With the defeat of SB 707, the bill that would have amended the PA Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, it is now time to think about how can we make real strides ahead for GLBTQ rights in Pennsylvania. Many would say that the state, once more of a leader in civil rights, has chosen to fall behind and ignore the needs of its residents in the realm of civil rights. Is this a reason why so many young people flee the state? Recent surveys show that while many young people are conservative, they do not hold the same anti-gay views as older conservatives. Young people overwhelmingly support greater equality for everyone including the LGBTQ Â communities. Is it possible that the state needs to also shed its socially conservative stances, while retaining the fiscally conservative goals if it is to again be a leader?
Before PA Senator John Eichelberger introduced his Marriage Amendment, there were 2 bills progressing through the PA House.
- HB 300 is a non-discrimination protection bill that would add language to the existing PA Human Relations law. It would add sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to the existing protected classes. Similar bills have been introduced before, but this bill has moved further into the legislative process than any of its predecessors.
- HB 745 is a Hate Crimes bill that covers a number of protected classes. Hate Crimes was passed with a very large bipartisan majority in 2002, however due to a technical error in how the bill was written, a judge overturned the law a few years ago.
You can find more information on either of these bills by searching this blog for past blog entries. Additionally, Daylin Leach introduced SB 935, a same-sex marriage bill in the Senate. All three of these are bills currently in either the House or the Senate.
Can we use any momentum built in the fight against SB707 to move  any of these other bills now? With the PA budget process coming, it may be difficult to get any action on anything else, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Or, is there some other legislative effort within the state which is more important that we should be pushing for?
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