Queer Heroes Northwest 2016:
Philip J. Wolfe
Philip Wolfe is current elected president of Northwest Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf, a regional organization promoting solidarity and equality through advocacy and communication avenues to Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and hard-of-hearing LGBTQI individuals.
Philip was drawn into activism in 2012 as a result of a 911 call he made. Being deaf, Philip had requested an American Sign Language interpreter to communicate with the officers who took his call, but none was furnished. As a result, he was not able to fully describe what had happened to him, or make an informed decision about what to do next.
In fact, twenty-two years after the Americans With Disabilities Act was first enacted, the Portland Police Bureau still had no policy governing police interactions with deaf community members.
Philip sued the city of Portland in federal court, alleging the city violated the ADA. Philip sought a court order requiring the city to adopt policies for police and emergency dispatchers interacting with a deaf person who was making a police report, requesting assistance, or being interviewed by police.
Since then Philip has actively advocated for the rights of people with disabilities. In 2013, he joined the Portland Commission on Disability, where he currently serves chair for the Public Safety Committee. Since early 2015 he has served on the Community Oversight Advisory Board (COAB), mandated by the US Department of Justice to oversee policy and procedures for the Portland Police Bureau, and he currently chairs COAB’s Police Accountability Committee.
Philip also worked with Captions On Now to draft an ordinance requiring televisions in public places, such as bars and restaurants, to show captions at all times. The ordinance was adopted by the City of Portland in December 2015.
We begin announcing a hero per day on June 1, and the heroes' posters are unveiled in a reception at Q Center on June 15, 2016, 5-7PM. The public is invited. A traveling version of the Heroes posters will be displayed by GLAPN and Q Center at Portland Pride.
P.O. Box 3646 • Portland, OR 97208-3646 • info@glapn.org
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