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Council interviews Bettina Peppers for Duluth NQT2SLGBIA advisory commission
Summary
The Duluth City Council interviewed Bettina Peppers as a candidate to fill one of four vacancies on the city's NQT2SLGBIA advisory commission, which advises the Office of Human Rights and promotes LGBTQ+ inclusion and economic development; the appointment will be scheduled for a future council meeting.
Bettina Peppers was interviewed Monday by Duluth city councilors for a seat on the city's NQT2SLGBIA advisory commission, a panel the council described as charged with advising the Office of Human Rights on complaints involving gender identity and expression, encouraging queer-owned businesses and promoting gender-affirming care.
Peppers said she has worked in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) for about 20 years, including six years on Duluth's Human Rights Commission, with two years as chair, and nearly a decade at Marshall School leading DEIB programming. She said she studied anthropology and criminology at the University of Minnesota Duluth and has international experience working on children's rights.
The commission, according to opening remarks, holds regular meetings on the first Wednesday of the month at City Hall and currently has four vacancies. Council members said filling seats has been difficult and stressed the need to restore quorum and activity on the panel. Peppers told the council she applied because she wanted to help make the commission functional and expand LGBTQ+ representation in city work.
Councilors asked Peppers about homelessness and housing discrimination affecting queer and trans people. Peppers encouraged partnerships with local organizations such as LifeHouse and Trans Northland and described community-building and education work she said she'd advanced at Marshall, including hosting a campus panel on trans experiences to build awareness and empathy. She said she had no conflict of interest and does not expect scheduling conflicts; she also noted she serves on a community hockey group called the Motherpuckers.
The council did not vote on the appointment at Monday's meeting. Members were told the nomination will appear in the next council cycle and that the vote is expected on the 26th or 27th of the month.
