A few years ago, I saw someone post a question on Facebook asking about safe spaces for black trans women to go swimming. And that got me wondering about the city’s parks and rec centers. They’re supposed to be safe and inclusive spaces for everyone, but it doesn’t always feel that way. There’s one rec center that goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is welcome, though. Star Garden Playground at sixth and Lombard. Chloe Harris is the recreation leader of Star Garden, and she does everything she possibly can to make sure that it’s a safe and inclusive space for the Lgbtqia+ community, as well as for black and brown people, and with special training for the staff and inclusive events and programming throughout the year. Chloe is joining us live in the studio to talk about how that works and why it matters. Chloe, thank you so much for joining us today.
Chloe Harris It’s my pleasure. Hello. Welcome and hello, Philadelphia.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson Awesome, awesome. So so before we get started talking about how you made Star Garden so inclusive, let’s talk about the weather. What impact has this air quality been? And the temperature’s been on your programming camp. Everything.
Chloe Harris Well, right now I’m in the middle of summer camp, so we were very careful on Thursday and Friday to have the kids, uh, stay indoors as much as possible. And this is it was a little tricky with the summer camp and, and a whole bunch of kids in a, in a few small rooms. Friday we were lucky enough that we had a karaoke DJ coming in scheduled, so the kids were able to stay inside and stay busy and have a really good time without having to worry about the weather.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson So the the kids. What’s the age range for the kids?
Chloe Harris Kids are six to twelve at our summer camp.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson And they had to stay inside for two days.
Chloe Harris For the most part. Yeah.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson How just how, how were you able to quickly like pivot given the air quality in Philadelphia?
Chloe Harris Well, I think that’s kind of what we do at Parks and Rec is, is, is we play the hand that we’re dealt. And this, this, this week was a little bit tricky, but we, we figured it out. We have a lot of stuff indoors for the kids to do. We have a lot of games. We have art projects. We have really wonderful, talented staff that could work with the kids and keep them busy.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson Awesome.
Nikki Schaffer Yeah. So Star Garden is a playground and rec center. You don’t have your own swimming pool, but you do have an annual LGBTQ plus inclusive pool party every year, which you host at other park and rec centers. Can you tell us about that party and why it’s important to have one.
Chloe Harris So I would love to. The first one was in twenty twenty two. This is the the fifth annual one that we’re doing. And this all started with a conversation that I was having with friends and people that I knew. I realized that some people in my community weren’t familiar with our pool system, or they were uneasy about going swimming. I wanted to create an event where everyone felt welcome and affirmed. Sometimes people can feel uneasy about going to a swimming pool because it’s crowded, or the bathrooms, or changing into their swimwear. Um, maybe their identity. You know, people are afraid of being harassed. And I wanted to create, um, a pool party where people didn’t really have to worry about all that. I’ve never gotten positive feedback like I have after our pool party. Uh, I’m there at the, at the front gate when we open. I’m there when people are leaving and I just talk to people and it’s a, it’s a really wonderful experience. Um, everybody has a good time and relationships are formed. I think that’s really important. I met Sheila at one of our pool parties. I’ve met a lot of my current friends at our pool parties as well. Our DJ is Robert Drake, the great Robert Drake on the ones and twos. He’s a he’s our annual DJ. The pool party this year is August first from one to five p m at O’Connor pool at twenty sixth and South. There is a flyer that we’re working on as we speak, and that should get dropped tomorrow on both Philadelphia Parks and Recreation social medias, as well as Star Garden playground, social media.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson And this pool party is inclusive to trans lesbian gay. Yes, black, brown, just like everybody. It’s like the United Nations there when I went there. Yeah. It’s amazing. It’s absolutely amazing, folks. It’s such a good time. Um, what other programming Do you have inclusive program that do you have at Start garden? Like for the kids, for the adults, for the teenagers, you know, throughout the year.
