Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis talk about getting naked
Family Portrait: Alannah Caldwell
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William Way LGBT Community Center board discusses new initiatives at public PAGE 7 meeting July 29 - Aug. 4, 2011
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Vol. 35 No. 30
Wedding bells ring for local couples
As the first same-sex marriages took place in New York, two Philadelphia couples who’ve spent decades together were among those to take the plunge. By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com They came in cars, buses, planes, limos and ferries wearing dresses and tuxes, or jeans and khakis. Crowds of supporters threw confetti and one straight couple even brought their young daughters to serve as volunteer flower girls for any couples in need. While the dawn of marriage equality in New York on Sunday was a festive, historic occasion for the community, the day ultimately celebrated the personal commitments of countless same-sex couples — some of whom have been waiting decades to say “I do.” MaryAnn Brancaccio and Maria Vanni will celebrate their 40th anniversary Aug. 25 — and this year will do so as a married couple. The South Philadelphia residents met through a mutual friend, whom Vanni was dating at the time, but Brancaccio gave her her phone number anyway and they reconnected a year later. “She met me for five minutes and said I was the cockiest person she ever met, but that’s just part of my charm,” Brancaccio joked. “But she called me, and the rest is history.” In 2003, after separate
THEY LOVE NEW YORK: Hundreds of same-sex couples tied the knot in New York July 24, including Philadelphia newlyweds Maria Vanni (top left) and MaryAnn Brancaccio and Dan Evans (from left bottom) and husband Jim Kelly-Evans, pictured with ring bearer Juan Punchin, witness Ed Mallon and Judge Andrew Tarantino.
careers in the restaurant industry, Brancaccio, 62, and Vanni, 55, opened East Passyunk restaurant August — named after their anniversary month. “We love being able to spend time together,” Vanni said, noting that opening a business together afforded them ample opportunity to do so. The couple exchanged rings on their 25th anniversary but never had an actual ceremony since Pennsylvania wouldn’t recognize the union. When the opportunity in New York arose, however, they decided to take the plunge to coincide with their upcoming anniversary. Earlier this month they put their names into the lottery that was opened for couples to get married in New York City on July 24, the first day marriage equality was legalized, and received a call Thursday night that they were one of the approximately 800 couples randomly selected. The Manhattan slate was full, so Brancaccio and Vanni elected to get married in Queens. The couple brought along Vanni’s goddaughter and another friend to serve as witnesses and used their bands from their 25th anniversary. “We didn’t have much time to get ready, but we held it t o g e t h e r ,” PAGE 5
Military gay ban ready for the history books By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com With President Obama’s signature, the military’s ban on openly gay servicemembers was one step closer to being relegated to the history books last weekend. Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman
Admiral Mike Mullen last Friday signed the final certification to confirm that the military was ready for the lifting of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The law will officially be repealed Sept. 20. Congress passed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act” late last year and the president signed the measure, but it required that the president, secretary of defense and joint
chiefs of staff chairman sign off that military policies had been updated and servicemembers adequately trained before it took effect. “As of Sept. 20, servicemembers will no longer be forced to hide who they are in order to serve our country,” Obama said last week. “Our military will no longer be deprived of the talPAGE 8
Phillies step up to the plate for LGBT youth By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com The Philadelphia Phillies announced last week that they will become the latest professional sports team and the first in the City of Brotherly Love to produce an “It Gets Better” video. The video, which was announced last Friday, will make the Phillies the seventh Major League Baseball team to participate in the campaign, which seeks to offer support for LGBT youth. Phillies vice president of communications Bonnie Clark said the team is still in the “early stages” of discussion on the video, but expects to release it around “back-to-school” time. Decisions about who will appear in the video are expected in the coming weeks, Clark said. The announcement came as a fan-driven petition on Change.org was picking up speed. Philadelphia native and lifelong Phillies fan Jerome Hunt posted the petition in June and the site began publicizing it a few weeks ago. At the time the Phillies announced they would create a video, about 2,000 people had signed the petition. Clark said the team had already been in talks about producing a video when they got wind of Hunt’s petition. “We were having conversations with the project director before we were even made aware of the petition,” Clark said. “My counterpart at the Giants told me about the campaign and we decided that it was something we would consider, but we weren’t even aware of PAGE 16