Philadelphia voters approved a ballot measure Tuesday creating a permanent Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs to the city government.
The ballot question asked, “Shall the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to establish and define the functions of the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Affairs, headed by a Director of LGBT Affairs?”
6abc Action News reports, with 98 percent of the vote recorded, 58 percent of voters voted “yes” while 42 percent voted “no.”
The ballot statement read, “This proposed amendment to the Home Rule Charter would add a new Office to the Administrative branch of City government: the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Affairs. The Office would be headed by the Director of LGBT Affairs, appointed by the Mayor.”
While Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter created a temporary Office of LGBT Affairs in 2008, the ballot measure approval ensures future mayors cannot disband the office.
The Office of LGBT Affairs will “develop proposed policies regarding civil rights issues affecting LGBT people,” “coordinate the implementation of policies and programs to support the LGBT population and to support the City's equality and diversity goals,” and “coordinate among City agencies and the LGBT communities to improve access to City services and to improve quality of life for LGBT people.”
Philadelphia has been actively trying to become more LGBT-friendly.
In 2013, Philadelphia enacted a law requiring all new or renovated government buildings to include gender-neutral bathrooms. Last month, the Philadelphia city council unanimously approved a measure requiring all public single-occupancy bathrooms to become gender-neutral.