A tale of small town decency in the South

This is a tale of the decency of small southern towns -- a warmth and concern for people they know;  it transcends homophobia.   

The place:   Latta, South Carolina, population 1,410.
The characters:    Police Chief Crystal Moore, Mayor Earl Bullard;
     the City Council, and the people of Latta.

Crystal Moore had been with the Latta police force for 23 years.   She neither tried to hide, nor flaunted, the fact the she is lesbian.   She kept her personal life private, and she had a respected place in the community and was considered an effective police chief.

Last December Earl Bullard won an uncontested race for mayor.  He was known to have negative feelings about gays and lesbians, and that was proven when an audio recording surfaced of him going on a homophobic tirade.   As a precautionary measure before he took office, the City Council passed a vote of confidence in their police chief.

Less than four months in office, Bullard fired Moore after giving her seven trumped up  reprimands.   Hundreds of residents came to her defense, holding protests and prayer vigils, demanding that her job be restored.   They even raised money to help with her living expenses and legal fees.  A friend of Moore's told Huffington Post, "I never thought I'd have been at four protests for gay rights in Latta, SC."

Last week, the town held a referendum in which an overwhelming majority voted to change the government of Latta from "mayor-strong" to "council-strong."   In effect, it stripped Bullard of his power and gave the council the power to rehire Moore.

Bullard hadn't been idle, while this was going on.   Before Moore could be reinstalled, he surprised everyone by announcing that he had already hired a replacement.    The Council wasn't done though.  On Friday, they met and determined that Bullard had acted illegally by hiring a police chief without their consent.    They then invalidated the offer and reinstated Moore.

Crystal Moore has been sworn back in as police chief of Latta, S.C.

That is the heart-warming tale of decency.   But . . .  

Actually, Crystal Moore did not have a legal defense because in South Carolina and 28 other states, it is perfectly legal to fire someone just for being gay or lesbian.   It's wonderful to have people like those good folks in Latta.   But we also need to change those laws.    This is another thing Congress is dithering on -- passing ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act).

Ralph