NEW YORK — At the US Capitol and most statehouses nationwide, supporters of ­LGBT rights are unable to make major gains these days. Instead, they’re notching victories in seemingly unlikely locales, such as Morgantown, W.Va., and Birmingham, Ala.

They are among scores of cities and towns in Republican-governed states that have acted on their own, passing resolutions and ordinances pledging nondiscrimination protections for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people in the absence of comparable statewide laws.

De Pere, Wis., a Green Bay suburb not noted for LGBT activism, took a big step last week toward joining the movement. After an intense public meeting, its city council gave preliminary approval to a measure that would broaden the local nondiscrimination ordinance to cover transgender people. The measure would prohibit businesses, employers, and landlords from discriminating against people due to their gender identify.

Alderman Casey Nelson, who introduced the measure, said he wasn’t sure if anti-transgender bias was a problem in De Pere, but he wanted to send a message that the city of about 25,000 was welcoming and tolerant.

ASSOCIATED PRESS