Close is a gender-bender Oscar contender in “Albert Knobbs”
Family Portrait: Michael Shelton
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A new exhibit and the legacy of Bayard Rustin
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Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2012
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Vol. 36 No. 4
Nutter joins marriageequality mayors
NJ may get first out Supreme Court justice
By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie moved to make the state’s top court more diverse this week, nominating two new justices — an Asian American and an openly gay African American. Christie announced Monday he was nominating Phillip Kwon and Bruce Harris, the out Republican mayor of Chatham, for two open seats on the New Jersey Supreme Court. The New Jersey Senate needs to confirm both nominees. If approved, New Jersey would have its first gay and/or Asian-American Supreme Court justices. Kwon is the state’s First Assistant Attorney General, and Harris has helmed city government in the North Jersey town since November in an election that was in itself historic: He is believed to be the first and only out, black Republican mayor in the nation. Harris, an attorney with Greenberg Traurig, would be the state’s third African-American justice and would join a group of just six other openly LGBT individuals who serve on state-level supreme courts throughout the nation. He was joined by his partner during Christie’s press conference to announce the nominations this week. Christie heralded the momentous nature of the nominations. “While these two men have stellar résumés and are respected throughout the legal communities for what they have accomplished as lawyers, these nominations are historic for another reason,” the governor said. “Not only do their different backgrounds and career paths bring distinctive and important perspectives PAGE 21
MAKING A SPLASH: Members of LGBT swimming organization Philadelphia Fins Aquatic Club took part in the annual fundraising Postal Swim Jan. 22 at Friends Select School, which raised money for the club and The Attic Youth Center. The 20 members swam as many laps as possible in the time limit, and supporters pledged money for each lap swam. The amount raised has not yet been finalized, but Fins board president Jan Elsasser said the organization was hoping to surpass last year’s total of $3,800. Photo: Patrick Hagerty
A coalition of more than 100 mayors from cities across the nation have come out in support of marriage equality, including Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Nutter was among a dozen city leaders who took part in a press conference to announce the creation of Mayors for the Freedom to Marry last Friday in Washington, D.C. The original group was about 80 strong but the effort gained the support of more mayors, who were taking part in the 80th annual U.S. Conference of Mayors, over the weekend. The issue has been on the agenda of the Conference since 2009, when the organization voted in favor of a resolution calling for marriage equality. The latest initiative was crafted in partnership with LGBT agency Freedom to Marry, whose national campaign director, Marc Solomon, noted that “marriage is on the march in towns and cities across the nation, and these mayors will play an important role in advancing the cause.” Joining Nutter are Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, Erie Mayor Joe Sinnot, and Chad Goerner and Cory Booker, of Princeton
and Newark, N.J., respectively. Coalition members all signed on to a statement that expresses support for same-sex marriage and a commitment to pursuing equality for their constituents. “We stand for the freedom to marry because it enhances the economic competitiveness of our communities, improves the lives of families that call our cities home and is simply the right thing to do,” the statement reads. “We look forward to working to build an America where all people can share in the love and commitment of marriage with the person with whom they share their life.” The coalition is chaired by New York City’s Mike Bloomberg, Boston’s Thomas Menino, Houston’s Annise Parker, San Diego’s Jerry Sanders and Los Angeles’ Antonio Villaraigosa. Nutter joined a handful of the mayors who took the podium at the press conference to explain their reasoning for supporting marriage equality. PAGE 6
NJ Senate committee passes marriage bill, Christie calls for referendum By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com The same day that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was professing that he would veto a marriage-equality bill, the state Senate put the measure one step closer to his desk. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 8-4 Tuesday to advance a proposal that would legalize same-sex marriage in the Garden State. The bill, which moved forward on a partyline vote, will now come before the full Senate Feb. 13. Marriage equality has been given top priority by state legislators this session, who introduced it as the first bill of the year in both the Senate and Assembly.
The measure was defeated on the Senate floor last session after a 7-6 Judiciary Committee vote, but supporters say they have acquired new “yes” votes, including from Senate President Stephen Sweeney. An Assembly committee vote has not yet been scheduled. This week’s committee vote followed three hours of public testimony, in which supporters and opponents argued for and against the merits of marriage equality. In his address to fellow legislators, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, the openly gay prime sponsor of the marriage-equality bill, defended the measure against religious opponents and emphasized that it includes a religious exemption, even though marPAGE 21
MISS’D AMERICA 2012 SABEL SCITIES Photo: Scott A. Drake
STORY AND MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 7