Norwood City Council votes to pass LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections

The city of Norwood became the 36^th municipality in Ohio to pass local LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections.

Norwood City Council held a final reading at Tuesday’s meeting of an ordinance “to combat discrimination and for the guarantee of equality and inclusion” in this suburb of Cincinnati.

City councilor Eric Thompson said he brought forward the legislation in honor of his father who came out as gay 20 years ago after 32 years of marriage to his mother.

“There were probably a lot of reasons it took him until his late 50s to [come out],” Thompson said. “Primarily it was fear. He was afraid if he came out sooner that he would lose his family, lose his kids. He was afraid he would suffer repercussions at his job. He was afraid he would be rejected by his community. He was afraid he would be rejected by his church.”

Thompson said that his father’s journey mirrors that of many neighbors in Norwood.

“There are still members of this community who live in fear. They live in fear of not being able to find housing, not being able to find work, fear of businesses turning them away,” Thompson said.

He said this ordinance would help take some of that fear away in the LGBTQ+ community by outlawing discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations.

The city council passed the ordinance by a vote of 5-2. Councilors Chris Kelsch and John Breadon voted against the ordinance but did not provide a rationale for their no votes.

On June 29, Ohio Democrats introduced the Fairness Act, which would grant LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections statewide. This is the 11th time the Ohio Fairness Act has been introduced in the Ohio legislature.

Jen Scott, Equality Ohio Statewide Field Manager, said that in the absence of statewide nondiscrimination protections, it falls to local governments like Norwood to proactively protect LGBTQ+ people in housing, employment and public spaces.

“Thank you, Norwood, for taking this important step to become a welcoming and inclusive city,” Scott said. 🔥

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Ignite Action

• Check out Equality Ohio’s Municipality Map to identify what nondiscrimination protections exist for the LGBTQ+ community in various localities across Ohio.