GAY PEOPLE'S

Chronicle

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

Volume 27, Issue 25 June 1, 2012

NAACP votes to support marriage equality

by Lisa Keen

KEEN NEWS SERVICE

Miami-Calling it a "civil right and a matter of civil law," the board of the NAACP announced May 19 that it supports allowing same-sex couples to marry.

LGBT groups were understandably excited to hear the news because the announcement can be considered a major advancement in the general population's support for marriage equality. Anti-gay activists have tried hard for years to drive a wedge between the black and gay movements for civil rights, and many polls have shown African-Americans generally have shown less support for allowing gay couples to

marry.

"We could not be more pleased with the NAACP's history-making vote today," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "It's time the shameful myth that the African-American community is somehow out of lockstep with

the rest of the country on marriage equality is retired, once and for all."

HRC recently released copies of internal memos it discovered from court documents, illustrating that the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage was deliberately trying to organize African American opposition to same-sex marriage.

Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, called the NAACP board vote "a truly historic moment," adding that NGLTF "couldn't be more thrilled."

Carey said her group is not surprised by the vote. NAACP National President Ben Jealous had delivered a keynote address to NGLTF's national conference, reminding attendees that famed civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, who was gay, helped planned the historic 1963 civil rights march on Washington. "He was a black gay hero who Continued on page 2

New possibilities ;

Syd and Nick hook up at a party, then ponder their relationship as a trans man and an artsy gay guy in Jake Yuzna's Open. See page 6.

Top court dismisses suit against marriage initiative

by Anthony Glassman

lawsuit

Columbus-A against an initiative to amend the Ohio Constitution to allow same-sex marriage has been dismissed by the Ohio Supreme Court.

The high court on May 25 ended the suit against Attorney General Mike DeWine, who approved the wording for the proposed ballot measure.

DeWine certified the petitions on April 3, which allowed the measure's backers to begin gathering signatures to put it

on the ballot. Around 385,000 signatures are needed.

The suit was filed on April 10 by the Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage, the group behind the 2004 marriage ban currently in the Ohio constitution, and Lori Viars, an evangelical activist.

They were represented by attorneys David Langdon and Joshua Bolinger of Langdon's firm, and James Campbell of the Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona group that often op-

poses pro-gay measures. Langdon also represents Citizens for Community Values of suburban Cincinnati that also backed the 2004 ban amendment.

Langdon and Campbell alleged that the proposed petition was not an accurate reflection of the amendment and did not summarize it properly.

De Wine filed for a summary dismissal of the case, saying that the wording on the proposal was proper. The court

moved 5-2 in favor of dismissal.

The proposed petition text was a second draft; the first draft was rejected by DeWine, which Freedom to Marry Ohio leader Ian James expected might happen. He noted before the wording was turned in the first time that such proposals are often rejected, rewritten and resubmitted.

"We're three for three with the Ohio Supreme Court, the Ohio Attorney General and the

Ohio Ballot Board all approving our petition language to give two loving adults the freedom to marry in Ohio," said Mary Jo Kilroy, chief executive officer of Freedom Ohio, the group behind the amendment effort. "We are moving full steam ahead in our effort to bring the freedom to marry and religious freedom amendment to voters in November 2013."

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Charlie's Calendar

Evenings Out.............

...7

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