About the Pennsylvania Coalition
Established 2020
The Pennsylvania Coalition Mission Statement
Pennsylvania is a strong state. Our LGBTQ communities are vibrant, diverse, and resilient. We are united in our efforts to advance LGBTQ inclusion throughout our commonwealth.
We believe there is nothing for us without us. Together, we are Pennsylvania’s leading LGBTQ community organizations. We are unified in the Pennsylvania Coalition of LGBTQ Organizations because of our shared values and mission.
The primary purpose of the Pennsylvania Coalition of LGBTQ Organizations is to formally coordinate advocacy efforts for LGBTQ inclusion statewide.
As a beloved community of local LGBTQ communities, we are allies in supporting each other. We uplift each other for the good work we each do.
We embrace all identities and experiences within our LGBTQ communities as we fight racism, ableism, cissexism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, economic injustice, and other forms of oppression.
We are the organizations doing the work on the ground. We are building communities. We are advancing LGBTQ inclusion in our regions. We are fighting for a better Pennsylvania for all LGBTQ people.
Many of our most vulnerable are hurting and suffering, particularly trans and queer people of color, LGBTQ people with disabilities, LGBTQ elders, LGBTQ young people, and rural LGBTQ Pennsylvanians. We are united in our efforts locally and statewide to fight for all to live safely and with dignity within our commonwealth. We embrace the value that those most marginalized and impacted by an issue are centered in the advocacy and community building affecting their lives.
We know our local regions and our state. We know how to be successful. We will only accomplish our goals when it is done through the mobilization and empowerment of Pennsylvanians ourselves.
We value collaboration when it is accountable, transparent, and real, both with each other and outside partners.
We call on ourselves as Pennsylvania-based leadership to be the empowered network leading Pennsylvania forward on our own terms.
We can and will succeed as Pennsylvanians; by Pennsylvanians, and for Pennsylvanians.
We are the Pennsylvania Coalition of LGBTQ Organizations, and we are in this together.
This network is facilitated by the Pennsylvania Youth Congress Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization. PYC is currently the only PA-based statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization headquartered in Harrisburg. With nearly 15 years of leading policy work with local and state government, PYC shares breaking news and important information on advocacy efforts with members of the Pennsylvania Coalition of LGBTQ Organizations. The Pennsylvania Coalition of LGBTQ Organizations is a platform for groups to have direct connection to our statewide LGBTQ advocacy community.
Requirements for PA Coalition Membership
All PA Coalition Members Must Confirm the Following:
- Be an independent LGBTQ-centered organization based in Pennsylvania
- Have more than 10 individuals regularly involved in their organization
- Embrace all LGBTQ individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin or ethnicity, sexual orientation, familial status, disability, or age
- Hold themselves accountable and transparent to the communities they are charged with serving or representing
- Believe all LGBTQ Pennsylvanians should be able to live with dignity and thrive in our communities
- Agree to be in contact with the Pennsylvania Coalition on important state and local advocacy efforts
- Affirm the Mission Statement of the Pennsylvania Coalition supporting Pennsylvania-based LGBTQ community mobilization
Join the PA Coalition!
Our LGBTQ+ organizations are stronger when we are coordinating with each other on urgent issues impacting our communities
- Unite Our LGBTQ+ Communities Across PA
- Build Strong Relationships with Partner Organizations
- Be the First to Know on PA+ LGBTQ Advocacy Developments
- Receive Exclusive Training Resources
