Philadelphia Gay News Vol. 33 No. 30
Honesty Integrity Professionalism
July 24 - 30, 2009
Online extortion
Hate-crimes bill amended By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer The bill that would extend federal hate-crimes protections to LGBT individuals went through a series of ups and downs in the U.S. Senate in the past two weeks. Last week, the Senate voted to add the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment to a defensespending bill. The U.S. House approved the hate-crimes bill in April, and if the Senate OKs the defense bill with the amendment, it will need to go to a joint House-Senate conference committee, where a final version needs to be approved before being sent to President Obama for his signature. The Human Rights Campaign predicted that a final vote will not occur until September. The bill would expand the 1969 hateSee HATE CRIMES, Page 7
Police search for Craigslist user posing as detective By Timothy Cwiek PGN Writer-at-Large
Gushue said Taleon has pledged to turn his life around. “He hopes to be able to finish college while he’s incarcerated, so that way he can use his time constructively,” he said. “And he indicated to the judge that he’s a changed man and that she’s not going to be seeing him in the courtroom or in that entire building ever again.” A judge revoked Taleon’s bail shortly after the arrests and he has been in prison since that time, while Keyontyli was released on bail. Police suspected the brothers of several area break-ins and were tailing them Feb. 19 when they witnessed Taleon using an ax and handsaw to gain access to the roof of Moon’s Beauty Shop at Ninth Street and Washington Avenue. Police pursued Taleon, who took more than $2,000
Philadelphia police are searching for a man who used Craigslist to meet at least three gay men, then later posed as a detective and extorted money from two of them. The suspect, described as black and about 6-foot-3, met the men on Craigslist’s “Men Seeking Men” personals section, and arranged to meet them at various locations in the city. During the encounters, he had a detective’s badge, handcuffs and a walkie-talkie, and spoke in a confident manner that convinced the men he was a plainclothes detective, they said. “He was a smooth talker, and very convincing,” one man said. The three victims spoke to PGN on the condition of anonymity. They said the incidents happened in April and June. The suspect allegedly told the men they were vulnerable to criminal prosecution because they were looking for sexual partners on Craigslist without properly screening out minors. One man, from the Fairmount section, traveled to a nearby bank with the suspect, withdrew about $1,200 from his account and gave it to him. Another man, from the Fishtown section, gave the suspect $800 after traveling to a bank at a shopping center in Northeast Philadelphia. The third man didn’t give the suspect any money, but he reported the incident to Central Detectives, where it remains under investigation, he said. The Fairmount man said he preserved scissors that the suspect touched, which might help determine his identity. He called the city’s LGBT Police Liaison Office to report the incident. But he was dissuaded from pursuing the matter after being told that a
See PORN TWIN, Page 12
See CRAIGSLIST, Page 12
THE BIG GAY CAST: Writer/director Fred Caruso (far left) comments about extending the legacy of the Prince Music Theater’s history of groundbreaking original offerings after the world-premiere screening of “The Big Gay Musical” on July 20, the final day of QFest. He was joined onstage for the Q&A by actors Jack Aarenson (from left), Jeff Metzler, Joey Dudding, Daniel Robinson and co-director Casper Andreas. The QFest closing-night film will also be shown at festivals this fall in Austin, Texas, and Memphis, Tenn. More QFest photos and stories on pages 5, 6 and 29. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Gay-porn twin sentenced to prison By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
ASKING AND TELLING IN PHILLY: The Human Rights Campaign and Servicemembers United will kick off their national Voices of Honor Tour to build support for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in Philadelphia July 27. U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (DPa.), who recently took over the repeal effort, will be joined by the numerous LGBT and ally servicemembers featured on the tour during an 11 a.m. press conference in front of Independence Hall at Fifth and Market streets, and the servicemembers will host a public town-hall meeting to discuss “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” at 7 p.m. at the WHYY Studio Building, 150 N. Sixth St. Several of the servicemembers will be involved in presentations in Boonton and Trenton, N.J., later in the week. For more information on the Voices of Honor Tour, visit www. hrc.org/voicesofhonor.
One-half of the infamous gay porn twins who were arrested in Philadelphia last year on burglary charges will spend the next three to eight years in prison. A judge accepted a plea deal July 15 from Taleon Goffney, 27, who pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and criminal conspiracy in connection to the rooftop break-in of a South Philadelphia store and another business in the area. Taleon’s twin brother, Keyontyli, was also arrested for his role in the crimes and will begin trial Aug. 6. The pair made national headlines after their February 2008 arrests when numerous Internet postings identified them as having performed in online gay porn. As part of Taleon’s plea deal, the judge dropped other charges he faced, including possession of an instrument of crime, criminal trespass and receiving stolen property. Taleon’s attorney, Michael F. Gushue, said his client was “content” with the terms of the plea agreement. “It gives closure to the situation and avoids the uncertainty of a trial, which is always prone to creating anxiety,” Gushue said. If Taleon had not taken the deal, he could have faced up to 40 years in prison.
KEYONTYLI GOFFNEY
TALEON GOFFNEY