This is what happens when you let bigots have the keys to the state house:
HELENA – The House took the first steps Tuesday toward striking down Missoula’s 2010 ordinance that bans discrimination against city residents based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
Missoula’s Democratic legislators were infuriated by the passage of House Bill 516, by Rep. Kristin Hansen, R-Havre. Her bill passed 60-39 and faces a final House vote before heading to the Senate.
Sixty Republicans voted for it. All 32 Democrats voted opposed it, joined by seven Republicans. One Republican was absent.
It was the second bill that passed Tuesday to nullify a locally adopted policy in Missoula. Earlier, the House banned enactment of local initiatives such as the one Missoula County voters approved in 2006 to make marijuana crimes the lowest priority of law enforcement.[…]
The city’s lawmakers also voiced sadness over the effort to dismantle Missoula’s effort to protect lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders from various forms of discrimination.
“Leave us alone,” said Rep. Sue Malek, D-Missoula. “For heaven’s sake. We’re one little town in a corner of Montana that has nothing to do with you. You know, I mean, why can’t you let people live like they need to live their lives? Why can’t they love who they want to love?”
Basically, this is a situation where bigots in far-flung corners of the state have their unrepentant panties in such a wad over the goings on in one town, a town that DARED to try to protect all its citizens, that they’re wasting Montana’s time and money trying to overturn Missoula’s right to make decisions for itself.
It’s sad, but that’s how bigots are. They will waste everyone’s time in order to prop up their discredited, fearful worldview.
