There are currently 17 other states that have statewide laws protecting on the basis of gender identity and expression, including places like Illinois, Iowa and Nevada.
In addition to protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, the ordinance protects people on the basis of sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, genetic information, and pregnancy.
While federal laws currently protect students on the basis of their race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin, no federal statute explicitly protects students on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Countries as diverse as Botswana, Seychelles, Samoa and St Lucia have included anti-discrimination clauses in employment laws, which protect people on the basis of their sexual orientation.
Sixteen states and Washington, D.C., have expanded their laws to also protect workers on the basis of their gender identity and expression, which affects transgender people.
But some conservative evangelical Christian activists are upset that the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act contains language that specifically protects people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Many states have anti-bullying laws now, but not all of them specifically protect students on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, and aren't as effective as they could be.
Because same-sex marriage is increasingly legal, civil rights advocates contend these laws will be used to override local non-discrimination laws that protect people on the basis of sexual orientation.
In a special session Wednesday, with mere minutes for members to read and digest the bill's language, the legislature decreed that municipalities could not pass anti-discrimination laws protecting people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
