From Sara Van Wormer, Project Coordinator and
 Dr. Judith Kovach, Project Manager/Executive Director of the MPA/F

On Wednesday, 4/22, several of our volunteers provided testimony at the House Judiciary Committee meeting in support of the Second Parent Adoption bill (House Bill 4131). The bill was successfully voted out of committee on a straight party split. We are now waiting to see if the speaker will take it to a floor vote. Penny Gardner of C.A.R.E. expressed gratitude regarding our project’s involvement and our provided testimony was well received. Special thanks to Dr. Russell Ames, Maria Valenti, Jane Bassett, Nathaniel Tomson, Danielle Shapiro and Melissa Grey for their contributions to this effort. There is still time to get involved; please contact me if you are willing to write to your legislator about the bill. We can provide you with talking points as needed.

This past Friday, we connected with members of Unity Michigan – a coalition of leaders within Michigan’s LGBT advocacy groups (i.e. Triangle Foundation, Michigan Equality, ACLU, etc.). We had the opportunity to introduce these leaders to our project as well as promote our ability to provide expert LGBT-affirmative testimony, op-ed pieces, education, etc. We look forward to strengthening our partnerships with these groups.

In Kalamazoo, our efforts toward educating Kalamazoo city officials and citizens about the importance of passing an anti-discrimination ordinance continues to be recognized. An op-ed submitted by our volunteers to the Kalamazoo Gazette was recently published. Please see the link and text below:

http://blog.mlive.com/readreact/2009/04/members_of_the_lgbt_community.html

Members of the LGBT community deserve equal protection at work, in housing and in the community
Posted by Mary Wassink and Catherine Ellis April 28, 2009 11:56AM
Categories: Read & React

What are the consequences to the residents of a community afraid they could lose their job or housing at any time just because of who they are?

These are the pressures facing hard-working, tax-paying Kalamazoo workers who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

Under current laws, these men and women can be fired simply for who they are, no matter how well they work. Currently, there are no legal protections for these employees in Kalamazoo or in the state of Michigan.

The Kalamazoo City Commission is considering passing an ordinance to protect people in this city from unfair discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations. Companies doing business with Kalamazoo would have similar policies prohibiting such discrimination.

Researchers at the UCLA School of Law noted that up to 70 percent of LGBT people have faced job discrimination based on their sexual orientation. More than 50 percent were reportedly fired, almost half were denied employment, a third were harassed and one in five were denied a promotion based on their identity. Separate studies have noted an average of 25 percent were reportedly denied housing, evicted or otherwise treated unfairly leading to disproportionate rates of homelessness and poverty within the community.

We also know that nearly 90 percent of Americans think it is unfair to discriminate against gay people for characteristics that are unrelated to job performance (2007 Gallup Poll). We also know that the City Commission is in support of fair employment protections for these folks.

Yet a small number of residents are claiming that if hard-working LGBT citizens are allowed equal protections from discrimination, it would open the doors for criminal behavior in public places, including restrooms.

There is no evidence supporting this fear. There has never been a single incident of criminal attack in the public restrooms of the 13 states and almost 100 cities having similar ordinances. There are laws protecting residents from inappropriate and illegal behavior in all public places, including restrooms. This ordinance would not defend anyone who committed a crime in a public place, regardless of who they are.

In the LGBT community, more than 40 percent have reportedly experienced physical abuse or violence, 80 percent note being verbally abused or harassed and almost half feel unsafe at any given time. Based on these and similar studies, there is no doubt that equal safety is a very real issue for LGBT people.

City residents who support employment fairness should communicate their heartfelt opinions to the city commission now. Kalamazoo will support equal treatment and end discrimination only if fair-minded citizens let their voices be heard.

Mary Wassink, Ed.D. and Catherine Ellis, M.A. are Kalamazoo-area psychotherapists.
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Sara Van Wormer, Project Coordinator for MPIPP
Dr. Judith Kovach, Project Manager for MPIPP, Executive Director of the MPA/F