PGN July 15-21, 2011 edition by The Philadelphia Gay News

Lance Bass gets Sirius with his new program

Family Portrait: Marissa Colston

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Violence against LGBT people spikes, latest national statistics show

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July 15-21, 2011

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Vol. 35 No. 28

Antigay harassment alleged at Wal-Mart

PPA worker suspended over antigay rant

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com

A local gay man has settled a private criminal complaint against an employee of an area Wal-Mart whom he said engaged in pervasive antigay harassment. Blaze Waters, former owner of nowdefunct Northeast gay club Albert’s 2nd Story, agreed to a resolution mediated by the Dispute Resolution Unit of the Philadelphia Municipal Court this week between himself and Wal-Mart employee Rufus Lee Blake. In the agreement, Blake, an employee of the Wal-Mart store #2560 near Franklin Mills Mall, admitted to harassing Waters. A request for comment from Wal-Mart was not returned. Waters, who works as a bartender, said Blake began verbally harassing him about a year ago when he would visit the 24-hour store after work to shop. “He would follow me to the bathroom and call me a faggot and tell me he was going to kick my ass,” Waters said. PAGE 16 Waters said he doesn’t

A representative of the Philadelphia Parking Authority will likely lose his job after he was accused of harassing a gay couple in Queen Village. Jon Gunderson said he and his partner, Paul, were victims of antigay slurs and ridicule last weekend directed at them by Joseph DeJohn, an on-duty PPA parking-enforcement officer. On Monday, PPA suspended DeJohn without pay, with intent to dismiss. PPA spokesperson Linda Miller told PGN that DeJohn is a union worker and, thus, has the opportunity to appeal the suspension, which he must do within 10 working days. “Due to the nature of the allegations and the evidence we had, we made the decision to suspend him but he does have the right to appeal,” Miller said. Miller said DeJohn has been employed by PPA for about a year-and-a-half. Gunderson, 31, and his partner were walking home from getting ice cream Saturday night when they spotted a PPA vehicle parked partially on the curb below a newly installed “No Parking” sign. Gunderson said he snapped a photo of the car, because of the irony, to post later as a joke on Facebook. “As we were walking toward it, I thought, Oh man, that person’s going to get a ticket, and then I saw it was a PPA car and just thought it was hilarious,” Gunderson said. “It was 2 feet onto the curb, blocking a handicap-accessible ramp in a crossing zone — if we’d parked like that I couldn’t imagine the ticket.” DeJohn, whom the couple hadn’t seen in the area, evidently took issue with the photo, as well as the couple. “We started walking away and we heard someone say, ‘Do you want a picture of my balls to go along with that?’” Gunderson said. “And we just said ya know, ‘What? No, we got everything we need. PAGE 14

Eagles player drops antigay slur By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com A member of the Philadelphia Eagles who once made headlines for reaching out to a local bullying victim was recently back in the news for a different type of public display. During a radio show late last month, Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson referred to a caller as a “gay-ass faggot.” DESEAN JACKSON

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SEEING STARS: Adult performer-turned-actor Sean Lockhart (left) accepted QFest’s 2011 Rising Star Award July 8 at Ritz East in Old City. Lockhart, who made a name for himself in the porn industry as the award-winning Brent Corrigan, is starring in two films at the LGBT film festival this year, “Judas Kiss” and “I Was a Teenage Werebear” after roles in such films as “Another Gay Sequel” and “The Big Gay Musical.” “It’s always exciting to watch someone move forward in their career, and Sean is clearly doing that,” said Erik Schut, managing director of TLA Entertainment Group. “We can’t wait to see what he does next.” On July 12, New Jersey college students Matty Daley (from right) and Bobby Canciello turned out for the world premiere of “Our Lips are Sealed,” by filmmaker John Gallino. Daley and Canciello set a new world record with the longest kiss — more than 32 hours — which Gallino condensed into approximately 48 minutes, a film Daley and Canciello saw for the first time at QFest. Photos: Scott A. Drake

PA relaxes HIV-testing restrictions By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Gov. Corbett last week signed into law a measure that will relax restrictions on HIV testing in an effort supporters say is designed to make HIV testing more routine. But some HIV/AIDS advocates, however, say the new law could undermine patients’ rights. Late last month, the Pennsylvania House and Senate approved a final version of Sen. Edwin Erickson’s (R-26th Dist.) SB 260, which amends Act 148, the Confidentiality of HIV-Related Information Act. Among its stipulations, the measure will lift the requirement that a patient must provide informed written consent that he or she will undergo an HIV test, replaced instead by “documented” consent. The new law states that the healthcare provider will document the patient’s consent or refusal to participate in the testing, but does not offer further details on that procedure. Healthcare providers will also be allowed to offer HIV testing as “opt out,”

where the patient is instructed he or she will receive an HIV test unless he or she refuses. Erickson said the new law will provide for a more “expeditious process,” a goal that has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, he noted. “This procedure will prioritize identifying individuals who are unaware of their HIV status and getting them into treatment, while sustaining the fundamental voluntary nature of HIV screening,” he said. Ronda Goldfein, executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, however, said existing law had provided ample opportunity to streamline testing. “This new law simply reinforces what has already been done but shifts away important patient protections,” she said. Under the most recent law, patients had to sign a form agreeing to be tested for HIV, and Goldfein suggested that amending that stipulation to a “documentation” of consent is too vague of a policy. “The consent now only has to be documented, and there’s PAGE 14

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

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PRETTY IN PINK: Revelers on the Summer Pink Pub Crawl showed off their colorful stylings July 9 at Tavern on Camac. The crawl, organized by Bruce Yelk and NightlifeGay.com, took guests to Gayborhood venues Valanni, Sisters and Voyeur. The next crawl will be held the night before Thanksgiving. Photo: Scott A. Drake NEWS

Crime Watch Local Media Trail News Briefing

15 5 13 8

Contents

EDITORIAL/OP-ED

Creep of the Week Editorial Letters/Feedback Op-Ed Street Talk

10 10 11 11 11

What is your favorite Gayborhood salon? Poll results from our online survey as of July 13:

54% Salon K 17% Charlie Salon 13% Cut 8% Lion’s Mane 4% Andre Richard 3% Ettore Salon 1% Rapunzel’s Go to www.epgn.com to weigh in on this week’s question:

How did QFest stack up compared to previous years? 505 S. Fourth St. Philadelphia, PA 19147-1506

For advertising inquiries; advertising@epgn.com or 215-625-8501 ext. 218.

Art Director/Photographer Scott A. Drake (ext. 210) scott@epgn.com

Phone: 215-625-8501 Fax: 215-925-6437 E-mail: pgn@epgn.com Web: www.epgn.com

Advertising Director Dan Calhoun (ext. 218) dan@epgn.com

Graphic Artist Sean Dorn (ext. 211) sean@epgn.com

Publisher

Advertising Manager Greg Dennis greg@epgn.com

Executive Assistant/ Billing Manager Carol Giunta (ext. 202) carol@epgn.com

Mark Segal (ext. 204) mark@epgn.co0m Sarah Blazucki (ext. 206) sarah@epgn.com

Advertising Sales Representatives Amy Mather amy@epgn.com

Staff Writers Jen Colletta (ext. 215) jen@epgn.com

National Advertising Rivendell Media 212-242-6863

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

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

Editor

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

Philadelphia Gay News is a member of: The Associated Press Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Suburban Newspaper Published by Masco Communications Inc. © 2011 Masco Communications Inc. ISSN-0742-5155 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.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011 5

‘Daily Show’ creator to perform stand-up benefit at center By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Lizz Winstead wears myriad hats — comedian, television producer, political satirist, writer, activist — and is fusing them all for a national tour coming to Philly next week to support women’s reproductive rights. Winstead’s “Planned Parenthood, I Am Here For You!” will be at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St., at 7:30 p.m. July 20. Among her roles, Winstead is also the co-creator of “The Daily Show,” produced “The Jon Stewart Show,” co-founded Air America Radio on which she co-hosted a program with Rachel Maddow, and has performed stand-up comedy for decades. A perennial political satirist, Winstead said her new show grew out of worrisome political trends she’s observed in the past few months. “Since this new Congress took over, they put Planned Parenthood at the top of the agenda pile over jobs and the economy and have been spreading so much disinformation on the services they provide. So I finally just said this is insane, I need to do something.” In Pennsylvania, bills are moving through both chambers of the state legislature that seek to tighten standards at abortion clinics, but pro-choice advocates argue these measures could force the closure of numerous clinics.

Winstead’s show looks at the complex issues guiding the national discussion on women’s reproductive rights, using comedy to highlight the hypocrisies the comedian has noticed. “The biggest problem I’ve always had with the anti-choice movement is that I don’t understand how they want to reduce abortion by removing access to birth control. That just doesn’t make sense to me and it says that, instead of being pro-women, they’re really anti-sex,” she said, noting the protestors who’ve shown up outside her tour thus far have themselves provided new fodder for her show. “If I ascribe to the belief system that abortion is murder, then I’m not going to be dancing around to rock music at a protest, which they were. I wouldn’t celebrate at a Darfur event or something like that. It all just goes back to their wanting to have this moral code in the country that just doesn’t exist in a secular society.” While Winstead noted she is an “unabashed progressive,” she said she doesn’t discriminate when it comes to her routine. “I think power is a gift and, if you abuse it through stupidity or abject greed or corruption, you’re my target. It doesn’t matter what political stripe you are,” she said. “But I’m sure Rush Limbaugh would hate it. And anyone on the slate of GOP contenders for 2012 would hate it. But anyone who feels frustrated about the political landscape and needs an evening to gather with likeminded people and have fun and laugh

can happen when young people don’t have enough information on how to make smart, healthy choices. That’s when they more often than not find themselves in trouble.” She’s also trying to set the record straight about the innumerable healthcare options Planned Parenthood offers, Winstead said, noting that only about 3 percent of the agency’s work involves abortion. Winstead said she’s long been a proponent of LGBT equality, a sentiment shared by Planned Parenthood. “I’ve always been a big advocate of LGBT issues, from marriage equality to ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ — I’m not a big fan of war or marriage, but I’ll fight to the death for people who want to participate in both. But the gay community has always been a LIZZ WINSTEAD big part of my life and I’ve wanted to supwould really benefit. If I can use my voice port them and any other community that’s to provide that catharsis, then I’ve done my just trying to be treated like regular folks. And with Planned Parenthood, they do so job.” Although the routine is essentially rooted much work for all types of people — Pap in comedy, Winstead also uses the platform smears, STD screenings, HIV screenings to tell of her own experiences with Planned — sexuality doesn’t matter to them; they just want to provide affordable healthcare Parenthood. Winstead first visited the agency to have to people who most need it.” Tickets to “Planned Parenthood, I Am an abortion when she became pregnant at age 16 and has used Planned Parenthood Here For You!” are $50 or $35 for students. services many times since, she said, experi- VIP tickets that include a pre-show recepences captured in an upcoming book from tion with Winstead are $150. Proceeds benwhich she reads a passage during the show. efit the Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania “I was only 16 and I really had to go Advocates and Political Action Committee. For more information or to purchase tickthrough that pretty much on my own. So I wanted to put a face to the kinds of people ets, visit http://lizzwinsteadphilly.eventwho use these services and explain what brite.com. ■

Are you a community leader? Mark Mitchell, board president, Delaware Valley Legacy Fund Amber Hikes, co-founder, Stimulus Drew Becher, president, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Alison Lin, co-founder, HotPot! Zane Booker, founder and artistic director, Smoke, Lilies and Jade Arts Initiative Wayne Knaub, commissioner, Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League These people made the grade and were covered in PGN’s “Professional Portrait” column by Suzi Nash. Every week, Suzi talks to people making a difference in Philadelphia. Has she talked to you yet?

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

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Local filmmaker showcases stories of aging black lesbians By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com P h i l a d e l p h i a fi l m m a ke r Ti o n a McClodden’s new project gives a voice to a group of women whose stories — each a unique tale of struggle and triumph — together shed unprecedented light on the black lesbian community’s historical influence. “The Untitled Black Lesbian Elder Project” is a joint work by McClodden and Lisa Moore, a publisher who first began collecting stories from this community for a master’s thesis in the late 1990s. Moore approached McClodden in 2008 — after the release of the filmmaker’s award-winning “black.womyn. conversations with lesbians of African descent.” — to propose building on Moore’s original work to create a feature-length documentary. “She talked to me about some of the women that she had interviewed who had since died and that really made me realize that so many women in this community were dying without their histories being told,” McClodden said. “And, at that time, there were a lot films coming out that were these nostalgic documentaries about the civil-rights movement, but there was no real acknowledgement of the black-lesbian voice. And I knew there were a lot of

women involved in those different movements but their stories just weren’t being told.” McClodden and Moore’s film will showcase interviews with up to eight black-lesbian elders, interspersed with an array of archival material, some dating back to the 1930s, and interviews with other commentators. While each woman will tell her own personal story, those narratives will be framed to shed light on lesser-known black movements, described directly by the women who took part in the underground meetups, conferences and other gatherings that fueled the black community’s progression, McClodden said. “We want to show how these women link to historical movements in black history, like the pre-segregation civil-rights movement, the black arts and the theater movement. So the real backbone of the film is the women and their profiles. It’s very different from [“black.womyn.”] in the sense that it’s structured around these faces and trying to place and situate these women within black history. It’s a way to reclaim that sense of blackness and make sure these women are being seen as part of black history outside of our own history.” McClodden said she and Moore are eager to provide a balanced picture and thus will collect stories from all corners of the coun-

EUNICE (TOP) AND GEORGIA FILM STILLS Photos: Tiona McClodden

try, including from one woman who lives in Union City, N.J. Compiling those stories is no easy feat, McClodden noted, and will require organizers to embark on a two- to three-month national tour this fall for interviews and research. To support the tour, the women have created an online fundraising challenge in which supporters are encouraged to help

them reach their $10,000 goal by the end of July. With about two weeks left to go, the site is reporting that more than $5,000 has so far been raised. Once the tour concludes, McClodden said they’ll begin working on editing the footage around the end of the year and will likely have a finished product by next summer. While she expects the film to have personal resonance with black lesbians, McClodden said she’s also eager for it to reach the wider LGBT community, as well as mainstream audiences. “A real big target of mine is the general black community, because right now there’s a lot of stigma and homophobia about my community within the larger black community. And I think this film will put that into context and show that there were black women who went toe to toe on issues of race but also brought to the table their sexuality and gender. A lot of the work I do is about myth-busting, and I think there is this idea that black lesbians just weren’t around back in the ’20s or ’30s, but we have people and pictures and footage to show that that’s not true. So I want to challenge black history so that it’s more naturally inclusive of the black lesbian community.” To donate to the tour, visit www.indiegogo.com/The-Untitled-Black-LesbianElder-Project. To learn more about the film, visit UBLEProject.tumblr.com. ■

