[Imc-radio] Lynn Sprout demonstration

[kakranich at yahoo.com]

Lynn Sprout refuses to have her silence bought by Carle Foundation Hospital
- the hearing is back on!

Join us for a demonstration in support of Lynn Sprout at 12:15pm Monday,
November 17 on the sidewalks just east of the intersection of University
Ave./Coler Streets in front of Carle Clinic in Urbana. It's important that
we show massive community support for Lynn and oppose Carle Foundation
Hospital's anti-lesbian discrimination.  

We need you to make our goal of 50 supporters. 

At this demonstration, Lynn will make public the terms of the settlement
that Carle made to buy her silence.  Lynn cannot be bought. Her hearing is
scheduled for the week of January 27 before Urbana's Human Relations
Commission.

Lynn has refused tens of thousands of dollars because accepting the money
would mean that she could not talk about the discrimination she faced and
because Carle would not agree to change its policies to offer family and
medical leave and funeral leave for its lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgendered employees.

 

Brief background (skip next three paragraphs if you know this already):  

 Lynn was fired from her 15-year job as a pediatric nurse and then manager
at Carle Foundation Hospital while caring for her lesbian partner of 18
years who became gravely ill and died.  Unlike married heterosexual
employees of the hospital, she was denied family leave to take care of her
partner during her illness. She used vacation days instead and when those
had ru! n out, her staff donated their vacation time for her so she
could make burial arrangements for her partner.

The Urbana Human Rights Ordinance, the law under which the case will be
tried, prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and marital
status in employment and other categories. Traci Nally is representing the
City of Urbana which is acting on Lynn's behalf as a result of her claim of
discrimination.   

 Carle Foundation Hospital denies discriminating against Lynn and claims she
was fired for "poor" job performance.

By coming out like fire and showing that the public supports Lynn, we are
putting pressure on Carle Hospital to change (they hate the publicity), we
are a real match for Carle's expensive Chicago lawyers who don't live here
and don't care. We do!

 This is our chance to change policy!  Lynn cannot do it alone. She needs
your support. Thank you to our queer and heterosexual allies at Carle who
are working from the inside to make this change happen.

Please confirm via email (kakranich at yahoo.com) that you are coming.

Thank you!

Kimberlie