Indiana has a long history of protecting civil rights.

The state’s first Constitution in 1816 declared that all people are born equally free and independent with certain natural and unalienable rights.

Early Civil Rights Protections

• 1885: Indiana passed its first public accommodations law. It guaranteed everyone equal access to places like restaurants, shops, barber shops, public transportation, and entertainment venues.
• 1945: The General Assembly created the Fair Employment Practices Committee, housed in the Indiana Department of Labor, to help eliminate discrimination in employment based on race, creed, color, national origin, or ancestry.
• 1949: The Indiana School Desegregation Law was enacted to prohibit racial segregation in public schools.

Building Enforcement Power

• 1961: Indiana passed the Fair Employment Practices Act, creating the first Fair Employment Practices Commission. Its role was to identify and investigate discrimination complaints. While its authority was limited at first, it was the foundation of what would become the modern ICRC.
• 1963: The Commission was renamed the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, gaining stronger enforcement authority in employment, education, public accommodations, and housing.

Modern Civil Rights Era

• 1965: Indiana updated its Civil Rights Law to ban discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and education on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, and ancestry—three years before the federal Fair Housing Act.
• 1971: Protections were expanded to include discrimination based on sex.
• 1974: The state strengthened its housing protections and created the role of the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) to hear administrative cases.
• 1975: The Commission received full authority to address discrimination based on disability—fifteen years before the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Additional State Protections

• 1991: Indiana passed the Indiana Fair Housing Act, aligning state law with federal housing protections enforced by HUD.
• 1992: Indiana passed the Hoosiers with Disabilities Act, providing protections substantially equal to the ADA.
• 2013: The legislature added protections for veterans in certain circumstances.