"That's our resident bull dyke." Those are the words a Beech Grove resident said he heard Indianapolis Fire Chief Jim Greeson utter at a City-County Council meeting as people awaited Mayor Bart Peterson's much-anticipated budget address. Local activist Melyssa Donaghy had just asked several of the firefighters taking up many of the seats the administration reserved for the meeting to give up their seats for some of the residents waiting outside in the hot temperatures because there wasn't enough seating in the auditorium for them. The firefighters refused to give up their seats and as Donaghy walked away, Greeson referred to Donaghy as a "resident bull dyke" according to the witness, which he claimed met with the approval of the firefighters sitting next to him.
This past Wednesday, Advance Indiana posted a copy of the affidavit of the witness, along with a story about the city settling a sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought by Capt. Ruth Morrison, a long-time female member of the Indianapolis Fire Department. Up and until a few weeks ago, the city was fighting the lawsuit all out until it lost a summary judgment motion it had filed in the Indianapolis federal district court where it was scheduled to go to trial this month. The city, instead, agreed to pay $350,000 to Morrison to settle the case. "What happened to Captain Morrison is unacceptable, it can’t be tolerated," a Star article quoted Kobi Wright, the city's lead attorney as saying.
Unbelievably, the sworn allegation of Greeson calling Donaghy a "bull dyke" at a public meeting has received not one word of admonition from any leadership within Indianapolis' GLBT community, notwithstanding her own support of the GLBT community, even as she faced an unprecedented, unconstitutional effort by the city to forcefully shut down legitimate businesses she operated in the Chatham Art Center and her home. So why the silence from the same community which was ready to publicly roast Indianapolis Colts' Coach Tony Dungy for speaking out publicly against gay marriage? I suspect the GLBT's reticence in speaking out is due to the simple fact that drawing attention to the matter will prove embarrassing to Mayor Bart Peterson's re-election. If Greeson worked for a Republican mayor, you can bet the GLBT community would be screaming across the blogosphere, demanding at least a public apology from Greeson if not his resignation. Alas, hypocrisy is as alive and well in the GLBT community as it is within the religious right these days.
18 comments:
The weasel greeson drove sue ann gilroy when she was running against peterson. then him and his spineless union jumped the fence and kissed petersons ass. greeson and the union president reeves both need to go. who knows who is but* fu*$ing each other on this.
Anonymous said...
Can you imagine if a Republican had made a comment like that? The GLBT leaders would be screaming all over the place for Greeson's resignation. Why their silence now? Are they protecting Bart?
11:58 AM EST
This was brought up a few days ago. Gary.
My response to the above was this:
Anonymous said...
A very excellent point, 11:58am.
Wilson? I've been a reader here long enough to know that you are a member of the GLBT community. Where is your justified outrage over Gleeson's remarks? Or does an alleged lesbian not merit the same consideration of protection from vilifaction in a public meeting?
Unless its a Democrat, appointed by a Democrat making the remarks, its not worthy of anger and calls for resignation?
Tell me I'm wrong. Otherwise, you and any other GLBT Democrat have ZERO credibility in making prejudice a political strategy...ZERO!! That goes for all you Democrat CC members who passed the HRO.
Waiting...
12:23 PM EST
And I'm still waiting. So you hit this right on the head, Gary, and anyone who uses politics to further their own interests in the GLBT without commenting on THIS eggregious action by a DEMOCRAT..really need to stay silent. I would have advised them to STFU now and forevermore, but..well..the point has been made.
The anonymous nobody at 4:20pm obviously has no sincere interest in LGBT issues but is desperately seizing this now-partisan issue to hypocritically hammer Democrats and LBGT leaders. Oh well...
When sweet Melyssa posts diatribes like this one she did on Friday:
"Wilson, you are a pathetic creep. You must need a life because you seem to be completely absorbed with mine.
Something tells me you were one of those pathetic sex-obsessed wanking wannabes that used to call me over and over begging for sessions...and who never got one."
People are thus loathe to get involved in her self-promoting schemes and political scams. Of course, it's awful IF Greeson said such a thing but in this poisonous political atmosphere the BART LIES crowd has engendered, folk try to stay away...
P.S. I'm Kinsey 6 - I'd never be calling Melyssa about sex!
Quite frankly, what comments Mr. Greeson allegedly makes are a relection on him and him alone. His personal prejudices and beliefs are certainly not officially endorsed by the City of Indianapolis.
Also, it is funny that the author tries to make this into a Republican vs. Democratic issue. The truth is that even though much smaller Indiana cities such as Bloomington, West Lafayatte, Fort Wayne, and Michigan City had GLBT anti-discrimination ordinances passed years before, Indianapolis never had a GLBT anti-discrimination ordinance until the Democrats gained controlled of the Mayor's office and the City-County Council.
In any event, it never ceases to amaze me the pathetic lows which those engaged in partisan politics will sink to. Rather than simply citing these alleged comments of Mr. Greeson has a sad bit of bigotry on his part, the incident is used as a lame bit of political propaganda to further some zealot's particular agenda.
