Oakland's Paramount Theatre to Reward Backer of Prop 8?

by Michael Jones · 2010-01-18 11:42:00 UTC
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ParamountThe city of Oakland, California is about to determine whether Lorenzo Hoopes will be re-appointed as a board member for the Paramount Theatre of the Arts. While the theatre serves as a beacon for artists and performers and a hub for creativity, Mr. Hoopes himself has consistently taken a hard-line anti-gay stance on a number of issues. Most recently, Hoopes donated tens of thousands of dollars to defeat marriage equality in California, making him Oakland's largest individual donor to Proposition 8.

And that has a number of folks in Oakland, including the city's Rainbow Chamber of Commerce, crying foul. And for good reason -- people who support taking away civil rights for gays and lesbians shouldn't be rewarded with board positions where they are tasked with representing the community. On this note, Hoopes' nomination is particularly egregious. The man gave more than $25,000 to help fund Proposition 8, the ballot measure that killed gay marriage in California, which made him Oakland's largest contributor to the anti-gay cause.

Should Hoopes really be rewarded with a board position at a theatre that counts itself as one of Oakland's leading centers for the arts? If you don't think so, sign our petition to the Mayor of Oakland, Ron Dellums, and Oakland's City Council President, Jane Brunner, urging them to reconsider the nomination of Mr. Hoopes and find someone who can truly represent all of the citizens of Oakland.

The City Council and Mayor's office need to approve the appointment of Mr. Hoopes to the board of the Paramount. Already they are hearing from LGBT activists in Oakland who don't want to see the city's biggest backer of Proposition 8 heralded.

A group on Facebook has formed -- The Paramount: No Place for Homophobia -- with several hundred members, and the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce is stepping up to fight Hoopes' nomination. One of their founding board members, Sean Sullivan, told Inside Bay Area that Hoopes' nomination for re-appointment was a slap in the face to Oakland's LGBT community.

"I think it's outrageous that we would appoint anyone who calls for discrimination and works hard to see discrimination written into California's constitution representing all of Oakland on the Paramount board," said Sullivan.

He's right. Even in the face of criticism, Hoopes continues to toe a line of discrimination.

"I think marriage is a sacred covenant between a man and a woman," Hoopes told Inside Bay Area. "I think marriage is reserved for solemnizing the relationship between a man and a woman."

Hoopes is entitled to think that. He's even entitled to give $25,000 to Prop 8 backers, or $40,000 or $400,000. But is Oakland entitled to reward such generosity toward anti-gay causes with citywide board and commission positions?

Nope, they're not. Send the Mayor of Oakland and the City Council President a message that Hoopes just isn't the right person to sit on a board that represents all of Oakland. Hoopes' nomination is set to be voted on this week.

Photo credit: Paramount Theatre of the Arts

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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