GREENSBORO, N.C. — City Council members in Greensboro, N.C., are slated to debate and vote Tuesday evening on several ordinance changes that will provide LGBT-inclusive protections to citizens and residents, including changes to the city’s fair housing ordinances and two others.
The city’s move toward more inclusive local policies follows similar proposals and discussion in Charlotte, the state’s largest city, though it has not yet scheduled a vote.
The proposed changes in Greensboro include adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to a list of enumerated categories in three ordinances — fair housing, city employment and city services.
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“The City of Greensboro prides itself on being open and inclusive for all residents and the changes proposed for Council consideration are designed to further strengthen the City’s efforts to prohibit discrimination,” Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said in a statement to qnotes on Monday.
“I believe these changes not only continue to protect our current and future employees, but also take the extra step of acknowledging and protecting the civil rights of our residents and business owners who participate in City programs and receive City services,” she said.
The first of the three ordinance changes will prohibit discrimination in the offering of city programs, services or activities.
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The final proposal would alter the city’s fair housing ordinance, adding LGBT-inclusive protections to those meant to prohibit discrimination in the “buying, renting, selling, or advertising of real estate.”
The changes in Greensboro come as the state’s largest city, Charlotte, considers its own ordinance updates and revisions. In November, a coalition of organizations requested changes to several Charlotte ordinances.
