Posted by: Ken Riter | February 27, 2012

Proponents of Equality Gain Momentum, Proposal on Agenda.


OMAHA, NE –  Proponents of Equality have gained momentum in the past week as Ben Gray’s Equal Opportunity Ordinance is placed on the City Council Agenda for its initial introduction this  Tuesday, February 28th.  All members of the City Council have access to the ordinance as well as the general public.   Here is the link to the PDF for  Ben Gray’s Equal Employment Ordinance, the entire City Council Agenda for the day is here.

Ben Gray also made a video where he talks about civil rights and his ordinance to protect people. Please watch it and allow yourself to be inspired.

The Equal Omaha Coalition also put out an extensive FAQ about the Equal Employment Ordinance, strongly defending its purpose and providing arguments in great detail.  Please read it to keep up on this issue, click here to view!!   Also, make sure you signed the Equal Employment Petition created by Equal Omaha, amplify your voice here.

According to the FAQ, as of January 25, 2012, 162 other municipalities in the United States have adopted an ordinance similar to the one proposed in
Omaha. In contrast, the Workplace Discrimination Resolution touted by Mean Jean Stothert, Tom Mulligan and Garry (Five Code Alarm) Gernandt, mentions in its first paragraphs:

“WHEREAS, the city of Omaha consistently ranks as one of the top cities in the country for its low unemployment rate, cost of living that is lower than the national average, fresh air, economical utility rates, short commutes to work, vibrant places of worship and first rate cultural and entertainment experiences, making it truly one of the top cities in the United States to live work and play….”

No where does it mention Omaha is tops when it comes to workplace discrimination, and that’s sad.  The city can be so much more!  This nonbinding resolution doesn’t even call for ANY action to be taken if discrimination is discovered and proven.  Even if Omaha adopted Ben Gray’s Equal Employment Ordinance today, it would only rank 163rd in implementing workplace discrimination solutions.  Omaha has some catching up to do! Out of the top 50 cities in the US, Omaha is only one of 15 cities that have no protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Read this article for more info!

On the horizon is a new coalition against equality and workplace solutions, its called the Nebraska Heritage Coalition.  Their proclamation has 218 signers so far.  They even got together and posted an ad in the Omaha World Herald standing against equality, its on page 7a of the Sunday edition of OWH dated Feb 26th.  If they can foot a bill for a bigoted ad, they can start paying their fair share in taxes is what I am thinking.   Ben Gray’s Equal Employment Ordinance includes religious exemptions, so what are they really protesting? Even the national LGBT media knows about them.

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Posted in Ben Gray, LGBT Queer issues, Omaha City Council, Progressive Heroes, Statements | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Ken Riter | February 20, 2012

Study Proves LGBT Discrimination Exists in Omaha


OMAHA, NE – A recent study in Nebraska proves what the LGBT Community has known for decades, that they are victims of unfair workplace discrimination.  Dr. Christopher Fisher with UNMC told KETV that, “Nearly one-third of our participants had reported experiencing some form of workplace discrimination from a co-worker, at a job interview or from their boss.”  If you have experienced LGBT related discrimination in the workplace or anywhere else, please consider posting your story at this website VOICE Omaha.  The momentum in support of workplace equality is growing. The Omaha World Herald, which previously opposed workplace equality, published an editorial expressing solid support for Ben Gray’s Equal Employment ordinance.

An article by the Omaha World Herald about the adoption of a workplace discrimination resolution contains a poll which shows over 66% of the pollsters support immediate workplace equality by including sexual orientation and gender identity in the list as protected classes.

Members of the LGBT Community face discrimination, mistreatment, beating and even death around the nation and even worldwide.  A study done in 2011 in Nebraska also shows the LGBT Community faces higher suicide rates as a result of such LGBT related hate in society as a whole.

If you are in the mood for celebrating equality, Equal Omaha has an event page for Omaha’s Night of Equality. The night of fun will be on Friday, February 24th.  Check the FaceBook Event page for further details!

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Posted in LGBT Queer issues, Omaha City Council | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Ken Riter | February 18, 2012

Equal Omaha Kicks Equal Employment Movement into High Gear!


OMAHA, NE – With momentum gaining for workplace equality in Omaha after the passage of a resolution for workplace discrimination, Equal Omaha Kicks Omaha’s Equal Employment movement into high gear.  There are several events scheduled before Ben Gray’s ordinance receives an actual vote on Tuesday, March 13th. Those events include a petition drive, email drive, and a rally on the Memorial Pedestrian Bridge to name a few.

