Is Stephen Glassman Representing the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission at the ACLU Conference?

A news release from American Family Association of Pennsylvania dated Mar 6, 2007:

With Stephen Glassman’s involvement with a homosexual rights Get Busy, Get Equal Conference on Saturday, the American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA) once again questions his authority to speak in his official capacity as the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC). The AFA of PA asks Governor Rendell to review Mr. Glassman’s involvement in not only this conference, but his meeting with those who opposed last year’s Marriage Protection Amendment and his efforts to get municipalities to add ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ to their human relations ordinances.

The PHRC has the responsibility of administering and enforcing the PA Human Relations Act (PHRA) and the PA Fair Educational Opportunities Act (PFEOA). These acts prohibit discrimination because of race, color, religion, ancestry, age (40 and above), sex, national origin, non-job related disability, known association with a disabled individual, possession of a diploma based on passing a general education development test and familial status.

“Stephen Glassman has a personal agenda and he has become more aggressive in recent years. He is continually pushing for the addition of ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ to human relations ordinances on the local level and beyond. Those terms are not part of the mission of the PHRC,” noted Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA, a statewide traditional values group.

Some of Mr. Glassman’s disturbing statements from Saturday’s conference and clearly not representing the majority of Pennsylvanians include:

1. “Marriage is the only real protection” for same-sex partners that would be legally recognized in all states.
2. The priority for the movement now should be amending Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Act to include protections against discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations because of sexual orientation and gender identity. “We do believe we have this unique opportunity to get it passed.”

Adding ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ to ordinances give special protection to a group of people simply because of their lifestyle choices. Homosexuality and transgenderism are not inherent traits such as skin color which historically have been part the civil rights movement. Homosexual activists are trying to hijack this movement and increasingly black leaders are objecting.

“If the changes Glassman wants are made to the PA Human Relations Act, the Boy Scouts would be discriminated against because of their prohibition of homosexual leaders, churches would be forced to hire homosexuals and transsexuals even though this would be against their deeply held religious beliefs,” further stated Gramley.

In the February 4, 2004 issue of the Scranton Times News Gramley stated, “The ordinance would force organizations like the Boy Scouts to admit gays contrary to their policies if the groups used city buildings or received city funding.”

Glassman said in the same issue that Gramley’s interpretation is correct on how the ordinance could affect groups like the Boy Scouts.

“Additionally, it was very disturbing that Mr. Glassman would call the hate crimes law passed in the Republican-controlled legislature in 2002 and signed by Republican Governor Mark Schweiker a ‘national model.’ Apparently, Glassman did not hear of the eleven Christians who were arrested in Philadelphia in 2004 and charged with a hate crime for reading Scripture and singing choruses at a homosexual event. A very pressing question is whether this is Glassman’s vision for Pennsylvania and for those with deeply held religious beliefs that homosexual acts are sinful,” Gramley concluded.