LGBTQ Rights Committee

Chaired by Kaitlyn Burns, Esq., the LGBTQ+ Rights Committee works to end discrimination against LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians in our courts and throughout the Commonwealth.

Committee Feature

In its Final Report, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System study noted “concerns regarding bias against . . . gay, lesbian, bisexual, and [transgender] individuals” and suggested that government officials “consider . . . addressing the needs of these groups, in light of the similarity of issues and solutions in the context of race, ethnicity, and gender.”

To address these needs, the LGBTQ+ Rights Committee has met with legislators and submitted letters in support of legislation designed to secure non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ individuals that are currently afforded to other Pennsylvanians. This legislation, entitled the “Fairness Act,” would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (“PHRA”) to prevent individuals from being denied access to housing, employment, or public accommodations based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

For the first time in its 22-year history of being introduced, the Fairness Act passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 2023-24 legislative term, receiving bipartisan support. Because the bill did not pass the Senate, the Committee is coordinating with legislators and stakeholders across the Commonwealth to secure the needed support. In the meantime, the Committee continues to advocate for similar non-discrimination protections at the local level. In July 2024, the Committee worked with other LGBTQ+ organizations to host a statewide webinar on the importance of localized ordinances. The Committee is exploring additional, related programming for 2025.

The Committee’s current initiatives include the following:

• Monitoring the proposal of the PA Supreme Court’s Civil Procedural Rules Committee to adopt a statewide rule governing name change petitions in PA, on which the Committee submitted comments in 2024, and formulating strategies to advocate for bills designed to simplify the name change process that, despite the Committee’s support, did not pass in 2024.
• Supporting legislation designed to prevent discriminatory practices of private schools receiving taxpayer-funded voucher dollars.
• Partnering with allied professionals and experts to secure non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ youth in the foster care system and draft model guidance to be shared with stakeholders across the Commonwealth.
• Exploring advocacy-oriented webinars on local non-discrimination ordinances and a partnership with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (“PHRC”) to administer programming on the PHRA.