IN HONOR OF MOLLY HUBER

MOLLY HUBER, AGE 19

Speaker: Caia Iglehart Organization: One Step Away, Vendor Representative

Molly Huber was born as Thomas Huber. I met him last year at the Occupy ICE protest at City Hall. At that time, he went by the name Ghost. He was fighting for the rights of immigrant children —and he was willing to risk anything to try and effect a change in this world. We were living at the occupy site together and we became close friends, sleeping near each other and watching out for each other. Ghost was 18 at the time and exploring and discovering his sexual orientation. While we were participating in the protest, he decided to change his name to Molly and began using the pronoun she/her. We had group meetings every evening and one of the topics often discussed were pronouns and showing respect to all persons participating by using their desired pronoun when addressing them. This was a new idea for some of the people there, but many of the LGBTQ community participating were very familiar with the idea of using pronouns. Molly found a group of supportive friends that encouraged her to fight for the causes she was engaged in and to pursue the discovery of herself as she chose to do so. These new friends had a chance to camp outside the 9th District Police Station offering “jail support” when Molly was arrested at the Occupy ICE protest. Many of us were arrested, and Molly was very proud that she was able to participate on this level for our cause. I saw Molly growing into a new person, and everyone was embracing her and her change. The protest ended when Mayor Kenny made the decision to end PARS. This was one of the main objectives of the protest. Everyone that had been living at the occupy site, including many homeless participants, had to find a new place to live. Molly invited me to stay with her and some of her LGBTQ friends in a house on Walnut that we eventually ended up being evicted from. While we were at the body house, Molly began estrogen injections and also came out (as transitioning) to her father. She was happy with her new identity and it hurt her that her parents could not accept her and her choices. She then moved from the house on Walnut to a camp in Fairmount Park. She turned 19 last spring. She was continuing to explore her new sexual identity, often going on dates. In the early summer, she never returned from one of these dates and was missing for several months. Her body was subsequently discovered in the Schuylkill River badly decomposed and unrecognizable. This was incredibly devastating to me and the many friends that Molly had made. We gathered in her honor at a memorial service at Glendinning Rock Garden and burned a fire where drum circles take place weekly on Tuesday nights. Molly had participated in many drum circles and the camp she had been living at was near there. The group walked to the edge of the river and released a candle into the water. We all told stories and favorite memories we had of her. She touched the lives of those that met her deeply during her short life. I will never forget her and the experiences we shared together. Call for an end to homelessness…… call to action.