SAN ANTONIO — City leaders are looking to expand protections against discriminatory acts for more LGBTQ residents.
Back in 2013, San Antonio revised its non-discrimination ordinance to include protections for the community, which passed with some controversy. On Thursday, a handful of City Council members said they felt an urgency to take further action.
Gathering on City Hall steps with members of the LGBTQ community and their allies, city leaders say they’re continuing a fight for inclusion and equity. They say cases of reported discrimination often go nowhere.
“If people don’t feel they’ll receive support, they are left with few options. You may go to submit a complaint, you describe in detail the traumas you’ve experienced. You rehash those emotions, and then what? For many, nothing happens,” Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez said in the news conference.
McKee-Rodriguez is leading the charge, requesting to expand the ordinance so it includes private businesses with 15 or more employees.
Currently, the non-discrimination ordinance (NDO) applies only to city employment, city contracts, and appointments to boards and commissions. It also prohibits discrimination based on one’s race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, familial status, national origin or age.
An expansion of the ordinance could offer legal aid to those filing complaints and create penalties for businesses that don’t comply.
“We hear about the stories that happen as far as being discriminated against, whether it be with employers or even when you go to a restaurant,” said Melissa Ochoa, president of the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce, who supports the proposal.
According to data from the city’s Office of Equity, 108 complaints have been filed by protected classes. Of those, 22 were filed under disability, while 21 complaints were filed under multiple classes.
McKee-Rodriguez says part of his goal is to raise awareness of the NDO.
“Right now so many people don’t know the protections they have, or they do know they’re protected but they’re scared to complain because they don’t know what might happen at that point,” he said.
Although he wasn’t on council in 2013, he expects similar pushback.
“I expect bigots, I expect some opposition, I expect some people who are going to be weary of the conversation," he said. "But that’s all this is right now is the conversation."
Councilmembers Ana Sandoval, Phyllis Viagran, Melissa Cabello Havrda and Mario Bravo all signed a letter saying they support the council consideration request.
Any potential changes must be discussed by the governance committee first before going to a full council vote. McKee-Rodriguez says he expects that formal conversation to start in January.