Summer fun from Aruba to Atlantic City
Aruba — 32 Atlantic City— 23 Columbus — 21 Gettysburg — 19
Books — 34 Concerts — 23 Outdoors — 23 Pride Guide — 14
Family Portrait: Melanie Rice is shoring up AC PAGE 31
AIDS Education Month events announced PAGE 5 May 29-June 4, 2015
Since 1976
PGN Philadelphia Gay News HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Vol. 39 No. 22
philly to raise trans flag
Murder victim mourned, remembered
By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
By Ryan Kasley ryan@epgn.com Londyn Kiki Chanel, a 21-yearold transgender woman, was killed earlier this month in North Philadelphia, and friends are remembering her for her vibrant and positive personality. A memorial was held Wednesday night at William Way LGBT Community Center. Chanel was stabbed several times inside an abandoned home in the 2220 block of Ingersoll Street, allegedy by 31-year-old Raheam Felton. According to police, Chanel and Felton knew one another and were living inside the abandoned home with two other transgender women. The stabbing is believed to have arisen from a domestic dispute. Felton was charged with murder and possessing an instrument of crime after he confessed, according to police. He faces a hearing next week. P G N spoke with a close friend of Chanel who recalled the victim as an outgoing people person. Brandi Mallin, a 23-year-old transgender woman, moved to Philadelphia from Lancaster to find a more accepting community. On her first day in town, she met Chanel at a small party. “I saw a lot of people laughing and dancing and just being happy, and there was Londyn just having a great time,” Mallin said. “I walked up to her and introduced myself and told her how beautiful PAGE 12 she was, and
GUAC GREATS: Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutritional Alliance staged its third-annual Guac-Off May 21 at Morgan’s Pier. The guacamole-tasting competition raised nearly $7,000 for the agency, which provides nutritional meals to people with life-threatening illnesses, including HIV/AIDS. Guerrilla Ultima won the Judge’s Choice Award and Xochitl took home the People’s Choice Award. The event was hosted by Brittany Lynn (right) and featured remarks by MANNA CEO Sue Daugherty. Photo: Scott A. Drake
The City of Philadelphia next week will raise the transgender Pride flag at City Hall. The first-ever ceremony will take place at noon June 4, and the flag will remain raised until June 6, the duration of the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference. “The city says that we’re everything to the LGBT community but far too often the ‘T’ is left far behind or out of sight, and it’s important to visibly make a commitment to the work that we know needs to be done,” said Nellie Fitzpatrick, the city’s director of LGBT Affairs. “I can’t think of anything more visible than putting the trans flag right next to the American flag at City Hall.” Fitzpatrick worked with the organizers of PTHC to organize the initiative. PTHC attendees will process to the ceremony
together and assemble in a designated area. There will be a city representative speaking at the ceremony — either Mayor Nutter, Fitzpatrick or another official — and it will be a short ceremony so that PTHC participants can return to the conference’s afternoon activities. Fitzpatrick said she envisions the flag-raising ceremony becoming an annual effort, along the lines of the rainbow-flag raising initiative that has happened each October since 2010. She noted that this occasion is meant to be celebratory. “We have far too many times where the trans community is mourning, from Trans Day of Remembrance to every time we lose somebody,” Fitzpatrick said. “But instead we should take a moment and revel in the empowerment of where the community is going because that’s incredibly important to celebrate.” n
Local Scouts: We’ll accept City launches ‘safe bathroom’ guide gay adults, if given the option Fitzpatrick noted, the law can’t By Jen Colletta By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com The Boy Scouts of America Cradle of Liberty Council will accept gay adults, if given the option to do so by the national BSA organization. Cradle executive Daniel A. Templar confirmed the potential policy shift to PGN this week. Templar’s statement comes on the heels of BSA president Robert Gates’ recent comments indicating that local BSA councils may soon have the option of accepting gay adults. Currently, gay youth may participate in Scouting, but not gay adults. “[Cradle] has always opposed prejudice, intolerance and unlawful discrimination,” Templar told PGN. “For that reason, we’re very
appreciative of the efforts of Dr. Gates and the national council to revisit the national membership standards for adults.” He added: “If a local option is offered to accept gay adults serving within the group, yes, we will [accept gay adults]. To my knowledge, [Cradle] has never denied membership to anyone based on sexual orientation.” Cradle is headquartered in Treddyfrin Township and serves youth in Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Cradle was formerly headquartered in a city-owned building on the Ben Franklin Parkway. But it vacated the building in 2013, after refusing to sign a lease with comprehensive antibias language. The building has been vacant for almost two years, and Templar didn't know PAGE 12
jen@epgn.com
In what could be the first city-sponsored initiative of its kind in the nation, Philadelphia this month launched an interactive online guide to help trans, gender-nonconforming and others locate gender-neutral restrooms in the region. The Gotta Go Guide was pioneered by Nellie Fitzpatrick, director of the Office of LGBT Affairs. The website and mobile app are powered through Google Maps and will be managed by Fitzpatrick’s office. The map tracks public, commercial and governmental buildings that offer gender-neutral restrooms. It is illegal in Philadelphia to deny access to a sex-segregated restroom that comports with someone’s gender identity but,
always prevent prejudice. “People should be able to access a bathroom that fits their gender identity but there are ongoing issues of harassment, bullying and true danger from other people using these bathrooms with them, customers, security guards, business owners,” she said. “Society as a whole needs to be educated about our laws and the rights people have and people need to stop policing other people’s gender in the restroom.” In 2013, Philadelphia adopted a law mandating all newly constructed or renovated municipal buildings include gender-neutral restrooms. “Although we have this ordinance, a lot of city buildings were built before it was enacted or haven’t been renovated yet, so that leaves us with a lot of spaces in our city that PAGE 2