Current Action Alert ( sign up to receive AFA of PA Action Alerts
Education
Issues
Homosexual
Agenda
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 12, 2003
CONTACT: Diane Gramley 1.814.271.9078
TRADITIONAL VALUES GROUP AGAIN WARNS ALLENTOWN OF DANGERS IN ORDINANCE CHANGES
(Allentown, PA) – Today a traditional values group again warned the City of Allentown of the negative affects its amendment changes will have on the city residents and businesses. Last year Allentown amended its Human Relations Ordinance to include “sexual orientation: and “gender identity” as protected classes. The recent reinstatement of a corrections officer at the Carbon County Prison is being viewed by transgender activists as a victory for the 14-month-old amendment to the Allentown Human Relations Ordinance.
In a press release dated May 31, 2003 the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition stated,” Although the incident occurred a county away, this may have been the first victory for Allentown’s nondiscrimination law.”
“Citizens in Allentown tried to address this issue last summer by circulating petitions to have a referendum question placed on the November ballot giving all voters an opportunity to voice their opinion on these changes. Homosexual activists did not want voters to be given that chance and mounted an all-out effort to see the effort was brought to a halt. Now we see how this ordinance has been used by the Teamsters Union Local 773 to reinstate a transgender prison guard,” said Diane Gramley, director of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania.
Council members David Bausch and Louis Hershman’s decision to oppose the amendment has proven correct. “The Council, as a whole, does not support the average resident of Allentown. But now it has shown that Council’s endorsement of this ordinance goes beyond Allentown to surrounding counties as well. This is a message to all those who do business with companies and organizations based in Allentown: Your business dealings will be directly affected by the addition of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to Allentown’s Human Relations Ordinance,” Gramley continued.
Because of that decision last summer to squelch the efforts of petition circulators, Carbon County Prison now has a man dressed as a woman for a corrections officer. The obvious questions posed here are strip searches, restroom and locker room situations. News accounts state that this individual will not be permitted to do strip searches, but there are still the other issues.
“Again this should be a wake-up call to all those who do business with the City of Allentown and all companies that are headquartered in Allentown. Through the use of this ordinance, you will also be forced to allow men who dress as women to come to work each day. Your employees may also be subjected to sensitivity training as is proposed by the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition for the employees of Teamsters Union local 773. The logical conclusion to this ordinance, as the Council was warned last year, is to also permit men to use the women’s restroom, showers in the work place and locker rooms. This amendment to Allentown’s Human Relations Ordinance will have a long-term adverse effect on the city and all its residents and businesses. For the well-being of the residents, we again urge the Allentown City Council to reconsider the amendment,” Gramley concluded.
# # #
Copyright 2002-2007 American Family Association of PA