SB 2016-007: LGBTQ+ Rights Act (Passed Senate)

[tmthforu94]

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72 hours for debate.

[tmthforu94]

First, I want to give a huge thanks to Representative evergreen for largely writing this bill.

This is an amended version of the house bill that satisfies several of the concerns that were made to me. I added in a clause towards the end (written by 118AZ) that put marriage in the statue, just to clear up any potential confusion with the reset.

Because of my sexual identity, I've faced some challenged with discrimination and not quite knowing where to turn to when I needed help. This bill would be a big step forward towards making LGBTQ+ members in Atlasia feel more included and treated equally. My favorite part of this bill is section three, which would provide grants for anti-bullying programming, something we desperately need more of in our country.

Overall, I think the language we used is pretty straight-forward with headlines that clearly state the intent of each section. I welcome any questions that senators may have.

[tmthforu94]

I, do have a question on Section 7 Subsection 3, can you explain what that means in non-legal terms for the ordinary citizen in this country?

I'll let 118AZ clarify if he meant something different, but my understanding is that it is to simply ensure an individual cannot be discriminated against for being married to a member of the same-sex. I think Section 1 essentially covers that so it could probably be cut out if you wanted, though I'll wait to see if 118AZ has anything to say.

[tmthforu94]

I did a friendly to change the section title. This was a concern that was brought up with evergreen's original bill that I corrected in this version.

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Like Senator Smith suggested, this does not eliminate gender markers. It only adds a third option for non-binary genders.

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I don't think this is what people had in mind when they voted on eliminating gender markers. A lot of our constitution, especially when talking about the president, uses the pronoun "his." This isn't even necessarily just about people who use a non-binary gender. This is also about being inclusive for women, which we have several of on this forum.

[tmthforu94]

I am proposing the following amendment to ensure that ALL are protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identities. This changes "LGBTQ+ status" to "sexual orientation and gender identity."

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[tmthforu94]

Seeing as 24 hours have passed, the amendment is adopted.

The 72 hour has passed and most senators have been able to weigh in on the issue. Unless there is an objection, I will open the final vote this evening.

[tmthforu94]

Senators, this bill is now at a final vote. Please vote AYE, NAY or ABSTAIN.


Aye

[tmthforu94]

This has enough votes to pass. Senators have 24 hours to change their votes.

[tmthforu94]

The bill has passed the Senate.