Looks like it’s game over for adding LGBT protections to Jacksonville’s Human Rights Ordinance.
Councilman Tommy Hazouri, who introduced the proposal, released a statement announcing he plans to withdraw the bill at this week’s council meeting. Read Hazouri’s full statement after the jump:
Today, I requested that Council President Greg Anderson give me the opportunity at the next Committee of the Whole Meeting on Thursday, February 18th to withdraw Bill 2016-002 that would expand our current Human Rights Ordinance to include the LGBT community.
Over the past few months, I have held several sunshine meetings with my colleagues, heard from hundreds of concerned citizens, and tirelessly studied this very important issue. As a result, I have come to the decision that at this time, the City Council and many citizens of Jacksonville still have sincere questions and are not ready to move forward on this issue.
Since my campaign for election to the City Council, I have vigorously supported amending our current Human Rights Ordinance to include all of Jacksonville’s citizens.I believe that passing this legislation, 2016-002, is imperative if we are truly to be One City—One Jacksonville. It defines who we are as a city—a city that is inclusive and competitive. Today, we are stuck in the past, frozen in time, when it comes to human rights.
Mayor Curry should be commended for wanting to move forward on this issue by ordering a departmental directive—an Executive Order, to make certain that we have a nondiscrimination policy including the LGBT community for all City employees, and vendors who do business with the city. Clearly, however, this directive, while a step forward, does not go far enough
PassingBill 2016-002 is vital if we are to move our city forward.
Be assured, this bill and this issue is coming back.
I plan to take the next several months to continue working with the office of the General Counsel, further addressing the bill’s effect on small businesses, religious organizations and public accommodations. It is also critical that we make certain that the public understands that this is not a “bathroom bill.”
I want to thank my fellow co-sponsors Aaron Bowman and Jim Love, for their courageous leadership on this issue. It is my hope and expectation that when we do re-introduce this bill, that other Council Members, too, will lead on this issue that is holding Jacksonville back from being the great city we all know it can be.
Although the Feb. 18 meeting is solely focused on the HRO, Council President Greg Anderson told Jacksonville media that he plans to move ahead with the meeting despite Hazouri’s statement.
The proposal has traveled a rocky path so far.
At a meeting Feb. 4, the proposal survived a motion to withdraw. That meeting was just the first of three special meetings, scheduled for Jacksonville’s city council to discuss the HRO. They follow three well-attended and contentious town hall meetings allowing the public to discuss the proposal. After the first one, a man was arrested for making a bomb threat, and the KKK distributed anti-gay fliers in a Jacksonville neighborhood.
On Jan. 26, the Jax Chamber announced their support for expanding the HRO protections.
A similar proposal failed in 2012. In 2015, a report concluded Jacksonville is the only major Florida city without protections for sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations, despite Jacksonville having a larger percentage of LGBT residents than any other metro area in Florida.
