pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976 Updates on the Nizah Morris and Cosby cases PAGE 2
Vol. 41 No. 28 July 14-20, 2017 Family Portrait: Julie Mesaros brings Chester County LGBTs into the fold
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HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Rosewood opens doors to residents of apartment fire PAGE 5
Matt Alber sings a song of a travelin’ man PAGE 29
Exclusive: Mazzoni Center leadership Gay man talks transition missing in Rehoboth By Jeremy Rodriguez jeremy@epgn.com
Mazzoni Center experienced numerous shakeups in the past few months, including allegations of sexual misconduct from an employee, a walkout of more than 60 full-time staffers and the resignation of its CEO. New Interim CEO Stephen Glassman, Interim Board
STEPHEN GLASSMAN
President Dr. Tony Rodriguez and Senior Communications Manager Elisabeth Flynn spoke exclusively to PGN this week about their vision for moving the LGBT health and wellness center forward.
By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
A new interim CEO Mazzoni announced Monday that Glassman will take on the post previously held by Nurit Shein, who was under scrutiny due to her handling of accusations of alleged sexual misconduct by former medical director Dr. Robert Winn. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC is conducting a third-party investigation regarding the allegations against Winn, who resigned in April. Days later, Mazzoni employees staged a walkout demanding the resignations of Shein and board president Dr. Jimmy Ruiz. Additionally, Black & Brown Workers Collective member Abdul-Aliy
MAZZONI CENTER’S NEW INTAKE AREA Photo: Scott A. Drake
Muhammad posted on social media about declining their HIV medication until Shein resigned. Both Shein and Ruiz submitted their letters of resignation days later. Glassman said he is aware that his new role, as well as Mazzoni in general, will be under scrutiny. “This is for everyone’s ben-
efit because that transparency helps all of us learn from our past experiences, move forward and build a much better future for the community that’s being served and for the efficacy of the organization itself,” Glassman said. “I am someone who tries to learn from past experiences. There are always posiPAGE 19
Police investigating attacks on Morris Home residents, employee By Jeremy Rodriguez jeremy@epgn.com Police are investigating attacks on residents and one employee of a drug and alcohol recovery center for trans and gender-variant individuals. Morris Home residents, one employee and several individuals unrelated to the home reported attacks involving firecrackers, an M-80 and paintball guns this month. On July 4, a Morris Home employee was waiting for a trolley across the street from the facility when a group of juveniles started throwing firecrackers, Lt. John Walker told PGN. Police were unable to identify any suspects as of presstime. In a separate attack around 4 p.m. July 6, four transgender residents of Morris Home reported seeing a gray Infiniti drive around 50th Street and Woodland Avenue.
People within the car fired paintballs at the residents, who initially believed they were being attacked by real gunfire, while they were sitting on the porch. Three people were hit with paint while the fourth person went into the house unharmed. The victims reported seeing two separate individuals being shot at as well. They also later told police some juveniles threw an M-80 on the porch the previous day. This attack occurred about a half-hour after a couple reported being shot by paintballs by people within a car matching the same description on 42nd Street and Baltimore Avenue. In that instance, one woman was hit, but her boyfriend was not. The boyfriend told police that he saw people within the car laughing as they shot at two other individuals. The two additional people in both July 6 attacks did not report the incidents to the
police and Walker said he is urging them to come forward so detectives can get a more accurate description of the car and suspects. “We don’t see anything prior to these dates of [July 4] but this may be the start of it so we want to nip it in the bud at this point and get the resources to help everybody so they can live freely, live the way they want to live and not be harassed by the people who are ignorant, rude and lack understanding,” Walker said. He added that these incidents are not currently being looked into as hate crimes and believes the three attacks involving Morris Home residents and an employee are unrelated. However, he said, police are conducting in-depth interviews with the residents to see if there have been any issues with other attacks. PAGE 20 Additionally, police
Police in Rehoboth Beach, Del., are searching for a gay man with ties to Philly. Todd McKee was last seen around 10:15 p.m. July 8, when he was captured on surveillance footage leaving his apartment building in the 300 block of South Boardwalk. Attempts to locate and contact him since have been unsuccessful. According to the alert, there is “a real concern for his safety and welfare.” McKee is the partner of Jeff Guaracino, the CEO of Wawa Welcome America and PGN’s travel columnist. McKee, 50, is white, 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, with red hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing blue glasses; a black, collared, short-sleeved, polo-style shirt; and blue shorts with white pockets and stripes on both sides. Anyone with information on McKee’s whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Tyler Whitman at 302-524-1391. Tips can also be submitted at www.rehobothpolice.org, http://delaware.crimestoppersweb.com, www.facebook.com/rehobothbeachpolice or by calling 1-800-847-3333. n
Trial date set in Hershey School antibias case By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com Jury selection is tentatively scheduled for April 2018 in the case of Adam Dobson, a gay man who alleges anti-disability bias at the Milton Hershey School. Dobson, 22, filed suit last year, seeking an undisclosed amount in damages and remedial measures from the school. The school in Hershey serves underprivileged PAGE 20 youth from pre-kindergarten