2015 Year in Review No. 2: Voters repeal SOGI ordinance

SPRINGFIELD, APRIL 7-—An issue that drew passionate responses on both sides and garnered national attention in 2012 came back to the forefront in 2014 and finally went to voters in 2015.

At its Oct. 13, 2014, meeting, Springfield City Council voted to approve a controversial extension of the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance, adding protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations. But by November of that year, petitions sought a referendum repeal.

In 2015, the debate brewing in Springfield for over 30 months came to a head April 7 when voters narrowly repealed the expanded nondiscrimination ordinance by a vote of 15,347 to 14,493, or about 51 percent.

Springfieldians were largely divided on whether the Queen City should have taken a stand in favor of extending protections to the LGBT community and two organized groups represented the divide: Yes on Question 1, proponents of the repeal, and No Repeal SGF, opponents who supported the existing nondiscrimination ordinance.

By March, No Repeal SGF had collected 117 business supporters with its numbers rising, including business owners such as architect and Springfield school board member Tim Rosenbury of Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc., former Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce chairman Jeff Schrag of Mother’s Brewing Co. and attorney and developer Stephanie Stenger Montgomery of Springfield Land LP. Not to be outdone, Yes on Question 1 held a kickoff that month which drew about 80 attendees.

The SOGI ordinance was said to pit business owners’ rights to exercise religious freedoms against pleas for fairness in public dealings, leading to many Facebook organized boycotts of businesses that leaned one way or the other.

“If Springfield wants to be competitive in the 21st century on an economic level, we have to have a culture in the city that is like the culture in the business community,” said Meridian Title Co. owner Randy Doennig, who’s been openly gay since 1998, suggesting Springfield model its ordinances after Fortune 500 company policies inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Everything Kitchens LLC owner Emily Church said business owner’s public support of the repeal was misunderstood.

“Why would I not sell someone a mixing bowl because they were gay?” she said.