Although it is still legal in most of Pennsylvania for an LGBT person to be fired for his or her orientation, one local town last week took a decisive step against discrimination.
Upper Merion Township became the 29th municipality in the state to pass an LGBT nondiscrimination law Oct. 18.
The measure bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment and public accommodations.
The vote by the township board of supervisors was unanimous.
The Montgomery County township is located about 16 miles from Philadelphia and is home to such municipalities as King of Prussia. About 28,000 people live in Upper Merion.
Equality Pennsylvania executive director Ted Martin said that, as far as he knew, there was no controversy surrounding the measure.
“No one spoke against it, which is great,” he said. “I know the board of supervisors had many conversations behind the scenes, but that is a very good thing.”
Township Supervisor Gregory Waks said the progress to pass the law was slow.
Waks brought the topic up to the board of supervisors about two years ago, after reading about nearby Radnor and Lower Merion considering similar proposals.
“The reaction I received from some of the supervisors was mixed,” he said. “After the Republican candidates were defeated last November and a more progressive board took over at the start of this year, the time was right to begin the process.”
Waks said the measure was “very thoughtfully vetted,” as supervisors discussed it at three different workshop meetings where the issue was considered with input from Equality PA, township staff, the solicitor and township residents.
Waks also received guidance from state Sen. Daylin Leach (D-17th Dist.) and state Rep. Tim Briggs (D-149th Dist.).
Martin is currently working with three other municipalities on similar nondiscrimination measures.
Efforts to pass a statewide LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination law have been stalled for years.
“[Upper Merion] is simply one more community taking action that the legislature should,” Martin said. “Every time we help to pass a law, it reinforces the message to the legislature that they need to act.”
In the past two years, Martin said Equality PA has helped to pass 13 nondiscrimination ordinances.
Waks said he’s proud his township is now counted among those that prohibit LGBT discrimination.
“I’m happy to live in one of the growing number of municipalities which strongly believes that everyone who lives and/or works [in Upper Merion] should be afforded some legal protection from discrimination,” he said.
Martin said that efforts to pass such laws is a good way to engage new allies.
“People who are not particularly LGBT can come together to make communities more fair and more equal,” he said.
The board of supervisors is working to build a Human Relations Committee that will handle complaints under the law. All interested applicants must be Upper Merion residents.
There is no deadline to apply, and Waks said there has already been a lot of interest to serve on the commission.
Applicants will be interviewed to fill the five open spots, and the board of supervisors will choose the final candidates.