Family Portrait: Sarah McBride, fresh from the White House PAGE 27
Morris advocates march on anniversary
Our favorite photos from 2014 PAGES 12-13
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Jan. 2-8, 2015
Since 1976
PGN Philadelphia Gay News HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Vol. 39 No. 1
Person of the Year: Gloria Casarez By PGN Staff
The Philadelphia of 2015 is a very different place than the Philadelphia of 2008. Same-sex marriages have been legally celebrated at our City Hall; we have a sea of pioneering laws that both protect and empower LGBT citizens; agencies from the police department to youth- and senior-serving organizations have opened their doors, and minds, to LGBT inclusion; and our community plays an active, valued and visible role in the everyday operation of our city. There are innumerable people and entities who have played a part in Philadelphia’s LGBT progress in the past few years, but none more central and significant than Gloria Casarez. From her appointment as the first director of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs in July 2008, up until her death Oct. 19, 2014, Casarez worked each day to improve Philadelphia for LGBT, and
just beginning to come to fruition. For her decades of unyielding, inspiring, impactful leadership, which will continue to shape our community into the future, PGN names Gloria Casarez our 2014 Person of the Year. LEGISLATION
all, people. From advocating for pro-LGBT bills to raising awareness about LGBT issues — from the corridors of City Hall to the corridors of city schools — to building relationships and inroads among our community and city leaders, Casarez’s legacy is
A cornerstone of Casarez’s tenure was her advocacy — both publicly and behind closed doors — for a number of pro-LGBT pieces of legislation. Among the laws that City Council passed in the last few years were four that advanced LGBT equality, and Casarez played a key role in each, helping to draft language, consult on contextual issues and lobby for their passage: Fair Practices Ordinance overhaul, 2011 Introduced by City Councilman Bill Greenlee, the measure overhauled the Fair Practices Ordinance, the city’s LGBT-
inclusive nondiscrimination law, instating uniform language to make the law compliant within itself, as well as with other state and federal laws. The measure increased the fine associated with violating the law to $2,000, the maximum allowed by state law, and facilitated the process for life-partner registration, lessening the number of months the couple needed to be together from six to three, and the number of documents for verification from three to two. It was approved unanimously by Council, and Mayor Nutter signed it into law March 17. Equal Benefits Bill, 2011 Introduced by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, it mandated that city contractors receiving more than $250,000 from the city must extend the same benefits they offer heterosexual married partners of employees to same-sex partners of employees. In planning for the PAGE 8
Court denies gay man’s bid for new murder trial By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com The state Superior Court has denied William F. Smithson’s request for a new trial in the murder of Jason Shephard. In a 20-page opinion issued Dec. 22, a three-judge panel of the court stated that Smithson received a fair trial in 2008. The judges who issued the opinion are Christine L. Donohue, John T. Bender and Eugene B. Strassburger 3d. Smithson, who is openly gay, couldn’t be reached for comment. After Smithson’s appeals are exhausted on the state level, he’s permitted to file appeals on the federal level, according to court records. In 2008, Smithson was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Shephard, who was Smithson’s colleague at an electronic-billboard manufacturer. Delaware County prosecutors say Smithson strangled Shephard during the course of trying to rape him in 2006. However, Smithson maintains his innocence, and says a third man in his home when Shephard died wasn’t adequately investigated. That man, F. Bruce Covington, was con-
victed of drug-related charges stemming from the incident. But prosecutors say he didn’t kill Shephard. Smithson claims that his trial attorney, G. Guy Smith, served him ineffectively by failing to ensure an adequate investigation of Covington. But the Superior Court judges said Smith conducted a thorough investigation of Covington. “I chased [Covington] harder than anybody I’ve chased in my life,” the judges quoted Smith as stating. The judges also noted that Smith followed all investigative tips conveyed by Smithson. Covington invoked the Fifth Amendment, declining to testify during Smithson’s trial. Smithson faulted Smith for not objecting to a state trooper reading Convington’s pretrial statements to jurors. Smithson said the trooper’s delivery gave undue credence to Covington’s version of events. But the judges said Smith made a reasonable decision to have the trooper read Covington’s statements to jurors, since Covington declined to testify. Smithson also contends that Smith was ineffective because he didn’t object to serology and toxicology reports being introduced PAGE 17 into evidence.
SEEING RED: A half-dozen protestors assembled outside the field office of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration Dec. 30 to protest the agency’s ban on blood donation by men who have sex with men. Late last month, the FDA announced it would revise its blanket lifetime ban on donation by MSM to a one-year deferral after sexual activity. However, critics say the 12-month prohibition is still an outdated and discriminatory policy that feeds into HIV stigma. “Although it is true that men who have sex with men are, as a population, at an increased risk of being HIV-positive, the ban is unfair even with the ‘loosened’ celibacy restrictions,” said protest organizer Ed Coffin. “For example, a same-sex monogamous couple who have been together for 25 years are lower-risk for contracting HIV than a single heterosexual person engaging in casual sex, yet they are automatically excluded from giving blood simply based upon their sexual orientation.” The new regulations are expected to go into effect sometime this year. Photo: Scott A. Drake