PGN Jun 29 - July 5, 2018 by The Philadelphia Gay News

pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976

Vol. 42 No. 26 June 29 - July 5, 2018

National LGBT Chamber of Commerce conference preps for Philly

Family Portrait: Jerry Rice PAGE 19

PAGE 2

HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM

Gay-owned art gallery opens in New Hope

Boyertown trans-friendly ruling to be challenged

PAGE 20

PAGE 5

Presbyterian Church approves pro-LGBT measures By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com

HIP HOP AT THE TROC: The Trocadero Theatre hosted Hip Hop for Philly on June 26 in cooperation with Philadelphia FIGHT’s AIDS Education Month and Children’s Hospital. More than 1,500 people, aged 14-23, were tested for HIV or or attended education sessions in order to secure a ticket. Photo: Scott A. Drake

The United States Presbyterian Church has approved several LGBTQ-specific overtures at its biennial General Assembly, affirming religious freedom without discrimination for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The Rev. Jesse Garner III, minister at The First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, said the denomination is stepping away from the historical teachings of discrimination and moving toward being more inclusive and welcoming to all. “The historic teachings of the church stigmatized LGBT people,” Garner said, adding the church has been moving toward greater inclusivity. “The church has finally come around to being more serious about welcoming all in worship and in the posi-

tions within the church.” The denomination now denounces discrimination on the basis of religious freedom. In item 11-15 introduced at the 223rd General Assembly that took place June 16-23, it affirmed that the principle of religious freedom “should not mean the right to discriminate against or impose one’s views upon others. In our commitment to be disciples of Jesus Christ, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is called to stand against oppression and in support of human dignity for all people.” Item 11-12 proposed at the General Assembly affirmed its commitment to the full welcome, acceptance and inclusion of transgender people, people who identify as gender-nonbinary and those of all gender identities. The church is committed to “stand for the right of people of all gender identities to PAGE 8

Man accused of drag-queen attack ‘remorseful’ By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com A man accused of attacking a local drag queen is requesting placement in a diversionary program, which would allow him to avoid jail time. Carmelo Villanueva’s preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 26 before Municipal Court Judge Gerard A. Kosinski. The

judge postponed the matter until Sept. 11 due to defense attorney Philip Steinberg’s Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program request. Prosecutor Mayra Reyes didn’t object to a postponement. Outside the courtroom, Steinberg said his client is remorseful and willing to pay restitution costs to Aloe Vera, whose legal name is Anthony Veltre. “My client is legally and mor-

ally responsible to pay restitution for the victim’s injuries,” Steinberg told PGN. “He’s never wavered in his desire to do so.” “Mr. Villanueva has embarked on a journey to clean up his act,” Steinberg said, noting that Villanueva is gainfully employed and has enrolled in anger-management classes. “He wants to find out what caused him to punch a friend and break the

person’s jaw,” Steinberg said. “He want to get to the bottom of what caused that to happen.” Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition is a program that offers an alternative to incarceration for first-time offenders as approved by the D.A’s Office. Requirements of the program may include payment of restitution to the victim, PAGE 2 attendance in

VILLANUEVA

Legislation to replace gendered language in city tax forms By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com Mayor Jim Kenney signed two bills into law that replace gendered marital signifiers on two city tax forms in an effort to make the legislative code more inclusive. The legislation, introduced by Derek Green, will replace the terms “husband,” “wife,” “widow” and “widower” with the non-gendered term “spouse” on the Realty Transfer Tax and Senior Citizen Low Income Special Tax Provisions forms. Green said the previous terminology wasn’t representative of the progressive

nature of Philadelphia. “People are able to marry who they want regardless of gender identity and expression. We shouldn’t have things in the code that are vestiges to an older time,” he said. “Replacing language that makes reference to husband and wife is language that sends a message that we are progressive in fighting for the protections of every citizen.” The Human Rights Campaign reported that more than 50 percent of LGBT Americans live in states where they risk being fired, denied housing or refused services. Only 19 states and Washington,

D.C., explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Pennsylvania is not among them. Rue Landau, executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations and the Fair Housing Commission, said the new legislation affirms the city’s antibias policy. Gendered language has serious legal consequences, she added. “We are the only state in the Northeast where same-sex marriage is legal and we don’t have statewide-equality laws. After same-sex marriage became law, having the term husband and wife anywhere in

the code creates unnecessary legal obstacles,” Landau said. Kenney said the use of gendered language in such ordinances has historically created barriers for the LGBTQ community, where partnerships are not always properly reflected by the terms “husband and wife.” “The inclusion of gender-neutral language will help to streamline legal proceedings and demonstrates Philadelphia’s status as a city that ensures acceptance and equality for all its citizens, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation,” Kenney said. n

LOCAL PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Resource listings Legal resources • ACLU of Pennsylvania: 215-592-1513; aclupa.org • AIDS Law Project of PA: 215-587-9377; aidslawpa.org • AIDS Law Project of South Jersey: 856-784-8532; aidslawsnj.org/ • Equality PA: equalitypa. org; 215-731-1447

• Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations — Rue Landau: 215-686-4670 • Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: 215-7603686; ppd.lgbt@gmail.com • SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: 717-920-9537

• Office of LGBT Affairs — Amber Hikes: 215-686-0330; amber.hikes@phila.gov

Community centers • The Attic Youth Center; 255 S. 16th St.; 215-545-4331, atticyouthcenter.org. For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. • LGBT Center at the University of Pennsylvania; 3907 Spruce

St.; 215-898-5044, center@dolphin.upenn.edu.

• Rainbow Room: Bucks County’s LGBTQ and Allies Youth Center

Salem UCC Education Building, 181 E. Court St., Doylestown; 215-957-7981 ext. 9065, rainbowroom@ppbucks.org.

• William Way LGBT Community Center 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220, www.waygay.org.

Health and HIV testing • Action Wellness: 1216 Arch St.; 215981-0088, actionwellness.org

• AIDS Library:

1233 Locust St.; aidslibrary.org/

• AIDS Treatment Fact line: 800-6626080

• Bebashi-Transition to Hope: 1235 Spring Garden St.; 215769-3561; bebashi.org

• COLOURS: coloursorganization.org, 215832-0100 • Congreso de Latinos Unidos;

216 W. Somerset St.; 215-763-8870

• GALAEI: 149 W. Susquehanna Ave.; 267-457-3912, galaei.org. Spanish/ English

• Health Center No. 2, 1720 S. Broad

St.; 215-685-1821

• Mazzoni Center:

1348 Bainbridge St.; 215-563-0652, mazzonicenter.org

• Philadelphia FIGHT: 1233 Locust St.; 215-985-4448, fight.org

• Washington West Project of Mazzoni Center:

1201 Locust St.; 215985-9206

• Transgender Health Action Coalition: 215-732-1207

Other • Independence Branch Library Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection: 215-685-1633 • Independence Business Alliance; 215-557-0190, IndependenceBusinessAlliance.com

• LGBT Peer Counseling Services: 215-732-TALK • PFLAG: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Philadelphia): 215-572-1833 • Philly Pride Presents: 215-875-9288

Biggest LGBT business conference headed to Philadelphia By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce is holding its largest annual business conference in Philadelphia this year, with up to 5,000 people expected to participate. NGLCC’s 2018 International Business and Leadership Conference, entitled “LGBT Unity,” will bring together some 1,300 LGBTQ business owners, 250 corporate partner, who have LGBTQ inclusion as part of their supplier-diversity programs, and government leaders and representatives from 15 countries. The conference is the single-largest LGBT event in the world, said Jonathan Lovitz, NGLCC’s senior vice president. “We’re providing a platform to put more money in the hands of the community so that they can continue to vote with their dollars,” he said. “We’re supporting the companies who have our backs and paying it forward by making sure LGBT, and other diverse communities, are a part of utilizing [the community’s] own goods and services.” The conference, from Aug. 14-17 at the Philadelphia Marriot Downtown, partners entrepreneurs and suppliers in one-on-one matchmaker meetings for networking opportunities. Guests can participate in the marketplace expo to showcase new products and services. Martha Stewart will deliver the keynote speech. The NGLCC, which is based in Washington, D.C., works with federal agencies to ensure inclusion of LGBTQ-owned businesses in government procurement and supply chains. The agency has nearly 1,100 certified business enterprises, 204 corporate partnerships and 60 affiliate chambers, including its Philadelphia chamber, the Independence Business Alliance. “LGBT businesses are essential to the economic health of this country. An employer’s commitment to LGBT inclusion has to be part of every business operation,” Lovitz said. “We’re certifying more businesses because it is now essential for companies to have LGBT

suppliers included in their supplier-diversity programs if they want to receive a perfect score on the [Human Rights Campaign’s] Corporate Equality Index.” The index, launched in 2002, assesses LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices at Fortune 500 companies, rating businesses on their treatment of LGBTQ employees, consumers and investors. According to HRC’s rating criteria for the 2018 CEI, a business must demonstrate LGBTQ-specific efforts, including LGBTQ suppliers, part of their supplier diversity program. Lovitz said more businesses are getting certified through NGLCC to maintain a perfect CEI score. The NGLCC concluded in its 2016 “America’s LGBT Economy” report that the value of all LGBTQ-owned businesses totals to more than $1.7 trillion. That would make LGBTQ American businessess alone the 10th-largest economy in the world, Lovitz said. “Over 900 certified LGBT-owned companies have created an estimated 33,000 jobs,” he said. “Imagine our potential when we’re finally given a seat at the table like the private sector’s Fortune-500 companies.” The upcoming conference will help small-business owners expand their companies with an LGBT “Biz Pitch” competition for the most innovative LGBT-owned businesses, with the winner receiving $50,000 in cash and prizes. The contest is open to all conference attendees, but the applicants will be narrowed down to three finalist companies that will give five-minute presentations. One of the business owners who will attend the conference is Noell Allen from A Total Solution CPA & Consultant Service, an NGLCC-certified company. The NGLCC provides a new opportunity to network with other businesses owners, she said. “Our involvement with the organization and the conference has given way to new potential partnerships with other LGBT business enterprises. Our network has expanded exponentially just by being around like-minded businesses owners,” Allen said. n

VILLANUEVA from page 1

anger-management classes and community service. An offender’s participation in ARD can last anywhere between six months to two years, depending on the agreement worked out with prosecutors. Upon completion of the program, the offender’s criminal record is expunged. Villanueva, 34, faces charges including aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangerment, possessing an instrument of a crime and harassment arising from the April assault against Vera, who did not attend the court session and couldn’t be reached for comment. Ben Waxman, a spokesperson for District Attorney Larry Krasner, said in a June 26 email: “This is still a pending matter and therefore we can’t comment further on the case. I can also confirm that any further developments on this case will take place in open court.” n

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Run By People. Not Machines.

If you want to talk to a machine, go to the Big Banks. If you want top quality service from people who know your name, come to 1st Colonial Community Bank. At 1st Colonial, our business is run by people not machines. Gerry Banmiller, President & CEO

Collingswood 1040 Haddon Avenue 856.858.1100 NMLS # 677617

Westville 321 Broadway 856.456.6544

Residential Lending Division 210 Lake Drive E. â&#x20AC;˘ Cherry Hill 856.869.3250 Equal Opportunity Lender

Shares of 1st Colonial Bancorp, Inc. common stock are publicly traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol FCOB.

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976

HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM

News & Opinion

10 — Creep of the Week Editorial 11 — Mark My Words Opinion Street Talk 14 — Media Trail 15 — International News

Columns

7 — Body U: The 411 on inflammation

Arts & Culture 17 19 21 22 26 23

— Feature: Mini- series redux — Family Portrait — Scene in Philly — Out & About — Q Puzzle — Comics

“The committee is specifically [geared] so we stop harming people that have been harmed. We’ll look at the gaps in the system and how we can fix them.” ~ Movita Johnson-Harrell, on the new Crime Victims’ Advisory Committee of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, page 8

News updates more reliable than “a little bird told us”

Richard Gliniak’s priority is to help make Philadelphia’s criminal-justice system more user-friendly, particularly for LGBT people.

PGN 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

Publisher Mark Segal (ext. 204) mark@epgn.com

Creep of the Week: Jeff Sessions makes a repeat appearance as a Creep, this time on immigration policies.

Managing Editor

Kristen Demilio (ext. 215) editor@epgn.com

Advertising/Sales Joe Bean (ext. 219) joe@epgn.com

Staff Writers Adriana Fraser (ext. 206) adriana@epgn.com

Prab Sandhu (ext. 212) prab@epgn.com

Larry Nichols (ext. 213) larry@epgn.com

Office Manager/ Classifieds Don Pignolet (ext. 200) don@epgn.com

Writer-at-Large Timothy Cwiek (ext. 208) timothy@epgn.com

The new odd-couple comedy “Ideal Home” takes several sitcoms and blends with two gay dads.

Art Director/ Photographer

Scott A. Drake (ext. 210) scott@epgn.com 267-736-6743 Graphic Artist Sean Dorn (ext. 211) sean@epgn.com

Philadelphia Gay News is a member of: The Associated Press Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Suburban Newspapers of America

“Alone in the Game” follows LGBTQ athletes from the professional level all the way down to high-school sports.

Copyright © 1976 - 2018 Copyright(s) in all materials in these pages are either owned or licensed by Masco Communications Inc. or its subsidiaries or affiliate companies (Philadelphia Gay News, PGN, and it’s WWW sites.) All other reproduction, distribution, retransmission, modification, public display, and public performance of our materials is prohibited without the prior written consent of Masco Communications. To obtain such consent, email pgn@epgn.com Published by Masco Communications Inc. © 1976-2018 Masco Communications Inc. ISSN-0742-5155

National Advertising Rivendell Media: 212-242-6863

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.

