Our Mission
"The Mission of the Cimarron Alliance Foundation is to support educational efforts that validate personal identity, promote public enlightenment and advance equality for LGBT Oklahomans."
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.
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.
More
than a hundred theater goers came
out July 2 to attend a benefit
production of Carpenter Square
Theatre's "The Little Dog Laughed."
The benefit at the Civic Center's
Freede Little Theatre raised funds
for the Cimarron Alliance Foundation
and cimarronARTS!
The show follows the character
Mitchell Green, a handsome young
movie actor who is on the verge of
major stardom. His agent can't seem
to keep him in the closet due to his
"slight recurring case of
homosexuality." And as if that's not
enough, he falls in love with his
most recent "rent boy" and wants to
announce it to the world. Helping
him navigate Hollywood's choppy
waters, his shark of an agent Diane
does everything she can to keep him
away from the rent boy and the rent
boy's girlfriend (wait, the rent boy
has a girlfriend?), but it's not
smooth sailing.
Cimarron appreciates Carpenter
Square's support of our community
and willingness to produce a special
evening of their hit show for our
organization
The
Cimarron Alliance Foundation joins the ACLU of
Oklahoma and other civic organizations troubled
by state Rep. Sally Kern's (R-Oklahoma City)
"Oklahoma Citizen's Proclamation for Morality,"
which was signed by Kern and others in a public
ceremony July 2, on the first floor of the State
Capitol. The proclamation blames the economic
downturn we are currently experiencing on
abortion, pornography, divorce and same-sex
marriage, among other things.
Her proclamation is silent to meaningful
solutions to address the very issues she blames
for the “downturn of morality.” Kern's
proclamation, which amounts to a hate-filled
diatribe, is full of inaccuracies. This
proclamation alienates thousands of Oklahomans
who are adherents to minority faiths or who
practice no faith. It is unfortunate that she
and others would promote such a divisive
manifesto at a time when Oklahomans need to pull
together to weather this current crisis.
Oklahoma is home to a diverse community,
which should be respected and effectively
represented.
Cimarron would like to thank all of
the sponsors, attendees and
volunteers who helped make the 2009
LGBT Community Summit on April 18 a
huge success.
Dozens of community members spent
the day in breakout sessions
learning about ways to strengthen
community organizations and better
understand legislative issues. A
variety of workshops were offered,
and national speakers from Lambda
Legal and Servicemembers Legal
Defense Network spoke about laws
affect the LGBT community and the
status of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. A
representative from the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
also provided media and spokesperson
training, and a workshop was
especially designed for gay and
gay-friendly clergy and friends.
Actress Ann Walker from the movie
“Sordid Lives” and the LOGO TV show
of the same name also made an
appearance during the conclusion of
the summit.
Our thanks to the following sponsors
and partners: Mulinix, Ogden, Hall,
Andrews & Ludlam, PLLC; Central
Oklahoma Prime Timers; Best Buy;
Oklahomans for Equality (OKEQ);
Respect Diversity Foundation;
Olivarez Law Firm, PLLC; UCO GATE;
First Unitarian Church-OKC; LUX; The
Oklahoma Peace House; Herland Sister
Resources; Cathedral of Hope;
Stonewall Democrats; GLAAD, SLDN and
Lambda Legal.
More than 300 people packed the Burg
Auditorium on the Oklahoma City
University campus Jan. 31 to help
raise money for a local nonprofit
that helps those living with
HIV/AIDS.
Spectrum, OCU's LGBT student
organization, partnered with
cimarronARTS! to present "Broadway
Fun for Funds," an event that raised
more than $2,000 for RAIN Oklahoma.
Tickets quickly sold out for the
event, leaving a standing-room only
audience for the two-hour program.
Cimarron board members praised the
work of the volunteers who organized
the show. RAIN provides HIV-testing
and housing assistance throughout
Oklahoma for those living with
HIV/AIDS.
"'Broadway Fun' was a huge success.
The turnout was overwhelming. We had
to turn away a lot of people, which
is bittersweet," said Daniel Leeman
Smith, the show's director and a
member of the cimarronARTS!
committee. "The audience was
absolutely incredible; to perform
for such a lively crowd I can only
imagine is absolutely phenomenal. I
know everyone that performed felt
their energy. It gave them so much
to work with artistically.
