Health Promo 03 (Getty) | Advocate.com
||  News  ||
 
August 28, 2008

Birmingham Mayor Sued for Discrimination

A gay rights group in Alabama is filing a lawsuit against the mayor of Birmingham for not allowing city workers to hang banners supporting Gay Pride Week. Central Alabama Pride Inc. filed the federal suit, claiming that Mayor Larry Langford's actions violated workers' First Amendment rights, according to the Birmingham News.

Some workers wanted to hang banners on city property, as other workers have done to promote football games and music festivals. However, individuals were denied use of city property to advertise for Birmingham's 20th annual gay pride parade on June 7. Langford said he turned down the request because it was inappropriate for the government to endorse a "lifestyle choice," according to the lawsuit. He then said he would not interfere with a permit request as long as he did not have to sign it. Birmingham police later issued the permit, and the Birmingham City Council passed a resolution supporting the event.

"The bottom line is, I don't condone the lifestyle and what they were asking me to do," Langford said in the article. "Proclamations are under my purview as mayor, so they're asking me for a personal endorsement." (The Advocate)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: dorothy
    Date posted: 2008-09-03 12:47 AM
    Hometown: birmingham, al

    Comment:

    As a resident of Birmingham, I know first hand the kind of mayor that Larry Langford is. This does not shock me at all. He is VERY open about his beliefs, and even holds "prayers" during city meetings. I am a Christian, but I also know that government and religion are not supposed to overlap. Langford should do everything he can to please the Gays/Lesbians in Birmingham. They contribute money to Birmingham's economy just like everyone else who live here (and sometimes more!)


  • Name: Gary Bryson
    Date posted: 2008-09-01 9:04 PM
    Hometown: Brevard, NC

    Comment:

    Good for the mayor. He did the right thing. Now if we could just run the queers out of the entire South, life would be better.


  • Name: Chris
    Date posted: 2008-08-31 3:52 PM
    Hometown: Birmingham

    Comment:

    I am very glad to see that the Mayor has finally done something right... Being gay is far from natural, in fact it is just plain weird and perverted... I am proud that my Mayor has decided to take a stand for morality.... being gay is not more acceptable than a grown man having sex with an under-aged girl... You can call me intolerant if you would like but you are as well.... We are all intollerant when it comes to Morality...the only question is where will you draw the line? I draw the line at being gay whil you may draw the line at a certain age or a certain number.(multiple wiver ect.).... hooraaa for the mayor!!!!


  • Name: James Klich
    Date posted: 2008-08-30 5:43 PM
    Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

    Comment:

    There is no grey area when it comes to discrimination. You cannot pick or choose who you like or don't like. You are for everybody or you are for nobody. This is true 100% of the time. The laws in the United States are outdated when it comes to sexual orientation. They need to be updated. We will all be discriminated against at some point in our life. I am a Christian and treat others how I would want to be treated. This is what Jesus would do. Jesus would let the signs go up.


  • Name: Daryl
    Date posted: 2008-08-28 1:40 PM
    Hometown: Indpls

    Comment:

    Actually, Mr. Langford, it's your JOB to do that. You support the entire city, including those you don't like or approve of. That's your J.O.B. It's been well documented that employee's cannot discriminate at work, and that if you allow one type of event to be advertised, you have to allow them all. It's been gone over time and again in the courts.


  • Name: Steve Ribisi
    Date posted: 2008-08-28 12:09 PM
    Hometown: Quincy, MA

    Comment:

    Sadly, the answer to the nature/nurture BS is probably never. For those who hate LBGT people it is compelling to make believe that we all choose to be the way we are because then they, as the bigots they are, don't have to feel too bad about treating us like dirt. The issue is further complicated by folks who are themselves gay and make the argument that they in fact did choose to be attracted to members of the same sex. There aren't many such folks, but there are some. I for one won't argue that point with them. Instead I think folks will come around as they realize that the "lifestyle choice" they are condemning comes down to a matter of love. Love is never a bad thing be it hetero or homo (Ok, let's all sing Kumbaya now!). The true bigots will likely never change their minds about us. They will just get old and die, still the bigots they ever were. We can only hope that they are not replaced by new bigots at quite the same rate at which they die.


