"If we don't get it, shut it down"Philly mayor Jim Kenney has his LGBT event shut down by Black Lives Matter activists

A group of protesters overtook Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney's annual Pride flag raising ceremony on Sunday, demonstrating against alleged racism in the city's LGBTQ community.


The protesters interrupted the city's seventh annual flag raising ceremony in the Mayor's Reception Room. The ceremony is normally held outside City Hall but was moved indoors on Sunday due to rain. The flag raising coincides with the city's annual OutFest.


The controversy began last month when an LGBT business owner in the section of Center City commonly called the Gayborhood came under fire for allegedly using racial and homophobic slurs.


Kenney issued a statement after the interrupted flag raising:



“As I have said previously, there is no denying that racism and discrimination is an issue within the LGBT community. The Gayborhood should be a sanctuary for all in the LGBT community, but sadly not everyone is welcome at some of its institutions, and until real steps are taken to address racist dress code policies or other instances of institutionalized discrimination, I will not go to those institutions.



Discrimination in the Gayborhood and across the city is not something that one person or one office can be expected to solve on its own – it’s on all of us – and I hope the hearing that the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations is holding on racism in the Gayborhood will start to move that ball forward. I intend to be there to do my part in ensuring that it does, and I encourage all others that are invested in change to attend as well.”