pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 40 No. 35 Aug. 26 - Sept. 1, 2016
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Fall Arts Preview PAGE 25
State Senate committees to hold hearings on antibias bills By Paige Cooperstein paige@epgn.com
DOWN IN DELAWARE: Brenda Farside (from left), Eve Davis, Joe Johnson and Joe Sielski were among about 120 guests who enjoyed the sights and sounds of Our Night Out Wilmington last week. The social, most recently held Aug. 18 at Piccolina Toscana, brings together LGBTs and allies each month to a new location in the Wilmington, Del., area. The next event is scheduled for Sept. 15, with the location to be announced. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Temple recognized for LGBT inclusion in athletics By Paige Cooperstein paige@epgn.com Temple University Athletics this month received a gold-medal designation as an LGBT SportSafe institution. It also earned Founders Club membership, meaning the university is one of the first two in its state or conference to receive approval from the LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program. No other Pennsylvania schools have yet received the membership. “At Temple, we value diversity and the welfare of our 500-plus student athletes,” Dr. Patrick Kraft, director of athletics, said in a statement. He added, “We always want to be at the forefront of initiatives such as this that helps contribute to the overall quality of our student-athlete experience.” The LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program started in June. It uses an algorithm — created by Dr. Eric Lueshen, a former University of Nebraska football player, and Nevin Caple, an openly gay former college basketball player — that’s called the 3-Peat Model for its focus on programming, policy and public awareness.
The gold-medal designation means the athletic program has inclusion training for coaches and administrators every two to three years, has updated polices to include protections for LGBT athletes and coaches and has scheduled or completed a public-awareness project about LGBT inclusion in athletics. Kraft was out of the office Aug. 23. Other Temple Athletics representatives did not immediately receive clearance to speak to the media about specific LGBT policies and projects at the university. “Nevin and I applaud Temple’s leadership and commitment to LGBT inclusion in the American Athletic Conference,” Lueshen said in a statement. Temple’s LGBT SportSafe Founders Club member status means the university will be listed in the LGBT SportSafe national registry of inclusive athletic and recreational sport communities. The school will also gain access to Coaches Corner, an online resource for LGBT inclusion that includes webinars, model policies and discussion forums. For more information, visit www. lgbtsportsafe.com. n
Two months after a housing-nondiscrimination bill was stalled from reaching the state Senate floor, two committees have scheduled hearings seeking input on bills that would extend nondiscrimination protections in employment and public accommodations to the LGBT community. The Labor and Industry Committee scheduled a hearing for 1 p.m. Aug. 30, and the State Government Committee has a hearing 10:30 a.m. Sept. 26. Both take place in Hearing Room 1 of the North Office Building at the State Capitol in Harrisburg. For the employment-nondiscrimination bill, the public can submit written comments by emailing SB1306@pasen.gov or visiting the SB1306 public-comment box available at www.senatorbaker.com. Publiccomment instructions for the public-accommodations bill have yet to be announced. A representative from the office of Sen. Mike Folmer, chair of the State Government
Committee, was not immediately available for comment. State Sen. Lisa Baker, a Luzerne County Republican, chairs the Labor and Industry Committee. “Individuals and groups on both sides of the issue felt that a hearing focused on facts and details would be useful,” Jennifer Wilson, Baker’s chief of staff, wrote in an email to PGN. The committee would like the public to share specific instances of discrimination, documentation about how existing workplace policies and municipal ordinances have functioned and how any issues have been addressed. “The broad philosophical arguments related to these issues are well known,” according to a hearing announcement sent out by Baker’s office. “What the committee is seeking are detailed arguments for or against the provisions set forth in the bill that can be used to help members determine whether it adequately addresses workplace PAGE 21 discrimination as writ-
Judge blocks new trial for gay man’s killer By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com A federal judge has blocked a new trial for Richard R. Laird, who brutally killed gay artist Anthony V. Milano almost 30 years ago. Laird already had two trials — in 1988 and 2007 — but he claimed both were plagued by errors and sought a third. In a 105-page opinion issued Aug. 19, U.S. District Judge Jan E. DuBois declined to vacate Laird’s death sentence. DuBois said Laird’s 2007 retrial passed constitutional muster. “[Laird] has failed to demonstrate that his [2007] retrial and resentencing were infected by any errors,” Dubois stated. In 1987, Laird and Frank R. Chester kidnapped Milano to a wooded area of Bucks County, where Milano’s throat was hacked out with a box cutter. Both men were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Laird has been on death row for
almost 30 years. But Chester recently was released to the general-prison population, after agreeing to never challenge his first-degree murder conviction. Laird admits that he killed Milano, but contends he was too impaired to form a specific intent to kill, due to alcohol consumption and other mental problems. In his ruling, DuBois noted that Laird was able to maintain his balance and express himself coherently during the general time period of Milano’s murder. DuBois also noted that Laird took immediate steps to destroy evidence after Milano’s death, including tossing his box cutter into a creek. Even if Laird’s blood-alcohol content was .45, as Laird contends, he could still form an intent to kill, according to DuBois’ ruling. Laird put forth a litany of errors allegedly made by his 2007 attorneys. They include not requesting a change of venue due to inflammatory publicPAGE 8