PGN May 17 - 23, 2013 by The Philadelphia Gay News

A banner time planned for New Hope Celebrates Pride

Pet column debuts

Family Portrait: Joe Dungee

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May 17-23, 2013

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Vol. 37 No. 20

Activists focus on second city facility occupied by Scouts Buoyed by the impending departure of a local Boy Scouts of America council from a city-owned facility, LGBT advocates are setting their sights on another city-owned facility occupied by Scouts. The “Scout House” is located at 726 E. Wigard St. in Fairmount Park, near Wissahickon Creek. Since 1987, BSA Troop 474 has been meeting in the facility and holding events on the surrounding parkland. But the property is owned by the city, and the troop pays a nominal rent of $1 a year. Greg Lattera, who was ousted from the Scouts 10 years ago after he came out, said it’s time for the city to evict the troop if it won’t sign a lease with LGBT-inclusive antibias provisions. “It’s time for the Nutter administration to bring the hammer down and evict Troop

474,” Lattera said. “The administration needs to take this next step to be consistent, especially if Philadelphia is to be considered an LGBT-friendly city.” Next month, the BSA Cradle of Liberty Council will vacate a city-owned facility near the Ben Franklin Parkway after a settlement in a five-year legal battle. The city will give Cradle $825,000 for improvements Cradle reportedly made to the structure over the years. Troop 474 has subletted Scout House to various subtenants since 1987. The subtenants have been private individuals and the nonprofit group Outward Bound, and they’ve paid as much as $9,600 annually in rent to the troop. After Troop 474 repaired the dilapidated three-story structure in 1987, rental payments from subtenants were to be used for its ongoing maintenance, according to city records. Palma Rasmussen, an outspoken critic of

Local groups plan marriage rallies

Center to host first national LGBT jazz festival By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com The William Way LGBT Community Center is ready to make history with the nation’s first LGBT-themed Jazz Festival. The center received a grant for $220,000 from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage to host the three-day jazz festival in September 2014. The event is expected to draw 5,000 people. According to development director Michael Pomante, the grant will go towards such expenditures as payment for producers and entertainers as well as design, marketing and public relations. The center will partner with DL Media, a talent agency and festival-production company in Media, to stage the event. Pomante said plans for the event are already underway. “Right now, we are in PAGE 39

the Scouts’ exclusionary policies, said the city should get a strict accounting of the rental payments received by Troop 474 over the years. She also reiterated Lattera’s call for the troop’s eviction. “If the troop won’t sign a lease with standard antibias provisions, it needs to be evicted immediately,” Rasmussen said. “This is outrageous.” Mark McDonald, a spokesperson for the Nutter administration, had no comment on the advocates’ call for the troop’s eviction. McDonald also had no comment on the subleasing arrangement, nor on the troop’s lack of a master lease with the city. Rasmussen questioned the legality of the arrangement. She also suggested that the Nutter administration appears to be giving preferential treatment to the Scouts. “What do [administration officials] think they’re getting from PAGE 41

By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com

FABULOUSLY FAMOUZ: Cyannie Famouz took home the crown last weekend at the annual Miss Philly Pride pageant. The title comes with the opportunity to ride in the upcoming Pride parade and perform at the festival. Cyannie will also get the chance to participate in the LGBT drag group in next year’s Mummers Parade. Mimi Imfurst was the runner-up. Photo: Scott A. Drake

A group of local LGBT activists are ready to paint Harrisburg red for marriage equality. The Summit, comprised of LGBT leaders from the Philadelphia area, and Marriage Equality for Pennsylvania will join for a June 22 marriage-equally rally in the state’s capital. The groups recently planned the March 25 rally in front of the James A. Byrne United States District Court in advance of the U.S. Supreme Court hearings on the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8. Janice Rael, vice president of Delaware Valley Americans United for Separation of Church and State, founded The Summit PAGE 40 along with Philly Family

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Philadelphia’s first poet laureate, Sonia Sanchez, was among the performers at the May 11 “AIDS Quilt Songbook” at the William Way LGBT Community Center. The “Songbook” has been redeveloped a number of times since its 1992 debut in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. The local performance included six world-premiere songs. The event drew 70 people and raised $1,200 for the center’s peercounseling program. Photo: Scott A. Drake

Endorsements

✁

City Controller Alan Butkovitz (#164) Superior Court Joseph Waters (#101) Court of Common Pleas Tamika Lane (#106) Daniel McCaffery (#109) Giovanni Campbell (#110) Dawn Tancredi (#113) Kenneth Powell (#114) Leon King (#118) Municipal Court Martin Coleman (#128) Henry Lewandowski (#129) Shoshana Bricklin (#130) Traffic Court Inja Coates (#147) Robert Tuerk (#156) Donna DeRose (#161)

✁

By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

LOCAL PGN

Government leader talks LGBT refugee issues in Philly By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com A leader of the federal agency that oversees resettlement of refugees in the United States was in Philadelphia last week for a trip that allowed her to hear directly from LGBT refugees who have found a home in the country. Anne Richard, assistant secretary of Population, Refugees and Migration in the U.S. Department of State, delivered the keynote address at the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society National Refugee Resettlement Conference May 8 and also met with representatives of the Nationalities Service Center’s Rainbow Welcome Initiative, which serves LGBT refugees. PRM supports resettlement efforts and funds initiatives to protect and aid refugees abroad. In an interview with PGN, Richard said LGBT refugees are at particular risk. “What we’re finding is that LGBT refugees are some of the most vulnerable of the refugees we care about,” she said. “In some of the societies in which refugees live, there is still a great deal of societal disapproval about being LGBT, so people hide their status to the extent they can if they’re a sexual minority. And, as a result, they’re hard sometimes for us to find and identify; they have to self-identify in order for us to provide them with the services they may need. It can be dangerous to be a refugee, and it can be quite dangerous to be an LGBT refugee. LGBT refugees can fall prey to people who want to harm them — from being picked on to being jailed to being killed.” Richard said 87 countries have laws on the books that criminalize same-sex sexual conduct. Often, the people who flee such countries still find themselves in nearby jurisdictions whose laws may not be much better, Richard said. The U.S. has taken strides in recent years to address some of those issues, she added. “President Obama put out a memorandum in December 2011 to advance the human rights of LGBT persons. It required all U.S. agencies working abroad to ensure that they were promoting and protecting the rights of LGBT persons through U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid. And we report annually on our progress,” she explained. “For our bureau, that means a special focus on LGBT refugees, and ensuring they’re identified to the extent they want to be identified and that folks working in our programs overseas are trained to be sensitive about the plight LGBT refugees may be experiencing.” Uganda has garnered international attention for its antigay culture, sparked by legislative efforts to instate the death penalty for repeated same-sex sexual conduct. PRM has funded legal- and medical-aid programs to survivors of gender-based violence in Uganda and has also directed fund-

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ANNE RICHARD ON HER RECENT TRIP TO PHILADELPHIA WITH AREN, A TRANSGENDER IRANIAN MAN RESETTLED IN PHILADELPHIA

ing to outreach programs for LGBT people there, Richard said. “Uganda and the U.S. have been close collaborators on foreign-aid projects, including those that fight HIV/AIDS. So for me it feels like a setback to have Uganda go after gay people in their country,” she said. “I’m part of a country that is so proactive in trying to help LGBT people around the world. People look to the U.S. as a model for the rest of the world. We’re in a moment where we’re doing the right thing, and that’s good not just for the beneficiaries of our programs but it also models the right thing to do for other countries.” Richard got the chance to put a personal face to the issue while she was in Philadelphia. During her visit, she met with a transgender Iranian man who was assisted by the Rainbow Welcome Initiative and is now living in Philadelphia, an experience she said was eye-opening. “He is living and thriving in Philadelphia, having grown up in Iran in a family that very much wanted him to be a little girl,” she said. “He was just the most helpful, energized, optimistic person you could meet. Part of it is sad that he had to leave his homeland and family, but he has so much more freedom to be himself than he had in Iran. And through his whole journey, he’s been trying to help other people. Here was somebody who came and needed help, got it and immediately turned around to start helping others. People often think of refugees as victims, but we forget that they’re also survivors and they have their own strength.” ■

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

VOTE MAY 21

The People’s Advocate

Rania has been a Pennsylvania lawyer since 1987. She is the owner of a general litigation firm in North Philadelphia primarily serving minorities, women and the underprivileged since 1998. Her areas of practice include criminal, premises liability, personal injury, professional malpractice, product liability, worker’s compensation, civil rights, social security disability, domestic/family law and miscellaneous. Her firm concentrates primarily in criminal and civil litigation. Rania has over twenty-five (25) years of extensive litigation experience, including civil and criminal jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations, administrative hearings, countless depositions and Public Utility Commission hearings. She has and continues to practice in virtually any court in Philadelphia except for in the Mass Tort Program. She also has clients in other counties in Pennsylvania and from numerous states and Puerto Rico. Currently, her bi-lingual staff consists of six full-time and two part-time employees plus independent contractors. Her staff includes women, minorities and one disabled part-time secretary. The males in her firm include one associate and a bookkeeper/office manager. Rania speaks German, conversational Spanish and spell in American sign language. EDUCATION ��

�� PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES �� OTHER ��

��

See Website for Endorsements � www.major4judge.com

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

PGN

SPORTS TALK RADIO: Queer 2 the T Internet radio taped its latest installment May 14 at Giovanni’s Room. The sports-themed program included representatives from LGBT soccer, flag football, softball, bowling and rugby, as well as from Team Philadelphia and GO! Athletes. The episode can be heard at queer2thet.blogspot.com/2013/05/episode-82-ins-outs-of-sports-w-team.html Photo: Scott A. Drake NEWS

Crime Watch Gettin’ On Local Media Trail News Briefing Primary ’13

31 15 2 31 14 7

Contents

EDITORIAL/OP-ED

Creep of the Week Editorial Op-Ed Mark My Words Street Talk

10 10 11 11 11

Are gay people more attached to their mothers than other people? Poll results from our online survey as of May 15:

38% Yes 15% No 47% They are the same

Go to www.epgn.com to weigh in on this week’s question:

Do you vote in elections that aren’t “glamorous?” 505 S. Fourth St. Philadelphia, PA 19147-1506

For advertising inquiries: advertising@epgn.com or 215-625-8501 ext. 218.

Phone: 215-625-8501 Fax: 215-925-6437 E-mail: pgn@epgn.com Web: www.epgn.com

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Publisher

Mark Segal (ext. 204) mark@epgn.com Editor

Jen Colletta (ext. 206) jen@epgn.com Staff Writers Angela Thomas (ext. 215) angela@epgn.com Larry Nichols (ext. 213) larry@epgn.com Writer-at-Large Timothy Cwiek (ext. 208) timothy@epgn.com

Advertising Manager Greg Dennis greg@epgn.com Advertising Sales Representatives Prab Sandhu prab@epgn.com

Art Director/Photographer Scott A. Drake (ext. 210) scott@epgn.com Graphic Artist Sean Dorn (ext. 211) sean@epgn.com Executive Assistant/ Billing Manager Carol Giunta (ext. 202) carol@epgn.com

National Advertising Rivendell Media: 212-242-6863

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Office Manager/ Classifieds Don Pignolet (ext. 200) don@epgn.com

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.

LOCAL PGN

Mr. Gay Philly to be crowned Pride weekend By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Changes are underway for the crowning of the 2013 Mr. Gay Philadelphia. This year’s competition will be held the day of Pride, at a new venue near the Pride festival. The June 9 event will begin 4 p.m. at Encore and Brasil’s, 112 Chestnut St. The competition will be held in conjunction with organizer Bruce Yelk’s annual Triumphant Pride party. Both events have been ongoing for six years, Yelk said, noting that he elected to fuse them together this year to cut back on the rigorous planning processes. “It’s basically my time,” he said. “I just don’t have the free time to do all the multiple events I’ve done before. Between things like Mr. Gay and Dragapalooza, they’re labor-intensive, and I don’t have that much time to have these events that have so many pieces and where I need to round up people and talent and do rehearsals and all that.” Yelk said he offered to Philly Pride Presents the chance to stage the event the night before Pride, but organizers have another event scheduled that evening. The 4 p.m. start time will work well with Pride’s format, he added. “Pride is an all-day thing, and there are some people who spend all day there but the weather determines a lot. If it’s really hot,

people don’t want to be out all day, so they may go to the parade and go into the festival for an hour and see what’s going on, or other people go to the parade and then come to Triumphant Pride,” he said, noting that Triumphant Pride has done a soft opening at 2 in the past few years, with the entertainment starting later in the afternoon to accommodate the post-Pride crowd. “This way, it doesn’t impact people who want to go to Pride. They can go to that event and then come here.” The venue is divided into two separate spaces: Encore comprises the downstairs, where the competition will be held, while Brasil’s is the upstairs dance club. The competition will be scaled back to one hour from its previous two hours. With the shorter time frame, Yelk expects eight12 contestants, compared to the 15-20 who have competed in the past. Contestants will compete in casual wear — changed from evening wear, since it will be a daytime event — and in a Pridethemed swimwear contest, where they will each be questioned by host Brittany Lynn on how their swimwear choice expresses their LGBT pride. The winner will receive a prize package that will include, among other things, a free ticket to Sandblast weekend in Asbury Park. For more information, visit www.nightlifegay.com. ■

Soccer club to host annual tourney By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com The Philadelphia Falcons will show off their soccer skills and city next weekend for the sixth annual Liberty Bell Classic. The May 24-26 tournament is expected to draw about 50 players from throughout the region, including Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New York and Washington, D.C. Players will compete in up to eight games Saturday and Sunday at Pennypack on the Delaware Park in the Northeast. Play is coed and all players will be grouped into squads according to skill level. LBC committee chair Eli Fargione said organizers have seen an influx in the number of community businesses interested in sponsoring the event. “We’ve had some great community support this year,” she said. Falcons fans will have the chance to mix and mingle with LBC participants at a number of events throughout the weekend. The tournament will kick off with a registration party from 7-9 p.m. at Stir, 1705 Chancellor St. Following Saturday’s games, the group will get together for a dinner and and will also celebrate the closing of the tournament Sunday with a post-game barbecue.

The Falcons started planning for the tournament at the beginning of the year. Falcons president Ed Argothy said the event raises the club’s profile, and that of LGBT soccer, throughout the region. “Liberty Bell Classic is an event we’ve been developing for the last few years. Other cities have similar tournaments, and we thought it was time that Philly had such a tournament that brought in a lot of people and players from other cities,” Argothy said. “We’ve worked really hard to develop this tournament and are ready to show that we are on par with other clubs in terms of the level of competition and the excitement for gay soccer. It’ll be a nice tournament with a lot of great events for folks coming in from outside the city.” Fargione added that LBC gives the Falcons the chance to show visitors what the team and the city represent. “It’s a great opportunity to extend the welcome to Philadelphia from the Falcons and to show off what the city and the Gayborhood have to offer,” she said. “We go to tournaments in D.C., New York, Boston and Provincetown, so it’s nice to return the favor and show people a good time here in Philadelphia.” For more information, visit www.falconssoccer.org. ■

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

PRIMARY PGN ’13

REVOLUTIONARY GENERATIONS: Philadelphia director of LGBT affairs Gloria Casarez (second from left) received the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative’s David Acosta Revolutionary Leader Award at the May 9 ceremony at City Hall. More than 75 people turned out for the occasion, including GALAEI board president David Torres (from left), GALAEI founder Acosta and GALAEI executive director Elicia Gonzales. Mayor Michael Nutter also made a surprise visit. Photo: Scott A. Drake

Out candidates abound By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com

As Pennsylvanians and Philadelphians go to the polls May 21, they will be able to consider a number of LGBT candidates, some of whom could make LGBT history if elected. Leon A. King 2d, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas King is the only openly LGBT candidate for Common Pleas judge. King has been active within the LGBT community, having served on the board for the William Way LGBT Community Center and currently sitting on the board of The Attic Youth Center. The former prison commissioner has also been instrumental in helping incarcerated individuals with HIV/AIDS gain access to medication. King told PGN that, if elected, he hoped to raise LGBT awareness in the judicial system. “Right now, we only have two [out LGBT] people on the bench, so it is good to continue to raise the community’s profile.” Inja Coates, Philadelphia Traffic Court Coates, who identifies as bisexual, is a self-employed therapist and LGBT activist. She said she plans to bring her progressive nature and diverse background to advocates for Philadelphians who are underrepresented. “I bring an ability to be clean and fair and I’ve been involved with the socialjustice movements for many years — the whole litany of racial justice, representation. You have to know the different issues that the community is facing.” Robert Tuerk, Philadelphia Traffic Court Tuerk is an openly gay attorney who previously ran for Traffic Court judge in 2011. He got into the race again, he said, because he’s eager to restore the reputation of the court. “I want to bring competence, fairness and equal justice for everyone,” he told

PGN. “I am a fair-minded person, therefore no one would be discriminated against in my courtroom.” Dan Miller, Harrisburg mayor If elected, Miller would become the first out mayor in Harrisburg — as well as throughout the entire state. Miller, who currently serves as Harrisburg City Controller, said he not only plans to help Harrisburg with its financial issues, but his tenure would promote visibility for LGBT candidates. “I think it’s important to have openly gay elected officials who perform well and who are respected by the voters and the citizens for doing a good job,” he said. Bryan Tate, Pennsylvania House of Representatives Tate is running for state representative in the 95th district in York and, if elected, would be Pennsylvania’s third out state lawmaker, and the first Republican to be elected as an out candidate. The York native is vice president of philanthropy at York County Community Foundation. Although Tate has a wealth of non-LGBT-specific issues he plans to work on, marriage equality and nondiscrimination are also on the top of his list. “I think Pennsylvania needs to step up and provide the same equality to LGBT persons that it provides to everyone else,” Tate said. Andrea Myers, Hatboro Council Myers, an out lesbian, was instrumental in bringing forward an LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance to Hatboro. The measure passed but was ultimately veoted by the town’s mayor. Myers’ family has a long history of serving the community. “Even though our local attempt at countering discrimination was ultimately vetoed, it opened up a lot of dialogue,” she said. “LGBT candidates, local leaders and allies to our community help bring real, tangible faces and voices to the forefront in these discussions.” ■

PRIMARY PGN ’13

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

York candidate looks to make history By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com If elected to the state House — a goal he’s eagerly pursuing — Bryan Tate would bring Pennsylvania’s total number of out state lawmakers to three. Tate, 46, is running next week for state representative for the 95th District in York. If he wins, he would be Pennsylvania’s first out Republican candidate to be elected to state office. Republican state Rep. Mike Fleck came out last year after being re-elected, joining Democratic Rep. Brian Sims as Pennsylvania’s only out state lawmakers. Tate, a York native, graduated from Spring Grove High School in 1985 and went on to earn his bachelor’s in broadcast journalism from Temple University in 1989. He currently serves as vice president of philanthropy at York County Community Foundation, which generates funding for community-improvement projects. “I have been in this role at the foundation for 10 years, which gives me the ability to be a leader of my community,” Tate said. “We are growing a large endowment and every year I am raising money for the future of this community. We take leadership on various issues — not just raising dollars and grants, but by supporting top decisions that are needed to improve the overall community.” Tate is also involved in the Rotary Club of York and the revitalization program Downtown Inc., and serves as president of the board of Central Pennsylvania Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership. Being an out lawmaker could help push Republican leadership on LGBT issues, he said, although his experience and leadership skills would also be vital. “I think that the role I have always played in my community is to use my abilities and sincere interests to build relationships,” Tate said. “Regardless of the issues faced in Harrisburg, it will also provide me an ability to help other members in the Republican caucus to grow in understanding of equality issues, but also to serve as role models [for those] who aspire to leadership.” Tate will challenge Democrat Kevin Schreiber and Green Party candidate Bill Swartz May 21 for the seat vacated by Eugene DePasquale, who left office to become auditor general. Tate was backed by the Republican Party in York.

