SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 – COMMUNITY INCLUSIVITY FORUM & OCTOBER 9, 2017 – CITY COUNCIL MEETING
On September 28, 2017, a Community Inclusivity Forum was held. From this forum, statistics were gathered from a ‘post-forum questionnaire’ given to community members who participated in the forum. This questionnaire was given to 120 individuals who stayed after the community forum.
Below, you can view these statistics as written in the Minutes of the October 9, 2017 City Council meeting.
Non-Discrimination Ordinance Post-Forum Questionnaire Statistics by Lillian R on Scribd
Some notes taken during ‘break-out sessions’ show interesting opinions by constituents with varying opinions of the non-discrimination ordinance. For instance, “Passing a law will let people in Montevallo know our community welcomes everyone, regardless of who they are.” This was countered directly by an observation, “There was some concern expressed regarding bathrooms and sexual predators.” The first observation is positive and shows an optimistic attitude towards the overall temperament of the city. The second observation is more cynical, and hearkens to concerns about criminal behaviors perceived as a component of the LGBTQIA+ community, and a pessimistic view of the individuals who live within the city.
Other interesting observations can be made from the data collected from the post-forum questionnaire. The majority of the individuals who participated in the post-forum questionnaire showed favorable opinions about the passage of the non-discrimination ordinance. 84% of the individuals who participated in the questionnaire felt that their beliefs were the same as they were previously, while 16% felt that their opinions regarding the non-discrimination ordinance had changed. While this does not necessarily show a great changing of minds, the forum was an opportunity for community members to voice their opinions regardless and feel involved in the deliberation of the NDO. In the data collected, it is evident that the majority of participants in the post-forum questionnaire were in favor of the non-discrimination ordinance. Notes taken during the forum show that the group was largely representative of the City of Montevallo population.
