DISCRIMINATION: Provides relative to employment discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation

HB 293 amends Louisiana's employment discrimination law to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. It adds these categories to existing protected characteristics (like race, religion, and sex) in hiring, firing, compensation, and workplace conditions. The bill defines "gender identity" as a person's internal sense of gender regardless of assigned sex at birth, and "sexual orientation" as heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality. This law directly affects employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and insurers across Louisiana by making it unlawful to discriminate against employees or applicants based on these newly protected traits.