Philadelphia Gay News April 24 - 30, 2009
Honesty Integrity Professionalism
Vol. 33 No. 17
PA above national avg. in LGBT school bullying By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
HERE’S TO YOU, GUV: Thomas Ude (left), senior staff attorney for Lambda Legal, presents Gov. Rendell with a certificate of appreciation during a luncheon at Ralph’s Café, atop the Comcast Center, April 19. About 90 people attended the event, which David Alexander, Lambda Legal major gifts officer, said was meant to pay tribute to Rendell’s “30-year commitment to the LGBT community in Pennsylvania.” Photo: Scott A. Drake
Liberty City Dems endorse Williams, Butkovitz By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer The Liberty City Democratic Club, which seeks to promote political candidates that are allies to the LGBT community, decided last week upon its list of endorsements for next month’s Municipal Primary. Liberty City members voted April 16 to endorse: Seth Williams for district attorney; Alan Butkovitz for city controller; Anne Lazarus, John Younge and Robert Colville for Superior Court judges; Stephen Pollack and Linda Judson for Commonwealth Court judges; openly gay Dan Anders, Angeles Roca, Joyce Eubanks, Donna Woelpper, Diane Thompson, Sharon Williams-Losier and Jonathan Irvine for Court of Common Pleas judges; and openly gay Dawn Segal, Joe Waters, Charles Hayden and Christine Adair for Municipal Court judges. Ray Murphy, Liberty City co-chair, said the organization’s endorsement committee made recommendations to the voting members — who had to have attended at least two Liberty City events in the past year and been up to date with their dues — who then voted to either approve or reject those candidates. Each candidate eligible for endorsement must have completed a Liberty City
questionnaire, which Murphy said the organization expanded this year to include more questions about the transgender community and other civil-rights issues. Murphy noted that the district attorney and city controller races generated the most debate among those in attendance at last week’s meeting. “Those were the more contentious ones where we did see some differing opinions,” he said. “There really wasn’t a huge amount of actual debate on the judicial candidates, although we did have a long discussion about the process because it’s hard for people to wrap their heads around the fact that we have to endorse as many as seven candidates for one race.” About 40 members voted on the endorsements, which Murphy said is about 30 fewer than took part in last spring’s endorsement process, which included the presidential endorsement. He added the last local race, which took place in spring 2005, drew only an 11-percent turnout from Philadelphia voters, compared to the 67 percent of voters who went to the polls in the presidential election. He urged LGBT and ally Philadelphians to pay special attention to next month’s race. See ENDORSEMENTS, Page 19
According to a study released last week by a national LGBT student-advocacy group, anti-LGBT bullying is a pervasive and ill-addressed problem in Pennsylvania public schools. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network published a research brief April 16 — the day before students from 22 public and private schools across the state participated in the national Day of Silence to protest LGBT harassment in the classroom — that revealed homophobia is alive and well in Pennsylvania’s education system. The data was based on GLSEN’s 2007 National School Climate Survey, which was released in October 2008. The organization has recently begun releasing state-by-state statistics, publishing reports on trends in Arizona, California, Michigan and New York. “Inside Pennsylvania Schools: The Experiences of LGBT Students” drew from the survey responses of 242 Pennsylvania students.
About 98 percent of the respondents regularly heard the word “gay” used in a negative connotation, and 83 percent reported regularly hearing homophobic remarks, such as “faggot” or “dyke,” in the classroom. Approximately 88 percent of the students said they’d been verbally harassed — either through name-calling or threats — for their sexual orientation and 63 percent reported verbal attacks stemming from their gender identity or expression. About 52 percent said they were physically harassed — pushed or shoved — and 27 percent were physically assaulted — punched, kicked or injured with a weapon — because of their sexual orientation, while 36 percent were physically harassed and 18 percent assaulted on account of their gender identity. Fifty-four percent of students who’d experienced either verbal or physical harassment didn’t report such incidents to school staff and, of those who did, only 32 percent said their admissions resulted in effective intervention. See BULLYING, Page 19
HERE HE IS ... : Last year’s Mr. Gay Philadelphia John Caputo (far right) and contestants from this year’s competition — Matthew (from right) from 12th St. Gym; Timmy from 101; Nicholas from Stir; and Victor (far left) from Sapphire Fund — gather with winner Charlie Biggs (second from left) following the April 18 competition at Pure. Biggs represented Travel Matters in the event — which featured a formalwear and swimwear competition, as well as a question-andanswer session — and will go on to represent Philadelphia in the national contest. Contestants Timmy and Nicholas won the Mr. Fitness and Mr. Congeniality honors, respectively. About 265 people attended the event, which was judged by openly gay Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Dan Anders, “Paper” columnist Mickey Boardman, writer Michael Musto, comedian Frank DeCaro, actor Will Wikle and here! Network executive Josh Rosenzweig. Photo: Scott A. Drake