Iowa Legislature passes LGBT rights bill
Iowa Legislature passes LGBT rights bill
Thu Apr 26, 8:26 PM ET
SUMMARY: A law banning discrimination against LGBTs in the workplace, housing and public facilities goes to the governor, who has vowed to sign it.
Iowa's House passed gay civil rights protections Wednesday as the state moves to become the 18th to ban discrimination against gay men and lesbians in the workplace, housing and public accommodations.
Though the 59-37 vote was largely along partisan lines, nine Republicans broke caucus to support the rights bill, which sailed through the state Senate last month.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has promised to sign it.
The version in the House, Iowa's more conservative chamber, somewhat weakens its language on transgender protections, striking "appearance, expression, or behavior" from its wording on gender identity.
The House also added an amendment to clarify that the proposal wouldn't alter a state law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
The Senate late Wednesday night approved the House changes on a 34-16 vote, the Des Moines Register reported.
"For the first time, I feel like I'm welcomed in the state I was born in," Sandy Vopalka, board chairman of Equality Iowa, told Gay.com on Thursday.
Vopalka and others have been working to pass the bill for 18 years.
"As they took the vote, you could feel the presence of those who were no longer with us physically," she said. "Even House (Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (news, bio, voting record)) was very emotional; you could hear his voice crack."
McCarthy, a Des Moines Democrat, told the Register it was "a historic vote."
"I also think it was a mainstream vote. This was not some sort of liberal social agenda. This is just saying that under housing and employment, people should not be discriminated based upon their real or perceived sexual orientation," McCarthy said.
Vopalka said the changed language on transgendered people should not lessen their protection. It was made, she said, to soothe lawmakers worried about cross-dressing or sudden gender transitions in schools.
The Iowa victory comes the same week federal LGBT workplace protections were reintroduced into Congress.(Barbara Wilcox, The Advocate)
If you'd like to know more, you can find stories related to Iowa Legislature passes LGBT rights bill.
Thu Apr 26, 8:26 PM ET
SUMMARY: A law banning discrimination against LGBTs in the workplace, housing and public facilities goes to the governor, who has vowed to sign it.
Iowa's House passed gay civil rights protections Wednesday as the state moves to become the 18th to ban discrimination against gay men and lesbians in the workplace, housing and public accommodations.
Though the 59-37 vote was largely along partisan lines, nine Republicans broke caucus to support the rights bill, which sailed through the state Senate last month.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has promised to sign it.
The version in the House, Iowa's more conservative chamber, somewhat weakens its language on transgender protections, striking "appearance, expression, or behavior" from its wording on gender identity.
The House also added an amendment to clarify that the proposal wouldn't alter a state law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
The Senate late Wednesday night approved the House changes on a 34-16 vote, the Des Moines Register reported.
"For the first time, I feel like I'm welcomed in the state I was born in," Sandy Vopalka, board chairman of Equality Iowa, told Gay.com on Thursday.
Vopalka and others have been working to pass the bill for 18 years.
"As they took the vote, you could feel the presence of those who were no longer with us physically," she said. "Even House (Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (news, bio, voting record)) was very emotional; you could hear his voice crack."
McCarthy, a Des Moines Democrat, told the Register it was "a historic vote."
"I also think it was a mainstream vote. This was not some sort of liberal social agenda. This is just saying that under housing and employment, people should not be discriminated based upon their real or perceived sexual orientation," McCarthy said.
Vopalka said the changed language on transgendered people should not lessen their protection. It was made, she said, to soothe lawmakers worried about cross-dressing or sudden gender transitions in schools.
The Iowa victory comes the same week federal LGBT workplace protections were reintroduced into Congress.(Barbara Wilcox, The Advocate)
If you'd like to know more, you can find stories related to Iowa Legislature passes LGBT rights bill.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 6:57 PM
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