Former State Rep. Mark Cohen said he “strongly supported” LGBT rights since he was first sworn into the legislature in 1974. That support included introducing two bills that would amend the public-school code and expand health-care coverage, respectively, for transgender individuals — the first-ever trans-rights measures in the state legislature.
Now, Cohen is running for a judgeship on the Court of Common Pleas in the May 16 primary, a path where he hopes to continue to be a “champion” for LGBT people. He said his legislative experience helped prepare him for a career in the judiciary.
“My legislative experience has made me an expert in credibility, witnesses and in dealing with people,” Cohen said.
“I have presided over thousands of legislative meetings and I have learned to be fair to everybody, including Republicans — which for me is the most difficult,” Cohen laughed. “I’ll be fair to all Republicans, whose views I strongly oppose. I’ll be fair to all witnesses, counsel and all parties in the case.”
Cohen noted people in his personal life who made him aware of LGBT visibility, including his sister, former City Council candidate Sherrie Cohen.
“I had been well aware of the problems, needs and the essential humanity of the LGBT community for many years,” Cohen said. “One of my college friends came out as gay shortly after graduation and explained to me in detail what led him to do that. And my sister, about the same time, came out as a lesbian. So by the early 1970s, I was well aware that people were not going to be in the closet anymore and they were the same human beings before they [came out].”
Cohen said he once came to the defense of Secretary of the Commonwealth Ethel Allen, then a closeted lesbian. According to Cohen, Allen propagated a resolution proclaiming Gay Pride Week but both Democratic and Republican leaders said she should be censored. Cohen was one of 13 House members who voted against the censorship.
Cohen represented the 202nd District in the House for 32 years; he was defeated in last spring’s primary by challenger Jared Solomon. Throughout his tenure, he sponsored LGBT-rights measures like inclusive nondiscrimination and hate-crimes bills.
Inclusion is a priority he would bring to the bench if elected, Cohen said.
He noted that some judges think their work is “limited to the courtroom,” which he said is “not the whole job.”
“I think the judges have to be aware of making the court system responsive to the needs of every Philadelphian,” he said. “That includes the LGBT community. That includes the transgender community, specifically. That includes many other communities that are small in population but important for the overall cause of advancing human dignity. I think we have to make certain that the police and the community as a whole sense the needs of transgender individuals.”
To meet with the needs of the transgender community, Cohen said he backs the creation of a judicial committee to address transgender rights. He recommended that Henry Sias, who, if elected to the Court of Common Pleas, would become the first transgender male judge in the nation, should chair such a committee. Cohen said he “would be honored to serve on that committee.”
Cohen noted he would bring his decades of legislative advocacy to the judiciary if elected.
“I intend to be a more public figure than most judges are. I intend to be more policy-oriented in terms of systemic change. I will push for meaningful changes in how the system operates to benefit the people.”
For more information about Mark Cohen, visit https://www.facebook.com/Mark-Cohen-for-Judge-377525135936297/.