(for employment, housing and public accommodation)
Race, Color, Religion, National Origin, Gender, Pregnancy,
Age (over 40), Disabilities, Vietnam Veterans, regardless of Genetic Information(passed in 2008)
State of Pennsylvania Protected Classes:
Race, color, religion, ancestry, age (40 and older), sex, national origin, non-job related disability, possession of a diploma based on passing a general education development test, willingness or refusal to participate in abortion or sterilization or to refuse to contract with certain independent contractors for the same reason
Local Municipality protected Classes:
(Allentown, New Hope, Scranton, Easton, Reading -- see list below)
race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry or place of birth, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, family status (in housing only), age or use of a guide animal due to blindness, deafness or physical disability
There are 26 PA Municipalities that protect citizens based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity, other protected classes vary in these municipalities:
The 12 Pennsylvania Cities in order of population, that already have a non-discrimination law that includes sexual orientation.
* indicates that the city law includes gender identity in their law. I could not confirm whether the other cities also include gender identity.
1. Philadelphia - pop. 1,526,006 (passed this law in 1954, amended 2002)*
2. Pittsburgh - pop. 305,704 (passed this law in 1992, amended 2005) *
3. Allentown - pop. 118,032 (passed this law in 1964, amended 2002)*
4. Erie (as part of Erie County) - pop. 101,786 (passed this law in 2002)
5. Reading - pop. 88,082 (passed this law in the 1955, amended 2009)*
6. Scranton - pop. 72,485 (passed this law in 2003)*
7. Bethlehem - pop. 71,329 (passed this law in 2011)*
8. Lancaster - pop. 55,381 (passed this law in 1991)
10. Harrisburg - pop. 47,196 (passed this law in 1992)
12. York - pop. 40,862 (passed this law in 1998)
13. State College - pop. 38,420 (passed this law in 2008*)
14. Easton - pop. 26,080 (passed this law in 2007*)
And these 13 PA towns and 2 PA counties also have fully inclusive non-discrimination laws all these laws were passed since 2002 when New Hope was the 1st of the small towns to do so: New Hope*, Swarthmore*, Lower Merion Township*, West Chester*, Landsdowne*, Doylestown*, all of Erie County*(2002), all of Allegheny County*(2009), Haverford*, Conshohocken*, Springfield Township* and Newtown Borough, Whitemarsh Township* (passed Nov. 17, 2011), Jenkintown*(passed Nov. 26, 2011), Susquehanna Township* (passed Dec. 8, 2011).
*Includes gender identity for sure.
The 3 Pennsylvania Cities in order of population that still do not have this law.
These are the 3 cities in Pennsylvania where it is still legal to fire someone for being Gay, or on the basis of marital status, ancestry, gender identity, or if a worker has children or is pregnant. These 3 cities do not have local volunteer Human Relations Commissions to help with issues of discrimination (race, age, marital status, sex, religion, ethnic origin, disability, etc).
9. Altoona - pop. 49,523 no protections
11. Wilkes-Barre - pop. 43,123 no protections
14. Williamsport - pop. 29,304 no protections
PA has a state-wide non-discrimination law but it does not include sexual orientation or gender identity. Unless you are in a municipality in the list above that has a law that includes sexual orientation and gender identity, you are not protected from discrimination by law.
There is no PA state or US federal law that protects you from discrimination based on
sexual orientation or gender identity.