Philadelphia City Councilmember at-large Rue Landau visited Mt. Airy last week, but not just to enjoy the neighborhood. She was there to warn a crowd of protesters that Trump administration policies threaten LGBTQ+ rights and directly contradict the city’s efforts to ensure equality.  

Landau, the city’s first open LGBTQ+ council member, spoke at a June 18 “We the People Wednesday Resistance Rally,” a weekly demonstration held at the Richard Allen Train Station on Allens Lane. A crowd of about 30 people attended the rally outside the station’s High Point Cafe amid rain and a forecast of thunderstorms.

“We’re telling young people they can be whoever they want to be, and now we have a government with Donald Trump and the Republicans, and this horrific Supreme Court that keep telling these kids that no, it’s not okay to live your authentic lives, that you have to be scared again, that you have to be in that closet again,” Landau said.

The weekly demonstrations began about two months ago when a group of friends met and discussed their concerns about issues such as policies involving immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities, and proposed cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. The meeting quickly turned into a recurring Wednesday gathering that at times has drawn as many as 150 people.

“We’re not an organization, just a local group of people that wanted to do something weekly,” said Betsy Teutsch, an organizer with the We the People Wednesday group.

Organizer Ken Ulansey explained that even though Wednesday organizers don’t agree on every issue, they share “a sense of terror at what Trump and his minions are trying to accomplish.”

“We want to impede him as much as possible by being one of thousands of these local weekly events that spring up all over the country to counter his actions,” Ulansey said.

Rally agenda

The rally began with a singalong led by Molly Herbert Wilson of Germantown, a local musician and voice teacher. “When people sing and make music together, it absolutely is like a total dopamine flood and it also helps you feel connected,” Wilson said. “Even something as simple as singalongs. It’s a nice way of feeling like you’re a part of something instead of just an audience member.” Wilson kicked off the rally with an original song, “Keep the Fire Burning.”

The singalong was followed by “Moments of Hope,” a segment of the program where good news is shared. Usually, group member Hope Yursa presents a selection of actions, policies, and decisions that have been reversed or repealed as a way to encourage, inspire, and inform the crowd.

Landau told the Local she felt a sense of hope that comes from the solidarity of fighting back, but said “the resistance” will require sustained effort “until we can get a new president and maintain as many rights as we possibly can in the meantime.” Until then, she warned, the administration will continue to chop away at hard-won rights such marriage equality.

“They will try to figure out what happens to couples like me and my wife,” Landau said. The couple received the first same-sex marriage license in the state of Pennsylvania in September 2014.

On the same day as the rally, the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors in a 6-3 decision. The ruling is one of a series of LGBTQ+ community setbacks since Trump took office that include regulating whether transgender individuals are eligible to enlist in the Army, use their bathroom of choice as federal employees, and enroll and participate in women’s collegiate sports.

“It just felt extra important to be out here today,” Landau said.

The program closed with a discussion of action items that can help support the cause. Participants were urged to ask senators to support the “Fit to Serve Act” which aims to affirm transgender service members’ rights by prohibiting gender discrimination.