Defending anti-discrimination

Later this month, Anchorage residents will receive their ballots in the mail to select our next mayor. Anchorage faces a number of challenges, many of which predated the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on how we move Anchorage forward to a more prosperous, safe and livable city should be at the heart of everything we do.

Recently, as I have campaigned for mayor, some people have chosen to attack me because I sponsored a 2015 equal rights ordinance while serving on the Anchorage Assembly. The ordinance protected LGBT individuals from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. Supporting this ordinance was the right thing to do, both then and now. It not only protected vulnerable members of our community, but also reflected values that are necessary if Anchorage is to succeed and prosper in the coming years.

It is also important to understand the background of how this ordinance came about: In 2012, Anchorage suffered through an ugly and bitter dispute over a nondiscrimination measure, which ultimately failed at the ballot box. Three years later, in 2015, it was evident the issue would, once again, arise. In an effort to avoid another divisive public battle, I took the lead and drafted what I believed was a reasonable and responsible equal rights ordinance that would work in our community. Before introducing the ordinance, I consulted with several groups, including prominent local pastors who had been opposed to the previous ordinance, as well as LGBT support groups.

The ordinance, which passed the Assembly and was later upheld by the voters, created appropriate new protections for LGBT individuals, included certain protections for religious freedom, and minimized what could have been a much uglier and contentious public battle. I’m absolutely proud of the work that we did in crafting and passing this historic ordinance. Ensuring that all groups are protected from unwarranted discrimination should be a duty of all public officials, and I’m pleased to have done my part in bringing Anchorage’s equal rights protections into the 21st century.

I believe the ordinance was not only just and necessary, but also consistent with our community’s values. I firmly believe people should be judged on their merits and what they contribute to our community — not on their sexual preference. The notion that someone could lose their job simply because they are gay is, to me, absolutely un-American.

Some opponents labeled the ordinance the “bathroom bill,” and sought to get the community riled up by focusing on where transgendered persons would go to the bathroom. Certain groups fanned the flames of fear, suggesting that young women and children would be victimized in public restrooms by transgendered individuals. Such claims attempted to distract from the bigger issue, and were also baseless. In the six years since the ordinance passed, this fear has never materialized once in Anchorage.

I’m willing to bet most Anchorage voters are more concerned about serious community problems, like homelessness, crime, and rebuilding our economy. Engaging in fearmongering about imaginary threats is both harmful and unproductive. In the 21st century, Anchorage competes with every other city in the country, and around the world, for people, for talent, for investment and for economic opportunities — in a very real sense, it is Anchorage versus the world. We need to come together as a community and recognize that while we are diverse in many ways, we remain united in our need to build a prosperous, safe and livable community for all.

Bill Evans is a former member of the Anchorage Assembly and a candidate for mayor of the Municipality of Anchorage.

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