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Voices of Citizens Who Oppose Charter Amendment 1
March 20th, 2009
A Collection of Letters to the Editor - The Gainesville Sun - (Find these letters and more online at http://www.gainesville.com/section/opinion)
“I urge all citizens to vote no on Charter Amendment 1. It has nothing to do with protecting our children. Its sole purpose is to take away civil rights and protection of vulnerable gay citizens.” - Sallie Ann Harrison, Cofounder of Gainesville’s Rape Crisis center, March 9, 2009
“Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people are all groups targeted with discrimination. This is why 13 states (although not Florida), the District of Columbia, and 108 cities and counties across the nation have anti-discrimination laws that include both sexual orientation and gender identity.” - Donna Lee, March 4, 2009
Featured Letters to the Editor
We are increasingly concerned about the scare tactics being used by a well-funded, out-of-state (Michigan) organization that is trying to change forever Gainesville’s ability to protect its citizens from discrimination. Let us not be misled by their threatening, and unwelcome, advertisements and flyers targeted at women and children.
Contrary to their mantra, Citizen’s for Good Public Policy’s agenda is not about public safety; victims’ advocacy data confirms that. To be sure, neither their fear-based campaign nor their misguided message is unique to Gainesville. They have used these same scare tactics and this same “public safety” message in other cities throughout the nation to cloak their true discriminatory agenda: remove protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
Charter Amendment 1 is about one thing and one thing only, discrimination. We urge anyone who has any question about that to visit the website of the organization that wrote Charter Amendment 1: The Thomas More Law Center. Their anti-gay agenda is clear, and they openly talk about Gainesville as one location where they are working to remove existing nondiscrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
As mothers, we urge you to protect all Gainesville citizens by voting no on Charter Amendment 1. Voting no is about treating all human beings fairly and saying no to discrimination. Voting no is about continuing to protect all of Gainesville’s citizens, including the firefighters and police officers who protect us; the teachers who teach our children; the doctors and nurses who care for us; the restaurant owners and workers who provide us with vital services and the mail carriers who deliver our mail. Let us continue to be the welcoming, fair, independent-minded city we are. Vote no on Charter Amendment 1.
Vivian Gutierrez,
Berta Esperanza Hernández-Truyol
Gainesville
March 20, 2009
It’s as simple as discrimination
Richard G. Lucas’s letter to the editor on March 12 said the decision about how to vote on Charter Amendment 1 was “very simple,” and I agree with that statement.
It’s very simple that Charter Amendment 1 would remove protections from discrimination in employment, housing, credit, and public accommodation for those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. And that’s why you should vote no.
It’s very simple that Charter Amendment 1 would prohibit Gainesville from extending protections from discrimination based on other criteria, such as socio-economic status and political party affiliation, like other communities have the right to do. And that’s why you should vote no.
It’s also very simple that nothing in the Gainesville Charter gives anyone permission to commit a criminal act anywhere regardless of any misinformation that has been repeated.
Please exercise your right to keep Gainesville a welcoming city for all its citizens and visitors by voting a resounding “No” on Gainesville Charter Amendment 1.
Fred Pratt,
Gainesville
March 20, 2009
Don’t go back to the dark days
Some of us remember the horrific events of the early 1960s, when a state senator from Starke tried to expunge all homosexuals from the state of Florida. His tactics and inspiration came from Senator McCarthy’s famous “witch trials.”
As a native of Gainesville I was overjoyed when our city commissioners put that era, and its blatant bigotry, behind us when they passed the non-discrimmination ordinance over 40 years later.
We cannot allow a group of people to overturn that decision and take us back to the dark, and terrifying, days of the Johns committee. Amendment 1 is an attempt to do just that. The smokescreen of a man in a bathroom does not conceal the truth that this is about dignity, not toilets.
For all that is good and decent and fair we must vote no Charter Amendment 1.
Pat Powers,
Gainesville
March 20, 2009
AMENDMENT 1 BASED ON THE “BIG LIE”
Proponents of Amendment 1 have perfected two public relations techniques used so effectively by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebells. The Nazi’s seized power and created a fascist state by persuading people to be afraid of targeted minorities. Goebells said “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
Advocates of Charter Amendment 1 have ignored American laws and targeted vulnerable minorities with lies about behavior. Amendment1 is based on the Big Lie; a lie that the Gainesville City Commission enacted an ordinance that makes it legal for men to enter restrooms and abuse women and children; a lie so bold and audacious that many folks believe it to be true.