Truthfully I'm a little jealous I
didn't get to experience it as a
performer. I am very pleased with
the way things went, and I look
forward to doing it bigger and
better next year. It was truly a
blessing."
The show featured a mix of live
performances, monologues, dance
routines and drag numbers from some
of the city's top performers as well
as outstanding OCU students, all of
which volunteered their time for the
performance.
"CimarronARTS! would like to send a
special thank you to Spectrum, Kitty
Bob Aimes, Norma Jean Goldenstein,
Roxie Hart, Stephanie DeBarge, and
Renee Hilton for their hard work and
dedication to our community and it's
causes," said Colin Raley, who
co-chairs the cimarronARTS!
committee. "Look for another
installment in the coming months!"
One of the LGBT community's greatest
and earliest leaders passed away
March 23, 2009. Many of you
knew him. Bill Rogers served
on the first board of directors of
the Cimarron Alliance Group which
preceded the Cimarron Alliance
Foundation. Bill later became
the Foundation's first president and
served for three years. In
2004, Cimarron named its lifetime
achievement award after Bill.
This award is given out only on rare
occasions. Bill fought for gay
and lesbian rights well before the
Cimarron movement was in existence.
Bill was a great attorney and a bold
and uncompromising leader.
Bill served also as the Chairperson
of Oklahoma City's Human Rights
Commission before it was disbanded
because gays and lesbians were
afforded protection by the
Commission. We are still
working for the day when the
Commission will be reinstated with
protections for all including the
LGBT citizens of our city.
Bill with a few others were those
who had to cut a path through the
dense rain forest of discrimination
and prejudice for all LGBT
Oklahoman's by having to wield a
machete. That path was cut so
that the next generation could walk
through the forest and wear the path
down, so that the generation after
that could build a road, so that
eventually all those entitled to
equal rights would not have to claw
their way along as he did, but could
take for granted the liberties they
would enjoy.
May we all remember his life and in
doing so remain vigilant in our work
for equality.
Oklahomans will have the opportunity to
experience a poignant and meaningful piece of
history from the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum. The traveling exhibition
"Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race" will
be on display in Oklahoma City at the Science
Museum Oklahoma between April and July.
"Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race"
examines how the Nazi leadership, in
collaboration with individuals in professions
traditionally charged with healing and the
public good, used science and medicine to help
legitimize persecution, murder and, ultimately,
genocide.
Oklahoma
City has been chosen as one of only three
international sites for the 2009 tour of the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's
traveling exhibition. Brought to the state by
the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City,
"Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race" will
educate visitors about the Nazi Regime's methods
for killing over 11 million people, including
six million Jews. The Cimarron Alliance
Foundation is pleased to be a community partner
for the exhibition.
This marks the second time the Cimarron Alliance
Foundation and the Jewish Federation have
partnered. In 2005, both groups brought Oklahoma
Holocaust Remembrance Exhibition to Oklahoma
City.
"The exhibition reminds us that only 64 years
ago 11 million people were killed and debased in
one of history's most horrific acts of hatred,"
said Edie Roodman, executive director of the
Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City.
"That's approximately the entire population of
Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado combined. This
gripping exhibition underscores the warning
signs of the abuse of scientific knowledge and
the dangers of remaining silent in the face of
evil."
Nazi Germany's genocide against the Jews and the
murder and persecution of millions of others was
founded upon the conviction that "inferior"
races and individuals must be eliminated from
German society so that the "fittest Aryans"
could thrive. The Nazi state fully committed
itself to implementing a uniquely racist and
anti-Semitic variation of genetic cleansing
thought to "scientifically" build what it
considered to be a superior race.
Germany adopted "racial hygiene" practices
providing tax credits to large "valuable"
families and sterilization of genetic
"inferiors" to eradicate people of certain
races, religious beliefs, the blind, deaf,
children with birth defects and those suffering
from mental illness.
"This troubling, landmark exhibition will evoke
deep emotion," said Roodman. "It lends
historical perspective to current debates
surrounding cloning, legal definitions of life
and biogenetics and has the potential to spur
provocative discussions in high school and
college classrooms."
