For the LGBT community, there are a few races of particular interest, to which PGN gave more attention: attorney general, the 182nd District (which encompasses the Gayborhood) and other House seats with an openly LGBT candidate.
For attorney general, PGN endorses former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy. While in the House, Murphy spearheaded efforts to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He has been consistently and steadfastly supportive of LGBT rights, as well as women’s, voters’ and workers’ rights. Before he was elected to the House, Murphy served in Iraq in the Army, taught at West Point, was a judge advocate and a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Murphy is a genuine hero to the LGBT community. If for no other reason, vote for a man who fought for you.
For the first time, there are six openly LGBT Democratic candidates for the state House: Roy Christ is a candidate for the 103rd District seat; Chris Dietz, 104th District; Kelly McEntee, 105th District; Jeff Dahlander, 111th District; Brian Sims, 182nd District; and Fatimah Lorén Muhammad, 188th District.
One race in particular has received a lot of attention: the 182nd. In this election, incumbent Rep. Babette Josephs is being challenged by her former campaign treasurer, Sims. This has been a divisive race for the LGBT community.
On the one hand, there is Josephs, who is a staunch LGBT supporter and ally. A representative since 1985, Josephs stood up for all LGBT rights before many others did. Perhaps most notably, she defeated the anti-gay-marriage amendment, which would have amended the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, on top of the state’s DOMA law. She is a reliable cosponsor and votes for LGBT-friendly legislation. Josephs is outspoken in her criticism of the Republicans, refusing to work with them. But Democrats and would-be supporters have also said she’s hard to work with. She’s the minority chair on the State Government Committee, where she has seniority. She is a founding member and co-chair of the LGBT caucus and has introduced nondiscrimination and marriage-equality legislation. But while she’s a progressive Democrat, Josephs has backed some questionable initiatives. Earlier this year, she voted for the Year of the Bible resolution. In 2011, she tried to extend prohibitions and disclosure laws to domestic partners of lobbyists and state elected and appointed officials — while they have neither equal rights nor protections.
On the other hand, there is Sims. He has run an impressive campaign, raising a lot of money and gaining visibility and support in the LGBT community. Not surprisingly, he has good positions on LGBT issues, as well as on progressive and women’s issues. He has promised to work with Republicans and to represent LGBT people, which he would do well. He’s articulate, passionate, well-spoken and well educated. His résumé is not long, but he has some achievements. He was the first out gay football captain at a NCAA school and he led Equality PA through transition to a statewide organization and transferring the legal services to Mazzoni Center. That said, he has never held public office, and served as Josephs’ campaign treasurer before his campaign.
In deciding our endorsement, PGN considered several factors. One was that both had unsavory elements to their campaigns. For Sims, the undertone of his campaign has been that Josephs has done a good job, but now that there’s a viable candidate, she should step down (or be voted out). Intended or no, this comes across as somewhat ageist and sexist. And what does it say to allies of the LGBT community who have given their support for years — that we’ll abandon you the minute we have a viable LGBT candidate? Moreover, there aren’t many women in the state legislature. Is it more important to have an LGBT voice than a woman’s voice? What do LBT women think of this? Likewise, is it valid to vote for Josephs just because she’s a woman?
In a campaign mailer, Sims cited Josephs’ 2006 vote against mandatory sex-offender registration, quoting her as saying it “gives citizens, especially parents, a false sense of security.”
[Josephs voted in favor of a bill last year that strengthened sentences for those who failed to comply with the sex-offender registration process.]
For her part, Josephs alleged in a mailer that Sims would compromise with Gov. Corbett on the voter ID and ultrasound bills and cuts to public education — unlikely, given his positions on those issues. Further, she has somewhat alienated herself from her district and her Democratic colleagues — whose support she needs to be effective — and taken her seat (and voters) for granted. At the April 17 debate, Josephs said she “expect[s] to come back and be serving you as for as long as I want to.”
Because of these reasons, PGN endorses Sims for the 182nd District. This was an extremely difficult decision, and one not taken lightly. Though Sims may not be the perfect candidate, he has the vision to lead change and has the audacity to think that LGBT issues can be — are — nonpartisan issues.