“I had unanimous support from other Republicans and, on top of that, all of our York County legislators are on board supporting me. I think that there has been so much growth in my community towards understanding all types of people, towards appreciation for diversity and for approval of people’s abilities instead of their personal background. I have been enthusiastically embraced and supported and proud that so many people in my community are on board.” Tate said his background in working on community-revitalization projects would be integral in helping him approach fellow lawmakers on LGBT issues. “When you are part of a team, you work with those members of the team to help support issues that are important to community, so we all learn from each other,” he said, adding he has already developed ties with Republican state lawmakers in the York County area. “I have been building relationships with them and I think that I have gained their trust over all those years. They’re open to hearing ideas from me and that BRYAN TATE is definitely something I bring to the table.” Tate was recently endorsed by The Victory Fund and said his campaign has gone smoothly so far. “My campaign is a grassroots-based, issue-oriented campaign, meaning our way of promoting my campaign is through individual people,” he said. “We go doorto-door, talking to people, sharing information with them about me and to come out and vote.” Tate said he would be eager to work on issues such as local tax reform, education reform and economic development and would back LGBT-specific legislation like HB 300. Tate, who married his partner, Ted, in Baltimore, understands the frustration LGBT and ally Pennsylvanians experience with the state’s lack of relationship recognition for same-sex couples. “I am already a supporter of marriage equality and that is not just personal, but overall as I look around our nation, I see other states that are realizing we are in a new day and we need to honor all people in our country,” he said. “I think Pennsylvania needs to step up and provide the same equality to LGBT persons that it provides to everyone else.” For more information on Tate, visit tateforpa.com. ■

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

Race for City Controller Alan Butkovitz By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com Alan Butkovitz has served as city controller of Philadelphia since 2005 and is looking to continue his tenure overseeing the city’s financial direction. Butkovitz said he has worked to create an inclusive working environment in his office, and that the department itself has supported an array of pro-LGBT legislative efforts. “On the pension board, we approved a measure that allowed the transfer of inheritance rights to a gay partner. We support all the legislative efforts. We’re for gay marriage — for all equality and freedom measures,” he said. “We have tried to make it clear in our office that this is a protected environment and people will not face these whispering campaigns or these bullying efforts for being who they are.” Butkovitz, who has out LGBT staffers in his office, said he

recommitted himself to fostering a safe work environment in the controller’s office after an incident last year in which an office staffer was harassed for his orientation. “It caused quite an internal and external battle,” he said. “He went through a series of incidents. It culminated last year with somebody writing on a bathroom wall a very graphic description of a sex act between him and somebody that was a contractor in our office, and we did an extensive investigation and we imposed sensitivity training as a result of it.” Despite the challenging financial time the city has faced, Butkovitz said his office has implemented aggressive tax-collection policies and made use of a 1937 law that allows the city controller to garnish wages of city workers who were not paying taxes — which he said resulted in the collection of $2.5 million. Butkovitz was also proud to have recommended more than $800 million in savings and efficiencies,

Two candidates are vying for control of the City Controller’s Office: One has led the city’s financial-oversight department for eight years ...

which he said resulted, in part, in better rescuesquad services. Butkovitz said he has worked hard to make the office more transparent by keeping up with the latest technology. “Everything is online. We inherited a primitive website, so we built the website up and everything is on it,” he said. “We have developed this watchdog mobile app so that people can take pictures if there is evidence of fraud or evidence of failure of city services. There is a GPS function on it, so you can send it to our office and we have investigators who follow up on it.” The office also tries to find other unique ways to be more present and open in the city. “We have issued hundreds of reports all with detailed recommendations, we do opinion editorials and we’re in the community all the time,” he said. “Take the property-tax assessment. We have been

analyzing it and making it understandable for many years. What we try and do is make sure we focus on all the issues.” Butkovitz, who was born and raised in Philadelphia, said that, while the city is a leader, it’s also a municipality in which government leaders can truly be in touch with constituents. “It’s enough of a big city that it has characteristics of New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, and you can do things to scale but it is also small-town — you can get to know everybody in a particular issue, area or community. You can geographically make it around the city and it is one where you can break in and have that opportunity for upward mobility.” If he’s reelected as controller, Butkovitz said, he would hold accountable agencies that discriminate against any community,

including the LGBT community. “The controller’s role is to implement the rules that have been passed by council, and the thing that we can do is that, where there is an indication that the letter of the law is not being lived up to or there is some kind of discriminatory practice in effect, to do an audit of those functions and where there is evidence of some unlawful discrimination, we would pursue that through an audit,” he said. “Philly is good on LGBT issues on paper, so if there is a problem, it is mostly likely a failure to adhere to what the rules on paper say.” Butkovitz said LGBTs can be confident he would work for the betterment of the city as a whole. “The LGBT community has the same interests as every other Philadelphian — in the functioning of the city, they need somebody competent who is committed to progressive decisions.” Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n Butkovitz, visit www.alanbutkovitz.com. ■

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

... and the other is looking to bring new leadership to the office.

Brett Mandel By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com Brett Mandel is looking to bring his background as a nonprofit executive to the City Controller’s office. He is challenging incumbent Alan Butkovitz in the May 21 primary for the role of the city’s top auditor. Most recently, Mandel served as the executive director of the National Education Technology Funding Corporation and previously led Philadelphia Forward and sat on the Tax Reform Commission. The Northeast Philadelphia native said he has worked for transparency in his campaign and, if elected, would post audits and city spending information on the controller website. He would also be willing to post information on corporations’ nondiscrimination policies. “My campaign is very much about transparency, so in addi-

tion to having the budget online, we can have all the corporations online that the city of Philadelphia contracts with and showcase some of the ones who have antidiscrimination policies and the ones who don’t,” he said. Mandel said his outlook on the city’s financial situation is “grim.” He noted city spending needs to be revamped to ensure taxpayers are getting what they deserve. “We need to invest in so many other places. Our school district does not spend as much per child as other school districts do. We probably need to be investing another billion dollars per year just to give our children the education that is adequate, let alone something that is above and beyond. Are our streets clean enough? Are they safe enough? No. So when you look at what the city maybe could be spend-

ing or what it should be investing, we’re not investing enough.” Mandel said he is a longtime LGBT supporter. T h e b e s t wa y t o bring forth equality for all citizens, he said, is through educating the next generation. “I’ve written, I’ve spoken, I’ve supported candidates financially, but the biggest thing I can do — the biggest thing anyone can do — is raise the next generation to understand that this is just who people are,” he said. Mandel, who was endorsed by the Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club, has LGBTidentified staff in his campaign office and said he would work to promote the importance of diversity and nondiscrimination both in the controller’s office and throughout city contracts. “Although it is not our job to change legislation, the City

Controller can demand and ask of everybody who is contracted in the city, What are your antidiscrimination provisions?” he said. “Do you discriminate against certain groups, do you have policies where you won’t discriminate against groups and that is the kind of thing that you can make public?” Mandel, who supports the statewide nondiscrimination bill and is also in favor of marriage equality, said such legislative efforts should continue to be pursued until they come to fruition because of the everyday reality that many LGBTs face. “I think it is important to keep introducing and reintroducing that legislation, if for nothing else but to remind people that in this state, it is legal for someone to say, ‘You’re gay, get out of my hotel’ where if they said, ‘You’re Jewish, get out of my establishment.’ we would say that is horrifying,” Mandel said. “Every day it should be on the front cover,

reminding us of the shame. It is sad that it is 2013 and we’re OK with it being legal to discriminate this way.” Mandel said the city’s residents at large deserve a government that is financially stable and efficient. “Our taxes are going up, our services have been cut back, we’re closing schools; all at the same time, jobs are down in Philadelphia and poverty is up. The controller is the person in government who is supposed to make sure we are more efficient, more effective. Unless we can show that we in the government are being efficient, unless we can prove what we are doing, we are going to keep sliding down the wrong path and continue to increase the cost of living and doing business, while decreasing the quality of life and the marketplace. We have to reverse that.” For more information on Mandel, visit www.brettmandel. com. ■

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

EDITORIAL PGN

Creep of the Week

D’Anne Witkowski

Dr. Ken Hutcherson

Editorial

Making the LGBT vote count Tuesday is not a presidential election, nor a gubernatorial election nor a mayoral election. Often the less-than-sexy Philadelphia elections may go unnoticed by a great majority of the city. But, for populations that are still in need of legislative reforms to ensure their rights are protected, such as the LGBT community, every opportunity that is presented to put progressive, forward-thinking politicians into office needs to be seized — sexy or not. The May 21 primary will feature one campaign that has dominated local political headlines: the race for City Controller, the leader of the city’s financial-oversight office. PGN has endorsed incumbent Alan Butkovitz, who has a strong and proven record of representing the interests of all Philadelphians, and of being proactively cognizant of the needs of LGBTs. But, that contest is not the only one the community should be aware of. There is one opening on the Superior Court, as well as six seats on the Court of Common Pleas and three each on Municipal Court and Traffic Court. A slate of LGBT-supportive judicial candidates — each of whom would bring his or her unique experiences and diverse backgrounds to the bench — can be found on page 1. Among the judicial contenders are three out candidates — Leon King, Inja Coates and Robert Tuerk. Electing LGBT officials has been shown to positively raise the profile of the LGBT community, and that trend does not need to be limited to legislative offices. Having out community members in all branches of the government — including the judicial — is an effective means of continuing to educate the community at large about what it means to be LGBT. And, it’s a prime motivator for younger LGBT generations who are able to see themselves reflected in these decision-makers and could use these examples to strive for greater potential. This election may lack the pomp and prestige of the Obama-Romney headto-head, but that does not mean it lacks importance. Each person elected to office Tuesday will be given specific duties to fulfill, and many of those obligations could have resounding impacts on the LGBT community. It is essential that we put the right people in office who can not only ensure that the LGBT rights and protections currently in place are being enforced but who can also further advance our community. People often use work, school, errands and other daily chores as reasons for being unable to make it to the polls. But, each LGBT and ally should commit him or herself to — starting this election — getting into the practice of thinking of voting as another one of those obligations. Vote on your lunch, before class or in between picking up drycleaning and walking the dog. It takes just a few minutes but its impact will be longlasting. And as of presstime, Tuesday is forecasted to be 78 degrees with a 10-percent chance of rain — so don’t try those weather excuses either. ■

A few weeks ago, if someone had asked you if you knew Jason Collins, you likely would have said no. That is, unless you were a big fan of the Washington Wizards (which I doubt). But today, it seems like Collins is the only professional basketball player in the world. His name and face are everywhere. Because he’s gay. Specifically, because he’s the first openly gay current professional player in a major U.S. sport. It’s a BFD. Even President Obama said he “couldn’t be prouder” of Collins for coming out. Which is evidence that Obama is clearly taking orders from Satan, according to Dr. Ken Hutcherson of the Antioch Baptist Church in Redmond, Wash. In a May 2 opinion piece for the Christian Post, Hutcherson used the fact that Obama praised a known homo-sexer and that he spoke to Planned Parenthood as proof of Obama’s Satanic usurping and a vast conspiracy against Christians in America. “[D]o any of you believe there is a connection between [Collins] announcing he is gay only 72 hours after President Obama’s speech to Planned Parenthood?” Hutcherson wrote. “The answer is a resounding YES! More proof that Christian views are very much under attack!” Yes, very much under attack. Poor Christian views in America. Just think of all the taxes churches have to pay. Not to mention the fact that there has never been a single American president who identified as Christian. Don’t get me started about how outnumbered Christians are in Congress. And just try getting Christmas Day off from work! Yes, it’s a tough life for Christians in America. And it can all be blamed on Planned Parenthood and Collins, aka “agents of Satan.” “The connection between these two stories should be very obvious: They both go directly against God’s Holy Word,” Hutcherson continued. “After all, God hates hands that shed innocent blood (Prov.617) and is sickened by sodomy (Rom.1:24-27).”

In other words, Collins makes God puke. Of course, the joke is on Collins, according to Hutcherson. “Collins is being used as a pawn, in the most dangerous game of Russian roulette for his soul,” he wrote. Silly Satan, souls are for Christians. Hutcherson also predicted a rude awakening for Collins in the locker room: “I can’t imagine that Collins, standing in the shower after a game, and knowing the vast majority of his teammates are not gay, will go over very well. How about the players standing in the shower with him, knowing that one of their teammates likes other men? Just saying ... ” Let’s unpack that, shall we? First of all, when someone ends an idea with “just saying ...” it means, “I have just said something for which I do not want to take responsibility” because it was probably a shitty thing to say. And, indeed, this thinly veiled “warning” about things not going “over very well” for Collins the homo while he is standing naked with a bunch of his hetero teammates is worthy of distancing yourself. Because it’s an asinine thing to say. Not only is Hutcherson implying that Collins is some kind of pervert who won’t be able to keep his eyes and hands off his teammates, but he’s also implying that a bunch of grown men can’t behave themselves if one of them is gay, especially if they’re all naked. It’s an argument that has always left me baffled: how little regard folks like Hutcherson have not just for gays, but for men entirely. As if a penis makes it impossible to be a decent human being. Then again, maybe Hutcherson is projecting his own fantasy of getting in a wrestling match with Collins in the shower while a bunch of other naked guys stand around and watch. Just saying ... ■

“[D]o any of you believe there is a connection between [Jason Collins] announcing he is gay only 72 hours after President Obama’s speech to Planned Parenthood?”

D’Anne Witkowski has been gay for pay since 2003. She’s a freelance writer and poet (believe it!). When she’s not taking on the creeps of the world, she reviews rock ’n’ roll shows in Detroit with her twin sister.

We want to know! If you are celebrating an anniversary, engagement, wedding, adoption or other life event, we would be happy to help you announce it to the community. Send your contact information and a brief description of the event to editor@epgn.com.

OP-ED PGN

Charting a new course for LGBT youth Community Academy is like any other was not safe to come out at school or have charter school in big-city America: tryyour school officials support you. All of a ing to etch out an existence for students sudden, I turned the tables and asked them who somehow don’t make it in the typiwhat their lives were like and what coming cal urban school system. All I knew about out was like for them. Community Academy was that They were all bright, eloquent it was the first and oldest charter and very much in control of their school in Philadelphia and, at 33 lives. Most said they had come years old, has been one of the out around 12 or 13 but knew pioneers. But I discovered there they were gay all their lives. was a lot more I didn’t know. Many had parental problems The recent invitation to speak but they were determined not at Community Academy came to allow that to get in their way. from former City Council memAnd many of the students were ber Angel Ortiz and, in all honat Community Academy because the school embraced them, and esty, I had zero time to prepare. they said they would not be in So as I got in the car with Angel, any school if it were not there. I actually heard myself say, “So, Some take public transit for an tell me where we are going, who I am speaking to and what is hour and a half to make it to this all about.” Angel laughed school every day. Mark Segal The biggest surprise was their and said, “Put on your seatbelt. I’m taking you to the barrio.” lack of knowledge of particulars And he was. Community Academy is a about their city’s LGBT community or the fortress-like structure in the middle of the Gayborhood. But it really shouldn’t have inner city. The parking lot is guarded, and been a surprise, since they see themselves you feel as though you’re entering a prison. as being able to fit in anywhere and with Inside, there are more guards and a metal anybody. detector, but once you get through that Some charters have a particular mission maze, the world changes dramatically. — like academic, artistic or even a sportsYou enter a modern building with stucentric curriculum. Community Academy is dents and teachers streaming through the designed to embrace endangered youth and halls, engaged and excited to be there. You make them feel welcomed and help them can also note that they are all wearing, with grow. some pride, the school jacket with its crest. I guess what I’ll remember is what at first I was introduced to the school’s founder seemed strange to me. Two of the girls, ages and CEO, Joe Proietta. He explained the 16 and 17, had been together for two years. mission of the school and then led me into They said it in an open room with their a room where members who self-identify as teachers and principal looking on, and no LGBT were waiting for us to have a discus- one was shocked or surprised. When I mension. Most of the group were over 14 and tioned that to a friend later, he said, “That’s were mostly women. As I was introduced sweet, it’s a high-school romance.” by Angel, I was sort of at a loss for words, Here’s to the future. It’s a bright one. ■ realizing that I’m speaking to a group of Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s gay youth, and that is how I started out my most-award-winning commentator in LGBT chat. Some 40 years ago, we organized media. He can be reached at mark@epgn. an organization to help endangered youth com. — people like them — but, at that time, it

Mark My Words

Thinking out loud

Abby Dees

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

Street Talk How will Jason Collins’ coming-out affect his career? “Everything I heard on ESPN is negative. It’s going to be tough for him to play with straight players. They don’t want Kristen Buhalo the physical table-games dealer contact with Northeast him. I’ve also Philadelphia heard that some players don’t want to be in a locker room with him. I’ve only heard negative things about it. So it might hurt his career. But I don’t know for sure.”

“There’s no such thing as bad publicity. In that sense, it’s helping his career. I think the support he’s getting Toni Leonard outweighs student the negative Fairmount reactions. The reactionaries are anchoring themselves to the past, and they’re going to be left behind.”

“It’s giving him a boost. I never heard of him before he came out. And I think that’s true of most people. Now, his name is out Heather Martin there. NBA account manager teams will Fairmount bend over backwards to sign him, just to prove they’re not homophobic. Any way you look at it, it’s helping his career.”

“It will help him. He’s becoming more confident as a human being, and he’ll be a better player as well. A lot Maxwell Morgan audio engineer of the public North Philadelphia is proud of him. Coaches will recognize that and take him on. A team might pick him up just because they want the publicity.”

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.

Other people’s politics Having friends who don’t share your political views is very inconvenient. It requires you to think in terms of individuals, rather than lump everyone you disagree with into a tidy group that is (pick one) stupid, greedy, evil, brainwashed or out to get you. It means you have to get your news from multiple sources and that takes so darn much time. It’s much easier to know there are only two types of people in the world: us and them. Then we can use our critical thinking skills for other things, like deciding who deserves our vote

on “The X Factor.” I recently ran into an old, dear friend. The last time we met was almost 30 years ago when we were still basically kids. She was the kind of person who made you smile just to look at her. Bright-eyed and curious, she always led with her heart; I remember that most vividly after all these years. The person I met last week was no different, except perhaps more settled and confident — the lovely patina that comes with age. My friend told me that since we last met, she had become born-again and

involved with the local Tea Party group. To a typical tree-hugging lesbian, this combo rarely suggests “ally,” and yet here I was with my old friend who has only ever been someone I’d consider an ally. And this week, she gave me no reason to think that’s changed. I don’t actually know what she thinks about things like same-sex marriage, abortion, immigration or whatever. I do know that she was genuinely happy to hear that I’m happy. It’s mutual, and I’m glad we found each other again. So, like I said, most inconvenient. It

would be so much easier to think my friend had become a fundamentally different person or was under the insidious influence of some nutty political propaganda. I could maintain a nice us/them view of the world ... and nothing would ever change. This is the problem when we get lazy about our opinions. If we stay in our respective camps of people we agree with, we lose the opportunity to find common ground. And maybe “common ground” is too common a term. When I think about my friends, it feels more PAGE 39

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

PGN LOCAL

QSpot returns for third year By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com

ANNIVERSARY ANTICS: Brittany Lynn and her Drag Mafia took center stage at Pro Bar’s second-anniversary bash. The venue is the first and only LGBT club in an Atlantic City casino. It opened as Prohibition in 2011 and last year changed its name. The performance lineup included Crystal Electra (from left), Serena Starr, Lynn and Mrs. P, as well as Thea Austin, of “Rhythm is a Dancer” fame. Photo: Scott A. Drake

Youth program QSpot will kick off its 2013 series this weekend with an event honoring the diversity of the LGBT community. QSpot will host a “We are Family”themed event from 8 p.m.-midnight May 18 at Broad Street Ministry, 315 S. Broad St. The free program is geared toward LGBT and ally youth, ages 18-29. QSpot, launched in 2011, runs bimonthly from May-December to offer youth a safe spot to network with other youth, explore issues impacting their community and access free community resources. After this month’s event, QSpot will be held every first and third Saturday. Co-advisor Paul D’Avanzo noted that each session is coordinated by the Philadelphia Young Leaders Council, a group of people in their early 20s who work with the LGBTQ youth community to identify what issues they would like QSpot to focus on. “The PYLC members plan and coordinate the whole year’s programming,” D’Avanzo said. “We have one returning member and six new members so we have a pretty fresh group of young people leading this. We use a model that puts the control in the hands of the community we’re looking to target. We’re not coming in as outsiders and saying, ‘These are the problems that you need to address,’ but instead we have the PYLC members go into their own community and ask their friends and peers about the biggest issues they’re facing, and then from there they figure out the programming.” Co-advisor Quincy Greene said the group meets once a week for three hours and noted how impressed he’s been by their dedication. “They are a pretty dynamic group,” Greene said. “They’re the epitome of what we’re looking for in young leaders. They’ve already planned out to event number seven. They’re driven, focused, efficient, and I’m really surprised at how fast they’ve taken to this process.”

