Following Shelby County’s lead, Nashville/Davidson County’s metro council passed an ordinance Tuesday night banning discrimination of metro government employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The ordinance passed with 24 council members in favor and 15 votes against it. One member was absent during the vote. The ordinance was sponsored by councilwoman Megan Barry who told the Tennessean that the fight for passage was worth the effort.
- Megan Barry
The Tennessean reported that the council chambers were packed with people on both sides of the issue. One audience member, who opposed the ordinance, actually drove from Bartlett to attend the meeting. Liese Thomas told the paper, “I believe that one man and one woman’s marriage is the stabilizing force of all healthy civilizations, and where there are any deviations, the civilizations start to crumble.”
Reported the Tennessean: “Even though the bill didn’t address the issue of marriage, Thomas said her argument applied because approval of any ‘deviant behavior’ inevitably leads to destruction of values.”
The Tennessee Equality Project, who backed the Nashville ordinance, plans to introduce a similar ordinance to the Memphis City Council after the October special mayoral election.
