A.G. Gancarski
In Houston for the Superbowl, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan broke with the city’s right wing on two hot-button issues.
Khan, a Muslim immigrant from Pakistan, came out against the controversial Donald Trump immigration/travel ban from seven majority-Muslim countries.
And, for good measure, he expressed — to a national publication — his support for the expansion of Jacksonville’s Human Rights Ordinance to include protection on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression at work, in housing, and in public accommodations in businesses that aren’t churches or small businesses.
That HRO support was known around Jacksonville; however, discussing it nationally should be seen as a signal.
This bill has its first committee stop on Monday morning. And Khan expects the politicians he’s been working to deliver in committee and when the full council votes on the measure on Feb. 14.
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On the Muslim ban, Khan broke with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry in a significant way.
“The bedrock of this country are immigration and really a great separation between church and state,” Khan told the New York Times, describing the ban as “not good” and “sobering” for him personally.
Curry had said, meanwhile, that “when the federal government moves to protect [American citizens], that’s the right move. The Trump administration is trying to protect [Americans] from terrorism.”
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On the HRO, meanwhile, Khan said he had “no remorse over supporting it.”
Indeed, Khan and his lobbyist, Paul Harden, have been making calls on behalf of the legislation — and Khan has been known to say that he can’t believe this issue is unresolved in Jacksonville.
Curry has said previously that expanding the Human Rights Ordinance would not be “prudent,” but has pledged to review legislation if presented to him by the city council.
The mayor, who values his relationship with the Jaguars owner, has not pledged a position on the current bill beyond that.
20 comments
Jimbo Breland
February 4, 2017 at 6:17 pm
As the Majority Elected Mayor of Consolidated Duval County, I have to stand with Mayor Lenny Curry, on #HRO and President Trumps, issuance of the Executive Order on a #TravelBan ! I’m a patriot and a Christian, and actually a Constitutionalist Independent. I’m an opponent of any issue that tears at the moral fabric of our society ! ~ As to Mr. Khan, I realize his foremost interest is for his ” brand !” I won’t fault him for that…however, in his own best interest, these are two issues his lobbyist, Paul Michael Harden, should have advised him to forgo ! ~ As an indigenous resident of Jacksonville, I am nonplussed about folks from Pakistan that want to throw money at hometown issues. Kahn, has just confirmed my suspicions about him all along…and that’s not a good thing !
Carmen Araoz
February 4, 2017 at 7:22 pm
Oh gracious of you to conceed the owner of a major business and attraction the right to an opinion, despite his “non-indegenius” status. It’s very telling that you do not see citizenship as the great equalizer in expressing different views of patriotism but rather seem to think it relies solely on your native status. Immigrants to this great country risk everything tobe ctitizens that uphold the its values. Shame on you for suggesting otherwise.
A
February 4, 2017 at 9:51 pm
And your suspicions are? Kahn is great for our city and human rights. I guess you hate him because he’s Pakistani although he built his fortune on his own here in America
Mike
February 4, 2017 at 9:55 pm
It’s pretty pathetic there are still people on earth who don’t understand every other big city in the United States has LGBTQ protections, except Jacksonville. I wonder if it’s because of the bigots that live here and sugar coat their bigotry with religion and “patriotism.”
Barbara Erskine Miller
February 4, 2017 at 11:26 pm
The key here is that #NotMyPresident was NOT majority elected, since he lost by nearly 3 million votes. And there is a separation of church and state, we are NOT a Christian country, so you are seriously misguided. Not to mention we do not discriminate based on one’s religion, since we have freedom of religion. You should know that as a so-called Constitutionalist Independent, whatever that means. How does the HRO *tear at the moral fabric of our society*? If giving everyone, regardless of their sexual preference, the same protections against discrimination bothers you, then you’re no Christian. Nice try though. Shad’s comments make me an even bigger Jaguars fan.
Paul Lapinski
February 5, 2017 at 1:06 am
You mean Kahn confirmed that he is a better person than you?
David
February 5, 2017 at 6:53 am
But they want my gay homeowner and business taxes yuppers my hard earned gay tax dollars ,,,so I will be treated as an equal wether you like it or not.
Terrance Jones
February 5, 2017 at 7:54 am
Mr. Breland, I respect your personal opinions. But they are just that, personal. We have 400 million people in the US and most are immigrants who came to this country from their native homelands because of economic and financial opportunities, fleeing oppression. Including Europeans, except for the English, left their native European counties fleeing oppression and for hope in the new world. It’s not like jolly old England acted like wonderful neighbors to Spain, Portugal, Scotland and expecially not to the Irish in Ireland. They had (still have) the same views that you are quoting about the citizens in Muslim Nations because of their ethnicity, national origin and oh yeah. Religion. Have The Protestants (means protest of the Catholic faith) and Catholics of Europe buried the hatchet? Are they getting along? Hmm. The answer is no. Those xenophobic views aren’t new. Protestant versus Catholic; Christin versus every other religion in the world. Psst. All faiths originated on the continent of Africa and most were remixed in Europe and modified to fit European customs and traditions. I.e. Christianity or the thing the Roman Emperor Constantine did at the Nicean Council in 325 ACE. That’s when the Europeans were introduced to Christianity versus Paganism. So see, I understand your position. I just thought you should know where it came from. People in this love scream Christianity like they like the Florida Gators. To be honest most people’s faith are the faith of their parents. Neither is vetted for its authenticity by the individual. You cannot take the behavior of a small amount of people, who shout out a faith and group everyone in the same Bowl. Christians in America; believing that they were doing Gods bidding. Murdered, raped and dehumanized Black people for pleasure and profit and still was able to sleep like a baby. Believing in their heart of hearts that God loves them. The terrorists of these Muslim nations are no different than the Terrorist in this nation.
Perkip
February 5, 2017 at 4:56 pm
Mr. Breland: Unless you are Native American you are not “indigenous” to Jacksonville or any other place in the US. And even if you were, where you were born is of no consequence to the issues of justice, fairness, and equal rights. All human beings are indigenous to the planet and all human beings–regardless of their religion, sexual orientation, race, and any other distinguishing demographic–deserve respect and equality. With you professing to be a Christian, I’m surprised you don’t know this already and that your ideas are contrary to the Christ’s admonishments to love and care for each other. It is immoral, not to mention unconstitutional, to ban a group of people from entering the country based on religion. And passing the HRO and acknowledging that our LGBTQ friends and family deserve equal protection is the right thing to do, too. I am dumbfounded that so many people who pursue public office seem to have such little regard for actual public service, which includes treating all people equally without prejudice.
Diane Till
February 4, 2017 at 10:21 pm
If you could look at every tweet and speech of Donald Trump, you would see his brilliance is ratcheting up fear and making people feel like victims. His success at those strategies got him elected. Every Executive Order has set us back: As a civilized nation. As a member of the global community. As people committed to caring for the planet. I watch the hate crimes going up, synagogues threatened, mosques going up in flames, gays, minorities and foreigners accosted. None of this evil is particularly new in our nation, but the ferocity and frequency of these crimes? They are new. It’s as if Trump has unleashed something unAmerican and frightening. I doubt seriously if Christ Himself would recognize many (most?) of the people calling themselves Christian today.
Linda Arnette
February 4, 2017 at 11:20 pm
I hope Mr. Kahn realises that this is not a permanent ban, that there are also exceptions. This is more of a pause, in order to know who is coming into our country. America has always welcomed legal immigrants who are willing to assimilate into our laws and culture.
To put it in rather simple terms, compare it to unknown people flooding his factories, or checkpoints at the Jags games. Of course fans are welcome and only troublemakers, or people without tickets are turned away. There has to be some form of order in all walks of life. Our president is charged with the safety of our country, and was well within his costitutional rights as POTUS to take the measures he did. Just as did Barack Obama banning Iraquis for 6 months in 2015. As was Carter and Clinton when they ordered bans.
As for the HRO, as a citizen and mother, I do believe there are areas of our life that should be left alone by government. I am not for government overstepping bounds into personal areas of our lives. If I understand this bill correctly it infringes dangerously on our personal liberties, something near and dear and won at great price for us over the life of our beautiful country.
I am only a wife and mother with the concern of my children and grandchildren and would like to leave them with the liberties I have had in my lifetime, and a safe country to grow , be educated , and succeed in life.
Selecia Young-Jones
February 5, 2017 at 9:26 am
We. Are a Nation of LAWS, not whims of a President. The ban is not supported by LAW. The facts you report are simply not true. If you want to state your side, please use REAL and not ALTERNATIVE facts. As for the HRO, do you actively discriminate against other groups or is it done from behind the CROSS? God save us.
Barbara Erskine Miller
February 5, 2017 at 11:35 am
Are you really that uninformed, or misinformed? There are not “unknown people flooding his factories, or checkpoints at the Jags games.” The vetting process already in use when this so-called POTUS was installed takes the better part of two years. Do you know that?
Pretty sure Shad Khan knows the [illegal] #MuslimBan was only to be temporary, because he’s a very smart man, oh and a Muslim immigrant who is a self-made man, as opposed to #NotMyPresident who was the son of a millionaire who helped sonny boy fail and bailed him out numerous times. After his death the government got screwed, along with vendors, employees, etc as a result of his 6 bankruptcy filings.
And as to the HRO, how is it that it “infringes dangerously on our personal liberties?” All it does is protect the LGBT community from homophobic employers or landlords. Do you know that? What are you reading into it? It gives LGBT folks the same protections that you and I already have. There are companies who have refused to relocate to our fair city due to the fact that they have gay employees and want them to have equal protection under the law. It will help our city attract more companies, not harm your children or grandchildren.
