Human rights law passed- Gays, lesbians get protection

Covington city commissioners Tuesday unanimously supported a new human rights ordinance which extends protections to gays and lesbians. "I guess the basic question that needs to be asked is should we allow discrimination in this community?" said Commissioner Jerry Bamberger. "The answer is no."

The new law, which Mayor Butch Callery hopes will be a model for cities across the country, will take effect in about a week.

"Some day, I think the entire nation will one day wake up and realize that guess what: Equal rights is something that should have been done 100 years ago," said Commissioner Alex Edmondson.

The law's implementation will be carefully watched by the Sharonville-based Citizens for Community Values which campaigned hard against it.

CCV said it intends to help find lawyers to represent landlords or businesses which feel their rights are infringed, the group's vice president, David Miller, said after the vote. It also is forming a political action committee, which can be used to fund tri-state candidates who oppose such measures.

Covington's new law bans discrimination based on age, sexual orientation, marital status and parental status. It applies to employment, housing and public accommodations, such as hotels and restaurants.

It expands a city law which prohibited housing discrimination because of disability, gender, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, family status and place of birth.

"I'm just completely elated and pleased and so happy with the leadership of Covington," said Dean Forster of the Northern Kentucky Fairness Alliance. "The people of Covington clearly supported this ordinance, clearly made a stand that discrimination is wrong and all people should be accepted equally."

Frank Warnock, the lawyer Covington hired to refine the ordinance, explained how the law will work:

• Upon receiving a discrimination complaint, the city manager would have discretion to try to resolve the conflict before launching a city investigation into the allegation.

• If reconciliation is not possible, the manager or a designee would investigate.

• After the investigation, the manager could choose to dismiss the complaint or seek an amicable resolution. "I think that's probably one of the most important parts of this ordinance, is the idea that you're trying to educate, you are trying to correct a wrong, and one of the best ways to do that is reconciliation."

• Failing that, a hearing officer appointed by the city manager would reach findings of fact and conclusions of law, which would become an order of the human rights commission.

• Fines could range from $100-$250, and a business which willfully violated the law three or more times could lose its business license.

CCV spent $10,000 this month mailing 20,000 anti-gay booklets to Covington households and sent letters to all Catholic churches in Northern Kentucky because all five city officials who voted are Catholics.

Bamberger said the mailings did not sway him: "I didn't hear too many complaints from residents after they sent out their messages. I believe the city of Covington and the city officials here have a responsibility to deal with our own issues, and deal with our citizens."

After the vote, commissioners sat quietly during almost 30 seconds of a standing ovation.

Bamberger said his goal was that everybody be treated equally. "For the many people who opposed the ordinance -- and I received a lot of input from those people, and I appreciate that input -- I wish that they would take the time now. I wish they would review that ordinance, and look at it, and see if they still have any concerns about it."

"No one would choose to be discriminated against, no one would choose to be hated, no one would choose to be treated differently," Edmondson said. "And someday, I believe the city of Covington will have a small piece in that understanding, of creating tolerance, bridging the gap, and more importantly, allowing people to know that yes, a small city like Covington can show the entire region: Yes, we can."

Ummm... it was YOU that introduced the admitted pedophile as an argument... not me.

Yet more misdirection. You threw your opinion out and I showed you a pedophile who disagreed.

There is most cedrtainly a biological (though not necessarily "genetic") influence to sexual orientation determination.

Round and round we go with you. Here's some links for ya:

You put your available, rentable apartment on the open market. Nobody shows up. How are you FORCED to rent to anyone?

Yet more misdirection. You know that's not what I said but you'll say whatever you can to push your agenda.

When confronted with honest, realistic, and practical questions about your hysterical protestations; you resort to ad hominem fallacies. I'm not surprised... that is the gist of most anti-gay rhetoric.

I'm a business man that knows you're quite wrong.

The alleged "force" does not exist.

Do you always use straw man arguments or am I the lucky one?

"Yet more misdirection. You know that's not what I said but you'll say whatever you can to push your agenda... Do you always use straw man arguments or am I the lucky one?"

