Written by DCist contributor Christopher Durocher.

Last month the brave city councilors of Manassas, Virginia refused to vote against gay massage therapist Howard Daniel’s application to operate a business from his home, despite protests by members of a local church. Instead, the Council refused to vote at all, leaving Daniel’s with no answer, but many questions about whether homophobia in his community had limited his business opportunities.

As the Post reports:

Daniel’s application hadn’t actually been rejected, because no member was willing to introduce a motion to do so. That led to a 45-minute freewheeling discourse on the city’s special-use-permit code, with council members ultimately voting to refer the issue to its Land Use Committee for further study — leaving Daniel in the lurch. That same night, someone scrawled anti-gay graffiti on the car window of one of Daniel’s supportive neighbors, escalating tensions further.

Daniel, who is certified with the Virginia Board of Nursing, decided to apply for a home-business license at the suggestion of the city planning office. He spent $800 to prepare his application and successfully obtained the required support of his immediate neighbors. The planning commission approved his application, after which the City Council held a public hearing on Sept. 18, 2006, to give neighbors the chance to express their opinions. Four of Daniel’s neighbors spoke in support of the application. Then the opponents, many of whom are members of the local parish of All Saints Catholic Church, took their turn.

Of the 21 residents who publicly opposed Daniel’s application, two live on Daniel’s street. Many said they were against home businesses on principle, and others expressed concerns about the preservation of “a family-friendly atmosphere” in Old Town, the presence of “unknown” people in the neighborhood and the unfair “competitive advantage” that Daniel could gain by working out of his home.