Discrimination does happen in Scottsdale, even though some city leaders have out-right denied that fact. It does happen to the gay community, the trans community --- so to pretend it doesn’t exist, it really does.”

Brion Neeley-Ryder

By Melissa Rosequist
Twitter: @mrosequist_

The feeling of discomfort and fear of hate is not hidden beneath the veneer of Scottsdale’s world renowned, picturesque lifestyle, members of the LGBTQ community say, as a groundswell of perceived discrimination brews locally.

In October, a video and online campaign entitled “Scottsdale Discriminates” began circulating satire clips illustrating reported discrimination that’s going on in day-to-day life for members of the LGBTQ community, which is an acronym standing for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, gender transition or someone who is questioning their sexual identity.

The campaign aims to bring awareness to the Scottsdale-based Christian organization --- Alliance Defending Freedom --- that has a national reach in influencing controversial issues, including playing a role in a reported 55 victories at the Supreme Court. The ADF “advocates for your right to freely live out your faith,” the group says.

At the time of the Scottsdale Discriminates launch, the ADF was preparing to argue whether a landmark civil rights protection law protects members of the LGBT community from employment discrimination.

According to the Scottsdale Discriminates website, it believes: “The Alliance Defending Freedom promotes discrimination and intolerance by supporting laws that would restrict the rights of LGBT people and by spreading harmful misinformation about gender identity and the LGBT community.”

ADF, however, refutes any claims that the organization is a hate group, pointing out that they have defended all types of people.

“The charges in this website are utterly false and defamatory. But even worse, the names and caricatures they use to depict Scottsdale residents are themselves hateful. It is impossible to understand how this organization intends to rally support of local residents by insulting and lying about them,” said Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel and Vice President of U.S. Advocacy Jeremy Tedesco.

Mr. Tedesco says ADF is the world’s largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech and the sanctity of life.

“ADF has defended the rights of Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and people of no faith. We’ve won free speech victories on college campuses protecting students of varied religious faiths, as well as libertarian, conservative, pro-life, pro-conservationist, and LGBT students.”

Scottsdale Discriminates’ website outlines a number of issues it has with ADF, such as being against adoption and foster care by LGBT people, and touting a bathroom predator myth.

In addition, the campaign has produced two videos --- both staring white men. The first video has a man standing on a golf course, with the title “Thanks ADF, for ensuring intolerance in Scottsdale never fades.”

“Scottsdale is home to some of the greatest golf courses in the world. Here on our links, you can ensure that men are men, women are women. And there are no mulligans on your gender,” the actor in the video says.

“That’s thanks in part to the Alliance Defending Freedom --- they’re working hard to make sure that anyone who doesn’t shoot straight not only ends up in the bunker, they could end up in jail.”

The second video features a man standing in a restaurant setting, titled “Thanks ADF for defending Scottsdale’s freedom to discriminate!”

“I’ve always said food is the best way to bring people together. And I mean people --- men who are clearly men, and women who look like women should,” the actor says in the video.

“Scottsdale’s own Alliance Defending Freedom fights for my right to serve traditional dishes to traditional people. And they’ll make sure I can fire a woman for wearing slacks, or a man with girlish hair. Because different is just plain wrong.”

The ADF

The Alliance Defending Freedom declined to answer specific questions from Independent Newsmedia, but they did provide a prepared statement on the new parody campaign.

“The charges in this website are utterly false and defamatory. But even worse, the names and caricatures they use to depict Scottsdale residents are themselves hateful. It is impossible to understand how this organization intends to rally support of local residents by insulting and lying about them,” said the statement by Mr. Tedesco.

“Their website marks the start of a new anonymous smear campaign by activists ashamed to identify themselves. It was apparently developed by a partisan lobbying shop that sells its influence services.”

Mr. Tedesco says ADF is one of the nation’s most respected and successful U.S. Supreme Court advocates.

“ADF has played roles in 54 Supreme Court victories. Since 2011, ADF has represented parties in nine victors at the Supreme Court,” Mr. Tedesco said.

