Lacey’s equity commission set to host LGBTQ community forum
Lacey’s equity commission is set to host its next community forum which will focus on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.
It’s the second forum for the advisory body to Lacey City Council. The first forum, a Black and African American community forum, was held in March at New Baptist Life Church in Lacey.
The next forum, which is fully described as an LGBTQIA+ community forum, will be 6:30 to 8 p.m. July 12 at Lacey Timberland Library, 500 College St. SE.
Equity Commissioner Annie Clay provided an overview of the upcoming forum during the commission’s June 26 meeting.
She said the format will be similar to the one in March. Commissioners will introduce themselves, the purpose and plans of the equity commission will be explained, and then they will solicit questions and feedback from the audience. The meeting will close with any additional comments, she said.
She said library manager Holly Paxson will be on hand to explain the rules of engagement and the kind of behavior expected by the library.
Clay warned the commission there could be negative comments shared at the meeting, including about fast-food restaurant Chick-fil-A and the choice of location for the previous forum.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, which operates a restaurant in Lacey, drew the ire of some residents after the business sponsored Children’s Day at Lacey’s Huntamer Park last fall. The company and its executives have come under fire for donating to causes that do not support LGBTQ rights.
Some people spoke out at Lacey City Council and North Thurston school board meetings, and it triggered changes for Lacey’s corporate sponsorship policy.
Also, the decision to hold the first forum at a Baptist church did not go over well. Those comments were shared during a follow-up discussion and recap of the Black and African American community forum.
Equity Commissioner Jon Hegwood, who identified himself as a “queer person of color,” said he and others in the community were concerned about what he called the “anti-transgender rhetoric” on the New Life Baptist Church website.
Fellow Commissioner Thelma Jackson defended the choice of site, saying it was in space next to the sanctuary and that it had no association with church doctrine or beliefs.
Clay wrapped up her preview of the upcoming meeting by saying the commission will be “focused on listening and getting to know the community and seeing what the needs are.”
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