03-26-12 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING MARCH 26, 2012 want to because were not open. She stated that her other kids who are not gay are successful and live in Cincinnati, Dallas and Austin. The taxes they pay and their community involvement would be an asset to South Bend, but that is never going to happen if we are not progressive. That is just the mindset of young people. She stated that her older brother spent his career bringing major businesses into major cities on the west coast. He looks at this issue as a major stumbling block to economic progress in South Bend. He says that Cities are seen as lacking the ability to unify and be progressive by perspective businesses when they are stuck on issues like this. This vote has been a stumbling block for South Bend. She said she was sitting at her desk on Friday, having told nothing about any of this and overheard one of her co-workers in another office say “what is going on, all we hear about in the news is this GLBT issue before the Common Council.” She said she got up and explained that the Council is going to vote on adding this amendment to Human Rights bill. The reply she got was “why can’t people just get over it and move on.” That is what they are asking, get over it and move on. Allow them to be protected like the Council and she are protected. They also need to be protected. She reiterated that the City is definitely losing people who could do a world of good here. The more progressive the people are here the more business is going to want come here. Businesses aren’t going to look at South Bend if you don’t have progress and stuck on little issues like this one. She urged the Council to pass this bill. Marianne Chalstrom, 6103 S. Bridgeton Lane, South Bend, Indiana, stated that she is an ordained member of the United Methodist Church, her last position was District Superintendent in Kosciusko, Marshall and Whitely Counties. She stated that her husband is a retired member of federal employees. She said that they live in South Bend by choice, they are retirees, they could go to Tucson, Phoenix, or Orlando, but they are in South Bend. Thank God we missed the snow this year. She stated that she is here today because she stands in solidarity with the GLBT Community and affirm Bill 9-12. She stated 30 years ago she had a hard time getting a job because of her gender. So she gets it about job discrimination. She stated that her husband and her want to live in South Bend because they like it, they like the cultural advantages, they don’t mind shoveling snow, but they want to live in a community that Councilmember Ferlic described as diverse, modern, welcoming city. She stated that she has lived overseas in two other continents; she has lived in many other states. She said she rejects the idea of South Bend succumbing to a climate of fear. She urged the Council’s unanimous support of Bill 9- 12, that underscores the need for justice and fairness for all citizens in this community. She believes this is the civil rights issue of our day for this generation and looks forward to seeing us in this generation in South Bend on the right side of history on this issue. Martha Carrol, 638 E. Ewing, Pastor, South Side Christian Church Disciples of Christ. She stated that as a pastor it is important for her to take the time to listen to people. She stated that over and over she has heard people struggle to do the right thing, to make the right decision, to act with integrity. In this spirit, she expresses to the opposition that his description of gay and lesbian people as promiscuous and immoral and did not described the members of the church she serves. She stated that they recently celebrated the anniversary of a couple, two women, who had been together for 38 years now. He responded well that is the exception. Another couple, two men, who have been together for 22 years, they met at Notre Dame as students. Another woman in her church, jokes that her lesbian sister who has been with her partner for 44 years has a marriage that has outlasted her heterosexual one. This is no an exception in the world in which she lives. It’s the norm. She stated that it is important to know two things: One is that others can despise us, talk about us, ridicule use, blame us, and accuse us of behavior that is immoral, perverted or whatever words they choose to use, such language is abusive, demeaning, insulting and slanderous. But know this much of what is said with little thought for the harm that it causes are the same things her father use to describe black people when she was growing up. Prejudice is prejudice and the arguments are the same, only the target changes. For instances that old bathroom fear, we heard that back in the late 70’s and early 80’s during the campaign to pass the equal rights amendment. But even further back when she was a child growing up in Louisiana people were horrified at the idea of blacks and whites’ using the same bathroom, isn’t that amazing and doesn’t that show incredible ignorance about people. Failure to pass this bill gives credence to all 15