As the year comes to a close, the Philadelphia Office of LGBTQ Affairs is thrilled to celebrate the important milestones of the past year. In 2018, we organized demonstrations, created queer art, and fostered vibrant nightlife. LGBTQ+ people have always played a vital role in our city’s culture and community, and we can’t wait to continue that progress in 2019. Reaffirming our commitment to making sure Philly is the number one city for LGBTQ+ safety and rights requires a continued dedication to intersectionality, and we are excited to continue that work in the upcoming year.

Here are some of our favorite moments from 2018:

We launched the LGBTQ+ Community Leadership Pipeline, an historic initiative to support the next generation of diverse LGBTQ+ leadership in Philadelphia.

The Office received more than 125 applications and accepted 20 Fellows to this groundbreaking leadership development program. By building a framework that seeks to remove barriers to access that have traditionally excluded crucial members of our communities from board service, the Leadership Pipeline will help to provide the tools needed for these voices to finally take their place at the table. The Fellows will join local non-profit boards in May, becoming the next generation of the City’s LGBTQ+ leadership.

We got hitched on National Coming Out Day!

To celebrate National Coming Out Day, LGBTQ+ couples had the opportunity to get married or renew their vows in City Hall. Friends, family, community members, and Mayor Jim Kenney bore witness to their love and commitment, while esteemed LGBTQ+ judges officiated.

We rallied for Trans Existence and Resistance. #WontBeErased

On October 23rd, we mobilized in Love Park to declare that bigotry and discrimination will never be tolerated in the City of Philadelphia. We stood shoulder to shoulder with our transgender, non-binary, and gender non conforming siblings against discrimination, harassment, and violence. We will not be silenced, and we #WontBeErased.

We displayed queer art and history in City Hall.

In collaboration with the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy we presented LGBTQ+ History of Philadelphia, an exhibition showcasing all the ways LGBTQ+ folks have made our city a more vibrant place. With artifacts dating back to the 1960s, the exhibition provided valuable snapshots of Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ community throughout the years.

We also shared stories recognizing Transgender Week of Awareness and Transgender Day of Remembrance. Most recently, we recognized World AIDS Day, highlighting some of Philadelphia’s organizations that have supported people living with HIV and AIDS over the years.

We hosted the first-ever LGBTQ State of the Union.

A first-of-its-kind event for the city, The LGBTQ State of The Union provided an opportunity for Executive Directors and Board Presidents from Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ focused service organizations to interface directly with the community. The leadership of these organizations reflected on their accomplishments for the year, outlined their goals for the upcoming year, and answered questions face-to-face with LGBTQ+ Philadelphians.

We supported LGBTQ+ affirming legislation in City Council.

The Office backed two bills by Councilmember Green modifying gendered martial signifiers in Philadelphia’s tax code. We also provided testimony for Councilmember Reynolds’ bill mandating sexual harassment training for all City employees. Finally, we supported City Council’s unanimous passage of a resolution formally recognizing Trans Day of Visibility, and we’re looking forward to supporting more affirming legislation in 2019!

We celebrated the holidays as a community!

In collaboration with William Way, the Office shared a meal with 120+ people on Thanksgiving, ensuring everyone had a place to go and be with community, and working to make sure our elders had food over the holiday weekend.

We helped LGBTQ+ youth in need find loving homes.

We held recruitment events for prospective LGBTQ+ affirming foster parents so all of our youth can benefit from loving and supportive homes.

We protected our futures and created new opportunities for our community members with legal clinics.

In collaboration with elected officials and local attorneys, we helped community members create advance planning documents and expunge their criminal records to support community members in pursuing the futures they deserve.

We lit Philadelphia up with our #MoreColorMorePride Flag for Pride Month.

From Boathouse Row to the PECO building to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the whole city had the chance to celebrate Pride in style.

*Bonus: Amber Hikes was featured in OUT Magazine’s OUT 100.

Our own Amber Hikes was named one of the OUT Magazine’s 100 most influential LGBTQ people of the year!