Board to take more input on Wichita anti-discrimination ordinance; many remain skeptical

A large number of the people who attended the Wichita Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights Advisory Board’s meeting Thursday night disagree with the proposed anti-discrimination ordinance.

The Eagle spoke with about 15 of the roughly 50 people in attendance and only one of them supported the ordinance. Religious beliefs were the main reason people gave for opposing the ordinance.

The proposed ordinance would ban discrimination in employment and housing within city limits on the basis of “age, color, disability, familial status, gender identity, genetic information, national origin or ancestry, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other factor protected by law.”

TyJuan Davis, who was one of several people in attendance that are affiliated with Word of Life Church, said he’s heard that it protects religion, but he’s not convinced. He was taken aback when Assistant City Manager Donte Martin listed organizations that would be protected and only mentioned the LGBTQIA+ community and veterans.

Martin said it had been 21 years since law school, but “I should know this” and later looked up and named the other protected groups.

Dianne Urban was there with her friend Connie Robinson.

“We just have a lot of misgivings about the ordinance they’re wanting to pass,” Urban said. “It’s not that we hate the LGBTQ community, but as a believer, we have seen how things like this end up getting twisted and used. … We’ve seen it used against the church and against religion. And they swear it’s not going to happen, but it does eventually. I believe everybody has a right under the Constitution, and I believe they are already protected from being discriminated against.”

Robinson agreed with her friend.

The council first approved an anti-discrimination ordinance on June 15, but it was widely criticized by advocates who said it was unenforceable and largely symbolic. The ordinance was re-introduced with new language modeled after similar ordinances on the books in a number of cities in Johnson County, Kansas.

A third meeting ended with council member Becky Tuttle making a motion to table the discussion until around the Oct. 12 meeting, citing too much misinformation stemming from how quickly things moved. Combined, the meetings lasted more than 15 hours, with a large bulk of those meetings being public comments.

A majority of the council members have said they support the ordinance.

Tuttle called for the council’s advisory board to weigh in.

The fledgling board had its second meeting and first in-person one on Thursday. The board is made up of 10 members appointed by City Council members — five of the members were appointed by Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple. The board discussed taking more public input and meeting more often than monthly before making a recommendation to the City Council.

“Ninety days seems like a long time, but when we only have one meeting, once a month, that is nothing,” advisory board member Mackenzie Borland said. “This is a big responsibility we have been given, and I think we should take it seriously. If that means working a little harder, I think we should offer that up and sacrifice more time to make sure this gets back up on the floor.”

Jalon Britton, who attended the meeting, doesn’t think the board needs any more public input, and if the advisory board comes up with any recommendations, it should add more teeth to the current proposal.

“I really don’t think we need public hearing in these meetings. I think we have enough hours of the one side against the NDO. Eleven hours plus (of comments), two weeks in a row,” he said. “It definitely should have been passed (last week). ... I’m hoping they do get back quickly with suggestions for the NDO, pass it back up to the council.”

Advisory board members Jennifer Brehon and pastor Pamela Hughes Mason said the only public input so far has been people against the ordinance or people for it on behalf of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Brehon said there are other protected groups they want to hear from.

The board meets again Aug. 24. The board plans to take public comments through its forthcoming page at wichita.gov.

“If we are who we say we are, and we are, which is diversity, inclusion and civil rights. then it’s not about disallowing anyone or not including someone,” Mason said.

This story was originally published July 22, 2021 at 10:31 PM.