To the editor: I remember back in the 1990s, a display was put up celebrating members of and bringing light to the LGBTQ community. This was put up at the library. There was an uproar from some Fairbanks residents, which led to a protest to take the display down. I attended a peaceful counter-protest at the same time. I was 16. This was my first time hearing the hatred for the LGBTQ community. I was floored. I had never seen such hatred toward other human beings simply for them having a different sexual preference or gender identity.
I’m writing this letter today to show my support for Ordinance No. 6093. I’m doing it because of what I saw all those years ago. I believe people should not be discriminated against because of sexual orientation or gender identity. I’m here today as one human being supporting other human beings in their endeavor to simply live their lives, to help ensure they are protected from discrimination like the kind I saw when I was a teen and have seen many times since. We already have ordinances like this; they have been proven to work in Juneau and Sitka. I would like to see it here as well.
