Melissa Ross
As the U.S. Supreme Court hears historic oral arguments on same-sex marriage, Jacksonville’s LGBT activists are growing increasingly vocal in pressing their case for full legal protections.
“The change around this issue has happened so quickly,” says Dan Merkan, chairman of the Jax Coalition for Equality. Merkan says the Coalition will continue to advocate for an updated human rights ordinance for Jacksonville covering LGBT residents, no matter who is elected mayor.
“We acknowledge that there have actually been a lot of changes since 2012, when the council voted down the substitute bill. That only included sexual orientation protections, not gender identity or expression,” he said during an appearance on WJCT’s First Coast Connect.
“We’ve learned a lot since then and society has moved a lot since then. Dozens of other cities have passed these comprehensive HROs, leaving Jacksonville as the most populous city in the U.S. that hasn’t.
“But the reality is that gay and lesbian people tell their stories, people’s hearts and minds are changing rapidly.”
The Bruce Jenner effect
Meanwhile, Merkan says Bruce Jenner‘s recent interview with Diane Sawyer was transformative in advocating for the “T” members of the LGBT community.
“His coming out was so important, because people who are transgender experience a lot of bias. Particularly in employment and housing. So part of the work we need to do is continue to educate, illuminate and realize we probably all know someone who’s trans or gender variant. Let’s drill down into the biases we all have and overcome them.”
Discrimination review needs more detail
Merkan says he welcomes Mayor Alvin Brown‘s asking for a study of anti-discrimination laws, but wants more detail.
“We would welcome any sort of clarification as to how broad or how deep the study will go in terms of what discrimination is actually being studied. We want to make sure that LGBT discrimination is one of the things that is actually addressed,” he said.
Jacksonville and the culture wars
Jacksonville as a reactionary flashpoint in the culture wars over same-sex marriage has become fodder for The Daily Show and other outlets. And although it’s not the defining issue in the upcoming runoff elections, it’s one forcing both candidates for mayor to stake out their positions.
For example, in a Wednesday morning interview with WOKV Radio, mayoral candidate Lenny Curry reportedly indicated he did not believe the law in Duval needed to be changed. That mirrors the comments from presidential contenders like Florida’s Marco Rubio defending “traditional marriage” in reaction to the arguments before the high court.
Yet Merkan says the tide of social change is inevitable.
“For those folks who haven’t gotten there yet on marriage equality, I want them to know that it really helps people. It provides the same things that other people have been using marriage for for years. Stability, a social contract for people to take care of each other. And everybody should have the ability to care for a loved one and have their relationship recognized.”
