SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s legislature is expected to approve a long sought-after bill that would make it a crime to discriminate against people based on their gender or sexual orientation.
The bill was submitted Tuesday by Senator Ramon Luis Nieves of the Popular Democratic Party, which gained control of the Senate and House of Representatives after November’s general election.
The bill aims to protect people in the U.S. territory from being discriminated at work, in public places, and during transactions including renting or selling property.
“A human being’s dignity cannot be violated,” said Nieves, who was flanked by supporters including Pedro Peters Maldonado, a San Juan legislator who is Puerto Rico’s first openly gay elected official.