To: madg
Are you suggesting that my concern for the well-being of those close to me is "mendacity?!!"
No, I'm not. Distorting whatever an opponent says into something stupid or evil, and then smearing it in his face, is "mendacity." Reading something sinister into the posts of someone who disagrees with you, and then bleating about it, seems to be your modus operandi. Some people call it a "straw man argument."
58 posted on 04/21/2003 1:52 PM PDT by Bryan

It's part of a well planned and well funded strategy that has been used by the homosexual community for years. "In November, 1987, the homosexual magazine Guide published 'The Overhauling of Straight America,' by (homosexual authors) Marshall Kirk and Erastes Pill. This article was a proposed blueprint by homosexual activists for transforming the social values of "straight" America:

"The first order of business is desensitization of the American public concerning gays and gay rights. To desensitize the public is to help it view homosexuality with indifference instead of with keen emotion...
The way to benumb raw sensitivities about homosexuality is to have a lot of people talk a great deal about the subject in a neutral or supportive way. Open and frank talk makes the subject seem less furtive, alien, and sinful, more above-board. Constant talk builds the impression that the public opinion is at least divided on the subject, and that a sizable segment accepts or even practices homosexuality. Even rancorous debates between opponents and defenders serve the purpose of desensitization so long as “respectable” gays are front and center to make their own pitch...
And when we say talk about homosexuality, we mean just that. In the early stages of any campaign to reach straight America, the masses should not be shocked and repelled by premature exposure to homosexual behavior itself. Instead, the imagery of sex should be downplayed and gay rights should be reduced to an abstract social question as much as possible. First let the camel get his nose inside the tent -- and only later his unsightly derriere! ...
(5) Make the victimizers look bad. At a later stage of the media campaign for gay rights -- long after other gay ads have become commonplace -- it will be time to get tough with remaining opponents. To be blunt, they must be vilified..."

I put your "SSAD" into Google... and got in return: Did you mean: ssadm. So I pressed on the "ssadm" (Sadam?) link and got (something like): Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology. Obviously... your acronym... whatever it is... has nothing to do with this conversation.

So, you didn't look down the list to link #4?

Book Excerpt: The Origins and Therapy of Same-Sex Attraction Disorder (SSAD)

Of course you know what SSAD is. You're just being intellectually dishonest, which is not an unusual MO for you, sadly. Either that, or you're making any incredibly laborious attempt at humor. I guess the rumors that homosexuals are "witty and creative" aren't universally true...

I have met and encountered hundreds or thousands of gays...

I was not refering to those you've simply "met" once, but those who you've had enough contact with to get to know on a personal level. And just for the sake of full disclosure, have you every been to see a counselor or therapist? Let the record show that I have not.

The gays that I have met are not any more or less uniquely "pathological" than anyone else.

I would guess, based on the "quality" of your posts, that the majority of the non-homosexuals you associate with face, shall we say, similar challenges with morality...

Who said they need... or want... "enabling?" Don't be so presumptuous.

I say. If they didn't want continuous affirmation, acceptance, and most of all ATTENTION, they would be content to practice their vices in private without trying to force society to recognize and validate them.

For what it's worth, here's the article from the NARTH web site that's linked to in post 116 (the one that madg couldn't seem to find):

Book Excerpt

The Origins and Therapy of Same-Sex Attraction Disorder (SSAD)

By Richard Fitzgibbons, M.D.

This insightful discussion is from the 1999 book, Homosexuality and American Public Life, edited by Christopher Wolfe. The author of this chapter, Dr. Fitzgibbons, is a member of NARTH's Scientific Advisory Committee.

We have reprinted only a short excerpt here because of copyright considerations. Other chapters in Homosexuality and American Public Life are by different authors. The book is available from Spence Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas, 1-888-SPENPUB or www.spencepublishing.com.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

For a number of years, my area of expertise has been in the nature and treatment of excessive anger. Throughout my work, it became clear to me that the most important relationship in which men and women deny their anger is the father relationship. Since anger at rejecting peers or a distant father is extremely common among men who experience same-sex attractions, many men who struggle with SSAD have come to my practice.

My goal with these patients was not necessarily to change their sexual orientation, but to try to help them understand and overcome their emotional pain, which most often was the result of childhood and adolescent conflicts. In using the healing approach that I will describe, I found that many clients could resolve the emotional hurts which led to same-sex attractions and, as a result, over an extended period of time, that they were able to resolve their homosexual attractions and behaviors.

