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Loading ...LGBT civil rights bill filed in Pennsylvania
03.05.2009 6:14pm EST
(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) Legislation prohibiting discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in housing, employment, and public accommodations has been introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
It would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” as protected classes. The bill, introduced by Rep. Dan Frankel (D) has 79 co-sponsors from both parties and from across the commonwealth.“This legislation is critical to thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pennsylvanians who are trying to work and have a roof over their heads, and it enjoys substantial support from Pennsylvanians from every corner of the Commonwealth,” said Jake Kaskey, policy and outreach coordinator of Equality Advocates Pennsylvania.
“At a time when more and more people across the state find themselves unemployed, we need to make sure every Pennsylvanian who wants to work has a fair chance at work,” Kaskey added.
The bill is expected to go to the House State Government Committee, where it has been assigned in the past.
“We are very encouraged by the record number of legislators who have signed on as co-sponsors of this bill and we think it is a good sign for future progress,” added Andy Hoover, legislative director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.
Current Pennsylvania law provides basic legal protection against discrimination on the bases of race, color, religion, ancestry, age, national origin, handicap or disability, education and the use of a guide dog.
Thirteen Pennsylvania municipalities have already enacted civil rights laws including protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. State College also has an ordinance that only covers sexual orientation discrimination in housing and employment.
But nearly 80 percent of the state’s 12 million residents live or work in communities that do not provide these protections.
Twenty states in the country have similar laws, including Pennsylvania’s neighboring states of New Jersey, Maryland and New York.
Agreed GaySoutherner. Winning the same-sex marriage fight in California might make a lot of people in the LGBT community feel good, but it ultimately does little for those of us in more conservative states.
The idea that the rest of the country will follow California’s lead is naive in the extreme. Right-leaning and Far-Right states don’t give a damn about precedent set by liberal states, not even California. In fact, many of them point to California as an example of everything they DON’T want to do!
So for me, same-sex marriage in California would be good news. But it would be good news in the same category as legalization of same-sex marriage in Norway. Nice, but not likely to have much immediate impact for me in my state.
While some people are whining about their “second-class” status because their domestic partnerships are not real “marriage”, some of us haven’t even got domestic partnerships!
That must make us third class, or maybe fourth. Thing is, it increasingly feels like the big LGBT rights groups don’t really care about that. They’re more worried about people in states like New York or California than about those of us who have to poor taste to live in less progressive and high-status states.
True Daniel..
Try living in the SOUTH! Lousiana and friends of the south are ALL bible thumbing haters. They say they “hate the sin” thats as long as it’s not their sin. Problem accross this country is there in NO “Seperation of Religion and State” PERIOD.
Just way til Bobby Jindal (Gov. of Louisiana) gets elected to President in 8 years, maybe people from other states will wish they paid attention to their fellow states (country LGBT family.)
You see, and some people wonder why I, as a citizen of Pennsylvania, express greater worry over things like this than I do about same-sex marriage in California!
LGBT people living in very progressive states like California have become completely oblivious to the fact that many of us in other states haven’t got a fraction of the civil rights that they do! Even their “second class” domestic partnerships are WAY better than anything we’ve got here. But the fact that we have such an abysmal lack of civil rights is seemingly of little interest to a national gay rights movement that increasingly cares only about helping people in already-liberal states, who already have impressive rights, get “married”.
The rest of us just have to learn to wait our turn, because anti-discrimination laws don’t have the same “feel good” impact as being able to get a marriage license.
Here in Maryland, we already have that law for our entire state.
Well, I tend to agree with porter. But I’m afraid he might be a product of our education system . . . considering his spelling, punctuation, tense and construction.
Nevertheless, the laws need to be changed throughout this country.
Neil
all fifty states must make into law to protect every mans and woman equal rights no matter race, creed, color, religion or sexual prefrence. the laws are put in place to protect every man woman and child civil rights and if we dont act this is a violation of the constitution of the united states!!
Yay! I wish something like that could happen here.