The Department shall not discriminate against any applicant or participant in any aspect of program administration including, but not limited to, the certification of households, the issuance of SNAP benefits, the conduct of fair hearings or the conduct of any other program service for reasons of age, race, color, sex, disability, religious creed, national origin, political beliefs, gender identity, reprisal and, where applicable, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program in any program or activity conducted or funded by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).