Community steps up to help couple after Locust Street fire
Pinning hopes on a new release PAGE 21
Family Portrait: Behind the scenes with James Ijames
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Final call for ‘Love Story’ contest PAGE 18
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Feb. 5-11, 2016
Since 1976
PGN Philadelphia Gay News HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Vol. 40 No. 6
D.A.’s Office pursues reversal of order in Morris case By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com
BEST FIN FORWARD: Members of the Philadelphia Fins Aquatic Club took a breather after the 2016 Postal Swim. Held Jan. 31 at Friends Select School, the event is part of an annual national competition run by U.S. Masters Swimming. The local tourney allowed swimmers to swim laps for 30 or 60 minutes, or take part in a 20-minute relay. Participants were tasked with fundraising, with proceeds benefiting The Attic Youth Center. Photo: Scott A. Drake
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office this week filed a legal brief urging a Philadelphia judge to reverse an order by the state Office of Open Records pertaining to the Nizah Morris case. Morris was a trans woman found with a fatal head wound in 2002, shortly after a Center City “courtesy ride” by Officer Elizabeth Skala. Morris’ homicide remains unsolved. PGN seeks from the D.A. certified copies of its dispatch records for a traffic stop initiated by Skala while assigned to handle Morris, who was intoxicated. In August, the state Office of Open Records ordered the D.A.’s Office to comply with PGN’s request, but the agency has refused to do so. Instead, the D.A. appealed the order in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. Since 2013, the D.A.’s Office has sub-
Out lesbian at center of Cosby case
‘DJ registry’ bill is dead By Paige Cooperstein paige@epgn.com
By Paige Cooperstein paige@epgn.com
Philadelphia City Councilman Mark Squilla killed a bill that venue owners referred to as the “DJ registry” bill after a Feb. 1 meeting with about a dozen representatives from the local music industry. “At the end of the meeting, all present agreed that withdrawing was the best way to end the confusion created by this proposed bill,” Squilla posted in a statement to his Facebook page, adding he plans “to work with those in the industry to craft new legislation that will reflect his original intent.” There is not yet a timeline for when a new bill would be introduced. Squilla said he wanted to close the loophole in the definition of “social entertainment” in the current law PAGE 20
After two days in a special hearing, Montgomery County Judge Steven T. O’Neill decided Wednesday to proceed with charges against comedy icon Bill Cosby that stem from the alleged assault of a lesbian. If convicted of aggravated indecent assault, Cosby could face up to 10 years in prison. Cosby, 78, is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a lesbian former employee of Temple University, at his Cheltenham Township home in 2004. According to reports from inside the courtroom Wednesday, Constand’s law-
Photo: Paige Cooperstien
t • Out & About Valentine’s Day s u • Intimacy and discovery are &L PAGE 17
Love
mitted five affidavits indicating its only dispatch record for Skala’s traffic stop was given to it by PGN. Two other agency affidavits indicate it doesn’t have any dispatch records for Skala’s traffic stop. The dispatch record PGN gave to the D.A.’s Office in 2009 was received from the city’s Police Advisory Commission in 2008. It’s missing several entries, and one of its entries appears to contain a redaction. PGN gave the record to the D.A.’s Office in order to help the agency locate more complete records for Skala’s traffic stop believed to be in its possession. Last year, PGN asked the D.A.’s Office to provide a certified copy of all of its dispatch records for Skala’s traffic stop, including its record from PGN. As stated earlier, the D.A.’s Office declined to comply with PGN’s request, even when ordered to do so by OOR. In its Feb. 1 appellant’s brief, the D.A.’s Office calls OOR’s order “illogical.” PAGE 20 The brief claims
yer, Dolores Troiani, told the court that she resisted efforts by Cosby’s lawyers in 2005 to have her client promise not to cooperate with a criminal investigation. Troiani said Constand agreed only not to ask authorities for a further investigation, but she could work with them if they contacted her. Former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor spent the majority of Tuesday offering testimony regarding an oral agreement he made not to prosecute Cosby in 2005, according to reports from inside the courtroom. The idea was to grant Cosby immunity so he would give a deposition in a civil case. Castor said he hoped Constand would benefit financially in the civil case. Just after 8 a.m. Feb. 1, Cosby’s law-
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• Day in the Life of: Passional, Sexploratorium’s Kali Morgan highlighted at CRUXspace • Philly promoter launches D.C. party • ChesCo group hosts LGBT art show • Final call for ‘Love Story’ contest
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Have a winter get-away to rekindle the spirit