pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 42 No. 34 Aug. 24-30, 2018
State will hear LGBT antibias complaints, says PHRC
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
OUTPour: A new Op-Ed feature debuts
Family Portrait: Life is a drag for John Burd PAGE 23
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Another generation of Zager artists PAGE 19
Mazzoni Center turmoil shakes employees
City courts prospective LGBTQ foster parents By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com An LGBTQ foster-parent recruitment session to encourage more LGBTQ people to open their homes to children in need attracted an “overwhelming” number of agencies and more than 50 prospective and inquiring couples, families and single people. Cecilia Rivas, resource-development administrator at the city’s Department of Human Services, said her office was flooded with so many requests by foster agencies to attend the informational session that she had to cap the number of participating agencies. “There are so many agencies that wanted to show support for the community, and that their ideals didn’t line up with agencies who aren’t welcoming to LGBT people,” said Rivas. More than 20 local foster-care agencies expressed interest in the session. Ten foster agencies — including A Second Chance, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Turning Points for Children and New Foundations — participated in an effort to court prospective foster parents. The Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs — in partnership with and Philadelphia Family Pride — hosted its latest, and biggest, informational session Aug. 16 at the University of Pennsylvania’s LGBT Center. The event is the fourth to take place since October. The recruitment meeting comes amid a high-profile battle between the City of Philadelphia and Catholic Social Services over LGBTQ couples as foster parents. In March, DHS suspended additional foster-child referrals to CSS and Bethany Christian Services, after neither agency was accepting LGBTQ people as foster parents. In June, city officials resumed referring foster-care children to Bethany after the agency adopted an antibias policy that now includes the LGBTQ community as prospective foster parents. CSS was recently denied an emergency request to resume foster-care referrals by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The informational sessions are one way to combat the stigma of LGBTQ peopleas foster parents, especially when certain agencies are turning PAGE 14
By Kristen Demilio and Adriana Fraser editor@epgn.com adriana@epgn.com
IT’S A GOOD THING: Media mogul, business icon and LGBT ally Martha Stewart took center stage for a plenary luncheon during the Lesbian and Gay National Chamber of Commerce’s annual convention Aug. 16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Stewart regaled the estimated 1,000 diners with stories including her collaboration with rapper Snoop Dog for her newest show, “Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner.” Convention recap is on pages 5-7. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Federal lawsuit filed on behalf of homeless trans woman By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com A Philadelphia trans woman contends she was wrongfully evicted from a Delaware County homeless shelter after complaining of alleged mistreatment due to her gender status. From January until March of this year, “Jane Doe” resided at the Life Center of Eastern Delaware County, a homeless shelter in Media. Doe was evicted from the center on March 10 and hasn’t found stable housing since then, according to a federal lawsuit filed on her behalf Aug. 13. The defendants are the shelter and Community Action Agency of Delaware County Inc., a business entity that operates the facility. Rufus A. Jennings, an attorney for the defendants, declined to comment for this story. Justin F. Robinette, an attorney for Doe, also declined to comment. During her time at the shelter, Doe
was housed in a sex-segregated male dorm despite being a trans woman, according to the suit. She wasn’t permitted to use a female restroom, and staffers repeatedly misgendered her on a daily basis. Moreover, Doe claims she was subjected to harassment by her male dorm mate, and she overheard anti-trans comments from other residents, according to the lawsuit. When Doe complained of mistreatment, a shelter case worker said that if she had a problem, she was free go elsewhere for housing services, according to the lawsuit. “After being evicted, [Doe] was forced to live on the street where she suffered 30-degree temperatures, and was eventually forced to take refuge in Suburban Station and Jefferson Station out of necessity. [Doe] was also physically attacked on the street after being rendered homeless,” the suit states. PAGE 14 Doe’s complaint
As Mazzoni Center leadership deals with the fallout of firing its first director of diversity and inclusion, more than a half-dozen employees say the internal crisis is harming morale and their ability to serve the community. Employees in various departments of Mazzoni Center, most of whom requested anonymity, described a “bullying,” “stressful,” “uncomfortable” environment — but cited various reasons. Some blamed what they called divisive staff members, while others pointed to management for “not listening” and a “lack of transparency.” Mazzoni Center’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, Kay Martinez, was fired from their position Monday. They were hired as interim CEO Stephen Glassman, himself the subject of an ongoing internal inquiry following anonymous charges of sexual harassment, was preparing to depart in March. Martinez began working for the nonprofit in April. Martinez, who identifies as queer and transgender, immediately protested their firing as “unjust,” prompting an estimated 50 employees to briefly walk out of the building Monday. Martinez told PGN the termination came with no notice or warnings. “I was given a termination letter that had vague and broad language about unprofessionalism. The letter said that I was in disagreement with senior management, and at no point had I said I disagreed with management,” they said. “I wanted specific examples and [CEO Lydia GonzalezSciarrino] said she couldn’t provide any.” The Friday prior to the termination, Martinez, 32, posted pictures on Instagram of them and a handful of fellow staff members on Mazzoni Center’s rooftop all wearing T-shirts with the word “DISPERSE” written across the front, as Martinez and another person gave the camera the middle PAGE 17 finger. The caption read: