A very good day for the LGBT community in Nevada. Despite significant opposition from within his own party, the new Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill today prohibiting discrimination against transgender employees.
Sandoval will also sign two other bills that will ban gender discrimination, reports the Las Vegas Sun.
Assembly Bill 211, [signed] today, passed the Assembly 29-13 and the Senate 11-10, with all of the opposition coming from GOP lawmakers. The bill prohibits discrimination in employment based on gender identity or expression. Gender identity or expression, according to the bill, means gender-related identity appearance, expression or behavior of a person, regardless of the person’s assigned gender at birth.
The Assembly on Monday approved the two other anti-discrimination bills on transsexuals in public accommodations and housing. The vote was 29-13 and the bills are on their way to the governor. All 13 "no" votes were cast by Republicans.
[Dale Erquiaga, senior adviser to the governor] said the governor wanted to sign all three at the same time, but the two bills approved Monday haven't arrived in time.
The move comes one day after Tennessee's Republican governor signed legislation that will roll back some LGBT protections in Tennessee.
Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have broad laws prohibiting discrimination based on gender expression and/or identity, according to gay and transgender rights groups. Before this week's progress in Nevada, the most recent state to enact trans protections was Massachusetts in February.
Sandoval was elected in November 2009. The governor is the first Latino elected to statewide office in Nevada.
