Mayor Nutter and City Council: LGBT People Living in RFRA States Are Welcome in Philly

Councilman Mark Squilla (pictured, standing row, third from right) drafted an open letter inviting folks and businesses living in the 20 states affected by anti-LGBT Religious Freedom Laws to visit—heck, even relocate to—Philadelphia. It was then signed by Mayor Michael Nutter and every single member of City Council.

“The principles of life, liberty and equality are deeply rooted in Philadelphia, which has long been a welcoming destination for LGBTQ people despite a less progressive environment elsewhere in the Commonwealth,” Councilman Squilla in a statement sent out this morning. “The national outcry over RFRA in Indiana and Arizona make it clearer than ever that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identification is 100 percent un-American.”

The letter also invited elected officials responsible for RFRA laws to visit some of Philly’s historic landmarks “for a refresher course on the religious persecution this country was founded to escape.”

“No LGBTQ person should have to endure discrimination because a few misguided elected officials decided it was OK,” Squilla says. “Pope Francis is coming to Philadelphia in September, and the Democratic National Convention will be held here in 2016. Philadelphia is the place to be—for all people, no matter what their color, where they come from, or who they love.”

Check out the letter below, or by clicking here.