Town hall on HRO goes nowhere
- judsonmarka
- Dec 16, 2015
- 2 min read
Mayor Lenny Curry held his third community conversation on expanding the human rights ordinance to cover LGBT individuals at Jacksonville University on Tuesday night. The result was a vocal debate between two polarized arguments, offering little insight on what the next steps should be.
The moderated conversation featured six panelists, three representing each side of the argument, and allowed for audience questions. Curry began the evening by stating his intentions behind the discussion.
“Local solutions for local needs,” stated Curry. Despite the fact that two of the opposition panelists reside outside of Jacksonville.
The first, a member of both the previous discussion panels, was Orlando-based attorney for the Liberty Counsel, Roger Gannam. The Counsel is recognized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for its actions against the LGBT community.
The second non-Jacksonville resident was Brunswick, Georgia pastor Ken Adkins. Originally a proponent of the HRO expansion, Adkins recently changed his opinion. Since then, Adkins, an African-American, has compared the recruitment of pro-HRO black pastors to the slave trade.
The final member of the opposition was business management consultant and small business owner, Diann Catlin. She opened by stating that “small business owners would be crucified” under an expanded HRO.
The supporting side of the panel featured, in addition to far less shock-value, Baptist Health CEO and President, Hugh Greene; Chief Human Resource Officer of Florida Blue, Amy Ruth; and business attorney and former Jacksonville City Council president, Jack Webb.
Panelists debated the morality of expanding LGBT rights to which Gannam stated the expansion “criminalizes the belief in marriage between a man and a woman.”
Webb countered stating that as a pro-life believer, he feels everyone has the right to “live free from discrimination.”
Regarding the impact to small business, Catlin continued her argument that owners would be forced to go against their religious beliefs or be run out of business, citing several cases of cake decorators and florists who have faced similar fates in recent months.
Ruth argued that the LGBT exclusion in the HRO has greatly hindered the city’s ability to bring in talent, as evident from her own experiences hiring at Florida Blue. Greene agreed, stating the exclusion slows down potential economic growth.
Ultimately, the back-and-forth arguments exposed a series of common themes and ideas held by each side. Opponents believe an expanded HRO forces them to operate against their religious beliefs. However, following their beliefs could result in negative effects to their business.
Proponents of an expansion believe that we have a moral obligation to offer human rights protections to all groups of people. In doing so, we create a more open-environment for our community which will bring social and economic prosperity.
A Gallup poll released in March 2015 showed the LGBT community represents 4.3 percent of Jacksonville’s population. The current HRO guarantees equal rights and protection for people regardless of race, color, religion, sex, origin, age, disability or marital status.
No protection is offered at the city or state level to people regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. A referendum (2012-296) failed to pass in 2012 that would have extended these rights.
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