Sunday, May 27, 2012

Columbus Dispatch: Gay families struggle to safeguard adopted kids


Ray, left, and Matt Lees help 1-year-old Josiah up a slide while their other 
adopted children play in the backyard of their home in Worthington.




By  Rita Price
The Columbus Dispatch Sunday May 27, 2012 7:06 AM


 The caseworkers who conducted the pre-adoption home studies treated Ray and Matt Lees as a couple.

Results of background checks and financial reviews and observations about their relationship and the condition of their large suburban home added up to a pleasing portrait.

“Together, you are a great family,” Matt said, paraphrasing a caseworker’s summary. “But now, from a legal perspective, we are going to remove one of you from the equation.”

Because same-sex couples cannot marry, they cannot jointly adopt in Ohio and several other states that prohibit second-parent adoption. That should remind Americans that the nation’s long-running debate about gay marriage is a child-welfare issue, too, advocates for same-sex couples say.

It’s also an issue that is being pushed to the forefront by growing numbers of those couples who are turning to, and often being embraced by, agencies seeking permanent homes for tens of thousands of foster children.

According to the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law at the University of California, Los Angeles, adoptive parenting is on the rise among same-sex couples in the U.S. About 19 percent of same-sex couples who are raising kids reported having at least one adopted child in 2009, nearly double the 10 percent who reported adopting in 2000, the institute said.

“The child-welfare system has gotten it. They know they need all kinds of families,” Matt said. “Now, it’s about the laws catching up with reality.”

When only one half of a couple has legal standing as parent, children are vulnerable to snags with custody, support, medical care, school records and inheritance, among other things.

“It is a disservice to these children that their parents don’t have those legal protections,” said Ellen Kahn, the director of the Family Project at the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington, D.C.-based resource group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families. “What if the mom with legal standing gets diagnosed with stage-four cancer? How can you not give legal recognition to the other parent?”

Matt, 40, and Ray, 43, have done their best to piece together the legal framework that their eight children need. But to manage it, they split the kids. Ray is the legal parent of the first three children adopted — Jenny, 12; Aaron, 8; and Kalis, 3. Matt is legal parent to five siblings the couple hadn’t planned to adopt but did, rather than see them separated in foster care and sent to scattered homes. They are Keuwan, 7; Kanyae, 6; Keyona, 4; Kalashia, 2; and Josiah, 1.

“We’re sort of spreading the risk around,” Ray said. “This way, if I passed away, my kids would get my Social Security and that would help Matt. And vice versa. It’s crazy, but that’s how it is because we can’t inherit from each other.”

The Worthington residents, who both work at Nationwide, have been together 16 years and share a name. But they must maintain separate family-health-insurance plans and meet two different deductibles. And they have spent thousands in attorney fees to craft the special custody and power-of-attorney documents that allow them to care for each other’s children in case of emergency or absence.

“We have to carry legal documentation with us at all times,” Ray said.

Rita Soronen, the president and CEO of the Columbus-based Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, said most adoption workers want to find the best families for kids, whether that’s a same-sex couple, single parent or husband and wife.

The foundation brought Kahn to Columbus to speak during its Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Summit this month, and Matt and Ray served on a parent panel.

When Kahn asked a roomful of child-welfare and adoption caseworkers whether any had enough families for all the waiting children, no hands went up. She said GLBT families often are more willing to adopt from foster care and to take older children or those with special needs. “We know a lot about the concept of family by choice,” Kahn said. “It’s not always your family of origin who’s standing by you.”

Ray said he occasionally hears comments from people who say he and Matt shouldn’t be parents.

“Unless you’re taking in a child, don’t talk to me,” he said. “More than 28,000 kids age out of foster care every year with no home. Get back to us when you step up.”

The couple opened their home to two children from Haiti and six from county foster-care systems in Ohio. They bought a 12-passenger van, added four rooms to their home and hired a part-time nanny.

“We didn’t envision all this,” Matt said, smiling.

Being able to marry wouldn’t make them any less tired. But, as parents, it might help them rest more easily.

rprice@dispatch.com

AP: Polls on gay marriage not yet reflected in votes



DAVID CRARY
Published: Today 

NEW YORK (AP) - Poll after poll shows public support for same-sex marriage steadily increasing, to the point where it's now a majority viewpoint. Yet in all 32 states where gay marriage has been on the ballot, voters have rejected it.

It's possible the streak could end in November, when Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington state are likely to have closely contested gay marriage measures on their ballots.

For now, however, there remains a gap between the national polling results and the way states have voted.

It's a paradox with multiple explanations, from political geography to the likelihood that some conflicted voters tell pollsters one thing and then vote differently.

"It's not that people are lying. It's an intensely emotional issue," said Amy Simon, a pollster based in Oakland, Calif. "People can report to you how they feel at the moment they're answering the polls, but they can change their mind."

California experienced that phenomenon in November 2008, when voters, by a 52-48 margin, approved a ban on same-sex marriage in the state constitution. A statewide Field Poll that September indicated Proposition 8 would lose decisively; an updated poll a week before the vote still showed it trailing by 5 percentage points.

California is an unusual case. It's one of a few reliably Democratic states that have had a statewide vote rebuffing same-sex marriage. The vast majority of the referendums have been in more conservative states, which have a greater predilection for using ballot measures to set social policy. The 32 states that have rejected gay marriage at the polls make up just over 60 percent of the U.S. population.

Voters in liberal states such as Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York, where gay marriage was legalized by judges or legislators, might vote to affirm those decisions but haven't had the opportunity.

