On the heels of a step backwards in North Dakota regarding reproductive rights, which we blogged about here, the state legislature seems to be taking a step forward in terms of anti-discrimination legislation. The North Dakota Senate approved a bill that would expand the state’s Human Rights Act to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. The legislation will now move to the state House.
This piece of legislation is similar to legislation before the Allegheny County Council in western Pennsylvania, which we blogged about here. The Allegheny County Human Rights Ordinance also proposes to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Such anti-discrimination bills are increasingly becoming an important and necessary part of human rights protections in states and counties throughout the country.
