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Friday, August 31, 2012
Top 10 Reasons to come to Gallery Hop this Saturday, September 1st
Celebrate
September's Hop at Lindsay Gallery with the featured work of Columbus
painter Mark Thomas. Stop in to see his exploration of the American
spirit... hustling off to work, children playing, the vitality of neighborhoods
and the search for meaning in life.
Didn't get a chance to make it
into Rivet at the August Hop? Well you're in luck! Due to an overwhelming
response, the exhibit "Fibers of America," will stay on display
through September 19th. 
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Columbus Dispatch - Former tenant charged in killing of woman in Victorian Village
A tenant of a woman who was shot and killed at her Victorian Village home last night is being sought for her slaying.
Columbus police issued a murder warrant today for Jason L. Stubbs, 35. According to court records, he lived at 1177 Highland St. with Carolyn Cummins, who owned the house.
Cummins, 73, was found shot in her basement about 9 p.m. and died a short time later. A man made the 911 call to police, and witnesses said they saw a man run from the house about that time.
Cummins often allowed people to stay at her house, near 4th Avenue, and she paid people to do errands and tasks. She was apparently seeking a tenant for the detached apartment in her back yard, according to a handmade sign posted out front.
Neighbors said police were frequently called to the house for disturbances. According to police records, officers were called by Cummins at least 49 times since 2004, for trespassing, burglary, theft, assault and damaging charges.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Stubbs is asked to call the homicide squad at 614-645-4730.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Watch the entire first episode of NBC's "The New Normal"
Watch the first episode of The New Normal, the new NBC Ryan Murphy comedy about two gay dads, their surrogate, and their child
Columbus Dispatch: Ohio 6th cheapest for homeowners
Ohio 10th cheapest for auto insurance, 6th cheapest for homeowners
By Mark Williams
Ohio continues to be one of the more affordable states when it comes to insurance costs.
Figures out this afternoon show the Ohio had the 10th lowest auto insurance rates and the sixth lowest homeowner rates in the U.S. in 2011, according to the Ohio Department of Insurance.
Auto rates among the state’s top 10 insurers rose 1.2 percent, the lowest since 2008, according to the state. Homeowner rates among the top 10 insurers increased by 6.2 percent.
The top 10 represent about 70 percent of the market.
Columbus Dispatch: U.S. home prices post first 12-month gain since '10
By Martin Crutsinger
U.S. home prices rose in June from the same month last year, the first year-over-year increase since the summer of 2010. The increase is the latest evidence of a nascent recovery in the housing market.
The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index released today showed a gain of 0.5 percent from June 2011.
The last time the year-over-year index increased was in September 2010. For much of that 12-month period, the government was offering a home-buying tax credit.
The report also showed that all 20 cities tracked by the index rose in June from May, the second consecutive time in which every city posted month-over-month gains. And all but two cities posted stronger gains in June than May.
Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago and Atlanta recorded the biggest one-month gains.
"The combined positive news coming from both monthly and annual rates of change in home prices bode well for the housing market," said David Blitzer, chairman of the S&P's index committee.
Jonathan Basile, an economist with Credit Suisse, said improving home prices should boost home sales further in the coming months.
"Persistent news of rising house prices should start convincing prospective home sellers that it's not just a buyers' market," Basile said. "And when Americans become more comfortable with selling their home, they also become more comfortable with buying another one."
The S&P/Case-Shiller monthly index covers roughly half of U.S. homes. It measures prices compared with those in January 2000 and creates a three-month moving average. The June figures are the latest available.
The increases partly reflect the impact of seasonal buying. The month-to-month prices aren't adjusted for seasonal factors.
Still, a measure of national prices rose for the third straight month. Home prices jumped nearly 7 percent in the April-June quarter compared to the previous quarter.
The housing market is making a modest but steady recovery in part because homes are more affordable: Mortgage rates have fallen to near-record lows. Housing prices are about one-third lower than at the peak of the housing bubble in 2006. Those trends have helped lift sales of both new and previously occupied homes.
Sales of previously occupied homes increased in July from June, the National Association of Realtors said last week. Sales have jumped 10 percent in the past year.
Builders are growing more confident after seeing more traffic from potential buyers. Last month they applied for the largest number of building permits in nearly four years last month.
