The local LGBT community continues to organize to address allegations of racism in the Gayborhood, days after video surfaced of a local club owner using racial epithets.
The YouTube video of ICandy owner Darryl DePiano set off a frenzy of protests and calls for boycotts, coming on the heels of allegations of racist dress-code policies at Gayborhood locales like ICandy and Woody’s.
The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations will hold a formal hearing to address complaints about such policies Oct. 25. The announcement of the hearing came the day the video of DePiano was made public, but Office of LGBT Affairs Director Nellie Fitzpatrick said plans for the hearing were already in the works.
“The video will absolutely be part of the hearing — it can be testified about by anyone wishing to discuss it — but the hearing is a result of the system working,” Fitzpatrick told PGN. “It’s a result of people filing complaints and the Commission on Human Relations stepping up to have a public hearing to do their job. The purpose of the hearing is to create a formal record of instances of racial discrimination that will be used by the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations to combat racism throughout the LGBT community. This is formal government action that is a result of complaints being filed.”
The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. at Liberty Resources, 112 N. Eighth St., Suite 600. For more information, call 215-686-4670 or email [email protected].
A meeting was also scheduled for Oct. 6 at William Way LGBT Community Center to address racism in the local LGBT nightlife scene. It was planned by Braden Chapman and Vincent Leggett.
PGN went to press on this edition the night before the meeting but will provide updates at epgn.com.
Protestors assembled and briefly entered ICandy Sept. 29, hours after a YouTube user called Gay by Gay posted a clip showing DePiano using the “n” word when complaining about patrons asking for drink passes. DePiano confirmed he made the comments three years ago and apologized on his personal and ICandy’s Facebook pages. He also made a statement about the issue on stage Saturday night at the club.
But his remarks have not quelled the backlash.
PGN announced Friday it would no longer accept advertising from the club, or sponsor events held there. Leadership of the City of Brotherly Love Softball League voted unanimously over the weekend to suspend its relationship with ICandy for two years. Philly Pride Presents also announced the club would no longer be promoted as a sponsor of the Oct. 9 OutFest; however, print materials listing ICandy as a sponsor already went to press. ICandy will also not have its usual outdoor presence at OutFest.
Last Thursday’s protest was organized by Black and Brown Workers Collective, which has said it will hold a protest of the club at OutFest, but more details were not available as of presstime. Representatives of BBWC did not respond to requests for comment.
BBWC last month staged a protest outside ICandy and Woody’s after the clubs came under fire for dress-code policies that critics contended discriminated against people of color. The manager of ICandy previously told PGN reports of a ban on Timberland boots was the result of a miscommunication between management and staff member.
BBWC has also targeted Fitzpatrick, last month delivering her a list of demands aimed at addressing racism in the LGBT community and city government.
Among the demands were the formal recognition of the impact of intersectionality on LGBT people of color; the inclusion of stakeholders beyond Philadelphia Black Pride in the creation of formal anti-racism strategies, specifically LGBT youth lacking stable housing, those who engage in sex work and those not represented by major organizations; and the compensation of black and brown community members who advise the Office of LGBT Affairs on racism in the Gayborhood.
Fitzpatrick responded to the letter this weekend, after consulting with the administration, she told PGN.
In her response, she referenced the office’s varied work regarding prison reform, police relations and other topics addressing intersectionality. She also noted that no city agencies monetarily compensate members of the public who advise them on community issues.
She told PGN her office has an operating budget of $0.
After her response, the BBWC called for Fitzpatrick to step down in a letter the organization also posted to its Facebook page.
“You need to resign from your position and therefore create space for someone who can engage the community around transformative intersectional work towards disrupting cycles of oppression,” the letter stated.
“I have the complete support of the administration, of the mayor, of everyone here,” Fitzpatrick told PGN this week. “I will not be resigning.”
In a statement emailed to PGN, Nolan Atkinson, the city’s chief diversity officer, said “efforts to build an even stronger Office of LGBT Affairs have been underway for the past few months,” and the administration remains “completely supportive of the Office of the LGBT Affairs and its leadership.”
Fitzpatrick added that she would have a sit-down with representatives of the BBWC, but no one from the organization has requested such a meeting.
“I will sit down and meet with anyone, anywhere, any time,” she said.
Fitzpatrick also pointed to several initiatives she said she’s been working on this year, which she expects to come to fruition in the coming months: the establishment of a 13-member Commission on LGBT Affairs, an employee-resource group for LGBT city employees and LGBT-sensitivity training for city employees.
She has drafted the executive order for the commission, which, she noted, names racial justice as an issue for the entity to address.
“I look at it as a systematic effort to increase the impact and effect of our movement,” Fitzpatrick said.