Citizens visit Ohio lawmakers to urge equality bill's passage

Gay People's Chronicle
May 23, 2008
by Eric Resnick

Columbus--The Equal Housing and Employment Non-Discrimination Act was on the minds of Ohio legislators last week as 362 volunteer lobbyists fanned out around Capitol Square.
LGBT people and allies from around the state visited 81 legislative offices in the Ohio Statehouse and nearby buildings on May 14, meeting with 40 House and Senate members, both Democrats and Republicans--the most ever. The rest met with legislators' staff members.
The third annual "Lobby Day," sponsored by Equality Ohio, was possibly the most productive yet.
The first event in 2006 drew 485 participants and was focused on introducing LGBT people to legislators and telling the stories of their lives.
Last year's brought 350 to the Statehouse to tell lawmakers that Ohio was ranked 51 among 50 states and the District of Columbia in protecting the rights of LGBT citizens.
This year, participants asked their representatives to remedy that by passing the non-discrimination act, also known as EHEA.
The measure prohibits discrimination by sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in public and private employment, housing and public accommodations.
The day before, it was considered by the Senate Judiciary and Civil Justice Committee.
Trisha Hershey, an aide to State Sen. Tom Niehaus of New Richmond, heard a constituent tell how she lives in fear of losing her job at a hospital.
Niehaus, a Republican, is the majority floor leader.
"With my transitioning, things are getting uncomfortable there," said the woman, who is not out at work. She added that a friend had been fired for transitioning on the job.
Joining her in Neihaus' office were John Farina and David Howard of Cleveland.
Farina told Hershey about his employment experience at a Cleveland area bank.
"Once my name appeared in the paper as a gay activist," Farina said, "I got moved around to all the bad branches. These things happen all the time."
Howard said he had been fired for coming out at work when he was 40. His attorney told him to file a suit for age discrimination because there is no protection based on sexual orientation.
"My integrity didn't let me do it," Howard said.
The visitors were pleasantly surprised that legislators and staffers remembered the stacks of "Fired" cards they were given when EHEA was introduced in March. The postcards, signed by dozens to hundreds of people in each lawmaker's district, explain how LGBT Ohioans have no protection from discrimination.
"When I worked in Columbus and lived in Canal Winchester, my status changed twice a day, going to and coming home from work," R.J. McKay told Lori Plato, who is Republican Rep. Kevin DeWine's aide.
DeWine is the House speaker pro tempore and deputy chair of the Ohio Republican Party.
McKay, who now lives in Beavercreek, told Plato that it was wrong to lose protection by crossing into a community that does not have a human rights ordinance, and that EHEA would make protection uniform throughout the state.
McKay joined Dan and Nancy Tepfer, Dr. Juli Burnell, Patty Thompson, Antonia Harter and Judy Nablo in the visit with Plato. All live in DeWine's district.
Plato said DeWine likes hearing from constituents.
Thompson said her gay son left Ohio because he would not be protected from discrimination.
"If laws were based on equality, we wouldn't be destroying families," Thompson said, with some emotion.
Burnell told the story of her partner, a psychologist for the state of Ohio who could not ask her boss for bereavement time in 2001, because she would have to explain her relationship with Burnell.
Burnell said that with Gov. Ted Strickland's executive order last year banning discrimination in state employment, her partner was able to come out and take advantage of leave afforded married partners.
Dan Tepfer told Plato that DeWine is not risking anything by supporting EHEA.
"David Hobson voted for it in the U.S. House," Tepfer said.
Hobson is a Republican whose congressional district includes DeWine's Ohio House one.
Shih-Hua Yu left Cleveland on a Greyhound bus at 4:30 am to join the lobbyists. She is a first-year graduate student at Case Western Reserve University studying social administration.
Yu is not lesbian, but has a friend back home in Taiwan who is, and decided to join the lobbying effort on her behalf.
Following the legislative visits, participants discussed their experiences.
The main issue of concern is that more education has to be done around transgender needs. Lawmakers need to meet more transgender constituents.
During the day Equality Ohio also raised $11,000 from participants, allowing access to an additional $10,000 matching funds from the Gill Foundation. The money paid for the cost of the event.
Lesbian comedian Kate Clinton performed for 600 people at the Southern Theater the night before lobbyists hit the Statehouse. That event raised money for Equality Ohio's Educational Fund.
Clinton also entertained lobbyists during the event's Wednesday morning orientation.
The lobbyists also heard from Ohio Civil Rights Commission director G. Michael Payton, Democratic State Sen. Dale Miller of Cleveland, who is EHEA's lead senate sponsor, and Republican State Sen.David Goodman of Columbus, who is also a sponsor and chair of the committee hearing it.
The lead sponsors in the House, Democrat Dan Stewart of Columbus and Jon Peterson of Delaware, also addressed the group.
At day's end, a reception for lawmakers was held at the Capitol Hyatt Hotel. It raised an additional $3,000 from 50 attendees.
Legislators at the reception included State Reps. Jay Goyal of Mansfield, Mike Skindell of Lakewood, Ted Celeste of Grandview Heights, and Dan Stewart of Columbus, all Democrats. A number of others sent staff members.
State Sens. Tom Sawyer of Akron and Jason Wilson of Columbiana, both Democrats, attended.
Goyal, who is not an EHEA co-sponsor and had been uncommitted on it, told a group of his constituents at the reception that he is "supportive of EHEA" and "would vote for it."
Wilson also said he would have to see the final version before voting yes, adding "I support the premise and believe in respect for all Ohioans."
Wilson is also not a co-sponsor and had previously not indicated support.
Equality Ohio director Lynne Bowman said the event was "another amazing day," adding that it signals "maturity and real change."
"In 2006, we were all nervous about doing this," Bowman said. "Now people know what they are doing and they get to business."
Groups returning from visits also observed that legislative aides know who Equality Ohio is, and are getting familiar with LGBT lobbyists visiting them.
"No matter how smoothly things go or how many legislators we visit, the most impressive thing is seeing people jazzed about seeing their legislators," Bowman said. "That's what makes it special."
Bowman explained the drop in attendance over the first two years by saying, "It's not new anymore."
According to Bowman, 70 percent of participants this year had come before.
"It's a big commitment," Bowman said. "The group that keeps coming each year is turning into a tight and effective one."

