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LETTER
the respected source for GlBt news since June 1990
On November 4, Americans witnessed the historic election o Barack Obama, but passage o anti-gay ballot initiatives in Caliornia, Arizona and Florida shows that much work remains to be done on theroad to equality.The Caliornia Supreme Court has agreed to review the validity o Proposition 8 (Prop 8) in response to a lawsuit led by LambdaLegal, The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Centeror Lesbian Rights. The groups argue that Prop 8 is invalid because itimproperly attempts to undo the constitution's core commitment toequality and deprives the courts o their essential role o protecting therights o minorities. According to the Caliornia Constitution, such a radical change in the way the courts and state government work cannot be decided by a simple ballot measure.The legal groups led the writ petition on behal o Equality Caliornia and six same-sexcouples.The Caliornia Constitution makes clear that a major change in the roles played by thedierent branches o government cannot be made by a simple majority vote through theinitiative process, but at the very least must rst go through the state legislature. Changes tothe underlying principles o the constitution must be approved by two-thirds o both houseso the legislature beore going to voters. That didn't happen with Prop 8, and that's why it'sinvalid.The groups led a writ petition in the CaliorniaSupreme Court beore the elections, arguing that theinitiative should not have appeared on the ballot. Thecourt dismissed that petition without addressing itsmerits.This would not be the rst time the court has struck down an improper voter initiative. In 1990, the courtstruck down an initiative that would have improperly attempted to strip the state's courts o their role asindependent interpreters o the constitution.“I the voters approved an initiative that took theright to ree speech away rom women, but not rommen, everyone would agree that such a measure conficts with the basic ideals o equality enshrined in ourconstitution,” says Lambda Legal Senior Counsel Jenny Pizer. “Proposition 8 suers rom the same faw. That’stoo big a change in the principles o our constitution to be made just by a bare majority o voters.”Executive Director Kevin Cathcart has spoken out against racial scapegoating in the wakeo Proposition 8, and warns that it is wrong and weakens our movement.
Te
VOLUME 19, ISSUE 12 • DEcEMbEr 2008
California High Court Takes Proposition 8 Case
The Paducah Human Rights Commission(PHRC) has joined the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights (KCHR)in celebrating Governor Beshear’s ExecutiveOrder expanding employment protections toinclude sexual orientation and gender identity or employees o the Commonwealth.In June, the KCHR passed a historicresolution in support o a statewide airnessbill that prohibits discrimination based onsexual orientation and gender identity.On November 10, Kentucky Fairness Alliance (KFA) spokesperson Jody Coeraddressed the Paducah Commission. Hespoke in avor o the resolution’s passageand the importance o celebrating thecommitment to airness by Gov. Beshearin order to continue seeing air-mindedvictories.The proclamation passed by a unanimousvote o the Commission. The PHRCorwarded their Resolution to Gov. Beshear,the KCHR, and to Paducah Mayor Paxtonand City Commissioners.“We salute Governor Beshear and willcontinue to ollow his lead in ensuring allcitizens are protected equally and airly when it comes to opportunities or stateemployment,” said PHRC Chairperson Andrew Coiner and Paducah attorney.“Discrimination is discrimination. ThePaducah Human Rights Commission iscommitted to protecting the rights o everyonein our community rom discrimination.”
Action Needed: 2009 Legislative Session
Unortunately, the Kentucky General Assembly has never supported legislationprotecting the state workorce romdiscrimination. It is now time to codiy theGovernor's Executive Order in Kentucky law, and make sure that uture generationso employees are protected rom workplacediscrimination.KFA asks Kentucky citizens to call onstate legislators who have previously ledthe statewide airness bill to do so again.KFA specically ask equality allies to ask Representatives Marzian, Burch, Meeks,Palumbo, and Westrom as well as SenatorsHarper Angel, Neal, Shaughnessy, and Steinto pre-le this bill as soon as possible.
Fairness Moves Forward In Paducah, Legislative Session Next Battleground
2 The LeTTer www.TheLeTTeronLine.com December 2008
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While Chicago Public Schools has included sexual orientation in itsnondiscrimination policy since 1997, schools have been slow to updatetheir handbooks to include those protections. Students still must ghtor permission to establish Gay Straight Alliances. Unlike New York City and Los Angeles, the nation's third-largest district has yet to implementcomprehensive programs and policies to support the needs o queerstudents.Beore a proposal to create Chicago's Social Justice High School: PrideCampus was reocused and eventually withdrawn last month, plannersintended or it to become one o the country's only schools dedicatedto gay students. The school's design team modeled it as a haven or gay youth who disproportionately ace bullying and harassment, resulting inabsentee rates more than seven times the national average.But days beore the Chicago Board o Education was to vote on theproposal, the plan was retooled and renamed to ocus on serving any bullied or harassed student. Ocials have hinted that those changes -including the removal o key reerences to the gay community - went tooar.The design team members agreed to withdraw their proposal "in orderto protect its integrity," said Bill Greaves, a team member and the city'sliaison to the gay community. He said the team plans to re-approach theboard next year."We don't know what the proposal will look like at this point, but we will make sure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students arenot invisible," Greaves said."I can guarantee you that it's started a dialogue," said Ruus Williams,president o the Chicago Board o Education. "What we should do is try to create tolerance in every single environment that we have so we have aculture o tolerance."The Pride Campus plan, with its college preparatory ocus, hoped toduplicate the success o New York City's Harvey Milk school, whichprimarily serves gay youth.
Chicago: Gay High School on Hold
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Our Condolences...
THE LETTER wishes to extend our heart-eltsympathy to
BETH ANN RUBIN,
who recently losther mother ater a courageous 10 year battle withcancer. Beth Ann writes our popular DINING OUTcolumn. We also oer our condolences to
TEDFLEISCHAKER
, publisher o THE WORDnewspaper, at the untimely loss o his ather.Indeed our thoughts and prayers go to allindividuals who have lost a loved one (recently ornot-so-recently) during this holiday season whengrie can seem even more overwhelming than it is atany other time o the year.
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