-Chris
Language, 4:15. Geeeesh.
Chris, if the IFD chief, in the midst of a lawsuit about alleged discirmination, utters remarks like this in public, and it can be proven, he should be fired.
It matters not whether he drove Bart's opponent or voted for her. None of the associated nonsense posted here matters, most especially the Wilson-Melyssa crapolla.
Gary is right: if this kind of comment is allowed to go unchallenged, by a mayoral appointee, we should all be outraged.
If it is untrue, I'd expect the chief to disavow it. I suspect it is true or he would've.
It's easy enough to deny. It's tougher to retract and apologize. The coincidental settling of the lawsuit is just too wierd.
I'm growing weary of mayoral/city officials flopping around like fish out of water. For more evidence of this unfortunate trend, attend any of the Metro Develop. Commission's hearing officer meetings, presided over by the bumbling Mrs. Conley.
And for yet another time--I care not what profession Melyssa practices. Honestly. But I don't want it in my neighborhood. It does not meet the home-based business ordinance standards, and were I her neighbor, I'd object strenously. I would differ from the city, however, in that I'd treat her with the respect and dignity all citizens deserve. It would be an honest disagreement, not a personal insult-fest. Just like zoning variances, petitioners or respondents must meet stautory requirements. Emotion is not supposed to be a part of that process. Brains are supposed to be part of it, altho you couldn't tell lately from Mrs. Conley's rulings and Q/A. Frightening.
I see none of this in the MMM, Gary, so thank you again. Please keep us posted.
The problem is that other than on this blog I have not read or heard about it from anyone. Has anyone who truly cares informed the GLBT community or is someone on here just trying to start a partisan feud?
Chris,
Secretary of State Sue Ann Gilroy (R) adopted a non-discrimination policy ahead of most in this state. Marion Co. Prosecutor Carl Brizzi adopted a policy before the passage of the HRO. O'Bannon & Peterson didn't adopt non-discrimination policies until people like me kept needling members of Stonewall Democrats about the glaring omission. And to this day, Peterson will not publicly appear at any GLBT-sponsored event out of fear of how it will be perceived by the community at large.
OK, call me stupid.
I know that "GLBT" has to do with the gay community, but what does it stand for?
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual
Wilson, I can assert any theory or belief I want about you. I do not work in politics. I'm a private citizen who responded to you calling me a prostitute.
I am a little surprised the lesbian community has said nothing. I tend to think there might be something to Gary's theory. He calls it right more often than wrong.
And if I am a self-promotor as you claim...what do I personally gain from all of this?
I spend my own money and time. I've never asked a dime from a single citizen, nor do I intend to run for office. How is it that I am promoting myself? By standing up for myself? Should I simply let these creeps run over me and my life and stand by and do nothing?
Melyssa, I think some of us are confused about the mixing of your righteous indignation about your zoning case, and your equal outrage over taxes.
It's an odd mix. Not improper, just odd.
I'm four-square with you on the tax thing. I would prefer reasonable solutions rahter than protests, but hey, you and others worked hard on organnizing those citizen protests. It accomplished a lot.
The zoning thing, well--as I stated earlier, I'd have (respectfully) objected to you on that one, if I lived in the same 'hood. No harm, no foul, just straight-up differing opinions.
And we'd have done so civilly.
10:03....if you check into my past you will see that I've been a political activist long before Mayor Bart came along and lied about my businesses.
My neighbors knew all about me and did all along. One neighbor even lent me his masonry drill when I was building the studio. Meridian Kessler is a pretty hip area and people are not uptight there.
My neighbors had no issue and nothing I did had any effect in their lives other than the fact that I would make my boys mow the neighbor lady's grass because she's older and needed help.
In my work I taught service to women. I'm surprised you have a problem with that, but to each their own.
Reminds me of the Marion County election that was botched in May. Hundreds, probably even thousands, of people did not even get the chance to vote that day. Where was the ICLU and their lawsuit protecting the disenfranchised voters? They seemed more than willing to make a stink when the voter ID law was passed and no harm was done. But in May? They were nowhere to be found. Disgusting.
Right on, swany11. A real case of voter disenfranchisement and the usual suspects were all missing in action.
Where was the outrage when Jesse Jackson referred to New York as "hymietown" (thus referring to Jews as "hymies"?) Where was that outrage?
Either the comment of Greeson is offensive and reprehensible or it isn't. The comment isn't made more acceptable simply because you don't like Melyssa, Wilson. When you try to make that distinction, you demean every person who has been a victime of racism, sexisim, or intolerance or discrimincaton of every type. Why? Because what you are saying is that "it's okay to descriminiate against someone if you don't like them." That's just not right.
AR
You don't know half of it in regard to this woman--a very dangerous person. I urge anyone in the gay and lesbian community to stay well away from this self-obsessed moron.
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