Mayor calls for repeal of charter amendment, opponents promise a battle

 

The Associated Press

 

The mayor called on voters today to repeal a 1993 city charter amendment that made Cincinnati the only U.S. city to ban enactment or enforcement of laws based on sexual orientation.

 

Mayor Charlie Luken used part of his annual State of the City speech to urge voters to undo the charter amendment they approved. Luken said times and attitudes have changed and Cincinnati should rescind the amendment in the interests of showing tolerance and supporting diversity.

 

It was Luken's first formal call for repeal of the amendment, after previously saying in informal remarks that he supports it, said his spokesman, Brendon Cull.

 

The Equal Rights, Not Special Rights coalition that drafted the 1993 charter amendment and helped persuade 62 percent of voters to approve it said it would fight repeal efforts. Phil Burress, the coalition's chairman, said he believes that any vote on the amendment would keep it intact, rather than repeal it.

 

"No one's entitled to special rights based on private sexual behavior," Burress said Monday.

 

Thank god. It's about time to get rid of this stain on Cincinnati's reputation. If it's not discriminatory, then it certainly it's arbitrary.

 

Let's hope Cincinnati voters are more enlightened in 2004 than they were in 1992.

Headline: "Luken Actually Stands for Something" :D

 

I say it's about time they repeal Article 12.

I have been hearing this floating around for a while, especially during the City Council election.

 

I hope voters get out and repeal this load of garbage. I am tired of my city getting a bad rap for being the only city to have such a law.

 

Although with this being done, Ohio comes down with there own law. Hmmm I guess Ohio doesn't have enough people moving out of the state...

 

But hey at least we can all carry guns! My dislike for rural country bumpkins is staring to reach an all time high.

Defense of Decency

 

By John Fox

 

A few weeks ago I came home to find some fliers wedged into my front door. They were promoting God as well as a specific denomination of Christianity.

 

It's certainly not the first time I've found such literature on my property. And I can recall three or four times in the 10 years I've been a homeowner in the city of Cincinnati when representatives of this and other Christian organizations knocked on my door and engaged me in conversation designed to introduce me to their lifestyle.

 

These folks have chosen to follow a Christian behavior, and that's great. I'm happy for them. It might bother me a bit to get solicited on my own front steps, but I'm not offended that they appear uninvited and unannounced.

 

Not once in the past 10 years, however, has a gay person knocked on my door and tried to convince me to consider his or her lifestyle. Never.

 

 

http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-8280-defense_of_decency.html

If you feel strongly about this, then you might want to consider donating or helping out. I know many of you would like to see this charter disappear so I am posting information on how you can help.

 

 

http://www.citizenstorestorefairness.org

 

Citizens to Restore Fairness

318 East Fourth Street

Cincinnati OH 45202

 

Office: (513)591-FAIR (591-3247)

Fax: (513)591-0168

 

FACT: Article XII Is About Discrimination

Article XII of the Cincinnati city charter discriminates because it singles out and excludes gays and lesbians from the legal right to petition their government for protection against discrimination. According to Article XII, the City of Cincinnati cannot take any action to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination. It means that in Cincinnati it is legal to fire someone for being gay, to deny a gay person housing, or to refuse service to a gay person in a restaurant or in a store.

 

FACT: Article XII Is Part of the Cincinnati City Charter

Voters in 1993 approved Article XII as an amendment to the city charter. The city charter serves as the “constitution” of the city and provides the basic framework for our city government. Cincinnati’s city charter was adopted in 1926 under Ohio’s provision for cities to adopt their own form of government.

 

FACT: Article XII Hurts Cincinnati

• Article XII impacts Cincinnati’s economy. Article XII has caused numerous conventions to cancel or bypass Cincinnati. The city has lost at least $45 million in convention and tourism business, according to the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau.

• Article XII impacts Cincinnati’s businesses. Cincinnati has a reputation for intolerance that hinders the recruiting efforts of Cincinnati businesses, according to Fallon Research & Communications Inc.

