pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 42 No. 6
NJ bar owner refuses to pay court-ordered lawsuit damages to gay couple PAGE 2
Feb. 9-15, 2018
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Love & Lust: Thoughts on and plans for the most romantic day of the year
IBA board prez to be awarded the PHL Diversity’s 2018 Bring It Home Award PAGES 12-17
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Charges reinstated against embattled Amtrak engineer By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com
SUPER BOWL SERVICE: Staff members of MANNA participated in a wager with Community Servings, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization that, like MANNA, provides food to those with life-threatening illnesses. If the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl this past Sunday, MANNA would have delivered Tastykakes and soft pretzels to Community Servings. However, since the Philadelphia Eagles were victorious, MANNA will receive supplies of Boston cream pies and clam chowder to distribute to clients. Photo: Courtesy of MANNA
LGBT business gives back after winning Super Bowl bet By Brittany M. Wehner brittany@epgn.com With a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, the Philadelphia Eagles weren’t the only ones celebrating. A local LGBT business had a friendly wager with an establishment in Boston pending the game’s outcome. Woody’s Bar in Philadelphia made the bet with Club Café in Boston: If the Eagles won the Super Bowl, Club Café would make a $500 donation to Philadelphia FIGHT. If the Patriots won, Woody’s would make a $500 donation to Harbor to the Bay. Harbor to the Bay is an all-volunteer AIDS benefit bike ride in Boston, which raises funds for LGBT organizations. Philadelphia Fight provides primary care, consumer education, advocacy and research on potential treatments and vaccines specific to HIV/AIDS. Even with Philadelphia’s victory, representatives from Woody’s decided not only to donate $500 to Harbor to the Bay, but also matched the $500 Club Café gave to
Philadelphia Fight. “It was never about the money but about showing that the LGBTQ community supports our teams and our cities, that we are part of the greater community. We also made new friends that share our goals in the staff of Club Café,” said Woody’s co-owner Michael Weiss in a statement. “We were happy to tell them that in celebration of the Eagles’ win and to celebrate two great cities with great LGBTQ communities, we would still make a $500 to the Boston HIV charity they chose: Harbor the Bay,” Weiss said. The wager was created when J Nathan Bazzel, administrator at Woody’s, reached out to Club Café. “It’s fun. Let’s face it: We are both big sports towns [with] very loud personalities. Philadelphia and Boston have a lot of things in common. It’s an opportunity for the LGBTQ community to show our support but also keep awareness on important topics such as HIV and the HIV community,” Bazzel said. “It’s about showing PAGE 18
A Philadelphia judge this week reinstated all criminal charges against Brandon W. Bostian, the openly gay train engineer involved in a deadly Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia. During a Feb. 6 court proceeding, Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Kathryn S. Lewis said there’s enough evidence for Bostian to face trial on one count of risking a catastrophe, eight counts of involuntary manslaughter and 246 counts of reckless endangerment. In September, a Municipal Court judge tossed the charges, citing insufficient evidence. Bostian appeared chagrined by the ruling but didn’t make any comment. His attorney, Brian J. McMonagle, said he will request a jury trial. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro
issued this statement: “We’re pleased with the court’s ruling today. This is an important step in the legal process in this case. We will seek justice for every victim of the Amtrak train crash.” In May 2015, Bostian was speeding on a dangerous curve in Port Richmond, causing a seven-car Amtrak train to jump the tracks and derail. Eight passengers were killed and more than 100 were seriously injured. The train originated in D.C. and was heading to New York City when the tragedy occurred. A federal investigation concluded that Bostian apparently lost his bearings PAGE 18
Convicted killer of gay man continues to seek a new trial By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com Richard R. Laird, the twice-convicted killer of gay artist Anthony Milano, last month continued his quest for another trial. Thirty years ago, Laird and accomplice Frank R. Chester kidnapped Milano to a wooded area in Tullytown and slashed his throat so severely that Milano’s head was nearly severed. The case became a cause célèbre in the local LGBT community because both defendants voiced homophobic language inside a Bucks County tavern prior to kidnapping Milano and killing him. A Bucks County jury sentenced Laird and Chester to death in 1988, but both men eventually were granted new trials due to faulty jury instructions. Rather than retry Chester, Bucks County authorities transferred him from death row to the general prison population. In return, Chester, 49, agreed to remain incarcerated for the rest of his life. He’s currently housed at a state prison in LaBelle. However, no such deal was offered to Laird, and after a second trial in 2007, he was resentenced to death.
In a Jan. 26 filing with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Laird, 54, cited alleged sexual abuse he experienced from his father as a young boy. The filing contends that neither the 1988 jury nor the 2007 jury were informed about the extent of the abuse Laird allegedly suffered. Moreover, the abuse caused Laird to become very homophobic, according to the filing. The filing includes a 19-page report by Dr. David Lisak, a nationally recognized forensic consultant. Lisak’s report states that Laird fits “the classic profile of a sexual-abuse survivor. [Laird] experiences physical flashbacks to the abuse, including gag impulses, sharp rectal pain, and other tactile memories,” Lisak’s report states. Lisak’s report also emphasizes the pervasive nature of the alleged sexual abuse. “Every time [my father] came home drunk, I knew I would either have to suck his dick or get beaten,” Laird told Lisak. Laird had been reluctant to discuss his childhood abuse, according to the report. “I put [the abuse] in a dark corner and shut the door,” Laird told Lisak. Laird grew up feeling PAGE 18