Philadelphia Gay News Vol. 34 No. 9
Honesty Integrity Professionalism
Feb. 26 - Mar. 4, 2010
Former COLOURS exec gets jail time
Women’s softball World Series here in ’11 By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Next summer, more than 1,000 LGBTs and allies will “Bring the Love” to Philadelphia for the largest LGBT sporting event the city has ever held. Last weekend, Philadelphia won its bid to host the 2011 World Series of Amateur Sports Alliance of North America, the women’s softball division of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance. Representatives of ASANA’s 26 member cities voted to approve the bid, spearheaded by the City of Brotherly Love Softball League, during a membership meeting in Last Vegas, this year’s host city. Although no other cities were actively competing for the bid, Cathy Harris, commissioner of CBLSL’s women’s division, said some ASANA members had expressed interest in also keeping next year’s series in Vegas, so they had to make a convincing pitch. Harris and Bob Leneghan, former commissioner of the men’s competitive division, began filming a promotional video of Philadelphia and CBLSL last summer, with the help of local filmmaker Kelly Burkhardt. The film showcased CBLSL’s women’s team in play, CBLSL events, the fields on which the series would be played and general shots of Philadelphia, organized under the proposed theme for the series — Bring the Love — an effort that garnered Philadelphia a unanimous vote from the delegates at last weekend’s meeting. “Philly was the only one placing the bid but certain members wanted to keep it in Vegas, so if they didn’t like what Philly presented, it would stay in Vegas,” Harris said. “And the challenge was that two-thirds of the delegate cities are West Coast teams, so the fact that they voted for See SOFTBALL, Page 9
By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
CANDIDATES IN THE COMMUNITY: Several of Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial candidates gathered Feb. 18 at Arch Street United Methodist Church in a community-sponsored forum to discuss such issues as healthcare, prisoner re-entry and education. Republican nominee Samuel Roher (second from left) joined Democratic nominees Joe Jack Wagner (from left), Dan Onorato and Joe Hoeffel in the meeting, which was sponsored by the Philadelphia Coalition for Essential Services and Philly Neighborhood Networks, which brought participation from such nonprofits as ACT UP, Calcutta House, The COLOURS Organization Inc., Philadelphia FIGHT and The Womyn’s Village. Photo: Scott A. Drake
The former executive director of The COLOURS Organization Inc. will spend time in federal prison for having stolen tens of thousands of dollars from the agency. Judge Anita Brody on Tuesday sentenced Dorena Kearney, who served as the head of the organization from 2001-07, to one year in federal prison followed by three years of supervised released. Kearney, 52, was also ordered to repay the city the $138,768 she stole from COLOURS. Kearney was indicted in April of last year following a joint investigation by the City Inspector General’s Office and the FBI, after COLOURS officials discovered the misappropriation of funds. The theft occurred between 2004-07, durSee KEARNEY, Page 13
Lesbian sexual-assault victim at Pure sues Weiss By Timothy Cwiek PGN Writer-at-Large A New Jersey woman who says she was raped at the former Pure Nightclub (now Voyeur) in 2008 has filed suit against operator Michael Weiss and others for allegedly failing to run a safe establishment. The woman, who identifies as a lesbian, says she was raped inside a storage closet at the Center City nightclub by Afif Bakir, who allegedly worked at Voyeur at the time of the incident. Bakir, 39, formerly of the Tacony/Wissinoming section of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to sexual assault, unlawful restraint and indecent assault. In October 2009, he began serving an 11-and-a-half-to-23month sentence at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center
in Northeast Philadelphia. After completing the jail time, Bakir also must serve three years of supervised probation, according to court records. Bakir couldn’t be reached for comment. Also named as defendants in the suit are Michael Weiss’ brother William and Michael R. Skubish Jr., a former associate of Michael Weiss. Both men allegedly helped operate Pure at the time of the incident. The defendants have requested a jury trial, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. May 2, 2011, in Room 480 of City Hall. PGN doesn’t publish the names of sexual-assault victims. The woman patronized Pure, 1221 St. James St., on Feb. 10, 2008. At some point during her See ASSAULT, Page 9
AN IVY LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN: Disney Channel president Rich Ross (from left), Penn LGBT Center director Bob Schoenberg and Penn president Amy Gutmann kick off the first annual IvyQ Conference, a gathering of more than 350 LGBT students from the eight Ivy League schools, Feb. 19 in Dunlop Auditorium. During Ross’ keynote address, the Penn alum spoke about the value of working in a welcoming environment and shared some of his personal and career experiences. Photo: Scott A. Drake
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Mayor details LGBT business initiatives By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Mayor Nutter announced several initiatives that could help strengthen and grow the LGBT business community. During a breakfast Feb. 18 sponsored by LGBT chamber of commerce Independence Business Alliance, which drew about 100 members, Nutter said the city is committed to expanding opportunities for LGBT business owners to participate directly in the economic rejuvenation of the city. U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D8th Dist.) also attended, and discussed his efforts to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on openly gay servicemembers and his backing of stimulus bills in Congress to strengthen the economy. During his speech, Nutter said the city is considering incorporating the LGBT certification offered to business owners by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce into its minority-contract process. Bill Gehrman, president of IBA, said only Washington, D.C., and San Diego include NGLCC-
certified business owners as eligible for city contracts designated for minority-owned businesses. “The city wouldn’t actually certify LGBT businesses, but the mayor was talking about the idea of using LGBT-certified businesses who’ve been approved by the NGLCC in minority-purchasing programs,” Gehrman explained. “So the mayor’s saying he wants to look at that possibly and he supports it, and that’s extremely important. That’s been one of the main goals of the IBA.” Gehrman said the IBA has been in conversation with Gloria Casarez, director of LGBT affairs for the city, and begun to evaluate the feasibility of implementing such a plan, which he added would be a boon for the LGBT business community. “LGBT-owned businesses would have increased opportunities to be considered for citygovernment projects, everything from Web-site design to marketing, manufacturing, just a slew of services that would be offered to our community,” he said. Gehrman said more than 10 local LGBT businesses have been
certified with the NGLCC, and he expects that number would jump significantly if the city began accepting the certification. Local small businesses are also getting a boost — to the tune of $27 million — from the federal stimulus package. Nutter outlined four programs to help local businesses access credit and stay afloat in the tough economic climate. The $13-million Recovery Zone Facility Bonds program will offer small-business owners lowcost capital, while the $4.5-million Gap Financing, a program begun last year, will be available to cover “gaps” business owners are struggling to overcome. Business owners can also take advantage of the $9-million Greenworks Loan Fund, an initiative that allows the city to offer loans to businesses attempting to become more energy-efficient. Likewise, business owners can apply for the Greenworks Rebate Program, which will provide rebates worth up to $10,000 or 50 percent of the total cost of a project that seeks to make energy-efficient investments in their buildings.
The mayor’s detailing of the initiatives during the IBA breakfast also helped the agency carry out one of its primary goals, Gehrman said. “Our job as a chamber of commerce is to connect business
members with the city and the opportunities it can provide for them.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
HARD QUESTIONS AND HANDSHAKES: Yikes owners Tracy and Mia Levesque greet Mayor Nutter after his speech at the Independence Business Alliance breakfast Feb. 18 at Loews Philadelphia Hotel, where he discussed the potential of LGBT-owned businesses being included in the city’s minority-contract program. During the Q&A after his speech, Tracy voiced her concern about the tangible benefits of such a designation, stating her Web-site design business has yet to see increased opportunities from its women-owned certification. Photo: Scott A. Drake
PGN is pleased to announce our staff garnered four awards in three categories for the 2009 Suburban Newspaper Association Editorial Contest, out of more than 2,000 U.S. and Canadian publications.
OUR PROUDEST CONGRATULATIONS TO: Mark Segal First place, Best Column Writing Mark My Words
Scott A. Drake First place, Best Feature Photo “Love Park”
Scott A. Drake Second place, Best Feature Photo “Gone but not forgotten”
Larry Nichols Third place, Best Arts & Entertainment Writing — Feature “Reality TV comic to get real live in New Hope”
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J. Alexander talks about “unleashing your inner attention-getter” and not that much about fashion in his book “Follow the Model.” Page 16
Family Portraits:
Since there’s no such thing as a free lunch, we review three lunch venues that at least won’t bust the budget.
Stephen Glassman Page 22
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Mr. Gay and the Flower Show
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PGN Issue Watch What do you think? PGN is conducting a reader survey and we w a n t yo u r o p i n i o n . The form is on pages 19-20 this week or you can reply online at www. epgn.com.
Poll results from our online survey as of Feb. 24:
Which winter Olympic sport has the sexiest athletes? 40% 21% 19% 12% 5% 3%
Figure skating Snowboarding Skiing Hockey Luge/Bobsled Curling
Go to www.epgn.com to weigh in on this week’s question:
What do you look forward to most in March?
National Advertising Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Office Manager/Classifieds Don Pignolet (ext. 200) don@epgn.com Executive Assistant Credit/Billing Manager Carol Giunta (ext. 202) carol@epgn.com Philadelphia Gay News is a member of: The Associated Press National Gay Newspaper Guild Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Published by Masco Communications Inc. © 2010 Masco Communications Inc. ISSN-0742-5155
The views of PGN are expressed only in the unsigned “Editorial” column. Opinions expressed in bylined columns, stories and letters to the editor are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of PGN. The appearance of names or pictorial representations in PGN does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that named or pictured person or persons.
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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News Briefing
Regional
IBA offers socialnetworking workshop The intersection of business and social networking will be the topic of discussion at a roundtable event hosted by Independence Business Alliance, the local LGBT chamber of commerce, from 12:30-2 p.m. March 3 at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St. The discussion will allow local businesspeople to share ideas and suggestions on how they can take advantage of social-networking outlets like Facebook and LinkedIn to advance the success of their businesses. Participants are invited to bring lunch. The event is free to all IBA members and non-members.
NEW YEAR’S DIVA: Miss Philadelphia 2010 Ryann Richardson (center, with tiara and sash), and about 200 revelers helped ring in the Year of the Tiger with the nonprofit group AIDS Services in Asian Communities at its Lunar New Year Banquet fundraiser Feb. 20 at Wokano, 1100 Washington Ave. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Same-sex couples to take Philly stage By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Mainstream dance competitions typically don’t open their doors to same-sex couples, but next month, Philadelphia will host LGBTs from around the world to celebrate the talents of same-sex dance partners and raise funds for a local LGBT nonprofit. The annual Philadelphia Liberty Dance Challenge will be held March 27 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Although this marks the PLDC’s fifth year, it’s the first time the event will serve as the championship competition of the North American Same-Sex Partner Dance Association. B and L Dance Productions has staged the PLDC since before NASSPDA was created, and event co-organizer Gene LaPierre said he and business partner Nancy Brown launched the competition to provide a muchneeded outlet for LGBT dancers. “In mainstream ballroom dancing, they usually don’t recognize same-sex dancing at their events, so we thought we would just start our own that would,” LaPierre said. “You don’t have to be gay to dance at this event, but you do have to be dancing with a same-sex partner.” The competition will include contests for an array of traditional ballroom dances like the waltz, tango and foxtrot, and will also allow dancers to take the floor for Latin, country-western and several other genres.
“It’s a wide range of styles,” LaPierre said. “A lot of times people hear ballroom dancing and they’re not sure what it is, but it’s anything that’s partner dancing, so we’ll have a lot of options.” The dancers, who hail from North America as well as England, Germany and other European locales, will have the option to enter different competitions, according to their skill level. Four levels — A through D — will provide opportunities to entrants with entensive to novice training. “We have a couple that have only been taking lessons for three months,” LaPierre said. “You only have to do three dances, and it’s not how many steps you know, it’s how well you’re doing the steps that you do know. You could do one step around the floor and if you’re doing it really well, you’d be fine.” The contests will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m. An all-day ticket for spectators is $15. The Grand Ball and Show, from 7-11 p.m., will feature the finals of the A-level contests, as well as several showcase numbers organized by dance teams. During the show, attendees will have the chance to peruse a silent auction, proceeds from which will be donated to LGBT grantmaking organization Sapphire Fund. Sapphire Fund will also be in the spotlight during the Grand Ball for an innovative fundraiser that has become a PLDC tradi-
tion. Three board members of the organization will be selected to participate in a dance competition and given one to two hours to team up with a professional dancer and learn the moves for two dances. After each couple dances, they’ll go through the audience collecting donations; each dollar they bring in counts as a vote for the couple. After the votes are tallied and announced for the first round, spectators will be encouraged to dig deeper into their pockets to support their favorite couple, and LaPierre said the contest usually raises about $2,000 for Sapphire Fund as well as engages the audience in the competition. “It’s a really nice change of pace. People get to see that anybody can do this,” he said. “The board members aren’t professionally trained but they can get up there and learn the dance and just have fun with it.” Tickets to the Grand Ball are $40. Contestants will receive free admission to all of the day’s events. The $75 early-bird registration special — which includes the registration fee and unlimited registration for each of the competitions — will be open until March 1. Registration will close March 15. For more information, visit www.philadelphialibertydancechallenge.com. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.
GSA hosts book sale The Gay Straight Alliance at Penn State Brandywine will host a used-book sale to raise money for the club’s future programming. The sale, which will be held from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. March 6-8 in the Lion’s Den of the Commons Building, will feature more than 10,000 books from myriad genres, including romance, murder mystery, sports and historical fiction. Most hardcover books will be $1, with paperbacks for 50 cents and children’s books for 25 cents. Penn State Brandywine is located at 25 Yearsley Mill Road, Media.
Catholic critic comes to Philly The Rev. Thomas Doyle, who was famously released from his position with the Vatican embassy in Washington, D.C., after penning a report on the prevalence of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, will lead a local discussion on the future of the church. Doyle will speak on behalf of the American Catholic Council, which seeks to foster a more accepting and affirming environment within the Catholic Church, at 7:30 p.m. March 9 at Chestnut Hill College, 9601 Germantown Ave., in the Social Room of Fourneir Hall. The event is free, but goodwill offerings will be accepted. ■ — Jen Colletta
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The Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus unveiled the third installment of its Gayborhood map and merchant guide this week, with a fresh, new look that represents several local agencies’ commitment to heightening the city’s reputation as a top LGBT travel destination. The map was spearheaded by PGTC’s marketing committee, which began working on redeveloping the agency’s existing guide nearly a year ago. The newly designed product, which was again sponsored by original partners Center City District and Enterprise Rent-aCar, also garnered sponsorship from Philadelphia Magazine, which served as an editorial and production partner. Tami Sortman, president of the PGTC, said the redesigned guide reflects the increase of gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses throughout the city. “I’m excited about the evolution of the product, from being the merchant guide to being the ‘welcome to the Gayborhood map’ — it’s much more streamlined,” she said. “And it starts at the center and radiates out — like the Gayborhood. We start on the cover with displaying the gay signage, which is what you see when you are in the Gayborhood.” Jeff Guaracino, vice president of communications at Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, said the product serves not only as a physical guide for tourists but also shows LGBT visitors that the city values their contributions. “This is designed to point the visitor to the places of interest, both daytime and nighttime, to
gay-owned and friendly businesses, which is a huge need right now. There’s no other map out there that serves that purpose,” Guaracino said. “The important thing is it’s all about the visitor experience. We want LGBT visitors to know that we want them to have the absolute best time.” Steve Rosen, head of the PGTC marketing committee that oversaw the product’s development, said the map, which was introduced in 2005 and redeveloped two years later, has changed to meet users’ needs. “It’s really an evolution,” he said. “With the interactive, Internet age we’re in now, we wanted to be able to give map users a taste of the Gayborhood and of gay Philadelphia that focused more on being engaging and exciting than on being comprehensive.” The fold-up map provides a grid of the Gayborhood, with colored and numbered dots labeled for each of the 50 businesses and agencies included; a sidebar provides the phone number and Web site for each venue. The map also offers brief writeups about several LGBT mainstays — Woody’s, William Way LGBT Community Center, Giovanni’s Room, 12th Street Gym, Knock and Alexander Inn — each featured in its own colorful bubble along with a photo. Although the graphics are more engaging than in previous years, Rosen said PGTC decided to pare down the amount of information offered in this year’s guide. “In the previous guide we attempted more or less to try to catalog every gay-owned and gay-friendly business in the Gayborhood, but in this case we tried to do as much as we could, but not as comprehensively,” he said.