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011 7

Report: Anti-LGBT violence up 13 percent By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com A new report out this week found that violence against LGBT individuals is on the rise nationally, with certain segments of the population disproportionately affected. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs’ annual report found that, in 2010, incidents of violence against LGBTQ or HIV-affected individuals were up 13 percent from the previous year. The data drew on statistics from 17 participating antiviolence programs at LGBT agencies from 15 states. Pennsylvania did not participate. The NCAVP also found 27 anti-LGBTQH murders, the second-highest rate since the coalition began collecting data more than a decade ago. Lisa Gilmore, director of education and victim advocacy at Chicago’s Center on Halsted Anti-Violence Project and a member of the NCAVP governance committee, said the organization this year redeveloped its data-collection methods in order to capture as much “person-level data” as possible on victims, survivors and offenders. NCAVP found that a disproportionate number of the total 2,503 victims and survivors were transgender people of color. Of the murder victims, 70 percent were people of color, although this population represented 55 percent of the total incident reports. About 44 percent of murder victims were transgender women, a subset that comprised just 11 percent of the total reported cases. Non-transgender men comprised 52 percent of murder victims, about 37 percent of whom identified as gay. Transgender individuals and people of color were also about twice as likely as nontrans white individuals to be assaulted or discriminated against, and about 1.5 times

likely to face intimidation. Individuals who identified both as transgender and people of color were even more at risk for such crimes. The majority of reported cases were filed by individuals who identified as gay (48.4 percent), followed by those who identified as lesbian (26 percent). Non-transgender men comprised about one-half of the cases, with non-transgender women making up about 32.8 percent of the cases. Most of the individuals were white (45.1 percent), followed by Latino (23.8 percent) and black (15.9 percent). Most of the victims were between the ages of 19-39. Of the incidents, the most common was verbal harassment, with 429 reported cases, followed by discrimination, intimidation, assault without a weapon and assault with a weapon. Most incidents occurred at private residences, followed by public places. About 35 percent of offenders were strangers to their victims, although 15 percent were a landlord, tenant or neighbor and about 10 percent were coworkers. When it came to police assistance, 50.1 percent did not report the incident to police. Of those who did report, more than 60 percent described police attitudes as indifferent, abusive or deterrent. The majority of offenders were white, non-transgender men between ages 19-29. Those numbers were again higher in transgender and people of color communities: About 48 percent of transgender people of color reported police attitudes to be indifferent, compared with just 7.7 percent of non-trans white individuals. Of the offenders, 8 percent were police officers, and NCAVP reported that trans people of color were three times more likely than other groups to experience hate violence from police. ■

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NEW LOCATION, NEW LOOK: Philadelphia AIDS Thrift will mark the grand opening of its new location (pictured) this weekend with celebrations and sales. PAT, which has raised nearly $300,000 for local HIV/AIDS service organizations since its inception, has been moving its operations little by little the past few weeks to 710 S. Fifth St., around the corner from its previous locale, in a store that offers twice the square footage. In honor of the grand opening, from July 15-17, PAT will offer 50-percent discounts on books, artwork, CDs, DVDs, videos, tapes and records on specific days, with refreshments all weekend and music by DJ TransAm on Saturday. Photos: Scott A. Drake

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

News Briefing Charges dropped in domestic-violence case The criminal cases of two gay men involved in a domestic dispute were recently closed. Assault charges were dropped last month against Luis Berrios after the arresting officer failed to show up for trial. Jason Mendez pleaded guilty to the charges he faced and was released from prison on probation. A neighbor called police in late December after Berrios and Mendez got into a physical altercation inside Berrios’ home in Hunting Park. When police arrived, Berrios alleges, they used excessive force in arresting both him and Mendez and repeatedly called them “nigger” and “faggot.” Berrios filed a complaint with the Internal Affairs Division and the Police Advisory Commission. A spokesperson for Internal Affairs did not respond to a request for comment on the progress of the investigation.

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Youth program sees summer success Q Spot, a new program that provides a safe weekend space for LGBT youth, will return to Broad Street Ministry, 315 S. Broad St., from 8 p.m.-1 a.m. July 16. The program launched in May as a collaboration among several local LGBT and youth agencies to offer an array of services to the LGBT youth community. Between 25-40 young people have been attending the events, held on the first and third Saturdays, while 85 youth turned out for the first Q Spot Youth Party July 2. At Q Spot, youth can gain access to STD screenings and HIV testing, tutoring, housing referrals, mental-health services and employment assistance, in addition to a judgment-free zone for socializing and entertainment. For more information, call 215-4274387.

Tennis club gears up for tourney The Philadelphia Liberty Tennis Association will stage a fundraiser this weekend in advance of a multi-city tournament the LGBT league is hosting next month. Proceeds from the PLTA social, from 6-9 p.m. July 15 at Tabu, 200 S. 12th St., will

benefit the Atlantic Cup Tournament Aug. 5-7. Admission to the party is $5. Guests will receive one free drink ticket, and raffles and prizes will be available.

Phillies pressed on LGBT video A Philadelphia Phillies fan has launched a petition on Change.org to urge the team to participate in the “It Gets Better” video campaign. Several Major League Baseball teams have produced or agreed to produce pieces for the campaign, which seeks to support LGBT youth. Jerome Hunt, a Philadelphia native who now lives in Washington, D.C., launched his petition this week and, as of press time, it had accrued more than 1,800 signatures. Hunt, who was bullied as a youth, said the Philles’ participation in the project could be critical in reaching out to local youth struggling with their sexuality. “A Phillies ‘It Gets Better’ video could be a beacon of hope for an LGBT youth who is struggling with bullying and harassment,” Hunt said. “Hearing the words that it is OK to be who you are and ‘It Gets Better’ from a sports star you look up to can and does make a difference.” Equality Pennsylvania earlier this summer asked both the Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates to create a video, and a Change.org petition is also circulating to urge the Flyers to do the same. To view the Phillies petition, visit www. change.org/petitions/philadelphia-philliesplease-make-an-it-gets-better-video.

ACLU fellowship honors late leader The Pennsylvania American Civil Liberties Union is seeking applicants for its inaugural fellowship named in honor of Larry Frankel, the openly gay longtime ACLU leader who died two years ago. The Frankel Legislative Fellowship will allow a law- or graduate-school student to work for approximately 10-20 hours per week in assisting the legislative director with lobbying, research, coalition-building, social-media management and other tasks. The fellowship will be available in either the Harrisburg or Philadelphia office. A fellow headquartered in Philadelphia, however, must be willing to travel to Harrisburg

occasionally, with travel compensation available. While the position, which is volunteer, is ideal for those studying law, political science, communications or sociology, students of all fields of study are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. If interested, send a résumé, cover letter explaining your interest and a writing sample to hbginfo@aclupa.org or Andy Hoover, ACLU of Pennsylvania Legislative Director, P.O. Box 11761, Harrisburg, PA 17108. — Jen Colletta

Central PA celebrates Pride LGBTs and allies will take to the streets — and to the cinema, church and bars — for the 20th annual Pride Festival of Central PA in Harrisburg July 28-31, with a street festival, film screening, a concert, forum and interfaith service. This year’s street festival will take place from noon-5 p.m. July 30 on Front Street. Performers include headliner Kim English, Tom Goss, Mountain Road, M80’s and Darkes. In addition, emcee DeMarcio will perform two shows with local drag artists. The four-day event kicks off with a showing of “March On,” a documentary depicting the 2009 Equality March on Washington, D.C., at 7 p.m. July 28 at Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily St. Tickets are $5 and proceeds benefit Equality PA. O n J u l y 2 9 , N a t h a n M a n s ke o f ImFromDriftwood.com will showcase LGBT youth stories and four local choruses will present a joint concert. There will also be a pre-Pride party at Liquid 891, with a performance by Michele Lee Sterling and appearances by Mr. and Ms. Pride 2011 and special guest Champagne Douglas. The event closes July 31 with a forum sponsored by the Stonewall Democrats at 2 p.m. at Midtown Scholar, 1302 N. Third St., Harrisburg, and an interfaith community worship service at 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, 626 Williams Grove Road, Mechanicsburg. Organizers decided not to have a parade due to potential costs and lack of volunteers for planning. For more information, visit www.prideofcentralpa.com. ■ — Chandlee Taylor

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EDITORIAL PGN

Creep of the Week

D’Anne Witkowski

Linda Harvey

Editorial

What the f?

Is the heat getting to people? It’s not even August yet — the dog days of summer haven’t hit — but it seems as though the incidents of homophobia are boiling over. It’s as though the summer baked the tolerance and self-control right out of people. First, Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson directed the choice phrase “gay-ass faggot,” prefaced by “Say, no homo,” at a SiriusXM radio-show caller. After defending himself from the negative press via Twitter, the 24-yearold tweeted an apology. It’s not clear who prompted the recant, as an Eagles spokesperson noted that the NFL lockout prohibited team management from communicating with players. Next, there was the Philadelphia Parking Authority officer who went on an antigay tirade after a gay couple took a photo of his illegally parked car to post on Facebook and highlight the irony of the situation. Instead, the officer asked if they wanted a picture of his balls to go with it. From there, the harassment got worse, including the officer calling the two “faggots” and suggesting other photos they could take. After the officer drove away, he circled back to the couple’s house and continued to harass them. They called police, who arrived after the PPA officer left. The PPA, in what could be one of the best responses a complainant has ever gotten from the agency, suspended the officer with intent to dismiss and called the couple to apologize for their treatment. The agency has also stated it would hold refresher briefings on its customer-

service policies. Then there was the complaint filed by a former Northeast bar owner, who was repeatedly harassed by a Wal-Mart employee at Franklin Mills, who called him a “faggot” and threatened to stick his foot up the man’s ass. The complaint was settled this week, with the employee admitting to the harassment, apologizing and agreeing to stay away from the customer. What’s distressing about this particular situation is that the employee harassed the man while on the clock. According to the complainant, the store did nothing to resolve, mitigate or improve the situation. When PGN contacted the store, we were directed to call the company’s headquarters and, after several handoffs, left a voicemail for the corporate mediarelations department. We did not receive a response by press time. The employee’s behavior appears to violate both Wal-Mart policy and the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance. Unfortunately, these weren’t the only incidents PGN heard about this week. Taken together, these specific incidents raise the issue of training, discipline and response. Companies that have nondiscrimination policies, operate in Philadelphia and/or are city agencies need to ensure their employees are trained in what is acceptable — and legal — and comply with those policies. For those who spew “faggot” so carelessly, you need to check your language — particularly if you wear a uniform and represent a company — or a city. It’s not acceptable to call gays faggots. There’s no excuse for it. ■

If there’s anything I love it’s a good ol’ Nazi allusion. It’s the ultimate argument winner. All you have to do is link your opponent and Nazis in your audience’s mind and you’re golden. You don’t even have to have facts or logic or any shred of human decency. Ain’t no allusion like a Nazi allusion ’cause a Nazi allusion don’t stop. It’s especially fitting when someone equates gays with Nazis. So perfect. Gays and Nazis are exactly alike. One group wants to have equal rights — things like legal marriage and antidiscrimination laws. And the other group threw Jewish babies into ovens. OK, maybe they aren’t exactly the same. But close enough, am I right? Linda Harvey of Mission America, a group that is rabidly antigay, appears to think so. Earlier this month she had her undies in a twist over the National Education Association’s supposed antiChristian pro-gay agenda. Harvey sees the NEA’s support of bullying policies that are LGBT-inclusive as a particularly dire threat. Why? Because they apparently are targeting “hate language.” And Harvey believes that Christians have a special right to use hate language. Now, I’m no theologian, but last time I checked, “hate language” wasn’t exactly Christian. Of course, Harvey thinks that the NEA — or anyone targeting anti-LGBT hate — is really targeting Christians. She says about the “hate language” policy, “Will this result in even more ‘gay’stapo efforts to silence Christians and conservatives? Or to position students and fellow staff who dare to express traditional moral beliefs as speaking ‘hate language’?” Ha. “Gay”stapo. Get it? Homosexuals who think that it’s really uncool for kids to call each other “gay faggot” or “dyke bitch” with impunity are the same as the guys who busted in Anne Frank’s door and took her away to her death in a concentration camp. Look, the antigay right loves to position themselves as this persecuted group defending themselves from the big bad homos of the world. But the truth is that’s bullshit. They’ve got a major TV network and an entire political party spewing their talking points and kissing their asses. So give me a break. Harvey is also concerned with the idea that the NEA wants “contract language that secures safe work environments for all our members.” “In other words, parents, get ready,” Harvey writes. “Teachers are going to transform the local school into an even more ideological monolith as they negotiate away your rights to not have your child propagandized, in order that they, the teachers, feel ‘safe’ from certain viewpoints. It’s the con-

trol-freak tendency of the tolerant left, once again.” Keep in mind that, to Harvey, telling kids anything other than “gays are bad and make Jesus puke” constitutes children being “propagandized.” Harvey’s point of view is so warped, she thinks that keeping gay kids safe is some kind of sinister agenda. She even calls out for “antidiscrimination class-action suits against the NEA.” Because if a Christian isn’t allowed to bully a fag, that’s discrimination. The phrase “contract language” particularly riles Harvey. “Perhaps taxpayers can ‘contract’ to have public-sector unions become a relic of the past,” she writes. Ah, yes. The anti-union craze that’s sweeping the nation. Unions are the worst! I once saw a guy wearing a T-shirt that read, “Like Your Weekends? Thank a Union.” And I was all, “No, I don’t like my weekends, thank you very much. I want to work 12-hour days, seven days a week for below minimum wage in a factory with no breaks and that’s been my dream since I was 6 years old, you child-labor discriminating bastard.” So I guess Jesus, or at least the caricature of Jesus people like Harvey believe in, hates unions too. I mean, think about it. Unions raised the standard of living in America by fighting for fair wages and better working conditions, which unfairly impacts the entire country. But it’s no wonder that Harvey is antiunion when shortly before her “gay”stapo comments she said on her radio show that gays shouldn’t be hired to begin with. According to Harvey and her guest, Michigan’s own antigay hatemonger Gary Glenn, gays are all mentally ill drug-abusers with AIDS and/or cancer and/or hepatitis. “I would not think of a homosexual person as a good employment risk, I just wouldn’t,” she said. Which is no doubt devastating news for all of the homosexuals who would just love having someone like Harvey as their boss. ■ D’Anne Witkowski has been gay for pay since 2003. She’s a freelance writer and poet (believe it!). When she’s not taking on the creeps of the world, she reviews rock ’n’ roll shows in Detroit with her twin sister.

