Across Anchorage, communities of color and leading civil rights organizations are speaking out forcefully against Proposition 1, which would repeal the portions of our municipal code protecting our transgender neighbors, family and friends from discrimination.
Prop 1 may be referred to as a “bathroom bill” – but we know it’s not really about bathrooms, just as it was never really about bathrooms or schools or buses when it came to racial segregation. It’s about singling out people who are different, making sure they know they are not valued or trusted. As people who have too often been on the receiving end of that fear and hate, we will not be party to inflicting it on our fellow Alaskans.
We pledge to fight discrimination in Anchorage. We pledge to vote no on Prop. 1.
Communities Leaders Against Proposition 1
[The law] makes me feel more comfortable, no doubt about that. There’s no going back. I just don't think [opponents] are going to be successful in retracting these inclusive policies.
Discrimination is discrimination—period. And in Anchorage, we've already decided that discrimination has no place in our city or our laws. That's why I can't stand by quietly as backers of Proposition 1 single out our transgender neighbors, family and friends by working to eliminate any and all protections they have under municipal law. As a Latino, small business owner, and a proud resident of our great city, I say NO to Proposition 1.
It’s discrimination to target a vulnerable minority and treat them differently under the law because of who they are. That’s why I oppose Proposition 1 in Anchorage: Because it discriminates against our transgender neighbors, family and friends.
As people of color, we have too often been at the receiving end of policies that take seemingly routine matters—finding a restroom, using public transportation, securing housing, being pulled over in a traffic stop—and use them to systematically oppress people who look like us. Incredibly, we are still fighting battles on this front that were faced by our parents and grandparents. Make no mistake, Prop. 1 is an initiative that seeks to discriminate.