• Article XII impacts Cincinnati’s future. Article XII inhibits efforts to attract and retain creative people who bring new ideas, who build new high-tech businesses, and who are a foundation for economic development and growth, according to economic development authority Richard Florida and confirmed in research by University of Cincinnati.

 

FACT: Other Cities Do Not Have This Kind of Law

Cincinnati is the only city in the United States where a law specifically denies one group of people protection against discrimination.

 

FACT: Article XII Says Gays Have No Rights

The language of Article XII has been called confusing because it includes references to quotas and preferential treatment. In reality, Article XII excludes gays from rights that all other citizens have. Everyone else in Cincinnati can petition our city government for protection from discrimination. Article XII denies that basic legal right to gays. The repeal of Article XII would enable gays and lesbians to seek protection from discrimination in the same way that any other citizen of Cincinnati now can.

 

“The City of Cincinnati and its various Boards and Commissions may not enact, adopt,enforce or administer any ordinance, regulation, rule or policy which provides that homosexual, lesbian, or bisexual orientation, status, conduct, or relationship constitutes, entitled, or otherwise provides a person with the basis to have any claim of minority or protected status, quota preference or other preferential treatment. This provision of the City Charter shall in all respects be self-executing. Any ordinance, regulation, rule or policy enacted before this amendment is adopted that violates the foregoing prohibition shall be null and void and of no force or effect.”

 

FACT: Article XII Sends the Wrong Message

Article XII tells gays and lesbians that they are not welcome in Cincinnati. If the persons cited in Article XII were changed from gays and lesbians to a description of your religious denomination, ethnic origin, race, educational level, income bracket, or political affiliation, would you feel welcome?

 

FACT: Voters Must Decide

The Cincinnati City Council cannot amend the city charter. Only Cincinnati voters can. Therefore, to repeal Article XII, the issue must come before the voters of the City of Cincinnati in an election. On November 2nd, 2004 - Vote YES to repeal Article XII.

 

http://www.citizenstorestorefairness.org

Gay marriage could lead to polygamy

 

The writer of the Aug. 4 "Your voice" column ("Gay marriage - what's all the fuss?") and anyone else who wonders "gay marriage - what's all the fuss?" needs to read their Bible and Marriage Under Fire by James Dobson. Gay marriage will destroy the traditional family that God created from the beginning of time. When people say yes to gay marriage, who can say no to polygamy?

 

Not many can say that polygamy is good for families. What will happen to children when gay parents divorce? Will they have to deal with four mommies and four daddies? Whatever happened to the argument and documented fact that children need both a father and a mother to grow up developmentally healthy?

 

Lisa Gilbert

West Chester Township

 

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/05/editorial_letters.html

Make Cincinnati Weird...

What about it?

 

To read comments like the one I posted above is sad. The fact that the Enquirer posted it might be worse.

"Gay marriage will destroy the traditional family that God created from the beginning of time."

 

Someone needs to explain to Ms. Gilbert that heterosexuals have already done a fine job of destroying the "traditional family". Over a 50% divorce rate and not a single one of those divorces involved a gay couple.

Well, this is a democracy after all, and peoples values and morals are reflected in their politics. In Kentuky, for example, faith-based adversion to alchohol has resulted quite a few dry countys, or countys in various degrees of dryness..where liquor by the drink may be prohibited but pacakage sales are OK in certain towns and precincts in dry countys.

 

The gay marriage thing is the same, its a faith-based opposition to something alot of folk feel is just not right from a moral standpoint, as well as maybe a scientific or sociological standpoint.

 

Now the polygamy issue, well, why not? In the US the issue was wrapped up with the LDS, where it was OK in Utah, but Utah was prohibited from becoming a state long after its population met the threshold for statehood, largely because of the polygamy issue.

 

"One of the conditions to granting Utah's statehood was that a ban on polygamy be written into the Utah Constitution. This was a condition required of other western states that were also admitted later into the Union."

