With Unanimous Vote, Pittsburgh Moves To Shield LGBTQ Rights
As national rhetoric hardens, Pittsburgh takes local action to ensure LGBTQ residents remain safe, supported, and protected by law.
In a unanimous vote, the Pittsburgh City Council passed three new bills on Tuesday that collectively expand protections for LGBTQ residents, addressing discrimination in health care, potential federal rollbacks of queer rights, and the criminalization of sex work. Councilmember Barb Warwick, who introduced the legislation in June, described the measures as part of a broader effort to affirm that Pittsburgh is a city where LGBTQ people are supported.
“These are things that make Pittsburgh safer and really help protect our most vulnerable,” Warwick said during a recent council session, according to WESA.
One of the new ordinances instructs the city to de-prioritize enforcement of any future federal or state law that would criminalize or restrict LGBTQ identity or expression. If a higher government were to ban participation in drag shows, restrict restroom access based on gender identity, or make it illegal to display pride flags, Pittsburgh officials would be directed to look the other way.
Related: Police Raided A Pittsburgh Queer Bar For “Surprise Inspection”
“Whether it’s proactively making sure that we are not criminalizing being trans… or not being discriminated against by our largest medical providers,” Warwick said, “these are all good things, right?”
A second bill directly targets medical discrimination. It prohibits health care providers from denying elective procedures based on a person’s actual or perceived gender identity. This includes gender-affirming care such as hormone therapy or surgeries, which remain legal but are increasingly under attack.
If a patient is denied care they would otherwise be eligible for, they can now report the provider to the city’s Commission on Human Relations.
The third bill reduces the penalty for engaging in sex work, giving police the option of charging it as a summary offense instead of a misdemeanor.
Related: The State Of Queer America: Where Do We Go From Here?
Warwick acknowledged the limitations of city authority on this issue, saying, “I would love if we could legalize consensual sex work but we cannot in the city. That would be a state issue. This is just about the penalty, very similar to the change in penalty for cannabis possession.”
Still, the change is meaningful. People arrested for sex work often face long-term consequences, including barriers to housing, employment, and custody. Reducing the penalty won’t fix those systemic problems, but it may give more people a path forward.
“This ordinance is a vital step to protecting our community,” said Theresa Nightingale of the Pittsburgh Coalition for Safer Sex Work. She believes the change will make it easier for sex workers to report crimes without fearing additional punishment.
The council passed the bills with little debate.
