Forum looks at discrimination policies

Alex Coolman

GLENDALE -- Discrimination will be the subject Thursday when the the

League of Women Voters hosts a forum on the city’s policies for

distributing federal money.

The forum, which will feature input from groups ranging from the

American Civil Liberties Union to the Girl Scouts of America, aims to

give direction to the city in its policies for dealing with federal block

grant money.

Terry Bailey, president of the Glendale-Burbank chapter of the League

of Women Voters, said the event stems from an effort that began in

August, when the Glendale Human Relations Coalition pushed the City

Council to adopt stricter rules against discrimination.

The city follows federal rules for giving out block grant money: It

doesn’t provide funds to groups that discriminate on the basis of race,

color, religion, sex, national origin or physical or mental disabilities.

But the coalition pushed for more stringent rules, ones that would

also ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, domestic

partner status, gender identity and other categories.

Tricia Roth, a member of the coalition and the chairwoman of its

committee on the city’s policy, said the coalition does not want to tell

groups who they should and should not admit.

“What we’re asking is, we don’t want tax dollars to go help enforce

discrimination,” she said.

When the council originally heard the coalition’s request, it turned

it down, saying it had little information on the subject.

“There’s just mass confusion,” Bailey said. But the confusion doesn’t

amount to opposition to the policies, she said.

“I’m actually very thrilled, because it seemed like there were some

people who were very opposed to this, but it seems like the community as

a whole is very supportive,” she said.

IF YOU GO

The forum will run from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Fire Station 21, 421 Oak St.

For more information, call 247-2407.