Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, June 8, 2012 Page: 15 of 40
forty pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
while five ban discrimination based only on sex-
ual orientation, according to the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force. Many of those states ban dis-
crimination in employment, housing and public
accommodations.
Dallas, along with Fort Worth, Austin and El
Paso, at least make a statement by having LGBT-
mclusive nondiscrimination ordinances in place,
Upton said, because they instill an amount of pro-
tection when the state does not.
"There is a sense in which Dallas does kind of
stay a step above Texas generally, but it's never
going to be enough because cities can only do so
much," he said.
As for Rodriguez's case, Upton said it could be
the case that determines if the ordinance has ulti-
mately been effective. He said the religious excep-
tion should not apply because the Tom Landry
Fitness Center is a public gym that anyone can
join.
"My analysis of it without having seen specifi-
cally what they're saying is that it ought to be a
pretty simple case," he said. "The fact that they're
discriminating based on sexual orientation,
there's no religious exception for that in a public
accommodation."
The City Council also passed a policy in 2002
that requires contractors hired by the city to have
LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policies, but
many people in Dallas have been unaware of this
in the past.
Upton said while the community has become
more knowledgeable about the ordinance over
the years, many people are unaware of the con-
tractor policy.
"It's only as good as people know about it and
I'm not sure that a lot of people do," he said.
City Manager Mary Suhm said when contrac-
tors enter a bid with the city, they are given a list
of requirements they must fulfill to be considered,
and they must sign to confirm that they meet
them all. The LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination
policy is among them.
That policy is driven by complaints in the pur-
chasing department, so contractors aren't investi-
gated for their policies unless there are problems
later, Suhm said, adding that she was unsure how
many, if any, complaints have been filed.
Dallas and Austin are among 43 cities in 16
states that require contractors to have LGBT-in-
clusive nondiscrimination policies, in addition to
18 ci ties in 14 states that require sexual orienta tion
to be protected, according to the data obtained by
the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.
Openly gay former Councilman John Loza,
who was on the council at the time, said he didn't
specifically recall the contractor provision, but
when the council passed the nondiscrimination
ordinance, it was intended to prevent discrimina-
tion —but not necessarily in court.
"The ordinance is intended in certain circum-
stances to promote not necessarily prosecution
but mediation and basically an end to a discrimi-
natory policy," Loza said. "If that can be done
with out having to go to court, then that's all to the
better."
Loza said the community needs to be aware of
the ordinance and file complaints even though
there haven't been prosecutions because "some-
TAKING A SECOND LOOK | Councilwoman
Delia Jasso's LGBT Task Force reviewed the 53
complaints that had been filed through February
2011 and decided that the city's handling and dis-
position of the cases was appropriate
times the threat of going against an organization
or an entity for discrimination is enough to get
them to change their policies."
"I think it's a good thing that the ordinance is
on the books," he said. "I think we need to prob-
ably look at ways to make sure that there's more
awareness of it and that it is vigorously enforced,
but I do think it was a pretty substantial achieve-
ment in terms of Dallas making a statement with
regard to discrimination to the LGBT commu-
nity."
The creation of a human relations commission
was considered at the time the ordinance was
passed, Loza said, but never came to fruition. He
said the commission would help investigate the
cases and serve as a sounding board if someone
believed their case was handled incorrectly. Both
Fort Worth and Austin have human relations
commissions.
But Davis in Fair Housing said while a com-
mission isn't discouraged, she doesn't think it
wouldn't speed up the investigation process.
But a commission would help citizens air con-
cerns they have and review discrimination cases,
lesbian activist Pam Gerber said. A member of
Councilwoman Jasso's LGBT Task Force, she said
it has had "preliminary discussions" about form-
ing a commission, but Gerber has done more re-
search on her own. She said a dding a commission
historically costs about half a million dollars a
year because the city staffs the commission for
support.
"If s not like you can just throw together a com-
mission," she said. "It has to be properly staffed
in order to do an effective job."
Gerber said the city needs to continue to edu-
cate the LGBT community on the resources avail-
able to them with the ordinance. She said the
numbers of the last decade are misleading and
don't accurately describe the city's efforts to fight
discrimination.
"I think that initially when one looks at the
numbers that exist in retrospect, it doesn't look so
good for the city, but the reality is when you do
look at the numbers and what most of the charges
were ... the fact that most of them weren't sub-
stantiated, it's very relevant to the number," Ger-
ber said. ■
Buy or Refinance
(dtth Confidence
Whether buying alone or with your partner,
we will make you feel right at home
PROPERTIES
MMC
L!~SIFUNDING LLC
Marty Saladin Victoria Russo
Sr. Mortgage Banker Licensed TX Real Estate Pro
Cell: 214-448-5071 Direct: 214-808-5022
Toil-Free: 877-763-8111 Victoria@VictoriaRussoProperties.com
MSaladin@MidwestMortgageCapital.com
NMLS&TXLic. #319959
"Your Real Estate TEAM who will always he there for you"
Mention this advertisement for $200.00 off your closing costs!
Midwest Mortgage Capital d/b/a MMC Funding LLC's corporate headquarters are located at 1227 Fern Ridge Pkwy., Ste. 200, St. Louis, MO 63141. NMLS identifier 13909. Texas SML Registered Mortgage Banker.
Equal housi ng lender. This is not an offer to extend credt under Regulation Z. You must make a loan application with MMC Funding LLC in order for MMC Funding LLC to determine if you are qualified fa any loan program.
ga
L© B T + AG I N G
INTEREST NETWORK
Empowering a
Lifetime of Growth.
Join a group of
active & involved
mature adults.
Gen Silent Screening
Saturday, June 16 • 6-9 p.m.
Youth First Texas
3918 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, 75219
Youth First Texas invites GAIN members and their friends to a
screening of Gen Silent, a critically-acclaimed documentary from
filmmaker Stu Maddux.
This is a moving and important film for seniors and their caregivers. Unlike any film
before, Gen Silent shows how oppression in the years before Stonewall now affects
older LGBT people with fear and isolation.
Youth First Texas will serve refreshments beginning at 6 p.m. The film will start at 7
p.m. Call 214-879-0400 that evening for additional information.
GfTfitENT
•J
GAIN is where today's mature LGBT members find a place for learning,
entertainment and social activities. Call 214-528-0144 or email gain@rcdallas.org
for more information, or visit us at www.rcdallas.org.
GAIN is a program of Resource Center Dallas.
resource center
dallas
Resource Center Dallas is a trusted leader that empowers the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) communities and all people affected by HIV through improving health and wellness,
strengthening families and communities and providing transformative education and advocacy.
Praud to be a United Way agency.
06.08.12
dallasvoice 15
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Wright, John. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, June 8, 2012, newspaper, June 8, 2012; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth308870/m1/15/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.