A very strong statement form Senator Wagner!!  Shame to the groups or people who are trying to intimidate them to remove their co-sponsorship of SB-974


Statement on SB 974

Over the past several months, my office has received hundreds of phone calls and emails regarding my co-sponsorship of SB 974, The Pennsylvania Fairness Act. This legislation would add sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, effectively prohibiting discrimination against LGBT individuals as it relates to employment, housing, and public accommodations.

I have been asked to remove my name as a co-sponsor of SB 974 because of recent events in the news related to how bathrooms are dealt with in other states, as well as President Obama’s recent directive regarding schools and Title IX funding.

Let me be very clear – I will not be removing my name from this legislation. Allow me to explain why. As an employer and a Pennsylvanian, I believe that everyone should be treated fairly and with dignity. As an employer, I do not care what your sexual preference is as long as you perform at or beyond the required expectations of your job.

The fact remains that without this legislation there are a group of citizens that can legally be fired or overlooked because of their sexual orientation instead of their job performance. This is a step in the right direction to ensure workers are not being discriminated against.This is why I put my name on this legislation, and this is what I will continue to work toward.

The fact that attempts have been made to intimidate me and other supporters of SB 974 to try to get us to remove our co-sponsorships of this legislation and are trying to change the conversation to make it about men in women’s bathrooms should not deter us from our goal.

Cities all across Pennsylvania have had ordinances similar to SB 974 for well over 20 years without a single issue as it relates to bathrooms. From a very practical perspective, SB 974 changes absolutely nothing about the way that bathrooms are dealt with, in spite of claims to the contrary that are full of legalese and references to court decisions from states with laws that are very different from Pennsylvania’s.

I believe that it is critical that we find a way to treat LGBT people with the dignity and fairness that they deserve – that we all deserve. I am equally committed to work with concerned groups to find ways to improve the legislation. If there are valid concerns related to individuals with deeply held religious convictions, we should work to fix them. If there are real, concrete concerns with the way that bathrooms will be handled, we should listen.What we should not do, however, is completely abandon all efforts to gain fairness for the LGBT community.

What we should not do is use fear as a tool to attempt to bully legislators into just giving up on this important issue.Those of you that know me, know this – I will not be bullied.

I encourage those of you with serious concerns about this legislation to continue to contact me so that we can continue our work on this issue. My staff and I have spent a great deal of time with interest groups on both sides of this issue attempting to find a way to accomplish everyone’s goals, and we will continue to do so.

I know that fellow Pennsylvanians share my commitment to make our great Commonwealth a state that is open and welcoming to everyone, whether that means changing our Human Relations Act or addressing our oppressive tax and regulatory systems. I appreciate your support, and look forward to continuing the effort to create a better Pennsylvania with everyone.
Sincerely,
 
Scott R. Wagner
Senator, 28=12pxth District, York County