The City of Bethlehem celebrated a huge victory for civil rights last night. After a hearing that had over 100 speakers, the City became the 21st municipality in Pennsylvania to pass an LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance. The vote by the City Council was unanimous and this ordinance will make it illegal to discriminate against LGBT people in employment, housing and public accommodations in Bethlehem.
We thank the City Council and the Mayor for their courage and perseverance to pass a strong ordinance that says discrimination is NOT welcome. We are also deeply grateful to the many volunteers and members of the public who attended countless meetings and spoke eloquently about the importance of passing this ordinance. Their words and presence made such a difference. The PA Diversity Network also deserves not only our thanks, but everyone’s, for their tireless leadership in The Lehigh Valley on equality for LGBT folks. We always try to partner with local and regional groups, and we respect and value all that they have done. The ACLU, NAACP, and AARP also played a crucial part in getting this legislation passed.
EQPA was there in all aspects of the process, from helping to build public support to refining language to speaking at meetings. We intend to continue working hard for the passage of local ordinances all over Pennsylvania for as long as it takes to ensure that LGBT citizens are treated equally and fairly EVERYWHERE. More importantly, we will fight for local ordinances because the clear message their passage sends to the Legislature in Harrisburg is that NOW is the time to finally vote on a statewide, LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination law in Pennsylvania. This is a historic time in the fight for LGBT rights in the state, and you can be a part of it! Want to pass a non-discrimination ordinance in your area? E-mail themartin@equalitypa.org
Want to support our valuable work? PLEASE donate today at www.equalitypa.org/donate.html.
No comments:
Post a Comment