The housing market has a long way to go to reach a full recovery. Some economists forecast that sales of previously occupied homes will rise 8 percent this year to about 4.6 million. That's still well below the 5.5 million annual sales pace that is considered healthy.
Sales have been held back by a low supply of homes on the market and tight credit standards, economists said. Many would-be buyers are having trouble qualifying for loans or can't afford larger down payments being required by banks. A Federal Reserve report last month showed that many banks tightened their mortgage credit standards this summer.
Still, the housing market is steadily improving and is poised to contribute to economic growth this year. Modest economic growth and job gains are encouraging more Americans to buy homes.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
National Stonewall Democrats Laud Record-Smashing LGBT Participation at 2012 DNC Convention
National Stonewall Democrats Laud Record-Smashing LGBT Participation at 2012 DNC Convention
Press Release - August 28th,
2012
For Immediate Release
View Online: http://lgbtde.ms/NAWX8E
August 28, 2012
Washington, DC - National Stonewall Democrats (NSD) announced today it has identified at least 534 official LGBT participants for the 2012 Democratic National Committee Convention in Charlotte, NC next week. This record number of participants represents a marked increase in LGBT participation from four years ago in Denver where just over 350 LGBT participants were identified.
"What an amazing and inspiring convention this will be," said Jerame Davis, Executive Director of National Stonewall Democrats. "With over 530 LGBT participants identified for this year's convention, we not only set a new record for LGBT participation in a national convention, we have sent the clearest message possible that the Democratic Party is the party of inclusion."
"Dedicated activists," continued Davis, "including those at the DNC and National Stonewall Democrats, made this historic moment possible by doggedly insisting that LGBT people have a seat at the table and by demonstrating the strength our community can bring to party politics. We didn't sit around wishing for a better Party, we made the Party better for LGBT people."
Pride in the Party, National Stonewall Democrats' program to increase LGBT participation at conventions and within the various state and national Democratic Party organizations, was launched in 2007 with director Rick Boylan at the helm. Boylan, who currently consults for the DNC, added some broader context to this year's record LGBT delegation:
"You cannot overstate the critical role presidential campaigns play in working with state parties and Democratic leaders to meet the demographic goals set by state parties," said Boylan. "The Obama campaign understands that the LGBT community is a key constituency in the 2012 election. Their support for the community and the issues important to LGBT Americans will help reelect the president and elect Democrats down the ballot in all states."
"An increase in the number of LGBT delegates is only the tip of the iceberg," continued Boylan. "By ensuring an open and inclusive delegate selection process, state Democratic Party organizations are witnessing an increase in LGBT involvement in Democratic campaigns, as well as Democratic organizing and fundraising activities. As the Party has expanded its outreach to the LGBT community, the community has expanded its involvement in the Party. We are seeing better working relationships with elected officials and more interest in pro-equality legislation at all levels of government."
2012 Democratic National Convention LGBT Participation by the Numbers
Total LGBT Participants: 534
LGBT Delegates: 486 (116.27% of goal; 8.15% of the 5963 total delegates expected in Charlotte.)
LGBT Alternates: 23
LGBT Committee Members: 20
LGBT Pages: 5
Jurisdictions that met or exceeded goal: 38
Jurisdictions that missed their goal: 15
Jurisdictions that met or exceeded their 2008 LGBT participation: 44
Transgender participants: 11 (7 delegates, 3 committee members, 1 alternate)
Other notable facts
Three states are sending LGBT delegates for the first time:
Mississippi
Arkansas
Alaska
- For the first time, all 50 states set numerical goals for LGBT delegates
- For the first time, there will be at least one LGBT delegate from every state
- The largest LGBT delegation is from California with 76 total LGBT participants
- 6 States are sending 1 LGBT delegate (AK, ID, KS, MS, ND, VT)
History of LGBT inclusion in the Democratic Party
Beginning with the 1988 Democratic Convention, the Party’s Delegate Selection Rules specifically prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the conduct of Democratic Party affairs. In addition, “lesbians and gay men” were one of the groups for which each state party was to develop and submit outreach programs for recruitment, education and training to achieve full representation in the delegate selection process and at all levels in the party.
In 1992, the Delegate Selection Rules included more generic language about the outreach programs developed by the state parties -- requiring plans for recruitment, education and training of “groups that are significantly underrepresented in our Party’s affairs.”
In 1998, Congressman Barney Frank and a few LGBT Democrat activists from around the country founded National Stonewall Democrats, which quickly grew to 120 affiliated clubs across the country.
