2 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE November 20, 2009

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www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com

Federal job bias bill may get a House vote soon

by Eric Resnick

Washington, D.C.-A federal law to bar job discrimination by sexual orientation or gender identity is headed for a U.S. House vote shortly after Thanksgiving, according to proponents.

This follows the postponement of a scheduled November 18 vote out of the House Education and Labor Committee.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, is expected to pass the House, then face a somewhat tougher fight in the Senate. President Obama has committed to signing the measure.

Versions of the bill have been introduced in Congress since 1974. The House passed one in 2007 that lacked gender identity protections, but it died in the Senate.

The present bill had a November 5 hearing in Senate Health, Education, Labor and

Repeal

Continued from page 1

repealing the amendment does not give same-sex couples marriage equality in Ohio.

Kim Welter of Equality Ohio agrees that is an important message for Ohioans to start getting.

Yates said he hadn't thought of a proposal to repeal the DOMA law, too, until a reporter asked about it. He voted against that measure in 2004.

Welter is concerned that if Yates is successful in passing his`resolution before the necessary work is done, Ohio voters will just re-affirm the 2004 vote.

Welter said the repeal strategy will be discussed at Equality Ohio's leadership meeting December 5. The organization was founded in the wake of the ban amendment, with a goal of repealing it.

"We appreciate the support," Welter said, "but repeal is a many, many year process. We will work with Yates to build support for repeal of the amendment down the road."

Pensions Committee. It marked the first time the Senate has heard a version of the bill that includes protections for gender identity and expression. The committee is chaired by Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin, an ENDA supporter.

Witnesses testifying for the bill included Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Thomas Perez University of Colorado law professor Helen Norton, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan; Nike, Inc., Diversity and Inclusion team member Virginia Nguyen; and Mike Carney, a police officer in Springfield, Massachusetts who won a lawsuit for sexual orientation discrimination under Massachusetts law.

Opposing witnesses were National Religious Broadcasters Association senior vice president Craig Parshall, and attorney Camille Olson.

Yates said he did not consult with Equality Ohio before introducing the resolution. "Human rights groups don't advance causes by putting their finger in the wind," Yates said. "It's time to turn public opinion in a different direction."

Yates said he has been watching the national trends around marriage equality, and was surprised by the outcome in Maine.

"But as courts declare these amendments unconstitutional, we will see a more favorable outcome," Yates said.

Equality Ohio is also backing the Equal Housing and Employment Act passed by the Ohio House in September. The measure would outlaw discrimination by sexual orientation or gender identity.

Welter said that opponents of that bill see it as a "slippery slope to marriage," but she doesn't think Yates' resolution will have any real effect on the Senate's passage of the bill.

Yates' resolution has not yet been assigned to a committee at press time. ✓

Five Fabulous Homes. One Festive Day!

gay community

endowment fund

Sunday, December 6

Eighth Annual

2-530 PM

Sugar Plum TOUR

$25 General Admission

www.sugarplumtour.org

•Tour 5 holiday homes in Fairlawn Heights, historic West Akron and Silver Lake from 2-5:30 p.m. The full amount of this ticket price is tax-deductible.

$100 Evening Patron Home

presale only

Reception Admission

Cocktails & Hors d'oeuvres 5-8 pm

Tour the five homes mentioned above, plus enjoy an exclusive sixth home and private party after the tour. $72 of this ticket price is tax-deductible.

$150 Evening Grand Patron Home

presale

only

Reception Admission

Cocktails & Hors d'oeuvres 5-8 pm

Admission includes the tour with exclusive sixth home and private party after the tour, plus a limited edition Leandra Drumm holiday ornament.

$108 of this ticket price is tax-deductible.

Advance ticket sales & reservations: Online at: www.sugarplumtour.org or call Akron Community Foundation 330.761.6426

Event day general admission sales & tour packet pick up: 1-3 pm December 6th at Angel Falls Coffee Company

All proceeds will support the philanthropic efforts of the Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation. For further information or questions, please contact Akron Community Foundation at 330-376-8522. Thank you to our generous lead sponsors:

JERRY

BRICCO JUDGE LARSON An Akron Holiday Tradition!

Norton told the senators of discrimination against a gay Ohio police officer.

She outlined the plight of Fairfield Medical Center officer Chris Vickers, who was harassed and had his life threatened by colleagues for his sexual orientation. (Norton misstated his name as Michael and the state as Kentucky.)

