Kansas Rolls Back LGBT State Worker Protections With Stroke of Pen

[William769]

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed an executive order Tuesday afternoon rolling back discrimination protections for LGBT state employees.

The Republican governor's executive order affirms that workers cannot be fired or discriminated against due to their race, religion, gender, age or country of national origin. Neither the order nor the statement he issued accompanying it specifically address the loss of such protections for those who may face discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

“This executive order ensures that state employees enjoy the same civil rights as all Kansans without creating additional ‘protected classes’ as the previous order did,” Brownback said in the statement Tuesday. “Any such expansion of ‘protected classes’ should be done by the legislature and not through unilateral action. The order also reaffirms our commitment to hiring, mentoring and recognizing veterans and individuals with disabilities.”

The protections were put in place by former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in 2007 through an executive order.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/2015/02/10/kansas-rolls-back-lgbt-state-worker-protections-stroke-pen

[RKP5637]

1. This guy Brownback is a pure POS in the highest form! A real diabolical creature

right from the depths of hell! He's turned Kansas into a horrific place for most people! A real loser!

[msongs]

2. elected 2X by a majority of kansas voters, whose views he reflects. great place kansas nt

[RKP5637]

8. Yep, they voted out most democrats and most moderate republicans, and seem to want

hardcore teabaggers to inflict the worst on Kansans in Koch country. Certainly there are Kansans not wanting this, but at least to me a logical alternative is to simply leave Kansas if possible. It's changed drastically. I do often wonder how much is voter choice in rigged Kochland, especially given how far ahead Paul Davis was in the last election.

[MuseRider]

3. I was there the day that Kathleen Sebelius

enacted this. I have a framed copy of the document, a photo of all of us in her office and a pen to commemorate that day. I helped start the organization that got that done. We are still around and very strong. Not sure what we can do with an executive order except make him miserable for doing this and try to get something done in our legislature (oh whoops, we can't do anything there) but he will hear about this. Using LGBT or women or "illegals" to deflect from the mess he has made is not surprising with this creep.

[irisblue]

4. Muse I am so sorry

we make the assumption the 14th amendment is the law of the land....BTW Brownback you suck as a human & politician.

[MuseRider]

7. Not sure what we can do but

we will do something, most likely become real thorns in his side. We are good at that and we don't back down either. He is destroying our state. Elections were rigged to high heaven by Kobach, Brownies wife's family used to own the newspaper in Topeka but sold it however her brother sits on the board and lots of bad news came out just days after he was "re-elected". All we got was the "who knew how badly he stunk the place up" until after the vote. The Dems ran a piss poor race focusing on little but that they were better than Brownback and schools. You get what you work for. We have been successful as an organization, the party in this state is a horrible mess and about as helpful as nothing.

If there is anything left after our entire state is sold off to private interests we will rise and take it back. What else can we even think of doing?

[Bluenorthwest]

10. That's not a good assumption, 29 States offer no protections at all to LGBT people in employment

And the fact is, legislation to establish Federal Protections has been rejected by the US Congress for so long that the first such bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Bela Abzug and Ed Koch in the 70's. The ENDA, the current form, sill has not passed.

[RKP5637]

9. Kathleen Sebelius was a great governor. It is so sad to see what has happened to Kansas under

Brownback's regime. He's a very disturbed individual, quite creepy. He's using an old tactic used for eons, find a group(s) and persecute them, say they are to ones, to deflect attention from his miserable governorship.

[sheshe2]

5. That is cruel and evil.

So sorry. Tears.

[Terra Alta]

6. Brownback is an asshat

the only thing that gives me any satisfaction is that he -- and others like him -- will go down as being on the wrong side of history.