Ohio House Passes LGBT Discrimination Protections

Details are still sketchy and obtained through Twitter, but minutes ago the Ohio House of Representatives passed the Equal Housing and Employment Act (EHEA) with a final vote of 56-38 with six Republicans voting for the measure.

I last mentioned EHEA back in June, when testimony was underway. The bill adds LGBT employment and housing protections to Ohio anti-discrimination laws. Basically, it’s a state-version of the national Employment and Non-Discrimination Act.

The bill now moves to the Ohio Senate. All analysis I’ve seen suggests that the Senate is unlikely to pass the legislation.

Still, this is a cause for celebration. For the very first time, an Ohio legislative body has passed a pro-LGBT bill. While I don’t feel any safer than I did last night when that one guy started using the word “Homo” (true story!), it’s good to know that progress is slowly being made.