Professionals from the fields of medicine,
education, law and religion study the Holocaust,
with emphasis on the role of their particular
professions and the implications for their own
responsibilities.
The Jewish Federation is partnering with several
groups and organizations to provide a wide
variety of programming to complement the exhibit
including a Holocaust film series at the
Oklahoma City Museum of Art; educator workshops;
an essay contest for students; and a series of
lectures at the University of Oklahoma Health
Sciences Center.
There will be a Patron Party and private opening
on April 2 that will feature Dr. Susan Bachrach,
curator of special exhibitions at the United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Patron levels
start at $54. To help underwrite the Oklahoma
City showing of this exhibition, contact the
Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City at
(405) 848-3132.
The public opening of the exhibition and "Yom
HaShoah," or Holocaust Remembrance Day, will be
held April 5 and will feature Dr. Deborah E.
Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and
Holocaust Studies at Emory University. Dr.
Lipstadt is an international expert on the
Holocaust, was appointed by President Clinton to
serve on the United States Holocaust Memorial
Council and was involved in one of the highest
profile trials against a Holocaust denier.
*****
Deadly Medicine:
Creating the Master Race, a traveling exhibition
from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
and a project of the Jewish Federation of
Greater Oklahoma City, will be on display at the
Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City April 5
through July 5, 2009. Cost to attend the
exhibition is $9.95 for adults and $8.75 for
seniors and children 3-12. For more information
or to donate to the Oklahoma City Holocaust
exhibition, visit the Jewish Federation of
Greater Oklahoma City's website at
www.jfedokc.org or call (405) 848-3132.
Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race is
organized and circulated by the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum. Deadly Medicine is
sponsored in part by The Samberg Family
Foundation, the Dorot Foundation, the Viterbi
Family Foundation of the Jewish Community of San
Diego and the Rosenbluth Family.
State legislators refuse to acknowledge gay
pastor’s prayer on Oklahoma House of
Representatives floor
OKLAHOMA CITY, Feb. 12, 2009 – The Cimarron
Alliance Foundation today announced its disdain
that nearly two dozen Oklahoma state legislators
refused to document a prayer from its Chaplain
of the Day, drawing speculation from some in the
community that the move is likely because the
church pastor is gay.
Rev. Dr. Scott Jones, pastor of Cathedral of
Hope-OKC, was invited by state Rep. Al McAffrey,
D-Oklahoma City, to provide the opening session
prayer Wednesday on the House floor. more >>>
Before praying, the pastor thanked the elected
officials for the opportunity to serve as
chaplain. He also acknowledged his guests who
were present in the gallery, including members
of his church, his parents and his partner,
Michael Cich.
“This type of behavior in this age is so
backward,” said Richard Ogden, chairperson of
the Cimarron Alliance Foundation. “Just Monday,
we met with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of
Commerce to discuss how actions like this cause
an embarrassment for both the city and the
state. Incidents such as this are unacceptable,
and our elected officials need to take heed
because their actions do not go unnoticed.”
In a message to his congregants, Rev. Jones said
that at the end of Wednesday’s session, Rep.
McAffrey made the rather routine motion of
having the pastor’s prayer entered into the
record. It was objected to by one of the state’s
republican legislators and was then taken to a
recorded vote. Twenty legislators voted against
entering his remarks into the record. More than
60 supported the measure.
Among those who voted against the measure was
state Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, who has
often been cited for her anti-gay remarks,
including saying homosexuality is a bigger
threat to this nation than terrorism. Just last
year, Rev. Jones and Rep. Kern debated on the
popular Sunday morning television show
“Flashpoint” on the topics of homosexuality and
religion.
Rep. McAffrey said he couldn’t see how anyone
could have a problem with the pastor’s prayer,
saying the content was not controversial.
Holy and everliving God,
Compassionate and Merciful,
We, your servants, are listening.
We come before you today in a time of great
anxiety and fear as financial institutions
collapse, brave soldiers sacrifice on the fields
of war, and families wonder how they will pay
the bills.
Yet your prophet Isaiah has asked,
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
The Creator of the ends of the earth.