This weekend’s event, three days before Election Day, will feature guest speakers Sherrie Cohen and Michael Williams, both attorneys and former political candidates, as well as Anna Aagenes, district office director for state Rep. Brian Sims. This year’s future programming will look at such topics as intimate-partner violence and issues affecting trans youth. In addition to the conversation sessions, QSpot will feature free food, free and confidential HIV and STI testing and opportunities for youth to meet with mental-health workers and other professionals. Greene said the event has always been violence-free, a trend he anticipates will continue. “One of the things for me that is tantamount in the program is the idea that this is a safe space, with no ‘shade.’ In our community, whether it’s adults or adolescents, shade has become a currency; the more shade you throw, the more currency you have,” he said. “It’s a form of self-defense —the idea of ‘I’ll get you before you get me’ — but these young people are harming each other and the community by relying on shade. We’ve talked to the young leaders group about how important it is to keep developing a shade-free space and I’m very excited for that.” The program draws support from a number of local organizations, including Educational Justice Coalition, Brothers United, the SafeGuards Project, Project PrEPare at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Penn’s Center for AIDS Research and Public Health Management Corporation’s Philadelphia Hepatitis Outreach Project. D’Avanzo said youth of all backgrounds are welcome at the event and can all take away something relevant. “We’re all about creating a safe and supportive environment,” he said. “Everyone who fits the age range and anyone who’s gay, straight, bi, trans — it doesn’t matter, we want everyone to feel supported.” For more information, visit www.facebook.com/qspot.philly. ■

Available on Amazon and the Nook Readers agree: a 4-star page turner that leaves you wanting more. www.KCallahanMysteries.com

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News Briefing City delays decision on Cradle agreement release The Nutter administration has postponed a decision on releasing a copy of its settlement agreement with the BSA Cradle of Liberty Council until June 13. Last week, PGN filed a Right-to-Know Law request for a copy of the agreement. The settlement ends a five-year legal fight by Cradle to occupy a city-owned facility near the Ben Franklin Parkway. Cradle will leave the facility by June 30, and a retail store will vacate the premises by Oct. 31. In return, Cradle will receive

REGIONAL PGN

$825,000 in tax dollars for improvements Cradle reportedly made to the building. But all of the settlement’s details weren’t specified in the press release. A city law-department attorney said May 13 the department needed 30 days to decide if it would release the agreemnt. The city sought Cradle’s eviction because the organization won’t accept LGBT participants, nor pay fair-market rent.

Attempts underway to settle benefits case Attempts are being made to settle a federal lawsuit involving spousal benefits allegedly denied to a local gay couple. Bryce Ginther and Kit Kineef were married in New York in May 2012. But Ginther’s employer, ArcelorMittal USA, allegedly refuses to recognize Kineef as an eligible beneficiary of its health plan. The men filed a lawsuit in February, alleging violations of federal law.

“ArcelorMittal is working collaboratively with the parties involved to resolve the matter,” stated company spokesperson Mary Beth Holdford in a May 7 email to PGN. Attorneys for the men had no comment about Holdford’s statement at presstime. U.S. District Judge Thomas N. O’Neill Jr. recently granted ArcelorMittal an extension until May 16 to reply to the allegations. Ginther is an industrial electrician at the Conshohocken steel mill.

Conshy case continues James D. Schneller, who’s challenging the legality of Conshohocken’s LGBTinclusive antibias ordinance, is seeking monetary damages from borough officials for suing him. Schneller is co-founder of the anti-LGBT group Philadelphia Metro Task Force, and has embroiled Conshohocken in litigation about the ordinance for almost two years. Borough officials filed suit against

Schneller in September, requesting about $18,000 for legal fees allegedly incurred while defending the ordinance. In a counterclaim filed May 1, Schneller contends that borough officials sued him “with malice” to intimidate LGBT opponents. Schneller also contends the suit caused him ailments such as nausea, heart palpitations, shortness or breath, loss of appetite and reduced ability to exercise. His counterclaim seeks in excess of $50,000 and an investigation by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and/or the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office into whether the borough violated criminal laws when suing him. Michael J. Savona, an attorney for the borough, called Schneller’s motion “frivolous and meritless.” Schneller had no comment for this story. His challenge of Conshohocken’s ordinance remains pending in state Commonwealth Court. ■ — Timothy Cwiek

PGN

What you need to know about LGBT-friendly services For many, aging can present numercoming. Involve all team members in ous challenges, including the ability to changes. Ideally, these “cultural” changes need to be implemented and supported by maintain good health. But for the nation’s estimated 3-million LGBT older adults, top-level decision makers. growing older may also mean facing very • Work to build trust and gain credibility difficult choices, such as choosing to go by improving communication and becoming informed about unique strengths, back into the closet. The pre-Stonewall generation has been referred to as “Gen stressors and legal challenges in the lives Silent,” reflecting its members’ tendency to of LGBT older adults. • Seek LGBT health resources for bestbe “closeted” and their hesitancy to advopractice guidelines and to guide clinical/ cate on their own behalf. For many, it was psychosocial decisions. impossible to be openly gay and feel safe. • Recognize diversity among LGBT older Now — at a time in their life when they adults. require services and programs offered by aging-service providers, maybe within a long-term care setting, Tips for LGBT older adults an adult day-care center or a • Ask around. Talk to your senior center — many LGBT friends, family members and older adults report heightened coworkers about their doctors fear and anxiety should they disand where they receive services. • Call your local LGBT comclosure their sexual orientation munity center. Many times, and/or gender identity. Silence greatly increases an LGBT older centers will have referral lists adult’s risk of social isolation for LGBT-friendly services. • Call and ask questions. Find and decreases his or her likelihood of successful aging. out if this provider currently Some people may think that serves LGBT older adults. being “out” (disclosing your Do they seem at ease with Terri Clark your questions? Have staffsexual orientation and/or gender identity) to aging-service ers received training about the needs of LGBT older adults? providers or health-care practitioners is • Explore the website. Is inclusive lannot important, or they may not see the guage used? Are there pictures of same-sex benefits of accessing aging services that couples? Transgender individuals? Do you are inclusive and culturally competent. see signs reflective of LGBT culture? Consequently, according to the National • Visit the office. What is the atmosphere? Gay and Lesbian Task Force, LGBT Are there LGBT materials in the waiting seniors are five times less likely to use aging-related services than their heteroroom? Nondiscrimination policies posted? sexual peers as a result of fear, but have Do the forms use words like “partner”? a far greater need for those services. Advocacy groups for successful aging, Additionally, a 2007 study, “Improving the Lives of Older Adults,” found that a major- such as the LGBT Elder Initiative with its ity of the nearly 650 LGBT people studLGBTEI Silver Rainbow Project, offer care ied reported being abused or neglected by providers cultural-competency training. staff, or isolated from and/or discriminated These programs are designed to ensure that aging-service organizations can professionagainst by other residents. Finally, the Public Health Management Corporation ally, sensitively, effectively and approprijust released results from a state-funded ately serve our communities. Additionally, survey that found that nearly 40 percent of the LGBTEI and other groups provide participants reported at least one discrimiresources directly to LGBT older adults natory experience in a health-care setting, on LGBT-friendly services. Initiatives like which included 13 percent who were these, which work with both the providdenied access to health care and 22 percent ers and older adults, begin the process of assuring culturally competent care and prowho said they had to hide their identity viding LGBTs equal opportunities to age from a provider. About 11 percent experienced abusive language from a provider. in a safe and supportive environment. ■ Knowing someone’s sexual orientation is different from knowing about that person’s Terri Clark, MPH, CHES, preventionservices coordinator for ActionAIDS, is sex life. Sexuality, including sexual orientation and gender identity, is an integral co-chair of the LGBT Elder Initiative. The part of one’s identity, LGBT or straight. LGBTEI fosters and advocates for services If a provider doesn’t really know their cliand resources that are competent, culturents/patients, how can he or she ensure the ally sensitive, inclusive and responsive to person’s needs are being addressed and the needs of LGBT older adults. To comment on this article, suggest topics for they are receiving appropriate services? future articles or for more information, Providing care to LGBT older adults visit www.lgbtei.org or call 267-546-3448 • Revise websites, brochures, waiting and watch for Gettin’ On each month in PGN. rooms and forms to be inclusive and wel-

Gettin’ On

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

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NOTICE

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE CANVASS AND COMPUTATION OF VOTES CAST IN THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA GENERAL PRIMARY ON TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2013 WILL BEGIN AT 9:30 A.M. ON FRIDAY MAY 24, 2013 IN THE CITY COMMISSIONERS, 6TH FLOOR HEARING ROOM, RIVERVIEW PLACE, DELAWARE & SPRING GARDEN STS., AND CONTINUE ALL DAY FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013 UNTIL COMPLETED.

AVISO

A QUIEN PUEDA INTERESAR:

AVISO QUEDA DADO QUE EL ESCRUTINIO Y COMPUTO DE LOS VOTOS EMITIDOS EN LA CIUDAD DE FILADELFIA PRIMERIA GENERAL Y ESPECIAL PARA LAS ELECCIONES DEL MARTES, 21 DE MAYO DE 2013 COMENZARA A LAS 9:30 A.M. EN VIERNES, 24 DE MAYO DE 2013 EN LOS COMISIONADOS MUNICIPALES SEXTA PISO SALON DE AUDIENCIA, RIVERVIEW PLACE, DELAWARE AVE. Y SPRING GARDEN ST, Y CONTINUAR TODO EL DIA VIERNES 24 DE MAYO DE 2013 HASTA QUE HAVAN FINALIZADO PHILADELPHIA COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS JUNTA DE ELECCIONES DEL CONDADO DE PHILADELPHIA Anthony Clark Chair, City Commissioners Presidente, Comisionados Municipales

Al Schmidt Vice Chair City Commissioners Vice Presidente, Comisionados Municipales

Stephanie Singer City Commissioner Comisionado Municipal

Tim Dowling Acting Supervisor of Elections Supervisor Interino de la Junta Electoral

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

ELECTION NOTICE

AVISO DE ELECCION

BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7:00 A.M. AND 8:00 P.M. IN ALL ELECTION DISTRICTS OR DIVISIONS IN THE CITY AND COUNTY OF PHILADELPHIA, STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA There are to be elected by the voters of the City and County of Philadelphia, persons to ﬁll the following ofﬁces;

ENTRA LAS HORDES DE 7:00 A.M. HASTA LAS 8:00 P.M. EN TODOS LOS DISTRITOS ELECTORALES O DIVISIONES EN LA CIUDAD Y EL CONDADO DE PHILADELPHIA ESTADO DE PENNSYLVANIA Se elegriran, por los votantes de la ciudad y el condado de Philadelphia, a personas que lienaran los siguientes puestos;

1. ENTER VOTING BOOTH This machine does not have a curtain rod lever. You enter the voting machine by parting and walking through the curtain. If you use a wheelchair, the voting machine will be lowered by the machine operator before you enter. 2. SELECTING A CANDIDATE Select your candidates by pressing the Numbered box within your candidates’ position box and a red light will go on next to the number within your candidates’ position indicating the names you have selected. 3. SELECTING CANDIDATES INDIVIDUALLY If you want to select your candidates individually, press the numbered box within your candidate’s position box and a red light will go on next to the number within your candidate’s position, indicating the names you have selected. 4. CHANGING A SELECTED CANDIDATE If you change your mind after selecting a candidate, and don’t want to vote for a candidate whose light is on, press that candidate’s number again to deselect the candidate and the light will go off. 5. SELECTING A WRITE IN Find the Write-in box for the Office for which you want to write in a candidate’s name. Press the Write-In button in the box. Then press the Large Flashing red button at the top of the machine to open the Write-in Window. Write or Stamp your candidates name on the exposed paper in the window. Then pull the black shutter down over the name you have written, closing the window. 6. VOTING ON A QUESTION Ballot Questions are usually located in the far right hand columns or at the bottom of the machine. Make your selection by pressing either of the buttons. The red light next to the button will turn on indicating your selection. 7. CASTING YOUR BALLOT After you have made all the candidate selections you want, look for the GREEN button labeled VOTE below in the bottom right corner of the machine. When you press the GREEN VOTE button all of your candidate selections will be recorded, all the lights in the voting machine will go out, and you will hear a low bell-tone indicating you are finished. 8. LEAVING THE VOTING MACHINE After you have finished voting by pressing the green VOTE button on the right side of the ballot, the lights inside the ballot door and all of your selection lights will turn off. To leave, part the curtain and exit through the curtain.

1. ENTRE A LA CABINA DE VOTACION Esta máquina no tiene palanca para el gancho de cortina. Ud. entra a la cabina de votación al separar y caminar tras la cortina. Si Ud. usa silla de ruedas, la máquina dé votación será bajada por el que corre la máquina antes de Ud. entrar. 2. SELECCIONADO UN CANDIDATO Escoja sus candidatos al hacer presion en la casilla Enumerada dento de la posicion de las casilla y una luz roja se prendera al lado del numbero dentro de las posiciones de sus candidatos, indicando los nombres que Ud. ha seleccionado. 3. SELECCIONADO CANDIDATOS INDIVIDUALMENTE Si usted desea seleccionar a sus candidatos individualmente, haga presión sobre el cuadró Enumerada dentro de las posición de sus candidato y una luz roja se alumbrara al lado del número dentro de las posición de sus candidato, indicando los nombres que usted haya seleccionado. 4. CAMBIANDO UN CANDIDATO YA SELECCIONADO Si cambia de mente después de haber escogido su candidato, y no quiere votar por un candidato cuya luz está prendida, haga presión en el Número de ese candidate de nuevo para no seleccionar el candidato y la luz se apagará. 5. SELECCIONANDO POR ESCRITO Encuentre la casilla para escoger Por Escrito para el Puesto por el cual Ud. desea escribir el nombre de un candidato. Haga presión sobre el botón de “Por Escrito” en la casilla. Luego haga presión sobre el botón de la Luz Roja Grande en la parte de arriba de la maquina para abrir la Ventanilla de Por Escrito. Escriba o estampe los nombres de sus candidatos en el papel expuesto en la ventanilla. Luego hale el contraventana hacia abajo sobre el nombre que ha escrito, cerrando la ventanilla. 6. VOTANDO POR UNA PREGUNTA Preguntas en la Balota usualmente están localizadas en las columnas a mano derecha. Haga su selección haciendo presión sobre cualquiera de los botones. La luz roja al lado del botón se prenderá indicando su selección. 7. ECHANDO SU BALOTA Después de hacer las selecciones por todos los candidatos que Ud. quiera, encuentre el botón VERDE que dice VOTE abajo en los botones en la esquina derecha de la balota. Cuando Ud haga presión sobre el botón VERDE DE VOTAR todos sus selecciones de candidatos serán archivadas, todas las luces en la máquina de votación se apagarán, y oriá un sonido de timbre bajo indicando que ha terminado. 8. SALIENDO DE LA MAQUINA DE VOTACION Depués de que termine de votar al hacer presión sobre le botón verde de VOTAR en el lado bajo dercho de la balota, las luces dentro de las puertas de la balota y todas las luces de sus selecciones serán apagadas. Para salir, separe la cortina y salga por ella.

MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTION TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2013 PHILADELPHIA COUNTY

INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS

If you are unable to read, write or speak English well and need assistance, ask the Polling Place Ofﬁcials if an English/Spanish Interpreter is available. If an English/Spanish Interpreter is not available at your polling place you may call 215-686-1500 for assistance If you are unable to read, write or speak English well OR you are unable to enter or operate the voting machine, and you need assistance, the law requires that you be permitted to receive assistance from the person you choose, except your employer, an ofﬁcer of your union, or the Judge of election.

POLLING PLACE OPEN FROM 7 A.M. TO 8 P.M.

ELECCIONES MUNICIPALES PRIMARIAS MARTES 21 DE MAYO DE 2013

INSTRUCCIONES PARA EL VOTANTE

Si usted no puede leer, escribir ni hablar ingles bien y necesita ayuda, pidale a los Oﬁciales del Lugar de Votar si hay un interprete del ingles/espanol disponible. Si no hay un lnterprete del ingles/ espanol disponible en su lugar de votar, usted puede llamar al 215-686-1500 para ayuda. Si usted no puede leer, escribir, o hablar ingles bien O si no puede entrar u operar su maquina de votar, y necesita ayuda, la ley requiere que a usted se le permita recibir ayuda de parte de la persona que usted escoja, con acepción a su patrón, o un oﬁcial de su sindicato obrero (unión laboral), o el/la Juez de Elección.

URNAS ABREN DE 7 A.M. HASTA 8 P.M.

