Towns fill Pa. void on gay rights

Councilman Don Berk, the law's leading proponent, responded: "I'm hard-pressed to think of where I would rather spend my money other than fighting discrimination."

Not everyone agrees.

In June, Lancaster County Commissioner Scott Martin proposed dismantling the county's $500,000-a-year Human Relations Commission after activists began demanding that LGBT rights be added to its purview.

Martin said he had acted after discovering that the county's commission duplicated many of the roles of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. "Tight budget times" demanded letting the state handle the complaints, he said.

As for adding LGBT rights to the county's laws, Martin said that "would not be initiated by me. That's not an issue that I support."

Philadelphia was the first to pass a local LGBT ordinance in 1982; many others popped up after a 2005 Commonwealth Court opinion that affirmed the right of local governments to enact such laws.

Most ordinances tend to pass in "pretty accepting areas," but that doesn't water down their importance, Goodman said.

"Preventing cases and addressing them sends the message that we value you, you're a part of this community, we will stand with you, we will not tolerate homophobia," Goodman said, "just like we will not tolerate racism or any other form of discrimination."

Contact staff writer Julia Terruso at 610-313-8110 or jterruso@phillynews.com.

Inquirer staff writer Larry King contributed to this article.