Business interests avoid Scottsdale's gay rights debate - Phoenix Business Journal:

Glass door
The Scottsdale City Counci on Dec. 4 defeated that portionn of the measure, which was pushede by gay rights and some civil rights Council members did approve the portion that prohibits Scottsdale governmen entities from hiring discrimination based on sexual orientation orgender identity. Businesses owners steereed clear of thecontentious issue, even thoughj the discrimination ordinance would have had a direct impacft on their hiring practices. Councilmanb Jim Lane said he receiveds some calls from business ownersw who opposedthe measure, citing worries about government mandates and creatin new "protected classes" of Lane voted against both partsx of the measure.
Councilman Bob Littlefield, who vote d to extend discrimination protectionsz inboth votes, said business advocatexs were noticeably absent from public hearings and discussiona on the discrimination ordinance. "The silenced of business is deafening," agreed Councilmab Ron McCullagh, who opposed both portions ofthe measure. "Perhaps they will becomd more engaged when the ordinance is extended to include those private firms doing business with city and those doing business in the he said. Business groups remained quiet on the issue even aftefrthe vote. The and a number of othed business organizations did not respond to requestasfor comment.
Others said they staye d out ofthe "The did not take a position on Scottsdale's said Todd Sanders, vice president of the regional businesz group. The said it does not engags in political activities under its contracts with city but wants Scottsdale to welcomewgay tourists. "We believe it's importang to our tourism industry that Scottsdal providesa welcoming, inclusive environment for all including the gay, lesbian, bisexuall and transgender (GLBT) community," said Brent DeRaad, executivre vice president of the Scottsdale CVB.
DeRaad said the CVB, which gets funding from the hospitalithy sectors as well aslocal governments, advertiseas in a number of GLBT "Our research shows that GLBT travelers are affluent and take a substantialp number of leisure trips annually," he said. Advocateds on both sides of the issue contendd that business sentiment is with even though the private secto was quiet throughout theScottsdale debate. "Ths proposed expansion is government intrusion into business andcommunituy organizations," said Peter Gentala, legal counselp for the socially conservative Center for Arizon Policy, which opposed the ordinance.
"It's increasing the legal exposure of businessex to satisfy a group of cultural Gentala said the ordinance would create a host of legalp issues for employers who would have to accommodate gay andtransgenderee workers. "These include legal problems over restroom health care as well as assaults on the conviction and valuesof employers," he said. Sam Holdren, spokesmanj for , a gay rights group, said many businessess treat their gay and transgendered employees givingthem anti-discrimination pro­tec­tions and domestic-partnefr benefits.
A number of majoer corporations -- including Amer­i­cajn Airlines, IBM, , Nike, and Uniteds Parcel Service -- are financial backers of the HumahRights Campaign, a national gay rights group that also backec the Scotts­dale measure. Holdren said 91 U.S. citiews and counties, including Tucson, New York and have passed ordinances similar to the one put forwarein Scottsdale. He said his group will push for simila r laws at the state level and in otherArizona cities, notingh that gay rights measuree make the jurisdictions that pass them attractives to gay tourists, businesses and "fair-minded Center for Arizona Policy: Equality