Nondiscrimination Law Advances in Fla. County

A law that would include sexual orientation and gender identity in antidiscrimination statutes moved forward Tuesday in Leon County, which encompasses the Florida state capital of Tallahassee.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the law won tentative approval from county commissioners. It will undergo revisions before coming to a public hearing in May.

"Leon County commissioners voted 4-3 to move forward with the ordinance, which would ban discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation and physical characteristics.

"However, a final version of the ordinance isn't ready. The County Attorney's Office will be working over the coming weeks with the county's human-relations committee, which drafted it, to address a variety of legal concerns. A revised ordinance is expected to come back to commissioners April 27, with a possible public hearing May 11."

The Democrat reports that two dozen people spoke about the ordinance at the county courthouse on Tuesday, with most speakers being in favor of it.