PHILADELPHIA – Mayor Jim Kenney, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations Rue Landau, and Director for the Office of LGBT Affairs Amber Hikes have released the following statements regarding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ proposed changes to the legal definition of sex under Title IX, which prevents gender-based discrimination in education programs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is seeking to legally define sex as biological and would define gender as male or female, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals with which a person is born.
Statement from Mayor Jim Kenney:
“The City of Philadelphia does not support this hateful and discriminatory attack on transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals. This proposed change is an extension of the Trump Administration’s continuing efforts to tear our communities apart by marginalizing and erasing non-cisgender identities. The Trump Administration has consistently targeted marginalized communities and has worked to strip away their basic human rights.
“Now more than ever we need to show up and stand together in solidarity with our non-cisgender community. Know that the City of Philadelphia stands with you and we will fight back against any discriminatory acts towards members of our LGBTQ communities. Trans rights are human rights.”
Statement from Rue Landau, Executive Director for the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations:
“The Trump Administration’s proposed policies are cruel, dangerous and discriminatory. We want to be loud and clear: transgender, non-binary and gender non conforming people will continue to be, protected in Philadelphia. Under our city’s civil rights law, people have been protected from discrimination based on gender identity for over 16 years.
“The PCHR will not let fear or intimidation tactics deter us from our mission to ensure that everyone in Philadelphia is treated equally and protected from discrimination in employment, housing, and places of public accommodations, including our schools. Anyone who believes they have been discriminated against should contact our office at 215-686-4670 or pchr@phila.gov.”
Statement from Amber Hikes and the Mayor’s Commission on LGBTQ Affairs:
“The Trump administration’s recent attacks on the transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming and intersex communities are an act of hatred, an abuse of power, and an obvious effort to erase members of our LGBTQ family from existence.
“These attacks seek to systematically erode the legal equality and basic humanity of members of the trans community, and mark a catastrophic step back from ensuring equal rights for all Americans. The proposed definition of gender is in direct contradiction with the majority of court decisions, which uphold that anti-transgender bias constitutes sex discrimination under the federal laws which provide these protections. This is not, as stated, an attempt to unify the legal understanding of gender.
“This is a direct attack on the transgender community and a deliberate effort to undo legal protections afforded to them. Transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals already experience discrimination, violence and even murder at alarmingly high rates. We cannot tolerate the federal government instituting biological essentialism and further erasing trans identities.
“The Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs and Mayor’s Commission on LGBTQ Affairs denounce this shameful act of bigotry and will fight back with our siblings to protect the rights and liberties of all. We make no concessions when it comes to the safety of our trans siblings.
“To our transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming community – we see you, we love you, and we stand with you. Our community is strong, and we will continue to resist acts of hatred and discrimination of any kind, especially against those of us who remain the most targeted and marginalized.”
Philadelphians can show their support for and stand in solidarity with the transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming community by attending the Rally for Trans Existence and Resistance at Love Park on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 4:30pm.