The Kokomo Common Council voted Monday to give final approval to an amendment to the city’s fair housing ordinance.
The ordinance brings the city into compliance with its own recently amended human rights municipal code, which was passed in March and provides protections to LGBT residents in the areas of housing, financial institutions, employment, labor organizations, public accommodations and education.
In relation to Monday’s ordinance, the following definitions will be added to the housing ordinance – gender identity, marital status, protected class, sexual orientation and veteran status. Already included in the ordinance were the areas of race, color, religion, sex, national origin and ancestry.
Gender identity – which, in relation to restrooms, became a topic of controversy during the council’s March meetings - is defined in the ordinance as “an individual having or being perceived as having a gender-related self-identity, self-image, appearance, expression or behavior, regardless of whether it is the same or different from those characteristics traditionally associated with the individual’s assigned sex at birth.”
Various adjustments, including language changes from “handicap” to “disabled or disability,” are also included in the listed amendments.
Such changes and additions will apply to rental properties, house sales, advertising, inspections, neighborhood entry, residential real estate and brokers’ operations. A religious exemption is included.
“To reiterate, this fair housing ordinance is just a modernization of language to reflect our current local ordinances,” said council member Steve Whikehart, who sponsored the ordinance, during Monday’s meeting. “This measure seeks to ensure … Kokomo’s fair housing ordinance works in conjunction with our current municipal human rights code.”
Similar to the first reading on June 13, the measure was passed by a 7-1 margin, with council member Cindy Sanders voting against the ordinance.
During Monday’s meeting, Sanders expressed concern about the word “denial” in the updated ordinance, which she said could have “unintentional consequences” in future cases.
Sanders expressed the same concerns before the June 13 meeting, saying the word denial could be construed to be “more far reaching” than intended.