The William Way Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is one of the country’s leading LGBTQ+ centers. Established in 1976, the center has served the LGBTQ+ community of Philadelphia and beyond with events, peer counseling, recovery meetings, initiatives for LGBTQ+ elders and much more.
On March 5, the WWC was targeted by Libs of TikTok, accusing the center of hosting sex parties on-site.
“The Senate Appropriations Committee released a spending bill which is being voted on tomorrow. It includes $1M of your tax dollars to go towards renovating an LGBTQ Center in PA which boasts rooms to try BDSM and s*x f*tishes and hosts BDSM and s*x k*nk parties,” the tweet said. “There’s even a k*nk party happening there this weekend! @SenBobCasey and @SenFettermanPA are the ones who requested this funding. Absolutely sick that our tax dollars would fund this!”
In a letter dated March 5, Sen. John Fetterman’s office announced he was withdrawing support for the project. Addressed to Sens. Brian Schatz and Cindy Hyde-Smith, the letter withdraws support for William Way’s inclusion in the spending bill but does not give a reason.
“After further review, I am writing to withdraw my support and request the removal of the below Fiscal Year 2024 Congressionally Directed Spending project included in the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bill,” the letter said, which was signed by Fetterman.
The same day, Sen. Bob Casey also issued a letter with the same language to Schatz and Hyde-Smith withdrawing his support.
When approached about the withdrawal of support, Fetterman and Casey had different reactions.
Fetterman spoke to reporters at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday and said he was “horrified” to learn about the letter.
“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,” Fetterman said in a statement to Business Insider. “The choice was either to pull it or watch it get stripped out, attacked by Republicans, and ultimately killed.”
Fetterman, whose wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, identifies as bisexual, has long been a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We should be pushing for that,” said Fetterman of the William Way Center. “I know I’m new, but I never realized that the Libs of TikTok should determine, you know, our priorities and what we’re going to support.”
“It’s bullshit… [who] cares what the Libs of TikTok has to say about that? Everyone in our caucus should be voting for this. We have the votes.”
Casey’s office’s remarks, however, indicate that his support was affected by the tweet put out by Libs of TikTok.
“These types of appropriations projects warrant the highest level of scrutiny on behalf of taxpayers,” the representative told Business Insider. “Senator Casey withdrew his request for federal funding when new information about the third-party use of the facility emerged.”
The WWC has responded to the situation with a statement posted on their social media.
“The William Way LGBT Community Center was disappointed to learn that support for federal Congressionally Directed Spending to renovate and expand our historic headquarters on 1315 Street in Philadelphia 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 will continue to be a safe haven for a broad range of hundreds of community groups who rent from us, including those that provide a space for sexual health promotion, community building, and education.
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.”