Haverford Five and Me II

In response to yesterday's column about the Haverford Township sexual orientation ordinance, Commenter "Calzone" sez:"

While it is perplexing to me that any town needs to establish an ordinance against this type of discrimination, it is also perplexing to me why Gil Spencer needs to stir the hive of politicos who aren't, in my view, doing anything wrong. So what? They made this ordinance and they can call themselves progressive. Politicians are always grandstanding. There haven't been complaints in response to Swarthmore's ordinance, so, on the flip side, it's hard to see how political mischief and misdeeds would ensue. What I'm thinking is: Gil Spencer's column is a convenient way to skewer commissioners he doesn't like. "

Human Relation Commissions, whether they be federal (EEOC), state, or local, have a history of dragging people in front of them to answer bogus charges of discrimination.

Philadelphia's famously charged Joey Vento with discrimination for posting a sign in his cheesesteak joint asking people to order in English. The board backed down in the face of public outrage. The Pa. HRC ordered WYSP to pay $600,000 to an employee/plaintiff who claimed he was discriminated against by being asked read a book called New Dress for Success. The award was thrown out by a state court. The EEOC has the worst record of bringing politically loaded cases and ironically has been sued itself for discrimination more than any other federal agency. Just because Swarthmore hasn't seen its share of dumb cases being filed yet, doesn't mean these boards are a good idea.

Local municipalities are being pushed by gay-rights activists and their liberal cheerleaders to create these boards because there is no wide support in the state to include "sexual orientation" in the group of protected classes. The idea is to grow support from the bottom up by accusing opponents of anti-gay bias and get publicity for doing so.

The head of the PHRC, Stephen Glassman, who testified in the Haverford debate, is himself a gay activist, and is part of this campaign. This is the same campaign that led the fight in Philadelphia to deny funding to the Cradle of Liberty Boy Scouts of America because of its hesitancy to accept openly gay men as scout leaders.

Could the same thing happen in Haverford Township? Of course it could.

The assertion that I don't "like" the Haverford commissioners, is false. I don't know them. I have only briefly talked to a couple, including Larry Holmes, whom I found to be a very affable fellow.