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PHILADELPHIA RECOMMENDS GENDER IDENTITY BILL FOR CITY COUNCIL VOTE

The six-member Law and Government Committee hearing Philadelphia's "Gender Identity Bill," voted unanimously to recommend the bill for city council vote.  Proposal Number 010719, would add the category of "gender identity" -- which defines the term to include expressions, behaviors and characteristics -- to the city's anti-discrimination laws.

After a first reading today before council, a second reading and final vote is scheduled for next Thursday, May 16. City Council members are predicting virtually unanimous council support. Mayor John Street's administration has expressed full support of the bill, and is expected to sign it into the city code.

"The discrimination transgendered persons face is pervasive," said Kathy Padilla during testimony on the proposed bill. Padilla, a board member of the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC) and Outfront, was part of a broad coalition of Philadelphia's GLBT community who testified on behalf of the proposed measure.

"Statistics are hard to come by as we are not included in most governmental studies," said Padilla in testimony. "But what we have tells us that the median income for the transgendered is about 50% of that of the general population, 30% of us do not finish high school, our unemployment rate is several times the national average and 20% of us do not have stable housing. Those who lack housing have often been refused access to shelters."

"In my own experience I've been followed home by people yelling threats, been ridiculed by a receptionist in a doctors office, had my car vandalized and received numerous crank phone calls", Padilla added. "I have been quite lucky compared to most."

"Not a single voice of opposition was present during the public hearing," said Mara Keisling of the Pennsylvania Gender Rights Coalition, one of those testifying on behalf of the bill.

"Another wonderful sign of the progress being made by transgender Americans was seen in the comments of Councilperson Frank DiCiccio (the bill's sponsor) who closed his remarks by thanking the transgender people testifying for "being Philadelphians."

If enacted, Philadelphia will be the sixth jurisdiction in Pennsylvania to have such protections, adding approximately 1.5 million Americans to the list of those protected. It would be the third jurisdiction in Pennsylvania to pass such protections this year.