WWW.PHILLYELECTION.COM PHILADELPHIA COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS JUNTA DE ELECCIONES DEL CONDADO DE FILADELFIA ANTHONY CLARK

Chairman City Commissioners Presidente Comisiondos Municipales

STEPHANIE SINGER City Commissioner Comisionada Municipal

AL SCHMIDT

Vice-Chairman City Commissioners VicePresidente Comisiondos Municipales

TIM DOWLING

Acting Supervisor of Elections Supervisor Interino de la Junta Electoral

ANTHONY CLARK Chairman, City CommissionersVice Presidente, Comisionados Municipales

PHILADELPHIA COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS

JUNTA DE ELECCIONES DEL CONDADO DE PHILADELPHIA

AL SCHMIDT Chair, City Commissioners Vice Presidente, Comisionados

City Commissioner Comisionada Municipales

STEPHANIE SINGER

TIM DOWLING Acting Supervisor of Elections Supervisor Interino de la Junta Electoral

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PETS PGN

The big C he had lost 1.5 pounds since his last visit with his doctor six months earlier. Blood testing was performed to see if there were any organ changes, and he had an abnormally low red blood-cell count. Anemia can be caused by many conditions, but I knew he was not losing blood Many of us have either been directly or so what was keeping his count so low? Radiographs did not reveal any masses indirectly touched by cancer. It is one of those words you never want to hear com- in his spleen nor other organs, so that ing from a family member or your docleft either viral-based anemia or a problem with him making cells. tor. But how do you receive it His feline leukemia virus test when delivered by your veterinarian? and feline immunodeficiency Animals, just like people, tests were negative. Testing are afflicted with life-shorthis bone marrow was the next ening cancerous conditions, step and revealed that his bone which in many cases a pet marrow did not have enough owner and sometimes even starter red blood cells. There were abnormal cells noticed the pet’s doctor are unable to in his bone marrow but they detect. Animals are so good at could not be categorized as hiding disease that many times we miss the subtle changes in neoplastic, and instead were their eating habits, weight or called paraneoplastic. This condition is also seen in energy. But veterinarians, who recommend twice-a-year wellwhere the body has Dr. Claudia humans, a response to a cancer that ness exams for companion aniCasavecchia triggers the immune system mals, are hoping to assist pet owners in early detection of to attack its own cells. I tried these unwanted conditions. chemotherapeutic medications to treat Cancer, also referred to as neoplasia, him but his condition continued to deteriorate, and he was assisted. is defined as an abnormally high growth My other Maine Coon, 10-year-old of new cells that interfere with normal Teddy, was rescued out of a dairy barn organ or bodily functions or appear as a in Wayne. He was known to have a heart mass. Researchers are constantly seeking the how and why of cancer to learn murmur for several years, not atypical what might trigger those cells to go off for his breed, but he did not have any track in replicating or what stimulates heart disease based on his ultrasound. them to grow at extraordinary rates. In One morning, he started coughing, a some forms of cancer in pets, known symptom sometimes associated with risk factors exist. For instance, early heart disease. Radiographs were taken of ovariohysterectomy has been shown to his chest and revealed numerous masses decrease the risk of mammary carcinoma in his lungs. He passed away less than in dogs and cats. The benefit of spaying 36 hours after the masses were found. your companion to prevent this form of An autopsy revealed that he had primary cancer decreases as the pet ages. In other lung cancer, a very rare condition, as instances, there are no known triggers or most lung masses are known as metastatic masses, spread from cancer located risk factors, and we can see pets of all elsewhere in the body. ages afflicted with cancer. Advances in pet health care have There are many forms of neoplasia. Some we can actually feel, such allowed animals to live longer. as lumps and bumps on the skin or in Veterinarians are therefore seeing more lymph nodes, while others we can detect cancer in their patients because most with blood testing, such as leukemia. But mutation of cells occurs with aging. all too often, the abnormal cells are hidThere are many organizations and uniing within the pet’s body systems. The versities studying the causes, preventions cells that stay within the organs are very and treatments of cancer in companion good at growing undetected until there animals. As with almost all disease processes, early detection through biannual are enough of them to compromise the examinations and being educated about normal function of the pet’s lungs, heart, how to monitor your companion at home liver, spleen, kidneys, intestines, bone marrow, thyroid, adrenal gland and brain. permits for a better chance of treatment and, in some cases, a cure. Being a pet owner myself, I have been During your pet’s next health check-up touched by cancer twice with my special with your veterinarian, ask what you can feline friends, one at 10 and the other at do to better monitor your pet for early 11. Oliver was my 11-year-old orange signs of possible cancer. In some cases, Maine Coon, rescued from a shelter in your early detection could save your Wayne, who gradually was not eating as much as he usually did and seemed to be pet’s life. ■ sleeping more. I checked his weight and Paw Prints is a new column by Society Hill Veterinary Hospital’s Dr. Claudia Casavecchia, who will give pet owners all the information they need to parent healthy and happy pets. Paw Prints will run the third week of every month.

Paw Prints

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Gayborhood Crime Watch The following incidents in the Midtown Village and Washington Square West areas were reported to the 6th Police District between April 29-May 5. Information is courtesy of 6th District Capt. Brian Korn; Stacy Irving, senior director, Crime Prevention Service; Center City District; the Police Liaison Committee and Midtown Village Merchants Association. To report crime tips, visit www.phillypolice. com or call 215-686-TIPS (8477). INCIDENTS — On April 30, a 1997 Honda, parked in the 100 block of South 11th Street with the keys in the ignition, was stolen. — Between 2-4 a.m. May 3, someone smashed the window of a 2005 Honda that was parked in the 1200 block of Sansom Street and stole an iPhone. — Between 4 p.m. May 2 and 11 a.m. May 3, someone stole two golf clubs and a cell phone from an unlocked 2011 Toyota that was parked in the paid garage at 1309 Locust St. NON-SUMMARY ARRESTS — On April 30, 6th District plainclothes Officers Ferrero and Hill set up surveillance in the area of Juniper and Walnut streets and at 1:25 p.m. they observed a male steal a bicycle from outside 200 S. Juniper St. The 51-year-old suspect with a South Philadelphia address was charged with theft. — At 7:20 p.m. April 30, 6th D i s t r i c t O ffi c e r s C a s h a n d Romanczuk arrested a male outside 1200 Market St. who was wanted on a bench warrant for failure to appear for court. The 22year-old suspect with a Southwest Philadelphia address was charged with contempt of court. — On May 3, 6th District plainclothes Officers Dilworth and Reid set up surveillance in the area of 10th and Market streets and at 9:40 a.m. observed a male steal a laptop from a table inside McDonald’s, 942 Market St. The 43-year-old suspect with a Southwest Philadelphia address was charged with theft. ■

Media Trail Calif. moves to comply with gay-history law The Sacramento Bee reports California education officials have taken the first step toward complying with a law requiring public schools to include prominent gay people and gay rights’ milestones in the curriculum. The California Board of Education recently unanimously approved new standards stating that books, handouts and other classroom materials must avoid “pejorative descriptions” based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The criteria also encourage teachers to include the contributions of prominent LGBT people in their lessons when it would be historically accurate to do so. In 2011, the state legislature passed and Gov. Jerry Brown signed the first-in-nation

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

bill requiring public schools to teach the contributions of gay, lesbian and disabled people in social-studies lessons. The legislation also prohibited the adoption of any materials that reflect adversely on gays or particular religions.

Arrests in beating of two gay men in NYC The Wall Street Journal reports two men were arrested in connection with the beating of two gay men in Manhattan May 10. Police are investigating whether there is a link to an antigay attack in the same area May 5. The May 10 attack happened at 5 a.m. after two gay men tried to enter an after-hours billiards club and were denied entry, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The two were approached by a group of about five men who shouted antigay slurs and beat them, Coleman said. He said the gay men tried to flee but the attackers followed them to the entrance of the 33rd Street PATH station, where Port Authority officers saw the assault and broke it up. Several of the attackers fled but officers

arrested two suspects. Asllan Berisha and Brian Ramirez, both 21, were arrested on charges of felony assault as a hate crime. No information on attorneys for the suspects was immediately available. Coleman said both victims suffered severe facial injuries and were treated at Bellevue Hospital, where one victim underwent eye surgery. Their names were not released. The earlier attack happened a few blocks away on Eighth Avenue near 34th Street. Police said four men yelled antigay slurs at two men, pushed them to the ground and began punching one of them in the face. No one has been arrested in the earlier attack. Police are trying to determine if the two attacks are linked.

Crist announces support for gay marriage The Miami Herald reports former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has declared his support for gay marriage. Crist made the announcement May 8 through a post on Facebook. He said he wanted to share the great news about Delaware becoming the 11th state to allow gay marriage. Crist then said he supported marPAGE 34

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riage equality and looked forward to the day it exists in Florida. The statement marks a shift in Crist’s views on gay marriage. He once supported Florida’s constitutional ban on gay marriage, but also later said he wouldn’t support a similar federal ban. Crist became governor in 2006 as a Republican and ran unsuccessfully as an Independent in the 2010 U.S. Senate race. He became a Democrat in December 2012, and there is widespread speculation he will challenge current Gov. Rick Scott in 2014.

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The San Francisco Chronicle reports California schools would be required to let transgender students use the restrooms and participate in the sex-segregated programs of their choice under a bill passed by the state Assembly. The Assembly approved AB1266 by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano in a 45-24 vote May 9, sending it to the state Senate. California law already prevents schools from discriminating against students based on their gender identity, but Ammiano, a San Francisco Democrat, says this legislation would give transgender students the security and safety they need at school. He says it would explain in plain English to school administrators, teachers, parents and students that students must be permitted to participate in sex-segregated programs such as sports teams. Supporters say just using the restroom at school can be stressful and humiliating for transgender students. ■ — compiled by Larry Nichols

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LOCAL PGN JAZZ from page 1

preliminary conversations with DL Media to plan a strategy, and they are making recommendations for different festival producers, lighting people and set design. They have a lot of connections with different individuals in the city,” he said. “Right now we are in the planning phase, more backend work.” The Pew Center last year awarded the center a $10,000 grant for a music series. Pomante said the center was encouraged to apply for the larger

grant from this initial partnership. “It was something we went after on our own and we brainstormed at the center on what would have the biggest impact and what would be incredibly unique and what the panel at Pew would be interested in,” he said. “A bunch of us here have a passion for jazz and there is not a natural correlation between jazz and gender identity and sexual orientation, so we did research and saw that this type of thing never happened in the country for a queer jazz festival. We wanted to be the first to put it on.”

OP-ED from page 11

like common humanity. As I watch so many right-wing talking heads on TV railing about the gay agenda, I always feel like they turn us into cartoon versions of people — two-dimensional characters intent only on dismantling what’s important to other “real” Americans. Yet when I think about LGBT rights, I imagine a million ordinary people who only want what everybody wants: family, love and security. I picture closeted kids in small towns wondering if they will ever get to truly be who they are. It makes my heart ache. “Why is this so frickin’ hard to understand?” I keep asking the TV. Then I fall into that trap myself, thinking that those talking heads represent all of “them,” the other side that is so firmly against “us.” Where does my friend fall into that narrative? Is she one of the few exceptions? Those exceptions I keep meeting? Is it really possible that each one of my conservative friends or family is a very rare outlier? Am I that good at sniffing people out? Or are they hypocrites? Am I? But calling people hypocrites and then expecting change is unproductive and, well, hypocritical. My friends and I, by definition, have each other’s backs. Disagreement between us is painful sometimes, so I must remember what I know for sure: They too only want family, love and security. In pursuit of these things, we are all guilty of having irrational fears and blind spots, and we are each doing the best we can in a confusing and loud world. This is our common humanity — recognizing it is a lot easier than maintaining the false dichotomy of us and them. How about we start right there? ■ Abby Dees is a civil-rights attorneyturned-author who has been in the LGBT-rights trenches for 25-plus years. She can be reached at queerquestionsstraighttalk.com.

The festival will feature 12-15 well-known jazz artists. However, the center hopes to stay within its mission and promote local talent as well. “We will be doing an open call for emerging LGBTQ jazz artists. This isn’t just an opportunity for larger names, but an opportunity for local Philadelphians to showcase their work as well,” Pomante said. “Another piece of the planning is to send out a call for artists and have a committee that reviews submissions. We will have those emerging individuals speckled

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

throughout the day, hopefully with the potential on collaborating with well-known artists, which will help us support local and emerging LGBTQ artists, regardless of what field they are in.” Pomante said the open call will take place in the fall. The performers will host panel discussions, master’s classes and workshops the first two days. “We want people to get educated about being LGBTQ and a jazz musician and composer. Some people use their art as a way to express their sexuality and gen-

der identity. We expect that those types of panel discussions will educate our audience individually on what different musicians feel in terms of how their music relates to their sexual orientation or gender identity,” he said. “These artists will come from various different racial/ethnic, gender identity and sexual orientation backgrounds as well as from a different age spectrum. They will have quite varying views on the relationship between their identity and their music and the messages that they provide.” ■

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Pride vice chair Wendy Forbes. Forbes and Rael said they decided to launch The Summit to push marriage equality on both a state and federal level. The two reached out to leaders from local LGBT organizations in January, and the group has since met every six weeks to discuss issues regarding same-sex marriage, transgender inclusion, nondiscrimination efforts and anti-bullying legislation. “It just happened naturally, as several of us who were friends on Facebook wanted to do more on a grassroots level,” Rael said. “We came together as a group and realized that we had organizing and leadership power.” Forbes said Summit organizers used the March 25 event, which drew nearly 250 people, as a jumping-off point for their advocacy. “We decided to do a local vigil because it is hard to get people to go to Washington, D.C., for a vigil. We decided we wanted to enlighten people on what was going on in the movement and so we planned a citywide vigil,” Forbes said. “Philly is a major city and close to D.C. and we should be supporting everything going on in local and national government. Philly gets left out a lot and we have a lot of great activism. It brought awareness and the community together around marriage equality.” On June 22, The Summit and ME4PA plan to take a busload of local activists to the state capital to rally for marriage equality. Rael and Forbes said the rallies were conceived by David Moore, founder of ME4PA. “David is the one who started it. He decided to do a marriage rally in Harrisburg and bring awareness throughout Pennsylvania because we are sitting between states that are having marriage equality,” Forbes said. “There are people who are asking, ‘Should I move to Delaware or another state?’ because they are having children and their marriages are not recognized. The question is, will we lose our residents?” ME4PA co-founder Joshua Szczesny said he hopes to have more than 1,000 people participate in the June 22 event. The event will begin a few blocks from the State Capitol building, and participants will march to the building for speeches and other activities. According to Forbes, the group is fundraising for one bus to travel to Harrisburg from Philadelphia with 49 seats available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Forbes and Rael said they have raised $500 so far and are connecting with local organizations to garner more donations for this, and potentially more, busses. “We decided to take a busload of people down and gain momentum and bring great people who are great activists who can’t afford to go to Harrisburg,” Forbes said. “We are asking for $100-$200 depending on the organization to get the bus paid for. We have no funding, we are an adjunct grassroots organization.” Marriage equality nationwide has seen a boost in recent weeks, with three states adopting marriage-equality laws in the last

NEWS PGN

month, bringing the total to 12 states and Washington, D.C. State Rep. Mark Cohen recently reintroduced a bill to legalize civil unions in Pennsylvania. Although Forbes supports the notion of civil unions, she said her group would not stop organizing until marriage equality is a reality in the Keystone State. “Civil unions are a compromise and obviously it is great for conservatives because they are little bit more OK with them,” she said. “I want full marriage equality in all 50 states, though. Will I take less? Will I take domestic partnerships? Sure, we have to protect our families. But I want full marriage equality on a federal level.” Szczesny added that marriage equality is the ultimate goal. “At ME4PA, we are not willing to compromise with civil unions in order to appease the religious right. The LGBT community wants full equality — no one is equal until everyone is equal,” he said. “We hope to raise public awareness not only in Harrisburg, but statewide to let every voter know we are not going away until we get the civil rights we are guaranteed under the 14th amendment.” Organizers will also host a vigil in Philadelphia to coincide with the delivery of the Supreme Court decisions on the DOMA and Prop. 8 cases. Information on that event will be released closer to when the decision is expected. “Obviously we want it to go in our favor and either way we want to have a vigil,” Forbes said. “People who are watching the cases feel positive about them and to sit back and watch it happen, it will be an amazing day. If it passes, we’ll celebrate; if not, we will fight. We will be prepared either way. We might be out there dancing or we might be chanting.” Current sponsors of the June 22 rally include Philadelphia Family Pride, Delaware Valley Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Delaware Valley Legacy Fund, the SafeGuards Project and attorney Angela Giampolo. For more information, e-mail Forbes at blitzwendy@hotmail.com. ■ SCOUTS from page 1

Scouts?” she posed. “So far, all I’ve seen is lies, deception and freeloading. Scouting officials in Philadelphia apparently don’t want to pay their own way. And the Nutter administration is enabling their behavior.” Rasmussen emphasized that her criticism wasn’t directed at youth in the organization, but rather at adult leaders who promulgate damaging policies. Lattera said he holds great affinity for the Scouts and continues to seek reinstatement into the organization. “It’s unfortunate that we have to keep prodding the Nutter administration to do the right thing,” Lattera concluded. “But I’m confident that if enough people speak out, this sweetheart deal with Troop 474 will end.” A representative of Troop 474 couldn’t be reached for comment. ■

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By Patrick Condon and Brian Bakst The Associated Press Minnesota became the 12th U.S. state where gay couples can get married after a final legislative vote Monday that will let the weddings start on Aug. 1. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill Tuesday evening on the front steps of the Capitol in St. Paul. Minnesota is now the first state in the Midwest to legalize gay marriage by legislative vote, and the third nationwide in just 10 days, joining Rhode Island and Delaware. Thousands of gay-marriage supporters thronging the Capitol erupted into deafening cheers after the Senate’s 37-30 vote; the House passed it last week on a 75-59 vote. “Members, God made gays,” Sen. Ron Latz, a Democrat from a suburb of Minneapolis, said during the Senate’s emotional four-hour debate. “And God made gays capable of loving other people. So who are we to quarrel with God’s intentions?” The gay-marriage issue shifted quickly in Minnesota, with the legislature’s vote coming a little more than six months after voters defeated an amendment that would have banned gay marriage in the state constitution. The groups that led the campaign against the amendment swiftly turned to pushing for legalizing same-sex marriage, an effort aided when Democrats captured full control of state government in November. Only one Republican senator, Branden Petersen of suburban Andover, voted for the bill. Three Democrats from rural districts voted against it. Republican opponents said the bill alters a centuries-old understanding of marriage as a societal building block that benefits children. “Forcing others to give you your rights will never end well,” said Sen. Dan Hall, a Republican and a pastor. “It won’t give you the recognition you desire.” Hall said gay-marriage supporters have told him he’s on the wrong side of history but, he said, “the truth is I’m more concerned about being on the right side of eternity.” But supporters, too, cited religious faith and relationships with gay family members and friends in shaping their vote for the bill. Many spoke of the benefits of their own marriages. “I could never and I would never deny the kind of recognition and all the other positive things I get out of my marriage with my husband to anyone else,” said Sen. Vicki Jensen, a Democrat from the southern Minnesota city of Owatonna. Republican opponents argued that the bill’s provisions meant to protect religious freedom were insufficient, raising concerns it could force merchants in the wedding industry to accept business from gay couples even if the merchants object to such marriages. “We must respect religious freedom at the same time as we advance rights,” said

Republican Sen. Carla Nelson. “This bill does not do that.” Still, with passage looking inevitable Monday, vocal and visual opposition was muted. Don Lee, of Eagan, placed a tombstone on the Capitol lawn with the words “R.I.P. Marriage 2013.’’ “The legislation being passed today is the end of marriage as we know it in Minnesota,” Lee said. “It’s a transformation from a forward-looking sacrificial institution to one focused on adult desires.” Supporters and opponents were close to evenly matched during the House debate, but Monday it was dominated by gay-marriage backers. They taped blue and orange hearts on the Capitol steps, creating a path into the building for lawmakers with the signature colors of their movement. In the rotunda, demonstrators sang songs including, “Over the Rainbow,” “Going to the Chapel” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Like Thursday, there was a stepped-up security presence. State troopers were posted inside and out, and areas of the building were cordoned off to allow lawmakers to move freely amid the expected throngs. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman ordered the Wabasha Street Bridge near downtown festooned in rainbow-striped gay Pride flags and temporarily renamed it the “Freedom to Marry Bridge.” He also proclaimed it “Freedom to Marry Week.” Minnesota’s most famous opponent of gay marriage also weighed in. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, an ardent supporter of banning gay marriage when she served in the state Senate, released a statement expressing disappointment in a vote she said “denies religious liberty to people who believe in traditional marriage.” But gay couples were already thinking about wedding planning. Jeff Moses and his legal husband, John Westerfield-Moses, of Minneapolis, were married in Iowa four years ago, when the state’s Supreme Court ruled to allow it. Their anniversary is Aug. 23, a few weeks after a Minnesota law would take effect, and the couple is considering having a marriage ceremony here, too. “Any excuse for a party,” Jeff Moses said. “It was bound to happen,” WesterfieldMoses added. “It was a train that was coming.” Jessica Flatequal and Maria Bevacqua, a lesbian couple from Mankato who have been together for a decade, were jubilant after the vote, as supporters spilled out of the front of the Capitol. “We’re excited to become equal citizens under the law,” said Bevacqua, a professor at Minnesota State University-Mankato. Asked whether they would get married, both women laughed. “Well, neither of us proposed today,” Flatequal said. “But now that’s going to be part of the discussion. It’s weird, actually.” ■

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Out comedian to bring laughs to New Hope Celebrates By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com A little over a month ago, we had the pleasure of seeing out comedian Mimi Gonzalez performing at a straight comedy club in Virginia. Her show was both raucous and educational. Case in point: By the late show Saturday, she had attracted enough of a lesbian and female servicemember audience that she gave an impromptu seminar mid-show on the virtues of a pStyle (a device that allows women and trans men to pee standing up without undressing), which, by the

way, she sells at her shows. Offstage, she was every bit as funny as she was onstage. We left hoping she would be coming the area soon. Lo and behold, we were delighted to find out that Gonzalez — who has appeared on Logo’s “One Night Stand Up,” “The Today Show” and “Ellen” and has performed for the U.S. armed forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo and Japan — is performing May 17 at Girls Night Out at Havana, as part of New Hope Celebrates. Gonzalez said she has visited New Hope before and was looking forward to returning.

