The Pennsylvania Fairness Act just racked up another big endorsement: Today, the Philadelphia Bar Association passed a resolution calling on lawmakers to pass this critical legislation that would update our state’s Human Relations Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The resolution, which was adopted overwhelmingly by their Board of Governors, read:
WHEREAS, there is no federal civil rights acts that presently include protections from discrimination on the basis of “sexual orientation” or “gender identity or expression;”
WHEREAS, House Bill 300, Printer’s No. 808, was introduced by Rep. Dan Frankel (D Allegheny County) on March 5, 2009 with a record 79 co-sponsors from both parties and from across the Commonwealth;
WHEREAS, House Bill 300, Printer’s No. 808, would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” as protected classes;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Philadelphia Bar Association supports and encourages enactment of an amendment to The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” as prohibited bases for discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations, either as now proposed in House Bill 300, Printer’s No. 808, or otherwise;
The Philadelphia Bar Association is the oldest association of lawyers across the country—and we thank them for standing with nearly 1,000 employers, businesses and organizations across the state in support of comprehensive statewide LGBT non-discrimination protections.