Melissa Ross
Activists fighting the decades-long struggle for LGBT equality in America have long been skilled at the long game.
From the 1969 Stonewall riots to the 2015 nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage, this is a patient movement, one that has nudged the culture inexorably over a half-century toward greater acceptance and inclusion.
To that end, the Jacksonville Coalition for Equality is taking a page out of the Human Rights Campaign’s successful playbook– by keeping up pressure on the matter of the city’s still-not-updated human rights ordinance.
The JCE is citing UNF’s recent study showing 57 percent of respondents in Jacksonville report discrimination based on their orientation or gender identity.
“We have a lot of work left to do in order to ensure that everyone in Jacksonville is treated fairly and will have the opportunity to live, work, raise a family, and invest without discrimination,” the organization states.
The advocacy group says it will have a team of volunteers on hand at Hemming Park’s upcoming GastroFest event, “asking supportive attendees to fill out pro-HRO postcards that will be delivered to the City Council.”
They’re even asking for a $57 contribution, “in recognition of the 57 percent of LGBT respondents in the UNF study who experienced discrimination.”
If, as Equality Florida’s Nadine Smith recently pointed out, “the state is trending steadily in the direction of fairness on LGBT matters,” the Jacksonville activists show no signs of taking their feet off the gas.
