Philly gets gay festive again
Family Portrait: Emily Lynn
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Voter-ID controversy hits the court
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Aug. 3-9, 2012
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Vol. 36 No. 31
AIDS Conference brings hope
Kenney fires back at Chick-fil-A
By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Councilman Jim Kenney held back little in a recent communication to Chick-fil-A’s president over the executive’s antigay positions: “Take a hike and take your intolerance with you.” The councilman issued a letter to Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy July 25, decrying Cathy’s recent statement that he was “guilty as charged” in opposing marriage equality. The company has long been allied with, and provided funds to, antigay organizations, but Cathy’s statements provide the company’s first on-the-record opposition to LGBT rights. “As an American you are legally entitled to your opinion, regardless of how insensitive and intolerant it may be, but as a fellow American and an elected member of Philadelphia City Council, I am entitled to express my opinion as well,” Kenney wrote, adding: “There is no place for this type of hate in our great City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.” Kenney told PGN this week that Cathy’s openness about his antigay views moved him to action. “He came out publicly,” he said. “He made it clear as to his stance when it comes to civil rights and that’s his right. But it’s my right not to support his company.” When Council returns to session in September, Kenney plans to introduce a resolution “condemning [Cathy’s] bigoted views.” “We need full disclosure like this. If he’s a bigot and taking my money and putting it into bigoted causes, everyone needs to know that,” he said. “When [Geno’s Steaks owner] Joey Vento did his ugly stuff, some people went and bought more steaks and that’s their right, but PAGE 16
CAMPAIGN CRAWL: The Gayborhood got some campaign color Friday night with the LGBT for Obama bar crawl. About 25 Obama supporters stumped throughout the area, registering voters at locales like Tavern on Camac with special guest Brian Sims (back row, third from right), who is poised to become Pennsylvania’s first out state legislator. Other campaign stops included Woody’s, Knock, ICandy, Venture Inn and Sisters. Photo: Patrick Hagerty
Philly marks 30 years of gay-rights protections Part one of a two-part reflection By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com On Aug. 5, 1982, Philadelphia City Council took a historic step in the gay-rights movement — one that continues to resonate with and protect the city’s LGBT residents today. In a 13-2 vote, Council amended the city’s Fair Practices Ordinance to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, employment and public accommodations. Thirty years later, hundreds of LGBTs have sought recourse from the city for instances of discrimination — with some complaints leading to fines and, others, an increased awareness of the city’s legal support for its LGBT residents. The road to that legal backing, however, was a long time coming.
Political, social context The effort to include sexual orientation in the human-rights law began in 1974, but that first incarnation died in committee in 1975. The failure spurred a protest in City Council chambers by Dyketactics members, in which protesters alleged police brutality. After the loss, activists remobilized in the late 1970s to demonstrate to elected officials the value of the gay and lesbian voting bloc, with the goal of getting their electoral support matched by support for gay rights. In the 1979 mayoral race, a number of LGBT activists rallied behind contender Councilman Lucien Blackwell in his mayoral bid against eventual winner Bill Green. “We knew he didn’t have a chance, but we thought that if we could demonPAGE 18
Last month’s International AIDS Conference featured a host of big-name speakers — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, singer and activist Elton John — but it was also the stories of activists, advocates and researchers that left attendees with hope that an end to the epidemic could one day be a reality. The conference, the first to be held in the United States in more than two decades, drew about 25,000 people to discuss the latest developments in HIV/AIDS research, prevention and policies. Among the news coming out of the conference was Timothy Ray Brown’s announcement that he has launched a foundation whose mission will solely be to work for a cure for HIV/AIDS. Brown is considered the first person to be cured of HIV, following a bone-marrow transplant for leukemia. A new report pre-
sented at the conference detailed that other men from Boston who underwent the same procedure have now presented with similar results. “Words cannot begin to express my joy that two other men may have been cured of HIV,” Brown said. “This reinforces my determination and belief that we must fulfill my foundation’s central mission of investing in cuttingedge therapies and treatment to advance AIDS cure research.” Katie Krauss, executive director of AIDS Policy Project, said her agency has also dedicated itself to working for a cure. “The future is looking really bright for people who want a cure for AIDS,” Krauss said. “Research is going really well, and there are really interesting new developments. There’s exciting work being done in gene therapy and with regular AIDS drugs that could lead to a cure; every area of cure research is going very well right now, and it’s a very exciting time be a cure activist.” PAGE 16
AMERICANS’ ABILITIES: LGBT participants in the July 28 Disability Pride March flank a likeness of President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the National Constitution Center. The museum offered free admission Saturday and a host of activities that recognized the contributions of the disabled community in honor of the 22nd anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is inclusive of the HIV/AIDS community. Photo: Patrick Hagerty