PFLAG discusses advocacy for GLBT issues

John Clowers, the chairman of Indiana Equality, thought gay rights in Indiana were moving in the right direction. But the country's reaction to Massachusetts making gay marriage legal has created obstacles for gay rights lobbyists like himself.\nParents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays met Wednesday to discuss ways to advocate issues such as gay marriage and broadening the definition of anti-discrimination policies to include gays, lesbians and transgender individuals.\n"We are actually in a titanic culture war," Clowers said.\nThe anti-gay rights side of the issue is coordinated and the gay rights movement needs to organize as well, Clowers said. "There is a malice of forethought on a vast scale that is behind a lot of this (anti-gay) legislation."\nIn Indiana, the most important part of this issue is defeating the constitutional amendment that would make gay marriage or civil unions illegal, Clowers said.\nThe bill passed both the Indiana House and the Senate last year. For a constitutional amendment to pass, Indiana requires both houses to approve the legislation on two separate occasions; then, it must be voted on in a referendum. \nSo far, the bill has only passed the House and Senate once. After the elections of 2006, it will get voted on again. If it passes, the Defensive Marriage Act will go up for a referendum in 2008.\nClowers said the only way to stop this bill is for Democrats to win back the House in 2006. The House is the viable target, he said, because the Senate cannot be won back in 2006.\nSpeaker of the House Brian Bosma has control of the House agenda and is set on passing the amendment, he said. \n"Bosma has staked his career on several issues," Clowers said. "One of them is \nanti-gay legislation."\nAnother state law that could affect the gay community is a bill introduced by Indiana State Senator Patricia Miller (R-Indianapolis), said Matt Brunner, the president of the Hoosier Rights Campaign, an IU student group advocating for gay rights. \nThe law calls for a study on in vitro fertilization. This bill concerns Brunner because Miller introduced a bill last year that, if passed, would ban gays, lesbians and single people from using medical procedures to produce a child. He fears the senator could use this study to justify another attempt to oppress the rights of the GLBT community. \nLocal activists are fighting to amend Bloomington's anti-discrimination policy. Bloomington's anti-discrimination policy includes sexual orientation but not gender identity, and Brunner and others believe the current wording does not include transgender individuals. \nThe Human Rights Commission has introduced legislation to the Bloomington City Council, but since no council member has spoken out, it has not been passed yet, said Bree Hartlage, president of the Indiana Transgender Rights \nAdvocacy Alliance. \nBut local activists have scored a victory recently when the Monroe County School Board added sexual orientation to its anti-discrimination policy.\n"I am surprised we did not see more press," said Sue Wanzer, president of the Monroe County Board of School Trustees. "It came and went without a lot of controversy."\nThis change makes sure openly gay and lesbian teachers feel comfortable in Monroe County, she said.\n"My parents say it's not the right time for gay rights," Brunner said. He believes people of today aren't open-minded enough to make gay rights a priority. \n"Without hard work nothing will happen," he said. "Without that this fight will go on forever"