Governor Wolf has been a friend and support of the LGBTQ community in more ways than we can list right now. Senator Casey stands up for LGBTQ Equality time and time again in Harrisburg and across the Commonwealth. These are easy choices when we go to the polls tomorrow/Tuesday for the Democratic Primary, made especially easy because they don't have Primary challengers.
But it's incredibly important that you vote on Tuesday, and John Fetterman is a fantastic reason.
We wanted to take a minute, though, and tell you about our third endorsed statewide candidate Braddock Mayor John Fetterman [LINK] who is running for Lieutenant Governor and is Equality PA's top pick to hold the Commonwealth's second in command position.
In his endorsement request to Equality PA, Mayor Fetterman wrote:
I want to be a progressive backstop for the Governor and ensure that Tom Wolf gets re-elected and bring back the democratic voters we lost in 2016. To advocate for economic justice and our forgotten communities, and to utilize and transform the office to its fullest potential compared to previous administrations.
On the PA Fairness Act: Pennsylvania is long overdue to pass comprehensive nondiscrimination legislation, statewide, that protects LGBTQ Pennsylvanians. This is an economic justice issue as much as it is a civil rights issue. The fact that LGBTQ people can lose their job, be denied a mortgage or leasing agreement, or be kicked out of a restaurant/school/doctor’s office, simply because of who they love or how they identify, is ridiculous, and is just robbing people of their dignity.
On LGBTQ+ Inclusive Hate Crimes: LGBTQ+ people are victims of horrendously violent crimes. We've seen over 30 trans people killed just this year in our country! We must include sexual orientation, gender identity AND gender expression as protected classes in our state's hate crimes statute. Period.
My campaign, and my career, is first and foremost about making sure that forgotten Pennsylvanians have a voice [VIDEO], and LGBT+ people are absolutely a neglected community in our Commonwealth. LGBT+ Pennsylvanians still do not have protection from discrimination... and are constantly under attack in Harrisburg. Transgender Pennsylvanians have it especially hard, especially trans people of color. It is of utmost importance to me that LGBT+ Pennsylvanians feel that they can trust me to be a champion for equality.
One of the moments I am most proud of is the decision to solemnize same-sex weddings in 2013 when it was illegal to do so in the state of Pennsylvania. I continued to do so when then Republican Governor Tom Corbett sent me orders to desist. Love is love is love, and I am proud to say that I stood on the right side of history for LGBT+ couples [VIDEO].
Equality Pennsylvania received endorsement requests from several other Lt. Governor candidates and conducted phone interviews. From those requests, only Mayor Fetterman and candidate Nina Ahmad remain in the race as we go to the polls tomorrow.
It's worth noting that incumbent Lt. Governor Mike Stack [Link] and challengers Kathi Cozzone or Ray Sosa did not apply for endorsement nor respond to messages encouraging their participation in our endorsement process.
Mayor Fetterman's depth of knowledge and understanding on LGBTQ Issues, his commitment to support Governor Wolf's agenda of equality and fairness, and his widely respected work transforming Braddock, PA to be a place of inclusion and justice are why we're voting for him, and we hope you do, too.
Click Here to View our Full Endorsement List