The first stage of the healing process is to understand the operative emotional conflicts. There are several different origins of same-sex attraction, and in addition, there is a marked distinction between the origins of homosexual attractions in males and in females.

SSAD in Men

The three most important risk factors for the development of SSAD in men are weak masculine identity, mistrust of women, and narcissism.

Weak Masculine Identity

Weak masculine identity is easily identified and, in my clinical experience, is the major cause of SSAD in men. Surprisingly, it can be an outgrowth of weak eye-hand coordination which results in an inability to play sports well. This condition is usually accompanied by severe peer rejection. In a sports-oriented culture such as our own, if a young boy is unable to throw, catch, or kick a ball, he is likely to be excluded, isolated, and ridiculed. Continued rejection can be a major source of conflict for a child and teenager. In an attempt to overcome feelings of loneliness and inadequacy, he may spend more time on academic studies or fostering comfortable friendships with girls. The "sports wound" will negatively affect the boy's image of himself, his relationships with peers, his gender identity, and his body image. His negative view of his masculinity and his loneliness can lead him to crave the masculinity of his male peers.

The second and crucial conflict in the development of a weak masculine identity is a poor emotional relationship with the father. A number of therapists characterize the childhood experiences of the homosexual adult as a form of defensive detachment from a disappointing father. As children and adolescents, these men yearned for acceptance, praise, and physical affection from their fathers, but their needs were never met. The profound inner void that develops from a lack of physical affection and father love can lead a man to promiscuous behavior in a misguided attempt to fill an emotional emptiness.

Another reason that some men have a weak masculine identity is poor body image. I have found that many active homosexual men are totally obsessed with other men's bodies. They often express hatred for their own bodies and desire the bodies of other men. A final reason can be a history of sexual abuse by older, more powerful children or by adults. Such abuse over a prolonged period of time may have made the child believe that he must be a homosexual.

Mistrust of Women

The second most common cause of SSAD among males is a mistrust of women's love. Feelings of mistrust may develop as a result of a difficult mother relationship or from experiences of betrayal by women. Male children in fatherless homes often feel overly responsible for their mothers. As they enter their adolescence, they may come to view female love as draining and exhausting. They want a relationship that is lighthearted and enjoyable and, by default, turn to male love. Feelings of mistrust may also arise from having a mother who was chemically addicted, overly controlling, possessive, or emotionally distant.

A very small percentage of homosexual men have experienced such devastating female betrayal in personal or professional relationships that they fear and avoid female love. Subsequently, they only feel safe making themselves vulnerable to a person of the same sex.

SSAD in Women

The major conflicts that lead to SSAD in women are, in my opinion, a mistrust of men's love, a weak feminine identity, or intense loneliness.

Mistrust of Men

A number of women who become involved in same-sex relationships had fathers who were emotionally insensitive, alcoholic, or abusive. Such women, as a result of painful childhood and teenage experiences, have good reason to fear being vulnerable to men.

Women who have been betrayed by a man after a long-term relationship often fear trusting other men and seek relief from their loneliness through involvement in homosexual relationships. Women who have been sexually abused or raped as children or adolescents may find it difficult or almost impossible to trust men. They may, therefore, turn to a woman for affection and to fulfil their sexual desires.

Weak Feminine Identity

The second most common cause of SSAD in women is a weak feminine identity. Three basic areas of conflict lead to such difficulty: mother conflicts, peer rejection, and poor body image. In those cases that involve maternal conflict, the woman usually had a mother who was emotionally distant and who had difficulty in affirming her child's femininity. Such negligence can lead to an inner sadness and emptiness which no amount of adult love can overcome.

This condition is far more rare than weak masculine identity, and this is why, in my view, male homosexuality is much more common than female homosexuality. The female role model, the mother, is much more likely to be affirming, to be giving, to be nurturing to her daughter than the father to his son.

Loneliness

Finally for some women, loneliness is also a major factor in the development of homosexual attractions. A number of women in their late twenties or early thirties have spent considerable time in a disappointing search for the right male relationship. The resultant loneliness and disillusionment about men may lead them into a sexual relationship with a woman.

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