York Demands LGBTQ Hate Crime Protections

By: Paul Goldberg, Senior Editor | JRL CHARTS – LGBT Politics

YORK, PA — (September 5, 2025) — Community members, LGBTQ advocates, and elected officials gathered at a York town hall to demand stronger protections against hate crimes, pointing to dangerous gaps in Pennsylvania’s current laws.

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Claire Toomey of the City of York Human Relations Commission explained that Pennsylvania’s hate crime statute only covers race, color, national origin, and religion. Sexual orientation and gender identity are excluded, leaving LGBTQ residents without equal legal safeguards.

“So, it doesn’t cover LGBTQ… we can’t declare it a hate crime even if that crime was perpetrated for the reason that they fell into that category,” Toomey said.

Because of that exclusion, attacks targeting LGBTQ individuals can only be prosecuted as misdemeanors—capped at 90 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Former U.S. District Judge John Jones, now president of Dickinson College, noted that while federal law does include LGBTQ protections, it applies only in limited interstate cases.

“Among the requirements are an interstate requirement that the assailants or the victims have to travel from state to state,” Jones explained.

Toomey added that the York HRC hasn’t received formal LGBTQ discrimination complaints in nearly three years—not because incidents aren’t happening, but because victims don’t see value in filing.

“There’s a level of frustration that comes with that where, ‘well, if it’s not going to be declared what it is, then why bother,’” she said.

At the event, residents signed a petition urging York City Council to enact its own local LGBTQ hate crime protections. While city-level measures would only carry misdemeanor weight, advocates believe the move could push Pennsylvania lawmakers to act at the state level.

Organizers also spotlighted progress such as the option for Pennsylvanians to choose “X” on state IDs and voter registration forms, acknowledging non-binary residents.

“While all of those people exist, it’s important to record that and make sure that they’re safe, seen and heard,” said Ashleigh Strange, executive director of Governor Shapiro’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs.

Local leaders, including State Rep. Carol Hill-Evans and York City Council President Edquina Washington, attended the town hall. Organizers emphasized this was only the beginning of a broader push for full state-level LGBTQ protections.

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