Lesbian-gay victory over bigotry
By
Minnie Bruce Pratt
Published Mar 16, 2005 1:43 PM
Voters in Topeka, Kan., beat back a March
1 attempt to repeal two city ordinances protecting lesbians and gay men. One
prohibited discrimination in municipal hiring. The other banned hate crimes
committed because of a victim’s sexual orientation.
The victory is a
stunning rebuke to arch-bigot Rev. Fred Phelps, Sr., who runs a national
anti-gay campaign from his Westboro Baptist Church in the city.
Voters
rejected the repeal, called the “Phelps Amendment” locally, by a
count of 14,285 to 12,795. Phelps is notorious for his 1998 protest at the
funeral of Matthew Shepard, a Wyoming gay college student brutally beaten to
death. Phelps also picketed a Birmingham, Ala., vigil for Billy Jack Gaither, a
gay white man also beaten to death in 1999.
Phelps’ group travels
across the U.S. demonstrating at gay-related events, including funerals of
people who have died of AIDS. Its members picket with signs bearing
anti-homosexual hate speech.
Underlining the victory was the same-day
defeat of Phelps’ granddaughter, Jael Phelps, who ran for Topeka city
council, but drew only 202 votes. In contrast, open lesbian Tiffany Muller got
1,329 votes and a place on the April general election ballot. (New York
Blade)
The election outcome is an encouraging sign in Kansas, where
right-wing forces have also pressed to limit women’s abortion rights.
Kansas Attorney General Phil Kline is attempting to scapegoat women who have had
late-term abortions, and the clinics and doctors who performed the procedures.
Kline has subpoenaed women’s personal records, with the chilling
implication that state officials, rather than physicians, will decide whether
the procedures were “medically necessary.”
Kansas was the site
of the “Operation Rescue” anti-abortion attacks on women’s
clinics in 1991, a campaign that moved to Buffalo, N.Y., in 1992. A coalition of
women activists and allies in Workers World Party, ACT-UP, Women’s Health
Action and Mobilization (WHAM), NOW, and the ProChoice Network formed Buffalo
United for Choice, which stopped the right-wing cold in pitched street battles
in April of that year.
It was also a broad Topeka coalition that defeated
this year’s Phelps amendment. At a local election party of hundreds, the
crowd cheered the defeat. Lawyer Pedro Irigonegaray celebrated the victory:
“On behalf of Topekans for equality, justice,” as the group shouted
together, “Freedom!” (Topeka Capitol Journal, March 1)
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
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