Date: Fri, 10 Mar 1995 01:14:46 -0500 From: Dionisio This is a compilation of stories found in the Cincinnati Post and from a person who attended the actual Council Meeting. As you may have heard, the Cincinnati City Council has decided to repeal the protections for the queer population by voting to take the protections in the city's human-rights ordinance out. The person who can be held responsible for this, Councilman Dwight Tillery, was endorsed by the Cincy Stonewall group during the 1993 elections. He was the swing-vote of the council and, though he actually voted for the ordinance when it was ammended to add protections for gays and lesbians, he is now apparently regretting his stance and acts as though he favors Issue 3 -- the city's foray into the realm of anti-gay legislation. "I never thought it was the right thing to do," he told The Post. Tuesday, he voiced that he had always had "grave concerns" about the ordinance. Stonewall Cincinnati responded with a press conference which Tillery called, "character assassination." So what was said? What did Stonewall Cincinnati do? Simple. They showed a tape of Tillery attending thier April 1993 dinner expressing his "friendship". "And you don't forget your friends," were _his_ words. This is "friendship"? To clarify his present position futher, he added that he was, "beginning [to] regret I have been supportive of their concerns." So who's he trying to please? Would you believe the AFA? Apparently, Tillery wants re-elected. And, in return for this "favor" the AFA will see fit to overlook him in their "Operation Spotlight". (A plan to polarize people over the issue of homosexuals seeking equality, and the politicians who support the concept of "justice for all".) Presently "spotlighted" are: Mayor Roxanne Qualls, Tyrone Yates, Bobbie Sterne and Todd Portune. The Council Meeting was well-attended. Both major local newspapers were present. So, too, were the local networks. In addition, there were over 100 people. The next morning's Enquirer had a picture of members of Stonewall pointing fingers at Tillery. The caption read, "Shame! Shame! Shame!" So, how does this affect the court appeal to revoke Issue 3? Not at all. The federal appeals court had earlier suggested that the Cincinnati case wait until the Colorado case was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, but Alphonse Gerhardstein, attorney for Equality Foundation, said the Cincinnati decision goes well beyond the Colorado case and should be decided on its own. Issue 3 is a City Charter amendment, passed by 62 percent of Cincinnati voters in 1993, that repealed the City Council-passed gay-rights section of the city's human-rights ordinance - and prohibited council from making any future laws to provide anti-discrimination protection for homosexuals, lesbians and bisexuals. The Equality Foundation sued, saying that Issue 3 was unconstitutional. The judge, S. Arthur Spiegel, not only agreed but went further by stating that Issue 3 deprived a class of people from participating in their government, AND that they deserved civil-rights protections equal to protected groups, such as women. The city, and Equal Rights, Not Special Rights, the organization that supported Issue 3, appealed Spiegel's ruling to the 6th Circuit. And there things stood. Tuesday, after an hour of oral arguments, the three-judge panel agreed to take the issue under advisement. Decisions normally take 6 to 9 months, and sometimes longer. Michael Carvin, an attorney for Equal Rights, Not Special Rights, said the issue was the citizens' right "to make constitutional decisions" on how they shall be governed. He is of the belief that Spiegel's decision denies the people the right to make political decisions. The deputy city solicitor for Cincinnati, Karl Kadon, said "this is an example of the people exercising control over what their government does. This is the kernel argument." But Gerhardstein said the case involves the "rights of every citizen to full and equal participation in the political process." He maintains that those participation rights had been eliminated by Issue 3's ban on the council's ability to ever make laws involving rights protections and gays. He said it shuts them out of even petitioning Cincinnati City Council for changes, because under Issue 3, council cannot even consider such legislation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ___ "Engage." ___....-----'---`-----....___ ========================================= "Oh, Jean-Luc! I knew you'd come ___`---..._______...---'___ around! I'll have Troi start (___) _|_|_|_ (___) the arrangements immediatly!" \\____.-'_.---._`-.____// ~~~~`.__`---'__.'~~~~ ~~~~~