Dear Members, Supporters and Allies
ALERT: Religious Right Targets Tampa City
Council's Vote To Add Gender Identity & Expression to Tampa's Human
Rights Ordinance (HRO)
As expected, Terry Kemple, Christian Issues
Council, is mobilizing his members against Tampa City Council's unanimous vote
to add gender identity and expression to Tampa's Human Rights Ordinance, (HRO).
Or courageous and fair-minded Council Members are now in the Christian
Right Homophobes cross-hairs. They will lie, use deceit,
misinformation and fight tooth and nail to convince our City Council
members to change their votes. (See Kemples Alert Bottom
Page)
I remind you, the unanimous vote was only for the
first reading of the measure, it's far from a done deal. We have a fight on our
hands if we're to insure gender identity and expression becomes a
part of Tampa's HRO. The City Council's meeting is only 9 days away,
on November 19th the second reading and final vote on the measure will take
place.
WE MUST MOBILIZE our
community members and our allies, just as Kemple is. I implore you to make that
call, send that Fax and Email to each City Council Member, TODAY.
(Contact Info Below Alert) Commend them for voting to protect
all of Tampa's citizens equally in the workplace and ask them not to cave
to pressure by the Religious Right.
Please, if at all possible, attend the City
Council's November 19th meeting at 315 E Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL
33602 and have your voice heard. They usually allow people to speak on an
item on the agenda when it's brought up, so, if you can't make it early, you may
still have an opportunity to speak at this time. If you can arrive early, by
8:00 to 8:30, you can sign-up to address the Council during the public speaking
segment of the meeting. At the last meeting it was Item 85 E-2 CH 12 Human
Rights Ordinance (HRO), on the agenda. It should be the same on the
19th.
I'll send out an update shortly, after I speak with
council members on the measure and get more details on the time we will be able
to speak during the meeting. Thanks to Nadine Smith for alerting and
forwarding Kemple's call to take action message to me.
In Peace Pride & Full
Equality
Zeke
Tampa City Council Members Contact
Information
Gwen
Miller
District 1
At-Large
Chair
Pro-Tem
315 E Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602
-
Fax: (813) 274-7076
Mary
Mulhern
District 2
At-Large
315 E Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL
33602
Fax (813) 274-7076
(813) 274-7071
Christina Voehl, Legislative
Aide
Linda Saul-Sena
Fax (813) 274-7076
(813) 274-8134
John
Dingfelder
District 4
(813) 274-8133
Fax (813) 274-7076
Thomas
Scott
District
5
Chairman
315 E Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 274-8189
Fax (813) 274-5773
Belinda Allen, Legislative Aide
Charlie Miranda
District
6
315 E Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 274-7074
Fax (813)
274-7873
Mary Bryan, Legislative
Aide
Joseph
Caetano
District 7
315 E Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602
Fax (813) 274-7076
813) 274-7073
Unless we stop them the Tampa City Council will add
"transgendered" individuals on November 19th to the list of those with special
protections under the
City's Human Rights Ordinance. The question has come
up as to how this could happen. The answer, "If the Church sits on its blessed
assurance it will
happen!"
Please
stop this assault on Christian values! Do this whether you live in the city or
outside the city.
If you don't, here are just a few of the things that
will happen.
1. People who dress like
the opposite sex will be allowed into the restroom of the gender
they feel like today.
2. Sexual predators will
be able to take advantage of the law to go into the other sex's
restroom.
3. Regardless of their
religious beliefs, rental property owners will be forced to rent to cross
dressers.
4. Regardless of their
religious beliefs, business owners will be forced to hire and/or
retain cross
dressers.
5. These special
privileges will be granted because of a person’s aberrant sexual
behavior.
These are not hypothetical! Example
after example exists of this discrimination against people of
faith!
If the City Council hears a loud voice from the
Church they'll think twice and we may actually defeat this proposal. If they
don't hear from us be ready
to lose a few more of the religious freedoms our
country was established to protect.
Please contact City
Council members and ask your Pastor to tell the congregation to contact
them as well.
Contact information - Central phone for all Tampa City Council members -
274-8131.
Please come to the
City Council meeting on the 19th and let them hear from you. Contact CIC for
more information on date and time and for an expanded list of talking points to
work with.
Together we can make a difference!
God bless you!