Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor Marc J. Zucker released the following statement urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass, and Gov. Josh Shapiro to sign into law, two pieces of legislation that would create new protections for Pennsylvanians who are the victims of discrimination or hate crimes.
The passage of the Fairness Act (House Bill 300) would amend the Commonwealth’s Human Relations Act to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations because of a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, while the hate crimes package (House Bills 1024, 1025, 1026, and 1027) would, among other measures, expand the intimidation offense in the current law to include disability, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity; increase penalties for hate crimes against all victimized groups, and facilitate reporting and statistical monitoring of these crimes.
“As Pride Month comes to a close, we felt it was important as an Association to express our support for these long-overdue updates to current law, which would dramatically expand protections for LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians and other groups who often face discrimination in their daily lives,” Zucker said. “Our Association has advocated for similar changes to the state’s hate crimes law since 1991 – and most recently did so in 2010 – and for an expansion of this nature to the Fairness Act since 2009.
“Pennsylvania is currently the only state in the Northeast without an LGBTQ nondiscrimination law. It is long past time for our Commonwealth to enact these protections, as the City of Philadelphia has done. This legislation is a critical and meaningful step forward in creating a safe and welcoming atmosphere for all residents and visitors.”
