LGBT Response to the Recent PA Elections. What Can You Do?

My guest for this show is Ted Martin, Executive Director for Equality PA, a statewide non-profit working for LGBT Equality in Pennsylvania. Having Ted on as a guest will become a monthly feature, so you can look for us to chat about once a month. In this show, Ted will update everyone on what EQPA has been up to and what they feel are the next steps forward in any efforts for Equality legislation in Pennsylvania. Ted became executive director earlier this year, and he is proving to be a sound leader and a real asset for these advocacy efforts here. About Equality PA: Our central goal is to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pennsylvanians through education and policy and legislative reform. More than a decade ago, Equality Pennsylvania was a volunteer-based organization. Today, we have full-time and part-time staff, more than a dozen policy interns each year, and many, many dedicated volunteers. - Did you know that in most parts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania it is perfectly legal to be fired on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression? - In only 17 of the state’s nearly 2,500 municipalities are anti-discrimination laws in effect to protect LGBT Pennsylvanians - Further, there is currently no legal recourse for LGBT employees who are sexually harassed at work because of their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in most of the state. - And of course, it is still illegal for same-sex couples in Pennsylvania to marry, denying them the state benefits of marriage Since our founding, Equality Pennsylvania has worked to provide support and leadership to LGBT citizens living throughout the Commonwealth. Our educational and outreach activities have reached thousands of people, and we are working to change the LGBT civil rights landscape of Pennsylvania. You can find them on the web at www.equalitypa.org