Kansas: Not as Bigoted as You Think

While driving around Topeka on a quest to amass the most awesome collection of vinyl records in town, my boyfriend (represented as “C”) and I had the following exchange:

M: Ooo, did you know that Manhattan is considering an ordinance that will bar discrimination against gay people?

C: Oh, that’s cool. (pause) You mean New York, right?

But, no, my dear readers, I did not mean New York. I’m talking about Manhattan, Kansas. The Little Apple. Home of K-State football, Aggieville, and, soon, the state’s broadest anti-discrimination ordinance.

I know. I’m as surprised as you are, and I live here.

Not only will this ordinance prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Lawrence – home of K.U. basketball, Massachusetts Street, and more K.U. basketball – beat every other Kansas town to the punch years ago. What makes this Manhattan ordinance special is that it includes gender identity.

The ball started rolling on this last spring when the mayor came out (pun intended. Ba dum bum!) in favor of adding sexual orientation to the city's anti-discrimination law,  according to Jonathan Mertz, chair of the Flint Hills Human Rights Project (like them on Facebook!). The city conducted a series of open mics, heard stories, and commissioned a work study. The result is a local ordinance that not only protects the Ls, Gs, and Bs – as originally intended – but also the Ts.

And this has been a bit of a source of contention. It was even a topic of discussion within the Flint Hills Human Rights Project. But in the end, Mertz told me that his organization would not accept an ordinance that did not include gender identity. According to the group’s Facebook page, it doesn’t matter how small the class. Everybody deserves to have their human rights protected.

This is a big change, but it’s not simply a matter of adding a few words. The city council is really bending over backwards. Unlike Lawrence, Manhattan doesn’t really have a mechanism to enforce non-discrimination laws. Currently, if the parties to a dispute cannot work something out, it is referred to the Kansas Human Rights Commission. But since Kansas state law includes neither sexual orientation nor gender identity, the city has to significantly rework the language. If this ordinance passes, the city would have the power to hear complaints and make sure the law is enforced.

That's pretty cool, right?

There has been, unfortunately if not unexpectedly, an organized opposition, too often from churches in the area. There is also one exceptionally vocal foe sitting on the Manhattan City Commission.

The ordinance goes into its first reading at the Manhattan City Commission meeting on December 7 and its second reading and vote will be held on December 21. It’s so close to Christmas, I can’t help but think that Jesus would vote for it. And if not, who cares? It’s still the right thing to do. Let’s make sure the City of Manhattan knows it.

Photo credit: rkramer62