Osceola County residents will get a chance to weigh in Monday on an ordinance protecting the LGBT community from discrimination. If approved Osceola County will join more than 30 municipalities in Florida with similar protections.
The human rights ordinance adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the list to protect the LGBT community from discrimination in: hiring, housing and receiving public services.
Carlos Guillermo Smith is the government affairs manager for Equality Florida. He calls the ordinance a huge step forward. “What this human rights ordinance does is, it sends a message that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated in Osceola County,” he said.
Orange County and Volusia County along with the city of Orlando provide similar protections.
Guillermo Smith said the focus now is a bi-partisan bill filed last week protecting the LGBT community state-wide.