Meoli Switches Sides on HB99

Underneath the letter appeared an Editor’s Note from Steve Elkins, which read, “I had a lengthy meeting with Mike Meoli earlier this month. He told me that he supports HB99 and, if elected, will vote in favor of its passage.”

The conversation that Elkins referred to took place on August 1. “He brought it up,” says Elkins, “and stated that he had also put his support in writing in response to a questionnaire from the Delaware Liberty Fund.” According to Elkins, Mr. Meoli was not trying to delay public support of the bill. “His comment was that he had already publicly supported HB99 by filling out the Liberty Fund questionnaire.”

Many residents of the 14th District were then surprised when Meoli reversed his position in a lengthy letter to the Cape Gazette that appeared on August 30. In the letter, Meoli stressed the needs of the business owners in Delaware, especially the need to suppress “frivolous” litigation that, in his view, could conceivably overburden the system.

Not surprisingly, Meoli’s reversal has prompted criticism. Many, including Rehoboth resident Thom Swiger, feel as though Meoli doesn’t truly understand the bill or how the state process works. In his own letter to the Cape Gazette, Swiger points out that Meoli’s understanding of how discrimination claims are filed is inaccurate.

Also, at the end of his letter, Meoli used a case in point to illustrate those who would benefit from the passage of HB99 when he wrote about “a person arrested for a sexual offense involving endangerment of a minor.” He used this example despite the fact that nondiscrimination clauses have never been used to defend criminal behavior. Swiger called the example a “scare tactic to win an election.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the reversal, Meoli claims that he is neither pro-discrimination nor anti-gay. “When I supported this bill, I crossed a party line to do that,” says Meoli, a Republican. “Republicans don’t like this sort of thing, for some reason.” He maintains that he reversed his position because of the language of the bill, not the intent. “I don’t like the way that discrimination claims are made in Delaware, period. Adding one more category isn’t going to help matters.”

In the meantime, there is currently no legal protection for gay people with regard to employment, housing, or other categories spelled out in the state’s anti-discrimination law, according to Delaware law enforcement officials.

“What I objected to is the way [Meoli’s] letter pulled apart the law and only discussed the legality, not the morality,” says Rehoboth resident Louisa Watrel. “Nobody wants to be discriminated against because they are gay, and politicians dance around the subject, talk about the language of the bill instead of the discrimination issue which makes them uncomfortable.”

Meoli does admit that there is a difference between sexual orientation and other protected categories currently on the books in Delaware. “When someone is black, I can see that they’re black. I can see if someone is female. I can’t always see if someone is a homosexual…so now here I am being sued for something I didn’t even know.”

“At my hotel,” he went on to say, “I would never not hire someone because he or she is gay. I have lots of people who work for me who are gay, and I knew they were gay before they worked for me. It’s not an issue for me.”

Unfortunately, not all employers are so gay-friendly. A new survey sponsored by Out & Equal Workplace Advocates states that more than two out of five (41 percent) of gay or lesbian workers in the United States report facing anti-gay harassment or hostility on the job.

To clarify his stance on the potential for frivolous lawsuits, Meoli told a story of an African-American woman who filed a discrimination claim. “It was denied, and she appealed. It ended up going nowhere, but took [a lot] of time and money.”

Reemphasizing his concern for business owners, Meoli stated, “I’m now in this position because I care, and now I’m getting beat up for it.”

Meoli is running for the Delaware House of Representatives in the newly created District 14, which includes Rehoboth Beach, Angola, and many subdivisions surrounding Lewes.