"In Kentuky, for example, faith-based adversion to alchohol has resulted quite a few dry countys, or countys in various degrees of dryness..where liquor by the drink may be prohibited but pacakage sales are OK in certain towns and precincts in dry countys."

 

Now why on earth would people ever think that certain areas of Kentucky are backwards bastions of puritannical buffoons?

 

"its a faith-based opposition to something alot of folk feel is just not right from a moral standpoint, as well as maybe a scientific or sociological standpoint."

 

And I reiterate - the last time I checked, there are plenty of poor people in Ohio; there are plenty of hungry people in Ohio; there are plenty of homeless people in Ohio; there are people in Ohio who can't put food on the table for their families... yet 'faith-based' groups find gay marriage so appalling and so potentially damaging to civilization that they divert time and resources away from the aforementioned causes? :stupid:

Of course it isn't the reality of Cincinnati. Look at the address of Ms. Gilbert. There are too many dimwits like her around, but there are more of them in the burbs than in the city. I was approached by a young kid (maybe 15 or 16 years old) when I was listening to a noon concert on Fountain Square a couple of weeks ago. He wanted me to sign the petition to put the ban on gay marriage on the Ohio ballot in November. I refused and I saw others refuse also. On the other hand, there was a woman who happened to say she also was from Butler County who was sitting next to me with her 4 little kids and she said she had already signed it. I wondered if the kid who was circulating the petition was legally eligible to do so. I also wondered whether he was being paid to do it. I saw him reporting later to a middle-aged woman.

 

At least there is an effort being made to get the city's prohibition on legislation protecting gay rights revoked.

Why it is when “gay marriage or civil union" is brought up someone has to mention polygamy?

 

While I don't understand how someone can be attracted to the same sex, I really don't give a damn what they do behind closed doors. I don't care if they want to see their partner in the hospital or be entitled to benefits from their partner or tax credits from the government like other couples.

 

People need to go on with their lives and stop worrying about what other people are doing behind closed doors.

At least there is an effort being made to get the city's prohibition on legislation protecting gay rights revoked.

 

IMO, it is not looking good at this point. If Ohio has a "gay marriage" ban on the ballot, I feel this will have a negative affect on the Repeal of Article 12. It also appears that a large portion of the black community isn't keen on repealing this law.

Its irritating to hear stuff like this though, it really would influence me if i wanted to live in the state or not. i really dont want to move, but when you have things like this happening, its very enticing to leave this place when you get a chance or when the opportunity comes

 

and when you arrive in your new destination you can tell all the people you meet how backwards Ohio is. And perpetuate the stereotype.

 

Maybe im blind, but i dont see, not even in the suburbs, people in cleveland trying to get this on the ballot. you ask most people and they'll give a few remarks about more important issues like education and the economy and to stop wasting time with this.

Cincinnati's Article 12 has a very negative effect on the city's image and its ability to attract national conventions. Between that and the black boycott, the city has lost a lot of business and that has had a bad effect on downtown.

...and when you arrive in your new destination you can tell all the people you meet how backwards Ohio is. And perpetuate the stereotype.

 

Why would hostility to gay rights make Ohio backward? Maybe this is the wave of the future.

Zaceman,

 

It is amazing what an organization can accomplish when they set their mind too it.  If only half these people channeled their dedication to improving the state ...

 

I suggest check out this site to see why this will be on the ballot:

 

http://www.ccv.org/

 

Sunday, December 15, 2002

 

What they say about CCV

 

Mike Allen, Hamilton County prosecutor:

 

"I personally fully support their mission, and we have kept in touch with them. Phil and his group are conservatives, so they are automatically, by some, labeled as Neanderthals and Nazis. It's a shame."

 

Carl Lindner III, co-president of American Financial, and a member of CCV's advisory board:

 

"I have been a supporter of the CCV organization because I and the Lindner family are interested in promoting good morals for families and the community."

