Newark Creates LGBT Commission

by: Jason Springer

Wed Jun 17, 2009 at 10:12:50 PM EDT

The council also approved legislation tonight to create a commission on gay, lesbian and transgender issues. The 11-member panel will advise the administration on sensitivity toward the gay community on issues like public safety and policing, housing, education and the training of municipal employees.

"This is not about anyone's take on the issue. It's about empowering a community, and bringing folks to the public policy table to propose legislation, to foster understanding, to empower folks in the city of Newark who have historically not been empowered," said Councilman Ronald C. Rice, who drafted the legislation that created the commission.

James Credle, executive director of Newark Pride Alliance, agreed with Rice in a prepared statement.

"Our community has endured countless struggles in the fight for equality in the City of Newark," Credle said. The alliance was founded in 2003 in response to the slaying of city resident Sakia Gunn, a 15-year-old lesbian who had rejected the advances of a man. As the umbrella organization for gay and lesbian groups in Newark, the alliance focuses on safety