Since the 2000 convention in Los Angeles, National Stonewall Democrats has advocated, supported, and organized increased LGBT inclusion in the state delegations sent to national conventions. In that year, the DNC recorded 161 LGBT delegates and 210 official LGBT participants.
In 2004, the DNC GLBT Caucus hired Rick Boylan to administer LGBT delegate recruitment efforts in coordination with the DNC, the John Kerry presidential campaign, and NSD. This was the first organized effort of any Democratic constituency, not just LGBT, to actively recruit delegates, alternates, committee members, and pages for representation at the convention. These efforts paid off with an increase in LGBT delegates to 183 and total LGBT participation of over 260.
Our work in 2004 brought to light a real need for a stronger stance from the DNC on LGBT inclusion. In the lead up to the 2008 convention, NSD and LGBT DNC members advocated for a rule change that would require all states to adopt and implement an "inclusion plan" as part of their delegate selection process and in all party affairs in order to achieve the full participation of the LGBT community as well as other groups that have historically been under-represented in the Party.
Through the hard work of NSD and DNC activists, the inclusion rule was adopted in 2006 and in 2007 we launched our Pride in the Party program. The project was created to increase LGBT participation in all levels of the Democratic Party, but particularly at the national conventions. Because of these efforts, we saw another significant increase in LGBT participation at the convention with a record of over 350 LGBT participants in Denver in 2008.
National Stonewall Democrats is the national voice of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and allied Democrats, with more than 80 local affiliates across the
nation. Stonewall Democrats works to elect more pro-equality Democrats
regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity - and to improve the
Democratic Party on issues important to LGBT Democrats.
View Online: http://lgbtde.ms/NAWX8E
August 28, 2012
Washington, DC - National Stonewall Democrats (NSD) announced today it has identified at least 534 official LGBT participants for the 2012 Democratic National Committee Convention in Charlotte, NC next week. This record number of participants represents a marked increase in LGBT participation from four years ago in Denver where just over 350 LGBT participants were identified.
"What an amazing and inspiring convention this will be," said Jerame Davis, Executive Director of National Stonewall Democrats. "With over 530 LGBT participants identified for this year's convention, we not only set a new record for LGBT participation in a national convention, we have sent the clearest message possible that the Democratic Party is the party of inclusion."
"Dedicated activists," continued Davis, "including those at the DNC and National Stonewall Democrats, made this historic moment possible by doggedly insisting that LGBT people have a seat at the table and by demonstrating the strength our community can bring to party politics. We didn't sit around wishing for a better Party, we made the Party better for LGBT people."
Pride in the Party, National Stonewall Democrats' program to increase LGBT participation at conventions and within the various state and national Democratic Party organizations, was launched in 2007 with director Rick Boylan at the helm. Boylan, who currently consults for the DNC, added some broader context to this year's record LGBT delegation:
"You cannot overstate the critical role presidential campaigns play in working with state parties and Democratic leaders to meet the demographic goals set by state parties," said Boylan. "The Obama campaign understands that the LGBT community is a key constituency in the 2012 election. Their support for the community and the issues important to LGBT Americans will help reelect the president and elect Democrats down the ballot in all states."
"An increase in the number of LGBT delegates is only the tip of the iceberg," continued Boylan. "By ensuring an open and inclusive delegate selection process, state Democratic Party organizations are witnessing an increase in LGBT involvement in Democratic campaigns, as well as Democratic organizing and fundraising activities. As the Party has expanded its outreach to the LGBT community, the community has expanded its involvement in the Party. We are seeing better working relationships with elected officials and more interest in pro-equality legislation at all levels of government."
2012 Democratic National Convention LGBT Participation by the Numbers
Total LGBT Participants: 534
LGBT Delegates: 486 (116.27% of goal; 8.15% of the 5963 total delegates expected in Charlotte.)