Chloe Harris Right? So we have what’s known as our queer clay program, which is probably our most popular program. It began in January of twenty twenty three. It is the third Monday of every month except for summer camp season. We take a quick break. When I first came to star, one of the things that I that I did was I had met at our first swim party in twenty twenty two. Erica Mandell, who was my son’s art teacher, and his grade school, which is two blocks away from McCall. And then I asked them, you know, like what? What kinds of stuff can we do together? You know, how can we plan to do some work? And so we kept in touch after I saw them at the pool party. And, you know, I got to give Erica the credit for coming up with the the concept for queer Clay to follow that program. You want to follow them at queer Clay A p on Instagram, and the tickets are sold through eventbrite. And the link to eventbrite is on the Instagram handle.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson And then you also do like you love horror movies.
Chloe Harris I love horror.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson Movies. All right. So let’s talk about what you do with horror movies at Star Garden.
Chloe Harris That’s good. I could talk about horror movies all day. Um, my, my childhood was, uh, was a little rough around the edges. And one of the ways that I got through it was horror movies. And there used to be this, this, uh, this TV show that used to come on after Saturday Night Live called Saturday Night Dead. And it was everything for me when I was growing up in, uh, in the, the late eighties. And I believe up until nineteen ninety. And it had a host named Stella. She was like the Philly Elvira. And I absolutely adored it. And it helped me get through what was a challenging childhood. Um, so we do that, uh, on every Thursday except for again, except for summer camp season. This program also started in twenty twenty three. So when I first got to star, I was introduced to my friend Nelson, and the two of us came up with a concept for the queering. Our. Nelson had been doing a horror movie program that they worked with Gay at the time, and they wanted to continue doing that, and I thought Star Garden would be like a wonderful host for that kind of a program. So we started doing it at Star Garden. We noticed that there was an unusual amount of horror fans in the queer community, and we thought, why not have a group that meets up to enjoy our favorite horror films? Each program features a short introduction, then we watch the film, and then we discuss the film over pizza. The movies are announced every Monday on our social media, so that’s on Facebook and Instagram. Again, that’s Star Garden Playground star with two Rs.
Nikki Schaffer Awesome. Um, what other programming and support do you offer specifically for LGBTQ plus kids and teens?
Chloe Harris Well, we did a Halloween themed queer clay program for kids, and I look forward to replicating that in the future. Uh, again, we did it with the great Erika Mandel leading the way. Uh, we just started a dinner and a movie program where kids can come in on a Friday night and watch a movie over pizza. And let me tell you, the parents absolutely love that because it gives them a chance to go out and go to dinner and be adults while we watch their kids on Friday night. It’s probably our most popular program as far as parents are concerned.
Nikki Schaffer Sounds like a dream.
Chloe Harris Um, we have an outdoor movie night coming up Friday, July twenty fourth at eight thirty p m we’re going to watch SpongeBob The Search for SquarePants. There’s a little spooky angle to that, which goes like plays right into Into My Hand. Um, we have a spectacular after school program and summer camp, and they both allow all kinds of kids to be their most authentic selves. We have a bunch of teenagers who work with our summer camp, and some even work with our after school as well. So our camp is for six to twelve year olds, but they can be a counselor in training when they’re thirteen, and then when they’re fourteen to eighteen, they’re a full fledged counselor. Um, this keeps the kids connected to Star Garden. It keeps them connected to a positive place that they know, um, where they’re getting positive feedback and they’re being, they feel safe and affirmed. So as far as support, um, I don’t have the answer to any question. Every question, but I do know who to ask. And I’m a good person to, to reach out to for, for questions.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson How did you get involved with Star Garden? What’s your history with Star Garden?
