The City Paper's own Lauren Daley was front and center at the very first meeting of the Allegheny County Human Relations Commission.  Sadly, the 8 AM start meant I had to be at work and could not be part of this historic moment.  However, the man called Potter has the scoop over at Slagheap.

Front and center was an issue near and dear to my little heart -- providing domestic partner benefits to employees of Allegheny County.  The Chief Executive has asked the HRC for recommendations on this matter.

The commission also asked to receive a report on extending domestic partner benefits to all county employees by its June meeting. Kennedy said her department has been researching the matter and found there could be tax implications for employees.

"It raised more questions than it answered," she told the commission of her research. "There are things we need to look for more information on."

Based on that report, the commission will make a recommendation to Dan Onorato, something the county exec requested, McGough said. Commissioners seemed generally supportive of the idea.

"To me," observed commissioner Sara Davis Buss, "it's the right thing to do."

"I want to get it done right. This is our first big thing and I want to be fast but I want it to be fast, thorough and complete," said commissioner Mark Nowak.

Yes, the tax implication needs to be made very clear to employees who opt in for these benefits.  It is grossly unfair and legislation has been repeatedly introduced at the federal level to address this inequity. It would be wonderful for Allegheny County legislators and executives to join the chorus calling for this redress while at the same time addressing the issue locally.  I am all for highlighting and addressing this unfair tax burden.

I can speak from experience that the money we spend on the additional taxes (my "partner" benefits are considered taxable income, not a pre-tax benefit) is significant, but offset by the savings of the family benefits.  In some cases, the costs don't make it the right decision -- it all depends on how good the benefit package is, after all. 

Still, the benefits are a choice.  As long as the County makes the tax implications clear, they are doing the best they can to support all families in their employ. 

Congratulations to the members of the Human Relations Commission on a successful start.  Check out Potter's summary to see what the plan is to address the discrimination complaints.  As always, a thorough run down on the issues that often slip under the radar.

sdf

You've probably picked up on the fact that I am supporting Joe Hoeffel in the primary race for the PA Governor's manse.  I believe his vision and experience will translate into the leadership we need to move ahead as a Commonwealth,  My support goes far beyond his solid stance on LGBTQ issues.  I like what's he saying about environmental, economic, educational and other issues.  I urge you to click on through to read what he has to say on these issues.  What strikes me when I visit the page is his consistent connection of a range of issues to improving the economy.  For example, Joe "gets" the connection between a vibrant cultural community and economic strength. 

You see this argument playing out today as various local leaders call for us to "invest" in the Carnegie Library system.  Investment implies a return and we can measure the impact of a cultural institution like a library.

I'm not voting for Joe Hoeffel because I'm a lesbian.  I'm voting for him because his vision for Pennsylvania most closely matches mine, both my hopeful vision and my pragmatic expectations. 

Others feel differently and the beauty of the primary (as described by the man called Potter) is our freedom to make a choice.  Yes, we need to think about the General Election but the slim margin by which Specter maintains his lead over Sestak indicates that Pennsylvania is not opposed to progressive values. 

What matters, my friend, is that you make an informed decision on election day, both May and November.  Read the questionairres, the endorsements, the editorials, the candidate websites and yes, even the blogs. :-) 

I invite you to join local supporters of Joe Hoeffel at an event next Thursday at the Schenley Park Ice Skating Rink. The event is from 5-7 PM and gives you one final chance to meet with Joe in person. 

Some say the vote is in the bag for Onorato. I say that your vote for the progressive candidate will have ramifications regardless of the outcome of the election. It does matter and they will pay attention to the support Joe receives.

The important thing is that the choice is yours to make.  That's the beauty of being an American citizen.  In spite of all the ridiculous things we see in the media each day, you have the opportunity to participate in the electoral process and be part of the solution.  Don't lose site of that fact.  Your vote matters.

Sermon off.  :-)

Speaking of Potter (he is always on my mind) ... here's a great breakdown of the gubernatorial race.  Note that this is a pithy snapshot on issues, not a comprehensive GOTV document. 

Speaking from the lesbian perspective, I think Joe Hoeffel has the most attractive disembodied head of the four. 

Word on the street is that this week's meeting of the Allegheny County Human Relations Commission should include a report from the County Personnel Department on health insurance options from the County's vendor.  That should be a positive step forward.  At the very least, Chief Executive Dan Onorato will have a clear plan on how to provide dp benefits to non-unionized County employees.  That creates a foundation for the union negotiations, but I'm confident he won't make some employees languish while those negotiations take place.  Right? 

I'm not beating a dead horse. I'm following up on his promise to make this happen. There's no conceivable way this can't happen ... vendors offer these benefits.

The Commission's regular meeting is at 8 a.m. on Thursday May 6, 2010, in Conference Room 1 at the County Manager's Office in the County Courthouse. 

Allegheny County deserves these benefits before we consider sending our Chief Executive to Harrisburg.  It has been six years and counting.  It is time.

Senator Arlen Specter invites our community to meet with him.  He's having a private meeting with a few LGBTQ leaders and then a reception open to the general public.  Sadly, media are not invited to the private meeting.  The good thing is that they consider bloggers media so all four of us can pat ourselves on the back while we wait for the scoop.  LOL.  No dogs allowed.

Seriously, I am comfortable knowing that the Sue Frietsche's and Dana Elmendorf's will be behind those doors.  It would be nice if the Jodi Hirsh's were there, too, but that's probably too much to hope for. (Yes, I know that I've mentioned all women because I am very sure the male end of the LGBTQ community will be well represented). 

I am very curious to ask Senator Specter how we here in Pittsburgh can help move the repeal of DADT and the passage of ENDA along.  He's supportive of both so hopefully he'll have some constructive suggestions for us.

I won't have the guts to ask him why he's gone so negative on Sestak.  The ads questioning his military service (does that count as swiftboating?) are way beyond the pale.  Jon Delano tweeted that Specter only has a six point lead on Sestak so it is all fascinating at this point. 

I'm also curious how Sestak is going to reach out to the Pittsburgh LGBTQ community.  He lost the endorsement. I was asked to write a guest post when national bloggers discovered this little fact. (Guess what? I blame Dan Onorato!)

Sestakians, what say you?

So I guess Saturday morning, I'll have to leave my mulch and wildflowers behind and trundle off to Shadyside. 

I hope they have wi-fi. 

df

We like to keep up with local media coverage on LGBTQ issues, but things occasionally slip by us.

The Tribune Review ran a little AP piece on world condemnation of a Papal comment linking homosexuality and pedophilia. 

"Many psychologists and psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no relation between celibacy and pedophilia," the Italian cardinal said. "But many others have demonstrated, I have been told recently, that there is a relation between homosexuality and pedophilia. That is true. That is the problem."

The Vatican backed away from that winner of a comment, but I'm curious why the Trib ran this.  Overall, the article condemns this attitude, but there seems to be a distinct trend in the Trib --- they run content that is anti-gay such as Pat Buchanan's column alongside local interest pieces about lesbian teenagers saving the world with food drives or some such thing.  So I can't help but wonder which editorial instinct ran with this piece  -- the part that wanted to get out the homosexuality/pedophilia story or the part that condemns it?  You never know.

Keeping up with "breaking" news on an significant legislative issue is tough, but we don't have the luxury of overlooking the big picture, especially when there is an intersection with federal and state/local issues.

There are two pressing federal issues -the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) and the passage of the Employment Nondiscriminaton Act (ENDA).  There are certainly other issues in play - repealing DOMA, warding off federal marriage amendment, extending domestic partner benefits to federal employees, ending the domestic partner benefit tax penalty, etc.  But DADT and ENDA are the most high profile issues and generally considered the best opportunity for the Obama Administration and the Pelosi leadership team to back up their promises to our community -- to do the right thing.

DADT's local connection?  Good question. We don't have an organized contingent of local active or retired military tackling this issue.  We did have a brave (and well-written) op-ed piece written by CMU grad student Karen Mesko about the dehumanizing impact of the policy on her life. Certainly, there is a local impact, but it may not be high profile.

Plainly put, the Obama Administration needs to do something to show leadership on LGBT issues. We need to believe our leaders will *do* something, not just talk about it.  This starts with our President who has promised to be our "fierce advocate."

DADT may not be "your" issue, but please don't discredit the power of how this issue unfolds over the coming months. Congress is ready to act; this is breaking down to a battler of wills between POTUS and the Department of Defense/Pentagon.  If Obama is not able to repeal this ban in 2010, the legitimacy of all other promises is up in the air. There is not a shred of factual data to show that holding up the repeal is about anything other than capitulating to bigotry. 

Everyone who gathered at the rally in Bloomfield should keep their eye on DC tomorrow and the day after.  I just read that the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network will be joining Get Equal and other groups tomorrow which is a significant step toward realigning the insider-advocacy groups with the grassroots.  Have you been watching the growing revolt amongst the grassroots organizations against the Human Rights Campaign?  The HRC is not containing the masses to stick with the Administration's time table on DADT and they aren't delivering to the LGBT base.  I predict systemic shifts in the LGBT community when we emerge from this.  Power and influence is spreading outside the Beltway/insider gays. This should be heartening to those in Pittsburgh who identify with the activists chaining themselves to the White House gates rather than attending power lunches with WH staff. 

What's up for debate is the "impact" of federal action or inaction.  Can we connect the dots between today's DADT rally in LaFayette Park and the Pittsburgh Friday night rally against local gay bashing?

We darn well should.  And if we don't, then we aren't doing our jobs as activists.  Gay bashing is a federally defined hate crime, but here in Pittsburgh we struggle with people feeling safe enough to report these crimes to the police.  Statewide, hate crimes protections are on the table in the House and the Senate, but I'm not sure we are helping people understand that all the protections in the world won't matter if we don't report the crimes.  At the same time, we need to strengthen the laws to send a message that the system is willing to engage the LGBT community.  The system needs to let the community know that the police will listen and take them seriously, not bash us further.