But it is not true. Our state attorney has clearly stated that it is illegal for anybody to abuse children and women; especially sexual abuse. It is ludicrous for Amendment 1 advocates to claim that a city ordinance has legalized criminal behavior; ludicrous.
But once the Big Lie has been established, Goebells stated “The most brilliant propagandist technique…must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.” Goebells was right, if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.
March Madness is supposed to be about basketball; not ignorant attacks on fundamental American vaules. Please respect the rule of law in America; please vote no on Amendment 1.
And by the way; our parks, and the rest rooms serving those parks, really do need more protection; from rapacious profiteers. Please vote yes on Amendment #2.
David E. Bruderly .
Gainesville
March 20, 2009
Both as people of faith and as citizens, we are vitally interested in fostering the kind of community that best enriches life, whether it’s a community of faith or the wider civic community.
Nobody’s God says, “hate your neighbor.” In fact, most religions say in one way or another, love your neighbors as yourself.
Yet fear of difference can lead us to behave in ways that oppress, harm, and exclude others. The city of Gainesville’s Charter Amendment 1, based on fear, moves us away from being a refuge of fairness and mutual respect.
We have dedicated our lives as religious leaders to building a beloved community, where all have equal access to protection, resources, and good will. We are disheartened by the retrogressive step Amendment 1 represents.
We pray that together we Gainesvillians will have the wisdom to make Gainesville a city of refuge, and not a city of hate and fear. We urge everyone to vote no on Amendment 1 on March 24th.
Rev. Meredith Garmon, Rev. LoraKim Joyner,
Ministers
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville
March 17, 2009
I have lived in Gainesville almost 20 years, and feel proud of our community as a learned, progressive place with an openness to the diverse population we are. I feel I benefit from the broad array of people who are associated with the university, with the medical center, and with the myriad of businesses and civic groups in our city. When I describe Gainesville to my “big city” friends and relatives, I always remark on the way in which you can find at least one of anything here, be it a barbeque restaurant, a Zen meditation center, a lecture on an obscure bit of history…Gainesville has always felt like a rich and active community to me, open to all sorts of ways of thinking.
It is with sadness, then, that I see placards and ads related to the Charter Amendment 1 up for vote in the March 24 election. This amendment would repeal the city’s protections for the rights of transgendered people, as well as rights already guaranteed to gay, lesbian, and bisexual residents. When the petition drive started to put this amendment on the ballot, I tried to learn what is the motivating factor here from the individuals manning the petition tables. I’m not aware that we have a current problem with attacks in bathrooms–what is the issue?
Transgendered people currently circulate in our community with no disproportionate incidence of violent or predatory crimes. This is a misguided association of predators with transgendered individuals, based purely on fear and ignorance. What, I asked those at the petition tables, if your brother or sister, or son or daughter was a transgendered person, would you feel comfortable taking away their protection? I never got direct answers to my questions, only responses which came from confused thinking bolstered by fears.
Transgendered people are not predators. They are not a problem now, nor will they be in lurking in our bathrooms if we don’t pass this amendment. I have faith that the people of Gainesville are not interested in passing laws that are based on fears and ignorance, and I suspect that this movement was incited by groups outside of Gainesville who target issues in various communities to support. Do we really want our community to become one which is not inclusive, and which decides arbitrarily to take away protections to its citizens? If it is transgendered, gay, lesbian and bisexual residents today who suffer, who will it be next year? Charter Amendment 1 represents our community going down a road which is not supportive of basic human rights and the dignity of all of our residents. I, like many others, will be disturbed to see Gainesville’s integrity and inclusiveness become sullied with the passage of Amendment 1. I urge our city residents to learn more about the issue, not be swayed by this fear campaign, and to not allow a discriminatory amendment in our city’s regulations.
Jan Snyder,
Gainesville
March 16, 2009
This week, Jews in Gainesville and throughout the world, read the ancient Scroll of Esther and celebrate the holiday of Purim, which tells of the miraculous rescue of the Jewish people from the destructive plans of Haman, who targeted them because they were different from the other people of the ancient Persian kingdom of Shushan.
As my family and I prepare for this holiday this year, we do so against the backdrop of the pending city election on March 24 and the dangerous Charter Amendment 1.
