SPLC Statement: Jacksonville City Council Votes to Preserve Protections for LGBTQ+ Residents

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Interim Deputy Legal Director for LGBTQ Rights & Special Litigation Scott McCoy released the following statement after the Jacksonville City Council voted to preserve its human rights ordinance that protects LGBTQ+ residents in Jacksonville from discrimination. This law mirrors the one that was passed in 2017 which was found unenforceable by the Florida First District Court of Appeals because of a technical error in its enactment after anti-LGBTQ hate group Liberty Counsel sued to invalidate the law.

“During Pride Month when we’re celebrating the diversity, creativity and resilience of LGBTQ+ communities across the country, the Jacksonville City Council has appropriately decided to preserve protections from discrimination for its LGBTQ+ residents.

“No one should be discriminated against for being who they are, and today’s vote shows that the city council agrees. LGBTQ+ people deserve the same protections enjoyed by all Americans, despite the spiteful and futile efforts of anti-LGBTQ hate groups like the Liberty Counsel.”