Last week an 8-to-1 vote was cast in favor of a Laramie Non-Discrimination Ordinance designed to stop businesses and organizations from discriminating against members of the LGBTQ community.
Needless to say with all that’s going on in states like Indiana this should be chalked up as a big win for our little town.
One of the best things about Laramie is the fact that in a state so red it looks like Christian Bale after he killed Jared Leto in “American Psycho,” it’s the one city that can be labeled as progressive. And it needs to stay that way.
Sure, bumpkins and their loud trucks don’t do much to relay this fact, but thanks to the presence of the University, Laramie has the potential to standout as the one city that stands for some moral reason and civil justice.
And with the 50 business and 30 local organizations that supported the ordinance (as reported by the Branding Iron on the 10th) it warms my soul to know most people agree.
Ordinances like these are usually religiously geared towards denying gay and lesbian people/couples from going to stores, bars, etc. I angrily wrote about Indiana’s new law last week, so I won’t bash Christians anymore than I already have.
I can’t tell people what to believe in, but I can tell them how to behave. That’s because in this day and age there’s nothing wrong with telling people you shouldn’t be mean to others. I think they start teaching you when you’re two that you should always share, and that includes civil rights. It’s just something good people do.
So praise be unto those who support this ordinance. They understand what Laramie stands for as a forward thinking community that embraces everyone of every creed, code and gender. It’s sad that in this, what is 2015, that we have to take such measures to defend against archaic bills, but it is necessary and thank you to people who are standing up for others.
And for those of you who don’t support the ordinance, and are maybe owners of a certain establishment that wishes to bar gay people from your business just remember this: In a town fueled by young, fair-minded college students who support gay rights you really don’t have the room to fight for your “religious rights.” Your holier-than-thou morals don’t count for shit when you go out of business and are fighting with a bum under the bridge for a scrap of cheese.
