Local gay rights advocates, and their supporters, are re-upping their call to the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council for the adoption of anti-discriminatory policy that includes protections for residents regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Progressive Social Network, a Baton Rouge nonprofit advocacy group, on Wednesday led a rally where members of the business and faith-based community voiced the need for city-parish leaders to act immediately when it comes to protecting all citizens for discrimination in public spaces, employment and housing.

PSN's recently handed a draft of a civil rights ordinance to members of the Metro Council to mull over.

"This draft is the product of over a year's worth of discussions with the public, the business community, faith leaders and Metro Council members," PSN organizers said in a prepared statement before Wednesday night's rally. "The people of Baton Rouge believe that this is long overdue given that our LGBTQ family, friends and neighbors are not currently protected under state and federal law," the statement reads.

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PSN's rally comes nearly a month after council members Matt Watson and Barbara Freiberg pulled a resolution from council consideration that had been criticized from people on both sides of the debate.

The resolution basically positioned the Metro Council to revisit the topic after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on three discrimination cases involving LGBTQ rights this fall. Watson previously acknowledged that the resolution didn't go far enough for those on the left and wasn't exact enough in its language to protect concerns from the right.

Although many on the council have already voiced their support of PSN's efforts, the group has struggled to shore up the votes it needs to push the proposed ordinance forward. Watson said last month he couldn't support the measure because it was "constantly changing" and he hadn't reviewed a final version.

According to the draft the group provided to The Advocate, their proposed ordinance would not only extend protections to LGBTQ individuals, but also would create a parish Human Rights Commission charged with "promoting, protecting and advocating" on anti-discriminatory policy and initiatives.

The five-member commission would have two appointees of the Metro Council, one from the mayor-president, a student nominee from either LSU, Southern University or BRCC, and a business owner with 100 or fewer employees.

The commission would primarily serve as a source of information and guidance for residents who think they might have been discriminated against. The commission would investigate claims filed with it and if those cases meet certain criteria they would either be referred for pro-bono legal mediation or filed with the appropriate state and/or federal agencies.

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The proposed ordinance doesn't include any fines or other disciplinary action, other than time stipulations for complaints to file lawsuits for adverse treatment.

If adopted, the ordinance would not require employers to establish affirmative action quotas based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and it would not apply to small businesses with fewer than 15 employees, owner-occupied dwellings with fewer than five units, and faith-based organizations.

In its letter of support for the proposed ordinance, The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana says, "We recognize that good people of deep faith come to a whole variety of conclusions about all sorts of issues — including the complicated and thorny questions surrounding human sexuality.

"The good news is that our First Amendment offers protection of our right to believe whatever we choose to believe or not believe," the statement reads. "What the First Amendment does not offer is permission to impose those beliefs on other Americans."

The ordinance must be sponsored by a member of the Metro Council, which would then have to hold a public hearing before holding a vote on the proposal. No word yet on when, or if, that would happen.

"To deny a person or group from the benefits of personhood is to effectively say they are nonexistent," Baton Rouge resident Aaron Paxton said before Wednesday night's rally. "To deny this vote is to deny a basic tenant of personhood to all, even the supporters of those who deny the vote."

Some two dozen people attended the rally and were asked to sign PSN’s petition supporting the proposed ordinance. No Metro Council members were in attendance.