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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

40 Jealous Whores / Hannan / Law and Order Why Gay Rights Might Actually Work in Metro This Year

Posted by Caleb Hannan on Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 2:03 PM

click to enlarge gays.jpg
OK everyone, let's all climb into the Way Back machine. The year is 2003. Former Scene publisher and current SouthComm honcho Chris Ferrell is ending his second at-large term in Metro council. As a swan song, the former grand marshal of Nashville's gay pride parade introduces a bill to protect Davidson County residents from discrimination based on who they choose to hold hands with. The bill sails through Council's first two readings. But then a handful of pissed-off constituents and religious groups start raising hell about government limiting their right to fire whoever the hell they want to fire and activist legislators trying to turn Nashville into San Francisco. The bill gets narrowed down to only include Metro employees, both sides retreat to their corners, each thumping their bibles and/or pride sticker rally sticks in an effort to drown out the other side, with the end result being a tie-breaking vote for the opposition filed by Vice Mayor Howard Gentry. Perceived bigotry rules the day. The End. Flash forward to today and things look different. For one, the idea that you can't fire someone just because they're a guy who likes guys or a girl who likes girls is now commonplace amongst one group of Metro employees: Last year, the anti-discrimination provision was included in the teacher's new contract with Metro schools. For another, six years may not be a lifetime, but in that span we've gone through Prop 8 and the cancellation of Will & Grace and all sorts of other cultural touchstones that, one would assume, would make people a little more friendly towards the gays. But there's one other reason to think this might finally be the year gays and lesbians get their due in Nashville... As Chris Sanders, Chairman of Tennessee's Equality Project, explains, anti-discrimination proponents now have a narrative thread to counter claims from the opposition that laws like this are ambiguous and have unintended consequences. Previously, the anti-discrimination fight was couched in this idea that everyone knows the gays get hated on, so if you're not for it you're a bigot. This argument, however just, only goes so far when it comes to law, because it's not just about doing what it is right, it's also being able to prove that the legislation will solve a problem that exists. Sanders says he's got proof. "We have talked to metro employees who are afraid to come forward about anti-gay harassment," says Sanders. "We are aware of one in water, one in police and one who used to work for the juvenile court. That's not to say the people at the top are condoning discrimination. This could be a front-line supervisor and the head of the department isn't aware. But why would you report something if you're not covered? You're not gonna get anywhere and you could be retaliated against." Basically, Sanders now has proof. Rather than making an argument based on his and anti-discrimination proponents sense of morality (and make no mistake, we're firmly on the side of it's wrong to fire or harass someone because they're gay), they can make the argument that, well, employees of this city are actually adversely effected by the absence of laws protecting them. And that, considering a gay teller at Bank of America has more rights than a cop, it probably makes as much business sense as anything else to hop on this bandwagon and make sure everyone has equal coverage under the law.

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Caleb,
Please don't take this as a knock ... but were you here in 2003? I thought you came down from Cleveland with Kotz. I'm just curious really.

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Posted by Tyler on 07/08/2009 at 2:16 PM

No knock taken, Tyler. In 2003 I was actually in Washington, DC, but that's neither here nor there.
I did my best to make sure I wasn't talking out of my ass by calling a few people and reading some articles on Nexis. Just another step in the (ultimately futile) attempt to not make myself the image of the unknowing carpetbagger.

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Posted by Caleb on 07/08/2009 at 2:24 PM

Cool, I was just curious. Your sources seem to recall the events pretty accurately. If I'm not mistaken, is that not the only vote he ever made during his tenure as vice mayor? I could be wrong. The funny thing is four years later in the mayoral election of 2007 Gentry declared himself the only candiate who could "really wrap his arms around EVERYONE in this city."Who can forget that line? After hall, he only spouted it about 200 times during the 50 or so forums ..... He also – at a forum in Antioch, mind you – said, "Antioch was a mistake." Classic stuff. Memories.

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Posted by Tyler on 07/08/2009 at 2:46 PM

Don't let Caleb off too easy, Tyler. He's a carpetbagger of the worst sort. He even roots for the San Francisco Giants. I think that pretty much says it all.

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Posted by Pete Kotz on 07/08/2009 at 2:51 PM

So, when can we expect Fred Phelps and family to show?

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Posted by Anonymous on 07/08/2009 at 3:50 PM

So, when can we expect Fred Phelps and family to show?
Whenever the vote is, figure about a few days before that.

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Posted by GoldnI on 07/08/2009 at 5:21 PM

Ah yes, another article talking about how much gays are progressing in the rights department! What about the fact that nearly 82% of Tennesseans ratified an amendment banning gay marriages and civil unions about 2.5 years ago? That was something in the 'not-so-way-back machine'

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Posted by Steve on 07/09/2009 at 1:58 AM

True enough, Steve. But this is Metro Nashville, not East Tennessee.

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Posted by Me on 07/09/2009 at 2:11 PM
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