A majority of the Cincinnati city council voted on March 8, 1995, to remove sexual orientation from the city’s Human Rights Ordinance, which was originally approved by the city council in November 1992.
In November 1993 city residents voted to remove sexual protection from the Human Rights Ordinance; 62 percent of those who voted approved the initiative. A lawsuit was filed after the election, and an injunction was granted preventing the initiative from going into effect
In August 1994 U.S. District Court Judge Arthur Spiegel ruled that the initiative was unconstitutional. That decision was appealed, and the U.S. District Appeals Court began hearings on March 7, 1995, in Cincinnati.
A decision is not expected until early summer. Both sides have vowed to request that the U.S. Supreme Court make the final decision regardless of the appeals outcome.
