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Josephs invites public to attend committee hearing on anti-discrimination bill

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 8 – The House State Government Committee will hold a hearing next week in Philadelphia on legislation that would protect people who live or work in Pennsylvania from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in employment, housing or public accommodations.

State Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., chairwoman of the committee, said the hearing will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 15 in the Rufus Jones Room at the Friends Center, 1501 Cherry St., and the public is invited.

"When this bill was introduced earlier this year, I announced that I would hold public hearings across the state to raise the level of public discussion on this issue, because I am sure both legislators and Pennsylvanians alike hate discrimination and want to be fair to everyone," Josephs said.

"The committee already has heard from residents in the western and northern parts of the state. This hearing is an opportunity for Philadelphians to make their voices heard."

Josephs said the committee will take testimony on House Bill 1400 from a number of community groups and agencies, including the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and Equality Advocates Pennsylvania.

While the hearing agenda is full, those members of the public interested in providing their own comments may do so in writing and submit them by Tuesday, Nov. 13 to Matt Hurlburt at mhurlbur@pahouse.net.

Josephs said the information provided from these hearings will help the committee in preparation for voting on the bill this legislative session.

Josephs has long been a proponent of equality. A few years ago, she was able to help secure enactment of a bill that added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of groups of people who are protected under Pennsylvania's hate-crimes law. But she said there's more to be done.

Pittsburgh, Erie County and Philadelphia are among the 14 Pennsylvania communities that ban anti-gay discrimination, but about three-fourths of the state's more than 12 million residents live in communities that do not provide such protection.

Nationwide, 20 states – including neighboring Maryland, New Jersey and New York – already have laws in effect or due to take effect that ban job discrimination based on sexual orientation. Twelve states, including New Jersey, have laws banning job discrimination based on gender identity.