Fargo Parks Bans Anti-Gay Discrimination

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The Fargo Parks Board unanimously voted in favor to end anti-gay discrimination in the district’s work place.

Their human resource department proposed the policy change in 2013, but the vote never made on the board’s agenda.

KVRR’s Brittany Ford has the story.
 
The Fargo Parks Board has voted to update its equal opportunity and harassment policy to include sexual orientation, and gender identity.

The policy update will protect LGBT employees and future employees from anti-gay discrimination.

Board members say it’s about accommodating the diverse population that they serve.
 
“The people who pay their taxes, and who we are providing recreation for so we want our policies to be very clear that every single person who wants to join the Fargo parks district activities is more than welcome to,” says Fargo District Board Member Joe Deutsch.
 
Fargo Parks explained that it is a coincidence that the agenda item is being voted on just weeks after the nationwide legalization of same sex marriage.
 
The Fargo Park Board says they are already practicing non-discrimination in the work place and that it was a matter of making their policies consistent with their practices.
 
“Mostly our equal opportunity policy and our harassment policy our approach here has been we review our policies and on a regular basis to make sure we are current as we can be. And that’s what happened here,” says Jim Larson, Fargo Parks Director of Human Resources.
 
Kate Lucero, who is a members of Fargo’s LGBT community, says it is a step in the  right direction.

She says LGBT community members come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
 
“It’s really important to recognize that these classes if people have multiple of identities, and if you want to protect somebody for one reason you have to protect them for all reasons,” says Lucero.
 
The Fargo Parks harassment and equal opportunity policy already bars employment discrimination on the basis on sex, race, disability, and marital status.

Brittany Ford KVRR News.
 
North Dakota state law does not outlaw this type of discrimination.