City of Pittsburgh - File #: 2013-1789

• File #: 2013-1789
• Version: 1
• Type: Will of Council
• Status: Adopted
• File created: 7/30/2013
• In control: City Council
• Final action: 7/30/2013
• Enactment date: 7/30/2013
• Enactment #: 503
• Title: NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh recognizes the inalienable right of all Pennsylvanians to be protected from discrimination regardless of race, color, familial status, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, handicap or disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh applauds the bipartisan movement of our state legislators to ensure protections that benefit all Pennsylvanians and urges citizens of the Commonwealth to push their local representatives to support this expansion of protections that lies at the heart of what America is about: fairness, liberty, and equality.
• Sponsors: Natalia Rudiak, Bruce A. Kraus
• Indexes: PROCLAMATION - MR. KRAUS, PROCLAMATION - MS. RUDIAK

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
7/30/2013	1	City Council	Adopted	Pass

Body
WHEREAS, in the year 2013, Pennsylvania remains the only state in the Northeast where a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression can be used against them--where a person can be denied a mortgage, refused a hotel room, or fired from their job because of who they are or whom they love; and

WHEREAS, Pennsylvania currently prohibits discrimination based on a person's race, color, religion, ancestry, age, national origin, familial status, and handicap or disability--all traits that are fundamental or immutable parts of who a person is, just as sexual orientation and gender identity are; and

WHEREAS, twenty states across the country have already amended their civil rights laws to protect against LGBT discrimination, including our neighbors New York, New Jersey, and Maryland; and

WHEREAS, numerous studies show that societies that work to combat discrimination in order to create an open, accepting environment for all people of all stripes stay economically competitive by attracting and maintaining businesses and professional talent and stay vibrant by providing a safe environment for all of us--students, professionals, families, our senior citizens, and our youngest citizens; and

WHEREAS, polling and research surveys from just this year show that 72 percent of Pennsylvanians support these protections, aligning with an overall trend in America toward acceptance and toward a celebration of our diversity; and

WHEREAS, though a number of Pennsylvania municipalities, including the City of Pittsburgh, have already instituted protections for a person's sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression, there remain pockets across the Commonwealth where Pennsylvanians can still be discriminated against because of who they are; and

WHEREAS, history is being made in Pennsylvania, where legislators are coming together in a bipartisan fashion to advance House Bill 300 and Senate Bill 300, which together make up the Pennsylva...