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For Fairness (Editorial)

2 min read

Arkansas Business encourages business and good business practices in Arkansas. That should come as no surprise. That stand finds this publication often allied with the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.

And that’s the case now: We support the proposal before the Little Rock Board of Directors that would forbid discrimination against city workers, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The proposed ordinance also requires private vendors doing business with the city to refrain from discrimination.

The ordinance explicitly states that city policy is to treat all members of the public without regard to their “race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, political opinions or affiliation.” In other words, fairly.

Our ally in encouraging commerce in this city and state — the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce — also supports the proposed ordinance.

Questions have arisen about whether the proposal would violate Arkansas’ Act 137, the so-called Intrastate Commerce Improvement Act. That act thwarts local control by prohibiting cities and counties from protecting homosexuals against workplace discrimination. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. opposed the act. The world’s largest publicly traded employer apparently didn’t see “commerce improvement” among the act’s benefits.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said last week the contractor clause wouldn’t violate Act 137, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “City contracts already require businesses to follow all local, state and federal laws, and protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity are already recognized by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, he said.”

Federal law appears likely to trump state efforts to permit discrimination.

Businesses in Little Rock benefit from a diverse workforce and a welcoming environment. We urge the Little Rock Board of Directors to approve the ordinance.

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