Aldermen are considering expanding protection against discrimination in Somerville to include gender identity discrimination in public places such as restaurants.

At their meeting May 13, the aldermen�s Legislative Matters committee approved amending Somerville�s non-discrimination policy to add gender identity to the list of protected classes in public accommodations. The change will come before the full Board of Aldermen at its next meeting May 22.

Cambridge, Amherst, Boston, Northampton and Salem have already adopted such protections, said Mass Equality community organizer Andi Wheeler.

"Somerville has long been a welcome, open community for the LGBT community, which we hope will be another leader in this fight for full equality," Wheeler said.

Currently state law protects against gender identity-based discrimination when it comes to workplaces, housing and credit, but it doesn�t cover public places such as restaurants, hotels, buses and even city hall, Wheeler said.

Amending Somerville�s ordinance will provide clarity for Somerville businesses, which may not discriminate against employees based on gender identity, but which have no such rule when it comes to patrons, Wheeler said. In some cases in the state, transgender people have been kicked out of restaurants when their IDs did not match their gender identities, Wheeler said.

Somerville LGBT liaison Elizabeth Field said one Somerville business actually did contact the health department with this very question after carding a transgender person.

The city already protects transgender students in public schools, but the change will protect them when they leave, Field added.

In response to questions from aldermen, Office of Somerville Commissions Director Sonja Darai said the Human Rights Commission will enforce the ordinance by reviewing complaints, determining whether a violation has occurred and using a variety of tools such as fines or re-education of a business.

Education is already taking place in the form of reaching out to potential landlords and tenants about what constitutes housing discrimination through the "Know Your Rights Program," said Darai.

City Solicitor Frank Wright said the city could also possibly respond to violations by bringing a legal action, but the outcome could be uncertain because the law is still evolving.

"I think we�re at the leading edge of this," Wright said.