The effort to advance LGBT nondiscrimination in the state of Pennsylvania took a small, but long overdue, step this week.
The Senate Labor and Industry Committee held a public hearing Tuesday in Harrisburg on legislation that would ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. After years of stalled nondiscrimination legislation, lawmakers this session put forth a piecemeal effort, with separate bills regarding discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations; a comprehensive bill remains before the state legislature.
Lawmakers heard from a series of speakers this week, some who advocated for the legislation, some against it and others who pressed for changes to it. Much of the opposition was focused on how the legislation would impact religious organizations, yet the arguments raised seemed tenuous at best and blatantly discriminatory at worst.
Far more compelling was the testimony from those who supported the bill. As opposed to the tired and unfounded arguments about the threat of LGBT equality to the freedom of religion bandied about by opponents, many of these witnesses shared stories about the real impact of anti-LGBT discrimination. They told of how they had experienced or had seen others experience bias because of their sexual orientation and gender identity, and how that treatment left a lasting mark.
Pennsylvania remains the very last state in the Northeast to not have an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination law, a designation we have held for quite some time. The handful of witnesses who shared how the state’s inability to protect its LGBT citizens affects them this week represents just a microcosm of the full picture of what is happening in Pennsylvania, and what has been happening for far too long.
This week’s hearing was a necessary building block along the path to achieving LGBT equality in Pennsylvania. It was strengthened by LGBT people showing lawmakers who they are, and how their lives are denigrated by our state’s refusal to accept them as full citizens.
That’s a process we can all contribute to: Commentary on employment discrimination can be sent to [email protected]. Share your experiences and show our elected officials how their support for LGBT nondiscrimination can help move our community and our state forward.