Missouri House speaker opposes gay discrimination ban

House Speaker Tim Jones said today that he doesn’t support legislation that would make it illegal to discriminate against gays and lesbians in Missouri. “I’m not in favor of creating more protected classes and encouraging more litigation on our Missouri employers and job creators,” Jones, a Republican from Eureka, told reporters during one of his regular press availabilities at the state Capitol. On Wednesday, gay rights advocates lobbied at the state Capitol in support of legislation that would add sexual orientation as a protected category in the state’s discrimination laws and other LGBT issues. Nationally, gay rights issues have been thrust into the political spotlight this week with the U.S. Supreme Court hearing arguments over same-sex marriage.