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Loading ...Pennsylvania gay rights bill tied up in committee
04.22.2009 8:35am EDT
(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) Legislation prohibiting discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in housing, employment, and public accommodations is sitting in a state House committee and shows few signs of movement.
There was hope last month that the bill would make it to the House floor for a vote when it passed the first required committee – the House State Government Committee – but when it moved to the Appropriations Committee, it stalled.Even if it makes it to the full House, where Democrats have a majority, and is approved, it would still have to face a GOP-controlled Senate.
While it languishes in the Appropriations Committee, amendments keep being added. To date there are over 40, a number of them aimed at excluding church-based operations and businesses.
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 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.
In addition, all of the Fortune 500 companies that are headquartered in Pennsylvania have LGBT protections, as do 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies nationwide.
Still, Philadelphia-based LGBT rights group Equality Advocates said it receives about 600 phone calls a year from people complaining of discrimination.
I had no idea our rights were even open for discussion. I’m so confused. How is it this is stil an issue. How silly, Makes me sad I live here.
Hence PA’s nickname,”Pennsyltucky”!
(born and raised in PA)
Chris, stop being sad. This state kicks ass. Get ahold of your House Delegates pronto. I made a trip to Harrisburg and met with six of them last month. I’ve also talked with a couple on the phone and written about twenty emails. HB300 will fail if they don’t hear from a lot of informed homos and trans folk.
I once heard Pennsylvania described as “Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with Alabama inbetween them”.
Pennsylvania is a largely rural and small town state with just a few big cities and some medium sized ones.
We’ll see what will eventually happen when PA finds itself surrounded by marriage equality in NY state and in NJ and civil unions in MD. All that will be left will be OH to the west of PA and tiny DE to PA’s southeast.
In Ohio we were on the list until X Gov. Taft removed us. Gov. Strickland has not seen fit to put us back on the list. There is also an amendment added 4.5 years ago that makes it very clear that we are not valued or wanted. I now live in Maryland.
If a church is operating as a business and a political party, why should they be excluded.
No basic proctection for LGBT people (including discrimiation in the area of hotel accomodations) yet Pennsylvania markets itself to the LGBT community on LGBT websites. Don’t go to Pennsylvania – IT’S HOMOPHOBIC!!!!!