THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH AMENDS THE GENDER EQUITY COMMISSION ORDINANCE

Published on November 27, 2024

THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH AMENDS THE GENDER EQUITY COMMISSION ORDINANCE TO ADVANCE LOCAL INTERSECTIONAL GENDER EQUITY LENS

Pittsburgh Also Receives Score of 100 for Fifth Year in a Row from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Municipality Equality Index (MEI)

Pittsburgh, PA – The City of Pittsburgh is proud to announce the passing of ordinance amendments for the Gender Equity Commission (GEC) that revises language to ensure policy direction for the inclusion of our most marginalized identities at the intersection of race and gender, prioritizing black women, black men, trans and non-binary individuals, immigrants, and those with disabilities.

The GEC was established in 2016 as a groundbreaking advisory body dedicated to identifying and recommending strategies to address gender inequities within the city. However, the commission experienced some turmoil following the release of the 2019 Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across Gender and Race report that slowed progress, as well as the ensuing global pandemic in 2020. The GEC transition committee was formed in 2023 by Mayor Ed Gainey in response to outcry from communities greatly impacted by the 2019 report that felt it had yet to be addressed. The Gainey Administration’s revisions of the Gender Equity Commission and its practices are charting a new path forward by addressing the structural gaps in the GEC, including bringing it’s scope into alignment with the city’s jurisdiction, establishing better defined roles and responsibilities for actionable work, and centering the identities that experience the most harm from inequitable systems.

“When I say the City of Pittsburgh is a place where everyone can call home, I mean everyone, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other identity. Inclusion is the key to making this City one where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, be safe, and feel welcomed,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “The Gender Equity Commission was created to identify and remove gender-based discrimination, but we still have work to do. I’m proud my administration spearheaded these amendments to create a pathway forward for our residents most impacted by inequitable systems.”

Some of the ordinance amendments expected to guide city government and our partners to improve the lives of Pittsburghers include:

Establishing local implementation of an intersectional gender equity lens to build upon the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) that will focus and center the work of the GEC on communities that experience the most impact from inequitable systems
A focus on policy, research, evaluation of data, recommendations, and remedies to determine where systemic discrimination exists and which identities are disproportionally impacted by it; to include people that reflect the communities or identities being targeted in the development of any research or recommendations; and to analyze the operations of City departments, policies and programs to identify discrimination in, but not limited to, employment practices, budget allocation, and the provision of direct and indirect services
Updated scope of work to guide the GEC on focus areas within our direct control, as well as the City Government’s sphere of influence
Restructuring commission membership to both increase diverse representation and recognize the individuality of those communities, as well as providing seats for entities with whom we don’t have direct authority, but are critical to advancing gender equity in our City, like Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Commission on Human Relations
Developed clear roles and responsibilities for commissioners, as well as a management-level employee to staff the commission
Definitions and updated language that reflect enhanced understandings of racial discrimination, the full spectrum of gender identity, accessibility, power-based violence, and emerging communities
Directing individual issues of gender discrimination to the Commission on Human Relations
Creating a clear structure for the Commission to develop a 5-year action plan that will includes recommendations for City departments, services, and budget allocations to address inequities and create more accessibility within the City’s scope of direct control, as well as the release of annual reports to the Mayor and City Council on the progress of the action plan to remedy and rectify identified disparities. This process will also include space for public feedback.

The City will now begin recruiting new commissioners for the Gender Equity Commission to relaunch in Q1 2025. If you are interested in becoming a GEC Commissioner, please fill out an application here: https://engage.pittsburghpa.gov/pittsburgh-volunteer-application and select “Gender Equity.”

The city is also celebrating the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Municipality Equality Index (MEI) acknowledgement, for the fifth year in a row, of our city’s hard work in providing a safe and encouraging space for our LGBTQIA+ residents and staff.

In their evaluation of the City of Pittsburgh, it was found that the city scored favorably in safeguarding LGBTQIA+ individuals against discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and healthcare. The MEI provides a public snapshot of how inclusive a city or town is to LGBTQ+ equality through laws, policies, and services.

This year, a record-breaking 130 cities or over 25 percent of all MEI-rated cities earned the highest score of 100, of which Pittsburgh is one, suggesting that LGBTQ+ equality is making significant strides at the local level, establishing warrant for continued work to advance equality at the national level.

To learn more about the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Municipality Equality Index, visit https://www.hrc.org/resources/municipal-equality-index and to read Pittsburgh’s 2024 scorecard, visit: https://www.hrc.org/resources/municipalities/pittsburgh-pa-3.

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