appears they did not have that number either, since no petition was filed.

The coalition has set a midApril deadline for themselves, to collect the signatures and begin the initiative process.

Once initiative signatures are verified, the repeal ordinance would go to a city council committee which can hold hearings and, within 60 days, send it back to council to be acted upon within 30 more days.

Council may do nothing, send it to the voters, or attempt to change it.

The city charter leaves room for interpretation of the procedure, but the measure can be expected to be on the ballot either during Cleveland's September 8 primary election or the

November 3 general election, said David Caldwell, spokesperson for Cleveland Families Count the group organizing to preserve the registry.

"Once the dance is over, we believe it will happen this year," said Caldwell.

Caldwell said the initiative route is preferable to those who want to keep the registry.

"Once the registry opens, we will have a better chance to answer voters' questions," Caldwell said. "The ballot language may be inscrutable. It may read something like, 'Shall ordinance 1745.08 be repealed?' which would be great.”"

Caldwell said the campaign will cost "six figures, and not low six figures," though the budget is still in the planning stages.

The amount of money raised will determine the strength of the campaign, said Caldwell, who added, "We'd like to be able to voter ID the entire city."

Cleveland Families Count has been going door-to-door on weekends with small crews, talking to voters and identifying which ones support the registry.

"Awareness of the new ordinance is very low," Caldwell said, but the canvassing, which has so far been done in neighborhoods believed to be supportive, "has been overwhelmingly positive."

Registry proponents have also begun to do phone calls seeking volunteers and contributions, two days each week.

"This week we will be starting to phone-bank people we canvassed, who said they want to help," Caldwell said.

Caldwell said the three most important things the campaign is doing now are fundraising, Continued on page 4

Inside This Issue

It ain't easy being dead

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Ride 'em, cowgirl!

WAYNE NORTH

Twila Starr and Z❤ Balusik get carried away selling raffle tickets at the December 7 Holiday With Heart Gayla dinner dance at the Toledo Club.

It was the 31st year for the event, and the second in the historic and prestigious club.

Over 150 guests attended, raising almost $2,000 for the HIV Family Center Foundation at the University of Toledo Medical Center.

Attendees were treated to 50 Christmas trees decorated for the occasion, with singer Kelly Broadway and pianist Tim Whalen entertaining them during appetizers. After dinner, patrons strolled around dessert and coffee bars while Dorian Grey performed magic tricks and the Class Act by Bob Norris pumped out tunes to pack the dance floor.

Next year's event will, for the first time, be held on a Saturday, December 5.

-Anthony Glassman

Cleveland lesbian couple joins Obama on inaugural train

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland-Sixteen people will be honored to accompany President-elect Barack Obama on the train trip to his January 20 inauguration, and the Obama

Six gays and lesbians passed over for Columbus council

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Community Groups

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

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Resource Directory.............

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Classifieds

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Pride coordinator for Cleveland is one of them.

Lisa Hazirjian, who headed LGBT outreach in Cleveland for the Obama campaign, will bring her partner Michelle with her to the inauguration, although even she is not quite sure how the train's passengers were chosen.

"I know that all 16 of us who were selected to participate in the train trip were people who had been involved in the campaign in some significant way," Hazirjian said, "and in my case it was related to my work as a volunteer serving as the Obama Pride coordinator for Cleveland."

Hazirjian believes, however, that part of the consideration in choosing the train's passengers was to reflect the "diversity of the coalition that was brought together to support Barack Obama."

She also suspects the reason

www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com

she got involved in the campaign may have had something to do with it she was denied a university job because she is lesbian.

Last spring, she was offered a position at an out-of-state school, and during her contract negotiations she expressed concern over the lack of domestic partner benefits.

After she asked about health insurance for her partner, "The dialogue really broke down, the tone changed considerably," and "the offer was revoked."

"Really, when all that happened to me, I did talk to attorneys and investigated what my options might be, but without employment nondiscrimination legislation, I had no case," she said.

She already supported the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that has been heard in

Continued on page 2