In this day and age, it should be inconceivable to legally be able to discriminate against a person based on their sexual orientation. Yet, in the state of Missouri, it is legal to fire an employee, kick out a tenant or refuse service to a person if they’re gay or even appear to be gay. To us, such discrimination is outdated, archaic and morally deplorable.
State Rep. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia, recently introduced House Bill 477, which amends the Missouri Human Rights Act to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Missouri Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability or familial status, but (obviously) not sexual orientation.
We, as MU students, are Missourians. Many of us have grown up or lived here for some time, or at least call MU our home, and it’s time we take a moral stance to protect our neighbors and fellow students who are part of the LGBTQ community. Twenty other states as well as the District of Columbia have already incorporated sexual preference as part of their anti-discrimination laws.
Yes, there is no law blatantly saying that institutions can discriminate based on sexual orientation, but the fact that the laws in place designed to stop discrimination don’t include this equally deserving demographic is concerning.
No person should be lawfully discriminated against (or even discriminated against at all) based on inherent parts of his or her identity. Our society needs to wake up to the fact that, just as people don’t one day decide to be straight, the members of the LGBTQ community don’t decide their sexual orientation either.
However, HB 477 has already hit roadblocks other than the anticipated one which is the Republican-held Congress. House Bill 205 is almost the anti-477: it aims to, of all things, loosen discrimination laws. HB 205 would allow for a group or organization to discriminate, as long as they found another reason more than 50 percent responsible for their actions. If anything, this law is a step backward from progress and equality in our state.
We would say that House Bill 477 doesn’t go far enough. Yes, sexual orientation is a huge step, but we should press to include protections for gender identity and expression as well. This also inherently deserving demographic is not the same as sexual orientation (though lawmakers frequently confuse the two), and deserves equal protection from discrimination under the law.
In Columbia, we have three representatives who are typically easy to get ahold of and welcome the input of students. It’s time to use our voices to support our fellow students and our fellow Missourians. No person should have to face discrimination based on whom he or she loves or whom he or she indentifies them self as. We have the power to construct our own society, and it should be one of equality.