The Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously voted to create an anti-bullying themed license plate on Tuesday, March 18th. Meanwhile, the most supported anti-bullying bill in state history, the Pennsylvania Safe Schools (PASS) Act, remains stalled in the House Education Committee.

The anti-bullying license plate, HB 845, was introduced by Rep. Karen Boback (R-117) on March 11th and passed by the chamber one week later. The PASS Act, HB 156, was first introduced in September 2012, and re-introduced in January 2013. Despite gaining a record-breaking 102 co-sponsors, backed by 50 Republican and 52 Democratic representatives, the PASS Act has yet to go to the House floor for a vote. Rep. Boback is a co-sponsor of the PASS Act.

Pennsylvania’s anti-bullying law is among the weakest in the nation, according to the US Department of Education. The PASS Act will update the current law to establish a clear and accessible reporting mechanism for incidents of bullying, provide tools for faculty and staff to address incidents of school violence, and train educators to promote safer schools. The PASS Act is supported by a large grassroots coalition of students, educators, clergy, educational organizations, and mayors within Pennsylvania.

If enacted into law, the anti-bullying license plate will be available upon vehicle registration for an additional $35 fee. Fifteen dollars from the sale of each plate will be allocated to a Bullying Awareness and Prevention Fund, which will be controlled by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. A design for the license plate has yet to be announced.

The PASS Partnership, the coalition of organizations backing the bill, supports efforts to raise awareness and funds for anti-bullying efforts. However, it is wild to know that the Pennsylvania House was able to pass an anti-bullying license plate measure in just one week, with unanimous support, but cannot push through a desperately needed update to the Pennsylvania School Code regarding the issue itself.

Funding more anti-bullying programs will be helpful, but it does not guarantee lasting or institutional change. Without effective policies to shape and support anti-bullying efforts, Pennsylvania schools do not have the necessary tools to reduce incidents of school harassment and violence.

Pennsylvanians may contact their legislators to urge their support for the PASS Act at pasafeschoolsact.com.

Below are my prepared remarks from the Keystone Banquet at the 2014 Pennsylvania Youth Action Conference, held on February 15, 2014 in Houston Hall at the University of Pennsylvania. I was given a quick moment before PSEC’s annual awards were presented to speak, and wanted to take the opportunity to share my thoughts on the required ingredient for LGBTQ youth justice: young people saying yes to getting involved.

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We are incredibly saddened tonight to inform you of the passing of activist Jaci Adams, after facing a very difficult battle with cancer. Ms. Adams was a monumental figure in the Philadelphia trans community. She served on the planning committee for the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference and the Philadelphia Police LGBT Advisory Committee. Ms. Adams was also a board member of the LGBT Elder Initiative and “The God Environment” spiritual organization at the William Way Community Center. She was the recipient of the Mazzoni Center 2013 Activist Leader Award. Ms. Adams leave behind a legacy of strong, selfless, and tireless community advocacy, and we are devastated by her loss. She was always out front speaking boldly and clearly on behalf of trans Philadelphians. She will be deeply missed. Please, let us take a moment of silence.

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Our coalition started with a simple idea, that we, as young advocates, could be equal and respected members at the community table. After three years of working together as our organizations united, within regions and across the commonwealth, we have made enormous strides towards securing justice for LGBTQ youth. And in joining us here this weekend, you are all now a part of that legacy. Thank you.

Our coalition is strong. Connected with over 80 LGBTQ student organizations in Pennsylvania, from rural communities to our largest cities, we now have the ability to widely disperse our messages, and design innovative strategies to deploy ourselves effectively into action. Like the generations of youth before us, we have a right, and the responsibility to create change. Our dreams of a world in which queer youth have a strong a valued voice will be realized through our hard work, integrity, and resilience. There are no fairy godmothers in youth-led work. We have to build on our own the tools with which we strike at discrimination and oppression. Our community is ours alone to create, sustain, and drive forward.

We are passionate and selfless leaders.

