Reps. Schlossberg and Sims to hold LGBT Twitter Forum

Written by Vincent Smith, Contributing Writer

Reps. Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia) and Mike Schlossberg (D-Lehigh) are two young, progressive state representatives who are taking to the internet to get Pennsylvanians talking about the issues facing the LGBT community.

On Tuesday, January 14, the two representatives will hold a Twitter Town Hall meeting at 7 p.m. to discuss LGBT equality in Pennsylvania. Internet users can view updates from the the public forum — courtesy of tweets from Sims and Schlossberg — while also posing questions. The hashtag for the event is #PAEquality.

“We wanted to give Pennsylvania residents the chance to directly ask legislators questions about LGBT issues,” said Schlossberg.

Sims echoed Schlossberg’s sentiments by stating, “LGBT civil rights and equality issues are extremely important and because of the ever-changing nature of the legal and legislative landscape, there are many questions that ought to be answered.”

The event hopes to disseminate information about the progress of LGBT equality in Pennsylvania. Legislation proposals dealing with the issue will also be discussed.

In regards to the tech-savvy take on a Town Hall meeting, Schlossberg said that “as public officials,” he and Sims “have an obligation to do more in [the area of Social Media].”

“Traditional means of communication just aren’t cutting it anymore,” he added.

Sims is the first elected openly gay representative in Pennsylvania history. He is both the former president of the board of directors of Equality Pennsylvania as well as the former chairman of Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia (GALLOP).

He supported legislation that would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to non-discrimination rules and has also proposed a bill to allow same-sex marriages in Pa.

Schlossberg is a member of the Pennsylvania LGBT Equality Caucus along with Rep. Sims.

Both representatives see equality and civil rights as pressing issues facing Pa.

“The vast majority of states protect LGBT residents from legal discrimination, and it’s only a matter of time before Pennsylvania does the same,” said Schlossberg.

Joining Sims and Schlossberg for the forum will be Reps. Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia), Michelle Brownlee (D-Philadelphia), Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery), Steve Santasiero (D-Bucks), Brendan Boyle (D-Philadelhpia), Stephen Kinsey (D-Philadelphia), Mark Painter (D-Montgomery), Steven McCarter (D-Montgomery), Kevin Schreiber (D-York), Matthew Bradford (D-Montgomery), Pamela DeLissio (D-Montgomery), Tina Davis (D-Bucks), and Senator Larry Farnese (D-Philadelphia).

January 10th, 2014 | Posted in Front Page Stories, Harrisburg, Top Stories | 4 Comments