Comments on: Seattle to release names of gay and lesbian city workers

By: SteveMD2

SteveMD2 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:12:47 +0000

Sounds like an attempt to terrorize non-out gays, and keep gays from joining these supportive groups.

There is a movie by the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychologists. It talks about x gay conversions, and shows that on a random sample, not provided by the ex gay jesus freaks groups, that about 15% claimed success. That group split 3 ways – 1/3 were caught in gay bars etc, 1/3 were celibate (prob wacking off), and the other 1/3 went to work for the exgay groups. It is similar to what I would call Jews who worked for the Nazis. Prob not a lot of those, or not for long.

But everyone should be out. Period. That is what will break the back of the neo-facsist christian taliban. The old story about it is hard to hate good people when you know them.

By: jonboy

jonboy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:21:51 +0000

Boy, talk about forced ‘outing!’

By: Marco Luxe

Marco Luxe — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:54:35 +0000

Hello Seattle City Employees: Run, don’t walk, to add your name to the rolls of the LGBTQ club and show solidarity with your threatened colleagues! It’s the American thing to do. Bonus reason: by deduction, you can find the exclusionary homophobes among your co-workers. I love it when, even when they win, they lose.

By: Anthony Garringer

Anthony Garringer — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:06:24 +0000

P.S. not every one has money or time for lawsuits some people live hand to mouth plus what if these workers have children to feed aged parents to take care of mortgages to pay or are single parents? Its a horrible time to be unemployed, or to be wondering why you never get that raise or promotion especially when you counting on it to pay the light bill or to by food.

By: Anthony Garringer

Anthony Garringer — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:48:03 +0000

This will only lead to harassment and could even be used by groups to single out individuals for violent hate crimes. It would be different if this was a 527 group or they were political donors but it is just a social group.

By: J. Bruce Wilcox

J. Bruce Wilcox — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:04:01 +0000

And I’m going to agree with Trace-

Unfortunately- the motivation here is stupid and foolish. More unfortunately are the city employees who are not utterly willing to step up and come out and admit who they are PUBLICALLY.

It’s time to grow up. And grow some balls if you dan’t have any. Deal with the bigot publically. In his face. Stop being afraid of people knowing you’re gay or lesbian.

By: Share-all

Share-all — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:17:11 +0000

You can’t have it both ways – getting the benefits (paid for by the public) means playing by the open records laws.

By: Aiden Raccoon

Aiden Raccoon — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:19:29 +0000

Do I not understand this correctly because I think some of you are missing the point. I am to understand that the request was for the gay and lesbian member list. Some are saying that it was for the entire member list of employees. If it is for the entire list then its fine, but if it is for the specific gay and lesbian workers then that is a privacy matter. There is no guarantee that just because you work for a gay and lesbian center or whatever it is, that you must be gay or lesbian.

By: Gary

Gary — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:17:56 +0000

This will not be a popular comment but,If the information is about an affinity/advocacy group that is sponsored by a governmental agency, sorry…the information IS public information and is subject to release: even to bigots and idiots.
Members of government sponsored advocacy groups should know that ANYTHING and EVERYTHING they do related to the government, from work, to taxes, to income, to e-mail and any documents and yes, advocacy group membership, is subject to FOIA requests.
If the topic was important enough for you to join an advocacy group, why would you be embarassed to have anyone find out? Take responsibility and ownership of who you are and your actions…just like those that “harrass” will be held accountable. I hate this ignorant “game” of who can be “bullied” and ridiculed enough to be chased “out of the way” and back into a closet.

By: sait

sait — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:39:19 +0000

If it’s a city-sponsored club, then their names are required to be public knowledge. Maybe they should have formed a privately funded/sponsored group amongst themselves.