Other HRC Developments:

HRC Thank You's

Read the Full Ordinance as a PDF

Council Votes 6-1 for ordinance 2/26/02

Council tables HRC ordinance again, but... 1/8/02

HRC has first reading by County Council on 12/18/01

HRC withdraws plan to de-fund HRC 11/27/01

Joint Council/HRC Meeting 9/28/01

HRC reaffirms recommendation to include Sexual orientation 9/10/01

HRC Agrees to Review Inclusion of Sexual Orientation Despite Pressure by County Council 8/13/01

County Council Tables Hearing of Proposed Ordinance 3/6/01

HRC Unanimously Votes to Include Sexual Orientation 1/29/01

HRC Ordinance FAQ's

How to Contact County Council

Sample Letters to Council Members

HRC has first reading by County Council 12/18/01

by Mike Mahler, 12/20/01

The proposed Erie County Human Relations Commission (HRC) ordinance had its first reading at the Erie County Council meeting on Tuesday, December 18. There were well over 100 people in attendance, most of them supporters. For some reason, the meeting was held in the smaller County Council chambers, rather than the larger courtroom used at the March 6th meeting when the ordinance was first tabled (see article...). There were approximately 30-50 people at various times who were unable to adequately hear the meeting waiting in the hallway.

Around 14 people spoke, 10 of them supportive of including sexual orientation in the ordinance. Supportive speakers brought up the need for Erie to have this protection to be economically competitive. Bill McCarthy, current chairman of the Erie County Human Relations Commission, noted that 494 of the Fortune 500 companies have anti-discrimination policies in place. It was mentioned by Reid McFarlane of the Erie HRC that millions of dollars from Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are also at stake in having a strong anti-discrimination ordinance.

Among the 4 opposing speakers was Pastor Patrick Kennedy of the First Baptist Church of North East, who contested local coverage about the South Shore Inn. Another speaker, Lee Coleman, president of Erie County Citizens Coalition against Pornography, claimed that pedophilia and rape could also be considered sexual orientations potentially protected by the ordinance, and that having protection for the category of sexual orientation would cause rapists and pedophiles to flock to Erie County for jobs. A third opposing speaker expressed concern that religious organizations would be forced to hire people whose lifestyles ran counter to the religious philosophies of those organizations. Reid McFarlane rebutted this, stating that, in the language of the ordinance, religious organizations would be exempted from giving equal opportunities to people of different sexual orientations when hiring for jobs that specifically required a certain sexual orientation status as a qualification of that job.

All 7 County Council members were present at the meeting, as was John Onorato, the representative for the transitional team for the county executive-elect, Rick Schenker. The Republican Schenker will be replacing Democratic incumbent Judy Lynch on January 8, 2002. Schenker is a previous executive director of the Pennsylvania Christian Coalition. Onorato said that Schenker wanted the ordinance tabled "so that it could be reviewed." After the meeting, Schenker stated to the press that he would veto any ordinance that included sexual orientation as a protected category (see the Erie Times-News article... ).

The vote to have a first reading was 6-1 with County Council President James Terrill opposing. The next step will be a second reading. At that point it could be either tabled or voted on. Whenever it is voted on, it would go to the whichever County Executive is in office at the time.

There are no more regularly scheduled County Council meetings for the year. However, there will need to be a special meeting to deal with a bond issue before the end of the year. It is not clear when exactly that meeting will be, or whether or not the proposed HRC ordinance will be on the agenda at that meeting.

At this point, it is VERY important and helpful to attend County Council meetings, in room 116 of the County Courthouse, whether the HRC ordinance is on the agenda or not. Please note that it is also helpful to contact Council members, even if you already have before, to reiterate your support. Sample letters are at http://www.eriegaynews.com/council_letter.html. Feel free to add or change any of the samples.

Please note: when attending a County Council meeting held at night (after 5 PM), you will need to use the rear entrance of the County Courthouse - the one that is closer to 5th Street on the northwest corner of the building. Also be sure to allow time to go through the Courthouse's security measures which can take as long as 20 minutes.

© Erie Gay News