Erica Gilmore leads on nondiscrimination requirement for Metro contractors but likely to no avail

CM Gilmore quarterbacked the nondiscrimination bill to passage last week over the opposition of conservative CMs:

Jim "Judgment Day" Gotto

What the report does not show is conservative Jim Gotto--who is also a Republican state representative in the Assembly--suggesting that a nondiscrimination requirement might have lead Metro to avoid hiring the highly specialized water filtering services of a company during last May's flood. That's right. Mr. Gotto insinuated that our very access to clean water in a catastrophic flood depends on Metro not having an apocalyptic ordinance that would require city contractors to include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policy.

It was a strained argument against a pale rider, but it also telegraphed Republican action the day after the council approved the nondiscrimination bill: a Williamson County Republican introduced state legislation to overturn any municipal ordinance that added other categories to nondiscrimination policies that were not in state law. Sexual orientation is not included in state law.

This morning the state house a state house committee passed the Republican smack down in spite of an attempt by Erica Gilmore's mother--who is a Democratic state representative--to exempt socially progressive Davidson County from the state bill. Brenda Gilmore's amendment was tabled and the GOP-controlled House passed the bill that amounts to prohibition of Metro Nashville's ability to broaden nondiscrimination to protect more workers of businesses who do business with local government.