 

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/12/15/loc_ccvrail.html

A little history on Phil Burress:

 

Sunday, December 15, 2002

 

Burress' hatred of porn rooted in his former love for it

 

By Michael D. Clark

The Cincinnati Enquirer

 

SHARONVILLE - Phil Burress' command post for the war against pornography is a small conference room dominated by a large Tristate map dotted with colored pushpins.

 

Here in the "War Room" of Citizens for Community Values, strategy is formulated and events are examined. Each pin on the map represents a foe to be defeated.

 

But don't get the wrong idea. The leader of the nation's most high-profile, anti-pornography group is anything but a grim field general.

 

Disarming in his candor about his own past, Mr. Burress, 60, comes across as a happy warrior who says pornography nearly ruined his life.

 

 

E-mail [email protected]

 

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/12/15/loc_ccvburessprofile.html

Why would hostility to gay rights make Ohio backward? Maybe this is the wave of the future.

 

Because its looked at as intolerant of people who are different. If someone is moving from another country or another culturally different city they may question whether or not they would feel accepted in Ohio. It might not be a defining reason, but it definately puts the state in a bad light. Esp when you live right across from Ontario which allows full gay marriage, and also has Toronto, one of the most diverse cities in the world.

and that website is disturbing. i guess they never heard of free speech and equal rights. instead they sound like a bunch of soccer mom tipper gores touting vague buzzwords like "family" and "values".

Because its looked at as intolerant of people who are different. If someone is moving from another country or another culturally different city they may question whether or not they would feel accepted in Ohio.

 

...perhaps. But I would think people moving from culturally different parts of the world..iike Asia and Africa...would find opposition to homosexuality and other forms of immorality something positive, demonstrating that Buckeyes share traditiional notions of sexuality and family.

 

This could be a "niche" for Ohio..perhaps a new slogan.."Ohio: the family freindly state, where we share your values".

It doesn't stop there...

 

This appears to be another Phil Burress site:

 

http://www.ohiomarriage.com/

 

From site:

 

This past spring, when the state legislature refused to take a vote to place a marriage amendment before the voters, it was decided to attempt it through the petition process. The late start no doubt would be a problem but on top of it, we were held up in court for 3 weeks by homosexual activists attempting to stop circulation of the petition before it began.

 

With just 9 weeks to collect signatures statewide, we knew from the beginning it was a monumental task. But in the long run, failing to do everything we could to protect the institution of marriage would be worse.

 

What is required to place an amendment on the ballot through the petition process?

 

(1) In at least 44 of the 88 counties in Ohio, a number equal to 5% of those who voted in the last governor's election must sign the petition. This assures that the initiative representative of the majority of the state. You can click here to see what is your county's minimum number to qualify; and,

 

(2) A number equal to 10% of those who voted in the last governor's election statewide must sign the petition. This number is 322,899.

Because its looked at as intolerant of people who are different. If someone is moving from another country or another culturally different city they may question whether or not they would feel accepted in Ohio.

 

...perhaps. But I would think people moving from culturally different parts of the world..iike Asia and Africa...would find opposition to homosexuality and other forms of immorality something positive' date=' demonstrating that Buckeyes share traditiional notions of sexuality and family.

 

This could be a "niche" for Ohio..perhaps a new slogan.."Ohio: the family freindly state, where we share [i']your[/i] values".

 

Jeff, just because you don't agree with same sex marriage doesn't mean we need a freaking amendment for it. It is a shame.

 

Ohio being a family state has really helped it in the past 10 years, eh? Hasn't Ohio been losing population?

"Why would hostility to gay rights make Ohio backward?"

 

Hostility to gay rights is backwards and bigoted because that suggests:

 

That I don't deserve to be able to see my long-term partner in the hospital without shelling out the money to procure a durable power-of-attorney. Married spouses do not need to do this.

 

That I don't deserve for my partner's will to be carried out without taking extra steps and intervention to prevent estranged family members from challenging said will. Married spouses do not have to be as concerned when it comes to estate settlement.

 

That I don't deserve the same bereavement leave a widowed heterosexual would receive, should my partner die.

