Connect with us

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania House passes LGBTQ rights bill

Measure faces uphill fight in State Senate

Published

on

Pennsylvania Capitol building (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on May 2 voted 102 to 98 to approve a bill calling for protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination, marking the first time such legislation has passed in either the state House or Senate in the 47 years since similar bills have been introduced.

Supporters have said the outcome of the bill, called the Fairness Act, is uncertain in the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate, where the legislation is now headed.

ā€œToday is a historic day, as we take a critical step to make Pennsylvania fairer,ā€ a joint statement released by the six Democratic House members who were the billā€™s lead sponsors.

ā€œThe Fairness Act is as simple as it is substantive,ā€ the statement says. ā€œH.B 300 would protect LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians from facing discrimination and allow all individuals in the commonwealth to file complaints with the PA Human Relations Commission,ā€ it says.

ā€œNow, we call on the Senate to quickly consider and pass this legislation and send it to Governor Shapiroā€™s desk,ā€ the statement concludes.

Only two Republicans joined 100 Democrats in voting for the bill, according to the Philadelphia Gay News. The PGN reports that GOP opponents, among other things, brought up arguments that the legislation would require womenā€™s sports teams to allow transgender women to play on those teams.

The gay newspaper noted that Pennsylvania is the only state in the northeast that doesnā€™t have a statewide LGBTQ nondiscrimination law. It reports that on the local level, about 73 municipalities in the state have passed LGBTQ nondiscrimination laws, but almost 2,500 municipalities that make up about 65 percent of the stateā€™s population do not have such laws.

At least 22 states and the District of Columbia have enacted LGBTQ rights laws. Although LGBTQ rights advocates have called on the other states, including Pennsylvania, to pass such laws, activists have also pointed out the landmark 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga., ruled that LGBTQ people are protected under the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964.

That law bans discrimination in employment and other areas based on a personā€™s sex or gender as well as other factors such as race, religion, and ethnicity. In an action that surprised many legal observers, the Supreme Court ruling said LGBTQ people were protected under the sex or gender provision in the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Pennsylvania

Pa. state trooper in altercation with prominent LGBTQ leader

Celena Morrison pulled over on Philadelphia expressway, detained

Published

on

(Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania State Police)

The Philadelphia Gay News originally published this article and the Washington Blade republished it with permission.

BY LAUREN ROWELLO | Video footage uploaded to Facebook shows an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders. Celena Morrison, executive director of Philadelphiaā€™s Office of LGBT Affairs, was pulled over by a state trooper on the Vine Street Expressway on the morning of March 2 and later detained by police.

Morrisonā€™s sister told PGN that Morrison was pulled over ā€œfor not having their lights on while tailgating,ā€ which a video of the encounter that Morrison recorded confirms. Darius McClean, Morrisonā€™s husband and acting COO of William Way LGBT Community Center, was present during the incident and was also detained.

ā€œMy sister started recording when the officer became aggressive,ā€ said Morrisonā€™s sister, who uploaded the video to her Facebook. It shows a portion of the traffic stop encounter. It is unclear what occurred before Morrison started recording. Morrisonā€™s sister said that McLean was following his wifeā€™s car in a separate vehicle at the time of the stop and pulled over behind her during the traffic stop.

Morrison told her sister the officer ā€œpulled him out of the carā€ then Morrison got out of her own vehicle to explain that McLean is her husband. 

ā€œShe started recording when the officer pulled his taser,ā€ Morrisonā€™s sister explained.

In the video, which is described in greater detail below, Morrison accuses the officer of punching her and drawing his gun on her. In the video, the officer says that both McLean and Morrison are ā€œunder arrest for resisting.ā€

Philadelphia Police confirmed that Morrison and McLean were taken to Philadelphia Police Headquarters at 400 N. Broad St. Morrisonā€™s sister says the pair was processed, charged with disorderly conduct, and detained until approximately 9 p.m. on March 2.

ā€œMy concern is over her safety since she is transgender,ā€ Morrisonā€™s sister told PGN. She is especially concerned with ā€œthe way the police officer charged at her for recording,ā€ which can be seen on the footage. One commenter replied to the video on Facebook, ā€œThis is OUTRAGEOUS. This has to go straight to the governorā€™s office.ā€

What the video shows

The video begins with Morrison repeatedly stating, ā€œThatā€™s my husband,ā€ to the officer who is seen kneeling on McLeanā€™s back as McLean lays on the asphalt in fetal position in the rain. The officer tells him to put his hands behind his back. McLean says, ā€œI donā€™t know why youā€™re doing this,ā€ then frantically attempts to reassure Morrison by telling her, ā€œItā€™s OK. Itā€™s OK.ā€

Morrison repeatedly states to the officer, ā€œI work for the mayor!ā€ McLean appears to attempt to shield his face with one arm in fear as the officer cuffs his other hand. The officer hits McLeanā€™s hand with a closed fist before pointing to Morrison. The officer yells, ā€œStay the fuck back!ā€ while moving McLeanā€™s hands to his back to finish cuffing.

