Mel Heifetz

[4] Heifetz maintains a relationship with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), whose attorneys successfully defended him in the 1950s when his first business, the Humoresque coffeehouse, was raided by police for welcoming interracial and gay couples.

[14][12] The GLBT Fund of America was initially established in 2007 and its money supports civil rights causes, social justice, and health needs through LGBT groups such as The Trevor Project, Attic Youth Center, and GALAEI.

[4][15] Also in 2017, Heifetz became a founding benefactor to the Gloria Casarez Residence, Pennsylvania’s first young adult LGBT-friendly permanent supporting housing project.

[19] In his February 2016 Huffington Post piece, Heifetz cites Barack Obama's track record on LGBT rights as a motivating factor for supporting him.

[23] Past recipients of Equality Forum’s Frank Kameny award include activist Peter Staley[24] and former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.