Philadelphia Gay News Vol. 34 No. 34
Honesty Integrity Professionalism
Aug. 20 - 26, 2010
Doylestown bans LGBT discrimination By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
SCREENING PROGRAM: B. Nettles (from left), Beth Pulcinella, K.C. and Tony Perkins show off their artwork at The Attic Youth Center Rainbow Expo Aug. 12 at the William Way LGBT Community Center. The youth planned the event as part of a six-week service-learning project, which won First Place in Civic Engagement and Social Action from the Philadelphia Youth Network’s WorkReady Program. At right, Pulcinella demonstrates silkscreening techniques. The youth also showed off their artistic talents in drama, movies, creative writing and leadership. About 150 people packed the Mark Segal Ballroom for the expo, Photos: Scott A. Drake
The Doylestown Borough Council gave its resounding support to the LGBT community this week when it unanimously voted in favor of including sexual orientation and gender identity in the borough’s non-discrimination ordinance. About 150 people packed into Doylestown Borough Hall Monday night and gave a standing ovation after the commission gave its 9-0 vote, becoming the 17th municipality in the state to approve such a law. “To get a unanimous vote is
really sensational,” said Marlene Pray, one of the lead community activists who worked on the measure. “It sets us in a good direction, and I think only good things are going to come from this.” The standing-room-only crowd, nearly all of whom were wearing rainbow “Doylestown Pride” stickers, waited about an hour as the commission made its way through other bills before it began discussion on Commissioner Don Berk’s measure, which will ban LGBT discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations and also create a See DOYLESTOWN, Page 8
Gay foes, LGBTs rally in Harrisburg By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer The National Organization for Marriage’s summer-tour bus, which has been traveling throughout the country rallying against marriage equality for the past month, parked in front of the Capitol Building in Harrisburg last week, while a collection of LGBT supporters demonstrated across the street. The NOM rally drew about 75 people, while the counter-protest brought out 53, according to the Courage Campaign Institute’s NOM Tour Tracker, which has fol-
lowed and documented the national tour. The night before the protests, statewide LGBT-advocacy group Equality Pennsylvania hosted a film screening and discussion with youth from across the state about LGBT activism, which drew between 60-80 supporters. Prior to the NOM visit, Equality PA urged supporters not to participate in any counter-protests, so as to avoid any potentially inflammatory confrontations. “NOM knows that they can provoke people and then play the victim, and what they’ve been doing
is filming these interactions with counter-protesters, and then using them to raise money in churches and faith organizations,” explained Equality PA executive director Ted Martin. “That right there was enough for me to say, I don’t want to provide them with the air they need to do that.” Martin said he suspects NOM is also planning to use the filmed counter-protests and confrontations to support the group’s court case in Maine, in which they’re fighting to keep the names of signatories who supported a petition to overturn the
UNANIMOUS UNITY: About 150 LGBTs and allies gathered in Doylestown Borough Hall Aug. 16 to debate Commissioner Don Berk’s (second from left) measure to extend the borough’s nondiscrimination ordinance to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill eventually passed, with a unanimous 9-0 vote, making Doylestown the 17th municipality in See HARRISBURG, Page 6 Pennsylvania to ban LGBT discrimination. Photo: Jen Colletta
CA marriage on hold, appeal sped up By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
UNWELCOMED GUESTS: Metropolitan Community Church of Philadelphia members John Speer (center) and Jessica PalmerNelson (right) were among at least 50 marriage-equality supporters who joined in a rally near Harrisburg’s Capitol Building Aug. 13. The event was a response to a visit from antigay National Organization for Marriage, whose members demonstrated against marriage equality on the steps of the Capitol. Photo: The Rev. Jeffrey Jordan
Same-sex couples last week prepared to head to courthouses throughout California to tie the knot, but a ruling from an appeals court put those wedding plans on hold indefinitely. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday overturned last week’s decision by District Court Judge Vaughn Walker, who declined to impose a stay on his earlier landmark ruling repealing the state’s marriage-equality
ban. Walker ruled last week that the stay would “force California to continue to violate plaintiffs’ constitutional rights and would demonstrably harm plaintiffs and other gays and lesbians in California,” but the three-judge panel of the appeals court disagreed, without explanation. However, the court did order an expedited hearing for the appeal, and oral arguments are set to begin in December. The case was originally filed by two same-sex couples who
were denied marriage licenses after California voters passed Proposition 8, overturning a previous state Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage, in November 2008. While proponents of marriage equality on Monday expressed disappointment with the ruling, attorneys for the plaintiffs and state officials like California attorney general Jerry Brown said they would not appeal the stay. See CALIFORNIA, Page 7