Four former Anchorage mayors Friday gathered in support of the One Anchorage initiative, which will appear on the April 3 ballot. Alaska U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, also a former mayor, gave his statements from Washington, D.C., via video.

If passed, the initiative will amend Anchorage municipal code by adding sexual orientation or transgender identity to existing protections. Currently in Anchorage, it’s illegal to discriminate against people based on their race, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, age or physical or mental disability.

The proposed protections would be added to the municipality's equal rights code.

The clash over the initiative is already heating up as the city's more religious conservatives begin to do battle with supporters of the proposal. Friday's gathering was in part to add a counter-balancing voice to the debate.

Former Alaska governor and Anchorage mayor Tony Knowles attended the event. So did former mayors Rick Mystrom, Jack Roderick and Matt Claman.

All except for Mystrom are Democrats. Mystrom, a Republican, was mayor from 1994 to 2000. He said the One Anchorage initiative isn’t a Republican or a Democratic issue, but rather a matter of doing what’s right and fair for Anchorage residents. Quoting John Donne’s poem “No Man is an Island,” Mystrom said that “if any human being is diminished for any reason, it diminishes us all…if this saves one person, one group, on young person from being bullied, it’s worth it.”

Claman was acting mayor of Anchorage for the first half of 2009, taking over for Begich after he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Claman was an active supporter of a law that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or transgender identity. The debate raged during Assembly meetings. Religious leaders brought busloads of protesters to the meetings who argued and shouted with those who support equality. The law passed.

When current Mayor Dan Sullivan took office, however, he vetoed it. Sullivan is a Republican. Some say Claman lost his chance of becoming mayor because of his support for the law.

Knowles, who was mayor from 1981 to 1987, put an economic spin on the issue, citing companies such as BP, ConocoPhillips and Costco, among others, that have sexual identity protections in their corporate rules.

“It’s good business to be fair,” he said. “We know that attracting the very best labor force that includes everyone is critical.” 

Contact Amanda at Amanda(at)alaskadispatch.com