Guest Blog Post by Nellie Fitzpatrick, Director of LGBT Affairs
Throughout the majority of this Commonwealth, people can be fired or evicted simply because they are LGBT. Thanks to the work of City Council, including then-Councilman Kenney, Philadelphia has local ordinances that prohibit such hurtful and discriminatory conduct. Most of our fellow Pennsylvanians aren’t as lucky. Simply crossing City Line Avenue opens LGBT people up to the possibility of discrimination—and at the state level, it’s legal discrimination.
That’s why a growing numbers of lawmakers, municipalities, businesses, and activists are calling for a simple change to the state’s Human Relations Act. Written in 1955, the law has been changed several times and already prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, age, and a number of other factors. It’s time for Pennsylvania to bring the Human Relations Act into the 21st century and make discrimination against LGBT people illegal. Pennsylvania Competes is asking stakeholders, like businesses and government leaders, to sign a pledge calling for the passage of this important update, called the Pennsylvania Fairness Act.
I’m very proud to say that my boss, Mayor Jim Kenney, has signed onto this pledge.
“Though Philadelphians are protected from discrimination in the City of Philadelphia by our Fair Practices Ordinance, it is critical for the Pennsylvania legislature to pass the Fairness Act,” Mayor Kenney said in announcing his support of the pledge. “This law will protect hardworking LGBT Pennsylvanians from discrimination in the workplace, and it will prevent firing, as well as the refusing to hire or promote, LGBT people based on their gender identity and/or sexual orientation.”
Right now, mayors in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, State College, and about 10 other cities across Pennsylvania have signed the pledge just like Mayor Kenney has. Many businesses, like Comcast and Hershey’s, already prohibit discrimination as company policy. And, nearly 400 small businesses have signed onto the Pennsylvania Competes pledge. Learn more about Pennsylvania Competes — and sign the pledge!
I’m very proud to be part of an Administration that believes in equality, inclusion and dignity under the law, and that recognizes the continued work to be done here in Philadelphia and across the state. Philadelphia remains an example of how the government can and should serve all of its citizens, including its LGBT communities. It’s time that Pennsylvania competes with the 21 other U.S. states that have enacted laws similar to the proposed Fairness Act. I think Mayor Kenney put it best when he told me that “without the Fairness Act, Pennsylvanians are stuck with policies of the past and we are committed to building a community for the future.”
Join the Mayor and sign the Pennsylvania Competes pledge today.