Assembly OKs bill banning discrimination against gays in workplace

CARSON CITY -- A bill that bans discrimination against gays in employment breezed through the Assembly Thursday, but its fate in the Senate is uncertain.

The vote was 30-11 with nine Republicans and two Democrats opposing.

While supporters claim they have enough votes for passage in the Senate, Assemblyman David Parks, D-Las Vegas, author of Assembly Bill 311, would only say he's hopeful it will clear the other house controlled by Republicans.

Gov. Kenny Guinn will not say whether he will sign the bill until the final version arrives at his desk.

But Jack Finn, press secretary for Guinn, said the governor is "philosophically opposed to (sexual orientation) discrimination" and "agrees with the spirit of the bill."

In his speech to the Assembly, Parks said the bill "affirms the basic principle that all people ought to be employed based solely upon their qualifications and work ethic. "

It does not order the use of quotas or preferential treatment, Parks said. It does not apply to employers with fewer than 15 workers or to other businesses currently exempt from the equal employment opportunities of Nevada law such as the federal government and Indian tribes.

Parks, the only openly gay member of the Legislature, said just a few decades ago "Many Americans accepted employment discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, disability and national origin.

"We now look back with shame and embarrassment to a time when stereotypes kept capable men and women out of the workplace and locked in dead-end jobs."

He added, "we also look back with gratitude for legislators who had the courage and vision to enact laws that banned such discrimination ..."

Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, said she hoped the vote would be based on fact and not somebody's "interpretation of the Bible." The bill, she said calls "for equal rights, not special rights."

The chambers of commerce in Reno and Las Vegas have taken a neutral stand on the bill.

Nobody talked against it on the floor. Later, Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Minden, told reporters, "No law stops discrimination. This applies only to employers." He said a co-worker could harass another because of sexual orientation.

"This doesn't do us a hoot of good," Hettrick said, adding the bill was ineffective.

Assemblyman David Humke, R-Reno, suggested, "Maybe this is a case where the federal government should take the lead," apparently referring to the fact Congress has never enacted an anti-discrimination law on sexual orientation.

After the vote, Gary Peck, executive director of the ACLU, said he was "extremely pleased by the overwhelming margin by which the bill passed.

"The Assembly did the right thing by supporting the principle that workers ought to be judged in the work place solely on the basis of job performance. All of us, regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation, should have that right. It's good for the worker, good for business and good for the general public," Peck said.

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