Harrisburg, Pa. (WHTM) — On July 7, 2022 the Pennsylvania State Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 2125, which will remove “homosexuality” from the list of prohibited sexual acts in Pennsylvania’s Crime Codes. The bill now heads to Governor Tom Wolf’s desk for approval.
Rep. Todd Stephens (R-Montgomery), with support from the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, advocated for the bill.
Preston Heldibridle, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, said “This bill corrects a grave wrong under our law — especially at a time when many LGBTQ Pennsylvanians feel they face an uncertain future. However, there is much more work to be done to make our commonwealth safe and welcoming for all. Now that the General Assembly has agreed, unanimously in both chambers, that LGBTQ Pennsylvanians are not obscene they must take the next step to ensure equal dignity under the law by passing LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination protections.”
This marks the second time in Pennsylvania history that a bill specifically advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion has been sent to the Governor. The first time was in 2003 when the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed LGBTQ-inclusive hate crimes law; Those same laws were overturned by the Commonwealth Court in 2008 on a technicality.
Rep. Stephens said “This was a long time coming — too long. No one in the LGBTQ community should be made a criminal because of who they love. Yet, even as we reformed our marriage laws, our statutes remained stuck in the past. I’m thrilled this passed unanimously in both chambers and will be signed into law. Love should never be illegal.”
by: Madison Montag
Source – ABC News
