PGN Feb. 20-26 2009 edition by The Philadelphia Gay News

Philadelphia Gay News Vol. 33 No. 8

Honesty Integrity Professionalism

Feb. 20 - 26, 2009

DHS reinstates MANNA funding Gay vet murdered By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance, which provides meals to those struggling with life-threatening illnesses, had itself been struggling to cope with the loss of city funding, but it was recently reinstated. During Mayor Nutter’s November budget cuts, the Department of Human Services had its funding slashed by about $2.5 million for fiscal year 2009 and $5 million for the following fiscal year. DHS notified MANNA in November that it was ending its $350,000 contract with the group, but the agency is now saying that it later reconsidered that decision but didn’t tell MANNA. Alicia Taylor, spokesperson for DHS, called the gaffe a miscommunication, “plain and simple.” “We made the decision to renew the contract, but the ball was dropped somewhere along the way,” Taylor said. For the past 10 years, MANNA received the money from DHS to operate a program that provides meals to children of parents who are suffering from serious illnesses. “After doing an analysis that was

required by the mayor, we initially made the decision to cut MANNA’s funding,” Taylor said. “But in the process, toward the end of the year we started looking at all of our resources and contracts and realized that this was, in fact, one of the services that we were mandated to provide to ensure the safety and well being of our children.” Currently, MANNA’s children’s program provides meals for 50-75 youth and also works with St. Mary’s Family Respite Center, which offers childcare services for families affected by HIV/ AIDS. Richard Keaveney, MANNAexecutive director, said he was notiﬁed about the loss of funding around Thanksgiving and called it a “real shock.” He was also shocked when he was informed Feb. 17 that DHS was going to renew the full contract. “We’re of course delighted,” he said. “We’re thrilled.” Keaveney said that after he’d originally been notiﬁed of the cut, he petitioned DHS to reinstate some, if not all, of the funding. “We made our case in December why they shouldn’t cut this funding and apparently they did reconsider but forgot

to tell us,” Keaveney said. The last contact Keaveney had with DHS ofﬁcials was in December, when the agency requested a list of the children MANNA serves who are also in the DHS system. Taylor said DHS took this action because the agency had been reevaluating its decision to revoke the contract. “As we were reassessing all of our contracts, we contacted MANNA in December for some statistics, which they supplied,” she said. “But the person here who was in contact with MANNA thought that they had already been informed that we were planning to renew their contract, because that’s why we were contacting them about that information.” MANNA receives the DHS money after the organization submits monthly invoices; as he was under the impression that the $175,000 MANNA had already received from DHS for the ﬁscal year would be the last of the money, Keaveney stopped submitting invoices in January. The DHS funding comprised about 8 percent of MANNA’s budget. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.

New gay immigration bill introduced By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Last week, lawmakers from both houses of Congress resurrected a bill that would provide for more equitable treatment of binational LGBT couples. The Uniting American Families Act would, among other stipulations, allow the same-sex foreign partners of American citizens to receive the same immigration opportunities currently provided to binational heterosexual married couples. The bill was introduced Feb. 12 by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) in the House and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in the Senate. The House version currently has 80 cosponsors, while the Senate bill has 14. Both were referred to the Judiciary committees. Similar legislation has been introduced in every session of Congress since 2000, most recently in May 2007. Before UAFA died in committee last See UAFA, Page 13

TREASURE HUNTING: Israel Upmann (left), of CIRCA jewelry company, inspects a piece of jewelry donated by John Cunningham Feb. 11 during Gold & Chocolate, a Valentine’s Day-themed fundraiser for LGBT grantmaking organization Delaware Valley Legacy Fund. The event encouraged attendees to bring gold or other jewelry that CIRCA, which focuses solely on buying jewelry, then assessed. Perry Monastero, DVLF executive director, said CIRCA then offered a buying price and gave attendees the option of deciding how much of that figure they wanted to contribute to DVLF. Monastero said organizers are still tallying fundraising totals from the event, which nearly 100 people attended, but are currently estimating that the party brought in about $2,300. DVLF is still accepting jewelry donations at its office, 1234 Market St., Suite 1800, through the end of the month. Photo: Scott A. Drake

in Poconos

By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer An Army veteran from northeastern Pennsylvania was murdered earlier this month allegedly by a man with whom he was sexually involved. Police arrested Shawn Freemore, 19, on Feb. 11 and charged him with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence in connection with the Feb. 4 stabbing death of Michael Goucher, 21. Police said Freemore, of Price Township in Monroe County, confessed to the murder during questioning. He is currently in police custody and had a preliminary hearing scheduled for yesterday. According to the defendant’s confession, he and Goucher, of East Stroudsburg, met online in late January and, shortly afterward, met in person for a sexual encounter that took place in Goucher’s car. Police said the pair again arranged to meet up at about 12:30 a.m. Feb. 4. This time, when Goucher attempted to have sex with Freemore, the defendant refused and SHAWN FREEMORE AFTER left the car, Freemore told HIS FEB. 12 ARRAIGNMENT police. Photo: Courtesy of Pocono According to court Record documents, Freemore said he got out of the car and, when Goucher followed him, he turned and stabbed him in the neck. Freemore said Goucher fell to the ground and when he tried to get back up, Freemore stabbed him a second time in the abdomen before dragging him further into the woods and stabbing him several more times. Freemore told police that he went through Goucher’s pockets and took his car keys before covering up the body with snow. Freemore related he then abandoned Goucher’s car about 2 miles up the road and walked back to his house. Goucher’s wallet and cell phone are still missing. Goucher’s uncle reported him missing to the Stroud Area Regional Police on Feb. 6. A passerby contacted police Feb. 8 to report that a 2000 Buick Century had been parked in a ditch off of Snow Hill Road since the night of Feb. 3, which police identiﬁed as belonging to Goucher Feb. 10. The following day, investigators found Goucher’s body about 50 yards into the nearby woods. Both a knife and meat cleaver were found near his body. Court records indicate that since 2004, Freemore has been arrested for retail theft, burglary, disorderly conduct and drug charges. Freemore’s parents told the Pocono Record that their son moved out about six months ago and had been staying with See MURDER, Page 15

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PCHR still contemplating Archdiocese jurisdiction By Timothy Cwiek PGN Writer-at-Large

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Fifteen months after a gay man filed an anti-bias complaint against St. John’s Hospice in Center City, the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations is still trying to decide whether it has jurisdiction over the matter. But while that dispute ensues, complainant Francis J. Stucker has also contacted other agencies for help — and his efforts evidently have prompted LGBT-friendly improvements at the hospice. Stucker said he was subjected to a hostile work environment at the hospice of such magnitude that he was compelled to resign after about seven years of service. The hospice, at 1221 Race St., is operated by Catholic Social Services, a nonprofit arm of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It provides temporary shelter to homeless men and is supported largely by city tax dollars. To receive those funds, CSS officials signed a professionalservices contract with the city agreeing not to discriminate on a variety of categories, including sexual orientation and gender identity. After Stucker resigned in November 2007, he promptly filed a complaint against CSS with the PCHR, citing antigay slurs and other alleged mistreatment of gay residents at the hospice. He also was upset with an archdiocese email urging him to work politically against same-sex-marriage rights with the state legislature. But last March, the PCHR dismissed Stucker’s complaint, stating that it lacked jurisdiction because the city’s Fair Practices Ordinance exempts religious organizations and that the ordinance is silent on the issue of religious organizations that receive city funding. EqualityAdvocates Pennsylvania, which is providing legal assistance to Stucker, has petitioned the PCHR to reopen the case. Amara Chaudhry, legal director of Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, expressed hope that the PCHR would assert jurisdiction in the matter. “The commission should take this case,” Chaudhry said. “Catholic Social Services signed a professional-services contract in which they agreed to abide by the anti-bias provisions. They contracted away their exemption, and they should abide by the terms of the contract.”

Implied in the contract is a willingness to undergo a PCHR investigation if someone alleges a violation of the ordinance, she said. If the PCHR ultimately decides not to reopen Stucker’s case, Equality Advocates Pennsylvania will explore other legal options on his behalf, Chaudhry said. “If the commission decides it doesn’t have jurisdiction, we would explore the option of bringing a claim based on breach of contract, which would be in state court,” she said. This week, Rue Landau, PCHR executive director, said commission officials have spent many hours trying to determine whether it has jurisdiction in the Stucker case. “The issue of jurisdiction is still under review by the commissioners,” Landau said. She didn’t have a time frame for a final decision, and said the public would be notified. But Stucker didn’t stop with the PCHR. Last year, he also contacted Mayor Nutter’s office, which passed along Stucker’s concerns to Dainette M. Mintz, director of the city’s Office of Supportive Housing, who oversees the CSS contract. In an Oct. 20, 2008, letter to Stucker, Mintz said several measures were implemented at St. John’s Hospice to ensure an LGBT-friendly work environment, including staff counseling, training and discipline, the hiring of a new administrator and distribution of the city’s anti-bias policies as they relate to LGBT individuals. Kevin Mulligan, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese, declined to comment for this story. Mintz couldn’t be reached for comment. Landau said she discussed the matter with Mintz and concluded that Mintz acted appropriately to ensure that no anti-LGBT bias takes place at St. John’s Hospice. “While we have a formal complaint process here, we support any additional efforts to resolve issues of discrimination,” Landau said. Landau also noted that Stucker’s complaint with the PCHR — though dismissed — may have paved the way for the improvements cited in Mintz’s letter. “A lot of times, people file with us and it prompts some employers to make improvements, regardless of the outcome of the case,” she said. ■ Timothy Cwiek can be reached at (215) 625-8501 ext. 208.

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TLA announces new LGBT film festival TLA Entertainment Group has decided upon a name for its new LGBT festival that will debut this summer: Philadelphia Qfest. The festival will run from July 9-19 at various locations throughout the city. TLA and the Philadelphia Film Society had jointly produced the annual Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, but the two companies recently split. TLA will now stage Q-fest and the Philadelphia CineFest, which will run from March 26-April 6, as the Philadelphia Cinema Alliance. The Philadelphia Film Society’s PIGLFF is still scheduled to run from July 9-21, according to the organization’s Web site, www.phillyfests.com. For more information on the PCA festivals, visit www.tlaﬁlmfest.com. BREAKING BREAD: The William Way LGBT Community Center hosted sexual-minority and ally community and clergy members from across the region Feb. 12 to discuss the push for marriage equality at its Interfaith Breakfast. The event was held on National Freedom to Marry Day and looked at the issue of same-sex marriage from a faith-based perspective. Harry Knox, director of the Human Rights Campaign’s religion and faith program, served as the keynote speaker for the breakfast, which drew 60 people. “We were very pleased, very happy with the event,” said Candice Thompson, director of center services at William Way. “We got a really good response from people who attended.” Thompson said the center is looking to make the breakfast an annual event. Photo: Scott A. Drake

Funding woes still plaguing LGBT festivals By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer As Mayor Nutter prepares to unfurl a new round of budget cuts, the local LGBT community is still realizing the full scope of the November budget reductions. Although it received little attention from the mainstream media, the elimination of the commerce department’s Marketing, Planning and Community Festival Funding Program has put ﬁnancial strain on several of the city’s annual LGBT events, including Equality Forum, Philadelphia Black Gay Pride and the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. The grant program, which had been in place since 2001, provided funding for organizations to promote their festivals and events and boost tourism. Eligible groups received $10,000 for singe-day events and, for multi-day events, $10,000 per day. Equality Forum, a weeklong event that brings LGBT community members from around the world to Philadelphia for a discussion on LGBT issues, was hit hard by the loss of the grant. Malcolm Lazin, executive director of Equality Forum, said the organization has continually received $100,000 from the city, from the commerce department grant and from other agencies prior to the creation of the grant program, since 1996. Last year, Lazin said that on top of the commerce department grant, Equality Forum received an additional $15,000 from the city’s

Department of Behavioral Health, money that also will not be available for this year’s festival. Lazin said about 12 percent of the organization’s budget came from city funding. And, he added, Equality Forum has had some reduction in marketing support from private sponsors. To cope with the financial loss, the group has instituted several changes, including reducing advertising and asking donors to pay for rainbow flags to decorate the city. Chris Alston, president of Philadelphia Black Gay Pride, said his organization is also feeling the effects of the loss of the commerce department grant. PBGP, which sponsors the Black Gay Pride festival every spring, will now be doing so without the $20,000 in assistance it previously received from the grant. Alston said the organization is attempting to reach out to new funders to make up for some of this shortfall, but that because of the widespread economic conditions, “funders aren’t being as liberal.” Although the festival is still scheduled to kick off as planned April 19, Alston said the group may need to scale back if it can’t pinpoint any outside donors. “We haven’t cut anything yet, but it looks like we may have to unless we find the funders that we’re looking for,” Alston said. Iris Melendez, an organizer of the Latino Pride Festival, set for June 6, said last year’s inaugural event operated on its own budget,

without city assistance, and that she has not yet contacted the city in regard to funding for this year’s festival. The Philadelphia Film Society, which stages the annual Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, previously received $50,000 from the commerce grant. “That city funding was a big chunk,” said Andrew Greenblatt, executive director of PFS, which recently split with partner company TLA Video. “It’s critical when you lose a significant sponsor like that.” Greenblatt previously said PFS still planned to put on the annual film festival, as well as the Philadelphia Film Festival, and the organization’s Web site lists dates for both. During a meeting with LGBT business leaders earlier this month, one attendee suggested the creation of a Festival Fund, to which private companies and the public can donate and from which community organizations can draw for their events. Moira Kennedy, a spokesperson for Nutter, said the mayor would be receptive to the possibility. “I think we’re definitely open to multiple ways of partnering with the community to provide resources and services,” Kennedy said. “We’re definitely willing to explore those options and are more than happy to work with people in the community to come up with some creative solutions to the budget situation.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.

Jury selection begins in Kocis trial The jury-selection process in the murder trial of gay-porn producer Bryan Kocis began earlier this week. Harlow Cuadra, 27, is facing the death penalty in the January 2007 stabbing death of Kocis. Police allege that Cuadra and his partner, Joseph Kerekes, 35, killed Kocis and then set his house on ﬁre because of a business rivalry. Kerekes pleaded guilty to all of the charges in December and received a life sentence. Jury selection, which began Feb. 17, was expected to take four or ﬁve days. Twohundred individuals received summonses to appear for jury duty this week and about 125 were questioned as possible jurors for the Kocis case. As of press time, three jurors had been selected. The trial is expected to take two or three weeks. Also this week, Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski denied defense attorneys’ motion to suprress evidence.

Center director earns new term ’Dolph Ward Goldenburg, executive director of the William Way LGBT Community Center, was recently elected for his second consecutive term as co-chair of CenterLink, a national umbrella organization that oversees LGBT community centers around the country. Goldenburg will serve his one-year term alongside co-chair Lorri Jean, executive director of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, leading the work of the 16-member board. Goldenburg said he’s looking forward to heading the board during the third annual executive-director summit, which will take See NEWS BRIEFING, Page 8

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at 986 S. Broad St., Trenton, N.J.; (609) 638-7264. � The Women’s Center of Montgomery County’s lesbian support group will meet from 79 p.m. at 101 Washington Lane, Jenkintown; (215) 885-8440. � A men’s coming-out group will meet at 7:30 p.m. at The Pride Center of New Jersey. � Survivors of Suicide Inc. Chester County, a support group, will meet at 7:30 p.m. at Paoli Memorial Hospital, Willistown Room, Medical Ofce Building, Lancaster Pike, Paoli; (215) 545-2242; Web site: phillysostripod.com. � Under the Rainbow, a discussion and social group for 18-25-year-old gays and lesbians, will meet at 7:30 p.m. at The Pride Center of New Jersey. � The Gay Married Men’s Association support group will meet at 8 p.m. at the William Way Community Center; (610) 6262577. � The steering committee of Team Philadelphia, a gay sports league, will meet at 8 p.m. at the William Way Community Center.

United Methodist Church, Broad and Arch streets; call Zak, (215) 848-4380, or Paul, (215) 307-0347. � The Men’s Peer Support Group FEB. 20 - 26, 2009 will meet for topical discussion at 7 p.m. at The Pride Center of New Jersey. � Rainbow Adult Children of Alcoholics and Alcoholics Anonymous will hold a 12-step meeting at 7 p.m. at Limestone Presbyterian Church, 3201 Limestone Road, Wilmington, Del.; (302) 456-9129. � The Humboldt Society, a gay and lesbian naturalist club, will meet at 7:30 p.m. at the William Way Community Center. � Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, a 12-step program, will meet at 7:30 p.m. at All Saints Church, 18 Olive Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.; (302) 542-3279. � The Women’s Peer Support Group will meet at 7:30 p.m. at The Pride Center of New Jersey. � The Bisexual/Gay/Lesbian Alliance at Rutgers University will meet at 9:30 p.m. in Murray Hall, Room 211, 13 George St., New Brunswick, N.J.; (732) 932-1306. �

Protesters: Police target gays as prostitutes

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0663 ext. 242. AIDS Services in Asian Communities’ weekly volunteer work group will meet from 6-8 p.m. at PHILADELPHIA 1201 Chestnut St., Suite 501; GAY NEWS (215) 563-2424 ext. 10. � Coming Out, a support group for gay, bisexual or questioning men, will meet from 6-7:30 p.m. at AIDS Delaware, Suite 315, 100 W. 10th St., Wilmington; (800) 292-0429. � A gay-friendly Scrabble Club will Registered Master Plumber meet from 6-11 p.m. in the P.I.C. License No. 3647 Building, 42nd and Locust streets; (215) 382-0789. Repairs, Renovations and � The LGBT Discussion Group will New Construction meet from 6-8 p.m. at the United Church of Christ, 300 E. Main St., P.O. Box 31697 Philadelphia, PA 19147 PAGE 15 Newark, Del.; (800) 292-0429. � A meeting/activity night will be held for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth and their friends from 6-8 p.m. at the Rainbow Room of Planned Parenthood in Doylestown; (215) 348-0558 ext. 65. � A men’s support group for those with HIV/AIDS will meet from 6-7:30 p.m. at Mercer County Area Early Intervention Services in Trenton, N.J. For location, call

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GAYS PROTEST SEX STING: Robert Pinter (center), of New York City, and Brendan Fay (right), of the Queens borough of New York, joined the protest down the street from Mayor Bloomberg’s home in New York on Feb. 14, asking the mayor to stop police from what protesters say are arrests of gay men on false prostitution charges. AP Photo: Tina Fineberg

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By Verena Dobnik The Associated Press NEW YORK CITY — Gay New Yorkers staged a protest near Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s home last Saturday, asking him to stop police from what they say are arrests on false prostitution charges. “This is a strange, weird kind of thing, where an undercover police ofﬁcer is offering to pay money to an individual,” said Bill Dobbs, a gay activist. “And all of a sudden, there’s an arrest — whether or not the individual accepts the money.” He said police have targeted Manhattan shops that sell erotic materials, approaching male customers and offering them sex and money. The men are then arrested on prostitution charges. Protesters said there has been a pattern of such arrests — more than 50 in the past three years — and the mayor should stop them. Paul Browne, deputy commissioner for public information with the New York Police Department, said Dobbs was misinformed. “The police activity was in response to community complaints of prostitution and other problems at a few locations” and was in no

way aimed at the gay community, he said. Browne said ranking members of the department have met with community representatives and those concerned about some speciﬁc arrests, and to discuss the NYPD’s approach to prostitution complaints and other quality-of-life issues. He described the talks as positive and said they will continue. Dobbs helped organize the demonstration near Bloomberg’s home on East 79th Street, just off Fifth Avenue. Police stood guard outside the mayor’s home and set up barricades on Fifth Avenue to contain several-dozen activists. One sign read: “Protect sexual freedoms.” “The city is using gay men as a means to shutter places,” said Dobbs, who is an attorney. “This is a blow to civil liberties, it’s a dangerous kind of sting.” Protesters said they’re especially concerned by the way the men have been arrested — outside shops, with owners often not aware anything had happened until their businesses are shuttered. Many of the arrests took place at shops in Chelsea and the East Village — Manhattan neighborhoods with relatively large gay populations, they said.

Robert Pinter said he was arrested in October outside Blue Door Video in the East Village, where he’d been looking for a DVD. The 53-yearold massage therapist said he was approached by a handsome man in his 20s, and agreed to engage in consensual sex in a car. “On the way out of the store, suddenly, he offered me money,” said Pinter. “I thought, this is odd.” He said he didn’t respond to the offer of money, but he was still pushed against a fence and didn’t realize he was being arrested “until I heard the clicking of handcuffs on my wrist.” Pinter was charged with loitering for the purpose of soliciting sex. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of disorderly conduct and was sentenced to attend five health classes and pay a small fine. According to the NYPD, there were 900 nuisance abatement closings or stipulations in 2008 in the five boroughs, 242 of them in Manhattan. Of those, 100 involved prostitution — including three gay X-rated DVD stores at which prostitution occurred, according to complaints. Citywide, there were 1,883 prostitution arrests: 1,650 were female, 233 were male. ■

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National Media Trail city councilman US marriage bureaus rebuff Del. comes out same-sex couples

The Newark Post reports Newark, Del., City Councilman Ezra Temko publicly came out as bisexual in a Feb. 11 interview. He spoke to the paper about his relationship with his boyfriend Drew. Since his election, the 23-year-old ﬁrstterm councilman has pursued city ordinances prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. “Nobody ever asked me about my sexual orientation and I don’t believe it has any bearing on my ability to serve,” he said. “When I was running for council, I was single, so it really didn’t come up. Drew and I go to public events together and our relationship is fairly obvious on Facebook. I think everyone who would normally know I’m dating someone knows I’m dating Drew.”

