LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus: Committed to Protecting Transgender Pennsylvanians
LGBTQ Equality Caucus January 28, 2025 | 3:13 PM
HARRISBURG, Jan. 28 – In response to President Donald Trump’s executive orders and statements on gender identity, members of the PA House LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus released the following statement today:
“As we return to Harrisburg this week to continue our work on behalf of Pennsylvanians, we recognize that across the nation, the ground has shifted under the feet of transgender people in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive orders and speeches, which denied their very existence.
“These actions are hateful, ignorant, and dangerous—they threaten to unravel decades of progress our society has made toward fairness and equality. Gender identity and expression cannot be delegitimized by the stroke of a pen. Attempts to do so are shameful.
“President Trump's actions indicate he has made a serious commitment to stripping away protections and freedoms for transgender Americans.
“In 2023, the PA House passed the Fairness Act, aimed at strengthening protections for LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians from discrimination. Sadly, the PA Senate did not pass the bill, and it never reached Governor Shapiro's desk.
“With the Trump administration launching attacks on transgender rights on day one, we recognize the immediate need to safeguard transgender individuals within the borders of our great commonwealth. Our caucus is committed to exploring and exhausting all legislative avenues—through the Fairness Act and beyond—to accomplish that critical goal.”
This statement can be attributed to LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus co-chairs Reps. Jessica Benham and Izzy Smith-Wade-El, and Reps. Andre Carroll, Malcolm Kenyatta, La’Tasha D. Mayes, Abigail Salisbury and Greg Scott.