Philly has a lot of good stuff going on. The city is so gay-friendly that even Republicans here support same-sex marriage.
There’s more. This year marked 10 years of having a trans-inclusive and 30 years of a gay- and lesbian-inclusive Fair Practices Act.
There are a slew of out movers and shakers in city government, nonprofit and corporate positions.
Philadelphia started its successful “Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay” campaign to attract LGBT tourists a decade ago. The city has been ranked in the top 20 of gay destinations for several years now.
The city has a vibrant arts and entertainment scene, including bars, clubs, restaurants, music, museums, galleries and theater.
Philadelphia is on track to elect the first openly gay member of the House of Representatives.
The city is host to several high-profile and highly attended LGBT festivals each year.
And yet …
The city could do a better job of protecting its citizens, specifically those who are LGBT. A few weeks ago, a transgender woman was assaulted on a Center City corner after leaving a club. A South Philadelphia gay man was killed in June during what police say was a robbery. No arrests have been made in either case.
Not to mention there are still at least two trans homicides in which the culprits have yet to be charged: Nizah Morris (2002) and Stacey Blahnik (2010).
Citywide this year, there have been 220 homicides as of Aug. 14, the highest number year to date since 2007.
This year, there was a murder in Old City, one in the Gayborhood (in PGN’s old building), one at the Piazza and one in the 400 block of South Fourth Street (about a block away from PGN’s current building). Some were random, some were not.
Assaults and robberies in the Gayborhood more frequently involve a gun. (Can you reread that sentence? It reads: more frequently.)
If property isn’t locked up and chained down — and even if it is — thieves will take it: bicycles, scooters, cars, cash, wallets, handbags, iPhones, Android phones, laptops, GPS devices, cameras, jewelry, flowerpots, cases of shrimp.
Then there are the child sex-abuse perpetrated by priests (kudos to the DA on pursuing those, shame on the Catholic Church for protecting abusers).
Police are shot at and return fire.
Sure, one can chalk it up to “life in the big city.” But it’s more than that. There are other big cities — in the U.S. and abroad — that don’t have the crime that Philly does. And sure, Philly can say it’s doing better than Camden, N.J., but really, shouldn’t it be doing better than that?
Philadelphia might be gay-friendly, it might be the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, but it needs to work on being citizen-friendly.