LGBT Alternates: 23
LGBT Committee Members: 20
LGBT Pages: 5
Jurisdictions that met or exceeded goal: 38
Jurisdictions that missed their goal: 15
Jurisdictions that met or exceeded their 2008 LGBT participation: 44
Transgender participants: 11 (7 delegates, 3 committee members, 1 alternate)
Other notable facts
Three states are sending LGBT delegates for the first time:
Mississippi
Arkansas
Alaska
- For the first time, all 50 states set numerical goals for LGBT delegates
- For the first time, there will be at least one LGBT delegate from every state
- The largest LGBT delegation is from California with 76 total LGBT participants
- 6 States are sending 1 LGBT delegate (AK, ID, KS, MS, ND, VT)
History of LGBT inclusion in the Democratic Party
Beginning with the 1988 Democratic Convention, the Party’s Delegate Selection Rules specifically prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the conduct of Democratic Party affairs. In addition, “lesbians and gay men” were one of the groups for which each state party was to develop and submit outreach programs for recruitment, education and training to achieve full representation in the delegate selection process and at all levels in the party.
In 1992, the Delegate Selection Rules included more generic language about the outreach programs developed by the state parties -- requiring plans for recruitment, education and training of “groups that are significantly underrepresented in our Party’s affairs.”
In 1998, Congressman Barney Frank and a few LGBT Democrat activists from around the country founded National Stonewall Democrats, which quickly grew to 120 affiliated clubs across the country.
Since the 2000 convention in Los Angeles, National Stonewall Democrats has advocated, supported, and organized increased LGBT inclusion in the state delegations sent to national conventions. In that year, the DNC recorded 161 LGBT delegates and 210 official LGBT participants.
In 2004, the DNC GLBT Caucus hired Rick Boylan to administer LGBT delegate recruitment efforts in coordination with the DNC, the John Kerry presidential campaign, and NSD. This was the first organized effort of any Democratic constituency, not just LGBT, to actively recruit delegates, alternates, committee members, and pages for representation at the convention. These efforts paid off with an increase in LGBT delegates to 183 and total LGBT participation of over 260.
Our work in 2004 brought to light a real need for a stronger stance from the DNC on LGBT inclusion. In the lead up to the 2008 convention, NSD and LGBT DNC members advocated for a rule change that would require all states to adopt and implement an "inclusion plan" as part of their delegate selection process and in all party affairs in order to achieve the full participation of the LGBT community as well as other groups that have historically been under-represented in the Party.
Through the hard work of NSD and DNC activists, the inclusion rule was adopted in 2006 and in 2007 we launched our Pride in the Party program. The project was created to increase LGBT participation in all levels of the Democratic Party, but particularly at the national conventions. Because of these efforts, we saw another significant increase in LGBT participation at the convention with a record of over 350 LGBT participants in Denver in 2008.
###
Friday, August 24, 2012
Columbus Domestic Partner Registry Begins August 29
For Immediate Release August 23, 2012
For more information: John Ivanic
(Columbus)--The Columbus City Clerk will begin processing Domestic
Partner Registry applications Wednesday, August 29 at 11:00 am in City Hall.
The registry for
unmarried couples will be administered by the City Clerk and is intended to
reduce the administrative burden on businesses and public institutions to
define and certify the existence of a relationship. Verification is
needed for matters such as health insurance, hospital visitation rights and
authorization to pick up children after school. The proposal for
the registry was announced by Council President Ginther, Councilmember Klein
and Mayor Coleman during a June news conference and unanimously approved by
City Council at the end of July.
“This registry underscores the fact that
Columbus is an open, smart and inclusive community,” said Councilmember Klein,
chair of the Development Committee. “It sends a message about the
type of City we are and in the end, it is the right thing to do.”
Applications for the Domestic Partner Registry will be available on the City Council’s website beginning
Friday, August 24 or by contacting the Columbus City Council Clerk’s office at
645-7380. Applications can be completed by those at least 18 years
of age and must be notarized prior to submission to the Clerk’s
office. Guidelines for the program and a list of frequently asked questions can also be found on City Council’s
website.
-30-
Columbus Dispatch - Franklin County Judge refuses lesbians a divorce
Other marriages of gays dissolved in county court
By Alan Johnson
Why was a lesbian couple’s marriage dissolution rejected by a Franklin County
judge when the same court granted two gay men a divorce days earlier?
That’s the question Laura Christina Thompson and Evangeline Grace Roller are asking after Judge Jim Mason of Franklin County Domestic Relations Court refused on Wednesday to end their marriage. The Columbus women were wed in Toronto in 2007 and filed for dissolution on July 26; they were not represented by attorneys.
