Learn. Lobby. Influence. 2010

By Randy Studt, Indiana Equality Action President

The annual State Equality Day Lobby session was held on a snowy Monday, February 15^th in the Conference Center of the ISTA Center.  The venue provided an excellent view of the Indiana Statehouse, where the group would spend its afternoon.

Indiana Equality Action was able to present information and training on the current topics before the Indiana General Assembly.  Chrystal Elliott Ratcliff of the NAACP presented IE's work to make sure that the Hate Crimes Reporting Law is fully enforced. 

Legislative Committee Chair Don Sherfick presented the history and current status of SJR 13 the Marriage Discrimination Amendment.  This topic would be the main issue for the lobbyists as they approached House members to encourage them to not hear the amendment.

We finished the day with a pair of legislators.  Rep. Mary Ann Sullivan, D –Indianapolis, spoke about her attempts to get civil rights inclusion for sexual orientation and gender identity statewide, as well as her 2010 bill to provide domestic partners the ability to make determinations in health care decisions.

Rep. Jeb Bardon, D-Indianapolis, joined the group for lunch and talked about the process of calling out legislators and making our points to them.

IEA appreciates both legislators taking time from their chaotic day to bring us up to speed.

When the group moved over to the House, the need for patience began.  Almost every participant was able to speak with their Representative and present their views on the current GLBT issues.

We appreciate those who joined us on this difficult weather day to lobby and influence the General Assembly.  If you would like to get more involved in these programs or perhaps become a Key Advocate, feel free to contact me at president@indianaequalityaction.org.