March 12, 2014
Kansas Bill Would Expand Anti-Bias Laws to Gays
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A Kansas House Democrat has drafted a new proposal to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports (http://bit.ly/1fSEpUo ) that Kansas City Rep. Louis Ruiz presented his proposal Tuesday during a meeting of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee. The panel agreed to sponsor it.
Such proposals have failed to pass several times in recent years in the Republican-controlled Legislature. Expanding anti-discrimination laws to protect gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered against bias in employment, housing and public accommodations is a key goal of the gay-rights group Equality Kansas.
The bill's introduction came a month after the House passed a "religious freedom" bill that critics said would allow widespread discrimination in the name of protecting gay-marriage opponents from fines and lawsuits.
