pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 42 No. 16 April 20-26, 2018 Family Portrait: Sappho Fulton lives to tell about sexual assualt.
Police advisory commission to petition mayor on Nizah Morris case. PAGE 5
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HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Family Forward: Former PGN editor returns with a column on creating a family.
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Republican gubernatorial candidate trashes trans community
Two more PA towns pass ordinances to ensure LGBT equality By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com Plymouth Township and Bridgeport Borough recently took steps to ensure civil-rights protections for their LGBT residents, visitors and workers. On April 9, the Democratic-controlled Plymouth Township Council voted 5-0 to enact an LGBT-specific antibias ordinance. The ordinance bans anti-LGBT bias within the township in employment, housing and public accommodations. “This ordinance provides an opportunity for people who might face discrimination to have some recourse,” said Vivian Lotz, a resident of the township for 32 years. “For that, I’m hugely grateful.” Lotz, her spouse Renee Bess and other township residents have been urging council members to pass such an ordinance for at least the past year. “It would be wonderful if we had [LGBT-specific] antidiscrimination laws on the state and federal level,” Lotz told PGN April 12. “But we don’t. In the meantime, this ordinance offer protections and ensures the rights of the LGBT community.” Council President Marty Higgins said the ordinance should also attract residents and businesses to the township. “People are lining up to try to move into Plymouth Township because of our excellent schools and above-average services,” Higgins said. “Let’s give them one more reason to want to move here.” The ordinance also includes antibias protections on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, sex, national origin, handicap or disability, and the use of guide or support animals. Additionally, the ordinance establishes a four-member Human Relations Commission that will mediate antibias complaints within the township. If mediation isn’t successful, a complainant can seek remedies in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. Township residents interested in serving on the HRC may submit an application to Karen Weiss, the townPAGE 17
Queer Pakistani artists
By Timothy Roberts PGN Contributor
DANCING FOR LIFE: MANNA CEO Sue Daugherty (from left), advisory board chair Steve Korman, board of directors chair Tony Frick, Shut Up & Dance producing director Alexandra Hughes and MANNA director of external affairs Rob Saxon welcomed VIP guests to the Pennsylvania Ballet’s 26th annual Shut Up & Dance, held April 14 at the Forrest Theater. It was Hughes’ first year directing and also the first year the event was hosted by John Jarbo and the Bearded Ladies Cabaret. Funds raised go toward meals for people with severe chronic illnesses. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Philly Black Pride welcomes its 19th year By Michele Zipkin PGN Contributor The 19th annual Philly Black Pride Celebration takes place April 25-29, kicking off with a march and rally from the Aloft Hotel and ending at City Hall. “We just wanted to do a little more around community,” said Le Thomas, PBP president. “Although we have outof-towners who come to the celebration, we want to make sure that we have a few things specific to the community that they can partake in and feel like this is theirs.” One such community-oriented event is a day of service, for which The Colours Organization and Resources for Human Development will open their projects and activities to Pride participants. The Black Pride Celebration takes place in different cities around the country, but it all started in Philadelphia in 1999. “It’s exciting and nerve-wracking in a sense because we set the tone of what the celebration would look like,” Thomas said, adding that Philadelphia was the
first city to host Black Pride. Some 15 local social-justice and health organizations have made this year’s celebration possible through sponsorship, including PHL Diversity, Philadelphia FIGHT, the Center for Black Equity and The Colours Organization, which initially sparked the creation of PBP. Other events will take place throughout the city. Earle Fowlkes, president of the Center for Black Equity, a multinational coalition of Black Pride organizers, will lead a roundtable conversation on bias and stereotypes at Penn’s LGBT Center. The William Way LGBT Community Center will host the List Ball, an evening of performances, competitions and prizes. Events such as the roundtable discussion are particularly important to facilitate face-to-face dialogue within the LGBT community, said Fowlkes, so he plans to address the dissonance arising between different generations of the LGBT community. “It seems like the older people want to PAGE 16 maintain certain titles
Proposed legislation to extend antidiscrimination protections to LGBT people in Pennsylvania is becoming a campaign issue in the Republican primary for governor. GOP candidate Paul Mango has attacked fellow Republican Scott Wagner in an ad for supporting legislation that would prohibit discrimination against LGBT people in employment, housing and public accommodations — protections already afforded the rest of the population. “How liberal is Scott Wagner?” the 30-second television ad begins. “Wagner sponsored Harrisburg’s liberal bathroom bill, which lets anyone PAUL MANGO pick which gender bathroom they want to use. That puts our children’s safety and privacy in jeopardy.” The ad shows a girl looking hesitantly into what appears to be a restroom. A woman’s voice goes on to say, “Profamily groups slammed Wagner’s bathroom bill, saying it will result in boys showering with girls in our schools.” The voiceover narrative continues: “Wagner now stands with liberals like Pelosi and Wolf,” a reference to U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the San Francisco Democrat and minority leader of the House of Representatives, a frequent target of Republicans; and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat who is seeking re-election this year. Wolf came to Philadelphia April 5 to campaign for passage of the Pennsylvania Fairness Act, the bill Mango is attacking. The ad drew a sharp response from Equality Pennsylvania, issued this statement: “We stand in solidarity with our transgender family members, friends, PAGE 16 neighbors and fel-