pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 42 No. 22 June 1-7, 2018 24 hours, 24 decades of music
Philadelphia FIGHT is primed for AIDS Education Month PAGE 2
Federal appeals court upholds trans rights at Boyertown High School
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‘Love is Love’ is the Stateside vodka message for Pride month
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Inaugural LGBT State of the Union addresses funding, diversity questions By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com
By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com LGBT advocates are praising a recent order by a three-judge panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals that allows trans students at Boyertown Area Senior High School to access restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity. “This case has always been about ensuring a fair and equal educational environment for transgender students,” said Mary Catherine Roper, deputy legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, which was involved in defending the case. “We are grateful that the court understood that, and we are especially grateful to our clients who bravely stood up in defense of the school’s practice.” The circuit judges upheld U.S. District Judge Edward G. Smith’s denial of a preliminary injunction sought by four current students and two former students who oppose sharing restrooms and locker rooms with trans students. Smith denied their request last August. An injunction would have suspended a trans-friendly policy that has been in place in the Boyertown Area School District since 2016. The plaintiffs maintained an injunction was necessary due to alleged privacy intrusions and sexual harassment caused by the district’s trans-friendly policy. “Plaintiffs have not demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits and they have not established that they will be irreparably harmed if their [preliminary-injunction request] is denied,” the appeals panel wrote. In his ruling, Smith cited extensive remodeling at Boyertown High that provides “enhanced” privacy for students — such as multiple single-user restrooms, alternate locker rooms and curtained areas and individual stalls in common areas. The judge also cited a lack of evidence that sexual harassment and/or privacy violations were occurring due to the district’s trans-friendly policy. Boyertown is a borough in Berks County about 48 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Some 1,650 students attend the high school. The ACLU of Pennsylvania and the PAGE 8 ACLU’s LGBT and HIV
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Diversity, inclusion and community involvement were the hot-button topics at Philadelphia’s first-ever LGBT State of the Union, hosted by the Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs at the Kimmel Center. The SOTU brought together the executive directors of 10 organizations to address the public with TED Talk-style presentations. Those organizations included the William Way LGBT Community Center, The Attic Youth Center, Mazzoni Center, COLOURS Organization, Galaei, Philly Pride, Philly Black Pride, Independence Business Alliance, Delaware Valley Legacy Fund and LGBT Elder Initiative. The nonprofit leaders delivered seven-minute presentations on the achievements of the past fiscal year and future goals Amber Hikes, executive director of the Office of LGBT Affairs, said she organized the event to bring her “Community Conversations” initiative to a larger audience. “This community conversation is an THE ATTIC YOUTH CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DR. CARRIE JACOBS (LEFT) opportunity to highlight the incredible ADDRESSES THE LGBTQ STATE OF THE UNION ASSEMBLY MAY 29 AT KIM- work of our organizations while LGBTQ MEL’S PERELMAN THEATER. Photo: Scott A. Drake Philadelphians have the PAGE 2
COLOURS denies rumors of shutdown By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com The executive director of the COLOURS Organization is refuting rumors that the nonprofit will close its doors after 27 years of service due to a lack of federal funding. Allegations surfaced on social media last week that the organization lost its primary funding from the Philadelphia Department of Health. But they’re not true, said Damon Humes, executive director. “I received many calls from all executive directors within the community expressing their concern,” Humes said. “Although we’ve faced challenges, COLOURS’ funding remains intact.” The COLOURS Organization provides community-building programs and HIV/AIDS-related services to black, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Founded in 1991, the organization is 90-percent funded by the city’s Health Department, with additional support from Philadelphia FIGHT, Philly AIDS Thrift and local community establishments such as Woody’s Bar.
Humes said that rumors started surfacing in April that COLOURS was facing a shutdown due to inadequate funding. The Health Department also refuted the allegations. “We’re aware of the rumors. We are not planning any change that would make them true,” said James Garrow, the city’s director of digital public health. “We continue to fund COLOURS to provide access to HIV testing, linkage to HIV medical care and referrals and support for individuals seeking PrEP.” Humes said the false information isn’t going to slow down COLOURS’ current efforts to rebuild the organization’s image after years of challenges and changes. The rebranding includes a community-promise initiative, in which where members of the community interact directly with COLOURS staff to provide feedback about their HIV testing experiences. COLOURS is also focusing more on community input by hosting public monthly advisory-board meetings. “We need to be as transparent as possible as an organization about the challenges we face,” Humes said. “If not, we continue to operate in a vacuum and we don’t need that anymore.” n