At the end of the night at the Hillsborough County Center in downtown Tampa, both sides got what they wanted, but it was hardly a united community.
The Hillsborough County Charter Review Board voted 11-1 Tuesday night against amendment the county’s charter to prohibit discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgendered people. If it had been approved, it would have to go before Hillsborough voters next year.
With LGBT activists joining up with Christian conservatives in advocating that the board not put the measure on the ballot in 2016, the question one might have after watching the discussion is simply — why wasn’t it even being discussed in the first place?
Actually, there was historical precedent in place when it comes to this issue.
In October of 2014, the Hillsborough County Commission voted unanimously to include sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of groups protected in the county’s human rights ordinance, a huge development in the history of LGBT relations in the county. Voting to put the measure in the county’s charter would ensure that a future Board of County Commissioner from repealing the 2014 vote.
However, the BOCC originally passed a similar measure in 1991, but a backlash resulted in 1995, with a different board repealing those protections.
Tuesday night’s public discussion was dominated by social conservatives who said the amendment language would allow men to go into women’s restrooms, an argument last heard locally hear when Tampa added transgendered people into their human rights ordinance in 2009 (and it echoed arguments made in Houston recently on a similar human rights ordinance).
“We need to have privacy,” said Susan McIntosh from Brandon. “I will stand for that right, for my children and grandchildren.”
“Sexual assault is becoming more and more common,” worried Kathleen Brown. “Do I need to have a concealed gun permit and walk into the ladies room armed? This is totally ridiculous.”
While it wasn’t surprising to hear that line of criticism from opponents, Jim Harper, speaking for Equality Florida, surprised many when he said that now was not the time for this measure to go before voters next year.
“These campaigns create opportunities to demonize LGBT people,” Harper said. “They make us less safe in our communities. We do have the ordinance. It’s important that we give the ordinance time for it to work.”
Other in the gay community agreed.
“Hearing these ugly, ridiculous stereotypes over the next 10 months would harm my son and the other children being raised in happy, healthy homes in Hillsborough Country by same gender parents,” said Cathy James.
The overwhelming sentiment by LGBT supporters and opponents made it easy for the Charter Review Board to reject the idea. “It’s rare that both sides of an issue want same thing,” said former County Commissioner Jan Platt, who brought the proposal forward initially. “And that is, don’t place this on the ballot. I think we should not place this on the ballot.”
The only objection came from Gerald White, who said he was “deeply, deeply troubled” by some of the ugly rhetoric he had heard voiced. Saying that it was “heartbreaking” that “this evil, wicked dialogue” had taken place, White insisted that the board was taking away the power to decide of 600,000 people in the county.
So while voters won’t vote on the issue in Hillsborough County next year, the fact is that discrimination against members of the LGBT community remains against the law.
