A Publication of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley W w q cl y a 11 KI n c e . o f q " SUP|»«IT„, A Wilde film EOUALMMMttl Marriage rally M6M1S D C A L '•'. S T AM E N F W 'f^.J' Rochester counsel says city should recognize marriages Chuck Bowen, Gay Gays and lesbians in the City of Rochester Alliance Executive are calling upon the Mayor and City Director, and Toby Greenfield, Youth Services Council to follow the opinion issued by Director, at the Auditorium the City's Corporate Counsel on March Center, 875 E. Main St., 19, and recognize same-sex marriages where the Gay Alliance performed legally in other areas. offices and Youth Center will move on April 2, Linda S. Kingsley, Corporation opening on April 5. The Counsel for the City of Rochester, issued GAGV Community Center her opinion on March 19. She noted will remain at 179 Atlantic that the City, while not being required Ave. to honor same-sex marriages from other governmental entities, is not prohibited g from doing so either. Kingsley was referring to the opin­ GAGV Youth Center & offices move ion issued by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer on March 3 which concluded that, while the State of New to Auditorium Center on April 2 York may not issue marriage licenses to RY fil IRAN .innPAN had stretched the limited space at the same-sex couples under the current law, Moving Day for the Gay Alliance staff Atlantic Ave. building to the breaking licenses issued by other valid jurisdic­ and youth groups w^ill have arrived by the point. The move of the offices to the tions can and should be recognized in time this issue of the Empty Closet hits Auditorium complex will greatly increase New York. the streets. The Alliance's ne^' dedicat­ the meeting space available to groups at "There are already hundreds of same- ed Youth Center, and its administrative the Community Center. sex couples living in Rochester who offices, including the Empty Closet o^ccy The move to the Auditorium Center, were legally married in Canada," said will move to the Auditorium Center, 875 home of the Auditorium Theatre, is a Chuck Bowen, Executive Director of E. Main St., on April 2. temporary one. The Board hopes that the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley. The large Youth Center will be on the within the next year and a half, the "Depending on the outcome of the situ­ first floor, and the offices will be on the Alliance will be in the process of either ation in Massachusetts, couples may be fifth floor (Suite 500). building or buying its permanent new able to marry there soon, and we expect The GAGV Community Center on Community Center, complete with large numbers of those to be to couples Atlantic Ave. will continue to be the offices, meeting space and youth center traveling from Rochester.** meeting place for lgbt groups, and many all under one roof. "The City Corporation Counsel has other events will continue to take place Youth Services Director Toby identified several benefits that should there. The addition of more staff mem­ Greenfield said, "I am extremely excited Recognition continued on p. 3 bers and the growth of the Youth Groups Move continued on page 3 Gay Alliance to partner with Kodak for trainings pv .Ql l.c^AM JORDAN Kodak, this is really a wonderfiil thing, because it allows us to train their train­ The Gay Alliance will partner with ers and keep them constantly updated. Eastman Kodak to do diversity training They also gave us the option of doing for its employees. Kodak plans to use the shop floor trainings again ourselves. Alliance training program, developed for "To my knowledge," Bowen said, "we w- - the GAGV by Donna Red Wing, for the are the only non-profit organization in In This Issue next five years. the country to partner with a large cor­ GAGV Executive Director Chuck poration to do this kind of training." Bowen said, "We have done two shop Bowen said that the GAGV team will floor trainings at Kodak. What we're consist of himself, Donna Red Wing, doing now is 'Train the Trainers,' a Lynn Tavernese (new GAGV Director two-day intensive training for a group tions of homphobia and heterosexism, of Community Relations) and another how stereotypes impact the workplace, of Kodak employees, who will then do expert to be brought in by Donna Red internal trainings." how to help colleagues identify and Wing. understand personal biases based on No date has yet been chosen for the "We will begin this summer a^res- two-day intensive. real or perceived sexual orientation or sively marketing the training to all busi- gender identity, and the skills necessary Bowen said, "Kodak will pick 15 of nesses, large and small, in this area, since to create a 30-day personal workplace the best people they have for us to train it is so unique," Bowen said. commitment incorporating strategies for in creating a culture of value, respect and "Because we're a non-profit, we look personal inclusion. safety in the workplace, and complying at this as a service, so it is affordable for with SONDA requirements. We will The outcome is that workers gain small businesses. We have done trainings the information and some of the skills train them, and th<y will do the training for Bausch & Lomb and for the Monroe inside Kodak. We're licensing the train­ needed to be dRfective advocates for lgbt County Family Court Clerks Office.