SOGI Repeal After Thoughts

Springfield you are a good people, and I salute you.

The first thing that I want to say is that this victory is bitter/sweet. We are elated that we won, but we were all damaged in the process.  What certain members of the city council did to Springfield was a dis-service to everyone, and may God help us find our way out of the chaos that was previously foreign to us.

This repeal effort started with Springfield Citizens United, with Nick Iberra, Dave Meyers, and Dr. John Lilly.  I was asked by the group to be the spokesperson regarding the media. It didn’t take us long to realize that without the Church, we couldn’t win.  And with an organization called Christians Uniting for Political Action, it seemed obvious that I should make an appeal to the Church.  Before I really got started, the churches began to step up. At that point we relabeled ourselves to appeal to the Church community.  After that I was tasked with being a spokesman for Yes on Question 1 and many people have thanked me personally, but the real work was done by many hard working and dedicated individuals who need to be thanked.

Thanks Mike Tull, our treasurer, Dr. John Lilly, deputy treasurer; Dick Hardy, Jonica Hope, Fred and Janice Ellison, Christina Tonsing, Aaron Brummitt, Wylie Comp, Dr. Timothy Houflund, Black Robe Regiment, Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, Alliance Defending Freedom, Conservative Americans Club, Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri Family Policy, thanks to all the volunteers and donors, and all the patriot citizens who supported this cause. You might not believe this, but we have some friends in the media; Bott Radio Network had lots of good interviews and commentary on the matter. The Nick Reed Show was on board with lots of conversation and interviews.  We have the Green County Baptist Association and Southern Missouri District Assemblies of God to thank.  I want to give special thanks to Dee Wampler, who’s always standing on the front line.  Last but not least, thanks to all the pastors who rose to the challenge.

This is a good day for all those who love freedom, for those who respect the Constitution, for those who are people of faith.  History was made in Springfield on April 7, 2015.  It was said that Springfield is the tipping point.  Maybe the tipping point will tip towards more repeals.  Maybe with God’s help other cities can be encouraged to follow suit.

Three years ago were the good old days.  Those were the days when this city was not divided along the lines of sex and religion.  There was a heathy relationship amongst all the people.  We interacted with each other without a second thought that we had differences.  It was never important what your sexual preference was when someone bought or sold a hamburger or a car, rented and sold a house, or waited a table.  When we crossed paths in the market place we used to be just people.

This is a great victory for what’s right, but this victory comes with a responsibility.  In the next weeks and months we have work to do.  We will have to start working towards healing and unification. I can’t speak for those who opposed the repeal, but I can speak for the Yes on repeal crowd, and I say we are committed to continue to be a loving people. The evidence is that we were good people before this ordinance, and we will be good people after the ordinance.  We will continue to extend our hand and our hearts to all people, as we always have, because that’s who we are.  I moved to southwest Missouri fourteen years ago and I found a welcoming community.  I wasn’t viewed as a black man, I was a human being.  You were welcoming then and you are welcoming now.

You are blessed to have preserved property rights for the businesses of Springfield. You have preserved privacy in gender specific bathrooms, and you have preserved religious liberty for Springfield’s largest demographic.  You not only preserved liberty for yourselves, but for others; even those who don’t understand it.

The next time someone proposes something that pits the citizens against one another, start the recall petitions immediately.  Let your elected officials know that you elected them to manage the business of the city, not to social engineer you. This is a great city and I love it because of you.