There are reasons why local elections are important. Think that Traffic Court judge is a real jerk? Well, now is the time to replace him or her with someone more fair-minded. Did you know that in Pennsylvania (and 28 other states), it’s still legal for a private employer to fire a worker simply because he or she is gay? In 34 states, it’s legal to terminate an employee for being transgender. No other reason needed. State and local officials can go a long way in rectifying some of the injustices. Last week, Philadelphia City Council became a pioneer in the advancement of civil rights when it passed groundbreaking legislation that greatly broadens equality for LGBT people living and working in the city. But let’s not stop there. This Tuesday we have an election, and the chance to elect more LGBT and LGBT-friendly candidates.
Equality PA is working to help elect such politicians and to fight antigay politicians and their efforts to thwart our civil rights. We got a little insight into legislative processes from EQPA’s Joe Dungee.
PGN: Tell me a little about yourself. Where were you raised? JD: I was born in the small town of Phoenixville, about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia. Growing up in Phoenixville was an experience. It was a very blue-collar town. It’s a bit more liberal now but back in the ’80s it was not the kind of place to be a little boy who was not necessarily … let’s say gender-conforming. It was kind of tough.
PGN: Was there a particular incident that comes to mind? JD: Nothing specific comes to mind, though if I thought about it, I’m sure I could come up with several. It was more a general intolerance. A lot of homophobia from both peers and adults. It’s funny, I went away to Pittsburgh for college and when I came back after two years, there was a gay bar in the town! I was a little stunned by it and have never quite reconciled the two things together. After years of intolerance, I go away for a blink of an eye, and I come back and there’s a gay Pride parade and a bar.
PGN: You must have felt like, Hey, wait for me! JD: [Laughs.] Right! And also, If only I’d born just a few years later!
PGN: What did the parents do? JD: My mom is an administrative assistant. She grew up in Phoenixville. We’re pretty close, and I have a younger sister who still lives there as well. She has a son, who is endless entertainment for us. My dad and I are estranged. We don’t talk.
PGN: I’m guessing they aren’t together any more? That could be awkward at Thanksgiving. JD: No, they’re separated, but they live in close proximity so it can be difficult at times. We’ve never gotten along. I think I was born at odds with him. At least that’s what it felt like to me.
PGN: Because of being non-conforming? JD: Not necessarily. It’s hard for me to speculate, especially on what his expectations might have been, but looking back I think he just never really wanted children. My parents married and started a family at a young age, and I think he just didn’t know what to do with me. I naturally gravitated to my mother, my grandmother and my aunts. They were the ones who raised me. He was never a strong presence in my life.
PGN: What kind of activities did you like as a kid? JD: I was interested in art. About seventh grade, I had a teacher who encouraged me and that was a lot of fun. I also played volleyball.
PGN: So you have a little sports ability in you? JD: Serving. I’m really good at serving.
PGN: What did you study at University of Pittsburgh? JD: I was undeclared. I also dropped out after about a year. I went to college primarily to meet other gay folks and, after my freshman year, I met with my advisor and he said, “You know, you really need to figure out what you want to do.” I had no idea so I dropped out. Looking back, it was a mistake. I lived in Pittsburgh another year and then moved back to Phoenixville. But I’m proud to say in 2008 I went back to school, to the Community College of Philadelphia, and it was a great experience. I learned a lot in many different ways.
PGN: Such as … JD: Well, it was a very diverse campus and a lot of the people who go to CCP are there because they really want to be there. I had a lot of good experiences especially with the teaching staff. I took a public-speaking course and I had to make a speech in front of the class. I choose to do it on the history of the gay-rights movement. I was a little concerned because you never know what kind of reaction you might get, but it was pretty well received by everyone. I was pleasantly surprised and it was very rewarding.
PGN: And tell me about your current job. How’d you end up there? JD: I’m the business manager over at Equality PA. I’ve been with them just over four years. Back in 2008, I’d had a series of jobs that weren’t very satisfying and I felt that I wasn’t really living up to my potential. I wanted a shot at a better life and I knew I had to go back to school to achieve that. I left the job I was working and started waiting tables so I could go to school. Short version, I found out that Equality PA, which at that time was Equality Advocates, was hiring an administrative assistant. I had a good amount of admin experience so I got the job and I’ve been here since.
PGN: Were you very politically cognizant before working there? JD: It’s funny, I’m not sure how it happed because there aren’t really many people in my family who are politically minded and, if they were, they were most likely Republican, but since I was a kid I was always interested in politics. I remember as a kid being really interested in the 1992 presidential election when Jimmy Carter was running for reelection. I’ve had an interest ever since then. I did some volunteering in the 2004 presidential election and in the 2006 midterm elections getting rid of Rick Santorum, so I had a good amount of knowledge about politics. But of course my work at Equality PA has really expanded my knowledge. Especially when it comes to local politics.
PGN: Do you find it as frustrating as I do how few people participate or even bother to vote in non-presidential elections? JD: Yes, absolutely.
PGN: Knowing that my parents and grandparents had to fight for the right to go to the polls is reason enough for me not to miss an election. What do you tell people to explain why midterm elections are important? JD: There’s a saying that “all politics is local” and to a point that is very true. In my experience, one of the reasons that it’s so important for people to vote in every election is that, if you take Pennsylvania as an example, there’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t happen but it could. I think the reason that it doesn’t is because these politicians take for granted that people aren’t going to vote and aren’t paying attention. So corporations can come in and give them tons of money and they then run the show. If we gave them reason to be concerned about their election or reelection, it might be a different story. I’m not saying you have to be a student of politics but if we paid even just a little more attention to what’s going on, we could change things. Remember that politicians are there to work for the people and our interests, so if we got it together I think we would see change, especially on a local level. It has to come from us.
