Updating story: Funding for Philadelphia LGBTQ+ center stripped out of congressional spending plan

A $1 million federal appropriation allocated for the William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia was stripped out of the congressional spending plan just before the U.S. House of Representatives passed a package of spending bills Wednesday. 

Community concern spread online Wednesday morning when news broke that U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman had both withdrawn their support Tuesday for a Senate spending project that was set to provide renovations to the property in Philadelphia. The project was part of a plan to “renovate and expand the existing LGBTQ Community Center into an inclusive, fully accessible, and welcoming space for all individuals to gather, learn, and find life-giving support,” according to the project plan. 

Fetterman said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that despite his support for the project, last-minute negotiations with Republicans led to the appropriation being cut. 

“The William Way LGBT Community Center has been doing critical work in Philadelphia for decades,” Fetterman said. “Unfortunately, at the 11th hour, my staff was made aware that funding for William Way, which was in the bill because I championed it, would not pass in the FY24 appropriations process. The choice was either to pull it or watch it get stripped out, attacked by Republicans, and ultimately killed. This is not the end of this fight and I am going to fight for William Way to secure their funding in the FY25 appropriations process.”

The spending concession reportedly occurred following concerns arising over the usage of William Way’s rental space by third parties, which later led to online attacks from the far-right and anti-LGBTQ+ social media account Libs of TikTok. 

“Senator Casey has been a leader and ally in the fight to protect LGBTQ rights in the U.S. Senate and will continue to support the LGBTQ community in the Commonwealth. He believes that consenting adults have the right to do whatever they want in their free time, but these types of appropriations projects warrant the highest level of scrutiny on behalf of taxpayers,” Mairead Lynn, spokesperson for Casey, said in a statement. “Senator Casey withdrew his request for federal funding when new information about the third-party use of the facility emerged.”

Fetterman's statement went on to take a jab at Democratic leadership in the process, alluding to the fact that the spending concession occurred following William Way receiving online attacks from the far-right and anti-LGBTQ+ social media account Libs of TikTok. 

“I’m new here, but I wasn’t aware that Democratic values and priorities are dictated by Libs of TikTok,” Fetterman said. 

This isn’t the first funding slash to impact the William Way LGBT Community Center either. In July, a group of U.S. House Republicans voted to deny federal funding to three LGBTQ+ organizations, including William Way and another community center in the Philadelphia region.

Casey and Fetterman can still attempt to fund the project through the Senate, which doesn’t have the same restrictions on community projects.

When the project was initially announced, Chris Bartlett, William Way executive director, said in a statement it was set to “provide more access to services for our seniors, provide jobs for the neighborhood, and be an incubator for emerging small businesses.”

On Wednesday, William Way leadership said it’s “disappointed” to learn the funding was withdrawn “as a result of lies and distortions about our Center shared by political extremists.” 

“These extremists falsely stated that sexual behavior is allowed in rental programs of the Center, which is inaccurate and against our Center’s code of conduct,” the Center said in a statement. “The William Way LGBT Community Center stands firmly against discrimination and will work with our elected officials to ensure that support for our Center, and other LGBTQ institutions across the nation, is restored.”

This is a developing story and will be updated with additional information as it comes in.