By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — In light of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision this week that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act gives employment protections to LGBTQ people on the basis of sex, Hutchinson Mayor Jade Piros de Carvalho asked City of Hutchinson Human Relations Officer Datjeda Moore where city policy should go next to clarify compliance with the decision.
"I also am wondering about how to bring our human relations ordinance in alignment with those protections," Piros de Carvalho said. "Currently, chapter three of our city code lays out job and housing protections against discrimination, but it does exclude the LGBTQ community. I don't know if that is something that needs to be done administratively through our attorney, or if the human relations commission needs to bring back language."
Moore said the Human Relations Commission is on top of the issue.
"Our meeting for tomorrow, we're going to be reviewing what the language is being shared at that level and how we can fit it into our local ordinances, Moore said. "Our anticipation is that we can insert it according to the protected classes space and use that there, but we're not sure how that will have to look."
The hope is that the council can see amended language soon.
"If we can get to that this Wednesday and have that discussion and then, depending on what we might need to do back and forth with Paul, I hope that we can do it pretty quickly."
Piros de Carvalho said in her attempt to read the decision, it was focused on the employment piece. It isn't clear how a rewrite would work with regard to housing at this point. The next meeting of the Human Relations Commission is Wednesday at 4 p.m.