Date: Fri, 20 Jan 1995 08:17:54 -0500 (EST) From: David Casti Subject: ACTION ALERT: More Dallas Info Submitted by: VANR0014@VM.CIS.SMU.EDU As most of you no doubt know, the Dallas City Council voted Wednesday to add sexual orientation to the city's non-discrimination policy. As you no doubt also know, the fundies created a firestorm of faxes, phone calls, and letters the next day, to the point that at least one councilmember--Don Hicks--was considering calling for a second vote, "in the interest of democracy." YOUR VOICE IS NECESSARY TO INSURE THAT EQUALITY IS THE LAW IN DALLAS. PLEASE, PLEASE fax the mayor, who has apparently changed his mind since 1992 and is now ON OUR SIDE, fax your councilmember, and fax those councilmembers who voted for equality. These are the councilmembers who voted to extend the policy to include sexual orientation: Craig McDaniel Chris Luna Mayor Steve Bartlett Paul Fielding Don Hicks Sandra Crenshaw Bob Stimson Domingo Garcia Larry Duncan These are the councilmembers who voted NOT to extend the policy to include sexual orientation: Glenn Box (surprised?) Donna Blumer Max Wells Donna Halstead Barbara Mallory Charlotte Mayes was absent for the vote. 670-5115 is the fax # for Councilmembers Duncan, Halstead, Luna, Mallory, McDaniel, and Wells. 670-5117 is the fax # for Councilmembers Blumer, Box, Crenshaw, Fielding, Hicks, and Stimson. Mayor Bartlett's fax # is 670-4054. Councilmembers Garcia and Mayes' fax # is 670-3409. Councilmember McDaniel has pledged that if you send a single fax to the council to his fax #, he will see that the others are copied in. Here are samples of the letters *I* sent (though it's best to put it in your own words: ------------------ Dear Mayor Bartlett: As a gay citizen of Dallas, I would like to congratulate you for your courageous vote to include sexual orientation in the city's non-discrimination policy. Should the Council decide to revisit this issue, I strongly urge you to continue to do the right thing by maintaining your position. ------------------ Dear Councilmember Blumer: As a gay member of your district who votes, I would like to convey my extreme disapproval for your vote Wednesday against including sexual orientation in the city's non-discrimination policy. May I remind you that you were elected to represent all members of your district, not just Eagle Forum members and supporters, and not just people who consider themselves Christians, who choose to believe in a literal interpretation of certain passages of a translation of the Bible? Should the Council decide to revisit this issue, I strongly urge you to reconsider your position and do the right thing for the citizens of Dallas. ------------------ Dear Councilmember Hicks: As a gay citizen of Dallas, I would like to congratulate you for your courageous vote to include sexual orientation in the city's non-discrimination policy. I strongly urge you *not* to call for a second vote. Democracy and fairness have already been served. Should the Council decide to revisit the issue, I hope that you will maintain your position. ------------------ Thanks, Chuck Donaldson