LGBTQ EQUALITY IN MOBILE

A Presentation by Amanda Scott

WHO I AM Who I am: My name is Amanda Scott and I am a paralegal student at Faulkner State Community College in Bay Minette

How this issue affects me: I am an openly bisexual woman

Why I got involved: I wanted to use my legal knowledge to make a difference in our local LGBT community

WHY MOBILE EQUALITY IS NEEDED Under current law, it is legal in the City of Mobile to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression

Housing --- You can be denied access to housing

Education --- You can be denied admission to a college or university

Employment --- You can be denied a job, fired, or demoted

Places of Public Accommodation --- You can be refused service

EXAMPLE SCENARIO #1

Bob and Richard are a gay couple who have been together for 20 years. A federal judge in Alabama recently struck down the

state’s ban on same-sex marriage. After 15 years of being engaged, they were finally able to go down to the courthouse

and obtain a marriage license.

Now they are planning their dream wedding. They are looking for the perfect cake. After searching, they finally found it at

Ann’s Bake Shop. Bob orders the cake with the following inscription: “Congratulations, Bob and Richard!”. The owner, Ann, tells him that she cannot sell him the cake because she

believes that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Because the City of Mobile does not have a nondiscrimination ordinance, this is legal.

EXAMPLE SCENARIO #2

Jane is a server at Rob’s Roadhouse. She recently came out as a transgender woman to her coworkers and asked them to start

calling her by her chosen name as she begins her transition. Prior to coming out as transgender, she was known by everyone as

John.

Her first day as Jane, she serves a table of a family of four. They ask to speak to the restaurant manager, and the father complains

that Jane makes them feel uncomfortable because she appears male. Later, the restaurant owner, Robert, comes in and decides to

let Jane go.

Because the City of Mobile does not have a nondiscrimination ordinance, this is legal.

HOW YOU CAN HELP• Attend group meetings• Participate in conference calls• Hold leadership positionsPresident --- Supervise all business and affairs

Secretary --- Record minutes of meetings and conference calls

Treasurer --- Manage financial matters

Governance Committee --- Oversee the drafting of bylaws

Religious Officer --- Reach out to local religious groups to gain public support

HOW YOU CAN HELP• Sign our petition at www.bit.ly/MobileEqualityPetition

• Like Us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MobileEquality

• Make a donationDomain registration for MobileEquality.org: $10.95 per year

Web hosting for MobileEquality.org: $10.95 per month ($65.70 for 6 months)

E-mail hosting for info@mobileequality.org: $5.00 per month ($30.00 for 6 months)