Lobby for Equality 2008

I am thrilled to report that Lobby Day for Equality 2008 was another AMAZING DAY! I thought you would appreciate a report on just how successful you were in making the day a success. Whether or not you were able to attend Lobby Day, your strong support makes all of this success possible, and we are deeply grateful for your continued commitment to equality.

Over 300 Ohioans met at the Statehouse to lobby our legislators for full equality for all people in Ohio. Comedienne Kate Clinton opened the show in style and set the tone for the day: passionate, determined, and confident. When we met with our legislators we discussed the Equal Housing and Employment Act and told our own personal stories to our elected leaders, and our voices made an impact. We made 85 legislative visits and met personally with 40 legislators (in other cases, we met with influential staff). Big news: Republican Representatives Ross McGregor, Cliff Hite, and Gerry Stebleton indicated strong interest in possibly supporting the EHEA, and Sen. Steve Stivers (R - District 3) shared that he expects to be a Yes on the legislation when it comes to a vote in committee.

If you were at Lobby Day, you already know that on Monday, Equality Ohio was offered a $10,000 challenge grant by Gill Action Fund. The condition was that we needed to raise $10,000 to match their generous gift at Lobby Day! We knew that would be a challenge, but we also knew that Equality Ohio supporters mean business when it comes to making Ohio a place where everyone can feel at home. I’m proud—and grateful—to report that we raised almost $11,000 in 6 hours yesterday, ensuring that we will receive the grant! Thank you for meeting this challenge! And if you want to help us get to $15,000 to beat last year’s total, it’s not too late to donate: if you by Friday at 5pm we will add it to our challenge grant total.

Thanks to everyone for making the third annual Lobby Day for Equality an unequivocal success!

Lynne Bowman
Executive Director
Equality Ohio

Anti-Discrimination Law Introduced In House and Senate

For Immediate Release: March 11, 2008

Contact: Sandy Theis 614-940-0131

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Insisting that Ohio's laws must be updated to reflect Ohioans' values, a trio of state legislators introduced bills to make it illegal to discriminate against a person in employment, housing or public accommodations because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Ohio is among the most unwelcoming states in the nation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people," said Lynne Bowman, executive director of Equality Ohio. "Today, Ohio took a major step toward fairness and equality."

Bowman cited a recent survey showing that two-thirds of Ohioans favor passage of the legislation.

Twenty-one states, 11 of Ohio's 13, four-year public colleges and 16 Ohio cities and villages have ordinances that protect their gay and lesbian residents. Rather than continue to allow a patchwork of protections – or none at all -- the legislators called for passage of statewide standards that would uniformly help all Ohio residents.

"Where you live should not determine the extent of your rights," Sen. Dale Miller, a Cleveland Democrat, told a Statehouse news conference Tuesday.

Miller, the main sponsor of the Senate bill, had introduced similar legislation in the past but noted that today's measures have a record number of co-sponsors, the endorsement of Gov. Ted Strickland and the promise of committee hearings.

In the House, sponsor Rep. Jon Peterson, a Delaware Republican, called the legislation "a matter of human dignity," and said, "America was founded on the principle of equality for all, but Ohio’s laws only demand equality for some."

Peterson and Democratic Rep. Dan Stewart of Columbus served as primary sponsors of the House bill.

