PA House to vote on LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Bill
PA House to vote on LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Bill
HB 300 is a bill in the Pennsylvania legislature that would add an explicit protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill had been re-introduced for decades and has yet to receive a floor vote.
In a historic first, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on HB 300 on Monday, April 24. If it passes, it will mean that Pennsylvania will finally join over 20 states and the District of Columbia in protecting the LGBTQ community from discrimination.
You can help. Sharing your support for HB 300 - by telling your representative to vote yes on HB 300, and helping to spread the word - is critical. This bill would make a difference across Pennsylvania. Even though agency and court rulings are saying under current law, it is already illegal to discriminate against people because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, nonbinary, or queer, without the explicit language that HB 300 will add, there are fights over that issue. More importantly, many people don't know that the harmful discrimination they face is illegal.
Our friends at Pennsylvania Values and the Pennsylvania Youth Congress have resources to help you do that - see the information here and below:
WRITE to your State Representative by visiting action.pavalues.org. After selecting your county and municipality, your Representative should pop up. Fill out your contact information and click send!
CALL your State Representative's office. You can find their numbers on either action.pavalues.org or the state House website at house.state.pa.us. You can use the following script:
"Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I'm from [YOUR TOWN NAME]. I’m calling to ask Representative _________ vote in favor of HB 300 when it comes up for a vote. Over 500,000 LGBTQ Pennsylvanians should have the same rights to housing, employment, and public accommodations just like everyone else. Approximately 80% of Pennsylvanians support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, as well as many of our state's major employers. Thank you in advance for your support.”
ATTEND the vote in Harrisburg on Monday morning at 9:30 am and MEET with your State Representative. You can complete this form and we will be in touch with you regarding logistics to attend the vote and offer our support for you to talk directly with your State Representative or their legislative assistants right after. As possible, this is also a great day to visit the office of your State Senator.