Same-sex couples began getting married in Missouri Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court made such marriages legal nationwide. Now, LGBT activists are looking to their next goal.
The Missouri State Capitol
State Representative Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) says Missouri next needs to pass a law barring discrimination against members of the LGBT community.
“People can still be fired for their sexual orientation. Newly married gay couples can be denied housing,” said Webber. “This is not the end. This is an important step, but we’re going to continue pushing forward until everybody in the state has complete equal rights.”
The Missouri Nondiscrimination Act has once been passed by the state Senate, but never in the state House.
Diane Booth, who married her partner in Iowa in 2013, says a nondiscrimination act needs to be passed at the federal level.
“You can be fired at will. You can be refused service in a restaurant. Heck, they’re even trying to refuse people selling flowers and baking cakes,” said Booth.
