The invitation said “Open to all,” but a reporter for Delaware Valley Journal was thrown out of a Planned Parenthood event at its LGBT-oriented Rainbow Room venue Wednesday before the event began.
DVJournal News Editor Linda Stein was seated in the audience of the “Know Your Rights In Schools” event when one of the organizers approached her and told her to leave.
The woman, who did not identify herself, told Stein the event was for “only LGBTQ supporters and immigrant rights supporters. You are not.”
When Stein pointed out that the invitation said everyone is welcome, the woman responded, “Everyone who is aligned with what we’re doing here is welcome. You are going to have to leave.”
Rather than disrupt the event, Stein left.
Rainbow Room Executive Director Marlene Pray did not respond to an email asking for comment on the decision to remove a journalist from the event. There was no response to a voicemail message left with the Rainbow Room, either.
Event attendees were asked to show their drivers licenses and fill out a form asking for personal information including street address, email address and phone number before entering. The form also asked attendees to declare their support for immigrant and LGBTQ rights.
Stein filled out the form and showed her ID as requested.
The Rainbow Room is part of Planned Parent Keystone’s programming for LGBT youth. According to its website, the LGBTQ+ programs are “free and open to anyone ages 14 to 21. Plus, we just brought a new group into our program. Roy G. Biv in Doylestown is for kids ages 10 to 14.
“Our weekly meetings are a safe space where you can feel empowered and know that you’re getting accurate information about relationships, sex, and more.”
In 2022, the Rainbow Room made headlines by hosting a “Queer Prom” that included a drag queen. Gift bags for prom attendees, some reportedly as young as 13, included lubricant, condoms, and dental dams.
In 2022, the Rainbow Room received $630,000 in state funding through the auspices of state Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-Bucks). The funding for that grant came from the federal American Rescue Plan, a COVID-19 relief program, according to The Daily Caller.
In January, a second Rainbow Room opened in Lower Bucks County, offering free rides to students from Pennsbury, Truman, and Neshaminy High Schools.
According to its Form 990 filed with the IRS, Planned Parenthood Keystone reported an income of $15.5 million for 2023.
Despite the taxpayer funding, attorney Melissa Melewsky with the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association said Planned Parenthood Keystone had the legal right to remove a reporter from its event. Private organizations “can include or exclude parties from meetings at their discretion. The Sunshine Act does not generally apply to private nonprofit organizations, and thus does not mandate public meetings,” Melewsky said.
Stein was not the only person denied access to the event.
Alix Paul, a Langhorne mother who had reposted the Rainbow Room’s Facebook announcement for the meeting on her community’s online page, was met at the door and refused entry. She said organizers knew her name and told her they were denying her entry over concerns about safety.
“Basically, they’re saying that it’s open to the public, but then they’re saying no, only if you agree with us,” said Paul. “If you have nothing to hide, why are you scared of the opposition? If you’re not doing anything wrong, why do you care if we’re there?”
Planned Parenthood Keystone apparently anticipated removing people from their “public” event.
While its original Facebook post said, “Open to all,” a later post added, “No haters allowed.”
