Times Union: Jacksonville City Council members treading into gay rights bill

[Patricia M. McBride]

Please weigh in on this if you care that they have removed all referrences to the US Constitution and replaced it with UN Human Rights wording which has not relevance in our country!  If they are already not discriminating, then, why do we need such a bill, and just how are they going to know if someone is gay?   Ask them?  Which is totally around the bend.  Let's see how this goes as it could mean a great many people looking for another line of work in the next election if they actually vote to line out references to the constitution in our city referendums etc.

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May 16, 2012

Lawmakers could face a political minefield on the discrimination ban.

By           Steve  Pattersonjacksonville.com            Copyright 2012 The Florida Times-Union. All  rights res...

May 16,  2012 - 01:31am

Jacksonville City Council  members treading into gay rights bill

In cautious tones, Jacksonville City Councilman Robin Lumb  urged Councilwoman Kimberly Daniels not to share material she had brought to a  committee meeting. It was "inflammatory," he said.

Daniels answered that she had something to say.

After a short exchange, she asked two people in the audience to come  forward.

A transgender woman and a man who Daniels said spent years leading a gay  lifestyle before marrying a woman told the committee Tuesday about their lives  and spiritual growth they found partly through "Pastor Kim," who had been part  of their lives long before she was elected to the City Council last year.

The meeting was an early trip into a political minefield that council members  will meet in their own ways as city lawmakers weight arguments on both sides of  legislation that would ban discrimination in Jacksonville based on sexual  orientation.

Read more at Jacksonville.com:  http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-05-16/story/jacksonville-ci...

Read more at Jacksonville.com:  http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-05-16/story/jacksonville-ci...

[Patricia M. McBride]

I agree John.  Your risk when you start a business and therefore, decisions have to be made by the person who puts their property at risk.  The government plays with taxpayer money like it is funny money, but anyone who owns a business knows the money they use isn't funny money and forcing them into a certainly behavior, of any kind when it comes to hiring employees, should not be happening.  I don't think that is what this bill is about.  This is about the city government not using discriminatory hiring practices which is really what this bill should be about and not singling out a particular class of people for preferential treatment.  A referendum should be passed that says the city will not discriminate in it's hiring practices and will always hire the person most qualified (and that would also eliminate friends and political cronies).  The taxpayers should not be paying the salaries of folks who are there as paybacks for helping someone get elected or working on their campaign...............it should always be about hiring or putting the best qualified person in a spot which is what people who own small businesses (or any business) do if they wish to succeed.

[Patricia M. McBride]

Amanda, to my knowledge, nothing stops the city from hiring in a non discriminatory way nor have they discriminated against gays that I know of.  This reminds me quite a bit of the congress passing a law for themselves about insider information when using insider information was already against the law.  And I am not too worried about Mr. Redman.............if he is abiding by his beliefs on this issue, it will align with the law as far as I know.

Sorry Peggy but there is quite a bit going on besides checking for dead people registered to vote and we all need to stay up with all of it including things like this.

[Peggy Hall]

They ought to be treading into non-citizens and dead people registered to vote.  ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ALREADY.

 

[amanda choate]

Don Redman says he will vote no if it is contrary to the bible. Really? If he were Muslim and said it was against the Quran people here would go ape. Redman vote to the rule of law.