2008 LGBT Leadership Summit
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2008 LGBT Leadership Summit Schedule.pdf

May 10, 2008 – 9am to 5pm

The Cimarron Alliance Foundation will host the 2008 LGBT Leadership Summit on Saturday, May 10, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park Avenue, in Oklahoma City.  The Summit is sponsored by Cimarron Alliance Foundation, four national partners – HRC, NGLTF, the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute, and GLAAD, and 22 Community Partners

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The 2008 Summit will feature 17 workshops in various areas, two community forums, an opening session with a keynote speaker from a national LGBT organization, and a closing session featuring state lawmakers in a legislative panel.  See the list of workshops.

The Summit will also feature two community forums.  One will discuss the possible creation of an LGBT community center in Oklahoma City, and the other is a meeting of the Stop Hate Coalition, an anti-violence group founded as a result of the 2007 brutal murder of a gay man, and the hateful remarks of Rep. Sally Kern.

We expect over 150 participants – the most involved and well-connected persons in our community.  Registration is only $15, and includes breakfast snacks, soft drinks throughout the day, and a box lunch.  Register Here.

If you are interested in helping sponsor the LGBT Summit, or adding your organization to the list of Community Partners, contact Rob Howard.  There are several opportunities from sponsoring a classroom, to providing the lunch.  Sponsors will receive publicity in all printed materials, and on the item sponsored.  Community Partners agree to lend their name and support, and to promote the Summit to their membership lists.

SILENCE IS NOT AN OPTION

CIMARRON RESPONDS TO SPEAKER’S UNWILLINGNESS TO SPEAK 

Cimarron Alliance Foundation is astonished at the refusal of Speaker of the House Chris Benge to punish or admonish Rep. Sally Kern for her hateful remarks, posted on YouTube last Friday.  Cimarron outright condemns hate speech.

THE SPEAKER’S REFUSAL TO ACT

Responding to the news that Speaker Benge and the House will not denounce Rep. Kern or ask her for her apology, Richard Ogden, chair of Cimarron Alliance Foundation said "It is truly a sad, sad day in Oklahoma when the Speaker of the House refuses to denounce Rep. Kern's statement that ‘gays are a greater threat to this nation than terrorism.’

SILENCE IS NOT AN OPTION - EACH MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATURE MUST TAKE A STAND

Cimarron calls on each member of the legislature to take a public stand.  "If the Speaker won't speak then Cimarron calls on each member to take a stand.  Silence is not an option.  Historically, silence and indifference are worse than no position at all.  Each member of the House needs to make a public statement supporting Rep. Kern's words or denouncing her words,” said Ogden.

FULL TEXT OF PRESS RELEASE

TELL SPEAKER BENGE YOU ARE DISAPPOINTED Remember, when you are writing to anyone, including public officials, to be respectful.  Hate speech, no matter at whom it is directed, is inappropriate.

TELL YOUR LEGISLATOR TO TAKE A STAND Remember, when you are writing to anyone, including public officials, to be respectful.  Hate speech, no matter at whom it is directed, is inappropriate.

Cimarron Calls For Censure of Rep. Kern

"Representative Sally Kern must apologize or be censured by the House of Representatives, and you must allow Hate Crimes Legislation to come to a vote before the full House. Representative Kern’s hate words will inspire and give license to hate actions by others." >>More

“Hate Emails” Are An Inappropriate Response

Cimarron has been made aware that Rep. Sally Kern has been receiving “hate emails.” This kind of speech, regardless of the person to whom it is directed, is unacceptable in our society. If people truly condemn hate speech, people will not use it themselves. Only respectful communication with our elected officials is acceptable. Proper office titles should be used and proper discourse should be used. Cimarron condemns outright any hate speech in any form directed toward anyone.
 

Hate Speech and Its Consequences

“The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation.” That is one of the astonishing statements contained in a video on YouTube, a recording of Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern, R - Oklahoma City giving a speech when she thought no one outside of the chosen was listening. The recording is a shocking example of hate speech from one of our lawmakers; hate speech that is tolerated by the leadership of the house.

After the brutal hate crime murder of Steven Domer in 2007, four bills to amend the Oklahoma hate crimes law were introduced in the legislature. All have been referred to committees that are expected to kill the bills. The word was out even before the bills were filed – they were “dead on arrival.” It reflects the attitude of far too many of our legislators – if protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from harassment and murder, from discrimination and job loss, is the focus of a bill, that bill will go nowhere.

