Fayetteville, Arkansas, Will Again Vote On LGBT Protections

Six months after voters repealed LGBT protections in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the City Council opted Tuesday to put them back on the ballot in September.

The council first passed an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance last August, but voters narrowly repealed it in December, by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent. Opposition to the ordinance was led by, among others, Josh Duggar.

After it was repealed, officials rewrote the ordinance, adding exemptions for churches, religious schools and daycare facilities, as well as religious organizations of any kind, according to a report in The Fayetteville Flyer. The council also decided to establish a seven-member Civil Rights Commission to enforce the ordinance, rather than placing that responsibility in the hands of a single administrator.

Unlike the old ordinance, the new one has the support of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. The council voted 6-2 to place it on the ballot Sept. 8 after four hours of debate.

Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2015/06/fayetteville-arkansas-will-vote-lgbt-protections-video/