KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Shawnee has joined other Johnson County cities in adopting a nondiscrimination ordinance to offer legal protections to LGBTQ people.
The Shawnee City Council on Monday voted 5-2 to pass the ordinance, which extends gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination protections to private and public employment, the sale or lease of real property, and public accommodations and services.
The ordinance also extends the same protections to the city’s internal policies and revises a section of city code on fair housing practices.
Council members Eric Jenkins and Mike Kemmling voted against the ordinance. Councilman Mickey Sandifer was absent from the meeting.
The ordinance will take effect on Sept. 3.
Around 50 people spoke during the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting, part of a discussion that lasted for more than four hours before the council passed the measure, according to a spokeswoman for the city.
Many other Johnson County cities have recently adopted a similar ordinance, including Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Mission and Leawood, which passed its ordinance earlier this month.