We are visionaries who see a world where people are treated fairly and with dignity.

We are a constituency that chooses our own destiny.

Our journey ahead depends on the selfless sacrifices to participate in critical actions and events. Putting others and the community before yourself. If we light a fire inside us that truly believes that we can win, we will. However, if we allow ourselves for just a moment to think it is impossible, or impractical – that no one else in my community cares, so why try – then we will fail. Then, the next generation of leaders from your community will be in no different place than you are now.

Yet, we stand here today, defiant against all odds, because of your predecessors making the decision to get involved with this coalition. Because they understood the importance of regional and state communication, of leveraging our power together as young activists.

It may take a while for some youth to realize the power they have. For some it may never happen. But we must find the strength to realize that we can be some of our community’s swiftest and most effective troops on the front lines. We are creative, mobile, and adaptive.

It is important for us to take ownership that some youth can be immensely apathetic and defeatist to this work. It’s hard to blame them, after years of being socialized to be disempowered by others and even themselves. I have found young people will say no to community engagement up to 95% of the time. Which is frustrating at first. Then it’s confusing, then disappointing, and then simply bewildering, to meet other young people who would rather have a bake sale than testify at City Hall for an LGBTQ justice ordinance. But we have to be patient, meet them where they are, and try to find ways to move forward with them. After helping power-up others and identifying the youth leaders who are ready to take the plunge forward into this work, a team will be in place that can never be stopped.

‘Yes’ can be difficult. ‘Yes’ is a commitment. ‘Yes’ is time. ‘Yes’ is responsibility piled onto an already stressed schedule. But it is the first and most important ingredient necessary for change to take place in our communities. Indeed it is the only thing that has every allowed queer youth to take any steps forward.

This work is not easy. While we are students or youth with full-time responsibilities, we also pile on long nights writing press releases and policy memos, non-stop days in Harrisburg advocating for legislation, and long weekends on the road for meetings with other leaders.

So, hold out for the rare ‘yes.’ You have all said ‘yes’ to being out here this weekend. However, there were thousands of students in the PSEC network who were aware of this conference, but who had or created their own barriers to coming. You were the ones who did and could say yes. And it is incumbent upon you to say ‘yes’ again, and as often as you can, to take action toward LGBTQ justice and freedom.

I have been to all of your schools, many times, over the past few years. Through our strong relationships, we have been working together on actions large and small. For example, the lanterns that are the centerpieces on each of your tables represent a significant movement for us in Pennsylvania. In late 2010, when LGBTQ youth suicide was becoming recognized on the national stage, we organized and coordinated vigils at over 25 schools across the commonwealth. Many of you who coordinated them are in this room. These were the lanterns that were used for the vigil at the University of Pennsylvania at College Hall. They represent some of the darkest moments from our community – but tonight and in the days, and years ahead, we ignite them for LGBTQ youth justice.

We must realize the importance of our solidarity together, building our community from the most marginalized among us, and building a table worth having, with a seat for each and every one of us.

We are in a legacy with this work. The spirit of Jaci Adams, and so many others, are surely with us in this space tonight.

We are also in a legacy with each other. I am proud to report out that earlier this week, students at the Grove City Area High School have been granted the right to form a GSA. It was through the hard work of young activists that they were able to establish a safe space in a community that has been known to be one of the most homophobic places in the nation. We have the power to stand up for ourselves, even against all odds, to create the change we seek. Congratulations to the students at Grove City.

We are a family, must look out for each other. Our struggle is real as young LGBTQ people. Some of us face abuse in our homes or violence in our schools. Others have faced homelessness or being rejected from our families. All the while trying to learn and grow into contributing citizens. For some of us, it is this very work that keeps us going.

So, welcome to the PSEC family. Together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish in our state. I look forward to an extremely productive 2014 in which LGBTQ youth lead Pennsylvania forward. Thank you.

