LGBT Activists Push States To Expand Anti-Discrimination Laws

Same-sex marriage is legal in most states but so is discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodation.

Gay-rights activists say this creates a contradiction because in many states someone can legally marry a person of the same gender and then get fired for being gay. They are lobbying state legislatures to add LGBT people to anti-discrimination laws that already include things like race, age, religion and disability.

Opponents say the public accommodation element would be unfair to some business owners, such as florists and bakers, who have a religious or moral objection to gay marriage. They argue even if some businesses choose not to serve same-sex couples there are still plenty of other businesses that will.

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