Lynne Bowman
The Evolution of Activism
by William Ashley
Another year has come and gone for LGBT politics in Ohio. While, nationally, we witnessed the fight for marriage rights in several states and the District of Columbia, the State of Ohio was engrossed in a battle for arguably even more basic rights: to own property and work in all of Ohio’s 88 counties free from discrimination. In May 2009, the Equal Housing and Employment Act was introduced into the Ohio House of Representatives with over 25 percent of the delegation as co-sponsors. The EHEA made it through the State Governance Committee a month later and officially passed the Ohio House in mid-September. Additionally, several localities, cities, and counties throughout Ohio enacted their own anti-discrimination laws regarding housing and employment.
The EHEA faces a more difficult hurdle in its next destination – the Ohio Senate. Senate President Bill Harris has publicly declared the EHEA to be unnecessary in Ohio. As the higher house tends to work from a top-down perspective, many groups are currently lobbying for Senator Harris’ attention on this issue.
It seems safe to say that 2010 will see the EHEA, or a similar bill, fight for passage in the Ohio Senate. The year should consist of this agenda. Marriage equality may be the national hot-button issue, but after speaking to Ohio-equality leaders, I can tell you that marriage equality is simply not feasible for the coming year. Ohio activists need to pool their resources into a measurable win, a victory that can continue to build momentum for this ongoing war of civil rights. This measurable win will be the passage of the EHEA. While this may be difficult in the Ohio Senate, it is most definitely not insurmountable. A clear and concise victory is what this state needs to push us into the – forgive me for quoting national Congressional leaders on an entirely different issue –“right side of history.”
In terms of Ohio leadership in the fight for LGBT equality, there is a bit of evolution at play. Lynne Bowman, executive director of Equality Ohio, is turning in her state badge and heading to the national stage. Bowman leaves Equality Ohio for Equality Federation, the national alliance of state-based advocacy organizations. Stepping up to lead Equality Ohio will be Susan Doerfer, who previously led the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland. Fortunately for outlook, both leading ladies agreed to answer some questions about their accomplishments, career transitions, and the 2010 agenda for Ohio LGBT policies.
William Ashley: In your respective organization, what was your greatest accomplishment?
Lynne Bowman: I think the greatest accomplishment I had as executive director during my time at Equality Ohio is that the organization has remained true to the values of the founders in the way we worked with other partners, the way we talk about and approach the work that we do, and the value we continue to place on an inclusive and transparent model of operations.
Susan Doerfer: My greatest accomplishment has been making The Center available to all who need it.
WA: What situation did you learn the most from during your tenures at Equality Ohio and the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland?
LB: The last year 18 months of fundraising to support the vision of Equality Ohio has certainly been a great learning opportunity for me personally and for everyone else in the organization. We’ve had to be creative in our fundraising methods and even more focused than we’d been previously on finding ways to get the work done while not spending a single penny more than we needed to.
SD: I learned the most from my experiences with George Forbes, The Call & Post Newspaper, and The Cleveland NAACP. After the Domestic Partner Registry passed, there was opposition coming from mostly African American conservative pastors. In an editorial board meeting with The Call & Post Newspaper, there was an honest discussion that led to better understanding on both parts. As a result, The Call & Post endorsed the Domestic Partner Registry and the Cleveland NAACP passed a resolution to support the Registry. This changed the course of the opposition. We have kept that collaboration going, continued having honest conversations, and have forged new ground between the LGBT and the African American communities.
Susan Doerfer
WA: What do you think you will take from your past experiences into your new positions?
LB: I’ll take a couple of things with me from Equality Ohio to my new job with the Equality Federation. Foremost is the knowledge of the power that exists in state organizing and statewide LGBT organizations across the nation. Virtually every single bit of progress for LGBT people that exists in the nation is at the state and local level. Many of those successes have occurred in states that have organizations with pathetically miniscule budgets but a heck of a lot of focused and committed people. Imagine what could be done across the nation and federally if there was a focus on making those state organizations even stronger than they already are.
Second, but no less important, is how many people want to be involved in this work. As a movement, we need to continue to figure out more and better ways to make sure opportunities are accessible for everyone to contribute time and passion. We need a broader menu of opportunities rather than a selection of Choice A or Choice B. All activism can be good activism and we need to find better ways to embrace it.
And finally – we’ve got to broaden our agenda. We can’t continue to ask for support for our issues if we’re not actively engaged in supporting other issues related to social justice. In Ohio, as in other states and federally, we’re not there yet.
SD: A commitment to improving the lives of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. My time in Cleveland has taught me a lot about inclusivity and exclusion within the LGBT community.
WA: What policies, do you believe, are the main focus of 2010 for Ohio LGBT citizens? Are they the same policies that we should be focusing on?
LB: Federally, I believe repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act by the end of 2010 may be all we can expect to see, depending on how things go with the economy and the war. I am very interested to see where things go with some of the pieces contained in Congresswoman Baldwin’s recently introduced healthcare bill; that may be a sleeper where we could see movement. At the state level, the entire community is going to need to be focused on passage of the Equal Housing and Employment Act in the Senate. There’s a saying that if you chase two rabbits you’ll lose them both. In my opinion, the EHEA needs to be the sole rabbit for 2010 in Ohio. While there may be some opportunity around benefits and safe schools, if the EHEA is going to be signed by the governor, there may not be any better time than 2010 to make that happen.
SD: I believe that basic rights such as employment, housing and public accommodations are, and should be, the focus for 2010 in Ohio. LGBT Ohioans need to have the right to work, live in our homes, and participate in life in Ohio.
WA: What policies are out of our reach — meaning we should not expect to see much progress throughout the coming year?
LB: The one policy I don’t think we’ll see any movement on either in Ohio or at the federal level in 2010 is relationship recognition.
SD: Overturning the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in Ohio is out of reach in 2010. As I said previously, LGBT basic rights are at stake. In order to overturn the amendment and work on same-sex marriage in Ohio, we need to expand our grassroots organizing in every corner of Ohio. It is going to take a lot of work and a lot of money to launch a successful campaign.
WA: Any final words before moving onto the next stage of your careers?
LB: My time leading Equality Ohio has been five of the best years of my professional career. The people I’ve had the opportunity to work with and the work that I’ve had the chance to be part of have impacted me in ways I’ll never forget. The pro-equality community across Ohio is a special community of people, and I’m honored to have been able to contribute my passion to our collective work. I look forward to watching Equality Ohio grow in the future under the leadership of Sue Doerfer.
SD: I am looking forward to the opportunity, and I am ready to take on the challenge!
