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REGULAR MEETING JULY, 10, 2006
<br />marriage, mandatory sensitivity training for school students, GLBT sex education for any
<br />grade level, and the criminalizing of public bible reading. None of these issues are
<br />relevant to the proposed amendment. In fact, the amendment is not even mentioned on
<br />the petition that they circulated. There is no way of knowing that the individual who
<br />signed the petition even knows what Bill 29-06 involves. She asked how many of the
<br />individuals who signed Mr. Mangan’s petition would actually be opposed to this bill.
<br />Would they really be against given GLBT citizens the simple right to seek assistance
<br />from the Human Rights Commission, if they were harassed at their job, or they were
<br />denied a place to rent. It is impossible to know what people really thought, one thing
<br />they do know is that the majority of Hoosier’s do believe that GLBT individuals should
<br />have the same civil rights protection as others. Are the people who signed the petitions
<br />really against everything that has to do with GLBT citizens? If this is the case than the
<br />petitions are evidence of a different kind. They could be seen as evidence that there is a
<br />group of individuals in this community that feel they are justified in treating GLBT
<br />individuals anyway they chose. They don’t want any limitations whatsoever placed on
<br />their ability to discriminate. It is hard to draw a clear conclusion about what Mr.
<br />Mangan’s group of petitions mean? The petitions that she collected on the other hand
<br />send a clear message, they clearly explain what the specific legislation entails and the
<br />signatures have a clear meaning. The people who signed our petitions who number over
<br />1200, including over 800 South Bend residents, have clearly expressed their support for
<br />Bill 29-06, and stand with the majority of Hoosiers who believe GLBT individuals
<br />deserve Civil Rights. She encouraged the Council to compare the different petitions
<br />carefully, before considering voting on Bill 29-06.
<br />Councilmember White asked if a copy of the petition is on file with the Office of the City
<br />Clerk?
<br />Ms. Pittman stated that a complete copy of the signed petitions are on file in the Office of
<br />the City Clerk.
<br />Jane Ann Himsel, Attorney, One Indiana Square Ste. 1800, Indianapolis, Indiana. She
<br />stated that she has been representing South Bend Equality and helping them work
<br />through some of the legal issues. She stated that quite frankly she did not want to speak
<br />tonight, because there is nothing about this that would suggest that the Council would
<br />like to hear from someone in Indianapolis has to say. She stated that she sat in the
<br />Committee Meeting this afternoon, and felt absolutely compelled to stand up tonight as
<br />address the Council. She asked the Council to please be courageous, and join
<br />Indianapolis, and do the right thing tonight. She is very concerned that there is a
<br />misperception that somehow if the Council fails to pass this, GLBT would somehow be
<br />able to somehow go to Indianapolis, go to the Indiana Civil Rights, go to the Federal
<br />Courts and obtain relief from day to day discrimination in employment and housing.
<br />They cannot do that, the Indiana Civil Rights Act, does not yet protect GLBT people, the
<br />Indiana Civil Rights Commission cannot act on their behalf, at the current time. The
<br />th
<br />Federal Law Title 7, Employment law, as interpreted by the 7 Circuit, which is the
<br />Federal Court of Appeals that governs Indiana, has made crystal clear that GLBT people
<br />are not protected by Title 7, except in a vary, vary, vary, narrow swath of cases, that
<br />involve same sex discrimination. Folks, it you don’t pass this ordinance, these people
<br />have no recourse. She stated that she has employers for fifteen (15) years, there is
<br />discrimination out there. She would like to think that none of her clients have every
<br />engaged in any of it. This is the most important work that she has ever done. She
<br />pleaded with the Council to do the rights thing, pass this, send a message to the people of
<br />the State of Indiana that South Bend wants to include everybody and give everybody
<br />equal protection under the laws, that’s all this is.
<br />Martha Carroll, 638 E. Ewing Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, stated that she urged the
<br />Council to vote yes on Bill 29-06. The Council has the opportunity this evening to say
<br />yes to Civil Rights for all and no to discrimination against people who live in your
<br />respective districts, pay taxes, attend school, churches and work here in South Bend. It’s
<br />only fair! She stated that people learn fair at a very early age. She advised that one day
<br />during recess, she pushed, Letha Whitehead off the merry-go-round, her friends and her
<br />laughed as she hit the dirt. She was after all not like her, she was poor and dirty and had
<br />sores on her legs. Why was she on their merry-go-round? They didn’t want her there, so
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