A Senate committee has approved the bill to prevent members of the LGBT community from being fired or turned down for jobs because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. New Orleans Senator Troy Carter authored the legislation. He says we need to protect people from discrimination.

“As a black man, I might still be caught in the trap of discrimination that is still there but at least I’ve got recourse,” Carter said.

Carter says discrimination is still alive, and lawmakers need to do what they can to protect people from it in the workplace.

“There are people day in and day out in this country, in this state, in this city, in this building that are discriminated against for whatever reason,” Carter said.

Lake Charles Senator Ronnie Johns voted against the proposal. He says it could pose problems for business owners in the state.

“There are some problems with the bill from a practical standpoint of owning a business. I own a business, and there are no discriminatory policies in my business, I can assure you of that,” Johns said.

The measure passed on a 5-2 vote and now heads to the Senate floor for more debate.

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