ALASKA: Anchorage Tries Again With New LGBT Non-Discrimination Referendum

In 2009 the Anchorage Assembly approved a bill banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The mayor promptly vetoed it. Activists are now attempting to take the issue to the ballot box.

One Anchorage wants voters to add "sexual orientation or transgender identity" to the list, said the group's spokesman, Trevor Storrs. "It's a new name for a very old cause that we've all been working toward, which is the same legal protections for all. It's been going on for decades," Storrs said. "What this initiative does is ensures that the gay and transgender Alaskans, who work hard and play by the rules, will have the exact same legal protections as any other Anchorage resident."

You may recall that Christianists groups staged many large and noisy protests to the previous bill.