Normally I try to write about bigger issues, national politics or the constitution and try to present information that is at least attempting to be even handed and respectful of opinions other than my own. I'm a firm believer that the only way to have a productive discussion on hard topics is to understand the opposing view as thoroughly as possible. We can't argue against what we don't understand, and we can't convince anyone if we start by assuming they're malicious or stupid (or both).
That said, this is not one of those posts. Instead, this is something that matters. It matters to me on a personal level, to a lot of people locally now and in the future on a practical level, and to some extent to everyone on some more abstract levels.
On September 8th 2015 Fayetteville AR is holding a special election to attempt to pass Ordinance 5781, titled "An ordinance to ensure uniform nondiscrimination protections within the city of Fayettevile for groups already protected to varying degrees throughout state law". It's a clunky, inelegant title but there are reasons for that. Last year Arkansas declared that no subdivision of the state (county, city, town, etc) may protect classes of citizens not already protected by state statutes. (The merits of that, or lack thereof, are a topic for another post.)
The ordinance itself is 6 pages long and largely references other statutes at the state level. The gist of the ordinance is that if a class is protected at the state level in one area, then it is protected in all areas covered by state protections.
So why does this matter?
The US may have legalized gay marriage through the Supreme Court, but it didn't protect those who choose to get married. However, in roughly half of the country it is perfectly legal to fire or refuse housing to someone who chooses to exercise that right (or even if you don't and someone happens to find out).
Growing up in the Northeast and living on my own in upstate New York that's not something I ever really thought about. Even if it were a possibility it was something that never crossed my mind. When I moved to Arkansas it was an adjustment, but by and large Fayetteville is a college town and most of my Northern prejudices were unfounded. That said, looking for an apartment here was an unsettling experience. I'm still not sure if that nice older couple who seemed vaguely uncomfortable really had a problem with us and I probably will never know but what really threw me off was the complex we ended up living in telling us how open and accepting they were.
They were right, and I have no regrets about moving there, but that statement has stuck with me. No one should ever need to be told "we're accepting here" because what we do in our homes is none of their business. Not discriminating should not be a selling point.
Fayetteville has an opportunity to stand up and say "We welcome everyone." It's not everywhere, but as I told one of my roommates in college... I may not be able to change the world, but that doesn't mean I won't try to improve my small part of it.
