Uri Horesh Is This Week's Gay Place Hero

So in case you haven't seen the Statesman, Fox7News, Joe.My.God, or any of the growing number of media outlets covering lecturer Uri Horesh's hunger strike for the recognition and extension of partner benefits for the University of Texas' sizable population of GLBT employees, let me put you in the loop.

Now in his fourth day of the hunger strike Horesh sent this missive to his colleagues:

Dear Colleagues,

Today begins the fourth day of my hunger strike in protest of the University of Texas refusing to extend spousal benefits to employees whose spouses are of the same sex as they.

New media coverage includes the following outlets:

The Daily Texan
Fox 7 Austin
KXAN 36 (NBC affiliate)
News 8 Austin
Queer blogs, e.g., http://joemygod.blogspot.com/


I urge you to watch the Fox 7 report, as is exposes an aspect of this problem of which I was not aware. Apparently, UT students wishing to reside with their spouses in University housing are not permitted to do so, if their spouse is of the same sex as they are. When I asked Vice President Vincent about this issue yesterday, he claimed to have no knowledge of it.

I have much more to say, but have a full day of teaching ahead of me, and wish to save my energy for that.

Thanks to the dozens of e-mails, phone calls and face-to-face interactions in which many of you have expressed your support.

Uri

HEY! YOU! Send a letter, email, your body to the folks at UT and let them know this is unacceptable and backward-thinking! DO IT! NOW!

Email addresses galore on the other side.

Gregory J. Vincent, Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement: gvincent@mail.utexas.edu

Dorothea K. Adams, Executive Vice President & Provost: d.adams@mail.utexas.edu

Jeffery L. Graves, Vice President for Legal Affairs: jgraves@austin.utexas.edu

Linda Millstone, Equal Opportunity Services: lindam@austin.utexas.edu

Marla L. Martinez, Vice President for Employee and Campus Services: mmartinez@mail.utexas.edu

William S. Livingston, Office of the President: wsl@po.utexas.edu

William Powers, Jr., President: president@po.utexas.edu

or here they are in a handy-dandy, emailable list:
president@po.utexas.edu, wsl@po.utexas.edu, mmartinez@mail.utexas.edu, lindam@austin.utexas.edu, jgraves@austin.utexas.edu, d.adams@mail.utexas.edu, gvincent@mail.utexas.edu

Of course it goes without saying: keep it clean, folks.

You can also send a letter of support to Uri Horesh:
urih@mail.utexas.edu