<p>The (Columbus) Republic</p>
<p>Columbus was one of four Indiana cities that got a big win last week in a fight to protect human rights.</p>
<p>The LGBT community did, too.</p>
<p>The city of Columbus, along with Carmel, Indianapolis/Marion County, Bloomington and the State of Indiana, won summary judgment from Judge Michael Casati in a case that had been pending since 2015.</p>
<p>It was an important ruling, to say the least.</p>
<p>The lawsuit was filed as a challenge to a 2015 legislative fix to Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Columbus was added as a defendant in the suit in January 2016, after the city added human rights protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents.</p>
<p>The plaintiffs in the lawsuit — the Indiana Family Institute, Indiana Family Action and American Family Association — argued that the ordinances that protect the LGBT community mean the government could compel them to provide services to gay couples that go against their religious beliefs. They contend that the changes to the RFRA are unconstitutional and that their religious freedoms are restricted by the fix, which prevents the RFRA from overriding local and state civil rights laws.</p>
<p>Casati’s ruling means members of the LGBT community will not lose their protection against discrimination, barring an appeal, which the plaintiffs have 30 days from Nov. 21 to file. The ordinances in each of the four defendant cities are crucial, as state law does not offer the same protections.</p>
<p>Keeping those in place was a monumental win for all of the defendants.</p>
<p>Columbus approved its ordinance in the fall of 2015, amending its human rights ordinance to add protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity, age and veteran status. Losing those would have likely been devastating to any Columbus residents who have been protected from discrimination for the past four years.</p>
<p>The city took a large step forward with its 2015 changes. Reversing those now would have been a disappointing step backwards.</p>
<p>The city did what it took to keep that from happening.</p>
<p>After the judge declined a motion from the city to dismiss the case early and avoid using taxpayer money to defend the suit, Columbus decided to handle the case internally. Whitted Law defended the city and billed $57,000 for doing so.</p>
<p>That’s money well spent. Columbus stood up for and defended what it felt was right, protecting people’s human rights. That’s a good thing for everyone, especially those whose freedoms were in jeopardy from the lawsuit.</p>
