We have the honor to announce that on June 4th, 2025. the City of Allentown passed an all new Human Relations Ordinance using the progressive and fully inclusive Lehigh County Human Relations Ordinance Language, to replace the older Allentown ordinance that was originally passed in 1963 and was updated to include sexual orientation and gender identity in 2002 (making it the first municipality in Pennsylvania to protect people’s rights by including Gender Identity in its list of protected classes.)

“The City of Allentown does hereby declare its intent to promote the rights and opportunities of all persons to participate in the social, cultural, recreational, and economic life of the City and to assure equal opportunity for all persons concerning employment, housing, education, healthcare, and use of public accommodations without regard to actual or perceived race, ethnicity, color, religion, creed, national origin or citizenship status, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, marital status, familial status, GED rather than high school diploma, physical or mental disability, relationship or association with a disabled person, source of income, age, height, weight, veteran status, use of guide or support animals and/or mechanical aids, or domestic or sexual violence victim status”