  • Name: Roger Burr
    Date posted: 2008-08-28 11:16 AM
    Hometown: Marble Hill, MO

    Comment:

    When will this genetic deficient learn that being gay/lesbian is not a 'lifeSTYLE';, or a 'choice'? We are, or are not, that way from BIRTH. Does one CHOOSE to be black, or white, or male, or female? Neither does one 'choose' to be gay! I'm glad to see the city council voted against him. Let's hope the INTELLIGENT people of Birmingham have the good sense to vote this homophobic idiot out of office!


  • Name: Chris Sullivan
    Date posted: 2008-08-28 11:00 AM
    Hometown: Chicago, IL

    Comment:

    I don't condone having an ignorant mayor but I support his rite to be one if enough ignorant people in his area vote for him - just don't ask ME to vote for him.


Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives
  • Letter From the Editor
    We’d like to unveil a big change: after nearly four decades as a biweekly magazine, we’re going monthly.
  • Parental Control
    San Francisco State researcher Caitlin Ryan explains the importance behind a study linking suicide and drug use among gay children to parental rejection.
  • Austerity Chic
    How novelist and performance artist Mike Albo gets by in lean times.
  • Hoping to "Wu" Michelle
    Dressing Michelle Obama in November was a game changer for designer Jason Wu. Now he has his sights set on the future first lady’s most high-profile event: Inauguration Day.
  • Boi From Troy Signs Off
    After five years of raising eyebrows on the Web, Boi From Troy blogger -- and gay Republican -- Scott Schmidt is signing off.
  • A Desert Journey
    The Mii Amo spa in Sedona, Ariz., is famous for packages designed to lead people through a spiritual as well as physical transformation. One writer relinquishes herself to the journey and recounts her days in one of the world's most beautiful destination resorts.
  • A List: Chris Evans
    Chris Evans is a serious actor but that doesn’t mean he wants you to stop objectifying him.
  • Great American Couple
    In an exclusive excerpt from his new book, Hollywood Bohemians: Transgressive Sexuality and the Selling of the Movieland Dream, Brett L. Abrams explores the relationship between Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, who led homosexual lives right under everyone's nose.
  • Mormons Gone Wild
    After one man undresses missionaries for his calendar, LDS Church–owned Brigham Young University strips him of his degree.
  • Constructive Impatience
    Stung by the Warren decision, GLAAD's former executive director Joan Garry offers the Obama transition team some sage advice.
  • Boxer Goes Trans for Eli Stone
    Often perceived as male by confused casting agents, boxer-body builder turned actor Dallas Malloy felt a deep connection to the trans minister she plays on Eli Stone.
  • Mamma Mia! Rises Again
    Meryl Streep and company managed to top Harry Potter and Titanic at the U.K. box office, and now Mamma Mia! is poised to break similar records on DVD. Director Phyllida Lloyd talked to Advocate.com about bringing one of the biggest musicals of all time to the big screen.
  • The Other White Meat
    As one of the subjects of the documentary about the drag pageant circuit, Pageant, opening in select theaters, and one of the contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race, premiering next month on Logo, Victoria "Porkchop" Parker may not look or act like your typical female impersonator, but make no mistake, she is one of the best.
  • The Religious Defense
    In an excerpt from her new book, Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians, author Candace Chellew-Hodge incorporates the wisdom of Xena: Warrior Princess to illustrate her theories as to how gay and lesbian people of faith can protect themselves from those who attack their views.
  • Photo Finish
    Did Prop. 8 backlash cause art censorship -- or its reversal -- at Brigham Young University? Could be, as BYU photography student J. Michael Wiltbank found when his contribution to a two-week-long art exhibition -- eight pairs of benign portraits, each depicting an LGBT-identified BYU student alongside a supportive friend -- had been removed.
  • The Divine Miss M.
    Since the death of performer Wayland Flowers in 1988, his over-the-top puppet creation Madame has been seen only sporadically. But with the launch of her new casino tour, Madame is back.
  • Whither NLGJA?
    The leading professional organization for LGBT journalists is facing a crisis that threatens its very survival. In a changing media landscape and a tough economy, how does a small nonprofit live up to its mission and retain members?
  • The Road to Equality
    Barbara Boxer, the U.S. senator from California, understands why her gay constituents are furious over Rick Warren's role in the inauguration -- it feels like Proposition 8 redux.