“I had a vacation in New Hope and that was a few years ago when I lived in New York and was seeing somebody that knew about New Hope,” she said. “They said, ‘Let’s go vacation in this little town that has once again been taken over by gay people and transformed into a destination.’ Considering the fact that Pennsylvania is known for its Amish and its clansmen, I was kind of surprised to see this cute little gay town, but not that surprised considering how many cities that little quaint gay town serves within a 100-mile radius. Can you imagine just how far the rainbow stretches? I’ve certainly driven through enough small

towns in America that are forgotten and neglected, and that is one that people said, ‘Hey, there are some cute houses and businesses here.’ I have no idea what that town looked like 15 or 20 years ago, but I’m willing to say it was a lot quieter and possibly forgotten. Now it’s got really cute shops and great nightlife. What usually follows once queers take over an area and create a ‘gayborhood’ is families start coming. Straight families are not really afraid of gay people. It’s like, ‘This would be a great place to raise our kids.’ I think that’s really what we do.” Gonzalez added that PAGE 46

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

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often the urban and suburban renewal fueled by the LGBT community works a little too well. “Unfortunately, we’re so good at what we do that we end up pricing ourselves out of the market,” she said. “In Manhattan, they have been trying to rename Hell’s Kitchen to Clinton. When I moved to New York in the 1980s, you could live in Hell’s Kitchen for $700 a month. Now, you can live in Hell’s Kitchen for $2,000-$3,000 a month. I really think we should get a tax break for being gay, seeing as we do so much to refurbish anything we touch. Gay isn’t the new black. It’s the new Midas.” Gonzalez performs at both gay and straight clubs and for mixed audiences in her extensive travels. But, she did promise that the New Hope show will be of a gayer variety than the performance straight audiences usually get. “There are things in my material that cross over to everybody,” she said. “But I’m definitely going to do a lot more gay material. I rarely show the pStyle to straight people, even though straight women and military women can use this. But I have definitely in the last year been demonstrating it and sharing it during my gay show because queer people can really accept and understand this. A lot of straight women can use the pStyle but are afraid to offend their boyfriends or husbands who might ... as one older man who said to me in Provincetown last year: ‘If she gets that, we’ll have nothing to hold over you anymore.’ And I really love that this man said it because he really voiced what is an unspoken thing. If women stand to pee, then they are not down and squatting anymore. What would men have left? Now is the time to look eye-to-eye about equality, dude.” Gonzalez noted she has more of a lesbian following than a gay-male following com-

pared to some of her comedy peers, but she is looking to attract more gay men to her shows. “I think it’s time for a female who is really gay to get in that mix,” she said. “I’m really queer-identified. I came out of the politics of San Francisco in the late 1980s, which is an activist political orientation driven toward inclusion and, while the trans issue may not be my personal issue, it’s still an issue about inclusion and I understand that politic and try to embrace everybody in my act. Does anybody in a straight show give a shit about trans inclusion? No. It’s not their topic. So I try to stay on topic and make my people laugh. It’s a good time for everybody, boys and girls. Having a gay sibling, a gay brother ... I really think of all gay men as my brothers.” If you can’t make it to New Hope for the Pride celebration, do not despair. Gonzalez will probably be back in the area soon with “Lezborados,” a comedy show put together with fellow out comedian Sandra Valls. “‘Lesborados’ is putting together our Northeast tour,” Gonzalez said. “Our Southwest tour was amazing and hysterical and really well-attended. Sandra Valls is my occasional comedy partner. We’re both obviously solo standup comics. She’s been on HBO and Showtime. I love working with Sandra because we bring Latin, butch and dyke lesbian sensibilities to our shows. She’s a great singer. I am not. But we love to write parodies and we do some singing, some improv, standup and audience inclusion in our show. It’s a blast of a romp. We’re getting a lot of attention from it.” ■ Mimi Gonzalez performs 8 p.m. May 17 as part of Girls Night Out at Havana, 105 S. Main St., New Hope. For more information or tickets, visit www.mimigonzalez.com or call 215-862-5501.

PROFILE PGN

Family Portrait

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

Suzi Nash

Joe Dungee: Electing equality, from small towns to statewide There are reasons why local elections are important. Think that Traffic Court judge is a real jerk? Well, now is the time to replace him or her with someone more fair-minded. Did you know that in Pennsylvania (and 28 other states), it’s still legal for a private employer to fire a worker simply because he or she is gay? In 34 states, it’s legal to terminate an employee for being transgender. No other reason needed. State and local officials can go a long way in rectifying some of the injustices. Last week, Philadelphia City Council became a pioneer in the advancement of civil rights when it passed groundbreaking legislation that greatly broadens equality for LGBT people living and working in the city. But let’s not stop there. This Tuesday we have an election, and the chance to elect more LGBT and LGBT-friendly candidates. Equality PA is working to help elect such politicians and to fight antigay politicians and their efforts to thwart our civil rights. We got a little insight into legislative processes from EQPA’s Joe Dungee. PGN: Tell me a little about yourself. Where were you raised? JD: I was born in the small town of Phoenixville, about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia. Growing up in Phoenixville was an experience. It was a very blue-collar town. It’s a bit more liberal now but back in the ’80s it was not the kind of place to be a little boy who was not necessarily ... let’s say gender-conforming. It was kind of tough. PGN: Was there a particular incident that comes to mind? JD: Nothing specific comes to mind, though if I thought about it, I’m sure I could come up with several. It was more a general intolerance. A lot of homophobia from both peers and adults. It’s funny, I went away to Pittsburgh for college and when I came back after two years, there was a gay bar in the town! I was a little stunned by it and have never quite reconciled the two things together. After years of intolerance, I go away for a blink of an eye, and I come back and there’s a gay Pride parade and a bar. PGN: You must have felt like, Hey, wait for me! JD: [Laughs.] Right! And also, If only I’d born just a few years later! PGN: What did the parents do? JD: My mom is an administrative assistant. She grew up in Phoenixville. We’re pretty close, and I have a younger sister who still lives there as well. She has a son, who is endless entertainment for us. My dad and I are estranged. We don’t talk.

PGN: I’m guessing they aren’t together any more? That could be awkward at Thanksgiving. JD: No, they’re separated, but they live in close proximity so it can be difficult at times. We’ve never gotten along. I think I was born at odds with him. At least that’s what it felt like to me. PGN: Because of being non-conforming? JD: Not necessarily. It’s hard for me to speculate, especially on what his expectations might have been, but looking back I think he just never really wanted children. My parents married and started a family at a young age, and I think he just didn’t know what to do with me. I naturally gravitated to my mother, my grandmother and my aunts. They were the ones who raised me. He was never a strong presence in my life. PGN: What kind of activities did you like as a kid? JD: I was interested in art. About seventh grade, I had a teacher who encouraged me and that was a lot of fun. I also played volleyball.

four years. Back in 2008, I’d had a series of jobs that weren’t very satisfying and I felt that I wasn’t really living up to my potential. I wanted a shot at a better life and I knew I had to go back to school to achieve that. I left the job I was working and started waiting tables so I could go to school. Short version, I found out that Equality PA, which at that time was Equality Advocates, was hiring an administrative assistant. I had a good amount of admin experience so I got the job and I’ve been here since. PGN: Were you very politically cognizant before working there? JD: It’s funny, I’m not sure how it happed because there aren’t really many people in my family who are politically minded and, if they were, they were most likely Republican, but since I was a kid I was always interested in politics. I remember as a kid being really interested in the 1992 presidential election when Jimmy Carter was running for reelection. I’ve had an interest ever since then. I did some volun-

PGN: So you have a little sports ability in you? JD: Serving. I’m really good at serving.

PGN: Knowing that my parents and grandparents had to fight for the right to go to the polls is reason enough for me not to miss an election. What do you tell people to explain why midterm elections are important? JD: There’s a saying that “all politics is local” and to a point that is very true. In my experience, one of the reasons that it’s so important for people to vote in every election is that, if you take Pennsylvania as an example, there’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t happen but it could. I think the reason that it doesn’t is because these politicians take for granted that people aren’t going to vote and aren’t paying attention. So corporations can come in and give them tons of money and they then run the show. If we gave them reason to be concerned about their election or reelection, it might be a different story. I’m not saying you have to be a student of politics but if we paid even just a little more attention to what’s going on, we could change things. Remember that politicians are there to work for the people and our interests, so if we got it together I think we would see change, especially on a local level. It has to come from us. PGN: Very true. As important as national politics are, it’s a lot of the people that we elect on a local level who affect us on a day-today basis. Most of us are not likely to come up in front of a Supreme Court justice, but there’s a good chance, especially in Philly, that at some point, we’ll run up against a Traffic Court judge. [Laughs.] I speak from experience! JD: Yes, and we have a great slate pf people endorsed. We even have an opportunity to elect an openly LGBT Traffic Court judge, Inja Coates, which is pretty exciting. We have a list of endorsements on our website.

PGN: What did you study at University of Pittsburgh? JD: I was undeclared. I also dropped out after about a year. I went to college primarily to meet other gay folks and, after my freshman year, I met with my advisor and he said, “You know, you really need to figure out what you want to do.” I had no idea so I dropped out. Looking back, it was a mistake. I lived in Pittsburgh another year and then moved back to Phoenixville. But I’m proud to say in 2008 I went back to school, to the Community College of Philadelphia, and it was a great experience. I learned a lot in many different ways. PGN: Such as ... JD: Well, it was a very diverse campus and a lot of the people who go to CCP are there because they really want to be there. I had a lot of good experiences especially with the teaching staff. I took a public-speaking course and I had to make a speech in front of the class. I choose to do it on the history of the gay-rights movement. I was a little concerned because you never know what kind of reaction you might get, but it was pretty well received by everyone. I was pleasantly surprised and it was very rewarding.

teering in the 2004 presidential election and in the 2006 midterm elections getting rid of Rick Santorum, so I had a good amount of knowledge about politics. But of course my work at Equality PA has really expanded my knowledge. Especially when it comes to local politics.

PGN: And tell me about your current job. How’d you end up there? JD: I’m the business manager over at Equality PA. I’ve been with them just over

PGN: Do you find it as frustrating as I do how few people participate or even bother to vote in non-presidential elections? JD: Yes, absolutely.

Photo: Suzi Nash

PGN: There are a whole slate of things EQPA does. Looking on the website I see working for hate-crimes protections, relationship recognition, marriage equality, safe schools, transgender issues, responsible sex education and youth. JD: Sure, [last] week was a pretty busy week because we just launched a campaign to pass House and Senate Bill 300, which will effectively ban discrimination in employment and PAGE 54

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

NEW HOPE CELEBRATES PGN PRIDE

New Hope plays part in new gay murder mystery By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Writers draw inspiration from myriad sources. For author Mark McNease, quaint LGBT-centric town New Hope served as one of the pools of inspiration for his latest writing venture — and takes center stage in the new series. McNease is a New York Citybased writer who also owns a home with his partner in Kingwood, N.J., about 20 minutes outside of New Hope. The out author tapped into his affinity for his town, as well as for LGBT Pocono resort Rainbow Mountain, for “Murder at Pride Lodge.” The book, which hit shelves and cyberspace last fall, is the first in the Kyle Callahan mysteries series, with the next edition, “Pride and Perilous,” due out by June. The story focuses on the murder of handyman Teddy at the LGBT resort, which is placed shortly outside of New Hope. The tale takes readers on the

mystery ride that Callahan dives into to piece together the murder and ensure no further mayhem happens. The venture is McNease’s first full-length murder-mystery, although the 54-year-old is a veteran writer. “I started writing when I was a child,” he explained. “I was always a big reader, reading far ahead of my grade levels, and I started writing short stories when I was 10 and never stopped.” McNease has published several works of short fiction, wrote a number of plays that went on to be produced and, in 2001, won an Emmy Award for a Chicago children’s program he co-created, wrote and produced. Two years ago, he also created lgbtSr.org, a multifaceted forum for LGBT older adults that provides news, commentary and resources on aging in the community. LGBT topics and themes have been present in his other writings, McNease said, although the Kyle Callahan series takes a more focused effort on delving

MARK MCNEASE

into the LGBT fiction market. “[The novel] is now numbertwo, but it had been number-one in gay mysteries on Amazon for the last six months,” he said. “I would love to have this seen just as a mystery and not a gay mystery, but I think it’s done well because it is pigeonholed into the gay-mystery category. But

that’s not to say it’s just fiction for gay men. There are lesbian characters as well, and there’s all kinds of people and themes.” McNease said that a trip to Rainbow Mountain inspired him to pursue the mystery angle, and to then anchor it near New Hope, where he and his partner, Frank, frequently visit. “I thought Rainbow Mountain was a great place to set up a murder mystery,” he said. “And I love New Hope, it’s where I’d love to live someday. We spend our weekends in Kingwood and usually go to New Hope every weekend to shop and eat. It’s a great place.” New Hope will also feature into “Pride and Perilous” and will serve as the setting of a third book already in the works, which will center on the series’ lesbian detective, who lives in the town. Like his lgbtSr.org venture, McNease said he hopes the Kyle Callahan series empowers older LGBT adults, and shows younger readers the value in the aging community. “What I would really like peo-

ple to take away from the book and series is that older characters are engaging,” he said. “And older readers like to see themselves in the stories they read. It’s purely entertainment, what I call a popcorn mystery — something you can enjoy on the couch with a bowl of popcorn — but features an older male couple and characters, because that’s my life and target audience.” ■

NEW HOPE CELEBRATES PGN PRIDE

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

LGBT history on display in New Hope By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com New Hope will mark the 10th anniversary of its New Hope Celebrates festivity this year, and residents and visitors alike now have the chance to walk down the town’s memory lane via their home computers. Retro-Scope.org, which launched last month, will serve as a clearinghouse for memorabilia documenting the places, people and events comprising the town’s rich LGBT history. Art exhibits featuring ephemera from the site will be on display at a number of venues throughout the Pride festival. Retro-Scope founder Daniel Brooks, the founder and president of New Hope Celebrates, said the idea for the project came to him after a friend remarked on the changes New Hope has been through in the past few decades. “A friend from Philadelphia was walking through town and noticed that a lot of the gayscape had changed, in terms of both the attitude and the venues,” Brooks said. “Some of the old LGBT venues have disappeared and been replaced by banks or strip malls. And there’s a lore more mainstreaming within the village itself. Instead of specific LGBT hangouts, everything’s been integrated, which has its plusses of course. But, what’s going to happen to the decades of history before this?” To answer that question, Brooks said, he ultimately envisions the town creating a physical space to house it’s LGBT artifacts. And Sara Scully, whose ScullyOne Productions focuses on multimedia community-engagement projects, said the site will build the foundation for such a venture. “I felt the first step would be an online archive that is programmed in such a way that would allow for a crowd-sourced collection of items and stories to help establish the history and engage the community,” Scully said. “We thought that, if we can have a website where people can help build the history, it’d be the first step towards figuring out exactly what the history is and how we can best tell that story.”

Scully, an LGBT ally who grew up in New Hope, spent five months producing the site. Brooks said NHC provided the startup funds until grant support can be found. The site launched last month with an initial docket of about 300 photos, documents and other materials regarding LGBT life that organizers collected. Residents and visitors are also encouraged to submit their own materials online or to give them to NHC for upload, and can interact with the site through blogging and commenting. “I think that’s an extremely important part of this and makes people feel like they’re a part of the process,” Brooks said. “And involving the community in this process is 50 percent of our goal.” In addition to allowing users to search for specific information, Scully added that visitors can also navigate with such features as a map and a timeline. “With the map, you can click on a spot and it’ll tell you what the spot was, why it was significant to the gay community and can give you everything we have related to that place all in one spot,” Scully said. “And with the timeline, you can find out things like when The Raven opened, and when you click on it, you get all the items related to The Raven. It’s really cool and organized.” Scully echoed Brooks’ sentiment that, while the town has lost such LGBT spots as The New Prelude and Cartwheel in recent years, the integration of LGBT culture into the town’s fabric has both pros and cons. “Those places are passing away but at the same time there’s more mainstreaming,” she said. “There are now gay families with kids in the high school and a gay residential community. So, for an older generation, I think this site is a social service because it pays tribute to the community that these people built. This generation helped forge this community at a time when they faced a lot of discrimination. They made a beautiful, colorful community. And without that community, we wouldn’t have the gains that we have today.” For more information, visit www.RetroScope.org. ■

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

NEW HOPE CELEBRATES PRIDE PGN

Pop singer to debut new remix New Hope Celebrates lineup at New Hope Celebrates By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com Singer and self-described pop princess Shara Strand is one of the many performers who will take the stage at this weekend’s New Hope Celebrates Rock The Block Party. To celebrate the occasion, Strand will debut a new dance remix of her song, “I Will Carry Yo u ” f r o m h e r debut EP “Born Tonight.” She said the remix will be more club-friendly thatnthe original version. “ We d i d t h e acoustic version and the regular pop version,” she said of the version of “I Will Carry You” on the EP. “On May 14, we’re releasing a whole remix package and there’s going to be nine other remixes. It’s been a very serious journey coming to the place where we’re releasing something with 10 or 11 tracks.

There’s just something about being at a nightclub performing at 1 in the morning. People are so with you, with fists in the air and loving it. I want to give ‘I Will Carry You’ that energy. I feel like it’s a celebratory song, and in a club we should be able to be with the people we love and dance.” Strand added that the song is also meant to be inspirational to her gay fans. “It’s a song of support and it’s about surrounding yourself with positive, truthful, happy people who are just right for you,” she said. “It’s a universal theme. I feel that I’ve always gotten that level of support from the gay community. Being at different Prides and being able to sing and share myself, I just feel like I’m creating such a solid, loyal fan base, and I love giving back, especially with this type of music.” Strand performs along with Pussycat Doll Jessica Sutta, Josey Greenwell, Trisha Dasch, Dwayne Dunlevy and Laura Cheadle, at New Hope Celebrates Rock the Block Party, 1-4 p.m. May 18 at Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main St. For more information, visit www.sharastrand.com or www.newhopecelebrates. com. ■

Girls Night Out at Havana with Mimi Gonzalez Live: 8 p.m. May 17 at Havana Bar, 105 S. Main St. Tickets to see the stand-up comedian are $15-$20. Premier fireworks: 9 p.m. May 17. Enjoy a live preview show of this summer’s weekly fireworks over the Delaware River.

Christine Havrilla: 9:30 p.m. May 17 at Triumph Brewing Company, 400 Union Square. Admission is $5 for the concert with a silent auction to benefit New Hope Celebrates. Pumpkins Pride Show and Dance Party: 10 p.m. May 17 at The Raven, 385 W. Bridge St. Join Miss Pumpkin for a tribute to divas past and present.

Annual NHC Vendor Fair: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. May 18 at the Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main St. Check out more than 35 artisans and merchants. Pride Parade: 11 a.m.noon May 18. Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Pride parade, which kicks off at New HopeSolebury High School, 182 W. Bridge St., and heads down Bridge to Main Street. NHC Rock The Block Party: 1-5 p.m. May 18 at Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main St. Enjoy live entertainment including Jessica Sutta from the Pussy Cat Dolls, Laura Cheadle, Trisha Dasch, Dwayne Dunlevy, Josey Greenwell and Shara Strand.