OP-ED PGN

Op-Ed

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011 11

Leslie Robinson

Pride notes to self I had a peachy time marching in Seattle’s Pride parade in June. My partner Anne and I, members of a Unitarian Universalist church in Seattle, marched with a host of Unitarians representing churches from all over Puget Sound. Now it behooves me to make a few notes about this year’s experience, just to ensure next year things go downright seamlessly. Note No. 1: Our church had a stellar turnout because we began recruiting early. We must repeat this next time. We should start signing people up ... next week. Note No. 2: I was one of the organizers of our contingent, but I got sick and couldn’t help for a couple of weeks. The others carried on beautifully without me. The takeaway is next year I will again surround myself with overachievers. Note No. 3: Things work best when individuals are doing the jobs they prefer. I’m suited to firing off reminder e-mails. Had I been tasked with designing the temporary tattoos we handed out, they would’ve looked just like the work of Georgia O’Keeffe — when she was an infant. Note No. 4: Unitarians try to do right by the earth, so it was wise to send everybody information on how to get to Pride by bus. It was also wise not to ask who actually took the bus. That’s the Unitarian version of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Note No. 5: Gathering 80 Unitarians for a group photo before the parade was surprisingly easy. Nobody questioned the backdrop. Nobody lobbied for a different camera. Nobody suggested we form a photo committee. I suspect this was because we’d all been standing in the sun for a substantial period. So next year we’ll make sure Unitarian contrariness gets baked right out of people before we ask them to pose. Or do anything at all. Note No. 6: This wasn’t the first time I’ve waited well over an hour after the parade’s start for my portion of it to begin. Adrenaline and socializing can keep you going a long while, but there’s frequently a lull before you

actually step out. Need to come up with something to fill the time. Perhaps poker with PFLAG. Or we could challenge the Methodists to dodgeball. Note No. 7: I felt dandy marching when I held the church banner with one hand and Anne’s hand with the other. But when my hands were empty, I remembered I’m not one for waving at the crowd. Unitarians tend to be introverts. I guess I’d better organize a class at church this winter. It should be taught by the drag queen who served as a parade emcee and announced when we passed that she considered herself a Unitarian. She could teach us loads about overcoming shyness ... and periodic genderswitching. Note No. 8: Anne doesn’t suffer from parade reservedness. She waved and waved, and when she had to retire to one of our VW Bugs due to a bad knee, she waved like royalty. Must look into a horse and carriage for next year. That would be eco-friendly, wouldn’t it? Note No. 9: I have wussy forearms. That church banner I carried was lightweight, and I carried it with someone else and, yet, two-thirds of the way through the parade I felt like I was carrying a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence. Clearly I must exercise those forearm muscles. Maybe this winter I’ll practice, marching up and down the sidewalk outside the church carrying the banner. Scare the Lutherans nearby. Note No. 10: Immediately behind us was a small contingent of sex workers. That meant that anybody pondering our signs, our handouts, our message didn’t stay focused on us for long. Next year I want to be followed by Baptists. ■

Street Talk Should signed consent be required for an HIV test as part of routine blood work? “It couldn’t hurt to have the signature but I wouldn’t make it a requirement. People should know their HIV status. And their Andrew Fisher doctors student should know, Washington Square West too. The HIV test should be considered routine, just like other medical tests.”

“No. It’s important to get people through the door, and checked for HIV. The signed consent Kevin Greenland would tend student to scare West Philadelphia people away, rather than function as a safeguard. I think [HIV] aftercare is more important than a signature beforehand.”

“Yes. If a person doesn’t want the test, they shouldn’t be forced to have it. It’s a personal choice. The signature is a buffer to prevent a person from being coerced into having the test.”

“No. HIV should be treated like any other disease. Why make it the exception? I don’t think it should be Joshua Pearson minimized multi-media designer at all, but South Philadelphia it shouldn’t have special protections in place.”

Vasili Mantsos student Washington Square West

Leslie Robinson has marched on both coasts. E-mail her at lesarobinson@gmail.com, and visit her blog at www.generalgayety.com to answer the question of the week. Mark My Words will return next week..

Letters and Feedback In response to “Mayor vetoes sick-leave bill,” July 8-14: The negative impacts to the LGBT community: no telling whether a company will recognize life partners, and it looks that the transgender community’s health needs won’t be realized. LGBT people should find someone else to vote for for mayor this fall. And shame on Jim Kenney. He should know better! — JordanGwendolynDavis In response to “Morris redactions spur new PAC policy,” July 1-7: This case is one of the most frustrating

and blatant abuses of the term, “ justice system.” Would the case records be complete without redactions, D.A stonewalling, lost tapes, files, etc., if the Philadelphia police were not implicated in this homicide? Where is the rest of the LGBT community’s outrage? I do not believe for one minute that PAC is doing anything but stalling until everyone gets old and dies and there’s a new board, etc.! Luckily, our hero Tim Cwiek of the PGN has a grip on this case like a pit bull on a mailman’s ass! My prayers go out to the family, friends and LGBT community that wants justice and closure. ■ — Jayne Doe

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

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After initially seeming to defend his comments, Jackson has since apologized. In a statement provided to PGN, Eagles spokesperson Derek Boyko denounced Jackson’s remarks. “Due to the NFL lockout, we are not permitted to communicate with our players or their representatives and, thus, we were unable to share with DeSean Jackson our feelings on how inappropriate and unacceptable those comments were,” Boyko said. “But we were satisfied to learn that he came to the same conclusion and issued an apology for his comments.” The exchange came during the June 30 “All Out Show with Rude Jude and Lord Sear,” a hip-hop program on SiriusXM’s Shade 45. A caller asked Jackson about having “his dick knocked in the dirt” — an expression that may have been referring to an on-field injury he sustained. Jackson was apparently angered by the caller and responded: “What type of question is that? Say ‘no homo,’ gay-ass faggot.” The comments were publicized online about a week later, and on July 8 Jackson took to Twitter to apparently defend himself from the negative press. In two separate posts, the player tweeted: “THEY LOOKING 2 TAKE YA DOWN AT ALL TIMES NO MATTER HOW POSITIVE AND WHAT U DO!! ITS ALWAYS AWAY THEY TRY TO GET YA. IM STANDIN TALL” and “WANNA

“I lingered in the shadows of my mind to hide from forces I believed would conjure greater torrents of pathos in my life, as if my fate was to live in perpetual sorrow, and barebacking indiscriminately would keep fate at bay.”

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After 30 years of HIV/AIDS, the epidemic is impacting the next generation: the Millennials. Written by Aaron Stella, Millennial Poz gives a new voice to people with HIV/AIDS. Online and in print every second Friday.

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BRING ME DOWN BUT IM OK!! THEY TRYIN KNOCC ME OFF BUT IM STILL ON!!” The following day, however, Jackson tweeted an apology with a decidedly different tone. “I am sorry for using words that I know to be hurtful and unacceptable in a recent radio interview,” he wrote. “I have made a mistake and would like to make it clear that words I used meant no disrespect to the gay and lesbian community. Intolerance is unacceptable and I apologize to anyone I have offended.” Brian Sims, E q u a l i t y Pennsylvania board president and chair of the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia, lectures around the nation on ways to alleviate homophobia in sports communities. Sims noted that the Jackson flap reflects the need for stronger direction from professional sports leaders on issues of LGBT sensitivity. “DeSean Jackson’s comments highlight why we need to start hearing directly from the league owners and executives,” he said. “Only when we see leadership from the top to end discrimination against LGBT players and fans, like we’ve seen in Europe, will we see meaningful change here in the United States.” Wayne Knaub, commissioner of the Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League, comprised primarily of LGBT players, said Jackson’s apology is a step in the right direction, but needs follow-through. “We may never know if this statement was prompted by his agent or a public-relations specialist or if Mr. Jackson truly meant no

disrespect, as he stated in his apology. Only time will tell if his apology is heartfelt by choosing different words to use in the future when presented with a similar situation,” Knaub said. “Hopefully, the silver lining of this situation will be that other athletes choose their words more wisely and that young fans who look up to Mr. Jackson will think twice before using the same words to bully another person.” The GPFFL last year made an “It Gets Better” video to reach out to LGBT athletes who face homophobia, and Knaub suggested that the Eagles also participate in the project to send an important statement that anti-LGBT sentiments are not tolerated by the club. Boyko said the Eagles staff is aware of the campaign but has not been approached about making a video yet. Jackson’s comments come after his recent crusade against bullying at schools throughout the region, where he’s spoken out about diversity and acceptance. Earlier this year, he garnered praise for his surprise visit to “The View,” where he gave the jersey he was wearing to a Pennsylvania student who was being interviewed about his experiences as a bullying victim. During his “View” appearance, Jackson was accompanied by Eagles offensive lineman Todd Herremans, who also has dedicated numerous public appearances to the issue of school bullying. Last summer, Herremans got into his own hot water with the LGBT community after complaining on Twitter about the number of gay characters on HBO’s “True Blood.”

Only when we see leadership from the top to end discrimination against LGBT players and fans, like we’ve seen in Europe, will we see meaningful change here in the United States.

— Brian Sims, Equality PA

■

PGN

Media Trail City covers DOMA tax The Boston Herald reports that Cambridge, Mass., will pay quarterly stipends to its 22 employees with same-sex spouses to cover a federal tax on health insurance that their straight married colleagues do not have to pay beginning this month. Under the Defense of Marriage Act, even legally married same-sex couples cannot receive federal benefits. The city employees hit by the extra tax pay an additional $1,500-$3,000 each year, and city officials estimate the measure, approved last month, will cost the city $33,000. The part of DOMA that denies federal benefits for married gay couples was ruled unconstitutional in Massachusetts by a U.S. district judge in Boston last year. The decision is being appealed.

Since the agreement was reached in March, Freeman has been using the women’s restroom at the Auburn restaurant and has not reported any difficulties.

Catholic Charities sues over adoption Advocate.com reports that Catholic Charities of Illinois sought a court injunction July 12 against state officials who have declined to renew adoption contracts with dioceses that desire religious exemption from the state’s new civil-union law. Three dioceses sued last month for exemption from the law in their statefunded adoption and foster-care contracts, while a fourth has indicated it does not want to place children with gay parents. A fifth ended its public-adoption and foster-care services all together. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services sent letters last week to the concerned Catholic Charities affiliates saying the state could not accept the contracts for the fiscal year that began July 1 because state contractors cannot discriminate against couples in civil unions.

Maine Denny’s to respect New MD marriage push The Washington Blade reports a coalition trans customers The Sun Journal reports that Denny’s restaurants in Maine now permit customers to use restrooms consistent with their gender identities. The change in policy was inspired by a suit against the chain’s Auburn location, which denied a transgender woman access to the women’s bathroom in 2007 after another customer’s complaint. The suit was settled in March and announced July 11 by Realty Resources Hospitality, which owns six Denny’s restaurants in Maine, and the Boston-based Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders Transgender Rights Project, which represented plaintiff Brianna Freeman.

Scott A. Drake Photography

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of organizations started a new campaign to win marriage equality in Maryland July 12. The list of groups involved in the effort includes Equality Maryland, Progressive Maryland, the ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, Freedom to Marry, Service Employees International Union and others. A marriage-equality bill failed in the House in March after passing the Senate. The new coalition aims to pass marriage equality in the 2012 Maryland legislative session, which begins in January. Gov. Martin O’Malley has pledged to sign such legislation. ■ — compiled by Chandlee Taylor

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011 13

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

PGN

PPA from page 1 We’re all set.’ And he just followed up with more, saying things like ‘If you have nothing better to do, go suck each other’s balls, faggots.’” Gunderson said the couple tried explaining that they took the picture as a joke and, after the antigay slurs, Paul retorted with remarks about DeJohn’s mother as the officer drove away. By the time the couple walked another 50 feet to the house, DeJohn had returned. “He was parked facing west on Carpenter, so he had to have gone down to Passyunk, east on Christian and down half a block on Sixth in the amount of time it took us to get to the house, so he must have been really moving,” Gunderson said. “He continued his verbal assault and, at that point, it went from annoying and disturbing to really scary because he knew where I lived at that point.” Gunderson said DeJohn taunted them that they didn’t know anyone powerful enough to get him in trouble but left after Paul alluded that Gunderson was calling police. The officer who was dispatched was courteous and professional, Gunderson said, the “complete opposite” of the PPA officer. After giving a statement, the couple

Google’d PPA, and recent stories by Daily News columnist Ronnie Polaneczky surfaced, whom the couple contacted. Polaneczky called PPA about the incident, and an agency dispatcher interviewed the couple the next day, an action PPA executive director Vince Fenerty assured Gunderson would have happened no matter the call from the Daily News. Fenerty called and personally apologized to the couple for the incident and said PPA will also issue a formal written apology. In their conversation, Gunderson, a member of the board of the local Human Rights Campaign steering committee, conveyed that the PPA was fortunate that he and Paul were the victims. “What if this had happened to somebody who wasn’t comfortable with themselves and wouldn’t feel OK standing up to someone? I said to him that they’re lucky this wasn’t a 16-year-old kid who wasn’t out yet, who

heard what this guy had to say and went and jumped off a bridge. They’re lucky it was me and I’m happy it was me and not someone else. But we still wanted to make sure the public heard about this so people know that this is not acceptable.” In a statement, Fenerty called DeJohn’s conduct “totally inappropriate and completely u n a c c e p t a b l e ,” saying the officer violated “many provisions” of PPA’s conduct code. “ T h e P PA has a zero-tolerance policy against the mistreatment or harassment of any citizen by our employees,” Fenerty said. “We do not condone or tolerate harassment of any citizen based on race, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. The PPA is proud of our history of inclusion and diversity, where our employees and managers represent the diverse nature and makeup of our city.” Miller said the PPA has not conducted

diversity training for its employees in a number of years. Following this incident, however, Fenerty said that, starting Tuesday, PPA officials were going to be meeting with employees to communicate behavior expectations. “To assure that our employees are mindful of the proper treatment of all citizens with whom they interact, senior management staff will provide a refresher briefing at all roll calls to remind them of our standards of professional conduct. On behalf of all Authority staff, I apologize to these citizens for the inappropriate treatment by one of our employees.” Gunderson said that, while he didn’t necessarily want DeJohn terminated, he was satisfied with the outcome. “I basically wanted him to understand that this is serious, this is not acceptable and to be put on warning, basically to get a strong reaction from this so he would not this is not OK. But I think the best ting that came out of this was when the director said he was going to implement the refresher training course because that’s what I wanted. Paul wanted to make sure we got an apology, I wanted to make sure there was some type of new training, so we’re both happy with how they handled it.” ■

