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A.G. GancarskiJanuary 13, 2016

On Tuesday night, Jacksonville’s City Council’s public comment was wall to wall HRO for over three hours. On Wednesday afternoon, the co-sponsor (with Republican Aaron Bowman) of an ordinance expanding the HRO to the LGBT community, Tommy Hazouri, spoke to a Democratic women’s group about the urgency of the effort. Speaking to the Democratic Women’s Information Network, Councilman […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 13, 2016

The big news coming out of Tuesday’s Jacksonville City Council public comment marathon on expanding the Human Right Ordinance: Confessions of a child molester, advanced to negate the case for HRO expansion. Westsider Roy Bay, a 56-year-old Caucasian, said that when he was “10 or 12 years old,” he was “sexually assaulted by the homosexual community,” […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 12, 2016

Opponents of expanding Jacksonville’s Human Rights Ordinance claim that protecting the rights of LGBT people to bathroom access of their choice will lead to sexual assaults in public restrooms. They say the crimes will be made possible under the guise of “gender expression” being exploited by nefarious sexual predators claiming to be a different gender […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 11, 2016

Ahead of the first Jacksonville City Council reading of the Human Rights Ordinance (HRO) expansion bills, the Jacksonville Coalition for Equality held its second news conference with faith leaders on Monday, a cold day in Springfield’s Klutho Park. The statement that 102 faith leaders of the Abrahamic faiths signed: Love and respect for one’s fellow […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 11, 2016

Diann Catlin, a panelist at the third Community Conversation Lenny Curry held on expansion of the Jacksonville Human Rights Ordinance, clearly had more to say after that process wrapped, if a letter to the Jacksonville mayor suggesting a “treaty” on LGB rights, which she sent last week, bears significance. “All over our country no one has been […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 7, 2016

On Wednesday, Jacksonville City Council President Greg Anderson sent a memo signaling that the Jacksonville HRO expansion discussion would be held in a Committee of the Whole on three Thursday afternoon meetings in February and March. On Thursday, Florida Politics spoke with Anderson, and he gave more details about why he chose that approach. Anderson, a […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 6, 2016

The two most high-profile supporters of a fully-inclusive Jacksonville Human Rights Ordinance (HRO) met Wednesday afternoon to talk strategy. Councilmen Tommy Hazouri and Aaron Bowman came together to talk about the bill that Hazouri introduced before the Council’s holiday break. Along with them, Councilmen Sam Newby and Reggie Brown showed up for the discussion, as did Council Vice President […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 4, 2016

Brunswick, Georgia pastor Kenneth Adkins had a busy holiday season, with a lot of time spent attacking Councilman Tommy Hazouri for desiring to expand Jacksonville’s Human Rights Ordinance He started off the New Year calling out four other Council members: Garrett Dennis, Katrina Brown, Reggie Brown, and Reggie Gaffney. Adkins’ language was typically florid. “These four African American Jacksonville City Council […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 30, 2015

There’s no doubt 2015 was an amazing year in Jacksonville politics. A new mayor, 11 new members of City Council, and intrigue in Corrine Brown’s redistricting saga were among a few top-level highlights. While we have a reasonable sense of what happened in Jacksonville politics in 2015, the next question is what happens in 2016. Hence, a […]

Melissa RossDecember 30, 2015

Just as Jacksonville’s battle over its human rights ordinance heats up (again), North Florida same-sex couples are preparing to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversaries in a public downtown event. On January 10, 2015, Jacksonville attorney Carrington Mead married more than 60 same-sex couples in a mass ceremony in Hemming Park following the Supreme Court ruling […]

Tag: HRO

Tommy Hazouri talks Jax HRO with Dem women’s group

Who is Roy Bay? And why does it matter?

Media Matters demolishes anti-Jax HRO bathroom predator canard

Jax faith leaders call for HRO expansion

In ” just for you” letter, etiquette master Diann Catlin gives Lenny Curry Jax HRO “treaty” advice

Greg Anderson explains Committee of the Whole approach to Jax HRO

Tommy Hazouri, Aaron Bowman talk HRO expansion bill; Bowman to co-sponsor

Pastor Ken Adkins calls out African-American Jacksonville City Council members

A.G. Gancarski’s 12 predictions in 2016 for Jacksonville politics

Email insights: Jax same-sex couples to celebrate one-year wedding anniversaries in Hemming Park