Gotta Have Faith

Joe Solmonese (courtesy of HRC)

With an eye on the upcoming elections next month, Equality PA, an LGBT advocacy organization, and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization, are joining to support the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) at the federal level, as well as statewide issues impacting gays and lesbians throughout the Commonwealth.

“Equality PA clearly knows its mission and has recently undergone significant changes aimed at making it a truly effective state LGBT civil rights organization,” explains Joe Solmonese, HRC’s president. “We recognize the importance of those changes and we look forward to working with them to make equality a reality in Pennsylvania.”

Both groups are working together to target six congressional districts, more than 50 house districts and 25 state senate districts to gain support for employment protection on behalf of LGBT people. The goal is also to elect gay-friendly candidates who oppose any legislation that would hinder equal rights protection and gay marriage.

The advocacy has led both groups to reach out to faith-based communities to gain support. “Our goal remains to represent all of the state’s LGBT community in finding better avenues to equality,” says Brian Sims, Equality PA board president. “We knew from the beginning that this partnership was a perfect way to help us meet the many challenges the organization and our citizens face all the time.”