News Item

PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR SIGNS HISTORIC HATE CRIMES LAW:
Legislation adds sexual orientation, gender identity, gender and disability to law

December 3, 2002

(Harrisburg, PA) -- At 4:15 this afternoon, Governor Mark Schweiker signed an amendment to the state’s Ethnic Intimidation Act adding actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, mental and physical
disability, and ancestry to the law. This law, which has the most inclusive hate crimes language in the country, was drafted by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights and is the first Pennsylvania law to recognize the state’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population. Pennsylvania joins 27 other states and the District of
Columbia in extending hate crimes protections to gay, lesbian and bisexual people and is the fifth state to include gender identity in its law.

After signing the bill, Governor Schwieker stated, "Since 1995, this Administration has worked tirelessly to fight crime and support the rights of crime victims. By signing this legislation, I am joining the General Assembly in sending a strong, clear message that Pennsylvania will not tolerate violence against anyone -- period."

On November 26, 2002, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, by a 118 to 79 margin, voted in favor of the legislation, which passed the state Senate 32-15 in June 2001. A number of legislators were instrumental in the bill’s passage including, Sen. Allen Kukovich (D-Westmoreland), Sen. Joseph Conti (R-Bucks), Sen. Charles W. Dent (R-Lehigh, Northampton), Sen. Allyson Y. Schwartz (D-Philadelphia, Montgomery), Rep. Steven R. Nickol (R-York), Rep. John M. Perzel (R-Philadelphia), Rep. Stephen H. Stetler (D-York), Rep. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), Rep. Lita Indzel Cohen (R-Montgomery), Rep. Mark B. Cohen (D-Philadelphia), Rep. Roy W. Cornell (Bucks), Rep. Dan B. Frankel (D-Allegheny), Rep. Babette Josephs (D-Philadelphia) and Rep. T.J. Rooney (D-Lehigh).

"We applaud the Governor and the legislators who supported an inclusive hate crimes law. Pennsylvanians should be proud of the many elected officials who took a stand against violence and hatred in this state," said Stacey L. Sobel, Esq., Executive Director of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights.

"The Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights can now better assist victims of anti-LGBT hate crimes," said Sobel. "Law enforcement officials who were unable to fully prosecute or even investigate many of these incidents in
the past will finally have the tools they need to aggressively prosecute these crimes and assist victims in Pennsylvania," she added.

In addition to the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, the community effort to push this legislation was lead by: the Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition (SPARC), the state’s largest network of individuals and organizations dedicated to LGBT legislative advocacy; the Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Alliance (PA-GALA), the largest gay and lesbian political organization in the state; the Pennsylvania Gender Rights Coalition, a statewide organization working for transgender rights; the Log Cabin Republicans of Pennsylvania; POPEC; OutFront, a public education, legislative advocacy and political action organization; Liberty City Democrats; PFLAG, parents, friends, families, of lesbians and gays; the Human Rights Campaign; and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, among
others. Triadstrategies, a government relations firm in Harrisburg, provided pro-bono services to the coalition members.