Comic to headline correspondents’ dinner

LEFT AT THE COURTHOUSE: Micah Stanek (left) and Mitch Day, of New York, walk away Feb. 12 after they were turned down for marriage license at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau. The protests, part of the 12th annual Freedom to Marry Week, were considered more important than ever this year because they came in the wake of California’s Proposition 8 vote that overturned gay marriage, and just as New Yorkers look to their state Senate to pass legislation that could lead to legalized gay marriage. AP Photo: Richard Drew By Verena Dobnik The Associated Press NEW YORK CITY — Hundreds of samesex couples seeking to wed were turned away from marriage-license counters around the United States last Thursday, part of an annual protest that took on renewed urgency in light of recent setbacks in the gay-marriage movement. Activists in Manhattan wearing signs that said “Just Not Married” were part of a wave of demonstrations expected throughout the day at marriage bureaus or county clerks’ offices from New York City to California, in communities large and small. Matt Flanders, 37, of Brooklyn, participated with his 29-year-old partner, Will Jennings. Both wore gold engagement rings. When he was denied a marriage license, Flanders said he told officials: “‘I should be able to marry the person I love.’ And they said, ‘We can only offer you a domestic partnership.’” Micah Stanek, 23, stood outside in a floorlength wedding veil after he and his partner were rejected. He said he moved to New York from San Francisco after gay marriage was outlawed in California on the November

ballot. “New York is especially important because the rest of the country follows what happens here,” he said. Outside the bureau, protesters chanted, “What do we want? Marriage! When do we want it? Now!” One man held a sign that read: “Love your husband? Let me love mine!” The protests, part of the 12th annual Freedom to Marry Week, were considered especially important this year because they came in the wake of California’s Proposition 8 vote that overturned gay marriage. The protests also came just as New Yorkers look to their state Senate to pass legislation that could lead to legalized gay marriage. In Augusta, Maine, last Thursday, dozens of proponents of gay marriage gathered outside the Maine House and Senate to distribute Valentine’s Day cards while urging support for a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. Nicki Drumb and her partner, Rachel Gardiner, headed to the county courthouse in Orlando, Fla., that day to apply for a license along with dozens of other couples. Drumb, a 39-year-old graphic artist, also was organizing 100 people who had planned to form a heart with their bodies in Orlando’s

Lochhaven Park for Valentine’s Day. “It will point out what we all have in common — we all have a heart and we all love and need to be loved,” Drumb said. About 15 people gathered last Thursday outside the marriage bureau in downtown Las Vegas carrying signs that read “Don’t hate my love” and “No laws on love.” In St. Paul, Minn., where a same-sex marriage bill is making its way through the legislature, dozens of people rallied at the state capitol on Thursday to show their support for the effort. Some of the largest gatherings were expected in California, where the state’s Supreme Court will hear arguments March 5 over whether to restore the state’s same-sex marriages. The court could render a decision as early as June. In New York, same-sex marriages cannot legally be performed. However, Gov. David Paterson has issued a directive requiring that all state agencies recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. Massachusetts and Connecticut are the only U.S. states that allow gay marriage. Freedom to Marry events around the country are listed on Web sites, including those run by two major organizations behind the protests — Join The Impact and the national grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA. ■

365gay.com reports that out comic and actress Wanda Sykes announced Feb. 12 that she will perform at the annual White House correspondents’ dinner on May 9. “The ﬁrst thing I did when they asked me to do this gig: I made sure my taxes were paid,” quipped Sykes, taking a dig at former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle. Sykes, 44, has appeared on “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “The Chris Rock Show” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Last year, the comedian publicly announced she was gay and spoke out against the passage of Proposition 8 in California.

Bishop blasts college for gay-rights speaker CBS 21 News in Harrisburg reports a Roman Catholic bishop in northeastern Pennsylvania has criticized a local Catholic university’s for hosting a gay-rights advocate. Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino said Misericordia University is failing to maintain its religious identity by welcoming Keith Boykin and described his beliefs as “disturbingly opposed to Catholic moral teaching.” Boykin spoke about Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California, on Feb. 17. Boykin’s appearance was sponsored by Misericordia’s Diversity Institute, which is dedicated to promoting multicultural understanding and eliminating discrimination. A statement from the school on Feb. 16 said Misericordia is committed to its Catholic mission and to its academic mission of exploring ideas “critically and freely.” ■ — Larry Nichols

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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Patient HIV-negative after stem-cell transplant By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer A formerly HIV-positive American living in Germany has continued to test negative for the virus two years after undergoing a stem-cell transplant. The case first made headlines in November and was featured in the Feb. 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the first time the case has been officially published. “The patient is fine,” said Dr. Gero Hutter of Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin. “Today, two years after his transplantation, he is still without any signs of HIV disease and without antiretroviral medication.” Although researchers cautioned that the case does not point to a cure for HIV/AIDS, it does pave the way for further investigation. The 42-year-old patient underwent a stem-cell transplant to counter his acute myeloid leukemia. Doctors selected a stem-cell donor who carried a gene mutation that contains a natural resistance to HIV in the hopes that it would be passed along to the HIV-positive man. The gene mutation, CCR5 delta 32, cripples the CCR5 receptors, which, along with CD4 receptors, can provide the HIV virus access to T cells, the immune-system cells

NEWS BRIEFING From Page 5 place in Philadelphia in September. “I’m very excited to have 50 of my executive-director colleagues coming here to Philadelphia for this event,” he said. The Alexander Inn will serve as the host hotel for the event, and the center will provide space for many of the summit’s meetings. CenterLink currently serves more than 165 LGBT community centers across the nation.

destroyed by HIV. The mutation is found in 1-3 percent of people of Northern European or Central Asian descent. Individuals who received a copy of the mutation from one parent usually take longer to develop AIDS from an HIV infection, while people who’ve had the mutation passed down by both parents, like the donor, may not be infected at all after exposure to HIV. One year after the procedure, the patient did have a relapse of his leukemia, but after another stem-cell transplant has tested negative for both leukemia and HIV. In an interview with CNN, Hutter called the ﬁndings “surprising” and said researchers are still analyzing why the virus has not resurfaced in the patient’s system. “There really is no conclusive explanation why we didn’t observe any rebound of HIV,” he said. The patient stopped taking his antiretroviral medications before the stem-cell procedure and has since discontinued them. In advance of a stem-cell transplant, doctors must intentionally debilitate a patient’s immune system before introducing the new cells. Researchers said the stem-cell transplant procedure is very risky: About one-third of patients don’t

survive the operation. In terms of medications that could target the CCR5 receptors, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer markets one drug, Maraviroc, that seeks to prevent the HIV virus from binding to CCR5. Maraviroc has not yet been proven effective in blocking the binding on all cells, however, and must be taken in conjunction with other antiretroviral medications. “Basically HIV can find its way around the drug and still use CCR5,” said Dr. John Riley, an HIV researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. However, Riley did note that this study will lay the groundwork for further research into the use of CCR5 inhibitors. “It’s a tremendous proof of principle that if you can make the majority of your cells resistant to infection, you can really stop the virus,” Riley said. Hutter added this case should demonstrate that researchers are still committed to discovering new approaches to treating HIV/AIDS. “For HIV patients, this report is an important flicker of hope that antiretroviral therapy ... is not the endpoint of medical research,” he said. ■

their members’ discussions. Juicy Campus creator Matt Ivester posted a blog entry last week saying the site folded because it couldn’t generate enough ad revenue due to the poor economy. Ivester did not make any mention of the numerous lawsuits that had been ﬁled against the company. The site, which launched in October 2007, fed the rumor mills at more than 500 colleges across the country before its shutdown.

FIGHT launches gay men’s group

Ideal nonprofit College gossip site career fair shuts down Idealist.org is hosting a career Earlier this month, college gossip Web site Juicy Campus abruptly shut down. The site had been widely criticized for encouraging students to post salacious stories about classmates and professors, and homophobia ran rampant on there. When site visitors tried to access Juicy Campus on Feb. 4, they were redirected to the College Anonymous Confession Board, which purports to keep a closer eye on the quality of

fair for individuals interested in obtaining employment in the nonproﬁt world from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. March 26 at The Jake Nevin Field House at Villanova University, 800 E. Lancaster Ave. The event, free for jobseekers, will feature career opportunities for everyone from recent grads to experienced nonproﬁt professionals. For more information or to register for the job fair, visit http:// snipr.com/philadelphiacf.

Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

Local HIV/AIDS service organization Philadelphia FIGHT recently launched a new group aimed at providing support to gay HIV-positive men over 40. FIGHT’s “40+ Gay Men’s Group” meets every Wednesday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at FIGHT, 1233 Locust St., fifth floor. The group, led by licensed clinical social worker Carmen Altopiedi and care-outreach specialist Allen Howell, has numerous goals, such as “developing and changing social lives, supporting one another with daily concerns and discussing other issues specific to gay men over 40 in a pleasant, friendly environment.” “The group is designed to empower the lives of our clients who are all experiencing similar challenges,” Altopiedi said. For more information or to register for the group, call (215) 985-4448 ext. 129. ■ — Jen Colletta

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Group files 2nd Prop. 8 complaint By Jennifer Dobner The Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY — The head of a gay-rights group said last week he plans to file a second campaign-finance complaint about the Mormon church’s activities in the November ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in California. Fred Karger, founder of Californians Against Hate, accused The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of deliberately covering up its financial role in backing Proposition 8 by failing to file timely campaign-finance reports as required by California law. Karger said it’s possible the church spent millions more than it actually reported. “I’m calling this Mormongate,” Karger said at a Feb. 11 news conference. “I think there’s been a massive cover-up.” Karger’s specific concerns include what he believes are expenses that did not show up in campaign-finance reports. He wants to know if the church spent money on phone banks in Utah and Idaho, precinct walks, buses and a California legal firm. Mike Otterson, director of public affairs for the church, dismissed Karger’s allegations and said there are no additional church contributions to report. “Today’s press conference should be seen for what it is — a publicity

stunt as part of a campaign to marginalize and intimidate those who voted to support traditional marriage,” Otterson said in a statement to The Associated Press. “Mr. Karger is entitled to his opinion. He is not entitled to make up facts.” Karger ﬁled an initial complaint about the church with the California Fair Political Practices Commission in November. An investigation is under way. The Mormon church was part of a coalition of churches and other conservative groups that backed the “Yes on 8” campaign to overturn a California Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage. On June 29, church president Thomas S. Monson, in a letter to California members, asked them to give their time and money to pass Proposition 8. Church members were among the most vigorous individual donors and volunteers to the campaign. Prop. 8 passed Nov. 4 with 52 percent of the vote. A Jan. 30 report shows the institutional church gave $189,903.58 in non-monetary contributions to the Yes on 8 campaign. The expenses included $97,000 for staff time and $21,000 for the use of church buildings and equipment. Most of the rest went for travel expenses, including airline tickets, hotels and meals. The church reported no cash donations.

Church spokesperson Kim Farah said the value of the church’s inkind contributions is less than one-half of 1 percent of the $40.8 million raised by the campaign. In response to the allegation that it tried to hide its support for Prop. 8, the church posted on its Web site a list of seven campaignﬁnance reports dating back to last summer. According to the church, all ﬁlings went to the California secretary of state, the Department of Elections for the City and County of San Francisco and the registrar-recorder for Los Angeles. Karger disputes the data and called on the public to share any pertinent information about the church’s activities related to Prop. 8. He said he’s set up a Web site and a toll-free telephone number to receive information. Karger said gay marriage is accepted by many as a civil right, and he hopes that in time the church will change its position. “They’re based on family and loving and giving. They’re that kind of an organization, and I’m hopeful that they too will come around,” he said. Latter-day Saints believe traditional marriage is ordained by God. Gay members are welcome in the church, but must remain celibate to hold church callings. Some gays have been excommunicated for acting on what the church calls same-sex attraction. ■

N.M. considers domestic-partner bill By Barry Massey The Associated Press SANTA FE — A proposal giving same-sex couples the same legal protections and beneﬁts as married couples cleared a difﬁcult legislative hurdle and is headed to the Senate for a vote. The measure allows for domestic partnerships for unmarried couples, including gay couples. The bill had stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month. The deadlock was broken Monday when the committee voted 6-5 to send the bill to the Senate without recommendation whether it be approved or rejected. Sen. Bernadette Sanchez (DAlbuquerque) cast the deciding vote. She has been considered a likely opponent of the legislation but said she wanted all senators to be able to debate it. She was absent from a committee meeting earlier this month when the measure bogged down on tie votes and supporters couldn’t muster the

votes to advance the proposal. “This probably needs to go to the ﬂoor for a full hearing,” Sanchez said in explaining her vote Monday, adding that there are “beneﬁts and consequences of us doing this.” She noted that some courts, including in California, have legalized same-sex marriage. Voters in California last year voted to ban gay marriage, overturning a statecourt ruling. However, there are several pending legal challenges to the California ballot initiative. In New Mexico, a domesticpartnership measure narrowly passed the House last year but failed in the Senate Judiciary Committee. This year, supporters adopted a new strategy of trying initially to get the bill through the Senate. They hope the election of several new Democratic senators will improve the proposal’s chances for approval. Opponents contend the domesticpartnership measure will in effect legally recognize gay marriage. Supporters say the legislation will provide unmarried couples

— regardless of gender — with protections and legal responsibilities given to married couples, including rights involving insurance coverage, child support, inheritance and medical decision-making. The New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops opposes the measure, but is supported by Gov. Bill Richardson and groups including the American Civil Liberties Union. Richardson acknowledged Monday that some lawmakers feel politically and morally torn about the issue. “I feel strongly that it’s a matter of human rights and civil rights,” Richardson said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We should strongly support it and I’ll work very hard to get it done.” Supporters rallied at the Capitol several hours before the committee voted. “If we don’t get the bill this year ... we’re going to be back year after year. We’re not going to go away,” said Linda Siegle, a lobbyist for Equality New Mexico. ■

PAGE 9

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

Editorial Protecting our own This week, police arrested a 19-year-old in the stabbing death of a 21-year-old gay Army veteran in Stroudsburg. This month also marks the one-year anniversary of Lawrence King, the California teenager who was shot and killed by a classmate. In the first instance, the victim, Michael Goucher, had met the alleged killer, who confessed to police, online. According to police, Shawn Freemore stabbed Goucher more than 20 times after the two had met for sex. Allegedly, the two had had sex once previously, and the second meeting ended in tragedy. Freemore told police he met Goucher the second time, but changed his mind about having sex with him. He then ordered Goucher out of the car and stabbed him in the neck, then repeatedly in the stomach. Afterward, he took Goucher’s keys, covered the body with snow, then drove Goucher’s car about 2 miles away and abandoned it. Previously, Freemore had been arrested for burglary, shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia. King was shot by an eighth-grade classmate, Brandon McInerney, after the former disclosed his love for the boy. Last week, King’s family filed a wrongful death suit against his teacher, the school principle, McInerney and his parents, the shelter for troubled youth where King had been living, a social worker and an LGBT community service group. McInerney has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and a hate crime. Also this week, jury selection began in the trial of Harlow Cuadra, accused of murdering Bryan Kocis, a gay-porn producer stabbed to death in January 2007 in Dallas Township. Each case is sad and horrific in its own way. The two Pennsylvania cases also serve as a reminder that sexual orientation is not presently included in hatecrimes legislation — neither at the state nor the federal level. Though none of the cases has been decided, in each, the perpetrator brought a weapon — a gun or a knife — demonstrating forethought on some level. While it will never be known if a hate-crimes statute would have had any impact — or even if both Pennsylvania crimes would be considered hate crimes — the lack thereof means that someone singled out and killed gay men, based on some level on their sexual orientation. If passing a hate-crimes law that includes sexual orientation at the state or federal level prevents violence against sexual minorities, even against one person, it’s worth it. ■

Tell us what you think Send letters and opinion column submissions to: pgn@epgn.com; PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147; fax: (215) 925-6437. Please include a daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, style and space considerations.

Glenn Lash (glennlash@yahoo.com)

Other Views

Leslie Robinson

A womyn’s diary entry The New York Times recently ran a story about Alapine, a lesbian community in rural Alabama. Home to 20 women ranging in age from 50-75, Alapine is truly womyn’s land. Men may only visit. Moreover, straight women may not live there. The story highlighted how critical a matriarchal way of life is to these residents, and how such communities could be doomed since they appeal much less to younger lesbians. After reading the piece I was moved to imagine a day in the life of an Alapine gal. Here’s a diary entry I rustled up: 11 p.m., Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 I woke up at 6 this morning, which is a damn sight better than 4 like I’ve been doing. Looks like Sylvia really knows her way around those homeopathic remedies. I’ll ask her if she has anything for corns. Took a long walk through the woods with Gertrude and Alice B. (corns be damned). Gertrude would chase squirrels all day if she could. We ran into Joyce walking Cleopatra and Boadicea. It’s dogs that have it the best around here! All that room to run, and all of us old dykes to fawn over them. On our way home Gertrude spotted one of the chickens, and that was all she wrote. She chased it up Diana

Drive and down Athena Avenue. Well, did Cynthia have something to say about that! It took me a century to calm her down. Told her Gertrude had just put the “free range” in free-range chickens. Beth came out to see what the fuss was about. Damned if she wasn’t toting a shotgun. What a mistake the army made kicking her out in the ’60s for being a lesbian. She could’ve won the Cold War by herself. Beth took the opportunity to tell us she’d changed the gate security code again. I’d like to know how a bunch of seniors can be expected to remember a new code every week! This afternoon I got brave. I sat down to write a poem for tomorrow’s community full moon circle. After an hour, I gave up on anything rhyming. The free verse I wrote, well, I hope it’s good. I’ve never read a poem out loud before! I’m as nervous as Cynthia’s chicken! Of course everyone will be supportive to the teeth, but still. Sandy announced the topic for discussion at the circle will be “Menstruation — Do We Miss It?” Not sure what I think of that, but it makes a change from discussing communication styles and past lives. I got e-mails from both Andrew and David today. They sound like they’re

both hurting in this economy. I’ll say this for our no-males policy: It’s gonna keep my sons from moving back in with Mom! Betty told me her daughters complain that she isn’t a “normal lesbian,” whatever that is. They hate saying that their mother lives in a lesbian commune. They don’t understand her attachment to nature. She doesn’t understand their attachment to money, so I guess everyone’s good and confused. Thank the goddess that Ruthie works in town. She brought me some more Krispy Kremes today. Manna from heaven. I tried a new recipe for this evening’s potluck. Shrimp and grits. The girls seemed to like it, those who eat shellﬁsh. Bernie’s ﬁg bars were out of this world. I swear, if she didn’t cheat at canasta, she and I could get involved. She can bake and build houses. What’s not to love? It’s 11 at night. An hour ago Shirley and Charmaine next door were arguing. Now they’re making up. Gotta ask Bernie if she knows how to soundproof a double-wide. ■ Leslie Robinson couldn’t soundproof a birdhouse. E-mail her at LesRobinsn@aol.com.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

Other Voices Jennifer Vanasco Speechless in Grand Rapids Last week, a Grand Rapids, Mich., television station decided to pull an hour-long infomercial called “Speechless: Silencing the Christians.” Whether this was a good decision for gay and lesbian civil rights or a bad one depends on what happens next. On the surface, of course, it seems good. The infomercial, produced by the gay-hating, radical right-wing religious organization American Family Association, is a stream of misdirection, misinformation and outright lies. Through interviews with leaders of a small number of far-right organizations like Concerned Women for America, the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, the Media Research Center and the ex-gay group Exodus International, “Speechless” tells a story that would be horrifying if it were true: Gay and lesbian activists are using violence and intimidation to keep Christians from practicing their religion. Of course, it’s not true at all. Gay people aren’t trying to pass laws to keep Christians from marrying, or attacking them on the street because they’re Christian, or firing them from their places of employment (which would be illegal anyway, under federal antidiscrimination law that we’d like to extend to ourselves). These things happen to gays and lesbians all the time. The infomercial is dangerous, because it feeds on fear and uncertainty with inflammatory language and stock video that tries to scare viewers into believing that if even basic antidiscrimination laws are passed, then America’s children (who, interestingly, all seem to be white in the pictures flashed across the screen) are in danger. What, exactly, they are in danger of isn’t made clear. Open-mindedness? Independent thinking? This sort of infomercial, though, sways opinions in the same way those ridiculous, hate-mongering Internet forwards do — by feeding on people’s doubts and prejudices by saying things that aren’t true, but that people fear are true. So in the world of Internet forwards, then-candidate Barack Obama was a Muslim terrorist. And in the world of “Speechless,” gay people are opening fire on places of worship (really). When the Human Rights Campaign learned that the station in Grand Rapids planned to air the infomercial, they put out a call to action. The station was flooded with messages from angry gays and lesbians demanding the piece be pulled. And it was. What I like about the HRC’s call is that it requested

that a reasoned debate on hate crime be substituted for the deceitful infomercial. That seems fair. But the other side, of course, won’t see it that way. In fact, my guess is that the pulling of the infomercial will only lend fuel to the AFA fire — now they’ll be able to point to it as just another example of gays and lesbians — and the “liberal” media — trying to stifle Christian speech. I also worry that the controversy over the Grand Rapids television decision means that many more people are watching “Speechless” on the AFA Web site than would have ever seen it on a small, local TV channel. And yet, when faced with trash like the AFA infomercial, we can’t do nothing. We know that lies like these affect real people in our community, giving bigots who fire us and bash us an air of legitimacy. So what should we do? First, of course, we need to counter the AFA’s lies with point-by-point truth. But it is not facts that sway hearts — it is points of commonality. We need to do a better job of building bridges between the gay and lesbian civil-rights movement and more liberal faith communities. We need to highlight the experiences of gay and lesbian faith leaders — like Gene Robinson, Mel White and Peter Gomes. We need to start flooding the airwaves with pictures of gay people attending religious services. We need to end the lie that religion and gayness are incompatible. I know that a lot of gay people will be uncomfortable with this. Many gays and lesbians, religious or not, have been hurt by religious institutions. But the fact is that America is a religious country, far more religious than other Western countries. And many gays and lesbians who grew up in America are religious, too. We attend church and synagogue. We go to Buddhist temples. We celebrate annual religious holidays. We pray. Gays and lesbians shouldn’t have to deny any parts of ourselves — not our sexual orientation, and not our religious affiliation, should we have one. We can be both religious and gay. We need to show that gays and lesbians aren’t silencing Christians — because many of us are Christian, too. ■ Jennifer Vanasco is an award-winning syndicated columnist. E-mail her at Jennifer.vanasco@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/JenniferVanasco. Mark My Words is on vacation and will return.

Letters and Feedback Regarding “Ten years later: Robert Drake,” Jan. 30-Feb. 5: My name is Maggie and I am a cousin of one of the men that did this dreadful deed to Robert. I cannot begin to tell you how utterly terrible I feel that a member of my family could have done such a hideous thing. My thoughts are with you, Robert, and I truly wish you all the very best for your

future. I’m so very sorry for the damage that Glenn did to your life. — Maggie2866 Regarding “Binational couple wants Obama’s help in returning to U.S.,” Jan. 30-Feb. 5: I am good friends of Kindall and Phil and it has been devastating to have them be forced to move back

to England, where their relationship is recognized and legitimized. The U.S. is a world leader in so many ways and yet we are so far behind the times in this issue. Kindall is right ... it’s a form of ethnic cleansing. Please write your congressperson asking him/her to support the Uniting American Families Act. — Tom in Allentown

PAGE 11

Street Talk Will ‘Milk” win an Oscar for Best Picture?

