Tell Hatboro's mayor that LGBT discrimination is not okay!
The Issue
If there's one upside to the media attention that gay youth suicides have received in 2010, it is that many new anti-discrimination laws have been popping up in the United States and beyond. Hatboro, a suburb of Philadelphia, was set to invoke one such measure. That is, until the mayor vetoed the ordinance. Insert sigh here.
Hatboro Mayor Norm Hawkes doesn't seem to care much about discrimination. He vetoed a measure earlier this week that would have set up a commission to examine prejudice claims in the borough. Since there is no state law protecting LGBT citizens, the measure would have been extra important in assuring the protection of the queer community against bias and hate crimes. State law protects against discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity and religion.
"I don't feel anyone should be discriminated against anyplace or anywhere," Hawkes says. "But I think this is much better handled on a state vs. local level."
That's good and well, of course, but the local level is the the one that Hawkes can control. And other municipalities do not seem to have the same hang-ups. Seventeen municipalities across Pennsylvania have enacted ordinances prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of housing, employment, and public accommodations. Eleven more have ordinances pending. So, yes, it might be better to enact a state law, but that does not seem to be stopping other mayors from being complacent.
Then again, is complacent the right word? Hawkes seems to have gone out of his way to strike down this measure. The ordinance was approved last month in a 4-3 vote. It would have created a human relations board made up of volunteers that would hear possible discrimination claims. If the board found discrimination occurred, the findings would then be able to be used as evidence in court cases. Hawkes claims that the volunteers could open citizens up to legal liabilities.
The council reconvenes next week. And we need to send the message loud and clear. Sign the petition and let Mayor Hawkes know that discrimination is not okay - on the state level or in his own neighborhood.
The Issue
If there's one upside to the media attention that gay youth suicides have received in 2010, it is that many new anti-discrimination laws have been popping up in the United States and beyond. Hatboro, a suburb of Philadelphia, was set to invoke one such measure. That is, until the mayor vetoed the ordinance. Insert sigh here.
Hatboro Mayor Norm Hawkes doesn't seem to care much about discrimination. He vetoed a measure earlier this week that would have set up a commission to examine prejudice claims in the borough. Since there is no state law protecting LGBT citizens, the measure would have been extra important in assuring the protection of the queer community against bias and hate crimes. State law protects against discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity and religion.
"I don't feel anyone should be discriminated against anyplace or anywhere," Hawkes says. "But I think this is much better handled on a state vs. local level."
That's good and well, of course, but the local level is the the one that Hawkes can control. And other municipalities do not seem to have the same hang-ups. Seventeen municipalities across Pennsylvania have enacted ordinances prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of housing, employment, and public accommodations. Eleven more have ordinances pending. So, yes, it might be better to enact a state law, but that does not seem to be stopping other mayors from being complacent.
Then again, is complacent the right word? Hawkes seems to have gone out of his way to strike down this measure. The ordinance was approved last month in a 4-3 vote. It would have created a human relations board made up of volunteers that would hear possible discrimination claims. If the board found discrimination occurred, the findings would then be able to be used as evidence in court cases. Hawkes claims that the volunteers could open citizens up to legal liabilities.
The council reconvenes next week. And we need to send the message loud and clear. Sign the petition and let Mayor Hawkes know that discrimination is not okay - on the state level or in his own neighborhood.
The Decision Makers
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on December 8, 2010