Ruby Slipper Magic at My My: 1-6 p.m. May 18

at My My & Mesa, 15 W. Ferry St. Enjoy a night of dancing and drinks. It’s Our Birthday! Dance Party Benefit: 9:30 p.m. May 18 at The Raven, 385 W. Bridge St. Admission is $20 and will benefit New Hope Celebrates. Ladies 2000 New Hope Pride Party: 3-9 p.m. May 19 at Havana Bar, 105 S. Main St. Admission is $20 for the official women’s party with a special performance by Viki Dee. NHC Annual Rainbow T-Dance Benefit: 410 p.m. May 19 at The Raven, 385 W. Bridge St. Enjoy special performances by Miss Pumpkin and DJ Armando Martinez. Admission is $15 and will benefit NHC.

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�� locations in Pa. outside of Philadelphia & New Jersey

Allentown • Allentown Brew Works, 812 Hamilton St. • Candida, 247 N. 12th St. • MCCLV, 930 N. Fourth St. • Stonewall, 28-30 N. 10th St. • Annville • Lebanon Valley College, Sheridan Ave. • Ardmore • Ardmore Station, Anderson Ave. near Coulter Ave. • Bethel • Adult World, 341 Midway Road • Bethlehem • LGBTQ Services Lehigh U, 25 Trembley Dr. • Bloomsberg • Bloomsberg University LGBTA Center, 400 E. Second St. • Bristol • Bristol News World, 576B Bristol Pike • Bryn Mawr • Bryn Mawr College, Canaday Library • Bryn Mawr Station, Morris Ave. near Bryn Mawr Ave. • Fox & Roach Realty, 763 Lancaster Ave. • TLA Video, 761 Lancaster Ave. • Chester • Harrah’s Chester Casino, 777 Harrah’s Blvd. • Widener University, 1 University Place • Collegeville • Adult World, 3975 Ridge Pike • Devon • Devon Station, Devon State Road & Lancaster Pike • Doylestown • Doylestown Bookshop, 16 S. Main St. • Siren Records, 25 E. State St. • East Stroudsburg • Rainbow Mountain Resort, 210 Mt. Nebo Road • Easton • La Pazza, 1251 Ferry St. • Gibson • Hillside Campground, 1 Creek Road • Glen Mills • Imago Dei MCC, 1223 Middletown Road • Glenside • Keswick Cycle, 408 N. Easton Road • Harrisburg • 704 Strawberry Café, 704 N. Third St. • AIDS Community Alliance, 100 N. Cameron St. • Brownstone Lounge, 412 Forster St. • Liquid 891, 891 Eisenhower Blvd. • Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. 3rd St. • MCC of the Spirit, 2973 Jefferson St. • Stallions, 706 N. Third St. • Haverford • Haverford Station, Haverford Station Road near Lancaster Ave. • Kutztown • Kutztown University, 15200 Main St. • Lancaster • Downtown Books, 227 N. Prince St. • Sundown Lounge, 429 N. Mulberry St. • Tally Ho Tavern, 201 W. Orange St. • Lansdale • Gwynedd Vet Hospital, 1615 W. Pointe Pike • Lehighton • Woods Campground, 845 Vaughn Acres Road • Levittown • Levitt Books, 7406 Bristol Pike • Malvern • Malvern Station, King St. & Warren Ave. • Media • Unitarian Universalist Church, 145 W. Rose Tree Road • The Media Theater, 104 E. State St. • LGBT Alliance Group, Delaware Co. Campus, Penn State Univ., 901 Media Line Road • Moosic • 12 Penny Saloon, 3501 Birney Ave. • Narberth • Narberth Station, Haverford & Narberth avenues • New Hope • Café Europa, 11 Market Place • Cornerstone Gym, 419 York Road • Eagle Diner, 6522 York Road • Havana, 105 S. Main St. • John & Peters, 96 S. Main St. • Karla’s Restaurant, 5 W. Mechanic St. • La Chateau Exotique, 31A W. Mechanic St. • Havana Bar & Grill, 105 S. Main St. • The Raven, 385 W. Bridge St. • Sandbar, 90 S. Main St. • Triumph Brewing Co., 400 Union Square Drive • Wildﬂowers, 8 W. Mechanic St. • New Milford • Oneida Campground, 2580 E. Lake Road • Newtown • Bucks Co. Community College, 275 Swamp Road • North Wales • Adult World, 608 Upper State Road • Paoli • Paoli Station, North Valley Road & Lincoln Highway • Plains Township • Twist Bar, Fox Ridge Plaza, Rte. 315 • Quakertown • Adult World, 880 S. West End Blvd. • Reading • Berls Aid Network, 429 Walnut St. • Reading Adult Center, 316 Penn St. • Rosemont • Rosemont Station, Airdale Road & Montrose Ave. • Spring Grove • Atland’s Ranch, RR6, Box 6543 • Swarthmore • Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Parrish Hall • Temple • Naughty But Nice, 4502 N. Fifth St. • Upper Darby • Honor Box, 69th Street Station • Villanova • Villanova Station, Spring Mill Road near County Line Road • Warminster • Darkanyu, Bux Mont Unitarian Church, Street Road at Rt. 611 • Planned Parenthood of Bucks Co., 610 Louis Dr. • Wayne • Central Baptist Church, 106 W. Lancaster Ave. • Stafford Station, Old Eagle School & Crestline roads • Wayne Station, N. Wayne & West Ave. • West Chester • Chester County Books, 975 Paoli Pike • Williamsport • Peachies, 144 E. Fourth St. • Willow Grove • Barnes & Noble, 102 Park Ave. • Wynnwood • Wynnwood Station, Wynnewood & Penn roads •

NEW JERSEY Asbury Park • Georgie’s, 812 Fifth Ave. • Paradise, 101 Asbury Ave. • Atlantic City • Oasis, 32 S. Tennessee Ave. • Ocean House, 127 S. Ocean Ave. • Pro Bar, Resorts Casino, 1133 Boardwalk, 13th floor • Ritz Condo lobby, 2715 Boardwalk • Bordentown • Shoppe 202, 202 Farnsworth Ave. • Camden • Honor Box, PATCO Ferry Ave. Station • Cherry Hill • Unitarian Church, 400 N. Kings Hwy. • Andriotti’s Viennese Café, 1442 E. Route 70 • Collingswood • Honor Box, PATCO Collingswood Station • Honor Box, PATCO Ferry Ave. Station • Egg Harbour City • Red Barn Books, 1204 White Horse Pike • Galloway • Pride Alliance Stockton College, 101 Vera King Farris Dr. suite 240 • Gloucester City • Red Barn Books, 600 Rt. 130 South • Haddonfield • Honor Box, PATCO Haddonfield Station, PATCO Westmont Station, PATCO Woodcrest Station • Highland Park • Pride Center of NJ, 85 Raritan Ave. • Lambertville• Body Tech, 80 Lambert Lane • Lebanon • GLBT of Hunterdon Co., 126 Petticoat Lane • Lindenwold • Honor Box, PATCO Lindenwold Station East • Honor Box, PATCO Lindenwold Station West • Morristown • Gay Activist Alliance, Unitarian Church, 29 Normandy Heights Road • Oaklyn • Sacred Green Earth, 511 Whitehorse Pike • Princeton • LGBT Center, Princeton University, 246 First Campus Center • Somerset • The Den, 700 Hamilton Ave. • Stratford • White Horse Books, 906 White Horse Pike • Vineland • J&J News, 729 N. Main St. • West Berlin • Red Barn Books, 597 Route 73 North • Williamstown • Book Bin, 3852 S. Black Horse Pike •

NEW HOPE CELEBRATES PRIDE PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

NEW HOPE CELEBRATES

Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary Join us for our 10th anniversary Pride celebration, a fun-filled week in New Hope, PA. & Lambertville, NJ. Sunday 12

Key West Rainbow Flag Unfurled “Mother’s Day” A Tribute & Retro-Scope @The Bucks County Playhouse Guest Bartender Event @ The Raven

Monday 13

It’s O

Lipstick Monday & Liz DuFour on piano @ The Raven

Tuesday 12 th

13 0 2

Thursday 16

Rave n Pres ent

thday

@ TH E RA VEN

20 do lla Featu r donatio ring: n at th DJ Hats , Horn Michea e door. Be l De s & Ca nifi ke! Do Cero, Da ts NHC Pri nc or Pri zes & ing Boys, de More!

ATES ELEBR OPE C NEW H

Ladie s 200 0 - PR ESEN TS -

Welth Managment for Domestic Partners @ The Perry Mansion All Male Review @ The Raven

IDE 2013 PR Five Eleven to th

MAY 18

Friday 17th Pumpkins Pride Show @ The Raven Mimi Gonzalez @ Havana Christine Havrilla @ Triumph

Satu rd

FACT Pride BINGO @ The Firehouse Pride Supper Club @ The Raven

& The

Celeb ay, May ra 18 th our 10 th ting of PR year IDE!

Pool Tournament @ The Raven

Wednesday 15

NHC

ur Bir

VIKI DEE At H avan a, Ne w

Lot layhouse ounty P Bucks C

LIVE

Hop e, PA

Saturday 18

Pride PARADE! on Main St. Block Party - Live entertainment, fun, dancing for all, Featuring: Shara Strand, Josey Greenwell, Trisha Dasch – “That Girl”, Dwayne Dunlevy, Laura Cheadle, DJ Ronnie B and many more. Vendor Fair, @The Bucks County Playhouse Lot NHC Birthday Benefit Dance Party @ The Raven

Sunday 19

Ladies 2000 - Viki Dee @ HAVANA NHC Benefit T-Dance @ The Raven

Download our Free App today. For Events, Maps,Local listings more. and much more

newhopecelebrates.com Visit us on-line or get the APP for event details and updates.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

TRAVEL PGN

Outward Bound

Jeff Guaracino

Mixing business with pleasure Great trip ideas can come from travel columns like this one, from your favorite travel magazine or from recommendations from friends and family. Business travel — if planned correctly — can be a perfect time to research your next pleasure trip. Yes, I know we are always in a rush to get to that next meeting, answer that pesky text or resolve the work emergency, but hey, it’s travel. Don’t forget to stop and smell the fun! Viva Las Vegas — midweek I was invited to speak at the Las Vegas International Tourism Safety and Security Conference. I hadn’t been to Vegas since

live music, a state-of-the-art light show and the always-fun people-watching. You can also take lots of pictures of the kitschy oldtime Las Vegas neon signs. For more Vegas options, visit www.experiencelasvegas.com. An insider’s tip is to check out the Golden Nugget Las Vegas (www.goldennugget.com). The hotel is walking distance from the gay nightlife and has a great pool where you can swim with the sharks (seriously) and have a wide range of casual or gourmet foods.

Chicago — navigate it smartly As vice chair of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, I participated in the organization’s 30th-anniversary convention in the awesome city of Chicago. The host hotel was the Hyatt Regency Chicago (www.hyattregencychicago. com), which recently underwent an impressive renovation. The hotel has a central location and is very business-friendly (but lacks a suitable gym). Chicago is a city for architecture, so I was in search of a hotel with a bit more character. Voila: The “WEST LOBBY SEDUCTION” AT KRAVE IN LAS VEGAS Renaissance Blackstone, located on South Michigan 2007, so I was excited to see what had Avenue across from Millennium and Grant changed along the famed Las Vegas Strip. Parks. Opened in 1910, this historic hotel A midweek trip proved to be an exceptional has been the accommodation of choice for option to avoid the crowds but still enjoy all 12 U.S. presidents and celebrities. Here is of the amenities that Vegas has to offer. this insider’s tip: In a city this big, it is best With 150,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas, there are plenty of options to suit every taste and budget. Among the true standouts is The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which opened in 2010. Among its most notable differences are the sexy vibe created by the impressive use of video throughout the hotel and its spacious rooms with balconies overlooking the Strip. With spectacular views of the Bellagio Fountains, you are actually encouraged to stay in the room, soak in a deep tub CHICAGO’S RENAISSANCE BLACKSTONE HOTEL and chill. This hotel emphasizes non-gaming amenities, from a rooftop pool to a well-appointed to find a centrally located hotel like this gym (which was crowded every morning one to enjoy between meetings, visiting with fellow business travelers) to the not- Chicago’s fine art museums, outdoor perto-miss spa and designer shops. formance spaces and, of course, the famous Krave, billed by promoters as the “world’s reflective “Cloud Gate” sculpture, inforlargest gay club,” is opening in a new loca- mally known as the Bean. ■ tion June 15. Once on the Strip, Krave relocated to the famed Fremont Street in Jeff Guaracino is the vice chair of the downtown Vegas. The opening of Krave and International Gay and Lesbian Travel Drink & Drag, both in the same complex, is Association (IGLTA) and the author of a good reason to discover the original Las “Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Vegas. The Fremont Street experience offers Guide for Marketing.”

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

FUN PGN & GAMES

Q Puzzle He’s sevenfeet tall, so ... Across

1. Sprint at the Gay Games 5. Sucking sound 10. Places where women might sweat together 14. Italian wine city 15. The bottom line 16. Antifur org. 17. Start of a comment about Jason Collins 20. Brian on ice 21. Audrey Hepburn role 22. German Surrealist Max 23. Penetrate 24. Musical notes 25. Service receivers 31. Cold war prog. 32. More of the comment 34. Leonardo’s thing 37. Boyfriend

38. Silica stone 42. Strong as ___ 43. Connect with 44. Biggest of a bear threesome 45. Pinko’s hero 47. U-turn from SSW 48. Ruhr industrial center 49. Rabies threat 51. Black Sea city 52. End of the comment 56. Look curiously 58. Diabolical one 59. Robert of “The Brady Bunch” 62. Like a fairy tale brother? 63. Peta Wilson’s Nikita, e.g. 64. Charlotte BrontÎ’s Jane 65. Multitude 66. Top-drawer 67. Peter the Great

Down

1. Robin Williams’ Pam of “Mork & Mindy” 2. Toward Dinah?

PROFILE from page 47

housing in Pennsylvania. Though we have protection here in Philadelphia, in most parts of the state, say 70-75 percent, it’s legal to fire someone for being gay. A lot of local municipalities have their own protections — even small ones that you might be surprised at — but we need to make it a statewide protection. For the first time in a while, we have bipartisan support. Out of 79 sponsors in the House and 25 in the Senate, there are 10 Republicans — eight in the House and two in the Senate — which is historic. I think the political winds are in our favor. Pennsylvania is the only state in the Northeast that hasn’t added statewide protections, so I think there’s a good chance we’ll get it soon. But then again, during this same week, Daryl Metcalfe, from Western PA came out the day we came out, saying we were going to end discrimination in Pennsylvania saying he’s re-introducing legislation to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. That’s something that would impact us here in Philadelphia as well as the rest of the state. So now we have to switch gears and fight this battle too. It’s really a shame. They’ve tried two or three times before and it’s never passed so to try it again, especially as the country is embracing gay marriage more than ever, seems a waste of taxpayer money and time. It’s like, Can we get back to making things better for the citizens of Pennsylvania instead of trying to take away rights?

3. Members of Gertrude’s family 4. Dropped hankie and such 5. W.W. II gun 6. Nuts 7. Hollywood’s Hagen 8. Butts 9. Guilty, to Perry Mason 10. Blow off 11. ___ fours (small cakes) 12. Made amends 13. African outing 18. Concoct, as a plot 19. Over the top in the middle 26. Split 27. Leave stranded on a gay ski weekend, say 28. Talk show host who made the comment 29. Streisand’s _Prince of Tides_ costar 30. Poet ___ Wu 32. Art of stuffing animals

33. Active one’s affair on the side? 34. Collected 35. Top draft level 36. “Gypsy” lyrics writer 39. Superintendents’ masters 40. King Kong’s kin 41. Star Turner 46. Japanese theater 48. College web address suffix 50. Fish hooks 51. More queer 53. Debussy’s deity 54. Short term employee 55. Round-buyer’s words 56. Org. of athletes that Sheehan doesn’t swing with 57. Screw up 60. Bill written by Alice Paul 61. Aachen article PAGE 27

PGN: Yeah, I’m looking at your website and see that they tried in 2006, 2008, 2010 ... every two years! JD: Yeah, and last year as well. I don’t understand why people like Metcalfe keep reintroducing it. I guess it’s largely red meat for their base but it seems like such a waste for everyone. They should get back to work on issues that would have a positive impact on the state and its people instead of being so mean-spirited. PGN: Let’s do some random questions. What’s a movie you could watch over and over? JD: Oh, there are a lot. “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is a favorite, and I’ve also seen “Thelma and Louise” multiple times. I’m really into old films so right now “Auntie Mame” is a favorite. PGN: I love that film too. I vowed to be Auntie Mame to my nephew and so far I’m doing pretty well with it. JD: [Laughs.] I’ve sort of done the same thing with my nephew, and my best friend just had a child, so they joke and call me Auntie Mame. PGN: Favorite board game? JD: Right now it’s a strategy game called the Settlers of Catan. PGN: Were you a Dungeons and Dragons kid? JD: I wasn’t. We have a very large extended family and at holidays and over the summer we were always getting together and playing games like Scattergories or Pictionary, you name it.

I went to the beach about 10 years ago with some friends and someone brought Settlers of Catan. I played it a few times and now I play it with some friends. PGN: What’s your ethnic background? JD: I’m Irish, Polish and Native American. PGN: That’s quite a combination. JD: Yeah, one of our family members traced our roots and it was pretty interesting. We have Indian on both sides but on my paternal side, my great-great grandmother was full-blooded American Indian. We actually found some photos of her. Her name was Finola, and her tribe was in southern Virginia. We are from the Pamunkey and Mattaponi tribes. PGN: What election throughout history do you wish you’d participated in? JD: Good question. Maybe Jimmy Carter’s re-election. I wasn’t very old at the time but I think Jimmy Carter gets/got a raw deal. I would have liked to help change that. PGN: What was coming out like? JD: Well, I’m sure people picked up on the fact that I was “different” from a really early age. I never really understood what the big deal was. I knew I was attracted to boys but it was pretty much made clear to me that that was not an option. I remember being about 12 years old and “Tales of the City” aired on PBS. I had a television in my bedroom and one night I couldn’t sleep and happened to turn it on. It was in the middle of the show but it was at

one of the parts where Jon and Michael were kissing. I was like, “Wait a minute! I totally get this!” It was a revelatory experience. I’ll always be grateful to Armistead Maupin for it. PGN: And the family? JD: I think I was just tired of not talking about it and one day when the subject of homosexuality came up, I said to my mom, “Well, what if I was gay? I think that I am.” It was weird because even though she knew about the rough time I had in school and everything, she was still like, “Oh, I never knew” and that sort of stuff. But later that day she came in, hugged me and told me she loved me. PGN: First crush? JD: His name was Andy. I was in first grade, he was in fourth, and we rode the same bus. I always just knew how I felt and there was a sort of power in that because, as awful as people could sometimes be, I always somehow knew that they were wrong. PGN: And now you’re using that power to fight for other people? JD: I hope so. We’re certainly trying! PGN: See you at the polls ... ■ For the Equality PA endorsement list, visit equalityfederation.salsalabs.com/o/35029/ p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1136. To suggest a community member for “Family Portrait,” write to portraits05@aol.com.

TELEVISION PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

Worth Watching FUNERAL BELLES: Everyone flies down to Florida to be with Phil after his mom’s passing, and Cam finds himself fitting right into an elderly women’s group at a retirement community, on the season finale of “Modern Family,” 9 p.m. May 22 on ABC. Photo: ABC/Peter “Hopper” Stone

AFTERNOON DELIGHT: Logo airs two of Kathy Griffin’s comedy specials, “Strong Black Woman” and “Straight to Hell,” where she dishes on celebrities whose paths she has crossed, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. May 22.