Photo: Faith Elmes, Walter Naegle, and Jason Landau Goodman at the Keystone Banquet (February 15, 2014)

Since 1976, there have been 24 LGBT non-discrimination bills introduced in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Only once, in 2009, did any of them leave a legislative committee. All of these bills have failed to pass. Today, 17 states protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations. The adoption of basic protections for LGBT Pennsylvanians is long overdue. In 2014, Pennsylvania will finally become a battleground where the adoption of this critical legislation is possible.

The Pennsylvania State Senate now has 25 co-sponsors on SB 300, the chamber’s leading LGBT non-discrimination bill. It was introduced by Sen. Patrick Browne (R-16) and Sen. Lawrence Farnese (D-1) in August 2013. With half its members on board and evidence of at least a dozen more Senators who would vote in favor of the bill, the next step is to get SB 300 out of the Senate State Government Committee for a floor vote. The power to make this bill a priority for the Senate rests with its Majority Leader, Sen. Dominic Pileggi (R-9). In this election year, where half the State Senate seats will be up for grabs, the Delaware County Republican will either want to appeal to moderate voters and run SB 300, or polarize the issue to put it on ice until the next legislative session in 2015.

The State House is in a similar position with HB 300, which was introduced by Rep. Chris Ross (R-158) and Rep. Dan Frankel (D-23) also last August. With Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-12) as the Chair of the House State Government Committee, political commentators have duly noted the futility of trying to get this legislation to a floor vote. In the General Assembly, committee chairpersons essentially wield unlimited control over releasing any bills that have been sent to them to the floor of their chamber. While the House and Senate Leadership can pressure committee chairs, Rep. Metcalfe has been very clear that he will never move HB 300.

One possible scenario is a compromise between the chambers to get the bill out of the Senate to appease moderates as a sign of progress, but halt any movement in the House to keep ultra-conservatives at bay.

There is, however, a rare political maneuver that supporters of SB 300 and HB 300 could employ to enact this law in 2014: the discharge resolution. This legislative rule is seldom successful because of partisan politics, as it undermines the power of the majority party’s leadership and can be seen as embarrassing legislators. Yet, it has been far more shameful that Pennsylvania has gone for nearly forty years without passing LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination legislation.

Using the discharge resolution rule, a legislator can gather a petition to bring any bill directly to a floor vote, effectively overriding a committee chair if they refuse to move a bill. To counter this maneuver, the majority party can switch the committee of the legislation before a vote on the discharge resolution, thus requiring a new petition to be filed.

In 2014, however, any legislator would look ridiculous trying to undercut a prominent civil rights bill by moving it to committees such as Agriculture & Rural Affairs or Transportation. A discharge resolution in the House would force the hand of the legislature’s leadership to make a public decision if they will support basic protections for LGBT Pennsylvanians.

We can confirm that in each chamber, a majority of legislators will vote in favor of SB 300 or HB 300 in a floor vote. The number of co-sponsors, who have been secured through committed advocacy from constituents and a variety of community organizations, including the Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition, is a testament to that.

Since 1983, 32 municipalities in Pennsylvania have adopted local non-discrimination ordinances that protect LGBT people, covering 31% of the state’s population. Repeated public polling shows a clear majority of Pennsylvanians support the adoption of this legislation.

While we are optimistic for movement in the Senate this year, likely in the spring, action in the House and the ultimate enactment of this law remains unclear for 2014.

Over the past 38 years, thousands of Pennsylvanians have experienced the cruelty of anti-LGBT discrimination – including being terminated from their jobs and evicted from their homes. The citizens of Pennsylvania must not be further delayed from ensuring the dignity and equality of our friends, family, and neighbors. From the state where “All men are created equal” was first proclaimed to the nation, Pennsylvanians deserve better.

2013 was a historic year for the national LGBTQ justice movement. In Pennsylvania, we had an extremely productive year filled with local and state policy wins. We also experienced devastating violence and setbacks both from within and toward the LGBTQ community. Here, the KSV highlights 13 of the most captivating stories of LGBTQ Pennsylvania in 2013!






