Montgomery County establishes a human relations commission

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Montgomery County has established a human relations commission to address residents’ complaints of discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on race, religion, age, sex, national origin or disability status.

Democratic Commissioners Jamila Winder and Neil Makhija voted in favor of the resolution, with Republican Commissioner Tom DiBello opposing it.

Makhija said residents will now be able to bring civil rights and discrimination issues to the county commission, in addition to the statewide Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

“With the establishment of the committee, local residents would now have a place to turn here in Montgomery County, as opposed to just the state, if they experience unfair treatment on account of who they are, where they’re from, who they pray to, who they love,” he said.

Within the next 180 days, the board of commissioners will appoint five to seven people to serve as volunteers on the commission.

“This commission goes beyond compliance,” Winder said. “It’s about dignity. It’s about ensuring that every resident in every community across Montgomery County has a fair chance to live, work and raise a family.”

Advocates say the resolution provides stronger protections for LGBTQ+ residents in the absence of statewide nondiscrimination law explicitly naming LGBTQ+ identity as a protected class.

Starting in 2023, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission began accepting complaints of discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation under the protected class of sex.

“Transgender and LGBTQ Americans overall are under a vicious attack right now from our federal government,” said Jason Landau Goodman, board chair of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress. “Having our local government provide explicit legal protections in housing, employment and public accommodations is so essential, it establishes the baseline that all are welcome here, not just in words, but in deeds.”

Landau Goodman said there are now 79 nondiscrimination ordinances at the municipal or county level across five counties statewide that are LGBTQ+-inclusive.

“This commission now will create the mechanism in which to take action,” said Mo Selkirk, chair of the county’s Commission for LGBTQIA+ Affairs.

Neighboring Delaware County is currently considering a similar ordinance.

Montgomery County residents interested in serving on the commission can apply starting next week.