Katz, Street reach out to gay community

Gay rights activists will have to find other issues on which to base their vote in the upcoming Philadelphia mayoral election as both incumbent Democrat John Street and his opponent, Republican Sam Katz, have presented similar pleas for support from the city's gay community.

Both candidates have been very vocal in their support for gay rights throughout their campaigns.

In his efforts to garner support, Katz held a meeting at the William Way Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Community Center on Sept. 3, and Street spoke at the same location two weeks later.

Katz's attempts to reach out to the gay community are supported by Pride for Katz, an LGBT coalition backing his campaign.

Pride for Katz is a "coalition started for the gay and lesbian community, not a just a voice for Sam," said Michael Cassidy, co-chairman of the organization. "We're not in it for ourselves, we are trying to get the word out about why he is a friend of our community and let them make a decision."

Street is backed by a similar organization, LGBT4Street. The LGBT4Street Web site outlines Street's accomplishments dealing with LGBT issues and features testimonials from his supporters in the community.

As City Council president, Street faced opposition from the gay community as a result of his resistance to domestic partnership rights. However, as mayor, Street's views shifted in support of domestic partnership.

According to Street spokesman Dan Fee, Street changed his stance "in recognition that it was the right thing to do."

As mayor, Street created an LGBT advisory board, extended the Fair Practices Ordinance to cover gender, appointed the first city liaison to the gay community and appointed the city's first openly gay cabinet member.

Katz has pledged to fund LGBT support and community centers that received no financial support under Street's administration. At the William Way Center on Sept. 3, he promised city funding to the center as well as to the Center for Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights and the Attic Youth Center.

With both the Democratic and Republican candidates strongly supporting gay rights, views of some members of the conservative community will be unrepresented by the principal contenders in the upcoming election.

On Sept. 17, Katz spoke at a meeting at the Urban Family Council, a Christian organization founded by Bill Devlin. Although Devlin is an opponent of both gay rights and abortion, Katz brought two members of Pride for Katz and addressed the group of pastors and leaders of Christian schools and organizations about his own advocacy of gay rights and pro-choice beliefs.

A small group from the gay community held a protest outside the Urban Family Council.

"There was a misleading e-mail sent out in the community about this meeting," said Nate Raab, a spokesman for Katz. "Sam spoke [to Devlin's group] strongly on gay rights, based on his own beliefs and the struggle of his own family to come to grips with discrimination."

Katz's brother, Jim, who was gay, died of AIDS in 1994.

"Anyone who knows Sam knows that he has been a supporter of the gay community for a long time," Raab said.

According to Fee, Street does not feel that Katz's actions will cause him to lose support from the gay community.

"The mayor has had great success," Fee said. "He actually has more support from the gay community in this election than in '99."

Fee added that one of Katz's LGBT chairs from the 1999 election, Philadelphia Gay News publisher Mark Segal, is now backing Street.

"He's picked up considerable support within the community because he kept his promises to have an open and inclusive government," Fee said. "It's about what you do once you're in office, not just on the campaign trail."

Katz's spokesman echoed Fee's sentiments.

"Sam intends to use the position as mayor to advocate for gay rights, not just in his campaign," Raab said.

Despite attention to the issue, however, members of Penn's gay community said they are not actively endorsing either candidate.

Bob Schoenberg, director of of Penn's LGBT center, would not comment on the candidates' positions on gay rights.

Student leaders of LGBT organizations Allies and the Queer Student Alliance, including QSA President Carlos Sanchez, said they had not been following the Philadelphia mayoral race.

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