Birmingham on Tuesday became the first
city in Alabama to approve LGBT protections.
The Birmingham City Council unanimously
approved a pair of nondiscrimination ordinances after holding a
public hearing that lasted roughly an hour.
One of the ordinances will add
protections “against any act, policy or practice that, regardless
of intent has the effect of subjecting any otherwise qualified person
to differential treatment as a result of that person's real or
perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity, disability or familial status.”
The second ordinance will create an
11-member commission to investigate complaints, The
Birmingham Times reported.
Local and national activists have
lobbied for such an ordinance for more than ten years. The Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), which along with Equality Alabama has been
working on the ordinance, said that the legislation will prohibit
discrimination in housing, public accommodations and employment.
“Today, the City of Birmingham made
history in Alabama by taking a crucial step toward ensuring LGBTQ
residents are protected from discrimination,” said HRC President
Chad Griffin. “In doing so, Birmingham joins Jackson and Magnolia,
Mississippi in setting an example for cities across the South to
follow. Now, it is time for all southern cities to guarantee the
right of LGBTQ people to live their lives free from discrimination.”
“Today is a proud day for Birmingham,
now the first city in Alabama to pass a non-discrimination ordinance
that protects the LGBTQ community,” said Eva Kendrick, HRC Alabama
state director. “Now it is time for other cities in Alabama to
follow Birmingham’s lead in protecting all its people from bias and
discrimination. Thank you to Council President Austin for his
leadership in championing this ordinance and our partners Michael
Hansen, Equality Alabama and Alabama Stonewall Democrats for their
years of work to secure this victory for all of Birmingham. We look
forward to the mayor signing this important ordinance into law.”