One Community Foundation president pursues statewide NDO
By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
The Scottsdale anti-discrimination ordinance one year later is providing local advocates with a framework on how to approach a statewide bipartisan piece of legislation focused on workplace and fair housing protections for Arizona residents a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Angela Hughey, president at One Community Foundation, is one of those advocates.
This legislative session, Ms. Hughey was in pursuit of a statewide non-discrimination ordinance and lobbied to being provided a historic committee hearing on the proposal.
To better understand how the Scottsdale anti-discrimination ordinance played a role in moving forward with wider legislation, the Arizona Digital Free Press reached out to Ms. Hughey. This is what she had to say:
1ON1 with Angela Hughey
•Can you tell me the latest on what is happening with statewide LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination legislation?
The Scottsdale framework helped pave a path forward for a bipartisan statewide bill this session that had support from Speaker Rusty Bowers. It was granted a historic hearing where the bipartisan committee heard from business leaders, LGBTQ leaders, families, medical professionals, and faith leaders who all support comprehension protections for LGBTQ Arizonans. It was a great opportunity to dialogue with our state’s leaders and talk about how this framework has helped cities like Scottsdale and other municipalities and states across the country.
•A year later, do you think Scottsdale is a better place because of the citywide ADO now in place?
Without a doubt, Scottsdale is a better place because of the citywide ADO. The ADO sends a message that not only is Scottsdale open to business for everyone, but celebrates, respects and protects everyone equally. It gives LGBTQ people and their families peace of mind that they have legal protections in all aspects of life — employment, housing and public accommodations — when they are in Scottsdale.
•From your perspective, what does the adoption of a citywide ADO, such as the one adopted in Scottsdale May 2021, do for current and future economic development prospects?
Many businesses and national events and conferences take into consideration a municipality’s nondiscrimination protections during site selection. Even if a company has inclusive policies, they want to know that their employees will be protected both in and out of the workplace. It’s the right thing to do and it’s critical to attracting and retaining top talent. This ordinance not only removes barriers but makes Scottsdale a more attractive place to do business.
•What role do you think the UNITY Pledge played in the ultimate adoption of Scottsdale’s ADO ordinance?
The core values of the UNITY Pledge and the ordinance are the same. The UNITY Pledge paved the path to have important conversations about values of diversity, equality, equity and inclusion and what role they should play in policies.
•What should our readers know about One Community’s efforts to ensure equity and equality for Arizona residents who identify as LGBTQ+?
With the passage of the Scottsdale ordinance, Arizona now has 10 municipalities with LGBTQ inclusive nondiscrimination protections. But there is still a significant portion of the state where LGBTQ Arizonans are still vulnerable. ONE Community is still working to pass protections on the state level through our work in business, faith and LGBTQ communities, and we have also launched a national bipartisan coalition called Equality and Fairness for all Americans to secure federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans. You can learn more at www.equalityandfairness.com.