REGIONAL PGN

Boyertown students will appeal trans-friendly ruling By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com An attorney for six current and former students at Boyertown Area Senior High School vowed to appeal last week’s judicial ruling that upholds the right of transgender students to use restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identities. The June 18 ruling by a three-judge panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirms “the needs, humanity and decency of transgender students.” It supplements a court order the panel issued May 24, after hearing oral arguments on the dispute. Randall L. Wenger, chief counsel for Independence Law Center, a conservative civil-rights organization based in Harrisburg, said he will file an appeal by July 2. In a June 22 email, Wenger said the appeal will seek review of the ruling by all 12 active judges of the Third Circuit along with Senior Judge Richard L. Nygaard. If the ruling isn’t overturned, Wenger said he may petition the

The students asked U.S. District Judge Edward G. Smith to issue a preliminary injunction halting implementation of the policy, but Smith refused to do so. U.S. Supreme Court to review the matter. The cisgender students initiated the litigation in September 2017, claiming Boyertown school district’s trans-friendly policy violated their privacy rights and created a “hostile environment” for them. The students asked U.S. District Judge Edward G. Smith to issue a preliminary injunction halting implementation of the policy, but Smith refused. The June 18 ruling upholds Smith’s refusal to issue an injunction. “Transgender students face extraordinary

social, psychological and medical risks and the school district clearly had a compelling state interest in shielding them from discrimination,” the 34-page ruling states. The ruling goes on to note that cisgender students who feel uncomfortable sharing a restroom or locker room with their transgender classmates can use single-occupant restrooms or alternate locker rooms available at the high school. Forcing transgender students to use facilities not consistent with their gender identity “would very publicly brand all transgender students with a scarlet ‘T,’ and they should not have to endure that as the price of attending their public school,” the ruling stated. Additionally, the panel of judges found that the cisgender litigants have unreasonable privacy expectations. “Appellants are claiming a very broad right of personal privacy in a space that is, by definition and common usage, just not that private. There is simply nothing inappropriate about transgender students using the restrooms or locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity under the policy the [school district] has initiated. And we reject appellants’ attempt to argue that there is.” The ruling repeatedly refers to non-trans students as “cisgender,” making the Third Circuit Court of Appeals the first federal appellate court to use this term, according to a June 19 blog posted by the American Civil Liberties Union. Boyertown school-district officials issued this statement on June 19: “The Boyertown Area School District, which deeply respects and is sensitive to the privacy rights of all students, is gratified with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that unquestionably supports the district’s actions regarding matters of bathroom/locker room facility access and accommodation. While we have always recognized the right of the plaintiffs to file their challenge, in light of this decision, we again acknowledge and applaud all those that have supported our efforts, including the work of our legal team.” n

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

event and travel photography

scottdrakephotos@gmailcom

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

LOCAL PGN

Temple study in search of gay Latino couples By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com A new research study at Temple University is providing data on the factors that contribute to Latino men being so disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic. The Connecting Latinos En Paraja study is being conducted through the School of Social Work at Temple’s College of Public Health. It will measure factors such as immigration status, access to healthcare and language barriers that lead to the increased HIV risk associated with Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). The study primarily focuses on HIV prevention within dyads, or two-component relationships, said Omar Martinez, assistant professor in the School of Social Work who conceptualized the study. The study is the only one of its kind that focuses on a wide range of dyadic and

long-term sexual relationships. “What we’re seeing in terms of epidemiological data is that relationships involving couples or longterm, primary partners are where HIV infections are sometimes more predominant,” Martinez said. “There are people who have open relationships or other relationship structures that help spread HIV in a different way than we’ve seen in the past.” Omar Valentine, study coordinator of Connecting Latinos en Pareja, said the research will educate participants on HIVprevention methods beyond condom usage. “Protection has many different faces. It’s not just about using condoms. Protection can mean using PrEp, getting HIV treatment if you are positive and getting tested frequently,” Valentine said. “We want to welcome people who consider themselves hookup buddies to couples that have been together for 10-15 years. There are ways to protect yourself when you’re in a relation-

ship or if you’re in a relationship structure that may be open.” Temple researchers developed the study two years ago and began recruiting paid participants in February. More than 250 participants have been screened so far, all of whom are couples in which one of the partners self-identifies as Latino. The researchers are looking to recruit 70

additional couples to partake in the study. Once chosen, couples must then participate in four hour-long sessions in which they provide an overview of their sexual health and sexual behaviors over the

past three months, as well as relationship dynamics, access to health services, religion or spirituality practices and other socio-demographic factors. Once the information is collected, participants are then placed into the Connecting Latinos En Paraja study or a study focused on standard care. The collected data will be available on the Templehealth REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) database when the study concludes in 2020. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2016 that one in four Latino MSMs in the United States will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetimes. “Community-based organizations such as they ones we partner with, Galaei and Camden Area Health Education, can use our data to support grant proposals and initiatives related to HIV prevention for Latino men,” Martinez said. n

LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY When It Comes To Your Money… Experience Counts

AMY F. STEERMAN Attorney at Law

Concentrating in Planning for Lesbian and Gay Couples • Probate • Wills • Living Wills • Powers of Attorney

215-735-1006

Serving our LGBT Community for over a decade.

1900 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.amysteerman.com

• Retirement Income Planning • Investment Management • Estate Planning • Insurance and Annuities

PARTNERS IN LAW PARTNERS IN LIFE

2016 Five Star Wealth Manager Philadelphia Magazine Award details at www.fivestarprofessional.com

Jeremy R. Gussick, MBA CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

856-452-0060 jeremy.gussick@lpl.com

MINSTER & FACCIOLO, LLC • WILLS & ESTATES • • DISCRIMINATION • • SMALL BUSINESS • • DIVORCE • • EMPLOYMENT • • REAL ESTATE • • CIVIL ACTIONS • • AUTO ACCIDENTS • • POWER OF ATTORNEY • • PRE-NUP AGREEMENTS•

A Registered Investment Advisor Member FINRA/SIPC

PGN directory ads are terrific way to tell people about your services. Spend as little as $50 a week when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks.

215-627-8200 PA 302-777-2201 DE 521 S. 2ND ST., PHILA., PA APPT. ALSO AVAIL IN DE & NJ

Email prab@epgn.com or call 215-625-8501 ext. 212 for more info.

Small businesses can afford special attention in our PGN directories. Spaces this size are only $50 per week when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks.

FITNESS PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Understanding the place of inflammation in the body With more public approval for holistic insulin, which is responsible for muscle medicine and changing fitness trends, stimulation and glucose absorption from it can be difficult to keep up the blood. Insulin resistance with the influx of information. causes an increase in bloodIn the last couple of years, sugar levels and worsens due one common word in both the to the overpopulation of cytomedia and research is “anti-inkines. This is when Type 2 diaflammation.” We now have betes develops. Both diabetes anti-inflammatory drinks, and obesity increase the risk of foods and so on. heart disease, which also trigBefore understanding why gers inflammation. anti-inflammation is importA lifestyle that promotes ant, we must know what anti-inflammation is ideal for inflammation is and why good health because it can the human body relies on it. reduce heart-disease risk and Inflammation is the body’s relieve stiff and tender joints. response to injury and illness Megan Niño Many argue that anti-inflamwith the intention to repair. matory diets are ideal for some Inflammation is not necessarily bad, diseases, but not all. Dr. Barry Seals because the body needs this response said one can feel fine and still have high to heal itself. The body releases white inflammation. Many Americans eat foods cells, including macrophages, into the rich in Omega-6 and not as many with bloodstream and sends them to the area Omega-3, which can put us off balance. of injury to protect us from foreign The idea is to find a balance that works substances. The macrophages release best for the individual. This can include a chemical called cytokines, which eating the right fruits, veggies and lean kills germs and sends a signal to other meats; getting your Omega-3s; using inflammation responses. Because of this spices with anti-inflammatory properties process, blood flow is increased to the and reducing refined carbs. point of injury and can cause tenderness More research is needed on anti-inflamand swelling. matory diets to prove they actually work; Inflammation can become harmful to however, from the existing research, foods the body. Dr. Jacek Hawiger of Vanderbilt that promote anti-infammation have shown University notes that two of the largest improved outcomes in conditions such as epidemics in America are obesity and diaheart disease and arthrtitis. n betes, connected by inflammation. Like Megan Niño is a kinesiologist and personal trainer macrophages, fat cells can create cytothrough her business Vigor Vida Fitness & Wellness. kines. As fat tissues grow, they attract She is an energetic and positive person who prides macrophages. Over time, fat cells begin to herself on teaching others to find empowerment in crush each other, causing more inflammatheir lives through fitness. She trains her clients out tory responses to clean up. of Optimal Sports Club and offers in-home training in On top of that, inflammation acts against Philadelphia and on the Main Line.

Body U

• Cosmetic dentistry • Crowns • Implants • Veneers • Whitening

High quality dental treatment and preventive care

Andrea V. Cronin, DDS Craig T. Wakefield, DDS

Your PATH TO Success STARTS Here Community College of Philadelphia is the smart path to a bachelor’s degree and careers that pay well. START YOUR SUCCESS STORY THIS FALL. Apply now at www.ccp.edu.

If you live in Bucks County or maybe just out doing things, you can ﬁnd a copy of PGN at these convenient locations: Bristol • Bristol News World, 576B Bristol Pike • Doylestown • Doylestown Bookshop, 16 S. Main St. • Siren Records, 25 E. State St. Levittown • Levitt Books, 7406 Bristol Pike • New Hope • Cornerstone Gym, 322 W. Bridge St. • Havana, 105 S. Main St. • John & Peters Place, 96 S. Main St. • Karla’s Restaurant, 5 W. Mechanic St. • La Chateau Exotique, 31A W. Mechanic St.• New Hope Lodge, 400 W. Bridge St. • Raven, 385 W. Bridge St. • St. Philips Church, 10 Chapel Road • Triumph Brewing Co., 400 Union Square Drive • Wishing Well B&B, 114 Old York Road •Newtown • Bucks Co. Community College, 275 Swamp Road • Quakertown • Adult World, 880 S. West End Blvd. • Warminster • Planned Parenthood of Bucks Co., 610 Louis Dr

Proudly serving the LGBT community and PWA for over 25 years.

Would you like to be on our distribution list?

Medical Towers Building • Suite 2306 255 S. 17th St., Philadelphia, Pa 19103 (215) 732-8080

Contact: don@epgn.com or 215451-6182 ext. 200 for delivery of complimentary copies.

Evening hours available.

epgn.com

@PhillyGayNews

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

LOCAL PGN

Krasner introduces new Crime Victims’ Advisory Committee By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com Twenty members of the new Crime Victims’ Advisory Committee of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office were announced last week — including an openly gay member. The panel committee meets monthly and advises the D.A.’s Victim and Witness Services Unit about empowering witnesses of crime, supporting victims and dealing with residual trauma. District Attorney Larry Krasner praised the new CVAC members during a June 21 press conference. “I’m excited that they have joined our movement, and very much look forward to receiving their recommendations about how we can improve the services and supports we offer to Philadelphia’s witnesses and victims of crime.” At one point during the event, Krasner choked back tears while introducing a female CVAC member whose son was recently murdered. Most of the CVAC members are either victims of violent crime or relatives of crime victims. Several CVAC members are the parents of young people who were murdered due to gun violence. Movita Johnson-Harrell, supervisor of the D.A.’s Victim and Witness Services Unit, said the first CVAC meeting will be held in July. The CVAC meetings won’t be open to the public, but policy recommendations made by the committee will be publicized.

Johnson-Harrell said CVAC will review a wide range of areas, including communication between prosecutors and victims, the manner in which relatives of homicide victims are notified by authorities about their loss, and citywide training regarding victims’ rights. “The committee is specifically [geared] so we stop harming people that have been harmed,” she said. “We’ll look at the gaps in the system and how we can fix the gaps.” After the press conference, when speaking to a PGN reporter, Johnson-Harrell appealed for members of the transgender community to serve on the committee. She said interested trans people may contact her at: movita.johnson-harrell@phila.gov. During the press conference, Sylvester Johnson, a former Philadelphia police commissioner, said he’s proud to serve on CVAC as a consultant. “I support [Krasner] 100-percent,” Johnson said. “He’s making the system fair and consistent. I will do everything I can to assist the group.” Sophie Heng, a victim of domestic abuse, noted the humanity of everyone serving on CVAC. “Victims are not just numbers on a court docket,” Heng said. Other CVAC members are Madison Alig, Laquisha Anthony, Grisell BosticSmith, Kimberly Burrell, Kangie Crews, Lisa Espinosa, Christa Hayburn, Catherine Kelly, David Krain, Kathy Lees, Cheryl Pedro, Felicia Pendleton, Tamara Qayyum, Rafiqua Saunders, Sylvia Simms, Trina Singleton and Vinnie Thompson. n

Gay man seeks to make criminal-justice system ‘user-friendly’ By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com R i c h a r d Gliniak’s priority as one of the members of the new Crime Victims’ A d v i s o r y Committee is to help make P h i l a d e l p h i a ’s criminal-justice system more u s e r - f r i e n d l y, particularly for LGBT people. The retired schoolteacher, who’s openly gay, said he was victimized by ongoing acts of anti-LGBT harassment committed by two of his next-door neighbors about 15 years ago. “I want to take an awful hate-crime experience that lasted two years — and the knowledge that I gained from that experience — and use it to help improve the system,” said Gliniak, 56. His then-neighbors hurled anti-LGBT slurs and death threats at him on a neardaily basis, he said. Additionally, one of the neighbors spat on him and vandalized

Philadelphia Museum of Art displays Pride flag By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com One of the original rainbow flags will be displayed for the first time as an example of contemporary art design at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the 40th anniversary of the flag’s debut. The public will be able to view the rainbow flag as an art object at the museum through July 8 in a gallery located outside the Great Stair Hall. The nylon flag is approximately 3-feet wide and 5-feet long. Michelle Millar Fisher, the Louis C. Maderia IV assistant curator of European Decorative Arts, said that Baker’s flag is a design “that represents human rights and equity.” “Baker was about the universality of love, human rights, civil rights and respect for others,” Fisher said. “The flag is an everyday object that everyone is familiar with and can connect with. Baker never trademarked the design, so the flag being

on display highlights how accessible the design is for everyone. It’s a powerful and political design that the museum wanted to display not only for what it symbolizes, but as an example of modern and contemporary design.”