Most of the states that voted against gay marriage did so between 2004 and 2008. Since then, only Maine in 2009 and North Carolina on May 8 have rebuffed same-sex marriage in referendums, while legislatures in Washington state, Maryland, New Jersey, Hawaii, New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Illinois and Delaware have voted for same-sex marriage or civil unions.

In all, there are now six states with legal same-sex marriage and nine more granting gay and lesbian couples broad marriage-style rights via civil unions or domestic partnerships. Together, those 15 states account for about 35 percent of the U.S. population.

Over the past year, there's been a stream of major national polls indicating that a majority of people support same-sex marriage. According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Wednesday, 53 percent of those questioned say gay marriage should be legal, a new high for the poll, while 39 percent, a new low, say it should be illegal.

Political consultant Frank Schubert, a leading strategist for campaigns against same-sex marriage in California and elsewhere, said such polls are misleading and he asserted that same-sex marriage would be rejected if a national referendum were held now.

"The pollsters are asking if same-sex marriage should be legal or illegal, and that phrasing is problematic because it implies some government sanction against same-sex couples," Schubert said. "People want to be sympathetic to same-sex couples, so polls that use that language aren't particularly useful."

The more useful question, Schubert said, is whether marriage should be defined as the union of a man and a woman - the gist of the constitutional amendments approved in 30 states.

"If you ask that question, you get strong majorities," Schubert said.

Mark DeCamillo, director of the Field Poll in California, agreed with Schubert that same-sex marriage probably would lose in a hypothetical national referendum now. One important factor, he said, is whether there would be more intensity among supporters or opponents.

In California, same-sex marriage has such overwhelming support today that Prop 8 almost certainly would be overturned if a new state referendum were held, DeCamillo said.

The latest Field Poll, in February, measured voter approval of gay marriage among registered California voters at 59 percent, which was the highest in 35 years of polling on the issue, while only 34 percent disapproved. In the first Field Poll on the topic, in 1977, 59 percent opposed gay marriage and 28 percent were in favor.

Nonetheless, the largest gay-rights group in the state, Equality California, remains cautious and isn't yet ready to begin a campaign to overturn Prop 8. A federal court has struck down the law, but that ruling has been appealed.

"We aren't confident that the level of support is stable enough to withstand the rigors of a referendum," said spokeswoman Rebekah Orr. "We know that people are conflicted. Their intellectual position can show up in a poll and their emotional position shows up in the voting booth."

California is among 30 states where voters have approved amendments limiting marriage to unions of one man and one woman. In Hawaii, voters passed an amendment in 1998 empowering the Legislature to ban gay marriage, which it proceeded to do. The ban remains in effect, though Hawaii lawmakers approved civil unions last year.

The other statewide vote was in Maine in 2009, when 53 percent of the voters overturned a law that would have legalized same-sex marriage.

The issue is back on Maine's ballot for Nov. 6, with voters getting another chance to approve same-sex marriage. Schubert, who is advising gay-marriage opponents in Maine, depicts it as the toughest contest for his side among the four statewide elections this fall.

In Minnesota, voters will be deciding whether to approve a gay-marriage ban similar to those in the other 30 states. In Maryland and Washington, assuming enough valid signatures are gathered by gay marriage opponents, there will be ballot measures seeking to overturn same-sex marriage laws passed by legislators this year.
However those four referendums turn out, there's widespread belief among gay rights activists and many pollsters that support for same-sex marriage will continue to grow nationwide.

"The numbers are inexorably moving in one direction," said DeCamillo. "Older folks, who are more in opposition, are dying out and younger folks are more inclined to support it. It's not rocket science."

He said support for gay marriage is surging in California among young Latinos and Asian-Americans. Nationally, according the recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, support has risen among blacks since President Barack Obama's endorsement of same-sex marriage on May 9.

Phyllis Watts, a consulting psychologist from Sacramento, Calif., has worked with several recent ballot-measure campaigns, including the failed effort to defeat Prop 8 in California and a successful drive last year to defeat an anti-abortion "personhood" measure in Mississippi.

She believes a statewide vote in favor of same-sex marriage is likely to come soon. But she suggests that any particular poll should be viewed with caution.

"People are in a fluid state around same-sex marriage. They really can feel one way one day and another way another day," she said. "I don't think the polls are able to track, with a level of nuance, what's actually occurring inside people's hearts."

Friday, May 25, 2012

Columbus Dispatch: Jury awards damages over failed Short North condo project


Jury awards damages over failed Short North condo project



By  John Futty
The Columbus Dispatch Friday May 25, 2012 8:24 PM

A company that failed to build a proposed condominium tower in the Short North defrauded the people who deposited money to reserve homes in the building, a Franklin County jury ruled today.

The Common Pleas Court jury awarded $200,000 in damages to 17 plaintiffs who lost a combined $191,000 when the Ibiza on High project went bankrupt.

The judgment was against RMRW Limited, a company owned by Short North developers Ray Brown, Michael Council, Rajesh Lahoti and Wilbur Ischie.

The jury found, however, that the company’s four owners were not individually liable. Afterward, the jurors told the attorneys that they were unable to attribute any single acts of fraud to any of the individuals.

“In our minds, a fraud verdict against RMRW is as good as a fraud verdict against the individuals,” said Brian Laliberte, attorney for the plaintiffs. “RMRW has assets.”

Tim O’Neill, one of a half-dozen plaintiffs in the courtroom when the verdicts were announced, said he was glad that the “long, drawn-out process” is over.

“We’re relieved the jury realized that we were wronged,” he said.

