Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Southern city pushes ahead on LGBT front
by Ross Forman, Windy City Times
2012-12-26

This article shared 4059 times since Wed Dec 26, 2012
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Retired journalist Michael Walsh is working to re-write gay life in Eureka Springs, Ark.

Walsh, 63, who lived in the Chicago area 1981-2006 and was an editor at the Sun-Times, is now retired in Arkansas. He authored the city's precedent-setting domestic partner registry in 2007, the first and only in the state.

In November, Walsh was one of two who persuaded the local city council to adopt a resolution supporting marriage equality. Eureka Springs became the first city in the state to officially endorse the idea after a vote of the city council.

"Eureka is an island of progressivism in a sea of red-state conservatism," Walsh said. "The town has a couple of unofficial mottos: 'Where the misfits fit' and 'The world's largest outdoor asylum.'

"In September I read that Austin became the first city in Texas to officially endorse same-sex marriage and thought to myself, 'Eureka Springs is the Arkansas equivalent of Austin, so we should do that, too."

He recruited his friend Lamont Ritchie, who is gay and a county commissioner, to write the resolution, and they then lined up two members of the city council as co-sponsors.

"In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 12 vote, a few of my friends and I collected more than 700 signatures from supporters," Walsh said. "I gave the list to the city council on the night that Lamont and I spoke in favor of the resolution to make it clear to them that public support for marriage equality was incredibly strong, even here in the Deep South.

"Surprisingly, no one spoke against it. There wasn't even any discussion at the council table. The vote was called and the result was five 'ayes' and one 'present.'"

Walsh said the resolution is "a vitally important and historic first step."

The resolution "means that this state has one progressive, enlightened, fair-minded municipal government that believes in inclusion, not exclusion, and that recognizes and respects the notion of the separation of church and state," Walsh said. "It also adds to the momentum of the marriage equality movement nationwide and alerts national LGBT organizations not to overlook the work that gay and lesbian people are doing in the South and throughout small-town America. Although it doesn't get much attention, serious LGBT civil rights work is being done in fly-over country."

Walsh is truly proud of his efforts.

"As a writer with thousands of bylines in hundreds of newspapers and magazines behind me, I've come to realize that my words can be persuasive. They can open minds and change attitudes, round up allies and influence votes. At 63, and for no pay, I'm doing the most satisfying work of my life," he said.

Walsh was the editor of the Sun-Times' Sunday Home section 1981-1984, then a nationally syndicated columnist for Universal Press Syndicate and a contributing editor to such publications as Metropolitan Home, Better Homes & Gardens and House & Garden. He retired in 2008.

"Soon after I moved to Eureka Springs, I made friends with another gay man and two lesbians," Walsh said. "On New Year's Eve 2006, we were at a bar celebrating and the subject of domestic partnerships came up. After a brief discussion, we tabled the topic until the next day when we met again in a living room, each of us armed with our laptops. Within a few hours, we decided to propose a Domestic Partnership Registry to the city council. I took on the task of writing an ordinance that would make it law."

In February 2007, they presented the ordinance to city council, with data, research and endorsements.

"In Arkansas, it was groundbreaking," Walsh said. "The backlash was tremendous. Fundamentalist preachers railed against us and even the American Family Association got involved, threatening to boycott the town and claiming faith-based tourists would never set foot in a resort city that had been 'taken over by homosexuals.' I was shocked at the vitriol and bigotry."

But Walsh and the three others, backed by public support from residents who knew them primarily as friends, neighbors and customers, refused to back down.

The city council passed the domestic partnership registry unanimously—and to date, more than 600 same-sex couples from more than 55 communities in Arkansas, as well as 15 other states, have come to Eureka Springs to get a Domestic Partnership certificate.

"It has generated thousands of dollars in revenue for the city and contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the local economy," Walsh said.