You do not faint or grow weary;
Your understanding is unsearchable.
You give power to the faint, and strengthen
the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
And the young will fall exhausted;
But those who wait upon You shall renew
their strength,
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Give us the courage to
dream new dreams; to see new possibilities.
To look forward with hope, resting in your
blessed covenant
That each day is a new day
That the heavens are ripped open
And your spirit is poured forth upon the earth
That a straight path might be made in the
wilderness
And all your children will make it home.
So, today, with abiding faith and calm assurance
We invoke your presence on these precedings.
You are the Creator and Parent of us all.
In your divine majesty you have made us each and
every one an image of you,
Our splendid diversity reflecting your infinite
glories.
You are our Redeemer and Liberator.
Companion to the poor,
You have promised to
Lift up the powerless and cast down the
powerful,
To gather the outcasts,
Heal the brokenhearted,
And bind up their wounds.
You have proclaimed release to the captives,
Recovery of sight to the blind,
And to let the oppressed go free.
You Sustain and Comfort us
Filling us with your Holy Spirit
And thereby uniting us with all creation in
every time and place
A fellowship of solidarity
A beloved community
Reminding us that what we have done unto the
least of us, we have done unto thee.
We call upon this good news
In this year of the Lord’s favor.
Might a few drops of Your favor fall upon us
today
Giving these elected representatives of your
people
Courage and wisdom
That they might be instruments of your peace
Sowing love where there is hatred,
Pardon, where there is injury,
Union, in place of discord,
Faith, instead doubt,
Hope, not despair,
Light to cast away the darkness
And where there is sadness, joy.
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with new
life today.
We, your humble people, beseech thee.
And in all your many names, we pray.
Amen.
Stop Hate in the Hallways 2 a huge success
Building upon the success of its first
conference in 2007 aimed at preventing bullying
and school violence, Cimarron once again brought
together educators and community leaders in
November 2008 for Stop Hate in the Hallways 2:
Strategies for Preventing School Violence.
The conference addressed hands-on strategies for
preventing school violence and featured a
keynote address by Stephen L. Wessler, director
of the Center for the Prevention of Hate
Violence at the University of Southern Maine and
former Maine assistant attorney general.
"This conference was developed out of concern
for all children and youth who may be bullied or
harassed in our schools today," said Randy Tate,
Cimarron board member and conference organizer.
"National data on bullying and harassment
suggest that bullies most often target children
and youth who differ from the mainstream
population because of a religious, racial,
gender or sexual orientation bias."
Between 2000 and 2005, FBI data show simple
assault in schools went from 16,898 reported
cases to 129,675 cases, and intimidation went
from 5,154 to 35,715 cases. According to data
analyzed by Harris Interactive, for example, 68
percent of Latino students have been harassed or
assaulted in high school and 90 percent of LGBT
students have reported similar situations.
Wessler's keynote remarks addressed such
bullying in schools. His center develops and
implements programs in schools, colleges and
communities to prevent bias, prejudice,
harassment and violence and promotes writing and
teaching on issues relating to bias-motivated
violence. He has conducted scores of trainings
on preventing hate violence to educators,
students, police officers and community members.
"Stephen Wessler is strong advocate in the fight
against school violence. His no-nonsense
approach brings the entire school community
- administrators, faculty, parents, students,
even the school bus drivers - into the fight to
make our schools safe for every child,"
said Rob Howard, Cimarron Alliance Foundation
executive director. "He excludes no children in
his efforts, regarding violence against gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth to be
as much of a concern to the community as
religious, ethnic and racial discrimination."
Beth Reis, a health educator from Seattle,
Wash., and co-founder of the Safe Schools
Coalition, also conducted workshops that
centered on helping campuses become safe places
where every educator can teach and every child
can learn regardless of gender identity or
sexual orientation.
State Attorney General Drew Edmonson provided
opening comments for the conference, which also
featured a panel of high school students who
discussed real-life examples of harassment in
their own schools.
The first Stop Hate in the Hallways was held in
October 2007 and featured Kevin Jennings,
founder and chief executive officer for GLSEN.
