55961383
A Pennsport resident on the 100 block of Emily Street, Cameron Kline has broken a new glass ceiling barrier in City Hall. In his second week on the job, he now holds the distinction of being the first openly gay District Attorney Communications Director and Spokesperson.
As he put it, there’s a lot going on at Seth R. Williams’ offices in Center City – 900 employees spread over multiple buildings, the DA’s office is a very large office to head up all communications. But Kline had good training. In 2002, he began as the communications head of the School District of Philadelphia.
“I liken it a little to my baptism by fire when I joined the School District of Philadelphia – it was probably the hardest and most challenging thing up to that point in my career,” he said.
But Kline is excited for what the DA’s office means on a city-wide goal: “To keep Philadelphia safe and make sure the law’s applied appropriately and get the bad guys off the streets.”
The Illinois native is a self-proclaimed “political dork,” and he says he always knew he wanted to find a way to give back to his community.
“I’d always been somewhat interested in politics and public service. Working in the governor’s office in Illinois was an amazing experience,” Kline said. “I see politics as a way to give back and do good, and I love it – it’s exciting.”
He got invested in his new neighborhood’s voting wards and civic association, met his City Council District Councilman Mark Squilla and soon found his way to state Sen. Larry Farnese’s office as his press aid after a communications post at PECO.
Kline’s status as the first in the LGBT community to take this job is his doing, meaning he’s emboldened by the ongoing march toward complete equality. Putting his sexual identity out there for public consumption is a brave move, one he’s taking on gladly but with a little hesitance.
“When I came out, I decided that I was going to be out all the way. I couldn’t live my life in a way that wasn’t true to who I am,” he said.
That stance led him to return his Eagle Scout medal to the Texas-based national headquarters of the Boy Scouts of America with a heartfelt letter co-written by his father (also an Eagle Scout).
“I want to do everything that I can to make equality real in our communities,” he said.
Staff Writer Bill Chenevert at bchenevert@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
