The Gayly Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 22, No. 17, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 1, 2004 Page: 1 of 28
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Statewide 6LBT News Source since 1983
TULSA - Philip Au with OUT OK III at the pre-film festival screening of
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OKLAHOMA CITY - Central Oklahoma Stonewall Democrats Treasurer
Jim Nimmo gives a $1,000 contribution check to Kitti Asberry, Chair of
the Oklahoma Country Democratic Party.
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GAY GAMES.
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Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce: Project NEXT
Jim Roth, Martha Pat Upp August 22nd focus group
facilitator, Nancy Robertson a member of the leadership
team for Project NEXT, and Mike McLain.
By Paula Sophia
OKLAHOMA CITY - Maybe
you have heard the saying that
politics makes strange bedfel-
lows. Well, here lately it seems
that economic development also
makes strange bedfellows too.
The Oklahoma City Chamber of
Commerce has launched Project
NEXT: A Regional Economic
Evolution.
On Sunday August 22 Project
NEXT invited “friends from the
gay community" to share their
ideas about diversity, opportu-
nity and economic growth in
Oklahoma City. The Chamber of
Commerce has appealed to the
various minority groups in the
greater Oklahoma City metro-
politan area for help to develop
strategies that will attract edu-
cated and talented individuals.
The overall goal is to promote
economic development for the
entire community.
Jim Roth, Oklahoma County
Commissioner District 1, sees
Project NEXT as an extremely ex-
citing development. “Who would
have thought the OKC Chamber
of Commerce would become a
pioneer for the development of
diversity and tolerance to en-
hance economic development?"
he mused.
He attributes this emerging
renaissance to the work of Richard
Florida, author of The Rise of the
Creative Class, who was invited
to speak to the OKC Chamber
of Commerce about economic
development earlier this year. In
his book Florida asserts that for a
community to attract technology
and talent there must be toler-
ance.
Jim Roth commented about
Richard Florida's
research. “He
called the gay
community in a
city the 'canaries
of the creative
age . He firmiy
states that a com-
munity that is
tolerant of gay,
lesbian, bisexual,
and transgen-
dered people is
tolerant about
diversity in gen-
eral, which is
a necessary el-
ement for eco-
nomic develop-
ment."
This "gay index" is a strong
predictor for the success of cit-
ies who wish to attract high tech
industries, and Oklahoma City
has much room for improvement.
Out of 49 cities profiled in Richard
Florida's book, Oklahoma City
ranked 40th. "Without exception
the top 10 cities evaluated had
vibrant and thriving glbt com-
munities as well as a healthy tap-
estry of diverse and active minor-
ity communities," Commissioner
Roth said.
During the meeting on
August 22nd about sixty members
of Oklahoma City's glbt commu-
nity brainstormed various ways
that Oklahoma City can attract
and retain talented and creative
people. They answered a series
of questions aimed at trying to
pinpoint how Oklahoma City
can become a better environment
for diversity. They focused on is-
sues of cultural development and
how to attract talent and attract
lost talent back. They also took a
look at the entrepreneurial core
in Oklahoma City, the need for
communication to diffuse isola-
tion, and how to develop, match,
and retain talent.
Rob Howard, the President
of Oklahoma City's chapter of
PFLAG (Parents and Friends
of Lesbians and Gays), said,
"Oklahoma City has a lot of what
makes a city great: friendly peo-
ple, good weather, a significantly
improved public infrastructure
and a low cost of living."
So then one may ask, "What's
the problem?"
Rob Howard responded,
"From a lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgendered perspective,
a community that includes police
officers and firefighters, farmers,
truckers, airplane mechanics, as
well as business owners, execu-
tives, lawyers, doctors and teach-
ers, Oklahoma can do better."
Terry Gatewood, Chair of
Cimarron Equality Oklahoma,
cited a recent poll conducted
(continued on page 8)
Cherokee Court Continues Same Sex Marriage Case
By Paula Sophia
TAHLEQUAH - Kathy
Reynolds expressed exaspera-
tion. She held some court papers
in her hand, scanning over them
nervously while she waited for
her appearance in court along
with her spouse Dawn McKinley.
She shook the papers with anger.
"How can he do this?" she asked
to nobody in particular.
She was referring to the de-
layed response filed by Mr. Todd
Hembree to their motion to dis-
miss, which was due August 6th.
Todd Hembree filed a motion for
a declaratory judgment in June
after the Rev. Leslie Penrose of
The Community of Hope Church
in Tulsa wed Kathy Reynolds and
Dawn McKinley, both Cherokee
citizens on Cherokee land. The
requested declaratory judgment
was to clarify that Cherokee
law defines marriage as a union
between one man and one wom-
an. However, on June 14th the
Cherokee Tribal Council had an
emergency meeting to change
the law, using language to specifi-
cally deny same-sex couples the
right to marry in the Cherokee
Nation, a sovereign authority.
Chad Smith, the Principal Chief
of the Cherokee Nation has prom-
ised to sign the measure into law.
However, the new law would
not affect the marriage between
Reynolds and McKinley who were
married under the old law.
"If the language was so clear
before, then why did they change
the law?" Reynolds asked. "That's
why we filed our motion to dis-
miss and Mr. Hembree did not
respond in a timely manner. I'll
bet if we were only an hour late
they would shut down the process
on us."
In fact, Todd Hembree was
two weeks late. He did not file
his response until August 20,
2004, the day of the hearing, an
hour and a half before the parties
were to appear in court. Kathy
Reynolds sensed an ambush. She
anticipated that she and Dawn
would get railroaded in court.
Both women paced nervously
outside the courtroom, waiting for
their names to be called.
After Todd Hembree failed
Dawn McKinley and Kathy Reynolds
to file his response to their mo-
tion to dismiss, Kathy Reynolds
failed a motion for a summary
judgment on August 12th based
upon Hembree's lack of a timely
response. According to Cherokee
Court rules Hembree has 15 days
to respond to a motion for a sum-
mary judgment. A summary judg-
ment would most likely fall in the
favor of Reynolds and McKinley
so they could file their marriage li-
(continued on page 19)
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Hawkins, Don. The Gayly Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 22, No. 17, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 1, 2004, newspaper, September 1, 2004; Oklahoma City, Okla.. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc825112/m1/1/: accessed March 28, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.