Ukraine's parliament has voted for changes to the country's Labor Code that include protection against discrimination for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
The amendments prohibit any discrimination in the workplace on the basis of "race, color, political, religious and other beliefs, sex gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnic, social and foreign origin, age, health, disability, or suspected presence of HIV/AIDS, family and property status, family responsibilities, place of residence, or participation in a strike."
The legislation says, "The idea is that, if a person is working, we cannot discriminate" against them.
The protections for members of the LGBT community were adopted on a sixth vote, only after parliament speaker Volodymyr Hroysman announced that lawmakers "stand for family values and will never support gay marriage."
The adoption of the antidiscrimination rules is required by the European Union in a package of so-called "visa-free reforms."