And if one of their own spouts hate speech? Well, that’s okay with them. The legislator continues: “No society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than, you know, a few decades.” Hateful speech like this, from our leaders, sends an important message to those who hate us:

It is okay to discriminate, to harass, and to attack lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

 “Attitudes like this, expressed in secret or in public, lead directly to harassment, assault, and murder of LGBT youth, adults, seniors like Steven Domer, and anybody else, gay or not, who the bigoted perpetrators perceive to be gay,” Cimarron Alliance Chair Richard Ogden stated.  “This gives license to people to act, and anybody who believes otherwise is irresponsible.  Words do have meaning, and consequence.”

"No one should be deceived, Sally Kern wants her hate words to result in hate action. An elected official making such comments cannot fail to understand the intended consequences. Rep. Kern and other politicians like her will divide, step-on and give license to hate crimes for their own selfish gain," said Ogden.

Call or write your legislator and tell them that hate speech like this should not be tolerated in their midst. And tell them to demand to move the hate crimes law changes out of committee and on to a vote.

Find Your State Senator and Representative Here. From there, you can send them each an email by clicking on the appropriate link.
 

April 8, 2008

The “Stop Hate Coalition” (the current name, but looking for a better one) has been meeting since December to craft the LGBT and supportive community’s response the Hate Crimes in Oklahoma.

April 2, 2008

The Oklahoman publishes an editorial critical of Rep. Kern for not being able to let this issue go.  Read “She Said, She Said” here.

April 2, 2008

Anti-gay and ultraconservative groups hold rally at State Capital to support Rep. Kern.  Cimarron Alliance Foundation and Oklahomans for Equality have spokespersons available to respond and comment, including Rev. Jeff Hamilton, President of the Interfaith Alliance and a former state representative; Michael Korenblit, co-founder of the Respect Diversity Foundation; Kay Ham, President of PFLAG Norman, and Jeremy Howard, board member of PFLAG Norman.  Positive coverage in the Oklahoman, read “Kern Critics Warn Against Using Faith as a Wedge.”

Sunday, March 23

Rev. Dr. Scott Jones, Pastor of Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ and Rep. Sally Kern debate Kern’s remarks on KFOR-TV's "Flashpoint".  Scott Jones does a great job of supporting the LGBT community.  This episode of “Flashpoint” is available for a limited time at KFOR’s website.  Scroll to the lower right hand corner of the page and select the videos.

Tuesday, March 18

On Tuesday, March 18, PFLAG-OKC, supported by many national and state organizations, held a combined rally / press conference in the State Capitol Rotunda.  The rally was attended by over 300 supporters, and was well covered in the media.  See PFLAG rally.   

The remarks of Rep. Kern continued to generate a lot of attention, including an article and an editorial column in the Oklahoma Gazette, two articles and an editorial in the Oklahoman, and numerous TV news reports.

Cimarron will update you as appropriate to events surrounding this incident and other news of the LGBT community.

Hate Crime Update February 2008

The brutal hate-crime murder of 62 year old Steven Domer last fall brought a day long series to remember Steven Domer, and to launch an effort to fight hate crimes in Oklahoma. On December 4, the community held a well-attended press conference, as well as a candlelight vigil and a prayer service. Coverage by the media was intense.

In the past two months, a group of interested people from across the state have held two meetings to discuss what to do next. In the legislature, there were several bills introduced to change the way that hate crimes are treated in Oklahoma, and to add sexual orientation to the categories of hate crimes.

While it appears that these laws are not going to get out of committee at the Legislature, the community is organizing for a longer effort of educating law-makers and the public about hate crimes, and the need for a comprehensive law with enhanced penalties. Read more about the effort to fight Hate Crimes.

Working "For a Fair and Just Oklahoma," the Cimarron Alliance Foundation elected three new board members in February. Pictured above are Keith Taggart, Clayton Hickox and Saul Olivarez, all of Oklahoma City. Each new board member was selected, interviewed and elected by the existing board of 13 members. The board wishes to welcome these members and appreciate their commitment to service and promoting the Cimarron mission and vision.

Stop Hate in the Hallways, a state-wide anti-bullying and harassment conference was hosted by Cimarron Alliance Foundation on October 11, 2007. Three-hundred and fifteen individuals attended the conference held at the Spring-lake Metro Tech in Oklahoma City, OK, 350 were in attendance including volunteers and financial supporters of the event  >>More

StopHateInTheHallways.org

WE WANT YOU!

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

During the upcoming year the foundation will, once again, assume 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 you time and talents to the Cimarron Alliance Foundation, please submit your information through the following link: