In response to reports that Alaska’s Attorney General quietly rolled back LGBTQ protections last summer, the state’s first-ever out, queer lawmakers sponsored a bill in the Alaska House to enshrine anti-discrimination protections in law.
In its more than 60-year history, Alaska has never had an openly LGBT state lawmaker.
After this year’s election, Andrew Gray, Ashley Carrick and Jennie Armstrong are set to be the first three openly LGBT Alaska legislators in January. #akleg https://t.co/DeY0H7qpKl
— Wesley Early (@wesley_early) November 18, 2022
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Representative Jennie Armstrong, a West Anchorage Democrat who filed the bill, said it’s both a human rights issue and an economic one, for a state that is facing a deep labor shortage as people leave for opportunities Outside.
Armstrong’s bill is short. It primarily updates the Commission for Human Rights’ definition of “sex,” a protected class in Alaska, to include “sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.”
“I filed this legislation because I want it to pass,” Armstrong said. “I’m not trying to make a statement. I’m not trying to do anything proforma, I want to approach this in a way that gives it the best shot at passing.”
Fifteen House members — all Democrats and Independents — co-sponsored the bill.
An Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica investigation published last week revealed Attorney General Treg Taylor quietly ordered the state Commission for Human Rights to remove sexual orientation and gender identity from the state’s discrimination protections in mid-2022.
An investigation by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found the decision had been requested by a conservative Christian group.
Last weekend, this article was published jointly by @propublica + @adndotcom detailing how Alaska’s Attorney General rolled back protections for people who identify as LGBTQ+ https://t.co/gn6fyUrZuV
— Rep. Jennie Armstrong (@rep_jennie) March 11, 2023
Alaska has never had statewide LGBTQ+ protections in statute, but the Alaska State Commission on Human Rights (@ASCHR7) announced in 2021 that Alaska’s LGBTQ+ protections extended beyond the workplace to housing, government practices, finance & public accommodation.
— Rep. Jennie Armstrong (@rep_jennie) March 11, 2023
In 2022, following a request made by a conservative Christian group, Attorney General Treg Taylor advised that these protections for LGBTQ+ folks be rolled back.
— Rep. Jennie Armstrong (@rep_jennie) March 11, 2023
My team began working earlier this year on legislation to ensure everyone is protected from discrimination, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation. Our bill draft was completed in February, and we filed our bill on Monday: https://t.co/dNrk4yapKF
— Rep. Jennie Armstrong (@rep_jennie) March 11, 2023