GLSO Files Rebuttal in HRC complaint
The GLSO continues to participate in the Lexington Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission complaint process against Hands On Originals for violating GLBT civil rights by refusing to print t-shirts for our 5th Annual Pride Festival. We received the response of Hands On Originals to our complaint, and on April 27th, we filed a rebuttal with the HRC. That rebuttal is available here, so that the public may see what this argument is truly about. The GLSO stands for the protection of GLBT civil rights. We intend to resolve this matter as quickly as possible to protect the employees of this local business from the consequences of their employer’s unfortunate act of discrimination, but we will not back down from standing up for what is right. We appreciate the ongoing community support.
GLSO Newsletter Goes Green
Great news! or should we say Great “E” news! As a loyal subscriber to GLSO’s Newsletter, you are familiar with our print version found at the finest GLBTQQIA and GLBTQQIA friendly businesses in the Bluegrass and more recently our emailed version, but do you know that our newsletter is becoming a website? That’s right! the PDF emailed version you received with this announcement Vol. 34 No.5 will be the last PDF. Thanks to the hard work of our Internet Technology Administrator Donovan Jefferson, GLSO news is really going green. Of course, we will continue to be a presence in print form at your favorite GLBTQQIA establishments but now you can access our newsletter at www.glso.org/enews . We would also like to take this time to thank you, our loyal subscribers and supporters, without you, we would cease to exist. So follow the link www.glso.org/enews or view our last PDF version by clicking here and enjoy YOUR newsletter in easy to read website format!
Don Lowe
Editor
GLSO Newsletter
P.S. Dont forget to Sign up for our Member Program and like this on Facebook
It’s a whole new viewpoint
Come Share your experience MAY 31, 2012 @ 7PM
Do you love someone who is HIV Positive, and you are not? Does your partner have a HIV Positive support group to go to, but you don’t? Do you have anyone to talk to about the changes in your life? Are you concerned about you and your partners’ future? Have you built up a wall in order to keep from getting hurt? Do you feel pressure to “keep up appearances”? Do you take time to nurture yourself? Do you need someone to talk to? Do you do good things for yourself so that you will be re-energized to care for your loved one?
The GLSO is offering a new program for Negative Partners who love HIV Positive People for all of the reasons above and more. We have a goal of offering support and understanding by shared experiences.
Click the icon below to add this event to your Google calendar
meeting will be May 31st at 7PM at the Pride Center, 389 Waller Ave.
Self-Esteem in GLBTQQIA People
The Wednesday Night Discussion Group is back at 7PM at the Pride Center, 389 Waller Ave.
The third Wednesday of this month, April 18th the topic of discussion will be “Self-Esteem in GLBTQQIA People”.
How is it affected by labels? How is it affected by family, friends and co-workers? How does it grow over the years? At what point do you truly love yourself for who you are?
We will discuss all these questions and more. How do you feel about your own self-esteem? This is the place to explore these questions safely, among warm, welcoming and accepting peers. This group is for anybody that wants to talk about anything related to being GLBTQQIA in Kentucky.
There will be a certified mental health professional there to answer questions and provide support. Join us for an evening of lively conversation.
Kentucky’s only Pride Center needs your support!
The GLSO has been getting a lot of attention lately. Many of you hadn’t heard of us until we filed an HRC complaint to stand up against discrimination in Lexington. Well, we’re glad you found us! The GLSO operates Kentucky’s only Pride Center, where we have been quietly providing services to the GLBTQQIA community for decades. Take a look around our website to see the types of services we offer: support groups, educational classes, activities for youth, a monthly newsletter, and the annual Pride Festival.
Our only income comes from community donations. While we don’t need your money to stand up to discrimination, we do need your monetary support in order to provide the services that our community has come to expect from the GLSO.
There are plenty of ways to donate. We participate in a program with Kroger that allows you to use a Kroger gift card to buy your groceries, and 4% of your purchases is given to the GLSO. We also encourage people to make a one-time donation to the GLSO through Paypal. And for people who want to make a longer commitment, we have the GLSO Member Program. You sign up for a recurring monthly donation from your credit or debit card, as little as $5 per month, and for an entire year, the GLSO can count on your donation to help keep our doors open. It’s an easy way to support your community, takes just minutes to sign up, and costs less than a Netflix membership!
Rest assured that we will continue fighting against discrimination in Lexington regardless of whether you donate to us, but if you believe in our programming, please consider making a donation to the GLSO today.
