WHEREAS, the Philadelphia Bar Association has a long-standing history supporting protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and all members of the LGBTQIA+ community, supports the protection of civil rights and the elimination of wrongful discrimination, and is committed to advancing the fair and effective administration of justice; and

WHERAS, on September 26, 1991, the Board adopted a resolution supporting amendment of the state's Ethnic Intimidation Act to include enhanced punishment for crimes motivated by animus based on sexual orientation; and

WHEREAS, on November 18, 1993, the Board adopted a resolution calling for the Pennsylvania General Assembly to create domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples; and

WHEREAS, on January 28, 1999, the Board adopted a resolution endorsing American Bar Association recommendations on enacting laws and implementation of public policy that provide that sexual orientation shall not be a bar to adoption; and

WHEREAS, on September 30, 1999, the Board adopted a resolution supporting the adoption of state and federal legislation to include protections from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; and

WHEREAS, on March 21, 2002, the Board adopted a resolution supporting the amendment of the Philadelphia Code to include gender identity as a prohibited basis for discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations; and

WHEREAS, on June 24, 2004, the Board of Governors adopted a resolution opposing a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would constitutionally define marriage as a union between a man and a woman and restrict the ability of the several states to legislatively recognize civil marriage between same-sex couples; and

WHEREAS, on March 30, 2006, the Board of Governors expanded its above June 24, 2004, resolution to oppose any proposed amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution that would prohibit the Commonwealth from creating or recognizing any legal status identical or substantially equivalent to that of marriage for same-sex couples; and

WHEREAS, on January 27, 2014, the Association adopted a resolution urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to legislatively recognize marriage equality and declared the Association’s support of marriage equality in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS, on April 29, 2021, the Board adopted a resolution opposing House Bill, Printer’s No. 1133, and any similar legislation that would have the intent or effect of barring women and girls who are transgender or intersex from participating in women’s scholastic sports, or otherwise discriminating against them based on their transgender identity and sex; and

WHEREAS, on August 26, 2021, the Board adopted a resolution supporting H.R. 5, known as the Equality Act, and any similar legislation that would provide expanded federal protections to LGBTQ+ individuals, those who are perceived as LGBTQ+ and those who are associated with LGBTQ+ individuals; and

WHEREAS, on March 18, 2025, the Board adopted a resolution opposing the Trump

Administration’s ban on transgender servicemembers; and

WHEREAS, on September 16, 2025, the Board adopted a resolution urging the Supreme Court of the United States to deny petition for writ of certiorari in Davis v. Ermold; and

WHEREAS, the Prior Resolutions made the Association’s support for protections for the LGBTQIA+ community clear, including decades of policy positions opposing legislation that would disenfranchise or discriminate against members of the LGBTQIA+ community; and

WHEREAS, on March 10, 2026, the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee reported out of committee the following bills that would enshrine certain protections for the LGBTQIA+ community into Pennsylvania law:

• House Bill 1311, Printer’s Number 303, amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, prohibiting the use of a “LGBTQ panic” criminal defense blaming an individual’s violent actions as a response to a victim’s perceived sexual orientation or gender identity;
• House Bill 1315, Printer’s Number 1508, amending Title 54 (Names) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in judicial change of name, removing public notice requirements for someone to change their legal name and the addition of an automatic seal for someone changing their name to affirm their gender;
• House Bill 1902, Printer’s Number 3032, amending Titles 18 (Crimes and Offenses), 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) and 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, requiring additional training for law enforcement to better identify and investigate hate crimes;
• House Bill 1905, Printer’s Number 3033, amending Titles 18 (Crimes and Offenses) and 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, to add language to expand hate crimes to include targeting others based on their “ethnicity, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or disability,” and expand civil penalties for people who target others based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and more;
• House Bill 632, Printer’s Number 642, amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, removing increased penalties for people with HIV charged with prostitution; and

WHEREAS, the above package of bills has not been presented to the Pennsylvania House or Senate for a vote; and

WHEREAS, on April 28, 2026, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 2103, Printer’s Number 3285, which would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act of October 27, 1955, and would prohibit discrimination in housing and education based on sexual orientation or gender identity; and

WHEREAS, since January 2025, President Donald J. Trump has issued numerous executive orders, proclamations, letters, and memoranda aimed at removing protections for the LGBTQIA+ community; and

WHEREAS, the need to codify protections for the LGBTQIA+ community into Pennsylvania law is high due to the efforts of the Trump Administration to remove protections for the LGBTQIA+ community and due to recent United States Supreme Court decisions overturning precedent and eliminating rights of United States citizens that had previously been recognized as protected by the United States Constitution.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Philadelphia Bar Association hereby calls upon the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass the above referenced package of bills advancing protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals in Pennsylvania; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Philadelphia Bar Association authorizes the Chancellor and/or the Chancellor’s designee(s) to communicate the contents of this resolution to the members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania Senate, and other government officials, bar associations, the legal profession, the media, and the public and take any and all additional action that is necessary to effectuate this resolution.

PHILADELPHIA BAR ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Adopted: May 21, 2026