LGBT Non-Discrimination Bills Introduced in PA House and Senate

To take a break from the myriad of bad news coming out of the Pennsylvanian House of Representatives, we are very happy to report that House Bill 300 was reintroduced along with companion Senate Bill 910. As you may remember, HB 300 is the bill amending the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to add sexual orientation and gender identity or expression into the long list of protected classes given “equal employment, housing and public accommodation opportunities.”

This protection is so important because it is currently missing in a majority of the state. Nineteen municipalities have their own non-discrimination ordinances, which is wonderful, but if you are a Pennsylvanian not living in Allentown, Allegheny County, Doylestown, Easton, Erie County, Harrisburg, Haverford Township, Lancaster, Lansdowne, Lower Marion Township, New Hope, Reading, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, State College, Swarthmore, West Chester or York it is currently perfectly legal to be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Many Pennsylvanians do not live in those 19 municipalities but still desperately need protection. Our lack of an inclusive non-discrimination law also makes us an outlier among the 21 other states who have already amended their laws in order to protect their residents.

The need for these bills is obvious, but as we can see from the failure of HB 300 the last time around there is still so much work to be done. HB 300 stalled in the State Government Committee in 2009 and the reintroduced bill has already been in that committee for a month. Senate Bill 910 has also been sitting in committee since April.

We’re going to have to start getting the word out about these bills and making it obvious that protecting Pennsylvanians from discrimination is a necessity.

Reading, PA, Passes Nondiscrimination Ordinance

Some good news out of southeastern Pennsylvania: the Reading City Council has passed an ordinance banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The ordinance is similar to the one passed by the Allegheny County Council earlier this year, and Reading joins the 15 jurisdictions in Pennsylvania with these protections in place.

According to Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Chairperson Stephen Glassman, this law has been in the works for two and a half years. The measure, introduced by Councilwoman Maria Bayez and supported by city mayor Tom McMahon, passed in a 6-1 vote.

This is a great development for equality in Pennsylvania, and we are happy that this discrimination is being outlawed in more places across the Commonwealth. We need to continue to push for passage of HB 300, which would extend these protections statewide. Contact your state representative if you haven’t already!

Support for Anti-Discrimination Bill in Harrisburg

Advocacy groups, community members, and legislators rallied to support passage of a state anti-discrimination amendment to Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Act in Harrisburg on Tuesday. The bill would provide protection against discrimination in jobs, housing, public accommodations and other areas for people in the LGBT community. Things are looking good as the House State Government Committee approved the bill by a narrow 12-11 victory last week. Continued support, however, is needed as the bill moves to the state Senate, which is controlled by Republicans by a 30-20 margin. Passing this bill would be a major step forward in Pennsylvania for civil rights and equality.

To contact your legislators and urge them to support this important act, enter your ZIP code in the upper right corner of the PA Legislature’s website, then click on their names to send a message.