Dear LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians,
These are not going to be easy times. The challenges we face are profound, and the pain and losses we experience are real. Yet, we have been here before. Many of us have personally experienced the cruelty of violence and discrimination. Through the darkest moments of our history, we have found fortitude in one another, fought for our communities, and shown that we are never alone.
We have endured through difficult battles. We persisted during the AIDS crisis, grieved through devastating hate crimes, and persevered against institutional failures. We organized when no one else did. We built our own spaces, mobilized marches, and forced legislative victories. We know what it takes to rise against hate, and we will do it again in love, joy, and strength.
Our unity is the most essential tool for saving and protecting lives. We are powerful — from within our smallest rural towns to our largest cities. We are now intensifying and expanding our work unlike ever before. We call on our communities to remain unwavering in our solidarity. We must center those who are most marginalized and under attack. Visibility alone is not enough — action is mandatory. We urge our elected officials, community leaders, and institutions not to issue empty statements, but to act decisively. When our communities are under attack, there is no room for those who seek to exploit us for money or power. Instead, we must be guided by the leadership of those on the ground and work together to safeguard the vulnerable among us.
Pennsylvania is strongest when our state and national partners collaborate meaningfully, authentically, and with a commitment to results. We are not alone. Across our commonwealth, there are over 1 million LGBTQ+ individuals — living, working, and thriving in every neighborhood. Each of us belongs here. Every one of us is seen, valued, and loved. Even if we haven’t met you yet, you are forever part of our community.
We celebrate the victories that remind us of our progress — from the passage of each nondiscrimination ordinance that collectively cover millions of Pennsylvanians to every name change that affirms an individual’s identity and dignity. These wins, both large and small, show that we are indeed moving mountains forward from where we once were.
Let us not be disheartened by setbacks or the scale of the work ahead. Nothing can dissuade us from pushing forward our nation’s stated commitment to equal protection for all. We are part of this commonwealth and this country, and have every right to continue shaping the world we want to live in. We will keep having conversations, sharing our stories, and building bridges. We are proud to be Pennsylvanians who hold close the promise that we can continue to make our world a better place.
While we are outraged by the current attacks on LGBTQ+ Americans by our federal government, we remain relentless in our resolve for liberty and justice for all.
To our LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians: You are not alone. Reach out. Not one of us will be left behind. Together, we will support one another, advocate for truth, and move Pennsylvania forward.
With gratitude, hope, and solidarity,
Carrie Reighard — Allies for Health + Wellbeing, CFO | Pittsburgh, PA
Alexander Neal — Allies for Health + Wellbeing, Senior Director of Development and Marketing | Pittsburgh, PA
Naiymah Sanchez — ACLU of Pennsylvania, Senior Organizer | Philadelphia, PA
Gwendolyn Bobbie — Association for Inclusion, Respect, and Equity, President | Catawissa, PA
Jen King Zarko — Association for Inclusion, Respect and Equity, Treasurer | Catawissa, PA
Jasper Liem, LCSW — Attic Youth Center, Executive Director | Philadelphia, PA
Rep. Jessica Benham — Pennsylvania House of Representatives and PA LGBTQ Equality Caucus, Co-Chair | Pittsburgh, PA
Liz Bradbury — CEO/Board Chair | Allentown, PA
Krista Brown-Ly — Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, Interim Executive Director | Allentown, PA
Tom Wilson Weinberg — Cabaret Vérité | Philadelphia, PA
Rep. Andre D. Carroll — Pennsylvania House of Representative | Philadelphia, PA
David Acosta — Casa de Duende, Artistic Director | Philadelphia, PA
John Cunningham — Cathedral Village LGBT Residents | Philadelphia, PA
Kae Greenberg, Esq. — Center for HIV Law and Policy, Staff Attorney | Philadelphia, PA
