Jacksonville mayoral candidate: Homosexuality is "a choice"

In a rare media appearance, Jacksonville mayoral candidate Omega Allen drew voluminous commentary on social media Monday morning after saying on the air she believes homosexuality is “a choice.”

Allen was a guest on the program I host, WJCT’s First Coast Connect. After fielding several calls and emails about her position on the city’s human rights ordinance, Allen explained she is against updating it to include protections for LGBT citizens, because of her beliefs about homosexuality.

“Everybody needs to be protected from bullying and things that would cause them harm, regardless of the choices they’ve made in life,” said Allen, but added, “I don’t believe that personal choice is a right.”

When pressed to clarify whether she believes homosexuality is a choice, Allen responded, “I do.”

A recent Gallup poll found about 42% of Americans think people are born gay.  37% believe homosexuality is a result of external factors or choices.

The updated HRO, as it’s known in Jacksonville, failed by one vote on the City Council in 2012.  The language at issue would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to the existing ordinance, which bans discrimination toward groups like women, seniors, African-Americans and the disabled in jobs, housing and employment.

Thus far, incumbent Mayor Alvin Brown and the GOP front-runner in the race, Lenny Curry, have avoided taking a specific stance on whether the ordinance should be updated in the future.

Candidate Bill Bishop, a Republican City Councilman, is on record as being in favor of an updated HRO.

Allen is a certified general contractor and the only No Party Affiliated candidate in the city’s mayor’s race. She’s running a populist campaign, saying the city should work for everyone, not just, in her words, “an affluent few.”