Kansas LGBT Protections Bill Has 55 Co-Sponsors

A Kansas bill that seeks to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity has 55 co-sponsors.

According to The Topeka Capital-Journal, the bill has 38 co-sponsors in the House and 17 in the Senate, including some Republicans in both chambers.

The legislation was proposed by Democratic Representatives Brandon Woodard and Susan Ruiz, the state's first openly gay lawmakers. Their bill would amend the Kansas Act Against Discrimination, which currently prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin, and ancestry, to include sexual orientation and gender identity. The 1953 law offers protections in the areas of employment, housing, and services. It also exempts religious institutions.

Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, last month signed an executive order protecting LGBT state employees. Such protections had been eliminated by former Governor Sam Brownback, a Republican now serving in the Trump administration.

In a statement, Kelly expressed her support for the legislation. “This change is long overdue,” she said.

(Related: In her first official act as governor, Kansas' Laura Kelly signs LGBT protections order.)