A new bill in the Arizona legislature would expand the state’s nondiscrimination law to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
On Monday, Daniel Hernandez introduced the legislation, HB 2586, alongside fellow Democrats Reps. Cesar Chavez and Tony Navarrete and Sen. Kate Brophy-McGee, a Republican.
Supporters say it’s the first ever bipartisan bill introduced in Arizona that would prohibit discrimination against gay and transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations.
State law already forbids discrimination on the basis of race, religion and sex, among other things.
In the lead up to the legislative session, leaders from Valley cities like Mesa and Scottsdale have called on the state to pass a nondiscrimination law to protect the LGBTQ community, but it’s unclear how the bill will fare now that it has been introduced.