As both candidates have been strong advocates for the LGBT community, voters can be content with the decision they make — either for Sims or Josephs.
I never considered this to be a contest. I was making a point.
Everyone has a right to their opinion. However, after reading some of your assertions about Brian , I feel the only way to answer them is for yourself to meet Brian. He has an open door at his campaign office above Rite Aid on South Broad and I guarantee he will welcome you with open arms and you will find out how far from a bully he really is. Then, ask him anything that concerns you, after that then come back here with those opinons. 1. I know you will not feel Brian is a bully and 2. that he doesnt care about 99% of the LGBT community.
I feel if you met Brian you wouldn't feel the way you do. Would love to see whether you meet him, and your opinion afterwords.
we'll if you've met him then why do you think he's from privilege? Or that he's wealthy? You're making assumptions that are untrue. He left pvt practice to take much less money to work at pa bar. Then took no salary while working at equality of pace even though he could've (I believe this is true).
If you had experienced five seconds of the oppression I lived through you would jump out of your skin.
There, I said it.
Having an opinion is great. Sharing an opinion is great. But when you digress to name calling, making things up, and pretty much insisting that every person who doesn't support you or your opinions personally is either transphobic, sexist, racist or ageist, you do us all a disservice.
Look at the people around you who care about many of the same things you do and learn from their behavior. Being a name caller and a zealot will never help further a cause.
But, in all seriousness, I am sick and tired of misuse of the term "bully". First, I hear some Bucks County Republicans referring to those who will be adversely affected by the voter ID bill as bullies just for speaking out against it, now, you people are going after an impoverished transsexual lesbian who is barely scraping by and is lucky enough to live in a decent part of South Philadelphia, and who was forced to move to Philadelphia from Pittsburgh because the homeless shelter there would have forced me in with the men and forced to detransition, and has faced institutional discrimination that would be unimaginable to the average person, and who is in danger of having coverage for her hormones cut by the lunatic fringe, and is more likely to have the criminal justice system not give me a fair trial for something I didn't do, and who has experienced bullying like never imagined in high school that has traumatized me to this day, all because she speaks against hegemony in the queer community, and who talks about those things that would be otherwise glossed over.
Meanwhile, Brian is a political candidate in Philadelphia who is a wealthy lawyer who can actually AFFORD to live in the Gayborhood. He gets the vote of those who may not exactly care about the issues of the 99% of the queer community. If anyone is a bully, it's Brian.
Besides, once again, he decided to go after her only because he wanted to be the first gay person in the PA House and not because of any critical policy issues. This type of I-dentity politics wouldn't fly in Pittsburgh, and it is certainly the reason why the rest of the state hates Philadelphia.
You and so many Babette supporters seem to think that just because someone who supports a candidate has a certain opinion then that is automatically the opinion of the candidate. The gentlemen interviewed by PGN about why he is supporting Babette has been seen commenting on various facebook posts about Brian Sims with phrases like "f*ing d**ch*b*g" and nothing else. If you are inferring that Brian's campaign is sexist because of the opinion of someone who plans to vote for him then I must assume that Babette's campaign and Babette herself can resort to no actual discussion aside from callous and crude name-calling based on the statement made by just one of her supporters.
Let it be clear that I DO NOT HATE PEOPLE WITH PRIVILEGE, NOR DO I HATE CISGENDER GAY MALES. Anybody who knows me knows that I criticize how cisgender gay males tend to dominate the conversation and leave the rest of us out, and that's not just trans people, that's working class families who can't afford to live in the Gayborhood, and the youth as well as the aging, among others. And intersectionality is something I am interested in too.
Oh, and if you must know, I do support Roy Christ, Dahlander, and Dietz's races; so much for me being against cisgender gay males running.
And shame on you for supporting Brian Sims, the fact of the matter is, two things must happen in order to see statewide non-discrimination, 1) Babette must be re-elected, so that she can still be Dem leader of the State Government Committee, and 2) the Dems must take back the House, something that is a possibility. Brian Sims will screw everything up, plus, one of his supporters said that in no uncertain terms, women would not be effective legislators, and he has yet to call it out if ever.