New members join
Cimarron board of directors
The Cimarron Alliance Foundation has
named four new members to its board
of directors.
Joining the foundation at its
October board meeting were Jeremy
Hood, Karen Orsi, JB Schuelein and
Laurette Taylor. All were
unanimously elected in September to
fill open positions on the board.
"Cimarron Alliance Foundation is the
strong and effective organization it
is today only because of a very
strong and hard-working board of
directors. Our work is rewarding and
also most important in changing the
lives of all Oklahomans for the
better," said Richard Ogden,
chairman of the foundation. "I am
personally honored to have each of
these individuals on the board, as
they bring something unique and
needed to our organization."
Hood is currently a full-time
student at the University of Central
Oklahoma majoring in business
administration with a focus in legal
studies. He will graduate with Cum
Laude honors in December and hopes
to attend the University of Oklahoma
School of Law next fall.
He and his significant other,
Michael Brown, have been together
three-and-a-half years and live in
south Edmond with their four dogs
and two cats. They own Lux Gifts on
Western Avenue and are members of
the Diversity Business Association.
Hood has previously been involved
with Cimarron, volunteering for the
LGBT Outreach Committee. Other
community involvement includes the
AIDS Walk of Oklahoma City, Habitat
for Humanity and the Oklahoma City
Memorial Marathon.
Orsi was born, raised, educated and
married in Chicago and has lived in
rural Missouri before moving to
Oklahoma. She and her husband, Jim,
have a son and daughter and are the
proud grandparents of a grandson and
another scheduled to arrive early
next year.
Orsi’s educational background is in
sociology and psychology. She
currently serves as chair of the
Oklahoma Mental Health and Aging
Coalition, a volunteer organization
that focuses on community education
and improved mental health services
for senior Oklahomans. This past
May, she was honored with the
"Outstanding Aging Advocate" award
for 2008 from the state and in
August was named one of AARP's
"Fifty Over Fifty" individuals who
have made a difference in the lives
of senior Oklahomans.
Schuelein grew up in Miami, Okla.,
and graduated from OU with a
bachelor’s degree in meteorology in
1973. He worked for the Oklahoma
Water Resources Board for 30 years
where he served as chief of
Administrative Services before
retiring in 2005. He was a charter
member of Oklahomans for Human
Rights, served on the ASP Board for
a few years and was on the board of
the Cimarron Alliance PAC when it
was established.
Schuelein has served as president,
treasurer and board chair of the
Mesta Park Neighborhood Association.
He recently served two terms on the
board of the Neighborhood Alliance
of Central Oklahoma and volunteers
with the Arts Council Festival of
the Arts and deadCenter Film
Festival.
Taylor is originally from
Jacksonville, Fla., but has been in
Oklahoma since 1987. She has been on
the faculty of the University of
Oklahoma for 21 years in the area of
Health Promotion with a particular
interest in women's health.
Taylor has mostly been involved in
professional service but served on
the board of directors of Transition
House (Norman) for a number of years
and was a member of the Norman Human
Rights Commission for many years.
She lived in Norman for many years
and now lives in Crown Heights with
her partner, Sally. She loves living
in Oklahoma City with its diverse
communities and activities. Taylor’s
first involvement with the Cimarron
Alliance Foundation was three years
ago when the foundation sponsored
the Holocaust Remembrance
Exhibition.
The four new board members join 13
others on the Cimarron board: Jeff
Baxter, Michael Bratcher, Michael
Cich, Margaret Cox, Tay Duran,
Clayton Hickox, Michael Korenblit,
Terri Miller, Richard Ogden, Saul
Olivarez, Ann Simank, Keith Taggart
and Randy Tate.
Cimarron re-brands itself with new logo
The Cimarron Alliance Foundation has a fresh,
new look.
Board members recently approved an official new
logo as part of the organization's re-branding
efforts.
The new logo retains the torch aspect that has
been associated with the foundation for years,
but offers a more contemporary twist on the
flame and a modern font for the accompanying
text, "Cimarron Alliance Foundation."
The logo is part of a complete re-branding of
the organization headed by board members Tay
Duran and Michael Bratcher, who joined the
organization earlier this year as public
relations/marketing co-chairs.
