Many of my LGBTQIA+ constituents have come to my office for assistance in some state-related matter, whether that is unemployment, PennDOT issues, professional licensing, etc. But every conversation inevitably leads to discussions of intersectionality and the struggles that many in the community face merely because they are LGBTQIA+ and also looking for housing, looking for employment, and on and on.
Next, read this post of our 2024 primary election season series ‘Political Q&A’ with progressive candidates throughout Pennsylvania. Candidates can be anywhere in Pennsylvania running for any level of office. Please note that these are not necessarily endorsements, more of an opportunity for candidates to connect with the LGBTQ community, progressives neighbors, and others with an interest in Western Pennsylvania. If your candidate would like to participate in ase contact us pghlesbian at gmail dot com. We welcome candidates at all levels of government across the entire Commonwealth.
These Q&A’s are lengthy because there is a lot of ground to cover.
By participating in this Q&A series, candidates are saying that they
- are an LGBTQIA+ ally, specifically supporting equality and dignity for transgender persons
- identify as pro-choice
- recognize the 2020 election of President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris
This is my third Q&A with Representative Emily Kinkead (links below). We met under nice circumstances – I needed help carrying cat litter and posted on a neighborhood FB group. She was nearby distributing campaign signs and stopped by to offer her help. It was a simple neighborly gesture. I wasn’t in her district. But still she came to help.
I’ve appreciated the way Rep Kinkead uses social media to connect with her district, but also be a real accessible person. She talks about the challenges and struggles of being a representative, not just the photo opp moments. I’ve never seen someone so excited about the progressive impact of landslide insurance. She’s wonky and witty. A good combination for all of us in Harrisburg.
About The Candidate
Name: Emily Kinkead
Pronouns: she/her
Office Sought: PA House District 20
How do you describe your identity? I identify a cis/het, white woman. A passionately pro-choice Pittsburgher committed to progressive policies and building a government that serves everyone.
Tell us about your district. What is something you’ve learned about your district since taking office?
My district consists of Ross Township, the boroughs of Avalon, Bellevue, and West View, and most of the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Brighton Heights and Observatory Hill. Bellevue is home to one of the most innovative projects that I’ve ever encountered – Suburban General, a once mothballed hospital is now a hub of innovation for medical technology and is leading the way in changing the way healthcare works in communities and how we can resolve our rural healthcare crisis by using closed or closing hospital buildings to recruit businesses while using the rent that they pay to keep health services available in communities. That is just one example of so many in my district from West View HUB to the neighborhood groups of Brighton Heights Citizens Federation and Observatory Hill, Inc. where citizens are stepping up to solve issues in the community and, in turn, making the community better for all.
Questions and Answers
The Northside and North Hills have seen a lot of change – you’ve gained three new colleagues from districts adjacent to yours, magistrates have changed, a new County Councilor. What does this say to you?
Pittsburgh’s Northside and North Hills are undergoing a renaissance where they are no longer content to take whatever is given to them but, instead, want to seize the mechanisms of power and drive the change in our communities. In the post-2016 era, we’ve seen a great contribution of grassroots energy, diverse perspectives, and a new generation of leaders take the mantle and I believe that this has really inspired the areas of northern Allegheny County to join in this change. The 2022 redistricting changes that made our districts far more fair and compact (Ross Township is united in the same House district for the first time in 30 years!) also has led to a significant change in the ability of residents in the north of Allegheny County, in particular, to choose representatives that actually represent them.
My biggest focus when it comes to infrastructure is getting my landslide insurance bill across the finish line. This bill would allow Pennsylvanians to purchase insurance to cover or mitigate the cost of landslide damage for homeowners. Landslides aren’t merely devastating families in terms of loss of their homes, they are also financially devastating families because there is absolutely no insurance that will cover the costs of landslide damage. Sixty years ago, we created mine subsidence insurance for exactly the same reason and it is far past time for us to do the same for landslides.
Do you support reelecting President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024? Why or why not?
