The town of Easton, PA celebrated a major gain for same-sex couples on Wednesday night. Now, partners of city employees can enjoy the same benefits awarded to heterosexual couples. The legislation was passed unanimously, with support from both Republican and Democratic City Council members, who greeted the outcome with applause. Equality Pennsylvania's statewide organizer, Allyson Hamm, was also present. This ruling makes Easton one of only five Pennsylvania cities to have such a policy; the others are Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Allentown, and Pittsburgh.
Under this new law, same-sex partners of city employees are granted health and pension benefits, as well as family medical leave and bereavement leave. This provision makes it possible for city employees and their partners to take time off to care for sick loved ones, said Pennsylvania Diversity Network Vice President Adrian Shanker in an interview with The Morning Call.
We at Equality Pennsylvania would like to congratulate the people of Easton for taking this much-needed step in the fight for the rights of same-sex couples. We would also like to commend the Pennsylvania Diversity Network for their work in getting this legislation passed. The bill will be signed into law publicly on June 6th.