WIN = Philadelphia Adopts Strongest Local Trans Rights Law in the Nation

Councilman Jim Kenney (Center) speaks at a Committee hearing on the ordinance
(PGN/Scott A. Drake)

Philadelphia City Council adopted what has been hailed as the strongest local protection law for transgender people in the United States. The bill, introduced by Councilman Bill Kenney, was adopted in April 2013 with a 14-3 vote. It includes sweeping reforms for the city: two new tax credits for employers which provide trans-friendly healthcare insurance coverage, a requirement that all new and renovated City-owned buildings have gender-neutral bathrooms, a provision which prohibits businesses from not allowing patrons to use the bathroom facilities which are consistent with their gender identity, the removal of gendered terms from city forms, and a prohibition of employers denying their workers the right to dress in a way consistent with their gender identity. The City of Philadelphia once again received a perfect 100 in the LGBTQ-friendliness rating by the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index.

FAIL = Anti-Transgender Discrimination in School: Issak Wolfe and Kasey Caron

Issak Oliver Wolfe

Red Lion Senior High School student Issak Oliver Wolfe faced horrible transphobic discrimination from his school district. Issak’s school in York County denied him the opportunity to run for Prom King, tried to not allow him to go to prom with his girlfriend, was forcing him to wear a girl’s gown for graduation, and insisted upon reading his former name at the commencement ceremony. Through his advocacy in challenging this discrimination, he attended his prom with his girlfriend and wore the male gown for graduation. His former name was still read when he walked across the dais.

Kasey Caron

In September, a similar incident occurred in Johnstown at Richland Senior High School. Kasey Caron was denied the opportunity to run for Homecoming King by his school because he is transgender. He organized with community leaders and students to protest this decision, and brought national attention to the lack of resources for LGBTQ students within his district. Though the school board would not allow Kasey to run for Homecoming King, he was able to establish a GSA at his school, creating the first GSA in the Johnstown area.

WIN = Pittsburgh Adopts Equal Benefits Bill for City Contractors

The Pittsburgh City Council adopted an ordinance on July 23, 2013 that will require all city contractors receiving over $250,000 from the City to provide equal employee benefits for same-sex couples. Out Councilman Bruce Kraus introduced and led the passage of the legislation, which was unanimously adopted. Philadelphia adopted a similar ordinance in 2011.

FAIL = Equality Federation Shames and Silences Pennsylvania LGBTQ Youth

In July, the Equality Federation removed the Executive Director of PSEC from an open community meeting on nondiscrimination in Harrisburg, simply for arriving to the meeting as a young person. This was the first time a national organization participated in such an adultist action in Pennsylvania. The Equality Federation had no public comment following the incident.

WIN = Governor Tom Corbett Comes Out to Support LGBTQ Nondiscrimination

In December, following the Pennsylvania Society’s annual gala, Governor Tom Corbett announced his support for the nondiscrimination legislation that would protect LGBTQ Pennsylvanians. It was reported in the Philadelphia Gay News that his public statement was the result of a meeting spearheaded by PGN’s Mark Segal following the slew of anti-marriage equality remarks he made earlier this year. Every Governor since 1975 has re-authorized Gov. Milton Shapp’s executive order banning discrimination against LGBTQ state employees (the orders were limited to sexual orientation until Gov. Ed Rendell’s re-authorization in 2003 – and have since been inclusive of gender identity as well).

FAIL = Rep. Mike Fleck Shoved Into Closet by Victory Fund

Rep. Mike Fleck
(The New York Times)

It was revealed in a December interview with Rep. Mike Fleck in the Philadelphia Gay News that he was strongly urged by the National Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund to remain in the closet until 2013. The Keystone Student Voice and Washington Blade reported further on this situation in revealing their actions were potentially motivated by a former board member who was running for a Pennsylvania House seat on the explicit platform of being the first openly gay state legislator. If Rep. Mike Fleck came out before the new legislative session began in 2013, he would lose the title. Both now-Rep. Brian Sims and the Victory Fund provided vague public statements to the Washington Blade and neither outright denied that these actions took place.

WIN = PASS Act Backed by an Equally Bi-Partisan 98 Co-Sponsors

The PA Safe Schools Act, HB 156, secured a total of 98 Co-Sponsors in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives – with 49 Republicans and 49 Democrats. The PASS Act is a critically needed anti-bullying bill to strengthen our state’s weak and antiquated safe schools law. This is the most number of co-sponsors on any safe schools bill in state history.

FAIL = Bucks County Schools Fail LGBTQ Employees:
FAIL = Holy Ghost Preparatory Fires Teacher;
FAIL = Central Bucks Denies Equal Employee Benefits

A suburban Philadelphia all-boys Catholic High School terminated the employment of Michael Griffin when he applied for a New Jersey marriage license with his longtime partner. Griffin, who is an alumnus of Holy Ghost, was a very popular teacher at the school. While the administration was aware of his sexual orientation over his 12 year tenure, they deemed his getting married as unacceptable. In response, the petitions were launched and LGBTQ Catholic students across Pennsylvania wrote joint letter to the school in support of Griffin.

Central Bucks School District, centered on Doylestown, initially denied the request of a teacher to include her wife on her school sponsored health care insurance. The teacher had legally wed her wife in Delaware in 2013 – and the district had adopted a nondiscrimination policy inclusive of sexual orientation almost a decade earlier. Many residents of Central Bucks were outraged at the School Board’s decision and spoke out at several meetings. The Board reversed their decision in December and will no offer equality employee benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

WIN = Pittston and Bristol Adopt Local Nondiscrimination Ordinances

The City Council of Pittston, in Luzerne County, unanimously adopted a LGBTQ inclusive local nondiscrimination ordinance on May 28, 2013. As well, the Borough Council of Bristol in Bucks County adopted an inclusive ordinance on September 9, 2013. This now brings the total number of Pennsylvania municipalities with this ordinance to 32, which covers 31% of the state population.

HB 300 and SB 300, the leading LGBTQ nondiscrimination bills in the General Assembly, were introduced in August 2013 and have a record number of co-sponsors – totaling 94 House members and 25 Senate members.

WIN/FAIL = Boy Scouts Accept Gay Youth, Continue Ban on Gay Adult Leaders

The Boy Scouts of America voted on May 23, 2013, to end their controversial policy banning openly gay scouts from the organization. The new resolution reads, “No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.”  Over 60% of the 1,400 delegates in the National Council’s voted to remove the ban. The change will take effect on January 1, 2014. The ban on gay adult leaders is still in effect.

WIN = National Center for Transgender Equality to Hire Pennsylvania Organizer

The National Center for Transgender Equality announced that they will be hiring a trans rights organizer for Pennsylvania, who will start in January 2014. This is the first time Pennsylvania will have a transgender justice-specific organizer on the state level.

WIN = Federal Marriage Equality Suits Filed in Pennsylvania;
WIN = Why Marriage Matters PA Launched

Following the US Supreme Court striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in June, the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the legality of Pennsylvania’s “mini-DOMA.” The 23 plaintiffs sued several parties with state and local governmental agencies, including the Governor and Attorney General. AG Kathleen Kane declined to defend the state in this case in July, and the Governor was replaced as a defendant in the case with the State Secretary of Revenue in the fall. A trial date has been set for June 2014 in the US Circuit Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, located in Harrisburg.

In December 2013, the ACLU of Pennsylvania and the Freedom to Marry joined forces to launch the Why Marriage Matters PA campaign to support education and outreach across the state in anticipation of the trial. Over 100 community organizations across the commonwealth have endorsed the campaign.

