Advance Indiana: South Bend Residents Urge Action On Human Rights Ordinance Oh yeah, South Bend is just the center of the world when it comes to being gay-friendly. I don't think so! I grew up around there. I don't live there now. I wouldn't consider it. There are many, many reasons why I wouldn't live there. I can't stand the small-town mentality (or lack thereof...) Indianapolis isn't the cultural mecca of the universe, but it's better. It's my version of a compromise. It keeps my son close enough to his grandparents anyhow. Just thinking about the lack of cultural diversity that I grew up with shocks me. I went to one of the largest high schools in the state. Over 500 kids in my graduating class, and that was nearly 20 years ago. We were the most WASP-y group you could imagine. Perhaps one African American student in the entire class. A handful of Jewish people. As far as any other ethnic diversity- forget about it. This was the land of the country-clubs, and as I've found out as an adult, some KKK activity. When I go back to visit my parents, I've seen "rainbow" stickers with an / across it in store windows. As in, no gays allowed. Nice sentiment. The South Bend Tribune's Jamie Loo writes:

The proposal wasn't on the agenda Monday but was brought up during privilege of the floor. In recent months, supporters of adding gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered civil rights to the city anti-discrimination code have questioned why the council has not taken action on the issue, known as the GLBT amendment, proposed in July 2004. The Common Council also has solicited public comment on the GLBT amendment over the past year. Catherine Pittman, a member of South Bend Equality, urged the council to think about contributions to the community from people who are GLBT, instead of focusing on their sexual orientation. Members of the GLBT community are "co-workers, neighbors and friends" who work in offices and factories and volunteer in churches and schools. These are people who just want to live their lives and offer their talents to the community," Pittman said.