Ohio House Bill 176 is the Equal Housing and Employment Act (EHEA). Last fall, it was passed in the Ohio House of Representatives. It was by no means a landslide. 56 representatives voted to pass, but 39 voted no. It now sits in the office of Ohio Senate President Bill Harris until he decides that it should be brought to committee for a hearing, then heard in the Ohio Senate. He hasn't moved it because Harris doesn't think that the bill is necessary. You can help.
1) Write a letter to Senator Harris telling him that this bill is necessary and urge him to consider it for committee. Equality Ohio suggests that handwritten letters are the most effective. You can use this as a guide:
Dear Senator Harris,
I am writing to urge you to move HB 176 into the Rules Committee for a full and fair hearing. I firmly believe that all Ohioans should be protected from discrimination in the workplace, in housing and in public accommodation. House Bill 176 simply fills the gap in Ohio's current anti-discrimination laws to include protection for all people in the Buckeye State.
Unfortunately, this bill is still critically needed in our state. [Insert your story here. If you don't have one, that's okay too. Just skip to the next paragraph. This is my story: I am a coordinator of a drop-in social group at our local LGBT center. At three out of the last five meetings, two members told us that they were recently fired after coming out and a third has to hide his personal life from his co-workers for fear of being fired. And although my own workplace includes sexual orientation in its non-discrimination statement, a co-worker of mine is cautiously navigating the relationship with her landlord after he recently told her "He didn't realize she was a lesbian," when he rented to her.]
Besides being unfair, and it being blatantly un-American to fire someone for reasons other than work performance, this kind of intolerance is one of reasons why Ohio continues to lose young professionals to neighboring states.
433 of the Fortune 500 companies have workplace policies similar to those in HB 176. Eleven of Ohio’s thirteen public four-year universities do too. The time is now, Senator Harris, to move HB 176 to the Senate for a full vote by our elected officials so that the State of Ohio can match the progress that the rest of America is making.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Mail to:
Senator Bill Harris
Statehouse Room #201, 2nd Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
2) Get one other person to write to Senator Harris. Here's five ways how...
~ Print out this page and hand it to your best friend with a piece of lined paper and a stamped envelope. Tell him that you will buy the next round if he finishes a letter before your beers are gone.
~ Copy and paste this link in an email to your mother. Tell her that you can still be fired just for being gay. Tell her she is your most favorite mom and ask her to please write a letter on your behalf. This is most effective when followed up with a visit to her house where you do your laundry and raid her fridge and tell her that if you lose your job for being gay you would most likely move back in with her. (Of course, most LGBT Americans are productive citizens who contribute greatly to the community.)
~ It's too hard to read yellow typeface...
~ Prepare a romantic evening with your girlfriend. After your fancy dinner and romantic movie, lean in close and tell her that activist lesbians really turn you on. Pull a pen and notebook out from the couch cushions and dictate to her between smooches.
~ Change your Facebook picture to this. When friends ask who it is, tell them it's the guy holding EHEA hostage in the Ohio Senate. Tell them to click on this link and to urge him to protect us, their dear LGBT friends in Ohio, by moving HB 176 to committee.
~ Tell your short attention spanned brother to nevermind the letter writing. Ask for his cell phone and type in (614) 466-8086. Hand him the phone and tell him to leave a message for Senator Bill Harris saying he is FOR Ohio House Bill 176 and he urges the Senator to move it to committee. Thank him with a hug and a promise that you will babysit his kids so he and his wife can go see Clash of the Titans on opening day. (I know how much he loves shouting "Release the Kracken!")
HB 176 Watch May 19 2010: 275 Ohioans took part in Equality Ohio's Lobby Day. Citizens spoke with their elected officials and urged them to support moving HB 176 to committee. OutLoud Columbus was a community sponsor of this inspiring event! March 13 2010: OutLoud Columbus begins a grassroots effort to raise awareness about HB 176 within the Central Ohio LGBTA community. January 2010: HB 176 remains in the clutches of Senator Harris and won't see the light of day without some intense persuading. --------------- Do What's Right Ohio has a great timeline full of interesting facts about the bill's history. Check it out. | Missed Our Speakers? Watch Rep Stewart and Sue Doerfer discuss HB 176 on In The Life. After that, send an email to WOSU and tell them that we want this important show on our PBS station. YouTube Video |