Representative Jessica Benham Contact information

Jessica Benham is an American politician and disability rights activist who is currently serving as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 36th District. She assumed office on January 5, 2021. She is the first openly LGBTQ+ woman and the first openly autistic person elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Born on December 13, 1990, Jessica Benham was homeschooled through high school and competed for many years at the National Christian Forensics and Communication Association (NCFCA), advancing to the national level multiple years in a row. During that period, she acquired the skill of using logic and facts to articulate and defend her faith.

She holds B.A. degrees in Political Science and Communication Studies from Bethel University, an M.A. in Communication from Minnesota State University, and an M.A. in Bioethics from the University of Pittsburgh. She also holds a doctorate in communication from the University of Pittsburgh, which she completed while serving as a state representative.

Prior to holding public office, Benham was Director of Development for the Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy (PCAA), a grassroots self-advocacy project run by Autistic people for Autistic people. She co-founded PCAA after moving back to college, and it remains the only LGBTQ Autistic-led advocacy organization in the Greater Pittsburgh Area.

Through her work with PCAA, Benham has worked to ensure that individuals with disabilities are treated fairly in the legislative process. She has provided feedback and consultation for legislation including the Autism CARES Act on the federal level and health care efforts at the state level. She advocated strongly for Paul’s Law, which states that an individual can’t be deemed ineligible for an organ transplant simply because of a disability and was signed into law in Pennsylvania in 2018.

However, her advocacy efforts are not limited to health care. Benham also has experience fighting for workers’ rights, notably during her time as a graduate worker at the University of Pittsburgh, where she was involved in efforts to organize a union of graduate student workers through the United Steelworkers.

She currently resides in the Southside Slopes with her cat, Ravi.