Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 413 views

    New Report Shows Surprising Gains For Gay Oklahomans

    Uploaded by

    The Equality Network (TEN)
    June 16, 2010 press release on TEN Institute's release of preliminary data from its Municipal Equality Database.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    New Report Shows Surprising Gains For Gay Oklahomans

    Uploaded by

    The Equality Network (TEN)
    413 views2 pages
    June 16, 2010 press release on TEN Institute's release of preliminary data from its Municipal Equality Database.

    Original Title

    New Report Shows Surprising Gains for Gay Oklahomans

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    June 16, 2010 press release on TEN Institute's release of preliminary data from its Municipal Equality Database.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    413 views2 pages

    New Report Shows Surprising Gains For Gay Oklahomans

    Uploaded by

    The Equality Network (TEN)
    June 16, 2010 press release on TEN Institute's release of preliminary data from its Municipal Equality Database.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    An Oklahoma Where Everyone is Equal

    MEDIA STATEMENT

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Contact: Laura A. Belmonte


    Vice-President
    TEN – The Equality Network
    918.906.2134
    [email protected]

    New Report Shows Surprising Gains for Gay Oklahomans

    Tulsa, Oklahoma – June 16, 2010 – With the Tulsa City Council poised to add
    sexual orientation to its nondiscrimination policies for public employees, a new
    report by the TEN Institute, the research arm of The Equality Network, reveals that
    several Oklahoma municipalities already extend these protections to their gay
    employees.

    Preliminary data from an ongoing project documenting municipal policies on lesbian,


    gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens challenge long-standing
    assumptions that LGBT Oklahomans have virtually no legal protections at the local
    level.

    “When we began this research, we expected only to validate the widespread belief
    that few communities protect their LGBT citizens here. To our great surprise and
    joy, we found that many smaller cities have already adopted LGBT-inclusive policies
    for their public employees.” explains Kathy L. Williams, Ph.D., president of The
    Equality Network.

    Del City, Altus, McAlester, Miami, and Vinita all have nondiscrimination policies
    including sexual orientation among the categories protected in the hiring, promotion,
    and retention of public employees.

    Another group of municipalities do not offer employment protections for their LGBT
    public employees, but include sexual orientation in their anti-harassment personnel
    policies. These include Muskogee, Noble, Chickasha, and Perry.

    3701 – A S. Harvard Ave., #183 • Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135 • 918.671.3733 • [email protected]


    www.theequalitynetwork.org
    Oklahoma City is the only municipality with an ordinance outlawing harassment,
    intimidation, or assault based on sexual orientation. This protection is particularly
    significant because the state’s hate crimes law does not currently encompass sexual
    orientation.

    Currently, there are no municipalities in Oklahoma that include gender identity or


    expression among the protected categories for either public employees or the
    general citizenry.

    The study also shows that Ponca City, Cushing, and Sallisaw appear to sanction
    housing discrimination against gay people. For example, in defining what
    constitutes a disability, Cushing’s housing ordinance states “’handicap’ does not
    apply to an individual because of sexual orientation or the sexual preference of the
    individual or because that individual is a transvestite.” The Ponca City and Sallisaw
    housing ordinances are worded similarly.

    “We were stunned to discover such bizarre and offensive assertions enshrined in
    public policy in 2010. These three communities are clinging to characterizations of
    LGBT people that the medical and psychological establishments rejected almost
    forty years ago. While we agree wholeheartedly that being gay is not a disability, we
    believe that allowing landlords to bar LGBT people from renting an apartment for
    which they qualify as tenants is blatant discrimination.” stated Williams.

    TEN Institute will continue to solicit municipal policies on LGBT Oklahomans and will
    integrate them into its Municipal Equality Database. The preliminary findings may be
    accessed at http://www.scribd.com/doc/33127989/Municipalities-Database

    ####

    The Equality Network works to achieve equality and to secure legal protection for
    lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Oklahomans through advocacy, coalition
    building, and individual empowerment in the political process..

    3701 – A S. Harvard Ave., #183 • Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135 • 918.671.3733 • [email protected]


    www.theequalitynetwork.org

    You might also like