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REGULAR MEETING JULY, 10, 2006
<br />that these citizens will be able to bring their stories to the Human Rights Commission,
<br />instead of bringing them to the South Bend Common Council. If the amendment is not
<br />approved, GLBT citizens who experience discrimination will only be able to continue to
<br />bring their stories to the South Bend Common Council as they have for the past two
<br />years.
<br />Danielle Redman, 518 N. Scott Street, South Bend, Indiana, stated that she lives with her
<br />sister, mom and her mom’s partner Denise. She stated that she loves them very much.
<br />She advised that her mom and her partner Denise take care of her and her sister, with
<br />their problems no matter what they are, they are always there for them. Some of things
<br />that they do for her and her sister are helping bake cookies for school activities, going on
<br />field trips, taking her to orchestra concerts and to tennis and always volunteering to help
<br />in the classroom and whatever the teacher needs help with and always help with
<br />homework. She further noted that they take her and her sister to ballgames and help at
<br />the children’s dispensary. There are kids that say bad things to her, like they say they
<br />don’t like her mom because she’s gay and they hate me because she is gay, and they say
<br />they hate her whole family because her mom is gay. She indicated that those things hurt
<br />her a lot. She urged the Council to pass this amendment, so that families like hers are
<br />protected.
<br />Rhonda Redman, 518 N. Scott Street, South Bend, Indiana, advised that Danielle is her
<br />daughter and that she wanted to come speak to the Council and was not asked by her and
<br />the words that she wrote are her own. After listen to much public comment by members
<br />of Mr. Mangan’s group, she keeps coming back to a most disturbing realization of the
<br />stereotypically image they portray of members of the GLBT community in no way
<br />resembles herself or her family. She stated that some may remember her from many
<br />years of community involvement, she is a mother of three, who just happens to be a
<br />lesbian. She stated that she and her partner Denise have been a commitment
<br />monogamous relationship for almost four years. Family is their #1 priority, and they are
<br />extremely active and involved parents. They continue to strive to provide their girls with
<br />positive experiences, where they can learn to be respectful positive members of society.
<br />Volunteerism and giving back to society are greatly valued in her family. Her son who is
<br />also here tonight has apparently learned these lessons well and can honestly say that she
<br />is proud of the young man that he has become. Her oldest daughter spoke before her
<br />regarding their family and lifestyle, she told how she is treated by fellow students
<br />because of her being gay, and how that makes her feel. This nothing new for her, she has
<br />had to deal with this issue, since she was in second grade. The sad irony here is that, they
<br />have done nothing to make her a target, other than simply show up to support her in her
<br />activities and to help out whenever they are needed. To her daughters credit, she still
<br />wants her around, despite the price she’s often forced to pay for it. For those who believe
<br />that there is not an anti-gay climate in South Bend, can you look at her child and tell her
<br />that she is not being harmed. She believes that she feels quite the opposite. She stated
<br />that her youngest daughter is autistic, which is why she is unable to be here tonight. Last
<br />night as she was fast asleep in the comfort of her own bed, it occurred to her that she
<br />would have to face people, who believe that for this young child, sleeping in her own
<br />bed, in their own home, is a special right. She respectfully disagrees, to some this is a
<br />issue of morality, to her, it is an issue of treating her family and children with fairness
<br />and the same level of respect afforded any other family in the city. She believes her
<br />children deserve this. She challenged the Council to consider before their vote, instead of
<br />simply accepting inaccurate stereotypes of a so called “status group” she asked the
<br />Council to see them as the individuals that they truly are. The GLBT community is an
<br />incredibly diverse group of individuals. They are not simply a group, they are human
<br />beings of value, people who contribute daily to the betterment of the City. She urged the
<br />Council to vote favorably on Bill 29-06 to amend the Human Rights Ordinance, to
<br />include sexuality orientation and gender identity.
<br />Maureen Lafferty, 739 Marquette Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, read into the record a
<br />letter on behalf of Ellen Ann Anderson, Associate Professor of Political Science, Indiana
<br />University, Purdue University, Indianapolis, Indiana.
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