Pa. House bill would outlaw discrimination based on gender identity

On March 11, a state House committee approved House Bill 300, which, if passed in the Senate, will ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in Pennsylvania.

The bill addresses discrimination in public spheres such as employment, housing, credit and public accommodations.

Only 13 municipalities, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, have already passed similar ordinances banning discrimination against lesbian gay bisexual transgender residents, leaving the majority of the state without protection for these people.

Because state laws supersede local ones, a state-wide bill is important even for districts that already have civil rights legislation, said Bob Schoenberg, director of Penn's LGBT Center. It will give LGBT people further protections against discrimination.

"The broader the protections are, the better it is for everybody," Schoenberg said.

However, because Philadelphia laws already protect the LGBT community against discrimination, the Penn LGBT community will remain mostly unaffected.

Chairman of the Pennsylvania Human Rights Commission Stephen Glassman said passing this bill is particularly important because currently, the LGBT community is denied the ability to file complaints about discrimination.

"It will allow everyone to understand the importance of equality," he said, for it will protect LGBT people and allow them to be acknowledged as valuable contributors to the state.

Glassman, an openly gay member of Pennsylvania's government, said this bill takes on a personal importance for him.

"In spite of the fact that I have the privilege of leading a state agency that is responsible for eradicating discrimination in Pennsylvania," he said, "I myself am not protected by the very laws that I am mandated to enforce."

Pennsylvania will also appear more welcoming to potential new residents and will be able to compete with neighboring states that already have this kind of civil rights legislation, should the bill pass, Glassman added.

Lambda Alliance Chairman and College junior Dennie Zastrow said another important aspect of the bill will be seeing how Pennsylvanian politicians respond to it. It will allow the LGBT community to gauge the politicians' support and see who their allies are within the government.

"It's kind of a symbol that members of the state government are behind you and support you," he said.

Chuck Ardo, a spokesman for Gov. Ed Rendell, told The Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday that the governor "will need to review the specific language of the bill before taking a position on it," though the governor "is and always has been a strong proponent of equal rights."

A rally was held Wednesday in Harrisburg to encourage the General Assembly to pass the bill. It was organized by the Value All Families Coalition, which works to promote equality for LGBT people in Pennsylvania.

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