link

Basic civil rights for gay, lesbian, and transgender people have been in contention in recent American political debate. This is unfortunate - a country that prides itself on individual liberty and equal treatment for all its citizens should not deny certain Americans rights enjoyed by others. The Iowa Senate has tackled this issue, approving legislation that would prohibit discrimination against gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals in the areas of employment, public accommodation, housing, education, and credit. We fully back this step and hope the Iowa House will soon follow the Senate's example.

Johnson County and Iowa City have antidiscrimination ordinances - as do Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Bettendorf, Ames, Decorah, Des Moines, and Dubuque. Creating a state law will fill in the gaps located across the rest of the state. Nineteen other states have legislation defending the civil rights of gay, lesbian, and transgender people on the books.