Tacoma to vote on antidiscrimination law repeal

The auditor's office of Pierce County, Wash., says supporters of an effort to overturn an antidiscrimination ordinance have apparently collected enough signatures to get their measure on the ballot.

That means Tacoma voters will decide in November whether to repeal the city law that protects gays, lesbians, and other sexual minorities in housing and employment. It exempts certain religious nonprofit organizations. Initiative sponsor Doug Delin and his Help Us Take Back Tacoma Again! campaign collected 4,048 signatures to get the issue on the ballot.

The Tacoma city council voted 8-1 in April to pass a revised version of the city's antidiscrimination law, extending protection to sexual minorities in employment, housing, and education. But Delin said the law hurts small businesses by making them vulnerable to costly lawsuits and validates a way of living that doesn't deserve legal protection. "It denies citizens due process on both sides of the issue," he said.