Life Outside Erie

by Jake Kaskey

After the amazingly successful House State Government Hearings on House Bill 1400 in Erie, you might be asking what else is left to do? Just about every Erie State Representative is on board as a co-sponsor, weÂ’ve held hearings, and the community has come out in large numbers in support of this important bill.

So the work is done, right? If you look at northwestern Pennsylvania outside Erie County, very few House members are currently supporting the non-discrimination bill. Throughout Warren, Venango, Mercer, Forest, Clarion, and Crawford counties, we have very little support. Although there are many members of the LGBT and allied community living in these counties, their representatives have yet to hear from them about the importance of this bill.

We all have friends who live outside the city. Take a moment to call them, ask them to write their legislator, or give them a call. Without members of our community stepping up and letting their representatives know there are people in their districts who support this important bill, we will never have their support.

To find out who your legislator is, and what their contact information is, please visit http://www.equalitypa.org.

For more information on the hearing on this legislation that was held in Erie, see the article.