Several additonal marriage equality cases were filed in Pennsylvania following the historic Supreme Court decision. One of them involves Montgomery County Register of Wills Bruce Hanes, who began issuing marriage licensees after the federal court issued its ruling. He was eventually barred from doing so by the Commonwealth Court, and those that were already issued are have been considered invalid. However, his case is currently being appealed in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Who We Gained

It was a big year for celebrities coming out, and our already open national icons championing monumental advancements toward justice. Pennsylvania is not shy in being the home state of many famous LGBTQ people. Here are a few who shared with the world who they are in 2013.

Maria Bello
Born and raised in Norristown, Montgomery County, Bello came out as in a relationship with a woman in a powerful editorial published in the New York Times. Maria is an alumna of Archbishop John Carroll High School, in Radnor, and Villanova University – both in Delaware County.

Wentworth Miller
Although he was born in England, the Prison Break star graduated from Quaker Valley Senior High School in Sewickley, PA. He moved to the Pittsburgh suburb for high school and has roots in the state. Wentworth came out in September in the process of refusing to attend an event in Russia due to its harsh anti-LGBTQ laws.

Edie Windsor
(The New York Times)

Edie Windsor
A native Philadelphian, Edie rocked the nation this year with a triumphant victory in the Supreme Court as the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down. She graduated from Girls’ High School and Temple University in Philadelphia, before moving to New York City.

Raven
(MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)

Raven-Symoné
While Raven is technically from Atlanta, Georgia, she spent her childhood portraying Olivia Kendall on the Cosby Show,  whose creator and star, Bill Cosby, is a fierce Philadelphian. Raven recently finished her Broadway debut, starring as Deloris van Cartier in the Sister Act on Broadway, which is set in Philadelphia. After years of speculation and pushing away the media from her personal life, Raven came out without fanfare through Twitter in August.






Jennifer Finney Boylan
Jennifer Finney Boylan, a long-time GLAAD Board Member and transgender rights advocate, was appointed as the Co-Chair of GLAAD this fall. She is one of the first trans people to helm a Board of Directors of a national LGBTQ organization. Boylan was born in raised on the Main Line outside of Philadelphia, and is currently a professor at Colby College in Maine. She is a national bestselling author and regular contributor to several major media outlets including the New York Times.

Who We Lost

We faced another devastating year of violence against LGBTQ Pennsylvanians.

Vigil for Kyra Cordova in 2012
(Justice for Kyra)

In July, we mourned the loss of 31 year old Diamond Williams. She was a transwoman who was brutally killed in Philadelphia. Charles Sargent, 43, has been charged for her murder and is in police custody.

During the early morning hours of October 6, 2013, Ben Stoviak was the target of violence outside the Remedy Bar in Pittsburgh. His story was shared across the nation as an upsetting case of street harassment and an example of a hate crime.

There were also multiple assaults this year in the heart of Philadelphia’s Gayborhood. In October, a 29 year old woman was violently raped, beaten, and robbed. In the same week, on the same block of 1200 St. James Street, Nick Forte was severely bashed and robbed outside Voyeur nightclub as he was heading home. Two men, including a former Voyeur employee, have been charged as the assailants.

The Keystone Student Voice wishes you a fantastic New Years,
and a 2014 that advances Pennsylvania toward the justice of all.

The ACLU of Pennsylvania has launched a major statewide education campaign to support marriage equality today. Why Marriage Matters Pennsylvania will be a grassroots effort to generate awareness and support for equal relationship recognition for same-sex couples across the commonwealth.

Two press conference took place today – one this morning in the City-County Building in Pittsburgh, and the other in Philadelphia City Hall. Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Bill Peduto and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter spoke at their city’s respective launch events. Each press conference also had plaintiffs in Whitewood v. Wolf and representatives from the Freedom to Marry as featured speakers. PSEC had student representatives present at both media events.

The campaign describes itself on their website as a “grassroots public education campaign to build support for the freedom to marry in Pennsylvania. This campaign is about sharing stories and fostering conversation – showing that every gay and lesbian person is a part of someone’s family and should be treated with compassion and respect.”

