Ford—tough?
I notice that local Democratic party loyalist Michael Bauer told national reporter Rob Roehr that Harold Ford ought to be given a pass on his votes and statements against gay equality ( WCT 1-17-07 ) . Bauer asserts that the anti-gay, rank opportunist Ford is 'open to dialog' on gay issues.
Until Ford decided to run for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, he had backed gay rights. That all changed when he ended up twice voting for the Federal Marriage Amendment and telling Tennesseans that he would enthusiastically back amending the state constitution to prevent 'gay marriage.' So bad had Ford become that the Stonewall Democrats criticized his selection to head the centrist Democratic Leadership Council. In opposing the gay Democrats' statement, Bauer aligns himself with the party leadership that selected Ford for the DLC position, a move that further marginalized gays in the national party structure.
Bauer intones the obvious—that no Democratic presidential candidate is likely to endorse marriage equality—and then admonishes gays to get behind the good old lesser-evil Democrat no matter how offensive he or she may be, unless we want to 'sit out the election.'
But, maybe 'sitting out' the election is what ought to be done. In place of voting, gays and our allies can get into the streets to demand our full equality no matter who is anointed to sit in the big White House.
Bob Schwartz
Chicago, IL
Safe Homes Act
We were pleased by Jonathan Dixon's informative article on Illinois' Safe Homes Act ( 'The Safe Homes Act and Domestic/Sexual Violence,' Jan. 31, 2007 ) . He rightly notes that the law establishes important new protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence who live in rental housing. Before the Safe Homes Act was passed, victims of domestic and sexual violence could still be liable for rent accrued after they fled their unsafe apartments. Now that the Safe Homes Act is in effect, victims in most rental housing can use the law to end their leases early so that they and their children can start fresh in secure homes.
However, we wanted to correct details regarding the Safe Homes Act's rather complicated lock change section. Mr. Dixon notes that tenants with written leases may request a lock change, as long as they provide evidence to their landlords of a credible imminent threat of domestic or sexual violence. It is important to add that this request must be in writing from all household members who have signed the lease. Furthermore, victims may only request a lock change if the perpetrator is not a leaseholder.
Thus, victims with oral leases or who share leases with their abusers are not currently eligible for lock changes under the Safe Homes Act. The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law and Housing Action Illinois are working to amend the Safe Homes Act to eliminate these restrictions and enable more victims to benefit from these vital protections. For more information, please visit www.povertylaw.org .
Kate Walz
Senior Attorney
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
Chicago, IL
Wendy Pollack
Director, Women's Law and Policy Project
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
Chicago, IL
Kudos for del Valle
When you go to vote for Alderman and Mayor, don't forget to vote for City Clerk Miguel del Valle. He never forgot about us!
The LGBT community owes a great debt to Miguel and we urge you to vote for him on Feb. 27 for city clerk.
From the earliest days in our fight for the nondiscrimination bill in Springfield, and through all the years—until we had victory—Miguel de Valle, then a state senator, was with us.
He was with us with more than just a 'yes' vote. Miguel del Valle was committed to our cause. He was our counsel—a trusted advisor—in the fight to navigate this critical legislation through the stormy waters of fear and hate. We simply can't overstate Miguel's commitment to LGBT equality, to human equality. We ask you to be committed to him.
In the earliest and perhaps most fearful days of AIDS, del Valle served on the AIDS Foundation Board in the 1980s. If you remember those days, you know it took real bravery to stand with our community. If you weren't around the community in those days, please take our word for it!
Whenever we vote, we must protect our friends. Miguel was there for us. Please be there for him.
Stand by a friend who has always stood with us. Join us on Feb. 27 in voting for Miguel del Valle, city clerk for the city of Chicago.
Sincerely,
Alderman Tom Tunney
State Senator John Cullerton
State Representatives Sara Feigenholtz & Greg Harris
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Debra Shore
Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley
Equality Illinois Director of Public Policy Rick Garcia