--- title: Kansas Gov Rescinds LGBT Protections description: A new executive order reverses a previous order that barred employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity canonical: https://time.com/3704729/kansas-lgbt-protections/ author: Nolan Feeney article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-11T13:37:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:55.488Z article:section: Politics og:title: Kansas Gov Rescinds LGBT Protections og:description: It reverses a previous executive order from 2007 og:url: https://time.com/3704729/kansas-lgbt-protections/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32534d0f80a5dcc8/69877ea72dce0135679dd7be/sam-brownback.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Sam Brownback og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Kansas Gov Rescinds LGBT Protections twitter:description: It reverses a previous executive order from 2007 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32534d0f80a5dcc8/69877ea72dce0135679dd7be/sam-brownback.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Kansas Gov. Rescinds Protections for LGBT State Workers ## Video: Behind the Scenes of Laverne Cox's TIME Cover Shoot [Watch (HLS stream): Behind the Scenes of Laverne Cox's TIME Cover Shoot](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/16Vyqo82.m3u8) (1:40)  _Published 2014-05-30. Actress and LGBT activist Laverne Cox talks to TIME about acceptance of transgender people and awareness of discrimination and civil rights issues_  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Feb 11, 2015 1:37 PM UTC  Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback speaks at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka, Kan., Jan. 2015. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback speaks at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka, Kan., Jan. 2015.Orlin Wagner—AP  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Feb 11, 2015 1:37 PM UTC Kansas Governor Sam Brownback on Tuesday [rescinded protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender state workers.](https://governor.ks.gov/media-room/media-releases/2015/02/10/governor-sam-brownback-issues-executive-orders) The protections had been instituted by then-Govenor and former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat whose 2007 order established “protected class rights” that prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Brownback, a Republican, made the move by executive order, and he signed a second executive order reaffirming the state’s commitment to bar employment discrimination on the basis of “race, color, gender, religion, national origin, ancestry or age.” “This Executive Order ensures that state employees enjoy the same civil rights as all Kansans without creating additional ‘protected classes’ as the previous order did,” Brownback said in a statement. “Any such expansion of ‘protected classes’ should be done by the legislature and not through unilateral action.” Democrats spoke out against the new order’s reversal on LGBT rights, while state Republicans [had mixed reactions](http://www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/article9694028.html). Tom Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, told the Kansas City _Star_ that the move was [“an outrage.”](http://www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/article9694028.html) “Gay, lesbian, and transgender state employees across Kansas have trusted they would be safe from discrimination and harassment in their workplace,” he said, “but Sam Brownback has, by erasing their job protections, declared ‘open season’ on every one of them.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3704729/kansas-lgbt-protections/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3704729/kansas-lgbt-protections/"},"headline":"Kansas Gov. 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