Elise Balin
Staff Writer
Casper City Council members voted in favor of adopting a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer ( LGBTQ+) advisory committee, the first of its kind in the state of Wyoming.
Feb. 4, Casper City Council voted 6-3 in favor of formally putting a LGBTQ+ advisory committee in place. With this vote, the council intends to put together a group of community members which will aid in decisions which may affect the LGBTQ+ community.
Some members of LGBTQ+ communities within the state have found this movement by the council to be a groundbreaking decision as it sets an example for other cities to follow. The nonprofit organization Casper Prides board member, Mallory Pollock, found the actions the city is taking encouraging and powerful for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I am inspired that the city reached out to us as an organization and other community members and asked for help in forming this idea of an LGBTQ+ advisory committee,” said Pollock.
Pollock said there are not any advisory board members put in place, so therefore, the board does not have a direct mission statement yet, but she believes this step taken by the city will prove to be a great resource for the LGBTQ+ community.
On Thursday, Pollock and other community members involved in the formation of the advisory committee will meet and discuss the next steps in the process. They will be forming applications for prospective advisory board members who may be interested in being involved within the committee.
UW student and former Casper resident Monica Olson, who is involved with the Rainbow Resource Center, said she believes this decision by the City of Casper could possibly be a great idea in the future to come. However, she encourages the city to take direct action on bigger issues such as severe hazing and bullying in schools before boards and committees are developed.
The initial movement by the council to form this advisory board came as a response to Casper’s low municipal equality index score. This score was revealed after the Human Rights Campaign, an organization that focuses on LGBTQ+ equality, put out their annual report. The report places a score on cities which is based on the presence of nondiscrimination laws and the presence of representatives or liaisons between LGBTQ+ communities and the city government.
“Casper scored an 11 out of 100 points on that index, the same score it earned last year and the second-lowest score of the seven Wyoming cities assessed in the report,” reported the Casper Star Tribune.
The voting of the council to form this advisory board was not in full agreement of all council members. Council members Cathey, Hopkins and Bates opposed the vote in favor of forming a Human Rights Advisory Committee as an alternative solution to the LGBTQ+ advisory board. This proposal of a Human Rights Advisory Committee was declined.
The Casper City Council will continue to aid in the formation of this advisory board and said they have hopes of raising its equality index score in the years to come.
