Kansas Town Inches Toward Passing Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

by Mindy Townsend · 2010-12-08 15:42:00 UTC
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About a month ago, I wrote about Manhattan, Kansas and its potential brush with history. The city is now one step closer.

Yesterday, the Manhattan City Commission debated a new and improved non-discrimination ordinance, which includes protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. The city commission voted to approve the first reading, but, unfortunately, not everyone was on board.

It seems that the primary objection to the ordinance is a fear of “collateral damage.” What collateral damage, I’m not sure.

On Commission member, Paul Barkey, objected to the ordinance on the grounds that something like this should be put to a vote. Said Barkey, “The people have a right to determine what is the culture that they want here, what they want to approve here, what kind of behavior they condone, what living conditions they want to establish.”

Right, like we always put basic questions of civil rights to a vote. That’s why the southern states racially integrated all on their own. Obviously.

Thankfully, at least one commissioner understands this. Commissioner Jayme Morris said of the ordinance, “What we are talking about tonight is basic civil rights, that cannot be clearer, that is the discussion we are having, no other discussion beyond that, it is the discussion of basic civil rights for all in our community and that was our goal in the crafting of this ordinance, was to ensure that civil rights are given to those in our community who need to have civil rights provided for them.”

When you look past the fact that that is the most appalling run-on sentence ever, she speaks the truth. And luckily, it looks like two of her fellow commissioners are willing to look at the issue objectively. The City Commission voted Tuesday night 3-2 to approve the first reading of the ordinance, and have planned the second reading in January. This is later than I first reported, but it gives us more time to pressure the Manhattan City Commission to do the right thing, and extend basic legal protections to the LGBT community.

Photo credit: Adam Sparks

Mindy Townsend is a recent law graduate.

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