Help us welcome Charlotte Masters (she/her/hers) to the Philadelphia Family Pride team as a summer intern through the Bridging the Gaps Community Health Internship Program (BTGCHIP). BTGCHIP is an interdisciplinary program for graduate-level trainees in healthcare and social services which aims to deliver health-related support to community partners across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

This summer, Charlotte will serve as an organizational support for Philadelphia Family Pride four days a week, focusing on the Paths to Parenthood program for prospective parents and aiding with the growing number of in-person events. Additionally, Charlotte will spend one day per week with other BTGCHIP students in curricular sessions focused on improving healthcare delivery for marginalized populations.

Charlotte is a second-year student at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice. She is currently halfway through earning her Master of Social Work with a specialization in health care. This past year, Charlotte worked at the Hospital o the University of Pennsylvania as an intern on the General Medicine unit and, this fall, will serve as an intern with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in their Department of Psychiatry. At Penn, Charlotte plays on the school's club basketball team in the shooting guard position (talk to her about the women's March Madness tournament!). 

Charlotte received her bachelor's degree in Human Development and Psychological Services from Northwestern University in 2021. In that time, Charlotte volunteered with Kesem, an international non-profit providing free summer camp and year-round programming for kids whose parents/guardians have or have had cancer. She credits this transformative experience with leading her down the path of social work and driving her passion for holistic, community-centered care.

In between undergrad and graduate school, Charlotte worked as an addictions counselor at an inpatient detox facility in Maryland, earning her Alcohol and Drug Trainee status, leading psychoeducation groups, and managing a caseload of clients. Her interests include interpersonal violence prevention, youth advocacy, and public health. She looks forward to integrating her experiences at Philadelphia Family Pride into her clinical and advocacy work moving forward.

Charlotte grew up in Bethesda, MD with her parents, younger brothers, and dog, Cooper. She currently lives in Graduate Hospital and enjoys hiking, reading, shuffleboard, good movies, and deviled eggs. Charlotte is excited for the summer ahead and is beyond grateful to have the opportunity to work with the incredible organization that is Philadelphia Family Pride! She can be reached at charlotte@phillyfamilypride.org.

The annual national Family Week sponsored by our friends at Family Equality and COLAGE will take place this year from July 22-29 in Provincetown, MA.  This is the largest annual gathering of LGBTQ+ families in the world! Nearly 600 families attended in 2022 including many from the Philadelphia region.

TIP #1: REGISTER THIS FRIDAY!
Registration opens for drop-off day programming with COLAGE for kids 7+ on Friday, March 17th at 1pm Eastern. These spots will sell out fast. Cost is "pay what you can." Questions can be directed to them at familyweek@colage.org. We'd suggest getting on their email list to get notifications about this and other events for children and adults with LGBTQ+ parents and caregivers.

Registering for Family Week through Family Equality isn't as urgent, but will also open this Friday, March 17th at Noon. Look in the announcements section of their website.

TIP #2: RESERVE A PLACE TO STAY NOW!
The biggest expense of Family Week is housing. You can check AirBnB, VRBO, and other similar websites for places to rent in and near Provincetown.  Heads up that places in Provincetown will run $400/night or more.

Some options to save money include:

- Camp at nearby Dune's Edge ($55-$75/night) or Coastal Acres ($805/week). (Those campsites will sell out, so act now!) Some families rent an RV and stay at a campground rather than stay in a tent.

- Share a house with other families (try asking in the PFP FB group if you don't have people in mind),

- Stay in Truro, Wellfleet or other nearby Cape Cod towns and drive into Provincetown each day, You can save up to 50% per night on the cost of a house or hotel. Parking in Ptown is generally $20/day.

- Alternatively, stay in Boston and taking the fast ferry to Ptown on days you most want to visit. This isn't necessarily much of a savings as the ferry can be $75/person round trip, but could save you money on housing if you were only wanting to visit Provincetown for a day or two of the festivities.

TIP #3: SAVE ON FOOD

Save money while in Ptown by stocking up on food and snacks at the Stop&Shop. There are also many restaurants in town with reasonably priced meal options like Twisted Pizza, Kung Fu Dumplings, and Rosie's Cantina and a food court.

TIP #4: RENT OR BRING BIKES

Provincetown is small. Many places are either long walks (not always easy with little ones) or a short bike ride away. It's a really affordable way to travel around town and back and forth to the beaches to avoid parking charges. For families with older kids, this may be a good option.

Have another tip? Drop it in the comments below!

The PA Humans Relation Commission is expanding their definition of sex to include gender identity and sexual orientation, which would be a big boon for enforcing non discrimination laws for LGBTQ+ folks across the commonwealth. Following an earlier comment period this year, they are holding listening sessions to hear the the impacted communities' thoughts on this action. The Philadelphia listening session will be held on Thursday, September 8th from 12-2:30pm and 5-7:30pm at the Doubletree, 237 South Broad Street in Philadelphia.

More information.

​Philadelphia Family Pride stands in opposition to Pennsylvania Senate Bills 1277 and 1278, as well as House Bill 972. SB 1278, which passed the PA Senate, is similar to the Florida Don't Say Gay Bill, in that it limits the ability of our children to learn about their families in schools. SB 1277, which also passed yesterday, would require educators to flag any books, media, or curricula that include "sexually explicit content," and if a student inquires about these materials, their parents would be notified by the schools. HB 972, which had already passed the state House and passed the state Senate yesterday, would prohibit transgender student athletes from competing against athletes of their gender.

