Rue Landau, a civil rights attorney and a prominent LGBTQ+ advocate, is running for a seat on the Philadelphia City Council. Landau has an extensive history of fighting for social justice and equity, having served as a member of ACT UP during the height of the AIDS epidemic and worked as the executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations.
Landau and her wife Kerry made history in 2014 when they became the first same-sex couple in Pennsylvania to receive a marriage license. If elected to City Council, Landau would make history again as the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to the council.
During her tenure as the director of Philadelphia’s Commission on Human Relations, Landau worked to advance the city’s civil rights laws, including creating laws to advance wage equity, create reasonable accommodations for pregnant people, and strengthen anti-discrimination protections, specifically for LGBTQ+ people.
Landau believes that her experiences working for the city have taught her the importance of having an LGBTQ+ leader who is also trusted by other communities. She hopes to build coalitions across communities to make the city stronger and safer.
If elected to City Council, Landau’s priorities would be public safety, neighborhood investment, and affordable housing. She believes that investments in neighborhoods, schools, and rec centers are the first step to helping with issues of public safety, and that tackling the poverty crisis is essential for people to feel hope and thrive.
Landau is running against more than 20 candidates in the May 16 Democratic primary for the council’s seven available at-large seats. She recognizes that her victory would mean that the LGBTQ+ community would finally have a seat at the table, and that she could be a role model for other people, especially young people.
Finally, Landau wants to make sure that the Philadelphia LGBTQ+ community is a safe space for everyone, and that areas near the city, like Bucks County, are also safe for LGBTQ+ people. Landau aims to be a coalition builder, to bring people together, and to make stronger communities and a stronger Philadelphia.