FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — As we celebrate women’s history month, we’re taking a closer look at a new piece of legislation that protects both women and men from discrimination based on their hairstyle.

Earlier this week, Frankfort became the third city in the state to enact a Crown Act Ordinance. The ordinance makes it illegal to discriminate based on natural hair and hairstyles such as braids twists and locs.

City commissioner Katrisha Waldridge is a mother of two teen boys and not only has she become a role model for them, but for adult women as well.

“We had a full vote all the way from Mayor Wilkerson, all the way down to our whole city commission. We voted for it. So it was not something that we were iffy about,” Waldridge said.

Waldridge is helping detangle possible discrimination in Frankfort with the passage of the crown act.

“It’s shameful that we must be here, that we must be here to fight for something that comes natural for ourselves,” Waldridge said.

The word crown stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for natural hair.

“Even as a woman, sometimes when you go in for an interview, a lot of times we don’t wear our natural hair to the interviews. We are now because it’s becoming a little bit more prevalent and more welcomed,” Waldridge said.

Waldridge is the first Black woman to be elected as a Frankfort city commissioner and serves as mayor pro-tem. She is the force behind the ordinance.

“In the ordinance it states, that is by natural origin for natural hairstyles. But, also it said protective hairs,” Waldridge said.

The ordinance makes it illegal to discriminate based on natural hair and hairstyles such as braids twists and locs the hairstyle that can be seen on her son who plays soccer.

In approving the crown act council members noted that black hairstyles were more like to be perceived as unprofessional. The ordinance strives to dismantle those biases in the workplace and schools.

“We are going to shine from here on out with our hair, with our loc, and with our protectiveness and I want every little girl to know when they go to school that they’re beautiful Waldridge said.

There was some pushback before the act was passed commissioners said there is no mention in the law of specific ethnic backgrounds. But the “whereas” section does use the Black community as an example.