The Anchorage Assembly passed Ordinance 64(S-2) tonight, voting 7-4 to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s non-discrimination policies. Coffey’s resolution to commission another study of LGBT discrimination, instead of passing the ordinance, failed.

“We are thrilled that the Assembly gave us a majority vote and passed version S-2,” said Jackie Buckley, spokesperson for Equality Works. “We are looking forward to Dan Sullivan doing the right thing and making it economically safer for our families.”

Ordinance 64(S-2) will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people against discrimination in housing, employment, finance, education and public accommodations in the Municipality of Anchorage.

Many LGBT residents and allies gave testimony to the Assembly on the need for protection, including several who risked their jobs to testify. A series of supportive testimony is posted on Bent Alaska.

The Assembly held 6 public hearings on Ordinance 64 this summer, because anti-gay leaders encouraged opponents from as far away as Wasilla to testify on the Anchorage ordinance, to delay the vote until after Mayor Sullivan took office on July 1.

Mayor Sullivan has not stated a position on the equal rights ordinance that was introduced three months ago. However, Sullivan ran on a conservative platform, took anti-gay positions as an Assembly member, and is likely to veto the ordinance.

This is the third time Anchorage has tried to pass protections for gays and lesbians. Each time, the right-wing religious groups organized against us and threatened to unseat Assembly members who voted for the protections. Mayor Sullivan’s father, then-Mayor George Sullivan, vetoed one of the ordinances.

At least 108 cities have trans-inclusive non-discrimination laws, including El Paso, TX, Kansas City, MO, Gainesville, FL, and Columbia, SC. In addition, 13 states and Washington, D.C. have LGBT non-discrimination laws.

Will Anchorage join those cities and protect its residents against anti-LGBT discrimination, or will Mayor Sullivan tell the world that Anchorage will continue to allow discrimination?

Contact Mayor Sullivan today and ask him to let Ordinance 64 become a law! Call (907) 343-7170 or (907) 343-7100, or email him at mayor(at)muni(dot)org.