Living in a great place like Juneau, we often think of injustice as happening somewhere else. Many people are surprised to learn that in Alaska today, it’s legal to fire someone because they’re gay. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that as equal human beings, gay Americans have the right to marry in every state, but in Alaska, it’s perfectly legal for a landlord to evict you just for being gay.
It’s a bitter irony, because Alaska law protects us from discrimination based on marital status — whether you’re married or single — just not if you’re gay or transgender. That injustice doesn’t surprise everyone. Some members of Juneau’s LGBT community have suffered just that sort of discrimination. Instead of getting promoted or fired based on how hard they work, it was whom they loved. Despite paying the rent on time every month and taking good care of the place, they found themselves searching for a new apartment when the owner learned their sexual orientation.
We love our welcoming, accepting capital city. And it startles most of us to hear this sort of thing ever happens here. I was amazed to learn the Alaska State Commission on Human Rights fields two dozen complaints from Juneau each year of discrimination based on factors covered by state law — things like race, religion, or national origin. But that doesn’t count discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, because state law allows it. Bills to change that statewide haven’t made much progress.
So fairness must come one community at a time. Anchorage passed a law to make sure every resident can live and work to their full potential, whether gay or straight, and no matter their gender identity. Several members of Juneau’s LGBT community told me their stories, and asked me to write an ordinance that would do the same thing here. The Assembly is starting to look at it now. Juneau made one great stride on June 14 when the School Board unanimously approved a policy ensuring equal treatment regardless of gender, age, race, color, religion, national origin, ethnic group, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or parental status, or physical or mental disability. Now it’s time to apply those protections borough-wide.
On Tuesday, June 21, the Juneau Assembly will hold a special meeting to take public testimony on ordinance 2016-23, protecting people city-wide in employment, housing, credit and public accommodation. This is an extra public testimony session, one more than the usual chance for the public to tell the Assembly what you think. You can find the ordinance at www.juneau.org. Just use the menu to find the June 21 Committee of the Whole meeting.
Let’s protect all our citizens, and help make Juneau the kind of place we all think of our home as being: where having a place depends on being a good tenant and paying your bill, and where how hard and how well you work determine how well you do.
• Jesse Kiehl is an Assembly member in Juneau.
