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BRYNNA FISH

Friends gather around a table last week to hear Cleveland Ward 13 councilor Joe Cimperman speak at an event in his honor. Equality Ohio hosted the March 18 party to thank Cimperman for being an "ally for equality," as the invitation described it, including his role in passing the city's new domestic partner registry in December.

From left are Randy Shorr, John Coyne, Sherry Bowman, John Farina, Richard Gildenmeister and Rob Rivera. They joined about 60 people enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the baronial Rockefeller Center in Cleveland Heights. The registry opens May 7, and a City Hall rally is planned for that day.

U.S. reverses itself, now supports U.N. gay measure

by Eric Resnick

New York City-The Obama administration has reversed a Bush-era stand against a United Nations measure for LGBT equality.

The State Department on March 18 officially endorsed the U.N. declaration, which calls for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality.

The French-sponsored declaration's goal is "to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests or detention."

Homosexuality is banned by law in 80 countries and punishable by death in at least six.

According to a statement released by State Department spokesperson Robert Wood, the United States "is pleased to join the other 66 U.N. member states who have declared their support of this Statement that condemns human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity wherever they occur."

The 13 point declaration is non-binding, but an important step toward getting LGBT issues on the U.N. agenda.

LGBT rights and other human rights

groups criticized the Bush administration when it refused to sign the declaration when it was presented at the United Nations in December.

State Department officials said then that the U.S. opposed discrimination by sexual orientation but that parts of the declaration raised legal questions that needed further

review.

Reportedly, the Bush administration had concerns that those statements could commit the federal government on matters that fall under domestic jurisdiction. Among these were that in some states, including Ohio, landlords and private employers are allowed to discriminate by sexual orientation. On the federal level, gays are not allowed to serve openly in the military.

But Wood said a "careful interagency review" by the Obama administration had concluded that "supporting this statement commits us to no legal obligations."

The U.S. now joins all 27 European Union members as well as Japan, Australia and Mexico, and Latin American nations in support of the resolution.

More than 50 nations, including members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, actively oppose it.

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March 27, 2009 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

3

Voters defeat move to void Gainesville equality law

by Ron Word

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gainesville, Fla.-Voters have turned down a measure to void Gainesville's LGBT anti-discrimination protections.

The charter amendment, similar to one Cincinnati repealed five years ago, would have barred the city from ever passing them again.

With 100 percent of the precincts reporting on March 24, the vote was 58.3 percent against changing the law to 41.6 percent in favor.

"Gainesville is a place that will not allow discrimination," said Craig Lowe, a city commissioner who led the group Equality is Gainesville's Business to defeat the charter amendment. "Gainesville has shown itself to be a welcoming place."

The fight began last year after the city commission added gender identity to Gainesville's anti-discrimination ordi-

nance.

The charter amendment would have removed the transgender protections and also a 1998 measure covering sexual orientation. It would have prohibited the city from enacting any law to protect categories of people not specified by the Florida Civil Rights Act, which recognizes race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, handicap, marital and familial status.

The anti-gay side pushed the measure by warning of the "dangers" of LGBT antidiscrimination ordinances. A television ad showed a creepy-looking man following a little girl into a restroom.

The amendment was written by the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a conservative Christian organization

begun by Domino's Pizza founder Thomas Monaghan.

On the other side was Equality is Gainesville's Business, which argued the city charter does not need amending and that the transgender argument is really a screen for a larger attack on sexual minorities.

Home to the University of Florida, Gainesville is generally considered a gayfriendly city surrounded by conservative north Florida.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which supported the Equality effort, applauded the decision.

"Protecting Gainesville's anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people is a significant achievement. I congratulate everyone who worked so hard to help bring about today's victory," said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida.

A steady line of students cast ballots at the Reitz Student Union.

Jeanette Paulino, 20, a political science major from Miami, voted to keep the city's policy in place.

"I don't think we should discriminate against anyone," she said.

Alex Harper, 21, a public relations major from West Palm Beach, said he also voted to retain the city's protections and viewed it as a free speech issue.

Harper said he viewed the restroom issue as "conservative propaganda."

University of Florida President Bernie Machen and his wife, Chris, said they both opposed changing the law.

"It's not needed," said Machen, who added that one of the things his family likes about Gainesville is its diversity.

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