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, center, discusses the case with Whitewood plaintiffs Dara and Helena and their newborn baby. Reggie Shuford (at right), ACLU of PA Executive Director, and Shawn Werner of the Freedom to Marry (at left), stand at the podium. (Credit: KSV)

With the Whitewood trial start date now set for June 9, 2014 in Harrisburg, the ACLU is undertaking the important effort to build large-scale buy-in of support from Pennsylvanians. Advocates know that legal equality is only part of the equation toward justice realized – the culture of our state must also be pushed forward socially to be more affirming for same-sex couples. These types of campaigns can be very helpful at defusing opposition which, if not engaged, could become a significant barrier for Pennsylvanians supporting a decision which strikes down our state version of DOMA. 

Since Whitewood was first introduced in Federal Court in July,  a slew of other cases since filed in state and federal courts for marriage equality in Pennsylvania.

Why Marriage Matters campaigns have been started by the ACLU, at times partnering with other organizations such as the Freedom to Marry, in several other states including Ohio, New Mexico, and Arizona.

To get involved with the campaign, please visit the Why Marriage Matters Pennsylvania website, follow the campaign on their Facebook page, or contact the campaign using this online form.

The following organizations have endorsed marriage equality for Pennsylvania with the campaign:

Why Marriage Matters PA Campaign Coordinator Melissa Morris speaks at the Pittsburgh press event. At right, Mayor-elect Bill Peduto looks on. (Credit: ACLU of PA)

ACLU/ACLU of Pennsylvania
Freedom to Marry
ActionAIDS
AIDS Fund
AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania
Alder Health Services
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
Attic Youth Center
Bike Pittsburgh
Delaware Valley Americans United
Delaware Valley Legacy Fund
Dignity Philadelphia
Dreams of Hope (Pittsburgh)
Equality Forum
Equality PA
Erie Gay News
First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh
Freethought Society
GALAEI
Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller
HIAS Pennsylvania
Hispanic Bar Association
Keystone Progress
LGBT Center of Central PA
LGBT Community Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania
Marriage Equality for Pennsylvania
Mazzoni Center
NEPA Rainbow Alliance, Inc.
New Hope Celebrates, Inc.
NWPA Pride Alliance
Pennsylvania Diversity Network
Pennsylvania Nonbelievers
Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition
PERSAD (HEALTH)
PFLAG New Castle
PFLAG of Erie & Crawford Counties
PFLAG Philadelphia
Philadelphia Coalition of Reason
Philadelphia Family Pride
Prevention Point Philadelphia
Reconciling United Methodists of Eastern Pennsylvania
SeniorLAW Center
Support Center for Child Advocates
The Summit
TransFamily of Erie
Unity Fellowship of Christ Church Philadelphia
United Steelworkers International Union (USW)
William Way LGBT Community Center
Women’s Law Project

[As of December 11, 2014]

The Pennsylvania Safe Schools (PASS) Act is closer than ever to moving in the House of Representatives. Through the work of PSEC student leaders on the ground in Harrisburg, we now have an equally bipartisan coalition of 98 co-sponsors on the bill. That’s a historic number of 49 Republicans and 49 Democrats coming forward in support of all Pennsylvania students against school bullying. But we not there yet.

Please Contact Your State Representative to Support the PASS Act!

This morning we are launching a brand new online tool for you to easily contact your State Representative. On the PASS Act website, you can select your county and municipality from a drop down menu that will bring up a picture of your legislator which is linked to a contact form. Each State Representative has a letter already drafted depending on the legislator’s status as a co-sponsor or someone we are asking for support.

With your help, we can pass the 102nd co-sponsor mark and achieve our goal of securing half the House of Representatives as PASS Act supporters.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives will reconvene in Harrisburg this afternoon. Please ask your friends and family to also contact their legislator by sharing a link to the PASS Act website with them. Let’s show our legislators all the support we can for this critical legislation.

Too many students have and will continue to suffer from our state’s vague and antiquated safe schools law. The time is now for the General Assembly to adopt the PASS Act.