On Monday, Douglas became the most recent Wyoming town to pass a non-discrimination resolution to support LGBT people. That same night, a similar resolution passed its first reading at the Cheyenne City Council meeting.
Non-discrimination resolutions hold no real legal power. Instead, they are designed to encourage the Wyoming Legislature to pass a non-discrimination state law. Wyoming Equality spokeswoman Sara Burlingame said a state law would hold legal power and would protect LGBT people in Wyoming from discrimination in matters of housing, employment, and accommodations.
Burlingame said Douglas passed its non-discrimination resolution with only one dissenting vote. In Cheyenne, she said about 45 people showed up to the City Council meeting on Monday to show their support. Burlingame said that kind of turn-out is important, especially as a visual for elected officials.
“Other states have scientific polls,” Burlingame said. “They have other ways to measure support that is more data driven. In Cheyenne, we don’t really have that. In Wyoming, we don’t really have that.”
The public will be allowed to comment on the Cheyenne resolution at the next city council meeting on October 19.
The Wyoming Legislature defeated the last effort to pass anti-discrimination legislation two years ago.