"By itself, [the domestic partnership registry] doesn't convey any legal rights. Under our one-man/one-woman state constitutional amendment, it couldn't. But it has been honored by employers, health insurance companies, car rental agencies, airlines and health clubs with 'family plan' memberships. More importantly, it has had deep personal meaning for couples in committed relationships because it offers official government validation and recognition of those relationships.

"The lesson in a little town with no official LGBT organization, no gay business guild, is that if you want something done, you just do it. And then work like hell to drum up public support. The other lesson was that you don't actually have to be a long-term gay activist to become one."

And in 2011, Walsh also worked to gain access to health insurance for the domestic partners of city workers.

"In a few years, no one will remember my name and I'm just fine with that," Walsh said. "The important thing is that local and state history will regard what Eureka Springs has been able to do in the realm of LGBT equality and social justice as the starting points."

What's next?

"I'd really like to work on developing an LGBT organization in Eureka Springs so that the gay community could empower itself and speak with an 'official' voice," Walsh said. "We have the population and the economic power. What we don't have is the leadership. I'm not it. I don't do committees or meetings. My best place is at the keyboard, not the podium. More LGBT folks are moving here every month. Sooner or later, I'll identify the one who has the organizational and leadership skills I lack."


This article shared 4059 times since Wed Dec 26, 2012
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill
2024-03-27
On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margin—a landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...


Gay News

Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors
2024-03-24
On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...


Gay News

Family of 2004 murder victim holds event in Lake View; reward announced
2024-03-24
The year 2004, for the family and friends of Lake View resident Kevin Clewer, will forever be marked by tragedy. On March 24 of that year, Clewer, 31, was found in his apartment at 3444 N. Elaine Pl.; he was the ...


Gay News

No charges filed in Nex Benedict fight; campaigns call for Walters' removal
2024-03-22
In Oklahoma, Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen Kunzweiler announced that no charges will be filed in connection with the fight that happened the day before transgender, nonbinary high school student Nex Benedict died by suicide, NBC ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies
2024-03-15
Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ people attacked by mobs in Greece
2024-03-14
Just weeks after a landmark law granted same-sex couples in Greece the right to marry, nearly 200 people dressed in black chased a transgender couple through the town square in Thessaloniki, the country's "second city" and ...


Gay News

Florida settles 'Don't Say Gay' lawsuit
2024-03-11
On March 11, the state of Florida settled a multi-year lawsuit against the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which limits how LGBTQ+ topics can be discussed and presented in schools, The Hill reported. The settlement agreement ...


Gay News

"X" gender marker now available on Illinois driver's licenses and state ID cards
2024-03-11
After several years of preparation, the Illinois Secretary of State's office is has been making the X gender designation available for non-binary residents and others not utilizing the M or F designations, since the beginning of ...


Gay News

WORLD Israeli reservist, man detained, Ghana bill, medic denied honor
2024-03-08
Hanania Ben-Shimon—the gay Israel Defense Forces reservist who was wounded as he killed one of the terrorists in the attack at the A-Za'ayem checkpoint near Ma'ale Adumim recently—published a post in which he pleaded that his ...


Gay News

Court blocks Texas attorney general's demand for PFLAG data
2024-03-01
From a press release: AUSTIN, Texas—Travis County District Court Judge Maria Cantú Hexel on March 1 blocked the latest effort by the Texas Attorney General's Office to persecute Texas families with transgender youth, temporarily haltin ...


Gay News

WORLD Canadian politics, Australian murders, Finnish study, 'Anatomy'
2024-03-01
Canadian conservatives are divided over an anti-trans policy that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith handed down in her province, The Guardian reported. The policy includes a ban on hormonal treatment, puberty ...


Gay News

Appeals court allows Ind. ban on gender-affirming care for minors
2024-03-01
On Feb. 27, a federal appeals court in Chicago allowed Indiana's ban on gender-affirming care to go into effect, removing a temporary injunction that U.S. District Court Judge James Patrick Hanlon issued last year, ABC News ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.