Mayor's LGBTQIA advisory council May 20 meeting

The Mayor's LGBTQIA+ Advisory Council met on Thursday, May 20. The Mayor's office is continuing to work on including non-discrimination clauses for contracts with city contractors and also anti-bullying in contractors for youth service providers. This should hopefully be included by the July 31 deadline for submitting to raise the City of Erie's Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Municipal Equality Index.

There was a Zoom meeting on April 29 with White House staff and over 200 LGBTQ community activists from across the USA. Erie was also represented. After the Zoom meeting, there was an email calling for a Request For Information (RFI) that is due by July 6. This listening process is designed to reach communities and sectors across the country to ensure that the perspectives of women and girls, communities of color, religious minorities, LGBTQI+ people, disabled people, rural communities and many others are represented in and can offer input to drive this work. The RFI will be open for these stakeholders to contribute their comments and suggestions for sixty days. OMB will use this information as it works on its report to the President, due in July, identifying best practices for assessing whether agency policies and actions equitably serve historically underserved communities.

The LGBTQ Health Conference that will be held virtually October 12-14 was discussed. Several advisory members for this statewide event are from Erie. Erie political figures and LGBT leaders may be included in pre-recorded videos. Additionally, both AHN and UPMC will be holding Pride flag-raising ceremonies on June 1.

Better Together, a project of the City of Erie, is still working on a grant for hiring a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion consultant, who will be working with several groups, including the LGBTQIA+ Advisory Council.

Alex Sphon and Leroy Oglesby from the council have been appointed to the Erie County Human Relations Advisory Board, serving until summer 2022. Other authority, board, and commission appointments were discussed.

The City of Erie continues to partner on HIV testing events. The next HIV testing event will be June 4 at The Zone. The City of Erie will also be including a presentation on Pride Fest for the June 24 weekly Mayor's press conference.

Upcoming events discussed included GEAE's LGBT+ Artshow at Blasco Public Library for June, which will run concurrently with the local LGBT+ history exhibit; GEAE's youth events on June 9, 15, and 24; NW PA Pride Alliance's Virtual Pride Fest on June 26 and Drive Your Pride on June 27; GEAE's scholarship open to students 17-25 years old, which has a deadline to apply of July 15; Bears Do Dinner returning to meeting monthly beginning May 27; LBT Women continuing to meet via Zoom the 2nd Sunday of the month; Dr. Will Koehler's Dragons & Disco Socks book launch at Artlore on May 25; Ashtabula Pride on June 5; Jamestown Pride on June 12; Warren PA Pride on June 26; and Gay Day at Diamon Park in Meadville on July 11.

The next LGBTQIA+ Advisory Council meeting will be on July 1.