FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ā The Fort Lauderdale City Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night to pass several protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer residents.Ā
The 44-page non-discrimination ordinanceĀ protects the city'sĀ LGBTQĀ communityĀ from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations in the city.Ā It also establishesĀ domestic partnership protections andĀ a ban on conversion therapy for minors.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean TrantalisĀ said the ordinance doesn't create special rights for the city's LGBTQĀ community.Ā
"It is to establish equal rights for a population that has long been denied such rights," Trantalis said.Ā
TrantalisĀ hopes the city is setting an example for legislators in Tallahassee to take action. Trantalis worked with Equality Florida, a political advocacy group founded in 1997,Ā to advance the ordinance.
Joe Saunders, the senior political directo of Equality Florida, said many members of the LGBTQĀ community are relocating to Broward County to buy homes and start families.Ā
"For the city of Fort Lauderdale to specifically step up and be such a leader in the area of policy is exceptionally exciting," Saunders said.Ā
Residents Kathleen Stapleton and Jake MoxleyĀ praised the measure.Ā
"The trials and tribulations people have had to goĀ through for years and years and decades, the violence and discrimination,Ā these are things that need to happen for these people to feel comfortable and safe," MoxleyĀ said.Ā