Chloe Harris Um, so to go all the way back and I used to hang out at Star Garden when I was a kid in the, in the early nineties. So Star Garden is right off South Street where at six in Lombard, right off of, uh, right behind the fire station at sixth and South. And that’s where I went when I was a kid. I used to hang out at South Street. I grew up in East Falls, but all the cool stuff was happening downtown. So I like going into Center City a lot. And I used to go down to South Street when I was a kid. You know, I was certainly two too young to go to a lot of places as far as the nightlife in Center City. And I used to hang out at Star Gardens. So it’s it’s a very special place for me. Um, if I could go back, uh, and go back about twelve years, I was working and doing home remodeling and I was absolutely miserable. I did not like what I was doing. I was not happy. And, uh, I, I was working on a home in Fishtown and a home in West Powelton and everything was going wrong. And I literally went to the Temple University website because I’m a Philadelphian. I wasn’t looking to move anywhere, but I wanted to get back into school and get my bachelor’s degree. And this is when I’m in my late thirties and I went to the temple website and I went down the list of majors, and I got all the way to sport and recreation management. And I thought to myself, uh, I don’t know what that is or what that entails, but it certainly sounds better than what I’m doing. And so I went back to school. Um, I went for my degree for sport and recreation management at temple. Um, I transitioned as a student and I had a really wonderful, supportive, um, number of peers and a professors that really made my journey, um, really great. And then it came time for me to pick a junior internship. So when I was a junior in school in twenty seventeen, I needed to do an internship. Um, so I, I was already at Star Garden all the time because my son went to school like two blocks away from there. And so I would pick my son up from school every day and take him to Star Garden and run him into the ground because he had a lot of energy. Um, so I was there all the time and I figured, why not do my junior internship there? And so I did my junior junior internship, volunteering for the summer camp at Star Garden in twenty seventeen, and I just fell in love with the work. It was working with kids. It was sports, it was recreation, it was a community work, and I just fell in love with it. I found my calling a year later. I did my senior internship with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. Uh, after I graduated, they kept me in the loop. I was working in after school programs and summer camps. Um, and I worked all over South and Southwest Philly. I was really enjoying myself. And then in twenty twenty two, I got the call to, to go to Star Garden, which was, you know, like my dream job. And that’s, that’s where I’m working right now.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson Can you share with us a story about the impact your inclusive programming has had on anyone who’s participated, whether it’s a child, whether it’s an adult? Can you share a story with us?
Chloe Harris Sure. So I would highlight the trans kids watching trans kids have a blast and be their own authentic selves. Brings me so much joy. I’m going to be honest, it’s my favorite part of the job. I’ve seen kids come out as trans during summer camp and it’s, it’s it’s absolutely magical. And the kids come in and you could see that they’re shy and hesitant, but when they’re, they’re being called their name and their pronouns and they use the bathrooms that they want to use, they, they just light up with so much joy. And I just seeing that process has affirmed, you know, what I believe as far as letting kids be themselves and, and be who they really are.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson And so when you were growing up, you mentioned that it was kind of rough. Can you want to talk about that a little bit?
Chloe Harris Sure. Like I was a little rough around the edges. Um. If there were any programs like this when I was a kid, I certainly didn’t know about them. I played sports. Uh, I was a jock. That that whole world can sometimes be homophobic. And I remember there was times when I was playing sports when I was a kid where I heard things said that made me very uncomfortable, and it made me not want to participate. Um, part of this is what guides me to do the work that I do. I want to create the kinds of programs I would have liked as a kid. Um, let me tell you, I would have done anything to have a queer horror movie program when I was a kid or even a young adult.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson The other question like that actually ties into how we kind of met. We met when, um, Stephanie Haynes, who was the former executive director of Philadelphia Family Pride, um, retired. And I just remember your in your speech, you shared how Philadelphia family pride and Stephanie really helped you when you were going through your transition? Mhm. Can you talk a little bit more about that?
Chloe Harris Yeah. I mean, I was a transparent and I didn’t know what I was doing. Uh, you know, it was, it was my, my first and only kid. And I was really anxious and I didn’t really have any connection to community. And I really needed that. And I needed peer support. And, and Stephanie got me involved in Philly family pride and doing events there and being a part of things. And it was really wonderful. I got to meet other parents, other queer parents, other trans parents. And, you know, it just made my whole life so much easier having that kind of support.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson And so for folks who have not heard of Philadelphia family prior, what is that?
Chloe Harris It’s, it’s a, it’s a family organization to connect LGBTQ plus families all over the area. Um, they do a fantastic job. They, it’s a great source of information. It’s a great way to connect with fellow members of the community, and it’s a great, great way to find programs and things to do with with your kids. When you’re a queer, queer person with a family.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson That’s awesome.
Nikki Schaffer What what should parents know and be looking for when seeking safe spaces for their trans and gender? Um, trans kids and teens to play.
Chloe Harris I think word of mouth is the best source. Um, talking to other people, talking to other parents. Um, again, organizations like Philly Family Pride serve well to connect LGBTQ and queer families throughout the area. Uh, I would tell the staff of a possible organization, you know, I would sit down with them and say, hey, my, my kid is queer, trans, etc.. Is this a safe space for them? Other answer is going to tell you a lot. Do they look uncomfortable? Do they give you any other answer than yes, absolutely. That’s going to tell you everything that you need to know. But but yeah, definitely talk to the, the staff of any facility that you’re planning on sending your kids to.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson And speaking of staff, how did you get your staff trained so that folks, when they come there, the staff actually know how to respond to Lgbtqia folks who come there and any issues that might be unique that might arise as a result.
Chloe Harris Well, we have an amazing and diverse staff at Star Garden. We have a very diverse group of kids. Um, I make sure the staff understands that we prioritize inclusion and we’re here to bring people joy. That means making sure that every one of our, every single one of our patrons can come and have the time of their life. Uh, we have zero tolerance for any kind of behavior that would make any patron of Star Garden feel uncomfortable. Uh, I would say that kids are a lot better at at seeing other kids as just kids. I feel like adults have a little bit more hang ups when it comes to that. As far as our differences. Uh, Every so often we have to pause for a learning moment. But overall, the kids are all right. As they say, a training is great. A lot of the learning is on the job learning. I have to make sure I’m available and present in order to walk staff through the process of what we do. I’m very hands on.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson How do you make sure that the staff and everyone that’s working with your counselors and trainings? How do you keep them up to up to date with policy? One fifty two if you can talk about what is policy? One fifty two and why it’s so important?
Chloe Harris Well, policy one fifty two is the city’s trans inclusive inclusion guidelines. And I’ll tell you, I was one of the people that was called on to consult for that law back in twenty seventeen. And I think it went on the books in twenty nineteen. And, you know, it’s it’s all about kids and keeping kids safe and affirming their identity. So kids can use the, the name that they want kids. Kids can use the pronoun that they want. Kids can use the bathroom that they want. Kids can wear the uniforms that they want. Um, it’s not on us as child care professionals to go and run back and talk to the kid’s parents about every little single thing they do. You know, there’s kids out there who might identify differently in in camp or after school than they do at home. And we’re there to kind of affirm them in that experience for them.
Nikki Schaffer Yeah. And why is it important to be doing work with this focus at this moment in time.
Chloe Harris Right now? Trans and queer kids are are under attack, you know, plain and simple. It’s turned into this political football. And, you know, it’s concerning. It’s it’s our obligation as child care providers to give them a space where they don’t have to worry about all that. Uh, I read the news and sometimes I need a break from all that. And what I want kids to do is to be able to come into our rec center and experience the programs and, and go through their day without having to worry about that. I just want kids to be able to be kids and do kid stuff and have a good time.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson It’s great that there’s at least one rec center that puts an emphasis on being inclusive for Bipoc plus folks in our community, but what would it take to make sure that every rec center, playground, and swimming pool in the city of Philadelphia is just as welcoming?
Chloe Harris Training. I think training is the is the name of the game. Um, you know, we’ve, we’ve had so we have great training at Parks and Rec. Um, they really stay on top of us. We consistently train over and over and over so that even if you forget stuff, it’s, uh, it’s, it’s fresh in our heads.
Sheila Lorrett Emerson Thank you again, Chloe, for being here on around the block.
Chloe Harris Thank you for having me. It’s been a pleasure. I appreciate this.
This story was broadcast as part of the July 19, 2026 episode of Around the Block.
Note: This transcript was machine-generated and may contain some spelling errors or other inaccuracies.