County's Gay-Rights Legislation Catches Up to Olivette's

With the passing this week of gay-rights legislation that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals from discrimination in unincorporated areas, St. Louis County finally joins 10 municipalities in the region with similar laws on the books — including Olivette, which was among the first to pass such a measure.

In contrast to the relative uproar in the St. Louis County Council chambers, where more than 250 people showed up to speak about the measures, the Olivette City Council approved anti-discrimination ordinances in July 2011 to a standing ovation.

According to an account by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and again in contrast to the county council measure, nobody spoke against the Olivette ordinances. Those laws created a domestic partnership registry and forbid housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity within the city.

"Bigotry in any form is bigotry," said Jean Antoine, an Olivette council member who was the city's mayor at the time the measures passed. He was quoted in the Post-Dispatch saying: "Until the state and the federal government can do this right, this is the best we can do."

Olivette was the second municipality in St. Louis County to approve anti-discrimination measures, following University City, which did so in 2003. The Riverfront Times reports that 10 municipalities in Missouri now have similar legislation on the books; in addition to U City and Olivette, they include: St. Louis, Kansas City, Richmond Heights, Maplewood, Ferguson, Clayton, Columbia and Creve Coeur.

Olivette's domestic partner registry, according to the legislation that was passed, was designed to "allow the city to recognize as valid those relationships not recognized by the state of Missouri." It also allows LGBT individuals who are employees of the city to be eligible for health insurance, paid time off, bereavement leave and other benefits afford to conventionally married individuals. 

Why do you think Olivette was so far ahead of the curve on this? Why do you suppose it was so controversial at the county level, but not here in Olivette?