South Bend Indiana editorial

[Kate Thomas]

South Bend Tribune

Council should approve rights amendment
OUR OPINION

It was not a surprise to us that most people in Indiana favor civil rights protection for gays and lesbians. Indiana may be a conservative state. But it also is a state in which fairness is highly valued.

When the South Bend Human Rights Commission receives a discrimination complaint, it makes a decision as to the merits of the case. If the ordinance were to pass and a city resident were denied work or housing because of sexual orientation, the Human Rights Commission could declare the action a violation the resident's civil rights. But without the underpinnings of state and federal civil rights law, the commission's findings ultimately would be unenforceable.