News Release
For Immediate Release: December 8, 2010
Contact: Diane Gramley 1.814.271.9078 or 1.814.437.5355
Group Commends Hatboro Mayor for Vetoing Homosexual Special Rights Ordinance
(Philadelphia) – The American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA), a statewide traditional values group, commends Hatboro Mayor Norm Hawkes for listening to his constituents and vetoing the so-called ‘anti-discrimination’ ordinance on Monday, December 6th. Ordinance No. 998 passed the Borough Council by a 4-3 vote on November 22nd.
“The Mayor withstood pressure from homosexual activists from across the state and did what was right in truly protecting the residents of the Borough of Hatboro. He was also right in saying that such an ordinance should not be implemented on the local level,” commented Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA.
Stephen Glassman, chairman of the PA Human Relations Commission, has made it quite clear that his efforts in pushing these local ordinances is to place pressure on legislators in Harrisburg to pass a statewide change to the PA Human Relations Act by adding “sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.”
Additionally, Mr. Glassman was disingenuous during the November 22nd borough meeting when he stated that no major repercussions had resulted from the passage of these ordinances in other localities. Apparently he forgot about the 140 Kmart employees at a store in Philadelphia who had to go through sensitivity training when one clerk hesitated to allow a man to use the women’s fitting room to try on an outfit. St. Luke’s hospital in Allentown was sued in 2003 when a podiatrist decided he was really a woman and felt that the hospital had discriminated against him because a contract was not renewed even though he continued working at the hospital.
These in addition to other stories of repercussion were provided by the AFA of PA in an e-mail to each member of the Borough Council on November 18th.
Stephen Glassman on occasion touts better economic pictures for those municipalities which pass these type ordinances. However, has he presented any evidence? Allentown, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Erie are all suffering economic hardships and have for years. So-called “anti-discrimination” ordinances did not help their economic situations.
Things did not bode well for Hatboro as even at the November 22nd meeting one resident complained about green flyers mentioning ‘family values’ being distributing in the borough. He said the ordinance needed passed because ‘these are the people we need to be protected from.’ How was the distribution of that flyer discriminatory? It was not, yet silencing those who view the homosexual lifestyle as sinful is one of the purposes of such ordinances.
“As Borough Council meets on December 14th to consider an override of the Mayor’s veto, we encourage them to listen to their constituents as the Mayor did. The majority of Hatboro residents recognize that there is no need for this ordinance and also recognize that their borough is being used in an effort to validate a dangerous lifestyle choice. The Borough Council needs to uphold the Mayor’s veto and truly protect Hatboro residents” noted Gramley.
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