State Bans Discrimination Based on ‘Hairstyles,’ ‘Gender Identity or Expression’

Pennsylvania’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission approved along party lines changes to the state’s nondiscrimination policy to include updated definitions of sex, race and religious creed on Thursday, ABC27 News reported.

The regulation more specifically defines the three categories as protected classes under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) and the Pennsylvania Fair Educational Opportunities Act (PFEOA), according to the IRRC website. The definitions can be applied to complaints regarding discrimination in employment, housing, education and public accomodations.

The definition of “sex” was officially updated to include “pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, sex assigned at birth, gender identity or expression, affectional or sexual orientation, and differences in sex development,” the text reads. The definition of race was expanded to include “ancestry, national origin, ethnic characteristics, interracial marriages and association, traits such as hairstyles that are historically associated with race, and national origin or ancestry,” while religious creed now applies to all religious beliefs and practices.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf praised Thursday’s vote and declared that “hate has no place in Pennsylvania.”

“This includes protecting the rights of individuals facing discrimination by a school, landlord, or employer based on who they love or their gender identity,” Wolf said in a press release. “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.”

Sexual orientation and gender identity are now officially protected by @PA_HumRelComm.

Since 2015, Republican leaders have ignored my calls to make nondiscrimination protections state law.

I'm proud the commission's regulatory actions will help protect more Pennsylvanians.

— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) December 8, 2022