Alachua County and Gainesville may be joined by the federal government as a bill that promises to end employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity gains traction in the Senate.
Terry Fleming, the co-president of the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida, said that Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) have both signed on as sponsors of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
The proposed bill, which is expected to enter the Senate floor today, would join ordinances that are already in effect in Gainesville and ones that will take effect in Alachua County on Jan. 1.
These ordinances, enforced by the local offices of equal opportunity, protect anyone from being discriminated based on orientation or identity in the fields of employment, housing or public accommodations, said Jacqueline Chung, equal opportunity manager for Alachua County. The protection would join already existing ones against women, disability status or other human rights violations.
Chung, who said the ordinance passed on Aug. 13 of this year, said anyone who feels like he or she has been wronged can file a complaint, and the equal opportunity office will investigate it.
She said the county protection was added after Gainesville adopted its own in 2008. When the county was doing its periodic review, she said it decided to add its own protection.
“We thought it was timely and the right thing to do,” she said.
Chung said only about 16 other counties or cities have similar ordinances, but it was “only a matter of time” until it spreads.
Fleming said passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act will be an uphill battle, especially in the House. But he said it’s an important step to national equalization that must be done.
“If the federal law passed, it would provide protection across the entire country, not just spotty ones,” he said.
A version of this story ran on page 4 on 11/4/2013 under the headline "Senate bill could mirror local ordinance"
