Join us at Cleveland City Council on Monday, November 17, 7:00pm!
Thank you to Councilman Joe Santiago (Ward 14), Councilman Matt Zone (Ward 17) and Councilman Joe Cimperman (Ward 13) for their leadership on these issues!
A team of LGBT advocates from the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, TransFamily, Equality Ohio, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats and the ACLU of Ohio have been working with members of the Cleveland City Council to help make Cleveland a city where everyone can feel at home!
At tonight's City Council Meeting (11/10/08) a Resolution in support of a state-wide bill that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was introduced. House Bill 502 and Senate Bill 305 was introduced by state senator Dale Miller in the 127th Ohio General Assembly. This legislation will protect all Ohioans from losing their jobs, being denied housing, or being refused public accommodations based on their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, City Council introduced a Resolution in Support of the Observance of the Cleveland Transgender Day of Remembrance.
In August, Councilman Joe Santiago introduced an ordinance that would add gender identity to ALL discrimination language in the city record. (Ord. No. 1260-08)
At Council on Monday, 11/17, Councilman Joe Cimperman will introduce an ordinance that will create a Domestic Partner Registry at the City of Cleveland. This registry will allow a unmarried couple who live together and have an intimate relationship to register as Domestic Partners with the City of Cleveland. This registration certificate could then be presented as evidence when requesting domestic partner benefits at employers, visitation at hospitals, membership at recreational facilities and authorization to pick up children at schools.
What do we need you to do?
EMAIL, CALL, WRITE your City Council Member that represents you at HOME and/or at WORK and thank them for their support of the Resolution in Support of House Bill 502 and Senate Bill 305 and for the Resolution in Support of Transgender Day of Remembrance. Also, ask them to support the Ordinance adding Gender Identity to all discrimination language in the City Code AND ask them to support a Domestic Partner Registry at the City of Cleveland. Find your Council Member here: http://www.clevelandcitycouncil.org/Home/CouncilMembers/FindMyWard/tabid/53/Default.aspx
Come to the City Council Meeting on November 17, 2008 at 7pm. Show your support of the Cleveland City Council's efforts to make Cleveland a City that stands for Equality!
For further information or with questions, contact:
Sue Doerfer, LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, SDoerfer@lgbtcleveland.org
Jake Nash, TransFamily, transactivist@sbcglobal.net
Lynne Bowman, Equality Ohio, lynne@equalityohio.org
Keli Zehnder, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, kelithegreat@sbcglobal.net
Carrie Davis, ACLU of Ohio, cdavis@acluohio.org
Patrick Shepherd, National Stonewall Democrats, shep@att.net