Cat Cook — Centre LGBT+, Executive Director | State College, PA
Kerry Wiessmann — Centre LGBT+, Board Chair | State College, PA
Michel Lee Garret — Centre LGBT+, Board Member | State College, PA
Terri Clark | Philadelphia, PA
Bre Brannan — Clinton County Pride Alliance, President | Lock Haven, PA
Tyler Titus — Compton’s Table, Inc., Board Chair | Erie, PA
Paula Johnston — Connellsville Diversity & Inclusion Board | Connellsville, PA
Kris Boger — Doylestown Pride Festival | Doylestown, PA
malakai koehler — Dreams of Hope | Pittsburgh, PA
Corinne Goodwin — Eastern PA Trans Equity Project, Executive Director | Orefield, PA
Father Dan Storrs — Endless Mountains Pride, President | Towanda, PA
Michael Mahler — Erie Gay News, Editor | Erie, PA
Sarah Shaffer — Fox Chapel Pride in the Park | Pittsburgh, PA
Tyrell Brown — Galaei + Philly Pride 365 | Philadelphia, PA
Chad-Alan Carr — Gettysburg Pride, Inc. | Gettysburg, PA
Dan Miller — Harrisburg City Treasurer | Harrisburg, PA
Alexander Myers — Hatboro Borough Councilmember Pro Tem | Hatboro, PA
Sarah Rosso — Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation, Executive Director | Pittsburgh, PA
Coley Alston — Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation, Program Director | Pittsburgh, PA
Zach Wilcha — Independence Business Alliance, CEO | Philadelphia, PA
Harry Young — Keystone Business Alliance, Executive Director | Harrisburg, PA
Tricia Dressel | Lafayette Hill, PA
Rue Landau — Philadelphia City Councilmember | Philadelphia, PA
Asta Kill — Lebo Pride, President | Mt. Lebanon, PA
Tessa Watkins — Lebo Pride, Chair of Technology | Pittsburgh, PA
C.C. Téllez — Lez Run Running Club, Executive Director | Philadelphia, PA
Barry Loveland — LGBT Center of Central PA History Project | Harrisburg, PA
Laura Biancone — LGBT Center of Greater Reading, Executive Director | Reading, PA
Carrie Stare — LGBT Equality Alliance of Chester County | Phoenixville, PA
R. Perry Monastero — LGBTQ+ Organizations, Consultant | Philadelphia, PA
Tami Brannan — Lock Haven City Councilmember | Lock Haven, PA
Cathleen Pagano — Lower Gwynedd Township Auditor | Lower Gwynedd Township
Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes — Pennsylvania House of Representatives | Pittsburgh, PA
Sultan Shakir — Mazzoni Center, President and Executive Officer | Philadelphia, PA
Sean Meloy | Pittsburgh, PA
Sean Strub — Milford Borough Mayor (2016-2024) | Milford, PA
Lori Schreiber — Montgomery County Clerk of Courts | Abington PA
Brittany Kohler — Montgomery County LGBT Business Council, President | North Wales, PA
Stephanie Hall — Montgomery County LGBT Business Council | North Wales, PA
Morgan Selkirk — Montgomery County Commission for LGBTQ Affairs, Chair | Abington, PA
Jacob Kelley — Mx. Kelley Queer Education LLC | Berwick, PA
John DeBartola — Keystone Alliance/Gaylife Newsletter, President | Johnstown
Drew Lawrence — New Cumberland Borough Councilmember | New Cumberland, PA
Sarah Threnhauser — New Cumberland Pride | New Cumberland, PA
Justin Correll — NEPA Pride Project, Co-Founder / Mayor of Laurel Run Borough | Laurel Run, PA
Melissa Patterson — New Hope Celebrates, President | New Hope, PA
Season Crannell — NWPA Pride Alliance, Inc., President | Erie, PA
John Kluck — Oil City Mayor | Oil City, PA
Dylan A. Altemara — Pennsylvania Equality Project, President | Elizabeth, PA
Savannah Jakubowski — Pennsylvania Equality Project, Vice-Chair | Erie, PA
David Moore — Pennsylvania Equality Project, Board Member & Founder | Meadville, PA
Preston Heldibridle — Pennsylvania Youth Congress, Executive Director | Harrisburg, PA
Jason Landau Goodman — Pennsylvania Youth Congress, Board Chair | Lower Merion, PA
Aubrey Mitchell — Perry County Pride, Founder | Elliottsburg, PA
Madison Kelly — Persad, Outreach Manager | Pittsburgh, PA
Darcy Decker — PFLAG Danville/Central Susquehanna Valley, Co-President | Danville, PA
Matt Henry — PFLAG Danville/Central Susquehanna Valley, Co-President | Lewisburg, PA
Jean Slusser — PFLAG Greensburg, President / Westmoreland LGBTQ Interfaith Network | Blairsville, PA
David West — PFLAG Pittsburgh, President | Pittsburgh, PA
Christa McClusky — PFLAG Pittsburgh, Treasurer | Pittsburgh, PA
Anastasia Walker — PFLAG Pittsburgh, Secretary | Pittsburgh, PA
Jacen Bowman — Philadelphia Black Pride, Vice-President | Philadelphia, PA
Sandra Telep — Philadelphia Family Pride, Executive Director | Philadelphia, PA
