New Attendees Confirmed for Gayborhood Racism Hearing

Philadelphia FIGHT’s Jane Shull and Mazzoni Center CEO Nurit Shein will join Mayor Jim Kenney and LGBT Affairs director Nellie Fitzpatrick at the October 25th public hearing.

The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) has confirmed that two additional LGBT community leaders will attend its October 25th public hearing on Gayborhood racism.

As previously reported, PCHR has subpoenaed the owners of all 11 Gayborhood bars and already confirmed that both Mayor Jim Kenney and Office of LGBT Affairs director Nellie Fitzpatrick would be attending.

Now, Philadelphia FIGHT’s executive director Jane Shull and Mazzoni Center CEO Nurit Shein have told PCHR that they will also be at the hearing.

During recent protests in and around the Gayborhood, some activists, most notably members of the Black and Brown Workers Collective (BBWC), have alleged that racism in the LGBT community is not confined to Gayborhood bars. At an October 5th demonstration that disrupted an awards ceremony honoring Fitzpatrick, a group of protesters confronted Shull (who was in the area by coincidence) over what they claimed was a lack of response to a list of demands the BBWC had given her in May after complaints of alleged racist polices and practices at Philadelphia FIGHT.

The hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Liberty Resources, 112 North 8th Street, Suite 600. Due to construction at 112 North 8th Street, PCHR is now informing the public that they should only enter the building through the Arch Street at 801 Arch Street, and go up to second floor.

For more information and/or to sign up to testify, contact the commission at 215-686-4670 or phila.gov/humanrelations.