Councilman pushing repeal of "Be Fair Shreveport"

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - One week after the Shreveport City Council approved the "Be Fair Shreveport" ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, the lone dissenting vote on the council is trying to repeal it.

Shortly before the council voted 6-to-1 in favor of the ordinance back on December 10th, Councilman Ron Webb said, "the bible tells you homosexuals is an abomination." Webb added that he does not socialize with homosexuals and that the ordinance is a bad piece of legislation.

In a brief phone conversation, Webb confirmed to KSLA News 12 that he added a proposed repeal of the ordinance to the Friday, December 20th Shreveport City Council work session. Webb said he was not prepared to give a statement yet on the repeal effort, but said he will in the future. Webb did say that he did not believe the council gave all Shreveport citizens a chance for their voice to be heard about the anti-discrimination ordinance.

Now, members of the LGBT community are upset about Webb's efforts. That includes David Hylan, President of P.A.C.E., which stands for "People Acting for Change and Equality." "Every single congressional district in the United States, the majority of people support this type of ordinance. So, it would be difficult for me to believe that Mr. Webb is supporting the constituency of his district," said Hylan.

Many cities across the nation already have anti-discrimination laws in place similar to the "Be Fair Shreveport" ordinance. And the one in Shreveport does have some exceptions, including broad exemptions for religious groups, small businesses and small housing units. The Shreveport City Council work session gets underway at 2 p.m. on Friday in council chambers.

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