The PA Fairness Act

by Jennifer John

It was a whole decade ago, and is still cause for celebration. On June 26th, it will be the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that made marriage equality possible, granting same-sex couples the right to full, equal recognition under the law in all 50 states. June 26, 2015, was both a long time ago and somehow doesn’t seem that far away. I have to remember, though, that for people under age 20, like my children, it was about half a lifetime or more ago. Marriage equality is worth celebrating and worth fighting to keep.

Since we had marriage equality in Pennsylvania for about a year before that Supreme Court decision, I hadn’t realized that our state is still lacking in providing other basic rights to its LGBTQ+ citizens. While searching for information for this social action minute, I found out about “The Fairness Act” here in Pennsylvania. I had not known that legislation like this had never become law here. Pennsylvania is the only northeastern state without an LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination law.

On the PA House Democrats website, there is a news release from June 3, earlier this month. “As Pride Month begins, state lawmakers in the Pennsylvania LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus...announced the reintroduction of the Fairness Act at a state Capitol news conference. The PA Fairness Act (H.B. 300) would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include ‘sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression’ to the current list of prohibited types of discrimination.”

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act guides the state’s Human Relations Commission, which handles discrimination complaints in housing, jobs, and public services, with the authority to issue fines and refer cases to court. A related bill passed the state House in 2023–24, but stalled in the Senate State Government Committee and never reached a vote.

Let’s encourage our state Representatives and Senators to work to fix this injustice. Please contact them to vote for “The PA Fairness Act” (H.B. 300) because LGBTQ+ individuals should be guaranteed the same rights and safeguards in housing, the workplace, and public spaces as any other person in Pennsylvania.

For more information, please see:

• PA Fairness Act Reintroduced by LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus News Release
  
• Pennsylvania Senate Democrats: The Fairness Act
  
• Press Conference: Reintroduction of the Fairness Act