pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 41 No. 12 March 24-30, 2017
• Lawsuit filed after trans student uses boys’ locker room • A vigil for trans lives lost to violence
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Family Portrait: Al Fuchs is ready for your next event PAGE 2
Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus turns 35
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Weiss’ gifts to Williams spotlighted in indictment By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com In a blistering grand-jury indictment released this week, Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams is accused of accepting expensive gifts from individuals facing legal problems, including local LGBT business owner Michael Weiss. Weiss is identified as “Business Owner #2” in the indictment. He couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Weiss co-owns Woody’s Bar, a popular LGBT venue. The
indictment doesn’t charge Weiss with any criminal wrongdoing. But prosecutors say he lavished Williams with gifts in 2012-15, including a Jaguar convertible, car-insurance payments, cash payments, round-trip airline tickets to vacation spots and lodging expenses. In return, according to the indictment, Williams appointed Weiss as “special advisor” to the D.A.’s Office, helped Weiss obtain a police-accident report for an associate and wrote a letter to a California agency reviewing Weiss’ liquor license in that state. The indictment includes several
text messages between Williams and Weiss. In one text, Williams reportedly asks: “Can I be a greeter or celebrity bartender to work off my debt to you ... ? LOL.” In another text, Williams reportedly wrote: “Dude ... I never want to feel like a drag on your wallet ... but we are ALWAYS ready for an adventure.” The indictment notes that in 2010, Weiss pleaded guilty to “corruptly endeavoring to impede the due administration of the federal tax code,” stemming from his involvement with the Palmer Social Club, an after-
hours club on Spring Garden Street. Weiss was sentenced to three-years’ probation and fined $30,000. The social club was fined $562,063.04. Williams faces 10 counts of accepting bribes, 11 counts of wire fraud and two counts of extortion. His alleged felonious activity includes diverting funds that were supposed to pay a relative’s nursing-home costs for his personal use. Numerous groups and individuals are calling for Williams’ resignation. But as of presstime, he remained in office. He was scheduled to be arraigned March 22. n
Philly candidate seeks to be nation’s first trans male judge By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
City LGBT commission charts path forward By Jeremy Rodriguez jeremy@epgn.com Newly appointed Director of LGBT Affairs Amber Hikes spoke at a press conference prior to the first Commission on LGBT Affairs public meeting last Thursday. Mayor Jim Kenney and Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown introduced Hikes to the public in the Mayor’s Reception Room. Kenney welcomed Hikes to her former home of Philadelphia from Southern California, where she was director of the Upward Bound program. The mayor also outlined the goals of the new commission, which had 21 of its members in attendance
during the press conference. “This body represents the diversity of our city as well as the many voices and experiences in the LGBT community,” Kenney said. “I am confident this group will work with Amber in her office and provide our administration with ways to increase LGBT community access. They will also assist Amber with bringing vital LGBT community needs to the attention of city agencies and helping those agencies develop ways to address those specific needs.” Reynolds-Brown said Hikes is “wellequipped to lead this office” and is not afraid to speak directly with communities. PAGE 14 “We can’t do our job
History could be made in Philadelphia this spring. Henry Sias is seeking a judgeship on the Court of Common Pleas. If he’s successful in the May 16 primary election, and later the general election, Sias would be the first transgender man to be elected judge in the nation. “There are no trans guys in any judgeship in the United States,” Sias said. “I’d be the first trans man to take the bench if I won so it’s exciting.” Transgender women are currently serving on the bench in California and Texas. Sias, 40, said he believes he’s also the first transgender candidate to ever seek elected office in Philadelphia. The Yale University Law School grad has been living in the city for about a decade. After graduating from Yale in 2005, the Detroit-area native joined a law firm in New York. He began dating someone in Philadelphia and was won over by
the city after visiting here. He and his wife now own a home near the Italian Market. After his move, Sias joined Philadelphiabased firm Blank Rome LLP and went on to clerk for two state Supreme Court justices: James J. Fitzgerald 3d and Jane Cutler Greenspan. He later clerked for Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judges Barbara McDermott and Kenneth Powell. He also founded the Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, a nonprofit legal-aid organization informally known as the Expungement Project. Sias said the agency has performed thousands of free expungements for clients, including many transgender individuals. It was during his tenure working with McDermott, an out lesbian, that Sias began transitioning, in 2011. The judge was the first person he came out to at work. “You can’t take it for granted that just because somebody is a member of the LGBT community that they’re going to be up to date on what it means to be trans and respond appropriately, but [McDermott] absolutely took it in stride and was a wonderful supporter,” he said. “She helped me transition in the courts in a way that was not awkwardly ostentatious but not furtive; she set the right PAGE 12