West Lafayette City Council Extends Civil Rights Protections

On Monday, October 4^th, the West Lafayette City Council extended nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, gender expression and veterans' status.  The measure sponsored by Council President Ann Hunt and Mayor John Dennis was approved five to two.

With this addition, West Lafayette joins Bloomington and Indianapolis in rejecting discrimination based on gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation.  Areas covered by the resolution include housing, employment and public accommodations. The change was proposed by the West Lafayette Human Relations Commission chaired by Charlie Shook. 

West Lafayette HRC Chair Charlie Shook pointed out, "This was truly a community-wide effort.  We had very strong support from Councilor Hunt and the Mayor from the beginning. This again affirms that West Lafayette is an inclusive, safe and diverse community. "

Citizens for Civil Rights Political Action Chair Randy Studt stated, "I applaud the city council on taking a firm stand on behalf of nondiscrimination for all. "

In addition to the hard work of the West Lafayette Human Relations Commission, this measure was supported by a coalition of Citizens for Civil Rights, Pride Lafayette, the Greater Lafayette Chapter of PFLAG, ACLU-Indiana Greater Lafayette Chapter and the Purdue Queer Student Union.