ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis County lawmakers on Tuesday passed legislation that seeks to expand and clarify the government's non-discrimination ordinances.
The sponsor of Bill 156, Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, said it extends protections for non-civil service employees who were not previously explicitly covered by the county's anti-discrimination ordinances. And her office said anti-discrimination clauses were extended to apply to all county contractors and service providers such as housing financial assistance, health care services and homeless shelters. County Executive Sam Page is expected to sign the bill.
Clancy said it also codified "gender expression" as a protected class, since only "gender identity" had been protected since 2012. "While gender identity refers to how a person identifies, gender expression is the way someone outwardly expresses that identity to the world," her office said. "This legislation recognizes that distinction, and prohibits discrimination based on both instances."
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