Philadelphia Gay News Vol. 34 No. 22
Honesty Integrity Professionalism
May 28 - June 3, 2010
ACT UP protests budget cuts By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
I’M COMING OUT: Mazzoni Center’s 30th-anniversary fundraising benefit brought 160 people to the May 21 Diana Ross concert in Atlantic City and garnered $60,000 for the agency. Mazzoni executive director Nurit Shein (third from left), director of development and marketing Perry Monastero (third from right) and board chair Dr. Michael Wolf (far right) gathered at the concert after-party with representatives of event sponsors such as Comcast’s Jeff Aldi (from left), MiND TV’s Jai Rice and Caesars Atlantic City’s Melissa Doyle (second from right). “This was truly an exceptional event for us, and it would not have been possible to put together something so elaborate without the help of our sponsors and supporters,” Shein said. “We’re very grateful to all the people who made the trip to celebrate our 30th anniversary, and we hope they enjoyed themselves as much as we did.” Photo: Scott A. Drake
DADT deal reached, vote imminent By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
After a meeting Monday afternoon among White House and Congressional representatives and LGBT leaders, the Obama administration endorsed a plan to lift “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and a vote on the repeal was expected in both chambers this week. Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-8th Dist.), who’s spearheading the effort to repeal the 17-year-old ban, submitted the measure as an amendment to the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act Tuesday morning, and Sen. Joe Lieberman (IConn.) was expected to introduce identical legislation as an amendment to the defense bill currently in the Senate Armed Services Committee. The amendment stipulates that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would be repealed only after the current Pentagon study of the law is
complete, which is expected in December. The legislation mandates that in order for the repeal to take effect, President Obama, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must submit a written certification that affirms they have reviewed the Pentagon report and that the Department of Defense has formulated necessary policies and regulations for the implementation of the repeal that are consistent with standards of “military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion and recruiting and retention.” While the legislation would dismantle “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” discharges will still be permitted until the study and certification are completed. Sara Schaumburg, communications director for Murphy, noted that earlier this year, the military eased restrictions on “Don’t Ask,
See DADT VOTE, Page 19
Nearly 200 activists hit the streets in Center City on Wednesday to protest a proposed funding cut they say could cause a devastating loss to HIV-prevention efforts. The protesters organized outside of the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets, where Gov. Rendell’s Philadelphia office is located, to demand that he restore HIV/AIDS funding for the coming fiscal year. In February, the state slashed the city’s HIV/AIDS funding by $1.7 million, and proposed cutting State 656 funds — which support prevention and care services — by another $2 million for the coming fiscal year. The AIDS Activities Coordinating Office estimated that for the remainder of this year, the $1.7-million cut will have amounted to about 120 fewer HIV tests carried out and about 460 fewer people who will be able to access prevention services. ACT UP member Waheedah Shabazz-El said the state originally proposed a mid-year $2-million slash to Philadelphia’s prevention funding, but conceded to spread some of the cuts to other parts of the state. She surmised that, even though the $2-million cut for next year is proposed for the entire state, it’s likely that Philadelphia will again bear the brunt of it. “If history repeats itself, and we think it will, Philadelphia’s going to be hit the hardest by this. And that is very unfortunate because more than half of the people in Pennsylvania who are living with HIV live in Philadelphia,” Shabazz-El said. “It’s like pulling troops out of a battle when a war is still going on. It’s a very dangerous move.” ACT UP predicted that, if the $2-million cut goes into effect, nearly 8,000 people will not receive HIV
NOT LAYING DOWN: John Barbieri walks along the median of South Broad Street May 26 amid body bags, flowers and “dead” volunteers with “Killed by Rendell” toe tags symbolizing the deaths that occur every nine-and-a-half minutes from AIDS. About 100 activists assembled outside of Gov. Rendell’s Center City office May 26 to protest proposed cuts in statewide HIV/AIDS funding in an action organized by ACT UP. The protesters, carrying body bags and coffins, urged the governor to restore the proposed $2-million cut that they said could cost See PROTEST, Page 12 countless people their lives. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Fire Island to get Philly flavor By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Nearly 4,000 LGBTs and allies are expected to converge at Fire Island in New York this summer for an annual celebration of the people of color community, an event that is expected to have an increased presence from the Philadelphia LGBT population. The eighth annual Fire Island Black Out will feature three days of beachside entertainment, Aug. 13-15, with parties, performances and activities that will bring together the LGBT of color community from throughout the country.
FIBO launched its headquarters in Philadelphia last year after current president and CEO James Wellons, a Philadelphia resident, bought the company from its previous owners, who organized the first FIBO in 2003. “There were basically two friends who wanted to do something different in the summer and were tossing around ideas, and one of them said, ‘Well, why don’t we go to Fire Island?’ and the other said, ‘Black people don’t go there,’ but they decided why not?” Wellons said. “So they got about 50 people together and went out and had a great time.” Wellons said that what began as
just a “fun day at the beach” has been rapidly growing in the past few years, with last year’s FIBO drawing about 3,200 people. The 2010 FIBO will kick off with a free cocktail reception Aug. 13 at Fire Island’s Hilton Garden Inn, the host hotel for the event, with food, drinks, music and countless networking opportunities. The party continues Aug. 14 with a daylong schedule of beach events, including a volleyball tournament, beach tent contest, poetry slam, swimwear fashion show and the Bump & Dip Dance and Pool See FIRE ISLAND, Page 18
PAGE 2
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 3
PHILADELPHIA NEWS PHILADELPHIA GAYGAY NEWS
PAGE 4
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
News
PGN 13 10 11 11 7 5 7 5 11
Crime Watch Editorial Letters/Feedback Mark My Words Media Trail News Briefing National News Regional News Street Talk
505 S. Fourth St. Philadelphia, PA 19147-1506 Phone: (215) 625-8501 Fax: (215) 925-6437 E-mail: pgn@epgn.com Web: www.epgn.com
Turning up the heat on Arizona
Street Talk
Protesters gather between Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center to rally against immigration injustice.
AIDS Education Month begins June 1. Have you been adequately educated about HIV/AIDS?
Page 7
Page 11
Detour Comics Diversions Meeting Place Portraits Q Puzzle Scene In Philly Worth Watching
Editor Sarah Blazucki (ext. 206) sarah@epgn.com
Staff Writers Jen Colletta (ext. 215) jen@epgn.com
28 34 36 28 29 27 37
Larry Nichols (ext. 213) larry@epgn.com Writer-at-Large Timothy Cwiek (ext. 208)
Professional Portraits:
Augustus Henry Tawyea Page 28
Page 20
Columns
Classifieds Directories
mark@epgn.com
Art Director Scott A. Drake (ext. 210) scott@epgn.com
READING RAINBOW: Our annual summer reading issue has something for most tastes. Romance, humor, interviews, graphic novels, celebrity tales and mysteries are on tap for summer 2010, and you get our take on what’s hot and what’s not.
Creep of the Week Food Review Leather Lookout Mombian Offline Work it Out
Publisher
Mark Segal (ext. 204)
10 31 24 33 25 9
38 40
Advertising Sales Representatives David Augustine (ext. 219) david@epgn.com
Work It Out
Leather Lookout
Mombian
Offline
Diversions
Basic nutrition facts for weight loss
An island celebration
Turkey basters: Not just for lesbians
More summer fun
Queens lost and found
Page 24
emails News/story ideas: editor@epgn.com Letters/Opinions: editor@epgn.com Distribution: don@epgn.com
Advertising Director Tami Sortman (ext. 218) tami@epgn.com Advertising Manager Greg Dennis (ext. 201) greg@epgn.com
Page 9
Events: diversions@epgn.com
Graphic Artist Sean Dorn (ext. 211) sean@epgn.com
Page 33
Page 25
Page 34
Poll results from our online survey as of May 27: What are your Memorial Day plans?
OUR LARGEST SPECIAL ISSUE:
22% Picnic with family/friends 15% Work 19% Go to the shore 12% Remembering those who have died 31% When is Memorial Day?
Go to www.epgn.com to weigh in on this week’s question:
Where do you go for HIV/ AIDS information?
National Advertising Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Office Manager/Classifieds Don Pignolet (ext. 200) don@epgn.com Executive Assistant Credit/Billing Manager Carol Giunta (ext. 202) carol@epgn.com Philadelphia Gay News is a member of: The Associated Press National Gay Newspaper Guild Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Published by Masco Communications Inc. © 2010 Masco Communications Inc. ISSN-0742-5155
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.
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 5
Regional
News Briefing
Board meeting addresses diversity, deficit at center
AIDS Ed. Month begins
By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer T h e Wi l l i a m Wa y L G B T Community Center’s board held the second of its four public board meetings for this year on May 25 at 1315 Spruce St. All 14 current board members attended. At the meeting, several community members addressed concerns of diversity in the center’s outreach and programming, referencing an April 6 open letter to the center. Local activist Dionne Stallworth addressed the board in regard to the letter, explaining that it wasn’t meant as an indictment of the center but an effort to make it more inclusive of minorities and people of color, especially transgender and bisexual individuals. Lee Carson, president of the Black Gay Men’s Leadership Council, and Soda Nobuhle, board member of Men of All Colors Together, asked the board if it would establish an advisory board on the issue. B.J. Tillman, of the People of Color Coalition, said the board needed to bridge the divide in the LGBT community and that the two groups don’t work together is cause for concern. Board member Eric Ashton responded that “there is always room for improvement” in regards to the center’s inclusion of and outreach to minorities. Ashton said he hopes to have a meeting to start a dialogue on the issue as early as June. Phillip Prillman, director of facilities, added that those in attendance could contact him if he could help facilitate organizing that meeting. During the meeting, treasurer Ann Butchart reported that, after close reexamination, the center’s budget had to be readjusted because the board realized that there was $100,000 in expected grant money that was “just not going to happen.” As a result, the center’s current budget will be operating at a loss of $30,000 for the year. It’s the first time the cen-
ter has approved a budget that was not balanced, said the treasurer. Butchart also said the center’s income for April was $28,419, which was $5,739 less than anticipated, due to grants and individual giving not meeting expectations. Total expenses for April were $55,563, which was $2,559 over plan. This overage was attributed to unanticipated personnel expenses. The center had a netincome deficit of $27,144 for the month of April, which was $8,299 more than expected. The center reported a year-todate income of $376,427, exceeding expectations by $12,004. This was a result of higher-thanexpected building revenue from room rentals, income generated by the spring semester of Way Gay U classes and the center’s gallery show. The center’s expenses for the fiscal year to date totaled $343,549, which is $2,459 below expectations. As a result, the center’s net income for the year to date is $32,879. Regarding the $30,000 budget deficit for the year, interim executive director Laurie Ward said an anonymous donor has pledged $10,000 if the center can raise $20,000 in new donations by June 5, the date of the annual Building Bash. Tickets for the 2010 Building Bash reception are $75; tickets to the reception and dinner are $275. The reception starts at 5:30 p.m. and dinner is at 7:30. Director of center services Candice Thompson reported the center is working on presenting a senior LGBT summit this year, the first of its kind in the city. She also said the center is hosting a summer internship for the position of front-desk receptionist and is accepting workshop proposals for the fall term of Way Gay U. Interested parties should contact Thompson. Prillman reported on the progress of several building projects. The kitchen on the fourth floor of the center has been completed and is in use. Additionally, 80 percent
DECADE OF BALLS: The local chapter of the House of Blahnik performs during “Revolutionize 10,” the 10th anniversary celebration of the house founded by Jay Blahnik, May 22 at the University of the Arts. The anniversary ball featured performances celebrating ballroom culture, awards presentations to longtime Blahnik supporters and a mayoral proclamation read by Gloria Casarez, the city’s director of LGBT affairs. Photo: Scott A. Drake
of the center’s new window units have been installed. The next maintenance project includes ceiling work for the peer counseling room and rewiring the library by the center’s maintenance technician. Both projects are already included in the center’s maintenance budget. Prillman said the center was at 100-pecent occupancy and is currently negotiating with the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus to return. Board co-chair Emilie Carr reported on the center’s ongoing search for an executive director. She said the executive search committee met May 13 to review the candidates and they will hopefully make an announcement soon. Ashton announced that after successfully getting William Way added to the list
of nonprofits eligible for the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business’ Non-Profit Board Leadership Program, the center has been chosen for the coming school year. The program pairs up second-year MBAs with a nonprofit in order to get a sense of how their leadership skills can be used to contribute to the nonprofit sector. Ashton said that Wharton student Diane George has chosen the center and will be working on the project from September through May of the next academic year. The next public board meeting is scheduled for July 27. For more information, visit www.waygay.org. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
Philadelphia FIGHT will host a series of events throughout June to mark AIDS Education Month, beginning with an opening reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. June 2 at the Independence Visitor Center, Sixth and Market streets. The reception will feature remarks by Mayor Nutter and the presentation of Kiyoshi Kuromiya Awards to David Acosta, prevention coordinator at the AIDS Activities Coordinating Office; Julie Davids, founder of the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project; Asia Russell, a founder of Health Global Access Project; and longtime ACT UP member Roy Hayes. Other AIDS Education Month activities include a Prevention and Outreach Summit from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. June 16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St.; a Prison Health Care Summit from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. June 22; and a Youth Outreach, Education and Empowerment Summit from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. June 26, both at the Temple University Student Center, 1755 N. 13th St. For more information or to register for the opening reception, visit www.fight. org/aem or call (215) 985-4448 ext. 200.
Trans health conference returns The ninth annual Trans-Health Conference will run from June 3-5 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center with a slate of free workshops, discussions and socials. The more-than 130 workshops will address topics such as employment discrimination, surgery options, youth and elder issues, parenting concerns and faith communities. This year, all three days are open to community members, with certain events throughout the conference geared toward providers. The conference will open with a keynote address at 8:30 a.m. June 3 by Dr. Rebecca Allison, the first transgender president of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, and Kylar Broadus, a transgender activist and Lincoln University business professor, will deliver the closing address at 5:30 p.m. June 5. The event, organized by Mazzoni Center, will this year feature a legal clinic and workshops on Saturday. Staffers and volunteers from Mazzoni’s new legal-services program will host a walk-in legal clinic from 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.transhealth.org. ■ — Jen Colletta
PAGE 6
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Obituary Deforia ‘Rick’ Britt, 49 By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer AIDS activist Deforia “Rick” Britt died May 4 from lymphoma. Five days later, he would have been 50. The Philadelphia native was born May 9, 1960, and attended elementary school here until he moved to New Jersey. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and studied nursing at Camden County College, where he earned an associate’s degree. Aside from his work as a licensed practical nurse at Temple University Hospital and studying for his bachelor’s degree in nursing, Britt volunteered as the chair of the Community Advisory Board at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for AIDS Research from 2007 until his death. He had also served on the board of directors of ActionAIDS since 2008. Laureto Farinas, ActionAIDS board president, said he had known Britt for 10 years, and the two had been introduced to the organizations by the late Dale Grundy, who passed away in 2007. Farinas added that Grundy and Britt worked on several boards and projects together in the time he knew them. Tyrone Smith, Community Advisory Board member for CFAR, worked with Britt during the five years he was with the organization. “Dale kind of mentored him and then from that he went over to the board of ActionAIDS,” Smith said. “At CFAR is when I had the opportunity of working with him. At that time Dale was our leader and at Dale’s passing, then [Britt] took the position on and did an excellent job. I worked with him on the Red Ribbon Awards over the years. He was a young man who I admired. Him being my junior, I have seen his growth in the community. It’s a part of what is sometimes missed, the warrior kind of advocate, and he was a part of
The Pride Edition: June 11
Our biggest issue of the year!
that to make sure that things were always equal to everyone.” Farinas said that outside of his work, Britt enjoyed traveling. “He traveled extensively to the Caribbean. He frequented Jamaica,” Farinas said. “His heritage was from Jamaica. He was very sensitive to the economic, health and social issues there.” In regard to Britt’s work with activist groups, Smith said he “cared very deeply about having the voice of the consumer heard and represented on boards.” “Where it looked like it was being pushed out by other policies, he was dedicated to preserving diversity,” Smith added. “That’s really the way the community does an effective job, with diverse groups.” Farinas said that even after he became ill, Britt continued to dedicate some of his time to CFAR. “He resigned his chairmanship just before he got sick but he continued the best he could,” Farinas said. A memorial service was held May 8 at Savin Funeral Home, 802 N. 12th St. ActionAIDS also hosted a commemorative service on May 26. Britt is survived by his brothers Willie and Valdez Britt; sister Cynthia Britt; an uncle, Walter; two nieces, Geneva and Mikenzie, and a nephew, Barrett. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
National
PAGE 7
Media Trail Entertainers cancel DC Pride appearances The Washington Blade reports that two entertainers scheduled to perform at D.C.’s Capital Pride and Black Pride festivals have abruptly canceled their appearances. Nationally recognized D.C. rapper Wale informed Black Pride organizers that he backed out of his May 30 appearance because he was uncomfortable performing at a gay event. Singer and actress Mya canceled her June 13 performance at Capital Pride due to complications from a recent foot surgery. “The 35th anniversary of Capital Pride has lots of fantastic entertainment planned for the main stage of the festival, including Inaya Day, Kirsten Price, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, the D.C. Cowboys and many more,” said Dyana Mason, Capital Pride executive director. Black Pride organizers were able to book R&B singer J. Holiday as a replacement for Wale.
