A first-person LGBT-of-color account of Stonewall
Professional Portrait: Darrell Martin
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MANNA chief announces 2013 departure
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June 29-July 5, 2012
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Vol. 36 No. 26
Gay man murdered in S. Philly By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
BALLROOM BRAWN: About 700 people packed into Dorrance Hamilton Hall at University of the Arts June 23 for the Crystal Ball. Staged by Philadelphia FIGHT and The Colours Organization Inc., the ballroom event, which returned in 2011 after a several-year hiatus, focused on HIV prevention. In addition to the ballroom competitions, which required participants to research and present facts about HIV/ AIDS, free rapid HIV tests were provided on site, an award was given to the house whose members attained the most HIV tests and youth presented tributes to HIV/AIDS advocates in the ballroom community, including commentator Father Jay Blahnik and the late Robert K. Burns, former executive director of Colours. Photo:
A gay man was killed in an apparent robbery in his South Philadelphia house last week. Police say Michael J. Fox, 30, was killed in his home at 906 S. Eighth St. A roommate found Fox in his bedroom facedown in a pool of blood shortly after midnight June 22. The cause of death is believed to be blunt-force trauma to the head. The time of death is unknown. Police say he was last seen alive June 20. Fox lived with two other men in the twobedroom apartment. Police immediately questioned the roommate who found the victim and, as of press time, it was unclear if police located the other roommate. There were signs of a struggle in Fox’s
bedroom, as there was an overturned television, table and other furniture, police said. A police investigator assigned to the case had not returned inquiries by presst ime. Fox was a former barback at Woody’s and most recently was MICHAEL J. FOX studying at Empire Beauty School to become a hair stylist. A native of Mays Landing, N.J., Fox is a 2000 graduate of Oakcrest High School and went on to study graphic design at a vocational school. He was a talented artistic roller skater and held regional and state titles in the sport, according to his obituary. Former Woody’s owner Bill Wood said
Jury awards $165k in police sex assault case
Scott A. Drake
Model convicted in ‘gay-panic’ case
By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com
A federal jury this week awarded $165,000 in damages to James Harris, a North Philadelphia man who says a city police officer repeatedly forced him to perform oral sex while on duty in a secluded area of Fairmount Park five years ago.
By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com A model who alleged he accidentally killed a friend who was making unwanted gay advances was found guilty of firstdegree murder last week. A Philadelphia jury deliberated for just a few hours last Friday before returning a guilty verdict in the case against Raymond Armstrong. Common Pleas Court Judge Lillian Ransom immediately sentenced Armstrong to life without parole. Armstrong, 35, was accused of killing his longtime friend Anthony Williams, 37, in Williams’ Grays Ferry home in September 2008. A former defense attorney for Armstrong last year expressed the intent to employ a “gay-panic” defense — used to describe the sudden, violent reaction one may have when faced with unwanted sexual advances by someone of the same sex PAGE 21
the victim worked for him for about two years in the early 2000s. He said he saw him at Knock a few months ago and last week ran into his skating coach, who told Wood that Fox had just gotten back into the sport. Fox was arrested five times between 200508 — with four of the incidents taking place in a five-month period in 2008 — for such offenses as aggravated and simple assault, making terroristic threats, theft, robbery, possession of an instrument of crime, reckless endangerment, public drunkenness and other charges. He spent four months in prison in 2009 and was paroled to Miracles in Progress, an addiction-treatment center. A viewing was held Tuesday night in New Jersey. A scholarship is being established in Fox’s name. For information about donations, email starrfox@comcast.net. ■
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LGBT, HIV advocates testify before state aging officials AIDS IN AMERICA: The Wilma Theater hosted a discussion about the state of HIV/AIDS in Philadelphia June 25 to coincide with Philadelphia FIGHT’s AIDS Education Month and the theater’s run of HIV-themed “Angels in America.” The panelists included the city’s director of LGBT affairs Gloria Casarez (from left), William Way LGBT Community Center executive director Chris Bartlett, AIDS Activities Coordinating Office’s C. Denise Pressley, AACO’s first director and founder of Lavender Health David Fair, Mazzoni Center executive director Nurit Shein and activist and local coordinator of Positive Women’s Network Waheedah Shabazz-El. Photo: Scott A. Drake
By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Brian Duke this week heard directly from LGBT and HIV advocates about the need for the state to provide services to the aging community in an inclusive way. A coalition of community representatives was among those who PAGE 21