I absolutely support re-electing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris because they have been continued advocates and stalwart proponents of the Democratic priorities that my constituents and I want to see in our Federal government. This administration has righted our economy after the pandemic, invested more funding in infrastructure than any administration since FDR, protected reproductive rights, been zealously pro-union, and so much more. While I certainly share concerns about some policies, particularly related to Israel/Palestine and Cuba, but I know that a second Trump term would be so much worse. Biden can be reasoned with to have a more humanitarian approach. Trump, as we saw in his term in office, would revel in harm to Ukrainians, Palestinians, Cubans, and all the other people in the so-called “shithole countries” that Trump so disdains. Trump would also continue his path of destruction through the essential tenets of democracy, ravaging our judiciary (likely being able to appoint at least one more Supreme Court justice), and pushing our nation closer to an autocracy cliff. I understand the concerns that folks may have with Biden, but the reality of a Trump second term is so much worse for all of the things that we all care about.
The class of 2022 has been touted as the most diverse ever. Western PA sent three openly LGBTQ women, one of whom is Black, one a Jewish woman, and one autistic. We elected a Jewish man as Governor and a Black man as Lt. Governor. And we sent Summer Lee, a Black woman to the US Congress. How did all of this representation manifest in the work of the General Assembly?
In the simplest of terms – Democrats now control the state House for the first time in 12 years. As a result, Democratic priorities are moving for the first time in more than a decade. We’re finally moving legislation to address gun violence, criminal justice reform, reproductive justice, systemic racism, LGBTQIA+ equality, and more. Diverse voices are leading to diverse solutions to ongoing problems that have gone unaddressed for decades.
You’ve completed numerous Q&As with us. Why keep coming back?
I think it’s important for elected officials to be transparent and open in as many forums as possible. I welcome the opportunity to share my work and candidacy with you and your readers! I especially appreciate that these questionnaires are tailored to me and my district so that I can tell people about who I am and the unique reality of representing my district versus any other district.
- Q&A with Emily Kinkead, Candidate for PA State House District 20 – 2022
- Candidate for PA State House Emily Kinkead Describes Digital Campaigning During a Pandemic
- Q&A with Emily Kinkead, Candidate for PA State House District 20 – 2020
Pennsylvania has seen significant changes in our state representation, but the entire State Legislature is made up of 27% women. How would a more proportionate Legislature benefit Pennsylvania?
I believe more women in the Pennsylvania Legislature would lead to a more collaborative atmosphere with fewer legislators mistaking the performance for social media for governing for the people of Pennsylvania.
Please tell me how your familiarity with the LGBTQ community in your district has changed since taking office. What LGBTQ resources are available in your district versus the region?
Since I assumed office, my district, itself, has changed and I no longer represent areas like Lawrenceville, which have become known hubs for our LGBTQIA+ community. However, representing more suburban areas like Ross Township does not mean that I represent fewer LGBTQIA+ individuals. I think the thing that I have learned most since taking office is just the inherent diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community. Far too often the LGBTQIA+ community is treated as a monolith, but the needs within the community are varied and I need to ensure that, as a representative, I am constantly educating myself about that diversity so that I do not accidentally cause harm through ignorance.
My district has myriad LGBTQIA+-owned businesses but most of the resources specific to the community are located outside my district. My office is always happy to help anyone with a warm hand-off to those resources in order to ensure that anyone can get access to what they need and do so in a safe and supportive environment that is conveniently located in their neighborhoods. Many of my LGBTQIA+ constituents have come to my office for assistance in some state-related matter, whether that is unemployment, PennDOT issues, professional licensing, etc. But every conversation inevitably leads to discussions of intersectionality and the struggles that many in the community face merely because they are LGBTQIA+ and also looking for housing, looking for employment, and on and on. I remain committed to ensuring that these folks get the support and resources that they need.
Based on this, what do you understand to be our current top LGBTQ concerns and priorities for the General Assembly? How will you respond to those priorities?
I believe that the biggest priority for my LGBTQIA+ constituents, as I’ve said in years past, is for the legislature to stop making life harder for them merely because they identify as LGBTQIA+. Beyond that, their priorities remain as diverse as Pennsylvania is. I believe we’ve begun to do that through passage of measures like the Fairness Act in the House (though it remains trapped in the Senate), but that bill is really the barest of minimums that can be enacted to protect the rights and safety of our LGBTQIA+ friends and neighbors.
What specific legislative actions have you supported to affirm LGBTQIA residents?
