Winston-Salem city council members advanced a proposal for nondiscrimination initiatives for the gay, lesbian, and transgender communities during a committee meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
The meeting, which took place over zoom, covered an ordinance that would add several previously unprotected groups to a city policy of nondiscrimination. The Community Development, Housing and General Government Committee met previously on Feb. 9 for the first reading of the proposed ordinance.
“Basically, the changes include some additional protected categories, including veteran status, marital status, familial status, and protected hairstyles,” said City Attorney Angela Carmon.
Additionally, the ordinance adds the categories of gender identity, sexual orientation and gender expression to be covered by city law. This would formally protect the gay, lesbian, and transgender communities from discrimination in the public sphere. Southwest Ward City Council Member Kevin Mundy, the first openly gay council member, addressed the current legal protective status of the gay community during the meeting.
“Right now, it is illegal for anyone on the council except me to go to any business in Winston-Salem and be denied service,” said Mundy. “It is legal for any business who has deeply held beliefs to tell me, ‘I can’t do business with you because you’re gay.’”
The second reading of the ordinance also adds a resolution to establish a subcommittee for the Human Relations Commission (HRC) “focused on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and/or Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual and/or Ally (LGBTQIA+) matters.” This subcommittee would work for 18 months and would be responsible for advising the city council and HRC about recommending policy changes and issues that affect the LGBTQIA+ communities.
“The Human Relations Commission is committed to doing whatever it is that the city council needs for the Commission to do to ensure the success of the city subcommittee,” said Director of the HRC Wanda Allen-Abraha.
The ordinance in its current state does not apply to private businesses, but there is a 100 day buffer period in which the city can look into further enforcing the ordinance and the ways in which to expand it to the private sector, according to Carmon.
Although the ordinance moved forward by unanimous vote, Republican City Council Member Robert C. Clark of the West Ward voiced concerns about addressing, “folks that have male genitalia participating in female athletics teams.”
“I don’t think the city would be inquiring as to one’s sexual identity or one’s sexual gender and so forth,” said Carmon.
Clark also cited a Colorado court case in which a baker was ruled as justified in denying service to a same-sex couple, setting a precedent for future cases.
“The Supreme said that the baker didn’t have to make the cake for the guy in Colorado, and I don’t think that this ordinance will override the Supreme Court,” said Clark, adding, “I know just enough to be dangerous in this area.”
Other members of the council voiced their support for the ordinance and the future of the city.
“I think this represents where the vast majority of Winston-Salem’s culture and community is at, so I’m all for it,” said City Council Member Jeff MacIntosh of the Northwest Ward.
“The world is changing, people,” said Mayor Pro Tempore and City Council Member of the North Ward, Denise D. Adams. “The world we live in is not going to be the way we want it totally, but we can all live and get together with respect for each other as human beings.”
City council will meet on Monday at 7 p.m. , where the council will vote on the ordinance and resolutions.
Reporting Index
Kevin Mundy, Southwest Ward city council member
Angela Carmon, city attorney
Wanda Allen-Abraha, director of the Human Relations Commission
Robert C. Clark, West Ward city council member
Jeff MacIntosh, Northwest Ward city council member
Denise D. Adams, Mayor Pro Tempore and North Ward city council member