Our families deserve to see themselves represented in their publicly-funded school systems, and for our kids to know that their families, like all others, are defined based on the love they share. Trans kids deserve to feel welcome in their schools, not to be discriminated against based on inaccurate and misleading science. We encourage our members, and others who support our families, to write to their representatives in the Pennsylvania General Assembly to ask them to vote against these bills, and to encourage Governor Wolf to veto them, if they are delivered to his desk.

Read more about the Pennsylvania Senate Bills here: WHYY article

Philadelphia Family Pride lends its collective voice to the chorus of outrage over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate the constitutional right to abortion that has been in place for fifty years. We recognize the many emotions, notably the hurt, anger, and loss that many of you are feeling. We stand with you in these emotions, both today and moving forward.

Leading up to this ruling, conservative legislatures across the country have worked to eliminate rights to critical reproductive health care. The Dobbs v. Jackson decision leak only emboldened those who seek to deny persons the opportunity to receive abortion care. With today’s 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court reaffirmed their institutional failures and impinged on what should be an unalienable right. The forthcoming restrictions will simultaneously attack bodily autonomy and perpetuate disparities - disproportionately impacting Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and low income communities. This dismantles work towards realized reproductive justice, an intersectional movement centered on choosing to have or not have families in safe and sustainable environments.

As an organization centered on LGBTQIA+ families, we recognize that many families who can get pregnant may lose bodily autonomy to decide if and when they are ready to start a family, complicated by a healthcare system that still largely operates within a gender binary. LGBTQIA+ families already face significant hurdles when looking to start a family. Accessing welcoming and affirming healthcare, tackling an overly-complex insurance system, and even navigating a daunting adoption or foster care system are all barriers that LGBTQIA+ families face. In the Dobbs decision released today, it appears as if the Supreme Court views adoption as a viable alternative for individuals seeking an abortion - but we know that this system is not welcoming to all families. According to the Movement Advancement Project, only about half of the states in the United States have enshrined adoption equality into law for LGBTQIA+ families. In some states, it is still illegal for LGBTQIA+ families to enter into the adoption process.

This decision further raises serious questions about other precedents set by the court that involve privacy, autonomy, and liberty including rulings that give rights to LGBTQIA+ families, including marriage. Already LGBTQIA+ rights are under attack in states around the country including the “Don’t Say Gay” law in Florida and the similar Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1278. The fundamental right to privacy ensures that our lives and personal journeys to and through parenthood are not regulated or interfered with by others who attempt to restrict the image and definitions of families and parenthood to a heteronormative standard. As we focus today on abortion access, we must stand against these other discriminatory policies that intersect with this court decision.

PFP has operated, and will continue to operate as an organization to support LGBTQIA+ families in the greater Philadelphia area. We are mission driven to support LGBTQIA+ families through advocacy, education, and family-centered events. With this overturn of Roe, PFP will continue to provide a safe haven for parents, prospective parents, and individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community looking to access information about family planning and affirming medical practices through educational events, peer-to-peer supports, and educating  policy makers about the impact that Roe's reversal will have on our families and community. While in Pennsylvania the governor asserts any anti-choice legislation will be vetoed, with a conservative legislature, we must continue to fight for our reproductive rights.

Moving forward, we urge LGBTQIA+ parents and prospective LGBTQIA+ parents to hold space for all emotions brought up by this decision, care for each other, and stand in solidarity with local organizations and abortion access providers that will seek to continue services in light of today’s ruling. Our collective efforts are now more important than ever.

You can find a rally near you, give to local abortion funds, or contact your representatives at these links.

Help us welcome Phoebe Cunningham (she/her/hers) to the Philadelphia Family Pride team as a summer intern through the Bridging the Gaps Community Health Internship Program (BTGCHIP). BTGCHIP is an interdisciplinary program for graduate-level trainees in healthcare and social services which aims to deliver health-related support to community partners across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

This summer, Phoebe will serve as an organizational support for Philadelphia Family Pride four days a week, focusing on the Paths to Parenthood program for prospective parents and aiding with the growing number of in-person events. Additionally, Phoebe will spend one day per week with other BTGCHIP students in curricular sessions focused on improving healthcare delivery for marginalized populations.

Phoebe is a rising second-year student at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. There she is a Medical Student Government liaison for Penn Med Pride and co-founder of the Medical Humanities Council which centers storytelling, medical history, and the value of artistic outlets for healthcare providers. She is also involved as an advocacy chair for Penn’s Refugee Health Clinic and as the Creative Director for the medical school’s literary magazine.

Phoebe received her bachelor’s degree in Art History and Chemistry from Dartmouth College in 2020. Prior to attending medical school, she worked on clinical trials surrounding COVID-19 and HIV at  Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She also served as an educational co-chair for the Division of Infectious Diseases’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and as a member of the Community Advisory Board (CAB). Her interests include reproductive healthcare, the value of art in medical education, and community engagement. She looks forward to carrying her experience at Philadelphia Family Pride into her medical practice.

Phoebe grew up in Rochester, NY with her parents and three siblings. She currently lives in Graduate Hospital with three friends and medical students. She enjoys ballet, drawing, reading too many books at one time, and going on bike rides with her partner, Eric. Phoebe is extremely grateful to have the opportunity to support Philadelphia Family Pride’s community throughout the summer! She can be reached at phoebe@phillyfamilypride.org.