HARRISBURG – Gov. Tom Wolf has praised a new regulatory change formalizing nondiscrimination protection for LGBTQ people by the state’s regulatory board.
“I have been clear – hate has no place in Pennsylvania,” said Wolf. “This includes protecting the rights of individuals facing discrimination by a school, landlord, or employer based on who they love or their gender identity. Today’s approval by the commonwealth’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission is another important step to ensure all Pennsylvanians can live with dignity and freedom.”
The governor has long called for LGBTQ protections and has taken steps as governor to ensure protections; specifically, he signed an executive order last year that adds sexual orientation and gender identity or expression as protected classes under the commonwealth’s sexual harassment policies.
The latest final form regulation approved this week provides individuals with protections from discrimination under the PA Human Relations Act and the PA Fair Education Opportunities Act. Following the approval, the new regulatory change is effective immediately.
Currently, Pennsylvania is one of 21 states without a law banning this discrimination. The governor supported House Bill 300, the Fairness Act, which would have protected Pennsylvanians from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and House Bill 1066, the CROWN Act, prohibiting discrimination based on a person’s hair texture or hair style. Republican-led efforts diminished the two proposed bills, leaving action through regulation a way for the Wolf Administration to protect Pennsylvanians.
To learn more about the PA Human Relations Commission or if you believe you have been unjustly discriminated against, visit https://www.phrc.pa.gov.