Stephanie Haynes — Philadelphia Family Pride Member | Philadelphia, PA
Jeremy Rodriguez — Philadelphia Gay News, Editor | Philadelphia, PA
Elizabeth Weissert — Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association, President | Philadelphia, PA
David Fair — Philly Homes 4 Youth, Co-Chair | Philadelphia, PA
Ray Sidney-Smith — Pittsburgh Equality Center, Board Chair | Pittsburgh, PA
Ross Pfile — Pittsburgh Equality Center, Board Secretary | Pittsburgh, PA
Kenneth Huntly — Pittsburgh Equality Center, Board Member | Pittsburgh, PA
Julie Cantrell — Pittsburgh Equality Center, Board Member | McMurray, PA
Jeffrey Miller — Pittsburgh Equality Center | Pittsburgh, PA
Joseph D. Schlosser — Pittsburgh Equality Center | Pittsburgh, PA
Thomas Whitfield — Pittsburgh Equality Center | Pittsburgh, PA
Sue Kerr — Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents | Pittsburgh, PA
Lenny Orbovich — Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission and the Pittsburgh Public Schools Queer Equity Committee | Pittsburgh, PA
Marlene Pray — Planned Parenthood Keystone’s Rainbow Room | Doylestown, PA
Michael Moreno — Pocono PRIDE Coalition, Co-Founder & Board Treasurer | Stroudsburg, PA
Joelle Liller — Pride Festival Of Central PA, Executive Vice President | Mechanicsburg, PA
Lyndsey Sickler — Proud Haven | Pittsburgh, PA
Robert King Graves — Public Health Management Corporation, Director of PASHI | Philadelphia, PA
Shea Hughes — Rainbow Alliance, Executive Director | Scranton, PA
Eric Stiles — Rainbow Rose Center, Executive Director | York, PA
Christina Wingert — Rainbow Rose Center, Board President | York, PA
Sean Flannery — Reading Pride Organization | Reading, PA
TJ Murphy — Reel Q: Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Film Festival / Pittsburgh Equality Center | Pittsburgh, PA
Stephen Elcock — Scottdale Pride Community | Scottdale, PA
Matthew Yarnell — SEIU Healthcare PA, President | Port Matilda, PA
Alissa Mailen Perrotto — Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center (SARCC), President/CEO | Lebanon, PA
Kerr Kroh — Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center (SARCC), Treasurer | Tremont, PA
Pamela Ladner — Shenango Valley Pride Alliance, President | Sharon, PA
Stephanie Valla — Shenango Valley Pride Alliance, Treasurer & Secretary | Sharpsville, PA
Nykki Hiple — Shenango Valley Pride Alliance | Sharon, PA
Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El — Pennsylvania House of Representatives and PA LGBTQ Equality Caucus, Co-Chair | Lancaster, PA
Enrique Castro, Jr. | Temple, PA
Joanne Carroll — Trans Advocacy Pennsylvania | East Petersburg, PA
Kristy Snow — TransCentral PA, President | Harrisburg, PA
Raven Cammarata — TransFamily of NWPA | Erie, PA
Dena Stanley — TransYouniting Executive Director | Pittsburgh, PA
Taylor James — TriVersity Pride Center, Executive Director | Milford, PA
Richard Bloomer — TriVersity Pride Center | Milford, PA
Tamara Chant — TriVersity Pride Center, Secretary | MIlford, PA
RJ Bloomer-Teague — TriVersity Pride Center | Milford, PA
Kyle T. McIntyre — UDTJ, Director of Operations & Programming | Upper Darby, PA
Michele Kessler — UFCW Local 1776, Secretary-Treasurer | Mountain Top, PA
Sue Gildea | Upper Chichester, PA
Ashley Zaccari Smith — Venango County Pride in the Park, Chair | Franklin, PA
Sara Culver — Warren County Pride, President | Corry, PA
Jill E. Sumner — Warren County Pride, Vice President | Warren, PA
Josh Blakesley — The Welcome Project PA, Executive Director | Hatboro, PA
Jaden Goldsmith — The Welcome Project PA, Co-Director of Development & Programs | Telford, PA
Jamie Brininger — West Branch Pride | Jersey Shore, PA
David McDougal — Western PA LGBTQ+ Older Adult Advocacy Team | Pittsburgh, PA
Dan Maneval — Williamsport Area Community Outreach | Williamsport, PA
Mikaela Gavaletz — Youth Empowerment & Support; LGBTQ+ Schuylkill | Pottsville, PA
Kathy Cameron — Washington County Gay Straight Alliance, Inc. | Washington, PA
Chris Bartlett — William Way LGBT Community Center, Executive Director | Philadelphia, PA
*Signatories are signing as individuals and not on behalf of any affiliated organizations. Affiliated organizations are shared for information only. This letter has been coordinated by the Pennsylvania Coalition of LGBTQ Organizations, a network of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress.