I have a friend who is a one-issue voter. I have the greatest respect for him, and he and I have been friends for years. He is intelligent and well-read. But when it comes to voting, he has only thought in mind. He’s going to vote for the candidate who is against abortion.

Even though I’m pro-choice and I believe a woman should have the right to make her own decision without government interference, I still respect my friend’s opinion.

The problem I have is that he doesn’t seem to take anything else into consideration. Important issues in the presidential race such as the war, the economy, and the environment all take a back seat to the candidates’ view on abortion. It seems to him that nothing else matters. He even has a bumper-sticker on his car that say, “I Vote Pro-Life.”

Recently church politics was in the news when the Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church voted to separate itself from the national church. The clergy vote was 121 to 33 in favor of leaving the denomination.

As the election nears and as many people’s thoughts and efforts begin to be geared toward November 4, we feel it is critically important to lok back at the state of LGBT issues in Pennsylvania and the historic progress the LGBT community has made in Harrisburg this legislative session.

In early 2007, a record number of bipartisan co-sponsors came together to introduce House Bill 1400 and Senate Bill 761, legislation to amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based upon one’s sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. Representative Dan Frankel (D-Pittsburgh) and Representative Chris Ross (R-Chester County) as well as Senator Patrick Browne (R-Allentown) worked tirelessly to promote these bills to fellow legislators and enlist support across the aisle, and from every corner of the state. Local activists and organizations, such as Erie PFLAG, called and met with their officials, and as a result brought unprecedented visibility to this issue.

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