New members of the Shapiro administration’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs met for the first time this week, and several of the volunteer commissioners are from rural areas in central Pennsylvania.
Jared Whitford is an openly gay man and a theatre instructor in the South Williamsport Area School District. Speaking ahead of his first meeting with the commission, he said he believes part of the reason he got the state’s attention is because of a hate crime incident he experienced last year, which drew media coverage.
“A student actually threatened to murder me, and I fought it in court with the district attorney of Lycoming County," Whitford said.
A student called Whitford the f-slur in a Snapchat post and threatened to “shoot him straight.” Whitford said he’s thankful the school principal took the threat seriously and reported it to their school resource officer and borough police.
“There was a plan, and I fully to this day believe that if I didn't bring it to the authorities with the sincerity and the earnestness that I did, I may not be here today," Whitford said.
Whitford said he’s looking forward to advocating for other LGBTQ people across Pennsylvania, especially in light of challenges facing trans people.
“Trans rights are really a big thing that we're going to be discussing, which, thank God, right?" Whitford said. "You know, I've dealt with it every year. Every year I've dealt with that, trans issues, every year as a high school theatre director."
In May, the state’s GOP-controlled Senate passed a bill banning transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports at the collegiate and K-12 levels. Gov. Shapiro hasn’t said if he would veto that bill if it made it to him, but he did call the bill’s supporters, quote, “extremists.”
Shapiro re-established the LGBTQ Affairs Commission when he took office in 2023. Previous Gov. Tom Wolf created the advisory commission in 2018, which was the first of its kind in the nation.
Members serve on a two-year term. Other commissioners from Central Pennsylvania include J.J. De La Cruz of Centre County, Matt Yarnell of Centre County and Missy Peters of Blair County.
The other advisory commissions in Pennsylvania are the Advisory Commission on African American Affairs, the Advisory Commission on Asian American & Pacific Islander Affairs, the Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs and the Advisory Commission on Next Generation Engagement.
