Friday, October 26, 2012

Boca Bigots mislead the media on LGBT discrimination

New contract: Boca agrees not to discriminate against gays, lesbians

But Palm Beach County Human Rights Council president says they will press on with his concerns

October 24, 2012| 
By Anne Geggis, Sun Sentinel
The Boca Raton City Council Tuesday approved a contract with Palm Beach County with a provision that says the city will not discriminate against people on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

The contract was approved without discussion after a month of controversy about the city's equal opportunity policy.

The language, however, is not what you would expect in a 51-page contract that will pay Boca Raton about $235,000 a year to participate in a countywide system of removing hazardous waste.

Boca stopped short of fully adopting the county's policy. But this decision provided the understanding to smooth over the differences between the county's equal opportunity policy and the city's, which does not cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Later, Vice Mayor Susan Haynie complained that she was getting e-mail based on misinformation about the city's opting out of the county's more inclusive equal opportunity provision.

"We did not take away anyone's rights," Haynie said, contending that the city follows state and federal guidelines against discrimination. "We are not discriminatory."

This compromise language in the contract won't be enough to stop the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council questioning why the city in January 2011 formally opted out of the county's equal opportunity provision, said Rand Hoch, president of the council.
Approving the contract with the statement — and letting stand its internal policy that doesn't include gays, lesbians and transgender employees — leaves those groups without any recourse if they feel they've been discriminated against, Hoch said. The contract also says that the provision doesn't allow city employees to press for domestic partnership benefits

"They'll take the money [for the hazardous waste removal] but they won't do anything about discrimination" against gays, lesbians or transgender employees, Hoch said. "Until they change their minds, we at the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council are going to mark Boca Raton as a city run by bigots."

ageggis@tribune.com or 561-243-6624

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-10-24/news/fl-boca-opt-out-20121023_1_equal-opportunity-sexual-orientation-transgender-employees

1 comment:

  1. If the bigots in Boca really were not discriminating against LGBT employees, they would include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in the City's nondiscrimination policies. They have refused to do so -- despite numerous requests from PBCHRC.

    They also would rescind the ordinance opting-out of the County's Equal Employment Ordinance if the Boca Bigots were serious. But they won't even respond to PBCHRC's request for them to do so.

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