Metro Council Moves Toward Protecting Gay Workers

Nashville’s Metro Council passed on second reading a measure to ban discrimination against gay employees Tuesday night.

Some members wanted to defer a vote on the measure, so an alternative proposal could catch up. That ordinance, which passed its first reading last night, is much broader, stating that the hiring or promotion of employees can’t be based on non-merit factors, like social characteristics.

But council member Erik Cole argued the narrower measure would hold up better.

“We can cast a broad paintbrush, but that won’t stand up in court. What will stand up in court is our delineation of the kind of activity we will not tolerate. And this bill expressly provides for that.”

The measure must still pass a third and final reading before becoming law.