pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 42 No. 23 June 8-14, 2018
Family Portrait: Francisco Cortes is changing lives
Former Mazzoni interim CEO responds to anonymous allegations
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Barbra “Babs” Siperstein to be honored
A rainbow of books for summer
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30 years of Pride
City officials say Supreme Court ruling won’t alter expectations for local businesses
By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com This year marks the 30th anniversary of Philadelphia Pride. Over the last three decades, Pride Day has evolved from a small, impromptu march to the largest LGBTQ celebration in the region. Today, Pride offers more inclusive spaces to commemorate past LGBTQ victories while highlighting an ever-expanding spectrum of sexual orientations and identities. Evan Thornburg, deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs, said the definition of pride has evolved to reflect the entire rainbow community. “Pride now means trying to create space for every perspective within the LBTQ community to say that ‘I’m here.’ We didn’t always see the entire community represented. Now we have a chance to change that.” Daiyon Kpou, co-founder of Her Moves Philly — a collective of LGBTQ millennials —
By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com City officials this week reiterated that proprietors of places open to the public in Philadelphia cannot turn away LGBT individuals despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling favorable to a Colorado baker who refused to sell a cake to a same-sex couple for their wedding reception. In a 7-2 opinion, the high court said the Colorado Civil Rights Commission didn’t give Denverarea baker Jack Phillips a fair hearing in 2014 when ordering him to bake cakes for same-sex weddings. The justices didn’t strike down Colorado’s antidiscrimination law, which bans anti-LGBT bias in public accommodations. But they said CCRC commissioners exhibited “animus” towards Phillips’ religious beliefs, thus violating his constitutional rights. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor filed a dissenting opinion. This week, Rue Landau, executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, said the Supreme Court’s ruling doesn’t alter the city’s commitment to LGBT equality. “Let me be clear, today’s Supreme Court ruling does not change the way businesses must operate in PAGE 38
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HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
FIGHTING THE FIGHT: Philadelphia FIGHT kicked off AIDS Education Month with a reception and presentation of the Kiyoshi Kuromiya Award for Prevention, Treatment and Justice to Lee Carson and Elvis Rosado June 4 at the Independence Visitor Center. The award is named in honor and memory of the HIV+ activist and creator of the Critical Path AIDS Project to provide free Internet access and information on HIV/AIDS treatment. The next AEM event will be “End AIDS: The HIV Prevention and Outreach Summit,” June 13 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The summit provides the latest information about research, evidence-based HIV prevention, outreach strategies and best practices in targeting and connecting to care for the most at-risk groups in Philadelphia. Photo: Scott A. Drake
IBA Pride Brunch Woodbury Pride Gala photos Pride from the William Way archives Pride celebrations in the area
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WOODBURY WONDERS: The first annual Woodbury Pride Gala went off with a few raindrops and a splash of color June 2 at Auletto’s Catering. The evening kicked off with a wine tasting and appetizers, followed by dinner, dancing and awards. Rainbow Awards were presented to Kristina Morrison (from left), Tyler Ager, Ryan Morrison, Mike Romano, Joanne Romano and Kristen Wilson. Ian Morrison, aka Brittany Lynn, was also recognized but was not in attendance. Additional photos, page 5. Photo: Scott A. Drake
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said that more representation of marginalized groups within the community, including queer and trans women of color, is creating more opportunities for progress for her generation. “The community is doing better with its inclusivity of every identity under the rainbow. We’re progressing our understanding of the different intersections of identity and the disparities that are sometimes against us. We now have more power to work against that and create our own spaces and opportunities,” Kpou said. Heshie Zinman, founder of the Elder LGBT Initiative, who has celebrated the last 30 years of Pride, said that advances in rights are a result of collective hard work from the entire community. “We have seen great progress in gaining rights for LGBTQ people and pushing our society to be more inclusive and welcoming to people of all orientations and identities,” Zinman said. “This hasn’t happened just by PAGE 8 chance, but rather as the
• Why Pride matters more than ever • LGBT rights and sate- and nationwide • Lancaster upgrades its Pride • Looking back: 1991 Pride photos
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