Baltimore action demands:
'Fire anti-gay housing commissioner'
By Sharon Black
Ceci
Baltimore
Protesters gathered at City Hall on Jan. 10 to demand that
Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano be fired for repeatedly
making anti-gay remarks at several downtown bars. His remarks
and behavior were so disruptive that the police were called
in.
After Graziano's arrest, Mayor Martin O'Malley quickly
stepped in and had the charges dropped. The mayor refused the
housing commissioner's resignation. Instead O'Malley placed him
on sick leave with full pay to get treatment for
alcoholism.
Community activists were angry. At the Jan. 10 protest WEAA
radio host Nzinga Anon commented, "If it were me, a Black
woman, who was arrested, I would still be rotting in jail."
She added, "I stand with my sisters and brothers who are
gay. If you are bigoted on one issue, you are surely racist
also. And as a representative of the African American community
I demand that the mayor fire Graziano."
Eric Easton, representing the Madison Avenue Community
Association and Unity for Action, stated: "[Graziano's]
alcoholism is not the issue. It's his offensive anti-gay
bigoted remarks that are. I stand with the gay, lesbian, bi and
transgendered community. Your fight is our fight."
Jeff Bigelow, a labor activist and spokesperson for the
All-People's Congress, talked about the terrible impact for
Housing Authority workers as well as lesbian, gay, bi and trans
tenants who need services. "What will happen to them?"
Bigelow denounced the mayor's plans to privatize city
services and explained the housing commissioner's collaboration
in the process.
The APC and Unity for Action, the groups that called the
protest, vowed to continue the fight.
The APC's Andre Powell proclaimed, "This protest is
historic. It's the first time that representatives of the
African American community and the gay and lesbian movement
have come together in Baltimore City.
"It's time that we continue to stand together against police
killings, racism and bigotry of all kinds."
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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