POSTED: 03.13.09 / 0344     Pa. Anti-discrimination Bill Advances Out of Committee   HARRISBURG, PA - This past Wednesday a House committee approved a bill that would protect people who live or work in Pennsylvania from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.  The bill would address discrimination in employment, housing, credit and public accommodations.   House State Government Committee Chairwoman Babette Josephs, D-Phila., led the committee in today's 12-11 vote to send the bill (H.B. 300) to the full House of Representatives. State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, chairman of the Allegheny County Democratic Delegation, reintroduced the legislation last week. Josephs held hearings around the state on it in the 2007-08 session.   The bill has more than 70 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House, including all members of the majority leadership. (Full Story)   Josephs said, "Every single individual, regardless of his or her sexual orientation, deserves the full rights that come with being a Pennsylvania and U.S. citizen. Discrimination should not be an option, period.   "We cannot afford to discriminate against LGBT citizens because we can't afford to lose anyone's contribution. Our state and nation face difficult problems: violence in our homes and on the streets; a lack of quality education and health care; a crumbling infrastructure; pollution and global warming; drug use and crime. We need everyone to help address these challenges," she said.   Frankel said, "This committee vote is a first step toward making state law more fair and just and making Pennsylvania more economically competitive. We are surrounded on three sides by states that ban anti-gay discrimination – Maryland, New Jersey and New York. They are among the 20 states that have this competitive advantage over Pennsylvania when it comes to attracting and retaining businesses and residents.   "I commend Chairwoman Josephs and fellow members of the committee who stood up against discrimination today. I will continue working with fair-minded members of the House from both parties to advance this legislation."   Frankel and Josephs noted that a November 2007 poll done by a firm that has many Republican clients found 71 percent of Pennsylvania voters supported the bill. The bill drew majority support in every region of the state and from Republicans and self-described conservatives.   "The across-the-board support for this commonsense bill reflects that most Pennsylvanians already know being gay or transgendered has nothing to do with a person's ability to fix a car or computer, or to show up on time and to do a good day’s work," Frankel said.   Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Act already bans discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, a non-job related handicap or disability, or the use of a guide or support animal due to a person being blind, deaf or having a physical handicap.   Frankel and Josephs said H.B. 300 would benefit all Pennsylvanians.   "While approximately 10 percent of the population is directly affected, a larger number of prospective residents and employers – straight and gay alike – value diversity and laws that reflect fairness. When they decide where to live and where to retain or create jobs, these factors matter. Oklahoma apparently lost out on 1,000 jobs last year because a state lawmaker's anti-gay diatribe called attention to that state's laws and relative lack of fairness on this issue," Frankel said.   Josephs said, "This legislation would also protect heterosexual Pennsylvanians from being fired based on their sexual orientation or their gender identity or expression. This legislation would protect everyone."   Nearly 80 percent of Pennsylvania's 12.5 million residents live or work in communities that do not provide these protections, according to the Value All Families Coalition.   Thirteen Pennsylvania municipalities have enacted civil rights laws including protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. These municipalities are Allentown, Easton, Erie County, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lansdowne, New Hope, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Swarthmore, West Chester and York. State College also has an ordinance that covers only sexual orientation discrimination in housing and employment.   A rally has been scheduled for Tuesday at the state Capitol to promote H.B. 300.