HARRISBURG – The PA House Judiciary Committee voted to advance legislation aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ communities. House Bill 300 would update PA’s anti-discrimination law to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression in areas such as housing, education and public accommodations. House Bill 1800 would repeal language in PA law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. House Bill 1315 would eliminate the requirement that individuals publish notice of their legal name change and would automatically seal name change records for people seeking the change to affirm their gender identity. House Bill 1311 would prohibit the use of the so-called “LGBTQ+ panic” defense in PA courts, preventing perpetrators of violent crimes from attempting to reduce or avoid criminal responsibility by blaming a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity. All of the measures now advance to the full PA House.
