Philadelphia Gay News May 22 - 28, 2009
Honesty Integrity Professionalism
Vol. 33 No. 21
Pa. Senate to consider LGBT candidates see victories at polls another marriage ban By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
WINNER!: Common Pleas Court Judge Dan Anders (center, with microphone) delivers his victory speech at Woody’s after the May 19 Municipal Primary. Anders, surrounded by his partner Anh Dang (left) and family members, was the fifth-highest vote-getter out of the more-than 20 contenders seeking the seven open seats. Gov. Rendell appointed Anders to the bench in 2007, making him the first openly gay male judge in the state. Photo: Scott A. Drake
By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer This week’s Municipal Primary Election saw victories for the two openly LGBT candidates vying for judgeships. Common Pleas Court Judge Dan Anders, who became the first openly gay male on the bench in Pennsylvania when Gov. Rendell appointed him to fill a vacancy in 2007, captured about 7 percent of the vote — the fifth-highest among the nearly twodozen candidates who were vying for one of the seven 10-year terms. Open lesbian Dawn Segal also came out on top in the Municipal Court race, receiving the third-highest number of votes out of the 10 contenders seeking one of the four open seats, with about 14 percent of the vote. Anders, who said Wednesday that he was “tired, relieved and exhausted but thrilled,” noted that his and Segal’s nominations prove that the city is “moving forward.” “All of our hard work paid off,” Anders said. “I credit my victory to all of my volunteers, supporters and contributors. People really believed it was important to come out and vote for someone they thought was first going to be a good judge and second could add diversity on the bench.” In Harrisburg, openly gay City Councilman Dan Miller was nominated for City Controller. Miller ran unopposed
after incumbent James McCarthy was disqualified for missing a filing deadline. In other local races, former City Inspector General Seth Williams won the Democratic nomination for District Attorney, defeating four other contenders. Williams will face Republican candidate Michael Untermeyer in November’s election. Incumbent City Controller Alan Butkovitz (D) was also victorious by a wide margin and will face Republican Al Schmidt in the general election. Both PGN and Liberty City Democratic Club endorsed Williams and Butkovitz. In judicial races, Democrat Jack Panella, who was running unopposed, was nominated for the state Supreme Court, while Robert Colville, Kevin McCarthy and Anne Lazarus were nominated for State Superior Court on the Democratic ticket. Barbara Ernsberger and Linda Judson were the top Democratic vote-getters in the Commonwealth Court race. The other nominated Democratic Common Pleas Court judges are Robert Coleman, Angeles Roca, Donna Woelpper, Diane Thompson, Adam Beloff and Roxanne Covington. Municipal Court nominees include Charles Hayden, Joseph Waters and Pat Dugan. ■
A local lawmaker said this week that he plans to introduce legislation to ban same-sex marriage in the Pennsylvania Constitution. During a May 19 press conference, Pennsylvania Sen. John Eichelberger (R30th Dist.) announced he would spearhead an effort to amend the constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. A similar bill was introduced in the last legislative session in the Senate and died in committee last May after several senators introduced a series of amendments to derail the bill, and House leadership pledged to defeat it if it proceeded to that chamber. Eichelberger, who represents parts of Blair, Bedford, Fulton, Huntingdon and Mifflin counties in central Pennsylvania, was also a cosponsor of that bill. Jason High, Eichelberger’s chief of staff, said the senator has not decided yet when he will actually introduce the legislation.
“We haven’t talked timing yet,” High said. “The Senate is not scheduled to be back in session until the first week of June, so sometime after that.” A 2006 Pennsylvania law already defines marriage as being between one man and one woman, but in a statement this week, Eichelberger said he believes this law needs to be reinforced in the constitution to protect against possible judicial action. “As more and more states begin to redefine marriage, it’s only a matter of time until a court decision usurps the citizens’ right to decide this for themselves,” Eichelberger said. “The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, in an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, admitted what many of us have known for a long time: that proponents of gay marriage are counting on a court decision to give them what they can’t win through the legislature or at the ballot box. Because this is a constitutional amendment, it would be put to the people for a vote, which is the proper way to decide See AMENDMENT, Page 6
Local groups launch joint summer-internship project By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
Several local organizations will join forces this summer to provide employment opportunities and training for local LGBT youth. About 40 area youth will have the chance to participate in a six-week internship program, organized by The Attic Youth Center, The Youth Health Empowerment Project at Philadelphia FIGHT, The COLOURS Organization Inc., the Mazzoni Center, Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative and Foyer of Philadelphia. The venture is possible through a grant from the Philadelphia Youth Network, which receives funding from the Workforce Investment Act for such projects. Within the next two months, each of the six organizations will recruit a handful of youth participants — who will have to meet certain WIA eligibility requirements Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. — and, based on their career goals and the requirements of the positions, match com.
them with the more-than 40 area employers who’ve expressed interest in the program. Each job site will provide a mentor for the youth, who will work for 16 hours a week over four days, making $7.25 per hour. The program will run July 6-Aug. 14. Carrie Jacobs, executive director of The Attic, said the program will enable the youth to gain hands-on experience in fields that interest them and further develop not only their skills, but also their career objectives. “We have lots and lots of sites, and it’s a very diverse group, so this will give our youth plenty of opportunity to be matched with their interests so they can start working toward their goals,” she said. The sites represent an array of industries, but Jacobs said the organizers ensured that all youth would be placed in positions at LGBT-friendly organizations, with potential employers like the Society Hill Veterinarian Hospital, Drexel School of Public Health, the Mural Arts Program, the National Constitution Center, Philly Car See INTERNSHIPS, Page 6