"The torch represents continuity and symbolizes
a source of leadership," Bratcher said. "We
wanted to retain those elements in our logo as
we continue as an organization that works for a
fair and just Oklahoma."
Duran, who designed the new logo, said he wanted
to see something more modern, sleek and
appealing to the general audience.
“Cimarron Alliance Foundation is going through
many changes in regard to our community
outreach, and I wanted the new logo to reflect
some of the more progressive ideas and mindsets
that we may not have been typically associated
with in the past,” Duran said.
Duran said an organization shouldn't rebrand
itself too often because the public recognizes
logos and the resulting work that is associated
with particular logos.
"We had many discussions on whether or not to
rebrand ourselves and came to the conclusion
that it was time for a more modern mark to
represent ourselves and our future goals with
the community,” he said.
The unveiling of the new logo also comes as the
foundation adds four new members to its board of
directors: JB Schuelein, Karen Orsi, Laurette
Taylor and Jeremy Hood.
This year has been a banner year for the LGBT
community in Oklahoma, and Cimarron Alliance
Foundation has been in the forefront of these
efforts. Cimarron hired its first executive
director, fought hate crimes and hate speech,
hosted an LGBT Summit, featured Judy Shepard at
its Erase Hate banquet, and is sponsoring Stop
Hate in the Hallways 2, a conference to fight
bullying in schools against LGBT youth, and
racial and religious minorities. In addition,
Cimarron has enhanced its programs and increased
its communication with supporters, the LGBT
community, and the broader community of friends
in Oklahoma.
OKLAHOMA GAY RIGHTS GROUPS
RESPOND TO DEFAMATORY COMIC, CALL
FOR STATEMENTS
Oklahoma
City, OK: Like the majority of
Oklahomans, the Cimarron Alliance
Foundation (CAF) and Oklahomans for
Equality (OkEq) are embarrassed by
Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent
Rinehart’s highly offensive campaign
comic book. Both organizations
agree with Oklahoma Attorney General
Drew Edmondson’s view that nothing
Rinehart says is worthy of response.
Additionally, Rinehart is scheduled
to go to trial within the next two
months for allegations involving
illegal campaign finance
management.
Unfortunately,
Rinehart chose to nationally
publicize his inappropriate campaign
material in an interview with CNN
yesterday. Therefore, CAF and OkEq
are joining together to ask
Oklahoma’s leaders to denounce
Rinehart’s campaign and his
publication, in order to distance
Oklahoma’s cities and counties from
icons of hatred and ignorance.
Leaders agree
that incendiary hate speech must be
addressed because of its sundry
harmful effects. Richard Ogden,
Chairperson of the Cimarron Alliance
Foundation, explained that “The
comic is not worthy of consideration
or comment, yet it sadly impacts the
lives of citizens here in a very
profound way. Rinehart’s publicity
stunt affects all Oklahomans –
especially after Rep. Sally Kern’s
negative and false portrayal of the
citizens of our beautiful state. We
do not take Rinehart’s candidacy
seriously, especially in light of
allegations of political
improprieties – but we must let him
know that demeaning his fellow
Oklahomans is unacceptable.”
Freddy Owens,
Executive Director of Oklahomans for
Equality, similarly expressed his
disappointment that anti-gay elected
officials in Oklahoma continue to
defame lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender (LBGT) constituents and
their families. “Rinehart’s
hostility is especially damaging and
insensitive as the home and vehicle
of Robert Stotler, a gay Tulsa
resident, was repeatedly vandalized
last week. Thankfully, Stotler
received widespread support from the
entire community.”
The Cimarron
Alliance Foundation and Oklahomans
for Equality thus encourage leaders
to stand with the LGBT community in
defending true, fair-minded Oklahoma
values. Please join us as we work
with business and political leaders
statewide to make Oklahoma a better
place for all minorities.
Cimarron
Alliance Foundation is a non-profit
educational organization working for
a fair and just Oklahoma.
www.CimarronAlliance.org
Oklahomans for
Equality seeks equal rights for
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender (LGBT) individuals and
families through advocacy and
education.
www.okeq.org
Judy Shepard visits city to
spread message of erasing hate
Nearly a decade after her son
Matthew’s death to an anti-gay hate
crime, Judy Shepard visited Oklahoma
City to discuss the need for
tolerance and erasing hate across
the nation.
