The executive director for the top LGBTQ+ leadership position in the state has resigned. Henry Sias, the executive director for the Governor’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, told PGN that he stepped down from his role due to health reasons. Sias was appointed to the role in June after Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order reestablishing five advisory commissions, the Commission on LGBTQ Affairs being one of them.
“I hope that the community supports [my successor] and tries to get engaged because it’s a really important time for us to stand together, put aside our differences and be a united front,” Sias told PGN.
Moriah Hathaway, the executive director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women, will be serving as the acting executive director on the Commission on LGBTQ Affairs until a new person is in the role, a spokesperson for Shapiro said.
According to Sias’ bio — which was still listed on the website for Shapiro’s Commission on LGBTQ Affairs at press time — he has been a civil rights lawyer for more than a decade. The out transgender man co-founded the nonprofit Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, which provided thousands of free expungements for low-income Philadelphians. During his first semester as a student at Yale Law School, he began working on pro bono projects for the LGBTQ+ community when he assisted professors working on a brief in Lawrence v. Texas, a landmark 2003 Supreme Court case which ruled it was unconstitutional to criminalize consensual, adult non-procreative sexual activity. Throughout his career, Sias continued fighting for the LGBTQ+ community in several causes, including workplace discrimination, bullying in schools, and expanding freedom and security. Sias also ran for judgeship in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas in 2017 and in 2019, but was unsuccessful in both races.
Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro, issued the following statement to PGN via email: “Henry Sias has resigned from the Governor’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, and we thank him for his service on the commission. We are committed to filling this vacancy as soon as possible, and Moriah Hathaway will be serving as the Acting Executive Director for the Governor’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs until a new Executive Director is named.”
Hathaway has been the executive director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women since July 2020, according to her bio on the commission’s website. In this role, she works with legislators, commissioners and community stakeholders across Pennsylvania to advocate for women and girls at the executive level. Bonder confirmed that Hathaway will continue working with the Commission on Women as she steps into the post Sias departed.
Hathaway’s previous work includes serving as special assistant to the secretary of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, as well as the executive assistant to former Gov. Tom Wolf’s Regional Directors. She also serves the Alumni Board of Directors for Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She currently resides in Harrisburg with her wife and son.
Including the Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, Shapiro’s executive order also reestablished commissions on African American Affairs, Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs, Latino Affairs, Women, and the new Commission on Next Generation Engagement.“No matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love, or who you pray to — you have a place here in Pennsylvania. These advisory commissions will ensure all Pennsylvania communities have a seat at the table of progress in my Administration,” Shapiro said in a statement at the time. “Moriah [Hathaway], Razin [Karu from the Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs], Ruby [Mundok from the Commission on Next Generation Engagement], Anette [Nance from the Commission on African American Affairs], Olga [Negrón from the Commission on Latino Affairs], and Henry are dedicated public servants ready to serve the Commonwealth and ensure that all Pennsylvanians see themselves reflected in state government — and I’m proud to appoint them as we continue working to build a better future for our Commonwealth.”