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LGBTQ Rights

Marietta lacks protections for community of people

The rainbow flag

As many members and allies of the LGBTQ community celebrate June as Pride Month, Equality Ohio is shining a light on the fact that not all municipalities have protections in place for those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.

Athens recently celebrated with its first-ever Pride Fest that it is one of 18 cities in Ohio where discrimination against those who identify as LGBT is illegal. Those protections include freedom from discrimination in the workplace, housing discrimination and the right to public accommodations like stores, restaurants, parks and movie theaters.

The City of Marietta does not, however, have these protections in place. In fact, in all of southeast Ohio, Athens is the only city that does have laws on the books.

“I am aware that there are no protections in our city or at a state level in Ohio and one of my biggest concerns is lack of education,” said Cory Sampson, a resident of Lowell, who works in Marietta and facilitates monthly forums at the Unitarian Universalist Church on different topics of interest to the LGBT community. “Many citizens locally do not understand that the LGBT community is not protected under many federal protections, nor are attacks on LGBT individuals in Ohio considered hate crimes.”

According to Equality Ohio, the state is one of 28 that does not have protections in place and the 18 municipalities that do have protections in place, have done so on their own. They include: Akron, Athens, Bexley, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Columbus, Coshocton, Dayton, East Cleveland, Lakewood, Newark, Olmsted Falls, Oxford, Toledo, Yellow Springs and Youngstown.

“People should contact their city council representatives and let them know they want Marietta to be the next city to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination,” said Grant Stancliff, communications director for Equality Ohio. “South Euclid is working on becoming the 19th right now, so the race is on for the last city to be one of the first 20 cities in Ohio to take that step. Cities have to do this on their own because the state legislature has so far failed to act on this issue, despite having a bill introduced in at least the last five sessions. Equality Ohio would be happy to work with the city to come up with a personalized solution that works for Marietta.”

Marietta Mayor Joe Matthews said he would be completely in favor of having protections in place.

“I have no qualms about any of it and I have performed same-sex marriage ceremonies,” he said. “But it would be up for council to legislate for or against.”

Josh Schlicher, president of Marietta City Council, said he believes it is time to start talking about the subject.

“We need to move toward the future and realize, this is here to stay, it’s time to accept it. But I don’t know what the outcome would be,” he said.

The process for a citizen or group of citizens to get protections put in place in Marietta, according to Schlicher, would be to bring the issue forward at a public committee meeting for discussion.

“It would most likely be the Planning, Zoning, Annexation and Housing committee that would deal with something like that,” said Schlicher, who added that in his more than three years as council president and as at-large councilman prior to that, the discussion has never come up.

“There have been discussions on having a public forum with local officials on issues that LGBT citizens face daily here in Marietta,” said Sampson. “We would simply want to bring these issues into the public eye because it isn’t something many people locally deal with regularly, while for some, it’s a constant struggle.”

Even members of the LGBT community who are new to the community feel that knowing protections are in place makes them safer.

Conner Gomez, 16, is living in Marietta this summer but is originally from Arizona. Gomez identifies as transgender and bisexual.

GOMEZ

“My dad moved here for work a few years ago and I came for the summer and am trying to find work,” he said. “I feel like this area is much different than where I’m from, a little more conservative and more Christian and I do think about those things when I am trying to find a job.”

Gomez said his high school has safe space logos on different rooms and same-sex relationships are not shunned. However, the state provides only limited protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sexual identification.

Washington County resident, Ralph Gearhart, 74, of Cow Run Road, said that as long as a another’s personal life doesn’t impact his own, he doesn’t judge.

“I don’t think there is any place for discrimination of anybody,” he said. “As long as a person is qualified and has the education or background to do a job, I don’t think businesses should discriminate.”

Gearhart

Across the river in Parkersburg, this very discussion is happening. An ordinance prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on “race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, blindness, disability, genetic information, familial status, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity” was introduced at Parkersburg City Council’s March 14 meeting, drawing a crowd of around 300 supporters, some from Washington County, and opponents, including Family Policy Council of West Virginia.

“My advice would be, don’t rush it,” said Cammy Murray, a member of FairnessPKB, the group that brought the ordinance to Parkersburg City Council. “Do your research and work to educate up front. Take the distorted message and try to put facts to them.”

Ohio equality stats

¯ Cities where LGBT discrimination is illegal: Akron, Athens, Bexley, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Columbus, Coshocton, Dayton, East Cleveland, Lakewood, Newark, Olmsted Falls, Oxford, Toledo, Yellow Springs and Youngstown.

¯ In Marietta, there are no protections in place for employment discrimination, housing discrimination, public accommodations or hate crimes.

Source: equalityohio.org

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