** equality in the workplace. ing program to Kodak for £iyc years, and The two-day session will teach future we'll be providing them with updates, For information about GAGV train­ trainers to create a participant-centered ings, call (583)244-8640. • for instance when the marriage issue learning experience. It will enable them changes. With a large corporation like to understand and teach the defini- A2 THE EMPTY CLOSET www.gayalliance.org LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: The opinions of columnists, editorial writere and other «X)nt"tH^ and do not necessarily reflect the collective attitude of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley or the Empty Closet. We will print letters at the edi­ tor's discretion and on a space available basis.V\te will not print personal attacks on individuals, nor will we be a forum for ongoing disputes between individuals. We reserve the right to edit for space and clarity. We will print anony­ mous letters if the name and phone number are provided to the Editon confidentiality will be respected. Submissions are due by the 15th of the month at The Empfy Ctoset875 LOG STATE NEWS viewpoints ^ that matter E Main St Suite 500, Rochester NY 14609; email emptyctoset©gayalliance.org. Recognition does not prohibit individual states from continued from p. 1 recognizing same-sex couples. immediately be made available to same- "This city once again has a unique AN EMPTY CLOSET EDITORIAI BY SUSAN JORDAN RY riAPSV EXFri ITIVF DIRFCTOR CHUCK BOWEN sex couples in Rochester, most of which opportunity to step forward and reas­ address property and survivors rights," sert its position that it will not tolerate said Bowen. "Our City Government discrimination of any type. Unless the What do heterosexuals want? The chicken and the pig should take the lead and set the pace City of Rochester recognizes valid same- for our community, including the busi­ sex marriages from Massachusetts and ness community, in ensuring fair and Canada, it is reneging on its pledge of Stop the presses! This breaking news just in: "Same Sex Marriage Now Legal on I couidnt help but observe a lengthy debate occurring between the 80 or equal treatment for all married couples affirming diversity," said Bowen, "Plainly Mars; Bush Sends In Marines. President Bush announced today, 'Our homeland mar­ so people in the Rochester chatroom on gay.com. What is usually a friendly — whether same-sex or not — to the maxi­ put, marriage is marriage - and discrimi­ riage level is on lavender alert! Homosexual aliens are going to Mars to get married conversation where people meet and chat had turned into a heated debate mum extent allowed by current law." nation is discrimination." ~ we cannot permit this threat to Martian civilization! Now that Congress has given about marriage rights. Bowen said that continuously updat­ Rally for civil marriage riglits me $370 billion to send heterosexuals to Mars, we can save our sacred institution There is a restriction on the recogni­ tion of federal benefits to same-sex cou­ ed information is available at www.gayal­ "I don't believe gays should married, from alien attack!'" and Madison Ave. haye a his­ faced with a situation such as ples because of the Defense of Marriage liance.org. H draws over 260 at Fed Building said one fellow with a very April Fool— Yes, there is tory of assimilating the new his. Act passed by Congress in 1996. The act suggestive screen name. "I'm off the curb and began marrying without a fiinny side, more or less, to and disturbing and turning No need for the GAGV, BY SUSAN JORDAN not for gay rights and I'm sure renovated firehouse on Monroe Ave.; the official sanction of a homophobic the marriage controversy. For it into marketable product, huh? Move Feelings were running high on Feb. 29 at not going to let anyone know entrance was down the back alley, past society, leaving both their own leaders instance: so someday queer families Complacency and lack continued from p.