Philadelphia voters in the Nov. 3 election could offer some staying power to the city Office of LGBT Affairs, which was established in 2008.
The ballot will include a question as to whether the city charter should be amended to establish and define the functions of the Office of LGBT Affairs and be headed by a director.
The office would not necessarily cease operations if the ballot question fails, but the mayoral administration has discretion to make changes. Amending the city charter would essentially make the office immune to closure by any future administrations.
“We want to institutionalize and ensure that fairness happens in a very intentional way,” said City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown.
Reynolds Brown introduced the bill, passed unanimously by City Council in May, which calls for the amendment to the city charter for the Office of LGBT Affairs. The ballot question would finalize the amendment.
As a black woman who has experienced discrimination, Reynolds Brown said she empathizes with the hatred or fear sometimes directed at the LGBT community.
“We can make Philadelphia a leader in the nation when it comes to diversity,” Brown said. “Changing the charter means recognizing the value of fairness.”