Geoff Ciccarelli animation student Washington Square West

Leanne Grieger student Washington Square West

“I would like it to win, but it probably won’t make it. It’s up against a collection of really good films. My prediction for Best Picture would be ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’”

“Yes. I think the judges will set aside any prejudices and give the award to ‘Milk’ because of its quality. A lot of things have changed with President Obama being in the White House. People are a lot more open-minded about controversial subjects.”

Jordan Miller tattoo artist Ambler

Taylor Paige dancer Center City

“I’ll say yes. The time is right for the Academy to go out on a limb and pick a gay film [for Best Picture]. Sean Penn is a very good actor. Giving ‘Milk’ the award would be a nice way to honor Heath Ledger because ‘Brokeback Mountain’ was passed over for Best Picture [three] years ago.”

“No. I’ll go with ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.’ It has Brad Pitt. All the girls love him. On the basis of popularity, I think ‘Benjamin Button’ has the best chance of winning. It’s possible that ‘Milk’ could win as the underdog. The gay community is a powerful circle. But it’s still in the minority.”

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 12

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

Adoption corner Name: Flex Breed: Domestic short-hair mix Age: 2 years Sex: Male (neutered) Health: Very good, slightly overweight, up-to-date shots Other information: Does not have an identifying microchip

yet. History: Flex was found abandoned in a Dumpster last summer and has been at PAWS ever since. As is the case with some abandoned or abused animals, Flex started out his time at PAWS a little nervous. Flex shows more affection now and

is very comfortable around other cats and not much of a player. Flex likes to have his head scratched when he is in the mood and would be a great companion for someone who prefers the company of a cat that is very laidback and likes to nap. He is ready for a welcoming home that is cozy and smells better than the Dumpster where he was found. He loves his little home community at PAWS, but he’s ready for a special home of his own! PAWS operates through donations of time, money and goods. Some of the items currently on the PAWS wish list are towels, blankets, paper towels, laundry detergent and bleach, liquid dishwashing soap, canned kitten food, cat and kitten toys and new or used pet carriers. Many other items are useful and welcome; information about donating them can be found on the PAWS Web site. Volunteers are key to the animal-rescue process. There are opportunities to socialize or bathe animals, help with

the adoption process, provide administrative support, assist with the transportation of animals or work at adoption events. PAWS’ success depends upon the generosity and dedication of volunteers. PAWS is dedicated to promoting public welfare and to saving the lives of Philadelphia’s homeless, abandoned and unwanted animals and has a no-kill policy. The organization’s goal is to ﬁnd a home for all healthy and treatable pets in Philadelphia.

Update: Two weeks ago, this column featured the Chinese Sharpei-Labrador brother and sister Mustaffa and Vanessa. PAWS is extremely happy to report that they were adopted together, as desired, and went to their new home on Feb. 15. PAWS 100 N. Second St. (215) 238-9901 Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. www.phillypaws.org

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Obituary

Fi r st Ba p t i st C h u r c h

Martin Delaney, HIV-treatment activist, 63 By Marcus Wohlsen The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Martin Delaney, who led the movement to grant AIDS patients access to experimental drugs and headed early education efforts about the disease, has died. He was 63. Delaney died Jan. 23 of liver cancer at his home in San Rafael, said Dana Van Gorder, executive director of Project Inform, the San Francisco-based AIDS treatment advocacy and education organization that Delaney co-founded in 1985. In the week before his death, Delaney was presented with a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases award for his role in leading the push to make AIDS treatments and education more widely available. Information about the disease was difficult to find during the first days of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s. Even as the infection ravaged San Francisco’s Castro district, the epicenter of the city’s gay community, sufferers had few resources for reliable information about possible treatments. In an interview with PBS’ “Frontline,” Delaney said he started Project Inform to study patients who

UAFA From Page 1 year, the bill garnered 118 cosponsors in the House and 18 in the Senate. Currently, American immigration law allows American-born individuals to sponsor their foreignborn opposite-sex spouse for immigration to the country. Samesex couples, however, are not given this same opportunity. UAFA would change the language of the immigration law to allow American citizens to sponsor the immigration of their “permanent partners.” The individuals must be in a committed, intimate and financially interdependent relationship with one another in which both intends a lifelong commitment. Individuals found to be fraudulently applying for immigration for a same-sex partner could be penalized with up to five years in prison or $250,000 in fines. “For far too long, our elected officials have ignored the devastating

PAGE 13

were bringing in experimental HIV medications from Mexico that were still under federal review. The effort brought the group into conﬂict with several government agencies and spurred its campaign for changes in U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules to give patients with potentially terminal diseases faster access to unapproved drugs. “It struck us as very clear and very simple that people with a lifethreatening illness should have a different rule book than people in general when it comes to accessing new drugs,” Delaney said in the 2004 interview. Project Inform led early efforts to educate patients about their treatment options and was the ﬁrst group to set up a national AIDS treatment information hotline, according to the group’s Web site. The organization also successfully challenged the FDA and the U.S. Border Patrol to make it easier for Americans to bring back medications from beyond the country’s borders. “Millions of people are now receiving lifesaving antiretroviral medications from a treatment pipeline that Marty Delaney played a key role in opening and expanding,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy real-life consequences that current immigration policies have had on thousands of gay and lesbian couples in loving, committed relationships,” said Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese. According to the 2000 Census, more than 36,000 Americans are in same-sex relationships with individuals who were not born in the States. Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, which promotes LGBT immigration issues, noted the ironic timeliness of the legislation’s introduction. “This Valentine’s Day, thousands of gay and lesbian Americans who have fallen in love across borders must grapple with an impossible choice between being with the person they love and staying in their country,” Tiven said. “These couples simply want the same opportunity to prove that their families deserve to stay together.” During a media conference call last week, Nadler noted that the

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and Infectious Diseases, which leads federal research on AIDS treatments. “Without his tireless work and vision, many more people would have perished from HIV/AIDS.” Through much of the 1990s, Delaney served as an ofﬁcial AIDS research adviser to the National Institute. He also led the Fair Pricing Coalition, which negotiates with pharmaceutical companies to keep HIV-drug prices down. He was the executive director of Project Inform until 2008. Delaney is survived by a sister, Lois Delaney-Ogorek, and brothers Bill, Don and Michael Delaney. ■ inequalities inherent in immigration law should resonate with all Americans, no matter their sexual orientation, who recognize the need for equal rights for all families. “It should be an outrage to all Americans that our government continues to deny one set of citizens the fundamental rights enjoyed by the rest of its citizens,” Nadler said. “It is time that we as a society ﬁnally acknowledge that a committed, loving family is a committed, loving family, no matter whether a couple is gay or straight. It makes no difference.” During the conference call, Nadler said he thought the legislation had a “fair chance” of passing in both houses this session and noted the likelihood of passage could be increased by building UAFA into a larger immigration bill. During his campaign, President Obama pledged to back UAFA. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 14

Out Money

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

Jeremy Gussick

Long-term-care insurance: Myth vs. reality Q: My father recently passed away after a lengthy stay in a nursing home, which depleted practically all of his assets. It was very expensive for my siblings and me to help support him. I’m considering long-term-care insurance to make sure that the same won’t happen to me someday. Do you think this is a wise move?

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A: First, your father is very fortunate to have had you and your siblings in his life to take care of him. So many people, especially LGBT individuals and couples, may not have siblings, children or grandchildren to offer assistance. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day this month, we should all take a moment to consider how to best care for our loved ones — and how to best help them be able to care for us. You may have spent years carefully working and planning so that you have sufﬁcient income for a comfortable retirement. You may think that your retirement assets are protected — but have you ever considered what might happen if you or your partner required longterm care? According to the Genworth Financial 2007 Cost of Care Survey, the national average annual cost of a private-room nursinghome stay is currently $74,806 a year. The average cost of in-home care assistance is nearly $33 per hour, or $68,600 per year for 40 hours a week of help. The cost of long-term care might deplete your entire retirement nest egg, all you’ve worked hard to obtain — even your home. It’s a risk you should not ignore. Without longterm-care planning, your ﬁnancial plan may not be complete. By paying an annual premium, you can transfer the risk to an insurance company and protect a substantial portion of your assets from long-term-care costs. Longterm-care insurance can also help you maintain your independence and give you the freedom to choose the type of care you want. There are many myths about long-term-care insurance, the biggest one being that it’s expensive. The reality is that,

typically, the average annual premium for partners, both age 62, can range from about $2,100 (with simple inflation) to $2,520 (with compound inflation). That’s less than a one-month stay in a nursing home. Here are some other myths about long-term-care insurance: Myth 1: I’m healthy now and take very good care of myself. Chances are I will never need long term care in my lifetime. Reality: People who reach age 65 will have a 40-percent chance of entering a nursing home. About 10 percent of the people who enter a nursing home will stay there five years or more. Myth 2: My family and/or children plan to take me in, if necessary. Long-term-care insurance is just for nursing-home expenses. Reality: Long-term-care insurance is not just for nursing-home costs. It often covers services provided in the home, adult daycare and assisted-living facilities. You may even be covered for emergency-medical response systems, home modifications due to a medical condition or the temporary services of a medical professional to share at-home convalescent care. Myth 3: I don’t need long-termcare insurance. My Medicare/ Medicaid coverage will provide for long-term care. Reality: Medicare and Medicare supplements were designed to pay for catastrophes, hospitalization and physician healthcare. They do not, however, cover the cost of long-term custodial care. While Medicare does cover care in both a nursing home and a private residence, it is only for a limited time and is subject to restrictions. To qualify for federal/state government Medicaid, recipients must meet the financial eligibility criteria, which may include spending down the majority of their assets. For this reason, Medicaid is typically a last resort for most people. Who should consider longterm-care insurance? From a financial standpoint, the best candidates for long-termcare insurance are individuals between ages 45-75 who have at least $200,000 in assets to protect. Those under age 45 are usually interested in purchasing long-termcare protection for their parents or

for themselves, since the premium is usually lower at a younger age. Because long-term-care insurance is medically underwritten, all candidates should be in good health. Additional tax benefits for long-term-care insurance In an effort to encourage individuals to take more responsibility for their long-term healthcare needs, Congress passed legislation that provides tax incentives for buying long-termcare insurance. Now, tax laws consider premiums for qualified longterm-care policies as a medical expense. If your non-reimbursed medical expenses, including your long-term-care premiums, exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income, you might be able to deduct all your premiums. Additionally, benefits paid for long-term-care services are not taxable as income. I would strongly suggest you meet with a financial/insurance professional who has experience with long-term-care insurance who can further explain your options and make a recommendation based on your specific circumstances. ■ Jeremy Gussick is a financial advisor with Smith Barney in Center City, focusing on financial and investment planning for the LGBT community. Jeremy is also certified in Long Term Care. He actively serves on the boards of several local LGBT organizations, including the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund, the Greater Philadelphia Professional Network and the Independence Business Alliance, Greater Philadelphia’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce. OutMoney appears monthly. If you have a question for Jeremy, he can be contacted at (215) 238-5849 or jeremy. r.gussick@smithbarney.com. Citigroup Inc. and its affiliates do not provide tax or legal advice. To the extent that this material or any attachment concerns tax matters, it is not intended to be used and cannot be used by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by the law. Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer’s particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. Smith Barney is a division of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Member SIPC.

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 15

GOP Utah gov supports civil unions By Brock Vergakis The Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY — Republican Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who governs one of the country’s most conservative states, said last week he supports civil unions for gay people that would give them many of the same legal rights as married couples. Utah has a constitutional ban on gay marriage and domestic unions that was approved by voters in 2004. At the time, Huntsman said he supported Amendment 3. “I had many discussions about Amendment 3 with many legal experts who informed me that individual rights, equal rights, could be taken up to the level of civil unions without compromising traditional marriage, which is something I believe in,” Huntsman told The Associated Press in an interview. “I believe in the traditional deﬁnition of marriage, but I also believe that we can do a better job in enhancing equal rights for more of our citizens.” A gay-rights group is pushing a series of bills this legislative session called the Common Ground Initiative that seeks additional civil rights for LGBT Utahns. Huntsman said last Tuesday he supports the initiative. “I’m delighted that he’s come out and said that,” said Utah’s only openly gay state senator, Scott McCoy (D-Salt Lake City). “I think Gov. Huntsman made his statements and took his position on civil unions because he thinks it’s right, and that makes him more of a leader than a politician.” One of the bills in the package called for repealing the part of the constitutional amendment that bans domestic unions. Rep. Jackie Biskupski (D-Salt Lake City) dropped the bill earlier this month after opposition from conservative lawmakers who control the

MURDER From Page 1 various friends. He was unemployed at the time of his arrest but had previously worked at an area Burger King. Freemore identiﬁes himself as bisexual but “leaning toward guys” on his MySpace page. During his arraignment, Freemore answered in the afﬁrmative when a judge asked if he was addicted to drugs or alcohol. William Searfoss, Goucher’s uncle, with whom he’d lived during high school, told the Pocono Record, “You don’t stop loving your child

legislature. The governor’s support for civil unions was not made public until last week, when a Huntsman spokesperson told The Salt Lake Tribune for a story that he supports civil unions and many of the ideas in the Common Ground Initiative. Biskupski, a lesbian, said Huntsman’s comments are welcome, but she acknowledges many in Utah aren’t ready to allow civil unions and isn’t sure when she’ll introduce her bill again. “Why aren’t they ready? Probably because we haven’t done a very good job educating them,” she said. Last Tuesday afternoon, about half a dozen gay-marriage opponents gathered at the capitol to protest Huntsman’s comments and urge residents to call him and complain. However, Huntsman said he isn’t advocating for the ban on domestic unions to be repealed. “I don’t know that that needs to be done. It may need to be clariﬁed, over time, by way of the courts, but I think there was a pretty broad level of interpretation from the beginning that certain areas equating in enhanced equal rights would be allowed under Amendment 3,” he said. Huntsman is the most popular governor in state history and is increasingly speaking out on moderate issues, such as global warming, that make many conservatives in the state cringe. For Huntsman, there is little political risk because he has pledged not to seek a third term. “It seems he’s more concerned with what people outside the state of Utah think of Utah than he is with what people inside Utah think,” said Jeff Reynolds, spokesperson for the Sutherland Institute, which opposes civil unions. “It would certainly appear that there’s some political aspirations to blend more into mainstream national politics with these kinds of statements.”

Huntsman isn’t new to gay-rights issues. Soon after taking ofﬁce in 2005, he backed a failed bill that would have granted mutually dependent couples certain healthcare and property rights. However, that bill’s sponsor says Huntsman has gone too far with his most recent comments. “I’m very disappointed in the governor’s stance. Civil union is really tantamount to marriage,” said Sen. Greg Bell (R-Fruit Heights). “It’s ‘gay marriage lite.’” Gay-rights advocacy group Equality Utah praised Huntsman. “We are very grateful for Gov. Huntsman. We think it’s fantastic. It also highlights that people who feel very differently on marriage can ﬁnd common ground on areas to agree on,” said Will Carlson, the group’s public policy director. “Utah has been getting an unfair reputation in the national media as being antigay because of those actions of a few individuals. This highlights that Utahns have a diversity of thought and that they can follow their religious beliefs and still take care of others.” Huntsman, like 80-90 percent of Utah lawmakers, belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Utah has been targeted by some for a tourism boycott because of the Mormon church’s involvement in a recent California proposition that outlawed same-sex marriage. Following the November election, the church issued a statement that Equality Utah has made the focus of its campaign for gay rights in Utah. “The Church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches,” the church stated at the time. ■

because of their sexual preference. You try to get them to be careful and not let them get themselves into vulnerable situations with whoever they meet.” The victim’s mother, Mary Ann Goucher, told the Pocono Record that her son was a “trusting soul” and that she believed Freemore planned from the start to rob him. Goucher, a 2006 graduate of East Stroudsburg High School and a church organist and singer, enrolled in the Army shortly after graduation. He spent about two years as a convoy driver and mechanic stationed in Alaska. When he was home on leave, Goucher volunteered with the local

Crime Watch. After he returned from the Army, Goucher took a job as a janitor at his former high school and was training as a Crime Watch captain. His family said he was looking to enroll in the police academy. On Goucher’s MySpace page, he was open about being gay and had last updated his mood as “lonely.” A memorial service was held Feb. 14. The family is asking for donations to the East Stroudsburg Neighborhood Crime Watch, P.O. Box 1037, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

International News

or those who identify as transgender, considering it to be a disqualifying mental-health condition.

A gay couple who fled Iran in 2005 to escape arrest and a possible death sentence for homosexuality have been given asylum in Canada. The men, Ali, 32, and Mohammad, 25, arrived in Toronto Feb. 11. Their last names are being withheld to protect family members still in Iran. The Islamic state routinely arrests gays and a number have been placed on trial and sentenced to death, according to international human-rights groups, although the government has officially said the executions were for other offenses. In 2005, Ali and Mohammad fled Iran for India, where they sought and obtained help from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to relocate to Canada. The UNHCR made an “urgent and high-priority” plea for their resettlement at the Canadian embassy in New Delhi, said Arsham Parsi, a spokesperson for Iranian Queer Railroad. The organization is modeled after the 19th-century Underground Railroad and claims it has helped more than 60 gay Iranian refugees resettle in Canada, the United States and Australia. “There are many more Iranian queer refugees who are still being processed,” Parsi said. Ali and Mohammad are currently staying with friends in Toronto.

Cambodia may limit gay adoptions

Military OKs transsexuals Spain’s Defense Ministry recently announced that trans people will be allowed to serve in the Spanish Armed Forces. The announcement came after a 28-year-old FTM transsexual, identified as Aitor, was twice rejected by the Army because he did not have a penis. He had undergone hormone treatment and a mastectomy as part of his gender-reassignment treatment. While women are allowed to serve, the Army had argued that Aitor was not eligible despite his legal status as a man. Now Spain’s Minister of Defense, Carme Chacón, has promised to revise legislation concerning medical reasons for exclusion from service. The U.S. military bars transgender individuals from entering the armed forces under medical regulations, prohibiting service by those who have undergone genital surgery

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Under proposed rules on adoption, Cambodia will ban a range of foreigners from the adoption process. Gay people, single people, those with a “low income” and those who already have two children will not be able to adopt. In meetings with Jean Paul Monchau, the French official responsible for overseeing international adoptions, Cambodian officials expressed concern about the “potential psychological effects” of adoptions by individuals in these groups. If the National Assembly approves the proposed law on adoption, it will codify these exclusions. It will also make it legal for parents to put their children up for adoption. At present, only orphans are eligible for foreign adoption. Homosexual acts are legal in Cambodia and, in 2004, the king expressed support for same-sex marriage. The Western concept of sexuality has little meaning in Cambodia and, as a result, many people who have sex with people of the same gender do not identify as “gay” or “bisexual.” However, a gay community has emerged in the past 10 years, and the first Pride event was held in Phnom Penh in 2003.

Homophobic slurs hurled at Beckham A recent international soccer match between Spain and England was marred by homophobic chanting directed at star athlete David Beckham. In the 78th minute of the Feb. 11 match in Seville, Spain, the crowd started chanting “Beckham maricón,” which means “Beckham faggot.” During previous matches, Spanish fans have targeted England’s black players with racist chants. In England, indecent or racist chanting is an offense under the Football Offences Act and carries a fine of up to $1,425 and a ban from attending games. Chris Basiurski, campaigns officer for the Gay Football Supporters Network, condemned the abuse at the game. “This week’s homophobic abuse

PAGE 17

of David Beckham at the Spain vs. England international highlights the need for action and, in the long term, we hope to show that such behavior is not acceptable.” The GFSN recently took part in the first conference of the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation on tackling homophobia in soccer.

MP’s homophobia Together We Can, a discussion group for people dealing with draws emotional, ire mental and addictive

problems, will meet at 7 p.m. at The Gay-rights activists in Jamaica haveThe reacted with disgust at the Trans-Health Information latest homophobic outburst from Project will hold a drop-in center one island’s for of all the trans personspoliticians. from 7-11 p.m. During a recent parliamentary oor; debate on new sex-offenses legislation, MP made a series of critThe an Humboldt Society, a gay and ical statements about gay people. lesbian naturalist club, will meet am p.m. very atconcerned at Way the at“I7:30 the William extent to which homosexual activities seemBind to have Ties That Us, aovertak12-step en this country,” said South West St. Ann MP Ernest Smith. “I am very concerned that homosexuals in Jamaica have become so brazen, they’ve formed themselves into organizations and are abusive, violent and, something that the Ministry of National Security must look into is, why is it that so many homosexuals are licensed firearm holders?” Smith also voiced concerns that the Jamaican Constabulary Force has “been overrun by homosexuals.” The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays said it is outraged by Smith’s comments. “First, he has made a sweeping statement about thousands of Jamaicans about whom he knows very little,” the group said in a statement. “This kind of stereotyping from a parliamentarian is inflammatory and highly irresponsible. We are concerned that in a climate characterized by extreme violence, Mr. Smith’s statement could provide another justification for mindless mobs to attack gays and lesbians on suspicion that they contribute to the country’s high level of crime and violence.” Under the country’s colonial-era laws, homosexual acts are punishable with up to 10 years in jail, usually with hard labor. Hatred of gays is widespread in Jamaican culture, with reports of gays and lesbians being attacked by gangs and murdered. International human-rights organizations have described Jamaica as one of the most homophobic countries in the world. ■

Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

Detour A departure from the ordinary

Stephen Sondheim walks into a bar ...