Linda Arnette
February 5, 2017 at 2:39 pm
Neither am I ignorant nor misinformed. Neither was I saying that Kahns factories were flooded with unknown people. I was making an analogy. In short saying that the large busunesses for the most part, have some form of identification identification processes in place. These countries that are mentioned in Trumps order do not have a database to document these people. One reason for the length of vetting. At least this is what homeland security his saying. You wrongly called the travel ban a Muslim ban. That is a huge misnomer. It was a ban on people from countries that have ill intentions for our country, and could bring harm. It is in the constitution, – and the right of any President. Wit is not against Muslims, but the Islamic terrorist regime(s) . As for President Trumps business dealings, we could compare example after example of bad business dealings on both sides of the aisle, but the subject was the executive order, and the HRO. You have not managed to change my stance on the bill, and neither will I be likely. To change yours.
However in no way was I disparaging Mr. Khan as a person.
Your handbags indicate your political views, and you’re entitled to them, but the Muslim ban is incorrect.
Barbara Erskine Miller
February 5, 2017 at 3:19 pm
There are so many factual, grammatical and spelling errors in your reply that I am not even going to bother refuting them all. Bye bye.
Ray Barata
February 5, 2017 at 1:48 am
Typical news media. Mr Khan said he is not for religious bans but thinks the President is trying to protect his country and he understands this. Now read how the media interprets Mr Khans words. There is no media outlet we can trust. How sad it is for all Americans.
Barbara Erskine Miller
February 5, 2017 at 11:41 am
That’s called diplomacy, Ray. Of course he’s going to say that the so-called POTUS is trying to protect his country. But by using it to ONLY ban Muslims it is precisely that, a religious ban, since he said Christians from the 7 countries would be able to quickly get thru customs. Remember when #NotMyPresident said that he was going to ban ALL Muslims while he was on the campaign trail, and his poorly educated fans cheered wildly??????? Well another ill-conceived promise kept!
True Duval Citizen
February 5, 2017 at 2:10 am
As a “born and bread” tax paying citizen of the consolidated Duval County, the state of Florida, and these United States of America and are a true CHRISTian and a real PATRIOT. I think I speak for most people when I say you, Jimbo Breland, 1. Do not speak for all of us. 2. Are a closet racist. 3. Are angry at life for what ever reasons unknown to us.
The very comuputer you used to type your statement was created and bettered by the same immigrants you now support to ban. What irony. Since you support the ban, howcome you and other supporters have not protested in expanding the ban to countries that have successfully and actually cared out terroist acts on our soil? Saudi Arabia; Egypt; Afghanistan; Russia; etc.
Furthermore, the automobile, if you have one, that you utilize everyday…most likely the safety bumpers that’s on it was designed by an immigrant. I know that went over your head. I’ll let you figure it out.
Tell us something. Do you own a major business in consolidated Duval County? If not, why do you have a problem with the expansion of the Human Rights Ordinance? What issues do you have with an ordinance being expanded to include protection on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression at work, in housing, and in public accommodations? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Last you say you’re a constitutionalist independent… of the actual wording or admended version? I’ll wait…
We need your kind to step into the 21st century. Stop hiding in cyber space with your rants and distorted polical no basis mislead misinformed unfounded unconstitutional views. Don’t be a borderline hidden bigot. Go public with it.
As a Christian, I leave you with this…
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
-Matthew 22:37-40
Good day sir! We love you still!
Claire King
February 5, 2017 at 2:39 am
Jimbo..You and Lenny are not patriots and certainly not Christian. Your words indicate that you are bigoted and narrow minded fools.
“As of 2010, Christianity was by far the world’s largest religion, with an estimated 2.2 billion adherents, nearly a third (31 percent) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth,” the Pew report says. “Islam was second, with 1.6 billion adherents, or 23 percent of the global population.”
Those numbers are predicted to shift in the coming decades, as the world’s population rises to 9.3 billion by the middle of this century. In that time, Islam will grow by 73 percent while Christianity will grow by 35 percent — resulting in 2.8 billion Muslims and 2.9 billion Christians worldwide.” – Pew Research excerpt from NPR Bill Chappell.
What this means, Jimbo, is that by 2050 the tables are going to turn and you or your descendants will be very close to being outnumbered and quite possibly in the minority. Payback is hell, Jimbo and I hope you live to see it happen. 2.8 billion people can’t be all wrong. So remove yourself from your hateful words and quit calling yourself a Christian. Shame on you and Lenny Curry.
1 John 4:20 – If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
DV
February 5, 2017 at 5:05 am
Thank you Mr Khan for caring that human beings aren’t kicked out of their homes for being gay. Thank you for taking a stand on religious persecution.
I am not gay and I am Christian but I will stand up for injustice even if it doesn’t affect me directly.
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