October 11, 2015
Philadelphia kicked off its celebration of LGBT History Month Sunday with the raising of a flag, a mural dedication, and a festival.
The activities began at 11:30 a.m. when Mayor Michael Nutter raised the LGBT flag at City Hall. Philly Mag's G Philly blog grabbed a sneak peak of the flag that will fly above Center City through the end of October:
SNEAK PEEK: Check out @PhillyLGBTgov new pride flag and learn about Sunday's ceremony. http://t.co/maSqSf4vgq pic.twitter.com/VNt8ZmU99s
— G Philly (@G_Philly) October 9, 2015
"I am proud that Philadelphia has such a strong LGBT community and that it has been recognized as being the best big city in the country for LGBT equality," Nutter said in a news release.
Following the flag raising, a mural was unveiled at the 12th Street Gym between Spruce and Walnut streets.
The artwork, created by Michelle Angela Ortiz, is dedicated to the late Gloria Casarez, who was the city's first director LGBT affairs when the office was founded in 2008.
She passed away from breast cancer in 2014 at the age of 42. Her longtime partner and eventual wife Tricia Dressel was grateful for the city's gesture.
“It’s our hope that this mural will serve as a place for friends and colleagues to celebrate Gloria’s life and legacy, and also a point of inspiration for community members and especially young people,” Dressel told the Philadelphia Gay News.
From 12-6 p.m., OutFest was held in Center City to celebrate National Coming Out Day.
The festival, which is in its 25th year, featured live music and an awards ceremony to recognize local organizations within the LGBT community.
Recently, Mark Segal, editor of the Philadelphia Gay News, told WPHT's Dom Giordano that Philly was the nation's most LGBT-friendly city.
However, the city got national attention earlier this month when a transgender woman was beaten and fatally shot in North Philadelphia.
Police have not called the incident a hate crime, according to NBC Philadelphia, but are still investigating.
The victim, 22-year-old Kiesha Jenkins, is the 18th transgender woman of color killed in the United States this year, ABC News reports.
