candidate questionnaires

Below are Keystone Equality’s 2024 questionnaires on LGBTQ+ issues and legislation for candidates. Click here for information on legislation.

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CANDIDATES FOR PA STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND PA STATE SENATORS

  1. Did you vote in favor of the Fairness Act, or if you are not an incumbent do you support adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics in Pennsylvania’s non-discrimination Civil Rights Act?

  2. Do you support legislation that would ban the practice of conversion therapy for minors in Pennsylvania?

  3. Do you support adding sexual orientation and gender identity and expression to Pennsylvania's hate crimes law and strengthening penalties for those who commit hate crimes?

  4. Do you support efforts to modernize and simplify the process for legal name changes, including the removal of the requirement that name changes be advertised in local newspapers or law journals?

  5. Do you oppose efforts to prevent transgender students from participating in all publicly sanctioned or funded school athletic programs according to their gender identity?

  6. Do you oppose extending the statute of limitations under which a person could file a civil claim related to gender affirming care, which could cause providers to leave the state in response to higher insurance premiums?

  7. Do you oppose efforts at the state or school district level to restrict curricula, ban books, or curtail other age appropriate educational materials, or individual expression of the instructor, because of LGBTQ+ content?

  8. Do you support prohibiting the LGBTQ+ panic defense in legal proceedings in Pennsylvania? LGBTQ+ panic defense means that the discovery or perception that a person is LGBTQ+ is permitted as a justification for physical violence or murder in a court of law. 

  9. Do you oppose increasing criminal penalties for people who are HIV positive, when those who are not HIV positive would not be subject to those increased penalties for the same offense? 

  10. Do you support guaranteeing the right of LGBTQ+ parents to seek and retain custody of their children, including foster and adopted children, without bias based on that parent's LGBTQ+ status? 

  11. Do you support equal rights for legally married same sex/gender couples as those granted to legally married opposite sex/gender couples?

  12. Are you a member of the bicameral Pennsylvania LGBT Equality Caucus which is an organization of sitting members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly who are in favor of equality and in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pennsylvanians' Civil Rights?

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CANDIDATES FOR UNITED STATES SENATE AND CONGRESS

  1. Would you vote for the Equality Act or similar legislation? This bill would prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the judicial system. 

  2. Would you vote for Sen. Casey’s Safe Schools Improvement Act which requires schools and districts receiving federal funding to specifically prohibit bullying and harassment based on a student's actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics), disability, or religion?

  3. Would you vote for Rep. Scanlon’s Do No Harm Act which would protect religious freedom but ensure no one could use their religion to deny others access to health care, government funded services, and protections under the Civil Rights Act?

  4. Would you be against legislation similar to the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, that aims to prohibit school athletic programs from allowing transgender people to participate in programs for women or girls? 

  5. Would you vote against legislation similar to Speaker Mike Johnson’s Stop the Sexualization of Children Act of 2022 which has been called a federal "Don't Say Gay" law, which would ban any acknowledgement of transgender children in school programs for children under ten, by pulling federal funding?

  6. Did you vote for, or would you have voted for, the Respect for Marriage Act, which continues the recognition and rights of legal same-sex marriages in the United States?

  7. Would you vote for legislation banning the practice and advertising of conversion therapy (also known as “reparative therapy”), like the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2021?  Conversion therapy (often erroneously called reparative therapy) is a harmful practice whereby LGBTQ+ people are subjected to mental and physical torture or punishment designed to force someone to stop being LGBTQ+.

  8. Would you vote for legislation to require all private and public insurance plans to cover prescription drugs that prevent HIV and services related to HIV prevention, with no out-of-pocket costs for patients? 

  9. Would you oppose critical appropriations bills required to fund the government if they include riders limiting access to gender-affirming care? 

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CANDIDATES FOR STATE-WIDE OFFICE

  1. Will you adopt a non discrimination policy inclusive of LGBTQ+ people for your offices and will you ensure that employees in your offices are trained to appropriately work with LGBTQ+ coworkers and constituents?

  2. Will you advocate for, speak in favor of, and support the inclusion of sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression in state and municipal civil rights laws?

  3. Will you advocate for, speak in favor of, and support hate crime laws that include LGBTQ+ people and will you advocate for strengthening and passing legislation that further protects LGBTQ+ people from hate crimes?

  4. Will you engage with LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and community organizations to better understand and address the needs of LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians?  

  5. Will you advocate for, speak in favor of, and support policies that protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination and bullying in K-12 schools and colleges, including the rights of transgender students to participate in programs and access resources and facilities in line with their gender identity?

  6. Will you advocate for, speak in favor of, and support policies to ensure LGBTQ+ people receive competent and non-discriminatory health care services, including gender-affirming care? 

  7. Will you support divestment from companies that have discriminatory practices or policies against LGBTQ+ people?

  8. Will you advocate for, speak in favor of, and support legal action against organizations and businesses who discriminate against LGBTQ+ people in employment, housing, healthcare, education, and public accommodations?

  9. Will you use your office to act against discrimination, and work for fairness regarding LGBTQ+ equality and equity, including the recognition of LGBTQ+ people's relationships and equal marriage rights?

  10. Are you a member of the bicameral Pennsylvania LGBT Equality Caucus which is an organization of sitting members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly who are in favor of equality and in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pennsylvanians' Civil Rights?