WELCOME MAP: Meryl Levitz, president of Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation speaks at the Feb. 22 relaunch party of the new Gayborhood map produced by the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus held at Q Lounge. Photo: Danielle Gibson
Rosen noted the new guide directs readers to numerous Web sites that provide further information about the city and its offerings, and provides tailored messages for LGBT tourists. The product does not just focus on the Gayborhood, but also offers information on other LGBT-friendly neighborhoods, such as Rittenhouse Square, Queen Village, Northern Liberties, Fairmount and East Passyunk Aveunue/South Philadelphia, with must-see tourist destinations, bars, restaurants and shops in each area listed briefly — an effort Rosen said Philadelphia Magazine proved invaluable in fueling. “When we branched out to the neighborhoods beyond the actual Gayborhood, they were very, very helpful in shaping both the content and the writing,” he said. “The map has a great gay attitude, which we love, but it also has a Philly attitude.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Pa. support lacking on ‘Don’t Ask’ repeal By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8th Dist.) took over the legislative effort to repeal the military’s ban on openly gay servicemembers last summer and has helped the bill achieve its highest level of cosponsorship ever. However, several of Murphy’s fellow Keystone State Democrats have yet to add their names to the bill. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act currently has 187 cosponsors, about 40 more than when Murphy signed on as lead sponsor in August. Of the 11 Democrats from Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives, seven, Murphy included, have attached their names as cosponsors. Not among that list are Congressmembers Jason Altmire (4th Dist.), Christopher Carney (10th Dist.), Paul Kanjorski (11th Dist.) and Tim Holden (17th Dist.). None of the four lawmakers returned repeated calls for comment. Rep. John Murtha (12th Dist.), who died earlier this month, also was not a cosponsor, and none of the seven Republican legislators from Pennsylvania is cosponsoring the bill. In recent weeks, an array of current and former high-ranking military officers
has spoken out in support of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” along with former Vice President and Defense Secretary Dick Cheney. Murphy proffered that such statements may encourage more legislators to add their names to his bill. “With senior military leadership such as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. [Mike] Mullen, Secretary [Robert] Gates and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Colin Powell — an architect of the original policy — advocating for repeal of this hurtful law, I’m confident that we’ll see support for overturning the ban continue to build among both Democrats and Republicans,” Murphy said. The Armed Services committees of both the Senate and House held hearings Tuesday on the defense-authorization requests for next year. Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George Casey, who testified before the Senate committee, said he supported the plan Mullen and Gates laid out during a recent committee hearing — in which they said the military will take about a year to study the impact of repealing the law — but said he did not favor a moratorium on discharges. “I do have serious concerns about the impact of repeal of the law on a force that is fully engaged in two wars and has been at war for eight-and-a-half years,” Casey said.
“We just don’t know the impacts on readiness and military effectiveness.” Murphy’s bill will need 218 votes to be approved. He has said he has nearly twodozen assurances from legislators to vote for the bill but who declined to cosponsor, leaving the count at about 211. Joining Murphy on the bill are fellow Pennsylvania Democrats Bob Brady (1st Dist.), Kathleen Dahlkemper (3rd Dist.), Mike Doyle (14th Dist.), Chaka Fattah (2nd Dist.), Allyson Schwartz (13th Dist.) and Joe Sestak (7th Dist.). The bill is currently in the House Armed Services Committee, and it has been reported that it could be attached to the 2011 Defense Authorization Act — an annual military spending bill typically introduced in the summer. Murphy did not comment on a specific timeline for a vote, but did express confidence that the bill would move forward. “I’m focused on garnering additional support from my House colleagues, but repeal is clearly now a matter of when, not if,” he said. U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) announced this week that he will introduce a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal bill in the Senate next week, marking the first time that such a bill will be considered in the upper chamber of Congress. ■
Soulforce rides into Keystone State By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer More than two-dozen activists will set off on a national bus tour next week to raise awareness about LGBT issues on college campuses, and the first stop will be right outside of Philadelphia. The 2010 Equality Ride, organized by Soulforce, will kick off March 4, with participants arriving the next day at Valley Forge Christian College in Phoenixville. The bus tours, which began in 1999, allow LGBT and ally young adults to meet with students and administration at colleges and universities that have discriminatory policies toward LGBT students, with the aim of fostering conversations about the detriments of such rules and serve as a support system for the LGBT students. This year’s ride will take the activists on a tour of 16 colleges throughout the nation. The Equality Ride has only stopped at two other Pennsylvania schools in its history — Messiah College in Philadelphia and Eastern College in Saint David’s. Jessica Kalup, a heterosexual ally and Philadelphia native, participated in the 2007 ride and said that, after deciding to return this year, she and another rider collaborated to get Valley Forge on the tour
because of the school’s stringent antiLGBT atmosphere. Homosexuality is listed in the school’s student handbook under the header “Sexual Immorality,” alongside pornography, promiscuity, premartial sex, adultery, rape, sexual violence and abuse. “The way it operates is that if someone is caught on their campus being LGBTQ, then their official policy is to expel the student,” Kalup said. “And if the student refuses to go to reparative therapy, which we know is neither reparative nor therapy, they’ll alert the student’s family, which of course results in a wildfire of negative things, including students I’ve heard about who wound up homeless as a result of this school’s policy.” Kalup said Soulforce first made contact with the school’s president, Dr. Donald Myer, in September, and he responded via e-mail asking for the school to be removed from the tour. In January, Myer agreed to a phone conference with Kalup and Equality Ride director Caitlin MacIntyre, and Kalup said he was “adamant” that the riders not visit the school and said they would be treated as “unwelcomed guests” if they followed through with their plan. Kalup said Myer did not respond to further e-mails and phone calls, but several days ago another school official contacted
Soulforce to confirm the riders would be considered as trespassers. “Something needs to be addressed whether they want it to be or not,” Kalup said. “At the end of the day, they still will have LGBTQ students on campus. Even if the school doesn’t welcome us there, we want to reach and connect to these students who are in an environment that makes them feel ashamed of who they are and show them that it is possible to feel good about yourself and to celebrate your identity.” Kalup said it’s a “very real possibility” that the riders will be arrested at the school, a threat she said won’t deter the activists. “We never choose to get arrested, the administration chooses to arrest us,” she said. “Our hope is always that when we cross the line onto campus, the administration will have a change of heart and recognize the value of our conversation.” Soulforce does have a permit for the nearby Charlestown Park, at Coldstream and Township Line roads, where the LGBT and ally community is invited to come out and show support for the riders beginning at 10 a.m. March 5. For more information about the 2010 Equality Ride, visit www.soulforce.org. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.
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Media Trail Rep. apologizes for sex accusations The Nashua Telegraph reports New Hampshire state Rep. Nancy Elliott apologized Feb. 16 and withdrew her claim that gay sex was being taught to fifth-graders. “I would like to apologize to the Judiciary Committee, the Nashua public schools and its employees and the speaker, as well as anyone else affected,” Elliott said. Elliott’s comments were made during a Feb. 12 Judiciary Committee hearing for a bill that would repeal same-sex marriage. She said a parent had told her that fifthgraders had been shown pictures of naked men and taught how to engage in anal sex. Nashua school officials have insisted her charge was false. Elliott said she went back to her source of the statement to verify the information. “I found that I could not confirm the accuracy of the information,” she said.
Court reverses $6.2M discrimination award The Washington Post reports a California appellate court has reversed a $6.2-million verdict in a discrimination lawsuit filed by a black lesbian firefighter. The 2nd District Court of Appeals issued a decision Feb. 18 in the lawsuit filed by Brenda Lee, who sued the city of Los Angeles alleging the fire department discriminated against her. Lee claimed her superiors made derogatory comments about her and put her through grueling drills without proper safety precautions. The appeals court said that Lee failed to pursue all administrative remedies following her termination in 2005. The 2007 jury payout was the largest in a string of settlements of discrimination cases against the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Gay group asks U of Alaska to update policy The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports members of the gay-straight alliance at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have again asked the Board of Regents to add sexual orientation to the school’s nondiscrimination policy. Tristan Walsh told regents Feb. 18 that the UA system is lagging behind other state universities in its protection of LGBT students and employees. Regent Kirk Wickersham said the board is committed to dealing with the issue this year, but the search for a new UA president has slowed the process. ■ — Larry Nichols
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FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
More changes abound at state advocacy group By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Pennsylvania’s LGBT education and advocacy agency is heading into its search for a permanent executive director with a new name and new board members. The former Equality Advocates Pennsylvania has experienced a series of recent upheavals — with the resignation of its executive director late last year and two rounds of board-wide resignations — but current board president Brian Sims said the agency, newly minted as Equality Pennsylvania, is on the right track. Sims said that “when the dust settles,” Equality Pennsylvania will be the umbrella for the entire agency, which will house a 501 (c)(3) branch called Equality Pennsylvania Educational
Fund, a 501 (c)(4) as Equality Pennsylvania and a yet-to-benamed political action committee. Sims said the reorganization stemmed from the agency’s analysis of other successful statewide advocacy agencies, which focus heavily on their 501 (c)(4) operations, as the designation allows the groups to have expanded lobbying power. Since Equality Pennsylvania will devote much of its efforts to lobbying, Sims said the agency has decided to open a new office in Harrisburg, which should launch in April. “We know that given the emphasis on lobbying we’re going ahead with, we’re just as likely to have our staff in Harrisburg as they are to be here in Philadelphia, so it made sense to have a physical location for them to work out of,”
Sims said, noting he expects a full-time Harrisburg employee to be hired by year’s end. The new office is expected to open around the same time Equality Pennsylvania hires its new executive director. The organization opened its search for a permanent executive director last week. The job posting is listed on the Web sites of The Equality Federation, Victory Fund and Idealist, and applications will be accepted through April 1. Sims said Equality Pennsylvania has enlisted the help of Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Frankel (D-23rd Dist.), Common Pleas Court Judge Dan Anders and the president of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Diversity Education Consortium, Arthur Breese, who will sit on the search committee, along with several members
of the board. Stephen Glassman, chair of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, will serve as an advisor to the committee. Sims said the committee will undertake a “significant review” of the applicants and will bring in the top two or three candidates for interviews by April, then make a decision shortly thereafter. In the meantime, decision-making is being handled by the 11member board and staff, which includes part-time office administrator Joe Dungee and full-time volunteer Mason Lane, as managing director Jake Kaskey, who was appointed last month after executive director Lynn Zeitlin stepped down, is on medical leave. The board approved three new board members at its meeting last month in Harrisburg: Joyce Avila of Tobyhanna, Paul Nardone of Scranton and David Price of
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Pittsburgh. Sims said he’s looking to have a total of 16 or 17 board members to represent all LGBT communities in the Keystone State. “We’re getting there. We’re working with a couple key organizations in the state to start identifying board members in smaller regions, areas like York or Reading or parts of northwestern Pennsylvania,” he said. “If we’re truly going to be a statewide organization, people deserve to see representation from their regions. Are we there yet? Absolutely not, but we’re significantly closer than we’ve ever been.” Sims said he’s also hoping to attract members from diverse ethnic backgrounds, heterosexual allies and those who represent a wide array of strengths. “We want the board to be a mix of people who are fundraisers, those who are politically active, community organizers, business people, lobbyists and those who understand nonprofit organizations,” he said. The board’s former secretary and treasurer resigned in late December and Nardone was elected secretary. Sims said the treasurer position will be filled at an upcoming board meeting. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
SOFTBALL From Page 1 Philly and were willing to travel to Philadelphia was really incredible. We made them fall in love with our city.” About 60 teams are expected to participate in the series, with about 1,000 players and an estimated 200 spectators joining them. “This will be the largest LGBT sports event ever put on in Philadelphia, so it’s very significant,” said Jeff Sotland, CBLSL commissioner. “This is going to bring together hundreds of people who don’t normally get together and a lot of groups from throughout the city who don’t work with each other on a consistent basis.” Over the next 30 days, CBLSL will be working with ASANA to finalize the contracts and legalities, Harris said. Then, planning will head into full swing, with CBLSL forming numerous committees to oversee the different components of the process, one of the most important of which, Harris said, is a strong volunteer base from the local LGBT community. “The first thing we need is just volunteers, to see what people can offer and what they’re willing to do. Besides looking for sponsorships and for money, we want to work with organizations to see what kind of volunteers they can provide, because they’re going to be huge in making sure, when all of these teams come into the city, that they’re shown around, shown a good time and supported.” That’s not to say that monetary donations won’t also be welcomed. Sotland said the city has been supportive of the effort but made it clear it can’t assist with defraying the $100,000 cost of the event. Harris said CBLSL will first turn to corporate and organizational sponsors and also plan community fundraising events this summer. As the host city, CBLSL will also be able to enter nine or 10 teams in the series — as opposed to four for the visiting cities. Harris said CBLSL’s intention to host the series already garnered the league new players in the last few months, and she expects that trend to continue now that the bid was successful. “Our league alone is going to grow in size with women who want to participate and be a part of this,” she said. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
Editorial Empty Pride House This year, for the first time, openly gay and lesbian athletes in the Olympics have somewhere to hang their hats — Pride House. All six of them. The International Gay and Lesbian Sports Association, who sponsored the houses in Whistler and Vancouver, hoped it would provide a safe space for the sparse number of out athletes to socialize and relax — and maybe, after the competition is over, for athletes who aren’t yet out to join them. In this year’s Winter Olympics, among the some 5,000 athletes, there are six out lesbians and no openly gay men (though certainly a few who many suspect are). The lesbians include Dutch speedskater Ireen Wust (who won gold in the 1,500 meters), her girlfriend and teammate Sanne van Kerkhof, Dutch speedskater Renate Groenewold, Canadian hockey player Sarah Vaillaincourt, Swedish hockey player Erika Holst and Norwegian cross-country skier Vibeke Skofterud. Though the house may not have attracted hordes of out athletes, it has drawn some VIP visitors: Stephen Colbert of “The Colbert Report” and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. Colbert reportedly criticized a poster of two male hockey players about to kiss, for using “who” instead of “whom.” The poster reads: “Shocking? For who?” Touché, grammarian. Amid the calls for athletes to come out, there have been several astute analyses as to why they don’t, beyond homophobia. The explanation that rings most true is the sheer dedication an Olympic-level athlete must have to be competitive: They just don’t have time to be in a relationship. (Even some hetero athletes have eschewed dating and relationships to focus on their sport.) One author pointed out that athletes who have trained since a young age may not have even taken the time to sort out their sexual orientation, again, being highly focused on their athletic ability. Which would also support why athletes tend to come out near the end of their careers, or when they are done competing entirely. Of course homophobia in sports still plays a part in keeping Olympians in the closet. And since corporate sponsorships help an athlete along, they also don’t want to distract from the task at hand: excelling in sports. Interestingly, one of the out women, when asked about her girlfriend, noted that interviewers didn’t ask the heterosexual athletes about their partners, asserting that it shouldn’t be relevant to her achievements. On the one hand, she’s absolutely right. On the other, society isn’t fully accepting yet, so there is still a need to be out and open. ■
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
Jennifer Vanasco
Gays without borders The gay news from Africa gets more frightening every day. In Uganda, a member of Parliament said he would hang his son if he learned that he was gay. He said this while the Ugandan Parliament debated an antigay bill imposing harsh penalties for homosexuality — including death. In Malawi, a gay couple faces 14 years in prison because they held an engagement party. There, gay marriage is not just illegal (meaning, not allowed) — it is criminal. And in Kenya, mob violence greeted fake reports of the marriage of two gay men. Rioters destroyed computers and other equipment in an AIDS clinic. And they went house to house in a witch-hunt to find gay men, arrest them — and beat them. The American reaction to this — even the gay American reaction — tends to be one of two things. We’re indifferent. Or we’re horrified, but blame American Christians and expect them to fix it. We blame American Christians because some extreme, antigay rightwingers encouraged fear of gays within the Ugandan government. Some have taken responsibility for that; some have not. But it is not enough anymore for the gay community to stand by while
our African brothers and sisters are rousted from their homes, beaten senseless, arrested and killed. We cannot sit back and expect our homegrown American extremists to make it better. After all, they might have been responsible — or at least instigated — the situation in Uganda, but Kenya’s horrors were incited by local Muslim clerics. Instead, we must do what we can. And we can do a lot. On the home front, we can use our political power to ensure that African gays and lesbians who are in danger in their home countries find political asylum here. And we can help them find homes, jobs, education. We can pressure our leaders to make public statements against antigay violence (President Obama, of Kenyan heritage and beloved in Africa, would be a particularly effective spokesperson). And we can encourage our political leaders to tie the billions of dollars of HIV/AIDS funding that we send to gay-friendly education efforts. But we can be even more creative. Christians, after all, didn’t have pull in Uganda because they made a speech. They have influence because they have spent millions of dollars in Africa — on AIDS, infrastructure, food aid, personnel to educate and
heal. They send missionaries to live among the people. They recruit. It is time we did the same. We need Gays Without Borders. We need to pool our talent and resources to assist developing countries. After all, gays and lesbians — lesbians in particular — tend to gravitate toward nonprofits. We are social workers, doctors, nurses, teachers. Why shouldn’t we put that knowledge to use to help Africans? Who knows how to organize the medical establishment (or lack thereof) to fight AIDS better than gays and lesbians? And we wouldn’t help just gay Africans, either. Christian relief groups don’t just help Christians. Instead, the idea is to be a model — and to encourage a certain way of thinking. In our case, that way of thinking would be: Gay is OK. Many Africans think of gay people as perverted. They think of us as an underground sexual cult of some kind. But Gays Without Borders could show them firsthand that we are a people to be respected, emulated, idolized. We are scared and horrified by the news coming out of Africa. It is time we did something about it. ■ Jennifer Vanasco is an award-winning syndicated columnist. E-mail her at Jennifer.Vanasco@gmail.com.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
Mark My Words
Mark Segal
Some shameless self-promotion Did you know that you’re now reading the best weekly column of any newspaper in the nation with a similar circulation? Yes, “Mark My Words” won first place in the Suburban Newspaper Association 2009 national journalism competition. The organization is one of the largest national newspaper associations in the country, with a membership of more than
2,000 publications. But there were more pleasant surprises. If you enjoy the great photo art by Scott Drake in PGN, you should appreciate that he took both first and second place in the Feature Photo category for SNA, for “Love Park” and “Gone but not forgotten,” respectively. If that were not enough, Larry Nichols won third place in the Arts & Entertainment Writing category for his interview with reality-TV comic Ant. To my knowledge and my 34-year history in gay media, this is the most awards won by an LGBT newspaper in a mainstream national journalism contest. Mark My Words has won many awards over the years, like second place among columns in Pennsylvania. I used to enjoy saying I was always second best since I’ve won that honor twice, but this most
recent award comes with some ironic twists. All of these contests are secretly judged by our peers in journalism, but the judges are not made public until after the winners are announced. In the column category, you must enter three examples. I asked our editor, Sarah Blazucki, to pick the column entries. Here’s where it really gets interesting. She picked “Bad breaks & missed reunions,” “Republican Party stuck in the past” and, to my surprise, “Shut up, Pope.” [Editor’s note: I must have been feeling feisty that day.] Here’s the kicker: After we had stopped cheering — first place in a national column-writing contest! — we looked at who had judged the contest. And we were bewildered and amazed. The Journalism Department faculty of Loyola University Chicago, School of Communication judged this contest for SNA. That’s a Catholic university, and they chose as the best columnist one who wrote a column titled “Shut up, Pope.” Of course, these latest SNA awards don’t include the numerous awards PGN has won from the other professional organizations to which we belong. We’re always proud to say that you’re reading the most award-winning LGBT newspaper in the nation. ■
Mark Segal is PGN publisher. He can be reached at mark@epgn.com.
