A national LGBT civil-rights organization this week released an annual report assessing how state legislation affects LGBT equality, and marked Pennsylvania as “High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality.”
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of HRC, in partnership with the Equality Federation, released its third-annual State Equality Index Wednesday. The report showed that opponents of equality in many states are proposing laws to undermine marital rights of LGBT couples, target transgender people, limit the ability of cities and towns to pass their own inclusive laws and undermine other existing protections.
“State governments have a clear choice between sowing the seeds of division and discrimination or building an economy that works for everyone by fostering fairness and inclusion,” said HRC President Chad Griffin in a statement. “Unfortunately, too many lawmakers have decided to target LGBTQ people for state-sanctioned discrimination and to interfere with local protections for workers, customers and residents. Now more than ever, it is crucial that legislators across the country stand on the right side of history and ensure full equality for all their citizens — nothing more and nothing less.”
Pennsylvania was recognized as “High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality” due to its lack of state-level workplace protections for LGBT employees. It is one of 28 states in the lowest-rated category; the other categories were “Working Toward Innovative Equality,” “Solidifying Equality” and “Building Equality.” The SEI evaluates the states’ laws and policies relating to parenting, nondiscrimination, hate crimes, youth, health and safety.
“People are still shocked to learn that there are no state or federal protections from discrimination at work, in housing, or in business services for gay and transgender people, and once again after more than a decade of consideration of this issue, another legislative session just ended in Pennsylvania without passing LGBT nondiscrimination legislation,” said Ted Martin, executive director of Equality Pennsylvania, in a statement. “Lack of discrimination protections for LGBT people in our state hurts families and hurts our economy.”
However, Martin also recognized how the report presented some positive information. He noted how Pennsylvania has “moved on discrimination legislation further than ever before” and worked on policies specifically for the transgender community.
“There are definitely things that are positive but I think we still have work to do,” Martin said.
Martin mentioned how laws relating to topics such as nondiscrimination and hate crimes have been supported by others. He said this should show lawmakers what the people are requesting.
“All of this legislation is widely supported by the community and not just the LGBT community — the community at large, Pennsylvanians at large,” Martin said. “[Legislators] can really move it forward. They can actually do what their constituents are suggesting and move this legislation in a positive way.”
New Jersey and Delaware were also recognized in the report among seven states that are “Solidifying Equality.”