Shepard provided the keynote address
during the Cimarron Alliance
Foundation’s Pride-week fund-raising
event June 19 at the Skirvin Hilton
Hotel. The event drew more than 250
people.
“I think it is easy to forget after
10 years that Judy Shepard is a mom
who lost her son tragically,” said
Richard Ogden, chair of the
foundation. “She is forced to relive
this tragedy each time she gives an
interview or speaks in his memory. I
want to bear witness to the
tremendous amount of energy it took
for this mom to tell her story so
that our lives may be better. After
three television interviews she was
drained, but she summoned her
strength again to appear before the
packed room for the dinner. She does
this not for self but for us. So
that each of us might live in a more
fair and equitable nation.”
Shepard travels the nation sharing
her ideas on making the world a more
accepting place for everyone
regardless of race, religion,
ethnicity, sex, gender, gender
identity and expression or sexual
orientation. As executive director
of the Matthew Shepard Foundation,
she recently unveiled an “erase
hate” campaign, which strives to
replace hate with compassion,
understanding and tolerance.
At the conclusion of the event at
the Skirvin, patrons were encouraged
to take pink erasers and erase the
word hate from index cards placed at
their tables. Then they were
inspired to replace the hatred
language with messages of love and
encouragement for all people.
“The fight against hate, bigotry and
hate crimes is moved forward by the
efforts of partners like the Matthew
Shepard Foundation and Judy Shepard,”
said Rob Howard, executive director
of the Cimarron Alliance Foundation.
“Judy Shepard’s visit provided
Cimarron another opportunity to get
the message out to our fellow
Oklahomans, and particularly the
‘moveable middle,’ that hate crimes
are a problem and that as a society
we must fight them. The news
coverage was broad and favorable.
Mrs. Shepard’s courage, message and
the moral power she brings to the
battle are important in the fight
against hate crimes in Oklahoma and
in the nation.”
Under Shepard’s leadership at the
Matthew Shepard Foundation, the
organization has become a
well-established, highly effective
and much respected institution in
the civil rights community. She has
spoken to more than one million
young people about the impact of
hate speech and violence as well as
the importance of understanding and
appreciating diversity in all of its
forms.
“Judy Shepard’s visit provided an
opportunity for the Oklahoma
business community and Oklahomans in
general to stand together and say
that despite what has been broadcast
throughout the nation and world
about our state, we truly are a
tolerant, diverse and welcoming
people,” said Saul Olivarez, chair
of the fund-raising event.
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.
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 STANDRemember,
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.
The “Stop
Hate Coalition” 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.
MLK Day Parade
Cimarron was both a sponsor of, and a
participant in, the annual Martin Luther King,
Jr. Parade on January 21. A small marching
contingent, as well as a car (it was a cold day
and we needed the opportunity to get warm)
joined other gay groups including OKC Pride,
Cathedral of Hope UCC, and Oklahoma Gay and
Lesbian Caucus (OGLPC) in what is Oklahoma
City’s largest parade. Participants discussed
next year having a float in the parade honoring
Bayard Rustin. Bayard Rustin was a close
associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and
openly gay. He was the organizer of the 1963
March on Washington, where Dr. King delivered
his “I Have A Dream” speech. Learn More About Bayard Rustin
If you are interested in helping with a float
honoring Bayard Rustin in the 2009 MLK parade,
send an email to
Rev. Dr. Scott Jones,
pastor of Cathedral of Hope UCC, or to
Rob Howard, ED of
Cimarron Alliance Foundation.
More
than a hundred theater goers came
out July 2 to attend a benefit
production of Carpenter Square
Theatre's "The Little Dog Laughed."
Oklahoma
City has been chosen as one of only three
international sites for the 2009 tour of the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's
traveling exhibition. Brought to the state by
the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City,
"Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race" will
educate visitors about the Nazi Regime's methods
for killing over 11 million people, including
six million Jews. The Cimarron Alliance
Foundation is pleased to be a community partner
for the exhibition. 