Letters and Feedback In response to “First LGBT endorsements of the year,” Feb. 19-25: Could you tell me the last time you spoke with Daryl? Obviously, you do not read, Mark. As Daryl has indicated in several of his interviews, to which I do not believe you have done one, that his sexuality is not an issue. Instead, I believe the quote is, “I am a man who is openly gay, not an openly gay man.” Something you would know nothing about, Mark. Also, your journalism lacks the follow-through that writers generally participate in. Somehow I would think you would interview the two candidates above, silly me. Just like the rest of the PGN “opinion” articles you write. Bought! Everyone should look long and hard at where Mark’s articles come from. I believe not that long ago he was “bragging” about drinks he had with Mike O’Brien and other legislators. Where does his allegiance lie? To those who buy him, folks ... — John Sader
[Editor’s note: PGN will interview candidates closer to March 9, the deadline to file nomination petitions for the Pennsylvania primary.] John, thank you for your kind words about Daryl. However, I have a different perception of Daryl. I am very happy that Mark has attempted to form an opinion about Daryl without the facts laid out before him, as is far too common with articles written in the PGN. Might I reference an article written in regard to Obama’s achievements (a press release sent out by the White House), and then a counter article written not five weeks later. I am very interested in how Mark arrives at the opinion that Mike O’Brien is such an advocate for gays and lesbians, as I cannot find open floor statements, transcripts from hearings or any sort of donations to gay and lesbian causes in the last few years associated to him. On to the portion of your “opinion” of Daryl using his sexuality as an issue. While campaigning is difficult and the community asks
questions, Mark, Daryl does find it necessary to be truthful. When asked by a reporter, Daryl chooses to answer with a truthful statement and I would hope that reporters would print the truth. As far as walking the walk: Mark, you do not know Daryl (like I do) to determine if he has walked the walk or not. Daryl has worked in both the governmental sector and the private sector, has worked at both small businesses and universities, and has spent a majority of his life balancing a budget. At this particular time, it is necessary to have fiscally conscious people in Harrisburg. Does it really matter if he is gay? So thank you for your slanted “perception of Daryl,” but I choose to keep mine quiet about you. — Anonymous-Fishtown Mark Segal, your support of Babette Josephs is a joke. Over the recent years you have proved yourself to be a political hack who will say and do anything to protect your own falling image. Our community needs leaders and not people like you and Josephs. — Anonymous
PAGE 11
Street Talk Is it appropriate to ask an LGBT judge to recuse him- or herself from a marriage-equality case?
Jennifer Bernardin student Collingswood, N.J.
Xer Gata software developer South Philadelphia
“No. My father’s a judge in New Jersey. Nobody would ask him to recuse himself from a case because he’s straight. The same should be true for a gay judge. [A judge’s] sexual orientation shouldn’t enter the picture. Judges should be able to separate their professional life from their personal life.”
“I can see why most of America would want the judge to step down. Gay people and Middle-Eastern people are the new blacks. They’re treated as pariahs in society. But I don’t agree. Sexual orientation is never a valid reason to disqualify a judge.”
Amanda Hagenbuch retail salesperson South Philadelphia
Alyssa Hargrove student Washington Square West
“No. Granted, the judge will have some level of bias. Everyone has biases. But that doesn’t mean he or she won’t act professionally. If they don’t rule correctly, that would just make more problems for the cause.”
“No. It would be discriminating against someone because of their sexual orientation. That’s ridiculous. Nothing is perfect in life. But you can’t hold that against a person. Sometimes you get a straight judge, other times a gay judge. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.”
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 12
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Gayborhood Crime Watch The following incidents in the Midtown Village and Washington Square West areas were recently reported to the Sixth Police District. Information is courtesy of Sixth District Capt. Brian Korn, the Police Liaison Committee and Midtown Village Merchants Association.
ARREST: On Feb. 11, as a result of community concerns expressed at the Sixth District police service area No. 3 meeting on Jan. 20, the Sixth District Narcotics Enforcement Team set up a surveillance for illegal narcotic activity in the area of the methadone clinic, 1232 Locust St., when at 11:20 a.m. officers
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observed a male outside that location answer a call on his cell phone and then walk to the 100 block of South 12th Street, where he was observed selling narcotics to a female. The male fled south on 12th Street upon seeing the officers approaching and was apprehended after a short foot pursuit. The female buyer fled the area during the foot pursuit. Confiscated from the male were 22 prescription narcotic pills and cash. The 60-year-old alleged offender with a North Philadelphia address was charged with illegal narcotics sale. REPORT: Between 11:30 a.m., Feb. 8 and 10:15 p.m. Feb. 11, complainant’s 2008 Nissan, parked in the paid garage at 1201 Walnut St., had a window smashed and a Gucci perfume set taken. Sixth District Officer Sweeney attempted to lift fingerprints. REPORT: Between 6 p.m. Feb. 5 and 9:30 a.m. Feb. 6, (reported Feb. 11), complainant’s 1997 Nissan, parked in the 400 block of South Ninth Street, was taken without permission. ■
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FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
KEARNEY From Page 1 ing which time Kearney opened four credit-card accounts in both her name and the name of COLOURS and used the agency’s funds to pay for such personal expenses as plastic surgery, clothing, dog grooming and a cruise. “The money she took was not used to sustain herself, but for her selfish interests,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Barrett, who prosecuted the case, said during the hearing. “Because of that, COLOURS had $138,000 less that it was able to use for programs that were worthwhile, meaningful and benefited society as a whole.” Chief Inspector Amy Kurland spoke during the hearing on behalf of the city to communicate the impact Kearney’s theft had on the city’s LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities. “Kearney’s crime is especially egregious because she stole public money that citizens and elected officials of Philadelphia had dedicated to some of its most disenfranchised and those hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic,” Kurland said. “Kearney’s crime erodes the faith of citizens in the city’s ability to function and causes people to question the honesty, integrity and efficiency of how the city is run. This damage cannot be measured.” Prior to her sentencing, Kearney appealed to the judge for leniency, saying she continues to remain an active member of the LGBT community. “I’d like to apologize publicly to the court, the community and this great city that I took advantage of,” she said. “I disappointed a lot of people. My mission at COLOURS was to serve the people, especially the African-American gay and lesbian youth, which was my goal, all the way until today. They still call me at home for help, and I think I’m a better person for that. I won’t change my cell phone, I still have the same number, because I want them to be able to call me. I ask you to read between the lines and look into my heart and not at what’s on that paper when you sentence me.” Before Brody handed down the sentence, Kearney’s attorney, Joseph Capone, reviewed a litany of medical conditions he said Kearney was struggling with and asked the judge to spare Kearney jail time because of these conditions. Capone said Kearney recently had a cancer scare and had also been diagnosed with cerebrovas-
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
cular disease, which inhibits her blood flow; hypertension; chronic leukopenia, a lowering of the white blood cells; seizures; and bloodclotting. Capone said Kearney has also been implanted with a mechanism for bladder control and a spinal-cord stimulator to alleviate pain from herniated lumbar and cervical disks. A letter from the Bureau of Prisons, obtained by Barrett, attested that the prison system would be able to manage Kearney’s medical conditions. Eight of the regular medications Kearney takes are available within the prison system’s formulary, and Barrett said the others could be obtained for her.
KEARNEY PGN file photo
Kearney’s brother, George Darby, testified before the court about his sister’s medical problems. “I’ve been back and forth to the hospital and the doctors with her, and it’s very difficult to handle. I call her the bionic woman because she has so many instruments implanted in her. She’s in excruciating pain,” he said. Darby also told the judge that Kearney was remorseful for her actions. “She understands what she did, and as her brother and her pastor, I’m asking for mercy and forgiveness for her,” he said. “She’s always had a good heart. I don’t know how it got off track.” Kearney’s partner of 13 years, Angela Cephas, also provided an emotional plea on Kearney’s behalf, noting that their family, including Kearney’s 13-year-old son, has spent the past year strug-
gling with her indictment and her medical issues. “I love Dorena very much. She’s very aware of what she’s done, but she’s suffering right now. No one but her family knows what she’s gone through. Putting her in a facility is going to be a death sentence for her,” Cephas said. “Dorena’s a good woman and there were a lot of harsh things said about her today. She’s done a lot for the community and she’s a good woman with a good heart who just fell short.” While Brody acknowledged that Kearney suffered from “serious medical conditions,” she said she believed her crime warranted prison time. Brody’s sentence was outside the scope of the sentencing guidelines, which for Kearney’s crime amounted to 18-24 months. Brody said she will contact the Bureau of Prisons to recommend Kearney be admitted to a prison with a medical facility that will be able to handle her ailments. Kearney will self-report to the designated facility April 9. The board of directors of COLOURS released a joint statement after the sentencing, noting that the agency has been working over the past year to retain the trust and faith of the local community and is looking forward to moving into its next phase of development. “Through these difficult times, we continued to believe that the communities we serve as well as our mission were critically important to building and preserving the unique voices of LGBT people of color. Given all that we have faced and will face in the future, today does bring us some resolve. However, the work ahead of us continues to be our priority, and we hope that our partners and participants will continue to work with us as we turn this chapter for a new chapter. We look forward to working with those who believe our mission is still important.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
ASSAULT From Page 1
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visit, she wished to request a song from the disc jockey, according to the lawsuit. She didn’t know where the entrance to the disc-jockey booth was, and saw Bakir carrying bottles of liquor and keys. Perceiving him to be an employee of Pure, the woman asked Bakir to take her to the DJ booth, to which Bakir allegedly agreed. But instead of taking her to the DJ booth, Bakir allegedly took the woman to a storage room and raped her. “In the storage room, Bakir grabbed [the woman] by the shoulder and maneuvered her to the floor,” the lawsuit states. “After [the woman] fell to the floor, Bakir pulled his penis out of his pants and forced it into her mouth. [Then] Bakir forcibly penetrated [the woman’s] vagina with his penis. [The woman] made several attempts to free herself from Bakir, but was unable to do so until after she was assaulted and after Bakir ejaculated inside her.” The defendants failed to adequately hire, supervise, monitor and/or instruct their employees, and failed to provide a controlled and secure environment for patrons, the lawsuit alleges. But in defense papers, the defendants denied all allegations, and said they “attempted to provide a safe nightclub atmosphere at all times.” They specifically denied any negligence or recklessness on their part. The defendants also denied that Bakir worked at the club. “Defendants had no reason to know that defendant Bakir may be a danger to anyone,” according to defense papers. “Defendants acted in a reasonable and prudent manner and the criminal actions of the individual Afif Bakir relieve defendants of any liability.” The defendants also denied that they owned Pure. “Defendants specifically deny that they owned, operated, possessed, managed, maintained and/ or controlled the nightclub known as Pure or Club Pure or Voyeur Nightclub.” Named as organizational defendants in the lawsuit are Esbert LLC, a limited-liability company based in Philadelphia, and Mayfield Social Club, a nonprofit social entity also based in Philadelphia. Both organizations list Michael Weiss as their president. Attorney Christopher J. Pakuris represents defendants Michael Weiss, William Weiss, Skubish,
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Mayfield Social Club and Esbert LLC. Pakuris had no comment for this story. Maura E. McKenna, an attorney for the plaintiff, also had no comment. The plaintiff is seeking more than $50,000 in damages, maintaining the incident caused her extreme mental anguish and suf-
PAGE 15
fering, and reduced her ability to enjoy the “pleasures and enjoyments of life.” Her lawsuit was filed in October 2009 in Philadelphia County Common Pleas Court, and has been assigned to Common Pleas Court Judge Jacqueline F. Allen. ■ Timothy Cwiek can be reached at (215) 625-8501 ext. 208.
What do you think? PGN is conducting a reader survey and we want your opinion. The survey form is on pages 19-20 this week or you can reply online at www.epgn.com.
