VOTERS OVERTURN GAY RIGHTS ORDINANCE In 1984,
City Councilman Anthony Hall proposed amendments that would add "sexual
orientation" to city anti-discrimination policies. In response,
the Committee for Public Awareness was formed and spent $15,000 for
large newspaper ads saying, "City Council may make 'homosexuality'
equal to religion and color." The ad urged those opposed to any
changes to the nondiscrimination policy, to attend the next council
meeting. Several
councilmen immediately began a drive to collect the signatures needed
to call for a public vote to overturn the ordinances, collecting more
than double the signatures needed. Campaign
literature for the 1985 general election continued the anti-gay frenzy,
with the new "Straight Slate" making anti-homosexuality its
central issue. The low morale of the community was reflected in the
attendance of the parade which went down from 60,000 in 1984 to 2,000
in 1985.
|