FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Letter to EQPA from PA Youth (10/23/11)

Empowered Youth Split From Equality PA;
Form First Youth-led Statewide LGBT Organization

HARRISBURG, PA– Pennsylvania youth have established the first youth-led statewide LGBT organization in the nation: The Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition (PSEC). After a year of trying to strengthen and support Equality Pennsylvania, youth leaders grew tired of being bullied and disenfranchised within the organization as a program, and six months ago formed PSEC as an independent coalition. After initial efforts to gain more equality in Equality Pennsylvania, youth leaders from across the state began the united journey towards greater empowerment and established plans to leave the organization over a year ago in October 2010. Now as PSEC, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth leaders continue to face consistent and intentional negative actions from Equality Pennsylvania.

“PSEC’s mission is focused on ending bulling in our schools. We did not expect or prepare to have to stand up to adult bullies in our own community. It is a great disappointment that Equality Pennsylvania has made it clear to us they do not want to give another LGBT organization in Pennsylvania the right to exist.” said Luis Medina, PSEC North Central State Committee Member and Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania student.

PSEC was established in April 2011 as an independent coalition based with over 70 student organizations at high schools, colleges, and universities all across Pennsylvania. Many local and regional LGBT organizations across the state have celebrated and rallied behind the organization. PSEC Partners include The Attic Youth Center, the University of Pennsylvania LGBT Center, and the Erie Gay News. With field offices in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia, PSEC is on the front lines of the Pennsylvania equality movement in rural, suburban, and urban communities and staff regularly working in Harrisburg. PSEC has already held three statewide meetings in Harrisburg and Philadelphia, visited the offices of every Pennsylvania State Senator and Representative, lobbied congress in Washington, DC, conducted assemblies at high school and colleges, and built itself as a leading resource for LGBT youth empowerment in Pennsylvania and the nation.

PSEC leadership originally worked under Equality Pennsylvania as a Student Network Across Pennsylvania (SNAP). The youth developed the program at a time when Equality Pennsylvania had no Executive Director or full time staff. The youth had established what was seen by many as the most viable arm of the fledgling organization, working with youth from Erie and Pittsburgh when the Equality Pennsylvania Board of Directors had no representation from Western Pennsylvania. Eventually, the youth noticed the gravity of how they were being disenfranchised within the organization and co-opted for Equality Pennsylvania’s image. Now as PSEC, the leaders continue to express gratitude to Equality Pennsylvania for the role the organization had in their foundation.

After their first year under Equality Pennsylvania, the young LGBT leaders grew discontent with the narrow mission and the lack of resources being provided by the organization. The youth had to use their own personal resources to support themselves in their work. Even when a donation was made to Equality Pennsylvania specifically to invest in the youth’s work, the money was not used for this purpose. For these reasons the youth imagined exercising their voice collectively for change. Inspiration to form PSEC came directly from other youth-driven organizations such as the National Women’s Party and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Such inspiration led these young leaders to hold a conference on this issue at Penn State – University Park January 7-9, 2011. The conference concluded with a unanimous statewide vote by over 30 Presidents and leaders of LGBT student organizations to create the Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition. It was seen by the youth at this time that Equality Pennsylvania would happily assist the youth of the Keystone state to find their own power.

Conversations immediately began between the youth leadership and Equality Pennsylvania’s Board of Directors about the transition, and it became clear this was not the case. After several meetings throughout the spring, a convening took place in Harrisburg in April 2011 with the youth leadership and members from the Equality Pennsylvania Board of Directors. The leaders were threatened with negative actions and it was made clear that Equality Pennsylvania would work to destroy the new organization if it formed – but behind the scenes and not in public. Since then, two of the youth leaders, both of whom are not Pennsylvanian and previously voted for and were leading the effort to form the independent organization, left for positions they were offered on Equality Pennsylvania’s Board of Directors. Additionally, staff of Equality Pennsylvania has publicly spoken out against PSEC.

In a letter to Equality Pennsylvania on October 23, 2011, the PSEC Coordinating Committee stated that “a generation of Pennsylvania LGBT youth is fully aware of Equality Pennsylvania’s actions in this situation and as PSEC we hope Equality Pennsylvania will work toward cooperation.” The letter respectfully asked Equality Pennsylvania to end SNAP as they have tried to continue the program without the youth leadership who developed it, to intentionally compete with the resources and energy of Pennsylvania youth.

Equality Pennsylvania asked to meet after receiving the letter. PSEC accepted and the organizations entered mediation. At the Mid-Atlantic LGBTA Conference at Bloomsburg University on November 5, 2011, Equality Pennsylvania violated the spirit of the mediation process by publicly speaking in contrast to the ideas from the their conversations. Equality Pennsylvania even worked with the faculty on the Mid-Atlantic LGBTA Conference Committee to exclude PSEC from the building, forcing them to table outside in near freezing temperatures. More than half of the Pennsylvania students at the conference are from PSEC affiliate organizations and noted this behavior as unacceptable.

PSEC youth are very excited with all their progress to date. They have mobilized across the state in ways that have never been done before. Equality Pennsylvania has yet to release a public statement on why they disapproved of the youth leaving their organization to form PSEC. PSEC leadership feels that Equality Pennsylvania wished to maintain a “youth friendly” image of their organization after the youth left in April, but doing so by employing tactics intended to disempower the younger generation of activists.

PSEC leadership did not wish to make this issue public. PSEC has asked numerous times for the attacks to stop and for Equality Pennsylvania to end their crusade against youth because they opted to be independent. PSEC leaders are publicly asking for them to end this program of attack with the explicit purpose of displacing PSEC; that to make a united LGBT community Equality Pennsylvania must support authentic youth leadership and cooperate and respect PSEC’s decision. PSEC believes all LGBT advocacy organizations should be able to work together toward equality; free of bullying by organizations in the same movement.

As PSEC grows into its organizing power of thousands of students across the state, Equality Pennsylvania continues a disservice to a generation of Pennsylvania youth in withdrawing support of PSEC. Young people across Pennsylvania feel that when Equality Pennsylvania ends their campaign as SNAP, Pennsylvania LGBT youth can organize to take on the real bullies: bigotry and inequality.

###