Stewart pointed out that more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies have implemented similar policies and major Ohio employers, such as Nationwide Insurance, view tolerance as a means of attracting and retaining top-tier employees.

"Ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to serve their community is an important part of moving Ohio forward," Stewart said.

Joining the legislators was central Ohio school teacher Jimmie Beall, who told how she lost her job with the London City Schools after the district learned that she is a lesbian.

"I was devastated," Beall said. "When I consulted with legal experts, they all gave the same answer: My family did not have the legal protections afforded to most other families. We were left with no health insurance, no benefits and no sense of security."

Beall said she decided to tell her story, hoping it would convince legislators of the need to update Ohio’s law.

"It’s time to do what’s right," Beall said.

House sponsors: Joint Primary Sponsors Representatives Jon Peterson and Dan Stewart with cosponsors Redfern, Yuko, Szollosi, Ujvagi, Skindell, Foley, Celeste, Koziura, Budish, Yates, Chandler, Brown, Hagan, Brady, Sykes, and House Minority Leader Beatty.

Senate sponsors: Primary Sponsor Senator (Dale) Miller with cosponsors Goodman, Morano, Smith, Boccieri, Fedor, Cafaro, Kearney, Roberts, Sawyer and Senate Minority Leader (Ray) Miller.

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Related Stories:
Progress Ohio
Dayton Daily News
Ohio Daily Blog
Columbus Dispatch
Cincinnati Enquirer
HRC Backstory
Ohio Public Radio

Leadership Summit 2007

The equality movement in Ohio got a boost at the third annual Statewide Leadership Summit on December 8th. LGBT and allied leaders from across Ohio met in Columbus to talk about their goals and challenges, and talk about plans for 2008. Special guest speakers included Dept. of Insurance Dir. Mary Jo Hudson and Attorney General Marc Dann. As reported in the Gay People’s Chronicle, the 86 attendees were not only from the big cities, but also from small towns like Lima, Mt. Vernon, and Centerburg. The Summit is organized by Equality Ohio every year to bring together LGBT and allied leaders working for equality all across Ohio.

Straight Ohioans Speak Out: LGBT People Should Have Equal Rights

Columbus, OH – Today, straight Ohioans are reaching out to lawmakers, to tell them that equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people is not “just a gay issue.”

Three years ago this week Ohio’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage went into effect. To mark the anniversary, Equality Ohio Education Fund delivered a book of stories written by straight Ohioans to the legislature and top elected officials. The stories are first-person accounts of why LGBT Ohioans should be fully equal under state laws.


“The stories in the book are a powerful call for state lawmakers to simply do the right thing, and treat all Ohioans with dignity and fairness,” said Lynne Bowman, Executive Director of Equality Ohio. Excerpts from stories told by straight Ohioans:

• “… he died quietly in his partner’s arms. His partner just held him and cried and cried… I remember thinking, why is everyone treating his partner so badly? I thought love is just love, and who are these people to judge?” – Angela, Cincinnati


• “Being a child of a lesbian parent is one of the truest lessons of acceptance and unconditional love.” – Devon, Broadview Heights


• Melanie and her husband in Columbus have many LGBT friends, she writes: “we want them to have the same freedoms and protection that we do. It is only fair.”


• Stephen, a Reverend in Bowling Green, wrote that he is convinced LGBT people “are just like me – many of whom are way more talented and dedicated to a better world than I.”


• “I am writing to you because I want my daughter and her family to feel welcome in Ohio” – Patricia, Columbus
  

“Our cities are forging ahead toward equal rights while state laws lag behind. Ohioans are demanding a change,” Bowman said, referring to recent laws passed last month by Dayton and Toledo. Dayton now protects people from workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation, and Toledo has established a domestic partnership registry. She added that Ohio ranks 42nd out of all 50 states when comparing state-level laws protecting and supporting equal rights for LGBT citizens. That puts us in a tie with Mississippi and Arkansas.

The stories are available online at http://www.equalityohio.org/. Equality Ohio envisions an Ohio where everyone feels at home.

GPC Reports on Equality Ohio Annual Meeting

This report from the Gay People's Chronicle on Equality Ohio's annual meeting November 10:

Another change to the board is the introduction of three new ex officio, or non-voting, seats earmarked for youth ages 18-25. The first of these seats was filled by Jordan Peters, a Dayton native currently attending Ohio State University. Peters has volunteered for Equality Ohio since shortly after its inception in 2005.

Equality Ohio will also be expanding their presence in northeast Ohio, which contains Cleveland, Columbus, Canton, Akron, Youngstown and Warren. They are looking to hire a deputy executive director who will work from home in the area. Ads are expected to be placed seeking applicants in January.

