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This in from the ACLU of Pennsylvania:
The Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee today voted against legislation to amend the state constitution to ban same sex marriage. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania hailed the vote as a victory for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in the commonwealth.“The efforts to embed discrimination against LGBT people into our constitution have failed for a third time,” said Andy Hoover, legislative director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, citing failed attempts to pass similar legislation in 2006 and 2008. ”This committee today recognized that LGBT people are our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends, and our family members and that they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Senate Bill 707, introduced by Senator John Eichelberger of Blair County, was tabled by an 8-6, bipartisan vote of the committee. Although Senate rules allow the bill to be considered again at any time, Hoover noted that it is unlikely that the bill will be brought up before the end of the 2010 legislative session.
“This vote today spoke loud and clear,” Hoover said. ”Members want to move on and address truly pressing issues for the people of Pennsylvania.”
Committee members who voted for the motion to table SB 707 included Republicans Pat Browne, Jane Earll, and Mary Jo White and Democrats Daylin Leach, Lisa Boscola, Wayne Fontana, Michael Stack, and Jay Costa.
9 Comments
Before we delude ourselves….
Be honest: If the vote had been 8-6 the other way, would we accept mouthpiece-ery from the Alliance Defense Fund proclaiming that such a voute spoke ‘loud and clear’ that ‘the protection of traditional marriage is the key issue of our day’?
It was a favorable – but narrow – vote in one committee of a legislature that has yet to pass LGB(T) civil rights and was only able to pass LGBT hate crimes legislation via procedural trickery that the state’s supreme court invalidated.
A national republican sweep is in the offing. I’m not from PA, but I suspect 2011 will be different there – as it will be in most states.
New Here…I joined just to say this: occasionally PA shows sense. Rarely.
Good for us in this case! It’s too bad the pro-gay marriage amendment died in committee, but at least this died too.
KatRose, I agree. This was hardly resounding, it was a squeaker and I’ve been attached to the news all day waiting. At least no miscarriage of justice happened. So far.
Too closeand after the elections in November, I am sure that the senator will be back with his Cross in hs hand yet again.
And Pa will finally pass that vile bill,
My husband is from the Wilkes-Barre area of PA and he has told me some hair raising stories about the folks in PA. I told him that TN, where my relatives live, isn’t much better on civil rights issues and that’s why I prefer to live in DC if I have to live in the U.S.
Actually,the bill was expected to pass the Republican-controlled state Senate but stall in the House, which means the forces of bigotry lost fertile ground and it’s a resounding FAIL for them.
But one ofthe most popular bars in the W-B area, for decades, was Vispies. It had the best sound system, light show and decor, was decorated to the max for every holiday and everyone knew it was a gay bar. So actually, it was mixed most of the time and never any real problems. According to my parents this goes back to the sixties or earlier.
It stopped in judiciary last timeprimarily due to Senator Earll arguing that there was no need for such an amendment in pa
No, it passed the Judiciary Committee last timeThey’re losing ground with each attempt to amend the PA Constitution.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg…
4 vote switchIn 2008, the vote in the same committee, with all the same members but one, voted for a broader version of this bill, 10-4. That’s a 4 vote switch in two years with a marriage-only bill. I’ll stick with “loud and clear.”