Residents of Springfield, Missouri, the state's third largest city, voted to repeal a six-month-old ordinance that gave housing and hiring protections to homosexuals, but 'gay' activists are hardly giving up.
The group PROMO, Promoting Equality for All Missourians – a statewide organization that presses for anti-discrimination laws for 'gays,' lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders via legislative action – reacted to the repeal with a promise to keep pressing for change.
"PROMO and the entire community of Springfield will continue to focus on the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act (MONA) which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Missouri Human Rights Statute, which currently prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations for other protected categories, including race, sex and national origin," the group said on its website.
WND reported the Springfield vote came only days after Indiana rushed through a change in a state religious freedom law amid a backlash led by homosexual-rights groups. Arkansas reacted, meanwhile, by modifying a similar bill before it was adopted.
PROMO said the more than 160,000 LGBT adults who live in Missouri would benefit from a statewide law.
Meanwhile, posters at a Facebook page for The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of the Ozarks were more blunt in their reactions to the appeal.
One wrote: "Ok Springfield you brought this on yourself. Since the state of misery has deemed that I am a male and Springfield has determined that I am no longer supposed to use the girls bathroom, then I can only conclude what any reasonable person would. Since I am 'male' I am allowed to go shirtless. Hope you enjoy my gorgeous boobs during my top less walks thru your fine bigoted city. I encourage all of my TG/TS/Intersexed sisters to do the same. Sorry [expletive], I can now legally get an even tan from the waist up. You can't have it both ways."
And others on the same site reminded, "Remember, we are a strong and resilient community."
What do YOU think? Sound off on 'non-discrimination' laws vs. religious freedom in today's WND poll!
The homosexual-rights group Human Rights Campaign weighed in, giving kudos to ordinance supporters for their hard work to fight the repeal.
"The fight goes on and the future is bright," HRC's national field director Marty Rouse said in a statement posted on the group's website. "We're committed to ensuring that equality will ultimately prevail in Springfield and throughout the state of Missouri."
The vote earlier this week, as reported by WND, was painted by some media as a religious battle. Time magazine, for instance, opened a story with this sentence: "Like recent political battles in Indiana and Arkansas, the fight pitted Christians against the LGBT community."
Others, however, see the controversy over Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act as more of a constitutional issue, ensuring that First Amendment rights are upheld for all.
Springfield's vote was emotionally charged. The ordinance ended up being repealed with 51 percent of the vote.
City Council members had approved the non-discrimination rule in October with a 6-3 voice, making it illegal to discriminate against anyone in housing or employment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.