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215-568-6222
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
A departure from the ordinary
Detour
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FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
‘Top Model’ star and coach talks new book, season By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer “I got a little too personal,” said J. Alexander — aka Miss J — about his recent book “Follow the Model.” “Someone who was going through it with me said, ‘Jay, this is getting too deep and this is not going to fly. This part you have to take out,’ because I went to the gutter with it.” He makes it sound dirtier than it actually is, but “Follow the Model” doesn’t hold too much back, as Alexander candidly describes his meticulous and inspirational ascent from a dress-wearing teenager from the South Bronx strutting his stuff in the decadent heyday of Studio 54 to the globally recognized and openly gay runway coach, model and fashion consultant for TV shows such as “America’s Next Top Model.” Alexander said he worked on his book, which alternates between his life story and a guide to unleashing your inner attention-getter, little by little for about a year until it was finished. “When I was finally approached about it, what I did was I sat down
at home in Paris,” he said. “I would spend two hours per subject. It took a while and, once I got it down, I sat down with a writer to put it together. It was a long process.” Alexander also said that while the
J. ALEXANDER
fashion industry is always a factor in his life and livelihood, the book isn’t necessarily about fashion. “Everyone expected a book on fashion. I didn’t want it to be on fashion, as I’m not a fashion expert,” he said. “I just love fashion. I know what I like and I have quite a bit of knowledge on it. But I would never say that I’m going to write a book and tell women how they should dress, even though I have done that, and give advice in the book. It’s tips more than advice.” It’s a surprising stance to hear from someone who was signed to Elite Model Management as a teenager, walked on runways all over the world and coached supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Kimora Lee Simmons, as well as designers like Valentino and Chanel. If J. Alexander doesn’t qualify as a fashion expert, who does? But he said he avoids this label because reality television has worn it out. “So many people have ruined that title in the business,” he said. “All of a sudden, a person who used to work in a department store gets a celeb-
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
rity that comes in. He helps the celebrity and then that celebrity decides that person may have a good eye. The next thing you know, that person is saying that
they are a stylist to the stars. When I hear them misuse words in fashion on a show, I realize that these people on these fashion programs don’t want people who know fashion. They want people just to say that it’s a pretty dress. They really don’t want anyone who has knowledge within the business because it makes the producers look idiotic. I don’t
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
want that title. It’s great that people say that about me but, in the end, I just know fashion very, very well. But I wouldn’t call myself an expert.” He could have fooled us. “It all happens so quick for people that they just run with it and not realize you need to make sense to people,” Alexander added. “Reality TV has given us all a great position, even myself. But I came onto ‘America’s Next Top Model’ with already a lot of information and a lot of expertise under my belt. A lot of it is trial and error. It’s being in some of the most incredible design houses, watching designers working together. I live in Paris. So I smell, I feel it, I taste it, I see it. And I can educate [others] from what I learned.” Alexander has been involved with “Top Model” since the beginning and a judge on the show since its fifth cycle. But he said he is stepping down from the judges’ table on the upcoming season (with “fashion expert” and Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley taking his place) so he can focus on working with the contestants more. “As of this cycle, it all has changed,” he said. “I’m there, I’m working more with the girls.
PAGE 17
I’d rather teach them how to get the walk right than judge a picture. There was so much more that I wanted to say but I really couldn’t say it because I wasn’t working with them. I was just judging a picture. So, I thought, if I’m going to tear you apart, I want to have a reason because I visually see it. It’s really difficult because these girls are in a position. They’re excited they’re on TV. They get homesick. It may not be what they wanted in the end. There’s a freakout moment where the girls just don’t learn anything and shut down. I thought that the more that you can encourage them, little by little, you can build them up. But of course I can always be a guest judge on the show, which helps because then I can verbally say what really is MISS J’S HITS: EARLYS DAY AS A MODEL (LEFT), WITH TYRA BANKS wrong because I’m ON “AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL” (BOTTOM) AND STRIKING A POSE always working with (ABOVE) them constantly.” enables him to stay grounded. so far, he’s not ready to bite. When it comes “It’s a job. Things change. “When I feel it and it’s right, to the new batches of hopeful models that come on the show then I’ll go with it,” he said. The characters change. Positions every season, Alexander said “I’m not going to do it because change. It really is that kind he is amazed when they arrive people think I should. I was told of world that we are in. I take thinking it’s going to be a walk I should have done a book five or what I do seriously, but I don’t six years ago because the show take myself so seriously in the in the park. Really? Don’t they watch the may not last. Well, this is cycle end where I make myself crazy 14. We’ve been doing the show about what’s happening within show? “It’s hard work,” he said. “It’s for six years. Then it has to be the world of fashion. Just me not easy. This is just the begin- the right show. I don’t want to be not living and breathing everyning for them if they would like up on TV for the sake of thinking thing fashion helps keeps me to have a serious career. I’m I’m losing my popularity and I grounded. I do what I do and always surprised at the people have to do a show right now. For then I go home. I’m not at every who still think that this isn’t hard me, I have to feel it in my soul single party or event. I don’t try that this is it.” to be in everyone’s face. I’m work.” It would be easy for someone slightly crazy by nature. That’s With Alexander’s high level of visibility on TV in the fashion in Alexander’s position to get a who I am, that crazy person. But world and the fact that people big head about his success, but there’s a part of me that needs to who are far less famous are get- in reading “Follow the Model,” detach myself from that as much ting their own reality shows it becomes clear that he is level- and as often as possible.” “Follow the Model” is in these days, it’s hard to imagine headed and down to earth, even that someone hasn’t tried at least though he’s immersed himself stores now. The next season of once or twice to spin Miss J off in industries driven by fame, “America’s Next Top Model” of “Top Model” and onto his money, ego and trend chasing (or starts March 10. ■ setting, depending on who you own series. Larry Nichols can be reached at Actually, Alexander said the talk to). Alexander said his personality larry@epgn.com. idea has been brought up — but
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 18
Offline Be a Brick! Buy a Brick For $50 or a lintel for $500.
Support your Independents! MON. - SAT. 11:30 - 7p.m. SUNDAY 1:00 - 7p.m. email: giovannis_room@verizon.net
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
Bruce Yelk
Spring is a state of mind I want to start by congratulating the first two Mr. Gay Philadelphia preliminary winners. On Feb. 18, Emmanuel garnered the title of Mr. Gay Q Lounge. Two days later, Jacob was crowned Mr. Gay Woody’s, rising to the top of one of the hottest preliminary contests in Mr. Gay Philadelphia’s four-year history. In the coming weeks, several more winners will be crowned at the following preliminary events: Visit www.nightlifegay.com for
information about each one, as well as details about the Mr. Gay Philadelphia Competition on April 17 at Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James St. — Mr. Gay Voyeur, Feb. 26 — Mr. Gay Tavern on Camac, March 3, 243 S. Camac St. — Mr. Gay Daly’s Pub & Restaurant, March 11, 4201-11 Comly St. — Mr. Gay Shampoo, March 19, 417 N. Eighth St. — Mr. Gay Stir, March 19, 1705 Chancellor St. A d d i t i o n a l l y, a n u m b e r of other local LGBT events shouldn’t be missed. On Feb. 27, the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus will present “A Potomac Love Affair” — a joint concert between PGMC’s select ensemble, Brotherly Love, and its counterpart from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., Potomac Fever. Beginning at 8 p.m. at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, 2110 Chestnut St., the concert will feature songs from five decades of hits from celebrated artists, including Elton John and Carly
Simon. Tickets are only $20 and can be purchased online at www. pgmc.org; Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; PHAG Shop, 1225 Chestnut St.; or from any PGMC member. If “A Potomac Love Affair” whets your musical appetite, also mark your calendar for the Philadelphia Freedom Band’s Spring Concert at 6 p.m. March 14 at Settlement Music School, 416 Queen St. This concert, entitled “3.14 = Pie,” will feature a series of uplifting numbers, a silent auction and pie served at intermission. Admission is free, but a $5 donation to help support the organization is encouraged. For more information on this exciting event, visit philadelphiafreedomband.com. Also this weekend, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation is hosting a press trip for prominent LGBT journalists. If you’re bouncing around Center City and happen to spot Michael Musto from The Village Voice, Mickey Boardman of Paper Magazine or Frank DeCaro from Sirius OutQ Radio, make sure to say hello. During their trip, they’ll have
the opportunity to preview the following spring events: — “Picasso and The AvantGarde in Paris,” Philadelphia Museum of Art’s heralded new exhibit, 26th and the Parkway. Always brilliant, but occasionally misunderstood by critics and fellow creators, Picasso is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Featuring a wide collection of his greatest works, this promises to be one of the hottest tickets in Philadelphia. The exhibit runs through April 25, but you should plan in advance to secure your tickets. For more information on the exhibit and ticketing details, visit www.philamuseum.org. — The 2010 International Philadelphia Flower Show, starting Feb. 28 and running through March 7 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St., will feature a wide range of special exhibits from worldrenowned landscape designers and architects, as well as garden and floral specialists. This year’s show has an international flavor, with attractions inspired
JOHN LEAR: The Final Drawings The Chestnut Hill Gallery is proud to exhibit the last works of the late John Lear (1910-2008). A Philadelphia native, Lear leaves behind a stunning collection of original pencil drawings and watercolors, comprised of mostly figurative studies. Only a handful of these affordables treasures remain. Stop by today to take a look!
CHESTNUT HILL GALLERY 8117 Germantown Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19118 215-248-2549 www.chestnuthillgallery.com
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
by India, Brazil, the Netherlands, South Africa, New Zealand and Singapore. For more information and to purchase tickets in advance, visit www.theflowershow.com. On Saturday evening, the visiting journalists will take a preview tour of the route for this spring’s “Pink Pub Crawl.” On March 20, the first Saturday of spring, the Pink Pub Crawl will lead hundreds of participants to a variety of Philadelphia’s most popular LGBT bars and social establishments. Beginning at 9 p.m., crawlers will assemble at Tavern
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
on Camac, 243 S. Camac St., for registration and the evening’s first stop. Also on the list for the night are 12th Air Command, 254 S. 12th St.; Woody’s, 202 S. 13th St.; and Voyeur. Sponsors of the spring 2010 Pink Pub Crawl include P.I.N.K. Vodka, the 12th Street Gym and Gunner World. Visit www.nightlifegay.com for more information. If you have any events to add to the list, please e-mail your suggestions to me at Bruce@nightlifegay.com. ’Til next time, get offline and see what your community has to offer! ■
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us what you think! Survey 2010orTell go to www.epgn.com to tell us online We recognize that our readers are a the key to our success and we want to make sure we are meeting your needs and those of our community. Thanks for reading PGN and for taking the time to give us feedback! Please be assured that all information is for our use only. You do not have to answer every question. How do you identify your gender? ___Male ___Female ___Transgender (MTF) ___Transgender (FTM) ___Other (indicate) __________ How do you identify your sexual orientation? ___Gay ___Lesbian ___Bisexual ___Queer ___Other (indicate) ___________ In what age group are you? ___18-25 ___26-34 ___35-49 ___50-65 ___66-80 ___Over 80 What is your race? ___Caucasian ___African American ___Latino/a ___Asian ___Other (indicate) ___________ Where do you live? ___Philadelphia ___Philadelphia suburbs ___New Jersey ___Delaware ___Other (indicate) _______ How long have you been reading the Philadelphia Gay News? ___<1 year ___1-3 years ___4-8 years ___9-15 years ___16-20 years ___>20 years How do you usually read PGN? ___In print ___Online ___Both
Frequency PGN features people of my same ________________ with appropriate frequency: Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree O O O O Sexual orientation O O O O Gender identity Race O O O O Age O O O O
Strongly Agree O O O 0
Accuracy PGN features people of my same ________________ with appropriate accuracy: Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree O O O O Sexual orientation O O O O Gender identity Race O O O O Age O O O O
Strongly Agree O O O 0
PGN provides fair and balanced news coverage of the diverse Philadelphia-area LGBT community: Strongly Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Agree O O O O O Please rate the following LGBT issues in terms of their importance to you: Not Somewhat Somewhat Very Important Unimportant Neutral Important Important O O O O O Same-sex marriage O O O O Relationship recognition (civil unions, etc.) O O O O O O Employment discrimination O O O O O HIV/AIDS O O O O O Hate crimes O O O O O Military ban on gays O O O O O Immigration discrimination O O O O O Health disparities O O O O O Adoption rights O O O O O LGBT elected officials O O O O O Youth issues (school bullying, parental abandonment, etc.)
Aging/elder issues
(end-of-life care, Social Security discrimination)
O
O
O
O
O
Are there any other LGBT issues important to you? ___________________________________ How often does PGN cover the issues that are most important to you: Never Infrequently Sometimes Often O O O O
Always O
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Survey 2010
(cont.)
How often do you read each of these sections? Local News Regional News National News International News News Briefing Media Trail Mark My Words Editorial Street Talk Letters and Feedback
Always O O O O O O O O O O
Sometimes O O O O O O O O O O
Seldom O O O O O O O O O O
Never O O O O O O O O O O
Sometimes O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
Seldom O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
Never O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
Sometimes O O O O O O O O O
Seldom O O O O O O O O O
Never O O O O O O O O O
How often do you read each of these columns? Adoption Corner Best-sellers Creep of the Week CDs DVDs Food Reviews Leather Lookout Lesbian on the Scene Mombian Offline On Being Well Out Money Outward Bound Work It Out
Always O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
How often do you look at these features? Table of contents Detour comics Diversions Editorial comic Meeting Place Family Portraits Q Puzzle Scene in Philly Worth Watching
Always O O O O O O O O O
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
WE HAVE QUESTIONS No, not like that. Questions about how to make PGN a stronger community resource.
HELP US SERVE YOU:
FILL OUT THE 2010 PGN SURVEY Also check out these upcoming
PGN Special Issues:
Education March 12
1. What items or features would you like to see in PGN?
2. If you could change one item or feature in PGN, what would it be?
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Fit & Fabulous March 26
You can return your survey a number of ways: • Fax it (both sides): (215) 925-6437 • Mail it: PGN Survey 505 S. Fourth St. Philadelphia, Pa 19147
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(215) 625-8501
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Family Portraits Many of you know, or have heard of, Stephen Glassman. As the chair of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, he has been a staunch defender of civil rights for our community and all others facing discrimination. He’s also an accomplished architect, previously serving for five years as civic-design commissioner in Baltimore. He’s an Ivy League graduate and the first openly gay individual ever to receive an appointment subject to Senate confirmation to a Pennsylvania board or commission. All common knowledge. But did you know he also played a potential love interest for Dr. Frasier Crane on the TV hit “Frasier”? PGN: Where are you from? SG: My extended family and parents are originally from Toronto. I was the first born in the United States. I grew up in Baltimore, Md., with two sisters — one two years younger, one 10 years younger. PGN: What kind of big brother were you? SG: I think I’m a good big brother as an adult. I have no idea how I was as a child. [Laughs.] I am told that I terrorized my sisters, but I have no recollection that that is accurate. PGN: I have a big brother and he doesn’t remember anything either, but swears I remember every little infraction! What was your favorite game as a kid? SG: I liked Monopoly and Chess. PGN: And what did your parents do? SG: My father was a physician — an anesthesiologist — and my mother was a variety of things. She did a lot of volunteer board service for various Jewish organizations, she taught English as a Second Language, she was a diplomat to Brazil and ran a foreign-exchange program for sports figures, teachers and students. She also taught financial management at six different colleges and universities. PGN: Wow, she sounds like a strong role model. SG: Very much so. She was a feminist from very early on. PGN: Did you travel much as a kid? SG: Yes, and I was a foreign-
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
Suzi Nash exchange student with Brazil when I was in high school, as was one of my sisters. As a family, we traveled a lot and did a lot of sports activities together. As Canadians, my parents had us up on skates and skis since I was 3. PGN: What’s a wonderful memory from your childhood? SG: There’s a wonderful resort in the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec where we spent a number of our Christmas holidays. I have fond memories of skiing and spending time with the family. We were also introduced lots of different types of people — French Canadians, Europeans, etc. — that I wouldn’t have otherwise met living in Baltimore. I’ve always been interested in people. PGN: What did you get into trouble for the most when you were young? SG: Talking out of turn. Always knowing the answer and not being able to wait until I was called on to give it! PGN: Ever play any team sports? SG: Sure, I was a junior-varsity and varsity soccer player, wrestler and lacrosse player. I was also a pretty good tennis player. PGN: I never knew you were such a jock! What did you want to be when you grew up? SG: I was torn between doctor and architect. I loved architecture, but I think I was subtly steered toward medicine because of my father. I did my pre-med requirements but then decided to focus on art history and architecture and became an architect. PGN: You went to undergrad at Brown: Their Web site says their mission is to prepare students “for discharging the offices of life with usefulness and reputation.” Did they succeed? SG: Yes, I loved school and I was very fortunate in that I was accepted to all five of the Ivy League schools that I applied to. My high-school English teacher was also my advisor, and he was the one who suggested that Brown was the right fit for me rather than one of the larger schools. He was a Brown alum, and knew that it was the best possible connection between my needs and what the school had to offer. It was a perfect choice. And I got to go to Yale and Harvard
later on! I am a very fortunate person. PGN: What was it about architecture that you enjoyed? Were you a big LEGO builder? SG: I started out with wooden building blocks, then LEGOs and, by the time I was 8, I was drawing house plans: It just came to me. I was able to conceptualize 3D design and was captivated by building design from a young age. My mother enrolled me in a museum course that I took every Saturday morning starting when I was 5 and through elementary school, so that really grounded me in art education and appreciation and opened my eyes to lots of possibilities. My parents introduced us to a lot of things that really helped expand our horizons. I have to say that they were also extremely liberal, forward-thinking people, so I knew how privileged and lucky I was. We marched in civilrights marches when I was 5 or 6 years old. We protested against segregation in restaurants and amusement parks. They made sure we were very involved in the struggle against racism at the time, including going to the March on Washington in 1960. We were taught to be respectful to everyone no matter their color, culture or economic status. PGN: Tell me about your life as an architect. SG: Well, I moved back to Baltimore after Yale and I became the design coordinator for Baltimore County. After a year, I was hired by the mayor to direct the renovation and preservation of Baltimore City Hall. After that, I opened my practice and did primarily residential and commercial properties. PGN: What was a favorite project? SG: I was able to purchase and renovate a parish house that had belonged to the Episcopal Diocese in Baltimore. It was an amazing 10,000-foot property that was an 1876 stone gothicrevival parish house that had been designed by renowned designer Henry Hobson Richardson. I had my office on the first floor and lived above it. PGN: Let’s move to your work at PHRC. I guess your upbringing — being taught to respect people
STEPHEN GLASSMAN
and use your abilities to serve the public — must have helped you on that path. It almost sounds like the Kennedy clan! SG: [Laughs.] The Jewish version of the Kennedys without nearly as much money. PGN: You have had a lot on your plate lately, with the violence against Asian students [at South Philadelphia High School], the Boy Scouts fiasco, the fire department suing for ageism, the swimming pool incident at the Valley Club ... SG: The thing is that there are major issues that have to be dealt with every year and they’re all important; they’re just not all played out in the press like the stories you mentioned. In fact, a lot of what we do gets played out in other parts of the commonwealth or even the country. We’ve done a lot of case investigation and litigation that has established new laws across the country. PGN: An example? SG: One that everyone is probably familiar with is the movie “Philadelphia.” That was based on a true case that we handled. We were the first ones in the nation that were able to adjudicate favorably in an AIDS case regarding employment. We were the first to make banks change their ATM machines so that they were accessible to people with disabilities. There is a long and illustrious history of advocacy with the commission going back to 1955. And we continue
to do groundbreaking work. Right now, we are the leaders responding to the complex issues surrounding predatory lending. We have now written the guidelines being used by HUD and other commissions around the country. PGN: I Googled your name and was aghast to see that you personally are named and targeted on many antigay and anti-Semitic Web sites. A group called Americans for Truth About Homosexuality attacked you and your position, and a blog I came across kept calling you “Jew” Glassman. Is it scary to be such a lightening rod? SG: [Laughs.] I am a very popular person to hate by the Christian right. It was a bit unnerving at one time, but I’ve gotten used to it and moved beyond it. The governor once said to me, “Stephen, wear it as a badge of honor.” I think it’s extremely important that, when you’re in a position of leadership and visibility, you provide not only stability and steadfastness, but courage in the face of often-outrageous attacks. So I continue to do my work undeterred and ignore the blatant personal attacks by the rightwing ideologues. PGN: I thought that it was funny that on the AFTAH Web site attacking you, when I moved my curser over the screen about you, it took me to a great Web site called Get Busy Get Equal from the ACLU
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
that shows how to organize for equal rights. I guess they’re not the brightest group. I’ll have to thank them for the link. All right, fun stuff. How did you end up on “Frasier”? SG: When I was appointed, it received a lot of national attention and I received a phone call from a producer of “Frasier” who was openly gay and he invited me to be on the show. They flew me out to California and treated me like gold — put me up at the Bellagio and sent a limo for me. On set, they wanted to know all about the work that we did and what it was like being openly gay at the state level of politics, etc. They were the nicest people ever. The episode was where Frasier gets mistakenly “outed” on the show. He’s not gay, but there are a series of circumstances that he gets involved in, and I got to play a guy who sends him drinks from the bar. It was a lot of fun. PGN: Did you get bit by the acting bug? SG: No. Though being in the public eye and being on television and talking to the press is very similar to being on stage, but I don’t fool myself into thinking I have any particular acting skills. PGN: What’s a favorite type of music? SG: I like show tunes and country music. That’s embarrassing: It’s so cliché! I like music from the ’70s and ’80s too. PGN: People often mistake me for ...
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
SG: Michael Feinstein, the cabaret singer. PGN: Ever been in jail? SG: No, no, I’m squeaky clean. I don’t think I could have been confirmed unanimously if I had any kind of record. Though I did come close once. I was at an event in front of the White House protesting lack of AIDS funding. I was prepared for it to happen. We had made all the arrangements in case we were taken in, and they arrested people on either side of me, but not me. PGN: What was the best thing about coming out and what was the scariest? SG: The scariest thing was not knowing how people would react. The best thing was that it was so liberating, that I didn’t have to have any secrets any longer. It was freeing and, ever since I was 17, I have lived my life as an open book. I’m very lucky to be in that position. PGN: If you could name the street you live on, what would you call it? SG: Gay Way! PGN: What’s the worst hairstyle you’ve ever had? SG: Oh, God! In my graduation picture from Brown University, I had hair that went halfway down my back. Long, kinky hair. My parents were liberal enough to say if that’s how you want your picture, it’s up to you: You’re the one who has to live with it forever. [Laughs.] I’ve regretted it ever since. See PORTRAITS, Page 31
PAGE 23
Q Puzzle Policy Reinterpreted Across
1. Sweet opening? 5. Game with many openings 10. One of the Three Bears 14. Dreadlocks feature 15. Skater Sonja 16. Ryan of porn 17. Elton John Broadway musical 18. Lose ground 19. “Peter Pan” pooch 20. They may harass celebs 22. Friend of Dorothy 24. “Rita Will”, for one 25. Ian McKellen’s “The Da Vinci ___ ” 26. Sporty Mazda 29. Clark of fashion 33. Manning and Whitney 37. “Movin’ ____” (theme from a Sherman Hemsley sitcom) 38. Pointless 39. Military policy 42. “... who ___ heaven” 43. Actress Anderson 44. Apt anagram for “yeas” 45. One thousandth 46. Ready for action, for guys 48. Cockpit predictions 50. Gets on one’s knees 55. Advice to 22-Across? 58. Advice to 20-Across? 60. Polish up the copy 61. Former hotelier Helmsley 63. Architecture, to Julia Morgan 64. Suction head 65. Stephanie’s actor-dad 66. “Try ___ for size” 67. It’s sometimes more 68. Place where men wear makeup 69. “So ___, Farewell”
Down
1. Orgasm, e.g. 2 Top 3. Lady’s title 4. Writer Calvino 5. Auden’s adieus 6. “Cabaret”’s “Mein ___” 7. Name that rhymes with “dick”? 8. Sex Pistols singer Vicious 9. Take care of 10. Home of the WNBA’s Lynx 11. Gay video directory name 12. Da Vinci’s ___ Lisa 13. Cumming on the stage 21. Basinger of “Batman” 23. Assumption of the virgin? 25. Gangster nicknamed “Scarface” 27. Bend over and grab them 28. Home style 30. Chop ___ 31. Lesbos, for one
32. Slippery swimmers 33. Cheese in red 34. Petty of “A League of Their Own” 35. The I in IHOP (abbr.) 36. Suppor ters of some drag queens 40. Bryant, but not Bear 41. Bosie, to Alfred Douglas 47. Alternative to HBO 49. Rods of drivers 51. Intercourse while surfing? 52. Keep an ___ the ground 53 Rest atop 54. Lingo 55. Woody valley 56. Garfield’s whipping boy 57. Beats, barely 58. Nickelodeon explorer 59. Force that causes you to go down 62. Salamander
SOLUTION
The Philadelphia Gay News 2010 Survey begins this week on pages 19 and 20. We’d like to know what you have to say!
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 24
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
Work It Out
Jared Carter
Ready for spring break?
Read it here first.
PGN
Are you ready for spring break yet, or are you still working on dropping those last few pounds? If you fit into the latter category, don’t worry; you’re in good company. After all of the winter weather we’ve had lately, it seems more people than ever are planning a beach getaway. As we get closer to warm weather, you will find many people trying to get into the best shape they can for the swimsuit season. While there is no “magic bullet” to get rid of a stubborn trouble spot, there are a few tricks that can help you burn more fat than you normally would. If you are trying to burn fat, the fundamental thing you need to do is modify your nutrition to some degree. Simple sugars, refined flour and alcoholic drinks all cause your body to store fat. They also prevent you from being able to burn fat. I always recommend that people avoid these items as much as they can. If you normally eat a large amount of sugar or drink alcohol often, you will be amazed at the difference cutting these out will make. As an example, it is estimated that if the average American stopped drinking regular sugared soda, she/he would lose 10 pounds. Next, you should be exercising. If fat burning is your primary goal, then you should do some resistance training before your aerobic exercise, e.g., lift weights before doing cardio. During resistance training, your body uses stored sugar in your muscle cells for energy. When you do cardio, your body can burn either sugar or fat. By decreasing the amount of sugar in your muscles by lifting first, you will burn more fat while you are on the treadmill. If you want to take full advantage of this, you will work your muscles to the point of complete muscular exhaustion. There are not many supplements on the market that help you burn fat. If you are looking for
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every possible advantage, there is one supplement that can help: caffeine. It has been shown to aid in the release of fatty acids, but only in people who have not developed a tolerance. So, if you have to have your morning cup of coffee, it probably will not help you. You don’t need to take large doses of caffeine to benefit: Drinking a cup of coffee 45 minutes before you start exercising is plenty. One last technique is to work out first thing in the morning. If you can exercise within the first 30 minutes of waking, it will result in a slightly higher amount of fat being burned. It is not a drastic difference, but it will be higher. Unfortunately, many people who exercise in the morning do not get this benefit. If you start your day with a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice and then head off to the gym, you will not burn any fat. This is due to the sugar in the orange juice. It will shut down your fat-burning hormones and you will ultimately break down muscle tissue. If you want to implement this strategy, be sure to avoid sugar in the morning. Burning body fat is not complicated, but it does take discipline. How much you lose is completely dependent upon how well you integrate these techniques into your own routine. If you are dedicated, you will definitely see results. If you want to lose a few pounds but not completely restructure your life, try making a few changes. You will still see results, just not as dramatic. Finally, remember that you did not put on 20 pounds overnight and they will not come off overnight. Be patient with yourself and try to keep your expectations realistic. You are doing fantastic if you are losing 1 or 1 pounds each week. ■ Jared Carter, CSCS, owner of Move Forward Fitness Personal Training in the heart of Philadelphia, has been helping clients reach their goals for the past eight years. He can be reached at www.moveforwardfitness.com or at jared@moveforwardfitness.com.
Features you want.
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Mombian Dana Rudolph ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal will benefit children If a review of the military’s “Don’t A s k , D o n ’t Te l l ” p o l icy includes speaking with gay and lesbian servicemembers (or ex-servicemembers), as discussed in the Feb. 2 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, it would be wise to make sure families with children are among them. Two years ago, I had the honor of interviewing an active-duty lesbian servicemember and her partner about the difficulty of raising children while remaining closeted (“Bay Windows,” Feb. 10, 2008). They spoke of the stress on their family from having to live apart from the other families on base, for fear that one of their young children would inadvertently let slip the fact that he has two moms. They spoke of missing the base holiday party, complete with Santa, and having their children forego the friendship and support of other children whose parents were deployed to war zones. There were economic hardships,
too — a lack of medical benefits for the non-military partner, for example — but they paled next to the emotional ones. Since I first posted the interview on my blog, several other lesbian military moms and their partners have left comments telling similar stories. One wrote: “For now, we just try to offer some explanation to the kids of why gays aren’t ‘good enough’ to serve in the open ... when we’re good enough to make sacrifices in our personal lives in excess of the heterosexuals we serve beside every day. The saddest part isn’t the sacrifices I or my family make in the service of our country, it is the misinterpretation of the Constitution. I’m very proud to be a defender of the Constitution ... the same document that in a normal society would, under Article 14, allow me to simply be the person God made me to be.” Another said: “I guess we’re one of the lucky ones. My partner was stationed in [name omitted] with the Navy, and we were always included, with our daughter, in functions. Some events were held by the squadron and some were just pool parties and family gettogethers at coworkers’ homes.”
Photography Techniques I & II and Adobe Elements/ Photoshop classes at the William Way CC begin in March.
Learn from SNA 2009 Feature Photo First-Place Winner
Scott A. Drake Go to www.waygay.org to enroll.
267.736.6743 scottdrakephotos@gmail.com
One question I have heard posed to lesbian military parents is, “Why don’t you just quit, if it is so hard on your kids?” The answers vary: The servicemember I interviewed spoke passionately about knowing she wanted to be a soldier almost as long as she had known she was a lesbian. To not be a soldier would be the same as telling her children not to pursue their dreams. For others, it is economic necessity. Now, as the repeal of the military ban seems closer to reality, many may simply be hoping to hang in long enough to see it happen. Yes, integrating same-sexheaded families will take some work. On-base schools, for example, should brief teachers on all of the usual issues teachers face with children of lesbian and gay parents in the classroom — being inclusive, especially around Mother’s Day and Father’s Day; creating forms with “Parent” and “Parent” instead of “Mother” and “Father:” keeping an eye out for those who would tease others about their parents. That is not, however, a reason to hold up implementing the repeal. Military lesbian and gay parents,
like civilian ones, will meet with teachers as necessary and explain their concerns. Furthermore, it is not beyond reason to see that in a few years, on-base schools could even become exemplars for the smooth integration of children from all different types of families. The children will bond over the shared experience of military family life, frequent moves and fears of parental deployment, with the gender of the parents mattering much less. For the moment, however, that is just a dream. Right now, children of lesbian and gay servicemembers must lie or learn not to talk about their parents for fear of retribution by the government against their families. One might argue that because gay and lesbian servicemembers are a minority (though their exact numbers are unknown), the number of such servicemembers with children must be even smaller. If a few children grow up lying about their families, all in the name of maintaining an ostensibly more effective military, is it such a big deal? Well, consider that the elite units of our military boast they “never leave a man behind.”
Consider that there is a huge federal educational program (first developed under President Bush) devoted to making sure no child is left behind. We are, however, leaving the children of gay and lesbian servicemembers behind. We deny them the support of other military families and family services, which can affect them emotionally and academically. We put unfair financial burdens on their families. We require them to lie to protect their families’ livelihoods. That runs counter to the core values of our military and our educational system — and ultimately, our country. Allowing even some children to be in this situation is a disgrace. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen wrote on his blog the day after the Senate hearing: “What our young men and women and their families want, what they deserve, is that we listen to them and act in their best interests.” That means the best interests of all of them. ■ Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian (www.mombian.com), a blog and resource directory for LGBT parents.
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
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Hot dinner spots want your lunch money By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer With the economy still struggling and consumer budgets shrinking, it’s no surprise that more restaurants are trying harder than ever to lure in customers for lunch. A number of Center City establishments best known for their evening fare are offering lunch specials that are reasonable on price and long on flavor. Percy Street Barbecue, 900 South St.; (215) 625-8510, is only open for lunch on weekends, but judging from the quality of the food and service, it’d probably do well staying open all week. With steak joints and pizza places as far as the eye can see in either direction, the Texas barbecue is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. It doesn’t hurt that the chefs’ skills are top notch: They cook their meats without any sauce, which can later be applied to the diner’s liking at the table. This technique gives the diner a won-
derful and unfiltered taste of how skillfully the meats are prepared, especially with the chopped brisket ($11), the spicy house-made sausage ($9) or the chicken ($10). All of the side dishes are well-executed, but the best of the bunch has to be the rootbeer chili ($4 cup, $7 bowl), a smoky-flavored delight packed with hearty chunks of beef, and the German potato salad ($4). Also leave room for dessert, especially Percy Street’s pecan pie ($6), served warm and topped with house-made vanilla ice cream. It’s as good as it’s ever going to get without somebody’s Southern grandma making one for you personally.
Union Trust Steakhouse, 717 Chestnut St.; (215) 9256000, with its updated lunch menu, is definitely more high-end, but well worth the trip. The recently introduced $7.17 menu features budget-conscious fare ranging from its signature petite Kobe burgers to calamari. The latter distinguishes itself from similar offerings found elsewhere with an intensely hot frying that makes the squid more crispy than chewy. But the real delight is the spicy citPERCY STREET BARBECUE’S BRISKET Photos: Jason Varney rus sauce that
accompanies it: The bite from the chili and the burn from the citrus is an amazing and uncommon flavor combination. Those who venture outside the budget menu will be glad they did. Regular favorites include the Maine lobster bisque ($11), a number of hearty salads and the new (but familiar) Big Bank Burger ($16). Made to resemble an upscale version of a popular burger chain’s signature sandwich, the Big Bank succeeds on all fronts: two Kobe beef patties, special sauce and English cheddar on a toasted bun. The result is a juicy and flavorful burger that gives a new and very-refined twist to a sandwich most of us meat eaters would recognize in our sleep.
Varga Bar, 941 Spruce St.; (215) 627-5200, is out to prove you can get a quality midday meal quickly and inexpensively with its 30-minute speed lunch. Nine dollars gets you soup and a sandwich with the utmost expedience. And, much like the pinup girls painted on the wall, the sandwiches are works of art. The roasted pork-loin sandwich is a tasty convergence of flavors, with broccoli rabe, sharp provolone and natural jus. The truly adventurous should head straight for the Kobe chili-cheese dog, a mouth-stretching dog topped with housemade chili, shaved pickles and white cheddar on a thick poppy-seed and onion roll. It
would be amazing enough on its own, but the sides of fresh-made red-cabbage slaw and hand-cut onion rings make it a truly addictive lunch treat. Equally amazing was the hearty tomato crème soup of the day when we went. Outside the speed-lunch menu, diners can find equally delightful lunch fare, like the decadent truffled mac n’ cheese ($8) loaded with bacon, Gruyère, fontina and mascarpone, or the more modest but still tasty Varga salad ($9), with autumn squash, apples, arugula, Parmesan and cider-clove vinaigrette. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Diversions
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
Your guide to arts and entertainment
Theater
Annie The Kimmel Center hosts the classic musical about a gold-digging orphan, through Feb. 28 at Merriam Theatre, 250 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Any Given Monday Theatre Exile presents a world premiere by Bruce Graham about political correctness, religious faith, class discrimination and social injustice and how one man defines right and wrong, through Feb. 28 at Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey St.; (215) 218-4022. Ben, Anadolu Painted Bride Arts Center presents a play in Turkish language that starts with the Hittites and continues through modern-day Turkey, 3 p.m. Feb. 28, 230 Vine St.; (215) 925-9914. Blue Door Arden Theatre Company presents the story of a successful mathematics professor experiencing a sleepless night where a series of ancestors visit to reveal the hardships and victories that have shaped their lives, through March 21, 40 N. Second St.; (215) 922-1122. Bye Bye Birdie The Players Club of Swarthmore Theater presents the Tony Awardwinning musical, through March 6, 614 Fairview Road, Swarthmore; (866) 811-4111. The Eclectic Society The Walnut Street Theatre presents the world premiere of a complex story of drama and humor set on a university campus in 1963 New England, through March 7, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550.
Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue The Walnut Street Theatre’s 2009-10 Independence Studio on 3 presents the story of a Marine on leave to recover from his wounds from the war in Iraq, through March 14, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550.
Respect: A Musical Journey of Women Society Hill Playhouse presents an exuberant musical that recounts the journey of women in the 20th century with popular music, through April 18, 507 S. Eighth St.; (215) 923-0210.
The Importance of Being Earnest Forge Theatre presents the classic Oscar Wilde play about high society and the antics of two bachelors trying to win their ladies’ hearts, through March 13, 241 First Ave., Phoenixville; (610) 9351920.
Take Me Out Reading Community Players presents the story of a star baseball player who decides to come out, through March 7, 40 N. 11th St., Reading; (610) 375-9106.
The Irish ... and How They Got That Way The irreverent but affectionate history of the Irish in America uses classical songs and stories as told by Pulitzer Prizewinning author Frank McCourt, through April 18 at Kimmel’s Innovation Studio, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Language Rooms The Wilma Theater presents a black comedy that exposes the divided loyalties among today’s immigrants, who are discovering the rising cost of the American Dream, March 3-April 4, 265 S. Broad St.; (215) 546-7842. The Play’s The Thing The Actors’ NET of Bucks County presents the classic farce set in the 1920s about a playwright and his collaborator, who bring a young composer in love with the leading lady of an upcoming musical to a weekend retreat at an Italian castle, through March 14 at The Morrisville Heritage Center, 635 N. Delmorr Ave., Morrisville; (215) 295-3694.
Music classical LolliPOPS & Roses Peter Nero and the Philly Pops perform with Grammy-winner Jack Jones for a special program of songs from the heart, 8 p.m. Feb. 26 and 3 p.m. Feb. 27 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.
Brahms Violin Concerto The Philadelphia Orchestra performs with Dutch violinist Janine Jansen, 8 p.m. Feb. 27 and 28 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. An Evening of Schumann The Philadelphia Orchestra and Maestro Christoph Eschenbach commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Robert Schumann with an evening devoted to his music, 8 p.m. March 4-6 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.
Music other
Avi Wisnia The out bassa-nova singer performs at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at Magic Gardens, 1020
EARLY BLOOMERS: Any type of healthy plant life should be a welcome sight after all the snow Philadelphia has seen this winter. The 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show hits town from Feb. 28-March 7 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St. This year’s edition of the horticultural event takes visitors on a globe-trotting, exotic plant-filled adventure featuring a 28-foot-high hot-air balloon covered in more than 79,000 dried flowers, a Victorian-era display filled with varieties of plants and recent finds from Longwood Gardens, the Morris Arboretum, the University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Botanic Gardens. The show also features daily musical performances, including classical and contemporary Indian dance led by celebrated Bollywood choreographer Rujuta Vaidya and music and dance by the vibrant Brazilian troupe Minas. For more information, visit www.theflowershow.com. Photo: Scott A. Drake
South St.; (215) 733-0390. Sugar Town The night of lady rockers and DJs features Kitten Disaster, The Sky Drops, out rock band She Ends All and Maura Johnston, 9 p.m. Feb. 27 at Tritone Bar, 1508 South St.; (215) 5450475. Chrisette Michele The Grammy-winning singer performs at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside; (215) 5727650. Big Ears: John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble Painted Bride Arts Center presents the jazz ensemble, 7 and 9 p.m. Feb. 29, 230 Vine St.; (215) 925-9914.
Muse The superstar U.K. rock band performs at 7 p.m. March 2 at Wachovia Center, 3601 S. Broad St.; (215) 336-2000.
States, including excavated remains from Pompeii and Roman busts of Julius Caesar and Cicero, through Aug. 1, 525 Arch St.; (215) 409-6600.
The Black Eyed Peas The hip-hop group performs at 8 p.m. March 3 at the Wachovia Center, 3601 S. Broad St.; (215) 336-2000.
Contemporary Folklore The James A. Michener Art Museum presents an exhibition featuring the works of four regional artists mining both collective and personal stories to create sculptures that retell new histories, through June 13, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown; (215) 340-9800.
Bob Mould The out punk icon performs at 8 p.m. March 3 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; (215) 222-1400.
Exhibits
Ancient Rome & America The National Constitution Center presents an exhibition of rare artifacts from Italy and the United
Fabricated Stories AxD Gallery presents an exhibition of mixed-media works by Dolores Poacelli and David Carrow, through March 6, 265 S. 10th St.; (215) 627-6250.
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
Notices 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.
Inspiring a Nation The National Constitution Center hosts an exhibition featuring World War I posters created by Philadelphia Sketch Club artists, through April 25, 525 Arch St.; (215) 4096700. It Was Good While It Lasted Space 1026 presents a joint exhibition by Blake E. Marquis and Justin Van Hoy, through Feb. 26, 1026 Arch St., second floor; (215) 574-7630. Meditation on the Chawan ArtStar Gallery presents a solo exhibition by Philadelphia fiber artist Ed Bing Lee, through March 21, 623 N. Second St.; (215) 238-1557.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
of Art presents a diverse selection of paintings and sculptures from across the subcontinent, through Feb. 28, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.; (215) 763-8100. Sanbao: A Way of Living and Working The Clay Studio presents an exhibition of works from Jackson Li, through March 14, 139 N. Second St.; (215) 925-3453.
Dance
Black Grace The Kimmel Center presents the group of dancers fusing Pacific traditional cultures with contemporary dance, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26-27 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at Perelman Theatre, 250 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Moving Beyond Form Asian Arts Initiative and Urmika Devi present three distinctly different choreographers and ensembles exploring rhythm and storytelling in classical and contemporary Indian dance, at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 and 4:30 p.m. Feb. 27, 1219 Vine St.; (215) 557-0455.
STREB: Raw The acrobatic dance company performs at 8 p.m. March 2 at the Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; (800) 374-7263. The Four Temperaments and Carmina Burana Pennsylvania Ballet presents the two works March 4-13 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.
Film
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Humphrey Bogart film is screened at 2 p.m. Feb. 28 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; (610) 9170223. Live From Bonaroo A film of the 2009 festival featuring performances by Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Elvis Costello and more is screened at 8 p.m. March 1 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; (215) 222-1400.
Books
Victoria Janssen
PGN
The Philadelphia-based science-fiction author of “The Moonlight Mistress” hosts a discussion, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at Moonstone Arts Center, 110a S. 13th St.; (215) 735-9600. Anousheh Ansari The first female private space explorer and author of “My Dream of Stars: From Daughter of Iran to Space Pioneer” hosts a book event at 7:30 p.m. March 4 at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; (215) 6865322.
Opera
Tea: A Mirror of Soul The Opera Company of Philadelphia presents a contemporary opera that marries Western lyricism and Asian influence in a breathtaking union through Feb. 28 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Tosca Amici Opera Company presents Puccini’s opera
Pick
Nameless and Reverberating Fleisher/Ollman Gallery presents a solo exhibition of new drawings by Chicago artist Luis Romero, through March 27, 1616 Walnut St., Suite 100; (215) 545-7562. Play Mate The James Oliver Gallery presents an exhibition of whimsical works by Darla Jackson, Gretchen Diehl and Sienna Freeman, through March 23, 723 Chestnut St., fourth floor; (215) 923-1242. Ragas and Rajas: Musical Imagery of Courtly India The Philadelphia Museum
The Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus (above) joins forces with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C.’s a cappella pop ensemble for “A Potomac Love Affair,” a concert spanning five decades of chart-topping pop songs, 8 p.m. Feb. 27 at Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, 2110 Chestnut St. The audience can expect to hear a selection of familiar songs, as well as a few surprises, with the two groups performing together on stage for the finale. Tickets are available online at www.pgmc.org/tickets at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; PHAG Shop, 1225 Walnut St.; or from any PGMC member. For more information, call (877) 462-7464.
PAGE 29
fully staged, 3 p.m. Feb. 28 at Center For Creative Arts, 410 Upper Snuff Mill Road, Yorklyn, Del.; (215) 224224-0257.
Cabaret
It’s Madame With An E The puppet diva returns, 8:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at Harlans Cabaret, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope; (215) 862-5225.
Etc.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus The “greatest show on Earth” runs through Feb. 28 at the Wachovia Center, 3600 S. Broad St.; (215) 336-2000. Whitney Cummings The comedian seen on “Chelsea Lately” performs Feb. 26-27 at Helium, 2031
Sansom St.; (215) 4969001. Scene The monthly LGBTQ dance party celebrates its one-year anniversary from 9 p.m.2 a.m. Feb. 27 at Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James St.; www.tlbtbproductions. com. Gay Community Night at 76ers LGBT fans get their own section when the Sixers play the Orlando Magic at 7 p.m. March 1 at the Wachovia Center, 3600 S. Broad St.; (215) 336-2000. Todd Glass The comedian seen on “The Sarah Silverman Show” performs March 3-6 at Helium, 2031 Sansom St.; (215) 496-9001. ■
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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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 3-9 p.m., Tuesdays 3-6 p.m., Wednesdays 3-9 p.m., Thursdays 3-9 p.m., Fridays 3-9 p.m., Saturdays noon-6 p.m., Sundays 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) 222-3871. 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; (570) 322-8448.
Key numbers
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.
Men’s Coming Out Group, N.J. Meets at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays at The Pride Center of New Jersey. Men’s Coming Out Group Meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays at Washington West Project, 1201 Locust St.; (215) 563-0652 ext. 219. Men of Color United A discussion/support group for gay and bisexual men of color meets from 6-8 p.m. every Wednesday at 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 496-0330. Men of Standard Provides a place for gay men of color 21 and older to share issues of concern. Meets 7-9 p.m. every Thursday at Camden AHEC, 514 Cooper St., Camden, N.J.; (856) 963-2432 ext. 211; ruberte_ j@camden_ahec.org. Philly DADS An association of gay and bisexual fathers supporting each other meets at 7:30 p.m. fourth Friday of the month at the William Way Center; (215) 668-5239.
Parents/Families
Renaissance Transgender Assoc. Meets at 8 p.m. third Saturday of the month at Into the Woods office complex in King of Prussia; (610) 975-9119 box 5; and 7:30 p.m. first Thursday of the month at the William Way Center; www.ren.org. T-MAN People of color support group for transmen, FTMs, butches, studs, agressives, bois, genderqueer and all female-born individuals with gender questions meets 7:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays, second floor, 1201 Locust St.; (215) 834-9063; tman215@aol.com. Transhealth Programming Committee Meetings are at 5 p.m. second and last Sundays of the month at the William Way Center. Transhealth Information Project Sponsors a weekly drop-in center from 7-11 p.m. Tuesdays at 1201 Locust St.; (267) 549-6497. Transgender Health Action Coalition Peer trans health-advocacy organization meets at 5 p.m. second and last Sundays of the month at the William Way Center; (215) 732-1207; www. critpath.org/thac. WeXist FTM support group meets from 6-8 p.m. second Friday of the month at the William Way Center; first hour is open; second hour is for people assigned female at birth who have gender issues; (267) 2501548; www.wexist.org.
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. 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.
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Philadelphia Meets from 2-5 p.m. third Sunday of the month at the LGBT Center at the University of Pennsylvania, 3907 Spruce St.; (215) 572-1833.
Expressions Women’s Space Lesbian singles, family and coming-out groups meet at 1538 Church St.; (215) 535-3600.
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Princeton, N.J. Meets at 7:30 p.m. second Monday of the month in the George Thomas Room at Trinity Church, 33 Mercer St.; (609) 683-5155.
Casarez@phila.gov; Fax: (215) 686-2555
■ AIDS Library: (215) 985-4851 ■ ACLU of Pennsylvania: (215) 592-1513
■ Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Philadelphia): (215) 572-1833
■ AIDS Treatment hot line: (215) 5452212
■ Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations: (215) 686-4670
■ 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: Gloria Casarez, (215) 686-2194; Gloria.
Men of All Colors Together Meets at 7:30 p.m. third Friday of the month September through June at the William Way Center; (610) 277-6595; www.MACTPhila.org.
Mazzoni Center Family and Community Medicine Primary healthcare and specialized transgender services in a safe, professional, non-judgemental environment, 809 Locust St.; (215) 563-0658.
African Asian Latina Lesbians United Social-issues discussion group meets fourth Thursday of the month at The Pride Center of New Jersey.
■ Mazzoni Center Family and Community Medicine: (215) 563-0658
■ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Peer Counseling Services: (215) 732-TALK
Gay Married Men’s Association Meets at 8 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays at the William Way Center; (215) 483-1032.
Oasis Meets 7-8 p.m. Wednesdays at 1201 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-0652 ext. 509.
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Cape May, N.J. Meets at 2 p.m. third Sunday of the month in the Maruchi Room of Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital, 2 Stone Harbor Blvd.; (609) 861-1848. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Chester County Meets at 7 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the Unitarian Fellowship of West Chester, 501 S. High St., West Chester; (484) 354-2448.
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.
■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: (856) 933-9500 ext. 221
■ Equality Forum: (215) 732-3378
Delaware Valley 40-plus Club for Men Social group meets every other month; (215) 587-9933.
Young, Trans, and Unified! Support group for transgender and questioning individuals ages 13-23 meets from 7-8:30 p.m. every Thursday at The Attic Youth Center; (215) 545-4331 ext. 24.
■ Mazzoni Center: (215) 563-0652; www. mazzonicenter.org
■ Equality Advocates Pennsylvania: (215) 731-1447; (866) LGBTLAW
Boys Night Out A social gathering for gay men, meets at 7 p.m. every second and fourth Tuesday at Iron Hill Brewery, 30 E. State St., Media; BurbBoysNiteOut@aol.com.
