FRANKLYWNOW - Anchorage equal rights ordinance signed into law

Anchorage’s newly amended equal rights ordinance is now law.

Anchorage Assembly Chair Dick Traini and Vice Chair Elvi Gray-Jackson signed ordinance AO 2015-96(S-1) into law Friday morning at city hall.

The ordinance, which passed 9-2 late Tuesday evening, takes effect immediately, making it illegal to discriminate over sexual orientation or gender identity in areas such as housing, employment and public accommodations.

It provides some exceptions for religious groups and those with ministerial duties.

Gray-Jackson said the ordinance was a long time coming, referring to multiple attempts in the past to add similar protections for the LGBT community that were defeated.

“This is not the right thing to do, it’s the only thing to do,” Gray-Jackson said.

When asked about a push from conservative Christian groups to put the issue on the ballot, Gray-Jackson said she thought it was “inevitable.”

“They are going to work really hard to do a ballot initiative, which is really sad,” said Gray-Jackson. “But I’ll tell you what, I will work really hard to get people to do the right thing if that process happens.”

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