Mayor Tom McCauley addressed Winslow City Council on Sept. 25 in support of ONE Community, a group dedicated to inclusion in Arizona.
“We are starting to lay the groundwork to be able to expand and diversify and generate new business in Winslow,” McCauley said. “To be able to do that equitably and to be in the major forefront of our communities in Northern Arizona, we have to be able to compete and to be able to compete, we absolutely need to be all inclusive.”
President of ONE Community Angela Hughey said, “We are a coalition of businesses and organizations that support diversity, equality and inclusion for all Arizonans.” The group may be best known for its creation of the Unity Pledge. Hughey said, “The Unity Pledge has been signed by 2,800 businesses and 18,000 individuals making it the largest equality pledge in the nation.”
The Unity Pledge is a promise from citizens and business owners to be inclusive. Hughey said, “In Arizona it is not illegal to be fired from your job, denied housing or discriminated against in public accommodations based on sexual orientation or gender identity.” The Equal Employment Act of 1972 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, but not currently sexual orientation or gender identity.
McCauley continued, “One community is going through the state and each city is doing their own pledge and ordinance. Where I would like to see us go is to write and prepare for the adoption of an ordinance. Employers and people who are investing in our communities, they are looking for this. They are looking to be all inclusive.” Hughey explained, “Large developers are choosing communities with ordinances protecting the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community over those without. We have been educating businesses on the economic sustainability of being inclusive. From an attraction and retention of top talent standpoint, and from a tourism standpoint, the LGBTQ community has $917 trillion in buying power. Overwhelmingly, as consumers, we like to live, work and visit municipalities that are open to business for everyone.”
Hughey pointed out, “It doesn’t matter what your political belief system is. In a recent poll, we found that 78 percent of general election voters believe we need to update employment, housing and public service to include LGBTQ. That includes self-identified conservative voters.”
McCauley commented, “This is a human rights issue, we need to look at it that way. I took an oath to uphold the constitution that says, ‘all men are created equal’ that can translate to a lot of money for us.”
National trends support McCauley’s statement. Millennials, people born between 1981 and 1996, are the most culturally diverse group in US history and are strong allies of LBGTQ. As Hughey pointed out, “Millennials are our future leaders and 20 percent of them consider themselves part of our community and 60 percent identify as allies of LGBTQ. We are losing 30 percent of our college graduates in the state of Arizona to more inclusive areas. So, if you want to be competitive, you need to be inclusive. It will help you create a sustainable future.”
McCauley concluded, “I think we have a unique opportunity to be one of the smaller towns to lead the way. Once we have an ordinance on and they put on their website that we are an equality city, the economic development and our entertainment district can really start to grow.” The council directed city staff to prepare an ordinance.
Hughey added, “Everybody wins when all people are treated fairly.”
For more information or to sign the Unity Pledge, contact ONE Community at www.openaz.com.
