Month: May 2011

The Tennessee Equality Project has done a little digging in regards to the “Special Access to Discriminate” Bill (SB0632), which would prohibit local governments in Tennessee from extending LGBT-inclusive workplace protections to the employees of government contractors. The bill was passed by the state house of representatives last week, and it was deferred in a state senate committee today.

So who is William D. Morgan and what does he have to do with all of this? Morgan is the chair of the Family Action Coalition of Tennessee, an anti-gay group and one of the bill’s biggest supporters. Morgan is also president of John Bouchard & Sons, a privately held business and major contractor with Metro Davidson County Government (where Nashville is located). John Bouchard & Sons has a contract to repair electrical equipment, one for machine shop services for Metro Water Services, one for cast iron sewer boxes for Metro Water Services, and one for construction services.

Metro Davidson County Government just passed an ordinance requiring businesses that contract with the local government to provide workplace protection for LGBT employees. That ordinance would be repealed if SB0632 is signed into law by Governor Bill Haslam. Do you see where this is going? Read more at the Nashville Scene.