PHILADELPHIA – On Monday, June 3, 2019, the City of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs and Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs will host Philadelphia’s 2nd Annual LGBTQ State of the Union at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets for the event are now available online. The LGBTQ State of the Union is free, but RSVPs are required.
The LGBTQ State of the Union provides an annual opportunity for leadership from Philadelphia’s LGBTQ specific or LGBTQ inclusive service organizations and programs to deliver lightning-talk style presentations on their recent accomplishments and goals for the upcoming year. They also get the chance to answer questions face-to-face with LGBTQ Philadelphians.
“I am thrilled that we’ll be hosting the LGBTQ State of the Union again this year,” said Amber Hikes, Executive Director of the Office of LGBT Affairs. “Last year, the inaugural event gave our community a chance to come together and celebrate our accomplishments, while also spurring important discussions about the real challenges facing LGBTQ Philadelphians from the outside and within our own community. We’re looking forward to duplicating that candor during the 2019 LGBTQ State of the Union, and hope to welcome even more attendees at this historic event. The more voices we have at the table, speaking directly to the community, the better.”
As part of the Office of LGBT Affairs’ community conversation series, the LGBTQ State of the Union was created to be a space for the LGBTQ community to discuss common goals, share insights, and identify opportunities to increase the Philadelphia LGBTQ community’s inclusivity. After each organization presents their accomplishments and goals, attendees participate in facilitated, small-group discussions with leadership from each of the organizations.
“We are proud to sponsor the 2nd Annual LGBTQ State of the Union along with Amber Hikes, who is a dedicated member of The Kimmel Center’s Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee,” says Crystal Brewe, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Communications, at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and chair of the Kimmel’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. “The Kimmel Center is committed to presenting programming that reflects the broad and diverse tapestry of our great city, while serving as a hub for conversations that are important and relevant to our fellow neighbors in the community.”
The 2019 LGBTQ State of the Union take place just as the City of Philadelphia is gearing up for LGBTQ Pride Month, with activities scheduled throughout the month of June. The month-long celebration will feature dozens of events hosted and compiled by the Office of LGBT Affairs and its partners. Details on additional Pride events will be released in the coming weeks.
To attend the LGBTQ State of the Union, interested individuals and groups can secure their tickets using the Kimmel Center website. Up to eight RSVPs will be accepted on a single order.
The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region’s diverse communities in art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves as an inclusive and preeminent place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of the Philadelphia region. Our vision is to transform lives daily through the arts by cultivating a creative, inclusive, socially-responsible community where artists, guests, staff, donors, and volunteers share experiences that are delivered with pride and integrity. We collaborate, present, and produce to ensure a broad range of relevant and meaningful performances, events, and artistic programs, including support to artists in the creation of new work for the Campus that serves the region’s audiences. Through our growing Arts Education programming, we strive to educate the region’s young people through quality arts experiences and multi-year opportunities to see, make, and understand the performing arts both on-campus, in schools, and in communities. The Cultural Campus operates the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, The Academy of Music, and the Merriam Theater and nurtures assets that deliver diverse and vital arts experiences, as well as serves as an active gathering space for social and community events. Our Cultural Campus is home to eight esteemed Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region’s most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is our proud sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2018-2019 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit www.kimmelcenter.org.