GAY PEOPLE'S

Chronicle

Way up there

Ohio's Newspaper for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community • www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com

JIM GREENFIELD

Gerry Durante gives a too-short embrace to stiltwalker Kaye Vander at Mardi Gras, an evening of music, merriment and masquerade on February 11. About 210 people came to the third annual event at Windows on the River, raising $20,000 for the North Coast Men's Chorus, the AIDS Taskforce of Cleveland and Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

Cuyahoga County Council passes domestic partner benefits

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland-After protracted hearings and being bounced back to committee, the Cuyahoga County Council passed an ordinance granting domestic partner benefits to county workers on Valentine's Day, February 14.

All six of the Democratic councilors who sponsored the ordinance voted in favor. Three Republi-

cans Michael J. Gallagher, Jack Schron and Dave Greenspan-and east side Democrat Pernel Jones, Jr. voted against it. District 4 councilor Chuck Germana was absent.

The ordinance extends to gay and lesbian employees' domestic partners the same benefits, including health coverage, now given to the spouses and children of mar-

ried workers. Similar measures exist in Franklin and Lucas counties, and the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights and Columbus. Cincinnati is in the process of enacting one.

The Cuyahoga measure was amended in committee to include only same-sex domestic partners. Continued on page 7

Volume 27, Issue 18 February 24, 2012

Petitions would bring marriage to Ohio

Drive begins for a new constitutional amendment

by Anthony Glassman

Columbus-One of the men who led the unsuccessful fight against Ohio's marriage ban amendment eight years ago is going at it again, this time as a leader of an effort to place a pro-marriage amendment before voters.

Meanwhile, a separate coalition led by Ohio elected officials is signing up their peers on a pledge to support marriage equality.

Ian James was the political director of Ohioans Protecting the Constitution in 2004 when the now-defunct group led a campaign to defeat the amendment, then on the statewide ballot as Issue 1. The campaign was criticized for putting too much money and effort into television ads and not enough into grassroots organizing and field work.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force withdrew support from the campaign out of concern that

its message avoided the word “gay” and focused primarily on the possibility that the amendment would hurt businesses in the state.

This time, however, James' strategy is different. With the rise of social media, Facebook in particular, the entire thing is being built from the ground up.

"We started out with a handful of people," James said. "A day later we had 100 people, 14 hours later we had 200 people."

James, who works for Professional Petition Management of Columbus, is using that online support to recruit volunteers for signature-gathering to put a marriage amendment back on the ballot. But this one would allow samesex marriage while specifically stating that religious organizations would not be "forced" to wed same-sex couples.

Continued on page 7

Lake candidate sees 'the need in my community'

by Anthony Glassman

Eastlake, Ohio-James Helmink is a young man on a mission: He wants to send a Democrat who stands up for core Democratic principles to the Statehouse from District 60.

He believes he is that man, especially compared to one of his opponents in the March 6 primary, Lake County Commissioner Daniel Troy. Helmink notes that Troy was endorsed by the Ohio Right to Life Political Action Committee, an odd endorsement for a Democratic candidate in northeast Ohio.

Helmink is one of four LGBT people running for the Ohio House of Representatives this year. Rep. Nickie Antonio of Lakewood is up for re-election, Wood County Commissioner Tim Brown has no primary opponent for the District 3 seat, and Steve Newsome in Cin-

Inside This Issue

James Helmink

cinnati is running against incumbent Louis Terhar.

The battle Newsome faces is not one that confronts Helmink, who is vying for a seat being vacated by term limits. District 60 is a new one Continued on page 7

Top officials Initiate White House LGBT health forum

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News Briefs....... Classifieds.

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

Something old and something

new

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