The city of Bellevue, Idaho Monday passed a non-discrimination ordination that will provide protections for LGBT people against discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. While the measure passed by the Bellevue City Council bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, the new protections are “subject to certain exceptions,” as Idaho Mountain Express reports:
Bellevue City Attorney Rick Allington, who was not present Monday, said in an interview that the new law does not apply to churches at all, except to prohibit discrimination against an LGBT or supposed LGBT employee, such as a janitor.
“The statute is not designed to step on anyone's religious beliefs,” Allington said. […]
Allington said a judge would not be required to perform same-sex marriages because he or she would be an employee of the state. He pointed out that the state never added the words “sexual orientation” or “sexual identity” to its Human Rights Act.
Other exceptions to the new anti-discrimination law include not forcing people to rent rooms in their homes or duplexes to LGBT people.
The new law does not apply to some organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, or to any state or federal agencies.
The law will go into effect next month.
Same-sex marriage became legal in Idaho in October 2014.
