The Letter Mar09

Cost Of Kentucky SenateBill 68: $5.3 Million

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VOLUME 20, ISSUE 3 • March 2009

Cost Of Kentucky SenateBill 68: $5.3 Million

The Williams Institute at theUniversity of California – LosAngeles (UCLA) School of Lawhas released a cost estimate ofKentucky Senate Bill 68, “TheChild Welfare Adoption Act,”which attempts to prohibitunmarried couples from fosteringor adopting children.The report estimates that SB68 would cost the State over $5.3

million in the rst year. “The bulk

of the costs are associated withplacing children in congregate carefacilities, which are more costlythan in-home foster care,” notedstudy co-author Naomi Goldberg,the Peter J. Cooper Public PolicyFellow at The Williams Institute.Additional costs cited in the reportinclude the recruitment of new foster and adoptive parents.Prohibiting unmarried couples from fostering or adopting wouldreduce the number of foster and adoptive families available to carefor the 7,027 children currently in foster care. The report suggeststhat 630 foster children will be removed from their current homes

and placements during the rst year that the ban is in effect. In

addition, 85 children in foster care will either not be adopted orremain in foster care longer because the ban will prohibit theiradoption by unmarried couples.

“Given the current shortage of qualied foster and adoptive

parents, prohibiting unmarried couples from acting as foster oradoptive parents would be costly to the state and harmful to thechildren in foster care,” Goldberg noted.The full report may be found online at www.law.ucla.edu/ williamsinstitute/pdf/Kentucky_SB68CostEstimate.pdf.Supporters of SB 68 claim the proposed legislation would notaffect children already adopted or living with foster parents.

Marriage License IssuedTo Gay Activist & LesbianComedienne

In the state of Nebraskaall that is needed to bemarried is two peopleof the opposite genderwho must be over theage of 19 and $20.00.State residency, love,heterosexuality or truth?Not required!In an action that mockedthe lack of integrityfound in Nebraska’smarriage requirements,lesbian comedienne Christine O'Leary was licensed to marryScott Hall, Founder of the Gay American Heroes Foundationon Friday, February 13.Hall and O’Leary applied for the marriage license at theDouglas County Courthouse in Omaha.The Gay American Heroes Foundation exists to honor andremember GLBT victims of hate crimes, to engage and informthe public about hate crimes against GLBT persons and toinspire compassion and greater appreciation and acceptance ofdiversity.The “couple” has requested that in lieu of wedding gifts,donations be made to Gay American Heros Foundation (www.GayAmericanHeroes.com).To see just how easy it is to meet the legal requirements ofobtaining a marriage license in Nebraska, check out the videoof Scott and Christine obtaining their license by visiting www.TheLetterOnline.com.

Scott Hall and Christine O'Leary

LETTER

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Spirit of Jefferson Cruises

* Saturdays in March March 7, 14 & 21 Dinner 7-9pm * Friday March 27 Lunch 12-2pm

march 2009 www.TheLeTTeronLine.com The LeTTer 3

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Two men who claim they were red from aBrentwood Hotel because they are gay have leda lawsuit against the hotel's owner, Tarun Surti.In the meantime Surti has led for bankruptcy.On January 30, David Hill and LeonardStoddard led suit against Surti, owner of the Arte Hotel in Brentwood, a suburb of Nashville. The $2 million lawsuit which allegesdiscrimination, breech of contract, defamationand invasion of privacy. Nashville attorney RobBriley is representing Hill and Stoddard.Days later, on February 5., Surti led apetition for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, makingit the fourth active bankruptcy case he isinvolved in. This most recent ling lists Surtiand his wife, Lata Surti, as having $2 millionin assets and $2.7 million in liabilities and didnot reference the suit brought against him bythe former employees.In the suit, Hill and Stoddard site a breech of contract for Surti violating the hotel's employeehandbook which Hill said includes protectionfor sexual orientation. The suit also says thatafter Surti red the men, he held a meeting withother Arte employees where he revealed thatthey are gay and falsely claimed that they "had been exchanging sex for employment favors."Stoddard said it could take as long as 16months before the case goes to trial.As O&AN previously reported, Hill, whoworked as human resources manager at Artefor about a month, was red Tuesday, January6, after Surti found out Hill is gay. Two dayslater, Surti red Stoddard via e-mail. Stoddardis openly gay and served as Assistant GeneralManager at Arte for 10 months.The two men claim that they were red solely because of their sexual orientation, but Surtisaid the men were red because he was scaling back the company's workforce, not becausethey are gay.

The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights (KCHR)is on the record as being opposed to Kentucky StateSenator Gary Tapp’s Senate Bill 68 (SB 68), whichFairness supporters have nicknamed the “Divisive ChildWelfare Act”. SB 68 is currently under consideration by the members of the Kentucky Senate’s JudiciaryCommittee.The 11-member Board of Commissioners of the KCHRunanimously passed a resolution last month opposingthis proposed legislation, "due to the constitutionalequal protection issues and extreme monitoring andenforcement costs that would arise from excludingcategories of individuals from becoming an adoptiveparent or foster parent". The KCHR further recommendedthat the Kentucky General Assembly refrain fromexcluding categories as proposed by SB 68.To contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committeewith your opinion on SB 68, you may call the toll-freeKentucky Legislative Hotline at (800) 372-7181.KCHR receives, initiates, investigates, conciliates andrules upon jurisdictional complaints alleging violationsof the Kentucky Civil Rights Act.

KCHR Board UnanimouslyOpposes SB 68

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Ex-Employees File$2 Million Lawsuit Against Hotel Owner

by Joey Leslie,

Out & About Newspaper

The Cincinnati Men’s Chorus has announced that it’sSpring Concert,

Like Totally 80’s,

will be held on March21 and 22 at the Harriet Tubman Theater at the NationalUnderground Railroad Freedom Center in downtownCincinnati. The concerts begin at 8:07pm on March 21and 3:07pm on March 22.Music made famous by Duran Duran, Madonna, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, Culture Club, and Robert Palmerwill be featured.Single tickets are available for $20.00 in advanceand $25.00 on the day of the performances. Ticketsare available through the chorus’ website (www.cincinnatimenschorus.org), or by calling (513) 542-2626.CMC is a voluntary, not-for-prot community chorusorganized to provide the opportunity for gay men andgay-supportive men to sing together.

80’s Music To Be Featured At Cincinnati Concert

Support Group Welcomes Hurting Persons

A support group open to persons coping with allsorts of struggles is now meeting every Thursday at6:00pm at the City of Refuge Worship Center, 1041 GossAvenue in Louisville.All GLBT community members are welcome to attendthis free support group. While the group is meeting in achurch building, church afliation is

not

a requirementto be part of the group.For directions to the meeting location, visit thechurch’s website at www.cityofrefugewc.com.