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Chandler police forming committee to connect with local LGBT community

Chandler police forming committee to connect with local LGBT community

CHANDLER, Ariz. — The Chandler Police Department is forming a new committee to help connect with the city’s LGBT community.

Chandler-AZChandler Chief of Police Sean Duggan said the formation of the committee was not a reaction to anything that had happened involving the LGBT community, but rather an attempt to strengthen the bond the department has with that community, reports the East Valley Tribune.

“The LGBT committee provides an opportunity to let that portion of the community know that there are people that they can reach out to within our organization,” said Leah Powell, Chandler’s community resources and diversity manager. “If they have special questions, special needs, that there is somebody to communicate with.”

Duggan said one effort of the committee is to helps the department be more inclusive in its hiring practices, especially with police jobs quickly becoming available in Chandler.


Federal judge orders Ariz. to recognize deceased man’s same-sex marriage

PHOENIX — In a ruling that calls into question Arizona’s same-sex marriage ban, a judge handed a victory Friday to a gay man who lost his spouse to cancer last month and was denied death benefits because the state prohibits same-sex unions.

U.S. District Judge John Sedwick allowed Fred McQuire to be listed on his spouse’s death certificate, marking another development in the national debate over gay marriage as state and federal judges across the country have struck down bans in more than a dozen states at a rapid rate since a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year.

Friday’s decision only applied to McQuire, but the judge signaled that Arizona’s gay marriage ban may not hold up after he hears a broader challenge to the constitutionality of the law.


Tempe voters approve protections for LGBT workers in city charter

TEMPE, Ariz — Voters in Tempe, Ariz., recently approved a proposition to change the city charter to ban discrimination against LGBT city workers. The vote follows a move by the city council last February approving a citywide ordinance banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in areas of housing, employment and public accommodations.

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