HIV from page 1 no specificity as to how it should be documented — so is it by signing my name or by a provider checking something off in my file that he asked me if I wanted to be

tested? Just because there’s a notation in a file does not mean that a patient gives consent,” she said. “So I’m fearful that with the greatly reduced proof of consent requirements, people will be tested without know-

ing it or agreeing to it and they’ll only find out they’ve been tested once they get their results.” The law also stipulates that negative results no longer need to be delivered in person — a provision that Kevin Burns, executive director of ActionAIDS, said should not be problematic so long as providers are conscientious about confidentiality and don’t leave phone messages with test results. Burns, however, shared Goldfein’s hesitation over the change to the written-consent portion of the law. “I think it is really concerning that people possibly won’t have the opportunity to know the test is being done and won’t necessarily be able to learn what a negative result means and what a positive result means,” Burns said. “We usually use that opportunity to educate people about safer sex, so it is concerning that people might not have that opportunity.” Goldfein noted that proponents of the new law proffered that the former writtenconsent provisions were too cumbersome; while that process may have been so for healthcare providers, she noted that patients largely refrain from testing because of fear of results, not because of the written-consent process. Nurit Shein, executive director of Mazzoni Center, said her agency will continue to garner written consent for HIV tests and will evaluate the pros and cons of lifting that stipulation in the future. Shein said she didn’t have qualms about the new law dropping the written-consent provision in a standard heathcare setting — because of HIPPA laws and doctor-patient confidentiality — but noted that it could be an issue in other environments. “I think where we need to be concerned

is in community-based HIV testing,” she said. “Each organization is going to need to decide whether it wants to be more restrictive on its own practices or not.” In terms of the new opt-out stipulation, Shein said New Jersey has had such a measure in its HIV-testing law for some time without “enormous problems.” But she cautioned that with the new law comes the obligation for education. “I think the main issue is really educating the public and providers as to how to present the opt-out. I think it will take time for patients to understand that when their blood is taken, an HIV test can be performed. And I’m not sure all providers are going to explain specifically to patients, ‘We’re going to do an HIV test but if you don’t want us to do it you need to tell us.’ So I think the issue is really how this is going to translate to individual providers and if they’re going to give the patients the correct information. If that is done, then it brings the choice back to the patients and that’s where it should be.” Burns noted that on one hand, the opt-out provision is a step toward making HIV testing more routine, but the potential lack of written consent detracts from that progress. The new provisions are set to go into effect by the end of the summer, and Goldfein suggested that patients stay informed about their own care to prevent any breaches of their rights. “If patients are getting blood drawn, they need to be aware and ask what exactly is being tested for, and hopefully the providers will be honest and clear and say, ‘We’re testing for this level, this level, HIV.’ The proof-of-consent requirement has now been so watered down that it’s time to empower patients to talk to their providers about the tests that are being done.” ■

They’re lucky this wasn’t a 16-year-old kid who wasn’t out yet, who heard what this guy had to say and went and jumped off a bridge.

— Jon Gunderson

PGN

Gayborhood Crime Watch The following incidents in the Midtown Village and Washington Square West areas were reported to 6th Police District between June 29-July 3. Information is courtesy of 6th District Capt. Brian Korn; Stacy Irving, senior director, Crime Prevention Service; Center City District; the Police Liaison Committee and Midtown Village Merchants Association. To report crime tips, visit www.phillypolice.com or call 215-686-TIPS (8477). INCIDENTS — At 9:50 a.m. June 29, a male held up a man in the 1300 block of Chancellor Street, approaching him from behind and placing an unknown object in his back. The man took his money and fled south on Juniper. The perpetrator was described as a black male in his 30s, 6-foot with a medium build and wearing a white T-shirt, jeans and white and yellow sneakers. — Between 8-10 a.m. June 30, someone broke the rear lock of a 2007 Ford truck parked in the 200 block of South 10th Street and stole power tools. Sixth District Officer Kelly attempted to lift fingerprints. Between 11 a.m.-3 p.m. June 30, someone forced open the rear sliding door of an apartment in the 1200 block of Locust Street and stole laptops and a camera. Sixth District Officer Maiorano attempted to lift fingerprints. — At 8:55 p.m. June 30, a resident heard a noise at his apartment door in the 1300 block of Locust Street and, upon checking, found the moulding around his door was damaged. A security officer informed the resident that two unauthorized males left the building and described them as black and wearing white shirts. One was 5-foot11 and 200 pounds; the other was 5-foot-9 and 220 pounds. Central Detectives processed the scene for evidence and lifted fingerprints. — At 6:05 p.m. July 2, a group of teens entered the Utrecht art store, 301 S. Broad St., took four pairs of sneakers and fled. Two of the suspects were described as black males, 16-20 years old. One was 6foot-3 with a dark complexion; another was 5-foot-11 and wearing a white T-shirt and blue shorts. The teens fled north on Broad. — Between 1-9:30 a.m. July 3, someone smashed the window of an out-of-towner’s 2010 Kia parked in the 300 block of South 13th Street and stole a GPS. This report was received by the DPR Unit via phone,

thus police were not dispatched. — Between 12:30-7 a.m. July 3, someone entered a 2004 Infiniti parked in its owner’s garage in the 800 block of Lombard Street, with the door left open, and stole CDs and tools. Sixth District Officer Sweeney lifted fingerprints. — Between 11 p.m. June 19 and 2 p.m. July 3, someone stole a 2001 Honda, parked in the 800 block of Locust Street. ARRESTS — Between 2:40-4:30 a.m. June 27, 6th District Officers arrested two males for summary offenses outside 12 S. 12th St. and 1200 Walnut St. — At 4:05 a.m. June 30, a man who lost the keys to his BMW inside a bar in the 1200 block of Sansom Street saw someone trying to start his car and confronted the suspect. Sixth District Bicycle Patrol Officers Erwin and Stone saw the confrontation and apprehended two males, ages 24 and 18, one with a West Philadelphia address and one with a Hunting Park address. Both were charged with attempted auto theft. — At 6:55 p.m. June 30, 6th District Officers Duncan and Burrell stopped a male outside 1222 Locust St. for investigation and found he was a fugitive in wanted status from Camden, N.J. The male was also found to be in possession of six packets of crack cocaine. The 24-year-old homeless suspect was charged with possession of illegal narcotics and fugitive from justice. — At 3:20 p.m. July 1, 6th District Bike Officers Fererro and Blackburn stopped a male in the alley at 1300 Sansom St. stuffing a blunt with wet marijuana. Police confiscated a jar containing wet marijuana laced with PCP. The 29-year-old suspect with a Ridley Park address was charged with possession of illegal narcotics. — Between 10:55 a.m.-3:40 p.m. July 2, 6th District Officers arrested two males for summary offenses outside 241 S. 13th St. and 231 S. 13th St. — At 6:25 a.m. July 3, a man accosted a woman in the 1000 block of Spruce Street, punching her numerous times and attempting to take her handbag. Sixth District Officer Lutz chased and stopped a male fitting the suspect’s description provided in the 1000 block of Cypress Street. The 52year-old suspect with a South Philadelphia address was identified and charged with robbery and related offenses. ■

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011 15

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know what motivated Blake’s harassment, other than antigay sentiment. He said he complained to the manager on duty every time and was told the store would “take care of it” but does not know if there were ever any repercussions. In September, Waters and his partner were shopping when he said Lee followed the pair out of the store and began yelling “faggots” and other threats at them in the parking lot. Waters said he called police and, while they were talking to store managers, he said another employee suggested he stay away from the store. “She asked why I keep coming in here and I said basically because I’m allowed. I’m a human being who should be treated as every other customer who comes in here,” Waters said. Waters filed the court complaint shortly after the September inci-

dent. In the July 11 mediation agreement, Blake agreed to a “stayaway order” for when Waters shops at the store in which he is “not to approach him, talk to him, threaten him or harass him in any way.” The order extends to any relatives or friends representing Blake. The Human Rights Campaign gave Wal-Mart a score of 40 out of 100 on its most recent Corporate Equality Index. The company operates a nondiscrimination policy that extends to sexual orientation but not gender identity. Wal-Mart’s “Statement of Ethics” defines harassment as “any conduct which inappropriately or unreasonably interferes with work performance, diminishes the dignity of any person or creates an intimidating, hostile or otherwise offensive work environment.” A violation of the “Statement of Ethics” can lead to “appropriate disciplinary action,” including termination. ■

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denied her asylum in Britain. This time, immigration judges agreed with her attorneys that Jamaica is “a deeply homophobic society” and her status as an out lesbian could put her at serious risk. The woman said she feared that she would be subjected to “corrective rape” — which she was threatened with in Jamaica — and that she may sink back into a severe depression if she were forced to return. The woman first came to the U.K. in 2003 to study and has since begun living openly as a lesbian and entered a longterm relationship. The woman argued to the judges that after living openly for more than seven years, she cannot go back to her old life — and her partner also refuses to move to Jamaica. According to JamaicaObserver.com, many gay Jamaicans are successfully turning to Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. as venues for asylum from their home nation.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011 19

petty and mean-spirited.” Australian Marriage Equality national convener Alex Greenwich said, “The Gillard government’s policy of not allowing samesex marriages in Australia forces same-sex couples to go overseas if they want to marry, but when they apply to marry in another country, [Prime Minister] Julia Gillard is there saying ‘no’ as well. This means some couples miss out on entitlements and protections they can only receive overseas if they are married in a country that would otherwise recognize their commitment, and it causes endless hassles for couples who have planned their wedding only to find it can’t go ahead.” The leading Australian Labor Party is to discuss the issue of gay marriage at its conference in December. However, Gillard said recently that she may not respect any motion in favor of equal marriage.

ernment.

International & HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY SERVICES Chile considers same-sex civil unions Chile’s government is considering legislation that would recognize same-sex civil unions. The bill would grant legal rights to gay couples who have lived together for more than one year. Despite the heated debate on the issue in the predominantly Catholic country, Chilean president Sebastian Pinera said last month he wanted to safeguard “the dignity of those couples, whether of the opposite or even the same sex.” If the legislation passes, Chile will be the fifth South American country to legalize same-sex civil unions, joining Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Uruguay. Argentina offers marriage rights to gay couples.

Jamaican lesbian granted asylum in U.K. In what may be a watershed moment for gay Caribbeans seeking refuge in other nations, a Jamaican lesbian who fears for her life has been granted asylum in the United Kingdom. The woman, whose name was not released, won an appeal from a previous decision that

Australian MP challenges Antigay protests erupt in overseas marriage ban Islamabad A South Australian gay member of Parliament says he will challenge the country’s ban on gay marriages abroad. Upper House MP Ian Hunter and his partner of 22 years, artist Leith Semmens, intend to tie the knot in New York following that state’s legalization of gay marriage. However, the Australian government is refusing to issue gay couples with Certificates of Non-Impediment to Marriage, which show they are not already married. “I don’t want to wait till I’m 75 to get married,” Hunter said. “[The CNI] has no legislative weight ... so I can’t see for the life of me how making those instruments available will cause any blowback. I think that it’s

Twenty-five people were arrested July 8 in Islamabad, Pakistan, after protests broke out over a gay-rights event hosted by the U.S. Embassy last month. Nine people, including four police officers, were injured. After Friday prayers, more than 200 members of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talba, or Islamic Organization of Male Students, gathered with signs, and started chanting against the U.S. Embassy as well as the Pakistani government for allowing such an event. The protesters shouted that “Pakistan is an Islamic country and they will not tolerate anything against the Islamic Laws and Shari’a,” and called for a holy war against the U.S. gov-

Opera back on after homophobia controversy The latest show from “Billy Elliot” playwright Lee Hall will go on after all. A dispute over words spoken by a gay character had threatened to derail his new project, a community opera involving 300 children, but officials said July 7 a compromise had been reached. “We are delighted to announce that the revisions which the school requested have now been made and the author has addressed the points raised by the school,” the statement said. “The final libretto is now an ageappropriate text, which was all the school had requested.” The opera opens July 16 in Bridlington, northeast England. Education officials had said the school removed 300 pupils set to appear in the production because of offensive and derogatory language, and Hall on July 4 had accused the school of having dated and homophobic views. The writer said he had refused to remove the lines “Of course, I’m queer” and “I prefer a lad to a lass” from the opera “Beached,” the story of an eventful day at the seaside set to music by composer Harvey Brough. The council said July 7 that the word “queer” had been replaced with “gay.” The two sides said Hall had addressed concerns over some of the language and tone related to the gay character’s identity and denied claims the changes were requested due to homophobia. ■ — compiled by Larry Nichols

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Lance Bass takes to the satellite airwaves By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com

Out pop music star Lance Bass recently launched “The Pop Ten,” a weekly music and pop-culture show on SiriusXM’s LGBTthemed OutQ radio. Listeners across the country can hear Bass counting down the top 10 songs and pop happenings for the week, backed by celebrity guests and an assortment of his closest friends. Bass, a former member of the boy-band juggernaut that was ‘N Sync, deﬁnitely has the pedigree to hold court on the current state of pop culture. The group that made Bass famous has been on ice ever since the launch of Justin Timberlake’s massive solo career and, later, his movie career. Since then, Bass has had a variety of ventures including his own music management company, acting, trying to buy his way into space, coming out and writing his autobiography, “Out of Sync.” PGN caught up with Bass to talk about the new show and how he ﬁnds the time to keep up with everything in the world of music and television. PGN: What kind of response have you been getting from the show? LB: Everyone has been great. Now that social media has gotten out of hand lately, it’s fun to see that direct reaction from the fans. I just love that they can be a part of the show with calling, tweeting, requesting songs. I just love that. PGN: What do you do to keep up with everything that’s going on in pop music? LB: I pretty much watch every TV show out there. I produce TV too, so I call that research. I’m a TV-holic. My TiVo is completely full with everything. TV I got covered. To keep up with the rest of pop culture, I use the Internet. It’s just so easy to go to Yahoo and see what all the latest stuff is. There’s so many blogs out there, so if something is happening

or a celebrity does something stupid, you’re going to hear it within seconds through Twitter.

