Posted: April 16, 2003

Cincinnati Rights Law Faces Court Challenge

Cincinnati, Ohio-- Barely two months old, a gay civil rights law in Cincinnati, is being challenged in court. A group of conservative politicians claims that the law violates the city's charter.

Cincinnati city council voted in February to add sexual orientation to city's hate crime law. The lawsuit alleges that the ordinance violates a 1993 city charter amendment that forbids Cincinnati to enact or enforce laws based on sexual orientation. Cincinnati is the only American city with such a charter amendment.

The suit was filed by city council candidate Sam Malone, state Rep. Thomas Brinkman, R-Cincinnati, and conservative political activist Mark Miller.

The suit asks the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court for an order to block the ordinance on the grounds the it violates the charter by " granting protected status and preferential treatment to homosexuals."

City Council members who approved the ordinance said they will fight any legal challenges to it.