Florida To Consider Gay Rights Law

Florida lawmakers have been presented with a bill that would outlaw anti-gay discrimination in employment, housing, and public accomodations. Two legislators from liberal oasis Boca Raton, working at the behest of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, introduced the bill to the state Senate and House of Representatives.

As regular readers know, I am from Florida, where like most U.S. states, it is perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay, except in the scattered cities and counties where local laws prevent it. (Key West, Miami Beach, Wilton Manors, as examples.) Additionally, last year the CEO of one of the largest hotel chains in the country withdrew his support when the mayor of Orange County, home to the one of the largest hotel-based economies the world, pledged to support equal housing laws for gays, a law which has yet to pass there.

I'll be following this story closely. Of course, if our new Congress were to pass ENDA, these sorts of state-level legislative efforts would be rendered moot. A new trans-inclusive version of ENDA may be presented to Congress this year. ENDA came within one vote of passing in 1996, the last year it was presented for voting. Things are looking very good for ENDA in 2007.
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