Almost 300 businesses in Jacksonville signed an open letter from the Jacksonville Coalition for Equality calling on the City Council to extend civil rights protections to people in the LGBT community. The group joins other business interests that have already called for the legislation, including the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.
“All hardworking people in our community should have the chance to earn a living and provide for themselves and their families. No one should live in fear that they can be fired from a job or be denied housing or basic services because of who they love or how they identify,” the business owners wrote.
Next year the Jacksonville City Council will consider expanding the city’s existing Human Rights Ordinance to protect individuals from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Hundreds of people have attended public forums held by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry to discuss the proposed ordinance.
Read the open letter from the Jacksonville Coalition for Equality