In the aftermath of the recent murder of members of the LGBTQ community, the recent historic Supreme Court ruling, and ongoing conversations about equality and justice in our society, the Pa Coalition Against Hate, of which LAMPa is a member, issued the following statement:

“Now in Pride Month, a time when we reflect on the many contributions of our LGBTQ communities, we have been repeatedly reminded that these populations face a disproportionately dangerous world. Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, a black transgender woman in Philadelphia, was taken from those who loved her in what appears to have been a brutal murder sometime before June 8. The same week, Riah Milton, another black trans woman, was murdered in Liberty Township, Ohio.

“The targeting of LGBTQ people for their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression is a group of crimes that Pennsylvania is unequipped to address.

“The Coalition Against Hate, made up of legislators and religious and community organizations, calls on the General Assembly to immediately take up the comprehensive package of legislation introduced earlier this year to address hate crimes in Pennsylvania. Together, these bills would bring the state’s laws into the modern era, extend protections to threatened communities, and provide training to ensure that hate crimes are properly identified from the beginning.

“Rem’mie and Riah can no longer speak for themselves, but we will continue to fight on behalf of them and all vulnerable populations until the General Assembly takes action to protect them against the scourge of hate crimes.”

PA Coalition Against Hate

State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny
Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pa
United Methodist Advocacy
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh
Anti-Defamation League Philadelphia
Anti-Defamation League Cleveland
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
William Way LGBT Community Center, Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition
LGBT Center of Greater Reading
TtiVersity Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity
Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg
United Methodist Advocacy in PA
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia
Tri-State Human Relations Coalition
OCA-Pittsburgh

The Coalition, and the slate of bills it supports, was created in the wake of the anti-Semitic attack on the synagogues in the Tree of Life building in 2018.