Text of Official Human Rights Commission Complaint Available
The text of the GLSO’s official Human Rights Commission complaint against Hands On Originals is now available.
A representative of the GLSO met with an investigator from the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission today, and signed the official complaint against Hands On Originals. The text is available here. (Note: the phone number redacted is the cellphone of the GLSO president.)
Once they are served with a copy of this complaint, Hands On Originals will have 10 days to answer and/or defend their position. After that, the GLSO will be given an opportunity for rebuttal. At that point, an investigator from the HRC will be assigned to conduct a full investigation.
Visit the GLSO and Pride Festival websites for more information as it becomes available. Thank you for all the community support.
GLSO Files Complaint With Lexington Human Rights Commission
In furtherance of the GLSO’s goal to educate the community on the ongoing issue with Hands On Originals, the GLSO board of directors has decided to release the following information.
Since posting the information about Hands On Originals, the GLSO has received a lot of attention. The board members of the GLSO have been listening. The board has decided to file a discrimination complaint with the HRC. The board does not wish to engage in nor does it condone name-calling, bad-mouthing, or threatening businesses. The board has two simple goals in this situation: 1) educating the community and 2) refusing to tolerate discrimination.
The board has already begun educating the community by posting this situation to its websites. It will continue to educate throughout the process of the complaint.
As for the second goal, the board does not agree with discrimination in any manner and will not tolerate discrimination. Lexington has had a Fairness Ordinance for 13 years because the citizens of Lexington voted against discrimination. The GLSO believes in the Fairness Ordinance and refuses to let discrimination go unaddressed. As a result, board president Aaron Baker filed the complaint today.
As part of our commitment to transparency, we have included the text of our complaint below:
“The Pride Festival committee of the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization (GLSO) received a quote from Hands On Originals in December by phone (from an employee named Kaleb) to produce t-shirts for the 5th annual Pride Festival in Lexington. The quote from Hands On Originals was the lowest bid from a local company, and the committee intended to move forward with having them produce shirts. However, a committee member first called the business with the intention of finding out whether any lower price could be negotiated. He reached someone there who asked who he had previously talked to. At that moment, he could not remember their name, and when the name “Blaine” was suggested, he agreed. Numerous phone messages back and forth were exchanged before the committee member was finally able to speak with Blaine, who represented himself as an owner of Hands On Originals. His inquiries were related to what the GLSO was, what our mission was, and what we were promoting. The committee member explained, including that the t-shirt would only contain a stylized number “5″ on the front and the name of the festival, and sponsors on the rear. When Blaine learned that it was a gay pride festival, he asked, “You know we’re a Christian organization, don’t you?” He then continued on to say that Hands On Originals would not print shirts related to a gay pride festival. He suggested that he could refer us to a different business who would print the shirts. Our committee member told them he would take that offer to the board, but that he felt that we would not want to do business with anyone who did business with Hands On Originals, based on their discrimination. On March 25th, the GLSO board met in emergency session and agreed to file a complaint with the HRC under the Lexington Fairness Ordinance.”
Stay tuned to the GLSO and Pride Festival websites for more information. Thank you for all the community support.
Be Proud!
We are a group for Seniors 55+
We believe that it is great to get out and have company doing it. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, give us a call at 859-253-3233. We are actively seeking cost friendly ideas to have fun.
Come join us! We are now 20 persons strong and have lots of ideas! We came up with the following ideas of things to do: Dancing, Music, Cultural activities, Movies (Drama, Comedy, and Horror), Cincinnati Orchestra, Ballet, Theater, Sports, Musical Theater, Reading Book Club, Crafts, Drag Shows, Drag King Shows, Natural Bridge, Fishing, Tour of Rood and Riddle, Trail Riding, Picnic, Hiking, Art Show at Woodland, Pot Luck, and Shakespeare in the Park.
We have already gone to the movies and are planning these outings:
Big Band, March 31st at the Singletary Center, 7PM. FREE. Meet at the bench in front of the ticket booth at 6:30. I’ll have an arrow sign.
Pot-Luck at the Pride Center, 389 Waller Ave, Lexington, April 20, 7PM. Call Ginger at 859-253-3233 or email ginger@glso.org to add your dish to the menu.
Rolex Horse Event at the Kentucky Horse Park, April 28th. It is $35.00 but worth it. Meet at the Gatehouse, far left side. Look for someone with an arrow sign at 9:00AM. We will wait until 9:30, then go the “the lake”. We’ll still have the arrow sign anyone is late. Look for us. Don’t forget to bring a chair and be prepared to do lots of walking.
