LGBT rights ordinance passes in Fayetteville, AR

Staff report

At approximately 10:20pm tonight For Fayetteville, the group responsible for promoting the ordinance protecting the rights of the LGBT community in Fayetteville announced the passage of Ordinance 5781.

“I am really impressed to see our community come together after the divisive 119 fight and pass ordinance 5781,” said Kyle Smith, For Fayetteville campaign chairman. “It turns out that local solutions work best.”

Fayetteville had rejected a similar ordinance last year.

Smith went on to give the following statement:

“We started from a small group of folks who wanted to see a nondiscrimination ordinance pass after 119 was defeated,” Smith said. “Through the drafting process and then after the city council decided to put 5781 to a vote, I was amazed at how our campaign grew with more and more local volunteers and donors pitching in every day. We had substantially fewer resources this time, but ran a much better and more positive campaign this time.”

“I want to thank the city council members who sponsored and voted for 5781 - Adella Gray, Matthew Petty, Sarah Marsh, Mark Kinion Alan Long, and Justin Tennant and our Mayor, Lionel Jordan, as well as some local organizations like the NWA Center for Equality and the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce for their endorsements,” Smith said. We also thank the 415 Fayetteville businesses and 22 faith leaders who pledged their support to equality and 5781.”

“I especially want to thank Natural State Strategies for their guidance in creating a strategy and a campaign structure that allowed us to win. They allowed our campaign to reflect the best that is Fayetteville.”

The unofficial voting results for the September 8, 2015 election was 7666 for the ordinance and 6860 against.

Published The Gayly September 8, 2015 10:59pm CDT