Lesson plan

Simply Equal

Simply Equal is a grassroots coalition that formed to petition the city of Lawrence, Kansas, to add the words "sexual orientation" to its Human Relations Ordinance. In May 1995, Lawrence passed the "Simply Equal Amendment," thus becoming the first city in Kansas to prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation. Simply Equal was formed in 1991 and was led by the newly organized Freedom Coalition. Active supporters were the Lawrence National Organization for Women chapter, the American Civil Liberties Union, the League of Women Voters, the Kansas University Ecumenical Christian Ministries, and the Kansas University LesBiGay Services group. Lynne Green and Ben Zimmerman were co-chairs of Simply Equal. Sidenote: Lawrence, Kansas actually became the second municipality in the state to adopt such legislation. Wichita, Kansas was the first in the 1970s. The Wichita anti-discrimination legislation was repealed in a referendum vote shortly after its installation.

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Article summary

Simply Equal is a grassroots coalition that formed to petition the city of Lawrence, Kansas, to add the words "sexual orientation" to its Human Relations Ordinance. In May 1995, Lawrence passed the "Simply Equal Amendment," thus becoming the first city in Kansas to prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation. Simply Equal was formed in 1991 and was led by the newly organized Freedom Coalition. Active supporters were the Lawrence National Organization for Women chapter, the American Civil Liberties Union, the League of Women Voters, the Kansas University Ecumenical Christian Ministries, and the Kansas University LesBiGay Services group. Lynne Green and Ben Zimmerman were co-chairs of Simply Equal. Sidenote: Lawrence, Kansas actually became the second municipality in the state to adopt such legislation. Wichita, Kansas was the first in the 1970s. The Wichita anti-discrimination legislation was repealed in a referendum vote shortly after its installation.

Key claims

  1. date of formation: 1991 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of formation is "1991". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1373036625

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.