(The following information was provided by the office of state Rep. Todd Stephens.)
The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Todd Stephens on Friday (R-Montgomery) to end the criminality of “homosexual” acts in the Pennsylvania Crimes Code. The bill already passed the House unanimously and was sent to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature.
“This was a long time coming—too long,” Stephens said. “No one in the LGBTQ community should be made a criminal because of who they love. Yet, even as we reformed our marriage laws, our statutes remained stuck in the past. I’m thrilled this passed unanimously in both chambers and will be signed into law.”
House Bill 2125 removes references to the term “homosexuality” within definitions of prohibited sexual acts in the state’s crimes code.
In addition to removing references to “homosexuality,” House Bill 2125 amends the definitions of “sexual activity” and “sexual conduct” by removing surplus language to remove certain ambiguities in the current statute.
"We are proud to have supported Rep. Stephens in this effort to correct a grave wrong under our law — especially at a time when many LGBTQ Pennsylvanians feel they face an uncertain future,” said Preston Heldibridle, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress. “However, there is much more work to be done to make our commonwealth safe and welcoming for all. Now that the general assembly has agreed — unanimously in both chambers — that LGBTQ Pennsylvanians are not obscene, they must take the next step to ensure equal dignity under the law by passing LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination protections."
“Love should never be illegal,” Stephens said.
