On Tuesday, the Montgomery City Council voted against an ordinance that would have prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Since Mayor Steven Reed announced his intention to introduce this ordinance, opponents like the Alabama Center for Law and Liberty (ACLL) urged the city council to reject it, warning that it would violate the First Amendment as applied to churches and people of faith and that it would risk exposing women and children to sexual predators. In July, ACLL sent a letter joined by six other conservative organizations to the city council opposing the ordinance.
Reed introduced the ordinance, reading it aloud instead of providing the public a copy in advance or putting it on the public agenda. Before the vote, Mayor Reed threatened to send businesses that were interested in doing business in Montgomery to Birmingham if the city council voted against the ordinance. Despite the threat, the council voted 5-4 to reject the ordinance.
Councilors Charles Jinright, Audrey Graham, Brantley Lyons, Ed Grimes, and Glen Pruitt voted against it. Councilors Clay McInnis, Oronde Mitchell, Cornelius Calhoun, and Marche Johnson voted for it.
In a recent op-ed, ACLL’s president Matt Clark wrote, “Because it defines gender identity as “the actual or perceived gender-related identity, expression, appearance, or mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics of an individual,” an establishment cannot question whether an individual is actually transgender if that person merely expresses, appears, or acts that way. Consequently, to gain access to women’s restrooms, locker rooms, or showers, a sexual predator will merely have to act like he is transgender. For all its claims about wanting to protect the weak, liberalism is alarmingly willing to subject women and children to severe trauma.”
After the vote, Clark commented, “We commend Councilors Jinright, Graham, Lyons, Grimes, and Pruitt for voting to protect religious liberty and the safety of Montgomery’s women and children. By voting against religious persecution and sexual assault, these councilors stopped the Capital of Dreams from becoming the Capital of Nightmares. We thank these councilors for voting to keep Montgomery safe and free.”
