PEORIA PASSES GLBT CIVIL RIGHTS ORDINANCE

By Gary Barlow

Staff writer, Chicago Free Press

PEORIA, IL, April 22, 2003 ---- Opponents who call gay rights the province of politically liberal cities may have to change their tune after the Illinois city known as America's archetypal home of mainstream values outlawed anti-GLBT discrimination April 22.

"Now gay rights does play in Peoria," said Douglas Drenckpohl, president of the Men's Network, a gay group based in the Downstate city, after the Peoria City Council voted 8-3 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations.

"Discrimination doesn't play in Peoria," Drenckpohl said. "The city came up with that slogan in the late 1990s in response to church burnings in the South. We reminded the city council that we weren't having church burnings here in Peoria at the time but that they felt it was important to make a statement against discrimination."

Drenckpohl's group led the campaign to add GLBT protections to Peoria's human rights ordinance, beginning last October with overtures to the city's Fair Employment and Housing Commission.

"In January we went before them to give a presentation," he said. "We had a city councilman come from Normal to explain how they went about it and tell them the world didn't fall apart after they passed it."

The commission voted in February to recommend the ordinance change to the city council. But Drenckpohl said backers were nervous going into last week's vote, believing they had a bare majority.

"I was praying for six votes," Drenckpohl said. "I was really impressed we got that good a vote."

By passing the amendment Peoria became the 15th city or county in the Land of Lincoln to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and the fifth city in Illinois' Downstate heartland to do so in the past year.

"The passage of a strong gay rights bill in the heart of the heartland sends the distinct and clear message that fair-minded middle Americans support gay and lesbian civil rights," said Rick Garcia, political director of Equality Illinois.

Garcia said Peoria's action also sends a message to the Illinois General Assembly, where the Illinois Senate is considering Senate Bill 101 to ban anti-GLBT discrimination statewide.

"This is a great success and paves the way for a statewide bill," Garcia said.

Garcia, in testimony supporting Peoria's measure, warned the city council not to be swayed by religious arguments against gay rights.

"Let me remind you that people invoked God and the Holy Scriptures to oppose the abolition of slavery, to oppose the vote for women and to oppose integration," Garcia stated. "The basic foundation of our Judeo-Christian tradition is justice and mercy, not intolerance and bigotry."

That didn't stop conservative Christian opponents from trying to persuade the council.

"(This) is asking the council to put its stamp of approval and validate a certain chosen lifestyle," said Brad Dunham, opposing the measure on behalf of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens.

But when the vote came, backers got the six votes they hoped for, plus two more they hadn't counted on.

"A 'Yes' vote tonight means I don't agree with people being discriminated against," said Councilman Clyde Gulley Jr., whose support surprised most people. "That's it. It doesn't mean I agree with homosexuality. I don't."

Drenckpohl said the amendment should help make Peoria more accepting of openly GLBT people.

"Peoria has a history...of being a conservative community that doesn't always embrace change," he said. "It's white, Christian, middle-class and family-oriented. Part of the reason we came forward with this is to make it more accepting."