Former and current City leaders threw their support Tuesday behind a bill to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation just before the City Council meeting, which was dominated by speakers on the issue.
The measure could be voted on at the June 26 meeting, the last of the Council year.
The supporters comprise former mayors John Delaney and John Peyton and former City Council presidents Bill Basford, Elaine Brown, Matt Carlucci, Alberta Hipps, Jim Overton, Eric Smith, Jack Webb and Terry Wood.
They were joined by current Council members and former presidents Warren Jones, who introduced the legislation, and Richard Clark.
“We don’t agree on a lot of things, but we do agree on this,” Delaney said during a news conference.
Delaney and several others said it was time for Council to vote on the issue, but it will wait until at least June 26.
Council President Stephen Joost said Tuesday that despite rumors, the vote on the legislation would not happen Tuesday because it still is in committee and there would be no move to have it discharged.
The one-cycle delay allowed for three hours of public comment Tuesday evening. Public comment at the May 22 public hearing took about six hours.
Joost said he hopes the measure comes out of committee next week and is ready for a vote by the end of the month.
An amendment previously discussed but not formally adopted would eliminate the gender identity language in the bill, a provision that Jones has said would add clarity and help efforts to pass the bill.
It is part of a five-part amendment he first discussed at the June 5 Rules Committee meeting.
Other parts of the then-discussed amendment would add language referencing the U.S. Constitution, add current municipal code language and clarify religious exemptions and complaint proceedings undertaken by the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission.
Several of the former Council presidents spoke about why they publicly support the measure. Basford talked about a former law clerk he has helped through the years and with whom he is close. She is a lesbian.
“Screwing around with this ‘anti’ attitude is just totally unacceptable,” Basford said.
Webb said his support was contingent on the amendments, but that he does believe “every human person has a right to live in a world free from discrimination.”
“Council, do your job and let’s get this thing done,” Webb said.
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