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IDS FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2014
INDIANA DAILY STUDENT | IDSNEWS.COM
Little 500 rider Gill hospitalized FROM IDS REPORTS
IU student and Little 500 cyclist Lauren Gill was involved in a crash at a practice race Thursday afternoon and has been transported to IU Health University Hospital in Indianapolis. A hospital spokesperson confirmed that Gill arrived in Indianapolis just after 9:30 p.m.
Thursday and is in critical condition. In her first year competing in Individual Time Trials for first-year team IU Nursing, Gill placed 106th with a time of 3:09.51. At time of publication, further details on Gill’s condition and on the accident are unknown. Alden Woods
BPD starts program to control problem of homelessness BY KATE STARR kastarr@indiana.edu
Bloomington Police Department Chief Mike Diekhoff said police can’t fix the problem of homelessness in town. But officers are trying to change how law enforcement handles people experiencing homelessness. BPD started a new program to assist people experiencing homelessness in downtown Bloomington and on the B-Line Trail. Six police officers have been put on duty as downtown resource officers to direct people in need to social service providers as an alternative to arresting them. “The goal is to find people in crisis having problems and link them to the appropriate service provider,” Diekhoff said. The officers have recognizable dark blue uniforms and use a variety of modes of transportation. The initiative began April 1. The program is a joint effort among IU Health Bloomington, Centerstone, the Shalom Community Center, the Monroe County Public Library, the Monroe County Probation Department and a variety of faith groups, said Lisa Abbott, director of Housing and Neighborhood Development. “The process of arresting people, sometimes it takes care of the problem, but it doesn’t always address why they’re there in the first place,” Diekhoff said. Eliminating homelessness is not BPD’s responsibility, Diekhoff said, because the department doesn’t have the necessary social service experience. The officers participating have all volunteered for the position. But Abbott said homelessness is a community problem, not just the officers’ responsibility. “You need to tell us where you can see the problems because we can’t be everywhere all the time,” Abbott said. Diekhoff agreed, reiterating there are only six officers participating, and patrol, though frequent, is not constant. BPD is depending on community members to notify the appropriate help when necessary. “I can’t fix the problem, but I can find people who can,” Diekhoff
“The process of arresting people, sometimes it takes care of the problem, but it doesn’t always address why they’re there in the first place.” Mike Diekhoff, Bloomington Police Department Chief
said. While homelessness is definitely an increasing problem in Bloomington, Diekhoff said he blames a select few for the problem rather than the entire homeless community. “When you talk about homelessness, it seems like a big problem, but it’s a small percentage of that population that causes the bulk of the problem,” Diekhoff said. Abbott said the police department is looking at the individuals who are intoxicated downtown, who are harassing other individuals or who have mental illnesses and are off their medication. Steve Backs, MCPL adult and teen services manager, said he is excited to be a part of the initiative, especially because the program provides an alternative to putting problematic individuals under arrest. Backs said a big problem is people experiencing homelessness falling asleep in the library and crowding the facilities. “We’ve been longing for something where we can get in front of that,” Backs said. “We think it’s a really progressive idea, and we’re gratified to be a part of it.” In the future, the city hopes to start an education campaign to stop aggressive panhandling. Abbott said many people don’t realize that some individuals begging for money are not actually homeless. He said they could just be using the money they collect to feed their addictions. In the meantime, though, the new program is already proving effective, Diekhoff said. “We’re already having successes, in my mind, finding out what services are out there to help,” Diekhoff said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HOLLY CARLYLE
Cate Taylor and Amy Gonzalez were married in New York in the summer of 2009. The women said their families never acknowledged the fact that they were gay until a formal ceremony validated their relationship. When they moved to Indiana to accept jobs as professors at IU, they found their marriage would not be recognized by the state.
Validated Two IU professors struggle with recognition of marriage BY LINDSAY MOORE liramoore@indiana.edu @_LindsayMoore
Sean Hayes plays in the background as two brides share their first dance. Their gowns glide behind them. For the first time, Cate Taylor and Amy Gonzales celebrate as a married couple. “The wedding itself was really special,” said Gonzales, assistant telecommunications professor at IU. “It was this turning point in how a lot of our close family felt about us as a gay couple.” The chaos of wedding planning was often amplified with confusion, disapproval and occasionally even hostility, they said. “You’re both getting married? On the same day?” bridal shop owners asked Taylor and Gonzales — seemingly oblivious to their relationship. After four years of dating, even the brides’ families still had their reservations about the wedding. “(The wedding) totally legitimated our relationship,” said Taylor, assistant sociology and gender studies professor. “I don’t think there’s any way my family would have accepted us the way they accept us now without having done that wedding.” Married in New York. Single in Philadelphia. With every change in landscape, their legal
status fluctuated. Taylor and Gonzales wed in summer 2009, in the midst of California’s gay rights battle. In fall 2008, California’s Proposition 8 passed. It added an amendment to the state constitution that defined marriage between one man and one woman, but was overturned in summer 2010. Legislative changes, stateto-state and even year-to-year, are ongoing factors in Taylor and Gonzales’ lives. After legally being married in Massachusetts, the couple bounced around the east coast for their post-doctoral research, they said. “It’s a regular occurrence in our life that we’re trying to figure out how to navigate this maze of what it means to married, not married and now halfmarried,” Taylor said. After two years on the east coast, they began looking for teaching positions. This commitment lent itself to other long-term planning, including family planning. There are only 16 states that allow joint gay adoptions in which both partner is considered the legal parent of the child. This legality also affects decisions such as finding gayfriendly doctors. “Anyone that’s dealing with you professionally but also in a SEE MARRIAGE, PAGE 6
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