FROM PHILLY TO PHOENIX: LGBT activist Danni West (holding banner) was among the approximately 100 people who turned out for a demonstration outside of the National Constitution Center May 26 in response to Arizona’s new immigration law. The law, set to go into effect in July, has drawn international criticism for its stringent anti-immigrant regulations that include giving law enforcement the authority to arrest individuals who appear to be immigrants and who are not carrying registration documents. The protesters denounced the Arizona measure as racist and also spoke out against other efforts to pass similar legislation, such as the bill recently introduced in the Pennsylvania House by antigay Rep. Daryl Metcalfe. That legislation, introduced May 5 with 26 cosponsors, has been referred to the House State Government Committee. At the rally, activists encouraged President Obama and Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Student-bullying bill introduced in Senate By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) last week introduced a bill that seeks to prohibit anti-LGBT bullying at the federal level. F r a n k e n ’ s S t u d e n t N o nDiscrimination Act was cosponsored by 22 legislators, including Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey (D). The bill, introduced May 20, would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity — both actual and perceived — in public schools. The measure would allow students facing anti-LGBT harassment to take legal action and would prevent public schools found to be discriminating against LGBT students from receiving federal funds. “Kids need to feel safe in their schools in order to learn,” Franken said. “Our nation’s civil-rights laws protect our children from bullying due to race, sex, religion, disability and national origin. My proposal corrects a glaring injustice and extends these protections to our gay and lesbian students who need them just as badly. No student should
have to dread going to school because they fear being bullied.” According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, more than 85 percent of LGBT students say they have been harassed in school because of their sexual orientation, and more than 60 percent feel unsafe in their classroom settings. GLSEN executive director Eliza Byard said SNDA “will send a clear message to schools that they must address the hostile environment many LGBT students face in schools.” Out Congressman Jared Polis (DColo.) introduced the measure in the House in January, and it now has 107 cosponsors, including Pennsylvania Congressmembers Bob Brady (D-1st Dist.), Michael Doyle (D-14th Dist.) and Joe Sestak (D-7th Dist.). In addition to the litany of LGBT organizations advocating for SNDA, a host of mainstream agencies are also supporting the measure, such as the American Federation of Teachers, NA AC P, A m e r i c a n C o u n s e l i n g Association and the American Psychological Association. Franken’s bill comes shortly after
Sen. Casey announced earlier this month that he plans to introduce the Senate version of the Safe Schools Improvement Act — which would mandate that schools work to combat all forms of bullying, including antiLGBT harassment. A spokesperson for Casey said last week the senator will submit the measure “soon.” Casey’s measure would require school districts to develop student-conduct policies that prohibit bullying and harassment, implement anti-bullying prevention strategies and develop datacollection processes to track incidents of bullying. Bullying is defined in the bill as conduct motivated by such factors as a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The Safe Schools Improvement Act was introduced in the House by Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (DCalif.) last May and now has 112 cosponsors, including Pennsylvania Congressmembers Chris Carney (D10th Dist.), Brady, Doyle and Sestak. ■
Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
Transgender employee sues Macy’s Los Angeles’ CBS 2 reports a transgender woman has filed a lawsuit against a Macy’s store in Torrance, Calif., alleging that coworkers treated her unfairly. Jazz Araquel sued Macy’s for gender discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination in Superior Court on May 20. Her attorney, Eric Castelblanco, said Araquel’s managers knew that she was transgender when they hired her to work in the cosmetics department in 2006. Macy’s fired Araquel for alleged insubordination and using foul language in 2009. Araquel claims her coworkers harassed her and physically threw her out of the women’s restroom.
School denies fake prom charge Advocate.com reports the Mississippi high school that allegedly sent lesbian student Constance McMillen to a fake prom denies the charge. The ACLU alleged that school district superintendent Teresa McNeece and attorney Michael Floyd attended a meeting March 29 with parent organizers, where the decision was made to hold separate proms. The school district said McNeece and Floyd did attend a meeting, but officials deny that the parents decided to hold two proms. McMillen sued the Itawamba County School District over its policy that banned her from bringing a same-sex date to the prom. The district canceled the event rather than allow her to attend with her girlfriend. A U.S. district judge ruled that the school district had violated her rights, but did not force it to hold the prom. On April 2, McMillen attended a prom with a few students from Itawamba Agricultural High School. The majority of students attended a separate prom. ■ — Larry Nichols
PAGE 8
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Work It Out
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 9
Jared Carter
Keeping it simple when it comes to nutrition With the economy in a constant state of turmoil, it can make us feel like we have no control. And, while I can’t give you advice on how to improve your 401K, I can help you gain control of at least one part of your life. By taking control of your diet, you will improve your health and fitness, as well as restore a some of order to your life. Lately, it seems that everybody is obsessed with good nutrition but they’re all confused about how to achieve it. Some people make sure they eat nuts often. Others swear by lemongrass. For people who do not have access — or desire — to eat such things, vitamin stores will sell you a plethora of sup-
plements to keep you healthy. All of these things have their virtues, but you cannot focus on just one thing to make you healthy. If you are taking a multivitamin but eat poorly you are not improving your health. When it comes to nutrition, keep it simple and work on the basics. Think of your fitness as a house. Your nutrition is the foundation of the home. If you start taking a lutein supplement before you master basic nutrition, it’s like replacing a window when the wall is falling in on itself. Basic nutrition is just that: basic. It is not complicated and does not take too much thought. You want to keep fat, sugar and white flour intake low. You also want to make sure that you are eating enough lean protein. That’s pretty much it. If you want to do exceptionally well, then you would want to have a small meal about every three hours. I know that we like to
make nutrition and health complicated, but it doesn’t need to be. I know that you are probably already thinking, But there are good fats. Yes, there are fats that are healthy for you, but that is getting too complicated. For now, keep it simple. Fats, even the healthy ones, have lots of calories and contribute to weight gain and arterial clogging. We want to minimize their consumption, because there is so much fat in a normal diet that we will always have enough. We also want to keep sugar and white flour levels low because they have very little nutritional value and cause your blood-sugar levels to spike. This can lead to an energy drop and can ultimately cause type II diabetes. A good way to start eating well is to be sure to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This will not change your life overnight, but it will
help you get more of the vitamins and minerals you need. It also helps replace foods that do not support your health, like French fries. Another easy rule to follow is to eat fish more often preferably twice each week. Fish is a great source of lean protein, and is high in omega fatty acids. There are numerous ways to improve your health through proper diet, but you want to make sure your diet focuses on whole foods and not supplements. It is important to remember that even by eating better, you will not eat perfectly — and you should not expect to. If you put that kind of pressure on yourself, then you will feel awful when you eat a brownie. Your goal should be to simply do better. I tell all of my clients, “Just eat better than you did last week.” That will allow you to consistently improve without making any huge sacrifices.
As you get a better grip on your nutrition, then you can start venturing into supplementation. However, it’s important to remember that supplements are not necessary for the average person. They can help you improve your nutrition, but they are not a substitute for eating well. Real food should be where you get the bulk of your vitamins and minerals. If you find that you are eating foods that are high in calories but have few vitamins, then you should start making a few changes. Just remember, keep it simple and work on the foundation before you start on the roof! ■ Jared Carter, CSCS, owner of Move Forward Fitness Personal Training in Center City, has been helping clients reach their goals for the past eight years. He can be reached through www. moveforwardfitness.com or at jared@moveforwardfitness.com.
PAGE 10
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Editorial Go read a book So here’s the dilemma: Read a book or run around outside? The long-awaited warm days are here, prompting thoughts of bike rides, runs, softball, soccer or whatever-else-you-can-play-outside. But there are so many good books that require attention. What’s a gay to do? This week, PGN says go read a book. (Don’t worry, next week we’ll say something else. June is Pride!) We know that reading isn’t everyone’s favorite activity. But maybe that’s one reason why we like it. We like that we can use our imagination to make our own pictures to go with the stories. Yes, it’s more engaged than some entertainment options, but less so than others. We also like that it allows us to gain information without human interaction, interruptions or myriad interpretations. We don’t have to worry about another book popping up in the middle of the one we’re reading. Reading has other benefits too. Reading allows you to be emotionally, intellectually and rationally engaged and to gain in-depth insight in ways that other media don’t offer. Books don’t mind if you read for five minutes or five hours, allowing you to segment your information or take in large chunks. Don’t get us wrong: We love the Internet, TV, movies and whatever other media you throw our way. But books are different. Books were the first way that written communications became available to the masses — meaning language, knowledge and literature. (Thank you, Johannes Gutenberg.) Books have a weight and authority that is undeniable. While some self-published nonsense (and occasionally publishing-house fictional memoirs) might slip through, books can usually be relied upon to be relatively accurate, unbiased and truthful. Moreover, they are tangible and easy to reference: You don’t have to worry about trying to remember which anchor on what station said what. And you can always reread them to glean more details or gain new understanding of a topic. Books are also grounding and empowering. They won’t make you feel insecure or inadequate. They can serve as a reminder that yours are not the worst problems in the world — and that you can face whatever problems they are. While it’s not good to eschew all human interaction in favor of reading (you need to cultivate meaningful personal relationships somehow), taking time to read a good book can broaden your horizons, give you a sense of accomplishment and deepen your empathy for others. Besides, you can’t swat flies with a laptop. ■
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.
Glenn Lash (glennlash@yahoo.com)
Creep of the Week
D’Anne Witkowski
Tim Pawlenty If there’s one thing gays and lesbians love, it’s a good “political game,” especially if that game involves a partner dying. Or so Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty apparently thinks. He vetoed a bill that would have allowed gays and lesbians to file wrongful death lawsuits and make funeral arrangements for their deceased partners. Now you may be thinking, “Woah, wait a minute. This sounds like the kind of bill even the most cold-hearted homophobe could get behind.” It certainly seems so. Surely Pawlenty must have had a very compelling reason for his veto. Not so much, it turns out. “I think the effort that’s underway in this bill is simply a political game to get the concept or the wording ‘domestic partner’ into state law,” he said. “And I would suggest the Legislature focus on addressing our budget issues rather than trying to tee up divisive social issues.” Ah, yes. This whole bill was just a ploy, a tentacle of the “gay agenda,” if you will. First gays came to destroy “traditional marriage.” Now gays are going after “traditional death.” This has nothing to do with compassion and dignity and respecting the wishes of the dead and everything to do with politics.
Pawlenty said that the measure, known as the “Final Wishes” bill, “addresses a nonexistent problem.” He’s right on one level: The problems the bill addresses are nonexistent for married heterosexuals. But for gay and lesbian couples in Minnesota who aren’t allowed to get married, the problem is all too real. But, as Pawlenty mentioned in his veto letter, all gays and lesbians have to do is just whip up some paperwork and, voilà, problem solved. That is, if they’ve got a grand or two to spare at their favorite lawyer’s office. Nevermind that such paperwork does not have the same legal weight afforded legally married couples. “His comment that the proposed legislation is unnecessary shows he is out of step with the experiences of real Minnesotans,” said Ann KanerRoth, executive director of Minnesota gay-rights group Project 515. “Many families have faced exactly the kind of discrimination this legislation sought to prevent even though they had put in place all of the legal and other preparations available to them under current law.” Not that Pawlenty, who is widely believed to be gearing up for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, cares. As Alex Pareene puts it on Salon.com, “[Pawlenty’s] no longer
obligated to give a shit what his constituents think — he’s governing solely for the editors of the Weekly Standard and our nation’s conservative newspaper columnists.” Pawlenty also bristles at the idea of a “surviving domestic partner” being “afforded the same legal recognition” as a heterosexual spouse. “Marriage — as defined as between a man and a woman — should remain elevated in our society at a special level, as it traditionally has been,” Pawlenty said in his veto letter. “I oppose efforts to treat domestic relationships as the equivalent of traditional marriage.” In other words, he opposes efforts to treat gays and lesbians like actual human beings. Because nothing protects traditional marriage better than making the most difficult time in a person’s life even bleaker for some homo. But hey, gay bashing plays well to the GOP’s conservative base. Gay bashing dead gays? Even better — because that’s the way they like ’em. ■ 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.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Mark My Words Mark Segal Our four-legged children This past Sunday, our Boston terrier Sadie passed away. Many of the condolences we received contained the phrase “four-legged child.” That really best describes what a loved pet should be, a member of your family. Sadie was happy not only at home, but at PGN’s office as well. Each morning, she could not wait to go to work to meet her PGN family. Weekends without the office were a disappointment for her. Of course, that could be understood since in the office, she was constantly getting treats. She had her favorite people, too: Carol, whom Sadie had a running battle with regarding how many times a day she’d need to go out, since each time she did she thought she deserved a treat. She knew our graphics head/photographer, Scott, by his steps. Each time he headed upstairs, she was at the top of the stairs to greet him. Recently, we’ve had another puppy in the office. Her name is Skylos. At first, Skylos did everything she could to get Sadie’s attention, but Sadie just ignored her. After several weeks of Skylos doing everything but a Rockette’s kick line, Sadie finally gave in and started to play with her, but of course it was by Sadie’s rules.
Street Talk
It was always by her rules from day one. She chose me rather than me picking her out. When she was a young puppy, I had to rush her to the vet. In traffic, rushing as if in a Keystone Cops movie, I looked over at this 8-week-old puppy and said, “If you/we survive this, you better remain a puppy.” She did. When people asked her age, I always replied “a puppy” or “a lady never tells her age.” Was she spoiled? Absolutely. She brought joy into our lives, and in return we gave her what we could. She was a happy dog. But like people, dogs age. And even though it was not mentioned, we all knew it was inevitable. Sorrow has its strange sides. After returning from the University of Pennsylvania vet hospital Sunday night, we, like many others, watched the final episode of “Lost.” We felt lost at that time and it seemed very appropriate. The last scene where Jack is dying and the dog comes to lie by his side just brought sobs in this household, and those sobs were not for the actors. While there is great sorrow now, we know that after we have mourned, we will have only the happiest thoughts of Sadie, and we are lucky and happier people for the time she gave us. ■ Mark Segal is PGN publisher. He can be reached at mark@epgn.com.
Letters and Feedback In response to “LGBT victorious in primary vote,” May 21-27: We are making history today. The numbers are just coming in but we had 200 people in New York, 100 people in LA, 60 people in Austin, 80 people in San Francisco and another 40 people in Oakland. Soon, these numbers will add up to millions. I am glad people are now smart enough to be demanding our rights. We need to be loud to be successful. When we are loud enough, we will win. I think the politicians are now very scared of our anger. They are afraid of what we might do next. We need to keep them scared and they will do whatever we demand. It’s about time activists got the respect and appreciation they deserve. Rise up and demand. Sign up at GetEQUAL.com. — Harvey Milk Funny, no mention of your wobbling out of your office to tear down an opponent’s signs. It is really great that one of the candidates has pictures of you doing it!
I hope they come out at the perfect time, the perfect place and make the symbol that they need to make. You are pathetic and no longer speak for the gay community. Tearing down signs, is that not something we do in high school? Childish and pathetic. — John Sader In response to “Area tourism organizations host sensitivity training,” May 21-27: Just another small step in the arc of justice bending toward progress. Something like Dr. Martin Luther King said decades ago. — SteveMD2 In response to “Equality PA names new ED,” May 21-27: Ted Martin will do a great job with transforming Equality Pennsylvania into a truly statewide organization. Equality Pennsylvania is lucky to have him and the skill sets that he brings. — Russell A. Boggs
PAGE 11
Have you been adequately educated about HIV/AIDS?
Marc Caglia casting director Orlando, Fla.
Suzee Hankinson events planner Bella Vista
“No. Why is there no vaccine to prevent it, and no cure after you acquire it? I’d like to see more public education to inform people about any advances or breakthroughs taking place.”
“Yes, I keep myself informed. Fortunately, it’s not a personal issue for me. So I don’t immerse myself in the [AIDS] literature. But I don’t participate in risky behaviors. I keep it in the back of my mind when I’m in dating situations.”
Dara Perry art student Center City
Keith Smith human-resources manager Orlando, Fla.
“Enough to keep myself safe. My high school didn’t teach me anything about it, but my parents did. There’s a lot that’s unknown. The experts need to work harder to come up with answers. After 30 years, we need to end AIDS.”
“No. I have questions about the medications we hear about. Are they effective? I’d appreciate updates on the subject. You hear a lot about breastcancer awareness, but nothing about AIDS. There should be more proactive outreach and education.”
In response to “PICTUREPERFECT PRIDE,” May 21-27: What do gay pride events accomplish? Lots of people ask. Answer: besides a lot of fun, and some business for merchants, they have one very specific reason for existence. It’s part of breaking the closet. It’s awfully hard to hate people you know, and easy to hate people you don’t know. Why did Hitler ghettoize the Jews? Same thing: Out of sight, they could be dehumanized, and then came Auschwitz, etc. By a Catholic, whom the church has yet to excommunicate. Probably because they are responsible for the hatred of Jesus’ own people. Which Hitler leveraged to gain power in Germany. And you know the rest. — stevemd2 I guess the crazy branch of Christianity was too busy molesting kids to come and protest the pride parade. — Joan Heflin
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 12
Philadelphia Gas Heating & Air Conditioning
A/C Sale Starting at
$1695
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
HEATER SALE
$1195
A/C check-up $80.00
Call Now 215.456.1300 FAST EMERGENCY SERVICE
scussion g with ddictive m. at The
ormation n center -11 p.m. oor;
gay and ill meet am Way 12-step
����������������������������������������������������
������������ � ��������������������
����������
�������� ����������������� ��������� ������������� ���� ��������������� ����������������������� ��������� ����������������� ������������ ��������� ���
������������������������������������
ACT UP PROTESTERS AT BROAD AND WALNUT Photo: Scott A. Drake
Look Better NAKED! Move Forward Fitness
13 Week Fitness Program! • Lose Fat! • Gain Muscle! • Speed Metabolism!
GUARANTEED RESULTS! 215-399-3541 • MoveForwardFitness.com Call Today!
Philly’s New Resource for HIV/AIDs and Hormonal Therapies HIV/AIDS Drugs Hepatitis B/C Anxiety / Depression Cancer Sterile Compounding of:
Sensitive to Needs of the LGBT Community
• Hormonal Therapies • Chemotherapy • Palliative Care Drugs
We Can Bill for SPBP Medications Discounts, Coupons & Rebates You Are Not Alone Available We’ll work directly with Lowest Prices for Un-insured your Clinic or MD Delivery Available
210 Market St., Philadelphia PA 19106 • (215) 625-6688
PROTEST From Page 1 testing, some 4,000 will not be exposed to HIV-prevention and risk-reduction services and twodozen full-time jobs will be lost. “Hundreds, if not thousands, of people could be diagnosed who didn’t need to be [positive],” said ACT UP member Kate Kozeniewski. “Their entire lives will be changed, they’ll have to be on expensive medications for the rest of their lives, when if just a little more money was put into the budget from the beginning, they never would have had to have tested positive.” Shabazz-El said the demonstration was meant to not only direct the governor’s attention to the crisis but also to show the public how damaging the cut could be. “This is a public-health issue. Everybody has the right to get information about HIV, but these sorts of cuts are going to cause more people to become infected if we can’t be doing the education that we need to be doing. We don’t have a cure for HIV right now; all we have is education. “At a time when the president is coming up with a national AIDS strategy and we’re working really hard to get ahead of this domestic crisis, for the state to do this now is just ludicrous and insensitive. It shows a general lack of concern.” The Pennsylvania Department of Health did not return a call for comment. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Gayborhood Crime Watch The following incidents in the Midtown Village and Washington Square West areas were reported to the Sixth Police District between May 10-14. Information is courtesy of Sixth District Capt. Brian Korn; Stacy Irving, senior director, Crime Prevention Service; Center City District; the Police Liaison Committee and Midtown Village Merchants Association. REPORT: Between 8 a.m. April 12 and 10:30 a.m. May 9 (reported May 10), complainant’s 1992 Honda, parked in the 800 block of South Eighth Street, was stolen. ARRESTS: On May 12, Sixth District Sgt. LaRose set up surveillance in the area of 1300 Locust St. for illegal narcotic sales. At 10:20 p.m., plainclothes officers observed an illegal narcotics sale at Juniper and Locust streets. A 47-year-old male with an east Philadelphia address was charged with buying crack cocaine and a 27-year-old female with a South Philadelphia address was charged with illegal sale of crack cocaine. Twenty-five vials of crack cocaine and cash were confiscated.
smashed and an iPod taken. This report was received by the DPR Unit via phone and police were not dispatched, therefore no prints were lifted. REPORT: At 1:10 a.m. May 13, Sixth District police responded to a call of a burglary at Giovanni’s Room bookstore, 345 S. 12th St., where the front glass door was found smashed. Nothing was reportedly stolen. A report of two black males, one wearing a green shirt, running west on Pine Street was given to police radio. Central Detective Division processed the scene for evidence.
