COUNCIL: And justice for all

I am a heterosexual. As Lady Gaga put it so elegantly, “I was born this way.” And, as my paternal Grandma Finney put it, “You were born Irish and Catholic.”

As a third generation native of Coeur d’Alene, I have experienced discrimination for being Irish and for being Catholic.

When I was 5 years old, I was asked to leave a local church Sunday School. The pastor took me by the ear and pulled me out of the church basement with the dire warning to “get out and not come back. We don’t want Catholics here!”

When I was 12, I snuck into a tavern on Third Street with some older friends. I was asked to leave. As the bartender took me to the door, he said, “We don’t serve injuns.” I had a summer tan and short dark hair. He wasn’t concerned that I was underage.

As a young newlywed, I was told by a doctor that he could not prescribe birth control pills because, “Women shouldn’t make those decisions without their husband’s written consent.”

I have experienced discrimination: ethnic, religious, racist and sexist.

I attended the City Council meeting Tuesday night. They took a stand against sexual discrimination in public housing, accommodations, and service.

It was not an easy nor a simple vote. There were many testimonies pro and con.

I believe that each citizen has the right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” I also believe in separation of church and state.

I am proud of the five members of the Council who voted yes. I am proud of the Human Rights Task Force for bringing the ordinance proposal to the Council.

I am proud to be a citizen of this city.

MARLO FAULKNER

Coeur d’Alene