Rally in Pa. Capitol for gay-bias bill

HARRISBURG - Hundreds of people, many waving signs and singing civil-rights-era protest songs, filled the Capitol Rotunda yesterday to call for legislation to end discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The rally was organized by the Value All Families Coalition - a group representing gay people, churches, labor unions, and civil libertarians - to urge the General Assembly to pass House Bill 300, which would extend protections statewide against discrimination, particularly in housing and employment, to gay and transgender people.

Thirteen municipalities, including Philadelphia, New Hope, Lansdowne, West Chester, and Swarthmore, offer protection to gay and transgendered residents, as does the State of New Jersey.

"In almost 80 percent of the state, it is legal to fire someone you think may be gay," said Rep. Babette Josephs (D., Phila.), chairwoman of the House State Government Committee, which approved the bill last week on a 12-11 party-line vote. "We cannot wait any longer."

"As the highest-ranking openly gay official," said Stephen A. Glassman, chairman of the state's Human Relations Commission, "I am still unprotected by civil-rights law."

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, ancestry, age, gender, national origin, non-job-related disability, or the use of a guide or support animal.

The bill would expand those protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

Michael Geer, president of the conservative Pennsylvania Family Institute, said there was no need to amend a law whose goal it was to eliminate the "invidious" discrimination that once existed against African Americans and members of religious groups.

"In spite of what you heard, the same invidious discrimination on a large scale does not exist against gays and lesbians," said Geer, who was at the rally.

He also charged that, if enacted, the legislation could mark the first step toward legalizing same-sex marriage.

The legislation, which has the support of House Democratic leaders, faces an uphill struggle in the Republican-led Senate.

Spokesman Chuck Ardo said Gov. Rendell "is and always has been a strong proponent of equal rights. But, as always, he will need to review the specific language of the bill before taking position on it."

Wendy Forbes, a member of Philadelphia Family Pride, sat with her 4-year-old son, Dylan, who held a sign that read, "My Two Mommies Deserve Equal Rights."

"It's a very important bill for all of us, especially families," said Forbes, of Hatboro. "If it passed, it would open a gateway to protect our children and spouses. One day, we'll have equal rights."