The Fayetteville City Council is expected to vote tonight on a city civil rights ordinance that is controversial because — among the classes it protects — are LGBT people. The right-wing fundamentalist Family Council has gone beserk, with phone calls, flyers, church pulpit alarms and general hysteria.
The Family Council’s lastest mailer urges its people to get out early because seating will be limited and they want to pack chambers with opponents of the measure. Their lobbying is fearsome. They’ve even turned out in force on the hated Arkansas Times’ Facebook page to defend Michelle Duggar’s wild fears about perverts prowling in the ladies restroom, presumably to peek under stall doors at women relieving themselves.
As I’ve written before, bathroom fantasies have been the bedrock of conservative Christian opposition to equal rights since the early days of the Equal Rights Amendment. This, despite a lack of evidence that the world is full of bathroom lurkers just praying for passage of the ERA or a Fayetteville city ordinance to enter the powder rooms of America.
Note for Mrs. Duggar and Jerry Cox: No law today prevents a man from dressing up like a woman — or a woman from dressing up like a man — to gain access to an opposite-sex restroom to sniff around. Perhaps we should have chromosome testing stations at every public facility to protect their tender sensibilities.
Speaking of Mrs. Duggar:
Our Facebook post on the craziness has been read by 124,000 people. It has prompted more than 200 comments. Heavy lobbying from the anti-gay side about intolerant liberals.
UPDATE: Prediction from Fayetteville politico is that the ordinance will pass, with one amendment, and the council will reject a motion to refer it to voters. A petition drive then will ensue, but it will have 30 days to gather required signatures.