By Adrian Shanker
More Americans voted in the November election than ever before. While voters were divided in their choice for president, we have seen repeatedly that Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all support non-discrimination protections for LGBT Pennsylvanians.
The issue has been championed by Republican state Sen. Pat Browne. Former Congressman Charlie Dent was an ardent supporter. Former Republican governors Tom Ridge and Tom Corbett endorsed non-discrimination protections, and Sen. Pat Toomey voted to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). But despite broad support, non-discrimination protections for LGBT Americans are not yet enshrined in law. Pennsylvanians are ready to see their LGBT neighbors protected from discrimination and treated with dignity and respect.
As the executive director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, I’ve seen how cruel and unfair discrimination can be and how deeply it impacts our community.
A few years ago I worked with a Lehigh Valley couple, one of whom was transgender, as they tried to buy their first home together. As they talked to their new Realtor over the phone, the person was excited to work with them — but as soon as they met in person, the real estate agent found a reason to leave and never called them back. As a longtime advocate, I’ve heard many stories like this, of LGBT people denied housing help and access, simply because of who they are.
This is why it’s critical that Toomey recommit to non-discrimination protections by supporting the Equality Act, common-sense bipartisan legislation that would update federal law to include express and enduring nondiscrimination protections for LGBT Americans nationwide.
Ten years ago this month, Senator-elect Toomey supported repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ a policy that prevented lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members from serving with authenticity. Two years later, he joined the bipartisan effort to ban LGBT employment discrimination by voting for ENDA. In 2017, he introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning Chechen officials’ torture and so-called “honor killings” of men who were, or were suspected of being, gay.
Toomey has said he will retire from the Senate in 2023 and not run for governor. Now is his time to clarify his support for LGBT non-discrimination protections by publicly supporting the Equality Act. Doing so would help cement his legacy as a Republican who supported the civil rights of the LGBT community.
Non-discrimination is not a Democratic or Republican value. It’s a Pennsylvanian value and an American value — but without Toomey’s support, the Equality Act likely doesn’t have the votes to pass the Senate.
Even though an overwhelming majority of Americans support LGBT nondiscrimination protections, our country has gaps in federal and state nondiscrimination laws for LGBT people. Most states lack explicit protections for more than 50 percent of the LGBT population, leaving millions of people vulnerable. Pennsylvania is the only state in the Northeast with no comprehensive state law protecting LGBT community members from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.
Pennsylvania’s cities, towns and boroughs have been forced to rely on local leadership. The state has passed more local non-discrimination ordinances than any other in the nation. Progress is progress, but because protections vary, LGBT folks statewide are confused and unclear about their rights, and employers and business owners are, too. Having a set of clear federal laws would spell out obligations and provide consistency for all. We have ordinances in the cities of Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown, Reading, and Stroudsburg, but none in our suburbs and rural areas. Why should a drive down the road change the basic facts of how a person is treated? Shouldn’t we be treated with dignity and respect, no matter where we are?
Like all Americans, LGBT people deserve to go about our daily lives free from fear of discrimination and harassment, but we can’t without state or federal laws on the books that protect us. The Equality Act has broad and growing support across lines of political party, demographics, and geography. Public support is at an all-time high, with 83 percent of Americans saying they favor LGBT non-discrimination protections, including 68 percent of Republicans and a majority in every state in the country.
It’s time for the Senate to do its job and pass federal protections to fully protect LGBT people from discrimination. With new leadership in the White House, now is the time to act. Everyone should be free to go about their daily lives — go into a store, check into a hotel, eat a meal at a restaurant — without fear of harassment or discrimination. It’s time for Toomey to get to work to make that dream a reality.
Adrian Shanker is the executive director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown.