Another question asked was what the candidates would do to ameliorate processes that trans folks have to navigate on a state level, such as getting one’s name changed on a driver’s license.
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“This is something that I have some experience with, and it’s something that I do on a regular basis,” Alvarez said. “I was part of that campaign to get SEPTA to stop [the gender marker policy.] I’ve also been working tirelessly for years to get rid of the policy that you have to publish your name change request in the newspapers. We found a workaround. What we’ve been able to do is write up a letter of safety concerns.”
She pointed out that there are programs to help trans folks with the costs of getting their names changed on their state ID. She also noted that it’s not always necessary to hire a lawyer, that the process of filing the paperwork is not as complicated as it once was.
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“Being realistic here, getting a state-wide policy change on this issue, when right now we’re fighting just to allow trans girls to be able to go to a locker room or a bathroom, is not something realistically I see as [happening] within the next couple of years,” Alvarez said. “But it is all the more reason why we need effective representation in Harrisburg.”
How would they be different from Sims?
Another question, posed by one of the Liberty City members, was “If you are [Rep. Brian Sims’] successor, what can constituents of the 182nd expect to be different?”
“I am not going to run to social media every time I have something to say,” Waxman said. “In particular, I obviously am going to have many differences with my Democratic colleagues, but I am not going to attack my fellow colleagues, especially my fellow House members, publicly, pretty much ever.” Waxman continued, “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve respected the need for compromise. Not just compromise on issues, but if I’m not going to get something I want, I’m okay with that, and that doesn’t mean that a relationship is going to be destroyed or I’m going to criticize people publicly.”
*“Politics is a lot of marketing,” Alvarez said. “It’s not only marketing yourself, but it should be marketing the issues that you’re fighting for, the issues that are on the table. Every bill that you’re trying to pass, larger conversations that are going to affect your constituents, all of that should be communicated effectively, not just thrown up on your social media, but you should be holding meetings, you should be reaching out to them. There should be a direct line between you and your constituents.”
“I think there’s a lot of folks,” Lovitz said, “that think the role of your legislator is to help push paperwork around and go to Harrisburg and vote, as opposed to being your champion, your ally, your agent for your own success. I want to see my Center City office have a job board, and training programs, and community engagement opportunities. Every nonprofit should be able to drop in to our office and be able to engage with the community.”
Other issues
Other questions included asking the candidates to debunk the biggest misconception about them or their platform, why representation in government matters, and why each candidate thinks they deserve the LGBTQ vote.
“LGBT people, we are women, we are people of color, we are veterans, we are immigrants,” Lovitz said in response to the final question. “Being able to leverage my seat at the center of that hub from an LGBT perspective and working with all of those communities is only going to make me strong as an advocate.”
“For the last 20 plus years, I have been at the forefront of almost every LGBTQ fight that there’s been in this city,” Alvarez said. “Not only for LGBTQ individuals but for other marginalized populations. That all comes out of my lived experience. I think what’s missing in politics today is the actual lived experience, the voices of the most marginalized.”
“I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I have lived experience that the other two candidates who are on this Zoom have,” Waxman said. “What I can promise is this: when we get through this primary and we get to May, whoever wins, I will be there, just like I have been for the last 20 years.”
Liberty City will host two more candidate forums, on April 5 and 7, where state and federal political candidates can make the case for why they deserve the Philly LGBTQ vote. The Liberty City team is also recruiting new board members “so that it looks more like Philly,” Bordelon said. Those interested in becoming a board member can email [email protected].
“I think there was a lot of energy leading up to passing marriage equality,” Bordelon said. “But I think that what we’re seeing now with ‘don’t say gay’ bills, with legislation against trans athletes in schools – I think the fight for LGBTQ rights is still really important and [Liberty City] is trying to present a safe venue for folks in Philly who want to do work on those issues.”
Michele Zipkin is a reporter for the Philadelphia Gay News, where this story first appeared.
