HomeMy WebLinkAboutNon-Discrimination Public Comment fromStacey Haugland 5-1-14 4/28/14 Testimony in support of a Bozeman Nondiscrimination Ordinance
Stacey Haugland, 508 North Third Avenue, Bozeman, MT 59715
My name is Stacey Haugland and 1 live at 508 North Third Avenue. I am here to urge the Commission to
vote for a Nondiscrimination Ordinance.
I grew up in Montana. To those who say this Nondiscrimination Ordinance is being promoted by
"outsiders" I stand as evidence that you are wrong.
I grew up in Montana and I left. I was part of the brain drain. I was paid to attend a fancy elite out-of-state
college and went on to have a satisfying career in a major US city. I worked regionally and nationally on
social justice,women's health, and environmental issues. In my work I kept meeting these incredible
women, lesbians,who grew up in Montana, left, and were out making the world a better place. And l
wondered,what would Montana be like if some of us had stayed? I missed Montana.
I came home and have lived in Bozeman for several decades. I came home with the explicit
understanding that I would help make life better for everyone here—but in particular for lesbians and the
queer community. I organized and agitated and supported and helped. Here in Bozeman we had a
monthly newsletter, regular pot lucks, book clubs, film festivals, anti-hate demonstrations, pride parades,
and dances_ I sued to decriminalize homosexuality in the state and we won. And now decades later,
culture has shifted. More and more people are comfortable being out. More and more people understand
that people that they love are lesbian or queer. And some very small part of that change is due to the life 1
have lived.
But for me, life has gotten harder, not easier. I carry the weight of hundreds of stories of pain and
discrimination. For those who say we don't need a Nondiscrimination Ordinance because there is no
discrimination here, you are wrong. My people have lost jobs, lost homes, lost custody of children, been
physical beaten and raped—because we are lesbian or gay or bisexual or transgendered_ I know these
stories. Some of them are mine to tell.
I understand that passing a Nondiscrimination Ordinance will not end discrimination or violence or bigotry
but it will allow redress for those events over which this city has jurisdiction. More importantly it
establishes an ethic that All Are Welcome Here,that this community values all our people.
And that is the last thing I want to leave the Commission with. In considering this Nondiscrimination
Ordinance you are determining the future of Bozeman—What kind of a community will we be?What kind
of people will we support?What kind of people will Bozeman attract? In my life I reversed the brain drain
by coming back. I own a business, employe others, own a home. I am deeply rooted in Bozeman. But 1
know that my life would be easier elsewhere. My relationship would be protected elsewhere. I certainly
would make a lot more money elsewhere. I have made a beautiful life here in Bozeman and find that the
people of this community support and value me. But building this life has been long and hard and uphill.
Let's make the path easier. Vote in favor of a Nondiscrimination Ordinance. It's what's right for Bozeman.