Press conference announcing bi-partisan bill to update non-discrimination law to include sexual orientation and gender identity Thursday, January 30th, 2020
A group of bipartisan legislators and community leaders announce the introduction of SB1321, a bipartisan bill to extend Arizona’s current non-discrimination protections to gay and transgender Arizonans in employment, housing and public accommodations. This is the third consecutive year a LGBTQ inclusive non-discrimination bill has had bipartisan support at the Arizona Legislature.
Currently, only five municipalities have ordinances that ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and Arizona has no statewide laws that protect gay and transgender individuals from being fired, denied housing or refused service. This limits Arizona’s ability to attract and retain top talent and business, hurts its national and global image, and damages overall economic sustainability, which is why an update is strongly supported by the business community. More than 3,200 businesses in Arizona have already voiced their support for LGBTQ inclusive non-discrimination by signing the UNITY Pledge. Further, 90% of Arizona’s top 50 employers include sexual orientation and gender identity in their non-discrimination policies. Further, a recent statewide poll showed support for inclusive non-discrimination at over 70% in the areas of employment, housing and public services among likely general election voters.
