Lafayette adds transgender antidiscrimination protections

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - The Lafayette City Council has approved antidiscrimination protections for transgender people.

The (Lafayette) Journal & Courier reports (http://on.jconline.com/2cyrgEp ) council members voted unanimously Tuesday to add gender identity, age and veteran status to the list of protections in the city's human relations ordinance. The ordinance already covered complaints about housing, employment and accommodations based on race, sex, religion, color, disability, familial status and national origin.

Gender identity is defined in the amendment as "an individual's gender related to self-identity, self-image, appearance, expression or behavioral characteristics."

Complaints will be handled by the city's human relations commission.

The vote to add gender identity to the antidiscrimination code came more than two decades after Lafayette adopted antidiscrimination protections for gays and lesbians. The newspaper says several other Indiana communities offer protections for gender identity.

___

Information from: Journal and Courier, http://www.jconline.com