How do we generate that groundswell in Pittsburgh so we can transform the "Don't Ask, Don't Report" culture?

ENDA is another opportunity to see this intersection. The votes are there to pass the legislation which would protect our jobs, but there is momentum to strip the legislation of its protections for the transgender community.  Again, the HRC tacitly supported this exclusive version of ENDA, backing down when the grassroots swelled up in outrage in 2007.  The message is clear: all or nothing.  If we don't want a watered down version of the bill, the onus is on us, the LGBT community, to make the case for an inclusive version of the legislation.

I've been making that case and urging folks to contact Congressman Jason Altmire whose vote is unknown.  He's supported these issues in the past, but the need to reach out to him is immediate and urgent. 

At the same time, legislation to expand anti-discrimination protections in employment AND housing AND public accomodation is sitting in committee in the State House (HB 300).  A strong show of support from our federal delegation on similar legislation sends another strong  message to Western PA Democrats who are wavering on this issue -- federal legislation sends a clear message that discrimination in the workplace does happen which can open the eyes of our local legislators. 

So what does ENDA have to do with a rally against gay bashing? Well, it wasn't the time to call for letters to our elected officials, but it was an opportunity to build some trust between the Pittsburgh insiders (inside Grant Streeters?) and the grassroots folks who made up the bulk of the attendees. 

In my opinion, it really does boil down to the issue of police response. The people who have access (Delta Foundation, Mayor's Advisory Committee, donors, advisors, etc) along with our elected allies (Peduto, Shields, Dowd, Rudiak, Lamb, Fitzgerald, Green, etc) can use their access to reach out in a legitimate and respectful way that values the grassroots folks who made it clear that they are ANGRY. Condemning them for the anger is fruitless. Asking them to be patient is futile. Tapping into the anger to provide leadership on an issue that matters to them is the way to build unity on the statewide and federal issues.

Think about this.  The bashing incident occured in the early hours of Friday morning. I heard about it and the planned rally at 12 PM when I was asked to help get the word out. By 9 PM that night, scores of people were on the ground. Why not tap into this grassroots energy in a constructive way and work in partnership on issues that impact everyone?

There really is no need for Grant Street meetings. For years, we've been having public meetings to talk about the fact that the police interaction with the LGBT community needs to be improved. We get it.  The facts are that people are being assaulted and the necessary contact with the police is not happening.  Throwing our hands up in the air because there are no police reports isn't going to make the streets a bit safer. Working with all of our allies to focus in on this breakdown in the system is a concrete response.  The time for meetings has passed.  The time for building bridges is nigh.

There is a need for a high profile Press Conference by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to condemn gay bashing, followed by actual reform in the police department.  Now, a meeting with Chief Nate Harper and the women who said they want to feel comfortable on the streets -- that would be something.  A public statement from the Bloomfield Business Association alongside Ravenstahl alongside the community groups will send a message that Bloomfield does not condone these incidents.  We know there are many more allies than bashers.  We need those with power to step forward and forcefully condemn these assaults. 

Who among us has the ability to get that ball rolling? I don't think it can be done successfully until there is more bridge building between the Grant Streets and the grassroots.   

Let me be very clear. This is not about anyone doing something wrong (except the criminals). The Grant Streets and the grassroots all have something important to offer. This is about finding a new way of doing business that brings everyone to the table.  This is about meeting at Hoi Polloi one evening or Voluto or the Merton Center or any place that meets people where they are, rather than the City-County building.

See where I'm going with this?  Leadership by the White House on repealing DADT will reenergize the LGBT Democratic base.  Leadership on local issues, like gay bashing, could redirect the anger into action, but it is going to require stepping off Grant Street and meeting the community where they are -- not where we think they should be.

Let's all roll up our sleeves, join hands and get busy.

Good for Thomas Hutter for stepping forward and standing up to discrimination and harassment.

A North Side man says he was forced to quit his job at a Neville Island company because his boss kept taunting him for being gay.

Thomas Hutter, 29, said Gabriel Tamilia, his supervisor at All American Grating, repeatedly harassed him because of his sexual orientation from 2006 to 2010, forcing him to take medical leave and ultimately not return to his job designing the company's website and developing marketing strategy.

Mr. Hutter and his lawyer, Stephen Pincus, filed an affidavit Thursday with the Allegheny County Human Relations Commission, which was created last year to promote better workplace relations and investigate complaints of discrimination based on sexual orientation.

It takes courage to file a complaint, much less go public with your story.  Everyone who worked to pass this ordinance should feel good that your work paid off for Mr. Hutter and others. 

This also reinforces the need to keep working for similar protections across Pennsylvania (HB 300) and the nation (ENDA).

I urge you to click through and read the whole story.  Sad experiences.

sdf