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

PAGE 19

Times columnist to dish with out theater legend By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer Musical-theater enthusiasts are sure to rejoice on Feb. 21, when they get the rare opportunity to see one of Broadway’s legendary composers talk candidly about his career. Out composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim is set to share the stage with one of his greatest proponents, New York Times columnist and former theater critic Frank Rich, for a live, unscripted dialogue reminiscing about his impressive six-decade career at 8 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall.

to meet me. So I had a drink with him then. That was 1971. Of course, I was a kid and completely in awe of a hero of mine since childhood. I was intimidated, although he was perfectly pleasant.” Rich added that he didn’t become friends with Sondheim until after he stopped being a drama critic, which was probably for the best since his assessments of the composer’s work weren’t always overﬂowing with glowing praise. “I wasn’t in touch with him at all the whole time I was a drama critic or, for that matter, friends with anyone I was reviewing,” Rich said. “I did not like the original production of ‘Merrily We Roll Along.’ I was mixed about ‘Into the Woods.’ I didn’t like the original production of ‘Assassins.’ But during that whole period, we weren’t in communication anyway. We talked about it in the years since, but not at the time.” Rich said their professional relationship really got going when they were asked to participate in a conversation event in 2002 when the Kennedy Center presented a Summer Sondheim festival. At the time, Rich had already sat down with Sondheim for an article for the Times. “What prompted that, and what really started my friendship with Stephen, is that when he turned 70, New York Times magazine asked me if he would sit for an interview on that occasion,” Rich said. “He agreed to the interview and it ran on the cover. It started a conversation that, I might add, has never ended to this day. Someone who runs an art and lecture series in Portland,

“SWEENEY TODD” Ore., wanted to have Stephen talk to someone on stage and we ended up doing it in March 2008 and that led to other conversations.” Rich said that while the conversations are unscripted and each event is different from the others, subjects like Sondheim’s legendary collaborations, creative inspirations and his theatrical and cinematic résumé always come up. “There are certain things that you want to talk about in some form or fashion, whether it be ‘West Side

Story,’ ‘Company’ or ‘Sweeney Todd,’” he said. “But I mix up the questions. It’s unscripted and, while there’s some overlap, the idea is to make it fresh each time. It’s lighthearted. He’s a very articulate artist and he’s very candid about his work and the collaborators he’s worked with, going back to the beginning of his career. So my aim is to elicit his insights and have him talk about the craft, what he feels about the shows in retrospect, what he would do differently, what he’s proud of, what

STEPHEN SONDHEIM (TOP) AND FRANK RICH Sondheim is considered one of the most influential figures in modern musical theater, whose long and fruitful career has included classic productions like “West Side Story,” “Gypsy” and “Sweeney Todd,” as well as taking home numerous Tony awards, Grammys and a Pulitzer Prize for his songwriting. Rich spoke fondly of his first encounter with the legendary theater figure, who tracked him down while he was still a senior in college and just starting his career as a critic. “I had reviewed the original production of ‘Follies’ for my school paper in Boston when it was on its way to Broadway and somehow someone got him a copy of the review,” Rich said. “He liked the review in the sense that I understood what they were trying to do in that show. He wrote me a letter and asked

“COMPANY” On the Cover: “A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM” (top) and “PASSION”

went wrong and what went right. He talks about the many people he’s worked with, which range from Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein to Harold Prince, Patti Lupone and Bernadette Peters. I try to cover a wide range of his career. Sometimes we’ll take questions from the audience at the end. He’ll ﬁeld those too. Sometimes I might.” Very few people in theater have had the wealth of experiences that Sondheim has had, so it is no surprise that these events tend to draw the full spectrum of theater scholars and fans looking to pick his brain. “There is a remarkable mixture of people who are longtime fans of his and longtime fans of American musical theater, which in my view, he’s the leading living artist,” Rich said. “What’s fascinating too is that there’s always young people too. They study his work and seriously perform it. His work has tremendous life away from the main venue of Broadway because there’s such a large repertoire that he produced and all of it is in production somewhere at any given moment. So there are all these young people who are discovering everything from ‘Into the Woods’ to ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.’” Rich said that connecting with the next generation of talent trying to make their mark in the world of theater is important to both himself See SONDHEIM, Page 20

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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SONDHEIM From Page 19 and Sondheim, as both are very aware that the business of getting a production off the ground is much more difﬁcult that when Sondheim started out. “I think we’re in broad agreement that there are some very talented young songwriters out there,” Rich said of the latest wave of theater. “Some of them have been having some success in New York but the economic situation is perilous. Of course it’s now been compounded by what’s going on in the actual economy. In the days when Stephen began, a producer like Harold Prince could gather together several hundred small investors and put on a show for a relatively small amount of money fast and informally over and over again from season to season. Now it’s so costly. Everything becomes an enormous investment. It’s very slow to get on and the risk factor is so great that the producers don’t want to take a risk

on something that isn’t a known title. They don’t want to take risks on the next young Sondheim, whoever that may be.” Rich added that even someone with the level of success and recognition that Sondheim has can’t exist in a creative vacuum, which is why he works so hard to stay on top of his craft. “Any artist working the theater has to be a collaborator and deal with the realities,” Rich said. “The days when you had 24 instruments on the pit have been gone for some time. He’s working in a medium where there are collaborators, but what makes him brilliant is, through every fashion of musical theater, he has stuck to what he wants to do and kept experimenting right through [2008’s] ‘Road Show.’ He’s always on his own route.” The route has seen Sondheim’s work brought to life on TV and movie screens as well as the stage. The most high-proﬁle and successful adaptation of Sondheim’s work in recent memory is 2007’s “Sweeney

Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” Rich said Sondheim doesn’t try to inspire big-screen versions of his work as he’d much rather be inspired by the art of movie making. “He likes some of them and doesn’t like others,” Rich said of films based on Sondheim’s work. “Movies have been an enormous influence on him. Basically the theater does not influence movies. They buy properties, whether it be Tennessee Williams, Rodgers and Hammerstein or Sondheim.” For Rich, these conversations with Sondheim are a fun way to return to the world of theater criticism, which he left in 1994 to become a New York Times op-ed columnist. Since then, he has written about culture and politics for many other publications and his own books. “I’ve never missed criticism for a minute,” Rich said. “I did it for 20 years. I was a movie critic for seven years, then spent 13 years as the Times’ drama critic. I left at the end of 1993. But I remained utterly

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

“FOLLIES” passionate about the theater. I would say they are twin passions. In a weird way they always have been. I grew up in Washington. Early in my career I wrote about politics and then put it aside as my career as a critic took off.” In Rich’s most recent effort,

2006’s “The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth in Bush’s America,” he examined the spin campaign manufactured by the Bush administration through its eight-year reign, covering everything from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 to Hurricane Katrina. It turns out that criticizing theater and the political system have some striking similarities: Despite the wealth of information readily available to the general public, people sometimes patronize the wrong productions. “The stakes are much lower in popular culture,” Rich responded to PGN’s attempt at witty observational humor. But he did allow that there is sometimes a large gap between what is critically successful and what is fiscally successful in the world of theater and politics. “I think that the influence of critics and political columnists on events is not large,” he said. “When I collected my theater reviews in a book in the late 1990s, I made a list in the back of all the shows that I had raved about that failed and all the ones that I had not liked that became hits. And that’s true in the commercial arena of American culture. There’s very little correlation between what’s on the New York Times best-seller list and what books get good reviews.” Rich said with a new political administration in place, he is trying to figure out what to write about next. “It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that my next book might deal with a cultural subject like my love of theater,” he said. “I just haven’t decided yet. I’d like to do a book that is not about politics.” The Kimmel Center Presents “Stephen Sondheim: A Life in the Theater” with Frank Rich at 8 p.m. Feb. 21 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St. For more information or tickets, visit www. kimmelcenter.org or call (215) 7905847. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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Women coming into their own on film for pleasure. Franzén is sexy and appropriately stoic as David, wisely letting his character’s true feelings remain masked until the final reel. Unfortunately, Nagel’s Julie is the weakest link in the cast because she never quite makes her enigmatic character — a self-described “sensualist” — attractive. “Red Is the Color of” is more artful than pretentious, but viewers are likely to be unsatisfied by the film’s broad strokes.

By Gary M. Kramer PGN Contributor Women looking for love — and finding themselves — is the theme of several features and shorts out on DVD. Both the female artist and the model in “Red Is the Color of” test the true nature of their sexual feelings, while many of the women in the shorts program “She Likes Girls 3” become empowered by their sexuality. “Red Is the Color of” is a film about a love triangle that forms between two married painters and one’s comely female model. Written and directed by Anne Norda in a pleasingly minimalist style, the story centers on Mary (Irina Björklund), an artist who uses blood in her work. She has passionate fans, and is tormented by/paranoid about the thought of her husband David (Peter Franzén) having an affair. It seems his young, blond model Julie (Eliza Pryor Nagel) just happened to leave her sexy red panties under the couple’s bed. As this absorbing low-budget film unfolds, a series of events strain Mary and David’s marriage and force Mary to question who she is and what she wants. One issue Mary raises is her desire to have a baby. When she brings home an electronic toy for David, he must practice caring for a child. David humors Mary’s wishes even if they never

JULIE (ELIZA PRYOR NAGEL, LEFT) AND MARY (IRINA BJÖRKLUND) IN “RED IS THE COLOR OF” discuss turning this baby game into a reality. Likewise, David humors Julie’s desires when she teases him with an erotic story about a red hat she is asked to wear while posing. It is clear that Julie has designs on David; however, when he fails to respond to her ﬂirtations, she turns her attention to seducing Mary. But Mary is unaware of Julie’s intentions and things grow increasingly more intimate between these sudden friends. Soon, Julie is probing Mary for personal information about her sex life and praising Mary’s “compelling sexual aura.” Viewers will hope the artist would see the big picture, but Mary’s naïveté is such that she also mistakes a devotee of her work for an interviewer.

“Red Is the Color of” slowly — perhaps too slowly — builds the dramatic tension with the promise of something happening. Alas, despite the ﬁlm’s ability to hold viewers’ attention, Norda never quite brings the simmering story to a boil. Too much of the plotting is underdeveloped. A scene of Julie suggesting a strip version of Scrabble with the couple goes nowhere, ending abruptly and without consequence. In addition, a storyline involving a stranger named Fran (Carey DiPietro) being mentored by Mary should have more impact than it does. The dramatic ﬂaws are not the fault of the leads. Björklund makes Mary’s insecurities believable: Her most revealing scene may be one in which she is alone and dancing

the DVD’s best-directed entry. As a series of answering-machine messages recounts the affairs of a young woman, the camera slowly reveals the truth about her. Turner co-wrote the charming short “Happy Birthday,” in which two couples grapple with making changes in their relationships. Whereas Abigail (Lisa Branch) wants to top her butch girlfriend Jack (Deak Evgenikos), Hannah (Julie Goldman) wants to have a baby and her girlfriend Madeleine (Yolanda Ross) is reluctant. As the characters struggle with pleasing their partners, this agreeable comedy reaches a satisfying climax. Goldman also appears in “Commitment Ceremony,” a fun and funny music video directed by Erin Greenwell that won’t likely play on MTV. When Goldman

“She Likes Girls 3” is the latest collection in the ongoing series of lesbian short films. If the anthology lacks a consistent theme, it still offers a fine assortment of comedy, romance, drama and even suspense. The best short in the collection is the last, “The Insomniacs,” a warm and modest tale about Bell (Skyler Cooper), who finds a companion attending a 3 a.m. meeting for local insomniacs. The gentle nature of the lonely characters makes this short especially winning. “ L a t e , ” directed by Guinevere Turner, may be “DANDELION FALL” FROM “SHE LIKES GIRLS 3”

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

proposes to her girlfriend, she belts out a witty tune that explains the intricacies and terminology of samesex unions. Another highlight of “She Likes Girls 3” is “Long Ago,” a gratifying tale about getting over an ex. Maddie (Stef Willen) seems unable to cut the rat-tail she grew with her girlfriend — even though it is laughed at by others, and described by her friends as “the tackiest lesbian accessory ever.” As she tries to let go of her feelings, she finds it’s not as easy as simply cutting her hair. Two shorts are ambitious but fall short of their goals. “In Twilight’s Shadow” is stylish but feels like a trailer for a feature film. The editing is rapid-fire and the acting mostly lame. One gets the sense of coming into the middle of a story and having to pick up the narrative about bikers, vampires and punks. The money was obviously spent on the nifty supernatural special effects and not the script. Likewise, “Congratulations Daisy Graham,” about an older woman who looks back at her life with her lover as death hovers around her, is well-meaning but, despite telling details about its characters, doesn’t generate enough feeling for them. Rounding out the collection is “Dandelion Fall,” a dreamy romance about a young musician (Breeda Wool) having a clandestine affair with a real-estate agent (Alexis Clemente). This sexy short will likely please diehard romantics, as will most of the entries in “She Likes Girls 3.” ■

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Best Sellers Information is courtesy of Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; (215) 9232960; www.giovannisroom.com. Ten-percent off most hardcover instore sales. LESBIAN DVDS 1. “Karen Williams: I Need a Snack,” directed by Andrea Meyerson (2009, 59 min., $19.95 DVD). Williams shares her stories about sex, online dating and customer service in the irreverently hilarious way only she can deliver. Grab a snack, sit back and enjoy an hour of non-stop laughter. 2. “Exes and Ohs: The Complete First Season,” directed by Lee Friedlander (2007, 132 min., $19.95 DVD). Jennifer, a documentary filmmaker with a vivid fantasy life and a floundering career, wants to find Ms. Right, but first she must navigate the rules of lesbian life, most of which she learns the hard way. 3. “Four Minutes,” directed by Chris Klaus (2007, 112 min., $24.95). Jenny, a musical prodigy, finds herself behind bars for murder, but one person wants to help her out — Traude, the 80-year-old piano instructor who has taught at the prison for years. 4. “Lost and Delirious,” directed by Lea Pool (2000, 100 min., $14.95 DVD). This terrific, full-on lesbian melodrama takes up the long tradition of girls’ boarding-school movies and features a stunning cast of young female stars. A gorgeous production

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from out lesbian director Pool. 5. “Daphne,” directed by Clare Beavan (2007, 88 min., $19.95 DVD). Focuses on the period in author Daphne Du Maurier’s life when she was on trial in the U.S. for plagiarism and fell in love with heiress Ellen Doubleday. Although rebuffed by the glamorous Doubleday, Du Maurier soon fell in love with actress Gertrude Lawrence, and these two great loves changed her life and her writing. 6. “The Gymnast,” directed by Ned Farr (2006, 98 min., $24.95 DVD). Winner of 28 awards, this is a visually stunning ﬁlm about hope, second chances and ﬁnding the courage to defy gravity. 7. “When Night is Falling,” directed by Patricia Rozema (1995, 94 min., $19.95 DVD). Camille looked forward to marrying her adoring minister boyfriend and settling down; a chance encounter with a beautiful, irresistibly sensuous young female circus performer named Petra is about to transform her predictable life into an electrifyingly erotic adventure. 8. “Treading Water,” directed by Lauren Himmel (2001, 95 min., $24.95 DVD). Casey lives a cozy life with her beautiful social-worker girlfriend Alex until her stuffy family demands that she come home for Christmas — without Alex. 9. “The L Word: Season 5,” various directors (2007, 658 min., $49.95). Season 5 is packed with more drama, more sex and more of the wild

lesbian entertainment you’ve come to expect. GAY DVDS 1. “Whirlwind,” directed by Richard Lemay (2008, 99 min., $24.95 DVD). A smart and sexy story about the complexity of gay relationships, this touching, funny ensemble ﬁlm explores nonmonogamy, commitment, friendship, getting older and more. 2. “House of Adam,” directed by Jorge Ameer (2006, 83 min., $29.95 DVD). Intense, emotional and evoking a riveting supernatural edge, this tale revolves around Adam, a kind-hearted recluse living in a serene small town who is brutally murdered by a trio of young religious fanatics, and Adam’s closeted lover Anthony, a police detective, who must solve his lover’s murder and put his soul to rest. 3. “Boys Briefs 5,” various directors (2007/8, 109 min., $26.95). The latest installment of the successful series takes us to Europe and back again in its search for the best gay shorts in the world. 4. “Sordid Lives,” directed by Del Shores (2001, 111 min., $9.95 DVD). Join in on this over-the-top story about a Texas clan of no-count rednecks who have their collective shorts in a knot over an upcoming funeral. 5. “Four Letter Word,” directed by Casper Andreas (2008, 87 min., $22.95 DVD). An endearing

romantic comedy filled with razorsharp one-liners and plenty of eye candy! 6. “Boys in the Band,” directed by William Friedkin (1970, 119 min., $27.95). Friedkin’s groundbreaking film about a group of gay friends at a birthday party, who dissect their lives and relationships until a married straight friend unexpectedly appears. Based on Mart Crowley’s acclaimed Broadway play of the same name. 7. “He Likes Guys,” various directors (2007, 107 min., $24.95 DVD). This nice, big package of English-language gay men’s shorts showcases some of the best films of the year, fresh from the gay and lesbian film-festival circuit. 8. “Strange Fruit,” directed by Kyle Schickner (2004, 115 min., $19.95 DVD). Set in contemporary rural Louisiana, this story explores the tribulations of William Boyals, a successful New York lawyer and gay African American who comes home to the life from which he escaped to investigate the lynching of his alsogay childhood friend, Kelvin. 9. “Another Gay Sequel,” directed by Todd Stephens (2008, 97 min., $24.95). Packed with celebrity cameos and total gross-out humor, this outrageous follow-up to “Another Gay Movie” centers around the spring-break adventures of Andy, Nico, Jarod and Griff when they enter the Fort Lauderdale “Gays Gone Wild” contest (a contest to see who gets laid the most). ■

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Q Puzzle The Oscars Across 1. Give the once-over 5. Bouncer for Amelie Mauresmo 9. Peter the Great, and more 14. Kipling’s Rikki-tikki-___ 15. “East of Eden” director Kazan 16. Beginning to come? 17. Cut 18. PAC of seniors 19. Annoy during a blow job? 20. Job title for Oscar de la Hoya 23. Use them to go down 24. Sign of a Broadway hit 25. Ho’s instrument 28. Ejaculate 31. Defeated George Frenn 33. Poet Kitty 37. Job title for Oscar Wilde 39. Genre for Marvin Gaye 41. Home st. of Harper Lee 42. Ancient erection 43. Job title for “The Office”’s Oscar Martinez 46. CK One emanation 47. Like a virgin 48. Biathlete’s slats 50. You need it to get to 365gay.com 51. Part of a chorus line? 53. Kidman who won an Oscar for 9-Down 58. Job title for “The Odd Couple”’s Oscar Madison 61. A dentist may stick it in your mouth 64. Room for 26-Down 65. Andrew Van de Camp, for one 66. Open-mouthed fivesome 67. Barbra’s “Funny Girl” guy 68. Screws up 69. Kind of light for Joel Schumacher 70. Campbell of “The Company” 71. Castro, in S.F.

Down 1. Cooks, as fruit 2. Non-asker/non-teller in training 3. City of Lorca’s homeland 4. Untouchable target 5. Endures like a hairy guy? 6. What ENDA ought to be 7. Old money, to Pasolini 8. One of Caesar’s stones

PGN

9. 2002 film in which Virginia Woolf is a character 10. A gentleman might pull it out for his date 11. Michelangelo’s output 12. “Breakfast on Pluto” actor Stephen 13. Pose for Diana Davies 21. Work unit 22. What fruits do in orchards 25. Asked on bended knee, perhaps 26. Artist Frida 27. Penetrate 29. Strip under the futon 30. Football’s Papa Bear 32. Mambo king Puente 33. Chef Des Jardins 34. Cocteau contemporary Maurice 35. Remove the top from 36. Exchange at Provincetown

Town Hall 38. American, to Auden 40. Sex toy that comes from behind? 44. Peter on the piano 45. The Woodsman of Oz and such 49. Title for Derek Jacobi 52. Flaming queen’s crime? 54. Referred to 55. “SNL”’s Cheri 56. Looks at a hottie in a bar 57. Adolf’s intimate Rohm 58. Fruit flavor for gin 59. Crack the whip at, e.g. 60. Navratilova, for one 61. U.S. terr. that’s now two states 62. Concern of Rev. Spahr 63. Threesome on a sundial See SOLUTION, Page 30

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

Family Portraits Evan Sorg is a soft-spoken guy with a quiet chuckle, but don’t let his shy demeanor fool you. He’s a tough guy with a soft exterior, or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way, he’s got your back if there’s trouble. As a weekend bartender at Uncles, he has vaulted, superhero-fashion, over the bar to make sure things were under control when a patron has had a little too much to drink. Fortunately, his easy manner and quiet authority usually stops things before they have a chance to start. More often, Sorg just serves up his signature drink, a watermelon Jolly Rancher shot, to the folks gathered at his bar. PGN: What kind of name is Sorg? ES: It’s German. I have no idea what it means. PGN: I hear you’re a Jersey guy. ES: Yes, I’m from a small town in central Jersey called Holmdel, near the shore area. I moved to Philly in 2001 to go to Temple. PGN: What did you study? ES: I went to school to study criminal justice, but I left for a few years. I went back and I’m finishing up my bachelor’s degree this semester. I just found out last Thursday that I got accepted into the Ph.D. program so I’m really excited about that. PGN: Do you have a favorite criminal-justice TV show? ES: [Laughs.] I like “Law and Order: SVU.” PGN: Do you have to go out and observe criminal cases? ES: Well, I was a New York City cop for three years, so I had firsthand experience already. PGN: How did you end up doing that? ES: I started Temple in 2001 and I’d put in an application at the academy. They called me and I had to decide if I wanted to finish school or take the job. So in 2004, I became a police officer. I enjoyed it, but the pay sucked and I was living in New York, which was ridiculously expensive. That’s when I decided to move back and go back to school. PGN: Were you out on the force? ES: Yes, I was a member of the Gay Officers Action League. PGN: Are you from a police family? ES: No, my father worked on Wall Street for many years and my mother was a stay-at-home

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By Suzi Nash mom until they separated and then she worked for a company doing accounting. I have an older brother who is in the military, Marine Corps, and two younger sisters. PGN: What was life like in Holmdel? ES: It was great, I enjoyed school a lot. I played football, I wrestled and had a lot of great friends. I came out when I was 16 and never had a problem with anyone. My parents and my siblings were really accepting. It was a good time. PGN: What position did you play on the football team? ES: I was the center. PGN: And no one gave you a hard time about having the quarterback’s hands between your legs? ES: No. The quarterback was a friend and really cool about it. We joked about it occasionally, but more in wrestling where you’re really put in intimate positions! But it was good-natured joking — it was never a problem. PGN: What do you think it was about you that made people so comfortable? ES: I don’t know. I guess I’ve always been very laidback. I try to be a nice guy. When I came out, my friends were just like, “Hey, it’s Evan, what are you going to do?” It wasn’t a big deal to me, so it wasn’t to them. PGN: Do you remember the first time you knew you were gay? ES: There was a kid in school who I totally had a crush on. He wasn’t gay and nothing ever happened, but I knew then that I liked boys. PGN: Any early signs that you were gay? ES: Not really. I was always into sports. In fact, because I didn’t fit the stereotype, my parents had no clue what I was going to say when I came out to them. I sat them down and they thought that I was about to tell them that I’d gotten someone pregnant. My poor family, they had no idea! PGN: First kiss? ES: My first “kiss” kiss was a girl who lived down the street from me. My first kiss with a boy was with her brother! PGN: Were you a good big brother? ES: I think I was. My sister Lisa was in high school with me, so I always kept an eye out for her. Made sure no one messed with her.

