Family Portrait: Victoria Miller on boats and bands
Celebrate GayFest! with two landmark shows
Q Spot Philly gala is another first for this LGBTQ youth program
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Aug. 15-21, 2014
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Vol. 38 No. 33
Sisters building slated for reopening as straight bar
By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com One year after the shuttering of the city’s longest-running lesbian bar, the building is being readied for reopening as a non-LGBT venue. Sisters, at 1320 Chancellor St., abruptly closed down Aug. 12, 2013, after 17 years in business. Longtime owner Mel Heifetz told PGN this week that a new club is expected to open shortly. “It will reopen in a few weeks, totally redone as a straight bar and restaurant, catering to a new clientele,” Heifetz said. “It will welcome gay business, but not be oriented to our community.” Heifetz declined to provide further details about the new venue. Movement for a new club started last fall. Heiftetz sold the property to Lord Chancellor, LLC, for PAGE 2
Benefits dispute resolved at SEPTA By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com A union-management squabble that temporarily prevented SEPTA’s union workers from accessing workplace benefits for their same-sex spouses has been resolved. The region’s public-transit system employs about 9,300 workers. In May, same-sex marriage became sanctioned in Pennsylvania, but SEPTA management said a specific agreement was needed with TWU Local 234 before it could recognize same-sex Photo: Scott A. Drake marriages among its union workers for the purpose of needed.” workplace benefits. SEPTA’s 2,000 non-union workers were That agreement was recently reached, offered the benefits immediately after marsaid SEPTA spokesperson Jerri Williams riage equality went into effect May 20 in this week. Pennsylvania. “Now that we have the blanket approval TWU Local 234 is SEPTA’s largest union, from [TWU], employees can go straight to with about 5,000 members. human resources and fill out the paperwork,” Williams said miscommunication Williams said. “No additional approvals are between the parties contributed to the delay
for marriage recognition. “We’ve always been on the same page,” Williams said. “It was just some miscommunication that caused a bit of a delay.” She said no revision is needed in the language of SEPTA’s 17 labor contracts for management to recognize all same-sex marriages among its workers. “All SEPTA employees with a valid marriage license will be able to receive full benefits for their spouses,” Williams said. SEPTA’s workplace benefits include health-care coverage, pension and death benefits and family-leave/ bereavement-leave privi-
leges. “Benefits will be retroactive for employees who presented their marriage licenses to human resources prior to the resolution of this matter,” Williams added. “For example, if they came in with their license in May, benefits will be retroactive back to June PAGE 7 1, the first of the month
Bridal store under fire after refusing lesbian couple By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com A bridal store in Bloomsburg denied services to a same-sex couple last week. Outrage sparked online after a woman shared a Facebook post saying she and her partner were discriminated against by W-W Bridal Boutique, 601 Market St. in Bloomsburg. According to WBRE-TV, the woman wrote in her post that she had called the bridal boutique to schedule an appointment for her and her fiancée to try on dresses when an employee told her the business did not “service same-sex couples.” Boutique owner Victoria Miller told the station that the shop does not serve same-
sex couples for religious reasons. Bloomsburg Town Council held a meeting Aug. 11 to discuss a potential LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance, stemming from this incident. Several local residents and business owners testified in favor of such a measure. Calls to Bloomsburg Mayor Sandy David were not returned by presstime. C u r r e n t l y, 3 4 m u n i c i p a l i t i e s i n Pennsylvania ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, but Pennsylvania lacks a statewide LGBT nondiscrimination law. Equality Pennsylvania executive director Ted Martin told PGN the bridal-shop incident reflects the need for such a law. “We would hope businesses that are open
to the public would be open to everyone on the same terms,” he said. “It’s about treating others as you would want to be treated.” W-W Bridal Boutique has already seen a strong response, with its Yelp review page filling up with comments from both sides. One reviewer detailed about a past experience with the boutique in which she said employees attached religious pamphlets onto the dress the customer was purchasing. Al Lushcas, an attorney for Miller, told PGN she “sought legal help because of the effort to draft an ordinance in the town of Bloomsburg in regard to this issue. She needed some input with regards to that.” It is unknown whether the same-sex couple will seek legal recourse. ■
“Day in the Life Of” is a monthly feature that tells the unique, day-to-day stories of local LGBT community members. Meet this month’s subject: Police Officer Ciante Bradley PAGE 14