“We’re bringing people in one of the greatest civic spaces in the city to engage with a piece of art that resonates with so many people.” In 1978, led by Baker at the Gay Community Center in San Francisco, 30 volunteers hand-dyed and stitched the two original rainbow flags. They raised the flags at the United Nations Plaza during the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade to highlight LGBTQ issues as both a

global struggle and a matter of civil rights. Emily Schreiner, PMA’s curator of public programs, said the display initiates conversations about the role that flag plays in the world. “This is a great opportunity to welcome the community into the museum on a pay-what-you-wish Wednesday night to honor the flag, which has always been a symbol of unity,” she said. “We’re bringing people in one of the greatest civic spaces in the city to engage with a piece of art that resonates with so many people.” The flag’s 40th-anniversary celebration was held June 27 on the museum’s steps with remarks from Amber Hikes, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs. The Philadelphia Voices of Pride performed live as the rainbow flag was unfurled in the Great Stair Hall. The Gilbert Baker Foundation also featured a rainbow flag from its personal collection at the celebration. n

his car and home on multiple occasions. “It was two years of hell,” Gliniak said. One of the neighbors was eventually arrested and sentenced to a lengthy prison term. Gliniak continues to live in the same South Philadelphia rowhome where his victimization occurred, and it’s still difficult for him to discuss the experience. Gliniak said he’s keeping an open mind regarding the specific issues CVAC should address. But he expressed hope that the committee will review the private criminal-complaint program in Philadelphia. The program allows a private citizen to file a criminal complaint against an alleged offender in the event the D.A.’s Office won’t file charges. But the process can be lengthy and expensive. “I would hope the committee would look at the private criminal-complaint process and whether it’s LGBT-sensitive — because in my case, I did not feel that it was,” Gliniak said. He lauded the composition of the committee, which includes people from a varied backgrounds. “I think that each of our experiences can go a long way in making the criminal-justice system more user-friendly,” he said. n

CHURCH from page 1

live free from discrimination, violence and every form of injustice.” Similarly, item 11-13 affirmed the rights of LGBTQ people for ministry and “celebrates their service in the church and in the world.” Both items were unanimously approved. J. Herbert Nelson II, the church’s General Assembly Stated Clerk, said in a statement that the assembly is bringing a “renewed excitement” in the denomination as more people become interested in the issues of justice the church has always embraced. According to its website, the PCUSA had “unprecedented” losses between 2012-16 when churches and their members left the denomination after previous assemblies voted to ordain LGBT clergy and allow same-sex marriage. Garner said that First Presbyterian has a long history of celebrating inclusion. The church’s pastor-nominating committee unanimously selected Dr. Baron Mullis, who identifies as gay, as its newest pastor, beginning in August. “PCUSA is moving towards greater inclusion and the acceptance of a broad range of lifestyle choices,” Garner said. “We’ve been much more inclusive as a congregation before the denomination as a whole officially emphasized inclusion. Our congregation had a longtime policy of affirming the gifts of LGBTQ people and evolving them as members to holding positions within the church. Inclusivity is nothing new for us.” n

LOCAL PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Hookups = Visit www.squirt.org to hook up today

Spring is here! Take

a bite

If you live in west Philadelphia or you’re hanging out there, you can ﬁnd a copy of PGN at these convenient locations: Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. • Drexel University, 4001 Walnut St. • Fresh Grocer, 4001 Walnut St. • Goodman Hall, 710 S. 42nd St. • International House, 3701 Chestnut St. • LGBT Center at Penn, 3907 Spruce St. • Metropolitan Community Church, 3637 Chestnut St. • Old Quaker Condos lobby, 3514 Lancaster Ave. • Oslo Hall, 510 S. 42nd St. • Penn Bookstore, 3610 Walnut St. • Saturn Club, 3430 Sansom St. • Saxby’s Coffee, 40th & Locust sts. • Sheraton Hotel, 36th & Chestnut sts. • St. Mary’s Church, 3916 Locust Walk • University of the Sciences England Library, 4200 Woodland Ave. • Wilson Hall, 708 S. 42nd St. • World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. •

Or from a news box at one of these convenient spots:

out of it.

Read PGN’s food reviews every second and fourth week of the month

- and check out our archive of past reviews on epgn.com.

epgn.com

@PhillyGayNews

30th & Market sts. • 34th & Spruce sts. • 34th & Walnut sts. • 36th & Walnut sts. • 37th & Spruce sts. • 38th & Chestnut sts. • 38th & Spruce sts. • 38th & Walnut sts. • 40th & Walnut sts. • 40th & Spruce sts. • University City SEPTA Station •

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

EDITORIAL PGN EDITORIAL

Creep of the Week

D’Anne Witkowski

Jeff Sessions

Editorial

A bipartisan push for visibility To close out Pride month, three Congress members introduced a bipartisan, nonbinding resolution this week to highlight the economic firepower LGBT business owners bring to the American economy. U.S. Reps. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.),Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), and Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), introduced House Resolution 969, “recognizing the accomplishments and the economic contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender entrepreneurs and small business owners.” The numbers tell the story: an estimated 1.4-million LGBT-owned businesses nationwide that have created more than 33,000 jobs; businesses that survive an average of 12 years — seven years above the national average; and an estimated $1.7 trillion in combined economic power of all LGBTowned businesses. The success comes despite discrimination in most states in employment, housing and access to public services. The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the D.C.-based advocacy group serving as the business voice of the LGBT community, is one of the forces behind the resolution as part of its mission to ensure that all LGBT entrepreneurs have the same access to resources and opportunities, which benefits the country as a whole. Later this summer, the NGLCC will host the nation’s single-largest LGBT business conference here in Philadelphia, expected to draw thousands of participants. Even with the demonstrable success of LGBT-owned businesses despite the obstacles in the United States, it is critical for LGBT-owned and certified businesses to show up here and be counted. The goal of equality for all is not only a moral imperative, but also a financial one. n

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.

Out of the blue the other day, my 8-year- ignored the circumold son asked me, “What would you do to stances surrounding get me back?” the family’s coming “What do you mean?” I asked. to America in the “Like, if I was taken.” first place, which I was too stunned to formulate a good are in most cases answer. “Well, I’d do anything,” I said. quite dire. He thought for a moment. “If you could I mean, most only see me or Mommy,” he asked, referAmericans cannot ring to his other mom who is also my wife, even imagine a sit“who would you choose?” uation that would I had no answer for this, of course. But drive them to leave their homes, including I couldn’t help but think of the immigrant everything they own and everyone they and asylum-seeking families being torn know, and risk their lives to enter another apart at our border. Children were taken country where they have a chance to be from their parents and put in cages by the safe and make a life for themselves. This U.S. government. In your name. In my is why so many Americans support Trump name. In my son’s name. and Sessions and the whole hateful lot. “You know what?” I said to my son. “I We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that don’t like this game. I’m glad I don’t have there is a large number of Americans who to choose.” are thrilled with what was going on. This is But, of course, many families don’t what they wanted. Sessions has dreamed of have that luxury. They couldn’t say while this moment since he was knee-high. Mind you, it’s not the majority. The an ICE agent was taking their child’s majority of Americans didn’t vote for shoelaces, “I don’t like this game.” They Trump and do not support these policies. couldn’t say, while an ICE agent is cuffing them as their toddler daughter wails, “Let’s Most people around the world are horrified by what is happening. And yet, besides play something else.” They couldn’t say, while their child was in a van heading to an voting these white-supremacist scumbags out of office, what can you do? abandoned Walmart where they will sleep with a silver emergency blanket on the Well, first, you must do that. You must vote. You must help others register to vote. floor, “Have you had any breakfast?” There are, of course, those who argue You must help the campaign of a candidate that if these parents didn’t want their kids who actually stands for this country’s demtaken away, then they shouldn’t have been ocratic values. Sitting on the sidelines is crossing the border not an option unless to begin with — that Sessions apparently thought you want to be comthe onus is on the plicit in this ugliness. that people coming into parent fleeing vioBut on June 30, lence or abuse or just this country with children you can do somelooking for better thing tangible. are using those children economic opportuniThere’s a rally in ties here, rather than Washington, D.C., as shields against proseon the U.S. governwhere thousands ment to not engage in cution. What other reason will gather to tell the human-rights abuses. could parents have for not Trump administraNote: There’s no tion that they must law requiring separa- leaving their child behind? stop the breaking tion. This was a conof families. Trump scious choice by the Trump administration. knows that this policy plays well with his “Having children does not give you base and he’s surrounded by sycophants immunity from arrest and prosecution,” and watches only Fox News. He needs to Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said as see that we are watching him. a warning to those who might try to enter If you can’t make it to D.C., sister rallies the U.S. without proper documentation. are being held all over the country, includSessions claimed that this zero-toling in Philadelphia. You can find one, or erance, you-cross-my-border-I-takestart one yourself, online at gaybe.am/Z9. your-baby policy is necessary in order And, yes, rallies are not the answer to to protect children, because making the the problem. They are an initial response. journey to America is often dangerous and But joining together is a powerful act. Do should be discouraged. it for the families who would be together if Sessions apparently thought that people only they could. n coming into this country with children were D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian using those children as shields against prosliving in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been ecution. What other reason could parents writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow have for not leaving their child behind? Not her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski. to mention Sessions’s assertion completely

OP-ED PGN

The beginning of Pride As we go to press, I’m preparing to Village, all the way across town to Central travel for my last of four speaking gigs this Park and then having what we called a June, all for Pride month. There are various “Gay In” — a party. reasons why groups ask me to speak during The earliest discussion was of who Pride month. Some are familiar with my should be a part of the march. We all had column or writings; others want me to opinions. Some only wanted people who speak about publishing in the had helped from that moment LGBT community; still others, at Stonewall to create the coma point of LGBT history I’ve munity of that first year of the been personally involved with. modern LGBT-equality moveBut I’m sure that very few know ment. Other wanted to restrict that when they ask me to speak, churches, since they had been especially during Pride month, among the worst oppressors I’m going to speak about orgaof our community. But in the nizing that very first Pride, end, we felt that it was the since what most of them don’t word PRIDE that held all of us know is I was a part of that, together. So anyone who had and a death this past week just pride in themselves and their before New York’s Gay Pride community could march. That made me think a lot about what is the simplicity of Pride, and Pride stands for. before we had Pride, we had Many of us in New York’s people like Dick Litsch, former Gay Liberation Front (GLF), Mark Segal president of the Mattachine which was born from the ashes Society in New York, one of the of the Stonewall Riot in 1969, felt that few OUT gay men in the U.S. in the late something was needed to mark the first 1960s. He was a brave man, and to do that anniversary in June 1970. It was Craig at that time took Pride. n Rodwell who founded the Christopher Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s mostStreet Gay Liberation Day Committee. award-winning commentator in LGBT media. You Many of us in GLF joined Craig in what can follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ many people thought was an outrageous MarkSegalPGN or Twitter at https://twitter.com/ endeavor: Gay people marching out of the PhilaGayNews.

Mark My Words

Opinion Johnathan Gilmore What it’s like to be a gay veteran in Philly I was a gung-ho Marine living in Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii just four years ago. Life seemed bleak at times, even on one of the most beautiful islands this world has to offer, especially my last year there. I watched many of my friends — nay, brothers — depart to various parts of the country. I saw the end of a two-year relationship and, upon departure, I embraced a world of opportunities commonly known as civ-div (civilian division). I began my journey in Bellingham, Wash., and completed my bachelor’s degree in Ithaca, N.Y. During this time, I experienced ups and downs like you wouldn’t believe. I gained and lost friends trying to navigate the veteran community as a queer veteran at an elite institution, which you may correctly assume is a tricky world to navigate. On the one side, and while I constantly try to keep this in check, I’ve been groomed to be a killer. I was trained to assume everyone in the room may try to kill me, and that I have to be prepared for that at all times. On the other side, I crave a gay community full of people who understand and accept me, but I sadly have an incredibly difficult time doing so. Understanding queer veterans needs to be addressed. The other night I decided to go to Voyeur with a friend. I was so excited to have this

new friend in this new city. He seemed to be a very nice, sensitive guy. Perhaps we are vulnerable due to a world that constantly told us we are the very word we’ve taken back: queer. Strange. As the night progressed, and as we danced, my heart began to sink. My eyes begin to dart in different directions, and the paranoia set in. I quickly departed the club without telling my friend and made my way outside to catch an Uber. As I was about to get in, my friend berated me with the assumption that I was bored and therefore ditched him. I tried to explain that I needed to get back to the safety of my apartment, but the damage was done. I lost a friend in a new city. The next day he texted to inform me that we could no longer be friends. He said he didn’t care about my combat-veteran status, and that I was a shitty friend. I’m not a shitty friend. I’m a human being who has seen some of the world’s worst atrocities, from dying children to bombs that would shake the core of Philadelphia. I saw a vehicle get obliterated and the men inside turned to a red paste. Sure, many of us have dealt with homophobia, but tack that onto the stress of war and you get me: Johnathan Gilmore. There aren’t many people like me, which can feel lonely at times, and while we all want to feel like we’re different and special,

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Street Talk What's your opinion of PA state Rep. Brian Sims giving the finger to Vice President Mike Pence on Facebook? "I wasn't a good thing. It's not a good image for the government. I don't think someone with that much power should Jay Baber be doing salesperson that. It shows South Philadelphia he wasn't raised well. I wouldn't do something like that. It's not my demeanor."

“I think it’s fine. If anything, it’s an understatement. His gesture is justified, based on our current state of affairs. Paul Im At least he’s procurement analyst drawing Dallas, Texas attention to issues that need attention.”

"Fuck, yeah. I'm a big fan of Rep. Sims. Mike Pence deserved to be flipped off. He's a despicable person. I hope Mr. Stephan Keefe Pence is server aware of Mr. South Philadelphia Sims' opinion of him and takes it to heart."

"I'd prefer more diplomatic behavior by a public official, because giving the finger reflects poorly on us as a society. Michael Snyder I understand digital marketer Rep. Sims' Queen Village frustration. I just wish he would express it in a more positive manner."

the desire to feel normal can consume us. For example, just last night I was walking home from a nice evening at Kensington Quarters when fireworks began to go off. I couldn’t see the sparks, but I heard the booms. My heart sank again. My eyes darted, and the first thought in my head was to dive underneath the nearest car. Yet I proceeded, telling myself, “It’s just fireworks. It’s just fireworks,” while I held back tears and attempted to relax my body to ensure I didn’t make those walking near me uncomfortable. What I wanted to do was grab the nearest person and cry into their shoulder. I wanted to look at someone and tell them, “Help me. Hold me until these fireworks go away,” but people don’t want crazy. I’m fairly masculine, whether from my Idaho background or my time in the Marines, and this is criticized as toxic masculinity, which I’m fervently against, or internalized homophobia. Neither is true, but the analysis is hurtful, especially when it comes from those I desire to connect with. But I continue on. I walk the streets of Fishtown on my days off, admiring the beautiful street art and incredible personality this amazing city has to offer. I tell myself that everything is going to be OK

when I’m sitting in restaurants fearful that someone is going to kill me. I remind myself that this community does accept me. I mentally affirm, This community will protect me. They’ll understand, which is something I truly hope is the case, but hardly feels that way when I’m in the Gayborhood, which is a huge reason I don’t live there. So when you meet me or any gay veteran, just remember this: We want connection. We want to be your friend, but we aren’t the best at communicating our fears. It isn’t easy to tell someone, “Hey, sometimes I might randomly leave because I think someone is going to kill me.” It isn’t easy to open up about the traumas of war, but it’s easy to love us. We are loyal and kind, but sadly we are also terrified (sometimes) and we may need time to be alone. Instead of unfriending us and abandoning us, walk with us. Hold our hands because we need it more than most. We need our community more than ever, and most importantly, we need to be understood. I hope this helps you understand. n Johnathan Gilmore is recent Cornell grad and formerly enlisted combat veteran who focuses on masculinity, veteran awareness, and LGBT issues.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

PGN

Getting married?

