Kirksville Adopts Anti-Discrimination Law

Nearly two months after a tougher anti-discrimination law was narrowly defeated in Kirksville, the mayor of the northeast Missouri town has changed his vote and the measure passed.

The council voted Monday to create the job of human rights officer to investigate alleged discrimination due to sexual orientation or other factors. Mayor Richard Detweiler, who previously opposed the measure, voted in favor of it. The law passed by a 3-2 vote.

The original proposal would have created a human rights commission rather than a one-person officer. Since that proposal failed in early July several community members have written to the council urging passage of an anti-discrimination measure.