It is hard for me not to think about the Purim story in a new light this year. Here we are living in a city in which I am free to practice the religion of my choice, in a country where I can be grateful that the law protects every citizen’s freedom of religion. And yet because mine is a family with two mothers, I cannot celebrate Purim this year with the same joy as usual because the nefarious threat of Haman doesn’t feel abstract right now.
I want to believe that I live in a city full of modern day Esthers who will stand up against discrimination. I want to believe that the citizens of this city know that just because gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are the targets of discrimination this time, it doesn’t mean that someone else’s civil rights won’t be threatened the next time.
Please, Gainesville, don’t let down my family and all of us who are proud of this city and all it stands for.
Tamara Cohen,
Gainesville
March 12, 2009
Vote No to keep Gainesville safe for all families
As a mother of two teenaged daughters, I am incensed by those that claim that in order to keep my children safe I need to vote for Amendment 1. In fact, the exact opposite is true. As a parent, I do everything I can to ensure that my children grow up in a safe and nurturing environment. For me, that means working to ensure that our community is willing to protect all of its citizens from hate-crimes, bullying, and discrimination of any kind.
Amendment 1, if passed, will make it legal for a landlord to refuse housing, or an employer to fire someone simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. That is not the message I want my city to send to my children. That is not going to make them feel safe to be themselves, or to live their lives the way they want to. Protecting its citizens is what government should do, and on March 24, I will vote for the safety of all Gainesville families, by voting NO.
Florence M. Turcotte,
Gainesville
March 11, 2009
The same old tools of oppression
The same old tools of oppression used to legitimize discrimination based on race, religion, and gender are now resurrected to attack citizens based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Historically safety in public restrooms is sickeningly invoked when attempting to segregate/isolate groups of citizens by denying them equal status and full civil rights.
To hysterical racist cries of “Women will be assaulted and children preyed upon”, (and other lies as well) the Jim Crow South justified separate bathrooms. South Africa whites used these false claims to institute apartheid in that country. These atrocities lasted until 1954 and 1994 respectively.
Under Germany’s Anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws bathrooms became segregated Jewish citizens were disallowed their use. The public safety of German citizens was the false claim here.
Recently extremist groups refused to support equal rights for women. Their reason was women in the military would be raped and assaulted by male soldiers in restrooms. What an enormous insult that is to women and men that have served and protected our country.
Medical science reveals 1 in 1,000 children are born inter-sexed. Through no fault of the parents, families are left to deal with a heart-wrenching dilemma. These individuals are not monsters nor are they causes of crime. Professors from the eminent John Jay College of Criminal Justice have stated that Citizens for Good Public Policy or anyone that suggests otherwise are immoral, unethical persons.
Our country was founded on principles of justice and liberty for all. Laws that subordinate, maintain control, and marginalize groups of citizens are the very definition of racism, sexism and homophobia. Bathrooms – what a lousy excuse.
Please do not allow extremists to once again blemish the history of our country, nor allow them to stain the reputation of our wonderful town.Vote NO on Amendment 1.
Pamela Mincey,
Gainesville
March 11, 2009
Several of us have read and reread the City of Gainesville Charter Amendment 1 many times and have not come to a clear understanding of what this amendment will do. We have read various comments from the Gainesville Sun. Obviously most of us do not know precisely what this amendment will do.
The first part is to prohibit adoption or enforcement of some ordinances, etc., not clearly defined. The last part voids existing ordinances listed, then adds other ordinances “inconsistent with this amendment.”
An amendment to the city charter is important. It must be taken seriously for it can be a disaster and it may be almost impossible to reverse. Any amendment should be clearly written so that it can be understood by the voters. It could do great harm if is not clearly understood.
Because of the many interpretations, and concerns expressed about this proposed amendment, I am not ready to approve it and I believe that many others feel the same.
I think it is unfair to ask voters to approve something we do not understand. If we all vote “No” on this amendment, nothing will be changed. But if we vote yes and it does not work the way we thought, it might be very bad for some.
I believe we should all vote “No!” If an amendment is needed send it back to be rewritten so that voters can clearly understand what they are voting for. After all, our government is supposed to be “Of the people, by the people and for the people.” The confusion and lack of understanding, imply that this amendment was not written to be understood by “we the people”… So how should we vote? I will vote “NO”!
