An Anchorage Assembly member wants his colleagues to create a task force that would spend at least a year investigating questions surrounding a controversial proposal to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
If the idea is approved, Assemblyman Dan Coffey's resolution would have Assembly Chairwoman Debbie Ossiander appoint the nine-member citizens' task force within 30 days. Ossiander would pick three on her own and choose the remaining six from a pool of nominees suggested by other Assembly members.
The task force would have up to 60 days to come up with a plan for proceeding, and then another 12 to 18 months to study the degree to which discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered individuals exists in Anchorage, as well as what consequences a law protecting their rights might have on the rights of others.
"It gives everybody a forum, a place to go, not in public necessarily, and talk about their concerns on all sides of the issue," Coffey said. "And hopefully, maybe, what that leads us to is a mutual understanding and some sort of (middle ground).
"Some sort of, 'Well, if we do it this way, that's OK with me. I don't like it all but I'll live with this because it's better than that.' That sort of thing."
If the Assembly chooses to take Coffey's advice, action would be postponed indefinitely on three versions of the original sexual orientation ordinance and on a separate proposal by Assemblyman Matt Claman to address the discrimination issue in two charter amendments on next spring's city election ballot. All are up for action Tuesday.
On the face of it this might seem a reasonable method of gathering more evidence and moving forward with a plan to address discrimination against the LGBT community. But it is not.
Anybody who sat through even a handful of the testimonies that came from those who have been victimized for their sexuality in this city certainly do not need further evidence that discrimination is alive and well in Anchorage, Alaska.
What Coffey seems to be trying to do is to provide the appearance that the assembly is working on this issue while waiting for the furor to die down. Once the public has moved on to other concerns the assembly may or may not release their findings.
The vote should take place now. There is no reason, after multiple assembly meetings dedicated to hearing testimony, that this issue should be put off any longer.
I have a feeling that Mayor Sullivan will veto the ordinance anyhow, which will force the assembly to put it on the ballot for a vote by the citizens of Anchorage.
At least that way the red shirt brigade from the Valley will not be able to bully through their agenda.
Coffey is, has been and always will be one of the sleaziest of Anchorage pols. You are right that this is a delaying tactic. Reading through Coffey's statement, it is also obfuscation, which he's been good at in the past. You'd think 30-odd years of putting this off had been bad enough.
ReplyDeleteTime to push for those eight override votes.
Yeah, that's what I called my post about it: "Delay by 'task force'".
ReplyDeleteJust look at Coffey's text, too: "WHEREAS, the testimony received in support of the proposed ordinance reflects individual experiences which , while strongly felt, have not been documented by data compiled and analyzed by an independent source which is not advocating for one result or another..." You feel strongly about your experience of being fired from your job for being a lesbian? Sorry, you're SOL: your case wasn't documented by an independent source who doesn't give a shit.
Why waste time and money on a task force? It just puts off the inevitable. I'm not an Alaskan but I live in a deep red state where people are also discriminated against. Especially LGBT's. Everyone is equal, especially to their "God". So, why then even the discussion? Do they really, honestly think people are making up stories about discrimination? This is sad. It should just be a given that you are a human being, then you should be treated as a human being. Unfortunately, their are so many people who want to judge and label others who are not like them. Well, how to the judges and labelers know that the ones not like them are most likely Better People?
ReplyDeleteYou guys gotta be kidding me! You're not divying up a candy bar, here!! We're talking civil rights! You don't get to do a democratic-selection-as-to who-wants-to-allow-what-rights-to-go-to-whom deal?
ReplyDeleteYou guys have been standing too mclose to the camp fire.