The Letter Feb09

Fairness CampaignHires Director

Following a period of strategic planningand organizational renewal, along with theestablishment of an endowment, Louisville's

Fairness Campaign has hired its rst Director,

Chris Hartman (chris@fairness.org). Hewill oversee fundraising, communications,leadership development, and legislative strategyfor the civil rights organization.Hartman most recently worked as CongressmanJohn Yarmuth's 2008 campaign Press Secretary.He served in 2005 as an AmeriCorps VISTA(Volunteer In Service To America) in St. Louis,and Director of Philadelphia's GrassrootsFundraising for the Democratic NationalCommittee in 2004's Presidential Election, and as Producer.

The role of Director is the second to be lled by Fairness in under a

year. Last July, the organization hired Administrative Coordinator Erica

Dolinky, who manages the ofce, constituent communications and

works to foster volunteer engagement and membership recruitment.

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LETTER

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VOLUME 20, ISSUE 2 • FEBRUARY 2009

Bill Would Prevent Same-SexCouples From BecomingAdoptive, Foster Parents

On Friday, February 5, a bill was introduced (SB68) by KentuckyState Senator Gary Tapp that would prevent same-sex couples, who are

otherwise qualied, from becoming adoptive or even foster parents.

According to the Kentucky legislative website, the ShelbyvilleRepublican’s bill is described as an act “relating to the welfare ofadopted and foster care children”.The bill would create a new section of KRS Chapter 199 to prohibitthe approval of foster care, relative caregiver services, or adoption of achild by an applicant who is cohabiting with a sexual partner outsideof “a marriage that is legally valid” in the Commonwealth. "The ChildWelfare Adoption Act" would exempt children placed for adoption priorto the effective date of this Act and amend KRS 199.470 to conform. Asummary of the proposed legislation can be viewed at www.lrc.ky.gov/ RECORD/09RS/SB68.htm.

Kentuckians Value FairnessLobby & Rally Scheduled

Fairness supporters from across Kentucky will meet inFrankfort to lobby legislators for a statewide Fairness law onWednesday, February 25. A rally and press conference will takeplace beginning at 12:30pm in the Capitol rotunda with alliesfrom across the state.

Carpools will leave from the Fairness Campaign ofce in

Louisville at 8:00am.For more information call the Fairness Campaign at (502) 893-0788 or write fairness@fairness.org.

Ryan Kelly, the actor who played Bobby Grifth in the recently aired

made-for-cable movie

Prayers For Bobby

, appeared at a special

showing of the lm. The event was hosted by the Dayton chapter of Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Pictured with Kelly(third from left) are Joe & Judy Dryer, Kim & Gary Peters and BrianLanham. A warm and gracious young man, Kelly is known to bea strong supporter of GLBT equality. Kelly stared with Sigourney Weaver in the true story about a Christian mother who strugglesto accept her son's homosexuality. (Picture courtesy Bruce E. Puff,Cross Creek Community Church.)

Chris Hartman

2 The LeTTer www.TheLeTTeronLine.com FeBrUArY 2009

FeBrUArY 2009 www.TheLeTTeronLine.com The LeTTer 3

Gay Men & Eating Disorders

A story of recovery and hopebegins on page 22

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U. of L. Site For Women’sCoffeehouse

The University of

Louisville's Ofce forLGBT Services, theWomen’s Center, and theAnne Braden Instituteare hosting a coffeehouseevent called

Voices of LGBT Women

, a night devoted tomusic, poetry and otherforms of performance art.The coffeehouse will beginat 7:00pm in the Red Barnon the U of L campus onTuesday, March 10. Doorswill open at 6:00pm.

For more informationcontact Heather.Marshall@Louisville.edu.

Indiana’s Marriage DiscriminationAmendment (SJR-15), authored by Senator Marlin Stutzman, wasoriginally scheduled to be heard bythe Senate Judiciary Committee onFebruary 11. The hearing has now been delayed.Although SJR-15 is delayed, it isstill possible that a hearing on theamendment will be conducted beforethe end of the current legislativesession.Indiana Equality, the state’spremier Fairness organization, isencouraging supporters of marriageequality to contact members of theSenate Judiciary Committee and urgethem to reject SJR-15, the MarriageDiscrimination Amendment.Indiana residents may contact theirlegislators toll-free at (800) 382-9467Indiana Representative Jeff Thompson’s Amendment to HouseBill 1187 aims to forbid the teachingof “harmful behaviors”— including“homosexuality.” If adopted,“homosexuality” would be legallydened as a harmful behavior instate law.HB 1187, authored byRepresentative Greg Porter, requiresthe state Department of Educationto develop standards for culturalcompetency teacher training. HB1187 requires school corporationsand accredited non-public schools todevelop policies concerning culturalcompetency training for school staff and students.In response to the “ThompsonAmendment”, Rep. Porter hastemporarily pulled the bill fromsecond reading consideration.

Marriage DiscriminationAmendment TemporarilyDelayed

Indiana: LegislationClassifies Gays As“Harmful”