McLean pleads for the officer to stop then says, ā€œItā€™s because Iā€™m Black.ā€ The officer appears to respond, saying, ā€œItā€™s not because youā€™re Black. Itā€™s because you rolled up on me.ā€

The officer then lets go of McLean and approaches Morrison, saying, ā€œTurn around,ā€ before lunging toward Morrison with a grabbing motion. The camera is jostled at this time and points at the sky for the remainder of the footage. The officer yells, ā€œGive me your hands or youā€™re getting tased!ā€ while Morrison and McLean can be heard calling out in distress.

The officer says, ā€œStay right there!ā€ to which McLean replies, ā€œI am! I canā€™t go anywhere!ā€ before trying to reassure Morrison again by saying, ā€œCelena, itā€™s OK baby.ā€ Morrison says she doesnā€™t know why this is happening and repeatedly states that theyā€™ve done nothing wrong.

She then says, ā€œHe just punched me. He just punched me.ā€ The officer appears to stand over McLean and Morrison as Morrison asks whatā€™s going on and McLean cries out for help. The officer calls to dispatch that he has two people detained. 

McLean says to the officer calmly, ā€œIā€™m just getting my glasses.ā€ The officer screams in reply, ā€œLeave that right there!ā€

McLean says more frantically, ā€œI just need my glasses,ā€ and the officer shouts, ā€œDonā€™t reach for anything!ā€ Morrison reassures McLean, ā€œJust be still.ā€

The officer says, ā€œStay right there! You move, youā€™re getting taken down.ā€

McLean is prompted to stand but says he canā€™t. Morrison says sheā€™ll call the mayorā€™s office once this is over. When she stands, she asks the officer to pick up her phone. The officer says loudly, ā€œThis was a simple traffic stop because you didnā€™t have your lights on ā€” you didnā€™t have your lights on and you were tailgating.ā€

McLean attempts to defend himself, ā€œI wasnā€™t tailgating!ā€ and the officer repeats, ā€œSimple traffic stop,ā€ to Morrison. The officer appears to tell McLean, ā€œAnd I donā€™t know who you are, so I donā€™t need you rolling up on me.ā€

ā€œYou were about to tase me. You pulled your gun on me,ā€ Morrison says. ā€œBecause you were fighting with me,ā€ says the officer, which Morrison is heard denying. The officer says that both McLean and Morrison are ā€œunder arrest for resisting.ā€

A response from Philadelphia and national leaders

Mayor Cherelle Parker released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that reads:
ā€œā€‹ā€‹Earlier today, a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper executed a car stop on the Vine Street Expressway in Philadelphia, reportedly for a Motor Vehicle Code violation. Celena Morrison, the Cityā€™s executive director of the Office of LGBT Affairs, was in the vehicle that was stopped.
A video circulating on social media that depicts a portion of the incident is very concerning to me, and I will have no further comment until the investigation has been completed.ā€

State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta addressed the incident in his speech at the Human Rights Campaign Greater Philadelphia dinner on Saturday evening. He emphasized the need for a thorough investigation.

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign ā€” a national organization that advocates on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community ā€” also underlined the need for a thorough investigation, underlining to PGN that important details often get missed in these kinds of situations. She retweeted the mayor, calling the incident ā€œdisturbing.ā€

In her speech, she said, ā€œWhen Philadelphiaā€™s very own executive director of the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, Celena Morrison, cannot even ride around the streets of Philadelphia without being harassed by law enforcement, we are in a state of emergency.ā€

Tyrell Brown, executive director of galaei, accepted an award on behalf of the organization they lead and informed the crowd during their speech that Morrison and McLean had just been released from police custody.

Brown told PGN that leaders from across the LGBTQ+ community and allies were working to ā€œensure that there is transparency and safety for these two very valued community members.ā€

They said that this situation demonstrates that an official title will not protect people from mistreatment ā€” but that all people within the queer community need and deserve access to safety and support mechanisms without any barriers.

