Missouri House rebuffs bid to add protections for LGBT employees to internal rules
An attempt to add protections for LGBT people to the Missouri House rules failed on a voice vote Tuesday.
The proposal came from Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, an openly gay member currently serving in the Missouri General Assembly.
“It’s almost 2020, let’s just say hey, how about not fire the gay guy?” Razer said.
The House’s decision comes on the same day that newly sworn-in Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly signed an executive order restoring LGBT protections for state workers.
Razer’s amendment would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to existing chamber rules covering equal employment opportunities and discrimination based on religion, race, color, gender, age, national origin or disability.
Many of those groups, excluding LGBT people, are already protected under the Missouri Human Rights Act.
Republican Gov. Mike Parson said in an interview with The Star in December that he’s open to the idea of extending discrimination protections to LGBT Missourians, though he hedged on what role government has in the debate.
This story was originally published January 15, 2019 at 2:19 PM.