Terrence Wheeler, who represented the defendants, said his clients were “pleased that the jurors found that, individually, they did not commit fraud. In my mind, the jurors wanted to find a way to give (the depositors) their money back. My clients are OK with that.”

The developers bought land at N. High Street and Hubbard Avenue in 2006, cleared the site in 2007 and began taking deposits in 2008 for a $35 million tower that was supposed to open in 2010.

The proposed 11-story, 135-unit building, with a rooftop pool and adjacent parking garage, was to be the biggest condominium development in the Short North, with prices ranging from $159,999 to $1.5 million per unit.

The developers pre-sold more than 70 units, collecting about $1.2 million in deposits. But construction never began on Ibiza, buyers didn’t get their deposits back, and the developers’ real-estate company, Apex, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2011.

It is unclear whether other depositors now will come forward with additional claims.

The jurors deliberated for more than four hours after hearing three days of testimony from 13 witnesses in the courtroom of Judge Richard A. Frye. Brown was the only defendant to take the stand.

In closing arguments this morning, Laliberte said it was clear to the developers by July 2008 that they couldn’t get a construction loan from a bank, yet they continued to tell depositors that the project would happen. In the end, he said, they spent all the depositors’ money “to keep the lights on at Apex” and on other items unrelated to construction.

Wheeler told the jury that his clients were acting in good faith, but the collapse of the stock and housing markets in 2008 prevented them from getting financing for the project. He said the plaintiffs failed to identify “one penny” that was spent improperly.

Advocate: Judge Rules DOMA Unconstitutional in California Case



Judge Rules DOMA Unconstitutional in California Case


BY Editors


May 25 2012 8:59 AM ET


 A federal judge in California has ruled a section of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional in a case brought by a group of public employees whose same-sex spouses were denied long-term care insurance.


U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled late Thursday that Section 3 of DOMA, which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages, violates the equal protection rights of the couples who sued both the federal government and the state's California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS).

In granting summary judgment to the public employees, Wilken ruled that DOMA and a provision in the federal tax code “are constitutionally invalid to the extent that they exclude Plaintiff same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners from enrollment in the CalPERS long-term care plan.”


Wilken ordered CalPERS to cease denying enrollment to same-sex couples in the plan based on DOMA, though the judge’s decision would be stayed pending appeal, she wrote.

As with other cases challenging DOMA’s constitutionality, the Obama administration’s Department of Justice declined to defend the 1996 law. The House Republican-led Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group intervened to defend DOMA in the lawsuit.

In February, another federal trial judge in California ruled against DOMA in a benefits-related case. Karen Golinski, an attorney and employee for the U.S. Court of Appeals, sued after she was denied health benefits for her wife. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ruled in favor of Golinski, and a month later, the White House's Office of Personnel Management sent a letter to Golinski's health care provider informing the insurer that it was no longer contesting spousal coverage. The case is currently on appeal.

More on the CalPERS case via San Jose Mercury News.

Columbus Dispatch: Another fix considered for leaky Goodale Park pond





By  Mark Ferenchik
The Columbus Dispatch Friday May 25, 2012 7:40 AM


The Friends of Goodale Park hope the next fix will be the last they’ll need to plug the persistent leak at the park’s pond.

Members of the group are discussing hiring a company to place a rubberized liner around the foundation of the sculpted fountain that the group installed last year, said Rick Miller, the design manager for Columbus Recreation and Parks.

The friends group will pay for the fix; the cost has yet to be determined.

The pond has been unable to hold water since the Friends of Goodale Park installed a fountain topped by two spouting elephants last year.

The city already has spent $144,600 to put down a clay called bentonite on the pond’s bottom and fix the walls in hopes of sealing the leak.

The pond’s water level has dropped about 2 feet since the city completed filling it on April13. From May 18 through Monday, the rate of water loss had slowed to about a half-inch a day, Miller said.

The Friends of Goodale Park are talking with Procon Professional Construction Services of Circleville, the same company that put down the bentonite, for the new fix, said Jason Kentner, who leads the group.

The group’s board still needs to vote on the plan.

“We certainly want to move on it quickly,” Kentner said.

Retired engineer Peter Korda, who has been advising the friends group, said it isn’t known whether the leak is in the sculpture’s foundation.

But Korda said that the city will have to accept responsibility for the leak if the friends group seals the foundation and the water level continues to drop.

Alan McKnight, the city’s recreation and parks director, said he’s hopeful that the seal will do the trick. The friends group recently bought dye to drop into the pond to try to find the hole draining the pond.

The results were inconclusive.

“It’s like a needle in a haystack with this,” McKnight said. “It’s such a small leak.”

Columbus Dispatch: Clintonville returns to turn-lane issue that caused so much drama




By  Mark Ferenchik
The Columbus Dispatch Friday May 25, 2012 7:50 AM


For a commission drowning in controversy, it would seem like an issue that new members might want to avoid.

Yet members of the Clintonville Area Commission are putting the controversial turn lane at North Broadway and N. High Street back on the agenda.

Clintonville commissioner D Searcy and three newly elected commissioners met yesterday with city officials to discuss the turn lane and other issues, said Dan Williamson, Mayor Michael B. Coleman’s spokesman.

Williamson said the area commission would have to vote in favor of the turn lane from westbound North Broadway to southbound N. High Street for the city to consider the issue again.

“If they get the votes for it, the mayor’s committed to it,” Williamson said. “He supports the turn lane.”

City council would have to approve the money for it.In 2009, the commission voted in favor of the turn lane. The next year, members voted it down.

Now, the commission has three new members — Dana Bagwell, Jason Meek and Daniel Miller — and another will be needed to replace Chairman John DeFourny, who resigned last week amid conflict-of-interest accusations.

“There are many people in Clintonville that want the turn lane done,” Searcy said. “Until the turn lane is done, the community cannot be settled.”

Bagwell favors the turn lane. She said it would help the area of High Street south of North Broadway thrive while cutting down on speeders who use side streets to get around the intersection.

Meek said he still is considering the issue.

The mayor had planned to make a decision on the turn lane himself. But in March he said he would leave it up to the commission.

The turn lane, a bus turnaround, gateway signs and a rezoning for a parking lot are among the laundry list of issues that have divided the community.

Bickering among commission members as well as name-calling and other bad behavior have given the commission a bad reputation.

A Columbus resident who doesn’t even live in Clintonville fired off an email to commissioners this month, writing that “it is quite embarrassing to read about the drama, self-interests, selfish/personal motives and what appears to be an overall lack of true commitment to YOUR community about many of the issues.”

Clintonville is a place where residents take pride in their leafy streets, well-kept yards, and for many, their progressive views. Columbus City Council President Andrew Ginther, a Democrat, lives there, as does state Sen. Jim Hughes, a Republican.

Ginther, who said he favors the turn lane for safety reasons, said that an at-large council system in a city as big as Columbus works only with organized and effective area commissions. Commissions advise the council on neighborhood priorities and zoning issues.

Meek said he worries that the commission has hurt its reputation and weakened its relationship with Columbus officials.

Neighborhood politics can be messy, and that isn’t unique to Clintonville, Williamson said.

“City Hall is never going to turn its back on Clintonville because of instability in the commissioners,” he said.Bagwell said she and others will work to restore the Clintonville Area Commission’s reputation.

“We’re going to have to prove to (City Hall) that we can be taken seriously again,” Bagwell said.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

VIDEO: Waffle House in Columbus Turns Violent, Homophobes Attack Customers


Violent Antigay Attack at Ohio Restaurant

Police want your help in finding two violent homophobes.

BY NEAL BROVERMAN

 



Ohio police are trying to track down two men who hurled antigay slurs before attacking patrons at a Columbus restaurant.
The late April melee resulted in one patron knocked unconscious and another with broken facial bones. Gloria McCauley, executive director of Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization, told the local media that such antigay attacks are common, even in a relatively progressive city like Columbus.
Watch the attack below and read more about the suspects here.

CNN and HRC: Colin Powell on gay marriage: "I have no problem with it."




CNN lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer sat down with former Secretary of State Colin Powell to discuss his new book and a variety of foreign policy issues. A highlight is after the jump. Blitzer’s full interview with Gen. Powell will air during the 5 p.m. ET hour of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer on CNN.

Please credit CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer


Highlights from the Interview

THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED

BLITZER:  I remember, you were chairman of the joint chiefs when you installed the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the U.S. Military that prevented gays from serving openly.  I know you changed your attitudes over these years.  But what about gay marriage?  Are you with the president in supporting gay marriage?

POWELL:  I have no problem with it.  And it was the congress that imposed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  It was certainly my position, and my recommendation, to get out us of an even worse outcome that could have occurred, if you'll recall.  But, as I've thought about gay marriage, I know a lot of friends who are individually gay but are in partnerships with loved ones.  And they are stable a family as my family is.  And they raise children.  And so I don't see any reason not to say that they should be able to get married under the laws of their state or the laws of the country, however that turns out – it seems to be the laws of the state.

There may be religious objections to it, and I respect that many denominations have different points of view with respect to gay marriage.  And they can hold that in the sanctity of their place of religion and not bless them or solemnize them.  But, in terms of the legal matter of creating a contract between two people that's called marriage, and allowing them to live together with protection of law, it seems to me is the way we should be moving in this country.

And so I support the president's decision, and I think most Americans increasingly understand that times have changed, just like they changed between gays in the military and when I was able to support removing that barrier to service.  And so I hope everybody will just carefully look at this, and I understand the religious objections to it.  But at the same time, we are a country that is open to diversity and change.  And my experience with many of my gay and lesbian friends is that they form unions as strong as any other unions I've seen and raise children that are good, strong children.  And are either or heterosexual or homosexual, lesbian, depending on themselves, not because their parents happen to be.
...
BLITZER:  Do you have a problem with welcoming Mullah Muhammad Omar back into potentially a government in Afghanistan?  He’s still on the loose.

POWELL:  I must say, candidly, that I'm disappointed in the president's remarks.  Look at all the trouble Mullah Omar has created over the past 10 years.  Look at all the lives that have been lost as a result of his actions and the people who are working for him.  And so, I think it's a little hard to say we would welcome him back in as an Afghan.  I think he has to be brought to account for all the tragedies that have taken place over the past 10 years. But, ultimately, that's a matter that the Afghan people will have to deal with.  I don't think they want to see the day of the Taliban to return, and certainly not with Mullah Omar in charge.
...
BLITZER:  And the U.S. is going to be there at least through the end of 2014, another two and a half years.  And I’ll ask this question because I know, among other things, you’re a Vietnam war veteran.  What do you tell the family members of the troops who will be killed between now and the end of 2014 about why they were there?

POWELL:  I think we tell them that we are so proud of your servicemen and servicewomen.  They’re volunteers, they understood the dangers associated with their volunteering.  We’re going to do everything we can to support them and make sure they come home safely.  But war is a dangerous thing and there are people who are trying to get at them.  And if you lose your loved ones, we will mourn and we will do everything we can to make sure that loss was not in vain.  But at the end of the day, if that country stabilizes itself, rids itself of corruption, and can become a functioning society that is at peace with others in the region, then I think you can say to the parents "your loss was not in vain."





FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | May 23, 2012
Dan Rafter



Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Supports Marriage Equality

Powell’s Endorsement Indicative of Growing Support for Equality in African American Community & among Republicans

Washington – Former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell supports marriage equality. Powell made the remarks in an interview taped for CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. In talking with Blitzer, Powell cited his LGBT friends and their committed relationships as a driving force in his support.


“Colin Powell’s support for marriage equality is representative of the continued momentum for marriage that we’re seeing nationwide, and its significance cannot be overlooked,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “One of our nation’s foremost statesmen and a top military leader, Colin Powell is another example of how a growing number of Americans are personally connected to loving, committed LGBT couples – and these connections are having transformative results. As more and more Americans come to see the discrimination their own LGBT family members and friends experience on a daily basis, support for marriage equality is increasingly common-sense. No longer can marriage be used as a wedge issue for any community – Americans are increasingly supportive of marriage equality regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation or political associations.”


Colin Powell is the latest in a string of leaders within the African-American community to support marriage equality – joining Russell Simmons, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and Jay-Z. An ABC News/Washington Post poll out today shows African-American support for marriage equality at 59 percent – an all-time high. The poll also found support for marriage equality nationwide at 53 percent – the latest in a series of national polls to show a majority of Americans supporting the right of loving and committed same-sex couples to marry.


Powell’s support also is indicative of increasing support for marriage equality among fair-minded Republicans. An NBC News/WSJ poll released yesterday showed support for marriage equality at nearly 50 percent among Republicans under the age of 35.


View the video of Powell expressing his support for marriage equality.


The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
###

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

President Obama and the Fight for LGBT Rights


Join LGBT Americans for Obama: https://my.barackobama.com/lgbtpotusvid 

Glee star Jane Lynch narrates this documentary about LGBT rights in America. The video features a candid interview with President Obama, who speaks about the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, why he supports marriage equality, and what's at stake for the LGBT community in this election.

Columbus Dispatch: Zeno's in Harrison West Loses in the State Supreme Court






By  Darrel Rowland
The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday May 23, 2012 1:56 PM



Ohio’s smoking ban is legal, a unanimous Ohio Supreme Court ruled today.

The high court’s 7-0 decision affirmed a ruling by the Franklin County Court of Appeals upholding the Ohio Smoke Free Workplace Act, approved by Ohio voters in 2006.

Today’s decision, written by Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger, rejected claims by the owner of Zeno’s Victorian Village that state fines against his bar for violating the statewide ban on smoking in workplaces exceeded the state’s legitimate police powers or were an unconstitutional governmental “taking” of private property.

“We have previously stated that the General Assembly has the authority to enact a public-smoking ban,” Lanzinger wrote, citing a 2002 Supreme Court case.

“Although the Smoke Free Act was ultimately passed pursuant to a ballot initiative, the voters of Ohio also have a legitimate purpose in protecting the general welfare and health of Ohio citizens and workforce from the dangers of secondhand smoke in enclosed public places. By requiring that proprietors of public places and places of employment take reasonable steps to prevent smoking on their premises by posting ‘no smoking’ signs, removing ashtrays, and requesting patrons to stop smoking, the act is rationally related to its stated objective.”

Maurice Thompson, an attorney for the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, a nonprofit legal center that represented Zeno’s, called the decision “shameful” in that it seems to give government a free hand in deciding how it will deal with use of private property.

“It really means there is no meaningful limit on regulation of private property in Ohio,” he said. “For us at the Constitutional Law Center, this was about private property rights, not about bars or about smoking.”

Thompson said his client has not decided whether to exercise the option of asking the Ohio Supreme Court to reconsider its decision.

The ruling has national significance, said Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the nonprofit advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, in a statement.

“Today’s decision represents a major blow to the tobacco industry’s ongoing efforts to defeat proven tobacco control measures nationwide that discourage kids and adults from smoking and save lives,” Hansen said.

Dr. Deepak Kumar, president of the Ohio State Medical Association, said in a statement: “Ohio’s physicians commend this ruling and hail it as an important public health victory. Ohio has seen a tremendous public health benefit since the passage of the Smoke Free Workplace Act as this law protects the public from exposure to secondhand smoke in workplaces and public places.”

Attorney General Mike DeWine, whose office represents the state health department, said, “This is great news for the health of Ohioans and for the democratic process. The Ohio Supreme Court has upheld a law passed by a statewide majority of Ohio voters, and patrons and employees of Ohio businesses will continue to enjoy surroundings that are safer because they are smoke-free.”

Lanzinger rejected contentions that the actual smokers, not the owners of establishments where smoking occurs, should suffer the consequences – especially if the owners have posted no-smoking signs and removed ashtrays.

“It is not unreasonable or arbitrary to hold responsible the proprietors of public places and places of employment for their failure to comply with the Smoke Free Act,” Lanzinger said.

“Our review of the act leads us to conclude that it is neither unduly oppressive nor arbitrary in its restrictions. Appellants’ own witness testified that most patrons who are asked to stop smoking readily do so. We therefore hold that the Smoke Free Act is a valid exercise of police power.”

She also noted that Zeno’s and others “have failed to demonstrate that the Smoke Free Act has had a significant economic impact on their business.”

