Gay-rights bill draws instant attack from foes

Scott Reeder

Thursday, March 11, 1999 | 11:14 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Employers should not be allowed to discriminate against gay people when they hire, fire or promote.

That's the contention of advocates of a bill that was introduced Wednesday into the Nevada Legislature.

Assemblyman David Parks, D-Las Vegas, introduced the bill after retelling how he believes he was discriminated against when he was a department head for the city of Las Vegas during the mid-1980s. He alleges that his position was eliminated because he is a homosexual.

But the mayor at the time, Ron Lurie, said in a telephone interview that Park's sexual orientation had nothing to do with the matter.

"It is time that this state has this type protection for gay people," Parks said. "Right now, employers can fire someone simply because they are gay."

Parks predicted that the bill will pass this session. He noted about 10 other states have similar laws.

The hearing before the Assembly's Labor and Commerce Committee was not without fireworks, though.

Opponents of the bill, many of whom are members of the Independent American Party, spoke loudly against the measure.

Clad in a Boy Scout uniform adorned with dozens of merit badges, Zachary Triggs, 20, of Sparks said Scouts needed to be protected from "being around sexual predators 24 hours a day."

He contends that Boy Scouts would be forced to hire homosexuals if the bill is passed.

But Parks said private, nonprofit groups such as the Boy Scouts would be exempt from the legislation.

"In America, everyone should have a right to be a bigot," Daniel Hansen of Sparks said. "I would never hire a sodomite. I just don't want to be around them. I think what they do is just wrong."

His sister, Janine Hansen, president of the Nevada Families Eagle Forum, also spoke against the bill.

"This bill could force political parties to hire homosexuals -- even if they believe it is wrong," she said.

But Pam Roberts, who is now a deputy state attorney general, said she faced open discrimination when she was a teacher in rural Nevada because she is a lesbian. In fact, she was fired from a job in the 1980s when her sexual orientation was discovered by a school administrator.

She said many homosexuals live in constant fear of losing their jobs if their employer learns of their sexual orientation. She added that the proposed bill is a piece of civil rights legislation the state desperately needs.

Representatives of the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees spoke in favor of the legislation.

"We believe that all people are created equal when it comes to employment," Danny Thompson of the AFL-CIO said.