HONEYMOON OVER?: In “Newlyweds: The First Year,” Bravo goes deep inside the lives of four newlywed couples and documents their most personal moments over the course of 365 days. One of them is gay couple Jeff and Blair, who deal with conflicts that arise from their 16-year age difference and contrasting careers, 10 p.m. May 20 on Bravo. Photo: Bravo/Kelsey

DEARLY BELOVED ... : “The Billboard Music Awards” airs live from Las Vegas 8 p.m. May 19 on ABC with performances by Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars and Miguel. The awards show will also honor Billboard chart-topper and world-renowned music legend Prince (pictured) with the Billboard Icon Award.

McNeal

Come see what’s new at your local, non-corporate, gluten-free historic queer bookshop! Browse, chat, and support the oldest continuously operating LGBT book store in the USA!

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

Get Out and Play

SPORTS PGN

Scott A. Drake

Summer tournaments crown the sports circuit

Every Wednesday night 8 p.m. - 1 a.m. you can get a free conﬁdential HIV test at

Philadelphia FIGHT

and receive free admission to Woody’s dance ﬂoor, a free slice of pizza from 13th Street Gourmet Pizza, and a chance to win great prizes.

Philadelphia FIGHT 1233 Locust St., 3rd ﬂoor

www.ﬁght.org 215.985.4448

Spring soakers mean a muddy May Before I kick off the annual summer-sports rundown, a couple of notes on the wet weather impacts. Soccer, football and softball were all canceled or postponed due to soggy soil May 11-12, because all of the organizations that play in city-managed parks are at the mercy of the parks commission calling the shots on field usage after rain. It also means the outdoor sport photo options were very limited. This means the City of Brotherly Love Softball League will move last weekend’s games to the built-in May 26 rain date and hope for no more rained-out Sundays. GPFFL already lost a couple of Saturdays this spring and rearranged some schedules, extended the season and moved the championships to after Memorial Day this year, so they had to cancel the May 11 match-ups all together. The Gryphons RFC played in the mud. That’s what real football players do. They lost their battle with Second City RFC in their season closer and finished the spring season with a 3-4 record. If you’re an athlete, you know about your own organization’s schedule, and if you are not, then this is a great opportunity to participate in a stand-alone event or just go and watch with a packed cooler. Here is what is going on across the fields, greens, courts and paths during the summer. Summer starters Memorial Day kicks off the summer and tournament seasons with two Liberty Bell Classics — one for soccer, one for softball. The playing days are the same, but the sports and locales are quite different! Softball takes to its usual battlefields in Fairmount Park and South Jersey. Online registration is underway for teams but if you want to play and you’re not on a team, singles signups are the way to go. Registration is 7-10 p.m. May 24 at ICandy and games are played May 25-26. The annual tournament street party is May 25 on Camac Street between Locust and Spruce streets and the closing party is at Fox & Hound. Special T-shirts will be sold, with proceeds going to One Fund Boston. Visit www.cblsl.org for all this and more information. Those birds-of-prey Falcons are holding their sixth annual Liberty Bell Classic the same weekend, at Pennypack Park on the Delaware River. This is a non aggressive coed tournament that welcomes players of all ages, skill levels and sexual orientations, so if you want to play, jump into the fray because everyone is welcome. Squads are set based on skills, so grab your water, sunscreen and cleats (if you have them) for some fun in the sun. Registration is held 7-9 p.m. May 24 at Stir and as many as eight games are played Saturday and Sunday. More than 50 people are expected from Philadelphia, New York City, Washington D.C., and the surrounding

areas. These fancy footworkers also have a cookout after the Sunday games, so bring your folding chair and cooler. The post-tournament cookout is after the awards presentations. OFF AND RUNNING: With the flag football Gay Bowl heading to D o n ’ t Philadelphia next year, Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League kicked play soc- off its fundraising May 4 with a Kentucky Derby party at Pennsylvania cer? That’s 6. About 50 players, friends and supporters packed the new eatery on O K . G o South 12th Street and raised $1,200 for the event. Photo: Scott A. Drake on up and hang out For next month, the schedule is June 8, along the river and watch a game — they Lehigh Valley 7s in Bethlehem; June 15, always approve of spectators! Visit www. PICK 7s in Washington, D.C.; June 22, falcons-soccer.org. Rugarama in Washington, D.C.; and June 29, Harrisburg 7s in Harrisburg. Get all the June: Fun on the run details at philly7s@pwrfc.org. Runners get revved up starting in June with mid-month color runs in back-to-back Also in June: race days. Members of the Philadelphia • GPFFL has its spring championship Frontrunners and dozens of other LGBT games June 1 at Columbus Park, 1200 runners will go through the paces in these Wharton St. fun runs that aren’t about winning as much • Spartans Wrestling hosts its annual wresas they are about having fun. And getting a tling tournament June 15 with particidye job. pants expected from New York City and Run or Dye is June 15, with two morn- Washington, D.C. They hit the mats starting times to run. The 9 a.m. slots are filled, ing at 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church, but you can still get into the 11 a.m. run 2125 Chestnut St.; phillyspartans.com. and get your colors on. The 5K run starts • CBLSL has a Bingo, Beef & Beer fundat Citizens Bank Park and stays in South raiser for fans of any or all of those three Philly until it makes its way back to the on June 15 at Finnigan’s Wake. ballpark. See www.runordye.com for more • GPFFL competitive team The Revolution info. will once again hit the windy city for Pride All color runs are not created equal, I am Bowl VI during Chicago Pride June 28told. Color Me Rad sold out weeks ago, but 30. if you want to see what this one is all about, head up to the Please Touch Museum the July: Alleys and Courts morning of June 16. The color bombs start The 25th annual Liberty Belle Invitational going off at 8 a.m. This run benefits the Bowling Tournament is again over the July Special Olympics; colormerad.com. 4 weekend (or thereabouts) and promises The Gryphons RFC is a spring and fall some alleys and gutters for local and visitorganization, but that doesn’t mean they sit ing players. For this tournament, you must around all summer and drink beer. Well, it have an established average through an does, but they also get together in groups IGBO-sanctioned league to play, but you of seven, seven minutes at a time for some do not have to be any particular level of other fun. bowler. If you’re not familiar with 7s, you’re not Last year, Doug Scheidig bowled a peralone. These are shorter games that have fect game, a first for the annual tournaseven-minute halves and only seven play- ment. Organizers say they expect at least ers on a side. They can be men’s, women’s, as many people as last year and another co-ed and even college teams. Philadelphia prize pot over $20,000. Women’s Rugby has a competitive side All of the games are at Laurel Lanes in and a rec side, so if you want to play or Maple Shade, N.J., but you can catch most just watch, there’s a place for you. of the bowlers in the ’hood after they’ve

SPORTS PGN

finished their frames and games. The tournament finale is cocktails and a banquet on the last night at the Doubletree Hotel on Broad Street. Information for the July 5-7 event can be found at libertybelle.org. The second annual Philadelphia Open tennis tournament hosted by Philadelphia Liberty Tennis Association will be held July 18-21 at Legacy Youth Tennis and Education (formerly Arthur Ashe), 4842 Ridge Ave. Anyone can sign up and play; you do not need to be a regular member of PLTA. Draw party is July 18, and tennis singles and doubles are July 19-21 with a banquet the night of July 20 at Loews Hotel. Last year was the first for this tournament, and about 70 people from around the U.S. and a few other countries came to play, earning the tournament the title of one of the best new tournaments of the season by the Gay Lesbian Tennis Association. For info on playing, go to www.GLTA.net and look for Philadelphia Open or contact Dave Killian at killian0909@aol.com. PLTA plays on the FDR Park courts on weekends through summer and welcomes new players all the time. Check out the website at philadelphialibertytennis.com. Also in July: • The Mud Run is July 13. Unlike color runs where you finish with scores of colors, here everyone ends up brown. Timing might have been better if the Philly Mud Run were on one of these May weekends that caused game cancellations, but it could still be muddy mayhem. Two courses, 20 obstacles. This one is held on Belmont Plateau in Fairmount Park and still has openings. Register at downanddirtymudrun.com. • The last (known at this point) Color Run 5K is on July 14. Also sold out, organizers are still looking for volunteers to help out before, after and during the event. Or just go watch. It’s pretty hilarious; thecolorrun.com. August: Gay Days and Doldrums Get your Gay Community Night tickets early ’cause this one’s a party! Hundreds of baseball fans and baseball-player fans will come out for the 11th annual gay Community Night Aug. 7 at Citizens Bank Park. Announcements are pending on who will throw out the ceremonial first pitch and who gets “National Anthem” honors. Last year it was Larry Felzer and the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus bringing us to our feet. This year, the Chicago Cubs will face off with the Fightin’ Phils, and here’s hoping the dismal 1-9 gaynight record doesn’t get any worse. Tickets can be purchased independently or through organizations like the William Way LGBT Community Center, Team Philadelphia and others. Or get your own group and pick your own seats. Also in August: • Gryphons RFC usually has its fall boot camp the first weekend in August. Get up-to-date info at philadelphiagryphons.org. • GPFFL begins its fall-season registration in midAugust; phillyflagfootball.com. • Philadelphia Fins Aquatics Club will head to Seattle to participate in the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics annual event; igla2013.com/swimming. • August 10-11 is the rugby National 7s championships in Pittsburgh. All of these organizations welcome visitors, fans and cheerleaders. Get out of the house, out of your routine and go to a game. Better yet, get out and play! ■ To submit information for Get Out and Play, email scott@epgn.com.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

Food & Drink

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PGN LISTINGS

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

OUT & ABOUT The week ahead Fri. 05/17 Tim McGraw The country singer performs 7 p.m. at Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, N.J.; 856-365-1300. Catie Curtis The out singersongwriter performs 8 p.m. at Bean and Burlap, 204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square; 484-4274547. Chevelle The rock band performs 8 p.m. at House of Blues, 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-3434000.

Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin The folk singers perform 8 p.m. at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave.; 215-5727650. The Blues Brothers The classic comedy-caper film is screened 9:45 p.m. at Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610917-0223.

Sat. 05/18 WMMR BBQ Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Cheap Trick and Buckcherry perform starting at 1 p.m. at Susquehanna Bank

New Year’s resolution ... vacation ...

Center, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, N.J.; 856-3651300. A Penny for Your Thoughts A guided discussion on all issues that impact lesbian, bisexual and questioning women, 4-7 p.m. at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220. Peek-a-boo Revue Philadelphia neoburlesque troop performs 7 and 10 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400. Rockshow: Wings Over America The 1976 concert film is screened 7:30 p.m. at Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610917-0223.

George Lopez The comedian performs 8 p.m. at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Event Center, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000. Sharon Needles The drag queen performs 10 p.m.3 a.m. at Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James St.; 215-7355772.

Sun. 05/19 The Postman Always Rings Twice The 1946 film is screened 2 p.m. at Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610917-0223. Melissa Ferrick The out singersongwriter performs 7:30 p.m. downstairs at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400.

Work It Out

suimsuit season ... wedding There’s always a reason to be in shape

Read Work It Out every fourth week of the month. Only in

LOOK ON THE ‘BRIGHTSIDE’: Glitzy altrockers The Killers are set to dazzle their fans when they roll through town 8 p.m. May 19 at Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, N.J. For ticket information, call 856365-1300.

Avi Wisnia The out singer performs 8 p.m. upstairs at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215222-1400. The Killers The rock band performs 8 p.m. at Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, N.J.; 856-365-1300.

Mon. 05/20 Free Quizzo & Board Game Night Roll the dice, 7 p.m. at World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 302-994-1400. Nathaniel Philbrick The author of “Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution” hosts a reading 7:30 p.m. at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; 215686-5322. Jaws The 1975 blockbuster about a shark terrorizing a seaside community is screened 8 p.m. at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; 215-922-6888. Lipstick Mondays A weekly drag show featuring a changing roster of queens takes the stage 9 p.m. at

The Raven, 385 W. Bridge St., New Hope; 215-862-

Tue. 05/21 2081. The Darkness The U.K. rock band performs 8 p.m. at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; 215-922-6888. Jeremy Scahill The journalist and author of “Dirty Wars: The World Is A Battlefield” hosts a reading 7:30 p.m. at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; 215686-5322.

Wed. 05/22 4W5 Blues Jam Local musicians get down, 7 p.m. at World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 302-994-1400. Mark Tercek The author of “Nature’s Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature” hosts a reading noon at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; 215686-5322.

Thu. 05/23 Wednesday 13 The horror-themed rock band performs 7:30 p.m. at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; 215922-6888.

Femme Fest starring The Fabulous Miss Wendy, Hear Kitty Kitty, Sara Rae and Mahi Gato Female-fronted groups perform 8 p.m. at Sellersville Theater 1894, 24 W. Temple Ave.; 215257-5808. Bob and Barbara’s Drag Show The outrageousness begins 11 p.m. at Bob and Barbara’s, 1509 South St.; 215545-4511.

Fri. 05/24 Chicago The band per-

forms 8 p.m. at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Event Center, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000. Gil Shaham Plays Brahms The Philadelphia Orchestra performs May 2325 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; 215790-5847. 2 Live Crew The raunchy rap group performs 8:30 p.m. at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; 215-922-6888.

SINGING HER TRUTH: Out singersongwriter Melissa Ferrick gives her fans a taste of her upcoming album “the truth is” when she performs 7:30 p.m. May 19 downstairs at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. For more information or tickets, call 215-2221400 or visit www.melissaferrick. com.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PGN LISTINGS

Opening Inherit the Wind Bristol Riverside Theatre presents the courtroom drama about creationism vs. evolution, May 21-June 9, 120 Radcliffe St.; 215-785-0100. Heroes Lantern Theatre Company presents the Philadelphia premiere of the comedy about vets plotting to escape from a retired soldier’s home, May 17-June 9, St. Stephen’s Theater, 10th and Ludlow streets; 215-829-0395.

Continuing All Dressed Up: Fashions for Children and Their Families Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of clothing from the late 18th- through mid-20th centuries, comparing and contrasting adults’ apparel with children’s smaller styles, through Dec. 1, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

The Art of Golf Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of paintings celebrating the sport, through July 7, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

Cooking With the Calamari Sisters The all-singing, all-dancing, all-cooking hit musical comedy, through May 19 at Society Hill Playhouse, 507 S. Eighth St.; 215-923-0210.

Bootycandy The Wilma Theater presents the production consisting of sketches that interconnect to portray growing up gay and African-American, 265 S. Broad St.; 215-546-7824.

Dance Theatre of Harlem The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents the acclaimed dance company, through May 19 at Zellerbach Theatre, 3680 Walnut St.; 215-898-3900.

Candy Coated Wonderland Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition by Philadelphia-based multimedia artist Candy Coated (formerly Candy Depew) reinterpreting children’s fancy dress costumes from the museum’s collection, through Nov. 17, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

Journeys to New Worlds Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of Spanish and Portuguese colonial art from the Roberta and Richard Huber Collection, through May 19, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

DINO! An Evening with Dean Martin at the Latin Casino Walnut Street Theatre presents a recreation of a legendary Dean Martin concert, through June 30 at Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut St.; 215-5743550. Grease Walnut Street Theatre presents the classic musical through July 14, 825 Walnut St.; 215-574-3550. Great and Mighty Things Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of outsider art from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection, through June 9, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

KILLER QUEEN: Drag queen and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Sharon Needles brings her outrageous sense of style and spectacle to town, performing and pressing the ﬂesh with VIPs 10 p.m.-3 a.m. May 18 at Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James St. For more information, call 215-7355772. SOLUTION from page 54

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

In Visible Skin: Portraits of Transgender Philadelphia The William Way LGBT Community Center hosts an exhibition by artist Emily Smith Satis, through June 28, 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220. Pinocchio The classic children’s tale comes to life on stage through June 23 at Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. Second St.; 215-922-1122.

Closing Beethoven’s “Pastoral” The Philadelphia Orchestra performs through May 19 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; 215-7905847.

Notices Send notices at least one week in advance to: Out & About Listings, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 fax: 215-925-6437; or e-mail: listings@epgn.com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone.

MAME Media Theatre presents the classic Broadway musical about the titular eccentric bohemian, through May 19, 104 E. State St., Media; 610-891-0100. Mo Mandel The comedian seen on “Chelsea Lately” performs through May 18 at Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St.; 215496-9001. PGMC Concert: ‘ExtrABBAganza’ Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chrorus performs the music of ABBA, through May 18 at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St.; www.pgmc.org. ■

SMOOTH SOUNDS: Out jazz/pop/ bassa-nova singer Avi Wisnia opens for Jess Klein 8 p.m. May 19 upstairs at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

PGN

COLOR

REALPGN ESTATE

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

Classifieds Real Estate Sale

Real Estate Sale

Travel & Resorts

Help Wanted

Open Houses - Sunday May 19, 2013 1:30-3:00 PM 2017 Carpenter St, Philadelphia, PA 19146 3BR/3.5BA House. NEWLY reconstructed classic townhouse located on one of the loveliest streets in the Graduate area. Bi-level terrace. $524,900

1:30-2:30 PM 1020 S. Randolph ST, Philadelphia, PA 19147 Unique rehabbed Queen Village 3BR/2BA multi-level home. $324,900 936 N. 30th St, Philadelphia, PA 19130 Beautiful 3BR/2.5BA home in Art Museum Area. $350,000 Search all Philadelphia area listings @ www.phillyrealestateagents.com Dan Tobey

1401 Walnut St. • 8th Floor • Philadelphia, PA 19102

215.546.2700 Business • 267.238.1061 Direct 215.432.7151 Cell • 215.558.1063 Fax dtobey@cbpref.com • www.cbpref.com UP STATE NY COUNTRYSIDE SPRING LAND SALE $5,000 Off Each Lot. 6 AC w / Trout Stream: $29,995. 3 AC / So. Tier: $15,995. 5.7 AC On the River: $39,995. Beautiful & All Guaranteed Buildable. Financing Available ... Offers End 5/15/13... Call Now: 1-800-229-7843 www. landandcamps.com ________________________________________37-20 LAKE SALE, NY 5 acres Bass Lake $29,900. 7 acres 400’ waterfront $29,900. 6 lake properties. Were $39,900 now $29,900. www.LandFirstNY.com Ends May 31st. Call 1-888-683-2626. ________________________________________37-20

Wanted to Buy CASH BUYER 1970 and Before, Comic Books, Toys, Sports, entire collections wanted. I travel to you and Buy EVERYTHING YOU have! Call Brian TODAY: 1-800-617-3551. ________________________________________37-20 WE BUY UNEXPIRED DIABETIC TEST STRIPS $22 FOR 100 COUNT ONETOUCH ULTRA STIPS. FREE IN-BOUND SHIPPING LABEL. 1-713-975-6400. Fax 713975-6300. www.SellDiabeticStrips.com ________________________________________37-20

Real Estate Rent BEAUTIFUL WEST MT. AIRY APT. One bedroom, living room, dining room, enclosed porch, large windows plenty of light. Classic features. $900 plus utilities. Near co-op, train, buses. Please call or email Nini Melvin 978 413 3141 ninimelvin@gmail.com ________________________________________37-20

OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/ partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800638-2102. Online reservations: www.holidayoc.com ________________________________________37-20 609-345-8203. oceanhouseatlanticcity.com ________________________________________37-45

Business Opportunities OFFICE SPACE IN NEW JERSEY Large & small offices available. Inexpens. rent incl. Elec, Water, Heat, A/C, Taxes, & Snow Removal. No Sec. Depos. Also have large, completely outfitted medical & legal space. Ample parking, uncongested area. Adjacent 1,500+ homes provide huge client base. 10 mins from Coll’wood, Haddfld, AC Exprswy, BHP, 295, & Philly. John (609)413-5832. ________________________________________37-25

Services EXP RELIABLE HOUSECLEANER Let me free up your valuable time by cleaning your house or apt. Weekly biweekly monthly. I have 10+ years exp. FREE estimates. Call Wayne 215-422-2654. Ref’s upon request. ________________________________________37-23 AIRLINE CAREERS Begin here-Become an Aviation Maintenance Tech. FAA approved training. Financial aid if qualified-Housing available. Job placement assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 888-834-9715 ________________________________________37-20 Heavy Equipment Operator Career! 3 Weeks Hands On Training School. Bulldozers, Backhoes, Excavators. National Certifications. Lifetime Job Placement Assistance. VA Benefits Eligible! 1-866-362-6497. ________________________________________37-20

For Sale SAWMILLS From only $3997.00- MAKE & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmill- Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE Info/DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com 1800-578-1363 Ext.300N. ________________________________________37-20

Notices Junior Racers Wanted! If your family life revolves around your child’s racing events, ages 4 to 10, Production Company wants your story. Please call (818)840-6052. ________________________________________37-20

All real-estate advertising is subject to Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended. Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental and ﬁnancing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and handicap (disability). PGN will not knowingly accept any real-estate advertising that is in violation of any applicable law.