PGN: What are some of your favorite shows on TV right now? LB: Summer is a little dead but my indulgence is “Big Brother.” That’s one of my favorite shows and what I get addicted to in the summer. “True Blood” is great. I love all the HBO and Showtime shows that are out right now. “The Big C” is one of my favorites as well as “Weeds.” I can’t really say I like scripted or reality more than the other, but I lean more toward the scripted stuff because I just love actors. I love when I can see an amazing actor on television. That’s been a huge trend lately — ﬁlm stars are doing television. Television is at an all-time high right now. PGN: Was it your

intention to give the members of your peanut gallery as much talk time as yourself on your radio show? LB: Yes, deﬁnitely. I love what Chelsea Handler does when she brings in three or four guests and they take turns giving it to people. I wanted the show to have that type of feel. The whole purpose of the show is to have a Friday-night party. It came about because that’s what my friends and I do. On a night we’re going out, we come over to my house, we ﬁx a few drinks, we put on some good music, we get ready and we just talk about the week and then we go out to a bar. That’s the atmosphere I wanted to create for the listeners. I want you to turn the show on, get with your friends, start getting ready for the night and listen to how we do it. What you’re hearing on the radio is pretty much what happens with me and my friends every time we get together. PGN: Do you think

shows like “The Voice” and “American Idol” take all the mystery out of being a pop singer/entertainer? LB: No. I think it’s great to show the world how hard it is to become an entertainer and the hard work these kids have to go through in order to get to that level. I love that. I think it discourages a lot of people from even going into the entertainment industry, to see how impossible it is to have a successful career. All these thousands of people are going for the same thing. It really depicts a true story of what it’s going to be like to get in the industry. The mystery behind it all is still there because it’s all about the individual artist and that, I don’t think, is really given up with these shows. The producers show what they want us to see but when you really get to know these artists, there’s a lot of mystery behind them. PGN: Are you still doing A&R (artists and repertoire development) and production for new artists? LB: No, not really. I have a television show that I’m producing next year that’s probably going to be music based. That’s probably going to be the ﬁrst time I get back into the A&R side of music. The last time I did any A&R was 10 years ago. But it will be nice to be able to combine my love for television and music into one show.

PGN: Do you encounter any LGBT artists looking to break into music and, if so, what advice do you have for them? LB: All the time. I get people on Facebook sending me demos, especially from the community. It’s great. I always tell them, right from the beginning, be yourself. Especially the ones that are like, “I don’t know if I should tell people that I’m gay.” But that becomes a story if you hide something. So right out of the gate, you have to be honest and it doesn’t become a story. It becomes about your music. That’s the No. 1 advice that I give, especially to the gay community. REFLECTIONS: Boy-band icon Bass is claiming his stake in the entertainment industry.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

Bass hits the studio for his weekly SiriusXM radio show.

You have to be true to yourself. PGN: Do you think it’s easier these days for new pop artists to be out from the start? LB: It’s gotten better in the last couple of years but we have a long way to go. There’s still a huge stigma with being gay in the entertainment industry, music or acting. I know tons of casting directors and people at record labels. They candidly tell me that they can’t cast gay actors in a lot of these roles. A lot of record labels won’t sign musicians just because they ﬁnd out that they were gay and they wouldn’t be marketable enough. It’s sad to hear but that’s the truth right now. It’s a hard thing to break into. I think it’s going to take an amazing artist coming out and making great music. The thing is, you can’t hide talent. If someone’s talent is enough and you have great music, you can’t hide it. It doesn’t matter if you’re gay or straight. It’s going to take someone coming out that is amazingly talented and that’s going to change a lot of people’s minds.

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PGN: Are there any artists right now that you are digging that might be a surprise to your fans? LB: If fans really know me, they know my musical taste is very diverse. I love everything from bluegrass to rap. I love it all. I don’t think anything would surprise them. PGN: Who would you like to have as your on-air guests? LB: Anyone that would want to come to my show. I’d love it. That’s what I love about the show. We really don’t plan any guests. We don’t plan hardly anything. It’s whoever is around when we record this thing. That’s what’s fun. People will be walking around the studio and I’ll pull them in. If I have friends in town that happen to be celebrities, they’ll stop by. If I could have anyone I want, I’d love to have Jennifer Aniston on the show. PGN: With groups like Backstreet Boys,

New Edition and New Kids on the Block reuniting and performing of late, is there any pressure on ‘N Sync to get back together? LB: That’s the No. 1 question I get on any given day of my life. There’s no pressure for us to get back on tour. It’s a matter of us having time to do it and right now we deﬁnitely don’t have any time to get back into the studio to record. That would take us many months, especially with Justin being a movie star. It’s almost impossible for him to even do any solo stuff. So to ask him to do any ‘N Sync stuff would be impossible. PGN: Do you think any artist or group will ever top the record ‘N Sync set for album sales — over 2 million copies of “No Strings Attached” in one week? LB: I don’t see it ever being broken because it was a different time. We didn’t have iTunes back then. Now that’s how everyone buys their music. It’s album sales. It’s single sales. Which is great because you’re only making single releases. You don’t do the “Oh, we have to ﬁll the album with four more songs that we don’t believe in.” It was fun to record but you’re not giving it your 100 percent. No, now I think all artists have to give a hit song every single time. As far as our record being broken, it would take a phenomenon these days to be able to do that. Which is kind of fun, because I can say we’ll have the record for a long time. PGN: Do you have any ambitions at this point of moving forward in music as a solo artist? LB: Eventually one day, yes, I would love to do that, but right now is not the time. I have so many things launching this year and next year. Maybe after the TV shows I’ve produced air, that’ll be the time I can take some time off to go into the studio and start playing around. “The Pop Ten” airs Friday nights from 10 p.m.-midnight on SiriusXM’s OutQ radio channel 108. ■

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Family Portrait

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

Suzi Nash

Marissa Colston: Teacher, world traveler “We are the world...we are the children.” To some people those are just lyrics to a pop song, but to elementary-school teacher Marissa Colston, they sum up her experience teaching abroad. PGN: Born? MC: I was born in Germantown and lived there until I was about 11 when we moved to Vermont, which was a totally different environment. PGN: What was so different? MC: Well, there weren’t a lot of black people in Vermont, so we really stuck out. We couldn’t walk down the street without people staring. My brothers are darker than me so they heard a lot of ugly racial remarks. Even those who wanted to be nice hadn’t met any black people so they constantly asked questions about our hair and other personal things and it was very tiring having to explain all the time. There was one other black girl in my class of 450 and we looked nothing alike, but teachers and students would confuse us all the time. One time this girl saw Amber (and she had short hair) in the morning and then saw me later in the day (and I had longer hair) and said, “Oh my gosh, you hair grows really fast!” It was crazy. PGN: Tell me about your family. MC: I have two younger brothers: I’m about five years older than them so I did a lot of babysitting. We’re all very close. Most of them are still in Vermont. My dad was a chef when I was young and then later he started working in the socialservice industry with his own business, helping disenfranchised and disadvantaged people get jobs and loans, cars so they can get to work, whatever they need to be productive citizens. He now works for the government of Vermont running a volunteer-services program, which for him is like being a kid in a candy shop. He loves to help people and now he can do it with a large budget and a large staff behind him. My mom works at the University of Vermont, she’s the director of the ALANA Student center — African, Latino(a), Asian and Native American — which helps students of color. They have a house and all sorts of programs for students throughout the year. PGN: Craziest babysitting incident? MC: We were the house where all the neighborhood kids would come to play. My brother and his friends were roughhousing near me and he accidentally punched me in the stomach. It knocked the wind out of me, which if you’ve never experienced is pretty scary. You don’t know what’s happening, you just know you can’t breathe. I freaked out and he

started crying. It was funny because we scared each other! PGN: What did you want to be when you grew up? MC: When I was in eighth grade I wanted to be a lawyer, because I love to argue. Then I wanted to be an environmental scientist because I like nature, I enjoy being outside. Then in college, I kind of fell into teaching. PGN: So, nature girl, what do you like to do outdoors? MC: I like hiking and camping, biking, just being outdoors for any reason. Swimming in the ocean, running. And I love to garden! PGN: Favorite camping adventure? MC: I was with the youth group from my church and we did a three-day hike of the Long Trail, which runs across the Green Mountains. We packed up everything in our backpacks and started out. We got poured on and then the sun would come out and you’d be dry and hot. At night, we’d have to hoist our food up into the trees so the animals wouldn’t eat it. It was a fun adventure! PGN: Who was your favorite teacher? MC: He was my history teacher and also our track coach. He taught history and stressed that there was more to the world than our little corner of Vermont. He made the lessons global and allowed space for different kinds of discussions. As I said, Vermont was pretty homogeneous, so it helped to have a teacher who encouraged us to see things from different perspectives. He was also an amazing coach. He treated everyone like they were the best runners on the team. It was fun rather than super-competitive. PGN: When did you know you were gay? MC: I went to an all-girls’ school when we lived in Philly, so I didn’t really have to think about boys. But when we moved to Vermont and I went to a mixed-gender school, I saw that the girls were all boy crazy and I just wasn’t feeling it. I was just entering middle school and found myself having crushes on girls and being more interested in girls’ bodies. It was just at the time we started taking health class and learning about puberty, so I figured it was just a hormonal thing and I’d grow out of it. [Laughs.] So from middle school to high school, I kept waiting for the phase to pass but it never did! PGN: That’s good to hear! MC: The other thing was that though I’d heard the word “gay,” I never associated it with women. It was the late ’80s and AIDS

was in the news, so I associated gay with white men. Because I’d never seen it in my environment, I never thought that a girl could be gay or even [that] a black person [could be], so it didn’t even cross my mind that I was “gay.” PGN: What brought you back to Philly? MC: I came back for college. I went to Swarthmore, which is a very liberal school. That’s where I began to come out. They had a gay student union and a yearly queer symposium. I had some gay friends who invited me to some of the workshops and, as I heard people’s stories, it was as if I was hearing people tell my story. I started realizing, whoa, that’s me, that’s who I am. I came out to myself and friends first, and to my family about a semester later. PGN: How did they react? MC: My dad was like, “It doesn’t matter to me, I’ll always love you.” He actually had two women he worked with who’d

That hurt me, but she slowly came around and now she’s OK. PGN: Was she religious? MC: Yeah, she grew up as a Seventh Day Adventist and went to an intense church. We didn’t grow up that way but we did go to church every Sunday and I believe in God. As an adult, I tried out several churches but there was a conflict because though I liked the communal aspect, many of them were not accepting of homosexuality. I went to some welcoming churches but they were too out there for me, too free-format. I like more structure. Unfortunately the ones with more structure seemed to be the ones that were less tolerant. I was at one mega-church that I really liked but had to leave because of the issue. They had a weird thing where they welcomed gay people to come but mainly so they could pray for you and your sins. [Laughs.] I was like, “This is crazy,” and had to find something else. PGN: That “love the sinner, hate the sin” syndrome. MC: Yeah, yeah! And I don’t believe in that: I know I’m fine just as I am. I love the creator and the creator loves me. And I need to be in an environment that allows that. I come from a Christian tradition, so that’s where I’m most comfortable, but I can commune with God under a tree. I don’t need to be in a church to do it.

PGN: Tell me about teaching. MC: I’ve been doing it for 11 years now. I taught third grade for many years and, last year, I taught kindergarten. I want to have my own school someday, so next year I’m going to take an administrative position at my school. I’ll get to work with the lower- and middle-school directors and get to do projects like Photo: Suzi Nash working with the diversity had a commitment ceremony and he workshops and school assiswas cool with it. My mom was not so cool tants as well as administrative work. about it. She kept saying things like, “It’s PGN: Are you out at the school? just a phase. It’s my fault for moving us MC: I am, I am. Totally. My school is so to Vermont! I shouldn’t have let you go cool. I work at the Friends Select School to that liberal college! You’re just experiand it’s awesome. We have a lot of openly menting. You just haven’t found the right guy ...” Stuff like that. She was not pleased gay people at the school — teachers, administrators, students. Being gay is a at all. Then she went into the “whatever” non-issue there and that’s what I wanted. I mode where she wouldn’t believe me. She was not going to be in the closet. I wanted just decided in was my teenage rebellion.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

PGN

to be in a place where I could be open to talk about my partner and not have to change pronouns and all that nonsense. I’m getting too old for that! PGN: And how old are you, missy? MC: [Laughs.] I just turned 33 last week! PGN: And you’ve traveled quite a bit ... MC: I love to travel. When I was in college, I did a study abroad in Namibia and visited South Africa while I was there. I’d heard that teaching was a great way to explore other places, so in 2008, I literally went to Google and found a website with a listing of International Independent schools and applied for work in the Sudan. It was at an amazing school in Khartoum with students from all over the world. I interviewed with them on Skype and got the job. I packed up and was gone for two years. PGN: What was the scariest thing about being abroad? MC: I guess it was a little scary at first because I didn’t know Arabic. It was nervewracking not to be able to communicate. But I wasn’t by myself: There were other teachers in the apartment building where I lived, so if I needed to go to the market or catch a cab, I’d go with one of them. Living on my own in a new place is exciting for me, so there wasn’t anything really scary about it. And honestly, before I left for the Sudan, I was living in Germantown, where you would routinely hear sirens and fights and car crashes, but even though Khartoum has about 6 or 7 million people it was amazingly quiet and peaceful, especially at night. I was like, “This is great! I can sleep until morning!” It was also super-safe. They have harsh consequences for crime so it’s almost nonexistent. As a woman traveling on my own, I felt very safe. PGN: Greece was like that outside of Athens. I was told by women that they could walk down a dark alley at 4 in the morning and not think anything of it. MC: True. Now I wasn’t out there. That was another issue, though some of my colleagues knew. But it was one of the things totally against Shari’ah law, so it would not have been a smart move to be too open. It’s not the kind of place where I’d want to settle down, but it was great to spend some time in a different culture. PGN: And what were you teaching? MC: Third grade. And it was cool because I had kids from everywhere! And a lot of them had parents from different countries or families that moved a lot, so they all spoke multiple languages. They had amazing world experiences and, to them, different was normal. They were used to having classmates that wore different clothing or ate different foods, had different customs and religions and yet they all got along. It was beautiful. It made me realize that we can all get along on this planet. It was a nursery-through-12 school and it was like

being at the UN. People have the perception that people with varied philosophies can’t get along, but that’s not true; I was able to witness it firsthand. These kids played together and stayed together and loved each other. It gave you hope for humanity. PGN: Did you meet many gay people in your travels? MC: In Khartoum itself, there were some gay people at the school, other teachers and even the head of the school. We’d spoken about it in my interview, but I didn’t meet any open Sudanese people. A lot of things were very underground because of Shari’ah law, and I wasn’t connected to them. In Namibia, I met people in the gay community and even went to a gay party. I met gay people in South Africa as well, but it’s different there. In South Africa, at least on paper, gay people are more protected. They even have legalized gay marriage. But, in the Sudan, it’s really interesting because they are much more affectionate with each other. Men hold hands when they walk together or lock pinkies and women also hold hands, but men and women who are together do not. The men and women keep mostly segregated. Coming from America, it looked so gay seeing all these guys walking around holding hands! It’s fascinating to see how they view male/female interactions differently and touch differently. I always wondered is it easier to be gay there because you can walk holding your lover’s hand in public? But I never got to break into the gay underground there to ask. PGN: Tell me about one kid that stuck out. MC: A kid named Chol, he was our only scholarship student. He was an orphan from South Sudan who had been adopted by a Spanish family working there. They literally found him living under a tree. His mother had passed away in childbirth and he was raising himself. He had some extended family, but they had stopped taking care of him long ago. The Spanish family that took him in brought him to our school and I got to teach him. This kid was so amazing, his spirit was so strong and his desire to learn was unstoppable. When he came, he didn’t know anything, he spoke a local language but didn’t even know Arabic, but he learned Arabic and Spanish and English. He loved learning, ate it up and was grateful for everything he had. And he had this bubbly personality that was delightful to be around. He was the mediator and always wanted to make sure everyone got along. If ever there was a problem, he’d get upset and would talk to both people and try to work it out. And he loved soccer! He could play with joy for hours on end. It could be scorching hot out and he’d come back pouring sweat with a big grin on his face. I’ll never forget his story, where he came from and how much he accomplished. ■ To suggest a community member for “Family Portrait,” write to portraits05@aol.com.

