LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The Lawrence City Commission has added gender identity to the city’s anti-discrimination code.
The commission voted Tuesday night to add legal protection for transvestites and others who are transgender.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the change will make it illegal for employers, landlords and most businesses to discriminate against people who don’t identify with the gender of their birth.
A deeply divided crowd of about 70 people testified before the vote. Opponents said the vote condones a choice that violates Bible teachings. Supporters say being transgender is a biological disposition, rather than a lifestyle choice.
But commissioners who voted for the ordinance said it was simply a matter of opposing discrimination.