This session I was proud to be a part of the House effort to pass the PA Fairness Act, which would outlaw discrimination in Pennsylvania on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. I proudly voted for it both in the Judiciary Committee and on the Floor. Additionally in Judiciary Committee, I proudly advocated for and voted for banning the so-called “gay panic” defense that has for too long been an option for someone to use if they harm a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in order to legally blame the victim for the crime committed against them. I am hopeful to see this legislation move before the full House this year. I have stood against efforts to ban trans girls from participating in school athletics and to ban books that have LGBTQIA+ stories and characters represented, as well as vocally advocating against the anti-trans rhetoric some of my colleagues have spouted in support of these efforts or in opposition to the above legislation.
As of mid-January, three anti-LGBTQ bills have already been introduced in Pennsylvania. Nationwide, 343 bills are active in 36 states, a number I expect will exponentially grow by the time we publish this Q&A. Pennsylvania legislators want to disregard sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools, both in terms of class curricula (PA HB319) and banning participation in sports (PA HB216.) How is this election tied to stopping this onslaught targeting transgender children and adults?
Unfortunately, the rights of our most vulnerable neighbors are on the ballot every time we go to vote, as long as my Republican colleagues continue to support measures like this that target people just for who they are. The state Senate is still controlled by Republicans (Dems need to win 3 seats), and we have just a single vote majority in the House. The first Democratic majority in either chamber in 12 years. Since we took the majority, we have stopped heinous bills like these in their tracks but we have been unable to advance protections for trans individuals because the Republican Senate will not act. Keeping the House and winning the Senate would give us an opportunity not just to stop bad bills but to affirmatively enact protections for all LGBTQIA+ folks – including our trans kids and adults.
How do you describe the impact, if any, of a Democrat controlled PA House?
I believe that the biggest impact is that the issues passing the House are focused on governing and making the lives of Pennsylvanians better, rather than pandering to conspiracy theories, hate, and corporate greed. As I referenced earlier, we have been able to shut down efforts to attack our vulnerable community members while pushing Democratic priorities for the first time in 12 years. We’re passing pro-choice, pro-labor, pro-working family, pro-environment legislation. We’re addressing gun violence and tackling criminal justice reform. We blocked the implementation of school vouchers and we’re leading the charge in reforming the way we fund our schools to ensure that they are equitably funded. In just one year, the Democratic majority has been able to redefine the conversations around what the priorities of our state are and I’m incredibly proud to be a part of that.
Western Pennsylvania was heavily represented, in the number of dioceses with credible allegations and victims in the Attorney General Report on Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church – including some of my friends and neighbors. How will you advocate for the victims and survivors on the state level?
Both last Session and this Session, I supported the proposed state constitutional amendment to allow the survivors for whom the statute of limitations has run out to have a 2 year period to file a civil action arising from their exploitation. I am disappointed that the Senate overwhelming passed this proposed amendment last Session but is prepared to let it die in the final stage. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I have been a vocal advocate for all the legislation that we have moved to provide victims with greater supports and access to justice.
A lot of your work has focused on infrastructure projects. What are some projects in your district that you’d like to see addressed in the near future and why?
I’m really excited that a few of the projects that I have been working on for so much of my tenure in office have begun to come to fruition, including the rebuilding of the Davis Avenue Bridge. A few months ago, we also announced 37 million in state grants for replace existing water lines. My biggest focus when it comes to infrastructure is getting my landslide insurance bill across the finish line. This bill would allow Pennsylvanians to purchase insurance to cover or mitigate the cost of landslide damage for homeowners. Landslides aren’t merely devastating families in terms of loss of their homes, they are also financially devastating families because there is absolutely no insurance that will cover the costs of landslide damage. Sixty years ago, we created mine subsidence insurance for exactly the same reason and it is far past time for us to do the same for landslides.
You are one of the few elected officials who includes animal welfare on your priority list. What are some humane solutions the Commonwealth could offer for homeless cats, overpopulation of deer and geese, invasive species, and the fetish for owning exotic animals? .
For addressing homeless cats, I believe that the state should provide more resources and support for local TNR (trap, neuter/spay, release) efforts. We should also ensure that state employees are educated on these efforts so that they can also support, rather than hinder efforts that take place on state property.
Overpopulation of deer and geese is a much trickier thing to tackle – it’s important to reign in the population of deer and geese to ensure the health of our overall environment, but we’ve all but eliminated their natural predators from the area so we need to come up with a way to control this population but in a humane way. I believe that the City of Pittsburgh’s program to curb the deer population is a good one and I think that partnering this program with a program like Share the Harvest that facilitates donating hunted meat to our charitable food network (and Allegheny County is the number 1 county for these donations). I believe that our efforts to cull these populations to help curb the spread of disease and protect the integrity of our local ecosystem absolutely should also include using those animals to feed those in need.
Invasive species are equally gnarly to deal with because we need to do so humanely, but at the same time trying to address the mass infestation of spotted lantern flies, for example, does take drastic measures given the magnitude of the population. We need to ensure the integrity of our natural and native ecosystem and that may require the elimination of certain creatures to do that. While certain creatures may not pose a harm to humans, animals that are not in their natural habitat can still cause significant harm to our ecosystem.
Finally, in addressing owning exotic animals, we need to be very aggressive in our enforcement of prohibition on exotic animals. Far too many people get these creatures and then don’t know the kind of care that they require and do not realize that these are not the kind of animals that you can leave at home and go on vacation. Pennsylvania does not even permit people to have hedgehogs so we just need to get more aggressive about enforcing our laws.
Another significant issue is the refusal of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Block Communications to provide a fair workplace or to honor their legal obligations. This is terrible for labor, but also destroying our flagship media resource. Have you taken the pledge to avoid speaking to the Post-Gazette scab employees? Upon election, what can your office do to save Pittsburgh’s daily newspaper and the fourth estate?
I absolutely will not speak to the Post-Gazette as long as it continues to deny its workers fair contracts, fair pay, and the right to unionize. Until that is resolved, I think the best thing we can do is promote alternate news sources and encourage folks to engage with those.
Voter turnout is a significant concern, especially for municipal/local elections. What advice would you offer to organizations and groups concerned with turnout in Pennsylvania?
Get out and knock on doors, text your friends and neighbors, and get engaged in your community. Even when uncontested, you’ll find me out knocking on doors to help get out the vote up and down the ballot.
The 2022 redistricting changes that made our districts far more fair and compact (Ross Township is united in the same House district for the first time in 30 years!) also has led to a significant change in the ability of residents in the north of Allegheny County, in particular, to choose representatives that actually represent them.
Campaign Details
Tell us about your endorsements.
So far this cycle, I’ve been endorsed by:
Allegheny County Democratic Committee
Allegheny-Fayette Labor Council
Represent PA
Young Democrats of Allegheny County
IUPAT
Steel City Stonewall Democrats
Finally, what are three reasons people should vote for you/support your campaign?
- I have kept my promise to be an outspoken, zealous advocate for this district and the progressive Democratic values that will actually do the most good for the most people.
- Democrats in the House are currently the front line for the fight to protect abortion rights in Pennsylvania and ensuring that it remains safe and legal.
- I care. I care about my communities. I care about the importance of the work that is done in Harrisburg. I take this job seriously and I do not take it for granted. I work hard. I show up. I roll up my sleeves and I dig in. My colleagues are constantly remarking to me, “Emily, you’re everywhere!” And I am – because I care and being in my communities, around my constituents, and knowing what matters to them is what matters to me.
Please list your social media accounts and your donation links.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EmilyKinkead4PA
Twitter: @EmilyKinkeadPA
Instagram: @emily4pa20
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for the opportunity to once again present my candidacy to your readers!
Other Q&A’s
In addition, read other Q&A’s in this election cycle series. You can read previous cycle Q&A’s here. If your candidate would like to participate, please contact us pghlesbian at gmail dot com.
- 2024 Political Q&A with Makenzie White: What You Need to Know About This Candidate for PA Senate District 45
- 2024 Political Q&A with Summer Lee: What You Need to Know About This Candidate for US House District 12
- 2024 Political Q&A with Arvind Venkat: What You Need to Know About This Incumbent Candidate for PA House District 30
- 2024 Political Q&A with Eugene DePasquale: What You Need to Know About This Candidate for Pennsylvania Attorney General
- 2024 Political Q&A with Lindsay Powell: What You Need to Know About This Incumbent Candidate for PA House District 21
- 2024 Political Q&A with Ashley Comans:What You Need to Know About This Candidate for PA House District 34
- 2024 Political Q&A with Emily Kinkead: What You Need to Know About This Incumbent Candidate for PA House District 20
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