Interweave New Jersey An organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Unitarian and their allies meets every third Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 401 N. Kings Highway, Cherry Hill, N.J.; (856) 667-3618.
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Bucks County Meets at 7:30 p.m. third Thursday of the month at Penns Park United Methodist Church, 2394 Second Street Pike, Penns Park; (215) 598-8005.
■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: (215) 587-9377
■ The COLOURS Organization Inc. 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 4960330.
Men
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
■ Philadelphia Police Department liaison — Chief Inspector James Tiano: (215) 685-3655 ■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: (215) 600-0627; 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)
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Wilmington, Del. Meets at 7 p.m. second Thursday of the month at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 13th and Rodney streets; (302) 654-2995. Philadelphia Family Pride Advocacy, support and social network for LGBT families offers play groups, monthly kids and teen talk groups, activities and outings. Planning meetings are held monthly; (215) 844-3360; www. phillyfamilypride.org.
Trans
Gender Rights Advocacy Association of New Jersey A transgender civil-rights group meets first Sunday of the month at 1 p.m. at The Pride Center of New Jersey.
Women
Bucks County Lesbian Alliance Meets monthly for social events; http://buckscountylesbianalliance.org.
Lesbians and BiWomen in Heterosexual Marriages A support group meets at 7:30 p.m. on third Wednesday of the month at The Pride Center of New Jersey. Lesbian Community of Delaware Valley Social group holds monthly meetings and activities for gay women of all ages in Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties; P.O. Box 962, Phoenixville, PA 19460; http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/LCDV/; marichikogirl@yahoo.com.
Social group for women in their 20s meets weekly; (215) 468-1352; queerconnect@yahoo. com. Republican Lesbians Meetings held at 7:30 p.m. on first Monday of the month at The Pride Center of New Jersey. South Jersey Lesbians of Color Meetings are the first and third Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at The Starting Point, 215 Highland Ave., Suite C, Westmont, N.J.; (856) 824-0881; e-mail: SJLOC-owner@yahoogroups.com. Women’s Coffee House for Lesbians A group for lesbian and bisexual women meets on first Saturday of the month at 7 p.m. at The Pride Center of New Jersey. The Womyn’s Village The first womyn-owned and operated thinktank targeting black African, Asian, Latina and Native American LBT and two-spirited womyn. Meets at 5 p.m. on third Thursday of the month at COLOURS Organization, 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 765-0121; the_womyns. village@yahoo.com.
Youth
40 Acres of Change Discussion group for teen and young adults meets from 6-8 p.m. Thursdays at The COLOURS Organization Inc., 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 496-0330. Drop-in Group For gay, lesbian and bisexual youth; meets at 11 a.m. Saturdays at AIDS Delaware, 100 W. 10th St., Suite 315, Wilmington, Del.; (302) 652-6776. HAVEN For GLBT, intersex, questioning, queer and allied youth ages 14-20; meets from 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley, 424 Center St., Bethlehem; (610) 868-2153. HiTOPS A safe-space support program for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, will meet from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at 21 Wiggins St., Princeton, N.J.; (609) 683-5155. Main Line Youth Alliance Meets from 7-9:30 p.m. Fridays at 109 Lancaster Ave., Wayne; (610) 688-1861; info@myaonline. org. Mountain Meadow For youth with GLBTQ parents. Monthly programs for ages 8-16, family programs and parent coffee groups. Residential program offered in August; 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 772-1107; inquiries@mountainmeadow.org. Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s LGBTQ and Allies Youth Center For ages 14-21; meets 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays at Doylestown Planned Parenthood, The Atrium, Suite 2E, 301 S. Main St., Doylestown; (215) 3480558 ext. 65; rainbowroom@ppbucks.org. Social X Change Social activity group for LGBT youth of color ages 13-23 meets from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 496-0330. Space to be Proud, Open, and Together Open to all LGBTQ queer youth and allies, ages 14-21, the SPOT meets Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Planned Parenthood of Chester County’s West Chester office, 8 S. Wayne St., West Chester; (610) 692-1770 ext. 108 or thespot@ppccpa.org.
Lesbian Couples Dining Group of Montgomery County Meets monthly; (215) 542-2899.
Teen Support Group Drop-in group for teens and adolescents meets Thursdays from 4:30-6 p.m. at 1201 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-0658 ext. 319.
Lesbian Social Network of South Jersey 500-member social group for lesbians holds monthly activities in South Jersey and surrounding area; www.lsn.southjersey.com.
Youth in Transition A support group for transgender and questioning youth ages 12-23 meets from 7:30-9 p.m. Tuesdays at the The Attic Youth Center.
Lesbians with Breast Cancer A support group meets from 6:30-8:30 on second Wednesday of the month at Gilda Club Delaware Valley, 200 Kirk Road, Warminster; (215) 4413290.
Youth Making a Difference For GLBTQ African-American and Latino youth ages 13-24. Meets from 6:30-8:30 p.m. every Wednesday at Camden AHEC, 514 Cooper St., Camden, N.J.; (856) 963-2432 ext. 205; gibbs_ d@camden-ahec.org.
Queer Connections
Send submissions to pgn@epgn.com or 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.
Complete Meeting Place listings of all Parent/Family, Professional, Recovery, Recreation, Religion, Sports, Men, Women, Trans, Youth groups can be found online @ www.phliagaynews.com and www.epgn.com
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
PORTRAITS From Page 23 PGN: That’s too funny. I can’t imagine it. SG: Oh yeah, I was a real hippy — bell-bottom pants, platform shoes and all. Except that I never took any drugs, I never smoked a cigarette in my entire life and I’ve never been drunk. In fact, I’ve never had a drink of hard liquor, only an occasional glass of wine. I have a very clean liver! You know, you asked me about acting before, and I did do a lot of acting in high school and even in college. I’ve never thought of myself as a professional actor, but
I loved it. I sang in the choir, I was in all the musicals and regular plays. I was George in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and one of my favorite roles was as Jerry in “Zoo Story” by Edward Albee. My best friend was in the play with me and it was so successful that we toured it in 20 other schools in five different states. That was in high school and we’re still close friends. PGN: What’s something dangerous you’d do if you couldn’t get hurt? SG: Sky dive or bungee jump. PGN: Favorite celebrity right
now? SG: Rachel Maddow. She’s not only brilliant and witty, but she’s so personable, everyone can relate to her. And she’s a Brown graduate. PGN: A favorite scent? SG: I love lilacs and gardenias, not anything artificial but the smell of the actual plant. PGN: You have a large collection of art furniture and pottery. I understand some of your things have been used for movie props. SG: Well, I have a vase that was in “Clara’s Heart” with Whoopie Goldberg for about a second and
PAGE 31
I’ve had other pieces in films, but usually the stuff ends up on the cutting-room floor. PGN: You’re from Baltimore: No temptation to sport a John Waters-type mustache? SG: No, no. I’ve been to a few parties at his home and he did a number of fundraising functions for nonprofits that I worked with, but no. I did have my own mustache for 18 years. From the day I graduated from college for the next 18 years, I sported a big, thick, bushy mustache. PGN: Let’s end with three steps someone can take to help curb
discrimination. SG: One, never let a joke go by that is at the expense of another minority without calling the person telling it out on its inappropriateness. Two, stand up for other people’s rights and don’t wait for them to have to do it for themselves. And finally, be vigilant about monitoring the constant discrimination that we experience in this society and don’t be afraid to speak up. ■ To suggest a community member for “Family Portraits,” write to: Family Portraits, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 or portraits05@aol.com.
worth watching: FRIDAY NAACP Image Awards Mariah Carey, Mo’Nique, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Lenny Kravitz, Taye Diggs, Vanessa Williams and more are nominees at this awards show. 8 p.m. on Fox.
The closing ceremony, 8 p.m. on NBC.
America’s Best Dance Crew Dance crews compete. 8 and 9 p.m. on MTV.
MONDAY Antiques Roadshow People try to find out if their trash is really treasure. 8 p.m. on PBS.
Caprica Look for gay character Sam in this “Battlestar Galactica” prequel. 9 p.m. on SyFy. SATURDAY Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix The popular wizard’s saga continues. 8 p.m. on CBS. Suze Orman Show The out money expert’s finance show. 9 p.m. on CNBC. Graham Norton Show The gay Brit hosts a talk show. 10:30 p.m. on BBC America. The Wanda Sykes Show The out comedian hosts her talk show. 11 p.m. on Fox. Saturday Night Live Jennifer Lopez hosts. 11:30 p.m. on NBC. SUNDAY The Amazing Race Look for the lesbian team, Carol and Brandy, and gay competitor Dan with his brother Jordan in this reality-travel competition. 8 p.m. on CBS. The Winter Olympics
Brothers & Sisters Out character Kevin Walker ponders working for someone other than Robert. 10 p.m. on ABC.
House Look for bisexual character Thirteen in this repeat. 8 p.m. on Fox. How I Met Your Mother Out actor Neil Patrick Harris stars as Barney in this new episode featuring a guest appearance by Carrie Underwood. 8 p.m. on CBS. RuPaul’s Drag Race Drag queens compete in this reality contest. Out comedian Alec Mapa appears as a guest judge. 9 p.m. on Logo. Two and a Half Men Stacy Keach guest stars as the gay father of Charlie’s fiancée in this bawdy sitcom. 9 p.m. on CBS. TUESDAY American Idol Ellen DeGeneres judges. 8 p.m. on Fox. Reno 911! Look for Lt. Dangle in this comedy. 9 p.m. on Logo. WEDNESDAY The New Adventures of Old Christine
LOVE SLAVE: Gladiator/bird collector Barca (Antonio Te Maioha, left) continues to seek freedom for himself and his lover, Pietros (Eka Darville), who is a slave, over the next few episodes of the new series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” 10 p.m. Feb. 26 on Starz. Photo: Starz
Look for out comedian Wanda ABC. Sykes as the title character’s best pal Barb in this new episode. 8 p.m. THURSDAY on CBS. Grey’s Anatomy Look for out characters Callie Torres American Idol and Arizona Robbins in this repeat. 9 Look for Ellen DeGeneres. 9 p.m. p.m. on ABC. on Fox. Modern Family Look for gay couple Mitchell and Cameron. 8 and 9 p.m. on ABC. The Robert Verdi Show The crazy and funny misadventures of the out celebrity stylist and party planner. 10 p.m. on Logo. Oprah Winfrey Oscar Special The queen of daytime talk dishes with Oscar hopefuls. 10 p.m. on
Queer TV you can always see: One Life to Live
Look for gay characters Kyle and Oliver. MondayFriday, 2 p.m. on ABC. Ellen
Monday-Friday, 3 p.m. on NBC. The Rachel Maddow Show
Monday-Friday, 9 p.m. on MSNBC.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 32
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
Classifieds With Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services and Personals
Fewer Americans falling behind on home loans By Alan Zibel The Associated Press
The end of the foreclosure crisis is finally in sight. For the first time in almost three years, the number of U.S. homeowners falling behind on their loans is declining. The drop means the number of people losing their homes will start to fall. But some pain from the crisis is sure to persist. Because millions of people are already in foreclosure, deeply discounted houses will put pressure on home prices for years. “Housing is on a path to recovery,” said Mike Larson, a real-estate analyst with Weiss Research. “It’s going to be a very long, gradual process.” In high-foreclosure cities like
Las Vegas, Phoenix and Miami, homes have lost roughly half their values from their peaks. But a report last Friday from the Mortgage Bankers Association showed Nevada, Arizona and Florida had some of the biggest declines in new delinquencies. The figures probably mark “the beginning of the end” of the crisis, said Jay Brinkmann, the trade group’s chief economist. However, more than 15 percent of homeowners with a mortgage have missed at least one payment or are in foreclosure, a record. Worse, nearly half of all delinquent borrowers were at least three-months behind on their payments, up from a typical level of less than 20 percent. “The bad news is that we still
have a big problem,” Brinkmann said. “The good news is it looks like it may not get much bigger.” That’s because the percentage of borrowers who missed just one payment on their home loans fell to 3.6 percent in the October-to-December quarter, from 3.8 percent in the third quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. That decline was even more surprising because delinquencies usually rise at that time of year due to higher heating bills and holiday spending. In another encouraging sign, the number of borrowers who had missed at least one payment but were not yet in foreclosure also fell for the first time since the beginning of 2007.
Banks are delaying the foreclosure process, traditionally between four and six months, as they evaluate borrowers for help under the Obama administration’s $75-billion mortgagerelief effort. It lowers borrowers’ payments to as low as 2 percent for five years and extends loan terms to as long as 40 years. But experts warn that hundreds of thousands of borrowers will not be eligible or will not complete the process. So far, only 116,300 borrowers out of 1 million who enrolled have had the terms of their mortgages changed permanently. Despite the government’s efforts, there may be 6-million foreclosed homes that are put on the market over the next three years, according to Barclays
Capital. Timing is key. If banks unload them suddenly, “it will be much more detrimental to the housing recovery than if it’s a slow, gradual bleed,” said Michelle Meyer, a Barclays economist. On Feb. 19, Obama announced that housing agencies in the five hardest-hit states of Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Nevada will receive $1.5 billion in financial rescue money. It will go to local programs to help unemployed homeowners or “under-water” borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth, or to give lenders incentives to assist borrowers with second mortgages. The programs will need to be approved by the Treasury Department. ■
Location! Location! Location! This week’s featured property
17 Riverview Ave., Drexel Hill, PA 19026
Beds: 5 Baths: 2.1 Cost: $425,000 Square footage: 2,488 Age of property: 100 years Realtor: Andrew J. Mariano Real-estate co.: RE/MAX Preferred Phone: (610) 325-4100 Direct: (610) 789-0982 E-mail: andy@andymariano.com Web site: www.gayparealtor.com
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
3-story center-hall Colonial on .3 acres. Covered front porch, living room (13'x30') w/ FP, formal dining room, EI kitchen, family room (11'x27') opens to a 2 tiered deck overlooking majestic grounds w/ det 2-car garage.
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.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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COLDWELL BANKER WELKER ����������������������������������������������� REAL ESTATE �������������������������������������������������������� 215-235-7800 ����������������������������������������������������������������� _______________________________34-10 ����������������������������������� VENTNOR, NJ, FACING THE BAY ������������������������� House and Adjacent Lot (inground swimming �������������������������������������������� pool). 1st floor 3 bedrooms, bath, living room, �������������������������������������������������������� dining room, kitchen, laundry room and deck. ������������������������������������������������� 2nd floor 2 bedrooms, bath, efficiency kitchen, �������������������������������������������������� living room, dining area and deck. Central Air. ����������������������������������� Corner Property. Call 215 468 9166 evenings ������������������������������������������������� only. $675,000.00. Also property for rent����������������������������������������������� 1500.00 month plus utilities. ������������������������������������������� _______________________________34-10
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New York State Land for Sale 14.8 acres w/ power & snowmobile trails - $27,995. 4 acres w/ access to trails and power. NOW: $12,995! 24.5 acres w/ Sportsman’s Cottage bordering trails $79,995. Call Christmas & Associates 800-229-7843 www.LandandCamps.com _______________________________34-09 BROAD STREET BROWNSTONE 3 story entertainment home, one of a kind. $649,000. 267-767-9502. _______________________________34-09 485+ Acres for Sale, OIL & GAS RIGHTS INCLUDED. Offered at $3,700,000.00. Bradford County. Rocky Forest Real Estate, Inc., Rt 6, Wyalusing, PA 570-746-2600. www. rockyforest.com _______________________________34-09 NATIONWIDE FORECLOSED HOME ����������� AUCTION 600+ Homes / BIDS OPEN 3/1 - Open House: ness Flats. Large 2 bed, 1 bath. last 2/20,27,28. View Full Listings www.Auction. sirable building. Close to all Center City com REDC / Brkr SB065259. _______________________________34-09 taxes ................................�������������
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REAL ESTATE
George T. Sale Condo” Unique Garden ROOMMATES private entrance.. Low fees & Tax e 1 bd. in area ........................��������.