We’re all very close. PGN: So from a protective big brother you became a cop. What was the hardest thing about becoming an officer? ES: I’d been training for it, so I was ready for the physical aspect of the academy training; the other aspects were not so much hard, but annoying. Six months of standing in formation, six months of getting yelled at daily, six months of repetition. It gets tedious and frustrating; you just want to get out there. PGN: What was your first day like? ES: My first day was exciting. I was on a foot post in Staten Island with another rookie. We were just walking around and the sergeant came around and “scratched our books,” which just meant that he signed off our books saying that he checked in on us. He drove away and, shortly after, we heard him say over the radio that he had a car stopped. A car stop is pretty routine, but all of a sudden we heard him shouting on the radio that the guy had a bunch of drugs and was running from the scene. The other rookie and I started running but we totally lost the guy. They called in canine units and everything looking for him and then finally called off the search. We were walking back to the police car and we heard shuffling sounds down an alley we were passing. We shined our flashlights and there was the guy crouching down. We were like, “Oh man, now what do we do?” We went in and got him and it was awesome. I’ll never forget that adrenaline rush when I shined my flashlight down and saw his face. It was not the kind of thing I expected on my first day. It was pretty cool, though, and I was hooked. PGN: A memorable moment on the force? ES: I was on a foot patrol by myself. It was about midnight and there was no one around. I was getting bored and was just listening to the radio and clocking time when I saw a guy walk out of a convenience store. I saw three youths come out of the store and catch up to him. At first I thought they were joking around, and then one of the kids pushed the guy down and started beating on him. I realized that they were robbing him so I ran across the street and they started running. I tackled one of the kids and he accidentally fell forward into the other kid, who went down too. Thankfully

EVAN SORG Photo: Suzi Nash they stayed on the ground. There happened to be an off-duty officer in the store and he heard the commotion and went after the third kid. I’d radioed in that I was in a pursuit and every unit around responded. When a cop needs help, everyone shows up. But the time they got there, I had all three cuffed and ready to go. They’d had guns on them too. It was just luck that the one kid had knocked the other over when I tackled him and that another cop was there to get the third, but to the guys it looked like I was a superhero standing there with the three culprits ready for transport. PGN: What was your mother’s reaction when you said you were going to be a cop? ES: Well, I’d wanted to be a police officer since I was a kid. There’s a picture on the refrigerator of me when I was about 5 standing next to a police car and another picture of me with a little policeman’s play outfit on. I think it was something she was expecting but not exactly happy about. PGN: Did you ever have any inappropriate proposals? ES: No, but I did have two women whom I’d arrested try to get out of it by telling me how cute I was. They seemed nice but obviously I wasn’t interested and let it go at that. A few weeks later they filed

a complaint with the Citizens’ Review Board that I’d touched them inappropriately. My sergeant got the call from his boss and he just started laughing and said, “Are you talking about Sorg? This must be a joke ’cause Sorg is not into women. I can assure you they’re making it up.” PGN: There’s one beneﬁt to being out on the job! So how did you end up at Uncles? ES: When I came to school in 2001, I needed to get a job. I went to bartending school during Christmas break and dropped off résumés at all the local bars. Uncles called me two hours later and asked me to come in. And the rest is history. PGN: What’s the best thing about working here? ES: There are certain customers that you bond with and get to be friends with. I go to school Monday through Friday, so it’s nice to be at work and get to socialize with people. This pretty much is my social life. PGN: Have you used your police training here? ES: There was a guy in here pickpocketing people one day and I hopped over the bar and went after him. I have to break up ﬁghts from See PORTRAITS, Page 26

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PORTRAITS From Page 25 time to time. PGN: And you met your boyfriend here too? ES: Yes, it was two days before I left for New York to join the police academy. I was off work and he walked past me on his way to the

bathroom. I remarked that he was cute and when he came back by, my friend who was sitting with me stopped him and told him I wanted to buy him a shot. I was mortiﬁed, but he said yes. We talked for a bit and, before he left, he invited me to go over to The Bike Stop with him and his friends. I went over and had a beer with him and we just hit it off. We’ve been together over four

years. PGN: Is he a sports guy too? ES: No, no, he’s not into sports at all. I spent a lot of time around the ocean growing up and I love ﬁshing. It’s the one sporty thing he does with me and he’s really gotten into it. It’s our thing now during the summer. Technically ﬁshing is a sport, isn’t it?

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009 PGN: Any other hobbies? ES: I love to ski. Unfortunately I broke my ankle, so I didn’t get to ski this winter. PGN: Slope accident? ES: No! We were driving here in Philly and a car ran the intersection and plowed into us. It wasn’t a major accident but enough to break my ankle when our car hit the curb. PGN: Did you have a romantic Valentine’s Day? ES: I used to send flowers to his workplace every year but now he works from home, so it’s not quite the same. He travels a lot, so romantic for us was just having dinner at home together. We both like to cook, so we had a nice steak dinner with champagne and oysters on the half shell. It was nice. PGN: What traits have you inherited from your parents? ES: I got my mother’s nose. It’s the family nose on her side, very Italian. My father is very shy and I definitely inherited that from him. It’s kind of weird that I chose bartending for a job. Sometimes people think I’m standoffish or something, but I’m actually just really bashful. So if you talk to me and you think I’m being mean to you, I’m not. PGN: People mistake me for ... ES: People say I look like Robert De Niro, but I don’t know. PGN: A real-life hero? ES: I really have a lot of respect for the police officers in Philadelphia and I feel for them each time another one gets killed. They’re losing so many — it’s a mess. PGN: Did you have any rituals or superstitions to keep you from harm? ES: My mother gave me a St. Michael medallion. He’s supposed to be the patron saint of police officers. I wore it when I was on the force but I took it off after I left. I was raised Roman Catholic, but I’m not an overly religious person. PGN: Did you have to deal with the “blue wall” of silence? ES: I have to say, I never once witnessed any corruption or bad behavior. I think that there’s a public perception of cops as borderline criminals, but all of the people who I worked with were good people out there for the right reasons. There are bad apples — I had a run-in with one before I got a badge — but 99 percent of the guys are good guys. And we are

under such strict regulations with so many people watching that it’s hard to screw up. PGN: Let’s change direction. What’s something that made you laugh until you hurt? ES: My brother, who is straight and in the Marine Corps, called to tell me he’d been out at a club with his buddies. He was in South Carolina and met this girl, who he was dancing with all night. He later found out that she wasn’t technically a girl. He called me freaking out and he was like, “Oh my God, am I gay?” I was on the floor laughing. I reassured him that it didn’t mean he was gay. PGN: Any pets? ES: I have a cat named Priscilla. Priscilla, Queen of South Philly. PGN: Brush with fame? ES: I got to escort Bill Clinton across the street. He said, “Thank you, Officer Sorch,” which was nice of him even though he got my name wrong. He’s a great guy. PGN: A smell that makes you stop and reflect? ES: [Laughs.] I want to say my mother’s pot of sauce. The smell of the meatballs and tomato sauce reminds me of being a kid, but someone else just said that recently in your column! So instead I’ll say Uncles. The place has an unmistakable smell to it. I don’t know what it is, but when I was visiting from New York and I’d walk in here, the smell always made me feel at home. PGN: Favorite Halloween costume? ES: They had a tradition of dressing in drag on Halloween at Uncles. The first year, I said, “No way. I’m not putting on a dress!” But as soon as they put the wig on me, my first reaction was, “I need a bag to go with this, oh and some shoes ... ” I was hooked. I was a Hooter’s girl. I’m not into drag, but it was hysterical. PGN: Did you discover a feminine side? ES: [Laughs.] I discovered I liked having boobs! I kept touching and playing with them. PGN: Did you call your brother and say, “Does this mean I’m straight?” ■ To suggest a community member for “Family Portraits,” write to: Family Portraits, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 or portraits05@aol.com.

PGN

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

Leather Lookout

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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Jim Kiley-Zufelt

The Oscars of gay porn and a local nominee E v e r y o n e ’s heard of the Oscars, but did you know there’s an award show unofficially known as the Oscars of Gay Porn? They’re called the GAYVN Awards and they honor excellence in all-male adult entertainment. Truth be told, I love me some porn — gay or straight. Anything with the word “Folsom” in the title or directed by Joe Gage is right up my alley. I’ve never had any reason to pay attention to the GAYVN Awards, but this year a company founded by a Philadelphia leatherman scored four big nominations. “GRIND, Vol. 1” from the new studio Forbidden Funk Media is nominated for Best Picture, Best Group Sex Scene, Best EthnicThemed Film and Best Music — not bad for their ﬁrst year in the biz! “GRIND” is a really cool movie, with a gritty look, a funky soundtrack and some clever references to grindhouse double features of the ’70s. Forbidden Funk Media was founded by Blackkat, who grew up in Philadelphia and held the title of American Leatherman 2005. I caught up with Blackkat recently to ask him about his company and what it’s like being nominated for

the industry’s highest honor. PGN: So where did the idea for Forbidden Funk Media come from? BK: We realized as a company that most porn featuring men of color comes from one perspective. It presents a very limited view of how black men express sex and their sexuality. That perspective mostly focuses on young guys and, if it involves leather, it’s mostly with white men. That gives an imbalanced view of who we are, how we live and how we do it. Any visual medium influences people, so we thought, why not show leathermen of color with other leathermen of color? PGN: What else makes Forbidden Funk unique? BK: A lot of studios go for a certain type or look and once they find it that’s the only thing they offer. We don’t do that. We’re unique for having a variety of men and a whole range of looks: different body types, different ages, different backgrounds and different complexions. All men of color, but all very different. PGN: How did you feel when you heard about the nominations? BK: This was the first project that I directed and it’s exciting to be nominated, especially for one of our first releases. We took a lot of risks doing something as big as “GRIND” this early!

WE WANT THE FUNK! Forbidden Funk Media’s “GRIND, Vol. 1” — produced with help from a lot of Philly locals — was nominated for four GAYVN Awards. Winners will be announced March 28.

Blackkat isn’t the only Philadelphian nominated at the GAYVNs this year. The Best Music nominee for “GRIND” is Byron Hightower but you may know him as Martin Bailey, an active member of the Keystone boys of Leather and an associate member of Philadelphians MC. Bailey has also composed scores for the bodybuilding documentaries “Beyond the Pain: The Vicki Nixon Story” and the “Raising the Bar” series. And the Philly “GRIND” connections don’t stop there. The assistant director, a handful of camera operators, the graphic-design company responsible for Forbidden Funk’s logo, branding and Web site, and even a

couple production assistants all hail from the City of Brotherly Love. OK, truth be told, I was one of those production assistants. It was quite an experience! The guys were hot and the shoot was a lot of fun, but my favorite memory is when I had to clean the dildos between the day and evening setups. Since there was no dishwasher at our location, I had to scrub them all by hand. It was a little gross, but all I could think of while trying to get Boy Butter off all those huge fake cocks was, “And dad said my English degree wouldn’t get me anywhere!” The 11th annual GAYVN Awards will be presented at the Castro Theater on March 28 in San Francisco with co-hosts comedian Margaret Cho, supermodel and reality-TV star Janice Dickinson and actor Alec Mapa (the fashion reporter on “Ugly Betty”). Check www.gayvn.com for more details.

Here’s hoping “GRIND” hits a grand slam and brings home all four awards! You can check out their stuff at www.forbiddenfunk. com or watch streaming ﬁlms at www.nubianfunk.com. And watch for “GRIND, Vol. 2” to be released later this year. New Philly leather contest producer In contest news, MidAtlantic LeatherSIR 2008 Andy Liu has taken over the reins as producer of the Mr. and Ms. Philadelphia Leather contest for The Bike Stop. Liu is already hard at work putting everything together and he’s conﬁdent that it will be a great contest this year. November is closer than you think, so if you want to compete or volunteer, watch The Bike Stop’s Web site for information (www. thebikestop.com). I guarantee

you’ll have a lot of fun — and I also guarantee there will be no dildo scrubbing required. Upcoming events — Woof! Philly is held Sundays from 5 p.m. to close at 200 S. 12th St. Visit www.woofphilly.com or www.myspace.com/woofphilly for more information. — Charity Trivia will be held from 7-11 p.m. March 6 in The Pit at The Bike Stop, 206 S. Quince St. Visit www.queeropinion.com/ charitytrivia for more information. — Get Out Get Laid will be held from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. March 5 at The Bike Stop. ■ Questions? Comments? Nifty dildo cleaning tips? Contact Jim at LeatherLookout@gmail.com.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 28

Outward Bound

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

Nick Corsano

Finding gay fun in the Hawaiian sun Skiing is fine and snow can be nice, but around now many are just about over the winter wonderland. If you are one of those people and just need to get away from it all, there is nowhere better than Hawaii. Yup, that small chain of islands in the Pacific that produces leis, surf champions and the new president would be a perfect destination for an almost-spring break. With four islands to choose from, you’re sure to find something to enjoy while visiting this Polynesian paradise. Hawaii has four main islands for tourists: Hawaii (aka the Big Island), Oahu, Maui and Kauai. Each has something special to offer its guests. And each holds something you will never see anywhere else. The community of Hawaii is extremely diverse. People from all over the world settle in this near-perfect habitat — and that includes the LGBT community. Meshing well with the local culture and endless activities, you are sure to be going nonstop every day of your trip. The “Big Island,” as it is most commonly known, is — you guessed it — the biggest island in Hawaii’s chain. It houses endless beaches of white and black sand, valleys of lush greenery and the only active volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands.

SEVEN SACRED POOLS (LEFT), HIKING HALEAKALA Photos: Hawaii Tourism Authority/Ron Dahlquist

Sunday Vegan Brunch

Gift Cards Available BYOB

With endless scenic wonders, the Big Island is the perfect place for hikers, bikers and picnic packers. You may also want to see this vast natural wonder from the air. There are a plethora of helicopter tours that will fly you around the island and over the volcanoes, a once-in-alifetime experience. When you are done frolicking through the rugged terrain of the Big Island, there are a few modern amenities to comfort you. Mask Bar [75-5660 Kopiko St., (808) 329-8558] is the only gay bar on the island. After your hikes and tours of nature, sit down with some natural juices infused with a good time and relax the night away. Specifically for the ladies is Lezbrunch [Diana, (808) 3282441] every second Sunday of the month. If you’re in town, you could meet some local friends. Another example of tropical wonder and tranquility is the much smaller island of Kauai. Furthest from the Big Island, it sports similarities in purity and natural wonder and offers a peaceful surrounding for relaxation and serenity. Bring a good book and suntan lotion to enjoy the simple quiet of this natural island. The gay scene is usually confined to parties held in the private residences of

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the island; tourists are welcome, of course. Two venues where you may be able to make new friends are the clothing-optional Kalanikai Bed & Breakfast [(808) 332-5149] and the Friday Night Men’s Bonfires [(808) 822-7171]. Whether you choose to take part in these events or not, the main theme on Kauai is quiet relaxation. The two main arteries of the Hawaiian Islands are Maui and Oahu. Maui is the more subdued of the two, but still boasts an array of things to do and places to stay. With more modern amenities, Maui is still home to many natural excursions that will keep you busy all day long. Famous for its black-sand beaches, Hana Bay draws tourists looking to lay on the volcanic sand or snorkel between the intricate reefs and tropical fish. Or, if you are looking for a more active adventure, getting to the top of Maui’s dormant volcano is quite a feat. Mt. Haleakala, 10,000 feet above the shore, looks down over the island of Maui. Tours and groups are available to take you up the volcano or, if you’re brave enough, you can venture it alone. Either way, it is a must-see view. However, be sure to bring a jacket: Even though you’re in Hawaii, it still gets cold up there. Finally, every visitor of Maui has to visit the Seven Sacred Pools. These seven “pools” are on the southeast side of the island and are fed by the Pipiwai Streams from 2 miles inland. Attracting tourists from all over Hawaii, the Seven Sacred Pools are a great place for hiking, swimming and cliff jumping. If you go on the weekend, go early: There is only parking on the street and your hike to pools will just get longer the later you go. And don’t worry: The cliffs aren’t too high, but they are definitely worth the thrill. Just let someone else go first while you muster your courage.

Finally, there is Oahu, representatives and shows for the island that boasts all of the Polynesian Islands, the most of Hawaii’s famous center helps tourists understand the attractions, starting with history and traditions of each. They Honolulu and the infamous also have the best rainbow-sherbet Waikiki Beach. Home sundaes in the world. In addition to of surfing, the latter is also the cultural shows, the center has where the majority of gay one of Hawaii’s largest and highly nightclubs and businesses ranked luaus. With a fire pit for the are located. Queen’s pig roast, you will eat well and be Beach, a gay beach, is very entertained the entire night. located in Kapiolani Park If luaus aren’t your thing, at Diamond Head at the end Honolulu has a plethora of gay bars. of Waikiki. The Cabana If dancing and drinking is your idea at Waikiki [2552 of a good night, Hula’s Bar and Cartwright Road, (808) Lei Stand [134 Kapahulu Ave. in 926-5555] is Honolulu’s Waikiki Grand Hotel, (808) 923only gay guesthouse, and 0669] is the place to be. With a beach is just one of the many bar and disco, you will definitely gay businesses along meet some local men with whom this famous stretch. In to yell kowabunga. If you simply Honolulu, Hawaii’s capital want a relaxing cocktail, Angles city, visitors can take in the Waikiki [2256 Kuhio Ave., (808) international hustle and 926-9766] is a good old-fashioned bustle of city life while gay bar. Finally, for those who want still being able to escape to a little more adventure, and by that island paradise. This is the cultural I mean strippers and drag queens, melting pot of the island. One of the there’s Fusion Waikiki [2260 main tourist attractions is the USS Kuhio Ave., (808) 924-2422], ’til 4 Arizona Memorial [1 Arizona a.m. Anyway you want to go, the Place, (808) 422-2771], dedicated to those who died in the attack Hawaiian Islands have something on Pearl Harbor in World War II. to offer everyone. Learning The memorial was built above experiences, natural wonders, the water over the sunken ship, relaxation and all-night parties are allowing visitors to see how time sure to erase every memory of the has eroded the battleship. Along cold Northeast. So pack your bags, the Kamehameha Highway, Oahu grab a friend and head down the is also home to two other worldly sandy shores of the Pacific. You’re attractions: the Dole Plantation sure to have the time of your life [64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy., (808) and hopefully meet some people 621-8408] and the Polynesian along the way. After all, it is a 12Cultural Center [55-370 hour flight! ■ Kamehameha Hwy., (808) 293-3333]. The Dole Plantation, established in 1950, opened its doors to the public in 1989. Admission is free and is well worth the wait (if there is one). Delivering the freshest in pineapple and other fruit, Dole shows millions of visitors each year how it has become among the “fruity elite,” no pun intended. Similarly, the Polynesian Cultural Center attracts millions each year. There is a fee for this attraction but it is well worth it, so call and get your tickets ahead BLACK SAND BEACH Photo: Hawaii Tourism of time. With Authority/Kirk Lee Aeder

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 30

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

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FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Ms. Behavior

Meryl Cohn

Balancing friends and lovers Dear Ms. Behavior: The advice I need has to do with having my cake and eating it too. I’ve met a totally cool woman who is smart, cute, funny, thoughtful, present and willing to partake in a dynamic that is slow-moving and low-key. As I’m navigating that, I’m also greatly enjoying the single life I’ve created for myself in the past nine months. Last night, I went out with friends and was reminded of how uncomplicated (very different from soap-opera-style lesbian drama that continues to swirl around me) my single life has become. I don’t want to give up my nights out, but I feel guilty for having what feels a bit like a double life. I’ve been completely honest with the new woman about where I’m coming from, the pace at which I am willing to engage and what I’m up to when we aren’t hanging out together. I just can’t shake this feeling that I’m supposed to make a decision and pick one over the other. But I also fear reverting to old ways, where I disappear into the relationship hole way too quickly. I am not interested in dating anyone else; I just don’t want to give up the social life I’ve got in place. So am I being selfish in wanting (and somehow currently managing) to have both? Is the bottom going to fall out sooner or later? Or is this just how betteradjusted adults engage? — Cake Girl Dear Cake Girl: If the woman you’re dating isn’t pressuring you to give up your life of boozing and carousing, don’t waste your precious time worrying about it. Soon enough, when you’re cozily cohabitating in matching flannel pajamas and have begun spending all your time together searching for a sperm donor, your free nights will be only a vaguebut-fond memory. Meanwhile, you may want to do a little self-exploration (perhaps with the help of a therapist) and find out what the dreaded “relationship hole” actually represents. Do you lose the ability

PGN

to think and act independently when you’re in a couple? Do you need to reject intimacy because you fear you’re actually a cling-on? While vagina dentata is typically a straight-male phenomenon, perhaps you are metaphorically afraid of your girlfriend’s darkest places and are anxious about being chewed up. (If you think Ms. Behavior has gone too far, please remember that you’re the one who used the word “hole.”) If you ﬁnd out how “betteradjusted adults” engage, please do enlighten the rest of us. Meanwhile, enjoy your non-girlfriend and your single life for as long as you can sustain the combination. If you manage to keep both going for a year or two before taking the inevitable plunge into merging, you can probably make some money writing a book. Best of all, when you appear on “Oprah,” the caption beneath your head will specify “Lesbian Guru.” Dear Ms. Behavior: My girlfriend Jane and I live in an apartment building above our best buddies, Sue and Shane. The four of us are very tight: We babysit for each others’ cats, we eat together twice a week and we hang out on the weekends. The problem is that our foursome has been interrupted. Jane’s best friend from college, Bess, and her girlfriend, Maya, visit us once a month. A few months ago when they were here, they connected with Sue over a shared interest in Buddhist meditation. Now every time they visit, Bess and Maya spend more time downstairs with Sue and Shane than they do with us. Plus, we now have to schedule everything around their meditation, which is disruptive. So, now because the three lesbian Dali Lamas get up at 6 a.m. to meditate, it has killed our Sunday-morning breakfasts with Bess and Maya and our late-night dinners at local restaurants drinking wine. I know it’s petty, but I hate that Bess and Maya now seem closer to Sue and Shane than to us. Plus all that ridiculous talk about spirituality is just plain annoying. Should I say something to the four of them? Should Jane and I mention that we feel left out? — Anti Om

Read it here first.

Dear Anti Om: Don’t worry; it will pass. Buddhists, especially those who are relatively new to the practice, eventually tire of one another or burn out on the whole idea of nirvana. Bess and Maya will soon remember how much they like to eat and drink and laugh out loud, and they will recall that your shallow breathing and pitiful ﬂaws are compelling. Meanwhile, don’t try to “ﬁx” anything by complaining that you feel left out. Just relax into the knowledge that they’ll be back and that you’re OK exactly as you are.

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■

Meryl Cohn is the author of “‘Do What I Say’: Ms. Behavior’s Guide to Gay and Lesbian Etiquette” (Houghton Mifﬂin). E-mail her at MsBehavior@aol.com or visit www.msbehavior.com.

