As of Nov. 21, Celena Morrison-McLean — who previously served as executive director of the city’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs — is no longer employed by the City of Philadelphia.
“The LGBTQ+ community matters greatly to Mayor [Cherelle] Parker and this administration, and the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs plays a critical role in serving this community and all of Philadelphia,” a statement released by the Parker administration reads.
“A nationwide search for an individual to lead our Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs will commence immediately, and the administration is committed to filling the position with a qualified individual as soon as possible,” it continues. “As this is a personnel action, the administration will have no further comment.”
Morrison-McLean was appointed by Mayor Jim Kenney and started working on March 2, 2020 — just eight days before Philadelphia’s first case of COVID was confirmed and a few weeks before shutdowns began. The position had been vacant since August 2019, when former Executive Director AJ Hikes left to take a job with the ACLU.
Before working for the city of Philadelphia, Morrison-McLean worked as the director of programs at William Way LGBT Community Center — where she helped to launch the Arcila-Adams Trans Resource Center — and had been a community engagement specialist at the Mazzoni Center — where she also supported the trans community. She’d also served as a commissioner for the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations.
Because the pandemic disproportionately impacted LGBTQ+ and marginalized people, one of Morrison-McLean’s first accomplishments as executive director of the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs was publishing a COVID-19 resource guide for LGBTQ+ Philadelphians. The guide included resources on accessing food, health care, housing support, legal services, economic aid, and financial assistance, along with links to key agencies.
She later responded to concerns from trans city workers who were experiencing difficulties in the workplace and collaborated with the city’s human resource department to develop guidelines for better supporting trans employees. A handbook and training resulted.
She also worked with community members to gain small steps toward stronger inclusion of nonbinary athletes in some of the city’s major running events.
Morrison-McLean is lauded as the city’s first openly trans person to head a Philadelphia office or department and is possibly the first to do so in any U.S. city. During her tenure, she was named on the Pride Power 100 by City & State Pennsylvania as one of the most influential LGBTQ+ people in the state.
But her time in the role was not without controversy. Immediately following the Pride flag raising event at City Hall in June 2023, a group of trans people of color voiced concern for what they called a lack of leadership from Morrison-McLean.
Those gathered called for her termination and expressed that the position should be elected rather than appointed.
After sending a message to Morrison-McLean’s previous work email for the city, PGN received an auto-reply stating, “Thank you for your email. I am no longer in my position with the City of Philadelphia Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs. For assistance please contact Brandee Anderson,” referring to the city’s new Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer — who came on board in October 2024.
Neither she nor Morrison-McLean could be reached for comment.
Just as Morrison-McLean did during her time in the role, the next person to hold the position will be tasked with advising city leaders on policies related to the needs and experiences of LGBTQ+ people, educating the city workforce about how to best serve the queer community, and connecting LGBTQ+ people with resources and city services.