The bar at 384 W. 3rd Ave. owes $40,457 in fines and interest penalties for numerous smoking-ban violations. The state is threatening to seize and foreclose on the Harrison West bar to get the money.

Enforcement of Ohio's smoking ban began in May 2007, affecting 280,000 public and private places of employment, the Ohio Department of Health says.

Secondhand smoke causes 46,000 deaths from heart disease and 3,400 lung cancer deaths in otherwise-healthy nonsmokers every year in America, anti-smoking advocates say. They also say secondhand smoke contains more than 60 known or probable carcinogens and more than 4,000 chemicals, including formaldehyde, arsenic, cyanide and carbon monoxide.

As of March 1, 2010, 32 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico require 100 percent smoke-free workplaces and/or restaurants and/or bars, anti-smoking groups say. The count more than 3,000 municipalities with local laws restricting smoking; those areas combined represents more than two-thirds of the U.S. population.

Zeno’s won a case to dismiss its fines in Franklin County Common Pleas Court but lost an appeal in the Franklin County appellate court in November 2010. Since then, it has gained the backing of the 1851 Center, the Ohio Licensed Beverage Association and the Buckeye Liquor Permit Holders Association, among other groups.

Lanzinger’s opinion was joined by Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor and Justices Paul E. Pfeifer, Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, Robert R. Cupp and Yvette McGee Brown. Justice Terrence O’Donnell concurred in judgment only.

Central Ohio buyers hungry for good homes



Central Ohio buyers hungry for good homes

(May 22, 2012) The number of homes listed for sale over the past two months is lower than the
previous year suggesting the market may be beginning to adjust itself. The 3,629 homes added
to the market in April were 7.0 percent lower than April of 2011 and the 3,466 new listings in
March were 10.4 percent lower than the previous year according to the Columbus Board of
REALTORS®.

The number of new listings January through April (12,588) is now 4.2 percent lower than the
same period last year.

“The number of residential homes for sale continues to decline - which is what the market
needs,” said Jim Coridan, 2012 President of the Columbus Board of REALTORS®. “The inflated
inventory we experienced  after the housing boom of the mid 2000’s caused home prices to
decrease. But 2011 saw a real stabilization of those inventory levels. As a result, home sale
prices are rising.”

The average sale price of a central Ohio home in April was $165,324 – up 8.4 percent from last
year and 7.7 over the previous month.

Monday, May 21, 2012

AIDS Resource Center Ohio's "A Reason to Dine" Starts Tomorrow With Three Days of Events




Local Restaurants Join Together To Support
Local AIDS Service Organization

Six local restaurants are coming together May 22 - 24, 2012 to offer central Ohioans a unique dining experience in order to help raise critical funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS.


Lemongrass Fusion Bistro, Union Café, Mouton, Vino Vino, Figlio and Level Dining Lounge will donate a portion of their proceeds to AIDS Resource Center Ohio to support direct services for those living with HIV/AIDS and to provide education and testing to stop the spread of HIV. Launched in 2009 A Reason to Dine has been a great collaboration with local restaurants who support the work and mission of AIDS Resource Center Ohio and has offered central Ohioans an opportunity to dine out at local restaurants to help lead the fight against HIV/AIDS.


A Reason to Dine Schedule:

Tuesday, May 22
Lemongrass Fusion Bistro, 641 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio – 614-224-1414

Wednesday, May 23
Union Café, 782 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio – 614-421-2233
Mouton, 954 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio – 614-732-4660
Vino Vino, 1371 Grandview Ave., Columbus, Ohio – 614-481-8200
Figlio,1371 Grandview Ave., Columbus, Ohio – 614-481-8200

Thursday, May 24
Level Dining Lounge,700 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio – 614-754-7111

On May 24, Level Dining Lounge presents the “Dating Game” – hosted by June Bugg and sponsored by Absolut and Outlook. 20 % of the proceeds benefit AIDS Resource Center Ohio. Level Dining Lounge Owner and VP of Operations Previn Wyatt says, “We believe in supporting the community and giving back to those who have helped us in our success. I feel that is important that we work together in the fight against this major health crisis that is damaging our brothers and sisters.”

Since July 1, AIDS Resource Center Ohio, the Columbus AIDS Task Force and the Ohio AIDS Coalition have merged to become Ohio’s largest HIV/AIDS service, prevention education, and advocacy organization. With offices in Columbus, Dayton, Lima, Mansfield, Cleveland, Toledo, Athens, Chillicothe, and Newark, ARC Ohio will provide linkage to care, financial assistance and supportive services to more than 2,500 HIV-positive Ohioans in 2011. Thousands more will be reached with evidence-based prevention, HIV testing, and advocacy activities.

For more information, go to www.arcohio.org/areasontodine.


# # #

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

HRC Applauds Committee Approval of Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act






FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 16, 2012



Human Rights Campaign Applauds Committee Approval of Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act

Legislation Would Ensure Federal Employees Receive Equal Pay for Equal Work

WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today hailed the approval of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO) S.1910 in the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. The bill, sponsored by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), would provide benefits for same-sex domestic partners of federal civilian employees on the same basis as spousal benefits. These benefits would include participation in applicable retirement programs, life and health insurance benefits, and family and medical leave. HRC calls on the full Senate to pass DPBO.


"DPBO is about the basic concept of fairness in the workplace,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.  “The federal government would be wise to follow the private sector in offering equal pay for equal work.  America’s major corporations have discovered that equality is not only the right thing to do, but good for business.  Equal workplace policies, like those DPBO would enact, will help attract and retain the best and brightest talent, which is exactly what our federal workforce needs. We call on the full Senate to pass DPBO.” 