2028 Chestnut St.,

between 20th and 21st sts.

215-568-7058

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Diversions

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

Your guide to arts and entertainment

Theater

Are You Ready, My Sister? Underground Railway Theatre presents the musical story of Harriet Tubman at 10:15 a.m. Feb. 25 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside; (215) 572-7650. Buddy Holly: The Night The Music Lived The Media Theatre presents the cast from its production of “The Buddy Holly Story” performing a tribute show through Feb. 22, 104 E. State St., Media; (610) 891-0100.

Honor and the River The Walnut Street Theatre’s Independence Studio on 3 presents Anton Dudley’s powerful coming-of-age story about deep rivers and deeper emotions, through March 15, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550. Hugging the Shoulder The Walnut Street Theatre presents the story of a young man who kidnaps his older brother and takes him on a grueling road trip to conquer his heroin addiction, through March 8 at Studio 5, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550.

p.m. Feb. 22 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St.; (215) 735-6999.

Resurrection Philadelphia Theatre Company presents a new play by out playwright Daniel Beaty about ﬁve men from one community ranging in age from 20-60 who have their lives transformed by an extraordinary 10-yearold boy, through Feb. 22 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St.; (215) 9850420.

The Vertigo String Quartet The Curtis Alumni Recital Series presents an ensemble of brilliant young musicians on the rise, 3 p.m. Feb. 22 at Field Concert Hall at the Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust St.; (215) 8937902.

Scorched The Wilma Theater presents the East Coast premiere of the epic drama/mystery written by acclaimed Lebanese-Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad, Feb. 25-March 29, 265 S. Broad St.; (215) 546-7824.

Dying City Amaryllis Theatre Company presents the Philadelphia premiere of a dark drama about the personal and political fallout of war by out Pulitzer Prize ﬁnalist Christopher Shinn, through Feb. 22 at The Playground at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St.; (215) 564-2431. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum The New Candlelight Theatre presents the musical featuring the witty lyrics and toe-tapping tunes of legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, through March 14, 2208 Millers Road, Ardentown, Del.; (302) 4752313.

Mainstage at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St.; (215) 5688079.

A Streetcar Named Desire Walnut Street Theatre presents the Tennessee Williams classic as part of its landmark 200th-anniversary season, through March 1, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550. QUEER AS FOLK: Patty Larkin continues to tour behind her latest brilliant folk-pop album, 2008’s “Watch The Sky,” performing at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. The out singer/songwriter has been redefining the boundaries of folk music for more than 20 years with her inventive guitar wizardry, ethereal songwriting and uncompromising lyrics. For more information, visit www.pattylarkin.com or call (215) 222-1710. Photo: Jana Leon Jump/Cut Flashpoint Theatre Company presents the Philadelphia premiere of Neena Beber’s play about a writer/ﬁlmmaker couple who document their friend’s mental decline and the unraveling of both, through Feb. 28, Second Stage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St.; (215) 665-9720. My Name is Asher Lev Arden Theatre Company presents the world premiere of the story of a young Hassidic artist torn between his observant Jewish community and his need to

create, through March 17 at Arden’s Arcadia Stage, 40 N. Second St.; (215) 922-1122.

through Feb. 28 at Prince Music Theatre, 1412 Chestnut St.; (215) 569-9700.

The Odd Couple The classic Neil Simon play runs through March 1 at Kimmel’s Innovation Studio, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 7905847.

The Philly Fan Act II Playhouse presents the popular one-man show starring Tom McCarthy, through March 1, 56 E. Butler Ave.; (215) 654-0200.

Oh, the Humanities! There’s Something about Mona The Mask and Wig Club of the University of Pennsylvania presents a comedy set in Florence, Italy, during the Renaissance,

The Rant InterAct Theatre Company presents a new drama in which the witnesses of the shooting of a young AfricanAmerican teenager offer varying accounts of the event, through Feb. 22 at the

What You Will Bristol Riverside Theatre presents the world premiere of the urban interpretation of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” directed by Keith Baker and Broadway choreographer Donald Byrd, through March 1, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol; (215) 785-0100.

Music/classical

A Celebration of Ol’ Blue Eyes Peter Nero and the Philly Pops presents Frank Sinatra songs at 8 p.m. Feb. 20 and 3 p.m. Feb. 21 and 22 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. A Musical Tapestry Astral presents a performance by cellist Susan Babini, saxophonist Doug O’Connor and pianist Spencer Myer, 3

The Vienna Philharmonic The Kimmel Center presents the best Philharmonic to come out of Vienna at 8 p.m. Feb. 24 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Pinchas Zukerman and Marc Neikrug The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society celebrates the 60th birthday of Zuckerman, one of today’s most celebrated soloists, with an intimate recital of some of his favorite works, with longtime collaborator Neikrugat, 8 p.m. Feb. 25 at Kimmel’s Perelman Theater, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 7905847.

Music/other

1964 The early Beatles tribute band performs at 8 p.m. Feb. 20-21 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside; (215) 572-7650. Alô Brasil: Carnaval 2009 The Philly-based Brazilianinﬂuenced group performs at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; (215) 222-1710. The Neville Brothers The classic R&B group lays down the jams at 8 p.m. Feb. 21 at House of Blues, 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, N.J.; (609) 236-2583. Trespass The Genesis tribute band performs at 8 p.m. Feb.

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Notices

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Send notices at least one week in advance to: Diversions, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147; fax them to (215) 925-6437; or e-mail them to diversions@epgn. com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone.

Pick

Exhibits

a/chroma/scape/s AxD Gallery presents an exhibition of original paintings by Greg Minah and John Cartwright, through Feb. 28, 265 S. 10th St.; (215) 627-6250.

Chelsea Hotel: An Artist’s Memoir The Sol Mednick Gallery presents a photographic exhibition by Linda Troeller, through March 6 at The University of the Arts Terra Hall, 211 S. Broad St.; (215) 717-6300. Circling Cartography Proximity Gallery presents

Plates The Clay Studio presents an exhibition of works by Howard Kottler, through Feb. 22, 139 N. Second St.; (215) 925-3453.

Sendak on Sendak The Rosenbach Museum and Library hosts an exhibition exploring the work of gay artist/author Maurice Sendak, through May 3 at 2008-10 Delancey Place; (215) 7321600.

Christine Havrilla The out singer/songwriter performs solo at 3 p.m. Feb. 22 at Coffeeworks, 910 Berlin Road, Voorhees, N.J.; (856) 784-5282.

Black Hands, Blue Seas — The Untold Maritime Stories of African Americans Independence Seaport Museum presents an exhibition that explores the African-American maritime experience, through March 22, Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River, 211 S. Columbus Blvd.; (215) 4138631.

28, 201 N. Third St.; (215) 923-7030.

Saving Face: Portraits from the Collection of Robert Infarinato James A. Michener Art Museum presents an exhibition of iconic portraits of artists and celebrities from the collection of Bucks County resident Robert M. Infarinato, through March 15, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown; (215) 340-9800.

21 at Sellersville Theater 1894, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville; (215) 2575808.

Adventure Bound The Clay Studio presents an exhibition of sculptures by Pavel Amromin, through Feb. 22, 139 N. Second St.; (215) 925-3453.

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Philadelphia’s internationally acclaimed dance troupe Rennie Harris Puremovement presents the world premiere of its latest work, “100 Naked Locks.” The sci-ﬁ-inspired piece promises to do for dance what Kool Keith did for hip-hop music and what Octavia Butler’s “Kindred” did for the slave narrative. (You had us at naked.) Check out their moves at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20 and 21 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at Kimmel’s Perelman Theater, 260 S. Broad St. For more information, call (215) 790-5847.

a new series of works by Marie DesMarais, through Feb. 28, 2434 E. Dauphin St.; (267) 825-2949. Eli VandenBerg The out artist exhibits drawings from two series: “Passing,” which explores gender transition, and “Place and Home,” which focuses on discovering and rediscovering origins, through Feb. 27 at the William Way LGBT Community Center’s Art Gallery, 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 732-2220. Impressions of an Age: Ukiyo-e Prints from the Berman Collection The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College presents an exhibition of woodblock

print (ukiyo-e) art made popular during Japan’s Edo Period, through April 17, 601 E. Main St., Collegeville; (610) 4093500. InSights: Devon Dikeou — Marilyn Monroe Wanted to be Buried in Pucci The Galleries at Moore presents a mixed-media installation by New Yorkbased artist Dikeou through March 14, 20th Street and The Parkway; (215) 9654027. Landscape: Terrestrial and Extra-Terrestrial Twenty-Two Gallery presents an exhibition of “spacescape” paintings by Jerome Schwartz, through March 8, 236 S. 22nd St.;

(215) 772-1911. L’arte d’alluminar Haverford College Library Special Collections presents an exhibition of illustrations of Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” through April 22, 370 Lancaster Ave., Haverford; (610) 896-1161. A Maine Island Life Allens Lane Art Center presents an exhibition of new photographs by David Graham, through Feb. 20, 601 W. Allens Lane; (215) 248-0546. New Works: Vivian Beer and Marilyn Kirsch Wexler Gallery presents an exhibition featuring new works from furniture artist Beer and New York-based painter Kirsch, through Feb.

Shift: Investigations in Contemporary Art The James A. Michener Art Museum presents an exhibition featuring paintings, photographs, ﬁlm and sculpture with recurring elements, unusual juxtapositions and narratives that skew both time and space, through April 12, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown; (215) 340-9800. Women through the Lens of Time The Galleries at Moore presents a photojournalism exhibition featuring people, subjects, issues and events that student curators feel have reﬂected or shaped women’s lives, drawn from the archives of The Inquirer, which span 180 years, through March 14, 20th Street and The Parkway; (215) 965-4027. Yumi Kori: Utatane The Japan-based architect transforms the Goldie Paley Gallery at Moore College of Art using video and sound to create a multisensory interactive environment, through March 14, 20th Street and The Parkway; (215) 965-4027.

Opera

Turandot The Opera Company of Philadelphia presents

Puccini’s opera sung in Italian with English translations at 8 p.m. Feb. 20 and March 6, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 22 and March 1 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.

Film

Azur and Asmar The 2006 Arabic and French animated ﬁlm is screened at 2 p.m. Feb. 21 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; (610) 9170223. Splendor in the Grass The 1961 Hollywood classic starring Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood is screened at 2 p.m. Feb. 22 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; (610) 9170223. Basquiat The biopic about the career and life of neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is screened at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Ave; (610) 527-9898.

Books

Charles Duelfer The author of “Hide and Seek: The Search for Truth in Iraq” hosts a book event at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; (215) 686-5322.

Cabaret

Eddie Bruce: A Salute to Tony Bennett The out bandleader performs a tribute to Bennett through Feb. 22 at Morgan’s Cabaret at The Prince Music Theatre, 1412 Chestnut St.; (215) 5699700. Frank and Marilyn Jimmy Brewster and Michelle Marzanno perform as Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at Harlans Cabaret, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope; (215) 862-5225.

Etc.

Emo Phillips The quirky comedian performs at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at Sellersville Theater 1894, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville; (215) 257-5808. ■

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

Q on the tube: A night to remember By Victoria A. Brownworth PGN Contributor Evening weddings are especially romantic, and there have been few TV weddings as romantic as that of Bianca Montgomery and Reese Williams. These virgin brides — for unlike most soap women, neither had ever married before — wore white. Long, soignée columnar gowns in a Grecian style, with hairstyles to match. These were Sapphic brides in Sapphic dress. They were beautiful and ethereal, exuding love and passion for each other. Firsts always resonate and the Bianca-Reese wedding is the first legal lesbian marriage in TV history. No small moment. Bianca has been a central character on “All My Children” for eight years; an immensely likable character perennially unlucky in love, Bianca is adored and championed by viewers. Reese is new to “AMC,” but her portrayer, Tamara Braun, is a soap veteran who has made the role complex and engaging. The obvious butch in the relationship, Reese has an inner vulnerability that belies her protective exterior. They are an undeniable super couple, the highest registry of love in soapdom. The marriage of Bianca and Reese is a milestone in daytime TV because this couple has, with their Valentine’s Day nuptials, entered the previously all-straight sanctum. They are now, despite their familial conflicts, a couple that cannot be abrogated: They are wife and wife. Yet Bianca and Reese have struggled with a lot more than straight couples. Reese’s parents disowned her. Bianca’s mother and sister have done everything possible to derail the relationship. Still, they made it to the altar, despite the odds. Non-queers never quite understood the outrage and protests over Proposition 8. Even when they were sympathetic — and many were — they couldn’t really imagine what it would be like to be denied the right to marry. After all, any two drunken strangers can marry in a chapel in Las Vegas.

For Bianca and Reese, the road to marriage was fraught. They had to travel from Pine Valley, Pa., to Essex, Conn., to be married, family and friends in tow. The fact that they couldn’t legally marry in their own hometown made their wedding political — something straight weddings rarely are — and made them outlaws of a sort. In Bianca’s vows to Reese, she asserted she saw “passion and joy for our future.” She said Reese made her “feel safe and loved as if anything were possible ... I can survive anything wrapped in your arms, your love. I promise to be your partner, your home, your wife, for eternity.” Reese, her eyes glistening with tears, told Bianca, “I promise to try to make you laugh, because you have the most beautiful laugh. But most importantly, I promise to love you and our children for the rest of our lives.” Soap love, like real love, never runs smooth. As Bianca said her vows, the scenes of the couple’s wedding were cut with frightening scenes of other couples crashing and burning: Zach and Kendall, Ryan and Annie, Aiden and Greenlee. The hope and promise of Bianca and Reese’s wedding was held out against a backdrop of true love gone wildly awry. But for viewers who have watched Bianca grow up on “AMC” and watched Riegel take her from high-school student coming out tentatively to a disapproving mother to secure adult lesbian marrying the love of her life in a legal ceremony, the hope is that she and Reese will endure despite all odds, that the very things that make them outlaws to so many will strengthen them as a couple. In taking Bianca and Reese’s relationship to the logical next step — marriage —“AMC” has shown viewers of all sexual orientations that marriage should be an option for every couple. Love, not sexual orientation or gender, should be the only metric by which we measure who should marry. With Bianca and Reese, viewers saw not an “issue,” but people they have come to love and respect getting married. How long before TV life translates to real life? ■

Queer TV you can always see: All My Children Newlyweds Bianca and Reese have conflicts with Bianca’s family. Monday-Friday, 1 p.m. on ABC. As the World Turns Luke and Noah track Reg’s killer. Monday-Friday, 2 p.m. on CBS.

HOLLYWOOD’S BIG NIGHT: Check out the fashion triumphs and train wrecks on the Oscar’s Red Carpet 2009 at 8 p.m. Feb. 22 on ABC, then stay tuned for the 81st annual Academy Awards at 8:30 p.m. and root for “Milk,” which is nominated for eight awards including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director. Photo: Phil Bray

Ellen Monday-Friday, 3 p.m. on NBC. The Rachel Maddow Show Monday-Friday, 9 p.m. on MSNBC.

worth watching: FRIDAY Six Degrees of Separation 8 p.m. on Flix. Dollhouse 9 p.m. on FOX. Real Time with Bill Maher The seventh season debuts. 10 p.m. on HBO. SATURDAY The Opposite of Sex Bisexual coming-of-age film with Christina Ricci and Lisa Kudrow. 7 p.m. on IFC. In Short: Oscar-nominated or winning short films. 8 p.m. on Sundance. SUNDAY The 81st Academy Awards Red-carpet glam and gaffes, “Milk” up for numerous awards, fashion and politics galore. 8 p.m. on ABC. Amazing Race Contestants include gay activist Dr. Mel White and his queer son Mike. 8 p.m. on CBS. The L Word Jenny throws Max a baby shower. Bette and Tina begin the adoption process. Bette goes to her gallery celebration solo. Shane wants to escape Jenny’s clinginess. Jamie takes a toll on Alice and Tasha’s relationship.

9 p.m. on Showtime. The United States of Tara Tara’s parents have a sinister motive involving Kate and Marshall. 10 p.m. on Showtime. MONDAY House A teenage boy collapses from severe pelvic pain. Tests reveal the boy has both male and female DNA. His parents inform House and the team that the boy is unaware of his condition. The parents chose a gender for him when he was born, never telling him about his condition. When his life is threatened, the parents wonder whether they made the right decision. 8 p.m. on FOX. True Beauty Season finale, where the most beautiful person is crowned and gets a spread in People magazine. 10 p.m. on ABC. RuPaul’s Drag Race Hoping to follow in the footsteps of MAC cosmetics’ first Viva Glam girl, RuPaul, the queens make their own Viva Glam screen test. Jenny Shimizu joins the panel to help judge the drag queens’ status. 10 p.m. on Logo. TUESDAY American Idol 8 p.m. on FOX.

Nip/Tuck 10 p.m. on FX. WEDNESDAY American Idol Another three are chosen. 8 p.m. on FOX. America’s Next Top Model The 12th season debuts. 8 p.m. on the CW. New Adventures of Old Christine Lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes. 8 p.m. on CBS. The Real World: Brooklyn Bisexual Sarah, transgender Katelynn and Mormon frat boy Chet. 10 p.m. on MTV. Top Chef: New York Season finale. The winner gets $100,000 and Emeril Lagasse’s blessing. 10 p.m. on Bravo. Sordid Lives: The Series 10:30 p.m. on Logo. THURSDAY Ugly Betty 8 p.m. on ABC. Hell’s Kitchen The lesbian chef, LA, is one of the most solid of the women’s team, as is Pennsylvania’s own Andrea. 9 p.m. on FOX. Grey’s Anatomy 9 p.m. on ABC. ■

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Meeting Place A community bulletin board of activities, facilities and organizations

Community centers ■ The Attic Youth Center: For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. Groups meet and activities are held from 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; case management, HIV testing and smoking cessation are available Monday through Friday. See the Youth section for more events. 255 S. 16th St.; (215) 545-4331 ■ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center at the University of Pennsylvania 3907 Spruce St.; (215) 898-5044; center@dolphin.upenn.edu, Summer hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. ■ Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies Youth Center: 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays: Doylestown Planned Parenthood, The Atrium, Suite 2E, 301 S. Main St., Doylestown; (215) 348-0558 ext. 65; rainbowroom@ppbucks.org. ■ William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center: 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 732-2220; www.waygay.org. Peer counseling: Monday through Friday, 6-9 p.m. Library hours: Mondays 3-6 p.m., Tuesdays 3-6 p.m., Wednesdays 3-9 p.m., Thursdays 3-9 p.m., Fridays 3-6 p.m., Saturdays noon-6 p.m. Volunteers: New Orientation: First Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.; Volunteer Velada, third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.

Health Anonymous, free, confidential HIV testing Spanish/English counselors offer testing 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 166 W. Lehigh Ave.; (215) 763-8870 ext. 6000. AIDS Services In Asian Communities Provides HIV-related services to Asians and Pacific Islanders at 340 N. 12th St., suite 205; (2215) 536-2424. Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative Free, anonymous HIV testing from 9:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays at 1207 Chestnut St., fifth floor; (215) 851-1822 or (866) 2223871. Spanish/English. HIV testing Free, anonymous testing and counseling is offered from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment at AIDS Resource, 520 W. Fourth St., suite 2A, Williamsport;

Key numbers ■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: (215) 587-9377 ■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: (856) 933-9500 ext. 221 ■ AIDS Library: (215) 985-4851

(570) 322-8448. HIV treatment Free HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment for Philadelphia residents are available from 9 a.m.-noon Mondays and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Health Center No. 2, 1720 S. Broad St.; (215) 685-1803. HIV health insurance help Access to free medications, conﬁdential HIV testing available at 17 MacDade Blvd., suite 108, Collingdale; Medical Ofﬁce Building, 722 Church Lane, Yeadon; and 630 S. 60th St.; (610) 586-9077.

Gloria Casarez, (215) 686-2194; Gloria. Casarez@phila.gov; Fax: (215) 686-2555 ■ Mazzoni Center: (215) 563-0652; www.mazzonicenter.org ■ Mazzoni Center Family and Community Medicine: (215) 563-0658

■ Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection at the Independence Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library: (215) 685-1633

■ Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force: (215) 772-2000

■ Mayor’s liaison to LGBT communities:

Calvary United Methodist Church Reconciling, welcoming and affirming church holds services at 11 a.m. Sundays at 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue; (215) 724-1702. Central Baptist Church Welcoming and affirming church holds services at 10:45 a.m. Sundays at 106 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne; (610) 688-0664. Chestnut Hill United Methodist Church Services at 11 a.m. and Spirit at Play, an artsbased Sunday school for children, at 9:30 a.m. at 8812 Germantown Ave.; (215) 242-9321. Church of the Crucifixion Inclusive Episcopal community holds services at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sundays at Eighth and Bainbridge streets; (215) 922-1128. Church of the Trinity Lutheran Reconciling in Christ parish holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays at 18th and Wolf streets; (215) 334-6656. Dignity Jersey Shore An organization for sexual-minority Catholics meets first Saturday of the month in Asbury Park. For time and location, call (732) 502-0305. Dignity Metro NJ An organization for sexual-minority Catholics meets at 4 p.m. Sundays at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 550 Ridgewood Road, Maplewood, N.J.; (973) 857-4040. Dignity Philadelphia Holds Mass at 7 p.m. Sundays at 330 S. 13th St.; (215) 546-2093; dignityphila@aol.com. Drexel Hill Baptist Church Non-judgmental Christian congregation affiliated with American Baptist Churches of the USA holds services at 11 a.m. Sundays at Childs Avenue and State Road, Drexel Hill; (610) 259-2356; www. adhbaptist.com.

Washington West Project Free, anonymous HIV testing. Walk-ins welcome 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; 1201 Locust St.; (215) 985-9206.

■ Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations: (215) 686-4670

■ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Peer Counseling Services: (215) 732-TALK

BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Church Hold services at 10:15 a.m. at 2040 Street Road, Warrington; (215) 343-0406.

Episcopal Church of St. Paul Welcoming and inclusive church holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Tuesdays at 89 Pinewood Drive, Levittown; (215) 945-2886; www.saint-pauls-levittown.org.

■ AIDS Treatment hot line: (215) 5452212

■ Equality Forum: (215) 732-3378

Bethlehem-Judah Ministries Open and afﬁrming congregation holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays at 3847 N. Dupont Hwy., Kent Plaza Suite #2, Dover, Del.; (302) 734-9350.

Emanuel Lutheran Church Reconciling in Christ congregation meets at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at New and Kirkpatrick streets, New Brunswick, N.J.; (732) 545-2673; www. emmanuelnb.org.

■ Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Philadelphia): (215) 572-1833

■ Equality Advocates Pennsylvania: (215) 731-1447; (866) LGBTLAW

Arch Street United Methodist Church Services at 8:30 and 11 a.m. at Broad and Arch streets; (215) 568-6250.

Mazzoni Center Free, anonymous HIV testing; HIV/AIDS care and treatment, case management and support groups; 1201 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-0652. www.mazzonicenter.org.

■ ACLU of Pennsylvania: (215) 5921513

■ The COLOURS Organization Inc. 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 4960330.

Religion/Spirituality

■ Philadelphia Police Department liaison — Chief Inspector James Tiano: (215) 685-3655 ■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: (215) 494-LGBT; ppd.lgbt@gmail.com ■ Philly Pride Presents: (215) 875-9288 ■ SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: (717) 920-9537 ■ Transgender Health Action Coalition: (215) 732-1207 (staffed 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays, and 6-9 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)

Evangelicals Concerned Lesbian and gay Christian group meets at 2 p.m. the second and fourth Sundays of the month; (215) 860-7445. First Baptist Church Welcoming and affirming church holds services at 11 a.m. Sundays at 123 S. 17th St.; (215) 563-3853. First Presbyterian Church of Lansdowne Welcoming church holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays at 140 N. Lansdowne Ave.; (610) 6220800; www.lansdownepresbyterian.org. First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia A liberal, welcoming and diverse congregation that affirms the dignity of all. Sunday services at 10 a.m. at 2125 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-3980; www. firstuu-philly.org. The First United Church of Germantown A sexual-minority-affirming congregation holds services at 11 a.m. Sundays at 6023 Germantown Ave.; lunch follows; (215) 438-3677.

PAGE 35 First United Methodist Church of Philadelphia Inclusive, welcoming and progressive congregation worships at 11 a.m. Sundays at 6023 Germantown Ave. Lunch follows; childcare is provided; (215) 438-3677. Gay Christian Singles Philly Burbs Provides support and fellowship for GLBT singles through discussion groups and social events; (610) 457-2081; gcsphillyburbs@aol.com. Global Heart Spiritual Center Holds services at 10:30 a.m. at 1812 HaddonfieldBerlin Road, Cherry Hill, N.J.; (609) 868-2372. Grace Epiphany Church A welcoming and diverse Episcopal congregation in Mt. Airy, holds services at 8 and 10:30 a.m. Sundays, at 224 E. Gowen Ave., Mt. Airy; (215) 248-2950; www.grace-epi.org. Holy Communion Lutheran Church (ELCA) Reconciling in Christ congregation worships Sundays at 9 a.m. at 2111 Sansom St. and 11 a.m. at 2110 Chestnut St.; (215) 569-1840; www. centercitylutheran.org. Hope Ministry Family Fellowship Affirming Christ-centered church meets at 11 a.m. Sundays in Allentown; (610) 791-0716; hmff2001@aol.com. Imago Dei Metropolitan Community Church Sexual-minority congregation worships at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at 1223 Middletown Road (Route 352), Glen Mills; (610) 358-1716; www. ImagoDeiMCC.org. Interweave Organization of LGBT Unitarians and allies meets monthly at Unitarian Universalist Church of Cherry Hill, N.J., 401 N. Kings Highway; (856) 667-3618; www.uucinch.org. LC/NA Delaware Valley chapter A group for Lutherans who are not out in their own congregations meets at 7 p.m. fourth Sunday of the month at University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St.; (215) 387-2885. Kol Tzedek Reconstructionist Synagogue committed to creating a diverse and inclusive community meets at Calvary Center, 801 S. 48th St.; (215) 764-6364; www.kol-tzedek.org. Mainline Unitarian Church Holds services at 9 and 11 a.m. Sundays at 816 S. Valley Forge Road, Devon; (610) 688-8332; www. mluc.org. Maple Shade Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ Affirming congregation open to all sexual orientations and gender identities holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays at 45 N. Forklanding Road, Maple Shade, N.J.; (856) 779-7739; mapleshadeucc.org. Metropolitan Community Church Holds services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays preceded by a 9:30 a.m. Bible study at The Pride Center of New Jersey. Metropolitan Community Church of Philadelphia Holds services at 11 a.m. Sundays at the William Way Center, 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 735-MCC3; www.mccphiladelphia.com. New Thought Spiritual Community Nondenominational service is offered at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at Cradle of Liberty Council, 1485 Valley Forge Road, Wayne; (610) 962-9923. Old First Reformed Church Open and affirming United Church worships at 11 a.m. Sundays September through June, and 10 a.m. June through August at 151 N. Fourth St.; (215) 922-4566; www.oldfirstucc.org. Penns Park United Methodist Church Welcoming and affirming church holds services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at 2394 Second Street Pike, Penns Park; (215) 598-7601. Rainbow Buddhist Meditation Group Meets at 5 p.m. Sundays at the William Way Center.

Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting worships at 11 a.m. Sundays at 1515 Cherry St.; (215) 2417260; cpmm@afsc.org. Resurrection Lutheran Church Holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays at 620 Welsh Road, Horsham; (215) 646-2597. Silverside Church Holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays followed by a group discussion at 2800 Silverside Road, Wilmington, Del.; (302) 478-5921. St. Asaph’s Church Inclusive and progressive Episcopal Church holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays, with a contemplative communion at 8 a.m. at 27 Conshohocken State Road, Bala Cynwyd; (610) 664-0966; www. saintasaphs.org. St. John’s Lutheran Church (ELCA) Reconciling in Christ congregation holds services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at 24 N. Ridge Ave., Ambler; (215) 646-2451; www.stjohnsambler.org. St. Luke and The Epiphany Church Open and welcoming church holds liturgy at 9 and 11 a.m. Sundays fall through winter and “Prayer Around the Cross” at 7 p.m. first Friday of the month at 330 S. 13th St.; (215) 732-1918. St. Mary of Grace Parish Inclusive church in the Catholic tradition celebrates Mass at 6 p.m. Sundays in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, 145 W. Rose Tree Road, Media; (610) 566-1393; www. inclusivecatholics.org. St. Mary’s Church Diverse and inclusive Episcopal church, with openly gay rector, celebrates Eucharist at 11 a.m. Sundays; adult forum is held at 9:30 a.m.; and evening prayer is at 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 3916 Locust Walk; (215) 386-3916; www.stmarysatpenn.org. Tabernacle United Church Open and affirming congregation holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays at 3700 Chestnut St.; (215) 386-4100. Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County Welcoming congregation holds services at 10:30 a.m. at 145 W. Rose Tree Road, Media. Children’s program (pre-8th) 10:30 a.m.; youth programming 6 p.m. Sunday; (610) 566-4853; www.uucdc.org. Unitarian Society of Germantown Welcoming congregation holds services 10:30 a.m. Sundays at 6511 Lincoln Drive (West Mt. Airy); (215) 844-1158; www.usguu.org. Unitarian Universalist Church of Cherry Hill Holds services at 10:15 a.m. at 401 N. Kings Highway, Cherry Hill, N.J.; (856) 667-3618. Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration, Mt. Airy Welcoming congregation holds services at 11 a.m. Sundays September through June at 6900 Stenton Ave.; (215) 836-1812; www.uurestoration.us. Unitarian Universalist Congregation, South Jersey Shore Holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays in Galloway Township, N.J.; (609) 926-8890; www.uucsjs.org. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Pottstown Holds services at 10 a.m. at 1565 S. Keim St., Pottstown; (610) 327-2662. United Christian Church Open, affirming and welcoming congregation holds servies at 11 a.m. Sundays at 8525 New Falls Road, Levittown; (215) 946-6800. Unity Fellowship Church of Philadelphia Diverse, affirming GLBT congregation holds services at 2 p.m. Sundays at Broad and Arch streets; (215) 222-3180. University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation Welcoming congregation holds services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at 3637 Chestnut St. preceded by “Adult Forum: Sundays” at 9:30 discussing religious alienation and struggles of faith; (215) 387-2885.

Send submissions to: e-mail: pgn@epgn.com of fax: (215) 925-6437 PGN Meeting Place, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147

Meeting Place is a public service. Submissions must include a phone number for publication.

PAGE 36

Classifieds

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

With Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services and Personals

Obama to outline plan to stem home foreclosures By Alan Zibel The Associated Press The biggest players in the mortgage industry are halting home foreclosures while the Obama administration develops its plan to help struggling homeowners. The White House said President Obama planned to outline his muchanticipated plan to spend at least $50 billion to prevent foreclosures this past Wednesday in a speech in Arizona, one of the states hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis. “It’s not intended to be measured by one day’s market scorekeeping, but instead to ensure that the 10,000 Americans each day that have their homes foreclosed on, and the millions more that are barely getting by, are protected,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said last Friday without providing other details. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced a revised effort to stabilize the ﬁnancial system last Tuesday. It contained outlines of a foreclosure-relief effort but few details.

Though lenders have beefed up their efforts to aid borrowers over the past year, their action hasn’t kept up with the worst housing recession in decades. More than 2.3-million homeowners faced foreclosure proceedings last year, an 81-percent increase from 2007, and analysts say that number could soar as high as 10 million in the coming years, depending on the severity of the recession. Government-controlled mortgageﬁnance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and major banks JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Corp. said last Friday they are halting foreclosures through March 6. New York-based Citigroup Inc. said its halt will extend until the administration has completed the details of the loan-modiﬁcation program or March 12, whichever is earlier. Citi’s action expands on a similar effort that it started in November. The banks’ pledges apply to owneroccupied homes, not those owned by investors. Fannie Mae said it was suspending

all foreclosure sales and evictions for occupied properties, while Freddie Mac said its suspension would apply to properties with up to four units and noted that the ban would not apply to vacant properties. Both Fannie and Freddie had suspended foreclosure sales during the winter holidays and halted evictions from foreclosed properties through the end of this month. Together, they own or guarantee around half of U.S. home loans. Obama’s announcement was expected to include details about how the administration plans to prod the mortgage industry to do a better job of modifying the terms of home loans so borrowers have lower monthly payments. Testifying before House lawmakers last week, Geithner said the government would provide incentives to “try to induce economically sensible restructuring of mortgages,” but offered no speciﬁcs. A Treasury spokesperson declined further comment. A Democratic Senate aide said the plan is likely to include hefty payments designed to encourage the

lending industry to lower mortgage rates or reduce the total principal amount owed by borrowers. The idea has become attractive to Obama officials, the aide said, because it is expected to be far less expensive than having the government buy up loans out of mortgage-linked securities. It was unclear whether those government subsidies would be paid to companies that collect payments for mortgage investors up front or whether they would stretch out over several years. Howard Glaser, a mortgageindustry consultant who served in the Clinton administration, said if 2-million borrowers’ payments were lowered by $500 a month, it would cost the government and lenders $6 billion each per year — assuming lenders match half the cost. Unlike previous loan-modification plans, borrowers would not have to be in default to qualify, according to people briefed on the plan. Still, figuring out who would qualify would be a challenge, especially as foreclosures continue to soar. More than 274,000 U.S. households received at least one foreclosure-

related notice last month, according to RealtyTrac Inc., an Irvine, Calif.based foreclosure listing service. Fannie and Freddie have developed systems to analyze millions of loans and determine which ones need to be modiﬁed. But to qualify for those programs, borrowers have to be at least three months behind on their home loans. At the White House, Gibbs cautioned about the dangers of erroneous information leaking out about the foreclosure plan because he did not want “an unreasonable series of expectations based on leaks from God only knows where.” Still, the administration is widely expected to back a push in Congress — but opposed by the mortgage industry — to let bankruptcy judges alter the terms of primary home loans. Last week, Obama said it “makes no sense” that judges are not allowed to do so. The hope is that, rather than being dragged into bankruptcy court, lenders would prefer to modify loans. The mortgage industry argues that this prohibition allows lenders to charge lower rates. ■

Location! Location! Location! This week’s featured property

Beds: 1 Baths: 1 Age of property: 175 years Cost: $239,900 Realtor: Travis Rodgers Real Estate Co: Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors Phone: 215-901-2154 Direct: 215-790-5234 Email: travisrodgers@aol.com

Graduate Hospital Area Completely renovated and spacious one bedroom with really pretty kitchen, hardwood ﬂoors throughout and lots of windows allowing great natural light. 7 years left on a 10-year tax abatement. Directly across from Naval Square.

Check your ad

PLACING ADS Using voicemail? Please be sure to have the following information ready when you call: • Your ad copy • The type of style you want • Desired abbreviations • American Express, Discover, MasterCard or VISA information • Your name and mailing

address • Daytime telephone number Having all this information ready will speed your order and help to avoid errors. Phone calls can only be returned during business hours. For more information, see the coupon page in this section.

Philadelphia Gay News assumes responsibility for errors in classified ads only when notified by noon the Tuesday after the ad first appears. To receive credit for errors, please notify PGN by then. Credit only will be extended in the form of additional advertising space. Any cash refunds, for any reason, are subject to a $10 service charge. PGN will publish no classified ad — in any category — that contains sexually explicit language. Obviously excluded are traditional four-letter words that relate to sexual activity. Other words may be excluded at the discretion of the publisher, who reserves the right to edit or rewrite any ad that, in his opinion, violates this policy or its intent.

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

Real Estate

REAL ESTATE

SALE

NEW Single-Family homes in active adult (55 plus) community in historic Smyrna, Delaware, near Beach and Bays. From $99,000. 302-6595800 or see www.bonayrehomes.com _______________________________33-08 FORECLOSED HOME AUCTION Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, & More 500+ homes Must Be Sold! REDC/Free Brochure 800-7562144 USHomeAuction.com _______________________________33-08 Potter County- 3 acres 10 miles North of Coudersport. Adjacent to 4000 acres of State Game Lands. Perc, Electric, small stream. $29,900. Owner financing 800-668-8679. _______________________________33-08 Florida Land Bargain of the Century! 2 acre waterfront homesite only $69,900. (appraised at $169,900) Private, gated community with 2 recreational lakes. Municipal water & sewer. Low taxes. Just 90 minutes to Orlando! Excellent financing. Call now 1-866-352-2249 x2183. FLlandbargains.com _______________________________33-08 Adirondack Wholesale Acerage 141 Acres- Trophy deer Area WAS: $169,900 NOW: $99,900. 88 Acres w/ Large pond WAS: $159,900 NOW: $119,900. 30 Acres- ADK Bass Pond WAS: $89,900 NOW: $69,900. 81 Acres- Near Salmon River/ Pulaski $99,900. Beautiful acerage, prices at 15yr low. Financing Available. Christmas & Associates 800-229-7843 www. landandcamps.com _______________________________33-08 WATERFRONT PROPERTY Oriental North Carolina Waterfront community. Price rollback. Save up to 20% on home sites in waterfront community with marina, club house, swimming pool and tennis. Bank financing. Dawson Creek 1-800-566-5263 carolinawaterfront.com _______________________________33-08

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PAGE 37

Gorgeous 2 bedroom with new brick colonial front. Featuring new cherry kitchen with granite countertops. Stainless steel appliances and c/t floors, large open floor plan. Hardwood floors t/o, new powder room on 1st floor with recessed lighting, 2nd floor has two bedrooms and beautiful new custom tiled bathrooms with stall shower with glass doors, brand new heater and central air, plus newly finished rec room in basement with c/t floors. This home is is literally brand new with extensive work performed t/o house.

Call John Eckstrom : 215-272-0269 Remax Millennium: 215-379-1100

Licensed Mortgage Banker in NJ, PA, DE, NY & MD.

PAGE 38

REAL ESTATE

SALE

)

pool). 5 hen, Dinm. Living 2nd r-2 n room, & ng room, oom, and 66 after 6

___32-17

ov. 3 BR, ,900. Call -2797. ___32-16

w/ beautiliving and outtted cabinets, s. Second oms and wer, extra y growing entury 21

___32-17

___32-16 bedroom ons! Pay& Informa-

___32-16 adult (55 Delaware, 302-659om ___32-16 $45,000! down, 20 4-8363. ___32-16

CLASSIFIEDS

REAL ESTATE

SALE

HOMES FROM $10,000! MONTANA LAND BARGAINS Foreclosures for sale! 1-4 bedrooms available! 20AC with Utilities & Country Road was These homes must sell! For Listings Call 800- $99,900 Now $69,900 BLM access. Deer & 706-1762 ext. 6888. elk galore! Call to view 877-229-7840 www. _______________________________32-16 WesternSkiesLand.com ATTENTION OUTDOORMEN _______________________________32-16 NYS Old Scout Camp 15 Ac on Lake- $39,900 GOLF SIDE SC HOME NEW CABINS- $19,900 Fishing & Hunting off Luxury four bedroom, four bath. Fully furnished. limits until now! A sportsman’s dream. Limited Mountain and lake views. $678,000. Call Dave time offer- call now! Christmas & Associates 602-758-9062. 800-229-7843 www.landandcamps.com _______________________________32-16 _______________________________32-16 72 acres along McKean/Potter County line HERKIMER, NY 94.4 Acre dairy farm. 4 bedroom house, 85 near Shinglehouse. Mostly wooded, some Direct Line 610-789-0982 stall cow barn, 4100’ paved road frontage. open area, includes old hunting cabin, Office elds.610-325-4100 $236,000. www. electric, $199,000. Field and Stream RE. Great views, open 800-668-8679. helderbergrealty.us E-Mail:518-861-6541. sold.andy@verizon.net _______________________________32-16 _______________________________32-16

SALE

Does Your House Need A New Coat? We’ve Got Specialists!

CHRIS RISS makes it happen in PGN Home Direct: 302-226-6655 REHOBOTH!

Andy Mariano

Mike Jenofsky

REAL ESTATE

Let CHRIS CHRIS RISS RISSuse his Experience, Enthusiasm, and Contacts to sell your place or ﬁnd your new beach home. Most Transactions Award

PREFERRED • FREE Listings by Email...DAILY! • Negotiable Commissions!

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

PAGE 91

Improvement Directory

Lingo: Lingo: 302-227-3883 302-227-3883

ChrisRiss@JackLingo.com

www.RehobothBeachHouses.com

Rates have

Placing Classiﬁeds Liner Ads

Time to D reﬁnance, R consolidate debt, O or buy NOW! P In Person: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, By Phone or on the Web: 24 Hours, 7 Days Ask about P You may place Deadline for Line Advertising is Friday at 3 p.m. for the following Friday’s issue. your adour via our secure voicemail system, fax or e-mail at any time, E followingno closing cost or on our Web site. Please have the information ready to place your ad: D option for buying YOUR AD COPY • YOURDirect NAME AND(267) MAILING ADDRESS • DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER • CREDIT CARD INFORMATION 341-1066 Phone 6737 Harbison Avenue a home. Loan Ofﬁcer

PHONE: OR341-1067 215-451-6182 (DIRECT) • FAX: 215-925-6437 • E-MAIL: don@epgn.com Directext. Fax 200(267) Philadelphia, PA 19149215-625-8501 Mike McKeown Toll Free (800) 559-2514 x1066 Email: mike.mckeown@mindspring.com (215) 333-5200 Main 1-888-533-9890 INFORMATION Email: mjenofsky@fpms.com GENERAL (215) 333-6012 Main Fax Licesensedpaper. by Dept. ofAds Banking/Insurance in NJ, PA,that DE and NY will be held for the next available issue. PGN reserves the All classiﬁed advertising must be in our ofﬁce by 3 p.m. Friday for the next Friday’s arriving after time

right to edit or rewrite ads as needed, to refuse any ad for any reason and to determine the final classification. Ads determined to be in bad taste, directed to or from persons under the legal age of consent or containing racially or sexually discriminatory language will be refused. We need your full name, mailing address and daytime phone number on the insertion order form for you ad. This information is confidential and will not appear in the paper. Any ads received without full information will be destroyed. Sexually explicit language will be edited or refused at the discretion of the management.

PGN

The COOLEST homes in Philadelphia’s TERM DISCOUNTS - BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ISSUES PREPAID HOTTEST neighborhoods. 4 weeks, 5% • 8 weeks, 10% • 16 weeks, 15% • 26 weeks, 20% PAYMENT AND PLACEMENT

Classified ads may placed online or by mail, fax, e-mail or in person at the PGN offices at 505 S. Fourth St., Phila. Phone, fax and e-mail orders are accepted with credit/debit cards only. A $10 minimum applies to all charges. If you are paying in person with cash, please have the exact change as we cannot make change at the office. All ads must be prepaid for their entire run. NO EXCEPTIONS! DO NOT SEND CASH THROUGH THE MAIL; IT’S NOT SAFE AND CANNOT BE GUARANTEED.

CANCELLATION POLICY There are easier g l de enin o M Op ways to get Classiﬁ eds Liner Insertion Order d an r noticed... G

All PGN Classified ads are cancelable and refundable except for “FRIENDS” ads. Deadline for cancellation is 3 p.m. Friday. The balance will be credited to your credit/debit card. Checks take two weeks to process. The date of the first issue the ad appeared in, along with the classification, yourlocation name, address andfinest daytime phone number is required to cancel your ad. � City with the features

of a suburban townhome

2-3 Bedroom homes with garages (up to 1,710 sq. ft.) from the low $300’s Select the TYPE STYLE you want from the examples below, and begin each line under the arrow to the left of the letter �

representing that style. Write to the end of the line (hyphenate words correctly. Do not stop at any other arrow, as each arrow NAME � 3 Bedroom homes with garages ADDRESS represents a starting point. Allow one block for each letter, number, punctuation mark and space. Be sure to skip a space (up to 3,400 sq. ft.) from the mid $500’s between words. PHONE NUMBER MUST INCLUDE AREA CODE. CITY PHONE Be sure to circle one of the classiﬁcations and compute the cost of your ad. Liner advertising is on a PREPAY BASIS ONLY, � Deck or balcony with each home and payment must accompany this form. PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH THROUGH THE MAIL. Type STYLE A Type STYLE B (Italic) Type Style C (Bold)

PGN

Schoolhouse Lane & Ridge Avenue East Falls 215.844.8888

STATE

ZIP

AMEX • MASTERCARD • VISA • DISCOVER CARD NUMBER 7 point 7 point EXPIRATION � Free Center City Shuttle 7 point SIGNATURE NAME ON CARD The Arbours at Eagle Pointe The Villas & Regency # “A” LINES @ $5.50 - $ at Packer Park S O M E R TO N # “B” LINES @ $7.50 - $ SOUTH PHILADELPHIA 215.698.4540 # “C” LINES @ $7.50 - $ 215.389.9881 A Lifestyle Community for BOX YOUR AD $5.00 Adults 55 & Better Spacious New One Floor Living & SUBTOTAL Distinctive Townhomes with Garages From the Mid $300’s NUMBER OF WEEKS X Up to 1,686 sq. ft. SUBTOTAL From the Mid $300’s % TERM DISCOUNT Tour our Decorated Models AD TOTAL The Villas are 85% Sold Out! TOTAL PAYMENT ENCLOSED

HEADLINE (24 SPACES PER LINE) FREE WHEN PLACED ONLINE 40 spaces Per Line 36 spaces Per Line 24 spaces per line

Brewerytown Square B R E W E R Y TO W N 215.765-2800 Brand New 2-3 Bedroom Townhomes with Garages Up to 1,700 sq. ft. From the Mid $200’s Tour our Decorated Models Free Center City Shuttle

PLEASE PRINT

ePersonals westrum.com

�

10 year tax abatement

CLASSIFICATION (CIRCLE ONE) REAL ESTATE FOR SALE • REAL ESTATE FOR RENT • ROOMMATES • SEASONAL RENTALS • SERVICES • FINANCIAL SERVICES HELP WANTED • JOBS WANTED • BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES • FOR SALE • AUTOMOTIVE • AUCTIONS • TRAVEL RESORTS ADOPTION • PERSONALS • FRIENDS MEN • FRIENDS BISEXUAL • FRIENDS TV/TS • FRIENDS WOMEN

Return form and payment to: Masco Communications 505 S. Fourth St., Phila., PA 19147 or fax: 215-925-6437 or email: don@epgn.com

CLASSIFIEDS

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

REAL ESTATE

SALE

1024 Earl Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125 Beautiful New Fishtown Home – Open House 2/22/09 1-5 p.m. $419,900; 2400+ sqft; 3br 2.5bath Vaulted 20 ft ceilings Roof Deck with Amazing Views

PAGE 39

REAL ESTATE

SALE

Buy or Sell in the Poconos Close to Mt. Airy Casino & Camel Back.

