Hundreds of LGBT activists held a rally outside the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka Saturday. They were protesting Governor Sam Brownback for withdrawing protections for state employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The group Equality Kansas led the rally, where several state lawmakers and activists spoke. Micah Kubic (Mike-uh Cubic) of the Kansas branch of the ACLU told the crowd that Brownback’s actions have set the entire state back.
Brownback said he was trying to make sure all state employees were protected equally under the law, and that the legislature should be responsible for expanding protected classes. A bill sponsored by Democratic Representative John Carmichael tries to take the governor up on that. If passed, it would give all Kansans - not just state workers - protection against discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender expression.