Nevada Legislature Passes Transgender Rights Bill(s)

The Nevada Legislature has completed work on Assembly Bill 211, a bill to prohibit employment discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression, passing it by votes of 29-13 in the Assembly and 11-10 in the Senate to reach Republican Governor Brian Sandoval's desk.

Additionally, the Nevada Senate had previously passed bills to prohibit discrimination in public accommodations (Senate Bill 331) and housing (Senate Bill 368) on the basis of gender identity or expression. These bills are still pending in the Assembly.

The Senate killed Senate Bill 180, which would have added gender identity or gender expression to the state's hate crimes law, even though the Federal Hate Crimes Law already has provisions which include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

The National Gay and Lesbian task Force sent out a statement praising the Nevada's legislature's positive legislative actions to protect transgender individuals:

"This is a wonderful victory for the people of Nevada. We commend lawmakers for ensuring that all Nevadans, regardless of gender identity or expression, are protected from discrimination in employment. The startling statistics and personal stories found in our national survey on transgender discrimination show just how critically necessary these protections are. No one should fear being jobless, homeless and going hungry because of discrimination. Without legal protections, transgender people are made particularly vulnerable to bias and abuse. This law will literally save lives. We thank the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada for its hard work leading to this victory and we're proud to be a partner in this effort. We look forward to the governor's signature on this important measure."

The Hawaii Legislature passed and Democratic Governor Neil Abercrombie signed into law a measure prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of gender identity of gender expression earlier this year.