HRC's work in Ohio

In Ohio this past year, HRC has been particularly active with the business community, political events and faith based initiatives .

BUSINESS

One example in 2008 was the Corporate Equality Series Event in Columbus. In May 2008, the HRC Foundation, along with several sponsors including Nationwide, hosted a Corporate Equality Series event.

This half-day conference focused on GLBT issues in the workplace. Specifically, topics discussed included the business case for GLBT inclusion, the best practices for implementing domestic partner benefits, and workplace protections for the transgender community.

Donna James, the managing director of Lardon & Associates LLC was the keynote speaker. HRC Workplace Project Deputy Director Eric Bloem and Workplace Project Manager Samir Luther also presented.

HATE CRIMES AND ENDA

Some examples of the very strategic and collaborative work HRC has done this past year on the federal hate crimes legislation include:

•HRC members sent more than 15,000 letters and 800 constituent postcards to Ohio legislators in response to federal hate crimes legislation through local and national action alerts.

•HRC developed online campaign tools to generate contacts with senators about the federal hate crimes bill that were adopted and sent out by Equality Ohio.

•Conducted patch-through phone program to contact HRC members and supporters in two key Ohio congressional districts, resulting in more than 70 verified direct contacts between constituents and Members of Congress in support of the federal hate crimes bill.

•Sent informational update letters to HRC members and supporters living in the districts of key Republican Members of Congress who voted for the federal hate crimes bill, reaching more than 9,000 households in Ohio.

•HRC members sent more than 15,000 letters and 650 constituent postcards to Ohio legislators in response to federal ENDA legislation through local and national action alerts.

•Conducted extensive grassroots organizing in three key congressional districts in support of a fully-inclusive federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. This work included retaining a high-level field organizing consultant to generate quantity and quality constituent contacts in support of ENDA in two of these three congressional districts.

2008 ELECTIONS

Some examples of the very strategic and collaborative work HRC did during the 2008 elections in Ohio include:

•Deployed six HRC staff members to Ohio, for periods ranging from one week to several months, to work on key state and federal election campaigns

•Conducted HRC Camp Equality trainings in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus, providing critical election campaign skills to more than 65 supporters of equality.

•Deployed two HRC Campaign College participants to work in Ohio for the final twelve weeks of the campaign.

•Established HRC Ohio Families PAC to raise funds for state-level election activities. Contributed more than $40,000 to state-level candidate campaigns and party committees in Ohio.

•Provided leading sponsorship for the Ohio Democratic Party 2008 State Convention.

•Mobilized HRC members and supporters throughout the state to volunteer for and vote for HRC endorsed candidates, with a series of special election-related e-newsletters and volunteer phone banks in Columbus and Cincinnati.

•Helped elect three new fair-minded Members of Congress, through these combined efforts, and a new fair-minded majority in the Ohio State House.

RELIGION AND FAITH

Some examples of the strategic and collaborative work HRC did recently with its religion and faith program include:

•Called to Be: An Affirming Dialogue with the Transgender Community: In Columbus, the Religion and Faith Program sponsored Rev. Malcolm Himschoot's participation as keynote speaker and preacher at this event, which reached more than 200 people in Central Ohio to raise awareness of transgender people, their contributions and concerns.

•Viewing Homosexuality Through The Eyes of Faith, a one-day symposium sponsored by the Toledo Cluster of Maumee Valley Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church, drew over 135 attendees at Christ Presbyterian Church in Toledo. Featured speakers included Dr. Jack Rogers, Professor of Theology Emeritus at San Francisco Theological Seminary and Moderator of the 213th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and Dr. David Myers, Professor of Psychology at Michigan's Hope College.

•Equality Ohio Prayer Breakfast in Columbus: Bishop Selders spoke to a group of nearly 100 people at a legislative prayer breakfast, co-sponsored with Equality Ohio. The purpose was to raise legislators awareness of LGBT issues, particularly the need for transgender inclusive employment protections, and to show them that clergy from all over Ohio support those protections.