Activists direct LGBT ‘week of advocact’ throughout Pa
by David Doorley
“We are at a point of great change. We are at a point of moving forward, and… we must now begin to support bringing about this great change here, promoting individual rights jut as such a promotion occurred for the civil rights movement. This movement has gained the momentum to the point now where the tides are beginning to turn… [with] people realizing that we must not discriminate against other people not only because of the color of their skin, but also because of their sexual orientation.”—John De Bartolo, president of the Keystone Alliance/Gaylife Newsletter, which is one of the 15 members of the Steering Committee for LGBT Freedom Week Pa
“LGBT Freedom Week,” an expansion of last year’s “Freedom to Marry Week,” will once again present a “week of advocacy” for LGBT equality. During the week prior to Valentine’s Day—and continuing through the end of the month, the steering committee will host activities such as statewide rallies, a lobby day and press conferences, online petition signing for LGBT friendly legislation, public discussion panels, church services of same-sex marriages, performances and drag shows across the state of Pennsylvania.
At a press conference scheduled for Feb. 14 in the lobby of the State Capitol in Harrisburg, two bills will be introduced: Pa’s Marriage Equality Bill by Sen. Daylin Leach and Pa’s Civil Union Bill by Rep. Mark Cohen. Then meetings will be scheduled with legislators, concerned citizens and LGBT-rights advocates throughout the day, followed by a Marriage Equality Rally at the Dauphin County Court House in Harrisburg.
Interfaith breakfasts in support of marriage equality will be held in Philadelphia on Feb. 9 and Harrisburg on Feb. 11. In Allentown a same-sex marriage celebration will take place Feb. 12.
Performances and drag shows will be held across the sate. In Harrisburg a reading of The Laramie Project (which deals with the reaction to the 1998 murder of gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming) will be performed at the Rose Lehman Theatre-Harrisburg Area Community College on Feb. 17 and 18.
Closer to home, drag shows are scheduled at Lucille’s in Johnstown on Feb. 11 and the Escapade in Altoona on Feb. 12. There will be a petition drive at both locations for supporters to sign statements for LGBT equality.
In 2011 the committee for marriage equality decided to broaden its original focus to also include LGBT non-discrimination, hate crimes laws, civil unions and the matter of gays in the military.
According to its press release, the committee wrote, “We believe that the ideas behind each event also demonstrate the need to include LGBT into existing nondiscrimination and hate crime laws. We also hope to consolidate the enthusiasm behind each of these objectives into a single demand for equality.”
In addition to the 15 members of the steering committee, 35 supporting organizations are involved in the week-long event, which includes Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh/Equality Partners of Western PA. Keystone Alliance/Gaylife Newsletter, ACLU-PA, Pennsylvania Diversity Network, Campaign for Fairness & Equality, Equality PA, Lancaster LGBT Organizing Committee and LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central PA.
For more information, go to the gaylifenewsletter.com website or the Facebook pages of the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh or the Log Cabin Republicans of Pennsylvania.