HARRISBURG, February 14, 2011 – State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Delaware/Montgomery) today held a press conference in Harrisburg to celebrate LGBT Freedom Week and to push for the passage of equality legislation.
Sen. Leach teamed up with advocates and other lawmakers to support the LGBT equality movement and to announce the reintroduction of his Marriage Equality bill, Senate Bill 461. Rep. Mark Cohen (D-Philadelphia) joined the group to unveil details of a Civil Union bill he plans to introduce in the House of Representatives.
“Though the Marriage Equality bill didn’t make it through the legislative process last session, many other states have enacted similar measures in recent months, indicating that the tide is turning in our country,” Leach said. “There is no doubt in my mind that Pennsylvania will join the growing group of marriage equality supporters, but will we lend our support to the movement sooner or later? The sooner we act the sooner thousands of LGBT Pennsylvanians will be granted the same basic rights as every other citizen in our Commonwealth.”
S.B. 461 would allow Pennsylvania to offer full and equal marriage rights to same-sex couples in the Commonwealth and recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states. The bill would not require religious institutions to perform any marriage ceremonies or recognize any marriages that they do not wish to sanction, but Leach said his legislation would dissolve all of the barriers to building families that gay and lesbian couples currently face.
During his remarks, Cohen noted that his priority is to grant meaningful rights and recommendations in the LGBT community within a reasonable period of time.
“I am pleased to be here with Sen. Daylin Leach and other committed to the advancement of human rights for all of Pennsylvania. Sen. Leach deserves great praise for his courage in bringing the issue of marriage equality to the forefront. I look forward to working with people around the state who support moving forward in this legislative session for greater human rights for committed couples in the GLBT community,” he said.
Also participating in the event were Sens. Jim Ferlo (D-Allegheny) and Larry Farnese (D-Philadelphia); Reps. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny), Mike O’Brien (D-Philadelphia) and Eugene DePasquale (D-York); Ted Martin, Executive Director of Equality Pennsylvania; Rev. Pastor Larry Hawkins of St. Michael's Lutheran Church in Harrisburg; Marc Stier, Executive Director of Penn Action; Alanna Berger, Executive Director of Silent Witness; and other supporters of the LGBT equality movement.
The press conference kicked off the LGBT Freedom Week events today and supporters will continue their work throughout the rest of the week in Harrisburg. The group will lobby legislators for the passage of marriage equality bills, circulate petitions and hold a rally tonight at the Dauphin County courthouse. More information about this week’s events can be found by visiting http://freedomtomarrypa.org/.
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