Charles L. Duty papers, 1997-2000 (majority within 1997-1998)

Summary

Creator:

Duty, Charles L.

Abstract:

Gay activist from Ypsilanti, Michigan, who helped lead the fight for Ypsilanti's anti-discrimination ordinance. Correspondence and agenda and meeting minutes of Ypsilanti city council and other city agencies at which anti-discrimination ordinance was debated; newspaper clippings; and papers of Citizens for Community, a lesbian-gay-bisexual activist group.

Extent:

0.75 linear feet

Language:

English.

Call Number:

0398 Aa 2

Authors:

Finding aid prepared by: Josue Hurtado

Background

Scope and Content:

The Charles L. Duty Papers mainly document the activities of an energetic gay and civil rights activist. The bulk of the materials span two years, 1997 and 1998, which correspond to Duty's fight for the passage of the Ypsilanti's anti-discrimination ordinance. The rest of the materials document Duty's association with Citizens for Community and its relations with various other advocacy and community groups. The materials are arranged into two distinct series: Anti-Discrimination Ordinance and Citizens for Community.

Biographical / Historical:

Charles L. Duty is a gay activist who helped lead the fight for Ypsilanti's 1998 anti-discrimination ordinance. He has been involved in ant-discrimination activism for over twenty-five years. Born in 1955 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Duty graduated from Huron High School in 1972. He received a degree in business administration and abnormal psychology from Western Michigan University in 1976 and has attended Jackson Community College, Monthcalm Community College, and Wayne State University as well.

Duty first became a member of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 1976. He has also been involved with several other politically active organizations including the White Panthers, the Michigan Human Rights Coalition, The Poor Peoples Campaign, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Democratic Party, the Ypsilanti Human Rights Political Action Committee, and the Washtenaw County National Organization of Women. He also has volunteered to work for several political campaigns on the local, state, and national level. In addition, Duty has worked in management at several restaurants, markets, and convenience stores throughout Southeast Michigan.

Duty has been recognized for his community service activities and has received various awards including the Distinguished Service Award from the Muscular Dystrophy Association Chairman Jerry Lewis, a special tribute from Michigan State Senator Alma Wheeler-Smith, and a Distinguished Service Congressional Award from Unites States Congresswoman Barbara Rose-Collins.

Duty moved Ypsilanti in 1986. On February 12, 1997, Tri-Pride, a group of gay/lesbian/bisexual/transsexual social work and professional students from Eastern Michigan University, were denied service at Hansen's Standard Printing in Ypsilanti where they went to have printed raffle tickets for an event they were sponsoring. Prompted by this incident, Duty became the main advocate for the passage of Ypsilanti's anti-discrimination ordinance which included protection for sexual preference.

Duty and several other Gay rights activists brought the incident to the attention of Ypsilanti Mayor Cheryl Farmer and the City Council. The Council referred the matter to the Ypsilanti Human Relations Commission (HRC) and several public meeting were held in March and April of 1997, to determine if Ypsilanti needed an anti-discrimination ordinance which included in its language protection for sexual preference.

In response to the incident at Hansen's and the need for an anti-discrimination ordinance, a group calling itself "Citizens for Community" (C4C) was formed. Its members described themselves as, "a community organization for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual people, their friends and family who are committed to the empowerment of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People." The group's goals were to promote awareness of gay/lesbian/bisexual/transsexual issues, foster social action and change on issues concerning gay/lesbian/bisexual/transsexual community, and to collaborate with and support other community organizations. Membership consisted mostly of long-term residents of Ypsilanti who were actively involved in community affairs, including founding member Charles Duty. The first meeting was held on April 12, 1997.

At the HRC meetings, "Citizens for Community" asked the Ypsilanti Human Relations Commission to recommend that the City Council draft and pass a non-discrimination ordinance that included, among other considerations, issues of sexual orientation. Each HRC meeting drew a larger crowd than the previous and was marked by heated and often acrimonious expressions during the public comments portion of the meeting. Charles Duty played a prominent role in advocating the case for the passage of an anti-discrimination ordinance, arguing that it was needed to assure that gays, lesbians, and other protected classes of people are not discriminated against by businesses, individuals, or city government. Opponents argued that passing the ordinance would provide special rights to a behavior-based group, whose lifestyle goes against Christian doctrine.

On June 23, 1997 the Human Relations Commission voted 5 to 4 against recommending that the City Council pass a non-discrimination ordinance which included sexual orientation. Despite the HRC's recommendation, Mayor Farmer and the City Council appoint a sub-committee consisting of council members Pam Cuthbert, Trudy Swanson, John Gawlas and the city attorney to write the language of a proposed non-discrimination ordinance. The Mayor and City Council also apologized to members of the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transsexual community for some of the comments directed at them by members of the public during the HRC meetings. On November 1, 1997 the first reading of the non-discrimination ordinance was approved by an unanimous vote by the City Council and on December 16, 1997 the final version of the proposed ordinance was again unanimously approved and became city law.

The Ypsilanti Anti-Discrimination Ordinance bans discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, marital status, educational association, familial status, source of income, age, height and weight. Exemptions are provided for religious organizations, state, and federal laws, and the exercise of First Amendment rights. The fine for violating the ordinance is up to $500.

Almost immediately following the passage of the anti-discrimination ordinance a group calling itself "Citizens Opposing Special Treatment" (COST) was formed to overturn the ordinance via a petition drive and electoral referendum. The group consisted largely of people who met at HRC and City Council Meetings where the ordinance was discussed. COST managed to gather enough signatures to force a referendum on whether or not to overturn the anti-discrimination law.

The referendum received national attention. The Reverend Jesse Jackson announced his support for the law prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations in a letter to a city council member. U.S. Representative Lynn Rivers (D-Ann Arbor), State Senator Alma Wheeler-Smith (D-Salem), and United States Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan) also endorsed the anti-discrimination ordinance. On the other side of the issue, former National Football League star Reggie White and Alevda Celeste King, niece of the Reverend Martin Luther King, joined rallies to oppose the Ypsilanti city ordinance.

In order to raise money and defend the ordinance a group called the "Campaign for Equality" was formed, Charles Duty again being one of the founding members. This group also consisted of many of the same people who actively advocated for the City Council to pass the ordinance in the first place. On May 5, 1998 Ypsilanti's anti-discrimination ordinance survived the petition to overturn it by a margin of 56% to 44%. The pro-ordinance Campaign for Equality out-raised and outspent COST by a more than 5-1 margin. Duty's activities were key to this fundraising and electoral success.

In February 1999, after the Ypsilanti Human Rights Ordinance survived the referendum, Charles Duty continued his activism by helping to form the "Ypsilanti Human Rights Political Action Committee." The goal of this committee was to maintain the momentum and sense of community created by fighting for the anti-discrimination ordinance. Their mission statement read in part that the committee's goals were to "keep Ypsilanti free from discrimination by actively participating in the political process, evaluating and acting on candidates and issues that are consistent with fairness and equality."

Charles Duty continues to be actively involved in local, state, and national community service, gay rights, and political groups.

Acquisition Information:

These papers were donated to the library on February 12, 2003 by Charles L. Duty (donor no. 9308 ).

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Elections -- Michigan -- Ypsilanti.
Gay rights -- Michigan -- Ypsilanti.

Names:

Citizens for Community.
Duty, Charles L.

Places:

Ypsilanti (Mich.) -- Politics and government -- 20th century.