ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA - With little opposition from conservative Christian groups, the Orange County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a fair-housing ordinance that prohibits discrimination against gays."It's the right thing to do," Commissioner Mildred Fernandez said. "Orange County is a county that's changing, and it's changing for the better."
The inclusion of sexual orientation was applauded by members of the gay community.
"The County Commission acted in a very courageous manner. I don't think any of us anticipated it would be unanimous," said Patrick Howell, president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Orange County.
John Stemberger, one of the few conservative Christian leaders to show up in opposition to the ordinance, said he was disappointed by the vote.
"I think they did not reflect the vast majority of people in Orange County," said Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council.
In addition to sexual orientation, the new ordinance also adds disability and familial status to race, color, religion, gender and national origin. Familial status includes pregnant women and family size.
Orange now joins Monroe, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Leon counties in adding sexual orientation to their fair-housing laws. The ordinance takes effect immediately, said Mitchell Glasser, Orange County Housing and Community Development Division manager.
The ordinance is aimed primarily at people in the real-estate business who have three or more properties for rent or sale, Glasser said.
But individuals also fall under the ordinance if they employ a real-estate agent or service to sell or rent their property. If they advertise their property, they are also under the ordinance, assistant county attorney Wanzo Galloway Jr. said.
"If it goes to the public, you should not be discriminating," Galloway said. "The intent is that there should be no discrimination."
The amended ordinance did draw fire from one woman who said it violated a person's property rights and another who said it went against the Bible.
But most of the seats in the County Commission chamber were filled with people who supported expanding the fair-housing law to include sexual orientation. Several of the people said it sends a symbolic message to corporations and employers looking to relocate in Orange County.
"We need these kinds of ordinances if we want to remain competitive," Michael Morris said. "This is going to send a message that this is the kind of inclusive community we all want to have."
Several of the commissioners said the ordinance reflects the reality that gays and lesbians are residents of Orange County who deserve the same protections as others.
"I don't see this as a truly controversial issue. There are people in our community who are gay and lesbian, so let's get over it," Commissioner Homer Hartage said. "As an African-American, I have experienced discrimination. I know how it stings."
Stemberger argued that the county was creating a new class of protected people who didn't deserve the same protections as racial minorities, women and people with disabilities.
"Sexual orientation is not a civil right," he said.
In passing the ordinance with a single public hearing, Orange County avoided the contentious, often hostile battle between gays and conservative Christians that marked Orlando's passage of an anti-discrimination ordinance in 2002.
Howell painted the passage as another blow to the conservative Christian groups who oppose equal rights for gays but have now lost consecutive battles in Orlando and Orange County.
By not showing up, he said, "They conceded defeat. It's pretty amazing."
The hearing appeared to catch the opposition by surprise.
Stemberger said he didn't find out about the ordinance until Monday. Many of the other leaders who opposed the Orlando ordinance were out of town Tuesday. Stemberger said he thought the County Commission tried to keep the sexual-orientation amendment under the radar.
"The county did not want to hear public input, or that place would have been packed," he said. "Obviously, the opposition had inside information. They knew more than we did."
Kathryn Norsworthy, a leader of the Orlando Anti-Discrimination Ordinance Committee, said the lack of opposition may signal that gay rights are becoming more accepted in Central Florida.
"It's like they said: It's not controversial. Housing is a basic human right," she said.
But in voting for the fair-housing ordinance, Commissioner Bill Segal warned that the law should be used to protect rights, not advance a cause.
"This ordinance is a shield, not a sword," Segal said. "Don't use it to badger landowners or carry the banner of some kind of movement."
from The Orlando Sentinel
No comments:
Post a Comment