The Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance held a candlelight vigil on the Green last night to protest the controversial Colorado legislation denying gays, lesbians and bisexuals any special preferences or protection against housing and job discrimination.
The U.S. Supreme Court began hearing arguments about the constitutionality of the proposed legislation yesterday afternoon at 2.
Alexis Sainz '96, a member of the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance and co-chair of the former Dartmouth Area Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Organization, said the vigil was planned to coincide with the Supreme Court's deliberations.
"The reason for the vigil was to protest the Colorado legislation and to call attention to passing protective legislation in New Hampshire," Sainz said.
About 40 students and Hanover residents turned out in support of the vigil, which lasted about 20 minutes. The vigil began with participants lighting candles and Sainz reading the law's text and offering her interpretation of it.
Under the law, people could be denied employment or fired solely on the basis of their sexual orientation, according to Sainz.
Heidi Lear, a Hanover resident and employee of a local restaurant, followed Sainz by telling her own story of discrimination based on her sexual orientation.
While working at a local restaurant, Lear said her manager threatened to fire her because of an incident relating to her sexual orientation.
Lear said the owner of the establishment saw Lear kiss her girlfriend in the parking lot while on a break.
Immediately after the incident her manager "spoke to me and threatened to fire me" for that sort of behavior, Lear said. "I feared for my job."
"My manager said it was not an issue of homophobia," Lear said. "When I asked heterosexual employees who had shown the same behavior in front of the owner if they had been spoken to, they all said no."
Lear's story was followed by a moment of silence and then the candles were blown out.
After the vigil, Sainz said she was "happy with the turnout" and said she thinks the "vigil went well."
Sainz said her first concern was making the atmosphere comfortable for people to talk about their own experiences. Sainz said she thought everyone felt "very comfortable" despite the presence of several reporters from The Dartmouth Review, an off-campus conservative weekly.
The Supreme Court case, Romer v. Evans, concerns Colorado's Amendment Two, which was approved by 53.4 percent of Colorado's voters in November 1992.
Amendment Two states any person of "homosexual, lesbian or bisexual orientation" shall not be given "minority status, quota preferences, protected status, or claim of discrimination."
Amendment Two overturned local "home rule" in cities like Boulder, Denver, Vail and Telluride, which adopted citywide legislation to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
The Colorado Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional, but the case was appealed.
Currently, New Hampshire has no protective legislation for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Despite pressure from gay activists, last year New Hampshire legislature turned down a bill that would have made housing and employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation illegal.
