Following Tuesday’s ruling overturning the ban on same-sex marriage in the Commonwealth, Equality Pennsylvania says there’s still more work to be done to combat issues of discrimination.
“People can get married, and that’s tremendous, put their wedding picture out on their desk Monday morning and get fired in many parts of the state,” said Ted Martin, executive director of Equality Pennsylvania.
Martin urges state lawmakers to pass a bill that would bar discrimination based on sexual orientation or sexual identity in matter of employment, housing and public accommodations.
A variety of large companies as well as 32 Pennsylvania municipalities voluntarily have adopted nondiscrimination policies, according to Equality PA. However, Martin pointed out there are still parts of Pennsylvania where it’s legal to fire someone or evict them from their apartment for being gay.
“It’s just an odd world to be in. It seems just not quite right that you could have such joy on one hand and such fear on the other,” said Martin.
There are versions of a nondiscrimination bill in the state House and Senate. To view the House version, click here. The proposed bills include exemptions for religious organizations.
Gov. Tom Corbett (R) has said if a nondiscrimination bill reaches his desk, he would sign it into law. He made the announcement last year after meeting with people who told him they’d been discriminated against and after learning federal law does not provide protection against discrimination in the state.