HEALTH AND WELLNESS DIRECTORY John Bishop, Ph.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Individual, Couples, and Family Therapy In New Jersey, Just Over the Bridge

304 Newton Ave. Oaklyn, New Jersey 08107

215-341-5645 Most Insurances Accepted

Advertise your business in our directories for only $25 per week when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks.

rev. dr. Nadine

Rosechild Sullivan, ph.d.

Spiritual Counseling drsullivan@rosechild.org

215.704.4264

www.rosechild.org

Spirituality • Sexuality • Relationships • Self-Esteem

LGBT SMOKE FREE Living proudly. Living longer. For help quitting smoking, visit www.sepatobaccofree.org or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Tobacco Control Project is an initiative of Health Promotion Council.

If you are celebrating an anniversary, engagement, wedding, adoption or other life event, we would be happy to help you announce it to the community. Send your contact information and a brief description of the event to editor@epgn.com.

PGN

The Philadelphia Gay News won seven Keystone Press Awards this year, an honor that not only recognizes professional excellence, but journalism that “consistently provides relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers, and faithfully fulﬁlls its First Amendment rights/responsibilities.” The Keystone Press Awards are sponsored by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. PGN earned top honors in Division V for weekly publications with over 10,000 circulation in the categories of editorial, column, news photo and photo essay OP-ED PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Aug. 4-10, 2017

Conversion therapy is child torture

Mark My Words

Transmissions

Street Talk

To the entire LGBT community: psychiatry put its hand in with aversion Let’s begin as a community to state the therapy, which uses the Pavlovian dog-like truth without putting lipstick on a pig. training to force us to be heterosexual with Personally, it sickens me when I see somea handful of horrific tortures. There’s the one from GLAAD or HRC on television electric-shock system, some connected to calling conversion therapy genetics, water treatment — “praying the gay away.” That hey, they had it before President is downright as truthful as a Bush — and then there were Donald Trump tweet, and might drugs of various types, some show how we attempt to soften of which stopped people from our message for consumption breathing before an antidote by the mainstream. Or, it might was administered. They lost a hide something very sad: our few on that one, but hey, better own attempt to not accept what dead than a fag. has been done to us as a collecNow comes conversion tive community for years — and therapy. But this one targets that, my friends, is torture. mostly children whose parents We use terms like hate are now trying to “save” them. crimes, pray away the gay … Almost all the types of torture but much that has been done to I’ve listed above have been “cure” LGBT is sheer torture. used in some of these converMark Segal sion camps … and others. ABC And yes, I’m even talking about the water torture. So once again, News investigative reporter let’s go back in recent history to make the Brian Roberts did one of the best onepoints and hopefully get us back on the hour reports on this practice on “20/20.” right track, as we are literally fighting to It showed corporal punishment, imprisonsave children’s lives. ment and lots more. For years, going back even before there I think you get the idea. It’s time to were lobotomies — oh yes, many lobotspeak out strongly. Say it loud, say it omies were performed on LGBT peoclearly: Conversion therapy is child torture. ple — society attempted to try and find n a way to “change” us, making us holy Mark Segal is the nation’s most-award-winning comheterosexuals. When threat of religion mentator in LGBT media. His memoir, “And Then and criminal justice began to fail, medical I Danced,” is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & science showed up with lobotomies. Then, Noble or at your favorite bookseller.

Gwendolyn Ann Smith

First place

What foreign land would you like to visit this summer? "Calcutta, India. There's such an amazing culture of spirituality there. I would find that very inspirational. The symbols Ennis Carter and art that executive director I would see Gayborhood in that city would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

"Morocco. It's so rich with history, and I'm a history buff. North Africa has been a hub for world history for a long time. Kitty Heite And I love project organizer MediterranWest Philadelphia ean food."

"Maldives. It's a little island off the coast of Indonesia. Surfing is great there. I love to surf. It's spiritually Benjamin Russell healing. photographer Surfing calms Old City my head down. I can't think of a better place to do it than Maldives."

"The Amalfi Coast in Italy. It's gorgeous. The scenery takes your breath away. There's nothing not to love about it. And it would Amanda Zullo be a relaxing attorney break from Queen Village my two toddlers and our recent Disney cruise in Alaska."

Mark Segal

Column: “Mark My Words: Obama made us cool; Conversion therapy is child torture; Glass half full of progress”

Transition the battlefield No matter how I put this, it feels like an understatement: We are living in increasingly frightening and dangerous times. This is especially true for those of us who are transgender. Sitting in a subcommittee right now in our House of Representatives is HR 2796, aka the Civil Rights Uniformity Act of 2017. I’ve written about this before. It would do nothing less than void protections for transgender people under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act and “any federal civil-rights law, and of any related ruling, regulation, guidance or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States.” Not apparently interested in waiting for HR 2796 to pass or fail, the Department of Justice — under “beleaguered” Attorney General Jeff Sessions — has filed a legal brief in Zarda v. Altitude Express claiming that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 doesn’t cover sexual orientation. While the brief doesn’t mention gender identity specifically, we can guess where Sessions’ DOJ might side. Oddly enough,

the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed its own brief, disagreeing with the DOJ. Meanwhile, a move by Congressmember Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) to ban health care for transgender military personnel and their families failed to pass in the House of Representatives, in spite of a pair of odd speeches in support by Congressmembers Steve King (R-Iowa) and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas). King conflated transgender troops to slaves forcibly conscripted and castrated in the Ottoman Empire and suggested that trans folks would join to somehow “game the system” for surgical care. Gohmert tried to draw a comparison between money spent for transgender care and that used to defeat “radical Islam,” as if one would take away from the other. While the Hartzler amendment failed, it apparently was not unnoticed by President Donald Trump, who took to Twitter for one of his now-infamous tweetstorm-cum-policy statements. “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to

serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump wrote. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” This is all nonsense. Military leaders responded with surprise, having apparently not been consulted on this policy. What’s more, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford has stood in opposition, stating in a memo that there are “no modifications to the current policy until the president’s direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the secretary has issued implementation guidelines.” To date, no such implementation guidelines have arrived. Trump seems somehow unaware that there are already transgender troops in our military. While reported numbers have varied from as little as 250 to as many as 50,000, a study by the Rand Corporation in June 2016 estimated somewhere between 1,320 to 6,630 active-duty trans service members out of a total pool of 1.3-million service members. What’s more, this same

study noted that trans-related health care for these troops would cost somewhere between $2.4-$8.4 million per year. This is a drop in the bucket compared to current military spending. It is also a fifth of spending that the military currently doles out for erectile dysfunction medications to all troops, trans or otherwise. So we have a scattershot policy, dictated via social media without adequate consultation and not tethered in fact. Transgender troops are in no way bankrupting our armed forces, nor is there any evidence of them disrupting the service. Now, plenty have said that Trump’s tweets were nothing more than a distraction, something to steal the spotlight from news of the health-care bill and its failure, the increasingly dysfunctional administration or the continuing Russia probe. Maybe there is some truth to that, but I find myself considering that a distraction ceases to be a distraction when it is harming people. Trump’s insistence on attacking transgender soldiers, while his Department of PAGE 15 Justice and others attack

Editorial

Fluidity of freedom

Editorial: “Yes we can; Fluidity of freedom; pgn Philadelphia Gay News One year later, what have we learned?”

LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976

Vol. 41 No. 8

Feb. 24 - March 2, 2017

Day in the Life of: digital agency executives CJ and Jolin Bachmann PAGE 9

Morris dispute gets a call for a public hearing

HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM

Tim Cain reopens the “Boys’ Entrance” with latest album

PAGE 2

as record numbers of trans women of color become victims of violence. And LGBT rights flourish under a progressive president only to be quickly yanked back by his successor. Freedom is a contextual concept, one that evolves with our progress and our pitfalls. In times of community successes, freedom may seem to be a finite, attainable goal, while in times of extreme crisis, the freedoms we once coveted may seem luxurious. What that dichotomy shows is that, while little is out of reach, little should be taken for granted. Our country and community are at interesting pinnacles right now; we’ve experienced tremendous gains but also seen the work that has fallen by the wayside. As a country, we’ve rebounded from a crippling recession but many blue-collar workers are suffering the impacts of globalization. As a community, we’ve won marriage equality and many other rights, but our most marginalized — trans individuals, elders, youth — continue to face serious hardships. Embracing our potential should be tempered by acknowledging the many gaps that need to be bridged — and the many more that need to be traversed as the concept of freedom continues its evolution. n

If you’re a school administrator, teacher was doing? Well, or even a whole school district and you under Obama, want to assert your right to discrimithe Education nate against some of your students FOR Department took REASONS, you’re in luck! The Education students’ comDepartment under Betsy DeVos ain’t plaints about gonna stop you. (Unless you’re against serious issues, white Christians probably.) well, seriously, This is especially true if you want to dis- and investigated criminate against transgender students. The whether such Education Department recently dropped complaints were cases in Ohio and elsewhere involving “symptomatic of transgender students being harassed and a broader problem, in part by examining at denied bathroom access, basically saying, least three years of past complaint data.” “This isn’t our problem.” In other words, if a student complains You’ll recall that under Obama, the that he or she was sexually assaulted at Education Department issued guidelines to school, the Education Department felt like schools about how to handle transgender they should probably find out if this was students so that their dignity is respected an isolated incident or a pattern of wider and their right to an education is not tramabuse. pled. But under Trump and DeVos, the Under DeVos’ leadership, however, Education Department ain’t care. they’re so busy trying to find ways to make Needless to say, those who support trans education into a for-profit enterprise that students are alarmed by the department’s they can’t be bothered with systemic civshrugging off the issue. Shannon Minter of il-rights abuses at school. Ugh. Civil rights the National Center for Lesbian Rights told don’t make anybody rich. the Washington Post, “They have just sent Of course, the department claims that a message to schools that it’s open season this whole “don’t-look-into-civil-rightson transgender students.” complaints-too-deeply” policy is to alleIn other words, it’s a pretty clear signal viate a troublesome backlog of cases. And that the Trump administration has zero while it’s true that a backlog of cases is a interest in hearing problem, their solusome transgender tion isn’t to hire the But it’s not just trans kid bitching about personnel needed having to pee in a to get these cases students DeVos wants bucket in the janiexamined. Their tor’s closet or some- to abandon. Civil rights solution is to simply thing. Suck it up, are such a drag, after all. stopIn looking. buttercup, as Trump a press release, supporters like to What do they do besides Sherrilyn Ifill, pressay right before they ident of the NAACP get in the way of privatiz- Legal Defense and head out to protest against Shakespeare. ing America’s education Educational Fund, But it’s not just said the Education trans students system so that rich ass- Department was DeVos wants to abdicating its holes can get richer? abandon. Civil “responsibility to rights are such a protect the rights drag, after all. What do they do besides get and dignity of our nation’s vulnerable chilin the way of privatizing America’s edudren during the most crucial years of their cation system so that rich assholes can get lives, threatening not only to stall progress richer? The Education Department’s Office on racial, gender and sexual-orientation of Civil Rights is so over crybaby civequality in schools, but to undo it altoil-rights wanters. gether.” According to the Washington Post, the As is the plan, of course. MAGA ’til you head of the civil-rights office “has directed puke. n lawyers to narrow the scope of investigations into sexual assault and discriminatory D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian school-discipline policies.” living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow What does this mean and how does it differ from what the Obama administration her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.

We want to know!

PAGE 5

PAGE 15

First place

In light of National March, organizers reschedule Philly Pride

Trial for alleged murderer of trans woman postponed until December

Scott Drake

By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com

By Jeremy Rodriguez jeremy@epgn.com

Photo Story/Essay: “2017 Philadelphia Women’s March” News Photo: “Not their president”

Philly gears up for LGBT conferences

Second place By Jeremy Rodriguez jeremy@epgn.com

Two LGBT organizations planning conventions in Philadelphia were represented at a local business luncheon Tuesday. PHL Diversity hosted its 11th-annual Business Opportunity Luncheon for professionals to network and learn about new business initiatives for the city. Kim Reed of Reed Development Group moderated a panel with representatives from Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality, formerly known as the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), and the True Colors Fund. GLMA Executive Director Hector Vargas and True Colors Fund Executive Director Gregory Lewis answered questions from Reed about their organizations. GLMA will bring its 35th Annual Conference on LGBT Health Sept. 13-16 to the Doubletree Philadelphia City Center, 237 S. Broad St. During this conference,

Jeremy Rodriguez

GLMA will educate health providers and others on the health needs of LGBT people and their families. Additionally, GLMA will report the latest research impacting LGBT health. Vargas noted this is the first time the organization will host its conference here. “Philadelphia is a great place for us,” he said. “There’s a very vibrant LGBT community here. There’s a health center that focuses on LGBT health — Mazzoni. There’s a lot going on in the political and advocacy sphere around LGBT health both in Philadelphia and in Pennsylvania.” Meanwhile, the True Colors Fund will bring its 40 to None Summit to the city in October. No location or exact dates had been finalized by presstime. During this two-day event, individuals addressing LGBT-youth homelessness across the country will meet up for sessions, performances, action-planning breakouts and networking opportunities. PAGE 13 “For us at the True

Investigative Reporting: “Exclusive: Brian Sims target of state ethics investigation”

NORTHERN NETWORKING: City Fitness hosted ConnX Feb. 21 at WeWork at Schmidt’s Commons. The traveling monthly social brings together members and supporters of the Independence Business Alliance, the region’s LGBT chamber of commerce. Guests enjoyed beer and wine and food from SNAP Kitchen while they networked and explored the co-working space at WeWork. Photo: Courtesy of Independence Business Alliance OP-ED PGN

Conversion therapy is child torture To the entire LGBT community: psychiatry put its hand in with aversion Let’s begin as a community to state the therapy, which uses the Pavlovian dog-like truth without putting lipstick on a pig. training to force us to be heterosexual with Personally, it sickens me when I see somea handful of horrific tortures. There’s the one from GLAAD or HRC on television electric-shock system, some connected to calling conversion therapy genetics, water treatment — “praying the gay away.” That hey, they had it before President is downright as truthful as a Bush — and then there were Donald Trump tweet, and might drugs of various types, some show how we attempt to soften of which stopped people from our message for consumption breathing before an antidote by the mainstream. Or, it might was administered. They lost a hide something very sad: our few on that one, but hey, better own attempt to not accept what dead than a fag. has been done to us as a collecNow comes conversion tive community for years — and therapy. But this one targets that, my friends, is torture. mostly children whose parents We use terms like hate are now trying to “save” them. crimes, pray away the gay … Almost all the types of torture but much that has been done to I’ve listed above have been “cure” LGBT is sheer torture. used in some of these converMark Segal sion camps … and others. ABC And yes, I’m even talking about the water torture. So once again, News investigative reporter let’s go back in recent history to make the Brian Roberts did one of the best onepoints and hopefully get us back on the hour reports on this practice on “20/20.” right track, as we are literally fighting to It showed corporal punishment, imprisonsave children’s lives. ment and lots more. For years, going back even before there I think you get the idea. It’s time to were lobotomies — oh yes, many lobotspeak out strongly. Say it loud, say it omies were performed on LGBT peoclearly: Conversion therapy is child torture. ple — society attempted to try and find n a way to “change” us, making us holy Mark Segal is the nation’s most-award-winning comheterosexuals. When threat of religion mentator in LGBT media. His memoir, “And Then and criminal justice began to fail, medical I Danced,” is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & science showed up with lobotomies. Then, Noble or at your favorite bookseller.

