By John Hanna

A.P. writer

TOPEKA, Kan.—Gays, lesbians, bisexuals and people who’ve undergone sexual reassignment surgery are now covered by a policy prohibiting discrimination in hiring and other employment decisions in much of Kansas state government.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed an executive order Aug. 31 updating the state’s anti-discrimination policy. The order, effective immediately, applies to about 25,000 of the state’s 41,000 employees.

The order requires agencies under the governor’s direct control to make sure they have programs to prevent on-the-job harassment and, in wording to strengthen existing language, to see that Kansans with disabilities are treated fairly in employment decisions.

And Sebelius endorsed a legislative proposal to prohibit discrimination against gays and lesbians in housing and private employment. Its backers hope her order will increase support for such a policy.

Two dozen activists stood behind Sebelius during a ceremony in her office and broke into applause after she signed her order.

“I’m sorry it took us so long,” Sebelius said as she handed out pens to the activists.

The state already had a policy prohibiting discrimination in hiring and employment based on race, ethnicity, gender, national origin or age. The updated policy ads “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the list.

“We need to make sure in Kansas that all of our employees are treated with dignity and respect and that the doors to state employment are open to all,” Sebelius said.

Reaction to the governor’s order was mixed among Republicans who supported a successful effort in 2005 to add a ban on same-sex marriage to the state constitution.

Rep. Mike O’Neal, of Hutchinson, said the governor has the power to set such policies for the executive branch.

Dennis Dobson, who supervises a state health department lab and has worked for state government for 26 years, said the new policy would encourage gay and lesbian employees to speak up when they face harassment. Many haven’t in the past because they believed there was no point and didn’t want to risk losing their jobs.

Cora Holt said she lost a part-time job teaching night classes at a Christian college after she testified last year at a city of Manhattan hearing and said publicly that she is a lesbian. She said she was terrified she also would lose her day job as a human services specialist for the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.

She didn’t, but she said Sebelius’ order is a safety net.

“My life, parts of it don’t have to be hidden or shielded, not that I would talk about my private life at work, but it doesn’t have to be something I’m scared people are going to find out about,” she said. “And it’s justice. People shouldn’t have to worry about this kind of thing.”

Sebelius, a Democrat, said most of the nation’s largest private companies and more than 30 states have similar policies. So do Shawnee County and the cities of Lawrence, Mission and Topeka, according to the Kansas Equality Coalition.

Jason Dilts, president of Kansas Democrats’ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Caucus, said he hopes Sebelius’ order encourages other cities and counties enact similar policies.

“I hope that this serves as a guide for what fair employment practices are and can just kind of be a testing ground for this,” he said.

And there’s the legislation dealing with discrimination in housing and private employment. Introduced this year in the Republican-controlled Senate, it never came up for a vote in committee. But Tom Witt, chairman of the Kansas Equality Coalition, predicted Sebelius’ order would help move the bill.

As evidence that Sebelius’ order could help, Witt pointed to the reaction to it from the Kansas Traditional Republican Majority. The group’s leader, Andy Wollen, said: “It’s about time.”