Kendall Stephens, a Philadelphia trans advocate accused of child sexual abuse, has been cleared of multiple criminal charges, but several serious charges still remain lodged against her.
On Feb. 6, a preliminary hearing was held regarding allegations that Stephens raped two boys. Both alleged victims testified during the preliminary hearing.
After the alleged victims testified, Common Pleas Judge Vincent W. Furlong dismissed most of the charges relating to one of the alleged victims, according to defense attorney Michael T. van der Veen.
The dismissed charges include rape, involuntary deviate sexual Intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and indecent assault, according to van der Veen.
However, multiple charges relating to both of the alleged victims were held for trial by Furlong, according to Brett Hambright, a spokesperson for the state Attorney General’s Office.
The charges held for court for one alleged victim are: rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, endangering welfare of a child, corruption of minors (2 counts), and indecent assault.
For the other alleged victim, the charges held for court are: dissemination of explicit material, corruption of minors and endangering welfare of a child, according to Hambright.
The preliminary hearing was held at Philadelphia Family Court. Observers weren’t permitted inside the courtroom when the alleged victims testified.
Lauren C. Eichelberger served as prosecutor during the hearing, according to court records.
Van der Veen told PGN he’s preparing for a jury trial. But he stopped short of ruling out the possibility of a plea agreement at some point in the future. He emphasized Stephens should be presumed innocent unless proven otherwise in a court of law.
“We’ve entered a not-guilty plea at every court hearing we’ve had,” van der Veen told PGN. “My client professes her innocence and enjoys the presumption of innocence as well. I’ve seen a lot of people falsely accused of crimes. Sexual crimes against children are among the worst things to be accused of. It is the scarlet letter of our society today. I intend to vigorously defend my client against these charges.”
In van der Veen’s opinion, officials overcharged Stephens.
“My client was overcharged,” van der Veen continued. “At the preliminary hearing, I argued for the dismissal of the charges [against her] because the commonwealth didn’t satisfy the elements of the relevant statutes. Judge Furlong, one of the fairest judges in the city, dismissed numerous charges for that reason.”
Hambright had no comment regarding van der Veen’s assertion that Stephens was overcharged.
For her part, Stephens emphatically denies the allegations. “I vehemently deny these charges and deny ever hurting a [child] in any way,” Stephens wrote online. “I applaud the preliminary [hearing] family court judge who dismissed almost half of the charges, including rape [relating to one of the alleged victims] and other related charges.”
Deja Lynn Alvarez, a prominent trans advocate, recently posted a message on Facebook urging fairness for Stephens.
“Jumping to conclusions without all the facts only perpetuates division within our communities,” Alvarez wrote. “We’ve seen baseless accusations tearing us apart, particularly from certain extremist factions. Supporting our community doesn’t equate to endorsing any harm, especially to children. It means we’re discerning, not blindly following any extreme ideologies.”
Alvarez added: “Standing by each other doesn’t mean condoning wrongdoing; it signifies solidarity until evidence suggests otherwise. If we abandon our own — out of fear of public perception — we betray our values. I’d rather show the courage to stand together, even in challenging times, than succumb to the fear of internal discord.”
Stephens, 37, remains free on bail. Prior to her Dec. 18 arrest, she served on District Attorney Larry Krasner’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee.