Channeling Giovanni - Rambling thoughts from outside the cha cha...

Me: Interesting, peculiar, awash in contradiction, sensitive, easily distracted, odd, thoughtful, odd, political, philistine, romantic, laid back, clever, sweet, puppy dog, introspective, hyper, odd, Bohemian, untrendy, jock, and all around good guy.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

The Father of Legalized Gay Marriage

Over the past few years, I have communicated (but never met) William Woods. He is one of the people that spearheaded the same-sex marriage campaign in Hawaii in the early 1990's. He has long been a civil rights / gay rights advocate and an interesting fellow. While on many topics Bill and I have differing opinions, but I respect his opinion and always look forward to his e-mail newsletters. And anyone that sticks a thorn in Mike Gabbard's claw is okay in my book. I just recently read a nice summary of his accomplishments and life so far so I wanted to share it.

William E. Woods, MPH
“Father of Legalized Gay Marriage”


William E. Woods, MPH has been referred to as “The father of Hawaii’s Gay rights movement” and “the person most responsible for putting Gay marriage on the local and national Gay rights agenda.”* He began civil rights work in Hawaii in 1972; founded and was the Executive Director for 17 years of what is now known as the Gay and Lesbian Community Center; and was founder and Executive Director of the GLEA Foundation since 1990.
Woods has a bachelors in psychology and a masters in public health administration and planning - both from the University of Hawaii. He gained his masters from the UH School of Public Health 1980. His oral presentation for that degree was:“Gay Rights as a Public Health Issue.”
Woods established the Gay Community News in 1973 initially being a simple newsletter and growing through 1993 to a tabloid format with a circulation approaching 40,000 copies of the monthly publication.
Woods legally formed and registered the name: "Moral Majority of Hawaii" in 1981 and became its first president. He then promptly filed a lawsuit against Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority, Inc. to cease and desist using the name Moral Majority as he had no legal right to it in the State of Hawaii. Falwell cancelled several days of events and left Hawaii after only one public appearance as a result of the lawsuit delivered to him at his one and only speech in Hawaii.
Woods has participated in leadership in a number of community-based actions against discriminatory practices of local businesses and organizations. Most notably Woods lead a small group action against a homophobic organization calling itself: “Stop Promoting Homosexuality” headed by Hindu leader Gerald Michael Gabbard ** (Executive Director of Science of Identity Foundation). Woods launched two boycotts against radio stations K108 Radio and KGU Radio for airing the Gabbard program which promulgated erroneous and hate-filled propaganda to promote the elimination of employment and other non-discrimination policies and laws in Hawaii. The two successful boycotts resulted in the termination of the program from one station in 18 days and the other in 21 days. K108 radio not only canceled the program, but also adopted a non-discrimination and anti-hate programing practices for the station. K108 also offered the group that conducted to boycott a weekly one hour program for a one year period as a corrective action for the misleading and inaccurate information conveyed by Gabbard’s “Stop Promoting Homosexuality” program.
Woods’ advocacy group also conducted a successful boycott against Gabbard’s restaurant. Gabbard had proclaimed on several of the radio show broadcasts that he would not follow the Hawaii state law which prohibited discrimination based upon sexual orientation. Based upon Gabbard’s own statements from the radio program, Woods’s advocacy group prepared fliers and distributed more than 6,000 of them to the public who were about to enter the restaurant.
Within 5 days of the, the business was monitored to have only 10% of the customers from the week prior to the boycott. On the 12th day of picketing, Gabbard called a press-conference and announced his immediate closing of the restaurant and termination of all 13 of his employees. He closed his business rather than agreeing to follow the Hawaii state law prohibiting discrimination in employment practices based upon sexual orientation, which was the only demand of the protest group.
Within 20 days of the closure another food-service business acquired the space and rehired many of the previous employees for the new operation. This new business declared an employment non-discrimination policy. Clearly, Woods and his group helped change a discriminating business operation to one that was now willing to follow the law and non-discrimination practices for a business operating in the State of Hawaii.
Woods is past-president 1986-1988 and 1999-2000 of the UH School of Public Health Alumni Association. He was responsible for establishing the association as the only non-profit tax-exempt alumni association at the University of Hawaii and initiated its scholarship program.
Woods was Hawaii’s first male member of the Hawaii Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Club (HBPWC) and served two terms as the President of its Waikiki Chapter.
Woods was designated as Outstanding Young Man in America by the US JAYCEES in 1984 for his outstanding support for social, health and civil rights causes.


* References/quotes from national radio and television broadcasts and publications. “Out” magazine article of December 1994 by Michelangelo Signorille.