A.G. Gancarski
As the saying goes, “promises made; promises kept.”
On Friday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced three long-promised “community conversations” on the need for expanding the city’s Human Rights Ordinance to LGBT citizens.
Reaction from activists was positive.
“We’re pleased to see Mayor Curry keep his campaign promise to lead a series of community conversations about discrimination. We hope these conversations lead us to extend equal rights to all Jacksonville residents by adding sexual orientation and gender identity and expression to the City’s existing human rights ordinances,” said Jacksonville Coalition for Equality Chairman Dan Merkan.
“We expect these conversations to energize the process begun earlier this year by the Office of General Counsel with their study on non-discrimination laws. That study found that there is no negative impact on cities and counties with protections in place for the LGBT community throughout Florida and the nation.”
For those who missed it, we covered the OGC study here.
“Discrimination against the LGBT community is, unfortunately, a reality in Jacksonville today,” said attorney Jimmy Midyette, legislative director of JCE.
“An LGBT person could get legally married on Saturday and fired from her job on Monday morning without these standard nondiscrimination protections on the books. No one in Jacksonville should be subjected to that threat of discrimination; everyone should be able to work and support their family without unnecessary fear,” Midyette said, adding that the group looks forward to “an open discussion with Mayor Curry, members of City Council, and the broader community to communicate respectfully about issues of discrimination in Jacksonville.”
The meetings will be held, according to a JCE email, at these times and dates and will be topic specific:
6 p.m., Nov. 17
Supporting the Needs and Well-Being of Youth & Families
FSCJ Downtown Campus, 501 W. State St., Jacksonville, FL 32202
• • •
6 p.m., Dec. 3
Religious Freedoms, Thoughts, and Beliefs
Edward Waters College, Milne Auditorium, 1658 Kings Road, Jacksonville, FL 32209
6 p.m., Dec. 15
Understanding the Law and Its Effects on Business
Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute, 2800 University Blvd. N., Jacksonville, FL 32211
We reviewed a draft version of the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index, which showed Jacksonville scoring horribly.
The city, in draft version, scored a 23 out of 100.
