Cincinnati Mayor calls for repeal of charter amendment

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Enquirer News Update - Updated 12:43 p.m.

Mayor calls for repeal of charter amendment, opponents promise a battle

The Associated Press

The mayor called on voters today to repeal a 1993 city charter amendment that made Cincinnati the only U.S. city to ban enactment or enforcement of laws based on sexual orientation.

Mayor Charlie Luken used part of his annual State of the City speech to urge voters to undo the charter amendment they approved. Luken said times and attitudes have changed and Cincinnati should rescind the amendment in the interests of showing tolerance and supporting diversity.

It was Luken's first formal call for repeal of the amendment, after previously saying in informal remarks that he supports it, said his spokesman, Brendon Cull.

The Equal Rights, Not Special Rights coalition that drafted the 1993 charter amendment and helped persuade 62 percent of voters to approve it said it would fight repeal efforts. Phil Burress, the coalition's chairman, said he believes that any vote on the amendment would keep it intact, rather than repeal it.

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