Family Portrait: D’Ontace Keyes, on overcoming obstacles PAGE 23
Long live Queen!
Presbys ordain openly gay pastor
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Jan. 10-16, 2014
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Vol. 38 No. 2
New trans policy on the books for police By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
STILETTOS AND ’STACHES: Brittany Lynn (center) and a contingent of drag queens and kings put the finishing touches on their routines before setting off in the annual Mummers Parade on New Year’s Day. The LGBT contingent joined the parade last year and the kings had their debut this year. The parade was led by the Philadelphia Freedom Band, and in addition to performances throughout the parade route, the queens took the stage at the Convention Center in between performances of the Fancy Brigade groups. For more coverage, see page 6. Photo: Scott A. Drake
HIV-poz man charged with endangerment By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office this week enhanced the charges against a gay man who allegedly had sex with a minor. The defendant’s attorney contends the added charges are related to the man’s HIV status. Delaware police arrested Newark resident Christopher Steele, 33, last month on statutory-rape charges for allegedly having sexual relations with a 14-year-old boy he met on social-networking app Jack’D. Steele’s attorney, Kevin Mark Wray, said prosecutors in Montgomery County, where the boy lives, last week added reckless-endangerment charges to Steele’s case because the defendant is HIV-positive. Steele is being held in a Montgomery County prison on $1-million bail. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request for comment. Wray said Steele, who works in the adult-film industry, was using the app last spring to meet men and maintained his client attempted to end relations with the teen
when he realized he was underage. “At some point, he came to the realization that this person wasn’t 18 and took off,” Wray said. “This kid kept pursuing him and apparently had done so with others.” Wray said Jack’D requires users to verify that they are over age 18. Steele has been HIV-positive for six years. Wray said he believes his status was disclosed during intake after his arrest. Wray contended that the reckless-endangerment charge is inappropriate if motivated by Steele’s HIV status. “It bothered me a great deal and seemed to be offensive,” he said. “He takes medication and is constantly moderating it. Charging someone with [reckless endangerment] because they are HIV-positive is homophobic and ignorant. We don’t go to people who have herpes, colds, Strep throat and charge them. If that is the standard, they need to be indicting everybody. It’s amazing that, 35 years later, the public is still oblivious to the simple fact that HIV does not equal AIDS.” Steele faced a preliminary hearing Jan. 6 and will return to court Feb. 27. ■
The Philadelphia Police Department is in the process of rolling out new guidelines aimed at ensuring law-enforcement officers treat transgender and gender-nonconforming citizens respectfully. The department finalized its new directive Dec. 20, said police spokesperson Lt. John Stanford, and is currently examining best practices for implementation. “We’re working on fine-tuning it all, and how to best train people and implement this the proper way,” Stanford said, noting that most, if not all, districts have received a copy of the directive as of presstime. “It’s one thing to have a policy on the books but
another to implement it the proper way. So we’re right now finalizing it in terms of how to go about implementing the policy.” This marks the first time the department has a stated policy instructing personnel on how to interact with transgender and gender-nonconforming people, Stanford said. The effort was largely led by LGBT Liaison Deputy Commissioner Kevin Bethel, who worked with LGBT community leaders and police personnel to craft the nine-page directive. The guidelines are comprehensive, and cover everything from interacting with trans victims, witnesses or suspects to communicating information about trans people to the media. PAGE 14 Foremost, the policy
Pittsburgh elects first out City Council prez By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com Pittsburgh’s City Council will now be helmed by an out gay man. Bruce Kraus became the city’s first openly LGBT elected official when he was voted into City Council in 2007 and he took that title further Jan. 6, when his fellow councilmembers elected him council president. Kraus won the position in a 7-2 vote, with only past council president Councilwoman Darlene Harris, whom he unseated, and Councilman Ricky Burgess in opposition. Kraus was nominated to the president position by Councilman Corey O’Connor and was unopposed. In an interview with PGN Tuesday, Kraus said his election speaks to the gen-
eral environment of acceptance in Pittsburgh. “I came out in 1972 so my sexual orientation is not something that I lead with because it is such a natural, ongoing part of who I am,” he said. “Pittsburgh has been known as a very diverse and tolerant city. We put sexual orientation as a protected class in housing, employment and public accommodations on the books as far back as 1990. What you are seeing now as terms of an open and out city council president being elected is just the fruit of those labors.” Kraus, 59, a Democrat, has been heavily involved in civil-rights issues in Pittsburgh and spearheaded the city’s domestic-partner law in 2008. Last year, he led a measure that requires certain
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contractors pursuing business with the city to offer benefits for their employees’ domestic partners. The measure, similar to a recent law adopted in Philadelphia, passed unanimously. Kraus was reelected in 2011 and will face another election next year. Prior to PAGE 14 joining