PGN

Outward Bound

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

Jeff Guaracino

Getaway tips and summer trips Time is running out but there is still time to plan your summer getaway. If your travel plans are flexible, you can find a vacation deal that offers tons of extra value. Here are four of my favorite tips and summer trips. Time for a point check-up The best kind of travel is free travel. If you are spending money through debit or credit cards, you should be earning points you can redeem for flights, hotels and more. Now is a good time to revisit all of your credit-card and banking reward programs. How many points have you already earned? Point programs change constantly, so it is good to do a point check-up once a year. I say use them or lose them. It is easier than ever to book free hotel rooms and airfare online. If you are not already signed up for a credit-card, debit-card or banking reward program, go into your local bank branch and ask about the many different ways to earn points. Call the bank that issued your

credit card as well and find out about its programs. Your points really can add up quickly. Several credit cards affiliated with airlines will give you enough points for a free flight simply by opening up a credit card. Check out your airline loyalty account too. I recently booked a round-trip, business-class ticket to Hawaii on US Airways for 65,000 miles and a hotel room in Ft. Lauderdale at the Hilton Marina for less than 25,000 points. Europe last minute with R Family Vacations R Family Vacations now offers group cruises, single vacations and Club Med charters. There is still time to sail from Italy to the Greek Islands. The trip runs Aug. 6-13 and is around $1,500 per person on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jade. This is an R Family Group cruise, not a full-ship charter, so you will find this cruise to be more affordable than the all-gay or all-lesbian big-ship charters. R Family Founder

Gregg Kaminsky will personally lead this trip, which will depart from Venice and visit the islands of Murano and Burano and Corfu located in the Ionian Sea. In Greece, R Family will visit Santorini, Mykonos and Katákolon. For more information, visit rfamilyvacations.com. Midweek in Atlantic City It is not a surprise that in the summer months, a trip to the beach can be expensive. Among the best deals at the beach in the high summer months is in Atlantic City. The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa has deals Monday-Wednesday for $149 a night. On weekends, Borgata rooms can soar to more than $400. The hip and fashionable Chelsea sits on the beach and you can snag a mid-week room for about $125 a night. Of course, all the big-name entertainment acts are performing on weekends, but most casinos have lots of nightlife options, including comedy clubs and the new Prohibition nightclub at Resorts Casino.

Travel Zoo Looking for a great getaway now at an incredible price? Check out the weekly Philadelphia area and national and international deals at travelzoo.com. With over 23million subscribers, Travel Zoo is among the largest publishers of deals on the Internet, so companies compete to offer you the best deal on a wide range of travel options. Every week, more than 2,000 companies from around the world list offers for hotels, cars and all-inclusive vacation packages. It is free to sign up for weekly e-mail blasts and you can always check out the website for great deals. You might be surprised at the many kinds of vacations you can afford right now. ■ Jeff Guaracino is a vice president for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation and author of “Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Guide for Marketing.” He has learned how to find the best deals and travel resources for the community. If you’re traveling locally, check out visitphilly.com/gay and friend visitgayphilly. com/facebook.

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SPORTS PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

The Sporting Life High quality dental treatment and preventive care

• Cosmetic dentistry • Veneers • Crowns • Whitening • Implants

Craig T. Wakefield, DDS Proudly serving the LGBT community and PWA for over 20 years. Medical Towers Building • Suite 2306 255 S. 17th St., Philadelphia, Pa 19103 (215) 732-8080 Evening hours available.

City of Brotherly Love Softball League

Scores from July 10 Home Away Dynasty 12 Sisters Sisters 2 Uglies Monkeys 8 5 O’Clock Tailgaters 11 HolySmoke Saving2B 9 Ninjas Saving2B 5 Dynasty 5 O’Clock 12 Martinis 369ers 15 BucketBuds FoulPlay 4 369ers Ninjas 2 FoulPlay Institute 11 Uglies BucketBuds 6 Institute

Home Martinis Monkeys Hangover Hangover Triple Play Triple Play WolvesC WolvesC Bike Stop Bike Stop Maniaxxx

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Women’s A 5 O’Clock Martinis Hangover Monkeys Saving2B

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Women’s B GLU Tailgaters Dynasty HolySmoke Ninjas Sisters

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STANDINGS Team Men’s Competitive B Outlaws Men’s C Triple Play WolvesC ICandy Maniaxxx Bike Stop Fury Recreational Westbury Wolves TOC Valanni Shots! Homewreckers Sluggers Storm Uncles

1 6 12 2 0 4 2 0 2 8 7 3

Photos: T. Mitchell

Away Tailgaters GLU HolySmoke GLU Fury ICandy ICandy Outlaws Outlaws Maniaxxx Fury

Women’s C FoulPlay 10 5 0 134 93 369ers 9 6 0 103 89 Uglies 8 7 0 88 95 Institute 3 12 0 85 125 FPWSL 2 1 0 25 19 BucketBuds 1 14 0 63 171 Bar of the week for July 17: The Bike Stop, 206 S. Quince St.

11 6 1 3 0 0 11 21 12 19 0

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

Food & Drink THE ABBAYE EXCELLENT BELGIAN AND MICROBREW SELECTIONS

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PGN LISTINGS

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

OUT & ABOUT The week ahead Fri. 07/15 Art Gallery Opening Reception William Way LGBT Community Center presents an evening reception with three of the winners from the 2011 Juried Art Competition and Exhibition, 6-8 p.m., 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220. Johnny Lang The blues singerguitarist performs 8 p.m. at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave.; 215-572-7650. Losers Lounge Presents: A Tribute to Prince Local musicians perform the songs

of Prince 8 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400. Ward Marston and Rosemary Benson The cabaret singers perform 8:30 p.m. at Bob Egan’s New Hope, Ramada Inn, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope; 215-862-5225. Interpol The rock band performs 9 p.m. at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000. MST3K: The Girl in Lovers Lane Wisecracking robots bust on the teenage-rebellion

film 9:45 p.m. at Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610917-0223.

Sat. 07/16 Artist Talk with J.D. Dragan The photographer hosts a talk about his “Modern Slave” exhibition, 3 p.m. at AxD Gallery, 265 S. 10th St.; 215-6276250. A Perfect Circle The alternative-rock band performs 8 p.m. at Festival Pier, 121 N. Columbus Blvd.; 215-5699400. Jay Leno The comedian performs 8 p.m. at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Event Center, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000.

Get the scoop on Philly’s LGBT nightlife in Barcrawlr, PGN’s biweekly take on not-to-miss events

Peek-A-Boo Revue The neo-burlesque cabaret troupe performs 8 p.m. at World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 215-222-1400. Devyn Rush and Andrez Fredericks The cabaret singers and former “American Idol” contestants perform 8:30 p.m. at Bob Egan’s New Hope, Ramada Inn, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope; 215-8625225. Adam Carolla The comedian performs 9 p.m. at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-3171000.

Barcrawlr Jim KileyZufelt

Written by PGN’s intrepid reporter, Jim Kiley-Zufelt Online and in print every other week.

Only in

LESS PRETTY AND MORE GRITTY: Three pivotal bands in the lipstick-laden and loud genre of glam/hair metal join forces when Mötley Crüe (pictured), Poison and New York Dolls perform 7 p.m. July 16 at Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, N.J. For more information or tickets, call 856-365-1300.

Sun. 07/17 Lemonade: A Sweaty Queer Showcase Performances and music from six queer artists and activists from New York, D.C. and Philadelphia, 6:30 p.m. at The Rotunda, 4012 Walnut St.; www. stitchingtentacles. com/lemonade.html. Philly Rocks: The ’70s! Top local performers play the music of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, Aerosmith, The Who and many more, 7 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400. Rihanna The pop/R&B singer performs 8 p.m. at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Event Center, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000.

Mon. 07/18 Groove Night Local musicians join forces to bring the R&B, soul, jazz and funk, 7 p.m. at World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 215-222-1400. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers The blockbuster fantasy film is

screened 7:30 p.m. at Sellersville Theater 1984, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville; 215257-5808. Conan the Barbarian The action film is screened 8 p.m. at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; 215-922-6888.

Tue. 07/19 Unlabeled: the Acoustic/ Electric Open Mic for Up and Comers Local musicians get a chance to perform 7 p.m. at World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 215-222-1400.

Thu. 07/21 Esmerelda Santiago The author of “Conquistadora” hosts a reading 7:30 p.m. at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; 215567-4341. Bob & Barbara’s Drag Show The outrageousness begins 11 p.m. at Bob & Barbara’s, 1509 South St.; 215-545-4511.

Fri. 07/22 Almost Queen The Queen tribute band performs 8

p.m. at Sellersville Theater 1984, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville; 215257-5808. Jeanne MacDonald with Rick Jensen The cabaret singer performs 8:30 p.m. at Bob Egan’s New Hope, Ramada Inn, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope; 215-862-5225. The Warriors The campy action/ crime film is screened midnight at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; 215-922-6888.

Wed. 07/20 Brian McManus The author of “Philadelphia’s Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving in the City of Brotherly Love” hosts a reading 7:30 p.m. at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; 215567-4341. Dead ’00s Revue The Dumpsta Players are back with a posthumous tribute to all their favorite stars who faded since the turn of the century, 10 p.m. at Bob & Barbara’s, 1509 South St.; 215-5454511.

STILL PUMPING IT UP: Legendary rocker Elvis Costello performs with his backing band, The Imposters, 8 p.m. July 22 at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Event Center, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J. For more information or tickets, call 609-317-1000.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PGN LISTINGS

Opening Cabaret Actors’ NET presents the musical about the rise of Nazism set against the backdrop of a seedy German cabaret in the 1930s, July 15-31 at The Heritage Center, 635 N. Delmorr Ave., Morrisville; 215-295-3694. Midnight in Paris Woody Allen meets time travel, July 1522 at Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610-917-0223. Tommy Davidson The comedian seen on “In Living Color” performs July 21-23 at Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St.; 215-496-9001.

Masks, Myths & Magic Twenty-Two Gallery presents an exhibition of works by Helena Domenic through Aug. 7, 236 S. 22nd St.; 215772-1911. Miss Saigon Walnut Street Theatre presents the popular musical epic love story through July 24, 825 Walnut St.; 215574-3550. Modern Slave AxD Gallery through July 30, 265 S. 10th St.; 215-627-6250.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

Transmutation and Metamorphosis Michener Art Museum presents an exhibition of collages by Ann Irwin through Oct. 16, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown; 215-340-9800. Unsettled: Photography and Politics in Contemporary Art Philadelphia Museum of Art through summer, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

Closing

Porcelain for the Emperor Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of Chinese ceramics through Sept. 5, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

Hatchetman People’s Light and Theatre Company presents a comedy set at the offices of a golf magazine scheduled for a corporate takeover, through July 17, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern; 610-644-3500.

Annie New Candlelight Theatre presents the beloved musical through Aug. 21, 2208 Millers Road, Ardentown, Del.; 302-4752313.

Robin Hood Media Theatre for the Performing Arts presents the classic tale through July 30, 104 E. State St., Media; 610-8910100.

No Regrets: A Piaf Affair The Bearded Ladies Cabaret returns to The Wilma Theater with a late-night cabaret through July 16, 265 S. Broad St.; 215-546-7824.

Beware the Lily Law Eastern State Penitentiary hosts a video installation on the experiences of trans prisoners, through November, 2027 Fairmount Ave.; 215-236-5111.

Romancing the West: Alfred Jacob Miller Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 18, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

QFest The 17th-annual international LGBT film festival presents over 100 features and shorts through July 18; www.qfest. com.

Continuing

Tig Notaro The comedian seen on “The Sarah Silverman Show” performs through BRINGING ‘SEX’Y BACK: The successful big-screen offering of the successful TV show “Sex and the City” is screened for free 8 p.m. July 16 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave. For more information, call 215-5727650.

Femme The James Oliver Gallery, through Aug. 20, 723 Chestnut St., fourth floor; 215923-1242.

Spies, Traitors & Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America The National Constitution Center through Aug. 21, 525 Arch St.; 215-409-6600.

Health for Sale: Posters from the William H. Helfand Collection Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of medical poster prints, through July 31, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

Tailoring Philadelphia: Tradition and Innovation in Menswear Philadelphia Museum of Art through summer, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-7638100.

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.

Threaded Adornment: Four Centuries of English Embroidery Philadelphia Museum of Art through summer, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-7638100. To Love, Honor and Obey? Stories of Italian Renaissance Marriage Chests Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of the commemorative works of art through ths month, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

LIVE & ‘LOUD’: Pop/R&B singer Rihanna rolls through Atlantic City on her summer tour in support of her new album “Loud,” 8 p.m. July 17 at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Event Center, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J. For more information or tickets, call 609317-1000.

July 16 at Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St.; 215-496-9001. ■

COMMUNITY PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

Community Bulletin Board Community centers

■ The Attic Youth Center: For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. Groups meet and activities are held from 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; case management, HIV testing and smoking cessation are available Monday through Friday. See the Youth section for more events. 255 S. 16th St.; 215-545-4331 ■ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center at the University of Pennsylvania 3907 Spruce St.; 215-898-5044; center@dolphin.upenn.edu, Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday

Youth Center: 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays: Doylestown Planned Parenthood, The Atrium, Suite 2E, 301 S. Main St., Doylestown; 215-348-0558 ext. 65; rainbowroom@ppbucks.org

■ William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center: 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220; www.waygay.org. Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Peer counseling: 6-9 p.m. Monday through Friday Library hours: 3-9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 3-6 p.m. Tuesday; noon-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers: New Orientation: First Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.

■ Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies

■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: 215-587-9377 ■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: 856-933-9500 ext. 221 ■ AIDS Library: 215-985-4851 ■ ACLU of Pennsylvania: 215592-1513 ■ AIDS Treatment hot line: 215545-2212 ■ Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection at the Independence Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library: 215-685-1633 ■ The COLOURS Organization Inc.: 112 N. Broad St., third floor; 215-496-0330 ■ Equality Pennsylvania: 215731-1447; www.equalitypa.org ■ Equality Forum: 215-732-3378

■ Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force: 215-772-2000

■ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Peer Counseling Services: 215-732-TALK

■ Philadelphia Police Department liaison — Deputy Commissioner Stephen Johnson: 215-683-2840

■ Mayor’s Director of LGBT Affairs: Gloria Casarez, 215-6862194; Gloria.Casarez@phila.gov; Fax: 215-686-2555 ■ Mazzoni Center: 215-563-0652; www.mazzonicenter.org. Legal Services: 215-563-0657, 866-LGBTLAW; legalservices@mazzonicenter. org ■ Mazzoni Center Family & Community Medicine: 215-563-0658 ■ Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Philadelphia): 215-572-1833

■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: 267-216-6606; ppd. lgbt@gmail.com ■ Philly Pride Presents: 215875-9288 ■ SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: 717-9209537 ■ Transgender Health Action Coalition: 215-732-1207 (staffed 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays, and 6-9 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)

■ Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations: 215-686-4670

Health

AIDS Services In Asian Communities Provides HIV-related services to Asians and Pacific Islanders at 340 N. 12th St., Suite 205; 215-629-2300. Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative Free, anonymous HIV testing from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays at 1207 Chestnut St., fifth floor; 215-851-1822 or 866-2223871. Spanish/English HIV treatment Free HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment for Philadelphia residents are available from 9 a.m.-noon Mondays and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Health Center No. 2, 1720 S. Broad St.; 215-685-1803.

■ Greater Philadelphia Professional Network Networking group for area business professionals, self-employed and business owners meets monthly in a different location throughout the city, invites speakers on various topics, partners with other nonprofits and maintains a Web site where everyone is invited to sign up for e-mail notices for activities and events; www.gppn.org. ■ Independence Business Alliance Greater Philadelphia’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce, providing networking, business development, marketing, educational and advocacy opportunities for LGBT and LGBT-friendly businesses and professionals. Visit www.IndependenceBusinessAlliance.com for informa-

Delaware Valley 40-plus Club for Men Social group meets every other month; (215) 587-9933. Gay Married Men’s Association Meets at 8 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays at the William Way Center; (215) 483-1032. Men of All Colors Together Meets at 7:30 p.m. third Friday of the month September through June at the William Way Center; (610) 277-6595; www.MACTPhila.org.

Men’s Coming Out Group Meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays at Washington West Project, 1201 Locust St.; (215) 563-0652 ext. 219. Men of Color United A discussion/support group for gay and bisexual men of color meets from 6-8 p.m. every Wednesday at 112 N. Broad St., 11th ﬂoor; (215) 496-0330. Men of Standard Provides a place for gay men of color 21 and older to share issues of concern. Meets 7-9 p.m. every Thursday at Camden AHEC, 514 Cooper St., Camden, N.J.; (856) 963-2432 ext. 211; ruberte_j@camden_ahec.org. Philly DADS An association of gay and bisexual fathers supporting each other meets at 7:30 p.m. fourth Friday of the month at the William Way Center; (215) 6685239.

Parents/Families

Parents, Families and Friends of

Lesbians and Gays/Bucks County Meets at 7:30 p.m. third Thursday of the month at Penns Park United Methodist Church, 2394 Second Street Pike, Penns Park; (215) 598-8005.

HIV health insurance help Access to free medications and conﬁdential HIV testing available at 17 MacDade Blvd., Suite 108, Collingdale; Medical Ofﬁce Building, 722 Church Lane, Yeadon; and 630 S. 60th St.; 610-586-9077.

Mazzoni Center Free, anonymous HIV testing; HIV/AIDS care and treatment, case management and support groups; 21 S. 12th St., eighth ﬂoor; 215-563-0652. www.mazzonicenter.org. Mazzoni Center Family & Community Medicine Comprehensive primary health care, preventive health services, gynecology, sexual-health services and chronicdisease management, including comprehensive HIV care; 809 Locust St.; 215-563-0658. Washington West Project Free, anonymous HIV testing. Walk-ins welcome 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; 1201 Locust St.; 215-985-9206.

Professional groups

■ Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia GALLOP holds board meetings at 6:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at 100 S. Broad St., Suite 1810; GALLOP also provides a free referral service; 215-627-9090; www.galloplaw.org.

Boys Night Out A social gathering for gay men, meets at 7 p.m. every second and fourth Tuesday at Iron Hill Brewery, 30 E. State St., Media; BurbBoysNiteOut@aol.com.

Men’s Coming Out Group, N.J. Meets at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays at The Pride Center of New Jersey.

Key numbers

Anonymous, free, conﬁdential HIV testing Spanish/English counselors offer testing 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 166 W. Lehigh Ave.; 215-763-8870 ext. 6000.

Men

tion about events, programs and membership; 215-557-0190; 1717 Arch St., Suite 3370.

■ National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association The Philadelphia chapter of NLGJA, open to professionals and students, meets for social and networking events; www.nlgjaphiladephia.org.

■ Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus A regional organization dedicated to promoting gay and lesbian tourism to the Greater Philadelphia Region, holds meetings every other month on the fourth Thursday (January, March, May, July, September and the third Thursday in November), open to the public; P.O. Box 58143, Philadelphia, PA 19102; www.philadelphiagaytourism.com. ■ Philly OutGoing Professionals Social group for gay, lesbian and bisexual professionals meets for social and cultural activities; 856-8579283; popnews19@yahoo.com.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Cape May, N.J. Meets at 2 p.m. third Sunday of the month in the Maruchi Room of Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital, 2 Stone Harbor Blvd.; (609) 861-1848. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Chester County Meets at 7 p.m. ﬁrst Tuesday of the month at the Unitarian Fellowship of West Chester, 501 S. High St., West Chester; (484) 354-2448. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Collingswood, N.J. Meets from 6-8:30 p.m. fourth Monday of the month at the Collingswood Public Library, 771 Haddon Ave., Collingswood, N.J.; (856)345-9112; pﬂagcollingswood@yahoo.com. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Philadelphia Meets from 2-5 p.m. third Sunday of the month at the LGBT Center at the University of Pennsylvania, 3907 Spruce St.; (215) 572-1833. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Princeton, N.J. Meets at 7:30 p.m. second Monday of the month in the George Thomas Room at Trinity Church, 33 Mercer St.; (609) 683-5155. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays/Wilmington, Del. Meets at 7 p.m. second Thursday of the month at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 13th and Rodney streets; (302) 654-2995. Philadelphia Family Pride Advocacy, support and social network for LGBT families offers play groups, monthly kids and teen talk groups, activities and outings. Planning meetings are held monthly; (215) 8443360; www.phillyfamilypride.org.

Trans

Gender Rights Advocacy Association of New Jersey A transgender civil-rights group meets first Sunday of the month at 1 p.m. at The Pride Center of New Jersey. Interweave New Jersey An organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Unitarian and their allies meets every third Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 401 N. Kings Highway, Cherry Hill, N.J.; (856) 667-3618. Oasis Meets 7-8 p.m. Wednesdays at 1201 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-0652 ext. 509. Mazzoni Center Family and Community Medicine Primary healthcare and specialized transgender services in a safe, professional, non-judgemental environment, 809 Locust St.; (215) 5630658. Renaissance Transgender Assoc. Meets at 8 p.m. third Saturday of the month at Into the Woods office complex in King of Prussia; (610) 975-9119 box 5; and 7:30 p.m. first Thursday of the month at the William Way Center; www.ren.org. T-MAN People of color support group for transmen, FTMs, butches, studs, agressives, bois, genderqueer and all female-born individuals with gender questions meets 7:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays, second floor, 1201 Locust St.; (215) 8349063; tman215@aol.com.

and surrounding area; www.LSNSJ.com. Lesbians with Breast Cancer A support group meets from 6:30-8:30 on second Wednesday of the month at Gilda Club Delaware Valley, 200 Kirk Road, Warminster; (215) 441-3290. Queer Connections Social group for women in their 20s meets weekly; (215) 468-1352; queerconnect@yahoo.com. Republican Lesbians Meetings held at 7:30 p.m. on first Monday of the month at The Pride Center of New Jersey. South Jersey Lesbians of Color Meetings are the first and third Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at The Starting Point, 215 Highland Ave., Suite C, Westmont, N.J.; (856) 824-0881; e-mail: SJLOCowner@yahoogroups.com. Women’s Coffee House for Lesbians A group for lesbian and bisexual women meets on first Saturday of the month at 7 p.m. at The Pride Center of New Jersey. The Womyn’s Village The first womyn-owned and operated think-tank targeting black African, Asian, Latina and Native American LBT and two-spirited womyn. Meets at 5 p.m. on third Thursday of the month at COLOURS Organization, 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 765-0121; the_womyns.village@yahoo.com.

Youth

Transhealth Programming Committee Meetings are at 5 p.m. second and last Sundays of the month at the William Way Center.

40 Acres of Change Discussion group for teen and young adults meets from 6-8 p.m. Thursdays at The COLOURS Organization Inc., 112 N. Broad St., 11th ﬂoor; (215) 496-0330.

Transhealth Information Project Sponsors a weekly drop-in center from 7-11 p.m. Tuesdays at 1201 Locust St.; (267) 549-6497.

Drop-in Group For gay, lesbian and bisexual youth; meets at 11 a.m. Saturdays at AIDS Delaware, 100 W. 10th St., Suite 315, Wilmington, Del.; (302) 652-6776.

Transgender Health Action Coalition Peer trans health-advocacy organization meets at 5 p.m. second and last Sundays of the month at the William Way Center; (215) 732-1207; www.critpath.org/thac. WeXist FTM support group meets from 6-8 p.m. second Friday of the month at the William Way Center; ﬁrst hour is open; second hour is for people assigned female at birth who have gender issues; (267) 250-1548; www.wexist.org. Young, Trans, and Uniﬁed! Support group for transgender and questioning individuals ages 13-23 meets from 7-8:30 p.m. every Thursday at The Attic Youth Center; (215) 545-4331 ext. 24.

Women

African Asian Latina Lesbians United Social-issues discussion group meets fourth Thursday of the month at The Pride Center of New Jersey. Bucks County Lesbian Alliance Meets monthly for social events; http://buckscountylesbianalliance.org. Expressions Women’s Space Lesbian singles, family and coming-out groups meet at 1538 Church St.; (215) 535-3600. Lesbians and BiWomen in Heterosexual Marriages A support group meets at 7:30 p.m. on third Wednesday of the month at The Pride Center of New Jersey. Lesbian Community of Delaware Valley Social group holds monthly meetings and activities for gay women of all ages in Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties; P.O. Box 962, Phoenixville, PA 19460; http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/LCDV/; marichikogirl@yahoo.com. Lesbian Couples Dining Group of Montgomery County Meets monthly; (215) 542-2899. Lesbian Social Network of South Jersey 1,000-member social group for lesbians holds monthly activities in South Jersey

HAVEN For GLBT, intersex, questioning, queer and allied youth ages 14-20; meets from 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley, 424 Center St., Bethlehem; (610) 8682153. HiTOPS A safe-space support program for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, will meet from 2:304:30 p.m. at 21 Wiggins St., Princeton, N.J.; (609) 683-5155. Main Line Youth Alliance Meets from 7-9:30 p.m. Fridays at 109 Lancaster Ave., Wayne; (610) 688-1861; info@myaonline.org. Mountain Meadow For youth with GLBTQ parents. Monthly programs for ages 8-16, family programs and parent coffee groups. Residential program offered in August; 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 772-1107; inquiries@mountainmeadow.org. Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s LGBTQ and Allies Youth Center For ages 14-21; meets 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays at Doylestown Planned Parenthood, The Atrium, Suite 2E, 301 S. Main St., Doylestown; (215) 348-0558 ext. 65; rainbowroom@ppbucks.org. Social X Change Social activity group for LGBT youth of color ages 13-23 meets from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at 112 N. Broad St., 11th ﬂoor; (215) 496-0330. Space to be Proud, Open, and Together Open to all LGBTQ queer youth and allies, ages 14-21, the SPOT meets Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Planned Parenthood of Chester County’s West Chester ofﬁce, 8 S. Wayne St., West Chester; (610) 692-1770 ext. 108 or thespot@ppccpa.org. Teen Support Group Drop-in group for teens and adolescents meets Thursdays from 4:30-6 p.m. at 1201 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-0658 ext. 319. Youth in Transition A support group for transgender and questioning youth ages 12-23 meets from 7:30-9 p.m. Tuesdays at the The Attic Youth Center.

