City Council Repeals Anti-LGBTQ Ordinance Previously Championed by Mayor

Irvine City Council Repeals Anti-LGBTQ Ordinance Previously Championed by Mayor Shea

On Tuesday (July 14th), the Irvine City Council finally repealed an anti-LGBTQ provision put into law by way of a nasty ballot initiative, in 1989, championed by then-Irvine resident and now Irvine’s unelected Mayor Christina Shea.

In 1988, then-Mayor Larry Agran crafted a bold Human Rights Ordinance, which protected the LGBTQ community from discrimination in housing, employment, and businesses open to the public.  The Ordinance was adopted by the City Council, making Irvine one of the first cities in the state to adopt such a progressive law.

Shea — who was already a well known right-wing activist — vowed to overturn Agran’s Human Rights Ordinance through an anti-LGBTQ ballot measure (Measure N).  Shea’s ballot measure was so extreme that it even banned the City from recognizing sexual orientation as a fundamental human right.  Measure N was passed by Irvine voters in 1989, 53% to 47%.

The July 14th motion to repeal Measure N was introduced by Councilmembers Melissa Fox and Farrah Khan.  In an accompanying memo, Councilmembers Fox and Khan stated, “(Sec. 3-5-501 through 503] is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution and in violation of California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, which explicitly prohibits discrimination against people based on ‘sexual orientation’.”

The Fox-Khan memo continued, “The provision in our city’s municipal code is not only unconstitutional and in violation of superseding state laws, but Irvine’s anti-LGBTQ ordinance is a cruel and embarrassing relic of a more prejudiced time.  The City of Irvine has a responsibility to ensure that all residents feel safe and welcome in our city — it is time to repeal and remove [Sec. 3-5-501 through 503] from the city’s municipal code.”

Just last year, the Council voted 3-2 against Councilmember Fox’s motion to fly the Pride Flag at City Hall, with Councilmember Mike Carroll stating, “Irvine does not need a spectacle of divisiveness.”  (Only Councilmember Khan supported Fox’s 2019 motion.)

This year, it took two Council meetings and lots of pushing from voters, but Fox’s motion to fly the Pride Flag finally passed 4-1 at the June 23rd Council meeting.  (Mayor Shea voted against the motion.)

And now, on July 14th, the Council voted to repeal Shea’s disgraceful anti-LGBTQ ordinance, which had remained on the books in Irvine for more than 30 years.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE: https://irvinecommunitynewsandviews.org/irvine-city-council-repeals-anti-lgbt-ordinance-previously-championed-by-mayor-shea/

Pro-LGBTQ laws outpaced anti-LGBTQ laws in 2018, report finds

The Human Rights Campaign’s annual State Equality Index found state bills advancing LGBTQ rights and protections outpaced those seeking to thwart them.
Feb. 10, 2019
By Julie Moreau

State bills advancing LGBTQ rights outpaced those seeking to thwart them in 2018, according to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ advocacy group.

Last year, 21 of the 201 pro-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures became law, while just two of the 110 anti-LGBTQ bills did, according to HRC’s recently released 2018 State Equality Index. Advocates of LGBTQ rights fared much better last year when compared to the year prior: In 2017, 129 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced and 12 were passed.

“The last several years, we have been facing an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation in the states,” Cathryn Oakley, the report’s co-author and HRC’s state legislative director, told NBC News, adding that 2018’s tally represented a “huge change” from previous years.

State bills advancing LGBTQ rights outpaced those seeking to thwart them in 2018, according to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign.Human Rights Campaign

In addition to keeping a tally of LGBTQ-related state bills, HRC’s State Equality Index also assigns each state an LGBTQ-equality grade.

“We had a record number of states who scored in our top category,” Oakley said. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia received the highest designation: Working Toward Innovative Equality. On the other end of the spectrum, 28 states received the lowest designation: High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality.

The rankings were based on an analysis of existing LGBTQ-related legislation in each state.

“The strength of the state-based LGBTQ movement is critical to elevate our representation, visibility and equality across the country,” according to Rebecca Isaacs, executive director of Equality Federation Institute, an LGBTQ advocacy organization that partnered with HRC to produce the report.. “As we look to the next legislative session, the State Equality Index should serve as a recognition of how far we have come and how much we have yet to achieve.”

Pro-LGBTQ Legislation

LGBTQ advocates on the state level made progress along several fronts, but nondiscrimination measures and “gay conversion therapy” bans were among the most prevalent, according to the report.

In New Hampshire, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law a bill that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in housing, employment and public accommodations.

Hawaii passed a law banning discrimination on the basis of “sex,” including sexual orientation and gender identity and expression, in any state-funded educational program. Washington state prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ people in insurance plans.

Original article at NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/pro-lgbtq-laws-outpaced-anti-lgbtq-laws-2018-report-finds-n969826

OC Politician Says Gays Stole Rainbow From God

 

From LAist, July 8, 2015 by Danny Jensen

OC Politician Says Gays Stole Rainbow From God

One OC politician is slinging some serious allegations against gays: Newport Beach City Councilman Scott Peotter claims the "homosexual movement" stole the rainbow as a symbol from God and have corrupted it for their own use.

And now that he's catching major heat for criticizing the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage in an email blast to his constituents, Peotter sees himself as a victim in this crime.

In his bi-monthly newsletter, Peotter declares that the SCOTUS ruling "overturns 5,000 years of Judeo-Christian tradition, by redefining and allowing gay marriage," according to the L.A. Times. Also in the email, which bears the Newport Beach city seal, he shared this gem about his insight on rainbows, "I do find it interesting that the homosexual movement adopted the rainbow as their symbol, as it was God's symbol that he wouldn't destroy the world by flood again. And maybe they are wishful thinking [sic]."

You can read the full article about this gay hate at LAist here: https://laist.com/news/rainbows-for-god-not-gays