Making good on Mayor Donna Deegan’s campaign promise of spreading unity, her administration will soon close the application process for a new governmental gay advisory board.
You’ll recall, back in June on the last day of the federal government’s nationwide Holy Month of Pride celebration, Deegan proclaimed she was forming, via executive order, another totally non-political committee called the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board.
The group of 11 hand-picked liaisons will help City Hall and the City Council liaise with the gay community throughout the year in creating an annual report of “findings” and “recommendations” to present to the mayor.
We do not know what “findings” and “recommendations” the advisory board will be charged with finding.
We do know what is required of those who wish to serve.
The mayor’s office put out a list of qualifications one must possess when applying for the mayor’s gay fan club.
The first quality applicants must possess is an “expertise in understanding the issues and affairs of the LGBTQ+ community.”
One must also have a “diversity of background.” Meaning, the mayor would like the group to consist of “a mix” of professional “community, business, faith and academic leaders.” Candidates must “reside in or have a significant interest in Duval County.” Qualified candidates must also have a “passion to serve the community.”
In nongovernmental speak, the mayor wants a person who is employed, may or may not live in Duval County, is an expert at being gay and is willing to spend their personal time hanging out in City Hall with like-minded people for free so the mayor can tell her political buddies/doners she started a LGBTQ+ board solving gay people’s problems.
During the city’s pride ceremony, Deegan thanked the LGBTQ+ community for inspiring “us all to be better, to do better and to never stop striving for a world where everyone can live authentically and without fear.” After the ceremony Deegan explained to a local reporter that she wants the gay community to feel seen. “They don’t have to live in fear,” she said. The mayor continued, “that’s the legacy we want to have here in the city of Jacksonville. We want to be that welcoming city that says to everybody you belong here.”
And just like that, because of the mayor’s executive order, gay folks throughout the city of Jacksonville are now able to safely live, without fear amongst the straights.
While researching this article, I learned something interesting involving the administration’s staff that has absolutely nothing to do with this story.
Phil Perry is the chief communications officer for the city of Jacksonville. He is married to Joshua Hicks. Hicks is the city’s affordable housing director. While addressing the audience from the mayor’s podium during COJ’s pride celebration, Perry thanked his husband for serving alongside him. This seems like a perfect example of members of the LGBTQ+ community who are experts at being gay, I am not sure where the happy couple lives, but based off Perry’s emotional speech, I am pretty sure he has a significant interest in Duval County and the Perrys already are willingly and happily serving in the mayor’s administration.
Perry and Hicks already possess all the criteria needed to serve on the LGBTQ+ advisory board. Someone should tell the mayor.
If help is needed in governing the gays, why wouldn’t she just ask Perry? Or ask Perry to ask Hicks? Or better yet, delegate. Ask them both to ask their friends and have them jot down their responses in an email. No need for cynical pomp and circumstance. The deadline to apply for the mayor’s LGBTQ+ advisory board is Aug. 9.