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NOTATIONS WILL BE EDITED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. ew open style 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo ___________________________________ o fees. Great small pet friendly building. 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,Listing upper and lower decks, wedes Court. New Large 3 use of kitchen. Property is by Welsh & the Boulevard, 1 Garage, roof deck and hardwood floors. min. to 58 bus. We ask only that you be at least Queen Village ....................�������� reasonably neat and employed. Rent is $600 + 1/3 utils. Contact Dave at 215-698-0215. ING. Large update 4 bd. 2 ba. with _______________________________34-15 sks sm/sissie/trans to share views. 2 BR. $350. rfully roofGM deck with city skyline 69th. Upper Darby. Ted, 610-352-1188. ..........................................�������� _______________________________34-11 $571 A MONTH FURNISHED ROOM For more information about this room in South ��������������������������������������� Philly. Please e-mail w.colgan@juno.com _______________________________34-10
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Conrad Kuhn
1015 Kimball Street A beautiful two bedroom home in mint condition. Chef’s Kitchen with Viking range, custom cabinetry and slate counter top, hardwood floors, handsome architectural details, large private patio perfect for entertaining. The master bedroom has cathedral ceiling and skylight. There is always free parking right outside your door!!
$319,000
Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors would like to congratulate Travis Rodgers for a fantastic year in sales for 2009!!! Travis sold or listed the following homes in Washington Square West neighborhood in the past 12 months.
Broker/Sales Rep. Since 1987 NJAR Circle of Excellence Sales Award 1991- 2007 Weichert President’s & Ambassador’s Clubs
300 S. Fawn Street
1216 Locust Street
426 S. Camac Street
417 S. Iseminger Street
Office: 856.227.1950 ext. 124 Cell: 609.221.1196 www.conradkuhn.com Realtor856@aol.com
738 Pine Street Unit B
1206 Addison Walk
1205 Addison Walk
403 S. Iseminger Street
1225 Waverly Street
1024 Addison Street
Washington Township Office 5070 Route 42 Turnersville, NJ 08012
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PGN
Gay is our middle name.
210 W. Rittenhouse Sq., Phila., PA 19103 215.790.5234 Direct 215.546.0550 Office
Open Houses Sunday Feb. 28, 2010 Noon - 1:00 PM 927 Spruce St Unit 3. Large bi-level 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo. Wood floors, deluxe kitchen, possible deck with skyline views. Up to two parking spaces avail able...................................................................................a steal at $399,000 927 Spruce St. Unit 2R. Unique large open NY style condo. Wood floors, skyline views, deluxe kitchen. Parking available. Low fees and taxes.................. ...................................................................................................only $225,000
927 Spruce St. Unit #1F. Large Jr. one bed room, one bath, totally rehabbed condo with low fees and taxes. Parking available. Low fees and taxes ........................................................................Reduced now only $199,900
306 - 308 Cherry St. Unit #300 New Listing. Very large 2 bd. 1ba. renovated condo w/ hardwood floors, fireplace, low taxes and condo fees. A must see ............................................................................................$385,000 1:30 - 2:30 PM
927 Spruce St. Unit 1R. One bedroom, one ba. newly rehabbed condo. Private rear garden area. Low fees and taxes. Parking available. Priced to SELL Reduced now only ..............................................................................$199,900 927 Spruce St. Unit #2F. Large one bedroom, one bath, south facing unit. Total rehab with wood floors, deluxe kitchen. Super low fees and taxes. Parking available ....................................................................................now $249,000
306 - 308 Cherry St. Unit #300 New Listing. Very large 2 bd. 1ba. renovated condo w/ hardwood floors, fireplace, low taxes and condo fees. A must see..............................................................................................$385,000
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
Consider Packer Park for your next home? Suburbs in the City
PREMIER RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY Convenient to Sports Complex,International Airport, FDR Park, Walt Whitman Bridge & Much More. Safe, Beautiful, Welcoming, Convenient We have a Wide Variety of Sales & Rentals Something to fit any need
215 551 5100 bc@CapozziRealEstate.com
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 34
REAL ESTATE
SALE
REAL ESTATE
SALE
GREAT BUILDING GAYBORHOOD GREAT INVESTMENT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
NEAR 11TH & LOCUST, $599K Come see this wonderful bldg w/2 spacious rental apartments and large commercial space on 1st floor. In the heart of Center City. Currently a doctor’s office, zoned C-1. Could be used made into condo’s or large single dwelling. Great condition, price, location. Call for appointment.
JULIE WELKER
COLDWELL BANKER WELKER REAL ESTATE
215-235-7800
FOR SALE
FOR SALE
For Sale: Pool Table - Contender from Brunswick 7 foot slate pool table with green felt and walnut finish. 4 pool sticks, 1 bridge and 1 short pool stick for tight spots. Pool balls included rack and extra chalk for pool sticks. Breakdown by buyer. Only used a few times. Asking $1,000.00.
Call after 6 pm at 856-415-9595 SERVICES
HELP WANTED
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 _______________________________34-09 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. _______________________________34-09 HAS YOUR BUILDING SHIFTED OR SETTLED? Contact Woodford Brothers Inc, for straightening, leveling, foundation and wood frame repairs at 1-800-OLD-BARN. www.woodfordbros.com _______________________________34-09
Wanted: driver, full time. Respond to pjayf33@gmail.com Will require all clearences and an interview. Send phone number. _______________________________34-11 Companies need employees to assemble their products. Make up to $500 a week. No Calling. No Selling. CALL (601) 749-2290. _______________________________34-09 Over 18? Between High School and College? Travel and Have Fun w/Young Successful Business Group. No Experience Necessary. 2wks Paid Training. Lodging, Transportation Provided. 1-877-646-5050. _______________________________34-09 Drivers: Industry’s #1 Lease Purchase Program! *Low Monthly Payments! *High % Pay Package *No Credit Checks! Owner Operators Welcome! 1-800-767-6918 www. JoinCRST.com _______________________________34-09 CDL-A: Drivers - We Have Lots of Freight! Dry Van & Flatbed. Great Equipment & Pay. Class A-CDL, Good Driving Record Required. Western Express. 888-801-5295. _______________________________34-09 Driver: Average $800+ per week for Company Drivers. Immediate Benefits. Great Equipment. CDL-A with 1 year experience, 23 yoa. Call NFI Sunday or anytime: 877-888-8476. www. nficareers.com _______________________________34-09
BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITIES ALL CASH VENDING! 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. _______________________________34-09 Insurance Agency for Sale. Affiliated with major national carrier. A great business opportunity! Please send inquires to: agencyforsalePA@aol. com or Fax: 866-296-7535. _______________________________34-09
PGN
JOBS WANTED HOUSEKEEPER SEEKING WORK In Phila. area. Great exp. and refs. Can also iron. Ask for Mr. T. Wallace, 215-563-6184. _______________________________34-09
REAL ESTATE
RENT
2 BR APT. IN CC SOUTH 2 BR APT. IN CC SOUTH IN THE NEW GAYBORHOOD
Two bedroom split-level apartment on second floor of row home near 20th and Christian streets. Living room, kitchen/dining area, bathroom, foyer. Perfect central location for professionals or students. Ten minute walk to Rittenhouse Square and on/near several SEPTA routes. On-street parking, pets okay, utilities separate. $875 plus two months deposit to move in. Available now.
Scott 267.736.6743
12TH & DICKINSON AREA Furnished Townhouse for rent: 3 levels. Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, 2 bedrooms , bath. Very Unique. 1500. mo plus util. (negotiable). Call 215 468-9166 after 6 pm. or 215 686 3431 daytime. _______________________________34-10 QUEEN VILLAGE, 620 S. 4TH ST. STOREFRONT FOR RENT $1700. TOM REICHNER 215-627-6005 PRUDENTIAL FOX & ROACH _______________________________34-08 RITTENHOUSE SQUARE AREA Call for Availability & Specials $795-$995 (215)735-8050. _______________________________34-08 2 BR APT. IN CC SOUTH 2 BR APT. IN CC SOUTH IN THE NEW GAYBORHOOD Two bedroom split-level apartment on second floor of row home near 20th and Christian streets. Living room, kitchen/dining area, bathroom, foyer. Perfect central location for professionals or students. Ten minute walk to Rittenhouse Square and on/near several SEPTA routes. On-street parking, pets okay, utilities separate. $875 plus two months deposit to move in. Available now, if you want to paint the walls your own colors or Feb. 1st for fresh, boring white walls. Scott 267.736.6743. _______________________________34-10 MANAYUNK 1 BR, 1 BA $850 + utils 1 BR, 1.5 BA from $1050 to $1100 + utils Heather 610-647-1776 EADEH.COM _______________________________34-09 OLD CITY 1 BR, 1 BA $975 + utils Heather 610-647-1776 EADEH.COM _______________________________34-09 FERN ROCK AREA Large 1 BR, new w/w carpet, lots of closet space, safe area. Walking distance to pub. trans. $625 + utils. 1st, last & security required. Avail, Mar. 1. 215-917-2362. _______________________________34-08 GRADUATE HOSPITAL AREA 2 BR w/patio, C/A, hdwd flrs., newly renovated, W/D, close to CC & pub. trans. $700. Call 267-690-3220. _______________________________34-08 RITTENHOUSE SQUARE AREA Studios & 1 Bedrooms. Call for Availability (215) 735-8050. _______________________________34-18
7 Make waves. Write a letter.
PGN
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
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 Greg Dennis at 215-6258501, ext. 219. Email resume to greg@epgn.com or send resume to: PGN, 505 S. 4th St., Phila. PA. 19147 Attn.: Greg Dennis EOE
Placing Classifieds Liner Ads In Person: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, By Phone or on the Web: 24 Hours, 7 Days
Deadline for Line Advertising is Friday at 3 p.m. for the following Friday’s issue. You may place your ad via our secure voicemail system, fax or e-mail at any time, or on our Web site. Please have the following information ready to place your ad:
YOUR AD COPY • YOUR NAME AND MAILING ADDRESS • DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER • CREDIT CARD INFORMATION
PHONE: 215-625-8501 ext. 200 OR 215-451-6182 (DIRECT) • FAX: 215-925-6437 • E-MAIL: don@epgn.com
GENERAL INFORMATION
All classified advertising must be in our office by 3 p.m. Friday for the next Friday’s paper. Ads arriving after that time will be held for the next available issue. PGN reserves the 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.
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.
TERM DISCOUNTS - BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ISSUES PREPAID 4 weeks, 5% • 8 weeks, 10% • 16 weeks, 15% • 26 weeks, 20% CANCELLATION POLICY
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, your name, address and daytime phone number is required to cancel your ad.
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 35
LEGALHEALTH & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY DIRECTORY HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY
PAGE 106
CLASSIFIEDS
APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008
Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. Call 215-625-
Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly As Little As $25.00 A Week. ach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For Little As $25.00 AWeek. Week. Call215-625-8501 215-625-8501 Today! Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly ForAs As Little For $25.00 A Call Today!
CRC, CVE
bility
PAGE 110 PAGE PAGE 36 110 PAGE 110
PAGE 110 APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008
CLASSIFIEDS PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIEDS
APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008 FEB. 25 26 -- MAY MAR.1,4,2008 2010 APRIL
LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
AMY F. STEERMAN Attorney at Law
Concentrating in Planning for Lesbian and Gay Couples • Probate • Wills • Living Wills • Powers of Attorney
215-735-1006
1900 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.amysteerman.com
CLASSIFIEDS
William A. Torchia, Esquire Attorney-at-Law
Estate & Tax Planning
GENERAL PRACTICE FOR THE COMMUNITY ������������������������ ����������������������������� ��������������������� ��������������������� �����������
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215-546-1950 (Voice)
215-546-8801 (Fax)
James M. M. Quesenberry, Quesenberry,MA, MA,CRC, CRC,CVE CVE James Disability Consultant James M. Quesenberry, MA, CRC, CVE Disability Consultant 230 S. Broad Street, Suite 400 Disability Consultant Philadelphia, PA 19102 Phone: (267) 687-1149 ext. 2 Social Security Disability Social Security Disability Fax: (215) 599-0000 Social Security Disability www.mkcounsel.com Claims Appeals
Claims Appeals Claims Appeals LOWER YOUR MONTHLY215-629-0585 M ORTGAGE 215-629-0585 215-629-0585 PAYMENT NOW • No refinancing involved Suite 202 Suite 202 Suite 202 Rd. • Credit does not matter Oxford Valley Rd. Oxford Valley Oxford Valley Rd. Call for an immediate legal consultation. Fairless Hills, PA19030 19030 Fairless Hills, PA Fairless Hills, PA 19030
APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008
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
James M. Quesenberry, MA, CRC, CVE Disability Consultant
Social Security Disability Claims Appeals
215-629-0585 Suite 202 Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030
PROVIDING DIRECT LEGAL SERVICES, EDUCATION & POLICY REFORM FOR THE LGBT COMMUNITY. FREE LEGAL HOTLINE (215) 731-1477
www.equalitypa.org
Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. Call 215-625-8501 Today!
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
SERVICES DIRECTORY ����������������
CLASSIFIEDS
PAGE 108
APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008
CLASSIFIEDS
PAGE 37
Want to let mom, dad and all of your exs know you’re tying the knot?
W Want to let m mom, dad and all a o of your ex exs know you’re ty Is it time to tying the knot? look for a ������������������������������������������������������������������������� new doctor?
SERVICES DIRECTORY Send us your wedding/civil union/ commitment ceremony announcement and we’ll share it with the City of Brotherly Love. Send us your wedding/civil union/ commitment ceremony announcement Reach���������������������������������������������������������������� Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. and we’ll share it with the City of Brotherly Love.
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS ADULT PERSONALS
PAGE 38
Don’t paint yourself into a corner... Hire a professional! PGN
Home Improvement
Directory
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010
Adult/Personals FRIENDS
MEN
LOOKING FOR ROMANCE Attractive GWM, warm, sensitive, caring, 48 y.o. with a smooth gymnast build looking for other GWM, 30-50, who is also in good shape. I live in NE Phila. I’m looking for guys who are also sensitive, caring with a fun personality. If this sounds interesting to you feel free to call me, David, 215-698-0215. _______________________________34-10 You: very well endowed. Me: 6’1”, 205, 59 white butt. 215-732-2108, 8-11 PM. _______________________________34-09 SEEKING GAY COMBAT VIETNAM VETERAN Vietnam veteran seeks same to describe combat experiences for background for novel.Not a ruse or come-on. danangvet@gmail.com _______________________________34-11 WM, NE Phila. If you’re looking for hot action, call 215-934-5309. No calls after 11 PM. _______________________________34-11 Older guy who likes younger guys. Also looking for personal driver who is willing to be involved with an older man. Full time. Reply to pjayf33@gmail.com _______________________________34-11 Curious senior WM ISO WM for oral times. Must be patient as I am very new to this. Call me day or night at 856-761-7616 _______________________________34-10 I’m Joey, looking for a top guy in Ardmore. Call me at 484-238-4707. _______________________________34-12
j Half-full or half-empty? Other Views.
PGN
FRIENDS
MEN
FRIENDS
MEN
nite. GWM couple ISO GWMs 18-40 yrs. for 1 on 1 and group sex. Stockings, pantyhose, etc. Starts 9 PM Sat. Call Sat. 7-8 PM 856910-8303, ask for Mark. _______________________________33-24 FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 20107” cut. Also into GWM, Italian, top or bottom, assplay, toys & water sports. Bi, straight, out of towners welcome. Day or night. Call Jeff at FRIENDS 215-850-7900. _______________________________33-18
MEN
Adult
�
Massage & More
Books
PHILADELPHIA ADULT PERSONALS GAY NEWS
���������������������������� MASSAGE MASSAGE CERTIFIED
MODELS
����� Man for Man Massage ���������������������� Tall, attractive, muscular Sensual/Erotic Massage ����������������������������� I will tailor your massage ��������������������������������� to suit your needs... Incall/Outcall ������������������������ �������������������������������������
Let my strong hands ESCORTS release all your tensions.
FULLBODY • SENSUAL • EROTIC “Ask about my specials” Have car and will travel City/Suburbs/Jersey Shore/Hotels
(215)465-2427
PAGE 39 Electronic PGN: MODELS www.epgn.com ESCORTS
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Convenient to Lower Bucks, NE Phila. 15 mins from CC & S.Jersey Available to any Phila area Hotel G12
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WWW.EPGN.COM
• Full Body • Deep Tissue • Sensual
6’, 195 lbs, Muscle Gives Sensual / Therapeutic Massage
Call 215-432-6030 FRIENDS
GayMEN is our middle name.
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MEN
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IN THE
• Erotic
PLAYGIRL Centerfold is Back!
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215-313-1010 Online. Anytime.
Handsome Certified Therapist
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C91
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
FEB. 26 - MAR. 4, 2010