Pocatello Passes Ordinance Against Gay Discrimination, Joins Other Idaho Cities

POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — The city of Pocatello has passed an ordinance banning discrimination against a person because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Idaho State Journal reports the city council voted 4-2 in favor of the ordinance after hours of debate Thursday evening, with Craig Cooper and Jim Johnston dissenting.

Pocatello is the sixth city in the state to enact an anti-discrimination ordinance. Idaho's conservative Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, have repeatedly refused to expand the state's Human Rights Act to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from job and housing discrimination.

Pocatello's ordinance protects people from discrimination in areas of employment, housing and public accommodations such as restaurants and stores. Other Idaho cities that have adopted similar rules are Boise, Sandpoint, Ketchum, Moscow and Coeur d'Alene.