Mark My Words

Transmissions

Gwendolyn Ann Smith

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Aug. 4-10, 2017

Vol. 41 No. 18 May 5-11, 2017 Family Portrait: Spotlight on Samy el-Noury

PA Supreme Court says SEPTA not bound by Philly antidiscrimination laws

PAGE 37

PAGE 2

HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM Celebrations of Philly Black Pride

FINAL BOW: At the April 29 “Shut Up & Dance” performance, longtime producing director Ian Hussey announced he was passing the baton for next year’s show to Alexandra Hughes. The annual Pennsylvania Ballet production raised more than $161,000 for MANNA, which provides nutritional meals to the ill. Nearly 1,400 people packed Forrest Theatre for the 25th-anniversary performance. Photo: Scott A. Drake

D.A. candidates address crime, corruption, community

Throughout his candidacy for district attorney, Larry Krasner has spoken about resisting the Trump administration, ending mass incarceration and standing up for civil-rights. During his 30 years as an attorney, he stood up for organizations such as ACT UP, Black Lives Matter and other organizations relating to LGBT rights, disabled people and immigrants.

Qualifications: • A minimum of three years of local advertising or related industry sales experience; Tremendous written and oral presentation skills; Professional, ambitious, and determined; results and goal oriented; Strong organizational skills; Working knowledge of Word, Excel, Outlook, and Power Point; Knowledge of the LGBT Community is a plus; Must demonstrate a passion and quantifiable success in sales; Candidate must think and act like a sales hunter; Aggressive sales activity is expected.

By Jeremy Rodriguez jeremy@epgn.com

By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com

Larry Krasner

• Prospecting clients from all types of businesses, non-profits, etc.; Working with agencies and clients who conduct business in the Trial-State area; Presenting client solutions; Closing sales contracts and managing post sales execution and follow up; Working closely with internal departments in order to maximize revenue and budget goals; Personally attending promotions and events involving your clients; Developing new business; Strategically managing complex accounts and or agencies; Creating proposals; Meeting revenue and activity standards; Negotiating annual advertising contracts; Securing meetings and presenting to groups; Client entertaining as needed including traveling; Engaging a team of marketing and other support services.

Exclusive: Brian Sims target of state ethics investigation

Under proposed guidance posted on its website April 28, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission will investigate LGBTQ-related antibias complaints, despite the lack of an LGBTQ-inclusive statewide antibias law. The guidance notes that Pennsylvania’s antibias law covers sex discrimination, and multiple courts have ruled that anti-LGBTQ discrimination is a form of sex discrimination. However, neither the U.S. Supreme Court nor the Pennsylvania Supreme PAGE 28

The race for Philadelphia’s next district attorney is wide open. Seven Democratic contenders will vie for the nomination May 16, with one Republican running unopposed. The primary comes just weeks after current District Attorney Seth Williams was federally indicted on corruption and bribery charges. PGN spoke with all of the candidates about their vision for the District Attorney’s Office, and how the local LGBT community can be incorporated into those plans.

Key responsibilities include:

Fellowship awarded to GALAEI youth-program leader PAGE 8

PAGE 13

State agency: We’ll accept LGBT antibias complaints

By Jeremy Rodriguez jeremy@epgn.com

Our account executives are responsible for maintaining and prospecting direct client and agency accounts.

PGN: There have already been nine transgender women of color murdered across the nation this year. If elected, what will your office do to combat violence against transgender individuals in Philadelphia, specifically women of color? LK: If and when there are incidents, I will have my supervisors and my prosecutors take those charges incredibly seriously. When I see violence involving a trans victim, to me, a red flag goes up immediately to see if this is a hate crime. I have been there when this Philadelphia Police Department wouldn’t take hate crimes seriously and, to me, that’s unacceptable. You have to have a police department that treats everybody equally and cares about everybody’s issues and that doesn’t consider certain people to be less than human. I think by using the office as a bully pulpit, being as serious as possible about properly prosecuting these cases, working with the police commissioner to

According to documents PGN exclusively obtained, a state commission is investigating Rep. Brian Sims following scrutiny about his travel reimbursements and speaking fees. PGN obtained a copy of an Ethics Complaint Form from a source whose identity we are withholding. The individual filed the complaint with the State Ethics Commission, contending Sims, the first LGBT person elected to the state legislature, violated the state Ethics Act. According to the Ethics Act, “No public official or public employee shall accept an honorarium.” A March 31 letter from the Ethics Commission, signed by Executive Director Robert P. Caruso, that was given to PGN states: “The Investigative Division of the State Ethics Commission has initiated a full investigation in relation to the complaint” that the individual filed. Caruso told PGN he was not permitted to comment on the investigation or the complaint. PAGE 28

do police trainings around this issue or to make sure the trainings are adequate, I believe we could make a difference and make the situation better for trans people.

Endorsements

District Attorney: Larry Krasner City Controller: Alan Butkovitz

PGN: If elected, will you assist PGN in our ongoing efforts to settle all open-records litigation for access to Nizah Morris records? LK: The short answer is yes. I am a great believer in providing information to the press. However, when you ask a candidate what will you do when you are in office and that candidate doesn’t have all of the information, you’re basically inviting a candidate to make promises that may or may not be appropriate. Every bit of my instincts favors transparency but if I were to find something in the file that the mother or the father of Nizah Morris didn’t want revealed, then that is something I would have to look at. Assuming that the family of Nizah Morris wanted the information revealed and assuming the law permitted it, I would like there to be the maximum amount of transparency and I would like to assist in getting all information out PAGE 19 about that incident.

Superior Court Maria McLaughlin Carolyn Nichols H. Geoffrey Moulton, Jr. Commonwealth Court Ellen Ceisler Todd Eagan Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Lucretia Clemons Mark Cohen Leon Goodman Shanese Johnson Vikki Kristiansson Zac Shaffer Henry Sias Dan Sulman Stella Tsai Philadelphia Municipal Court Marissa Brumbach George Twardy

Base salary and uncapped commissions and benefits package including medical, dental, 401k, paid vacation.

Street Talk What foreign land would you like to visit this summer? "Calcutta, India. There's such an amazing culture of spirituality there. I would find that very inspirational. The symbols Ennis Carter and art that executive director I would see Gayborhood in that city would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976

NOT THEIR PRESIDENT: Hundreds protested in Center City Monday against restrictive policies and positions coming from the new Trump administration. The “Not My Presidents’ Day” march and rally, planned to coincide with the annual federal holiday celebrating American presidents, included remarks from speakers about LGBT rights, health care, immigration, racial justice, women’s rights and more. Photo: Scott A. Drake

Philly Pride Presents confirmed to PGN the organization will reschedule its annual Pride Parade and Festival for the first time in its 29 years. Pride will now be held June 18 at Penn’s Landing so it does not conflict with the Washington D.C. National Pride March on June 11, the local event’s original date. “It’s a decision that had to be made because even some people who work with us are going to go to D.C.,” said the organization’s executive director, Franny Price. “It was a decision that we never wanted to make but it was a decision to save the Philadelphia Pride Parade and Festival and OutFest. We did not want to cause a conflict [with] the community [members] who would want to go to the march.” The National Pride March began as a Facebook event that grew to more than 31,000 confirmed guests and more than 109,000 guests designated as “interested.” Price said out of the previous 28 Philadelphia Pride PAGE 13 events, 25 have been held during

Please email cover letter, resume, and professional references to joe@epgn.com.

Second place Jen Colletta

General News/Weeklies: “Lesbian couple turned away from PA bridal shop” pgn Philadelphia Gay News

LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976

Vol. 41 No. 18 May 5-11, 2017 Family Portrait: Spotlight on Samy el-Noury

PA Supreme Court says SEPTA not bound by Philly antidiscrimination laws

PAGE 37

PAGE 2

Honorable Mention Jeremy Rodriguez

General News/Weeklies: “City releases Gayborhood racism ﬁndings, recommends training”

HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM Celebrations of Philly Black Pride

Fellowship awarded to GALAEI youth-program leader PAGE 8

PAGE 13

State agency: We’ll accept LGBT antibias complaints

Exclusive: Brian Sims target of state ethics investigation By Jeremy Rodriguez jeremy@epgn.com

By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com Under proposed guidance posted on its website April 28, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission will investigate LGBTQ-related antibias complaints, despite the lack of an LGBTQ-inclusive statewide antibias law. The guidance notes that Pennsylvania’s antibias law covers sex discrimination, and multiple courts have ruled that anti-LGBTQ discrimination is a form of sex discrimination. However, neither the U.S. Supreme Court nor the Pennsylvania Supreme PAGE 28

D.A. candidates address crime, corruption, community By Jeremy Rodriguez jeremy@epgn.com The race for Philadelphia’s next district attorney is wide open. Seven Democratic contenders will vie for the nomination May 16, with one Republican running unopposed. The primary comes just weeks after current District Attorney Seth Williams was federally indicted on corruption and bribery charges. PGN spoke with all of the candidates about their vision for the District Attorney’s Office, and how the local LGBT community can be incorporated into those plans.

Larry Krasner Throughout his candidacy for district attorney, Larry Krasner has spoken about resisting the Trump administration, ending mass incarceration and standing up for civil-rights. During his 30 years as an attorney, he stood up for organizations such as ACT UP, Black Lives Matter and other organizations relating to LGBT rights, disabled people and immigrants.

do police trainings around this issue or to make sure the trainings are adequate, I believe we could make a difference and make the situation better for trans people. PGN: If elected, will you assist PGN in our ongoing efforts to settle all open-records litigation for access to Nizah Morris records? LK: The short answer is yes. I am a great believer in providing information to the press. However, when you ask a candidate what will you do when you are in office and that candidate doesn’t have all of the information, you’re basically inviting a candidate to make promises that may or may not be appropriate. Every bit of my instincts favors transparency but if I were to find something in the file that the mother or the father of Nizah Morris didn’t want revealed, then that is something I would have to look at. Assuming that the family of Nizah Morris wanted the information revealed and assuming the law permitted it, I would like there to be the maximum amount of transparency and I would like to assist in getting all information out PAGE 19 about that incident.

A jury trial for the alleged murderer of trans woman Diamond Williams has been postponed until December. Charles N. Sargent stands accused of stabbing Williams to death with a screwdriver, then dismembering her with an ax, depositing her body parts in a vacant lot in Strawberry Mansion in July 2013. Sargent told police he acted in self-defense after Williams became violent during a sexual encounter. Advocates for Williams dispute that claim. Sargent’s trial was scheduled to begin Feb. 27, but his standby attorney, J. Michael Farrell, recently was convicted of multiPAGE 13 ple felonies in

Guilty plea in Maya Young murder

As Pride Month comes to a close and Independence Day approaches, freedom has been a hot topic. While the word itself often signifies a fundamental, innate tenet upon which this nation was born, recent times have shown just how fluid of a concept freedom is. Two years ago, the LGBT community was celebrating marriage equality becoming the law of the land. Freedom to many at that time meant the ability to finally wed their partners, to join their names on legal documents, to create a family with fewer burdens. But just one year later, 49 people were gunned down at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando. The LGBT community was forced to re-examine the basic freedoms the incident threatened: the ability to be oneself, and associate as a community, without fear of violence or death. Weddings and legal paperwork took an immediate backseat. That back-and-forth seems to have been a recurring theme throughout LGBT history; when one hard-fought victory is won, another can cripple the community. Harvey Milk was elected in a historic move for LGBT representation in government, only to be gunned down. AIDS funding would be boosted in one part of the country and lost in another. A trans woman of color would grace the cover of a national magazine

Advertising Account Executive

D’Anne Witkowski

Betsy DeVos

Jen Colletta

PGN has immediate openings

EDITORIAL PGN EDITORIAL

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 30-July 6, 2017

Creep of the Week

First place

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Endorsements

District Attorney: Larry Krasner City Controller: Alan Butkovitz Superior Court Maria McLaughlin Carolyn Nichols H. Geoffrey Moulton, Jr. Commonwealth Court Ellen Ceisler Todd Eagan

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Lucretia Clemons Mark Cohen Leon Goodman Shanese Johnson Vikki Kristiansson Zac Shaffer Henry Sias Dan Sulman Stella Tsai Philadelphia Municipal Court Marissa Brumbach George Twardy

PGN IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Media Trail Dick Leitsch, gay activist who led ‘sip-in,’ dies at 83 The New York Times reports a pioneering gay activist who led a 1966 “sip-in” at a New York City bar has died at the age of 83. Dick Leitsch died June 22 at a hospice in Manhattan. His death from liver cancer was confirmed by his brother, John Leitsch, of Louisville, KY. Leitsch was a leader of the Mattachine Society, an early gay-rights group. His “sip-in” protest was meant to echo lunch counter sit-ins. Leitsch and three friends sat down at a bar and announced, “We are homosexuals.” The bartender clapped his hand over Leitsch’s glass and refused to serve them. The moment was captured by a Village Voice photographer.

PGN

The protest led the state liquor authority to end its practice of using patronage by gay people as an excuse to revoke liquor licenses.

The clinic has helped more than 1,000 patients since it was established in 2013.

Transgender-rights battle CEO donates $2 million to returning to N. Carolina hospital for transgender court care The Washington Times reports an Ohio company has donated $2 million to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for transgender patient care. Pure Romance CEO Chris Cicchinelli announced the gift to the hospital’s Adolescent and Transition Medicine Clinic on June 20. Cicchinelli and his wife, Jessica, launched the Living with Change Foundation in January after their 10-year-old daughter, LC, came out as transgender. The foundation provides education, resources and support to transgender people and their families. Cicchinelli said his daughter’s experience opened his eyes to the hardships LGBTQ youth face. Clinic director Dr. Lee Ann Conard said the gift will help uplift a group that has been historically marginalized.

ABC News reports more than a year after North Carolina undid its “bathroom bill,” a legal battle is simmering over its replacement. Transgender plaintiffs will argue before a federal judge that the current law enacted as a compromise in March 2017 continues the harms of its predecessor. Lawyers representing Republican legislative leaders said the case should be dismissed because plaintiffs can’t prove the new law is harming them. That dismissal request, along with one by fellow defendant the University of North Carolina, will be the focus of the hearing. A group of transgender North Carolinians revised a lawsuit over the original “bathroom bill” to take on the 2017 replacement, saying it continues its predecessor’s harms by

preventing local officials from passing laws to protect LGBT rights.

