Etna approves non-discrimination ordinance to protect from bias in housing, jobs

Just after being elected to Etna council in 2019, Jessica Semler introduced an anti-discrimination ordinance to support marginalized residents.

“I ran for council as an openly queer woman because representation matters,” Semler said.

The ordinance prohibits bias based on race, sexual orientation, family status, age and other identifiers. It follows a movement by many local municipalities that are taking action in the absence of federal or state protections.

There are 21 states and at least 310 municipalities across the country that secure equal rights to LGBTQ people for housing, jobs and public accommodations, according to the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), a data analysis group.

Etna council approved its legislation in November by a vote of 8-1, with Bill O’Dell dissenting.

O’Dell was not immediately able to be reached for comment.

“We want all who live and work in our community to know that Etna truly is for everyone,” manager Mary Ellen Ramage said. “We want all to know this is a welcoming community that cares for all of its residents and people who work and play here as well.”

Earlier this week, Pittsburgh was ranked among the top 94 cities across the country on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2020 index ranking on LGBTQ inclusion.

The 2020 Municipal Equality Index Scorecard evaluated 506 cities on how inclusive they are for members of the LGBTQ community, with scores for things like whether transgender and domestic partner health care benefits are provided for city employees, LGBTQ services available for residents and if members of the community serve in leadership positions.

Across Pennsylvania, only 34% of the population is protected by local ordinances from discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender identity, according to the MAP website.

Semler said that’s why it’s vital for local governments to step up.

“One of our slogans on posters around town states ‘Etna is for Everyone,’” she said.

“Creating this ordinance is a statement about living up to our stated values and continuing to be leaders as we strive for equity.”

Semler credited council president Pete Ramage for early support in creating the new ordinance and thanked her “far more experienced” fellow council members for making it the best it could be.

Highlights of the ordinance include protection of residents based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, and other classes not currently protected under state law; the creation of an Etna Human Relations Commission (HRC) to work in concert with the state’s HRC to handle complaints of discrimination; and potential community education on LGBTQ issues.

“One of my hopes in bringing up these issues, whether or not the ordinance passed, was to create conversations that might not happen otherwise,” Semler said.

Already, friends in five other municipalities have reached out to ask how they might start to study a local ordinance.

“A woman commented to me that she is glad that she moved to Etna because she feels seen,” Semler said. “That sums up exactly why we did this.”