Dispatch Faith & Values reports on FTBTMS

Today's Columbus Dispatch runs an article about the documentary For the Bible Tells Me So and panel discussion last night:

Most of the film is testimony from families who once believed homosexuality went against the church's teaching and how their views changed after they learned their own child was gay. Included are the parents of V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man from New Hampshire who became an Episcopalian bishop, and former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt and his daughter, a lesbian who told her story during his campaign.

You can also read more about the writer's views on the film showing and panel in The Compass, The Dispatch's online Faith & Values blog:

What struck me most was meeting Philip and Randi Reitan before the movie. The couple, who are in the film, are Lutherans from a small Minnesota town. They never gave a thought to homosexuality until their son Jake told them he was gay.

Looking for a Debate

The Columbus Dispatch published a review of the movie For the Bible Tells Me So, showing at Mershon Auditorium Thursday Nov. 15th at 7:30pm.

Director Daniel Karslake doesn't host a vigorous debate. He builds his side of the issues and represents opposing views through media appearances by gay-rights critics such as James Dobson, Jimmy Swaggart and -- here's a voice from the past -- Anita Bryant.

It would be a challenge for the choir to hear calm, reasoned rebuttals. It would be even more enlightening to watch a debate with one of the anonymous anti-gay screamers who pop up in protest videos but aren't engaged on camera. They probably would have declined the invitation.

Tickets can be purchased online.

"For the Bible Tells Me So" at Mershon Auditorium

FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO
Documentary film presentation at Mershon Auditorium [MAP]
NOVEMBER 15, 2007 7:30pm $7/$5 for students
*Panel discussion to follow the film

The divisively contested relationship between divine
scripture and homosexuality is at the center of For the
Bible Tells Me So, a moving examination of how people of
faith struggle to reconcile sexual orientation with the
word of God as it's preached by organized religion. The
film's focus is on how average church-going American
families persist in belief when faced with intolerance
justified in a literal reading of the Old Testament.
Interspersed among the personal testimonies are
appearances by an array of theologians, such as Bishop
Desmond Tutu, Harvard's Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi
Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech who
demonstrate with passion and compassion how believers
in the 21st century can live by the Book.
Movie website: http://www.forthebibletellsmeso.org/

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Wexner Center for the Arts
Equality Ohio Education Fund
Human Rights Campaign Columbus Steering Committee

Equality Ohio Praises Senators Brown and Voinovich for Standing up Against Hate Crimes

Columbus, OH – Today the United States Senate passed the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Act by a final vote of 60-39. This measure would expand existing law to include hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. Both Senator George Voinovich (R) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D) of Ohio voted yes on the measure. Contact: Bo Shuff,
Director of Education and Public Policy
614-325-8855 or bo@equalityohio.org

“Equality Ohio is thrilled that this piece of legislation has taken an historic step forward,” said Bo Shuff, Director of Education and Public Policy for Equality Ohio. “Our two senators, are united in their belief that all Americans deserve protection from crimes of hate and have taken a brave stand to do what is right. We know that as Ohio goes, so goes the nation, and we hope that President Bush will recognize the broad support for this bill and sign it into law.”

The Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 provides federal funding and support to local law enforcement agencies who are investigating and prosecuting hate crimes. In addition, it removes the restrictions that previously made this funding available only to people engaged in a federally protected activity such as voting or going to school. The legislation is supported by twenty-six state attorneys general as well as 230 law enforcement, civil rights, civic and religious organizations.

“Keeping more Americans safe has brought together the broad coalition of support that made passage of this legislation possible.” said Lynne Bowman, Executive Director of Equality Ohio. “The Human Rights Campaign in particular is to be commended for the work they have done for the last ten years to get this bill to where it is today.”

Ohioans agree with the idea of keeping all Americans safe from fear and intimidation. In a survey conducted in November of 2006 by the Glengarrif Group, Ohio voters overwhelming supported hate crimes legislation. Sixty-one percent of Ohioans support a law that would classify crimes against people based on sexual orientation or real or perceived gender identity and expression as a hate crime.

Equality Ohio envisions an Ohio where everyone feels at home. On the web at www.equalityohio.org.

Photos from "Thank Ann Coulter!" Rally online

See all the photos on Equality Ohio's Flickr page

Coulter draws yawns, not jeers

Cincinnati Enquirer reports a dismal turnout for Coulter's speaking engagement at Xavier University, and highlights the celebratory rally to "Thank Ann!" nearby:

Exactly 1,273 people - many of them Xavier students, along with hundreds of others whose college days were decades behind them - filed into the Cintas Center for the 7 p.m. lecture.

Several hundred yards away, in front of Husman Hall, a coalition of liberal groups held a "Counter-Coulter" rally that drew about 200 people. It was aimed at celebrating the $26,000 raised on the Internet for six liberal campus groups - money donated by people who oppose Coulter's hard-right views.

"Thanks, Ann Coulter," read an enormous banner.