Pocatello Considers Law For LGBT Protection

An effort to add legal protections for sexual orientation and gender identity may have failed at the state level, but one local city might pass the law on its own.

Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad said justice may have a blind spot when it comes to those in the LGBT community.

“We have ordinances out there that protect all the minority groups out there, with the exception of this one, that I’m aware of. And if we can’t protect all of them, then there’s no reason to protect any of them,? Blad said.

A few months ago the mayor was approached by a group of citizens, who this needed to be fixed.

Blad said till then, he hadn’t thought of this as a real problem the city faced.

“If there is a group of people or citizens that are concerned that it could be. It makes me realize that maybe I’ve been kind of narrow focused,? Blad said.

So a city advisory board has been working on writing a proposed law, one that would give legal protection in Pocatello to anyone afraid of losing their job or home because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Blad said the people of Pocatello want to make sure no one is treated unfairly.

“We all feel like we’re pretty open-minded and pretty accepting. And if there’s any discrimination, we want to make sure we can stop it in any way we can,? Blad said.

According to the mayor, the soonest a bill on this subject could be voted on would the fall, and before then he said there will be hearings held to get the public’s input.