[Scottsdale Human Relations Commission Chair Michele] DeLaFreniere told Echo that the commission approached the idea for the proclamation last year because of the negative publicity the city of Scottsdale has received regarding its GLBT community in recent years.

[...]

"The idea to proclaim June as GLBT Awareness Month in Scottsdale began in October of last year," the Human Rights Commission Chairwoman said. "This proclamation was not only intended to help with the healing process ... but to show an understanding of what GLBT people have offered and given to the city.

"The mayor had an opportunity to give the GLBT community this small piece of paper, that will not be posted anywhere but the Internet, saying that they are a part of the city and she didn't do it."

DeLaFreniere claims that she tried to set up meetings with the mayor on multiple occasions to stress the importance of maintaining the original language of the proclamation, but did not meet with her until after the mayor had sent back a completely different proclamation, eliminating any mention of GLBT people.

Police in Scottsdale, Arizona are looking into a homophobic assault on a 27-year-old Phoenix man. The Arizona Republic reports on the attack, which took place in the early hours of the morning on July 16th:

"After leaving BS West, a downtown Scottsdale bar, Gearing and a friend stopped in a parking garage to hug goodbye. Two men came running toward them, screaming sexual slurs at them, as Gearing jumped into his car. When Gearing drove toward the men, one of them kicked in the passenger side of his car. The other slammed his fist through the back windshield of his Ford Focus. That same man raced around the car and, with his bloody fist, punched him in the jaw through the open driver's side window. 'I thought this guy must be hurt and wouldn't keep coming after me,' Gearing said. Injured, Gearing ran after the men, still talking to the 9-1-1 dispatcher on his cell phone. As he ran, he said he told the men he had a gun 'so they wouldn't attack me again.' On the tape he says, 'I'm going to shoot him,' but insists he was talking to his assailants, and not the dispatcher. When the dispatcher questioned him about the gun, he told her he had lied. Gearing said at first he did not want to tell his story, but said he was 'more mad than sad,' and hoped his ordeal 'would get others to speak out.'"

A bar fight is brewing between one Scottsdale establishment and the chairwoman of the city's Human Relations Commission.

At issue, a ban on transgendered people at Anderson's Fifth Estate nightclub.

Michele deLaFreniere believes its wrong to treat gay and transgendered people differently in the City of Scottsdale. DeLaFreniere, 52, has lived as a woman since 2004.

DeLaFreniere filed a discrimination complaint with the Arizona Attorney General's Office against the Old Town Scottsdale night spot.

Owner Tom Anderson acknowledges banning transgendered people from the club, but he said it was the best solution he could come up after female customers objected to having "men in dresses" using the women's restroom.

Mayor Mary Manross will sit down with representatives of a gay-rights group today to try to stem a tidal wave of bad publicity.

Manross will meet with Equality Arizona, a group that recently called for supporters to launch a letter-writing campaign demanding that Scottsdale leaders respond to recent incidents that offended gays, lesbians and transgender people. The group blasted city leaders for failing to address the issues.

Manross said Tuesday that she wants to emphasize that she has been trying to arrange this meeting since June and she is looking forward to talking personally with members of the group. The mayor said she considers it to be a serious issue.

The mayor said she considers it to be a serious issue.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the mayor found bad publicity for the city to be a serious issue (though bad publicity can be blown all out of scale).

They went in, stood up and urinated.

Scottsdale's mayor and police chief have met with victims of homophobic hate crimes and members of the LGBT community in an effort to stem criticism the city is not doing enough to combat violence against gays.

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With pressure mounting on officials, Mayor Mary Manross and Police Chief Alan Rodbell met with Gearing and representatives of the gay community.

At a news conference both sides said the session had been productive.

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Both the mayor and McCullough-Jones acknowledge that the city has to clean up its image. Scottsdale is heavily dependant on tourism and the city's Visitors Bureau markets directly to gays across the country.

But hours after the meeting another gay hate-crime victim came forward.

The 22-year old man told KTVK-televison he was attacked 10 days ago outside a Scottsdale bar. The man said he was beaten and nearly lost an eye. His attackers yelled homophobic epithets at him during the attack he said.

The man also told the station that while he was at the hospital being treated he was belittled because of his sexuality by Scottsdale police officers.

Scottsdale's mayor and police chief have met with victims of homophobic hate crimes and members of the LGBT community in an effort to stem criticism the city is not doing enough to combat violence against gays.

[...]

Both the mayor and McCullough-Jones acknowledge that the city has to clean up its image.

Scottsdale bar owner Tom Anderson on Friday abruptly canceled a performance by a band featuring a transgendered singer, saying he's concerned about patrons' safety and threats of disruptions at the show.

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Anderson's Fifth Estate had scheduled the genderbending punk band Psychic TV, helmed by transgendered lyricist Genesis P-Orridge for an 18-andover show on Monday. But Anderson released a statement Friday saying the event was off.

"This act was booked by an outside promoter who has brought other bands to appear at Anderson's Fifth Estate," he wrote. "The promoter did not inform me of the nature of the band."

Initially, he said he planned to extend a hand to the transgendered community and let the act go ahead.

"I believed that with all of the unfair publicity the city of Scottsdale has recently received, canceling the event would do more harm than good," Anderson said, referring to the perception gay rights activists say is taking hold - that Scottsdale is hostile to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered.

[...]

But Anderson canceled the performance when he was told there would be picketing, with protesters threatening to enter the club and disrupt the performance.

"In addition, I was also concerned about exactly how Anderson's Fifth Estate could safely accommodate our anticipated crowd, even on a temporary basis," he said. "I felt I had no choice but to pull the plug on the event. I have notified the promoter that he will need to find another venue for the band."

Scottsdale's Human Relations Commission is pressing the city to pass legislation protecting LGBT residents in the wake of a series of incidents that has shocked the Arizona community.

The commission Monday night passed a resolution calling on the city to enact an ordinance that would bar bias in the workplace at city businesses and local government and require companies doing business with the city even if based outside Scottsdale to have a stated policy of non-discrimination against LGBT employees.

"We're telling [businesses] that we do not discriminate in Scottsdale," commission chair Michele deLaFreniere told the Arizona Republic.

"We have a community under attack. That is of major concern to the GLBT community."

The recommendation has been sent to Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross.

We have a community under attack.