“ADF stands up, in court, and defends our clients in public, under our own names. We work within the rule of law, not by smearing innuendo under cover of anonymity. If an activist group wants to take us on, they can start by signing their names to their deceit.”

Creating agitation

Rob Chevaleau, a supporter of the Scottsdale Discriminates campaign, strongly disagrees with ADF’s mission.

“ADF is trying to restrict civil rights of you and me. They can’t take away civil rights, they’re unalienable,” said Mr. Chevaleau, a resident of 10 years.

“They’re trying to codify the idea that some people are less than others.”

Mr. Chevaleau says he is an alley and advocate for the LGBTQ community, and his daughter is transgender.

“I hope [the campaign] stirs the pot a little bit,” Mr. Chevaleau said. “In the last couple days since it launched people are saying it’s smearing the city, slandering the people of Scottsdale --- there’s nothing about this that says anything about that --- it’s not trying to shame the city leaders or people who live here. It’s trying to raise awareness of shameful acts of ADF.”

Mr. Chevaleau says the ADF’s words speak for themselves.

“As far as the videos and things like that, it’s satire, over-the-top satire that is meant to agitate,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to be educated, and they say ‘wait, what do you mean?’”

The ADF headquarters is in an office building off the Loop 101 and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. Mr. Chevaleau says most people don’t think of extreme groups as having offices --- comparing the ADF to the Hells Angels.

“They’re right around the corner. They have a global reach, a huge bank account, and they influence school policy and city policy,” he said, pointing to Great Hearts Academy’s former transgender policy.

“Living in Scottsdale we’re left unprotected. My 7-year-old daughter would be protected in Phoenix but not in Scottsdale.”

In the case of the non-discrimination ordinance in Scottsdale in 2015, Mr. Chevaleau believes the ADF was there to influence how that ordinance was going to be written.

“ADF is fighting against this idea; they’re literally fighting for discrimination --- that doesn’t belong in Scottsdale,” Mr. Chevaleau said. “ADF has a right to be here, but they don’t have a right to operate comfortably. It’s time people know how they’re impacting our local politics and local schools.”

‘I just dealt with it.’

Chelsea Blandford, a woman who identifies as a lesbian, says she feels that she’s “gotten lucky” by not having too severe of discrimination against her in Scottsdale. However, there are places and times when she feels uncomfortable or unwelcome --- including a time of being verbally harassed.

Ms. Blandford is an androgynous lesbian, who openly holds her girlfriend’s hand and kisses her without public shame. She says her decision to be herself was difficult initially.

“It bothered me at first,” Ms. Blandford said, of people’s reaction to her choosing masculine and feminine characteristics.

“I came out when I was about 15, and I started looking more androgynous around 18. For about five years, that was hard to get mean looks, double takes and mean comments from time to time. I feel like the more comfortable I’ve become with myself, the less that bothers me.”

Ms. Blandford says shes feels comfortable when walking around Scottsdale, until she notices the atmosphere in other cities.

“I do notice a difference in walking around Scottsdale every day, but then when I go to like San Fransisco, I realize there is a weight lifted off of me walking around there. I don’t notice it everyday here, but I do notice when I don’t have it.”

Routine acts for Americans to do, such as moving into a new house, come with added feelings of nervousness and apprehension for members of the LGBTQ community, the Scottsdale resident says.

“Every time I moved, I was very nervous about how neighbors would treat me --- just because I’m not typical Scottsdale,” she said. “My last neighborhood, I wouldn’t say my neighbors loved me by any means, I didn’t get any mean comments, I just got the cold shoulder from people. I just dealt with it.”

However, the area in north Scottsdale she lives in now, is wonderful, she says.

For Ms. Blandford, the fact that an organization at the center of controversy for the local LGBTQ community is right down the road from her doesn’t make her uncomfortable, she says.