Mason, a former state representative, said he could not approve the dissolution because of Ohio’s 2004 constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. “Because same-sex marriages have no legal effect in Ohio (regardless of whether Canada authorizes same-sex marriage), the court is required to dismiss any dissolution or divorce proceeding requesting the termination of a same-sex marriage for lack of jurisdiction,” Mason ruled.
Thompson declined to comment on the decision; Roller could not be reached.
Mason’s ruling came just days after Judge Donald A. Cox, a private, court-appointed judge, approved a divorce for two gay men: Oleksandr Dzhembaz and Oleksandr Volkov, of Milford Center, Ohio. They were married in Linn County, Iowa, in 2009.
In his ruling, Cox determined that he had jurisdiction despite Ohio’s same-sex marriage ban. When a couple is married in a state that permits same-sex unions, he said, “Ohio’s statute merely states that the marriage has no legal force or effect in Ohio.” He said it does not prohibit Ohio courts from granting a divorce.
Cox also approved a same-sex divorce in March for two Columbus men: Jonathan E. Baize and Stephen J. Wissman.
Columbus attorney Thomas J. Addesa, who represented Baize in that case, said he has handled several same-sex divorces in recent months, and they were approved by the courts.
He said he was not involved in the two women’s case, but in his opinion, Mason was “dead wrong."
“My argument would be the court does have jurisdiction because our statute and amendment say nothing about a divorce. ... We need not invalidate Ohio’s amendment or statute to grant somebody a divorce.”
Addesa said he thinks Mason’s decision denies a constitutional right to equal access to the courts.
Ian James, co-founder of FreedomOhio, the group backing a plan to ask Ohio voters to repeal the ban on same-sex marriage, said rolling back the law is necessary to provide equal opportunity in the courts.
“The marriage ban not only forbids those who are in love from seeking a commitment to marry, but also has the unintended consequence of denying those who have fallen out of love the ability to divorce.”
The Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage, the group that spearheaded the successful marriage ban, has argued that Ohio courts cannot grant same-sex divorces because that would, by default, acknowledge that the couples were married.
That’s the question Laura Christina Thompson and Evangeline Grace Roller are asking after Judge Jim Mason of Franklin County Domestic Relations Court refused on Wednesday to end their marriage. The Columbus women were wed in Toronto in 2007 and filed for dissolution on July 26; they were not represented by attorneys.
Mason, a former state representative, said he could not approve the dissolution because of Ohio’s 2004 constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. “Because same-sex marriages have no legal effect in Ohio (regardless of whether Canada authorizes same-sex marriage), the court is required to dismiss any dissolution or divorce proceeding requesting the termination of a same-sex marriage for lack of jurisdiction,” Mason ruled.
Thompson declined to comment on the decision; Roller could not be reached.
Mason’s ruling came just days after Judge Donald A. Cox, a private, court-appointed judge, approved a divorce for two gay men: Oleksandr Dzhembaz and Oleksandr Volkov, of Milford Center, Ohio. They were married in Linn County, Iowa, in 2009.
In his ruling, Cox determined that he had jurisdiction despite Ohio’s same-sex marriage ban. When a couple is married in a state that permits same-sex unions, he said, “Ohio’s statute merely states that the marriage has no legal force or effect in Ohio.” He said it does not prohibit Ohio courts from granting a divorce.
Cox also approved a same-sex divorce in March for two Columbus men: Jonathan E. Baize and Stephen J. Wissman.
Columbus attorney Thomas J. Addesa, who represented Baize in that case, said he has handled several same-sex divorces in recent months, and they were approved by the courts.
He said he was not involved in the two women’s case, but in his opinion, Mason was “dead wrong."
“My argument would be the court does have jurisdiction because our statute and amendment say nothing about a divorce. ... We need not invalidate Ohio’s amendment or statute to grant somebody a divorce.”
Addesa said he thinks Mason’s decision denies a constitutional right to equal access to the courts.
Ian James, co-founder of FreedomOhio, the group backing a plan to ask Ohio voters to repeal the ban on same-sex marriage, said rolling back the law is necessary to provide equal opportunity in the courts.
“The marriage ban not only forbids those who are in love from seeking a commitment to marry, but also has the unintended consequence of denying those who have fallen out of love the ability to divorce.”
The Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage, the group that spearheaded the successful marriage ban, has argued that Ohio courts cannot grant same-sex divorces because that would, by default, acknowledge that the couples were married.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Central Ohio home prices hit a 5-year high
Central Ohio Housing Report - July 2012
Posted: 8/22/2012
Columbus
Board of REALTORS®
Central Ohio home prices hit a 5-year
high
Home prices in central Ohio hit its highest point in five years last month as many of the area’s pricier communities saw double digit sales increases, according to the Columbus Board of REALTORS®.
Homes closed during July 2012 sold for an average of $186,781 which is 10.3 percent higher than the average sale price of a home sold in July of 2011.The last time homes during any given month sold were selling this high was June of 2007 when the average sale price was $187,180.
This holds true for the year as the average sale price of homes sold January through July 2012 ($167,754) is also at its highest point since January of 2007 ($172,531).
Sales in communities such as New Albany, Bexley, German Village, Powell, Dublin, downtown Columbus, Granville and Upper Arlington saw sales increases of anywhere from 12 to 67 percent. The increased sales combined with prices ranging from $267,000 to $557,000 help boost the overall market home price average.
There were 2,096 central Ohio homes sold during July 2012 which marks an 8.0 percent increase over July of 2011. Year to date home sales are 10.7 percent ahead of last year.
“Some areas can attribute higher sales and prices to their school districts as families with school-age children are more likely to move during the summer,” said Jim Coridan, President of the Columbus Board of REALTORS®. “But in some areas, prices are showing healthy increases because demand is greater than the supply of homes for sale.”
There were 3,123 residential homes put on the market last month – a 4.0 percent increase over new listings added during July of last year. However, year to date, listings are down 3.5 percent when compared to the first seven months of last year.
“Home owners who’ve been watching the housing market should take another look right now,” adds Coridan. “Prices are the best they’ve been in years, interest rates remain low and there are a fair number of frustrated buyers anxious to make their move before the nights start to cool.”
According to the latest Housing Market Confidence Index (by the Ohio Association of REALTORS®), 90 percent of central Ohio REALTORS® describe the current housing market as moderate to strong and 92 percent expect home prices to remain the same or rise in the next year. They also report that the typical client today is looking for a mid-range home purchase.
View the current Central Ohio Local Market Update
View the current Housing market report by area
View all central Ohio housing statistics
View Ohio housing statistics
View National housing statistics
The monthly housing reports can be found at ColumbusRealtors.com/stats. The reports include breakouts for 18 central Ohio counties and 52 local municipalities and school districts. New areas included in the 2012 reports include: Grove City and local school districts for Big Walnut, Miami Trace, Johnstown-Monroe and Northridge.
Monday, August 20, 2012
HRC - Proposed GOP Platform Dramatically Out-of-Step with Mainstream American Values
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 20, 2012
Proposed GOP Platform Dramatically Out-of-Step
with Mainstream American Values
Republican Party appears poised to codify
extremist values in 2012 platform
“The GOP’s proposed platform is blatantly out-of-step with not only the majority of our nation, but even with the rank and file of the Republican Party itself,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “The party is poised to send a devastating message to LGBT youth – that they and the families they aspire to one day build are not worthy of the same protections as everyone else.”
Recent polling consistently indicates that a majority of Americans support marriage equality. Nationally, a recent CNN/ORC International poll shows 54 percent of Americans support marriage equality. And nearly half of all Republicans under the age of 35 support marriage equality, according to a May NBC News/WSJ poll.
"The draft language extols the virtues of marriage which makes it all the more counterintuitive that it also calls for excluding an entire group of Americans from the institution," said Griffin. "Their call for respect and dignity for all Americans should be matched with a commitment to making all families strong."
The platform language appears to bear more resemblance to the National Organization for Marriage’s “marriage vow” than it does to the values held by mainstream Americans. Like the GOP platform, that vow – which Mitt Romney signed – requires candidates pursue a federal marriage amendment and vigorously defend DOMA. It also calls on candidates to appoint only anti-LGBT judges, reject marriage equality in the nation’s capital, and set up a McCarthy-like commission to investigate the activities of equality supporters.
“This platform language certainly doesn't represent the whole of the GOP, which is continuing to add equality supporters to its ranks,” added Griffin. “As Americans and young Republicans increasingly embrace equality, politicians seeking to harm our community will not even be considered serious contenders at the national level.”
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.
