Lawmakers in the Pennsylvania House have approved legislation that would enshrine nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people into state law.
House Bill 2103 passed in the chamber by a vote of 101-100. It would make discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity unlawful in areas of housing, employment, or access to public accommodations.
The legislation sparked a contentious debate over whether the nondiscrimination protections are written in a way that would allow transgender women to access women’s bathrooms and locker rooms, and that would also infringe upon religious liberties. https://t.co/iiVeKGdeRz
— City & State PA (@CityAndStatePA) April 29, 2026
From City & State PA:
The legislation sparked a contentious debate on the House floor over whether the nondiscrimination protections are written in a way that would allow transgender women to access women’s bathrooms and locker rooms, and that would also infringe upon religious liberties.
Democratic state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, the prime sponsor of the Fairness Act in the state House, said bills seeking to enshrine nondiscrimination protections into state law have been routinely introduced because LGBTQ Pennsylvanians have been experiencing discrimination firsthand.
“If you want to understand why we’ve offered this bill, why it has been offered and reintroduced for 20-plus years, it is because Pennsylvanians are experiencing this discrimination and they want it to end,” he said.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, 23 states currently have laws on the books that prohibit housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, while 22 states have laws that outlaw discrimination pertaining to public accommodations.
Democrats in the Keystone State have been trying for years to pass similar legislation. The Fairness Act (House Bill 300) was approved by the Pennsylvania House in May 2023, but was not taken up by the state Senate.
Read more here.
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