LOCAL NEWS: Jim Kenney Responds to Girl Thrown Out of Harrisburg Prom

Photo | Jeff Fusco

A Harrisburg teen gets kicked out of her prom for wearing a suit, and Jim Kenney supports her on social media.

Last Friday, a junior at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg Aniya Wolf was kicked out of her prom for wearing a suit. The Catholic school in Harrisburg informed the teen — who identifies as a lesbian who doesn’t like to dress in girly clothing — of the dress code before the event. But when she decided to show up in a prom suit, they restricted her entrance in and threatened to call the police. “I think my experience shouldn’t be any different than anyone else’s because of something I was born with,” she told a local television station. Wolf added that although she feels accepted by the other students at her school, the administrators make her feel like a “mistake.”

Mayor Jim Kenney chimed in on Facebook Monday night with a post offering encouragement:

Screenshot from Kenney’s official Facebook page.

Bishop McDevitt has yet to comment publicly on the incident.

Independent Business Alliance will host its annual Business Leaders Luncheon on Friday and announce a surprise $10,000 prize winner.

This Friday, Independent Business Alliance (IBA) is putting on its sixth annual Business Leaders Luncheon to connect companies in the LGBT community with important decision makers through the work of the Philadelphia’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “The Business Leaders Luncheon is our biggest event of the year and showcases the best of our organization,” said Zach Wilcha, IBA’s executive director. “This year’s theme, OPEN for Business, will touch on diversity and inclusion being necessary ingredients for success in today’s business world …. The message couldn’t be timelier.” The luncheon will take place at Hotel Sofitel with keynote speaker Julie Coker Graham, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and remarks from Mayor Jim Kenney. There will also be a $10,000 PNC Bank LGBT Business Award announced at the event, given for a business plan for growth. For more information on attending this event, check out IBA’s official events page.