Office of LGBT Affairs and Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs Release Statement on Mazzoni Center Developments

Philadelphia – Today, the Office of LGBT Affairs and the Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs release the following statement in response to recent developments at Mazzoni Center:

The Office of LGBT Affairs and the Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs are deeply troubled by the recent events at Mazzoni Center, culminating in the termination of their first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director, K Martinez.

As the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations begins an investigation into this issue, we echo the findings of their 2017 report. We are dismayed to receive continued reports from staff regarding allegations of discrimination within the agency and look forward to Mazzoni Center’s full cooperation with PCHR’s investigation. While Mazzoni Center has employee personnel policies which address harassment, inclusion, retaliation, and work rules, these policies appear to be enforced selectively, if at all. The potential for this kind of inconsistency leaves employees vulnerable to a culture of discrimination and retaliation. We are concerned for the well-being of Mazzoni Center staff and how any mistreatment may affect the care of patients and clients.

The Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs and Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs urge the leadership of the Mazzoni Center to work with the community and front-line staff to develop a comprehensive action plan to resolve the concerns raised by employees and in the PCHR report. Additionally, we call for the Board of Directors to hold the interests of Mazzoni Center above any individual employee of the organization, management, or otherwise and function in their ethical role of overseeing the actions of management objectively and without bias. We continue to offer our assistance in identifying community-oriented solutions to move toward increased transparency to better support and serve the LGBTQ community.