Pennsylvania: New anti-discrimination protections in Pennsylvania

At a glance

• Pennsylvania enacted the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (CROWN Act) (H.B. 439) on November 25, 2025, effective January 2026.
• The Act expands ‘race’ to include hair texture and protective hairstyles and ‘religious creed’ to include head coverings and styles.
• Philadelphia amended its Fair Practices Ordinance on December 3, 2025, to prohibit discrimination based on menopause, perimenopause, or menstruation.
• Employers must provide reasonable accommodation for symptoms if requested and not causing undue hardship, effective January 1, 2027.
• Pittsburgh amended its anti-discrimination ordinance on November 12, 2025, to cover perceived protected characteristics and disparate impact discrimination.

CROWN Act

On November 25, 2025, Pennsylvania enacted the CROWN Act, codifying new definitions of 'race' and 'religion' under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. Specifically, the definition of 'race' now includes traits historically associated with an individual’s race, including their hair texture and protective hairstyles (eg, locs, braids, twists, coils, Bantu knots, afros, extensions). The definition of 'religious creed' now includes head coverings and hairstyles historically associated with religious beliefs. The CROWN Act takes effect in January 2026.

Fair Practices Ordinance

On December 3, 2025, Philadelphia enacted an amendment to its Fair Practices Ordinance to prohibit discrimination on the basis of menopause, perimenopause, or menstruation. Effective January 1, 2027, the legislation requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation if the employee’s symptoms substantially interfere with the employee’s ability to perform one or more job functions. The employee must request an accommodation, and the accommodation must not cause undue hardship for the employer.  

Pittsburgh amended anti-discrimination ordinance

On November 12, 2025, Pittsburgh amended its anti-discrimination ordinance to prohibit discrimination on the basis of perceived protected characteristics and to prohibit disparate impact discrimination.