pawlentyIn his interview with Newsweek (mentioned earlier by Chris Steller), Gov. Pawlenty said he regretted a 1993 vote to expand the state’s anti-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity and that they law should be changed. Specifically, he said laws that protect transgender Minnesotans from being fired for being transgender should be changed.

From Newsweek’s Q&A:

Newsweek: Yes, gay-rights activists regarded you as a pretty cool guy at the time.
Pawlenty: We overbaked that statute, for a couple of reasons. If I had to do it over again I would have changed some things.

Overbaked?
That statute is not worded the way it should be. I said I regretted the vote later because it included things like cross-dressing, and a variety of other people involved in behaviors that weren’t based on sexual orientation, just a preference for the way they dressed and behaved. So it was overly broad. So if you are a third-grade teacher and you are a man and you show up on Monday as Mr. Johnson and you show up on Tuesday as Mrs. Johnson, that is a little confusing to the kids. So I don’t like that.

Has the law been changed?
No. It should be, though.

Pawlenty’s office did not return a request for comment on whether he planned on using his last year in office to end that provision or if he has worked with party leaders to get a bill offered in the 2010 legislative session.

His dislike of the 1993 law shouldn’t come as a surprise. Pawlenty has vetoed a number of LGBT-rights bills in his career as governor. He vetoed a bill to beef up anti-bullying efforts in schools; legislation that would give control to local municipalities in deciding who could receive domestic partner benefits (twice vetoed); and a bill would have expanded current laws that allow for the use of sick time to care for spouses and dependent children including same-sex couples.