'We want you to feel welcome' —Springfield City council affirms support for LGBTQ community

Following nearly two hours of public comment and heated exchanges, Springfield City Council overwhelmingly approved a non-binding resolution declaring their support for the city's LGBTQ+ community.

The resolution was supported by all council members except Councilman Derek Lee.

Before the vote, newly-elected Councilman Brandon Jenson said he knows the LGBTQ community has faced discrimination and harassment because he is an openly gay man. He pointed to the murder of two transgender residents in recent years and a string of downtown assaults he believes were linked to the queer identities of the victims.

As a queer person himself, Jenson feared walking home from downtown at night because of the possibility of such discriminatory violence. Still, he pointed to his recent election to City Council as evidence of change in Springfield.

"As an openly gay man, I hope I may serve as an example, albeit imperfect, that if you work hard, (you can) achieve great things despite the opposition our community faces," he said directly to Springfield's queer community. "Please know that your contributions across every sector of our economy are invaluable to the city."

Monday night was the first time Jenson spoke publicly about his sexuality during his time on or running for Springfield City Council — he is the body's first openly gay council member.

More: Greene Co. clerk says government entities are sponsoring Pridefest. That's not quite true

Councilwoman Heather Hardinger said the intent of the resolution is to show gay and trans Springfieldians they do belong in Springfield.

"We see you. We honor you and your families as neighbors. Your contributions in Springfield are part of what makes us a strong community and we want you to feel welcome," she said.

"We want your visiting friends and loved ones to feel welcome and safe in our city. We want you and your loved ones to have the ability to navigate and enjoy Springfield. We want you to live here, have fun and maybe start a family — work with us or launch a business as citizens. You are valued members of our community."

Hardinger also labeled the resolution "long overdue" and called for the Mayor's Commission on Human Rights to create a subcommittee to study the challenge faced by LGBTQ Springfieldians.

City supporting drag shows?

The lone voice of dissent on the council was Derek Lee, who called LGBTQ issues "divisive" and decried city government's alleged involvement with this weekend's Ozarks Pridefest.

"People in the LGBT community should not be discriminated against but we're totally taking a side on a very controversial issue," Lee said.

He specifically called out a section of the resolution encouraging residents to attend Pridefest.

"Many parents in Springfield consider the content of Pridefest as adult-oriented and should not be celebrated by this body in the public square. Members of this body want us to ignore the divisive history of this issue and may look at anything other than full support as lacking in love for the LGBTQ+ community."

Lee said he "wholeheartedly denounced" discrimination of LGBTQ people but he had not "heard from Springfieldians who desire the LGBTQ+ community to lose their rights or be discriminated against."

Lee also said the city should not be a "sponsor" of the Pridefest, pointing out the City of Springfield is listed as an "ally sponsor" on the Pridefest website.

"I'll be honest with you, I had no idea that the city paid money to support drag shows," Lee said.

According to Ozarks Pridefest, sponsorship packages range from $50 to $5,000. An ally sponsor pays $250 and up, and an advocate sponsor pays $750 and up for benefits such as a booth and website listing. For nonprofit organizations, ally sponsors pay $125 and advocate sponsors pay $250.

More: Greene Co. clerk says government entities are sponsoring Pridefest. That's not quite true

Before the meeting, city spokeswoman Cora Scott clarified that the "city in general is not a sponsor," nor is it hosting the event. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department and the city's Department of Human Resources have "obtained entry-level sponsorships to set up booths for providing service information."

"In general, the health department’s interest is solely to provide health-related information to the public as they typically do at a variety of community events, in particular for those who may experience barriers to care," Scott said. "In general, Human Resources’ interest is to utilize the event as an employment recruitment opportunity since the event is expected to attract a large audience. Like the health department, Human Resources does historically take advantage of events that are expected to attract a large turnout."

To have booths at the event for both the Springfield-Greene County Health Department and the city's Department of Human Resources, the Ozarks Pridefest will receive $500.

"The complaints we have received seem to be based on inaccurate ideas that the city is hosting and spending great deals of taxpayer money on this," Scott said.

Mayor Ken McClure also noted at the meeting that the city "does not regulate the content of events on the square" and the city only spent money to have informational booths at the event.

"The LGBTQ community faces unique barriers facing healthcare and is considered a chronically under-served population ... The Health Department has a mission to make services available at these events and provide all the services those who are under-served."

Though McClure said that drag is "not something I prefer to watch," he had been assured drag performances tailor their appropriateness to specific audiences. The event was first permitted by the city in 2015 and has not led to any violations of law, including indecent exposure, since then, he added.