Corners of Routes 390 & 44 • Candensis, PA 18325 OFFICE: (570) 595-2110 • FAX: (570) 595-7207 CELL: (570) 994-5118

FRED W. BALDI

REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® fred_baldi@hotmail.com

Bryan T. Miller C.215-768-2521 O.267-238-5783 Btmrealty@comcast.net greenrevolutionrealty.com

www.PoconosHomesInfo.com

223-1/2 Jamestown St., Manayunk Philadelphia 19128 Offered at $424,900

Fabulous renovation in Manayunk, beautiful home with great views, upgrades galore. You won’t believe the ﬁnishes in this rare single just 3 short blocks off Main Street. 3 bedrooms, 21/2 baths, all the bells and whistles and a 10 year tax abatement. Patricia Kolea Coldwell Banker Preferred 230 Sugartown Road, Wayne, PA 19087 610-975-5900 Ofﬁce 610-517-4306 Cell

Open Houses Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009 NOON - 2:30

GRAND OPENING of Liberty Greene new construction in Norhtern Liberties. WWW.LIBERTYGREENE.COM A 16 unit Deluxe Townhouse Community. Ready now. 3bd. 2 1/2 ba. garage, decks, tax abatement. (Dan)..........starting at just $584,900.00 Noon - 1:00 PM 240 S. 13th St. Unit “B”. New one bd. one ba. with Deluxe Kit. tax abatement and low fees (Phil) ......................................... ......................................................Great low price $199,900.00 1305 Spruce St. Unit 4 A New Condo, 2 bd, 2 ba, den, garden room, tax abatement (Matt) .................................$350,000.00 1:30 - 2:30 242 S. 13th St. Unit “D” Brand new large 1 bed. 1 ba, with S/S and granite Kit. wd. ﬂoors tax abatement. (Phil & Matt).......... ..............................................................................$265,000.00

Search all Philadelphia area listings @ www.thephillyrealtors.com Dan Tobey

The Curtis Center 170 W. Independence Mall , Suite L-44 Philadelphia, PA 19106

215.546.2700 Business • 267.238.1061 Direct 215.432.7151 Cell • 215.546.7728 Fax dtobey@cbpref.com

1608 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 AVENUE OF THE ARTS 1326 SPRUCE ST #2903 (Center City One)-2br, 2 bth, 29th ﬂ views $435,000 Tom Gangemi GRADUATE HOSPITAL 923 S. 17th-Attn Investors!! Triplex renovation started $260,000 Janis Dubin NORTHERN LIBERTIES 1006 N. 5TH, UNIT 1 – 1BR, 1 1⁄2 bath bi-level condo w/central air $239,500 Alison Ermilio OLD CITY 244-48 N. 3rd, UNIT 3B – Corner unit condo, parking included $225,000 Kera Ritter RITTENHOUSE 226 W. RITTENHOUSE SQ -2 br/den. 2 bth, newly renovated, with park view, $895,000 Tom Gangemi

www.philarealtyexchange.com 2025 CHANCELLOR ST –(Wanamaker House) 3 br, 2.5 bth Townhouse comes w/ rooftop pool, fitness center, deeded parking, hw floors, recessed lighting, stainless steel appliances and 24hr door man, plus much, much more $875,000 Alison Ermilio SPRING GARDEN 1601 Spring Garden ST #419- gorgeous upgraded unit, elevator and secure $179,900 Janis Dubin SOUTH PHILADELPHIA 1904 S. 9th St- 2br home in Bella Vista w/ large living room, $139,900 John Perno UNIVERISITY CITY 209 Saint Marks Sq- 6br,2.5bth porch front w/huge backyard, c/a, w/d, wood floors and high ceilings. $639,000 Janis Dubin

FOR RENT 1006 N. 5th ST #1-1br,1.5 baths, bi-level condo in Northern Liberties $1300 mo Alison Ermilio 711 S. 18th ST-2 beds/1.5 baths, backyard, 2 secure parking spaces, great space $2,000 mo Kera Ritter 3512 BARING ST – Studio, utilities included in rent starting at $900 mo Kera Ritter 3722 CALUMET ST- 3bR, landscaped patio, new appliances, c/a, w/d $2,000 mo Janis Dubin 2349 DICKINSON ST- Clean modern 4 bedroom house pet friendly $950 mo Janis Dubin 225 E. GIRARD AVE-Imm Availability! Commercial, storefront window $775 mo Alison Ermilio 4030 W. GIRARD AVE-Huge Storefront retail space, $1000 mo Kera Ritter 1613 LOMBARD ST Brand new everything, 3 br, 2 bth and working fp $2500 mo Kera Ritter 2314 REED St- 2 bedrooms- 2 Units-wood ﬂoors, new kit, exposed brick starting $895 mo Janis Dubin 226 W. RITTENHOUSE SQ-2br,den, recently renovated, balcony, view of park $3500 mo Tom Gangemi 1601 SPRING GARDEN ST #419- gorgeous upgraded unit, elevator and secure $1300 mo Janis Dubin 2015 WALNUT ST-Commercial Storefront in Rittenhouse Sq. $2,000 mo Kera Ritter Various 1 and 2 bedroom residential listings-For More Information Please Call The Ofﬁce CAREER OPPORTUNITY FOR FULL TIME SALES AGENT- FOR INTERVIEW CALL OFFICE “WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THOMAS GANGEMI AS A NEW SALES ASSOCIATE”.

Now is an excellent time to buy/ invest/ rent in Center City Philadelphia. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! FOR SALE: Excellent investment Avenue of Arts! Center City One, 1326 Spruce Street, unit 2903 2 bdrm 2 bath, seperate layout, renovated kit /bath good condition, w/d, spectacular city views, balcony, 1209 sq, asking $435,000 When looking at the pricing on other condo buildings on a cost per sq foot basis, Center City One offers a very good price. Recently renovated lobby and well managed association board.

FOR RENT:

226 Rittenhouse Sq, Dorchester unit 205 large 2 bd/den on Rittenhouse Sq. with balcony and park views! Currently being renovated with new kitchen, w/d, etc. Available Feb 1. Monthly rent $3500 includes everything. Also for sale, asking $895,000. call Tom Gangemi 484 645 6117 For more info or to set up an app’t, call TOM GANGEMI

484-645-6117

tomjgangemi@aol.com

CLASSIFIEDS

PAGE 40

��

REAL ESTATE

RENT

10th & Federal Reference and background check required.

��

$800/ month this space: only $25 per week*

Your ad dollars go further when you target your audience *when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks

�� REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE

SALE

White Star Lending Group, Inc. 215-646-7372

Licensed by PA Dept. of Banking #16701

Home Mortgage Rates 30 year ﬁxed rate 5.75% zero points APR 5.760%

15 year ﬁxed rate 5.50% zero points APR 5.765%

Heights of Collingswood

ROOMMATES PGN WILL NOT PUBLISH RACIAL DISTINCTIONS IN ROOMMATE ADS. SUCH NOTATIONS WILL BE EDITED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. ___________________________________ GREATER NE PHILA. Have your own bedroom in a beautiful split level home with 2 gay men. House is 4 BR, 2 full baths, W/D, upper and lower decks, use of kitchen. Property is by Welsh & the Boulevard, 1 min. to 58 bus. We ask only that you be at least reasonably neat and employed. Rent is $600 + 1/3 utils. Contact Dave at 215-698-0215. _______________________________33-10 GM sks same to share 2 BR apt. 69th St. U.D. W/D. Newly renov. W/W crp. 610-352-1188. _______________________________33-09 KENNETT SQUARE GM professional seeks roommate to share home. Call Jerry, 484-732-8029. _______________________________33-09

REAL ESTATE

RENT

Enjoy all the comforts of home. The Ultimate in Lifestyle. Convenient to Routes 38, 76, 70, I-676 the New Jersey turnpike and 295. Just minutes from robust downtown Philadelphia, Collingswood is rich in historical associations Neighborhood cafes and quaint shops line the streets symbolic of an earlier time. Our newly renovated apartments feature upgraded Kitchens and Bathrooms. We are located across the street from Newton Lake Park and many activities including ﬁshing, boating, and jogging trails. Free shuttle to PATCO Speed line 24 hour state of the art ﬁtness center On site dry cleaners On site food market Garage parking available

REAL ESTATE

2 bdroom apt. no pets, non smoker prefered 10th and Federal location, gay friendly bldg.

��

· · · · ·

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

· · · ·

Tennis court/Swim Club Pet Friendly Flexible lease terms Utilities included

11TH & LOCUST ST. Available Immediately. One bedroom apartment with central air conditioning, ample closet space and wall to wall carpet. Great Center City Location for only $900 per month. Please call Tom at Solo Realty Co. to see this space. 215564-7656 ext. 22 or tom@solorealty.com _______________________________33-11 ITALIAN MARKET AREA 2nd ﬂ. 2 BR apt., sep. ent., lg. walk in closet, lg. EIK w/modern amen., W/D, C/A, hdwd. ﬂrs. thruout. $950. Call 267-278-1636. _______________________________33-09 LOWER BUCKS/BENSALEM Single home, 2 BR, 1 BA, new W/D, refrig., W/W carpet, easy access I-95. Walking distance R7 train. $995. Call Vince, 215-639-8512. _______________________________33-09

PGN

�� Ofﬁce 856-854-4112 • Fax 856-854-9390

Please call 215 -465-6033 between 9 am and 3 pm only

HELP WANTED

CHEF/HOUSEMAN WANTED Mature couple with large home in Bryn Mawr desire services of a chef/house manager/handyman. Must be able to work with other household staff. Hours would be lunch through dinner, Monday-Friday. Meals must be prepared healthy and fresh. Duties include managing affairs for the home, such as grocery shopping, errands, care of two small dogs, maintaining wine cellar, and upkeep of automobiles. Must be organized and neat. Occasional dinner parties. Must have driver’s license and car. Live in/live out. Salary: commensurate with experience. Please send resume to SGalman21@aol.com. Include cover letter. _______________________________33-09 We’re looking for EXTRAS for FILM/TV. ALL types and ALL ages welcome. Pay is $100$300/day. Call 1-877-572-7115. _______________________________33-08 Extra Income Mailing Brochures. Weekly pay check! Free 24 hour information 1-888250-8110. _______________________________33-08 Mailing Brochures! Weekly pay + Bonus. Supplies Furnished. Guaranteed Opportunity. Call Now! 1-800-307-7131. _______________________________33-08

Exchange Coordinators Wanted. EF Foundation seeks energetic and motivated representatives to help find homes for int’l exchange students. Commission/travel benefits. Must be 25+. 877-216-1293. _______________________________33-08 POST OFFICE HIRING NATIONALLY! Avg. pay $20/hr, $57K/yr, incl Fed ben, OT optional fee-based test prep materials, not affliliated with the US Postal Service. 1-866446-8993. _______________________________33-08 EARN EXTRA MONEY WEEKLY! Processing our brochures. Processors Needed NOW! Start Today call 1-800-6213560 Code 19. _______________________________33-08 Need A New Career? Drive the Big Rigs! 30 drivers needed now! $700-$800 week. No CDL, No Problem. No Credit, No Problem. Start ASAP! 800-961-4319 _______________________________33-08 NOW AVAILABLE! 2009 POST OFFICE JOBS. $18-$20/hr. NO EXPERIENCE, PAID TRAINING, FED BENEFITS, VACATIONS. Call 1-800-910-9941 TODAY! Ref #PA09. _______________________________33-08

Advertising Sales Representative PGN, one of the country's most award-winning Gay and Lesbian publications, is looking for a special candidate to fill this position in our advertising sales department. Applicants should have previous advertising sales experience, preferably in a similar environment. You should have a strong work ethic, good communication skills (both written and verbal), and an aggressive desire to sell advertising in this very special niche market. Most important, you should aspire to become an integral part of our successful sales team. We offer a competitive salary plus bonus, as well as Health Insurance. Applicants should call Nick Forte at 215-6258501, ext. 209. Email resume to nick@epgn.com or send resume to: PGN, 505 S. 4th St., Phila. PA. 19147 Attn.: Nick Forte EOE

PAGE 108 CLASSIFIEDS

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

VACATION/

SEASONAL RENTALS

Antiques & Fine Art Wanted. Purchase or Consignment by New England Auction House. One Item, Estate or Collection. American, Asian, European. www.cyrauction.com 1-800-8871026 or 207-657-5253. _______________________________33-08

SERVICES

ADOPTION

Responsible and reliable girl looking for more houses to clean. Cleaning done by girl from Europe. If you want your home cleaned and in spotless condition, call 215-427-0989. _______________________________33-15 ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE From Home. Medical, Business, Paralegal, Computers, Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualiﬁed. Call 866-858-2121 www. CenturaOnline.com _______________________________33-08 AIRLINES ARE HIRING Train for high paying Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualiﬁed -Housing available. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance (888)349-5387. _______________________________33-08

LOVING, FINANCIALLY SECURE Professional couple wishes to adopt newborn. Endless love, educational opportunities, many cousins. Stay-at-home mom. Expenses Paid. Please call Rob & Nancy 800-216-4823. _______________________________33-08 ADOPTION Wishing to adopt newborn to nurture and adore. Will provide your baby with warm, loving, stable home. You will be treated with respect/ conﬁdentiality. Expenses Paid. Please call Glenna 1-866-535-8080. _______________________________33-08 Pregnant? Considering Adoption? A successful educated woman seeks to adopt & needs your help! Will be a loving FULL-TIME mom. Expenses paid. Call Lisa (or Adam) 1-800790-5260. _______________________________33-08

PAGE 108

FOR SALE

POLE BUILDINGS 24x40x10’, $9,995 Includes 1-9’x8’ Garage Door, 1-3’ Door. 30’x40’x10’ $10,995 Includes 1-10’x10’ Sliding Door 1-3’ Door. Fully Erected. Maintenance Free. www.fettervillesales.com 800-331-1875. _______________________________33-08 SAWMILLS From only $2,990.00 Convert your LOGS TO VALUABLE LUMBER with your Norwood portable band sawmill. Log skidders also available. www.norwoodsawmills.com/300n Free information: 1-800-578-1363-Ext300-N. _______________________________33-08

BUSINESS

OPPORTUNITIES 100% RECESSION PROOF! Do you earn $800 in a day? Your own local candy route. Includes 25 Machines and Candy All for $9,995. 1-800-460-4027. _______________________________33-08

Is it time to look for a new doctor?

PGN

��

WANTED TO BUY

OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/ partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800-638-2102 Online reservations www.holidayoc.com _______________________________33-08

PERSONALS Looking for gay computer person to troubleshoot and teach me. I’m in the PA suburbs. drdpelliott@aol.com _______________________________33-09 PA HORSE WORLD EXPO Feb 26-March 1, Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg. Hundreds of vendors, seminars, demonstrations. Theatre Equus-A Musical Equine Revue. Info: 301-916-0852 www. horseworldexpo.com _______________________________33-08

AUTOS DONATE VEHICLE Receive $1000 Grocery Coupon. Noah’s Arc Support No Kill Shelters. Research to Advance Veterinary Treatments. Free Towing, Tax Deductible, Non-Runners accepted 1-866-912-GIVE. _______________________________33-08

Real Estate

CLASSIFIEDS PAGE 41

PAGE 106

PAGE 108

Is it time to look for a new doctor? CLASSIFIEDS

APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008

Want to let Is it time to mom, dad and all look for a of your �� new doctor? exs know you’re tying the knot?

Individual, Couple & Family Counseling Life & Career Coaching

Speciﬁc Expertise: Grief & Loss Transitions in Life Children / Adolescents with Educational or Emotional Needs Private Pay: Moderate Fee Scale Ofﬁce Location: East Norriton, Montgomery County

��

We’ve got your color!

CLASSIFIEDS

this space: only $25 per week*

Your ad dollars go further when you target your audience *when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks

��

PAGE 42

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

CLASSIFIEDS

��

HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY ��

��

�� PAGE 106��

��

this space: only $25 per week*

Your ad dollars go further when you target your audience *when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks

spend a little (Only $50 per week*)

MAKE A LOT ARE YOU HOT!

Dowd Heating & Air Inc. 215-752-3638

2490 Williamson Court Bensalem, Pa 19020

Fax : 215-501-8306

Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. Call 215-625-8501 Today!

CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009

CLASSIFIEDS

APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008 APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008

HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY

PAGE 106

APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008

CLASSIFIEDS

PAGE 43

APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008

this space: only $25 per week*

APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008

PAGE 106

Your ad dollars go further when you target your audience

CLASSIFIEDS

*when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks

CRC, CVE

bility PAGE 106

RESTORATION CONSTR

• KITCHENS, BATHS • CUSTOM CABINET • PRACTICING G

G Licensed, PO Box 359 Brooma gjenn

Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. Call 215-625-8501 Today!

Social Security Disability Claims Appeals

Social Security Disability Claims Appeals PAGE 110 PAGE PAGE 110 PAGE 44 PAGE110 110215-629-0585 PAGE 110 Suite 202 Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030

MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2008

215-629-0585 CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS PAGE 106 CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS

APRIL 25 1, 2008 APRILFEB. 25 -- MAY MAY 1, 2009 2008 2008 CLASSIFIEDS 20 - 1, 26, APRIL APRIL25 25- -MAY MAY 1,2008 2008 APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008

LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

AMY F. STEERMAN Attorney at Law

CLASSIFIEDS

AMY F. STEERMAN Attorney at Law

Concentrating in Planning for Lesbian and Gay Couples • Probate • Wills • Living Wills • Powers of Attorney

1900 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.amysteerman.com

1900 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.amysteermman.com

215-735-1006

PARTNERS IN LAW PARTNERS IN LIFE

Suite 202 Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030

Torchia & Kaufmann, L.L.C. William A. Torchia, Esquire THIS SPACE IS YOURS

Estate* & Tax Planning Estate & Tax Planning Only $25.00 GENERAL PRACTICE FOR THE COMMUNITY GENERAL PRACTICE FOR THE COMMUNITY Per Week! �� • Estate Administration • Domestic Relations • Incorporation • Powers of Attorney • Name Change • Immigration That’s Less Than • Property Agreements • Guardianships • Social Security • Accidents • Real Estate • Elder Law A Week’s Worth Of 1528 Walnut St. Suite 1220, �� Double Mocha Lattes Philadelphia, PA 19102 ��

��

215-546-1950 (Voice) *8 Week Minimum

• WILLS & ESTATES • • DISCRIMINATION • • SMALL BUSINESS • • DIVORCE • • EMPLOYMENT • • REAL ESTATE • • CIVIL ACTIONS • • AUTO ACCIDENTS • • POWER OF ATTORNEY • • DOMESTIC PARTNERS •

James M. M. Quesenberry,MA, MA,CRC, CRC,CVE CVE James James M.Quesenberry, Quesenberry, MA, MA, CRC, CRC, CVE CVE Disability Consultant James M. Quesenberry, MA, CRC, CVE Disability Consultant DisabilityConsultant Consultant Disability Consultant

Suite 202 Suite Suite202 202 Suite 202 Rd. Oxford Valley Oxford OxfordValley ValleyRd. Rd. Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030 FairlessHills, Hills,PA PA19030 19030 Fairless 19030 Fairless Hills, PA 19030

Financial Advisor

Smith Barney

1211 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19107

215-238-5849 jeremy.r.gussick@smithbarney.com A division of Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. Member SIPC

• Criminal

�

A M W

215-546-8801 (Fax)

GALLOP �

Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia Bar Association Serving Southeastern PA., South Jersey; and Delaware. Organized to promote civil and human rights. GALLOP Referral Service provides free referrals to attorneys sensitive to the needs of the community For info or a referral, call 215-627-9090 P.O. Box 58279, Penn Center Station, Phila., PA 19102 www.galloplaw.org

THIS SPACE IS YOURS Only $25.00* Per Week!

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PAGE 45

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HOT MOUTH FOR HOT MEN WM seeks CLEAN, ﬁt, STR8/BI/Married men who want great head at my private place in Lansdale. NO RECIP wanted. 8 am-2 pm Mon-Fri. Some weekends. 18-45 ONLY. Call Jon 215 767 9571. _______________________________33-08 Harrisburg area GWM, 67 seeks discreet oral. Age unimportant. Slim or medium build. Straight or married welcomed. No relationship, just get togethers. Call 717-732-6666, leave message if not home. _______________________________33-10 POSSIBLE SERIOUS RELATIONSHIP GWM, 41, masc. but receptive seek macho gay or bi male, 18-40 for poss. serious relationship and maybe home share at my place near Atlantic City. Latinos pref. D/D free. 609432-8151, lv. msg. _______________________________33-11 GWM, Italian, top or bottom, 7” cut. Also into assplay, toys & water sports. Bi, straight, out of towners welcome. Day or night. Call Jeff at 215-850-7900. _______________________________33-10

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PAGE 46

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PAGE 48

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

FEB. 20 - 26, 2009