Currently, 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies provide domestic partner benefits to their employees.  Many of America's leading companies, including defense giant Raytheon, IBM, Microsoft, Shell Oil, Walt Disney, Owens Corning, Citigroup, Whirlpool, Time Warner, and United and American Airlines offer these benefits. In addition, twenty-four states, the District of Columbia, and more than 100 local governments offer their public employees these benefits. 


The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality.  By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all. 
# # #

Business First: Columbus rated healthiest economy in Ohio


Columbus rated healthiest economy in Ohio

Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 7:31am EDT


A state index of economic indicators shows that Columbus has the most economically healthy conditions among the state's largest metropolitan areas, the Toledo Blade reports.

The index includes employment factors and the valuation of housing permits, the newspaper reports. Columbus had the highest index, followed by Cincinnati and Akron, which all outperformed the overall state index, the newspaper reports.

Three metropolitan areas — Toledo, Canton-Massillon and Youngstown-Warren-Boardman — tied for the largest increase (0.8 percent) to their index, the newspaper reports.
You must have a bizjournals account to follow a company.
Please Log In or Register.

US News and World Report: 5 out of Top 10 Best Ohio High Schools are in Central Ohio





We reviewed 21,776 U.S. public high schools; 242 Ohio schools made our rankings. 



Ohio high school students must earn at least 20 credits in various subjects, including economics and financial literacy. In 10th grade, students take the Ohio Graduation Tests, which assess reading, writing, math, science, and social studies skills, according to the Ohio Department of Education.

Of the numerous Ohio schools ranked in 2012 among the U.S. News Best High Schools, 19 were awarded gold medals, 93 earned silver medals, and 130 received bronze medals. Many of Ohio's Best High Schools are located near the state capital of Columbus, or in Cincinnati, such as Walnut Hills High School, within the Cincinnati City School District.
Top Ranked OH Schools

To be eligible for a state ranking, a school must be awarded a national gold or silver medal.

#1 Walnut Hills High School
3250 VICTORY PARKWAY, CINCINNATI, OH 45207

#2 Bexley High School
326 SOUTH CASSINGHAM RD, BEXLEY, OH 43209

#3 Indian Hill High School
6865 DRAKE RD, CINCINNATI, OH 45243

#4 Wyoming High School
106 PENDERY AVE, WYOMING, OH 45215

#5 Dublin Jerome High School
8300 HYLAND CROY RD, DUBLIN, OH 43016

#6 Chagrin Falls High School
400 EAST WASHINGTON ST, CHAGRIN FALLS, OH 44022

#7 Olentangy Liberty High School
3584 HOME RD, POWELL, OH 43065

#8 Ottawa Hills High School
2532 EVERGREEN RD, TOLEDO, OH 43606

#9 Upper Arlington High School
1650 RIDGEVIEW RD, UPPER ARLINGTON, OH 43221

#10 Olentangy High School
675 LEWIS CENTER RD, LEWIS CENTER, OH 43035

Columbus Dispatch: AIDS Healthcare Foundation Leader: City resists ‘gay-friendly’ store



Leader: City resists ‘gay-friendly’ store




By  Lucas Sullivan
The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday May 16, 2012 7:45 AM


A nationwide HIV-testing and advocacy group for people with AIDS says Columbus is delaying its clinic and thrift store in the University District because it is a gay-friendly business.

Michael Weinstein, president of the nonprofit AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said yesterday that he thinks some people on the city’s development staff don’t agree with the mission of the thrift store and clinic, to be called Out of the Closet.

Plans were submitted to the University Area Review Board in January, the initial step in the approval process. The foundation purchased the property at the northeast corner of High Street and 5th Avenue for $1.6 million.

“I was told by someone on the review council that this business was not ‘befitting’ of that location,” said Weinstein, who perceived the comment as anti-gay. “I thought, given the amount of gay people in the city, the red carpet would have been rolled out last year, and I am disappointed we are getting such resistance here.”

City officials said the foundation likely will get approval for its proposed single-story, 2,500-square-foot building.

Vince Papsidero, the city’s planning administrator, said he is gay and he found Weinstein’s argument to be ironic. City planners on the review board suggested design changes, he said, but there was nothing discriminatory about it.

“It’s a key intersection at a key corner, so we asked them to consider a taller building because that location calls for a taller building,” Papsidero said. “The (review board) can’t demand a multistory building, so it will likely go forward as is.”

Weinstein said he took offense at city Development Director Boyce Safford’s comments during Monday’s City Council meeting, that the building’s proposed size, color and “potentially the use” have created concern.
“That was a very thinly veiled message that, ‘You are not welcome here,’  ” Weinstein said.

Some community members expressed concern about the building’s use, Safford said. “I don’t have any concern about the use.”

Weinstein said the clinic and store will create 12 full-time jobs, including a full-time doctor who will be paid a six-figure salary. At the other end of the pay scale, he said, thrift-store workers will make just above minimum wage. The site would also have a pharmacy that specializes in HIV/AIDS medications.

“I think it will be a good thing for the Short North area and will help people who are sick,” said Rory McDaniel, 31, who lives in an apartment nearby on Indianola Avenue. “I just hope there aren’t a bunch of meth heads and drug addicts or whatever hanging around there all the time.”

Weinstein’s group must go through the commercial-permit application process and storm-water management plan before getting final approval from the City Council.

