Missouri state lawmakers rejected a proposal to include protections for LGBTQ people in the House’s internal rules, according to The Kansas City Star.
The rejection came in the form of a voice vote that occurred on Tuesday. The proposal had been devised by Rep. Greg Razer (D), an openly gay member of the Missouri General Assembly.
“It’s almost 2020, let’s just say hey, how about not fire the gay guy?” Razer said, according to the Star.
He also argued to his colleagues that LGBTQ people “have the right to have a job” regardless of whether “your religious views may say we’re going to hell,” KY3, a local news station, reported.
The news station added that state Rep. Curtis Trent (R) raised issues with the proposal, saying that giving protections to LGBTQ House staffers should not be decided in an internal rule change.
The amendment Razer proposed would have included sexual orientation and gender identity to existing chamber rules that cover equal employment opportunities and discrimination based on religion, race and gender, among other things.
The Star noted that many of those groups are protected under the Missouri Human Rights Act. Gov. Mike Parson (R) told The Kansas City Star in December that he was open to giving discrimination protections to LGBTQ people in Missouri.
The decision from the Missouri House came the same day the new Democratic Kansas governor moved to reinstate protections for LGBTQ state employees.
The order, signed by Gov. Laura Kelly, restores a ban on anti-LGBTQ bias in hiring and employment decisions by state agencies.