In Brief

Staff Reports

Indiana LGBTQ Youth Group Specialty Licence Plate Revoked

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA -- A spokesperson for Indiana's Bureau of Motor Vehicles confirmed that the agency has revoked permission and sale(s) of specialty licence plates that benefit the LGBTQ youth advocacy organisation, the Indiana Youth Group. The official also noted that two other Indiana non-profits, the Greenways Foundation and the Indiana 4-H Foundation, had their permission to sell their plates rescinded citing violations of the regulations governing issuance of the plates, saying that all three organisations broke their contracts by offering low-digit plates in exchange for contributions from donors.

The Indiana Youth Group came under intense criticism from the state's conservative Republican lawmakers who were angered that the LGBTQ group had won a specialty plate. The Republican efforts led by Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, R-Fort Wayne,attempted to pass legislation during the last days of this year's legislative session that would have revoked the youth group's plate, as well as minimising what lawmakers saw as unecessary proliferation of specialty plates in general. After those attempts failed, Long and other Senators sought to revoke the plates by voiding the IYG contract

Mary Byrne, executive director of the Indiana Youth Group, said the BMV called her today and said 20 senators had sent a letter challenging their plate and that it was being removed from sale. She said they were given no chance to appeal; no opportunity to state their case.
Byrne said she did not yet know what avenues the IYG might pursue, and did not currently have an attorney though at least two have called offering to assist.
The plate, she said, means far more to the IYG than to some groups.
“It’s a ‘we’ve arrived, we are now OK in Indiana’ plate,” she said.
And while she would not choose to go through this fight, she said it has had one benefit of giving the group visibility and publicity that it never had before. The youth group had sold 669 specialty plates so far this year.
Byrne also said that far more groups than just these three were giving the plates as thank-you gifts to donors. The IYG only obtained their plate this year, after filing a lawsuit as they were repeatedly turned down despite meeting the state’s criteria. She said they offered low-digit plates as thank-you gifts because they saw other organizations, including universities, were doing the same.
The BMV, in a statement, said that after “senators brought this violation to our attention, the BMV reviewed the websites of all other organizations currently participating” in the specialty plate program and decided to remove them from the 4-H and Greenways foundations as well. ~ The Indianapolis Star

Omaha Mayor Signs Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinance

OMAHA, NEBRASKA -- As Omaha's mayor Jim Suttle signed the "Equal Omaha" ordinance- designed to prevent discrimination in the workplace against persons to include sexual and gender orientation- local groups who oppose the new law said they're not backing down from trying to get it repealed or rescinded.

"To think somehow we don't care for them or think they should have less rights, that's not what we're saying. But at the same time, don't trample on, don't walk on our first amendment rights," said James Patterson, senior pastor at Trinity Hope Foursquare Church. Patterson said it's a violation of their constitutional rights. "By granting special rights to one group, the city is taking rights from another."

Proponents of the ordinance are happy the fight is over for now.

"Today, I can say, we are Nebraska, we are Omaha and we are proud to be here," said Michael Gordon of Equal Omaha.

The law will legally take effect at the end of this month on March 28.