October 27, 2015: Pennsylvania Comes Out for Freedom

First-Ever LGBT Community Celebration to Take Place Inside the State Capitol

HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Youth Congress is proud to announce Pennsylvania Comes Out for Freedom:  A National Coming Out Day Celebration will be held in the Main Capitol Rotunda on October 27, 2015, at 10:00 AM. This event will be the first-ever LGBT community celebration to take place inside the State Capitol Building.

The event will welcome numerous out state government officials and LGBT community leaders from across Pennsylvania. All Pennsylvanians are invited to attend the event in support of the courage, resilience, and diversity of LGBT people throughout the commonwealth.

The featured speakers for the celebration include Margie Winters of Glenside, a Catholic educator and open lesbian, formerly at Waldron-Mercy Academy; Braeden Lange of Glenmoore, a 12 year-old middle school lacrosse athlete recently featured on ESPN – with his family; and Deja Alvarez of Philadelphia, a groundbreaking transgender healthcare advocate. The event will also include brief coming out stories from LGBT and allied government officials and community leaders.

Jason Landau Goodman, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, said “the time has finally come for the courage and resilience of LGBT Pennsylvanians to be openly celebrated in Harrisburg. We hope that by proudly sharing the lived experiences of LGBT people with our state government officials will provide more understanding and compassion for all the Pennsylvanians they work to represent.”

Kai Hunter of Pittsburgh, an alum of the LGBT youth arts program Dreams of Hope, will perform Pennsylvania and an original song, Let Me Be Me, about experiencing bullying in school.

A special photographic exhibit from Speaking OUT will be displayed in the Main Capitol Rotunda during the event. Published this year, Speaking OUT is a collaborative photographic essay that explores a wide spectrum of lived experiences told from the perspective of a diverse group of young LGBT people in Philadelphia. The body of work has been showcased by Equality Forum, the Human Rights Campaign, National Public Radio, the Huffington Post, World Pride, and the U.S. Department of Education.

The Pennsylvania Youth Congress is thrilled to provide a platform for members of the LGBT community to speak truth to power in sharing their stories directly with state leaders.

Questions regarding the event may be directed by email to info@payouthcongress.org.

The Pennsylvania Youth Congress advances freedom and justice for young LGBT Pennsylvanians through advocating for responsible public policy. As a youth-led organization, PYC represents citizens working toward safer schools and thriving communities across the commonwealth.

payouthcongress.org