An LGBT advocacy organization voted Wednesday on its endorsements for next month’s primary.
The Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club voted to back Larry Krasner for District Attorney and Henry Sias for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, among several other candidates.
Liberty City Co-chair Malcolm Kenyatta noted that Sias could be the nation’s first trans male judge if elected.
“We had a long conversation about how we can go about elevating what he’s doing because it’s historic and I think, in terms of our community, we really have to elect our own,” Kenyatta said on supporting LGBT candidates. “It’s great to work with allies and we will continue to support and work with our LGBT allies. But we have to change the paradigm in terms of actually getting LGBT people elected to office. When you have trans women and trans men that are arrested and interacting with support systems, they have nobody on the bench in Philadelphia that truly understand that experience. Henry does [understand that experience].”
In the DA race, Kenyatta said the vote was close between Joe Khan and Krasner, with the latter candidate ultimately getting the vote.
“It became very clear to the endorsement committee under that process that Joe and Larry were the two people who really represented our values on a progressive vision that recognizes that the LGBT community still has a lot of work before we can get to full equality,” Kenyatta said.
In a statement, Krasner noted his thoughts on the club’s endorsement.
“I’m deeply honored to have received the endorsement of Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club,” Krasner said. “But no more honored than I have been to represent members of the LGBTQ+ and associated communities over the past 25 years in the struggle for equal justice. As District Attorney, I vow to uphold the law for all Philadelphians regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. I will continue to fight for the civil rights of everyone in our city.”
Liberty City’s Endorsement Committee evaluates candidates based on their answers to a questionnaire, interviews and a candidate’s address to the club’s members. The committee then offers recommendations to the general members, who ultimately decide on the vote.
Kenyatta said most candidates completed both a questionnaire and an address to membership but noted exceptions for two DA candidates. Teresa Carr Deni did not speak to Liberty City nor complete a questionnaire while Rich Negrin only addressed the membership.
The Liberty City co-chair noted Negrin’s address.
“He got a lot of really tough questions about his support from the [Fraternal Order of Police], their interactions with the LGBT community and how he would square those two things of being endorsed by those organizations while also standing up for our rights and protections,” Kenyatta said.
Kenyatta said he is “very proud” of the Liberty City members for their interest in this process.
“We have a very engaged, very thoughtful membership that asked a lot of questions,” he said.
The Pennsylvania primary election will take place May 16.
FULL LIST OF LIBERTY CITY ENDORSEMENTS
District Attorney
Larry Krasner
Superior Court
Maria McLaughlin
Geoffrey Moulton
Carolyn Nichols
Commonwealth Court
Ellen Ceisler
Todd Eagan
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Lucretia Clemons
Mark Cohen
Vikki Kristiansson
Danyl Patterson
Henry Sias
Zac Shaffer
Dan Sulman
Stella Tsai
Betsy Wahl
Philadelphia Municipal Court
Marissa Brumbach
George Twardy