On Sunday night, June 12th, Mayor Scott Fadness was not in Fishers. He attended an Indianapolis vigil organized by Indy Pride in remembrance of those who died in the Orlando mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub, a place frequented by members of the LGBT community. It was the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
The mayor said he had two reasons for attending the Sunday night event in Indy.
The first reason was personal. “I have friends in the gay community that were scared and hurting,” Fadness said. “I offered to stand with them and show my support.”
The second reason was about a bigger issue in his mind. “It’s a group I just feel like has been isolated and ostracized,” according to the mayor. “(Sunday) was once again a tragic reminder of that.”
When I asked Fadness whether the Orlando shooting will impact his decision on whether to ask the Fishers City Council to enact an ordinance protecting the civil rights of LGBT people, the mayor was clear.
“It’s the right thing to do before this happened, and it’s still the right thing to do,” Fadness said. He will continue to work with members of the city council on the civil rights ordinance, calling those talks “ongoing discussions.” The mayor says he wants a civil rights ordinance with enough votes on the city council to pass.