The Jacksonville Coalition for Equality has been advocating for an update to our existing Human Rights Ordinance to ensure nondiscrimination protections are added based on the categories of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodation.
Opponents have argued there is not enough evidence of discrimination to justify updating the ordinance; however, newly released data shatters that myth.
The University of North Florida (UNF) recently released the results of an online survey that asked the Jacksonville lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community about their experiences and perceptions as they pertained to the life in Jacksonville specifically around discrimination.
The study entitled “A Survey of LGBTQ Experiences, Discrimination, and Perceived Necessity for an LGBT Inclusive Human Rights Ordinance in Jacksonville, Florida” was authored by Danielle Krusemark and Lynne Carroll, PhD.
The 2016 survey was completed by 211 LGBTQ respondents and over half (57.4%) reported experiencing some form of discrimination based upon their sexual orientation or gender identity in Jacksonville in the last 5 years. More importantly, 97% felt it was necessary to expand Jacksonville’s Human Rights Ordinance (HRO) to specifically include protections from discrimination for LGBT people.
Delving into the responses further, many survey participants reported they had experienced discrimination in employment. The highest and third highest responses to the question of where people experienced discrimination were “My job” (27.5%), and “Job Interview” (13.3%). The second highest response for a location where discrimination had occurred was “Restaurant, club, or bar” (22.7%) which clearly aligns with the need for LGBT protections in public accommodations. Other public accommodations and service locations where respondents noted discrimination included “My physician’s office (10.9%), “My school” (8.5%), “Hospital” (8.5%), “Adoption services” (3.3%), “Bank or loan office” (2.4%), and “Family planning” (1.4%).
“Housing” was also chosen by 7.1% of the respondents.
It is clear that if the data from this survey were extrapolated over the entire LGBT population of Jacksonville, thousands have been impacted by discrimination in the key areas an updated HRO would address.
In addition to the findings on discrimination, the survey also asked about how LGBT people perceive Jacksonville.
Over time, several community based groups have asked the Jacksonville LGBTQ community the exact same questions about their perceptions of Jacksonville. The perceptions and opinions of the LGBTQ about Jacksonville have trended negatively since they were first asked in 2008 and there are serious implications.
In 2008, LGBTQ survey participants were asked to agree or disagree with some statements which included, “Jacksonville is a city that embraces diversity.”; “I (would) recommend Jacksonville to LGBT persons who are considering moving here”, and “The laws in Jacksonville adequately protect LGBT persons and their families.”, and this was repeated again in 2011, 2014 and 2016. The results are disconcerting and disturbing. In 2008, the LGBTQ participants were evenly divided with 34% either agreeing with the statement “Jacksonville is a city that embraces diversity.” and 34% disagreed. The rest were unsure. The 2011 results were similar (31% agree and 41% disagree); however, the 2014 and 2016 results clearly found strong majorities disagreeing with 78.92% in 2014 and 63% in 2016. We note that the 2014 survey was the first time the LGBT community was asked the question after the stinging defeat of the HRO update in 2012.
Similar changes were seen on the statement ““I (would) recommend Jacksonville to LGBT persons who are considering moving here”. In 2008, 43% agreed while only 21% disagreed; however, by 2014 only 22% agreed with the statement and 54% disagreed. The 2016 results were very similar to the 2014 results with only 19% agreeing and 56% disagreeing.
The Jacksonville Coalition for Equality has argued all along that a lack of an updated HRO has a serious impact in the perceptions the Jacksonville LGBTQ community has of its city. It is known from other researchers, such as Richard Florida, that cities which support the “Creative Class” are more likely to develop sustainable economic development. When a significant portion of the “Creative Class” perceives Jacksonville has issues with diversity and would not recommend their peers move here, it has serious economic implications for the city’s future ability to draw and/or retain top talent.
The last statement presented was “The laws in Jacksonville adequately protect LGBT persons and their families.” The LGBTQ community of Jacksonville was clear they do not feel they are adequately protected by the laws of Jacksonville. In the 2016 survey, 81.90% disagreed with the statement and 4.7% agreed. In 2014, only 1% agreed and 69% disagreed.
Jacksonville as a city will have to be thoughtful on how it moves forward in creating a more welcoming and discrimination free environment while helping the community heal from past failures to be supportive. The current state of the law is woefully inadequate, and the LGBT people who live here seem to be reluctant to encourage others to move here. It is inestimable, how many well qualified LGBT job applicants and creators have not brought their talent and treasure to the city because of these concerns and perceptions.
Jacksonville Coalition for Equality 