On September 24, 2025, amongst a packed, standing-room only meeting room, Chester County, Pennsylvania made history. With a 2–1 vote, the Board of Commissioners passed Ordinance 2025-03, establishing a countywide Human Relations Commission and enacting comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for residents across employment, housing, and public accommodations. This landmark move not only affirms the dignity of LGBTQ+ individuals and other minoritized and marginalized groups—it also marks a powerful repudiation of a dark chapter in American history: the Lavender Scare.

What the Ordinance Does

The new ordinance prohibits discrimination “based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin or citizenship status, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, physical or mental disability, source of income, age, veteran status, or use of guide or support animals and/or mechanical aids, or domestic or sexual violence victim status” (ORD 2025-03). It also creates Chester County’s first Human Relations Commission, tasked with investigating complaints, facilitating conciliation, and adjudicating cases of discrimination.

This makes Chester County the first Philadelphia collar county to pass such sweeping protections, going beyond state and federal laws that still lack explicit safeguards for LGBTQ+ individuals.

The Lavender Scare: A Historical Parallel

To understand the significance of Chester County’s ordinance, we must revisit the Lavender Scare—a lesser-known but devastating purge of LGBTQ+ individuals from government jobs during the Cold War era. Prior to World War II employment discrimination of LGBTQ+ people was either rarely reported upon or did not happen. Throughout public service prior to World War II officials tolerated the employment of gays and lesbians. However, this tolerance came with a caveat, only if their “perverted activities were carried on in such a manner as not to create public scandal or notoriety” (Lewis 1997, p. 388).

Yet, beginning in 1947 the tide changed for all LGBTQ+ employees in public service. Communism became the all-encompassing focus and fear of the United States post-World War II. In order to weed out any suspected Communists in the public service numerous guidelines, rules, and laws were passed. There was “[a] fear that homosexuals, like Communists, hid their true natures, allowing them to ‘infiltrate’ government in a way that other out-groups could not” (Lewis 1997, p. 389). The United States Senate in 1950 began a full-scale inquiry by the Hoey Committee to prevent the hiring of homosexuals and to encourage their firing (Lewis 1997, p. 388). The fear was irrational, but the consequences were real: careers destroyed, lives upended, and a culture of silence and shame that lingered for decades.

The Lavender Scare was not just about employment—it was about erasing LGBTQ+ people from public life. It institutionalized discrimination and legitimized prejudice. While steps have been taken since to reverse course, the legacy of exclusion still echoes in policies, workplaces, and communities across the country. Those attempts to reverse course have been done so through a patchwork of court cases and Executive Orders: there is no comprehensive Federal or Pennsylvania State law protecting the LGBTQ+ community against discrimination in employment, public accommodation, and housing.

Bridging Past and Present

Chester County’s ordinance is more than a legal update—it’s a moral reckoning. By explicitly protecting LGBTQ+ residents, the county is confronting the historical injustices of the Lavender Scare and affirming that identity is not a liability, but a source of strength.

The creation of a Human Relations Commission ensures that these protections are not just symbolic. They are actionable, enforceable, and rooted in community accountability. It’s a model of local governance stepping in where broader systems have lagged.

Why This Matters

• Visibility: LGBTQ+ people are no longer invisible in Chester County’s legal framework.

• Accountability: Discrimination now has a formal channel for redress.

• Leadership: Chester County sets a precedent for other counties in Pennsylvania and beyond.

A Call to Action

The Lavender Scare taught us how fear can warp policy. Chester County’s ordinance shows how courage can restore justice. As other communities consider similar measures, they would do well to remember both the pain of the past and the promise of the present.

Let this be a reminder: progress is possible, but only if we make it so.

Sources:

1 County of Chester, Pennsylvania commissioners ordinance no. ORD-2025-03. (2025, September 24). https://www.chesco.org/DocumentCenter/View/81169/Ordinance-No-2025-03-Human-Relations-Ordinance--?bidId=

Lewis, G. (1997). Lifting the Ban on Gays in the Civil Service: Federal Policy toward Gay and

Lesbian Employees since the Cold War. Public Administration Review, 57(5), 387-395.

Stare, C. (2021). LGBT Employment Discrimination (thesis).