Donald B. Martin,
Gainesville
March 9, 2009
As a cofounder of Gainesville’s Rape Crisis center, in 1974, the safety of women and children has been a driving commitment for me as an activist and as a mother.
I urge all citizens to vote no on Charter Amendment 1. It has nothing to do with protecting our children. Its sole purpose is to take away civil rights and protection of vulnerable gay citizens.
Sallie Ann Harrison,
Gainesville
March 9, 2009
I am a transgender woman and a resident of Gainesville. I write in response to Mark Minck’s ill-informed assertions that transgender people do not face discrimination in Gainesville.
Transgender people face discrimination everywhere, even in Gainesville. Over the years, I have faced discrimination in both employment and housing, but I had no recourse because at the time there were no anti-discrimination protections for transgender people.
Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people are all groups targeted with discrimination. This is why 13 states (although not Florida), the District of Columbia, and 108 cities and counties across the nation have anti-discrimination laws that include both sexual orientation and gender identity.
Minck and his group are using the public’s limited understanding of transgender people to repeal Gainesville’s protections for the entire GLBT community. Fueled by right-wing groups including the Thomas Moore Law Center, Minck’s group is invoking a strategy of fear; scare the public with something fake so they can take away something real.
I live, work, and pray here in Gainesville. I am well-educated and worked for the U.S. government for 35 years. If Charter Amendment 1 passes it will take away protections that ensure that I and other Gainesville citizens can continue to be treated fairly.
I urge the citizens of Gainesville to say “No” to discrimination by voting “No” on proposed Charter Amendment 1.
Donna Lee,
Gainesville
March 4, 2009
After reading Sunday’s guest column by Mark Minck, with Citizens for Good Public Policy, and getting their insulting mailer on Friday, my blood is really boiling.
They claim city government has gone wild and radical elements are behind it. Their fear mongering and spreading of falsehoods is what’s radical.
Amendment 1 is not, as CGPP claims, about public safety. It is about their attempt to enshrine bigotry and discrimination into the city’s charter, pure and simple. But to frame their argument as such would result in failure, so they throw in a red herring (public safety) to scare people.
What is true is that if Amendment 1 passes, the safety afforded those currently protected against discrimination will disappear. If CGPP is allowed to enshrine bigotry and discrimination in our city’s charter, then who will their next target be?
Even the Chamber of Commerce recognized what Amendment 1 is really about. Recently, the Chamber took a position opposing Charter Amendment 1 saying, “The Chamber opposes any form of discrimination.”
I want to congratulate and thank the Chamber for taking a strong leadership position on this issue by opposing CGPP’s amendment. So should all residents of Gainesville by voting NO on Amendment 1 on March 24th.
Susan Bottcher,
Gainesville
February 25, 2009
Amendment 1 is bad for business
As the chair of a member organization of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce I am proud of the chamber leaders for their opposition to passage of Charter Amendment #1 in the upcoming City of Gainesville election (March 24).
Clearly they recognize that a community that welcomes diversity is one that will attract and keep businesses.
Jon Reiskind,
Chair, Alachua County Democratic Party
Gainesville
February 24, 2009
More Letters to the Editor
The whole world is watching Gainesville
The whole world is watching Gainesville. TV 20 is getting calls from all over the world from even as far away as India. What has gotten their attention? (and no, it’s not Tim Tebow)
The city of Gainesville has on the ballot a referendum (Charter Amendment 1) that would abolish Gainesville’s broad antidiscrimination law. It would make it legal to discriminate against someone in employment and housing because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and would prohibit Gainesville from adding nondiscrimination protections for political party, veteran status, or economic status.
It would allow discrimination in the workplace for all of the above and because of race, religion, handicap, gender, national origin, marital and familial status if you are employed in a business with 15 people or less.
Of course that is not what its proponents claim. They would like you to think it’s about protecting women and children in a bizarre and shameful attempt to disguise the real issue.
Please let them know you are not fooled by their disgusting tactics. Join the coalition of business people like the Chamber of Commerce, progressives, like the ACLU and other human rights advocates who are opposed to this referendum and just say no to Charter amendment 1. Remember, the whole world is watching.
Kathy Cantwell,
Gainesville
March 11, 2009
Vote no on Charter Amendment 1
On my fridge is a quote by Protestant Minister Martin Niemoller while interned in Nazi concentration camp during WW II. Perhaps you are familiar with it. It begins: “First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak up because I was not a communist”, and goes on to list other groups: Jews, trade unionists, and Catholics that he didn’t speak up for. It ends with the line: “Then they came for me..and by that time no one was left to speak up for me.”
