Assembly OKs Bill to Ban Gay Bias in Housing, Jobs

After more than 1 1/2 hours of speeches invoking God and the fall of empires, the Assembly on Friday narrowly approved a bill to ban job and housing discrimination against gays and lesbians.

The measure, by Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman (D-Los Angeles), was sent to the Senate on a 42-28 vote, one more than the simple majority needed for passage. Forty-one Democrats and one Republican voted for the bill; 26 Republicans and two Democrats voted against it.

Friedman predicted that the measure would win passage in the upper house.

Gov. Pete Wilson has indicated that he might sign the bill, unlike former Gov. George Deukmejian, who vetoed similar legislation in 1984.

San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos, a former Democratic assemblyman who authored the earlier legislation, was in the chamber listening to the debate. Later, he said opponents of the latest bill were “more hysterical” and “more ignorant” than he had remembered.

Friedman said he thought “for the most part the debate was on a high plane.”

The bill adds sexual orientation to the list of categories protected by the state Fair Employment and Housing Act. The act already prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical handicap, medical condition, marital status, sex or age. Complaints for alleged violations can be filed with the state.

The bill would not apply to religious institutions and businesses with less than five employees or to single rooms rented in an owner-occupied house.

Supporters of the measure said gays and lesbians should have the same protections as anyone. They contended that there is ample evidence that homosexuals face discrimination in housing and employment.

Opponents argued that sexual preference is a matter of choice, that the bill would lead to more AIDS cases and that gays and lesbians do not need the same protections as other minorities who are shielded from discrimination by law.

In his opening remarks, Friedman said: “This is a bill about fundamental fairness. No more and no less. It is time the American dream of fairness and opportunity includes everyone. . . . Mainstream California supports this bill.”

An opponent, Assemblyman Stan Statham (R-Oak Run) said: “You are wrong. Mainstream California does not support this bill. If this measure were on the ballot, it would not pass. The bill would give something to the gay and lesbian communities that it does not deserve and has not earned.”

Assemblyman John Burton (D-San Francisco), a supporter, said: “All we are saying is take all of God’s children and treat them the same.”

Assemblyman Phillip Wyman (R-Tehachapi), who opposed the legislation, pleaded with Wilson not to “sign this crazy bill. It is not right and it is not the American way.”

In a warning to his colleagues, Assemblyman Richard L. Mountjoy (R-Monrovia) declared that “passage of this bill is wrong. The Roman Empire fell because of sexual promiscuity.”

Times staff writer Ralph Frammolino contributed to this story.