Irvine Group Starts Anti-Homosexual Initiative Drive

A newly formed anti-gay group launched an initiative drive Tuesday to remove homosexuals from protection under Irvine’s new human rights ordinance.

The Irvine Values Coalition submitted a copy of its proposed measure to the city clerk’s office Tuesday. The coalition is a group of about 75 residents who describe themselves as “family oriented” and who say they fear the ordinance will prompt an influx of homosexuals into the community.

The measure would delete the words sexual orientation from the ordinance that the City Council adopted in July and that goes into effect Thursday. The ordinance bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation as well as race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status and physical handicap.

The coalition’s measure also would prohibit the council from defining “sexual orientation as a fundamental human right” in the future and from taking any other action to provide special protection for gays unless two-thirds of the electorate votes to do so.

The city attorney has 15 days to draw up wording for a petition. The coalition then has 180 days to collect signatures from 10% or more of Irvine’s 50,000 voters to get the measure placed on the ballot in 1989 or 1990. It is too late for the measure to be placed on the November ballot.

Coalition members said they are pursuing this course because, they said, the council ignored “overwhelming” community opposition to special protection for gays voiced in a series of public hearings earlier this year. Scott Peotter, a local architect who chairs the coalition, said the majority of Irvine residents do not accept homosexuals.

“The council is taking action directly against family values,” Peotter said.

Eleanor Moore, vice chair of the group, said the ordinance “legislates” the gay life style in Irvine and called it a first step toward homosexuals’ “working their way into schools.” She said she fears that the ordinance could eventually lead to homosexuality being taught as an alternative life style.

“I think the gays have a private agenda,” Moore said.

Representatives of gay rights groups Tuesday denied having any agenda other than protection of their rights. Pat Callahan, co-chair of the gay- and lesbian-oriented Elections Committee of the County of Orange, said gays have no intention of infringing upon anyone else’s rights.

Callahan said the coalition represents a vocal minority of Irvine residents who suffer from what she calls “irrational fears.” She added that residents had already indicated their support of the ordinance by electing Mayor Larry Agran--a principal supporter of the ordinance--and two allied council candidates in the June city election.

“I don’t understand why they’re insisting on putting this on the ballot again,” Callahan said. “I think that it’s irresponsible.”

Agran said Tuesday that he is saddened by the initiative drive.

“I do think it’s unfortunate that the human rights ordinance has not even been in effect for one day and already Mr. Peotter and others who purport to represent the values of the community are trying to smash the ordinance,” Agran said.

“Of course, the right of initiative is reserved to the people, so there is nothing the council legally could do or should do,” he said. “I have great confidence in the residents and voters in Irvine that they will not be persuaded to approve an initiative that would select out gays and lesbians for something less than equal treatment in the city of Irvine.”

In its proposed measure, the Irvine Values Coalition cites other arguments for striking the words sexual orientation from the ordinance. In one, the coalition says that the measure says gays are already accorded civil rights under the U.S. Constitution and that preservation of those rights ultimately rests with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Backers of the ordinance said during hearings that local laws are needed to reinforce state and federal anti-discrimination laws. The ordinance was proposed by the Irvine Human Rights Committee after it found a number of incidences of discrimination in such areas as housing and employment in the city during a yearlong study.

Another argument against including sexual orientation in the ordinance, the coalition asserts, is that the city of Irvine will become overburdened in trying to enforce the ordinance.

Under the ordinance, any person claiming to be a victim of discrimination and seeking redress must first file a complaint with the city, which will try to resolve the dispute. If the dispute cannot be resolved at that level, the next step is for the aggrieved to take the matter to court.

Agran argued that a far costlier burden would befall the city should the initiative drive succeed and the measure be placed on the ballot. He estimated that the city would have to spend between $30,000 and $50,000 to add the measure to the ballot.

Peotter predicted that the coalition will have little trouble collecting enough signatures to force an election. He said he already has 200 supporters ready to circulate petitions, and expects to have more people become actively involved.

“I think we are going to find that this is going to be a strong grass-roots movement,” Peotter said.