 

That I don't deserve any legal recourse if I am fired from my job simply because I am gay. It doesn't matter if I am a professional and productive employee - if I'm gay, that's all that my employer should need. Never mind that my co-workers can proudly display photos of their significant others, or openly discuss their weekend plans, etc.

 

That my partner and I don't deserve the same opportunity to rent an apartment as a married couple.

 

That I don't deserve the 1,049 rights guaranteed by federal law to married couples including survivorship, inheritance rights, taxes on estates, etc.

 

Get the point?

 

There's a reason that hundreds of Fortune 500 companies offer same-sex partner benefits and include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies. They aren't theocracies, all they want are the best people being productive for them and contributing to the bottom line and adding shareholder value - in that sense, why would a state want any different from its own citizens?

"...homosexuality and other forms of immorality something positive, demonstrating that Buckeyes share traditiional notions of sexuality and family..."

 

Here's an idea - wear a sandwich board proclaiming that and spend a weekend at the corner of West 117th and Clifton in Cleveland, or on High Street in Columbus. I'm sure the local 'Buckeyes' would share something with you, that's for sure.

Jeff, just because you don't agree with same sex marriage doesn't mean we need a freaking amendment for it. It is a shame.

 

LOL..actually I share your opinion on this.. live-and-let-live ...(there isn't really any rational reason to be opposed to the concept as far as I can see)

... but am playing a bit of the devils advocate here. The point I'm making is that arguments based on rationality and fairness (as in maydays 1:20 PM post above) don't work with this issue.

I think Phil Burress would be a much better guy if he just got back into looking at porn. I think the pendulum just swung way too far in the opposite direction in his case.

It's always been puzzling to me that some men who claim emphatically to be straight can obsess about what other men do in their bedrooms.

I think Phil Burress would be a much better guy if he just got back into looking at porn. I think the pendulum just swung way too far in the opposite direction in his case.

LOL! So true, so true.

http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/08/080504edwardsMis.htm

 

heres why i think this issue will pass in ohio

wow! I'm new to cincinnati and I was wondering why so many black youths were approaching me downtown asking me to sign petitions to ban gay marriage. I did a lot of research and came up with the same info on Burress and CCV. Glad I'm not alone in my aggravation. This city seems to need more open-mindedness.

wow! I'm new to cincinnati (etc. etc.) This city seems to need more open-mindedness.

 

 

haha' date=' you ARE new to Cincinnati.

 

This whole thing is crazy... I don't believe the issue has anything to do with gay [i']marriage[/i] or protecting any institutions, it's instead based on the fact that some people hate/fear the whole idea of homosexuality. So they will do anything to discourage people from participating in the gay lifestyle, not understanding that people are going to continue to BE gay whether or not they can get married. :crazy:

 

It's just stupid.

CHARTER TEXT

The text of Article XII of Cincinnati's charter, approved by voters in 1993:

 

"The City of Cincinnati and its various Boards and Commissions may not enact, adopt, enforce or administer an ordinance, regulation, rule or policy which provides that homosexual, lesbian, or bisexual orientation, status, conduct, or relationship constitutes, entitles or otherwise provides a person with a basis to have a claim of minority or protected status, quota preference or other preferential treatment. This provision of the City Charter shall in all respects be self-executing. Any ordinance, regulation, rule or policy enacted before this amendment is adopted that violates the foregoing prohibition shall be null and void and of no force or effect."

 

 

 

'Special rights' foes will sue

Amendment supporters say ballot wording deceptive

 

By Gregory Korte

Enquirer staff writer

 

Supporters of a 1993 Cincinnati charter amendment that blocks City Council from passing a gay-rights ordinance say they'll go to court today to challenge an effort to repeal that amendment.

 

The Equal Rights Not Special Rights Committee said it's not trying to keep the repeal of the amendment now known as Article XII off the November ballot. But the group, closely affiliated with the Loveland-based conservative group Citizens for Community Values, does want to change ballot language that it calls "biased and misleading."

