The U.S. Senate has passed a historic expansion of federal hate crimes statutes to include sexual orientation. The chamber voted to approve the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (also known as the Matthew Shepard Act) by a vote of 68-29, sending the first civil rights legislation protecting gays and lesbians to President Obama for his signature. The bill was attached to a Defense Department appropriations bill.

The Cimarron Alliance Foundation, through its Stop Hate in the Hallways educational program, has worked to educate elected officials and community leaders about issues related to bullying and hate crimes. In recent days, a gay Tulsa man fell victim to what appears to be a hate crime (See story here).

Cimarron applauds Congress for taking a stand. The law broadens the current definition of federal hate crimes -- which covers attacks motivated by race, color, religion or national origin -- to include those based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It would also create a new federal crime to cover attacks against U.S. military personnel because of their service.
 

Protect Maine Equality

LGBT residents in Maine are now in the midst of a marriage equality battle. Colin Raley, co-chair of Cimarron's program cimarronARTS! and recipient of Cimarron's 2009 Volunteer of the Year Award, is volunteering in Maine to fight for equal rights for all citizens. Read more about the group's efforts here.
 

Cimarron banners are on display!

For over a decade, Cimarron has hung banners during the month of June to celebrate Gay Pride. We had to fight for the right to do so, and we won; and the banners have been a welcome sight for our community every year. This year, our Board elected to hang the banners during the month of October for Gay History month rather than in June for Gay Pride. This gives our community a second opportunity in the year to celebrate who we are and to promote awareness and equality. So take a look up! The banners are flying in two locations around the city: along Lincoln Boulevard, just south of the state Capitol, and along Northwest Expressway between Penn and Hefner Parkway.

Thanks for making the Gala a BIG success!

About 150 people attended Cimarron Alliance Foundation's Inaugural Gay History Month Gala on Friday at the Oklahoma History Center, and we couldn't be more pleased with the evening's turnout.

Our thanks to Rep. Al McAffrey, who introduced award recipient Rep. Anastasia Pittman, and to Lance McDaniel, a former board member, who volunteered to lead the audience in a comedic coin-toss game. (A special thanks to the winner of the game who donated her winnings back to Cimarron!)

We'd like to thank David Poole, who helped gather numerous items for our silent auction, and to Paul Riedl, who volunteered his time to photograph the event. View his entire photo gallery at www.paulriedl.com by clicking on the "clients" link at the top and entering the password: gala

We couldn't have done it without our board members (listed to the left) or our numerous volunteers: Jon Horinek, John Cloud, James Cooper, Cole Long, Danny Hites, Christopher Cowden and Hieu Nguyen. Also, thanks to all who participated in the silent auction, heads/tails game and the wine pull. Your support is appreciated! Also, the Oklahoma History Center for an amazing venue and Ned's Catering for the great food!

It's especially important to remember our award recipients, whose speeches hardly left a dry eye in the house. Those were: Volunteer of the Year: Colin Raley, Young Democrats of America; Horizon Award: Kendel Powers, RAIN Oklahoma; Media Award: Rusty Surette, KWTV News9; Legislative Award: Rep. Anastasia Pittman; Torch Award: Rev. Dr. Scott Jones, Cathedral of Hope - OKC; and Bill Rogers Lifetime Achievement Award: The Bob Lemon Family.

And we certainly couldn't have done it without our sponsors for the evening:

GOLD: The Lemon Family

SILVER: Mulinix, Ogden, Hall, Andrews & Ludlam PLLC, Jeremy Hood and Michael Brown

BRONZE: Jeffrey J. Alexander/New Amsterdam LLC, Laurette Taylor, Sally Hasenfratz, Mark Fitch & Guest, J. Kevin Doolen, Michael Korenblit, Respect Diversity Foundation, Jackie & Barbara Cooper, Margaret Cox, Mark Henricksen & Guest, Clayton Hickox, Dan Lorant, Roger Etling and Chip Oppenheim.

EVENT SPONSORS: The Boom, Spirit Shack Liquor and New Leaf Floral

Again, thank you for your continued support of Cimarron and all of the work we do to ensure a Fair & Just Oklahoma. We look forward to sharing more exciting news with you in the coming weeks, and here's to an even bigger Gala in 2010.

Respectfully,
Jeremy Hood & Michael Bratcher
Gala Co-Chairs
 

Bob Lemon admires the Bill Rogers Lifetime Achievement Award he received at Friday night's Gala.

Cimarron participates in the Oklahoma City AIDS Walk

Cimarron board members and volunteers joined hundreds on Sunday, Oct. 11 for the annual Oklahoma City AIDS Walk. The walk raises thousands of dollars, which go to support local charities. Below are a few shots from the event.

 

Walking with Cimarron were, left to right, Cimarron Volunteer of the Year Colin Raley, Board Co-Chair Clayton Hickox, volunteers Cole Long and Scottie Bartel, board member Jeremy Hood, Board Co-Chair Margaret Cox and former board member Saul Olivarez
	Participating in the walk were Cimarron Board Co-Chair Clayton Hickox, Cimarron Horizon Award Winner Kendel Powers and former board member Saul Olivarez
Taking a break from the walk were Cimarron board members Jeremy Hood, Margaret Cox and Clayton Hickox

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WE WANT YOU!

The Cimarron Alliance Foundation depends on committee-level volunteers to carry out efforts and programming in the following areas:

• LGBT Community Outreach – Programming includes the annual LGBT Community Summit and cimarronARTS!
   

• Greater Community Outreach – Programming includes the "Stop Hate in the Hallways" conference and other community events.
   

• Fundraising – Plans the annual fund-raising dinner and other events throughout the year. Also researches grant-making foundations and writes grant proposals.
   

• Media / Public Relations – Sends out regular press releases to local media; Publishes a monthly e-newsletter; Maintains Web site content.

Cimarron, throughout the year, assumes an ambitious agenda of educational programs and outreach activities. As a result, we are currently seeking volunteers at the committee level. Committees generally meet on a monthly basis and time requirements vary depending on committee activities. If you would like to donate your time and talents to the Cimarron Alliance Foundation, please submit your information through the following link:

Cimarron Alliance Foundation 2008 Annual Report
(download PDF)