PGN July 22-28, 2016

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pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976

Vol. 40 No. 30 July 22-28, 2016

W.Va. lesbians commit suicide in NE Phlly motel PAGE 2

Day in the Life of ... IBA and DNC leader Zach Wilcha PAGE 23

HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM

Trans shelter visited by senator’s staff PAGE 5

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Top Dems speak out on LGBT issues

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Mixed expectations as Gayborhood prepares for DNC By Paige Cooperstein paige@epgn.com

In advance of the Democratic National Convention, PGN spoke with a series of key players in the Democratic Party on a range of LGBT issues. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi is the former House Speaker and current Minority Leader. PGN: How far has the Democratic Party come on LGBT issues since the convention in 2012? NP: We have always had our fundamental beliefs as a matter of public policy. The Democrats are very pleased with some of the recognition of protections, such as those needed for transgender people in the military. We were thrilled the Secretary lifted the transgender ban, which a year ago he said he would do. That was an important breakthrough. I called for a marriage-equality plank in our 2012 platform. And I have to say this, self-servingly so: When I was chair of California’s Democratic Party in 1982, we recognized marriage as what people decided it was for them: a family. It was really a breakthrough, a very progressive position. For us, those of us who have been working on these issues for a long time, these things have been a long time coming. Some people say things have gone so fast, but we were there. The military transgender ban was a breakthrough as were some of the things that preceded the last convention, like the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” but we’ve nonetheless worked very hard to implement some of the transformaPAGE 18

Judge allows HIVpositive litigant to remain anonymous

Historical Society of Philadelphia is giving away LGBT history

DEMS ON DISPLAY: The Berks County Democratic Party was out in force for the July 17 Reading Pride Celebration. The 10th-annual event featured drag performances and other entertainers, including headliner Tom Goss, as well as vendors and artisans. There was also a memorial featuring photos of each of the 49 victims of last month’s mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. Louis Long Gallery in Reading, along with Daniel Kincade Entertainment, will host a variety show July 23 with 100 percent of proceeds donated to Orlando victims. Photo: Scott A. Drake

Staff members at Duross & Langel have cleaned the shop’s windows about 25 times a day since two fiberglass donkeys were installed to promote the Democratic National Convention, which runs July 25-28. Foot traffic has noticeably increased as people peer in the windows or enter to take photos, said Steve Duross, one of the owners of the soap and lotion atelier at 13th and Sansom streets. With 50,000 people headed to Philadelphia for the convention, Duross expected some PAGE 20 increase in sales. But he’s

Groundbreaking HIV study to launch in Philly By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com A five-year study aimed at developing a cure for HIV is about to get underway in Philadelphia. The National Institutes of Health announced this week that a collaborative team led by the Wistar Institute and University o f P e n n s y l va n i a w i l l be one of six grantees funded through the Martin Delaney Collaboratory: Towards an HIV-1 Cure. The Philadelphia team will receive $23 mil-

lion over the next five years for a combination immunotherapy study. The research will be led by coprincipal investigators Dr. Luis Montaner, director of the HIV-1 Immunopathogenesis Laboratory at Wistar, and Dr. James Riley, research associate professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn. The group includes about 30 researchers from Wistar and Penn, as well as Philadelphia FIGHT, Rockfeller University, VA San Diego Healthcare

What to DN ‘see’ in Philly Page 17 Dems embrace LGBT voters Page 23 PoliticalFest in the Gayborhood Page 23 Equality Forum coincides with DNC Page 25

System, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Utah. The local research, t e r m e d B E AT- H I V: Delaney Collaboratory to Cure HIV-1 Infection by Combination Immunotherapy, will combine two therapies Wistar and Penn were working on, respectively: immunotherapy in which pegylated interferon alpha 2b is used to boost the immune system against the HIV virus, and gene therapy that protects T PAGE 26

NICE ASS!: Gayborhood shop Duross & Langel proudly displays two donkeys as part of citywide art project “Donkeys Around Town.” The effort is in conjunction with the Democratic National Convention, in town July 25-28. Photo: Scott A. Drake


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