Laws protecting transgender rights meet little resistance in WisconsinJACK CRAVER, The Capital Times, September 09, 2013 12:15 pm
Before engaging in more controversial affairs at its meeting last week, the Madison Common Council raced through a number of uncontroversial motions, including resolutions honoring Madison's Sister City program, establishing October 2013 as Polish-American Heritage Month and commending the Madison Water Utility for winning "Best Tasting Water in Wisconsin."
Another motion that passed unanimously in a matter of minutes: An ordinance establishing sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes, making it illegal for the city or any of its contractors to discriminate on the basis of either of those characteristics.
It is not a surprising development in Madison, a progressive haven that one expects to lead the way in civil rights.
More notable is the fact that only a day later the city of Appleton passed a similar ordinance barring discrimination on the basis of gender identity in housing.
