Some progress resulted this week from a private meeting of groups helping city council write a proposed anti-discrimination ordinance.

The meeting was attended by council members Kathy Kline and Corey Roche, along with two members of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the group that is proposing the ordinance, and Bill Halle, CEO of the Grace Youth and Family Foundation in Butler.

“We took steps to move forward,” said Kline. “Working on the language, the wording.”

Halle addressed concerns that religious and business leaders had with the ordinance's wording. He spoke specifically about employment rights.

“Right now, under the current federal and state laws, faith-based organizations are allowed to hire based on people's agreement with our statements of faith,” he said. “(The ordinance's) type of language, by taking the categories and adding them to the current civil rights language and making them (of) equal standing, that's how (religious freedom) gets removed.”

Halle elaborated on his concerns regarding adding sexual orientation and gender identity under civil rights.

“By doing that, that means somebody who is a homosexual and has a homosexual relationship in marriage — as a faith-based organization we love and serve those people, we have nothing against them as far as service,” Halle said. “But employing them, we want people to proclaim (the message) of the organization.”

Josh Crawford, PFLAG president, also commented on the wording.

“The church group, they want to be able to hire who they want through their faith, and that is in the ordinance that they can do that,” Crawford said. “The church, of course, is excluded from all of this, but they feel that there needs to be better terminology that excludes them from that.

“So basically if they're a Baptist church and a Catholic priest wants to come and work for them, if they're not in the same faith group base, they want the right not to hire so they wouldn't be discriminating against anyone, and they don't want to get themselves in trouble.”

Regarding employment, the ordinance states that it “does not include any individuals who, as a part of their employment, reside in the personal residence of the employment.”

It includes “Any person who employs one or more employees, including the City of Butler, its departments, boards and authorities, and any other government agency within its jurisdiction.”

There also is an exception provision regarding religious organizations.

The provision states, in part, that “it shall not be an unlawful employment practice for a religious corporation or association, not supported in whole or in part by governmental appropriations, to refuse to hire or employ an individual on the basis of religion.”

Halle outlined his concerns with the exception provision, saying that it does not include companies who accept money from the government. He said under this provision, his nonprofit Grace Youth and Family Foundation would have to either cut programs funded by the government or give up their religious liberty when conducting those programs.

Crawford said there will be more meetings, though there is no scheduled date for the next one.

He also said that in future meetings, the ordinance will be closely reviewed from the beginning to end, and any terminology that those against the ordinance in its current form want changed will be up for conversation.

“They're going to come up with some terminology that they feel would be safe for them and protect them, and once we get that terminology we can get to our team and see if that terminology fits,” Crawford said. “If it fits, then it will be signed by both parties and we can go to the next level.”

The next level includes review by lawyers representing those on both sides of the issue.

Crawford said it's too early to tell if a consensus will be able to be reached, but he remains hopeful.

“We want (those concerned) to feel safe,” Crawford said. “We don't want to take their rights away, but we want to have rights as well. Hopefully we can come to some sort of agreement to make both parties happy.”

Halle was glad for the chance to discuss the ordinance.

“I'm just encouraged that we're at the table talking,” he said. “I think that that's how things get solved best. Sabrina and Josh and I, it has been a very amiable conversation. There hasn't been anything negative.”

Crawford complimented Kline and Roche for their role in the meeting.

“Councilwoman Kline and councilman Roche were very good mediators,” he said. “Some things that we don't understand they're helping us understand, and also helping the opposing side understand.”

Halle also commented on the council's presence.

“Obviously we're discussing things from different sides, and I think Kathy and Corey were there to try to help us understand from the city's point of view,” he said. “It was very positive.”