New Jacksonville HRO expansion bill includes bathroom provision

It’s round three for a proposal to expand Jacksonville’s Human Rights Ordinance to include members of the LGBT community.

City Council members Aaron Bowman, Tommy Hazouri and Jim Love introduced the bill on Wednesday, which would protect people from being discriminated against based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill is 4 1/2 pages long, which is about 10 pages shorter than the 2015 version.

“The content’s pretty much the same. The only thing that was added was the definition at the end of the dressing and the restroom issue,” said Bowman.

Bowman hopes that part of the bill will settle the controversial bathroom issue that derailed the bill last year.

It says nothing will prohibit a business from having single-sex restrooms, locker rooms and the like.

It also says that a person’s gender identity cannot be asserted for a criminal purpose.

The bill creates exemptions for small businesses with 15 or fewer employees and for religious organizations.

“They are not exempt, regardless of the lies that you hear,” said Biblical Concepts Ministries President Raymond Johnson.

When Action News Jax pointed out the provision that’s written in the bill, Johnson responded, “As a Christian, I still must sign a discrimination agreement which violates our constitutional and religious freedom.”

Johnson appears to be referring to the nondiscrimination policy businesses sign as part of a larger contract when they agree to do business with the city.

In the meantime, the chairman of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce board, Darnell Smith, said the city is missing out on economic opportunities.

“There are a number of other cities that are utilizing the fact that we don’t have an expanded HRO when they are competing against us,” said Smith.

Bowman said if everything goes smoothly in committee, the bill could come to a vote next month.

Jacksonville is the largest city in the country without civil rights protections for the LGBT community, according to the New York Times.

Cox Media Group