An issue that drew passionate responses on both sides and garnered national attention last year may be coming back to the forefront.
Springfield's Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Task Force yesterday submitted its report on sexual orientation and transgender discrimination to Mayor Bob Stephens, City Manager Greg Burris and City Council. The resident-led task force was formed last year, after council members in August tabled a proposal to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected categories in the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance.
The
62-page report includes six recommendations to city officials, though task force members only gave majority support to two, which deal with discrimination when it comes to housing.
The task force recommends council approve the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity on the city's nondiscrimination ordinance, but only in the area of housing. A second recommendation, approved 9-6, adds religious exemptions.
Another recommendation, which was defeated 11-4, called for the elimination of proposed plans to include sexual orientation and transgender discrimination on the city's nondiscrimination ordinance. However, according to the report, this dissonance could be viewed as a recommendation for council to revisit the proposed ordinance changes.
The task forced also voted:
- 11-4 to defeat a recommendation to table the ordinance change, pending further developments at the state and/or federal levels;
- 12-3 to defeat an idea to return the issue to the Mayor's Human Rights Commission for negotiations; and
- 13-1 to defeat a recommendation to send the ordinance change out to a vote of the people.
When the issue was brought before council last year, City Hall was host to overflowing crowds anxious to speak or listen to business owners and others address the proposed changes. During the Aug. 13, 2012, meeting, Brentwood Christian Church Pastor Phil Snider gave a speech with a twist, leading to a viral video on
YouTube, which now has more than 4 million views.[[In-content Ad]]