Surely we can make the connection between remaining silent out of fear or apathy toward defending others (which in this case happens to be the transgendered who are facing irrational, fear-based discrimination) and our own cherished American freedoms. One does not have to be transgendered to defend the rights of those who are, any more than one needed to be black to join in the peaceful marches of the Civil Rights era.
I used to have a button that said: “I may be straight but I’m not narrow”. I pray that the wonderful diversity that makes Gainesville so special does not go away on March 24th. I choose to vote compassionately by voting NO to Charter Amendment 1. I hope you will too.
Linda Joy,
Gainesville
March 10, 2009
If there was ever any doubt about the true agenda of Charter Amendment 1 and its supporters, look no further than City Commission candidate Tom Cunilio’s recent statements in the Sun.
He proposes a theocracy, plain and simple: “Laws should promote the further development of morality.” Of course he and like-minded supporters would get to define “morality” as they see fit.
This position ignores not only the fundamental separation of church and state in the U.S. Constitution, but also the endorsement of rights and dignity for all in many religious denominations.
Please read carefully the language in Charter Amendment 1. It is a government-gone-wild proposal designed to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Do we want theocratic government in Gainesville?
Marsha Bryant,
Gainesville
March 9, 2009
Time to stop campaign of bigotry
On Feb. 25 Susan Bottcher’s letter, “Fear mongering”, asked the question, “If CGPP is allowed to enshrine bigotry and discrimination in our city’s charter, then who will their next target be?”
Here’s a heads up, folks: Fundamentalist religious groups are actively working to set standards for marriage for everyone else in Florida. They want to launch an initiative forcing couples wishing to dissolve their marriage to wait two years before being allowed to divorce.
In November they used scare tactics to convince Florida voters that gay marriage or civil unions somehow threaten your marriage. Now they want laws regulating when (heterosexual!) couples will be allowed to divorce.
That same ideology drives those who intend to narrow our city charter to eliminate civil rights protections for citizens in the gay community.
Anti-gay groups from around the country are focused on Gainesville’s March 24th elections. If successful they will be emboldened to move forward with their fundamentalist agenda to infuse their brand of morality into your lives.
We must stand firm and defend the clear, unequivocal separation of church and state. We must defeat Amendment 1 on March 24th.
Robert Prather,
Gainesville
March 7, 2009
Amendment 1 is a license to discriminate
The real issue behind Amendment 1 is discrimination against a segment of our society. If passed, Amendment 1 would allow a resident of Gainesville to fire or deny housing to someone struggling with gender identity.
A few years ago, I was a counselor for the Gainesville Community Ministries, a worthwhile organization trying to improve the lives of people who are down and out. A young man came in who was undergoing the process of gender change.
He was from Ocala. He said his father had thrown him out of his house and told him not to come back. Having no place to go, he came to the ministry seeking help.
I gave him information, some food to tide him over for a few days, then shook his hand and wished him well. If anyone needed a friend and acceptance, it was him.
Some would say the state’s anti-discrimination law is good enough for Gainesville. Well, the law is fine as far as it goes, but it does not go far enough. We are not asking to negate anything the state has said, only to add to it an unwillingness to allow discrimination because of gender identity.
Let’s admit that this campaign is not about the source of campaign funds or the character of Gainesville, and certainly not about rest rooms. It’s about old-fashioned prejudice. Can’t we rise above that?
Dorothy Field,
Gainesville
March 1, 2009
Gainesville has been my home for 38 years. I raised my children here. Just as I have fought discrimination during the civil rights and feminist movements, I’m involved in fighting against discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
That is why I oppose proposed Charter Amendment 1. As someone who has been married for 20 years, it is safe for me to speak up for my friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens who face discrimination because they are gay or transgender.
Unfortunately, for them, this fight is not always safe. It is an obligation to fight discrimination; discrimination is never right.
Sometimes you have to stand up for what’s right. That’s why I am fighting Gainesville Charter Amendment 1, that’s why I will be voting “No,” and that’s why I encourage you to do the same.
Abby Goldsmith,
Gainesville
February 24, 2009
Re-published with permission. All Rights Reserved - The Gainesville Sun - http://www.gainesville.com/section/opinion