McClure admitted to "struggling tremendously" over his vote Monday night, preferring a more general resolution than one singling out the LGBTQ community.

"It's my belief that resolutions such as this one are well-intentioned. But I also believe resolutions like this one can have unintended impacts and at times bring harm. Resolutions which divide us into categories — only certain categories as worthy of honor and support are not inclusive."

But ultimately the mayor opted to support the resolution after much prayer and reflection.

In response to Lee's comments, Councilman Craig Hosmer said the resolution has "nothing to do with drag shows" but with human rights.

"(The resolution) says you don't get discriminated against because you're an LGBT member of that community. It says that we encourage inclusion and diversity of this community. It says that we treat other people fair. That is not difficult to vote for. And that's something we all should be proud that this country stands for. I'm talking about this being a moral issue. It is a moral issue. You should treat people how you want to be treated."

Is this another SOGI?

Hanging over much of the preceding was the divisive history of LGBTQ rights in the city. Eight years ago Springfield voters went to the polls and narrowly struck down a city ordinance prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ Springfieldians on the basis of their identity.

The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity ordinance, or SOGI for short, was first passed by City Council in 2014. The ordinance prohibited discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity.

More: Springfield's short-lived SOGI ordinance protected gay, trans residents. Is it time to try again?

After its initial passage, opponents of the protections collected enough signatures to put its repeal to a public vote. After just six months on the books, SOGI was repealed by a vote of the people — but only by a 3% margin.

Several speakers before Monday night's vote referenced SOGI and the divisions the repeal campaign created that have yet to heal.

A pastor and executive director of Christians United for Political Action, Calvin Morrow, was a leading spokesman for the campaign against LGBTQ protections and was instrumental to the success of the repeal effort in 2015. The Marshfield resident told Springfield City Council "there were no winners" in the SOGI fight and it left the city "in emotional tatters."

"Everyone lost. For the first time neighbors who were cordial to one another didn't speak. At the end of the day, we ask this council to avoid being a part of anything that would pit the citizens against each other. A public affirmation or resolution would constitute city government granting extra favor to one group of citizens over another, which is discrimination," he said.

According to Morrow, the proposed resolution "forces those with a biblically-based opinion on the topic of sex into a position of adversary" with city government.

"If this government formally affirms members of the LGBTQ community, then those outside of it are un-affirmed. On that basis, this resolution is fundamentally unfair."

Recalling the SOGI election and more recent statewide legislation affecting transgender Missourians, LGBTQ advocate Lexi Mason said "blatant hatred" that they heard at the meeting and throughout Springfield "is very harmful" to them and other transgender residents of the city.

"I've personally experienced hate speech, microaggressions, employment discrimination, healthcare discrimination, and a feeling of unease while living in Springfield. But this is my home, and I won't be forced out," Mason said.

In their view the SOGI ordinance was defeated because religious institutions organized and lobbied for its repeal. They argued religious arguments against secular law should not impact City Council's vote.

Many speakers opposed to the resolution invoked tenets of their Christian faith in arguments against the resolution.

The Bible tells us very clearly that for man to live with a man is an abomination ..." speaker Ross Ligon said. "So, the Bible tells us that that's an abomination to God. And so, who are we to think we can ignore God and accept what men think?"

Speaker Manuel Gonzalez said both the country and city are built on a "Judeo-Christian foundation" and he would be "scared to death as a Christian" if the city passed the proposed ordinance.

"I feel really threatened and unsafe because I am a heterosexual, born-again, spirit-filled, evangelical Christian who cannot freely express my ideas about marriage and the family and sex without being called all sorts of filthy names that aren't true," Gonzalez said.

Supporters of the proposed resolution spoke in equal if not greater measure at the meeting. GLO Center President and MSU professor Kyler Sherman-Wilkins said that while the queer community is "under attack" he appreciated city council's efforts to reaffirm their inclusion in Springfield's community.

"I plan on being here for a long time. And I want to make sure that we find here that I feel safe and supported and members of my community feel safe and supported as well."

But he also called the resolution a "first step" that required more action.

"It's important for us to have a commission or a task force dedicated to studying the unique challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ population here in our city," he said.

Former City Council candidate Jeremy Dean sent a letter to the body last month requesting council members speak out in favor of LGBTQ rights. Speaking Monday night, the openly gay former candidate defended Pridefest as an "opportunity for Springfieldians to come together, celebrate and not only honor the contributions of the LGBT community, but also to represent the profound community bonds that we have built here."

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: City Council affirms support for LGBTQ community ahead of Pridefest