REPORT: Between 5 p.m.-midnight May 14, complainant’s apartment in the 1000 block of Spruce Street was entered without force and a laptop and iPod were taken. Sixth District Officer Haberle lifted fingerprints. REPORT: At 6 p.m. May 14, complainant was in the 1200 block of Panama Street when a male grabbed her crotch and breast and then fled east toward 12th Street. The alleged offender was described as a black male in his mid-20s, 5-foot-8, 175 pounds, dark complexion, wearing a dark-blue shirt and darkcolored pants. ■
PAGE 13
CONGREGATION BETH AHAVAH at Rodeph Shalom
A GLBT synagogue welcoming people of all gender and sexual identities since 1975
JOIN US MONTHLY FOR SHABBAT SERVICES AT 8:00 PM
Coffee, cake & conversation at the oneg following services
Winner of the 2009 Paddy and Barry Epstein Communicate! Award for innovative programming in a small congregation Sunday, May 9, 10:30 AM-11:30 AM. “The Arab-Israeli Conflict: History, Reality & Hope” (Part 2). Nurit Shein, a native Israeli who served as a colonel and education director in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), will help us explore the people, politics, and complexities of the Middle East with documents, video and discussion. Sunday, May 16, 12:00 PM. Brunch at Marathon Grill on the Square, 1829 Spruce Street, and 2:00 PM with “An Evening Without Woody Allen” at Plays and Players, 1714 Delancey Street. Come join us for a relaxing brunch with friends followed by a cool and classy afternoon with the work of Woody Allen, an American comedy master. Show tickets: $29. All payments due May 10. RSVP required (brunch cost not included.) Friday, May 28, 8:00 PM. BA Shabbat Services. Please join us for a service led by Rabbi Sue Levi-Elwell to welcome the Sabbath. An oneg (social hour) will follow services. Visit www.bethahavah.org for additional information, programming and directions
615 North Broad Street, Phila., PA 19123-2495 Phone: 215.923.2003 E-mail: BethAhavah@rodephshalom.org
Free secure parking: Cross Spring Garden at 13th St., left at next light, Mt. Vernon St. Parking lot entrance on left.
www.dignityphila.org Facebook – Dignity Philadelphia Join us at St. Luke & the Epiphany Church 330 S. 13th Street, between Spruce and Pine streets, Philadelphia, PA
Sunday Mass at 7:00 p.m.
Communion in the form of Consecrated bread, wine and grape juice. Gluten-free communion available upon request.
REPORT: Between 8 p.m.-midnight May 13, complainant’s 1992 Honda, parked at 12th and Spruce streets, had a window
MARRIAGE MADE EASY IN D.C. Same-Sex marriage is now legal in Washington, D.C. Let me do the initial legwork for you. As your officiant, I can file your marriage application - it will be ready when you get here. No three - day wait! Spiritual and Civil Ceremonies Offered
Rev. Bonnie J. Berger
Consumer Research Council’s top dentist 2007, 2008, and 2009. Rainbow Award best dentist who contributes to his community 2007 and 2008.
Medical Arts Bldg. 1601 Walnut St. , Suite 1302 Phila. PA 19102
215-568-6222
www.philadelphiadentist.com
Interfaith Minister www.ringinlove.com
301-270-4089
Philadelphia Gay News
www.epgn.com
PAGE 14
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 15
PAGE 16
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 17
PAGE 18
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Ira Sheres, DMD ~ Now Accepting New Patients ~
• General and Specialized Dentistry • Cosmetic Dentistry • Early Morning and Evening Hours • Education
Cornell University, B.S., 1986 U of P School of Dental Medicine, DMD, 1990 Temple University, Residency in Prosthodontics, 1992
WE HAVE MOVED!
Dr. Ira Sheres (center) with his life partner and their children
248 S. 21st Street • Phila, PA 19103 Call 215-546-6111
FIRE ISLAND From Page 1 Party at the Ice Palace in Cherry Grove. “It’s a really great day where people just come out and picnic, barbeque, fly kites, play tag football and just enjoy one another’s company,” Wellons said, noting that guests can spend the weekend at the host hotel or make the event into a daytrip. Those who choose to stay over can enjoy brunch, relaxation at the beach and a sunset finale party on Aug. 15, and FIBO will also host an exclusive pool party, happy hour and movie night for participants who stay beyond the weekend. This year, FIBO celebrated its annual season launch party in Philadelphia, coinciding with Philadelphia Black Gay Pride in April. Wellons said the event was a well-attended success, and he’s eager for Philly to make a similarly strong showing at this summer’s FIBO. “We’re really trying to get Philadelphia more acquainted with and involved with the event. Since it’s in New York, it’s typically drawn people from the New York area and Connecticut and surrounding states, but now that we’re based here in Philly, we want to reach out and encourage people from our city to participate.” Guests traveling from Philadelphia can take advantage of a chartered bus heading to Fire Island at 8 a.m. Aug. 14 and returning at the same time the following day, for $90 per person. Hotel and bus packages are also available for overnight guests, with the roundtrip bus and two-night stay for $350 for a single room or $220 per person for a double-occupancy room. For more information, visit www.fireislandblackout.com. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
The PGN Special Issue
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
DADT VOTE From Page 1 Don’t Tell” discharges — heightening the level of those qualified to initiate an investigation and tightening restrictions on thirdparty accusations, among other regulations — which she said should help to prevent some of the more egregious discharge, until the repeal can be implemented. The amendment does not mandate a time frame for the president and military leaders to add their
signatures to the certification. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who previously stated his opposition to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” but has advocated for Congress waiting until after the completion of the study to move forward on repeal legislation, expressed mild support for the compromise this week. Pentagon spokesperson Geoff Morrell said in a statement that Gates “ideally” believes the legislation should wait until next year, but “with Congress having indi-
PHILLIP R. REEVES, MD PSYCHIATRY FOR LGBT COMMUNITY PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND PSYCH0THERAPY
cated that is not possible, the secretary can accept the language in the proposed amendment.” Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, welcomed the compromise and the White House endorsement, which he called a “dramatic breakthrough in dismantling ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’” “The path forward crafted by the president, Department of Defense officials and repeal leaders on Capitol Hill respects the ongoing work by the Pentagon on how to implement open service,” he said. Sarvis noted that “President Obama’s support and Secretary Gates’ buy-in should ensure a winning vote,” although he urged supporters to continue to contact their
PAGE 19
representatives and press them to vote in favor of the repeal. Schaumburg said that in addition to the 192 co-sponsors currently signed on to the repeal bill, the Congressman has garnered commitments from several others, and she said he’s expecting to reach the 217 votes needed. P G N h a s c o n fi r m e d t h a t Pennsylvania U.S. Reps. Chaka Fattah (D-2nd Dist.), Joe Sestak (D-7th Dist.) and Bob Brady (D1st Dist.) will vote for the measure. “The roadside bombs that have maimed our military personnel don’t bother to find out if their intended victims are gay or straight,” Brady’s communications director Karen Warrington
said. “Rather than asking what the sexual preference is of those keeping us safe, we should thank them for their service.” P e n n s y l va n i a U . S . R e p s . Allyson Schwartz (D-13th Dist.) and Jim Gerlach (R-6th Dist.) did not return calls for comment. The amendment will need the support of 15 of the 28 members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is populated by 16 Democrats and 12 Republicans. Committeemember Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced this week that she will vote in favor of the amendment. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, HIV, CHRONIC PAIN OFFICES AT 1601 Walnut St., Suite 1128 AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
EVENING HOURS AVAILABLE
(215) 740-4311
Located Near Rittenhouse Square General & Aesthetic Dentistry Now Accepting New Patients Early Morning Appointments Available 248 South 21st St., Phila, PA 19103
215.732.3350
www.yourphillydentist.com Anthony Petchalonis, D.M.D
Featuring One Hour Teeth Whitening
High quality dental treatment and preventive care
• Cosmetic dentistry • Veneers • Crowns • Whitening • Implants
Craig T. Wakefield, DDS Proudly serving the LGBT community and PWA for over 20 years. Medical Towers Building • Suite 2306 255 S. 17th St. Philadelphia, Pa 19103 (215) 732-8080 Evening hours available.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 20
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
A summer reading rainbow PGN Staff We here at PGN have been (occasionally) accused of being bookish. We don’t mind. Books don’t download slowly, lose their signal, get viruses or poke us. They are portable: You can grab a quick read on the train or bus, or invest a whole afternoon while sunning on the beach. They don’t need a plug or a battery. They lengthen our attention span instead of shortening it. They expand our vocabulary (if not our pronunciation). They enlighten, educate and entertain us. They remind us that we are neither the most important thing in the world nor the center of the universe. We are far more likely to feel a sense of accomplishment if we finish a book than if we have “wasted” time on the Internet. Here’s what we are reading this year. Appetite For America Stephen Fried Non-fiction
Philadelphia author Stephen Fried does a riveting job chronicling the life and times of businessman Fred Harvey in his
latest book. Harvey rose from his humble beginning as immigrant and dishwasher to a business tycoon who built an empire of railroads and what is believed to be the nation’s first restaurant chain, Harvey House. Granted, there’s the usual hyperbole associated with a story of this nature (we’re guessing he didn’t “civilize the West” all by himself) but, overall, this book is a feast for anyone with even the slightest fascination with American history and how we became the mechanized consumer culture we are today. There’s also a gay element to Harvey’s story in the form of Harvey’s great-granddaughter Kitty, a socialite who was so “fiercely single” that eventually the press gave up on the idea of her getting married. Even the appendices of the book yields some pleasant surprises, like “Meals By Fred Harvey,” a treasure trove of old-school recipes featured at Harvey Houses as well as a detailed list of all the places where the chain operated. Fans of The History Channel, Americana and a good old-fashioned rags-to-riches success story will find an embarrassment of riches in “Appetite For America.” — Larry Nichols (Between) Boyfriends Michael Salvatore Fiction Salvatore’s inaugural novel reveals just about everything that could, might or does happen
to a gay man when he is “between boyfriends.” Stevie B. gets dumped by his boyfriend Jack on the second page of the two-page prologue, setting the stage for the rest of this New York City blend of “Will & Grace,” “Soap Dish,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Golden Girls” and an all-gay “Friends” cast. “Boyfriends” includes a guy known as the Fuck-counter (that’s not his number of partners, but the number of thrusts), a phone number written on a penis, a Christmas pageant at a retirement village, a daytime television show with divas and closet queens called “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and a British porn star. Stevie’s mother is “not Jewish, she’s Sicilian, which means she’s like a Jew, but she has access to a gun.” There is also figure skating, Broadway, shopping, texting, Starbucks coffee chats and a group of friends who make Lucy, Ethel, Ricky and Fred look like MENSA candidates and, well, now you may start to get the picture. Readers will identify easily with one or more of the characters and probably point fingers at people (friends, acquaintances, enemies) who act like them. This is a hilarious, ridiculous romp through a year of bachelorhood, guaranteed to be a laughout-loud page-turner. It’s light, refreshing and fast-paced. After you read it, you’ll want to share it with your crazy coffee friends as well. — Scott A. Drake The Big Bang Symphony Lucy Jane Bledsoe Fiction Antarctica is an unforgiving
place. Less than one night of exposure is fatal. And it’s also intense, ramping up emotions and encounters for everyone who ventures there. In Bledsoe’s latest work, she crafts the experiences of three women who meet on the Ice, telling stories of friendship, lust and longing. For Rosie, it’s her third season on the Ice, and she’s planning to put in her time, then use the money she earns for a down payment. For Mikala, Antarctica holds the father she’s never met and, hopefully, the key to unlocking that composer’s block that set in after her partner died. For Alice, Antarctica is both an escape and an opportunity — from her smothering mother and to launch her career as a geologist. Bledsoe’s characters resonate with the reader — such as how Rosie finds herself drawn to a married man and tries to distract herself, or how Alice has struggled to stake out her identity under her mother’s grasp. “Big Bang Symphony” is engaging and suspenseful too: The reader will want to stay up late to see how the storylines interweave and resolve. — Sarah Blazucki Bobby Blanchard, Lesbian Gym Teacher Monica Nolan Fiction In her third retropulp novel, Nolan tells the story of — gasp! — a lesbian gym teacher. After a fall derails her professional hockey career (professional women’s hockey? How many professional women’s hockey players do you know?), Bobby is convinced to go into
teaching by a vocational counselor. Though she doesn’t think she’s smart enough to teach, she takes a job as a “Games Mistress.” At Metamora, an elite girls’ high school, Bobby meets her share of characters with secrets, stories and motives. At a young 23, Bobby doesn’t know who to trust or believe. And what of the former math teacher who plummeted to her death from the tower? Nolan’s writing is reminiscent of Nancy Drew books. If Nancy Drew liked kissing girls. Her writing is also interspersed with fun applications of sports advice, such as: “When you get control of the ball, keep control of the ball. Don’t pass it to a player who’s unprepared.” So true. Especially when that player is your girlfriend, and the game is, well ... — SB Flight of the Jaguar Magician: A New Queer Mythology Tome Vol. 1 C. Huilo C. Fiction This imaginative piece of gay fantasy fiction has great ambitions. What it needs is a better budget and execution. The first volume in this series follows Lolaboy, who was created and brought to Earth by the Creators to restore a sense of wonder, help gay society get back in touch with their lost magical heritage and push for equal rights in the global community. (Is that what has been missing from the fight for gay marriage all this time? Magic?) Along the way, he encounters a colorful menagerie of mystical and fantastical entities (like the titular Jaguar Magician) that teaches him the ways of the world. It’s a noble idea and a mercurial enough of a concept for a writer and artist to go crazy with, but the results here are pedestrian at best. At times, it feels like this story wasn’t written for the adult reader — except for the overt references
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Detour
A departure from the ordinary
to sex and sexuality. Maybe it will take another volume for this series to hit its stride, but this story and these characters need to grow up fast. — LN Foxy: My Life in Three Acts Pam Grier Autobiography Now this is a true Hollywood story. Fans of Pam Grier, whether it’s from her days as a sexually charged action hero in 1970s blaxploitation films or her later work in TV shows like “The L Word,” know about the ups and downs of her professional career. But reading her account of the events that lead up to her stardom and have transpired since gives the reader a new appreciation of just how focused and driven she is. Grier’s childhood and young adulthood was especially difficult, given that she had to overcome family strife, including being abandoned by her father, sexual abuse and constant moves, all amid the cultural turmoil of the civil-rights movement.