PGN: Very true. As important as national politics are, it’s a lot of the people that we elect on a local level who affect us on a day-to-day basis. Most of us are not likely to come up in front of a Supreme Court justice, but there’s a good chance, especially in Philly, that at some point, we’ll run up against a Traffic Court judge. [Laughs.] I speak from experience! JD: Yes, and we have a great slate pf people endorsed. We even have an opportunity to elect an openly LGBT Traffic Court judge, Inja Coates, which is pretty exciting. We have a list of endorsements on our website.
PGN: There are a whole slate of things EQPA does. Looking on the website I see working for hate-crimes protections, relationship recognition, marriage equality, safe schools, transgender issues, responsible sex education and youth. JD: Sure, [last] week was a pretty busy week because we just launched a campaign to pass House and Senate Bill 300, which will effectively ban discrimination in employment and housing in Pennsylvania. Though we have protection here in Philadelphia, in most parts of the state, say 70-75 percent, it’s legal to fire someone for being gay. A lot of local municipalities have their own protections — even small ones that you might be surprised at — but we need to make it a statewide protection. For the first time in a while, we have bipartisan support. Out of 79 sponsors in the House and 25 in the Senate, there are 10 Republicans — eight in the House and two in the Senate — which is historic. I think the political winds are in our favor. Pennsylvania is the only state in the Northeast that hasn’t added statewide protections, so I think there’s a good chance we’ll get it soon. But then again, during this same week, Daryl Metcalfe, from Western PA came out the day we came out, saying we were going to end discrimination in Pennsylvania saying he’s re-introducing legislation to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. That’s something that would impact us here in Philadelphia as well as the rest of the state. So now we have to switch gears and fight this battle too. It’s really a shame. They’ve tried two or three times before and it’s never passed so to try it again, especially as the country is embracing gay marriage more than ever, seems a waste of taxpayer money and time. It’s like, Can we get back to making things better for the citizens of Pennsylvania instead of trying to take away rights?
PGN: Yeah, I’m looking at your website and see that they tried in 2006, 2008, 2010 … every two years! JD: Yeah, and last year as well. I don’t understand why people like Metcalfe keep reintroducing it. I guess it’s largely red meat for their base but it seems like such a waste for everyone. They should get back to work on issues that would have a positive impact on the state and its people instead of being so mean-spirited.
PGN: Let’s do some random questions. What’s a movie you could watch over and over? JD: Oh, there are a lot. “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is a favorite, and I’ve also seen “Thelma and Louise” multiple times. I’m really into old films so right now “Auntie Mame” is a favorite.
PGN: I love that film too. I vowed to be Auntie Mame to my nephew and so far I’m doing pretty well with it. JD: [Laughs.] I’ve sort of done the same thing with my nephew, and my best friend just had a child, so they joke and call me Auntie Mame.
PGN: Favorite board game? JD: Right now it’s a strategy game called the Settlers of Catan.
PGN: Were you a Dungeons and Dragons kid? JD: I wasn’t. We have a very large extended family and at holidays and over the summer we were always getting together and playing games like Scattergories or Pictionary, you name it. I went to the beach about 10 years ago with some friends and someone brought Settlers of Catan. I played it a few times and now I play it with some friends.
PGN: You’re on death row, what would your last meal be? JD: Seafood. Scallops, shrimp and pasta.
PGN: What’s your ethnic background? JD: I’m Irish, Polish and Native American.
PGN: That’s quite a combination. JD: Yeah, one of our family members traced our roots and it was pretty interesting. We have Indian on both sides but on my paternal side, my great-great grandmother was full-blooded American Indian. We actually found some photos of her. Her name was Finola, and her tribe was in southern Virginia. We are from the Pamunkey and Mattaponi tribes.
PGN: What election throughout history do you wish you’d participated in? JD: Good question. Maybe Jimmy Carter’s re-election. I wasn’t very old at the time but I think Jimmy Carter gets/got a raw deal. I would have liked to help change that.
PGN: What was coming out like? JD: Well, I’m sure people picked up on the fact that I was “different” from a really early age. I never really understood what the big deal was. I knew I was attracted to boys but it was pretty much made clear to me that that was not an option. I remember being about 12 years old and “Tales of the City” aired on PBS. I had a television in my bedroom and one night I couldn’t sleep and happened to turn it on. It was in the middle of the show but it was at one of the parts where Jon and Michael were kissing. I was like, “Wait a minute! I totally get this!” It was a revelatory experience. I’ll always be grateful to Armistead Maupin for it.
PGN: And the family? JD: I think I was just tired of not talking about it and one day when the subject of homosexuality came up, I said to my mom, “Well, what if I was gay? I think that I am.” It was weird because even though she knew about the rough time I had in school and everything, she was still like, “Oh, I never knew” and that sort of stuff. But later that day she came in, hugged me and told me she loved me.
PGN: First crush? JD: His name was Andy. I was in first grade, he was in fourth, and we rode the same bus. I always just knew how I felt and there was a sort of power in that because, as awful as people could sometimes be, I always somehow knew that they were wrong.
PGN: And now you’re using that power to fight for other people? JD: I hope so. We’re certainly trying!
PGN: See you at the polls … For the Equality PA endorsement list, visit www.equalityfederation.salsalabs.com/o/35029/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1136.