Gay is our middle name.

Help Wanted Highest Pay in The Industry, Up To $0.52 Per Mile. No Truck Older Than 2010. Call Or Apply Online Today. 800441-4953 - DRIVEHEARTLAND.COM ________________________________________37-20 Driver: One Cent Raise after 6 and 12 months. $0.03 Enhanced Quarterly Bonus. Daily or Weekly Pay, Hometime Options. CDL-A, 3 months OTR exp. 800-414-9569 www. driveknight.com ________________________________________37-20 GORDON TRUCKING, INC. CDL-A Drivers Needed! Up to $3,000 SIGN ON BONUS. Refrigerated Fleet with Great Miles. Up to .46 cpm w/10 years experience. Full Benefits, 401k, EOE. No N.E. Runs! Call 7 days/wk! TeamGTI.com 866-554-7856. ________________________________________37-20 Are you ready to take your career to the next level? Earn your CDL-A and start your driving career with RDTC! Call Kim: 800-535-8420 GoRoehl.com AA/EOE ________________________________________37-20 AVERITT OFFERS CDL-A Drivers a Strong, Stable, Profitable Career. Experienced Drivers and Recent Grads- Excellent Benefits, Weekly Hometime, Paid Training. 888-362-8608 AverittCareers.com Equal Opportunity Employer. ________________________________________37-20 CDL-A DRIVERS NEEDED! Solos up to $.38/mile. $.50/mile for Hazmat Teams. New Trucks Arriving Daily! 800-942-2104 Ext. 7308 or 7307 www.TotalMS.com ________________________________________37-20 Exp. Reefer Drivers: GREAT PAY /Freight lanes from Presque Isle, ME, Boston-Lehigh, PA. 800-277-0212 or primeinc.com ________________________________________37-20 EARN $500 A DAY Insurance Agents Needed; Leads, No Cold Calls; Commissions Paid Daily; Lifetime Renewals; Complete Training; Health & Dental Insurance; Life License Required. Call 1-888-713-6020. ________________________________________37-20 REGIONAL RUNS SOUTH EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA DRIVERS, HOME WEEKLY, $.40-$.42/Mile - ALL MILES. Class A CDL + 1 Yr. OTR Exp., 1-866-879-6593 www.landair.com ________________________________________37-20 Pyle Transportation Needs: Owner Operators and Company Drivers to run Regional Truckload Operations. HOME EVERY WEEKEND!!! OWNER OPERATORS AVE. $1.85/Mile. REQUIRES 2-YRS EXP. CALL DAN @ 888-301-5855 OR APPLY @ www.driveforpyle.com ________________________________________37-20 CDL-A Drivers: Hiring experienced company drivers and owner operators. Solo and teams. Competitive pay package. Sign-on incentives. Call 888-705-3217 or apply online at www.drivenctrans.com ________________________________________37-20

PGN does not accept advertising that is unlawful, false, misleading, harmful, threatening, abusive, invasive of another’s privacy, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, hateful or racially or otherwise objectionable, including without limitation material of any kind or nature that encourages conduct that could constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any applicable local, state, provincial, national or international law or regulation, or encourage the use of controlled substances.

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

Legal Notices

Friends Men

Court of Common Pleas for the County of Philadelphia, April Term, 2013, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on April 19, 2013 the petition of JOSEPH REED BURTON, Jr. was filed, praying for a decree to change her name to HANNAH MARIE MARION. The Court has fixed June 14, 2013 at 11:30 a.m., in Room No. 691, in Philadelphia City Hall for hearing. All persons interested may appear and show cause if they have, why the prayer of the said petitioner should not be granted. ________________________________________37-20 Court of Common Pleas for the County of Philadelphia, April Term, 2013, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on April 23, 2013 the petition of ELLEN SUE LEVI ELWELL was filed, praying for a decree to change her name to SUE LEVI ELWELL. The Court has fixed June 14, 2013 at 11:30 a.m., in Room No. 691, in Philadelphia City Hall for hearing. All persons interested may appear and show cause if they have, why the prayer of the said petitioner should not be granted. ________________________________________37-20 Court of Common Pleas for the County of Philadelphia, April Term, 2013, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on April 11, 2013 the petition of HANNAH CATHERINE TUCHIN was filed, praying for a decree to change his name to RYAN MAX TUCHIN. The Court has fixed June 14, 2013 at 11:30 a.m., in Room No. 691, in Philadelphia City Hall for hearing. All persons interested may appear and show cause if they have, why the prayer of the said petitioner should not be granted. ________________________________________37-20 Court of Common Pleas for the County of Philadelphia, April Term, 2013, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on April 19, 2013 the petition of ZACHARY WILLIAM DOUTHITT was filed, praying for a decree to change her name to ZORA BERMAN. The Court has fixed June 14, 2013 at 11:30 a.m., in Room No. 691, in Philadelphia City Hall for hearing. All persons interested may appear and show cause if they have, why the prayer of the said petitioner should not be granted. ________________________________________37-20

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. ________________________________________37-20 BM, 60 looking for British gent, 35-45 for intimate encounters. 215-763-3391, 6PM-Midnight. ________________________________________37-22 SEEKING Hispanic males: Mexican, Puerto Rican, South American, Asian, etc. Like reading, travel, TV, outdoors. Seeks someone for friendship & good times. Habla Espanol. 856-547-4163. ________________________________________37-20 WANTED Live-Out or Live-In Companion, maybe more. 215-6775610. ________________________________________37-25 Senior GWM ISO male, 40+, all races for platonic friendship. Phila. area only. PO Box 302, Merion Sta., PA 19066. ________________________________________37-20 WM, NE Phila. If you’re looking for hot action, call 215-934-5309. No calls after 11 PM. ________________________________________37-23 CUTE ITALIAN, 36 Cute Italian, 36 looking for beefy or guys with hard bodies for good times. I live near Philly in NJ. Call Gregg at 412-596-9050, cell. ____________________________________________37-23

Friends Men

Handsome Certified Therapist 6’, 195 lbs, Muscle Gives Sensual / Therapeutic Massage

Call 215-432-6030

Massage David, 63, 6’, 200 lbs., educated. 215-569-4949. ________________________________________37-32

B-7

Friends Men

GYM, DRY SAUNA, and STEAM ROOM ARE AVAILABLE...

NIGHT OF MAGNUM Sat., May 18th, 2013 Time: 11pm-3:30am WHAT TO EXPECT:

• DJ David Dutch • MEN OF MAGNUM ENTERTAINMENT • Complimentary Food & Beverages • A Full House of Guys To Choose From & So Much More.. ROOMS: Members: $25.00 & Non-Members: $35.00 LOCKERS: Members: $18.00 & Non-Members: $28.00 Rooms go quickly and are on a 1st Come, 1st Served basis. So Check In Early if you want a room…

SUNDAY FUNDAY!!!

P.A.N.G. (Philadelphia Area Nudist Group)

Sun., May 19th, 2013 Time: 3-6pm BOYS WILL BE BOYS- AWAKEN YOUR INNER SPIRIT JOIN PANG FOR:

• An Afternoon of Naked Socializing • Complimentary Food & Beverages and Much More... For More Information On Group:www.phillynakedguys.com/

BUSY TIMES FOR US: These our are most popular days when people comeMONDAY thru FRIDAY: Business Mans Locker Special (8am to 4pm)

Members: $5.00 and Non-Members: $15.00

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY CRUISE $12 Flat Rate for Locker Admission & Clothing Optional (4pm-12 Midnight)

Check out our website for our HOT NEW WEEKLY SPECIALS & JOIN OUR e-mail List to get the latest information on upcoming events.... Also, RENOVATIONS are being done, So swing by & Check Out The Transformation!

Don’t forget to visit the Adonis Cinema right next door!! 2026 Sansom St/ PH: 215-557-9319

PGN

12-step programs and support groups Al-Anon

■

Pennsylvania Al-Anon Alateen Family Groups: Events, meeting times and locations at pa-al-anon.org

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

■ Acceptance meets 7:30 p.m. on Fridays at

Episcopal Church, 22nd and Spruce streets.

■ Community meets 8 p.m. on Thursdays at

Holy Communion Church, 2111 Sansom St. Gay and lesbian, but all are welcome. ■ Early Night Out meets 5:30 p.m. daily at Washington West Project, 1201 Locust St., second ﬂoor; 215-985-9206. ■ GLBT Alcoholics Anonymous meets 7 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. Wednesdays at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 100 W. Windsor St., Reading; 484-529-9504. ■ Living Sober meets 8:30 p.m. Saturdays at the William Way Center. ■ No Other Way Out meets 11 a.m. Sundays at the William Way Center. ■ Night Owl meets 11:30 p.m. daily at the William Way Center. ■ Stepping Stone meets 2:30 p.m. Mondays at the William Way Center. ■ Sober and Gay meets 8:30 p.m. SundayFriday at the William Way Center. ■ Young People’s meets 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St.

Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA)

■ Meets 7 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday,

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the William Way Center.

Emotional Support

■ Pink and Blues, a free peer-run mental-health

support group for LGBT people, meets 7 p.m. Wednesdays at St. Luke and The Epiphany Church, 330 S. 13th St.; 215-627-0424. ■ Survivors of Suicide Inc. meets 7:30 p.m. on ﬁrst Tuesday of the month at 3535 Market St., Room 2037; 215-545-2242; www.phillysos. tripod.com. ■ Survivors of Suicide Inc., Chester County, meets 7:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month at Paoli Memorial Hospital, Willistown Room, Medical Ofﬁce Building; 215-545-2242; phillysos.tripod.com.

HIV/AIDS

■ Strength In Numbers

Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ SINPhiladelphia.

Mondays: ■ Positive Brothers, a support group for men of color living with HIV/AIDS, meets 6 p.m. at 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; 215-496-0330. Tuesdays: ■ A support group for HIV-positive men and women meets 1:30-3 p.m. at BEBASHI — Transition to Hope, 1217 Spring Garden St., first floor; 215-769-3561; bebashi.org. ■ “Pozitive Light HIV/AIDS Support Ministry,” presented by Unity Fellowship of Christ Church Philadelphia HIV/AIDS Ministry and Girard Avenue Pharmacy, meets 5-7 p.m. at 112 N. Broad St., first-floor group room; 267481-5085; blaclikme@comcast.net. ■ Encuentros, a group for HIV-negative Latino men who have sex with men, meets 6 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of the month at 1201 Locust St. ■ “Feast Incarnate,” a weekly ministry for people affected by HIV/AIDS, meets 5 p.m. at University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St. Bible study follows at 6 p.m.; 215-387-2885. ■ A support group for people recently diagnosed with HIV/AIDS meets 6:30-8 p.m. at Mazzoni

Center; 215-563-0652 ext. 235.

■ Youth Outreach Adolescent Community

Awareness Program’s Voice It Sistah, a support group for HIV-positive women, meets 11 a.m. ﬁrst and third Tuesday at YOACAP, 1207 Chestnut St., Suite 315; 215-851-1898.

Wednesdays: ■ AIDS Services in Asian Communities’ weekly volunteer work group meets 6-8 p.m. at 340 N. 12th St., Suite 205; 215-629-2300. ■ Project Teach, a peer-education and empowerment program for people living with HIV/AIDS, meets at Philadelphia Fight, 1233 Locust St.; ﬁght.org. ■ Positive Effect, for HIV-positive people 18 and over, meets 5-7 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays at Camden AHEC, 514 Cooper St., Camden, N.J.; 856-963-2432. Thursdays: ■ A support group for HIV-positive men and women meets 6-8 p.m. at BEBASHI — Transition to Hope, 1217 Spring Garden St.; 215-769-3561. ■ Diversity, an HIV/AIDS support group for all infected or affected, meets from 7-9 p.m. at Arch Street United Methodist Church, 55 N. Broad St.; call Zak, 215-848-4380; azaklad@craftech.com. Saturdays: ■ AIDS Delaware’s You’re Not Alone youth support group meets during the school year. Call 800-810-6776 for location and time.

Debtors Anonymous

■ Meets 7-8 p.m. Monday and Thursday at the

William Way Center.

Overeaters Anonymous (OA)

■ Open meeting, Tuesdays, 5:45 p.m., and

7 p.m. Fridays, at Hahnemann University Hospital, 245 N. 15th St.; call Troy for ﬂoor/ room number, 215-514-3065; www.oa.org. ■ Meets 11 a.m.-noon at the William Way Center.

S.A.R.A.

■ Substance Abuse – Risk Assessment; day and

evening hours; 215-563-0663 ext. 282.

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous

■ Meets 7:30 p.m.Thursdays at All Saints

Church, 18 Olive Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.; 302-542-3279.

SEPCADD

■ Safe space to meet and discuss substance

abuse problems at the William Way Center.

Health

Alder Health Services provides LGBT health services on a sliding-fee scale; 100 N. Cameron St., Ste. 301 East, Harrisburg; 717-233-7190 or 800-867-1550; www.alderhealth.org. Anonymous, free HIV testing with Spanish/ English counselors, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. MondayFriday at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 3439 N. Hutchinson St.; 215-763-8870 ext. 6000. HIV treatment: Free HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment for Philadelphia residents available 9 a.m.-noon Mondays and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Health Center No. 2, 1720 S. Broad St.; 215685-1803. HIV health insurance help: Access to free medications and confidential HIV testing available at 17 MacDade Blvd., Suite 108, Collingdale; 722 Church Lane, Yeadon; and 630 S. 60th St.; 610-586-9077. Philadelphia FIGHT provides HIV primary care, on-site lab services, clinical trials, case management, mental-health services and support groups for people living with HIV regardless of insurance status or ability to pay; 1233 Locust St., fifth floor; 215-985-4448; www.fight.org.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

Community Bulletin Board Community centers

■ The Attic Youth Center 255 S. 16th St.; 215-545-4331; atticyouthcenter.org. For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. Groups meet and activities are held 4-7 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and 48:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday. Case management, HIV testing and smoking cessation are available MondayFriday. See the Youth section for more events.

■ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center at the University of Pennsylvania 3907 Spruce St., 215-898-5044; center@dolphin. upenn.edu. Regular hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday; noon-6 p.m. Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday. Summer hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

■ ActionAIDS: 215-981-0088 ■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: 215-587-9377 ■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: 856-933-9500 ext. 221 ■ AIDS Library: 215-985-4851 ■ ACLU of Pennsylvania: 215592-1513 ■ AIDS Treatment Fact line: 800662-6080 ■ Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection at the Independence Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library: 215-685-1633 ■ The COLOURS Organization Inc.: 215-496-0330 ■ District Attorney LGBT Liaison: Helen “Nellie” Fitzpatrick, 215-686-

■ Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies Youth Center 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays: Salem UCC Education Building, 181 E. Court St., Doylestown; 215-957-7981 ext. 9065 rainbowroom@ppbucks.org. ■ William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220; www.waygay.org. Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Peer counseling: 6-9 p.m. Monday through Friday Library hours: noon-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; noon-3 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Friday; noon-6 p.m. Saturday. Volunteers: New Orientation: First Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.

Key numbers 9980, helen.fitzpatrick@phila.gov ■ Equality Pennsylvania: 215731-1447; www.equalitypa.org ■ Equality Forum: 215-732-3378 ■ LGBT Peer Counseling Services: 215-732-TALK ■ Mayor’s Director of LGBT Affairs: Gloria Casarez, 215-6862194; Gloria.Casarez@phila.gov; Fax: 215-686-2555

■ Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations: 215-686-4670 ■ Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force: 1-877-pride-2000 ■ Philadelphia Police Department liaison — Deputy Commissioner Kevin Bethel: 215-6863318 ■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: 215-760-3686 (Rick Lombardo); ppd.lgbt@gmail.com ■ Philly Pride Presents: 215875-9288

■ Mazzoni Center: 215-563-0652; Legal Services: 215-563-0657, 866-LGBT-LAW; Family & Community Medicine: 215-563-0658

■ SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: 717-9209537

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

■ Transgender Health Action Coalition: 215-732-1207 (staffed 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 6-9 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)

Health

Anonymous, free, conﬁdential HIV testing Spanish/English counselors offer testing 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 216 W. Somerset St.; 215763-8870. ActionAIDS Provides a range of programs for people affected by HIV/AIDS, including case management, prevention, testing and education services at 1216 Arch St.; 215-981-0088; www.actionaids.org. AIDS Services In Asian Communities Provides HIV-related services to Asians and Pacific Islanders at 1711 S. Broad St.; 215-629-2300; www.asiac.org. Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative Free, anonymous HIV testing from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1207 Chestnut St., fifth floor; noon-6 p.m. Tuesdays at the Washington West Project, 1201 Locust St.; 215-851-1822 or 866-222-3871; www.galaei. org. Spanish/English HIV treatment Free HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment for Philadelphia residents are available from 9 a.m.-noon Mondays (walk-in) and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays (by appoint-

■ Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia GALLOP holds board meetings at 6:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at 100 S. Broad St., Suite 1810; GALLOP also provides a free referral service; 215-627-9090; www.galloplaw. org. ■ Greater Philadelphia Professional Network Networking group for area business professionals, selfemployed and business owners meets monthly in a different location throughout the city, invites speakers on various topics, partners with other nonprofits and maintains a website where everyone is invited to sign up for email notices for activities and

ment) at Health Center No. 2, 1720 S. Broad St.; 215-685-1821. HIV health insurance help Access to free medications and confidential HIV testing available 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays at 13 S. MacDade Blvd., Suite 108, Collingdale; Medical Office Building, 722 Church Lane, Yeadon; and 630 S. 60th St.; 610-586-9077. Mazzoni Center Free, anonymous HIV testing; HIV/AIDS care and treatment, case management and support groups; 21 S. 12th St., eighth floor; 215-563-0652; www.mazzonicenter.org. Mazzoni Center Family & Community Medicine Comprehensive primary health care, preventive health services, gynecology, sexual-health services and chronicdisease management, including comprehensive HIV care, 809 Locust St.; 215-563-0658. Washington West Project Free, anonymous HIV testing. Walk-ins welcome 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-noon Friday; 1-5 p.m. Saturday; 1201 Locust St.; 215-985-9206.

Professional groups events; www.gppn.org; 215-9223377.

■ National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association The Philadelphia chapter of NLGJA, open to professionals and students, meets for social and networking events; www. nlgja.org/philly; philly@nlgja.org.

■ Independence Business Alliance Greater Philadelphia’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce, providing networking, business development, marketing, educational and advocacy opportunities for LGBT and LGBT-friendly businesses and professionals. Visit www.IndependenceBusinessAlliance.com for information about events, programs and membership; 215-557-0190; 1717 Arch St., Suite 3370.

■ Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus A regional organization dedicated to promoting gay and lesbian tourism to the Greater Philadelphia region holds meetings every other month on the fourth Thursday (January, March, May, July, September and the third Thursday in November), open to the public; P.O. Box 58143, Philadelphia, PA 19102; www. philadelphiagaytourism.com; 215-840-2039.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com May 17-23, 2013

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