The WorkPlace Discrimination Resolution was a joint effort by Gernandt, Mulligan and Stothert to derail Ben Gray’s upcoming Equal Employment ordinance. Jean Stothert is even on record for telling people there is no Equal Employment ordinance by Ben Gray. As you already know, she’s lying. Just remember Jean Stothert Wants To Be Positive.  The Workplace Discrimination Resolution is basically a motion saying the City Council will work with all businesses to prevent all people from being discriminated against. Big deal right?  Not really. The resolution is nonbinding, as Stothert stressed in the City Council session.  That means if any LGBT related discrimination was reported, there is nothing in place to ensure the City Council does anything about it.  What is special about this resolution is that Omaha LGBT Groups supported it, saying even though it doesn’t do enough to stop discrimination, it does acknowledge that Omaha has a discrimination problem. And that is a big step. All the more reason to adopt Ben Gray’s Equal Employment ordinance when it comes up in a couple of weeks.

So the City Council adopts Stothert’s nonbinding resolution that acknowledges workplace discrimination is a problem in Omaha. I wonder how Stothert’s conservative voting base feels about that acknowledgement?  The look on Jean Stothert’s face when LGBT groups stood up in support of it was priceless. And adoption of the Resolution puts the LGBT community one step closer to workplace equality.

Equal Omaha is sponsoring a number of events in support the of the Equal Employment Ordinance, including a Rally for WorkPlace Equality, which will take place at 11am Saturday March 3rd, 2012, be sure to check out the FaceBook Event page for updates!  There is also an ongoing email campaign as well, go to the Equal Omaha website for those details and you may visit this article for ideas and templates for those emails you may wish to send.   And also be sure to sign Equal Omaha’s petition to the Omaha City Council as well, here is the link:  http://www.change.org/petitions/share-your-voice

The UNO College Democrats are sponsoring a Card Signing Drive at the Milo Bail Student Center on the UNO Campus on 22 Feb 2012 from 10am to 2pm. The cards will be hand delivered to the City Council  and will be another way for you to get your  voice and your opinion out there to urge the Omaha City Council to do the right thing.

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Posted in Ben Gray, Jean Stothert, LGBT Queer issues, Omaha City Council, Petition Drive | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Ken Riter | February 18, 2012

Please sign Petition against Dominion Covenant Church.


OMAHA, NE – Protests outside the UNO Thompson Alumni Center will continue this Sunday at 9am, February 19th, 2012. Last week the protest grew to 13 people despite the coldest temperatures yet.  Members of Forward Equality, Occupy Omaha and various UNO student groups including the GSO, the UNO Secular Student Alliance and others were there participating in the protest.  The GSO provided food from Jimmy John’s, so a big thanks to Caleb from the GSO and Jimmy John’s!!!  You can visit the FaceBook event page here.  As a reminder, we are protesting the church at the UNO Thompson Center because that is where the church conducts its services, and the Pastor supports the Death Penalty for gays and other sexual sinners.
There is also a petition drive so please be sure to sign it. The petition is currently addressed to the CEO of the UNO Alumni Association, Lee Denker. Here is the main body of the letter:

Please remove the Dominion Covenant Church from the UNO Thompson Alumni Center.

The Senior Pastor of the Dominion Covenant Church, Phillip Kayser, supports the Death Penalty for Homosexuals under alleged Biblical Law and has written documents supporting these beliefs. This is nothing more than hate targeting a specific group of people under the guise of religious belief. The LGBT Community is consistently targeted for hate, discrimination and even brutal killings. This should not be tolerated on or near institutions of higher learning, in this case the University of Nebraska in Omaha (UNO). This should not be tolerated by any organization associated with the University, up to and including its very own Alumni Association. See following links for further information:

Click to access DeathPenalty.pdf

Contact Us

http://unoalumni.org/tc

Ron Paul touts endorsement of pastor who defends death penalty for gays, delinquent children & adultery

http://ProgressiveOasis.com

I understand that you are an organization the helps out the students, but the harm in allowing this hateful church to preach its hate in your building far outweighs any minor good it might do.

If you have any suggestions on improving the letter go ahead and comment.  Here is the petition concerning removing the Dominion Covenant Church from the UNO Thompson Alumni Center.  http://www.change.org/petitions/no-more-dominion-covenant-church-at-uno-thompson-alumni-center  Please sign the petition and share it with your friends.

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Posted in Hate Groups, LGBT Queer issues, Petition Drive | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Ken Riter | February 10, 2012

Republican Chokes Up At Gay Marriage Debate In Washington


Wonderful story, its great to see Republicans get on board Marriage Equality. And such a heartfelt speech!!!

goodolewoody's avatarGoodOleWoody's Blog and Website

WE NOW WAIT FOR THE GOVERNOR’S PROMISED SIGNATURE

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