BY NATASHA BARSOTTI — Philadelphia’s mayor today, May 9, signed legislation that is being hailed as providing some of the most extensive protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the US.
“My goal is for Philadelphia to be one of the most LGBT-friendly cities in the world,” Mayor Michael Nutter is quoted as saying in a CBS report.
Among its provisions, the measure offers tax incentives to companies that extend the same healthcare coverage to queer employees’ partners and their children already provided to heterosexual spouses and their children. The bill’s sponsor, Councillor James Kenney, says it makes the city the first to provide businesses with tax credits for offering transgender-specific health benefits, NBC reports. It also requires city buildings to have gender-neutral bathrooms and revises Philadelphia’s anti-discrimination law to include transgender people.
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