Indianapolis Human Rights Ordinance

among the things that pissed me off today

Post author:HFM
Post published:September 5, 2007
Post category:GLBT Issues Indianapolis

Somehow or other, in a recent email exchange on gayindy.org, I managed to miss this little paragraph in one of the emails regarding the city-county council elections until just a few minutes ago, and now I’m pretty blind with fury at it:

Now let’s go a bit further and talk about why the message in that email is very important. First, as a community, we need to be helping those who helped us. Most of us are not exactly stepping up and doing our part in this time of need. These people put their necks on the line for us and we made promises to them that we would be there for them. If you were in the council chamber the night of the HRO vote and you are NOT helping out in some way with a campaign this year, you should be ashamed. Period. And from the lack of support coming from our community so far, I’d say there are quite a few people out there I’m addressing with this critique.

Oh, where do I begin? Let’s start with:

1) tell me what the campaigns are, who’s in them, who the opposition is and why are the opposition bad?
Believe it or not, I know none of these things, because I have an actual real live life and I’m not wrapped up in the local political scene, because all the slime and trashing and hate going on online in local political circles is too much to stomach every day to get important information.

2) give me realistic ways to help out with a campaign.
I can build websites. I can write coherently on political subjects. I can design campaign materials. But I’ve yet to ever have a candidate ask for volunteers’ strengths. This is the appeal for help: “There are many ways you can help – door knocking, stuffing envelopes, fundraising, making calls, and much more.” Yes, I want to run right out and do the hardest, most ineffective, most time-wasting, most thankless jobs of political campaigning. Sign me right the fuck up for the shit jobs, because I have nothing better to do, and I have all the time in the world.

3) Lose the fucking guilt trip, and double quick.
I DO care about the HRO, believe it or not, and I do feel a sense of obligation to the candidates – however due to the utter failure of the candidates or their campaigns to do Numbers 1 and 2 above, I’m left with very little to go on. On top of that, I’m a 39-year-old adult who has a life and some serious responsibilities, and I do a really good job of working hard and prioritizing what’s important, thank you very much. You’re not my mom or the flying spaghetti monster, so your authoritarian tone is way out of line. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and I really resent being told that by anyone.

There, I feel much better. I’m closing the comments on this thread, because I really don’t want to fucking hear it.

I’m sure I’ll figure out some way to support the appropriate city-council members and their campaigns, but for the next couple days at least, I need to step away from this issue.

Show Up Monday Night for the Re-Introduction of the Human Rights Ordinance

Post author:HFM
Post published:November 18, 2005
Post category:GLBT Issues Indianapolis Politics
Post comments:2 Comments

From Pepper Partin:

Did you know that walking from your car to the Indianapolis City-County Building will burn 1 million calories? Enjoy a guiltless Thanksgiving and look great in your new holiday wear this year by attending the City-County Council meeting this Monday night. Why? In addition to burning calories so your body will be in a much-needed holiday calorie deficit, you will be showing support for the re-introduction of Prop 622 – the proposal that will add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Human Rights Ordinance (HRO). The added language will make discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity illegal in the areas of housing and employment. Council member Jackie Nytes plans to re-introduce Prop 622 just in time for you to get that Madonna-like body prior to filling up on turkey or tofurkey or whatever macrobiotic diet followers eat on Thanksgiving.

When: Monday, November 21st at 6:30 (be there a little earlier if you can)
Where: City-County Building downtown Indianapolis – (across the street from the City Market) Beurt Servaas Public Assembly Room

As you may know, The HRO was defeated earlier in the year when Eric Miller and Advance America led a campaign against the added language just days before the Council vote. The campaign was successful albeit unethical since Miller called upon his cronies outside of Marion County and even outside of the state to barrage the Council with e-mails and phone calls. His campaign worked, and we can’t let it happen again! If Indianapolis wants to claim that it is a world class city, our City-County Council will need to prove it by following the lead of Daniels, Brizzi and Peterson.

The road to a second vote on Prop 622 may take several weeks and Rock Indiana, along with other organizations, will be calling on YOU to help. It will take all of us to win this battle. So pay attention to calls to action as the entire community will be needed. But let’s start with Monday night.

The Council will not be voting on Prop 622 or even hearing testimony Monday. And that’s the beauty. All you have to do is stand in unison with the Indianapolis/Marion County GLBT community and other fair-minded Hoosiers. You’ll look great doing it since you will have that just-worked-out rosey glow. So show up Monday night along with HUNDREDS who support Prop 68 and know that you can enjoy a guiltless holiday and you’ll look fabu.

Don’t let Eric Miller and other right wing radicals win this time!

A special Rock Indiana thank you to Jackie Nytes for her support and to the Greater Indianapolis Fairness Alliance and IE-Region 8 for their INCREDIBLE work on getting this before the Council again.