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A.G. GancarskiFebruary 3, 2017

A sign of the times in Jacksonville’s City Council as discussion of expanding the Human Rights Ordinance begins next week: requests for press passes to the February 14 meeting when the full vote is expected to occur are already being taken. The public hearing in January drew an overflow crowd to the council chambers, leading […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 2, 2017

With less than a week to go before 2017-15, the latest attempt to expand the Human Rights Ordinance, hits three Jacksonville City Council committees, advocates are rightly optimistic and proud of the progress they’ve made in educating the council. The HRO expansion bill would include sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression as categories in […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 31, 2017

Though some religious organizations, such as the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine, liken expanding Jacksonville’s Human Rights Ordinance to the “darkest days of World War II,” other groups have different takes. On Jan. 26, the Anti-Defamation League sent Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry a letter, urging Jacksonville to take a “leadership role by adding sexual orientation and […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 27, 2017

Surprising no one who has followed the issue over the years, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine sent Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry a letter this week opposing expansion of the local Human Rights Ordinance. Advocates want protections extended to the LGBT community in housing, employment, and public accommodations, such as bathrooms and locker […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 27, 2017

As in the movie “Groundhog Day,” in which a weatherman relives the same day until he gets it right, those following the Jacksonville City Council will notice a certain repetition this February 2. Despite there being no committee meetings for the council that week, one council member decided to call a public notice meeting to […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2017

The eternal question in Jacksonville, at least since 2012: will the Human Rights Ordinance be expanded to protect people on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression? That question was not resolved Tuesday evening, in a packed council chambers where the main attraction on an otherwise unremarkable agenda was a public hearing […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 24, 2017

Groundhog Day is over a week away, but those who attend Tuesday night’s Jacksonville City Council meeting will feel inevitable deja vu. Some will think it’s 2016. Others will think it’s 2012. That’s because the fervent arguments they’ll hear tonight on Jacksonville’s perpetual hot-button issue — expanding the Human Rights Ordinance to LGBT people, via […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 17, 2017

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville Civic Council reiterated a stance made before: support of expansion of the Human Rights Ordinance to the LGBT community. The HRO is nearly a quarter-century old; activists and community stakeholders want to see sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression added as protected classes. The civic council chairman, Ed Burr, wrote the […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 13, 2017

Friday saw Jacksonville’s stakeholders convene at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday breakfast. The second of these breakfasts for Mayor Lenny Curry, his prepared remarks were focused on service. However, the city is working through a number of active civil rights issues. Among them: expansion of the Human Rights Ordinance to include LGBT people, and a […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 10, 2017

After an agenda full of bills that met little opposition in committees, the Jacksonville City Council turned its attention Tuesday evening to a familiar question: the HRO, which was up on first read with a planned vote on Valentine’s Day. For the third time in five years, Jacksonville legislators heard pros and cons of expanding […]

Tag: Jacksonville Human Rights Ordinance

HRO onslaught hits Jacksonville City Council committees starting Monday

Jacksonville’s HRO expansion is in sight, but questions loom

Anti-Defamation League backs expanded Jacksonville Human Rights Ordinance

Catholic Bishop: No to Jacksonville HRO expansion

Jacksonville HRO public notice meeting slated for Groundhog Day

‘Democracy in action,’ as Jacksonville human rights ordinance hearing draws overflow crowd

Opposing sides gear up for Jacksonville HRO public hearing on Tuesday night

Jacksonville Civic Council: HRO expansion is ‘essential’

The “long game” of the civil rights struggle looms over Jacksonville MLK breakfast

HRO reboot dominates Jacksonville City Council meeting