City Council Vice President Arnie Fielkow Awarded for Support of Human Rights
June 9, 2011 – New Orleans, LA – This Saturday, City Council Vice President Arnie Fielkow will be honored with an Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) at their annual dinner. The award is given to a recognized leader in the community who has done exceptional work in the area of human rights, particularly for lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual (LGBT) equal rights.
Since taking office in 2006, Fielkow has worked for equality across race, sexual orientation, gender and class lines. From immigration reform to the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, Fielkow consistently supports measures that equalize the playing field. Even last year’s campaign to reform recreation was due to Fielkow’s dismay in the inequity of parks and playgrounds across the city.
This year, the HRC dinner theme is ‘Our Families’, and Fielkow’s work to strengthen Louisiana families, especially his support of equal adoption rights, demonstrates a deep commitment to strengthening Louisiana families. Fielkow traveled to Baton Rouge in late May to testify in support of Louisiana House Bill 288, legislation that would have added second parents to the list of people who may petition for intrafamily adoption. Although the bill did not make it out of the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure, Fielkow’s support remains steadfast. In an April Gambit opinion piece, he denounced the court decision against a gay couple who wanted their adopted child to carry both men’s names on his birth certificate. Nearly two years ago, Fielkow also co-authored a resolution urging the Louisiana House of Representatives to vote against the passage of House Bill 60, legislation that prohibits unmarried couples from both being on the birth certificate of an adopted child.
“Human rights are bestowed at birth and none of us have the authority to take them away, especially not for reasons such as race, class, gender or sexual orientation. However, we often find ourselves fighting to protect those rights and to dissolve the inequities around us. In my role as City Councilmember, equality is my guiding principal so that New Orleans is a more fair and non-judgmental city in which to live, work and a raise a family,” said Fielkow. “My ardent support of equal adoption rights for LGBTs is unwavering, for I believe there is no familial archetype. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and the sooner we can embrace that fact, the stronger our families will be. I thank the Human Rights Campaign for their commitment to protecting and strengthening all of our families.”
“CM Fielkow has worked extensively to support adoption policies that are in the best interest of the child,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “His constant presence at the legislature, supporting the fair and equitable treatment of same-sex or other unmarried couples in the adoption and birth certificate processes, sets the standard for all fair minded elected officials and citizens.”
The HRC was founded in 1980, with a goal of raising money for congressional candidates who supported fairness. In the years that followed, the organization established itself as a resilient force in the overall movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights as it strived to achieve fundamental fairness and equality for all. The HRC now represents a force of more than one million members and supporters nationwide. As the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, HRC envisions an America where LGBT people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.
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Contact:
Danielle Viguerie
Office of Councilmember-at-Large Arnie Fielkow
Ph: 504-658-1063
daviguerie@nola.gov
