Gay Marriage Watch

The state’s most populous county is poised to follow the capital city next week in passing new protections for gay and transgender residents. The Salt Lake County Council on Tuesday will consider a pair of statutes that offer protections against discrimination based on sexual preference and gender identity in the areas of housing and employment.

While the county has had more general anti-discrimination laws on the books for decades, the new proposals extend them and were adapted from two ordinances unanimously adopted by the Salt Lake City Council last month. On Friday, Salt Lake County Council Chairman Joe Hatch praised the city for passing the new laws and opening doors with the decision.

“I totally salute the efforts of Salt Lake City and the hard work they’ve done,” he said. “It’s clearly paved the way for this to be a successful and uncontroversial issue for the county.”

Full Story from Deseret News: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705350965/Salt-Lake-County-to-consider-anti-bias-proposals.html

Click here for gay marriage resources.

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Existing city codes prohibit businesses from denying jobs or housing to citizens for reasons of age, race, religion or sexual orientation. Activists in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community had lobbied for more than a year to include gender identity and expression.

The unanimous vote was the latest step the council has taken to demonstrate a more tolerant atmosphere — one that helped the city land the 2014 Gay Games, an international competition.

Councilman Joe Santiago introduced the ordinance last year, about the same time that the council began considering a domestic partner registry that allows same- and opposite-sex couples to declare a relationship without marriage.

Full Story from Out in Toledo: http://www.outintoledo.com/home/news.asp?articleid=33738

Click here for gay marriage resources in Ohio.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

The city of Charleston, South Carolina has passed two ordinances prohibiting housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender expression, according to The Advocate. The passage of the laws is a sign of real progress in a mostly anti-gay rights state.

Charleston is the second city in the GOP-dominated state to pass such laws, following in the footsteps of the state capitol, Columbia.
The ordinances were presented to the mayor’s office in August by members of Charleston’s Alliance For Full Acceptance (AFFA), SC Stonewall Democrats, SC Log Cabin Republicans, the American Civil Liberties Union and South Carolina Equality and passed on Tuesday.

South Carolina Equality lauded the news, saying,  ”All across South Carolina, we are celebrating this historic victory for all families as Charleston joins Columbia as the second city in the state to enact such nondiscrimination ordinances. These pro-business ordinances are consistent with the values of Charlestonians; they send the clear message that Charleston welcomes families from all walks of life.”

Full Story from the Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-4107-International-LGBT-Issues-Examiner~y2009m11d26-South-Carolina-city-passes-gay-nondiscrimination-laws

Click here for gay marriage resources in South Carolina.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.