Guest column: Acceptance of gays sign of county's growing tolerance, sophistication
Posted: February 10, 2013 - 12:00am
By ED SLAVIN
St. Augustine
It’s a new day. The Record editorial about the Picasso exhibit is right about our growing sophistication here, which includes renewed respect for human rights, historic preservation and our environment.
On Feb. 4, City of St. Augustine Beach Commissioners voted unanimously to “eliminate discrimination in housing” outlawing discrimination in housing and related lending, adding “sexual orientation” (heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality) and “gender identity” to “race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, place of birth, handicap, familial status, national origin” as protected classes. The ordinance closely resembles one unanimously adopted by the City of St. Augustine in 2012, but added “gender identity.”
Commissioner Undine Pawlowski’s motion to enact the Fair Housing law was seconded by Commissioner Andrea Samuel, and passed unanimously 4-0, supported by Mayor S. Gary Snodgrass and Vice Mayor Richard O’Brien. (Commissioner Brud Helhoski was away on business, but he and all other commissioners voted for the ordinance on first reading in January). What’s next? St. Augustine Beach is drafting an employment nondiscrimination ordinance.
This is the third unanimous vote by a local government since 2009 for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual equality. Anastasia Mosquito Control District was first At least one constitutional officer, Sheriff David Shoar, forbids sexual orientation discrimination in employment.
Four St. Johns County government entities outlaw sexual orientation discrimination. One of them went a step further, opposing anti-transgendered discrimination. Four government entities – 17 elected officials – are on record against invidious anti-Gay discrimination. Thanks to the Cities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach, the Anastasia Mosquito Control District of St. Johns County, and Sheriff David Shoar, our community is a beacon of hope for equality and tolerance in Northeast Florida.
That’s four more government entities than in Jacksonville and Duval County. Its City Council voted to reject GLBT rights protections in its Human Rights ordinance in 2012, against Transgendered people (the vote was 17-2) and against Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual people (10-9). This rejection followed months of histrionic debate and pressure from misguided misanthropes.
Equality is self-evident, a fundamental American value. Our local boards spent less time talking about it than people in Jacksonville spent clearing their throats. Four government entities -- and 17 leaders -- prove we are becoming a more sophisticated and progressive community. We refuse to be governed by fear or ignorance (or fear of ignorance). We refuse to allow haters to divide us or inflict their prejudices on us, our laws and our governments.
We have joined the many other Florida and American cities, counties and 21 states that have legislated equality for GLBT people. The tide of history is on our side.
As President George Washington wrote the Newport, R.I., Hebrew congregation in 1790 in defense of his liberal policies of religious tolerance: “Happily, the government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance and, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens.”
Whenever creative people and their enterprises look to relocate, they look for tolerance. Few creative people, whether youthful start-ups or Fortune 500 managers, will find Jacksonville tolerant. But thanks to unanimous courage of 17 elected leaders, more creative people and their enterprises will find tolerance here, in St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach.
Our hearts are open and we are open for business, including GLBT tourism, a $50 billion/year business. It takes a village.
Let flying Rainbow flags be symbolic of our growing sophistication, diversity and tolerance – welcoming more than five million visitors a year.
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Community activist Ed Slavin has lived in St. Augustine since 1999.
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