Kansas Governor Sam Brownback rescinded protections for state employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity last week. But as Cody Newill reports, there’s one lawmaker who is trying to restore those protections.
Democratic Representative John Carmichael introduced House Bill 2323 a few hours after Brownback announced the executive order. If passed into law, it would change the state’s non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes for all Kansans, not just state employees.
Carmichael said that remarks from House Speaker Ray Merrick have made him cautiously optimistic that the bill can pass the legislature.
“Given the Speaker’s remarks that he believes no one should be fired because of being gay, lesbian, etc. there’s a chance. But it won’t happen, it won’t happen without activism.”
At a rally outside the Statehouse Saturday, Tom Witt of the LGBT activist group Equality Kansas said that his group will be pushing lawmakers to support the bill in the coming months.