SAGINAW, Mich. — The Saginaw city council has voted for a second time to kill a proposed LGBT-inclusive anti-discrimination ordinance.
The ordinance, rejected by a unanimous vote in the early morning hours on Tuesday, would have protected anyone against discriminatory employment and public accommodation practices based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, reports MLive.com.
The City Council had previously voted 7-2 on April 21 to “postpone indefinitely” consideration of the ordinance. Mayor Pro Tem Amos O’Neal suggested city leaders should take the time to meet with landlords, business leaders and leaders of the faith-based community for input.
But council member Dan Fitzpatrick made the motion to introduce the ordinance, as written and without any amendments, for a second time during Monday night’s meeting.
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“I wanted to bring this for an up or down vote,” Fitzpatrick said, adding that is was his desire to kill it “permanently,” though other council members noted that no issue can be permanently squashed, since a new or similar proposal could always be brought forward at a later date.
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“I’m obviously frustrated and I’m disappointed,” she said. “I voted no because I didn’t want it brought back this soon.”
Boensch said the decision to bring the issue back up so quickly, without giving a real opportunity to flesh out a possible solution, was an insult to those who have flooded the public comment portions of the last few City Council meetings to speak in support of the proposal.