Oregon high court won’t hear bakery appeal The Oregonian reports the Oregon Supreme Court has declined to consider the case of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, the now-defunct bakery that refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple in 2013 based on the bakers’ religious objections. On June 22, the court turned down the case with no explanation. Melissa and Aaron Klein had been ordered to pay $135,000 to couple Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer in emotional damages in 2015, after the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries found that the Kleins violated state antidiscrimination law. The Oregon Court of Appeals has upheld the order. Bureau of Labor and Industries officials see the Oregon Supreme Court decision as an affirmation of the bureau’s original order. Lawyers for the Kleins said they will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. n — compiled by Larry Nichols

Recently engaged or married? PGN wants to hear from you! With marriage equality still the law of the land, our August 10 Wedding Issue will celebrate local couples who have, or are planning to, put a ring on it.

Email editor@epgn.com by July 27 to have your announcement included.

PGN

International Mourners conclude Toronto Pride after serial murders A moment of silence took place at Toronto Pride on June 24 as the community paid tribute to the victims of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur. Marchers, clad in black T-shirts that read, “We will not rest until we’re safe,” took to the route at the busiest point of the march to show solidarity for the victims. Tensions are still rife between the community and the police force. One banner read: “Not gay as in happy, but queer as in fuck the police.” The community has vented frustration with the slow pace of the investigation of the LGBT+ murders, as well as what they say is a lack of communication with the community prior to and during the enquiry. “As recently as last December, we were being told by Chief Saunders that our

longstanding concerns about a serial killer preying on our community were not based on any evidence,” Douglas Elliott, a lawyer and community member said at a press conference. “He was wrong.” The community decided to ban uniformed police from attending the event while an official investigation into the police’s mishandling of the missing-person cases is concluded.

Gay-rights activists shot to death in southern Mexico Mexican officials said three LGBTQ activists have been shot dead and left along a highway in the troubled southern state of Guerrero. Guerrero security spokesman Roberto Alvarez said the victims’ bodies were found June 17 on a road between Taxco and Cuernavaca with bullet wounds to the head. Alvarez said June 19 that evidence and witness testimony suggest the killings may have been linked to extortion. Four people were arrested for possession of weapons and drugs, and one is suspected in the killings. The victims were identified as Ruben Estrada, a gay community leader in the town of Taxco, and activists Carlos Uriel

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Lopez and Roberto Vega. Guerrero is a flashpoint for drug gang violence, and Taxco is a popular tourist destination famous for its cobblestone streets and artisanal silver industry.

Young people to Vatican: Let’s talk about gay and gender issues Young people have told the Vatican in a survey that they want the church to concretely discuss gay and gender issues. The Vatican had solicited input from youth, regardless of their religious views, to help prepare for a gathering of bishops in Rome in October. The month-long gathering will address how to improve upon pastoral care for Catholic youths among its worldwide flock. The Holy See on June 19 presented the survey’s findings, which included eroded credibility in the eyes of young people toward the church because of sex-abuse scandals involving pedophile priests, cover-ups by hierarchy and financial scandals. Young people in the survey said the church should “face in a concrete way controversial topics like homosexuality and gender issues,” nothing that they discuss them “without taboos.”

4 detained for allegedly attacking Pride marchers in Greece Police said they have detained four people suspected of attacking two participants in the Thessaloniki Pride rally and march June 23. The four are suspected of approaching a 36-year-old Italian national and a 45-year-old Greek participant in the march, one of whom was holding a rainbow flag, and verbally abusing them before throwing them into the sea. The two victims, who were separated from the main crowd, were pulled out of the water with the help of passers-by and suffered no physical injuries. An investigation will determine whether any crimes were committed, such as attempted homicide or attempted bodily harm, in combination with the law against racism. Police said the march, the seventh of its kind organized by the LGBTQ community in the northern Greek city and the country’s second largest, attracted upward of 5,000 participants. n — compiled by Larry Nichols

Faith Issue

Exploring the intersections of faith and the LGBT community

Only in

July 20

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

PGN

AC ul t ure rts

FEATURE PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Family Portrait Out & About Q Puzzle Scene in Philly

Page Page Page Page

23 26 29 25

PAGE 20

Binge-worthy miniseries from queer king of New German Cinema By Gary M. Kramer PGN Contributor The Lightbox Film Center (formerly International House) is screening a new restoration of the late, great Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s eight-hour 1972 miniseries “Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day: A Family Series” all day long July 7. The gay filmmaker, who helped create the wave of New German Cinema, directed a staggering 41 feature films and TV miniseries between 1969-82. Fassbinder’s work, which depicted postwar Germany, was groundbreaking. He was not afraid to be sexually frank: His last film, “Querelle,” based on a Jean Genet work, drips with homoeroticism. The filmmaker also wrote, directed and starred in the queer-themed “Fox and His Friends” in 1975. But he is best known for films that were sympathetic to women and social outcasts, particularly “The Marriage of Maria Braun,” “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant” and “Ali: Fear Eats the Soul” — the latter a riff on Douglas Sirk’s “All That Heaven Allows.” One of Fassbinder’s greatest achievements over his remarkable career was his 15 hal-hour miniseries “Berlin Alexanderplatz.” With “Eight Hours” screening in Philadelphia, I spent a day binge-watching the miniseries, which was wholly absorbing throughout each of its five 90-100-minute episodes. The series stars several actors who worked with Fassbinder multiple times, including Gottfried John and Hanna Schygulla (who play the lovers Jochen and

Marion), as well as El Hedi ben Salem, who was Fassbinder’s lover at the time and appears as a factory worker in the series.

Episode One: Jochen and Marion

Plot: The series opens at the 60th birthday party for Grandma (Luise Ullrich). Her grandson, Jochen (John), goes out to buy some bubbly and meets Marion (Schygulla). He brings her home to meet his extended family and they soon become romantically involved, though not without some complications. Meanwhile, at his factory, Jochen invents a device that will speed up production. It is beneficial until management decides to remove the bonus for getting the work done faster. Analysis: Fassbinder creates a group of warm and engaging characters, allowing all of the working-class family members to ingratiate themselves with viewers (or display their nasty qualities so we hate them). Grandma is a spitfire, and Jochen is endearing. The filmmaker often zooms in for exacting close-ups to create emotion and emphasis as the story teems with messages about social justice and class differences.

Episode Two: Grandma and Gregor

Plot: Grandma wants to move out of the family home and into a flat with Gregor (Werner Finck), her boyfriend. While searching for an apartment, they see a local library closing and illegally fix up the space to establish a much-needed nursery (kindergarten). The new venture is welcomed by everyone — except the authorities. Analysis: This episode features some terrific 1970s decor and fashions, and the sto-

ryline is a showcase for both Grandma’s indomitable spirit and Ullrich’s fine performance. If the nursery storyline goes on a bit too long — one could run off to the bathroom and not miss much — this episode features a subplot that does have important repercussions: Franz (Wolfgang Schenck), one of Jochen’s colleagues, is inspired to improve himself and apply for the factory foreman position. The episode also has a feminist message, as it shows how the women characters start to emancipate themselves.

riage. Her mother (Brigitte Mira) arrives and causes the lovers stress. In contrast, Jochen’s sister, Monika (Renate Roland), finally asks her conservative husband, Harald (Kurt Raab), for a divorce. Analysis: This may be the most melodramatic episode, with characters all coupling up or uncoupling. And after six-plus hours, viewers may start to tire before or during an extended party sequence in the last third of the episode that features all the characters. However, rally on! This section of the series is the “bridge” that will set up the finale.

Episode Three: Franz and Ernst

Episode Five: Irmgard and Rolf

Episode Four: Harald and Monika

“Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day” will screen July 7 starting at 1 p.m. with two episodes, a break, two more episodes and then another break before the final episode. Craft teas and food will be available.

Plot: Franz’s efforts to become foreman are met with mixed messages from his supervisor, Volker (Rainer Hauer), who hires Ernst (Petr Gauhe) instead. This sets off a war between the workers and management. However, the workers learn that Ernst is far less a villain than they imagined. Analysis: The compelling plot has Jochen and his colleagues refute their supervisor’s message that “the worker should remain what he is.” It is made all the more gripping by Fassbinder’s virtuoso staging and filming of the sequences on the factory floor and in Volker’s offices. To offset the drama, there are some comic subplots, ranging from Jochen having three meals of stuffed cabbage back-to-back-to-back to the fighting between Grandma and Jochen’s father, Wolf (Wolfried Lier). This is the best episode in the series. Plot: Jochen and Marion stop traffic with a passionate kiss and contemplate mar-

Plot: The workers learn the factory is relocating across town. In response, they demand to independently organize their work, which management surprisingly appreciates. The relocation also prompts Jochen and Marion to ask to swap flats with his parents. Meanwhile, Jochen’s friend, Manfred (Wolfgang Zerlett), pines for Monika. Analysis: While most of the plotlines are tied up nicely in this last episode, there is a nagging question raised about the benefit of the workers self-organizing. The romantic storyline involving Manfred and Monika is highly satisfying, and Fassbinder deftly directs the sequence where everyone moves. While it is an enjoyable conclusion, the series could continue for eight more hours; it goes down as smoothly as a shot of schnapps. n

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Repairs, Renovations and Remodeling

(215) 467-3335 Pa. HIC #026545 Phila. Lic. #17895

“Our” Family Plumber for over 30 years JEFFREY E. GOLDMAN, ATTORNEY AT LAW SPECIALIZING IN PARTNERSHIP AND EMPLOYMENT LAW

Warm weather is here! Take a bite out of it.

Proven track record of recovering millions of dollars for wrongfully treated employees!* Experience litigating: • Partnership & business disputes • Non-competes • Executive compensation • Employment discrimination • Real Estate Litigation Jeffrey E. Goldman, Esq. 100 S. Broad St. Suite 1330 Philadelphia, PA 19110

Also handle: • Wills, Living Wills, Trusts and Powers of Attorney

Jeff.Goldman@verizon.net

*Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Put 18 years of experience to work for you!

Eating Out Should Be Fun! Read PGN’s food reviews every second and fourth week of the month

- and check out our archive of past reviews on epgn.com.

Read PGN’s food reviews every second and fourth week of the month

- and check out our archive of past reviews on epgn.com.

PROFILE PGN

Family Portrait

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Suzi Nash

Jerry Rice: Taking root in the City of Brotherly Love This week’s Portrait has a chronology of places in which he’s lived that sounds like a Beach Boys song. With more than 20 years in the hotel and hospitality industry, Jerry Rice has resided in Miami, Seattle, Arlington and Wilmington and Huntersville, N.C., where he was the “Youngest Dual General Manager in Marriott Brand History.” Now he’s here in the City of Brotherly Love opening a brand-new spot, the Cambria Hotel & Suites on Broad Street. He is also newly elected to the board of the Independence Business Alliance, the city’s gay chamber of commerce. We talked down in the lovely Cambria lobby bar with jazz influences everywhere. PGN: I get the subtle hint that there’s a music theme here. JR: Since we’re on the Avenue of the Arts with the Walk of Fame right outside, we have music represented throughout our decor. Our tables are made from drums, our chandelier is made of trumpets and the staircase has music notes incorporated. If you look closely at the pattern in the wallpaper, it’s designed to look like sound waves. It’s subtle, but pretty cool. PGN: What were you like as a kid? JR: Very much like I am now — gregarious, outgoing, inquisitive. I was lucky enough to be brought up in a home where that was encouraged. I come from South Carolina — my parents were the first college graduates in their families, so education was very important. I knew in kindergarten who I was and what my trajectory was going to be in life. There was never any question or struggle. Funny though, I did a few genealogy tests several years ago and though I was raised in a 100-percent African-American household and neighborhood, I found that our family is 10-percent Irish and my mom’s family had roots in Russia. We have history in Wales and Spain and Portugal; also in Greece, Italy, Finland and Sweden! Who knew I was Swedish? My father’s side is completely from the western coast of Africa. PGN: It sounds like instead of “23andme,” you have 46 and counting. JR: Yes! My grandmother, the late Alice Shelton-Dean — God rest her soul — she had these extremely high cheekbones, and since we’re from the foothills of the Carolinas, we always assumed there was some Cherokee Indian heritage. When the results came back, it said there was zero chance that we had any Native-American heritage. It blew the top off me. PGN: What’s the family breakdown? JR: I have two brothers, Christopher and Johnathan, and a sister, Leasonna. I have six nieces and nephews and one on the way. I love being Uncle Jerry and spoiling the kids.

PGN: Big town, small town? JR: Very small. The city of Wellford was recently ranked the number-two safest city in South Carolina. There were fewer than 700 people, and I think I was related to most of them. I still carry those small-town Southern values and hospitality — do unto others, greet people with a smile and we try not to judge in public (we save that ’til we get home). I come from a long line of Baptist and Pentecostal ministers, so faith was a big part of how I grew up and it influences how I treat people. PGN: We know the church can be an unfriendly place for LGBT folk. Did you experience that? JR: Absolutely I experienced that. I experience it to this day. To be perfectly honest with you, there are churches in my hometown that I still will not go to. I’ve sat on those pews singing about the glory of God and heard passages and texts taken out of context. I knew in my soul and in my heart that God made no mistake when he made me. I know that we were made in the image of God, or Goddess. People get mad when I say Goddess but if you look at the Bible, it says that God is spirit, God does not have a gender — we just tend to put masculine pronouns on everything. I grew up Baptist/Pentecostal and yes, I heard things some Sundays that made me feel real bad about myself. I have a large part of my family that I do not have a relationship with simply because I am gay. I’ve had moments where my partners were not invited into family members’ homes and so I had to step away from those family members. It’s hard to imagine me stepping away from family, but I believe in principles and standing up for yourself and others. As I left my small town and became immersed in the LGBT community — and met my first pansexual, bisexual and transexual friends — it was so much worse than not being invited for dinner. It became even more important for me to stand up for myself and others. Today I personally associate with the Presbyterian Church. PC/USA is a denomination that ordains lesbians and gay individuals and that is important to me. PGN: That’s great. JR: Yes, I’ve come to realize that a church is just a building. What’s important is to find the people inside who match your values. There’s a theologian I love, Archbishop Carl Bean. Carl Bean was an R&B singer in the ’70s. He had a song called “Born This Way” years before Lady Gaga. I heard him preach in Charlotte and he said, “I’m a gay man, and we all have a place to occupy in this world. You may lose friends along the way, jobs, family — but stand tall.” And now I’ve probably lost jobs along the way because I stand in my truth, but at the end of the day, I sleep every night with a clear conscience.