Her rise to stardom in the 1970s brought the kind of problems one would expect, but that doesn’t make them any less difficult to fathom. Readers learn about the highprofile relationships Grier had to watch crash and burn as her star rose. The most eyebrow-raising account involves the late, great comedian Richard Pryor, whose cocaine use was so great that it made his semen toxic to Grier’s system. Grier’s narration is matter-of-fact but gripping, especially in the third act when she discusses her victory over cancer and her successful comeback, thanks in large part to her role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown.” Overall, “Foxy” is an entertaining read, in which Grier’s struggles are validated by the triumphs that follow. — LN
From This Moment On PJ Trebelhorn Fiction No matter how fast you can run, the past will always catch up to you. That’s a lesson learned by two women at the center of “From This Moment On,” who find they need to come face-to-face with their pasts before they can embrace the future. After the death of her lover and their unborn child in a car accident, Devon Conway left Easton, Pa., and resolved to never look back. But when she returns three years later, she can’t escape her past any longer and is forced to confront her loss. When Devon encounters Katherine Hunter, a woman who’s also struggling to come to grips with her own previous relationship, she begins to see a glimmer of hope for her future, which both complicates and facilitates her healing process. Trebelhorn, an out author from eastern Pennsylvania, created characters for “From This Moment On” that are flawed, faulted and
PAGE 21
wholly realistic: While many of the characters are struggling with loss, their unique approaches to dealing with it reveal their weaknesses and give the reader a deeper appreciation of the characters. While “From This Moment On” isn’t rife with thrilling or suspenseful moments, it tells a gripping, emotional story about love, loss and the fusion of the two. — Jen Colletta
room’s furniture to comment on the characters. Even an over-prepared chicken makes a nice symbol for Richard’s messy life. “Insignificant Others” has only one drawback: It ends. — Gary M. Kramer
Insignificant Others Stephen McCauley Fiction
James is a first-time novelist from the Allentown area who has crafted an intricate story of family, friends, relationships and work with “Into the Stars.” Orlando “Lan” Lafayette is a songwriter who moves to New York when his former employer gives him the opportunity to direct his first musical. Having had no luck with life or love since his ex Derek left him for someone else 10 years previously, Lan needs this opportunity to turn his life and luck around. Lan’s best friend is Sekoya, who is also the biological mother of his daughter, Arianna. Arianna’s classmate Leo and his father Angelo become the double-dating pair for Orlando and Arianna. A cat named Caleb with a translator microchip implant that allows humans to understand his thoughts seems a bit far-fetched — even for a story set 25 years in the future — but eventually Caleb becomes believable and integral to the storyline. Lan and his family and friends learn about each other through book-reading meetings with school parents, rehearsals, family gatherings and surprise appearances by
Both a comedy of manners and a comedy of errors, McCauley’s “Insignificant Others” is an outstanding book — easily the author’s best to date. The story is nimbly told with wry, precise language in a series of short, sharp chapters that showcase keen perceptions about relationships — gay and straight, personal and professional, romantic and platonic. Richard Rossi is an aging HR executive who learns that his partner is having an affair. Although Richard is having his own affair — with a married man, no less — the discovery rankles him, and prompts him to re-evaluate his life. Although it sounds like a somber portrait of midlife malaise, “Insignificant Others” is anything but. Richard’s situation is nicely contrasted with his friends and colleagues — all of whom are struggling with their forms of quiet desperation. Most of the characters are holding secrets or indiscretions from loved ones, and how they work through their problems is both amusing and moving. McCauley is a master of tone and mood. He deftly shows how good intentions can sometimes result in bad behavior. He also shrewdly uses elements from the atmospheric Boston winter to a
Into the Stars Thomas James Fiction
exes, but James surprises the reader at nearly every plot turn. And nothing will prepare the reader for how everyone and everything ties together to bring this story within a story to an unpredictable crescendo. Humorous, clever and poignant, “Into the Stars” will at various times leave the reader breathless, light-hearted, angry, amused, romantic and sad, but never bored. This is a great summer beach read and will keep you up into the wee hours to find out what happens next. Fortunately for us, a sequel with Orlando’s nephew is already in the works. — SAD The Little Stranger Sarah Waters Fiction In Waters’ fifth book, she features her first male narrator, taking the reader to post-World War II England. Her protagonist, Dr. Faraday, is called to Hundreds Hall to care for a servant girl, bringing back memories of when he visited the house as a child — when it was grand and full of life. No longer well off, siblings Roderick and Caroline Ayres struggle to keep Hundreds Hall intact and functional, with limited success. See BOOK REVIEWS, Page 22
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 22
BOOK REVIEWS From Page 21 As Faraday is increasingly drawn to the house, namely to administer experimental electrical treatments to Roderick for his injured leg, strange, unexplained things begin happening at Hundreds Hall. Waters’ ghost story, a Man
Booker Prize finalist, is like molasses: dark, thick and slow moving. But it’s also a satisfyingly spooky tale. —SB Leave The Light On Jennifer Storm Memoir Thanks to TV shows like
“Intervention,” “Celebrity Rehab” and “Sober House,” Americans have become a society that is way too fascinated with other people’s addictions and recovery. But
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
“Leave The Light On,” for better and for worse, takes readers through the parts of recovery many don’t get to see. This book is the follow-up to Storm’s “Black Out Girl,” which chronicled the out author’s troubled upbringing, descent into drug and alcohol addiction and her eventual success at rehab. “Light” chronicles her postrehab struggle to figure out who she is and her direction in life, and to establish some stability in her drug-free life. While it’s certainly an enlightening read (who knew recovering-addict culture was so complicated?) its alternating deluges of 12-step preaching and Storm’s hard-knock life can be tedious at times for those who don’t appreciate a long, hard soak in someone else’s pain. Things get more interesting as Storm’s recovery gives way to her understanding of her own sexual identity, which had been pushed to the side because of her addiction, past sexual trauma and emotional issues. If you want to get a good, detailed look at the way the mind of recovering addict works, “Leave The Light On” is definitely an eye-opener. — LN Party Animals: A Hollywood Tale of Sex, Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll, Starring the Fabulous Allan Carr Robert Hofler Biography Given that Allan Carr is the man who made “Can’t Stop the Music” and produced the infamous Oscar ceremony where Rob Lowe serenaded Snow White, one would suspect that a biography would be overblown. And “Party Animals” certainly is — just not in the right way. Sure, there is dish about Valerie Perrine’s cutting remarks to Nancy Walker on the set of the Village People movie, but author Robert Hofler, a senior editor at Vanity Fair, tries far too hard to make Carr’s story over the top. Carr certainly spoke with exclamation points, but Hofler includes several factual errors and needlessly repeats information as he charts Carr’s Hollywood rise (“Tommy” and “Grease”) to his spectacular failures (“Can’t Stop the Music,” “Grease 2” and the Oscar debacle).
Only when “Party Animals” describes the producer’s crushes on his straight leading men does Hofler explain why Carr desired and fought so hard for others’ approval — often by throwing attention-getting parties. At least Hofler gives readers a sense of Carr’s extravagance and waste. But this book is mostly a wasted opportunity at profiling an interesting out-sized personality. And surely, if he were still alive, Carr would not be pleased that he does not appear on the cover of his own biography. — GMK Probation Tom Mendicino Fiction Another first-time novelist, Philadelphia’s own Mendicino, has created an entertaining and engaging world of coming out, opening up and self-realization with “Probation.” Tony Nocere is caught giving a blowjob to a trucker in a dirty highway restroom and the state of North Carolina disapproves. He is put on one-year probation and assigned mandatory counseling sessions. Subsequently, Tony’s wife dumps him and he reluctantly moves in with his aging mother, who is diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Mendicino deftly segues these basic premises with flashback scenes so the reader will progress with Tony through the year of probation while catching glimpses of how he got where he is in life. Not a typical comingout tale, one aspect that makes Mendicino’s book engaging is instead of a teen/tween first-love coming-out story, “Probation” deals with self-realization later in life. Tony is reaching midlife when he realizes his marriage and lifestyle aren’t working for him. And he faces conflicting thoughts and emotions as to how he got to that restroom and who he is. For anyone caught in the struggle for self, this is a dynamite book for learning to accept who you are and what you truly want in life. — SAD The Road Home Michael Thomas Ford Fiction This book describes a jour-
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
ney taken by photographer Burke Crenshaw when he suffers a broken leg and a broken arm in a car accident and is forced to move from Boston to his father’s farm in rural Vermont to recuperate. Summer drags on as Burke tries to keep himself occupied with books, going to the town library, taking photographs around the area and trying to communicate with his father and the locals, who are content with living there. The question Burke ultimately faces is, where is home for him? Is it back in Boston with the son of his former high-school buddy, Will Janks, who is 20 years younger than him and refuses to say he is gay even after performing numerous sexual acts? Is it living alone again in Boston with his friends that seem so shallow and uninteresting now that the day-today interaction has waned? Or is it somewhere else? Ford creates some appealing characters and storylines in this quick read but, in the end, he fails to resolve many of the interesting conflicts and plot lines, and some of the characters that hold promise simply disappear. A speculative tale of lovers from the Civil War gives the book a quirky tie-in to Burke’s own struggle, but ultimately does not carry the reader to a satisfying conclusion. — SAD Stuck Rubber Baby Howard Cruse Graphic novel Don’t let the fact that this is a graphic novel fool you: “Stuck Rubber Baby” is a serious read. Set in a fictional Southern town, this is the semi-autobiographical story of a young, white workingclass man trying to figure out his identity among the shifting racial, cultural and sexual politics of the 1960s. When we first meet Toland Polk, he isn’t as enlightened as he will be at the end of the story. His views about race seem to be more of an echo of his parents’ views, which are somewhat moderate for the time compared to the virulent and unapologetic racism of others
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
in his town. But events throughout the book steer Polk further away from those views. His parents die in a tragic car accident. He’s drafted into the Army, only to be rejected for admitting he has homosexual feelings. Returning to his small town, somewhat closeted and determined to appear heterosexual, he still pushes at the bounds of local conformity by falling in with civil-rights activists. They eventually introduce him to folk musicians and nightclubs catering to gays and both blacks and whites. All along this richly illustrated story, readers are introduced to a cast of characters: black and white, gay and straight and varying shades of accepting and bigoted. The confrontations are unflinching in depicting the injustices that blacks, gays and lesbians had to endure in that era. “Stuck Rubber Baby” is a captivating, essential read. Cruse’s story and illustration work so well together that it almost makes you forget how complex, dense and potent the story is. — LN Ten Minutes from Home Beth Greenfield Memoir In 1982, as they return from her ballet recital, Greenfield and her family are hit by a drunk driver. Both her younger brother and her best friend (and first girl crush) are killed, forever changing the family dynamics. Here, Greenfield recounts both her life before the accident and directly after, how the family tries to cope with the crushing grief. After the accident, Greenfield, who was 12 at the time, slowly begins to move on, doing the things she did before the accident — dance recitals, days at the shore, school. But there is always a void, and instead of sharing her grief with her mother and father, she keeps it to herself. At times, Greenfield comes across as far too self-aware for a 12-year-old, and it’s unclear if she was that perceptive at the time or if her feelings and actions are clearer now that she’s older. Other times, she seems self-absorbed. Throughout the book, Greenfield writes with thought and detail about a time in her life
that was difficult but, ultimately, surmountable. — SB Toss and Whirl and Pass Shawn Stewart Ruff Fiction Ruff’s “Toss and Whirl and Pass” examines the intersection of public and personal tragedy. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center shook many Americans hard, but for New York City resident Yale Battle, the grief that settled over his city mirrored the grief he’d been living with since the death of his lover, Courtney. An HIV-positive poet, Yale had fallen into a tailspin since his partner fell victim to AIDS, as he grappled with loss, guilt and what he saw as his own impending death. Describing himself as a “rotting fruit,” Yale is simply awaiting the end and, surrounded by so much death, struggles to find the resolve to face his life. “Toss and Whirl and Pass” is set in the weeks following 9/11, but much of the story is told in flashbacks, detailing the ups and downs of Yale and Courtney’s relationship. Ruff utilizes an effective balance of dialogue and reflection, allowing the reader to become not only immersed in the connection between Yale and Courtney but also in the trauma that the latter’s death inflicted on the narrator. Ruff’s novel will resonate with anyone who’s experienced loss and provides an effective commentary on the impact of community-based tragedies, such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the 9/11 attacks. — JC Travels in a Gay Nation: Portraits of LGBTQ Americans Philip Gambone Interviews Gambone traveled the country spending hundreds of hours interviewing significant members of the LGBTQ community to create this interesting collection of 44 distinct and personal stories. “Travels in a Gay Nation” is more than a reference book: It’s a
PAGE 23
window into each person’s background and personality in their own words, told by the people who know them best — themselves. Whether you want to know more about Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank, Frank Kameny, David Sedaris or George Takei or you want to learn something about Zoe Dunning, Hillary Goodridge, Randall Kenan or Urvashi Vaid, there are stories here that may enlighten, inspire or cause the reader to reflect on her/his own life experiences. Each interview and story is only a few pages long, so this is a nice companion for short-break reading and a good long-term reference book for the shelf. Since Gambone interviewed 102 people, we expect a second and possibly a third volume may emerge in another year or two. — SAD See BOOK REVIEWS, Page 26
Lots of new fiction. Lots of new movies.
This week!
(Every week!) MON. - SAT. 11:30 - 7p.m. SUNDAY 1:00 - 7p.m. email: giovannis_room@verizon.net
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 24
Leather Lookout
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Jim Kiley-Zufelt
Iconic N.Y. club celebrates 35 years At least 100 men and women gathered last weekend to help Excelsior MC of New York celebrate its 35th
anniversary. The run, called “Lust for Life: Under a Big Top,” was held on Fire Island at the Belvedere Guest House in Cherry Grove. The big-top theme spilled over into most
of the weekend’s events, which included cocktail parties, a master/slave auction, cookouts, pool parties, a formal dinner and the Mr. Fire Island Leather contest. The Belvedere was founded in the late 1950s by John Eberhardt, heir to the Eberhardt pencil fortune (yes, apparently there was such a thing) and a scenic painter for ABC and CBS in the late ’40s at the dawn of television. About half of the membership of Philadelphians MC made the trip up the turnpike and across the bay to take part in the festivities. The club hosted an afternoon cocktail party that took the circus theme to a typical extreme. It featured four members dressed as white tigers serving Rob Roy cocktails while the remaining club brothers walked around wearing bloodspattered Siegfried and Roy T-shirts. Needless to say, fun was had by one and all! Woof! turns 2 Woof! Philly celebrated another birthday on May 16 with DJ Tony Ruiz and favorite dancers Dru Bruin and Torez. After two years and two venues, the party is still going strong at The Gold Club, on Chancellor Street behind
the Applebee’s on 15th. IML 2010 This Memorial Day Weekend marks the 32nd anniversary of the International Mr. Leather contest in Chicago. In a first for the event, gay adult-film studio DominicFord filmed a short movie that will be presented in 3D at the beginning of the contest. Gay Pride with Philadelphians MC Looking for a special way to ring in Philly Gay Pride this year? Come celebrate with the members of Philadelphians MC! On June 12, they’ll host a social on the main floor of The Bike Stop, 206 S. Quince St., and the next morning they’ll line up in the Gayborhood to march in the parade. Rumor has it they’ve secured a truck that will actually make it to the judges’ reviewing stand without needing to be towed by AAA! But we’ll see. UPCOMING EVENTS: — Woof! Philly: Sunday, 5 p.m. at 1416 Chancellor St. See www.woofphilly.com for DJ and dancer schedules. — Liberty Bears meeting and social: June Bride White Party, June 5 at The Bike Stop, meeting 7-8 p.m. in The Pit and social from 8-11 p.m. on the main floor. Visit www.libertybears.net or find them on Facebook. — Philadelphians MC Pride social: 9 p.m.-midnight June 12 at The Bike Stop. — Keystone boys of Leather second anniversary: Celebration coming in June; check back next month for more details! ■ Questions? Comments? Rants or raves about the “Lost” finale? Contact Jim at LeatherLookout@gmail.com.
PHILADELPHIANS ON FIRE (ISLAND): Members of Philadelphians MC John (from left), Victor, Mike, Jim, Chris, Ryan, George, Richard, Rick and Harley party with Excelsior MC on the Fire Island pier. Photo: Jarret
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Offline
PAGE 25
Bruce Yelk
Previewing Pride ers, highlighted by comic genius Jennifer Coolidge. Admission to the festival is $10 per person. More information is available at www.phillypride.org. After enjoying the Pride Day festival, I invite everyone to stick around Old City for Nightlifegay. com’s fourth annual Triumphant Pride Party at Mad River, 126 Chestnut St. Starting at 4 p.m., guests at Triumphant Pride can enjoy discount drinks, food specials and, most importantly, air conditioning. Following an afternoon in the hot summer sun on Penn’s Landing, there’s no better remedy than an ice-cold cocktail and some fierce AC. Triumphant Pride at Mad River will have both, as well as a bevy of hot boys and luscious ladies for your viewing pleasure. For more information, visit www.nightlifegay.com. Fast-forward to mid-July: LGBT Philadelphia will take over Center City for QFest, our local LGBT film festival. From July 8-19, QFest will present more than 100 films, as well as several receptions, parties and tributes commemorating QFest’s 16th anniversary. Visit www. qfest.com to get all the details. In coordination with QFest, Philadelphians will also be treated to “There’s No Place Like Home” — a celebration to commemorate the Gayborhood’s past, present and future. Forty years ago, the section of Center City that was home to many of Philadelphia’s gay and lesbian businesses, community organizations and residents migrated from west of Broad Street, near Rittenhouse Square, to its current location east of Broad. For the event, July 10-11, there will be a ribbon-cutting, an art show, block parties, dances and discounts at neighborhood merchants. For more information on “There’s No Place Like Home,” see www.facebook.com/visitphilly. That’s about it for this edition, but it’s only a small sampling of upcoming LGBT events. If you have additional recommendations or questions, send them to Bruce@nightlifegay.com. ’Til next time, get offline and see what your community has to offer. ■
h er
t
When I sat down to write this week’s column, I was reflecting on New Hope’s LGBT pride festivities. It was a great weekend with throngs of attendants from Philly, New York, Washington, D.C., and all points in between. For most members of our community, pride celebrations are synonymous with summertime fun. But throughout the Philadelphia region, other East Coast cities and mid-Atlantic beach destinations, gay pride is just the tip of our summer berg. From museum exhibits and film screenings to dance parties and street festivals, there is an incredible variety of innovative and entertaining events on tap in the coming months. So without further delay, here are some recommendations for June. Over the last several years, many of Philadelphia’s cultural institutions have been fortunate to host highly coveted Egyptian exhibits, which take a close look at the history, architecture, artifacts and personalities that made this part of world history so captivating. The next installment of Egyptian history arrives in Philadelphia on June 5 as The Franklin Institute, 20th Street and the Parkway, presents “Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt.” Running through Jan. 2, 2011, the Cleopatra exhibit will feature never-before-seen artifacts and an impressive collection of antiquities that have helped archaeologists piece together the missing elements of Cleopatra’s history. For more information, visit www.fi.edu/cleopatra. On June 13, we celebrate the annual LGBT Pride festivities, themed “It’s Always Sunny in Gay Philadelphia,” culminating in the Pride Day parade and festival. Beginning promptly at noon, the parade will step off from 13th and Locust streets, then head east to 10th, north to Market and east again to Second, then over the bridge to Penn’s Landing. The Pride Day festival at Penn’s Landing will run from noon-6 p.m. and feature live entertain-
like e’s no place
e ho m
...
e ent Hom rovem Imp cor y Dire
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 26
BOOOK REVIEWS From Page 23 What We Remember Michael Thomas Ford Fiction Every family has secrets, but the families of Cold Falls, N.Y., have enough to keep generations whispering. For eight years, the McCloud family has been under the assumption that patriarch Dan McCloud — also the town sheriff — committed suicide, but when his body is eventually discovered, the hunt begins for his murderer, and no one in the small town can escape the shadow of blame, including his own children, one of whom is a gay drug addict. Ford artfully fuses suspense, drama and mystery, making each chapter a satisfying guessing game. The story skips between
the years leading up to and following Dan’s death, with each piece of the puzzle gradually falling into place as each character reflects on his/her own version of events from the preceding decade. Ford’s characters are all multi-dimensional — with a new layer revealed each time the story switches perspective — and their flaws are exposed in a way that leaves the reader likely to name each character as the murderer at some point in the book. “What We Remember” gives a frank account of what can happen to the future when the buried past surfaces. The book would be a great addition to an afternoon at the beach, but that afternoon could stretch into evening, as it’s hard to put down from page one. — JC Wicked Philadelphia Thomas H. Keels Non-fiction Out local author Keels explores the darker side of
the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection in his latest endeavor. While innumerable works have profiled the city’s storied past and its countless contributions to American history, “Wicked Philadelphia” reveals the stories shunned from the history books. Keels traces the corruption that makes headlines in today’s news all the way back to the city’s founding when, shortly after the death of William Penn, the heirs of the state’s namesake demolished treaties with the Lenni-Lenapes, usurping and selling the land to pay their own debts. In the ensuing 300 years, the city was riddled with financial, political and sex scandals, some of which were masterminded by conmen — and women — who could give today’s Ponzi schemers a run for their money.