The foundation, based in Los Angeles, lists its net assets at about $55 million on its latest tax filings. The group operates more than 20 similar clinics mostly in California and Florida. The Columbus location would be the group’s first in the Midwest.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Equality Ohio: Lobby Day For Equality is Tomorrow in Columbus




LOBBY DAY FOR EQUALITY 2012

For immediate release:
May 15, 2012  

For more information contact:
Ed Mullen, Executive Director
Zac Branstool, Communications Director

On Wednesday, May 16th, Equality Ohio will host the 7th Annual Lobby Day for Equality. Lobby Day gives LGBT and allied Ohioans the ability to speak directly with their legislators and ask them to support laws that impact their lives and those of friends and family. Hundreds of grassroots lobbyists have already signed up and will canvass the Ohio Statehouse tomorrow to spread the world on equality and why it matters to them personally. This year, our grassroots lobbyists will focus on the Employment and Equality Housing Act and push for an enumerated anti-bullying bill.

Discrimination against people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is a widespread problem.  A recent study at UCLA Law School found that 9.2% of gay, lesbian or bisexual people were fired or denied employment based on their sexual orientation, and 37.7% were harassed on the job because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.  Transgender people are 4 times more likely to be unemployed than the general population, and that loss of productivity is costly for everyone. An unwelcoming work environment is not only bad for employees, it’s also bad for business. People should be judged at work based on their merit and ability to perform their job, and everyone loses when qualified and productive employees are discriminated against. We’re happy to have State Representatives Nickie Antonio (D) and Ross McGregor (R) (HB 355), and State Senators Mike Skindell (R) and Charleta Tavares (D) (SB 231) on board as sponsors of this legislation

It’s important that the people who represent us know who we are and the struggles many in our community face on a daily basis,” says Zac Branstool, Director of Communications at Equality Ohio. “Safe and supportive work and learning environments directly impact economic productivity and help people become creative and successful members of society.”

Bullying is another problem that must be addressed. The Ohio Department of Education discipline data shows that bullying has risen nearly 50% in Ohio from 2005 to 2007, despite passage of generic anti-bullying legislation in 2006. Marginalized students such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students face even greater harassment. Research shows that among LGBT students in Ohio, more than 9 in 10 have been verbally harassed and nearly half have been physically harassed because of their sexual orientation. A Chillicothe student, Zach Collins, recently made headlines after he was physically assaulted by classmates for being gay. Schools must make sure all young people are safe from bullying and harassment in the classroom and we must educate both teachers and students on how to handle and report bullying incidents.

“Our legislators may not know just how many people in our community have been affected by acts of discrimination,” says Ed Mullen, Executive Director of Equality Ohio. “When we tell our stories, we have the ability to change hearts and minds. By having real-life and in-person examples at lobby day, we put a face on discrimination and bullying towards the LGBT community in Ohio.”
Equality Ohio advocates and educates to achieve fair treatment and equal opportunity for all Ohioans regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.  For more information, visit www.equalityohio.org or call us at (614) 224-0400.

###

Thursday, May 10, 2012

HRC: Mitt Romney’s Character Called into Question as Stories of Anti-Gay Bullying Surface; Judy Shepard Speaks Out






FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2012
Paul Guequierre 

Mitt Romney’s Character Called into Question as Stories of Anti-Gay Bullying Surface; Judy Shepard Speaks Out

Washington Post exposes troubling incidents from Romney’s past

Washington – The Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization – is calling into question Mitt Romney’s character, after a piece in the Washington Post raises troubling incidents from the candidate’s past.  In the article, classmates of Romney at the prestigious Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, recall Romney perpetually teasing a classmate perceived to be gay, at one point yelling to the long-haired classmate, “He can’t look like that.  That’s wrong.  Just look at him!” Eventually the verbal harassment turned into physical violence, when Romney led a group of students who tackled him, pinned him to the ground, and cut his hair with a pair of scissors, all because Romney didn’t like the way he looked.


According to the article, Mitt Romney claims to have no recollection of the physical altercation, or of bullying the student.  However, five of his classmates gave their accounts of the incident to the Washington Post and all have similar recollections of what transpired.  One of the students, recalling the victim being terrified, later apologized to him and said, “What a senseless, stupid, idiotic thing to do.” In an interview after the article was published, Romney recalled his youth saying, “Back in high school I did some dumb things.”


Judy Shepard, whose son Matthew was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in 1998 said: “While this may seem like an innocent prank to some, it was an act of torment against a child for being different.  We expect the people we elect to be leaders in the charge against bullying so that all students are afforded the right to learn and grow in an environment free of fear.  This incident calls into question whether Mitt Romney can be an advocate for the nation’s most vulnerable children.” 


“We cannot look past this incident now that Romney is the presumptive Republican nominee for president,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese.  “Mitt Romney’s unwillingness to understand or acknowledge the gravity of his actions and sincerely apologize is a troubling suggestion of a lack of character.”


With Mitt Romney’s anti-gay past exposed, it is clear why he has flip flopped on the issue of LGBT rights, becoming a vehemently anti-equality candidate in the race for the presidency.  Yesterday as President Obama demonstrated clear leadership in expressing his support for marriage equality, Romney told a Denver news station: "If a civil union is identical to marriage other than in the name, I don't support that.”

“Mitt Romney has come full-circle in his views on LGBT equality.  He has gone from being a bully perpetuating violence on a classmate who was different from him, to a candidate who in 1994 said he would be better to the LGBT community than Ted Kennedy, to a candidate in 2012 whose views are in line with the most fringe anti-LGBT groups,” added Solmonese. 


Learn more about Romney’s disastrous track record on issues of LGBT equality at hrc.org/mittnmatch.


The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
# # #