 

That language now reads: "Shall the charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to repeal Article XII, which prohibits the city from protecting people from discrimination based on sexual orientation?"

 

The Citizens to Restore Fairness collected more than 14,000 signatures on a petition to repeal the law. Their proposed ballot language was approved by City Council last week and sent to the Board of Elections.

 

 

E-mail [email protected]

I feel sorry for the originator of this post. in 1961 3/4 of this nation opposed interacial marriage of any type more than the number who oppose gay marriage. and the bible has verses on a curse put against people with dark skin but eventually chrisitanity had to write out this hatred because people realized the misinterpretation of it all. further more you're right this is a democracy, one with a first amendment to protect people from imposing their religion on others. I don't believe there is any just being in this universe who would want worshiped out of force rather than choice, thats sick. As such madam you must respect that gay unions in many form have been existent.(though in less numbers obnviously being that there are less gay people) since the beginning of marriage which frankly was a social construction for economic convenience in primitive society stolen by organized religion and interpreted a billion different ways. furtehr more the overwhelming psychological opinion in this nation and globally have shown tremendous clinical indication that children of homosexual couples grow up and socialize normally. I've met such children and found this to be true, have you? I looked on the internet a while back and found dozens of group supporting their gay parents and saying that they were raised very well but not a single group complaining about being raised by their same sex parents. people like you will spend the rest of your life being told what to believe by clergymen who have every reason to resist change in their biblical mistranslations becasue they hopld positions of respect, a respect they animalistically crave thus making them become clergymen in the first place. you'll never stop to think of how thousands of years before christianity and even judaism people of all faiths shared common good things like not killing and treating those around you lovingly, people who have claim to divine intervention in their religions and personal experiences with the divine just as you do. you'll never stop to think maybe these miracles and experiences aren't the deception of satan, what if loki or anubis or pan or other malignant deity's were decieving you and chritianity was all made up? have you ever considered that? have you ever sought every other world religion to discredit that? many of these religions have supported glbt relationships. the object of someones emotions doesn't change the fact that these emotions are real and JUST AS VALID AS YOURS FOR YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER. homosexuality is a psychological orientation and polygamy and bestitality (which people keep equating this with) are not. so please respect the first amendment, psychology in general(not what wahoo pseudo psychologists like Dr,. Laura say) and the emotions of your fellow human beings who pay into the system they ask to benefit from.

What this Lisa Gilbert seems to buy into is the (wrong) hype that everything is a "slippery slope". Gay marriage will lead to leaglized polygamy, legalized incest and eventually the legal right to marry livestock.

 

Back to the Stone Age with her. Well, I shouldn't say that. Those people may have been more enlightened.

A follow-up, from the 8/31/04 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Council rewords article repeal

By Kevin Osborne

Post staff reporter

 

Supporters of a campaign to repeal Article XII of Cincinnati's charter agreed Monday to the removal of the words "discrimination" and "sexual orientation" from the language that will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Passed in 1993, Article XII prohibits City Council from enacting or enforcing any measure that gives "minority or protected status, quota preference or other preferential treatment" to homosexual and bisexual people.

 

The action to remove the references to "discrimination" and "sexual orientation" from the ballot issue was a compromise by Citizens to Restore Fairness to avoid a lengthy court battle with repeal opponents that might have prevented a vote this fall.

 

Repeal opponents -- led by the group Equal Rights No Special Rights -- said the initial ballot language was misleading and inaccurate because the disputed words don't actually appear in Article XII.

 

 

Publication Date: 08-31-2004

I arrive home from the Raleigh on Friday and I was so excited to be home until I saw two signs on I-71 that said:

 

"Vote no on special rights" Vote No on Issue 3"

 

I mean wtf, who is behind these? Phil Burress and the CCV? I read something in another forum that Sam Malone is behind some anti gay marriage signs and he is a freaking city councilmen. Doesn't he have more important things to worry about like race relations instead of this crap?

