After several hours of public testimony and discussion lasting well past midnight on Tuesday, a Shawnee City Council committee voted to move ahead with an ordinance protecting residents from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. City staff will now draft an ordinance to send to the full council for consideration. Shawnee’s move came a day after the Leawood City Council unanimously passed an ordinance protecting LGBTQ from discrimination. With the Leawood ordinance’s passage, about 13% of Johnson County residents are covered by nondiscrimination ordinances. The passage of such an ordinance in Shawnee would bring that to more than 23%.
