Someone needs to educate Mr. Jerry Lynon of SHARONVILLE about the anti-discrimination ordinance in the City of Cincinnati. In his foolishly ignorant
column today he sticks his foot in his mouth with this little gem:
As a nation, we have said that certain classes of people, due to a history of discrimination in areas such as employment and housing, do need special rights and protections.
Our courts have said that in order to qualify as a protected class, though, groups must meet three criteria. First, members must be identified by an immutable, non-behavior-based characteristic such as skin color, ethnicity or gender. Second, they must have experienced a history of economic deprivation as a result of discrimination. Third, they must lack political representation. Those who identify themselves by their sexual orientation or transgendered status do not meet any of these criteria.
Those who so identify themselves deserve equal protection under the law, and they have it. Those who so identify themselves deserve respect as individuals, and from the overwhelming majority of us in Greater Cincinnati, they have it.
But those who so identify themselves do not qualify as a protected class with special rights under our human rights ordinances, and we make a mockery of such laws when we grant them. (bold added)
I therefore demand to know when the CCV (Mr. Lyon is a member) is going to call for an amendment to remove the behavior based characteristic of religion from the
anti-discrimination ordinance:
(J) For any employer, employment agency or labor organization to:
(1) Elicit or attempt to elicit any information concerning the race, gender, age, color, religion, disability status, marital status, or ethnic, national or Appalachian regional origin of an applicant for employment or membership, except as may otherwise be required by or for compliance with state, federal, or local laws, rules and regulations. (bold Added)
This copy of the ordinance has not yet been updated to include the changes:
ORDINANCE, dated 3/7/2006, submitted by Vice Mayor Tarbell, Councilmembers Crowley, Bortz, Cole and Cranley, MODIFYING the provisions of the City Municipal Code, Chapter 914 by adding Section 914-1-S, Sexual Orientation, and Section 914-1-T, Transgendered, and amending Section 914-1-D1, Discriminate, Section 914-I-R, Restrictive Covenant, Section 914-3, Housing Discrimination Prohibited, and Section 914-5, Employment Discrimination Prohibited to prohibit discrimination against individuals based on their sexual orientation or transgendered status
Religion is a behavior, plain and simple. If he believes a company should be allowed to refuse to higher a Christian (which logic dictates he should), then he better start gaining signatures for that amendment. (If he doesn't live in the city, what business is it of his anyways?)
The bottom line problem with ignorant fools like Jerry Lyon is that he lives in the homophobic world that still believes that sexual orientation is learned behavior.
Side note: The "special rights" crap is the biggest lie I have heard in a long time. Heterosexuals are protected under the ordinance as well. You can't be discriminated against for being straight any more than you can for being gay. That is where the outright LIES of the CCV are most egregious.