PGN: You’ve worked all over the place. What was a pleasant surprise? JR: Hands down, Seattle, Washington. I moved there from Washington, D.C., to open a brand-new hotel in Bellevue, a suburb near Seattle. I was coming from a very highstrung, fast-paced city to a crunchy-granola, laid-back Pacific-Northwest environment. I had a very, very rough integration there — and I ended up loving Seattle. I miss and pine for that city on a regular basis. I actually went back there for Thanksgiving last year. I spent half the time with my brother in Colorado and the rest with friends in Seattle. I call it home.

humble enough to recognize those who were trying to help me, to take advantage of that help and work hard so I wouldn’t let any of them down. Most of them were women, I might add.

PGN: Talk about your first job. JR: I was still in college when I took my first big hotel job in Atlanta. I can still remember driving away from my mother’s front door in my Mitsubishi Eclipse — mind you, at the time I was 6-foot-5 and weighed 420 pounds. My mother was on the front porch and my grandfather put his arm

PGN: Something you’ve done to spoil yourself? JR: Okay, I’m going to confess. I have a shoe problem. I have a very large collection. I do like to indulge myself. I’m someone who gets mani, pedis and massages quite regularly. I get my hair cut once a week, but I also love to spoil other people, especially my family and friends. I’m a great uncle — on birthdays and at Christmastime, the kids get spoiled. I cook and can bake and just enjoy making people happy at work and at home.

PGN: What are some of the crazier things you’ve encountered? JR: Oh, I’ve seen lascivious behavior just about everywhere: stairwells and rooftops, supply closets, you name it. A small but funny thing is having to bolt down the door number “420” in all the hotels. Because of the connotation, people are always trying to steal it!

PGN: When you think of “LGBT Philadelphia,” what comes to mind? JR: Wow! And I mean the word “wow.” Just the fact that there is an LGBT culture here and a Gayborhood. We live in a city where the mayor has an Office of LGBT Affairs led by an amazing woman of color. That has not existed in other cities that I’ve lived in. The fact that we have a tight-knit community of people who are passionate and proud and open and supported by the mayor and City Council is a big, big deal. For me personally, Philadelphia has been a community that has wrapped its arms around me and squeezed me and hugged Photo: Suzi Nash me and made me feel warm. I’ve lived in other places where I haven’t felt around her because she was having a hard that. I’ve been here a year and I’m already a time seeing me drive off into the unknown. board member of the Independence Business I was working for the Marriott chain, and Alliance, which is a great organization. And at the age of 22, they made me the general not just from the LGBT community; I have manager of a hotel. They just kept offering straight friends here who are just as welme bigger hotels and more complex opportunities. I stayed with them for over 20 years coming and accepting. To walk down Broad Street and have people greet me by name is and was blessed with other great mentors a wonderful feeling. n along the way. These were people who saw me for me, and never made my sexuality To suggest a community member for Family an issue. I was smart enough and hopefully Portrait, email portraits05@aol.com.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Food and Drink Directory

LovasH Indian

236 South St Philadelphia, PA 19147 215-925-3881

Restaurant and Bar www.lovashrestaurant.com EAT IN - TAKE OUT - DELIVERY Serving Lunch Open 7 Days a Week

and Dinner

Now Order Online!

Monday - Thursday: 4pm - 10pm Friday - Sunday: 11:30am - 10:30pm

Spice up your life with

Indian food

The Center City IHOP located at 1320 Walnut St. is now open 24 Hrs on FRIDAY and SATURDAY

THANKS FOR MAKING IT A IHOP DAY

PGN ART

Late-start artist opens gallery in New Hope By Suzannah Cavanaugh PGN Contributor At 45 years old and after 20 years in the fashion industry, Saul Lyons was burned out. A friend, noticing his rut, suggested a creative outlet: painting. Lyons, the kind of guy who “couldn’t even draw a stick figure,” was unsure, but decided to test the waters. He bought a paint-by-number set. While working alongside his then-fiancé, now-husband, at their kitchen table, Lyons finished his set first and with paint to spare. He used his extra supplies to free-paint a few flowers that he figured he’d share with his social network. “I posted it on Facebook and everyone was like, ‘OMG! I love that!’” said Lyons. “So, I decided that I would start painting and posting everything that I painted to Facebook to see if I could progress, and I did.” That was three years ago. Now 48, Lyons has turned his art into a full-time career as a painter, a pencil artist and, as of April, the owner of a gay art gallery in New Hope: Saul Lyons Studio and Gallery. The facility, a single 225-square-foot room, is a multipurpose space that triples as Lyons’ studio, his permanent exhibition and a single-walled rotating gallery dedicated to monthly shows by visiting artists. Lyons said his decision to create a gallery space exclusively for gay artists was a response to what he saw as the dissolution of New Hope’s LGBT community. “New Hope used to be this really gay community where a lot of people would leave wherever they felt uncomfortable and come here. It was like their refuge. Over time, it’s become this wonderful border town, with a lot of attractions and a variety of people, but it’s a lot

Photo: Tom Muscatello

less gay. I wanted to be a part of what keeps it gay.” Since its launch, the gallery has featured two visiting artists, both New Yorkers, for month-long exhibitions. Lyons intends to host four more shows before the New Hope tourism season wraps up after Christmas. Tom Muscatello, a New Jersey-based self-taught watercolor and ink portraitist, is slotted for the next artist spot. Lyons said Muscatello’s expressionistic views of the male form complement his own art through contrast. “I like having artwork by people who are doing things that are really imaginative and different and kind of bounce off of what I do.” Lyons’ art, a range of graphite drawings and oil and acrylic paintings of men, some of them nude, are what he calls “images of affection” — scenes of men embraced, entangled or just being — that he hopes will challenge any preconceptions about gayness his visitors may bring through the door. “People stumble into my gallery and they see me and they see these [images of] guys kissing, not particularly sexy guys kissing, just middle-aged guys kissing. I want them to realize they’re just regular people and I’m also just a really regular person,” Lyons said. He added that he hopes his visitors leave with a realistic perspective on gayness, separate from “how gay people are being looked at in the current political climate.” “I just want to be another way people can experience the normalcy of gayness; not even the normalcy — just gayness as unthreatening, kind, and loving.” n Saul Lyons Studio and Gallery, 39 W. Bridge St., New Hope, is open from noon-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday or by appointment at saullyonsart@gmail.com. The reception for Tom Muscatello’s show, running June 29-July 15, will be held 5-8 p.m. June 30.

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PGN LISTINGS

Odd-couple comedy pokes fun at gay parenting By Gary M. Kramer PGN Contributor

Oct. 14, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

Paul is with taking care of Bill, and given his concern in wanting to be a not-terrible parent, he is challenged by a foulmouthed child. Moreover, when Paul has one of his anxiety attacks, he can’t find his pills because Bill has found a creative use for them. Fleming’s humor is a bit broad when it comes to some of the situations the characters encounter. When Melissa (Alison Pill), an agent from Child Protective Services, grills the couple over their gay-porn collection, which Bill inadvertently found, the scene goes on a little too long. Likewise, an exchange the men have with Bill’s teacher,

Writer and director Andrew Fleming’s “Ideal Home” is like a queer version of “Two and a Half Men,” with the adult men being lovers instead of brothers, and the kid is a 10-year-old who says things that can’t be uttered on network television. This diverting comedy, opening June 29 at the AMC in Cherry Hill, provides sufficient laughs throughout its 90 minutes as the characters learn what it means to be a family. The sitcom plot has young Bill (Jack Gore) escaping to his grandfather Erasmus Brumble’s (Steve Coogan) lavish house in Santa Fe after the Albuquerque police arrest his father, Beau (Jake McDorman). Erasmus is the pretentious host of a basic-cable cooking show produced by his lover Paul (Paul Rudd), who thinly masks his contempt for Paul, saying, “He’s like the gay Butch Cassidy — except not butch.” STEVE COOGAN AND PAUL RUDD IN “IDEAL HOME” The out Fleming’s Ms. Garcia (Lora Martinez-Cunningham) film is chock-full of vicious and deliciously — she is scandalized by her pupil’s use of bitchy one-liners. Some of the funniest vulgar words, including “faggot,” in class moments consist of the couple’s bickering. – is over-milked. But these scenes do make They even fight when trying to declare a points about the (in)appropriateness of gay truce, so how can they possibly agree on parenting. how to raise a child? “Ideal Home” pivots on the expectation “Ideal Home” shows how they can — and can’t. The men try to enroll Bill in school, as that Bill is going to love his two new dads just as much as they will come to love him. it’s the law and it will also get the kid out of And when Beau reenters the picture, free the house for the day. However, they don’t actually know Bill’s legal name, so they can’t from jail and wanting his son back, the story shifts gears to show how Paul and Erasmus register him. Other parenting efforts have must fight for custody of Bill as well as equally mixed results. When Bill is disappointed that he can’t visit his dad in jail, Paul maintain the delicate balance of their own fragile relationship. While Erasmus takes offers to take Bill to the video arcade and Paul for granted, there is still a sense of carfor ice cream, while Erasmus suggests the ing that bonds these men, no matter how Georgia O’Keefe Museum and a nice salad. cruel they can be to one another. Paul and Erasmus also can’t get Bill to Coogan and Rudd both give amusing pereat much of anything other than Taco Bell. formances that emphasize the odd-couple If the film seems like an extended ad for dynamic. Coogan may exaggerate Erasmus the fast-food restaurant (and it is), it’s hard as a gay stereotype with a flamboyant sense not to laugh at a drunk, raccoon-coated of style and lofty airs about art, life, food Erasmus stuffing his face with a Cheesy and culture, but the actor’s commitment to Gordita Crunch and Fiery Doritos Locos his role is admirable. His character’s lack of Tacos Supreme. But this particular scene humility and embarrassment is what makes also imparts a life lesson: Erasmus bonds him so funny. with Bill, declaring his feelings for the Erasmus’ large ego is well-tempered child and making both of them more comby Paul’s big heart. Rudd generates many fortable with the awkward situation that laughs at his frustrations — as when he fate has dealt them. must wait 45 minutes for Taco Bell to start As an adult, Erasmus is pretty much a big kid — petulant if he doesn’t get his way, fin- its lunch menu — or his witty delivery in a response to another character’s sobriety: icky about what he eats and carefree when it “Unlike you, I’m going to do something comes to any responsibility. This is because about it!” Paul is the practical half of the couple. He “Ideal Home” offers a droll spin on queer gets Bill up and out for school with a lunch family values. It may not be deep, but it is (from Taco Bell, of course) and picks him frequently quite funny. n up in the afternoons. And yet, as reliable as

THE BEST FOR ‘LAST’: This is rumored to really be his last one, so catch Barry Manilow in his “One Last Time” Tour July 6-7 at Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Event Center, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J. For more information or tickets, call 609-317-1000.

Theater & Arts Agnes Martin: The Untroubled Mind/Works from the Daniel W. Dietrich II Collection Philadelphia Museum of Art presents paintings and drawings exploring the ideas that shaped Martin’s minimalist art, through Oct. 14, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215763-8100. Biting Wit and Brazen Folly: British Satirical Prints, 1780s–1830s Philadelphia Museum of Art on the appeal of caricature in Georgian England and the ways in which those images teased and provoked audiences, through Aug. 22, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215763-8100. The Color Urkel Steve Urkel and his smooth alter-ego Stefon Urquelle are separated through space and time,

communicating with each other through prerecorded letters about what life is like for black people in each time period and giving each other tips on how to survive in this absurdist blackhistory comedy play, 10 p.m. June 30 at Good Good Comedy Theatre, 215 N. 11th St.; 215-399-1279.

Experiments in Motion: Photographs from the Collection Philadelphia Museum of Art presents a photographic exhibition in which artists stop, extend and rearrange time for their own creative ends, through Aug. 19, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-7638100.

Design in Revolution: A 1960s Odyssey Philadelphia Museum of Art’s exhibition of pop art and psychedelia from the civilrights and anti-war movements, through Sept. 9, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

Face to Face: Portraits of Artists Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition exploring how photographers helped craft the public personas of their creative subjects in this stunning collection of rare photographs from the museum’s collection, through

Disney’s Aladdin Broadway Philadelphia presents the stage adaptation of the beloved animated film about a poor boy whose life is transformed by a genie, through July 1 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; 215-893-1999.

Jean Shin: Collections Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition by contemporary artist Shin (American, born in South Korea in 1971) in which she transforms everyday objects into dynamic works about connection and belonging, through July 15, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215763-8100. Keith Smith at Home Philadelphia Museum of Art presents five decades of the Rochesterbased artist’s mixed-media photographs, prints and books, through July 8, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100. Rachel Rose: Wil-o-Wisp/The Future Fields Commission Philadelphia Museum of Art presents contemporary video installations that ruminate on our imagesaturated culture and histories of the past, through Aug. 19, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215763-8100. Weeding Out The Stoned Some comedians get high and take

Notices Send notices at least one week in advance to: Out & About Listings, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 fax: 215-925-6437; or e-mail: listings@epgn.com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone.

PGN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT LISTINGS

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

July 6 at Tabu, 200 S. 12th St.; 215964-9675.

Outta Town Vickie Shaw The comedian performs 8 p.m. June 30 at The Rrazz Room at the Clarion Inn & Suites New Hope, 6426 Lower York Road.; 888596-1027.

THRILL-ADELPHIA: While the rest of the city is getting its senses overloaded with the bombast of fireworks displays and other celebrations, out English soul singer Sam Smith will be serenading fans when his “The Thrill of It All” Tour descends upon Philadelphia 8 p.m. July 4 at Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad St. For more information or tickets, call 215-336-3600.

the stage while the audience tries to figure out which one of them could pass a random drug test at work, 8:30 p.m. June 29 at Good Good Comedy Theatre, 215 N. 11th St.; 215-399-1279.

Music Chris Stapleton The country-rock singer performs 7 p.m. June 29 at BB&T Pavilion, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, N.J.; 856365-1300. Imagine Dragons The rock band performs 1 p.m. June 30 at BB&T Pavilion, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, N.J.; 856-365-1300. Summer Block Party Festival Jill Scott, Boyz II Men and DJ Jazzy Jeff perform 7 p.m. June 30 at Mann Center for the Performing Arts, 5201 Parkside Ave.; 215-546-7900.

Sam Smith The out singersongwriter performs 8 p.m. July 4 at Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad St.; 215-336-3600. Jimmy Buffett The jam-rock singer performs 8 p.m. July 5 at BB&T Pavilion, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, N.J.; 856-365-1300. Philly is Dead The open Grateful Dead jam, 9 p.m. July 5 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215222-1400.

Nightlife Happy Bear The bear-themed happy hour runs 5-9 p.m. June 29 at Tabu, 200 S. 12th St.; 215964-9675. Gentlemen’s Club Show Nightlife gets gentlemanly, 9 p.m. June 29 at Tabu, 200 S. 12th St.; 215964-9675.

