Dems Drop $1 Million Funding Plan for LGBT ‘Fetish’ Center

 

 

A congressional scheme by Democrats to send $1 million in tax money to an LGBT “fetish” center in Philadelphia has been derailed … by Democrats. 

It was the Libs of TikTok channel on X that had raised questions about the $1 million earmark for the LGBTQ Center “which boasts rooms to try BDSM and s*x f*tishes and hosts BDSM and s*x k*nbk parties…”

BREAKING: 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.… pic.twitter.com/PKkj6TEd2q

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 5, 2024

As a result, a letter from Democratic senators John Fetterman and Bob Casey asked that the money be pulled from a piece of spending legislation pending before Congress.

The Washington Times explained, “It was exactly the type of embarrassment Congress hoped to avoid as it took another spin on the cash carousel known on Capitol Hill as earmarking, by which lawmakers redirect some of the usual spending to specific projects in their home states and districts.”

Earmarks, used for years, were banned some years ago by Republicans, then returned by Democrats in 2021.

They still face opposition from conservatives. “We cannot support forcing Americans to fund earmarks that waste $1 million on an ‘environmental justice center’ or $4 million on a Green New Deal police station while 60% of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck because of reckless government spending,” charged Ryan Walker, executive vice president at Heritage Action.

The overall bill, which now is in the Senate, pays for the Department of Veterans Affairs, highways, food stamps, the FBI, the EPA and others.

The Philadelphia Center was cited on X for an apparent advertisement for a “play party.”

A report at Them said the letter requested the removal of the funding, but after taking fire from liberals, Fetterman backtracked and said the letter was generated by staff members.

He said he would work to restore $1 million to the “fetish” center soon.

“The senators’ about-face came mere hours after Chaya Raichik, founder of the anti-LGBTQ+ advocacy group ‘Libs of TikTok,’ posted about the William Way Center on social media. Raichik alleged that the center ‘boasts rooms to try BDSM and s*x f*tishes,’ referring to the center’s partnership with ‘The Aviary,’ a local kink group that has hosted semi-monthly events in the center for nearly a decade.”

Casey’s office stood by the change, insisting that the “highest level of scrutiny” must apply to projects that use tax money.

Fetterman said even though he supported it, the funding likely had to be removed for the bill to survive.

“The choice was either to pull it or watch it get stripped out, attacked by Republicans, and ultimately killed,” he explained.

The Philly Voice reported that center officials denied anything was wrong with activities at their location.

But the report noted there was an additional complication:

“Meanwhile, over the weekend, Darius McLean, the chief operating officer of the William Way Center, and his wife, Celena Morrison, the executive director of the city’s Office of LGBT Affairs, were arrested after a traffic stop. The state trooper involved has been placed on restricted duty while the incident is investigated. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker called the incident ‘very concerning.”