Kansas Universities Will Keep Protections for Gay People

The leaders of Kansas State University and the University of Kansas on Wednesday issued statements pledging to keep policies that bar discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The statements followed the move on Tuesday by Governor Sam Brownback, a Republican, to revoke an executive order issued in 2007 by then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, prohibiting discrimination against most state employees on the basis of sexual orientation. The statements from university leaders noted that their institutions had policies in place (beyond the revoked executive order) to bar discrimination, and those policies were not affected by Governor Brownback's action.