Rounding up New York performing artists for Philly
Family Portrait: Laura Cheadle
PAGE 19
Olympian Johnny Weir to perform at Winter Pride
PAGE 23
PAGE 5
Feb. 15-21, 2013
Vol. 37 No. 7
PA LGBT Caucus doubles, poll numbers up
Married PA men sue for health benefits By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com A Conshohocken steel worker and his husband filed suit in federal court this week after the employee was barred from adding his spouse to his health-insurance plan in a case that is thought to be the first of its kind in Pennsylvania. Bryce Ginther and Kit Kineef filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Feb. 11. Named as defendants are Ginther’s employer, ArcelorMittal, USA, the Steelworkers’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan and the board of trustees of the Steelworkers Health and Welfare Fund. The case alleges a violation of the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 — which governs the implementation of many private-sector plans. Ginther and Kineef have been together for seven years and married May 15 in New York. The same day, Ginther requested to add Kineef as a dependent to his plan, which does not limit the definition of “spouse” as to only an opposite-sex partner. Ginther is an industrial electrician at ArcelorMittal’s Conshohocken steel mill, and is a member of the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union. Kineef doesn’t have insurance, and Ginther began inquiring in early 2012 about adding him to his plan when they got married. Despite repeated requests, he did not receive an answer until March 22, at which time Arcelor’s senior KIT KINEEF (LEFT) legal counsel AND BRYCE GINTHER informed him that Photo: Valeri Stanton “federal law does not recognize civil unions” and that “anyone with whom a person might be party to a civil union is not eligible for the provision of spousal coverage under our ERISA benefit plans.” Once the pair was legally married and PAGE 17 Ginther notified the com-
By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com
HEART-Y FUNDRAISER: Larry Emeigh, Freddy Shelley, Matt McBride and Thomas Day braved the near-freezing temps in their skivvies to run as part of Team Tabu in Philadelphia’s first Cupid’s Undie Run Feb. 9 at Eastern State Penitentiary. The run was designed to put “some hilarity in charity,” and Team Tabu finished fifth overall in fundraising, generating $4,960 for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Overall, the 400 participants raised $60,000. The event originated in Washington, D.C., in 2010 and has since spread to 16 U.S. cities and Sydney, Australia. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Sims sums up first weeks as lawmaker By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com On Sept. 8, 2011, Brian Sims announced his candidacy for state representative of Pennsylvania’s 182nd District. On April 25, 2012, Sims beat longtime incumbent Babette Josephs in a primary race that would ultimately make him the first openly gay elected state legislator in Pennsylvania. Sims was officially sworn in to the House in December and started attending his first legislative sessions last month. He said he’s now looking to follow through on his goals of create change by giving LGBTs a seat at the table. “What I said during the election was that it was not just about what you fight for, but about how you fight for it. I felt like I could fight for things in a different way,” he said. It has been almost a year since Sims’ campaign ended, but some of those early efforts still resonate with him as he enters his third month in the House. “I got a check in mid-February at a time when we were trying to raise money,” he said. “It was from a woman in Kentucky
and she wrote that she always thought her son would be the first openly gay president, but he died from HIV/AIDS in the 1980s.” Although he appreciated the sentiment, Sims said he sent the check back; however, a few weeks later, the check returned and had doubled in amount. “She wrote how she considered this to be an investment in the first gay president of the U.S,” he said. “It was one of those moments when I realized I wasn’t just running for the 182nd District. I wasn’t just running in Philly or Pennsylvania. I really was running for LGBT people nationally who felt they didn’t have a voice in politics.” Sims said he and his staff set out to meet people on all different levels and from all backgrounds. That experience, he said, helped him gain backing from some unexpected supporters and put him directly in touch with the needs of the district. “It was wonderful to meet all of the other supporters. Individuals should have a relationship with your representative,” he said PAGE 7 S i m s wa s i n b e d
Pennsylvania made big strides toward LGBT equality this week. Amid the announcement that there is unprecedented support for LGBT nondiscrimination in the state, lawmakers also kicked off the new session of the LGBT Equality Caucus, which has now more than doubled in size. In a press conference Wednesday morning in Harrisburg, caucus co-chair Rep. Dan Frankel (D-23rd Dist.) joined with other legislators such as co-chair Sen. Daylin Leach (D-17th Dist.), out Rep. Brian Sims and Equality Pennsylvania executive director Ted Martin to announce the caucus had grown from 26 members at its inception in late 2011 to the current 58 — and that it now has Republican members. “It is quite a remarkable evolution of the legislature, of this caucus and the issues that we are promoting, which are for equality for LGBT people in our state,” Frankel said of the caucus’ growth. “It is something that has long been due.” The new Republican members include out Rep. Mike Fleck, as well as Reps. Thomas Murt and Chris Ross.
LGBT EQUALITY CAUCUS MEMBERS REPS. BRIAN SIMS (FROM LEFT), STEVE SANTARSIERO, MIKE SCHLOSSBERG, DANIEL MCNEILL, MARK PAINTER AND KEVIN BOYLE AT WEDNESDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE
Frankel, who has spearheaded the nondiscrimination bill in past sessions, said the caucus has worked hard to gain new membership and that the bipartisan support from lawmakers across PAGE 17