New Jersey Black Leaders Condemn Governor Christie’s Remarks Linking Civil Rights Movement To Same Sex Marriage Voter Referendum, Maryland First Lady Blames Failure Of 2011 Same Sex Marriage Measure On “Cowards,” Conor Oberst Among Nebraska Musicians Calling For Legislators To Drop Bill That Would Prohibit Cities From Passing Ordinances Banning Discrimination Against Gay And Transgender Persons, Atlanta Gay Bookstore Outwrite Closes Door

Influential black leaders in New Jersey said Wednesday they were stunned by comments made by Governor Chris Christie that civil rights pioneers of the 1950s and '60s would have gladly put the rights they were fighting for to a vote, and suggested he needed a history lesson. On Tuesday, Christie proposed putting the question of same-sex marriage on the November ballot rather than seeking its legalization through legislation. "The fact of the matter is," he said, "I think people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South." But, reports The Star-Ledger, sponsors of the bill, including Senate President Sweeney (D-Gloucester), noted that civil rights have historically been gained through legislation. Today, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) had sharp words for the governor and said he needed a "history lesson," adding, "Governor — people were fighting and dying in the streets of the South for a reason," she said. "They were fighting and dying in the streets of the South because the majority refused to grant minorities equal rights by any method. It took legislative action to bring justice to all Americans, just as legislative action is the right way to bring marriage equality to all New Jerseyans." Newark Mayor Cory Booker had much the same criticism, saying, "I shudder to think what would have happened if the civil rights gains, heroically established by courageous lawmakers in the 1960s, were instead conveniently left up to popular votes in our 50 states.” One of the leading injustices civil rights activists protested against a half-century ago was discrimination at the polls, which after years of bloodshed resulted in passage of the Civil Rights Acts and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Jerome Harris, chairman of the New Jersey Black Issues Convention, said, "The 1965 Voting Rights act was enacted to overcome the systemic, intentional racial suppression of the black vote. It’s certainly a lack of historical understanding about how the expanding definition of who ‘We the People’ are has happened. Sometimes it takes bold acts of defiance by the minority." At a news conference today, Christie defended his statement, insisting that civil rights activists would have been able to pursue justice through the courts if a referendum had failed. "My point is, they’re trying to say the only way to deal with a civil rights issue is through legislation, and my point is that in a state like this, the fact of the matter is their own polling belies that position." A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 52 percent of registered voters in New Jersey supported same-sex marriage. Oliver was not the only lawmaker to take umbrage at Christie’s remark. Assemblyman John Wisniewksi (D-Middlesex), chairman of the state Democratic Party, said, "Rosa Parks didn’t get to the front of the bus through a ballot question and Jim Crow laws weren’t repealed by public referendum." As Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer), put it, "It’s difficult to understand what the governor was thinking."

Maryland First Lady Katie O’Malley is not mincing any words when it comes to describing why she thinks gay marriage legislation failed last year. According to The Associated Press, the first lady, speaking Thursday at the 24th annual Conference on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality on Thursday, said “there were some cowards that prevented it from passing.” A bill to allow same sex marriage passed the Senate, but stalled in the House of Delegates. O’Malley, who is a Baltimore judge, says she’s hopeful things will be different this year. Her husband, Gov. Martin O’Malley, is making same-sex marriage legislation a priority of the legislative session. The first lady says religion should not play a role in determining the laws of the state of Maryland. She says same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue, not a religious one.

"A group of Omaha musicians, including Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, is calling on state lawmakers to drop a proposal that would ban Omaha and other communities from passing anti-discrimination ordinances. The World Herald reports that in a letter Tuesday, Oberst and 16 other musicians called it “deplorable and unacceptable” to attempt to block Omaha City Councilman Ben Gray from winning passage of an ordinance to ban discrimination against homosexual and transgender people. Gray has said he would propose such an ordinance this month or next. State Senator Beau McCoy of Omaha has introduced a proposal (Legislative Bill 912) that would bar cities from passing such ordinances. He said creating a new, protected class of citizens should be done on a state-wide basis, not city by city. “It simply says there needs to be consistency,” McCoy said Tuesday, referring to his bill. “I don't understand how discrimination could stop or start at a city border.” The senator argued it would be improper to allow a “patchwork quilt” of anti-discrimination ordinances to emerge. His measure would not prevent legislation from being introduced to provide state-wide anti-discrimination protections. Musician Laura Burhenn, who rallied the letter's 17 signers, said she's convinced the bill is really intended to stop a movement in Omaha. “Don't keep selling Omaha as another fly-over Midwestern city,” said the singer-songwriter who fronts the Mynabirds. “We have a lot of progressive people here who are welcoming.” Burhenn, who formerly lived in Washington, D.C., said she moved to Omaha three years ago because she loved the people she met through working with Saddle Creek Records. She has since made many more friends, including some who feel afraid to be open about who they are in their workplaces. The letter was sent to senators on the Legislature's Judiciary Committee. Others signers include members of The Faint, Big Harp, So So Sailors and Honeybee & Hers. The musicians fear if lawmakers pass the bill, it will deter creative people from exploring opportunities in Omaha and could persuade some gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to leave the community. “Progressive cities attract eager newcomers, both young professionals and artists, which in turn creates growth and economic prosperity,” the letter stated. “LB 912 will send the message to the world that Nebraska is not forward thinking or welcoming.” A public hearing on LB 912 before the Judiciary Committee at the State Capitol has not yet been scheduled.

It wasn't just its location, at 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue, that placed Outwrite Bookstore and Coffeehouse in the heart of Atlanta's LGBT community. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that last May, when store owner Philip Rafshoon informed customers of Outwrite's precarious financial situation, sales increased and attendance at book signings and special events spiked. Not enough, it turns out. The bookstore closed for good Wednesday, victim of a stagnant economy that's been particularly challenging to those who trade in the printed page. Outwrite had little choice but to shutter, store owner Philip Rafshoon has said. The store's lease expires at the end of the month. In a December interview, Rafshoon told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Our landlord didn't really raise our rent that much, but we need to find a heck of a lot cheaper space or a heck of a lot more customers."
It's a fate that's befallen booksellers large -- such as Borders, the national chain forced to liquidate last summer -- and independent. Last year also saw the closing of another iconic gay bookstore, A Different Light, in San Francisco after 32 years. In the note to customers posted on Outwrite's website, Rafshoon took pride in the store's success. "As an independent bookstore and coffeehouse focused on the LGBT community, Outwrite has served as a symbol of strength and diversity in this city; and we have helped create a vibrant, pedestrian environment in Midtown," he wrote. "While it is a challenging economy and the bookselling industry is rapidly evolving, there is still a need for neighbourhoods with a strong LGBT presence and independent bookstores serving communities throughout the world." When Outwrite opened a little more than 18 years ago in the Midtown Promenade shopping center, Rafshoon said he hoped the city's first gay and lesbian bookstore would develop into "a community center and an alternative to the bars." The store has been in its present location since 1996. When Outwrite announced its intent to relocate last November, Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, told the AJC, "It is a very visible intersection and it has become a natural gathering place for folks in the LGBT community, specifically when we have had times to really celebrate as a community." But, as Rafshoon alluded in his note to customers, the funding just wasn't there. “Unfortunately, we have run out of time and money to make that transformation,” he wrote.