Kenney Announces New Commission on LGBT Affairs

Photo courtesy of Philly Bricks.

A week after Mayor Jim Kenney made his first-ever public statement addressing incidents of racism in the city’s LGBTQ community, his office has now officially announced the creation of a Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs.

“In order to fully serve the many needs of the city’s diverse LGBT community, we need an array of voices and perspectives to inform and advise us,” Kenney said in a statement on Monday.

The commission’s role will be to help the administration identify and address key issues affecting LGBTQ Philadelphians and improve dialogue between the Mayor’s Office and related community organizations outside of City Hall. The membership will consist of 15 to 25 community volunteers, whose applications for appointment will be reviewed by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion (which includes the Office of LGBT Affairs), the Office of Public Engagement, and the Office of the Mayor. Members may serve on other commissions simultaneously, but cannot be city employees.

The announcement of the LGBT commission’s formation comes a week before the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations plans to hold a public hearing to address racism in the Gayborhood. The new body was first mentioned in an October 3rd G Philly story that included an e-mail exchange between the Office of LGBT Affairs director Nellie Fitzpatrick and the Black and Brown Workers Collective.

Mayoral spokesperson Ajeenah Amir shared additional details about the commission with G Philly over email.

It’s been over a year since the Office of LGBT Affairs became permanent. What inspired to Mayor to create a Commission on LGBT Affairs? How long has this been in discussion?
The Commission has been planned since the beginning of the administration. October is National LGBT History Month, so the announcement was planned for this month to be timely.

What specific role does the Office of LGBT Affairs have in connection with the Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs? Is Nellie Fitzpatrick tasked with anything specifically related to the new commission?
The Office of LGBT Affairs will work with the new Commission on LGBT Affairs to establish working groups addressing racism in the LGBT community, homeless and housing insecure LGBT youth, and transgender equality, with the goals of identifying new programs for the benefits of LGBT residents living in Philadelphia.

Will the commission become a permanent part of the Mayor’s Office, or is it meant to be temporary?
The Office of LGBT Affairs is a permanent part of the Charter. The Commission on LGBT Affairs will exist by Executive Order.

The Mayor’s first public statement on racism in the LGBTQ community was last Sunday. The announcement of this commission is a week later. Did recent controversy over racism in the Gayborhood play any role in the timing?
The Commission has been planned since the beginning of the administration. October is National LGBT History Month, so the announcement was planned for this month to be timely.

The applicaiton to join the Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs is now available to the public. The deadline for submission is November 4th.