In article <p#810xa@rpi.edu>
buckmr@rs6419.ecs.rpi.edu (Ron Buckmire) writes:
>rcrice@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (roger.w.crice) writes:
>
>>A short while ago, Cincinnati City Council PASSED the 
>>Human Rights Ordinance that prohibits discrimination
>>in housing and employment on the basis of sexual 
>>orientation (among other criterion).
>Congratulations!
>
>>The ordinance allowed for a couple of exceptions,
>>including religious organizations, businesses with
>>fewer than 10 employees, state and federal jobs

Add to that list fraternal organizations.  It does,
however, apply to hotels, restaurants (and we do 
have Crapper Barrels here), labor organizations,
etc. 

>>(I think - when I get an approved copy of the 
>>measure I will post it here).  
>Cool.
>
>>A few council members dissented, but I lost track of
>>who voted which way.  A majority of votes was all that
>>was required to pass the measure.  
>Can't really disseminate the information without at
>least a preliminary count on what the votes were like.

It was a 7-2 vote; Nick Vehr and David Mann (D, U.S. Rep-
representative-elect) were the dissenters.  The measure
went into effect immediately.
 
>Also, what abaout that businessman who said that he will
>mount a repeal effort by referendum next year?

Besides councilmember Vehr?  Well, there's Charles Winburn, 
policy director for a group that calls itself New Wave 2000,
a coalition spearheading the fight against the ordinance.
I don't know if he's a businessman or religious leader - 
but I'll probably find out soon. 

Here's what the Cincinnati Post had to say about the effort
to repeal the ordinance (ordinarily, I cannot stomach the 
local papers, but we entertained my husband's family for 
Thanksgiving, and I find that $.35 is a good investment to
keep my father-in-law occupied while the rest of us occupy
the kitchen.  What timing!):

	Winburn and others in the coalition, such as
	Citizens for Community Values [of the Mapple-
	thorpe snafu -rwc] and the Baptist Ministers
	Conference, say they will target those members
	of the council who voted for the ordinance
	during next November's election.  And they
	say they are already launching an attack--at
	the state and local level--to get this ordi-
	nance and others similar to it outlawed 
	[Columbus, OH, has had a sexual orientation
	non-discrimination law for some time now;
	Cincinnati extended protections to lesbian 
	and gay *city* employees more than a year 
	ago. -rwc].

	The local tactic will be a referendum to 
	repeal the council's action, which would
	take 9,775 signitures to get on the ballot.
	CCV officials say they will also launch a
	statewide ballot issue that would outlaw
	similar ordinances across the state.

While I had much to be thankful for at Thanksgiving,
I have no doubt that we will see here in Ohio the same
fight that Colorado and also Oregon went through.  

Roger Crice,
Recovering Baptist
Cincinnati, Ohio.