It’s 2021, and Pennsylvania is now the only state in the entire Northeast corridor where LGBTQ+ people still don’t have equality. Twenty-two states across the country, including the rest of the northeast, have implemented statewide anti-discrimination protections.
We need your help to correct this shameful, dangerous embarrassment.
Pass the PA Fairness Act
The PA Fairness Act would add gender identity and expression and sexual orientation to Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Act, which currently protects people from discrimination based on race, color, religion, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, and disability.
This morning, Rep. Dan Frankel stood alongside advocates, allies, and the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s three openly LGBTQ+ members and re-introduced the Pennsylvania Fairness Act (HB300).
Pennsylvania is not stuck in the harmful, hateful past due to a lack of trying by state legislators who value equality: The LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, currently at 70 members, was established back in 2011, and the Pennsylvania Fairness Act has been repeatedly introduced in Pennsylvania for the last decade.
In all that time, the bill has never been brought to the floor for a vote.
Does Your Rep. Support or Oppose Civil Rights for LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians?
As Rep. Jessica Benham, an LGBTQ+ member of the General Assembly, said at this morning’s press conference, “it’s time to end this embarrassing patchwork” wherein moving one house over a county line can mean losing your rights if you are LGBTQ+ in Pennsylvania.
Since the PA Fairness Act has never been brought to the floor for a full House vote, the public has been deprived of knowing what Pennsylvania lawmakers actively oppose LGBTQ+ equality in the Commonwealth.
Until there is a vote, the only way to know whether your representative actively opposes LGBTQ+ equality is to ask.
Take Action on LGBTQ+ Equality in PA
We need you to contact your representatives and ask them if they support the PA Fairness Act. If they do support it, please ask them to express that support by becoming a sponsor If you get a response, let us know by emailing tmurtha@womenslawproject.org. If you don’t receive a response, let us know that too.
Demand A Vote!
The PA Fairness Act has been sent to the State Government Committee. The chair of the State Government Committee is Rep. Seth Grove. Contact Rep. Grove and demand a vote on the PA Fairness Act.
You can call Rep. Grove at (717) 783-2655, email him here, and post on his Facebook page and tweet at him.
You can also click here to get to an action page where you can write a single message expressing support for the PA Fairness Act and calling for a vote that will be sent to Speaker of the House Rep. Bryan Cutler, Republican Leader Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, Rep. Seth Grove, your Representative, and your Senator.
Women’s Law Project is a public interest law center in Pennsylvania devoted to advancing and defending the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people in Pennsylvania and beyond. As a non-profit organization, we can not do this work without you. Please consider supporting our work.
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