Jacksonville clergy spoke out in favor of expanding Jacksonville’s anti-discrimination ordinance to protect LGBT residents on Monday.
Jacksonville Baptist Rev. Torin Dailey is one of more than 100 religious leaders who support a bill that will be introduced Tuesday in City Council.
Dailey says his support for the bill comes from his religion.
“We have a deep and abiding obligation, responsibility to love and respect others,” he says. “Indeed not treating others respectfully or as we would want to be treated ourselves is seen as moral failure by all faith traditions.”
United Church of Christ pastor Linda Girouex also spoke in support of passing the anti-discrimination bill.
“We need to have equal rights for everybody in our city,” she says. “We don’t need to discriminate. People need to be able to find a job, a place to live, and they need to be able to enjoy our city with all of the things it has to offer.
Girouex says she’s personally invested in fighting for her and her wife’s rights.
She rejects the assertion that discrimination is not a problem in Jacksonville, seeing as how there isn’t a system for making grievances.
If passed, the bill would prevent discriminating against people on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity of expression at work, in housing, or public places.
Another competing bill would have voters decide the issue instead of allowing City Council to vote on it.
