The Dayton, Ohio,
city commission voted 3-1 on Wednesday to add sexual
orientation and gender identity to the list of protected
traits under its antidiscrimination law. One
commission member abstained from voting, the Dayton
Daily News reported. The change becomes
effective 30 days after the vote.
"The [city
commission] is keeping Dayton on the cutting edge,"
Roger McKay, president and founder of Diversity Dayton, told
the Daily News. "This shows the city wants to be
inclusive."
Dayton mayor
Rhine McLin announced that the adjustment to the statute was
the right thing to do. "Justice delayed is justice denied,"
McLin said.
According to the
Daily News, the city will be the 15th
municipality in the state to add protections for LGBT
citizens in its antidiscrimination laws.
Local ministers
called the move flawed, saying there had not been enough
dialogue leading up to the vote. Leaders from Ohio's
Stonewall Democrats met with each of the commissioners
over the summer. By mid October, the commission
received a draft of the proposed law change, Tony Ballis,
president of Dayton Stonewall Democrats, said in the
article. (The Advocate)