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Keels describes that the city has perpetually struggled with its Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde complex — founded on values of peace and philanthropy, but with residents often betraying those principles for personal gain — but rightfully cautions the reader that the book is not an attempt to cast the city in a negative light, but rather to show its more colorful side. Even lifelong Philadelphians likely don’t know just how colorful their hometown’s history really is, and “Wicked Philadelphia” does an excellent job of fusing history with humor to create an informative, inviting work that educates as well as entertains. — JC Yield Lee Houck Fiction This story takes a look beneath the surface of the world of gay sex work as one young man strives to escape the industry. Simon, a 20-something New
Yorker, spends his days in a secluded hospital filing room and his nights going from appointment to appointment with his male clients. He’s perfected the art of closing his mind to the reality of his life, but it slowly seeps in as a rash of antigay attacks takes over his neighborhood. As the gay community starts to fight back against the beatings, Simon begins to fight back against the direction his own life is taking. Houck delves deeply into Simon’s consciousness, which sheds a rarely seen light on those who make a living as sex workers. Although the development of the secondary characters could have been stronger, “Yield” successfully tells the story of one man’s twisting, turning path to self-discovery. ■ — JC
PRIDE
The Philadelphia Gay News Pride Issue
is our largest issue of the year.
PGN readers know that the Pride Issue is one to pick up and keep.
PGN advertisers know that the Pride Issue gets them the single widest exposure throughout eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and southern New Jersey– bar none. Advertising deadline for the June 11 Pride Issue is 12 p.m. Friday, June 4
Call your advertising representative early to reserve premium space.
(215) 625-8501
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 27
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 28
Professional Portraits “When I was a kid, I was very tiny and scrawny and a grownup asked me, ‘And what are you going to be when you grow up, Henry?’ and I turned to him and said, ‘I’m going to be a character.’” And Augustus Henry Tawyea grew up to do just that. As owner of Heritage House Interiors in Ocean County, N.J., both Tawyea and his partner, David Zambelli, occupy space as characters. I chatted with Tawyea about being openly gay in a small shore village. PGN: So what made you tell him that you were going to be a character? AHT: Well, I overheard my Uncle Bob saying that my grandfather was a goddamn character and I loved my grandpa, so I wanted to grow up to be just like him! PGN: Well, you’re very timely: There’s a whole cable station based around the motto, “Characters welcome.” AHT: Isn’t it great? I never understood why people want to assimilate. There’s such wonderful variety in the world — black, white, Christian, Jew, Muslims — why would you want to have everybody be like me or ... you? PGN: Yeah, it’s funny, I run into people all the time who, when
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Suzi Nash
you ask them what they are, they respond that they don’t like labels. I love labels: I embrace being a biracial, left-handed lesbian. AHT: Well, there’s an old saying that the only people who don’t like labels are bottoms. PGN: What do you like to do for fun? AHT: We like to travel: We’ve been to Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Sicily, Belgium, Malta. We went to my partner David’s ancestral home, which was on a mountaintop in Italy. We were so high up we were literally in the clouds. Which was not as romantic as it sounds. On the ground in Palermo, it was warm so we wore nothing but light shirts, but by the time we got to the top of the mountain, it was windy and freezing! All the little old Italian men were looking out the windows at the crazy Americans shivering in the bitter cold. PGN: And what’s your ancestry? AHT: I come from a very earlyAmerican background. We’ve been here from the early 1600s. We’re English and Scotch with just enough French to make it interesting. That came about in 1900 when my grandmother met
Photography by Scott A. Drake Your Premier Philadelphia Photographer
267.736.6743 scottdrakephotos@gmail.com
a Frenchman. We were founders of the DAR [Daughters of the American Revolution] and she was the ultimate WASP. We thought we were very special people. When the Frenchman proposed to her, her family immediately locked her up, thinking she was out of her mind even thinking about marrying a French guy. She announced, “When I turn 21 you have to release me and I’m going to marry him.” My great-grandfather, Augustus Spalding, handed her a suitcase and said, “Then get the hell out of my house.” She left, married the Frenchman and had 14 kids. FYI, I’m the 13th consecutive Augustus. PGN: Where are you from? AHT: My family was one of the founding families of a small Connecticut town, over 300 years ago. I moved to northern New Jersey with one of my first lovers and lived there and at the Jersey shore. I met David 40 years ago and we’ve been together over 30 years. We’re designers and we decorate, restore and furnish antique houses. We love architecture, which is why we travel so much.
AUGUSTUS HENRY TAWYEA Photo: Suzi Nash
PGN: What did your parents do? AHT: My mother was a homemaker and my father was a small businessman, but his claim to fame was that he was a war hero. During the second world war, he rescued the dead off the beaches during major invasions. He was my hero and she was a fantastic mother. During the 1950s, we
moved to South Carolina and that was during the time when black people still had to step off the curb if a white person walked by. Coming from the North, we didn’t understand that. Being Yankees, we got beat daily by the white kids. My father’s partner had embezzled his money so when we moved back North,
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
we lived in the poor section, the ghetto. We’d developed strong Southern accents, which the black kids understandably didn’t care for, so we got beaten again. Through it all, my mother was our rock. PGN: What was your favorite toy as a kid? AHT: I got a teddy bear for Christmas when I was 6 months old and I had it until I was in my 30s. In 1943, my father went to boot camp and when he returned, he brought me a suitcase full of toy soldiers — soldiers and sailors and marines and tanks and boats. I treasured that every night that he was away. We used to kiss his picture every night and the day he came home was the happiest of my life. I was 4 and I remember he got off the train and scooped me up. In those days, when the man of the house was gone, you put the car up on
Q Puzzle Pro-family Christian Across
1. Gals of guys with big shooters 6. “Lesbians ignite!” e.g. 11. “ ___ Afraid of Virginia Woolf” 15. Swell place 16. “Harold and Maude” screenwriter Higgins 17. Banjoist Scruggs 18. TV political drama 20. Bread for Madonna’s ancestors 21. Baseball, informally 22. Husband of a Duke 23. Off-the-wall 24. With 47-Across, TV fantasy comedy 26. Titanic sinker
blocks. We went home and he put the tires back on, put me in the car and we waved goodbye to my mother and sister and went for a ride. I felt so special. PGN: Any soldiering for you? AHT: I was in the Navy. I worked for the department that did the coding of the messages between D.C. and the fleet during the Cuban blockade. PGN: Tell me a little about what you do now. AHT: We have a shop in Ocean County at the Jersey shore that we’ve run for 36 years. I’d describe the shop as a boutique. We have art and furniture and we live on the property. People come in and have coffee and talk as well as shop. I love to talk about all the taboo subjects: sex, politics and religion! No one escapes the shop without learning something about gay culture, his30. Took care of 31. Irene of “Fame” fame 32. Electronics giant 36. Actress who played in 18Across and 24/47-Across 41. Reward for reruns 42. Victim of Jacob’s tricks 43. St. Paul’s state 44. Green light 47. See 24-Across 51. Petty of “A League of Their Own” 52. One that sucks some sap 53. “Giant” star 58. Nannies’ cries 59. Showbiz drama with a character based on 36-Across, for short 61. Slips up 62. “As You Like It” forest 63. Lorca’s “Later” 64. Legal suspension 65. Broadway prompter’s job 66. “Try someone else”
tory or politics, I don’t care who they are. I’ve had people storm out of the store, but most people find it enlightening. Though during the last election, I threw a few people out of the store who made racial comments about Obama. I will not tolerate it: I don’t care what they want to spend. He’s doing such a great job, I think 70 percent of the difficulties he faces are people resisting his policies out of pure racism, and he’s man enough to not say it or use it as an excuse. No one else could have gotten us out of this mess as quickly as he has. He’s a great president — and the way he’s restoring our reputation in the world, he’s a gift. PGN: I understand there were some incidents at the store? AHT: When we first moved there, it was a fishing village. There were 1,400 people in the whole town; now it’s up to 20,000. We
Down
1. It may bite your shorts 2. Lorca’s eight 3. Cruise obnoxiously 4. Congressional output 5. “Bless you” preceder 6. Crisp activity 7. Far from chic 8. What Washington couldn’t tell 9. Part of a pink lady 10. Part of the U.K. 11. Like the Ladies of Llangollen 12. Cole Porter’s “Katie Went to ___” 13. Utah’s Hatch 14. Phat, for example 19. Author Rednour 22. Elroy Jetson stroked him 24. Best of the Beatles 25. Second word of fairy tales 26. “Yecch!” 27 Singer Vikki 28. Canal traveled by New York ferries 29. Bigmouth, e.g. 30. German statesman Helmut 32. Big name in shoes 33. Is in the hole 34. Suffix with Congo 35. ___ all-time high 37. Still in the closet, perhaps 38. Falco of “Nurse Jackie” 39. Women who don’t have sex with men 40. Hermit’s home 44. Having an orgasm 45. Bite it 46. Maxima maker 47. Edna and others 48. Like unhappy lovers, maybe 49. Samurai writer Saikaku 50. Pantywaist 51. Weighed down 53. Dench of “Notes on a Scandal” 54. Queen of Carthage 55. Come out 56. “Exotica” director Egoyan 57. Wall St. group 59. Baudelaire’s bag 60. Broadway bio
See SOLUTION, Page 32
PAGE 29
had a very homophobic neighbor and she was joined by a few others, along with the police and politicians in the village. We would walk into city hall just to get a dog license and people would snigger. The mayor came into our shop and announced that our kind was not welcomed in his town and that we should leave and I told him over my dead body. I then told him to take his sorry ass and get the fuck out of my store. We hung out a gay flag and dug our heels in. For a while we experienced a period of vandalism. They would uproot our landscaping and break our windows, they broke into the store and even tried to set it on fire. The police harassed our employees, they’d stop them and impound their cars for no reason. We brought some of the people to court and it finally stopped. PGN: That must have taken a lot
of fortitude to hang in there. AHT: No one — no one — tells me where I can or can’t live. You rise above the bullshit. Since then, there has been tremendous population growth in our town and we have become one of the local “sights.” People come from afar to visit us. Things are getting better all around, but as a community we still have a long way to go. PGN: What would you say is your most unusual possession? AHT: Forty-five years ago, I met a man from Germany and we had a wonderful summer. I found out that his family had been wealthy industrialists, but they were Jewish and lost everything they owned during the war. Eventually, he was able to petition the government to get back control of the company, which to this day is one See PORTRAIT, Page 32
Rittenhouse Square Fine Arts Show An Outdoor Art Show of Original Artwork
The oldest outdoor art show of only original artwork in the entire country More than 140 top artists from around the country will
“CIRCLE THE SQUARE” Rittenhouse Square at 18th and Walnut in Center City Philadelphia
June 4 - 6, 2010
Friday 11-7 • Saturday 11-7 • Sunday 11-5
For more information call 1-877-689-4112 or visit RittenhouseSquareArt.org
PAGE 30
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Food & Drink Happy Hour 6pm - 8pm
Movie Night Wed. @ 8 pm
A Night of Industry
Mon. 8pm - 12 am Brunch – Sunday 11a – 3p $3 Bloody Marys and $4 Mimosa’s All you can eat Mussels – Thursday 4p – 9p Lunch and Dinner by Chef Tommy D – 7 Days Happy Hour Mon – Fri 5p – 7p, Sat – Sun 3p – 5p $3 well drinks - $1 off all drafts • $3 Domestics • $4 Imports Margaritas always $5 • Karaoke w/Penny Productions Friday 9pm Dance Party in the Burbs – Every Saturday 9:30pm More events to come....... Find us on facebook ; BeagleTavern Plymouth The Beagle Tavern 1003 E. Main Street Norristown PA, 19401 (On the Plymouth/Norristown border) 610.272.3133
Saturday Lunch & Sunday Brunch 12-3pm
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 4-2, Sat. - Sun. 12 -2 1305 Locust St., Phila, PA 19107
Saturday & Sunday Vegan Brunch 218 S. 16th St., Phila. 215-732-8888
BYOB Gift Cards Available www.milahvegetarian.com
Happy Hour Mon-Fri 5:30-7:30 $2.50 Domestics $3.50 Imports $3.50 Well Drinks $2.50 PBR and Miller High Life bottles all day every day
Rainbow Award Best Bar and Bartender 2008, 2009 Fox Philly Best Gay and Lesbian Bar 2008, 2009
DINNER SERVED NIGHTLY 255 S. Camac St., Philadelphia, Pa. (215) 545-8731
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 31
Making the most of good food and scenery By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer With summer almost upon us, Bridget Foy’s, 200 South St., with its picturesque Queen Village locale and wonderful patio seating, is an excellent place to dine al fresco. It also helps that the food, for the most part, is spectacular. The two biggest bangs for your buck among the appetizers are the goat cheese salad and the mushroom flatbread ($11 each). The salad starts off as an aboveaverage tossing of mixed greens, beets, pears and honey-thyme vinaigrette. But it’s the warm goat
cheese crusted with pistachio that really sends this dish over the top, adding a slight sweet and creamy but solid richness to the salad that complements the tanginess of the dressing. We weren’t looking forward to the mushroom flatbread because we feared the mushrooms would overpower the other ingredients, as we’ve experienced in similar dishes around town. But Bridget Foy’s flatbread surprised us. The mushrooms here were quite tasty and in perfect balance with the tantalizing blend of artichokes, arugula and the garlic cream sauce. By
comparison, the BBQ duck tacos ($10) were good, but not as spectacular. The rich texture of the duck, combined with pineapple salsa and guacamole, would have benefitted from a spicier barbeque sauce for added balance. This time of year finds many people craving hamburgers, and Bridget Foy’s offers some tempting examples of the summertime staple. If you prefer a version with training wheels, you can opt for the standard burger ($11), with cheddar, lettuce, tomato and red onion. The more adventurous diner should go for the New Mexico burger ($13), which brings the heat with green chilies, pep-
perjack cheese and chipotle aioli. For more refined flavor, check out the Head House Market burger ($13), with herb mayo, fried egg, Gruyère and mushrooms. All of these beefy burgers are juicy and thick and served with hand-cut russet fries, some of the best fried spuds you’ll find on South Street. Vegetarians aren’t left out of the burger fun at Bridget Foy’s either. The excellent veggie burger ($11) is satisfying enough to charm most meat lovers, with a housemade black-bean patty, mushroom pesto aioli, spinach and Gruyère. If you require something a little more substantial, Bridget Foy’s offers a fine selection of upscale
comfort food. The mac and cheese ($14) is creamy and decadent with the seductive crunch of a potato-chip crust, even before you add extras like bacon, grilled chicken or roasted tomatoes ($2 each). The Cadillac meatloaf ($17) is also a crowd-pleaser, with mashed potatoes, asparagus and a seriously delicious crimini gravy. If your tastes are more Martha Stewart Living than HungryMan Dinner, the eggplant napoleon ($16) makes one hell of an impression, topped with broccoli rabe, roasted peppers, marinara and provolone. Even better is the blue-corn-crusted mahi mahi ($21), whose light and crispy texture is a perfect match for the poblano cream sauce and pineapple salsa that comes with it. For good food and good people watching, it’s hard to compete with Bridget Foy’s. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
If you go: Bridget Foy’s 200 South St. (215) 922-1813 Open daily for lunch and dinner plus brunch on weekends www.bridgetfoys.com BRIDGET FOY’S Photo: Scott A. Drake
Rehoboth Beach
..WHERE BOYS WILL BE BOYS... A tradition in Rehoboth Beach for more than 20 years, The Shore Inn is now under new ownership. Call today for some (clothing optional) fun in the sun.
(302)227-8487
www.shoreinn.com
w w w. c a na l s i d e - i n n - r e h o b o t h . c o m
A casual and contemporary pet friendly boutique style inn. Canal & Sixth St. Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 866.412.2625 / 302.226.2006
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 32
PORTRAIT From Page 29 of the biggest companies in the world. We had a lovely time, but he had to go back home to marry an Italian countess. He offered to take me with him and support me, but I’m nobody’s “keptie,” so I turned him down. On our last evening together, I found out that the only people in his family to survive the Nazis were him and his sister. The only possession he had from his family was his grandmother’s ring, a black, oval onyx ring. She’d died in one of the camps. He told me that the only gift worth giving had to be a treasure that was given from the heart and that he wanted me to have it. I guess having so much money, he realized that to give something of personal value was the best gift of all. In the mid ’60s, I’d done some fundraising for handicapped kids and the governor of Alaska had given me a state seal of Alaska. They made one each year and it was my favorite possession, which I then gave to him. It was kind of like an O’Henry story. My sister was handicapped and suffered from seizures, sometimes 25 a day, so my work with those charities
meant a lot to me. PGN: Most unusual job? AHT: Because my sister was so ill with a pre-existing health condition, I had to get a job each summer. At 13, she was read her last rites, and every penny we had went to her care. So to get a job, I would tell prospective employers that I’d quit school because no one wanted someone who was going to leave three months later. I got a job in a pencil-making factory. It was awful: I worked in the lead room, where we would take handfuls of lead and roll and separate them for the machine. It was just gross: I’d be covered with graphite. I learned quickly that I needed to work for myself. I can’t work if I don’t enjoy what I’m doing. Over the years, I’ve owned an art gallery and an antique shop, but we’ve never done anything just for money. We’ve been lucky and been successful, but we’ve never compromised our beliefs. PGN: An example? AHT: One day we got a call from a friend who deals only with high-end customers. She had a very wealthy woman who’d just bought a house and wanted it furnished. The woman came into
the shop and you could tell she’d probably been a looker in her youth, but now she was obese. But apparently no one told her that her glory had faded. She looked at a bed and headboard that was clearly priced and said to me very flirtatiously, “I’m sure you can do a little better than that for me” and she thrust her breasts at me. I’d been told she was a real bitch so I said, “You do know I’m gay, don’t you? That won’t get you very far, but if your husband is cute I might consider giving him a discount.” She stormed out of there in a huff and my friend called to say, “You know that was a potential $50,000 sale. You should have known that would upset her.” I said, “I knew damn well it would upset her — that was the whole point. Mission accomplished.” Some people just have to learn they can’t have everything. It was a great afternoon. Another time I was asked to be on the planning commission and I told them that I knew all about the payola deals going on and that if they wanted me, I wasn’t about to tolerate it. They acted put out that I’d even insinuated that it happened, but I remember when we went to expand on our complex, the building inspector wanted $500
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
and I refused. PGN: Any phobias? AHT: I fear for the world. I think we’re going in the wrong direction. Again, take Obama. He’s someone who I dearly wished would bring hope, but there’s this rabid contingent that is so racist, they’ll fight against him even when it’s against their own interests. They’re willing to pay the cost for their prejudices. There’s just so much prejudice around. I see it in the store. Someone will come in and see two white guys and feel it’s OK to make racists comments. We’re “one of them,” so they feel free to spew their thoughts. And don’t get me started on kids and poverty: How can you see a hungry kid and then park your fat ass in your Porche? Ugh. I was speaking to a very wealthy man, a billionaire, about all the new programs helping people and he said, “Who do you think is going to pay for all your programs?” and I said, “You, you fat cat! You raped my country for eight years and stole our money. I’m the atheist and, yet, I’m my brother’s keeper. You profess Christianity, but look at your attitude. What do you think St. Francis and Christ would think of you? What would they
think of the 50,000 silver spoons hanging out of your mouth?” We have to share the world with these people. It saddens me. PGN: Happy thoughts ... Tell me about David. AHT: David makes my world go around. He is the most moral, ethical and positive human being I’ve ever met. And he takes care of me ... I’m a very lucky guy. You can’t ask for more than to love and be loved. ■ To suggest a community member for “Professional Portraits,” write to: Professional Portraits, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 or portraits05@aol. com.
