Lawsuit aims to strike down LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections in PennsylvaniaThe lawsuit comes amid a debate in Pennsylvania and nationally over the rights of transgender high school athletes to compete in women's sports.
Link to Full ArticleNBC News / Source: The Associated Press
March 7, 2025, 7:57 AM MST
Two public school districts and several parents have sued the state in a bid to undo anti-discrimination protections for gay and transgender people in Pennsylvania, saying that the two-year-old regulation is illegal because it goes beyond what lawmakers intended or allowed.
The lawsuit, filed in the statewide Commonwealth Court late Thursday, comes amid a debate in Pennsylvania and nationally over the rights of transgender high school athletes to compete in women's sports.
If the lawsuit is successful, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission would no longer be able to investigate complaints about discrimination involving sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The plaintiffs' lawyers also say a favorable ruling in court would bar transgender student athletes from competing in women's high school sports in Pennsylvania.
The lawsuit names Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, which investigates complaints about discrimination because of someone's race, sex, religion, age or disability in housing, employment and public accommodations.
The lawsuit is aimed at the definition of sex discrimination that the commission expanded by regulation to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.-------------------------
Slowly, the states we thought were safe are beginning to buckle. Hopefully, the courts will support anti-discrimination in all its forms.
