The Democratic governor of Louisiana is avoiding the flak that his counterparts in the Southern states are receiving from the lesbians, gays and transgender persons. He is doing the opposite by passing an order that protects their rights.
John Bel Edwards, the Louisiana governor, signed on Wednesday an executive order that extends protection to state employees and contractors against discrimination based on their gender identity or sexual orientation. This law also prohibits state agencies from discriminating in their services against such individuals.
"While this executive order respects the religious beliefs of our people, it also signals to the rest of the country that discrimination is not a Louisiana value, but rather, that Louisiana is a state that is respectful and inclusive of everyone around us," Edwards said.
Some have construed his statement as an oblique reference to other Southern states like Tennessee, Mississippi and North Carolina which have laws seemingly discriminating against LGBTs.
Edwards was not the first Southern state governor that passed such an order. His predecessors, Edwin Edwards and Kathleen Blanco both have signed similar orders since there is no such law protecting the rights of the LGBTs, according to the statement from the governor's office.
"This order is the first time Louisiana has explicitly recognized the equal rights of transgender people, and is a strong stand against bigotry," said the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana in a statement.
The current executive order of the Louisiana governor rescinded another executive order of the previous governor, Bobby Jindal (R), which was part of an initiative in some states that is designed to restrict same-sex marriage rights as an element of religious freedom, and the right of transgender individuals to select which public restrooms they want to use.
Edwards believed that the previous order he rescinded "was meant to serve a narrow political agenda."
