In Brief

Staff Reports

Kentucky Gay Rights Group Sues Lexington Tee Shirt Company After It Refused To Print Shirt For Pride Event

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY -- The Gay and Lesbian Service Organization -or GLSO - of Lexington has filed a complaint against local tee shirt company, Hands On Originals, after the owner refused to print tee shirts for the annual Pride Festival. According to Pride Festival Chairman Paul Brown, the Pride Festival committee received a quote from Hands On Originals last December by phone to produce t-shirts for the 5th annual Pride Festival in Lexington. The quote from Hands On Originals was the lowest bid from a local company, and the committee intended to move forward with having them produce shirts.

Chairman Paul Brown said that when a committee member called the business with the intention of finding out whether any lower price could be negotiated, he was asked who he had previously talked to. At that moment, he could not remember their name, and when the name “Blaine” was suggested, he agreed. After playing phone tag with phone messages going back and forth, the committee member was finally able to speak with Blaine, who represented himself as an owner of Hands On Originals. Blaine's inquiries were related to what the GLSO was, what the organsation's mission is, and the event GLSO was promoting.

The committee member explained, including that the t-shirt would only contain a stylized number “5″ on the front and the name of the festival, and sponsors on the rear. When Blaine learned that it was a gay pride festival, he asked, “You know we’re a Christian organization, don’t you?” He then continued on to say that Hands On Originals would not print shirts related to a gay pride festival. Blaine told the GLSO representative that he could refer the organisation to a different business who would print the shirts. The GLSO member told Blaine he would take that offer to the board, but he informed Blaine that it was doubtful that the GLSO would desire to do business with anyone who did business with Hands On Originals, based on that biased reaction and act of discrimination.

"This wouldn't be acceptable to do (to) a black group," said Pride Festival Chairman Paul Brown. "This wouldn't be acceptable to do to a Jewish group and because of the fairness ordinance it's unacceptable to do it to a gay group."

On Sunday, March 25th, the GLSO board met in emergency session and agreed to file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission under the city of Lexington's Fairness Ordinance.

A spokesperson for the GLSO told LGBTQNation Tuesday,

In furtherance of the GLSO’s goal to educate the community on the ongoing issue with Hands On Originals, the GLSO board of directors decided to file a discrimination complaint with the city of Lexington's Human Rights Commission. The board does not wish to engage in nor does it condone name-calling, bad-mouthing, or threatening businesses. The board has two simple goals in this situation: 1) educating the community and 2) refusing to tolerate discrimination.

The board does not agree with discrimination in any manner and will not tolerate discrimination. Lexington has had a Fairness Ordinance for 13 years because the citizens of Lexington voted against discrimination. The GLSO believes in the Fairness Ordinance and refuses to let discrimination go unanswered.

Tuesday afternoon, Wildcat Wearhouse, a Kentucky company that used to be affiliated with Hands On Originals, released the following statement;

"Due to a change in ownership on January 1st, 2011, Wildcat Wearhouse is no longer owned and operated by Hands On Originals. Wildcat Wearhouse has continued to use the distinctive hand print logo due to its long term association with quality collegiate products. Future use of the hand print logo is to be determined. Wildcat Wearhouse both employs and does business with people of all genders, races, religions, sexual preferences and national origins. We do not produce custom goods for businesses, organizations or individuals; therefore we do not have any order acceptance policies. We are a retail business committed to providing the Big Blue Nation with excellent quality products and friendly service at all 16 of our Kentucky locations."

Attempts by LGBTQNation to get a response from Hands On Originals were unsuccessful.

Michigan Civil Service Commission: Sacked Assistant Attorney General Made “Media Spectacle Of Himself”

LANSING, MICHIGAN -- In a ruling issued Tuesday, a state Civil Service Commission grievance officer found that former Michigan assistant attorney general Andrew Shirvell had made a “media spectacle” of himself and the state's attorney general’s office after publishing a blog attacking the former University of Michigan student body president for his alledged “radical homosexual agenda."

Shirvell had appealed his firing from the attorney general’s office after Then-Attorney General Mike Cox fired him in November 2010, finding that Shirvell had lied to his superiors and used state equipment for publishing his blog.

The Civil Service Commission grievance officer wrote in his report;

“The pattern of conduct in which he engaged constituted hate speech, physical and mental harassment of citizens of this state and a nexus was established between that conduct and his position as an Assistant Attorney General. 

[...] (Shirvell) has been determined, in the course of this fact-finding and opinion, to have engaged in harassing conduct of the basest sort. As was noted above, it is disheartening to see a bright individual with a great deal of potential engage in such conduct: The fact that the grievant deliberately made a media spectacle of himself and the department for which he worked without regard for the interests of his employer constitutes conduct unbecoming a state employee.”

Shirvell’s attorney, Phil Thomas, said the decision is one more example of the state “trampling” on Shirvell’s First Amendment rights, reports The Detroit Free Press. “Although (grievance officer William Hutchens) explicitly found that Mr. Shirvell conducted all of his blogging activities outside of work utilizing his own resources, nonetheless Hutchens justified Mr. Shirvell’s firing based on what he called Mr. Shirvell’s ‘hate speech.’ Hutchens’ characterization of Mr. Shirvell’s blog is based on his own biased opinion and not on the evidence in the record.” Shirvell will appeal the decision, Thomas said.

Shirvell targeted Chris Armstrong in the spring of 2010, shortly after Armstrong became the first openly gay student body president at the University of Michigan. In his first post Shirvell wrote:

“Welcome to ‘Chris Armstrong Watch’. This is a site for concerned University of Michigan alumni, students, and others who oppose the recent election of Chris Armstrong — a RADICAL HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVIST, RACIST, ELITIST, & LIAR — as the new head of student government.”

Among Armstrong’s radical, homosexual agenda: he supported gender-neutral housing at the university for transgender students who haven’t had sexual reassignment surgery.

Shirvell himself is a graduate of the university. Shortly before he was fired, appearing on CNN's AC 360, Shirvell made no apologies for his blog postings, which include the image of Armstrong with “Resign” written over his face. The same picture also had a swastika superimposed over a gay pride flag, with an arrow pointing toward Armstrong.

“I’m a Christian citizen exercising my First Amendment rights,” Shirvell told AC360 host Anderson Cooper,“I have no problem with the fact that Chris is a homosexual. I have a problem with the fact that he’s advancing a radical homosexual agenda.”

The first discipline Shirvell faced was in February 2010, when Shirvell sent an e-mail to former state Rep. Leon Drolet, bashing him for alleged homosexual activities. Shirvell started the blog targeting Armstrong in May 2010, and was counseled at first by the AG’s staff to discontinue it. Cox later told his staff to tell Shirvell he had the right to blog, but couldn’t do it on state time, or use his title. 

Cox testified in the grievance hearing that when he reviewed the blog and an investigation into Shirvell’s conduct it “was in stunning detail, an overwhelming case to terminate Mr. Shirvell. It outlined escalating behavior. It outlined behavior separate from the blog that dealt with not only his behavior in the workplace but also his behavior outside the workplace, some of which I would call minimally misdemeanant criminal, meaning stalking… there were a number of incidents where Mr. Shirvell was inviting a civil lawsuit.” 

Cox also said he thought Shirvell’s behavior “constituted a threat to the mission of the agency” after the attorney general's office got more than 22,000 phone calls demanding Shirvell be fired along with letters and e-mails. Shirvell and Armstrong are currently engaged in civil lawsuits. Each has sued the other. ~ The Detroit Free Press