Despite overwhelming evidence of egregious actions by Vickers' co-workers and supervisors, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Vickers' claim in 2006 saying it "should not be used to bootstrap protection for sexual orientation into Title VII," which outlaws sexual harassment.

A few months later, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Sixth Circuit decision to stand.

Norton said ENDA would fix that. It "proposes to fill significant gaps in existing law by clearly articulating, for the first time,

a national commitment to equal employment opportunity regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity while addressing concerns raised by religious institutions and other employers."

As he did during House hearings, Parshall said that ENDA violates people's religious right to discriminate.

"It is my legal opinion that if [ENDA] is passed into law, would impose a substantial, unconstitutional burden on religious organizations and would interfere with their ability to effectively pursue their missions, both those which are non-profit groups, as well as faith-based institutions and enterprises which operate commercially," Parshall said.

Harkin is eager to pass the bill.

Citing the need to get health care reform off the table first, Harkin said, "We're going to move this bill next year, I assure you."

newsbriefs Bankruptcy closes Blade, five other LGBT papers

Washington, D.C.-The most iconic LGBT newspaper in the nation was shuttered on November 16 as its parent company closed.

The move that ended the 40-year run of the Washington Blade also stopped the presses at Atlanta's Southern Voice and four other publications.

Window Media, the parent company of the newspapers, announced that it was ceasing operations, and employees came in to find out that their jobs, and their newspapers, no longer existed.

Kevin Naff, the editor of the Washington Blade, said that he, publisher Lynne Brown and at least some of the employees were planning on launching a new web and print news publication that will launch in the near future. He had hoped to have an issue out in the next week or so, but that it not likely due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Naff told the website LGBT POV.com that without the corporate trappings, like offices in the National Press Club building, "We will re-emerge as a leaner, meaner operation... that will make money on day one."

Employees of the Southern Voice were met on November 16 with.a letter posted to their office's front door, expressing regret and asking employees to return on November 18 to collect their belongings and learn what their severance packages will be.

Window Media and United Media, the companies that owned the newspapers, will be filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, a complete liquidation of assets.

Mayor race to see anti-gay campaign

Houston, Texas-Conservatives are mobilizing to oppose the mayoral candidacy of Annise Parker, who stands a good chance of making Houston the largest city in the nation to elect a lesbian mayor.

Parker came in first in a four-way election on November 3. She will face former City Attorney Gene Locke in a December runoff. Locke has been courting conservatives, including appearing at a religious organization's banquet. Parker currently holds the post of city controller.

The group opposing her plans a campaign against Parker because she is lesbian, reported the Houston Chronicle. The group of ministers and conservatives says it is worried about a "gay takeover" of city hall,

PAW PLUNGER

as well as the possibility that Parker will seek to overturn a city charter amendment barring Houston from granting benefits to same-sex partners of city employees.

Locke, however, has refused to promise to keep that charter amendment intact, noting that domestic partner benefits are a key tool to recruiting and retaining highly qualified employees.

Church backs Salt Lake City rights law

Salt Lake City-One year after torpedoing same-sex marriage in California with their fiscal and campaign support of Proposition 8, the Mormon church stood in favor of LGBT civil rights ordinances proposed in Salt Lake City.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the official name of the Mormons, spent months in closed-door meetings with LGBT advocates seeking their support for the proposed legislation, which passed on November 10.

Michael Otterson, the director of public affairs for the LDS, told the Associated Press that church leaders felt they could support the measures since they protected "basic civil values" instead of creating "special rights."

The Mormons believe that homosexuality is a sin and same-sex marriage threatens traditional marriage.

"There are going to be gay advocates who don't think we've gone nearly far enough, and people very conservative who think we've gone too far," he said. "The vast majority of people are between those polar extremes and we think that's going to resonate with people on the basis of fairmindedness.'

Otterson said that the meetings with LGBT advocates were not about the ordinances, and that the church only gave its support because it was asked to present its opinion.

Asked whether the Mormons would come out in favor of ENDA, he said, "The church leadership is not inclined to offer free advice where it's not being requested."

D.C. likely to OK marriage next month

Washington, D.C.-After being approved by the Committee on Public Safety Continued on facing page INTRODUCING THE PAW PLUNGER

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