Lawmakers routinely cram
various earmarks into spending bills to have their allied causes and pet initiatives showered in taxpayer money. Democratic Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey are no different.
The Pennsylvania senators
supported an earmark for the William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia. Specifically, they sought to flush the non-straight activist center with $1 million so it could “renovate and expand the existing LGBT Community Center into an inclusive, fully accessible, and welcoming space for all individuals to gather, learn, and find life-giving support.”
The duo ultimately had to backtrack on their request Tuesday after Libs of TikTok revealed in a viral post that the recipient was a facility that hosts monthly fetish parties.
Dungeons and Democrats
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted Wednesday on a $97 billion
housing and transportation government funding bill, which is supposedly aimed at strengthening air and rail safety, boosting resources to reduce homelessness, and sustaining key infrastructure.
The day before the vote, Libs of TikTok noted in an X post that the bill “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*etishes and hosts BDSM and s*x k*nk parties. There’s even a k*nk party happening there this weekend!”
The account, run by Chaya Raichik, further highlighted that Casey and Fetterman were the senators who requested the earmark.
Philadelphia Weekly
noted in a 2023 report entitled, “Rope bondage, electro-stimulation, dungeons. A taste of what’s behind the doors of Philly sex parties,” that the William Way center was home to a monthly BDSM event called the Aviary where attendees “may show up wearing street clothes, high-end fetish wear or ‘almost nothing at all.'”
A January 2023
event listing described the Aviary at the William Way center as “Philadelphia’s friendliest and longest running kink and fetish party. Come find your next unexpected kink!”
The Aviary’s next debauchery is
scheduled for March 9 at the center.
According to an
archived version of the event’s now blacked-out website, the Aviary’s “rules of play” include the following:
- “The Dungeon Monitors’ (DM) word is final”;
- “You must get permission from a DM to play with fire or puncture the skin”;
- “Bodily fluids (blood, saliva, etc.) may not leave the body. If they do, they must be cleaned immediately”;
- “Genitals and anuses must remain covered in non-play areas.”
House Republicans pushed last year to slash federal funding to the William Way Community Center for reasons beyond the center’s fetish parties.
Republican Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke noted the center had hosted a rally against the group Moms for Liberty, with an appearance by “Mr. Philly drag king himself” and giveaways for so-called “banned” books,
reported the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“An appropriation also should be appropriate,” stressed Rep. Zinke.
Fetterman gets spanked
Both
Casey and Fetterman penned March 5 letters to Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Ranking Member Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) withdrawing their support for the William Way Renovation and Expansion Project.
The Hill
reported that the Senate removed the project the same day.
The William Way LGBT Community Center
noted that it was “disappointed to learn that support for federal Congressionally Directed Spending to renovate and expand our historic headquarters on 1315 Street in Philadelphia was withdrawn as a result of lies and distortions about our Center shared by political extremists.”
Despite the many archived photographs on the Aviary website, the center further stated, “These extremists falsely stated that sexual behavior is allowed in rental programs of the Center, which is inaccurate and against our Center’s code of conduct.”
Casey told The Hill he withdrew his support because of “new information.”
Fetterman intimated social media posts played a role in prompting the withdrawal but
told Business Insider that he was not part of the decision to rescind support for the earmark.
“I wasn’t part of that letter. I know that seems strange, but I wasn’t a part of that,” said the senator.
Facing criticism on the left for backing down, Fetterman
said in statement on X Wednesday, “At the 11th hour my staff was made aware that funding for William Way, which was in the bill because I championed it, would not pass in the FY24 appropriations process.” He continued, “The choice was either to pull it or watch it get stripped out, attacked by Republicans and ultimately killed.”
“I am going to fight for William Way to secure their funding in the FY25 appropriations process,” added Fetterman. “I’m new here, but I wasn’t aware that Democratic values and priorities are dictated by Libs of TikTok.”
Libs of TikTok mocked Fetterman’s statement,
writing, “‘I’m new here, but I wasn’t aware that Democratic values and priorities are dictated by Libs of TikTok.’ Fetterman is losing his mind cuz we exposed him for wanting to use your tax dollars to fund BDSM s*x k*ink F*tish parties!”
Raichik went on to
cite the earmark withdrawal as an example of her “tremendous impact.”
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