ā€œThe seconds that we miss could be the determination between life and death,ā€ they said, highlighting the importance of working together to ensure that all members of the queer community can access resources that help promote safety and equity ā€” ā€œthe same kind of decency and the same kind of reverence and respect that any other community deserves and has afforded to them.ā€

The Pennsylvania State Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Philadelphia Police Department directed PGN to their public affairs office, which did not appear to be open on March 2. An officer told PGN, ā€œI have no comment at this time.ā€

This is a developing story.

Continue Reading

Pennsylvania

Arrest made in connection with gay journalist Josh Kruger’s murder

Robert Davis is being held without bail

Published

on

Robert Davis, 19, was arrested and is being held without bail in the murder of gay journalist Josh Kruger in Philadelphia. (Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Police Department)

The suspect in the murder of openly gay journalist Josh Kruger, 39, was taken into custody Wednesday evening, a Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson confirmed.

Robert Davis, 19, of the city’s Point Breeze neighborhood, was arrested and is being held without bail.

On Thursday morning, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said that they plan to charge Davis with murder, possession of instrument of crime, tampering with evidence and related offenses.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Davis sneaked through the window of his family’s South Philadelphia home Wednesday night after more than two weeks on the run and asked his brothers for help.

Davisā€™ older brother, Jaylin Reason, told the Inquirer his brother appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and was acting erratically. While trying to calm Davis down, Reason said, they got into a fight. He realized, he said, that the best assistance he could offer his brother was helping him surrender to police.

ā€œI didnā€™t want him to keep living outside and going around and doing something to put himself in a deeper hole,ā€ he added.

Reason told the paper that he calmed Davis down, and then asked his other brother to call the police. Together, they went outside, sat on the steps, and waited for 17th District officers to arrive. Davis surrendered and was taken into custody.

In a series of interviews in early October with the Inquirer, Davisā€™ family told the paper that a years-long sexual relationship involving drugs factored into the murder. Davisā€™ mother, Damica Davis, and older brother are alleging Kruger commenced a sexual and drug relationship with the teenager four years ago when Davis was 15.

Damica Davis told the Inquirer that her son had been deceptive about the relationship with the journalist instead claiming that he was seeing an older white woman he had met online who worked for the government and the messages on his mobile from ā€œJoshā€ he claimed were because ā€œJoshā€ was the womanā€™s gay brother.

Reporting on the arrest, the paper noted that Reason said Davis had said he wanted to tell police everything, including the troubling details that he and Kruger had been in a sex and drug-fueled relationship since Davis was just 15. But Reason told his brother not to say anything to law enforcement officials until the family got him a lawyer.

Davis was arraigned on the charges Thursday afternoon. A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Nov. 13.

Continue Reading

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia police issue arrest warrant for suspect in gay journalist’s murder

Josh Kruger killed inside home on Oct. 2

Published

on

An arrest warrant has been issued for 19-year-old South Philadelphia resident Robert Davis in the shooting death of journalist Josh Kruger. (YouTube screenshot from NBC News)

Lieutenant Hamilton Marshmond of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Unit told reporters on Oct. 6 that an arrest warrant has been issued for a 19-year-old man he said detectives believe was responsible for the shooting death of a gay journalist earlier in the week.

Marshmond stated that police are searching for South Philadelphia resident Robert Davis, who was acquaintance of 39-year-old Josh Kruger, who was found lying in the street outside his Point Breeze home on Oct. 2 suffering from seven gunshot wounds. Responding officers rushed Kruger to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Marshmond told reporters Kruger had been trying to help Davis, who was facing various troubles including homelessness.

ā€œHe was just trying to help him get through life,ā€ Marshmond said.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Marshmond told reporters the motive for the killing remains under investigation, and itā€™s unclear how Davis got into Krugerā€™s home, which showed no signs of forced entry. He said video of Davis near the area at the time of the shooting, and tips from Krugerā€™s friends and family about their earlier interactions led investigators to him.

Davisā€™ last known address was on the 1600 block of South Ringgold Street, police said, just a few blocks from Krugerā€™s home on the 2300 block of Watkins Street.

Marshmond said Davis was known to police and had been arrested before, but declined to elaborate on officersā€™ earlier interactions with him. Court records show that Davis was arrested in August and charged with criminal trespassing and mischief, but the District Attorneyā€™s Office withdrew the charges at a preliminary hearing the following month.

He warned that Davis ā€œis considered armed and dangerous,ā€ and that anyone who sees him should not approach him but instead call 911. Those who have information that could lead police to him are asked to call (215) 686-TIPS (8477). 

There is a $20,000 reward for information that results in his apprehension and arrest.

A celebration of life and tribute to Kruger has beenĀ scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 29 at William Way LGBT Community Center.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Sign Up for Weekly E-Blast

Follow Us @washblade

Advertisement

Popular