Anchorage became the first Alaska town to pass a civil rights ordinance that extends protections to gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual people in housing, employment and public accommodations.  The new ordinance, passed in September 2015, makes it illegal to discriminate against anyone in the Anchorage municipality based on the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Bethel City Council followed suit in November 2015 and unanimously passed new anti-discrimination ordinances.  The newly enacted laws prohibit Bethel public employers from discriminating against city employees and contracted workers on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Anchorage and Bethel protections expand upon existing local laws that bar discrimination based on race, gender, age, religion and other protected statuses.  Anchorage’s new law applies to private employers, but the Bethel legislation does not extend to the private sector.  At the state level, Alaska’s Human Rights Act does not yet recognize sexual orientation as a protected class status.

Given the sea change in this area of the law, both at the federal and local levels, Alaska employers need to be diligent in staying current with local and state changes as they may necessitate updates to employer policies and handbooks.

If you have a business in Anchorage, here are areas where you should consider updating your employment policies and practices to reflect the new ordinance.

• Update your equal employment opportunity statement to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics.  This may mean revising your employee handbook, job applications, online statements and other documents that reference discrimination and your commitment to providing equal employment opportunities.
• In addition to reviewing and updating your policies, you should guarantee that all employees are updated as to the change in the law and policies, ensuring your anti-harassment and discrimination policies are clear and followed.
• Train supervisors and managers not to discriminate or retaliate against employees and applicants because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

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