“It’s like I already know those people exist here,” she said. “Knowing that they’re spreading that close to where I live does hurt, and I’m slightly more careful about what I do, what I say, and where I go.”

Specifically, where she goes out to have fun.

“I definitely am picky about where I go out --- I love country dancing, but going to a country bar in Scottsdale is terrifying to me. I avoid the situation,” she said. “I’ve had some guys aggressively verbally attack me. That was not the most fun night of my life.”

When asked if she thinks it’s unfair that two women can have completely different experiences on a fun night out, Ms. Blandford says it’s definitely unfair.

“I think it’s just something I’ve lived with my whole life. It’s not necessarily something I dwell on, but it would be nice to go anywhere I want,” she said.

A veil of religious liberty

Legislative District 23 Vice Chair Brion Neeley-Ryder, is disappointed to know an organization he believes is actively discriminating against certain people shares Scottsdale as a home.

“I think it’s a black eye on Scottsdale,” Mr. Neeley-Ryder said. “It doesn’t represent Scottsdale at all; I’ve lived in Scottsdale for 10 years, and to find out there’s a group actively trying to create discrimination against the LGBTQ community in our own town is really disappointing.”

And, discrimination against the LGBTQ community is real, Mr. Neeley-Ryder says.

“Not in Scottsdale, but I have experienced discrimination,” he said. “When I was younger, I was fired from a job for being gay.”

In turn, Mr. Neeley-Ryder shied away from being himself, he says.

“It’s made me --- for a long period of time --- less willing to be myself in a work environment,” he says. “It made me gunshy on being who I am. It was at a restaurant several years ago. The restaurant owner actually still owns a restaurant in Scottsdale.”

In addition, Mr. Neeley-Ryder says he’s heard directly from others who have had issues in Scottsdale.

“Discrimination does happen in Scottsdale, even though some city leaders have out-right denied that fact,” he said. “It does happen to the gay community, the trans community --- so to pretend it doesn’t exist, it really does.”

While ADF is headquartered in Scottsdale, Mr. Neeley-Ryder says he doesn’t think the organization is having an impact in the city, but they are impacting cities such as Phoenix, and arguing issues nationally at the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Through sheer animosity and hatred they’re trying to legalize discrimination, and they’re doing it through a veil of religious liberty,” he said.

“One right should not suppress another. The rights of religious people, who I am a religious person, should not be [grounds] to discriminate others.”

Mr. Neeley-Ryder and his husband have been happily married for five years, although he says it would be much longer if it had been allowed.

“It would be nice to see some elected leaders take a stand on this, and either declare they’re going to protect the gay community or say nothing and stand aside while allowing this group to promote hatred and discrimination,” he said.

Scottsdale for All

Caught in the middle of the Scottsdale Discriminates campaign is the municipality, which claims they welcome all people.

In 2014, the Scottsdale City Council signed a “Unity Pledge” in support of LGBTQ rights.

At the time, the city encouraged its residents to also sign the Unity Pledge, which garnered 240 business and 540 residential signatures immediately.

It was reported that nearly 50 hateful letters were sent back to the city following the Unity Pledge effort.

In 2015, a non-discrimination ordinance to provide legal protections for people of all races, genders and orientations failed to garner support from the city leaders.

Today, there are five Arizona municipalities offering a comprehensive LGBT non-discrimination ordinance — Flagstaff, Phoenix, Sedona, Tempe and Tucson — but the city of Scottsdale does not count itself as one.

At the start of the new calendar year, the Scottsdale City Council adopted the support of legislation to prohibit discrimination in the workplace, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation or gender identity as a key position for the first regular session of the 2019 Arizona Legislature.

“The city of Scottsdale serves everyone, as expressed in the ‘Scottsdale for All’ initiative, and does not discriminate with regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability,”

Scottsdale Spokesperson Kelly Corsette said in a prepared statement.

“Scottsdale is a ‘Golden Rule City’ that embraces kindness, civility, empathy and respect. The city encourages those engaged in public debate to do so with those values.”