Mayor Dennis: Indiana can be a leader in protecting LGBTQ freedom

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Journal & Courier received the following commentary by West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis in association with Mayors Against LGBTQ Discrimination.

As we celebrate June’s LGBTQ Pride Month, I’ve been thinking a lot about the stories that I hear from residents all across West Lafayette, Indiana, when it comes to the issues of dignity and equality for all LGBTQ people.

Overall, I’m hearing people express strong support for passing policies that create an equal playing field for all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. From the friends and family members of LGBTQ people, I’m hearing worries and fears about the ways that LGBTQ people, especially young people, are increasingly being targeted for disrespect and mistreatment. And from LGBTQ people themselves, I’m hearing stories of people who feel vulnerable to discrimination based on their identities.

These conversations have moved me and encouraged me to reflect on what we can do to address anti-LGBTQ discrimination in West Lafayette, in Indiana, and beyond. It’s what prompted me to join the Mayors Against LGBTQ Discrimination coalition, where I’ve strengthened my advocacy for LGBTQ community members and shared best practices with fellow mayors committed to upholding similar values. And it’s why I fervently believe that it’s well past time to pass a federal law protecting people from anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

To make federal nondiscrimination a reality, we’ll need leadership from Indiana’s U.S. Senators Mike Braun and Todd Young. I’d love to see them at the table during conversations about a workable solution on the issue of LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination protections.

I speak to these senators as a fellow Republican who feels strongly about this topic. And I’m far from being the only Republican committed to this issue. Polling consistently tracks majority support among Republicans for a comprehensive federal nondiscrimination law – a recent poll tracked conservative support at 68%.

We have first-hand experience here in Indiana to the dangers of leaving LGBTQ people vulnerable to discrimination. We all still remember the damage of the so-called “RFRA” law that granted business owners and others a “license to discriminate” against LGBTQ people.

Companies and influential voices pushed back hard, and the law was rolled back, but the reputation still lingers here in Indiana. RFRA’s passage brought stories of anti-LGBTQ discrimination to the forefront – people fired from their jobs, kicked out of their homes, denied service at businesses, and turned away from medical care. We rightly condemned RFRA as an effort to erase LGBTQ people from American public life. And we rightly stood up against it, because that’s not who we are as Hoosiers.

Now it’s time to complete our state’s evolution on LGBTQ dignity and equality. Conversations are ongoing right now between Democrats and Republicans on federal nondiscrimination legislation, and it’s critical that Sen. Braun and Sen. Young join these conversations, committed to exploring every option with an open heart and mind.

It’s more important than ever to build a better world where all Hoosiers – and all Americans – can work hard, take care of their families, and contribute to their communities without the fear of discrimination. Pride Month would be the perfect time to ratchet up our efforts to win equal Justice for everyone – and to work together to ensure everyone has a chance to thrive. It’s time.

John Dennis is the mayor of West Lafayette, Ind.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Mayor Dennis: Indiana can be a leader in protecting LGBTQ freedom