KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The city council in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday voted in favor of a resolution calling for an end to statewide discrimination against the LGBT community by supporting the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act (MONA).
If passed, MONA would add sexual orientation and gender identity to Missouri’s Human Rights Statute, which already protects other categories, including race, biological sex and familial status. Last year, the legislation was approved in the state Senate but failed to reach the House floor.
“Kansas City really gets it,” said Kyle Piccola, Kansas City’s Senior Field Organizer for PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBT advocacy organization. “The City Council understands that in order to run a 21st century city they have to treat all citizens equally and value what they bring to the table.”
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In 1993, Kansas City passed a city ordinance to include sexual orientation in their city non-discrimination policies and, in 2008, added gender identity. To date, 14 cities and counties in Missouri have nondiscrimination ordinances that include both sexual orientation and gender identity.
“I commend the Kansas City City Council for taking such a strong position on LGBT discrimination,” said Piccola. “They sent a strong message after a unanimous vote that all Missourians deserve to freely share about themselves and their families without the fear of legal discrimination.”