Mimi Imfurst Presents Drag Diva Brunch Mimi Imfurst, Bev, Vinchelle, Sutton Fearce and special guests perform 11 a.m.-2 p.m. June 30 at Punch Line Philly, 33 E. Laurel St.; 215606-6555. Stupid Sluts Drag Pageant High heels and low IQs take the stage 9 p.m. June 30 at Tabu, 200 S. 12th St.; 215-964-9675. WEPA! Latinx Burlesque The all-Latinx burlesque showcase, 10 p.m. July 5 at Franky Bradley’s, 1320 Chancellor St.; 215-735-0735. Cabaret Sauvignon Lili St. Queer performs her solo cabaret show 8 p.m. July 6 at Franky Bradley’s, 1320 Chancellor St.; 215-735-0735. Bearlesque The bear burlesque show comes out of hibernation 9 p.m.

Sebastian Maniscalco The comedian performs 8 p.m. June 29-July 1 at Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Event Center, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000. Michael Che The comedian seen on “Saturday Night Live” performs 9 p.m. June 29 at Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000.

Stunning End-Unit Townhome only 15 minutes from Philly!

Forbidden Planet The classic sci-fi film is screened 1:30 p.m. July 1 and 7:30 p.m. July 2 at the Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610917-1228. Barry Manilow The out singer performs July 6-7 at Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Event Center, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000. Death Bed: The Bed That Eats The campy horror film is screened 9:45 p.m. July 6 at the Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610917-1228. n

This 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath home has been updated with all new flooring, new appliances, recycled glass counters, porcelain backsplash and freshly painted throughout. Full finished basement & 1-car garage. $249,000 with taxes of $6,617 and a low HOA of $115 per month. For more photos, search 100 Braddock Lane, Deptford, NJ or http://video.circlepix.com/GK8J7T/1518

Susanne Merbach Realtor, GRI Century 21 Rauh & Johns

Office (856) 582-0366 ext. 149 Cell (856) 304-9061

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

Wedding Services Directory

PGN

Out athletes detail their battles on and off the field By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com Despite the increasing visibility of LGBT athletes in recent years, a new documentary shows how and why it’s still an uphill battle for openly gay figures in professional sports. “Alone in the Game,” which premiered on AT&T’s Audience Network June 28, follows a group of LGBTQ athletes from some of the biggest sports franchises, including the NFL, NBA and NCAA, to explore the struggles and hard choices they face from the professional level all the way down to high-school sports. The subjects share their personal stories of trying to compete as openly gay athletes or living as closeted players in fear of what coming out would do to their careers. Two athletes featured in the documentary know the latter crucible well. College basketball players Haley Videckis and Layana White were both recruited for Pepperdine University’s women’s basketball team, where they became a couple. Pepperdine is a Christian university, and the pair kept their relationship and sexuality a secret. That didn’t last amid the university’s antigay environment and a witch-hunt-like atmosphere to root out gay players. Once outed, Videckis and White faced harassment and intimidation not only from the athletic department but also the academic side. The couple switched schools and filed a lawsuit against Pepperdine for antigay discrimination. A jury ultimately ruled against them last summer. Videckis and White said they hoped that including their story in the documentary would help out athletes fight for their right to compete as openly gay individuals. “There’s a very large number of athletes who are playing in both high-school and college sports and aren’t out,” Videckis said. “I think the lack of visibility creates a lack of protection at the policy level in college sports and the NCAA. I think we need to start a movement and raise awareness of the difficulties that athletes are facing because of a lack of protections. We hope this documentary can show the reality of what athletes are facing on a day-today basis.” When asked if the resistance to openly gay athletes comes more from the organizations that run these teams or from their fellow players and the fans, White said that antigay sentiments are often systemic. “I think it’s everything,” she added.

“It’s also the fans and the institutions. When it comes to fans and recruitment, there’s a taboo in women’s basketball. There are female coaches who are gay but they’re not out, and that just shows you there’s a huge problem. It’s definitely coming from everything. Even at the top, there are coaches that aren’t out and you have to ask why. The issue is masculinity in sports and the perception of women in sports. Sex sells — and that’s how they judge women on teams: ‘Oh, she is too masculine. What is she wearing when she is not on the court?’ It’s things like that that women struggle with.” Videckis and White relocated to USC after they left Pepperdine, which they say greatly improved their athletic and academic lives. They plan to use their experiences to help athletes in similar situations. “At USC, we were open about our relationship and it changed the way we were able to interact with professors and within our class,” Videckis said. “We’re going to start an organization for women in sports and LGBT issues,” White added. “USC really taught us a lot. We did really well there. We got almost a 4.0. They really inspired us to get into law and policy change. This lawsuit is what got us involved in wanting to do policy work.” Videckis said that losing their case didn’t take away from what the two were able to accomplish in the process of trying to pursue justice. “We did receive a landmark ruling for our case, and that is something that still stands to this day as a precedent that many people are relying on, even at the Supreme Court,” Videckis said. “It goes to the point that coming out can inspire change and inspire people to speak up: At one time Pepperdine was discriminatory.” Today, Videckis and White are inspirations for the out college athletes who come after them, but the two credited activists and leaders with supporting and guiding them while they challenged Pepperdine. “A year after we filed the suit, we met [national LGBTQ and athletics educator activist] Pat Griffin and she’s a great leader, especially for women,” White said. “She supported us.”

Griffin and Helen Carroll, of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, “wrote an incredible handbook for LGBT athletes called ‘The Champions of Respect,’ Videckis said. “From the moment we met them and until we went to trial, they have been incredibly supportive and really showed us how to use our voices as women. And really, although we were plaintiffs, we were defending ourselves. They were incredibly inspirational and I don’t know how we would have gotten

VIDECKIS AND LAYANNA WHITE Photo: AT&T Audience Network

through it without them.” Even with more sports figures coming out, the path to equality for openly gay athletes remanins a long one, especially at a time when even athletes’ words get a high level of media and political scrutiny. “With the political climate right now, there is a huge effect,” White said of sports figures speaking out. “There should be a lot more professional athletes coming out. Even with what’s going on with the NFL, the political climate is affecting the fans and the way they see our community. Hopefully after this film comes out, that will change and maybe more professional athletes will come out after seeing this film.” “There were no openly gay people at Pepperdine and many girls on the team were closeted,” Videckis said. “Once we filed our lawsuit, almost everyone came out on the team. Even coaches came out. It was a 180-degree flip in the culture and the inclusiveness in the LGBT community. Pepperdine even put in an LGBT club for the first time in decades, and put in a diversity board in the athletic department. When people speak out about injustices and express honestly where there needs to be change and protection, it really can only inspire people to put those protections in.” n For more information on “Alone in the Game,” visit http://start.att.net/exclusive/audience/ alone-in-the-game-documentary.

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

SERVICES & HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY Some assembly Required? Call Peter!

Peter the handyman

2I5.469.7503

www.facebook.com/handymanphilly

Free Estimates

Registered Contractor number: Pa139647 Phone : emaIl : Peter@PeterThehandyman.com

Filippone Electrical FOR ALL YOUR ELECTRICAL NEEDS

Spring Special

20% off with this ad (must be presented at time of estimate)

215-783-3844

AFRCC_PGN_2x3.975_AD.qxp_Layout 1 1/

John Wissinger Inc. OFFICE FURNITURE HARDWOOD FLOORS Old Floors, Sanded & Finished Floors Stained New Floors Laid Steps Scraped (215) 335-4472 (215) 887-2899 Cell: (215) 816-4472

• Ceiling Fans / Lighting / Dimmers • Window Treatments • Flooring • Closet Organizers • Displays / Bookcases • Finish Carpentry • Large Jobs or Small • Fully Insured • Free Estimates

Advertise your business in our directories for only $25 per week when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks.

PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR!

NO REASONABLE OFFER REFUSED

720 HYLTON ROAD • PENNSAUKEN, NJ 08110

856.488.5101

www.afrcc.com LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

PGN directory ads are terrific way to tell people about your services. Spend as little as $50 a week when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks.

LICENSED AND INSURED Philly Lic #18313 • PA. Lic #053919 www.filipponeelectric.com Email prab@epgn.com or call 215-625-8501 ext. 212 for more info.

FILIPPONE GENERAL CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTING EXPERTS SERVING PHILADELPHIA FOR OVER 75 YEARS

PA Lisc # PA116613 Philadelphia Lisc #45244 OSHA Lisc # 14-60-1324882

No Job Too Small

Carpentry - Kitchen/Bathroom Hardwood Flooring - Windows Doors - Sheetrock - Plumbing Electrical - Cement - Stucco - Painting

We’ll Beat Any Written Estimate Financing Options Available %15 Off when this ad is presented at time of estimate, and always for seniors, military and local or state police and fire employees

NJ office: 8569528197 Philly office: 2157833844

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

PGN

Classifieds All real-estate advertising is subject to Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended. Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and handicap (disability). PGN will not knowingly accept any realestate advertising that is in violation of any applicable law.

PGN does not accept advertising that is unlawful, false, misleading, harmful, threatening, abusive, invasive of another’s privacy, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, hateful or racially or otherwise objectionable, including without limitation material of any kind or nature that encourages conduct that could constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any applicable local, state, provincial, national or international law or regulation, or encourage the use of controlled substances.

Q Puzzle Sign of the Times Across

1 ___ spit (kiss) 5 Dog in “The Thin Man” 9 Recess at St. Peter’s 13 Guy embraced by homophiles? 14 Illegal block by Esera Tuaola 15 Cry before claiming immortality 16 Maneuver slowly 17 Tru friend? 19 Start of a message on a Denver church’s marquee sign 21 Witherspoon of “Legally Blonde 2” 22 Dry, to Antoni Porowski of “Queer Eye” 23 Slippery swimmers 26 Name of many gay bars 31 Gasteyer of “SNL” 34 Cross-dressing artist Frida 37 Used firehouse poles 38 More of the message 41 Sherman Hemsley religious sitcom 42 Subway token taker 43 Queens on a

chessboard, ironically 44 Yellow Brick way and others 46 Travel with your first mate 48 Canon camera 51 Hangout for Natalie Barney 55 End of the message 60 “Giant” star 61 Continent of Margaret Cho’s parents 62 Catch sight of 63 Enchanted Disney character 64 Courteous chap 65 Dick Tracy’s girlfriend Trueheart 66 .Circle of life for “The Lion King”? 67 And so

Down

1 Weapon of Caesar’s day 2 “Show Boat” director James 3 Way of the theater 4 Tickle pink 5 BenGay target 6 Cabbage salad 7 Foursome of drivers 8 Fruit of Adam and Steve? 9 Big hairdo 10 Key West tree 11 Barrie buccaneer 12 Wide shoe spec 18 Homo leader to toga-wearers?

20 Offends the olfactories 24 Actor Jude and family 25 “I ___ Andy Warhol” 27 What hangs from a Cuban 28 David Bowie genre 29 Vidal’s “___ from Golgotha” 30 Biblical garden 31 Open a crack 32 Sea bottom captain 33 In midvoyage, maybe 35 Thornton Wilder’s “The Bridge of San ___ Rey” 36 Chili pot 39 And, to Rilke

40 Franklin, religiously 45 Goes out with 47 “___ aux Folles” 49 More queer, but not less straight 50 Upright erection 52 Cutting light 53 Rubber-stamping 54 “Faboo!” 55 Home, to Glenn Burke 56 Part of Etheridge’s equipment 57 Elton John’s 88 58 In good shape 59 Like the end of a bacchanal? 60 Shark foe in “West Side Story”

Real Estate Sale

Services

VENTNOR, NJ House for sale in Ventnor NJ. 2 story 5 bedroom house, needs some repairs. Priced right. Call 215 468 9166. ________________________________________42-49

AIRLINES ARE HIRING – Get FAA approved hands on Aviation training. Financial aid for qualified students – Career placement assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 877-207-0345. ________________________________________42-26

Real Estate Rent $900/mo, 1 Bedrm Condo, RENOVATED, balcony, pool, parking, DELCO-Glenolden at train station, 20 MINUTES TO CENTER CITY by train/car, Call James 215-783-2832. ________________________________________42-26

Travel Resorts Rooms 4 men: oceanhouseatlanticcity.com ________________________________________42-38

PGN Friends Men WM, NE Phila. If you’re looking for hot action, call 215-934-5309. No calls after 11 PM. ________________________________________42-26 WM, Red Bank, NJ ISO DOM TOPS to service, DJ 732788-4205. ________________________________________42-26

Wanted To Buy

Massage

FREON R12 WANTED: CERTIFIED BUYER will PAY CA$H for R12 cylinders or cases of cans. (312) 291-9169; www. refrigerantfinders.com ________________________________________42-26

Therapeutic Massage for Discerning Males in Far NE Philly. Rate is $60 for (1) Hr. For more information text Bob at 410-714-0822. _____________________________________________42-28

PGN

Getting married?

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

SERVICES & HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY

FLORIO HOME REMODELING Creating Fabulous Homes for Over 25 Years Remodeling Professionals

Customizable Kitchens and Bathrooms, Specialize in all Crown Molding, Install Windows and Hardwood Floors, Demolition and Home Clean Out Assistance Doors, Sheetrock, Electric & Plumbing

No Job Too Small - Free Estimates - Our Prices Will Not Be Beat

10% OFF with this ad

Financing Options Available

Call/Email John Florio:

267-972-5928

FlorioHomeRemodelingLLC@gmail.com

TURNER BROTHERS PLUMBING & HEATING LLC •WATER HEATERS •HEATER REPAIR •CITY VIOLATIONS CORRECTED •ALL UNDERGROUND PLUMBING MENTION PGN TO RECEIVE 10% OFF

MICHAEL TURNER 215-852-0337 BRIAN TURNER 215-800-5072

Small businesses can afford special attention in our PGN directories.

Turnerbrothersplumbing@gmail.com

FAX 267-686-5072

Spaces this size are only $50 per week when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks.

R.M.P 43653

family

OwnED — an d — OpERaTED No Salespeople So ® No Commissions out of Your Pocket!

— —

seal roofing complete roofing service ®

CERTIFIED In all TypEs OF ROOFIng flat rubber roofs • coatings • shingles/metal roofs Payment Plan:

1/2 Down after completed, Balance due after first rain. anufacturers Warranties *M & Residential * CWommercial hite Energy Efficient Coatings * Downspouts & Gutters * Roof Inspections * * Leak Repairs * Sidings

I5% OFF

any new roof installation upto $300 | must present ad | cannot be combined

IO% OFF

any roof/GUtter rePair upto $300 | must present ad | cannot be combined

licensed & insured / / 24-hr. emergency service / / Payment Plans available

2i5.533.4066

info@sealroofingteam.net

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com June 29-July 5, 2018

PGN