The Nevada state Assembly has approved a bill that would protect transgender people from workplace discrimination.
The bill, approved Monday by a vote of 29-13, now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Democratic lawmakers, with limited Republican support, approved the bill to add “gender identity or expression” to a list of characteristics employers may not discriminate against.
“Voting for this bill is voting against discrimination,” said Las Vegas Democratic Assemblyman Paul Aizley, who sponsored the legislation.
State law already prohibits employers from singling out job candidates based on race, religion, sexual orientation and other attributes. But transgender people told lawmakers that they are left out of those categories and suffer higher unemployment than the general population.
The state Senate is also expected to vote later this week on that bill that would add transgender people to the list of groups protected by hate crime laws.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
A similar bill protecting transgender people from workplace discrimination was also passed Monday in Hawaii.