September 15, 2009
Today we celebrate a great victory for equality in Tennessee. By a vote of 24 to 15, the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County has passed the non-discrimination ordinance that will now protect Metro government employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
 We have many people to thank. First, we express our gratitude to the lead sponsor of the ordinance, Megan Barry and the other nine cosponsors—Tim Garrett, Ronnie Steine, Jerry Maynard, Mike Jameson, Erik Cole, Anna Page, Sandra Moore, Buddy Baker, and Sean McGuire. We also wish to thank the other Council Members who voted for the ordinance.
The leadership of Mayor Karl Dean, who came out early for the ordinance and deployed his staff to support the effort, was critical to passage.
Over fifty organizations endorsed the effort. Their support showed that Nashville is truly a welcoming city. Two special allies deserve to be singled out—Elizabeth M-K Sullivan for the hours she put into recruiting allies and working with Council Members and Keri Adams for driving dozens of contacts with Council Members and assisting with fundraising to back the campaign.
Finally we want to thank the TEP family. Our lobbyist Jenny Ford played a vital role in coordinating strategy with the administration and making sure our ground game supported the legislative plan. Our district captains from all around Davidson County kept their neighbors engaged with the Council and recruited the majority of organizations that endorsed the ordinance. And you, the members of TEP, were tireless in your support by contacting your Council Members and spreading the word among your friends.
It worked! We are so grateful to all of you for seeing the effort to the end.
As we celebrate this important victory tonight, we want you to know that we are not resting. We will work to make sure the Metro ordinance is effectively implemented. We continue to prepare to advance a non-discrimination ordinance in Memphis this fall, and we are exploring options for similar efforts in East Tennessee. As always, our team is working on plans to defend your rights when the Tennessee General Assembly reconvenes in January.
We are determined that equality will come to every corner of our state. Let tonight’s victory reverberate throughout Tennessee.
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