Aspinwall eyes human rights ordinance to bolster equality

Aug. 31—Aspinwall is drafting a Human Rights ordinance to help thwart discrimination in the borough.

On the heels of Etna and Sharpsburg approving similar bills, Aspinwall junior councilperson Lydia Turnquist is helping to compose the ordinance to protect against bias based on race, color, religion, marital status, disability and other identifiers.

"Some on council felt that although Aspinwall is a welcoming neighborhood, we could lend a hand to our LGBTQ+ community," Turnquist said.

The goal is to create a Human Rights commission of five voting members and a nonvoting council person.

The commission will address complaints and mediate problems.

Borough Manager Melissa Lang-O'Malley said council is at the early phase of discussions.

"Council has been presented with a proposed ordinance but the specifics of selecting a committee haven't been discussed," she said. "I imagine it will be a mix of council and community members like what other municipalities have done."

Council meets next Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.

In Etna, council last year approved an anti-discrimination ordinance to support marginalized residents. The effort was spearheaded by new council member Jessica Semler, who said representation matters.

Strides by local governments follow those across the country that are taking action in the absence of federal or state protections, Turnquist said.

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.

In 2020, 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 such as 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.

Creating a local ordinance, Turnquist said, is about living up to the motto of welcoming everyone and supporting all.

"Making sure that all of Aspinwall has equal access to housing, employment and public accommodations is the primary focus," she said.

Tawnya Panizzi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tawnya at 724-226-7726, tpanizzi@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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