Equality Forum Event
Funding Pulled in Philadelphia

The Equality Forum, a weeklong LGBT cultural event that takes place in Philadelphia every spring, will not receive its usual $115,000 support from the city this year.

In light of the current budget deficit, Mayor Michael Nutter has approved pulling funding from several special events that the city hosts, including the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Puerto Rican Day festival. Although these events draw large crowds of tourists -- the Equality Forum boasts 75,000 participants -- the city can no longer afford to support them.

Malcolm Lazin, executive director of the Equality Forum, expressed his disappointment at the decision to pull funding from the event, stating, "When Mayor Nutter was elected, we felt like [the LGBT community] finally had a seat at the table. Now we feel like that seat has been pulled out from under us."

Nutter's spokesman, David Oliver, addressed the Equality Forum and other organizations' dismay over the lack of funding provided by the city this year.

"They all make the economic argument that they bring tourism to the city. We do not refute that argument. But the simple fact remains that the city has been faced with back-to-back billion-dollar cuts," Oliver said.

This year's Equality Forum, which will run from April 27 to May 3, will have to cut back on promotion and advertising, including the display of rainbow flags that usually goes up on Broad Street the month of the forum, to make up for the budget cuts.