Authorizing the Committee on Legislative Oversight to hold hearings examining disparities experienced by the LGBTQ+ community and exploring solutions to achieving equity for LGBTQ+ Philadelphians.

Authorizing the Committee on Legislative Oversight to hold hearings examining disparities experienced by the LGBTQ+ community and exploring solutions to achieving equity for LGBTQ+ Philadelphians. WHEREAS, Philadelphia has long been at a vanguard of LGBTQ+ protections, and major advancements in proactive LGBTQ+ legislation, executive action, and public and private funding for services nationally and locally have been made as a result of advocacy by revolutionary leaders who demanded equal treatment and justice; and WHEREAS, Despite these substantial gains, inequities persist for LGBTQ+ people in access to quality and affordable housing, mental and physical health care and public health, fair treatment in the criminal justice system, education, and many other facets of life as a result of systemic discrimination and violence against the LGBTQ+ community, which can contribute to poorer health and wellbeing overall; and WHEREAS, LGBTQ+ people face higher barriers to accessing and maintaining safe, stable, and affordable housing. Nationally, an estimated 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+. According to the Williams Institute, in Pennsylvania, 21% of Transgender people report having experienced some form of housing discrimination, such as being evicted from their home or denied a home or apartment because of being Transgender, and 10% reported that they experienced homelessness in the past year because of being Transgender; and WHEREAS, LGBTQ+ people are more likely to exper…