SOLUTION From Page 29
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 33
Mombian Dana Rudolph Turkey basters: Not just for lesbians anymore Sperm donors are in. The upcoming feature film “The Kids Are All Right” stars Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as lesbian moms whose children go in search of their donor. The new memoir “Three Wishes” is by three straight women who almost — but not quite — used the same vial of donated sperm, but then passed it on to a friend. The New York Times reviewed “Three Wishes” in its Fashion and Style section, from which I can only conclude that sperm donors are the new “must-have” fashion accessory. The NYT article also pointed out two other new movies involving straight women and sperm donors: “The Back-Up Plan,” starring Jennifer Lopez, released in April, and “The Switch,” starring Jennifer Aniston, due out in August. The original title of
“The Switch” was “The Baster.” One can only wonder why they changed the name: Too obscure? Too lesbian-associated? That brings us to a key observation. Assisted reproduction using a sperm donor has long been associated almost exclusively with lesbians. The search for a sperm donor has been a staple of lesbian portrayals on television. Witness characters on “NYPD Blue,” “Cashmere Mafia,” “Queer As Folk,” “The L Word,” “If These Walls Could Talk 2,” “Exes and Ohs” and “Rick and Steve.” Why this fascination with sperm donors? We lesbians create our families in other ways,too. Some of us have children from previous relationships; some of us adopt. My partner and I used a donor — but while deciding which one to use was an intense process, it soon paled next to the other concerns of parenthood. My best guess as to why the media focuses on sperm donors is that, to many people, they represent the major obvious dif-
ference between lesbian families and straight ones. Yes, there are significant legal differences, but that gets into a political realm that dramas and sitcoms have been loath to touch. To focus on everyday parenting, where samesex couples and straight ones are really not all that different, would seem to remove any media interest in showing lesbian parents as opposed to straight ones. With several new movies about straight women and donors, however, turkey basters may no longer be the symbol of lesbian motherhood they once were. That’s not a bad thing. Modern families, LGBT and not, are created in many ways, and the more we can show that, the less strange LGBT families will seem. Some have recognized this connection before. Louise Sloan, in her 2007 guide “Knock Yourself Up,” offers advice to both lesbian and straight single moms by choice. Sloan herself is a single mom by choice — and a lesbian — but she has written one of the only parenting books that speaks
to both straight and lesbian women even-handedly. Sloan discusses choosing a donor, getting pregnant and coping as a single mom, but also — and importantly — handling children’s questions about their biological origins. Children will have questions, no matter how secure their relationships with their parents, if only to fill in that blank in their self-images. Evidence shows that most of the time, things will not turn out the way they do in “The Kids Are All Right,” with the sperm donor invited over and falling for one of the moms. A book that delves even more deeply into the relationships among donors, mothers and children is “And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents and Our Unexpected Families,” edited by Susan Goldberg and Chloe Brushwood Rose (2009), a collection of essays by lesbian mothers who used known donors, the donors and the adult children of those families. The authors tackle issues such as the degree
of involvement between donor and child, the role of the donor’s parents as grandparents and what to call the various people who form part of this extended family. And hot off the presses is COLAGE’s “Donor Insemination Guide,” by Jeff DeGroot, a resource by and for youth and adults created through donor insemination. (See colage.org.) If there is one area of parenthood in which lesbian moms may be said to specialize, it is this — even if that is an overgeneralization. Even as we cede our (never really exclusive) claim to the turkey baster, we can take some comfort in knowing that lesbian families have made a significant contribution to parenting literature — a contribution from which both lesbian and straight families can benefit. ■ Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian (www. mombian.com), a blog and resource directory for LGBT parents.
PAGE 34
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Diversions
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Your guide to arts and entertainment
Theater
PGN
Black Pearl Sings! InterAct Theatre Company presents Frank Higgins’ musical drama set in the Depression as two women struggle for acceptance in society, through June 27 at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St.; (215) 5688079.
Pick
Carousel Plays & Players Theatre presents Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical, through June 6, 1714 Delancey Place; (215) 735-0630. Fiddler on the Roof Walnut Street Theatre presents the award-winning musical, through July 18, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 5743550. 516 [five sixteen] Walnut Street Theatre’s Studio 5 presents the story of revenge, romance and academics written by Katharine Clark Gray, through June 6, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550. I am My Own Wife Amaryllis Theatre Company presents the Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a transvestite living and surviving in Naziand Soviet-occupied East Berlin, June 1-13, 2030 Sansom St.; (877) 2601126. If You Give A Mouse A Cookie Arden Theatre Company presents an adaptation of Laura Joffe Numeroff’s bestselling children’s book about the chaos a demanding mouse can create, through June 27 on Arden’s Arcadia Stage, 40 N. Second St.; (215) 9221122. The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
The Philadelphia-based Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Company (pictured) marks the beginning of its 24th season with performances with the Washington, D.C.-based Human Landscape Dance, 7:30 p.m. May 29 and 3 p.m. May 30 at Painted Bride Arts Center, 230 Vine St. Both companies are known for pushing the boundaries of dance and creating unforgettable visuals. For more information, visit paintedbride.org or call (215) 925-9914. Photo: Deborah Boardman
Fever Dream Repertory presents the dark comedy in which an atheist lawyer files suit to spring Judas from Hell on the grounds he doesn’t actually deserve damnation, through May 29 at the Second Stage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St.; (267) 997-3799. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Philadelphia Theatre Company presents the production about AfricanAmerican musicians in 1920s Chicago, through June 13 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St.; (215) 985-0420. Much Ado About Nothing Actors’ NET of Bucks County presents Shakespeare’s comedy through June 6 at The Heritage Center, 635 N. Delmorr Ave., Morrisville;
(215) 428-0217. The Musical of Musicals: The Musical Independence Studio on 3 presents a pastiche of elements from big-name musicals, through June 27, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 5743550. The Next Reunion Society Hill Playhouse presents the story of friends who crash a 10-year highschool reunion after their own turns out to be a bust, through June 20, 508 S. Eighth St.; (215) 923-0210. Rent The blockbuster musical about artists struggling with love and HIV in the 1980s runs through June 6 at Media Theatre, 104 E. State St., Media; (610) 891-0100. Respect: A Musical Journey of Women Society Hill Playhouse
presents an exuberant musical that recounts the journey of women in the 20th century with popular music, through June 27, 507 S. Eighth St.; (215) 923-0210. Rodgers and Hammerstein Are Dead Philadelphia Joke Initiative presents a fully improvised musical comedy, through May 29 at Latvian Society, 531 N. Seventh St.; (215) 821-8754. Ruddigore The Savoy Company presents the Gilbert and Sullivan comedic play through May 28 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.
Notices Send notices at least one week in advance to: Diversions, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147; fax them to (215) 925-6437; or e-mail them to diversions@epgn. com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone.
C.S. Lewis’ revered classic about a demon in Hell’s bureaucracy writing letters to his nephew, through June 6 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 19 S. 10th St.; (215) 8290395. Sunday in the Park with George Arden Theatre Company presents Stephen Sondheim’s Pulitzer Prizewinning musical, through July 4, 40 N. Second St.; (215) 922-1122.
Music
Mozart and Rachmaninoff The Philadelphia Orchestra presents an evening of classical classics, 2 p.m. May 28 and 8 p.m. May 29 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Satisfaction: A Rolling Stones Experience The Rolling Stones tribute band performs at 8 p.m. May 28 at Sellersville Theater 1894, 136 N. Main St., Sellersville; (215) 2573000.
Steph Hayes & The Good Problems The Screwtape Letters The out singer-songwriter performs with her band at Lantern Theater Company 10:30 p.m. May 28 at Tin presents an adaptation of
Angel, 20 N. Second St.; (215) 928-0770. The Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra The multi-ethnic Philadelphia Orchestra performs American classics, 7 p.m. May 29 at Temple University’s Baptist Temple, 1852 N. 10th St.; www.blackpearlco.org. Of Montreal The indie-pop band performs at 8 p.m. May 29 at TLA, 334 South St.; (215) 922-1011. Ladies & Gentlemen... The Beatles Longwood Gardens presents a Beatles-inspired performance as part of their Fireworks and Fountains show, 9:15 p.m. May 30, 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square; (610) 3885200. Sugar Town/Girls Rock Philly Memorial Day Extravaganza The monthly show of lady rockers and DJs returns to its regular stomping grounds, 9 p.m. May 31 at Tritone, 1508 South St.; (215) 545-0745. The Harvest: Spoken Soul 215 Open Mic Musicians, poets and MCs perform at 8 p.m. June 2 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; (215) 222-1400. Jordin Sparks The “American Idol” winner performs at 8 p.m. June 2 at TLA, 334 South St.; (215) 922-1011. Beyond the Score: Pictures of What? The Philadelphia Orchestra performs a multimedia concert series at 7 p.m. June 3 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Exhibits
Ancient Rome & America The National Constitution Center presents an exhibition of rare artifacts from Italy and the United States including excavated remains from Pompeii and Roman busts of Julius Caesar and Cicero, through Aug. 1, 525 Arch St.; (215) 409-6600. Contemporary Folklore The James A. Michener Art Museum presents an exhibition featuring the works of four regional artists mining both collective and personal stories to create sculptures that retell new histories, through June 13, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown; (215) 340-9800. Expressway Gallery 339 presents an exhibition of photography by Toshio Shibata, through June 12, 339 S. 21st St.; (215) 731-1530. For Ruthie: Ruth Krauss, Maurice Sendak and Their Young Philosophers The Rosenbach Museum presents
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
an exhibition exploring the working relationship between the two authors, through June 21, 2008-2010 Delancey Place; (215) 732-1600. Minor League Gallery 339 presents an exhibition of photography by Andrea Modica, through June 12, 339 S. 21st St.; (215) 7311530. Moore Adventures in Wonderland The Rosenbach Museum presents a Marianne Moore and “Alice in Wonderland”inspired installation, created by Rosenbach artist-in-residence Sue Johnson, through June 6, 2008-2010 Delancey Place; (215) 732-1600. Ni Una Mas (Not One More) The Leonard Perelman Gallery at Drexel University presents an exhibition addressing the global issue of femicide — targeted violence against women — through July 16 at 3401 Filbert St.; (215) 895-2548.
DRAG (THE WATERS) QUEEN: Catch the world premiere of “Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt,” 6 p.m. June 3 at The Franklin Institute, 20th Street and the Parkway. The event, featuring cocktails, dinner and dancing, gives the curious a sneak peek at the exhibition of artifacts associated with the legendary queen that had been lost to the sea and sand for nearly 2,000 years. Organized by National Geographic and Arts and Exhibitions International, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology, the exhibition of never-before-seen artifacts runs June 5-Jan. 2. For more information, visit www.fi.edu or call (215) 448-1200. Photo: Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation
Queer Voices Institute of Contemporary Art presents a group exhibition of queer art, through Aug. 1, 118 S. 36th St.; (215) 898-7108. Slow Movements ArtStar Gallery presents an exhibition of works from Julie West, through June 13, 623 N. Second St.; (215) 238-1557. Small Favors V The Clay Studio presents an exhibition of small sculptural works, through May 30, 139 N. Second St.; (215) 925-3453.
PAGE 35
Mark Fields and Georg Purvis III, through June 5, 265 S. 10th St.; (215) 627-6250.
at 7:30 p.m. June 1 at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; (215) 686-5322.
Thomas Hucker & Thomas Huang Wexler Gallery presents an exhibition of works by the two furniture artists, through June 26, 201 N. Third St.; (215) 9237030.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali The advocate for women’s rights and author of “Nomad: A Memoir” hosts a reading at 7:30 p.m. June 3 at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; (215) 686-5322.
Film
The Letter The 1940 film starring Bette Davis is screened at 2 p.m. May 30 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; (610) 917-0223.
Smooth Cartographies The Phillip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College presents an exhibition of work from digital media artist Greg Scranton using locative technologies, June 1-Aug. 1, 601 E. Main St., Collegeville; (610) 409-3500.
Sing-a-long: Oklahoma Bryn Mawr Film Institute hosts a screening of the musical with audience participation, 7:30 p.m. June 2, 824 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr; (610) 5279898.
Sublime Nature AxD Gallery presents an exhibition of the photography of
John Waters The out filmmaker and author of “Role Models” hosts a reading
Books
Cabaret
Revival Burlesque The naughty entertainment starts at 7 p.m. May 30 at L’Etage, 624 S. Sixth St.; (215) 592-0656.
Etc.
Keith Robinson The comedian seen co-hosting “The Wanda Sykes Show” performs through May 29 at Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St.; (215) 496-2001. John Pinette The comedian performs at 9 p.m. May 29-30 at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; (609) 317-1000. ■
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 36
Meeting Place A community bulletin board of activities, facilities and organizations
Community centers ■ The Attic Youth Center: For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. Groups meet and activities are held from 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; case management, HIV testing and smoking cessation are available Monday through Friday. See the Youth section for more events. 255 S. 16th St.; (215) 545-4331 ■ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center at the University of Pennsylvania 3907 Spruce St.; (215) 898-5044; center@dolphin.upenn.edu, Summer hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. ■ Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies Youth Center: 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays: Doylestown Planned Parenthood, The Atrium, Suite 2E, 301 S. Main St., Doylestown; (215) 348-0558 ext. 65; rainbowroom@ppbucks.org. ■ William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center: 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 732-2220; www.waygay.org. Peer counseling: Monday through Friday, 6-9 p.m. Library hours: Mondays 3-9 p.m., Tuesdays 3-6 p.m., Wednesdays 3-9 p.m., Thursdays 3-9 p.m., Fridays 3-9 p.m., Saturdays noon-6 p.m., Sundays noon-6 p.m. Volunteers: New Orientation: First Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.; Volunteer Velada, third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.
Health Anonymous, free, confidential HIV testing Spanish/English counselors offer testing 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 166 W. Lehigh Ave.; (215) 763-8870 ext. 6000. AIDS Services In Asian Communities Provides HIV-related services to Asians and Pacific Islanders at 340 N. 12th St., suite 205; (2215) 536-2424. Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative Free, anonymous HIV testing from 9:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays at 1207 Chestnut St., fifth floor; (215) 851-1822 or (866) 222-3871. Spanish/English. HIV testing Free, anonymous testing and counseling is offered from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment at AIDS Resource, 520 W. Fourth St., suite 2A, Williamsport; (570) 322-8448.
Key numbers
HIV treatment Free HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment for Philadelphia residents are available from 9 a.m.noon Mondays and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Health Center No. 2, 1720 S. Broad St.; (215) 685-1803. HIV health insurance help Access to free medications, confidential HIV testing available at 17 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; 1201 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-0652. www. mazzonicenter.org. Washington West Project Free, anonymous HIV testing. Walk-ins welcome 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; 1201 Locust St.; (215) 985-9206.
Casarez@phila.gov; Fax: (215) 686-2555 ■ Mazzoni Center: (215) 563-0652; www. mazzonicenter.org
■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: (856) 933-9500 ext. 221
■ Mazzoni Center Family and Community Medicine: (215) 563-0658
■ AIDS Library: (215) 985-4851 ■ ACLU of Pennsylvania: (215) 592-1513
■ Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Philadelphia): (215) 572-1833
■ AIDS Treatment hot line: (215) 5452212
■ Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations: (215) 686-4670
■ Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection at the Independence Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library: (215) 685-1633
■ Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force: (215) 772-2000 ■ Philadelphia Police Department liaison — Chief Inspector James Tiano: (215) 685-3655 ■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: (215) 600-0627; ppd.lgbt@gmail.com
■ Equality Advocates Pennsylvania: (215) 731-1447; (866) LGBTLAW
■ Philly Pride Presents: (215) 875-9288
■ Equality Forum: (215) 732-3378
■ SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: (717) 920-9537
■ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Peer Counseling Services: (215) 732-TALK ■ Mayor’s liaison to LGBT communities: Gloria Casarez, (215) 686-2194; Gloria.
ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) Meets at 6 p.m. every Monday at St. Luke and the Epiphany Church, 330 S. 13th St.; (215) 3861981; www.critpath.org/actup. Delaware Valley Chapter, Americans United for Separation of Church and State Seeks activists and supporters of church-state separation. Holds monthly meetings and events; (856) 863-3061; www.dvau.org. Equality Advocates Philadelphia Holds a volunteer night second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m., 1211 Chestnut St., Suite 605; (215) 731-1447; www.equalitypa.org. Green Party of Philadelphia Holds general meetings fourth Tuesday of each month (except April) at 6:30 p.m., 4134 Lancaster Ave.; (215) 243-7103; www.gpop.org. Log Cabin Republican Club of Philadelphia Meets at 7 p.m. third Wednesday of the month at the William Way Community Center; (215) 4655677; www.phillylogcabin.org. Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club Meets seasonally; (215) 760-7184; www. libertycity.org.
