If you are a resident of Allegheny County or the City of Pittsburgh, you do have a right to be free from discrimination in employment and housing based upon sexual preference and orientation. Neither the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act or Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act prohibits sexual preference discrimination. However, both the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County have ordinances prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination. Each has established a commission to investigate complaints of discrimination, and each provides that a complainant can file suit in the Court of Common Pleas after having exhausted the administrative process.
Pittsburgh's ordinance has been in effect since the 1990's; Allegheny County's ordinance was passed, with little public fanfare, in July, 2009. Both ordinances largely mimic the state law prohibiting discrimination, but are significant in broadening the scope of anti-discrimination protection to victims of sexual orientation/preference discrimination.