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Thursday, August 16, 2012
Friday Night: "Steel Magnolias" in Goodale Park with Nina West
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Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Equality Ohio Launches Search for New Executive Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 13, 2012
Media Contact: Lauren Michelle Kinsey
Communications Manager
lauren@equalityohio.org
Equality Ohio Launches Search for New Executive Director
(Columbus, Ohio) Equality Ohio, the state’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) advocacy organization, announced the launch of a search for an Executive Director. The Equality Ohio boards have formed a search committee and developed a job profile outlining the skills and requirements for the role. The Equality Federation, a national association of state LGBT advocacy groups, will be providing guidance and assistance with the search.
Equality Ohio’s Strategic Plan calls for the development of legislative and public policy strategies on the state and local level, legislative enactment of the Equal Housing and Employment Act and additional Safe Schools measures; advocacy for relationship recognition at the state and local level throughout Ohio; increasing the Equality Ohio Campaign Fund’s political influence in the 2012 and 2014 elections; and effective representation and ongoing advocacy for the LGBT community as other issues arise.
Paul Feeney, Equality Ohio Education Fund Board Chair, states, “So much potential and opportunity lie ahead for our state. We’re looking forward to bringing on an Executive Director to lead our organization in our pursuit of our vision of creating an Ohio where everyone can feel at home. We are looking for a dynamic individual who has a talent for helping everyone understand that gay rights are human rights.”
Jeff Smith, Chair of the Search Committee, added that “our new Executive Director will have a tremendous opportunity to lead during a period of changing attitudes in Ohio and the rest of the nation. To that end, we need a skilled advocate who can lead our organization and take our message of fairness to every corner of the state.”
The Search Committee has established an application deadline of August 31, 2012. Resumes and a cover letter should be sent to search@equalityohio.org. It is the boards’ intent to select a candidate by early November, 2012.
Link to Job Description: http://goo.gl/mHBl1
###
Saturday, August 11, 2012
HRC: Romney-Ryan Ticket Out of Touch with Americans on LGBT Equality
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 11, 2012
Dan Rafter
Romney-Ryan Ticket Out of Touch with
Americans on LGBT Equality
Paul Ryan does not support LGBT families;
hate crime protections; marriage equality; open military service
Washington – The Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization – is responding today to Mitt Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as his running mate. Ryan’s voting record in Congress – and his public remarks – make it clear that he does not support the dignity of LGBT Americans; a matter on which he is out-of-touch with the majority of Americans – even those within the Republican Party.
Paul Ryan does not support LGBT families, and has voted against allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt. He voted against hate crime protections. He opposed repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and he does not support marriage equality. Recent polling shows just how out-of-touch Ryan’s positions on LGBT equality are: support for marriage equality stands at 54 percent nationwide, with those between the ages of 18 – 34 supporting marriage equality by 73 percent; according to a June CNN/ORC International Survey. Nearly 50 percent of Republicans under the age of 35 also support marriage equality, according to an NBC News/WSJ poll.
"Ryan's record of voting against fairness, dignity and equality is out of touch with the majority of Americans and a fast growing majority of Republicans," said HRC President Chad Griffin. "LGBT Americans need leadership that will continue to fight for their rights to protect their families, marry the person they love, and enjoy equal protections under the law."
Mitt Romney’s record is no better than Ryan’s on matters of LGBT equality. Romney does not support relationship recognition for LGBT people – making him even more conservative on LGBT issues than former President George W. Bush, who supported civil unions while in office. Romney views workplace protections for LGBT people as an “unfair burden on employers,” and he does not acknowledge the dignity and respect LGBT families deserve. As a signer of the National Organization for Marriage’s (NOM) “marriage pledge,” Mitt Romney has committed himself to vigorously pursuing a federal marriage amendment – a goal his running mate shares; defending the Defense of Marriage Act; and even setting up a McCarthy-like commission to investigate those who do not support NOM’s anti-LGBT views.
In the House, Ryan voted against hate crimes protections for LGBT people twice. He does not support marriage equality – in fact, he has twice supported the Federal Marriage Amendment that would ban loving, committed same-sex couples from marrying, and he supported a similar constitutional amendment in his home state of Wisconsin. Ryan does not support LGBT families – he voted in favor of banning gay and lesbian couples from adopting in the nation’s capital. He also voted against repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Learn more about Paul Ryan’s anti-LGBT votes via HRC’s Congressional Scorecards. For more on Mitt Romney’s anti-LGBT positions, visit www.hrc.org/romney.
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.
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