Arts
Gay Men’s Book Discussion Group Meets at 6:30 p.m. first Wednesday of the month at the Independence Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 18 S. Seventh St.; (215) 685-1633. Library Book Club Meets to discuss a new book at 7 p.m. on third Wednesday of the month at the William Way Center. New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus Chorus rehearses at 7:30 p.m. Mondays in Princeton, N.J.; (609) 675-1998. Open-mic night An amateur poetry, music and storytelling event sponsored by The Pride Center of New Jersey, meets at 8 p.m. every third Friday at the George Street Playhouse, 1470 Jersey Ave., North Brunswick, N.J.; (732) 846-0715. Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus Chorus rehearses from 7-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays; (215) 731-9230; auditions@pgmc.org. Philadelphia Gay Men’s Opera Club Meets to share and listen to recordings at 6:30 p.m. on last Saturday of the month; (215) 2246995. Philadelphia Voices of Pride Philadelphia’s first mixed GLBT chorus rehearses at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the William Way Center; (888) 505-7464; www.pvop.org. Queer Writer’s Collective Workshop and discussion group meets 4-6 p.m. on fourth Saturday of the month at the William Way Center. Women’s Book Group Meets first Thursday of the month at 6:45 p.m. at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; brassygrrl@hotmail.com.
■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: (215) 587-9377
■ The COLOURS Organization Inc. 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 4960330.
Activism/Politics
■ Transgender Health Action Coalition: (215) 732-1207 (staffed 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays, and 6-9 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)
Recreation
Diversity Dancers Ballroom dancers meet the first Sunday of the month for tea dance and lessons. Other events scheduled throughout the year; (215) 922-2129; DiversityDancers@aol.com. Gay Bridge Club Non-beginners group meets Monday afternoons at the William Way Center; (215) 985-4835. Gay-friendly Scrabble Club Meets from 6-11 p.m. in the P.I.C. Building, 42nd and Locust streets; (215) 382-0789. Gay and Lesbian Scrabble Players in the tri-state area gather for socializing and friendly/competitive games; ScrabbleGroup@excite.com. Gay Opera Guys of Philly New group for opera appreciation meets last Sunday of the month at 2:30 p.m. in Roxborough/ Andorra area; (215) 483-1032. Humboldt Society: Lesbian and Gay Naturalists Meets second Thursday of the month at the William Way Center; (215) 985-1456; www. humboldtsociety.org. Indepedence Squares GLBT square dance club, modern Western square dancing. Monthly open house. Tuesday classes in the fall; Lutheran Church, 2111 Sansom St.; (215) 735-5812; www.independencesquares.org.
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010 Male Oenophile Group Male group forming to discuss, appreciate and taste various wines. Will meet once a month to investigate the nuances and glories of the fermented grape. Call (267) 230-6750 for more information. Mornings OUT LGBT Senior Social Activities for sexual-minority seniors are held every Tuesday from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the William Way Center. PhilaVentures Philadelphia’s GLBT outdoor group meets for a hike in Wissahickon Valley Park on Sundays at 2 p.m. at Borders Books, Music and Café, 8701 Germantown Ave.; (215) 271-8822. Rainbow Bridge Group Congenial group meets for supper and to play bridge monthly on a Monday at 6:30 p.m. Members rotate serving as host. New players welcome. For information call Gerry at (215) 592-1174. Rainbow Room A meeting/activity night held for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth and their friends Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m. at the Rainbow Room of Planned Parenthood in Doylestown; (215) 348-0558.
Sports
Brandywine Women’s Rugby Club Meets for Tuesday and Thursday practice at Greene Field, Howell Street and Moore Road, West Chester; www.brandywinerugby.org. City of Brotherly Love Softball League GLBT softball league serves the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Games are played Sundays, beginning in April, in Fairmount Park; (215) 4622575; www.cblsl.org. Frontrunners Running club meets Saturday mornings at 9:30 for a run and brunch. Lloyd Hall, No. 1 Boathouse Row; www.frontrunnersphila.org. Gay and Lesbian Bowling League Bowls at 8 p.m. Thursdays in the Norristown area; call Doug Schneidig; (716) 864-4393. Philadelphia Falcons Soccer Club GLBT and allied soccer club; practices Saturdays 10 a.m.-noon and Wednesdays 6-8 p.m. at Edgeley Fields in Fairmount Park;www.falcons-soccer.org. Philadelphia Fins Swim Team Male and female swimmers meet at 7 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. Saturdays in Center City; (610) 564-6661; www. philadelphia-fins.org. Philadelphia Gay Bowling League Meets 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays September through April at Brunswick Zone, 1328 Delsea Drive, Deptford, N.J.; (856) 889-1434; www. philagaybowling.com. Philadelphia Gay Flag Football New group forming. Contact Jered at gayflagfootball@gmail.com or (214) 770-5373. Philadelphia Gryphons Rugby Football Club Team seeks players; all skill levels welcome; (215) 913-7531; info@phillygryphons.org. Philadelphia Liberty Tennis Association Meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday at William Way Center; into@plta.us. Philadelphia Phoenix Women’s football team seeks players; (267) 6799535; www.philadelphiaphoenix.org. Philly Gay Hockey Association Philadelphia Phury seeks players; (917) 656-1936; phury@gayhockey.org. Rainbow Riders of the Delaware Valley Motorcycle club meets regularly; (215) 836-0440; www.groups.yahoo.com/group/rainbowridersdv/. Rainbow Rollers Gay and lesbian bowling league meets 9 p.m. on Tuesdays September-April at Laurel Lanes, 2825 Rte. 73 South, Maple Shade, N.J.; (856) 778-7467.
Etc.
AIDS Law Project Provides free legal assistance to people with HIV/AIDS and sponsors free monthly seminars on work and housing; 1211 Chestnut St., suite 600; (215) 587-9377; www.aidslawpa.org. BiUnity Philadelphia area social and support network for bisexuals, their family members and friends meets at 7 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the William Way Center; www. biunity.org. Global A political, community and social group that also works to promote Bordentown as a gayfriendly community meets on the first Saturday of the month at Firehouse Gallery, 8 Walnut St., Bordentown, N.J.; jerseyglobal@yahoo.com. Delaware Pride Meets at 7 p.m. on first Thursday of the month at the United Church of Christ, 300 E. Main St., Newark, Del.; (800) 292-0429. Delaware Valley Pink Pistols For LGBT people dedicated to legal, safe and responsible use of firearms for self-defense; meets at 2 p.m. on third Saturday of the month at Classic Indoor Range, 1310 Industrial Blvd., Southhampton; (267) 386-8907; www. pinkpistols.org. Friday Feast and Fun Dinner hosted by St. John’s Lutheran Church at 6:30 p.m. second Friday of the month, 24 N. Ridge Ave., Ambler; (215) 576-8008. Haverford College’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance Open meetings 10-11 p.m. Mondays in the lounge in Jones Basement at Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Ave.; (610) 896-4938. Latina/o Virtual Community Local listserv offers various information and resources; (215) 808-2493; Zorros_mail@yahoo. com; LatinPhillyLGBT@yahoogroups.com. LGBTQ and Friends Activity Group Meets at 7 p.m. on third Friday of the month to plan outings and potlucks at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County. Long Yang Club Philadelphia Social organization for gay Asians and their friends holds monthly socials; P.O. Box 401, Philadelphia, Pa. 19105; www.longyangclub. org/philadelphia. Our Night Out A casual social networking party of LGBT professionals, allied communities, friends and colleagues meets in a different Philadelphia hot spot each month. To receive monthly event invitations, send email to OurNightOutPhilly@gmail.com; PhillyGayCalendar.com/org/OurNightOut. Philadelphia Bar Association Legal Advice Offered from 5-8 p.m. on third Wednesday of the month; (215) 238-6333. Philadelphia Prime Timers Club for mature gay and bisexual men and their admirers meets regularly; (610) 344-0853; www. primetimersphiladelphia.org. Philadelphians MC Club for leather men and women meets 7:30 p.m. first and third Mondays of the month at The Pit at The Bike Stop, 201 S. Quince St.; (215) 627-1662. Philly Paw Pals Gay and lesbian dog owners and their dogs meet on first Saturday of the month at a dog park; (215) 618-5290; PhillyPawPals@aol.com. Rainbow Amateur Radio Association ARRL affiliated; private; weekly HF nets, monthly newsletter, e-mail server; (302) 5392392; www.rara.org.
South Jersey Gay Bowling League Gay and lesbian bowling league meets 7 p.m. on Fridays September-April at Laurel Lanes, 2825 Rte. 73 South, Maple Shade, N.J.; (856) 778-7467.
Rock ’n’ Roll Queer Bar Party A party for gay and lesbian rockers with host Psydde Delicious starts at 10 p.m. every second Wednesday at N. 3rd, Third and Brown streets; (215) 413-3666.
Spartan Wrestling Club The gay wresting team meets from 7-9 p.m. Mondays at the First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St.; (215) 732-4545; www.phillyspartans. com.
Silver Foxes Social and educational group for gays and lesbians 50 and older meets from 3-5 p.m. on fourth Sunday of the month at the William Way Center.
Team Philadelphia Meets at 8 p.m. second Wednesday of the month at the William Way Center; www.teamphiladelphia. org.
Stonewall Model Railroad Club Meets monthly; (215) 769-4230; k3k@yahoo. com.
Women’s Table Tennis New group forming. Interested women are encouraged to e-mail michelesimone19144@yahoo.com.
Thirsty Third Tuesdays Collingswood Out in the Neighborhood meets at 7 p.m. on third Tuesday of the month for coffee, dessert and conversation at Three Beans, 40 N. Haddon Ave., Haddonfield N.J.; (215) 439-8337.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
worth watching: FRIDAY Party Down Megan Mullally (“Will & Grace”) stars in this comedy series about Hollywood caterers with dreams of making it big. 10 p.m. on Starz.
Comedian Margaret Cho co-stars in this dramedy. 8, 9 and 10 p.m. on Lifetime.
Glee Out actress Jane Lynch stars in this musical high-school comedy. 9 p.m. on Fox.
MONDAY How I Met Your Mother Out actor Neil Patrick Harris stars as womanizer Barney in this repeat. 8 p.m. on CBS.
America’s Got Talent The new season starts with open auditions. 8 p.m. on NBC.
History of Sex The week, sexual practices of the Middle Ages are explored. 11 p.m. on History Channel.
True Beauty Out TV personality Carson Kressley hosts this reality competition in Las Vegas. 8 p.m. on ABC.
SATURDAY The Wanda Sykes Show The out comedian hosts this repeat of her raucous talk show with guest panelist Margaret Cho. 11 p.m. on Fox.
Nurse Jackie Look for gay character Thor in this dark comedy. 10 p.m. on Showtime.
Saturday Night Live Ke$ha performs and Ryan Phillippe hosts this repeat. 11:30 p.m. on NBC. SUNDAY Drop Dead Diva
United States of Tara Marshall begins to have romantic feelings for Lionel. 10:30 p.m. on Showtime. TUESDAY Hell’s Kitchen Gordon Ramsay yells at chefs in this cooking competition. 8 p.m. on Fox.
Queer TV you can always see: The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Monday-Friday, 3 p.m. on NBC. The Rachel Maddow Show
Monday-Friday, 9 p.m. on MSNBC.
PAGE 37
The Big Gay Sketch Show Large gay laughs. 10 p.m. on Logo. Losing It With Jillian Michaels The bisexual personal trainer from “The Biggest Loser” gets her own series. 10 p.m. on NBC. WEDNESDAY So You Think You Can Dance More audition rounds. 8 p.m. on Fox. Modern Family Watch more of gay characters Mitchell and Cameron in this sitcom. 9 p.m. on ABC. THURSDAY So You Think You Can Dance Audition rounds continue. 8 p.m. on Fox.
QUEER AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS: The premier of “True Beauty” finds out TV personality Carson Kressley (“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” right) and Beth Ostrosky presiding over 10 attractive contestants who think they’re vying to become “The Face of Vegas,” but they are really being judged on their inner beauty, 10 p.m. May 31 on ABC. Photo: ABC/Sammy Vassilev
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 38
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Classifieds With Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services and Personals
Freddie Mac: Mortgage rates hit yearly low By J.W. Elphinstone The Associated Press
United States borrowers can get the cheapest mortgages this year, thanks to worries over European debt, and that could keep homebuyers active even after the expiration of a tax credit designed to lift sales. Mortgage rates fell to their lowest level of the year this week as yields on U.S. government securities fell, Freddie Mac said last Thursday. Fixed-mortgage rates tend to follow the yield of 10-year Treasury notes. Treasury yields sank after Germany’s move last week to curtail certain kinds of short-selling spooked investors, who shifted money from risky European debt to safer U.S. securities.
A side effect of the lower Treasury rates was lower mortgage rates. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dipped to 4.84 percent from 4.93 percent a week earlier, Freddie Mac said. It was the lowest level since mid-December, when rates averaged 4.81 percent. “The timing is fortuitous,” said Greg McBride, a senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com, “because home shoppers who rushed to sign their purchase contracts in late April to capture the tax credit are locking in their mortgage rates now.” New buyers were offered a credit worth up to $8,000, while current owners who bought and moved into another home could get one for up to $6,500. To
receive them, buyers had to have a signed offer by April 30 and must close by the end of June. Economists expected home sales to flag after the credit expired, but lower rates could help offset the falloff. Pava Leyrer, president of Heritage National Mortgage in Michigan, hasn’t seen buyer interest wane yet. “Rates are helping them buy more,” she said. However, strict credit requirements and negative home equity threaten to sideline borrowers hoping to refinance out of unaffordable loans. Refinancing activity isn’t as robust as last year, when rates dipped below 5 percent. “Everyone who could get in already got in,” said Marc
Demetriou of Residential Home Funding in Bloomingdale, N.J. The remaining borrowers may not be able to refinance under the stricter credit standards or don’t have enough home equity to get approved. Mortgage delinquencies hit a record high in the first quarter, according to an industry report last week. Could rates fall further? Yes, but that would likely be the result of further deterioration in the global economy. “Yeah, mortgage rates would drop further, but you may not have a job to qualify,” Bankrate’s McBride said. Among other types of mortgages in Freddie Mac’s survey, the average rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage was 4.24 percent last week, down from
4.3 percent. Rates on five-year, adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 3.91 percent, down from 3.95 percent a week earlier. Rates on one-year, adjustablerate mortgages fell to 4 percent from 4.02 percent. The rates do not include addon fees known as points. One point is equal to 1 percent of the total loan amount. The nationwide fee for loans in Freddie Mac’s survey averaged 0.7 of a point for 30-year and 15-year loans and 0.6 of a point for five-year and one-year loans. Freddie Mac collects mortgage rates on Monday through Wednesday of each week from lenders around the country. Rates often fluctuate significantly, even within a given day. ■
Location! Location! Location! This week’s featured property
Beds: 3 Baths: 2.5 Cost: $285,000 Age of property: 13 years Realtor: Conrad Kuhn Real-estate co.: Weichert Realtor Phone: (856) 227-1950 Direct: (609) 221-1196 Website: www.conradkuhn.com
Awesome contemporary w/in-ground pool. Open floor plan, situated on a half-acre weeded lot. Features 2-story ceiling in LR, plus DR & foyer, basement & 2-car garage.
Check your ad
PLACING ADS Using voicemail? Please be sure to have the following information ready when you call: • Your ad copy • The type of style you want • Desired abbreviations • American Express, Discover, MasterCard or VISA information • Your name and mailing
Williamstown, N.J.
address • Daytime telephone number Having all this information ready will speed your order and help to avoid errors. Phone calls can only be returned during business hours. For more information, see the coupon page in this section.
Philadelphia Gay News assumes responsibility for errors in classified ads only when notified by noon the Tuesday after the ad first appears. To receive credit for errors, please notify PGN by then. Credit only will be extended in the form of additional advertising space. Any cash refunds, for any reason, are subject to a $10 service charge. PGN will publish no classified ad — in any category — that contains sexually explicit language. Obviously excluded are traditional four-letter words that relate to sexual activity. Other words may be excluded at the discretion of the publisher, who reserves the right to edit or rewrite any ad that, in his opinion, violates this policy or its intent.
