Lawsuit Filed Against Plano for Hiding Criminalization of LGBT Ordinance

A city in Texas secretly criminalized certain views of sexuality and then quickly passed it in a public meeting before citizens had a chance to respond. Two residents are suing the city for doing so.

Plaintiffs Greg and Laura Hatch filed a lawsuit against the city over secretly revising a “nondiscrimination” ordinance. In 2014, the city expanded the ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity. It prohibited discrimination “based on race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, familial status or United States military/veteran status.”

The new ordinance imposes criminal penalties on  businesses, city contractors, housing and employment. It exempts nonprofit, religious and political groups. Violators can be fined $500 a day. Many small business owners in Plano are concerned how the law will affect their religious freedom.

However, businesses may prohibit people from using bathrooms that don’t correspond to their biological sex. That exception has upset transgendered people and LGBT advocates.

Read the rest of the article at The Stream

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