Events

Please join Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club on Thursday, February 2, for a very special "State of the City" panel as part of our general membership meeting.

The event will be held at St. Luke's Church (330 S. 13th Street) from 6:00 - 8:30pm. Social time, including free pizza and drinks, will take place from 6-6:30pm, followed by the meeting and panel. 

Like a State of the Union address, the panelists will offer their views of the state of Philly's LGBTQ movement and communities. They may include their vision for the future of our communities and where we stand today, strategies they propose for movement/community building to bring us closer to their vision, and policies/legislation/programs the community should be fighting for on the range of human rights/civil rights issues we face. 

The panel will be moderated by Liberty City Board Member and former candidate for City Council At-Large Sherrie Cohen. Panelists include:

Gloria Casarez, Director of LGBT Affairs for the City and former Executive Director, Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative;

Michael Hinson, the former Mayor's Liaison to the LGBT Community and founder of COLOURS, the city's only community based organization dedicated to serving Black LGBTs;

Kathy Padilla, former Co-President of OutFront, a former bipartisan LGBTQ organization that represented the political and legislative concerns of the LGBT community, and transgender equality activist; and,

Ibrahim Vicks, President of the Youth Planning Committee of the Attic Youth Center and 2012 Rider, Soulforce Equality Ride, a two-month social justice bus tour that confronts political spiritual oppression of LGBTQ people.

Like poet laureates at an inauguration, two poets will bring their insight and wisdom to the evening: 

The Rev. Jeff Haskins, Founding Pastor of the Unity Fellowship of Christ Church, and

J Mase III, Black/Trans/Queer/Rowdy-as-

Hell Poet. Mason is the Training Coordinator of the Attic Youth Center's Bryson Institute and Co-Director of Soulforce's 2012 Equality Ride.

Preceding the panel, Ted Martin, Executive Director of Equality PA, will give us an update on LGBT issues at the state level that impact us in Philadelphia.

In addition to the panel, there will be an update on the work of Liberty City and voting on new board members for 2012. The slate of new board members to be voted for election or re-election is the following:

Sherrie Cohen

Jason Lewis

Howard Moseley

Solaris Power

Read their bios.

To be eligible to vote in the board election, you must be a member in good standing (having attended two meetings and paid dues in 2011).

Reminder: this is one of two meetings members will need to attend in the twelve months prior to the spring endorsement meeting to be eligible to vote in the endorsement meeting. New members dues must be paid by February 4th to be eligible to vote in the spring endorsement meeting.