Missouri Governor Issues Employment Protections

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon recently issued Executive Order 10-24 at the National Conference of the NAACP in Kansas Ciity. The Executive order extends employment protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons working in the Executive Branch of Government of the State of Missouri, requires the Executive Branch to file an annual workplace diversity plan and encourages adoption of the same protections for LGBT employees by all branches of Missouri Government.

"This is huge," stated A.J. Bockelman, Executive Director of PROMO, Missouri's statewide LGBT Advocacy Group. "Approximately 58,000 Missourians are employed in state government. But beyond this, nearly every state with current statewide protections in employment, housing and services for the LGBT community has had a state employee provision in place before enacting statewide protections for all citizens. This Executive Order sets a strong example for our other elected officials to follow. Further, it makes Missouri more competitive in the corporate sector, where 95% of Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation/gender identity in their non-discrimination policies."

PROMO has been working with officials inside the Nixon administration and made public calls for such a change. Governor Nixon issued the following statement:

"I want to ensure that Missouri remains true to the principles of ensuring equal opportunity for all people, and this Executive Order fulfills a pledge I made to have a more inclusive and diverse state workforce. The State of Missouri will work to ensure that there will be no vestiges of discrimination, not only in employment practices but also in providing services and in operating our facilities."