06/05/2025
Breaking: Allentown City Council votes to update its Nondiscrimination Ordinance with many more protected classes and more progressive language, mirroring Lehigh County’s newly passed law!
Last evening, Allentown City Council unanimously voted to update the City’s Human Relations Ordinance by repealing the City’s original outdated language that passed into law in 1964 and was updated with the addition of sexual orientation and gender identity in 2002, (making it the first municipality in Pennsylvania to include gender identity in a civil rights ordinance, as an enumerated protected class). City Council then voted for a new ordinance consisting of the recently passed progressive language of the Lehigh County law, with the addition of “crown act” language protecting against bias regarding hairstyle.
The Allentown updated legislation was sponsored by Councilwoman CeCe Gerlach, and cosponsored by all members of Allentown City Council. The Mayor is expected to sign it into law. The new language will go into effect in about ten days.
Perhaps the most significant difference between the new language and the old Allentown law’s language is that now the Allentown Human Relations Ordinance covers all employees rather than just those in larger businesses that have four employees or more (not including the business owner’s family). State and federal non-discrimination law also only covers employees in larger businesses, rather than everyone.
Previous protected classes that are still included in the new law were: Race, Color, S*x, Ancestry, National Origin, Religion, Veteran Status, Having a GED rather then a High School Diploma, Genetic Information, Retaliation for Filing a Complaint, Martial Status, Familial Status in Housing, S*xual Orientation, Gender Identity, Disability, Age (over 40), and Source of Income in Housing.
Now added to those, are these additional inclusive protective classes: Age (over 35), Gender Expression,
Height, Weight, Familial status in all areas not just Housing, Domestic or S*xual Violence Victim Status. Also prohibited are: Salary History Inquiry, Disclosure of prior criminal convictions before or during initial interview. Also prohibited is discrimination against Pregnancy, Breast Feeding, and Related Medical Conditions, Physical or Mental disability specifically including Long Covid, Having a relationship with someone with a disability, Use, handling, or training of service/guide animals for a disability.
It’s terrific that all seven of Allentown City Council members supported this progressive ordinance so emphatically by all signing on to the legislation as cosponsors.
Liz Bradbury says, "I'm proud to say that I wrote the language of these laws and that I now serve as the Chair of the Lehigh County Human Relations Commission."
She adds, "If you would like your group to have a short presentation on the language and implementation of this law, please contact me through the Lehigh County Human Relations Commission page of the Lehigh County website. You can also access the full language of the Lehigh County Law there too."
If you feel you have been discriminated against based on protected class, you can file a complaint with the Allentown Human Relations Commission or the Lehigh County Human Relations Commission.
