Cincinnati's Issue 3
Frequently Asked Questions
UPDATE: In 2004, Cincinnati voted 54% to 46% to repeal Article 12 of the city charter. The Cincinnati City Council again will be allowed to pass legislation protecting gays, lesbians, and bisexuals from discrimination. Cincinnati is the only city in the country that had such a denial of equal protection written into its city charter. Many cities do not include protections from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but Cincinnati was the only city that explicitly prohibited the granting of such protection.
It is now up to the Cincinnati CIty Council to re-enact our protections! Our thanks to Citizens to Restore Fairness and all of you who supported this repeal effort.
Original FAQ follows:
by Lycette Nelson, Executive Director, Stonewall Cincinnati,
11/1/98
email: quncityswc@aol.com
What does the Supreme Court's decision not to hear an appeal
to the Sixth Circuit Court's ruling upholding Issue 3 mean?
Issue 3, for the first time ever, is now in effect. The city
is barred from passing any legislation protecting gays, lesbians,
and bisexuals from discrimination.
Cincinnati is the only city in the country that has such a denial of equal protection written into its city charter. Many cities do not include protections from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but Cincinnati is the only city that explicitly prohibits the granting of such protection.
What does Issue 3 actually say?
The exact language of the charter amendment, now Article XII
of the city charter is: "The city of Cincinnati and its
various boards and Commissions may not enact, adopt, enforce
or administer any ordinance, regulation, rule or policy which
provides that homosexual, lesbian or bisexual orientation, status,
conduct, or relationship constitutes, entitles, or otherwise
provides a person with the basis to have any claim or minority
or protected status, quota preference or other preferential treatment."
What action can we take to make it possible for gays, lesbians
and bisexuals to gain equal protection in Cincinnati?
The only action we can take to change the existing state of things
is to repeal Issue 3. We cannot go back to council to seek protective
legislation, we cannot appeal to any court to hear our case.
The only people who can change the current situation are the
voters. The only way to reverse Issue 3 is to pass a new charter
amendment nullifying Article 12 of the city charter.
What would repealing Issue 3 accomplish?
A repeal would make it possible to petition city council to restore
sexual orientation as a protected category to the Human Rights
Ordinance. It would not grant such protections.
How would the repeal initiative be phrased?
The draft language is very simple and direct, asking the voters
to repeal Article 12 of the city charter.
How do we go about repealing a charter amendment?
The first step is to gather enough signatures to place an issue
before the voters. This is done by collecting petitions with
the signatures of registered voters in the city of Cincinnati.
We would need approximately 8,300 valid signatures. The board
of elections examines petitions very carefully and nullifies
whole petitions if they contain invalid signatures. The Board
of Elections has advised us to get double the number of signatures
we actually need to make sure we have the required number.
Who can collect signatures on petitions?
You must be a registered voter in Cincinnati to collect signatures
for the petitions.
When would the repeal be placed on the ballot?
We can leave the date open on the petitions to allow us to put
the issue to the voters in either May or November 1999. However,
for the purpose of giving ourselves the maximum amount of time
to educate voters, organize a campaign, and get a larger number
of voters, November is a better option.
How will the campaign be organized?
The Stonewall PAC wants to hire a fundraiser as soon as possible
to start raising money to finance a campaign, including hiring
a campaign manager. We are looking both locally and nationally
to fill both these positions. While Stonewall has taken the lead
in launching this initiative, we want it to be a broad based
community effort formed from a coalition of community organizations,
religious groups, businesses and individuals. All concerned people
should be involved, which means
* participating in the hiring/selection process for professional
campaign staff
* adding your ideas and skills in shaping the campaign
* helping to broaden the coalition of supporters by bringing
more people in
Who is supporting the repeal initiative locally?
Organizations that have signed on to the repeal initiative include:
Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, AFSCME, Crazy Ladies Center,
Woman's City Club, Cincinnati Charter Committee, Planned Parenthood,
American Jewish Committee, Crossport, MUSE, League of Women Voters,
NOW, the Ohio Psychological Association, Rev. Paula Jackson and
the Vestry of the Church of Our Savior, the Ohio ACLU, the GLBT
Faculty Task Force of the University of Cincinnati, PFLAG, Friends
of Women's Studies, Housing Opportunities Made Equal, and the
Cincinnati Human Relations Commission.
Can we expect help from national organizations?
Yes. This is a national issue. Because the Sixth Circuit Court
upheld the right of municipalities to pass such measures, other
cities are going to start adopting the same language. Phil Buress
of Citizens for Community Values, the proponents of Issue 3,
mentioned Louisville as a possible next target and Stonewall
just learned that Colorado Springs is going to attempt to pass
a Human Rights Ordinance that would explicitly bar protections
on the basis of sexual orientation.
We have already received offers of support from representatives of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, People for the American Way and the Social Action Coordinator for the national Unitarian Universalist Organization. A number of Stonewall representatives will be attending the Creating Change Conference in Pittsburgh next week, allowing us to publicize our efforts to a national audience and to network with others who have fought similar battles.
What are our most immediate needs?
The most pressing need is to raise money. To help, you can:
* Make a direct contribution to the Stonewall PAC tonight
* Sign up to host a house party in the next month (we can provide
a house party kit)
* Lend any fundraising skills/ideas to the effort by joining
a fundraising committee
* Identify other individuals/organizations we can approach for
financial help
What else can I do?
* Sign up to take part in Stonewall's Speakers Bureau to go out
and educate the community about Issue 3 and discrimination. We
will hold a training session after November 16 for all those
who wish to take part educating others about Issue 3.
* Give us the name of any organization you belong to that might
pledge its support to the repeal effort.
* If you are a registered voter in Cincinnati, sign up to take
part in the petition drive once the petitions are printed (if
you are not a registered voter, register immediately).
* Get on our mailing list and email alert list.
