The Senate Judiciary Committee has given approval to a bill that bans discrimination for gender identity and sexual orientation in the workplace and a variety of other areas.
The committee voted 4 to 1 to support the bill after voting down an amendment that tried to strengthen the exception for religious institutions. Sheridan Senator Dave Kinskey says he supports the bill, but notes that some religious organizations have concerns.
“What if you’ve got a food bank that’s inspired by their belief in Christ? Employment protections are limited to those whose duties are ministerial or teaching and so their question is what about other employees of a faith enterprise?”
Kinskey still hopes to amend the bill to address their concerns.
Jeran Artery of the group Wyoming Equality says he was especially pleased that business organizations testified that the bill will help Wyoming’s economy.
“They feel like Wyoming’s maybe at a disadvantage by not having this, so this puts them on an even footing. And it’s time to update the statutes to include sexual orientation and gender identity, so we’re very excited.”
The bill heads to the Senate floor for further consideration.