 

I all honesty is it wrong of me to think the black leaders of Cincinnati (Reece, Smitherman, Malone) would have taken steps to end the boycott? I understand it is the responsibility of the city as a whole, no matter what color the skin, but being that these councilmen are black I would have thought they would have taken a extra special issue to resolve whatever needs to be resolved instead of whining about the police chief, threatening the city manager and putting up anti gay marriage signs.

 

So said that we can't find one leader in the bunch of misfit city councilmen we have.

 

And for those who read this any thing, "David Pepper", ahem you can thank him and his cronies for the awful $52 million dollar tax break to Convergys who just laid off 250 more workers - lovely!

^ Yeah, it's Sam Malone and the "Equal Rights, Not Special Rights" PAC. Yes, CCV is involved.

 

I sometimes forget that Malone is a councilman. He hasn't accomplished anything.

 

Fuck Convergys.

Issue one is from a cincinnati based group. Im guessing that has a lot to do with it. There seems to be a high concentration of strong conservative issue groups. Just seeing all the bush signs driving through the area makes me sick. Even my gay friends from there tell me how many people are for bush and gay in the area.

 

I had my kerry/edwards bumper sticker messed with on the back of my car around dayton where i go to school. They also keyed the back of my car in several spots.

^ Yes, CCV (based out of SHaronville) led the drive to get Issue 1 on the ballot and they're the leading "vote yes" group.

 

It seems like every politician, newspaper, and person I've talked to supports voting "No", yet it is still expected to pass. :(

Sam Malone was on Fox 19 this morning with Crowley.

 

Sam Malone looked like an uneducated idiot that was misinformed and just held to his guns about the fact that there has not been one case of discrimation because of Article 12 documented.

 

Crowley presented the facts and expressed that we don't need a sign over the city that says, "Gays Not Welcome". That we need to embrace all races and people of different sexual orientation.

 

I need to move into the city limits. At least I would have a vote when it came to some of these idiots.

 

If I hear special rights again I am going to choke the bastard.

soo what exactly would the repeal of issue give gay people in cincinnati?

Sam Malone looked like an uneducated idiot

Looked? :D

 

soo what exactly would the repeal of issue give gay people in cincinnati?

The same rights as every other human being in the city.

soo what exactly would the repeal of issue give gay people in cincinnati?

 

Please go here to learn more about the issue. It is not one to be taken lightly. Even for STRAIGHT people. It is hurting out city in more ways than one. It is beyond being gay.

 

 

 

http://www.CitizensToRestoreFairness.org

oo thanks for the info

What a sore loser.  Two days ago he's saying "We lost, fair and square".  Now here we go--old bigotry dies hard.  From the 11/8/04 Cincinnati Business Courier:

 

 

Issue 3 opponent makes threat

Burress: 'There will be repercussions'

Lucy May

Courier Senior Staff Reporter

 

Even as Cincinnati's corporate elite celebrated this week's repeal of the city's controversial gay rights amendment, a local conservative activist said he expects some of the region's largest firms will pay for their involvement in Issue 3.

 

The Procter & Gamble Co., Federated Department Stores Inc. and GE Aircraft Engines are among local businesses that gave tens of thousands of dollars to help pass Issue 3 and repeal Article XII, the charter amendment that prohibited the Cincinnati City Council from adopting laws that protect the rights of gays and lesbians.

 

In September, Focus on the Family and the American Family Association called on families to boycott Procter products because of the company's position on Issue 3. And Phil Burress, who ran the unsuccessful campaign to keep Article XII on the books, said he expects Federated will be targeted next.

 

 

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2004/11/08/story1.html

WHAT A DICK!!!

 

He needs to go on Dr. Phil to work out his latent homosexual feelings and quit taking it out on our once great state!

There are going to be major repercussions- like talented younger people staying in Cincinnati and making it a better place to live. Not to mention the increased convention business.

 

Phil Burr-ass is working hard to make Cincinnati (and the rest of Ohio) a crappier place to live.