New LGBTQ+ history exhibit opens in Central PA
The LGBT Center of Central PA is hosting a free event to launch a new exhibit that highlights the pioneering efforts of LGBTQ+ ally, former Pennsylvania Gov. Milton Shapp, who worked on nondiscrimination initiatives that focused on protecting LGBTQ+ people in the 1970s.
The exhibit, “America’s First Equality Governor: Gov. Milton Shapp’s LGBTQ+ Initiatives,” will open on Sept. 20 with a reception from 5 – 8 pm and run through mid-December. PGN founder Mark Segal, a Stonewall veteran who launched LGBTQ+ activism groups and collaborated with Shapp to advance progress for LGBTQ+ people in Pennsylvania, will speak at the event.
Segal’s advocacy pushed Shapp to issue the nation’s first executive order banning discrimination in state government — a move that led to the formation of the Pennsylvania Council for Sexual Minorities, the first official governmental body with the mission to improve public policy for LGBTQ+ people.
The new exhibit is only the second to be featured in the lobby of the LGBT Center of Central PA’s new location (1323 North Front Street), where exhibits presented by the LGBT Center of Central PA History Project will change on a quarterly basis. The project — which documents, collects and preserves the history of LGBTQ+ community in central Pennsylvania — has an archive that includes digital records of oral histories and images, a map of significant locations, publications and a variety of other materials.
Philly AIDS Thrift to host annual block party
Philly AIDS Thrift is celebrating its 19th anniversary with its annual block party on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 12 to 6 pm. The party will take place on the 700 blocks of S. 5th Street and E. Passyunk Avenue.
The event will feature music provided by WXPN’s Robert Drake and live performances by Reverend MacKenzie Moltov — a sword-swallowing clown, Reese “Stoop Kid” Crawley — a fire and flow artist, and other circus performers. Double Dutch Meetup — the viral, community-centered jump-roping group — will also be there, sharing the street with a celebrity dunk tank and games, a caricature artist, a dog-kissing booth, stilt walkers, over 30 craft and vintage vendors, and more.
Food and drink will be available for purchase — or sign-up for the pie-eating contest and enjoy a whole gluten-free blueberry pie. (Get there early to claim a spot at the table.)
People of all ages are invited. The event, which will raise money for local HIV/AIDS service organizations, also kicks off Halloween season — the busiest time for the organization, which has a reputation as a destination for costumes, accessories and decorations during this time of year.
Pride parade named in terror plot after West Philly teen is arrested
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office recently announced that 18-year-old Muhyyee-Ud-Din Abdul-Rahman of West Philadelphia will be prosecuted with terrorism-related charges. His bail has been set at $5 million.
Abdul-Rahman, who was allegedly in regular contact with leaders of an overseas terrorist organization, had been constructing and testing explosives. Authorities note that Abdul-Rahman was searched online for information about Philadelphia’s Pride parade and believe he intended to detonate bombs at a local event to target the LGBTQ+ community.
“Internet search histories indicated that [Abdul]-Rahman was interested in the date and times of local parades, including the Philadelphia Pride Parade,” reads a recent press release from the DA’s Office. “Investigators also discovered evidence of his hatred for the LGBTQ+ community.”
Abdul-Rahman — who has not yet entered a plea but is facing 24 to 48 years in prison if convicted — might have been potentially impacted by queerphobic rhetoric, as he allegedly expressed a belief that LGBTQ+ identity is “pressed upon children in the United States.”
Authorities believe he was also interested in targeting regional infrastructure — including power plants and military bases.
“Our office intends to prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent,” said First Assistant District Attorney Robert Listenbee. “This investigation remains ongoing, and the Krasner administration will continue to work with our federal and local law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of all Philadelphians.”
Former Pennsylvania State Rep. Brian Sims named CEO of Agenda PAC
Brian Sims, an openly gay LGBTQ+ lawyer and advocate who was previously a Pennsylvanian state rep, stepped into the role of CEO at Agenda PAC — a political action committee which intends to not only challenge conservatives but specifically targets queerphobic extremists.
The organization, which helped beat 14 out of 15 Moms for Liberty candidates in school board races across Pennsylvania in 2023, works to unseat problematic incumbents in elections by revealing and highlighting their anti-LGBTQ+ voting records.
“If there are people coming to the polls specifically to rob you and me of our rights, we need to be responding in kind,” Sims previously told The Advocate.
The committee currently aims to defeat 10 anti-LGBTQ+ legislators the organization calls the “Hate Squad” — California’s Ken Calvert, Florida’s Fabian Basabe and Susan Plasencia, Iowa’s Jon Dunwell, Missouri’s Bill Allen, Oklahoma’s Eric Roberts, North Carolina’s Tricia Cotham and Buck Newton, as well as Pennsylvania’s Valerie Gaydos and Joe Emrick — who have continually used their power and platform to harm LGBTQ+ youth.
