Democratic House candidate Bob Harvie, a county commissioner in Pennsylvania, is under fire for his management of a local opioid recovery fund that was instead reportedly used to support programs at the Rainbow Room, an LGBTQ youth center. The Washington Free Beacon reports, the Bucks County Opioid Settlement Fund, which Harvie oversees and is dedicated to “Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery” services, approved a $13,500 grant to Planned Parenthood Keystone to transport high schoolers to the Rainbow Room, an organization known for introducing radical gender and sexual ideas to minors as young as fourteen.
Instead of focusing on those struggling with opioid addiction, Harvie’s fund was used to send teens to events at the Rainbow Room, which hosts seminars about “medical transition” and exposes children to discussions on puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and sex-change surgeries. The Rainbow Room also holds events like “Sex Ed Night/Masturbation,” which distributed sexually explicit materials, and a “Queer Prom,” where children as young as thirteen received condoms, lubricant, and other explicit materials.
The center’s drag shows and other content have sparked concern in the community, with local legislators moving to regulate such events due to their focus on children. Harvie established the Bucks Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee in 2022, but under his guidance, millions earmarked for addiction prevention have been directed toward controversial LGBT programming that does not address the county’s opioid crisis.
The Rainbow Room’s activities have been divisive in Bucks County, drawing legislative proposals to designate their drag shows for minors as adult entertainment. State Senator Steve Santarsiero, an ally of Harvie’s, previously secured $630,000 in state funds to expand the Rainbow Room’s operations. When questioned, Harvie, the Bucks County commissioners’ office, and Rainbow Room leaders did not respond to requests for comment regarding the use of opioid settlement funds for these controversial programs.
Harvie’s close ties to the leadership of the Rainbow Room and use of taxpayer money for its programming have caused many to question government accountability. Harvie is running against Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick in a Pennsylvania district that, despite a close presidential result, strongly favored Fitzpatrick in the last election. Democrats see the seat as competitive, but according to the Free Beacon, “Harvie faced national scrutiny last year after he and a fellow Democratic Bucks County commissioner voted to defy Pennsylvania state law to count invalid mail-in ballots during a recount for the U.S. Senate race.”