PGN

Q Puzzle Brutus and Julius Across

1. Acknowledge a queen 4. Choreographer Bob 9. Just out 12. Forget about 14. LuPone Broadway role 15. Jodie Foster’s “ ___ Driver” 16. Nathan of “The Producers” 17. Furnishings 18. River near Dunkirk 19. “... a ___ deferred” (Hughes) 21. MGM rival, once 22. Madonna flick, with Dick 23. Huck Finn’s transport

25. Mariah or Madonna 27. Peter Pan opponent 30. Paul Taylor, for example 34. Windows picture 35. James Baldwin work 39. Legal plea, briefly 40. “Forbidden” perfume 41..Ribbed fabric 42. Davenport site 43. Pithy, like Quentin? 45. “_ ___ Yankee Doodle Dandy” 46. Lesbos and others 47. Coop group member 48. Tennis champ Pete 51. Old barrier breaker 52. With 15-Down,

words to Julius attributed to Brutus 54. Top 57. Papal court 58. Michelangelo’s David, and such 62. Wrinkly-skinned bitch, perhaps 64. Dickhead 66. Opening for relief 67. Shakespeare’s Globe, e.g. 68. Sonny and Cher, to Chaz 69. Purchases at San Francisco’s Good Vibrations

Down

1. Cheeky 2. Barbra’s “Funny Girl” guy 3. Fruity drink 4. Impatient, with “up” 5. In-your-face 6. With 37-Down,

perverted smile, to Brutus? 7. Brought up the rear? 8. Organ pleasured by Bernstein 9. Mercury maker 10. Business VIP 11. Lean and strong 13. Rip a new asshole, to Brutus? 15. See 52-Across 20. Wrestling surface 22. New Deal org. 24. “Six ___ Under” 26. Pastoral work 27. Throw, to Billy Bean 28. Empathetic phrase 29. Williams of “The Night Listener” 31. Puts on ice 32. Cary of “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” 33. Cut of meat 36. South Beach

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

attire 37. See 6-Down 38. They’re prone to cry out 44. Pitchfork-shaped Greek letter 46. Sussex suffix 49. Gomer’s drawl, e.g. 50. Attack helicopter 52. Start something with Mauresmo 53. Tried to tackle tight ends, e.g. 54. Lickety-split (abbr.) 55. Pet with green hair 56. Golf announcer Dave 59. Old paper part 60. Colonist loyal to Britain 61. Barely makes (out) 63. Whitman’s tool 65. Put the whammy on

Worth Watching POP’S DYNAMIC DUO: Catch the repeat of “Saturday Night Live” featuring pop stars Justin Timberlake hosting and Lady Gaga as the musical guest, 11:30 p.m. July 16 on NBC. Photo: NBC/Dana

ALIVE AND ‘FLIPPING’: Out designer and former houseflipper Jeff Lewis continues to persevere with his merry band of employees on a new season of “Flipping Out,” 9 p.m. on Bravo. Photo: Bravo/ Barbara Nitke

Edelson

A CUT ABOVE SUMMER TV FARE: This summer, our food-TV fix is getting filled by “Chopped,” hosted by openly gay foodie and TV personality Ted Allen (pictured) and featuring chefs having to make dishes from mystery baskets with varying degrees of success. Catch a new episode 10 p.m. July 19 on the Food Network. Photo: Peter Ross

WELCOME TO ‘HELL’ GENTLEMEN: Chef Gordon Ramsay returns for the new season of “Hell’s Kitchen” to put 18 aspiring chefs through all kinds of culinary paces (and verbal abuse) in an effort to land a head chef position at one of Ramsay’s restaurants. Catch the premiere 8 p.m. July 18 on Fox.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

Classifieds 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. 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 real-estate advertising that is in violation of any applicable law.

REAL ESTATE

SALE

Home of the Week

Featured property:

810 Locust Street Unit #201 $699,000 Spectacular bi-level 3 bedroom/ 2.5 bathroom loft space with one car deeded parking in Musical Fund Hall Building. Soaring 28’ ceilings, towering windows, brilliant natural light. Handsome kitchen with maple cabinets, stone counter tops and terra cotta tiled floors. Spacious and striking living room with wood-burning fireplace. Romantic master bedroom suite with four large closets and loftspace for separate office. Perfect for urban living and entertaining.

Realtor: Travis Rodgers

Ofﬁce: (215) 790-5234

Company: Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors

Cell: (215) 901-2154

REAL ESTATE

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Email: travisrodgers@aol.com

REAL ESTATE

SALE

Whitemarsh (Miquon) 610 Harts Ridge Road

Beautiful 4 bd, 2 1/2 bath contemporary on a gorgeous 2 1/2 acre wooded lot. Private cul de sac with all custom homes. Spacious great rm, kitchen, main bed, laundry and PR all on the same level. $799,000

Sheila Alper 610-389-2016 Coldwell Banker Preferred Bluebell

Open Houses Sunday July 17, 2011 Noon – 1:00 PM 1812 Spruce St. Unit 2F. Very large condo. Great space, in Rittenhouse Square, 1 bed, 1 bath. High ceilings with architectural details. Deluxe kitchen. Deeded parking available ................................................................$425,000 2011 Catharine St. Large classic style totally renovated home. 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath home with 2 Car PARKING. Finished lower level. Deluxe S/S and granite kitchen, Spa-like master bath and a bi-level deck with the best views in the city. ..............................................................priced at only $499,000 1:30 – 2:30 1109 Spruce St. Hearth Condo, only 2 left. Units 2R & 3R. Both 1 bedroom, 1 bath. Super Washington Square location. Low taxes and fees. For sale or rent ..........................$180,000 & $225,000 or $1,150 & $1,375 1812 Spruce St. Units 2R & 3R “Snowden Residence Condo” Brand new 1&2BR condo conversions in the Heart of Rittenhouse Square. Magnificent ceiling and molding details, Marble Bath, large walk-out Terrace. Gourmet Kitchens, Deeded parking available ......... $395,000 & $450,000 540 Cypress St. Charming, totally restored historic colonial in Society Hill. 2 large bedrooms, 1.5 baths. 2 fireplaces, wood floors, a/c, exposed brick walls, etc. ....................................................................................................$399,900

Search all Philadelphia area listings @ www.thephillyrealtors.com Dan Tobey

The Curtis Center 1401 Walnut St. 8th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102

215.546.2700 Business • 267.238.1061 Direct 215.432.7151 Cell • 215.546.7728 Fax dtobey@cbpref.com • www.cbpref.com

REAL ESTATE

SALE

2009 SPRUCE STREET Tri-level condo with 3 bedrooms plus den, 2.5 baths. High ceilings, lots of gallery space, huge private deck, coveted block near Ritt Sq. 2844 sf $750,000. Allan Domb Real Estate 215-545-1500. _______________________________35-29 UPSCALE QUEEN ANNE VICTORIAN Superbly Appointed & Conscientiously Designed to Facilitate Gatherings of Every Size for Any Occasion. Impressive Commercial-Grade Chef’s Kitchen, Granite Worktops, Professional (Viking, DCS, ASKO, GE Monogram) Stainless Appliances: 3 Sinks, Wok Station, Gas Range, Griddle, Heat Lamps, Warming Rack, Breakfast Room, Over-Sized Dining Room, Living Room w/Fireplace, Solarium w/Palladium Windows, Lower Level Family Room, Sprawling Terrace Patio w/30 Mile Views, Media Suite w/110”” Movie Presentation Screen, 1,140 Bottle Wine Storage, Owner’s Suite w/Dressing Room, Flemish Bond Brick Pattern, 3-Story Entry Foyer, Witches Hat Turret, 3.66-Acre Cul-de-Sac Lot. Architect: P. Richard Frantz. 2159 Queens Court, Reading, PA 19606. $549,500 Call Bonnie Bollinger, Prudential HomeSale Services 610-372-3200 ext 1222 or 610-763-5469 mobile. _______________________________35-29 New York Land for Sale 68 Acres- Foothills of the Adirondack’s. Minutes to canoe access on a major Adirondack river. Direct access to trail systems. Excellent hunting & ﬁshing. All for $69,995. Call 800-229-7843 or visit www. LandandCamps.com _______________________________35-28 North Carolina Lakefront lots. Never before offered, new gated waterfront community, 13 dockable lots with up to 300’ of shoreline. Financing available. Call Now 1-800-7095253. _______________________________35-28 Lake Sale, NY: 6 Acres on Lake Morris $29,900. 11 Acres on Lake Pennock $39,900. 10 acres 2,300/ft Waterfront Penninsula $59,900. Land First. www.WaterfrontPropertyNY.com 1-888683-2626. _______________________________35-28

VACATION

RENTAL OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/ partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800-638-2102 Online reservations: www.holidayoc.com _______________________________35-28

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SALE

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ROOMMATES PGN WILL NOT PUBLISH RACIAL DISTINCTIONS IN ROOMMATE ADS. SUCH NOTATIONS WILL BE EDITED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. ___________________________________ GREATER NE PHILA. Have your own bedroom in a beautiful split level home with 2 gay men. House is 4 BR, 2 full baths, W/D, upper and lower decks, use of kitchen. Property is by Welsh & the Boulevard, 1 min. to 58 bus. We ask only that you be at least reasonably neat and employed. Rent is $600 + 1/3 utils. Contact Dave at 215-698-0215. _______________________________35-29 SOUTH PHILLY Furn. BR in private home. 1 block from Broad & pub. trans. Full house priv. Employed men only. $425/mo. incl all utils. 215-551-7611. _______________________________35-28

SERVICES AIRLINES ARE HIRING Train for high paying Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualiﬁed - Housing available. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance (888)834-9715. _______________________________35-28 ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE From Home. *Medical, *Business, *Paralegal, *Computers, *Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualiﬁed. Call 888-220-3984. www. CenturaOnline.com _______________________________35-28

EUGENE’S TAILOR SHOP Custom Design & Tailoring for Men & Women Alterations Eugene Naroditsky Natalie Naroditsky

(215) 923 - 8081 Monday - Friday 10 - 6 Saturday 10 - 5

242 South 17th Street Philadelphia PA 19103 www.eugenestailorshop.com eugenestailorshop@gmail.com

REAL ESTATE

RENT

12TH & DICKINSON AREA Furnished Townhouse for rent: 3 levels. Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, 2 bedrooms , bath. Very Unique. 1500. mo plus util. (negotiable). Call 215 468-9166 after 6 pm. or 215 686 3431 daytime. _______________________________35-29 RITTENHOUSE SQUARE AREA Studios & 1 Bedrooms - Call for Availability (215)735-8050. _______________________________35-31 MAYFAIR 2 BR, 1 BA, pvt. W/D, completely rehabbed, 2nd ﬂoor. John, 215-416-7016. _______________________________35-27 815 SOUTH 4TH STREET 2 BR, ultra modern w/hdwd ﬂrs., W/D, C/A, red granite kitchen, SS appl. $1200. 215687-8461. _______________________________35-29

AUTO AAAA** Donation. Donate Your Car, Boat, or Real Eastate. IRS Tax Deductible. Free Pikc-Up/Tow. Any Model/Condition. Help Under Privileged Children Outreach Center. 1-800-597-8311. _______________________________35-28

FOR SALE SAWMILLS From only $3997-MAKE MONEY & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmill- Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE info& DVD:www.NorwoodSawmills.com/300N 1-800-578-1363 Ext.300N _______________________________35-28

WANTED TO BUY BUYING COINS Gold, Silver & ALL Coins, Stamps, Paper Money, Entire Collections worth $5,000 or more. Travel to your home. CASH paid. Call Marc 1-800-488-4175 _______________________________35-28

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

HELP WANTED

ADOPTIONS

A creative admin who can work in a fast-paced environment and multi- task. The person must be neat and an expert with all software programs. Excellent references needed and must have reported into an Executive. Previous experience as an office manager, executive admin, office assistant, administrative assistant, secretary, or other administrative roles is preferred. The position is based in the suburbs. It is with a fast track financial services and retail firm. This role will require long hours and flexibility. This role may report into one or many functional Executives. The matter is time sensitive. Please apply online to the address below. Please place the word admin on the subject line. lynnradice@yahoo.com _______________________________35-29 Driver-CDL-A: Experienced OTR Drivers. Regional Lanes. HOME MOST WEEKENDS! Up to $3000 BONUS. Up to $.50 Per Mile. 888-463-3962. 6mo.OTR exp. & CDL Req’d. www.usatruck.jobs _______________________________35-28 Pyle Transport needs OWNER OPERATORS & COMPANY DRIVERS! Regional Truckload Operations. HOME EVERY WEEKEND! O/O Average $1.78/Mile. Steady, Year-Round Work. Requires CDL-A, 2 Years Experience. 888-301-5855. www.DriveforPyle.com _______________________________35-28 $2000 Sign-On Driver, 43.7 Per Mile. $7500 Sign-On Teams, 51.3 Per Mile. With Only 1 Year of OTR. CDL-A HazMat. 1-877-628-3748. _______________________________35-28 Drivers- No Experience ~No Problem. 100% Paid CDL Training. Immediate Benefits. 20/10 program. Trainers Earn up to $.49 per mile! CRST VAN EXPEDITED 800-326-2778 www. JoinCRST.com _______________________________35-28

Drivers - Flatbed & Reefer: Average $1.12 to $1.24/mile (+fuel surcharge) Paid Training Late Model Equipment, Beneﬁts. Call Prime Inc. Today! 800-277-0212 or www.primeinc.com _______________________________35-28 Get All You Need to Succeed! Van and Flatbed Divisions. Great Starting Pay! Plus Lots of Extras. $500 Sign-On for Flatbed. CDL-A, 6mo. OTR. 888-801-5295. _______________________________35-28 Combined Insurance is looking for agent candidates. Minimum guaranteed income for up to 13 weeks, training, beneﬁts, leads. Contact Rebecca at 412-443-8376. EOE. _______________________________35-28 NOW HIRING Companies desperately need employees to assemble products at home. No selling, any hours. $500 weekly potential. Info: 1-985-6461700 DEPT. PA-1017. _______________________________35-28 CHECK THIS OUT!!! Just completed high school and looking for your 1st phenomenal opportunity. Travel while earning big $$$$. No experience. Paid training. 1-877-646-5050. _______________________________35-28

UNIQUE ADOPTIONS Let us help! Personalized Adoption Plans. Financial assistance, housing relocation and more. Giving the gift of life? You deserve the best. Call us ﬁrst! 1-888-637-8200 24-hours hotline. _______________________________35-28 ADOPTION IS LOVE 1st time mom & dad promise your baby a secure, happy life. Expenses paid. Theresa & Evan, 1-866-664-1213. _______________________________35-28 ADOPT Athletic devoted couple love & laughter, large extended family, will cherish your baby. Expenses pd. Caroline & Mel, 1-866-812-0650. _______________________________35-28

Gay is our middle name.

JOBS WANTED TTN: LANDLORDS Exp. maintenance/painter/cleaning person available to maintain your apartments. Either part time for apt. or full time for reasonable salary. Superior quality work, highest standards. Please respond to PO Box 36699, Phila., PA 19107. _______________________________35-28

BUSINESS

OPPORTUNITY ATTN: COMPUTER WORK Work from anywhere 24/7. Up to $1,500 Part Time to $7,500/mo Full Time. Training Provided. www.workservices25.com _______________________________35-28

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FRIENDS

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nite. GWM couple ISO GWMs 18-40 yrs. for 1 on 1 and group sex. Stockings, pantyhose, etc. Starts 9 PM Sat. Call Sat. 7-8 PM 856910-8303, ask for Mark. _______________________________33-24 ADULT PGN PERSONALS GWM, Italian, top or bottom, 7” cut. Also into assplay, toys & water sports. Bi, straight, out of towners welcome. Day or night. Call Jeff at FRIENDS 215-850-7900. _______________________________33-18

MEN

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com July 15-21, 2011

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