Tulsa passes protections

Timothy Kincaid

June 18th, 2010

From Tulsa World

Champagne corks popped at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center on Thursday night after the City Council voted to add sexual orientation to Tulsa’s nondiscrimination policy.

Oklahomans for Equality members cheered and jeered at a rally as they watched councilors discuss the issue and their votes on a large-screen TV at the center.

“As a gay, black man in Tulsa, Oklahoma, it’s a monumental night,” said Tracy Allen, incoming volunteer coordinator at the center.

Yes. The Tulsa in Oklahoma. And the vote was 6 to 3.

Which means that it’s official. The Great American Culture War is over and we’ve won; now it’s all just a matter of time.

Tommy

June 18th, 2010

There was never any doubt we’d win the culture war, just a matter of how long our opponents chose to drag their defeat out. No war has ever been as throughly one sided as our current culture war.

The culture war began around four years after Brown v. The Board of Education, when Jerry Fallwell began galvanizing the Christian Right with statements like, “The true Negro does not want integration…. He realizes his potential is far better among his own race… [Integration]will destroy our race eventually. In one northern city, a pastor friend of mine tells me that a couple of opposite race live next door to his church as man and wife.” He followed these sermons by opening whites only Christian schools. And thus a Culture War was born.

Since that time, almost every place they took a stand, they failed.

1. Segregation, not only gone, but the entire country went against them.
2. Miscegenation: same thing.
3. Abortion: still legal with a string of failures trying to make it illegal.
4. Prayer in school: Failed.
5. Creationism in school: Failed.
6. Intelligent Design in school: failed.
7. Feminism: Well they did stop the ERA, but that’s still mostly a failure.
8. Abstinence Only Education: a complete disaster.

All they have left are gay rights, and even then they are losing, and losing badly.

Victor

June 18th, 2010

The war never ends, so long as there are those who cannot abide differences, cannot resist the urge to inflict themselves upon others, cannot choose reason over fear.

Never imagine that day will come. Vigilance must be forever.

Joe Allen Doty

June 18th, 2010

There are idiots who posted on the Tulsa World website and the newson6.com website who think that “sexual orientation” means the same thing as “homosexual.”

The city Councilor who introduced the measure to add “sexual orientation” is a Republican. That was a pleasant surprise. He even said, “Every person has a sexual orientation.”

The City of Tulsa’s Human Rights Council held open Hall Meetings in the Spring of 1994 for discussion about adding those TWO words to the city charter and I attended the first one.

There was a sign up list for those who wanted to voice an opinion. I made sure my name got on there.

One person who lived inside the Tulsa City Limits pastored a church in the rural community of Berryhill signed up to speak. But, he didn’t speak as a resident of Tulsa, he spoke only as pastor of that church.

Some other pastors spoke before me, too. They even tried to claim there were no homosexual in their churches.

They were shocked later when I told them that I knew better than that a I personally knew some other wise openly gay men who attended their churches.

I am glad that they added those two words.

BobbieJane

June 18th, 2010

The culture war is not over as long as gender identity is not included. We need protection also.

Lindoro Almaviva

June 18th, 2010

Just sexual orientation? or did they go for the whole LBGT?

Mark F.

June 19th, 2010

I don’t need “protection” from people making their own free decisions. In fact, I reject such “protection.”

Gay people often boycott those who discriminate against them. But, they want to force homophobes to rent and employ them. Just what I want to do—help a homophobe make more money! Go figure.

Priya Lynn

June 19th, 2010

Mark, if you’re happy being evicted from your home or fired from your job for being gay, knock yourself out, but don’t expect any other LGBT’s to shoot themselves in the foot.

Emelye Waldherr

June 20th, 2010

Culture war over? Are you guys kidding me? Instead of discriminating because of who you love they’re just going to change their tactics to discriminating because you are too girly or masculine. This law is only going to help those gay and lesbian people that pass as straight anyway.

Non-discrimination laws that do not include gender identity/expression are worthless for anyone who doesn’t act or pass as straight. Good luck with your culture war victory!

Timothy Kincaid

June 20th, 2010

Jo Allen Doty,

The city Councilor who introduced the measure to add “sexual orientation” is a Republican. That was a pleasant surprise.

I find that local level Republicans are often quite different animals than those who are in Congress. Local folk have to deal with real problems involving real people who they actually know rather than some nebulous “homosexual agenda” as presented by anti-gay activists.

I am never shocked when a local Republican is a troglodyte, but I am also now not shocked when a local Republican is an ally. Their conservatism may have to due with property taxes and the waste of city funds rather than whose life they want to control.

And thank you for adding your voice to the debate in Tulsa.

Timothy Kincaid

June 20th, 2010

Lindoro,

Just LGB. The T was too much for the Tulsa city counsel.

But history shows us that once an area gets over its fear of LGB, then often protections for T come along after. Not every time, but often enough to be hopeful.

Timothy Kincaid

June 20th, 2010

Mark F,

I too find non-discrimination laws in the private sector to be troubling. I think people should have the right to be hateful bigots.

But (and for me it’s a very big but), if you are going to have non-discrimination laws that list groups of people, then leaving off certain folk only gives governmental sanction to discriminate.

“Don’t discriminate against Hiram or Maria or Latisha but Bruce… well, we have nothing to say about discriminating against Bruce.” Bruce ain’t gettin the job.

Which is why it can seem especially frustrating for transgender folk to see sexual orientation added. It’s just further isolation as “the one person not on the protection list”

cd

June 20th, 2010

I am never shocked when a local Republican is a troglodyte, but I am also now not shocked when a local Republican is an ally. Their conservatism may have to due with property taxes and the waste of city funds rather than whose life they want to control.

I’m a partisan liberal Democrat, but one thing I’ve learn in social issues politics is that no Party is capable of or willing to do all of the work that is needed. Republicans may end up having done only 5% or 10% of the work when all is said and done. But it’s a vital bit, even if it is small and tends to come late in the game.

I’ve also heard of a few cases, notably one in Alabama, where strong liberals putting up somewhat misleading fronts have made political careers as Republicans.

But (and for me it’s a very big but), if you are going to have non-discrimination laws that list groups of people, then leaving off certain folk only gives governmental sanction to discriminate.

No one with much experience thinks these measures are anything like a full remedy or expects them to be enduring law. The hope is that they minimize the misdeeds perceived to be morally or financially unaffordable until the culture has changed. At which point they become extraneous.

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