“Congress has failed to act on this year after year. Now this settles it across the nation that sex discrimination includes orientation and identity.”

A letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, signed by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and 19 other state attorneys general, asks the agency to lift its ban preventing gay and bi-sexual men from giving blood.

Mental health concerns among the LGBTQ population are a pressing issue in the state, according to Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine.

“Most employers have a goal to create a safe and inclusive environment for their employees,” said Adrian Shanker, director of the Bradbury Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown.

Mike Moreno, a regional coordinator with the Pocono Chamber of Commerce in Monroe County, is working to form the committee for the chamber's newly established LGBTQ Business Council. Moreno is also corralling local businesses owned by members of the LGBTQ community or allied with them.