MAY MAY 28 1 - -7,JUNE 2009 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA PHILADELPHIA GAY GAY NEWS NEWS
PAGE PAGE 39 47
Real Estate
����������� �����
REAL ESTATE
SALE
LANCASTER COUNTY REAL ESTATE Come home to the scenic countryside of southern Lancaster County in this 1854 farmhouse situated on 14.95 acres. $580,000 MLS# 163109. Call Beiler-Campbell Realtors at 717786-8000 for more details. EHO. _______________________________34-22 CLOSE TO REHOBOTH BEACH Must see home! Meticulous 3 bdrm/ 3 bthrm home in Lewes. Many upgrades throughout. 16’x35’ fam. rm w/ fireplace. Granite countertops. Hardwood & ceramic floors. Bubble tub in very lrg bth. Tankless water htr. Inground pool & hot-tub. Grt. landscaping. Asking $379,000.Call 856 278 4498 or 302 645 7053 for appt. _______________________________34-23 VENTNOR, NJ, FACING THE BAY House and Adjacent Lot (inground swimming pool). 1st floor 3 bedrooms, bath, living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room and deck. 2nd floor 2 bedrooms, bath, efficiency kitchen, living room, dining area and deck. Central Air. Corner Property. Call 215-468-9166 evenings only. $675,000.00. Also property for rent1500.00 month plus utilities. _______________________________34-29 5 ACRES w/ CAMP $19,995! “I Can’t Believe it!” “Something must be wrong with it!” See for yourself! It’s the best Investment in land in NYS! Christmas & Associates Call us at 800-229-7843 or visit www.LandandCamps. com Find us on Facebook! _______________________________34-22 ACTIVE ADULT COMMUNITY (55 plus) in Beautiful, Historic Smyrna, Delaware. New Single-Home Development near beaches & bay areas. Purchase prices from $99,900. CALL 302-659-5800. Visit www. bonayrehomes.com _______________________________34-22 MTN. LAND BARGAIN LOG HUNTING CABIN 28 AC $67,115 Abundant deer & turkey. Paved rd frontage, elec & phone. Rds & trails thru- out. Owner will finance. Call owner 1-877-526-3764, x 822 mountaintimberland.com _______________________________34-22
REAL ESTATE
RENT
12TH & DICKINSON AREA Furnished Townhouse for rent: 3 levels. Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, 2 bedrooms , bath. Very Unique. 1500. mo plus util. (negotiable). Call 215 468-9166 after 6 pm. or 215 686 3431 daytime. _______________________________34-29 MANAYUNK 1 BR, 1 BA. W/D in apt Located Main & Grape. Rent $800 Call Heather 610-647-1776. eadeh.com _______________________________34-22 OLD CITY 1BR, 1.5 BA., lg. priv. deck. 2nd between Race & Arch. Rent $900 Call Heather 610-647-1776. eadeh.com _______________________________34-22 WEST. MT. AIRY Sale or lease. Partially renovated warehouse. For retail off space or commercial use. 5000 sq. ft. 215-233-5303 for appointment. _______________________________34-22 HEAVEN IN SOUTH PHILLY! For rent 2 bdr., 1 bath, open floor plan with hardwood and tile throughout, sweet private deck that leads you to your own gated driveway. You gotta see this. Call Glenn 856-8161932 email for pics and more awesome info glennaschultz@hotmail.com Rent $1800. per month. First, last & 1K sec. dep. move-in. _______________________________34-23
����������� �����
����������� �����
���������������������������������������
REAL ESTATE
RENT
������������������ ���������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������� AMBLER 3 story guest house on “1702” estate. 2 BR, 2.5 ����������������� BA, newly remodeled eat in country kitchen, �������������������������������������������������������� den, W/D, D/W, C/A, hdwd flrs, overlooks formal ��������������������������� gardens, use of swimming pool. $1800/mo. +. ������������ 215-542-5642. ������������������������������������������������ _______________________________34-24 ����������������������������������������������� WEST MT. AIRY Large, bright 1 bedroom, HW flrs, gas F/P, ��������������������������������������������������� patio, dog run, laundry facil. $875/mo. incl. �������������������������������������������� all utilities. Avail. immed. 215-233-5303 for ���������������������������������������������������������� appointment. ����������������������������������������������������� _______________________________34-22 ������
REAL ��������������������������� ESTATE
RENT
�������� ����������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������� RITTENHOUSE SQUARE AREA ������������� Studios & 1 Bedrooms - Call for Availability ���������������������������������������������������� (215) 735-8050. ���������������������������������������� _______________________________34-31 ������������������ 17XX E. PASSYUNK AVE. 5�������������������������������������������������������� rooms and bath, 2nd floor, pvt. entrance, W/D, ������������������������� many windows. Call 215-463-2028 ��������������� _______________________________34-22 ���������������������������������������������������� SOUTH PHILA., BROAD STREET 2��������������������������������������������������� apts. for rent. Completely new! Full size LG �������������������� W/D, D/W, self cleaning oven, microwave, ��������������� fridge, Lennox central hear/air. All new windows &��������������������������������������������������������� oak HW flrs thruout. Marble & tile bath. I am a����������������������������������������������� neat and clean freak; want someone like me
MT. AIRY BUSINESS DIST. PRIME LOCATION to rent them! Also 3 BR furnished home for �������� 3500 sq. ft. corner. 215-233-5303 for aprent. Smoke free! No pets! A must see. Call �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� pointment. Bob at 215-327-0959. ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� _______________________________34-22 _______________________________34-22
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� REAL ESTATE ��������������������������������������������������������������������� REAL ESTATE ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������
SALE
SALE
MAIN LINE HOMES 761 Old State Rd, Berwyn
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� · California Contemporary · Offered at $599,000 · Lots of Space, Great Views · Open floor plan · Separate Hot Tub room • Separate Den/office · Artist Retreat Among the Trees
E-mail us: pgn@epgn.com
���
������������������������������ 773 OLD STATE RD, BERWYN, PA ����������� ���������������������. Furness Flats. Large 2 bed, 1 bath. last unit left in this highly desirable building. Close to all Center City Hospitals. Low fees and taxes ................................�������������
551 Woodland Ln, Radnor
������������������������ “George T. Sale Condo” Unique Garden level 1 bd, 1 ba. unit w/ private entrance.. Low fees & Tax Abatement. Lowest price 1 bd. in area ........................��������. ����������� ����������������������. New open style 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo with low taxes and condo fees. Great small pet friendly building. .........................................................................�������� ������������������� Old Swedes Court. New Listing Large 3 Bedroom 2.5 Bath with Garage, roof deck and hardwood floors. Low association fees in Queen Village ....................�������� · Spectacular, One-of-a-Kind Home
· Offered at $1,249,000 �������������. NEW LISTING. Large update 4 bd. 2 ba. with · Expansive Floor Plan, beds, 4.1 baths huge garden and wonderfully roof deck with city5skyline views. · Gourmet Kitchen .................................................................................�������� · Private Views on over 2 Acres · Exterior & Interior Stonewalls ����������������������������������������������������������������� CALL GIGI & STEVE MILLER ��������� Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors ������������������ ������������������������������������� 610-527-0900 (OFFICE) ���������������������� 610-745-4909 (Gigi’s CELL)
������������������������������������������� 610-715-2319 (Steve’s CELL) ������������������������������������ www.SteveandGigi.com �����������������
��������� ��������������� ����������������� �������������������������
������������
������������������������ ������������������� ���������������������������� �������������������
PAGE 40
HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY
ROOMMATES
PGN WILL NOT PUBLISH RACIAL DISTINCTIONS IN ROOMMATE ADS. SUCH NOTATIONS WILL BE EDITED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. ___________________________________ GREATER NE PHILA. Have your own bedroom in a beautiful split level home with 2 gay men. House is 4 BR, 2 full baths, W/D, upper and lower decks, use of kitchen. Property is by Welsh & the Boulevard, 1 min. to 58 bus. We ask only that you be at least reasonably neat and employed. Rent is $600 + 1/3 utils. Contact Dave at 215-698-0215. _______________________________34-29 NORTHERN CHESTER COUNTY Beautiful 200 y.o. restored farmhouse. 3rd floor is one large room with private bath, internet access, cable and all utils. incl. Asking $575/mo. + $300 sec. dep. Call 610-731-4530. _______________________________34-22 ROOMMATE WANTED, 5 BR. HOME Trenton, NJ. Looking for a roommate to share my 5 bedroom home in quiet Hiltonia, in Trenton. 30 minutes from Philly and 15 minutes to New Hope. Close to trains to NYC and Philly. Clean, no smoking, and ability to use all areas of the house. I do have a male black lab, fenced in back yard, sunken patio and hot tub. Rent is $1000.00 a month and includes all utilities. 609-777-9182 _______________________________34-22 GM sh. 2 BR apt. Upper Darby. $350. 610931-6633. _______________________________34-23 26XX W. MONTGOMERY AVE. Rooms for rent, from $325 to $1200. Utils paid. Robert Langley, 917-825-7762. _______________________________34-24 51ST & CITY AVE. VICINITY Quiet neighborhood, N/S male, full time grad. or international student pref. Kit/laundry priv. Utils incl. Furnished. $375/mo. (Also room w/half bath, $395.) Call 215-878-5182. _______________________________34-22
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
VACATION
BUSINESS
RENT
OPPORTUNITIES
OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/ partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800-638-2102 Online reservations www.holidayoc.com _______________________________34-22 NORTH WILDWOOD, NJ- FLORENTINE MOTEL CLASSIFIEDS Beach/Boardwalk Block, Heated Pools, Efficiency/ Motel units refrigerator, elevator. Color Brochure/ specials 609-522-4075 DEPT.104 www.florentinemotel.com _______________________________34-22
ALL CASH VENDING! Do you earn $800 in a day? Your own local candy route. Includes 25 Machines and Candy All for $9,995. 1-800-460-4027. _______________________________34-22
SERVICES ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE From Home. *Medical, *Business, *Paralegal, *Computers, *Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualified. Call 866-858-2121 www.CenturaOnline.com _______________________________34-22 AIRLINES ARE HIRING Train for high paying Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified -Housing available. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance (888)349-5387. _______________________________34-22 JMS MOVING & DELIVERY SERVICE JMS Moving and Delivery Service LLC The quality shows in every Move we make. James M. Smith & Commercial moves JamesResidential M. Quesenberry, MA, CRC, CVEin Philadelphia Disability and BucksConsultant area. Free in home estimate. Packing, Un-packing. (267)907-4374 JMSmovingservice@yahoo.com _______________________________34-23 Social Security Disability IN HOME PERSONAL TRAINING WOMEN ClaimsFOR Appeals Privacy, Convenience, Results! FREE Consult! Email today! TrainWithKate@gmail.com _______________________________34-24
215-629-0585
ADOPTION Educated, traveled, fun-loving same-sex couple promise unconditional love in safe, nurturing and fun home with pets. MyTwoDadsAdopt. com or call Chris/Bob at 800-204-3475. _______________________________34-22 Are you Pregnant? Considering adoption? A childless couple seeks to adopt. Financial security. Loving Home. Expenses paid. Barbara & Jacqueline. 1-800-691-5604. _______________________________34-22 Adoption - Happily Married, Well-educated, Financially Secure Couple Desires to Adopt Newborn. Lots of Love and Affection. Expenses Paid. Paula & Greg 1-877-836-4060 _______________________________34-22 ADOPT The stork didn’t call. We hope you will! Happily married, educated, loving couple wishes to adopt newborn. Expenses paid. Robin & Neil 1-866-303-0668 www.robinandneil.info _______________________________34-22
FINANCIAL
SERVICES CASH NOW! Get cash for your structured settlement or annuity payments. High payouts. Call J.G. Wentworth. 1-866-SETTLEMENT (1-866738-8536). Rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. _______________________________34-22
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
NOTICES
HELP WANTED
LEARN TANTRA FOR MORE PLEASURE Men’s workshop. June 4-6. Expand your sensual nature. Part lecture, often clothes off & always fun. 215-844-6537 or be.philly@gmail. com _______________________________34-22 Pennsylvania’s Largest Lost and Found: Last year, the Pennsylvania returned over APRILTreasury 25 - MAY 1, 2008 $100 Million Dollars of uncliamed property. Search www.patreasury.org or call 1-800-2222046 to see if we have money for you. Each year, Treasury receives millions of dollars in unclaimed property-things like: *abandoned bank accounts *forgotten stocks *uncashed checks *certificates of deposit *life insurance policies *safe deposit box contents *recovered stolen property. At Treasury, we work hard to find the rightful owners of this unclaimed property. But even if we can’t find you, you can find your property. If you see your name, visit www.patreasury.org to make a claim. We are only required to publish the names of owners of property worth more than $250 one time-so even if you don’t see your name here this year, you may have something. It’s worth a search of our website. Visit us NOW and claim what’s YOURS! _______________________________34-22
REGIONAL DRIVERS NEEDED! MORE HOMETIME! TOP PAY! Up to $.43/mile company drivers! 12 months OTR required. HEARTLAND EXPRESS 1-800441-4953 www.heartlandexpress.com _______________________________34-22 COMPANY Experienced OTR drivers and Teams. Consistent Miles, Excellent Health Benefits. 6 mo. OTR exp. & current CDL 888-463-3962 www. usatruck.jobs EOE M/F/H/V. _______________________________34-22 CDL-A Drivers: Our Freight Needs You! Over The Road Flatbed & Dry Van. Professional Equipment. High Miles. Good Driving Record Required. We accept your long form and medical card. Western Express. Call Nancy: 888-801-5295. _______________________________34-22 CDL-A DRIVERS 6 Months recent experience required. Terminals in York and Somerset, PA. Earn up to $1000 per week or more with great benefits. 800-609-0033. Apply online at www.joindmbowman.com _______________________________34-22 Flatbed, Reefer, and Tanker Drivers Needed! Now hiring students and CDL Training Available! Incredible Freight Network! All levels of experience welcome to apply. 1-800-277-0212 www.primeinc.com _______________________________34-22 REGIONAL COMPANY DRIVERS Home Weekly. Competitive Pay. Immediate Benefits. CDL-A with 1 year experience, 23 yoa. Call NFI Sunday or anytime: 877-8888476, www.nficareers.com _______________________________34-22 FLATBED DRIVERS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY! (REGIONAL RUNS) *GREAT PAY *GREAT MILES *GREAT CAREER Minimum 2 years OTR, with 6 months Flatbed exp. CALL NOW: 866-415-3022 Swift. ______________________________34-22
Gay is our middle name.
PGN
SERVICES DIRECTORY ����������������
Suite 202 Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030
Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. Call 215-625-8501 Today!
PGN
������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 41
PAGE 42
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 43
PAGE 44
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 45
PAGE 46
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PAGE 47
PGN now offers FREE online text classifieds. Go to www.philagaynews.com for the details. You can also place your print ad through the Web site - it’s fast and easy!
Classifieds Liner Insertion Order Select the TYPE STYLE you want from the examples below, and begin each line under the arrow to the left of the letter representing that style. Write to the end of the line (hyphenate words correctly. Do not stop at any other arrow, as each arrow represents a starting point. Allow one block for each letter, number, punctuation mark and space. Be sure to skip a space between words. PHONE NUMBER MUST INCLUDE AREA CODE. Be sure to circle one of the classifications and compute the cost of your ad. Liner advertising is on a PREPAY BASIS ONLY, and payment must accompany this form. PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH THROUGH THE MAIL. Type STYLE A Type STYLE B TYPE STYLE C
A
B
HEADLINE (24 SPACES PER LINE) FREE WHEN PLACED ONLINE 40 spaces Per Line 36 spaces Per Line 24 SPACES PER LINE
7 point 7 point 7 POINT
C
NAME ADDRESS CITY PHONE
PLEASE PRINT STATE
ZIP
AMEX • MASTERCARD • VISA • DISCOVER CARD NUMBER EXPIRATION SIGNATURE NAME ON CARD # # #
“A” LINES @ $5.50 - $ “B” LINES @ $7.50 - $ “C” LINES @ $10.00 - $ BOX YOUR AD $5.00 SUBTOTAL NUMBER OF WEEKS X SUBTOTAL % TERM DISCOUNT AD TOTAL TOTAL PAYMENT ENCLOSED
CLASSIFICATION (CIRCLE ONE) REAL ESTATE FOR SALE • REAL ESTATE FOR RENT • ROOMMATES • SEASONAL RENTALS • SERVICES • FINANCIAL SERVICES HELP WANTED • JOBS WANTED • BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES • FOR SALE • AUTOMOTIVE • AUCTIONS • TRAVEL RESORTS ADOPTION • PERSONALS • FRIENDS MEN • FRIENDS BISEXUAL • FRIENDS TV/TS • FRIENDS WOMEN
Return form and payment to: Masco Communications 505 S. Fourth St., Phila., PA 19147 or fax: 215-925-6437 or email: don@epgn.com
CRC, CVE
bility
PAGE PAGE48 110
APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS CLASSIFIEDS
MAY25 28--MAY JUNE1,3,2008 2010 APRIL
LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
AMY F. STEERMAN Attorney at Law
Concentrating in Planning for Lesbian and Gay Couples • Probate • Wills • Living Wills • Powers of Attorney
215-735-1006
1900 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.amysteerman.com
James M. Quesenberry, MA, CRC, CVE Disability Consultant
Social Security Disability Claims Appeals
215-629-0585 Suite 202 Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030
this space: only $25 per week*
Your ad dollars go further when you target your audience *when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks
Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. Call 215-625-8501 Today!
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
PAGE 106
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 49
SERVICES & HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY
DOUGLAS CONSTRUCTION • Complete Home Remodeling • Interior Design • Kitchen & Bath Specialists • Custom Interior renovations
Free Estimates Licensed & Insured
Douglas Morgan 215-462-1066
Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. Call 215-625-8501 Today!
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS ADULT PERSONALS
PAGE 50
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
Cashiers and Cleaners Willing to Work More Than 1 Shift Per Week Full or Part-time All shifts avail. Apply in person
Sansom Street Gym 2020 Sansom St.
There are easier ways to get noticed...
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
Adult/Personals FRIENDS
MEN
FRIENDS
MEN
FRIENDS
MEN
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. _______________________________34-29
Erotic Dungeon Master
6’, 165 lbs., 60 year old Master, greek active, french passive requires obedient slave for training, S&M, B/D, W/S, etc. Limits respected and expanded. Assistant Master wanted. Call Dave at 215-729-6670, day or evening. _______________________________34-34 609-345-8203 oceanhouseatlanticcity.com _______________________________34-39 GWM, 35 ISO blk/Latino male or TS. 215416-4146. _______________________________34-24 Older GM sks friends. Dan, 610-931-6633. _______________________________34-23 RELATIONSHIP WANTED GBM, 39, 5’10”, top, 160 lbs. with an athletic build. Looking for a passive, kind, serious bottom to share my life with. Only serious need to apply. Call before 10pm-215-765-7774. _______________________________34-27 I’m looking for an attractive she-male, hermaphrodite, transsexual girlfriend in Phila. or Berks County. Contact Crystal Moyer Ayala or leave a voicemail with name, phone number and address optional at 484-269-2247. _______________________________34-24 Daddy sks sissy friends. Dan, 610-931-6633 _______________________________34-24 GWM, 55, 6’3”, slim, romantic for black or Latino (nonsmoker). I enjoy working out, bicycling, canoeing, hiking, gardening and antiques. Please leave a message at 609-530-1726. _______________________________34-24 Gay man seeking funds for breast implant surgery. Highly greatful! Contact Crystal Moyer Ayala at 484-269-2247. _______________________________34-25
FRIENDS
BI
Puerto Rican man, 5’7”, 180 lbs. med. build BR/BR, looking for M/F for friendship or relationship. No smoking/drugs. 267-581-9529. No calls after 7 PM. _______________________________34-22
Recreational Activities
PGN
Personals
IN THE
Meeting Place
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010
MODELS
ESCORTS
MODELS
ESCORTS
nite. GWM couple ISO GWMs 18-40 yrs. for 1 on 1 and group sex. Stockings, pantyhose, etc. Starts 9 PM Sat. Call Sat. 7-8 PM 856910-8303, ask for Mark. _______________________________33-24 ADULT PERSONALS PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS GWM, Italian, top or bottom, 7” cut. Also into assplay, toys & water sports. Bi, straight, out FRIENDS of towners welcome. Day or night. Call Jeff at 215-850-7900. _______________________________33-18
MEN
Adult
Str
Books
PAGE 51
CERTIFIED
MASSAGE ���������������������������� MASSAGE
�����Man for Man Massage ���������������������� Tall, attractive, muscular Sensual/Erotic Massage ����������������������������� I will tailor your massage ��������������������������������� to suit your needs... Incall/Outcall ������������������������ �������������������������������������
r FULLB “A H City/S
(2
Convenient to Lower Bucks, NE Phila. 15 mins from CC & S.Jersey Available to any Phila area Hotel G12
215-313-1010 Online. Anytime.
WWW.EPGN.COM
Handsome Certified Therapist
MEN
FRIENDS
MEN
• Sensual
6’, 195 lbs, Muscle Gives Sensual / Therapeutic Massage
Services Directory FRIENDS
• Full Body • Deep Tissue
Call 215-432-6030 FRIENDS
Gay is our middle name. MEN
FRIENDS
MEN
����
• Erotic
B-7
B-2
FRIENDS
MEN
���
����� PGN
PAGE 52
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2010