Los Altos council rejects Gay Pride Day -- again

[foreigncorrespondent]

Seeking to avoid some of the controversy they experienced last year, council members last night decided 3-2 to change their city laws to ban all future proclamations about Gay Pride Day, saying doing so promoted a particular sexual orientation and was discriminatory.

<snip>

``This policy makes a strong statement to the youth of your community,'' Santa Clara City Councilwoman Jamie McLeod said to the council. ``I appreciate you have conservative constituents; you may have conservative views yourself. I'm not asking you to give those up, but I am asking you not to set policy that is incredibly destructive to your community.''

Under the eye of two television news cameras, Councilman Casas skirted the language in the change, saying it wasn't only meant to exclude Gay Pride Day, although he did not cite another instance where he had voted against an official proclamation because he felt it was controversial or discriminatory.

Link: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/13879043.htm

I am posting this simply because I am so proud of my woman. She did attend this meeting and did speak both during the meeting and after it to a news team. Yes she made it onto both KTVU, Channel 2 , Fox affiliate in Oakland and NBC11 (aka KTTV), NBC affil. in San Jose with some incredible sound bites. I won't say which person she was, because it isn't up to me. And Sapphocrat did this with under 24 hours notice that this was going down. So all those who say queers don't do anything for themselves think again, because not one person showed up in support of the heterosexual community, but 24 showed up in support of the LGBTIQQ community of this little town.

By the way the council may see themselves in some hot water on this because the way the final amendment is worded, it specifically singles out LGBTs in its "intent." Which probably violates California's anti-discrimination laws.

[bliss_eternal]

1. That's a huge accomplishment--

You're entitled to be proud! Way to go, Sapphocrat! :applause: :woohoo:

I can't believe this is happening in California, much less the northern California area?! What the hell is wrong with those people! How dare they?!

:grr::mad:

[kenny blankenship]

2. So we won't be hearing about any St. Patrick's Day parades

from Santa Clara Los Altos, or any similar civic celebration or recognition of ethnicities or religions?

[foreigncorrespondent]

3. Kenny...

...you are spot on.

That very question -- about St. Patrick's Day, etc. -- WAS brought up and the city's legal counsel had no answer for it. Casas kept pushing for clearer language so the "intent" would be gay pride and the city attorney was backed into a corner. She stumbled a lot, and finally said something along the lines of, "Well, which way do you WANT me to argue it? Because the way it's worded, I could argue either side."

[sui generis]

6. yeah. religion and irishness are LIFESTYLES

holy rollin' green lucky charm bastards.

Good grief - I say, have the parade anyway and pay the fine. Tell them they're going to do it. Have all the parade participators turn themselves into the local jail for booking and flood it. Be a nuisance, get national coverage.

[foreigncorrespondent]

10. Unfortunately...

...it isn't the parade the are trying to stop. They are actually refusing to "endorse the gay lifestyle" and Sapph tells me that Mayor Packard said as much while the cameras where running.

[Newsjock]

4. Hit 'em in the pocketbook

Give a little card to the stores you patronize in Los Altos: "Because of the City Council's vote against gays and lesbians, I no longer will be spending my money in Los Altos."

They can vote out the council members if they want our money back.

[mitchtv]

5. as if anyone could afford to shop Los Altos

[Rowdyboy]

7. Please thank her for me because when she stands up for her rights

she's atanding up for mine too.

[xchrom]

8. wooo--hooo!

it makes me laugh to hear that los altos -- oops, santa clara doesn't want a gay pride march.

thank you for ''doing'' for all of us!

here's a shout out to all bay area gay fiends at du too.

[kevinbgoode]

9. I think it sounds like time to start recall petitions

and then file a major lawsuit against the city and a petition drive demanding that no religious conferences, holidays, parades or events be issued any proclamation. That includes conventions coming to town. Nothing. Create a controversy about ANY group asking for such recognition.

Then schedule a public demonstration for gay pride - we could get people from all over the country to drop in for a couple of days to march on City Hall.