Family Portrait: Life-saving lessons from Connie Labouff PAGE 25
Updates: • ‘Suitcase’ murder defendants get hearing
• Rehoboth arrestees sentenced • Three-year anniversary of Cordova murder
PAGE 2 PAGE 5
Lily Tomlin talks about being “Grandma” PAGE 23
Sept. 4-10, 2015
Since 1976
PGN Philadelphia Gay News HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Vol. 39 No. 36
First-ever LGBT ‘panic’ bill intro’d in PA House
N.J. cop files sexualharassment suit
By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com H a d d o n Tow n s h i p P o l i c e Officer Jason DeMent says he faces dismissal after he rebuffed Haddon Township Police Chief Mark Cavallo’s sexual advances, then requested a temporary accommodation for his vision impairment. The allegations are contained in a 27-page lawsuit DeMent filed against Cavallo and the township in federal court last month. DeMent, 36, suffers from Stargardt disease, a rare disorder that impairs vision. A doctor recommended that DeMent limit his patrol duties to familiar areas during daylight. In June, the 11-year veteran requested the limited patrol work, until his vision improves with stem-cell therapy. But instead of making a “reasonable accommodation,” Cavallo allegedly placed DeMent on unpaid sick leave until Oct. 28, when he’s expected to be dismissed. Meanwhile, DeMent is receiving his accrued vacation pay as compensation. “Ever since June 12, when Officer DeMent informed Chief Cavallo of his [Stargardt] diagnosis, he hasn’t been back to work in any capacity,” said Zachary R. Wall, an attorney for DeMent. “Ever since that day, Officer DeMent has been trying to come up with various scenarios of how he can come back to work. But no accommodation has been offered by the township or Chief Cavallo.” DeMent’s refusal to acquiesce to Cavallo’s sexual advances was a motivating factor in his alleged dismissal, according to the lawsuit. C ava l l o ’s a l l eg e d s ex u a l advances include asking DeMent to turn around PAGE 17
HOME TEAM HEROEs: More than 200 athletes gathered Aug. 28 at the annual awards banquet for the City of Brotherly Love Softball League, including longtime players Jeff Chase (from left), Brandi Fitzgerald and Michael Valerio. Chase and Valerio were inducted this year into the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance Hall of Fame, and Fitzgerald will be inducted into the Amateur Sports Alliance of North America Hall of Fame later this month. When asked how his game has changed in the three decades he’s been playing LGBT softball, Valerio joked that he’s had “two joint replacements,” but added he’s grateful for “the ton of new people I’ve been able to meet over 30 years of playing softball.” Fitzgerald added that she’s a “hell of a better softball player” than when she started and joked, “So many girlfriends later, I might be gay.” Chase noted it’s been a team effort for him: “My partner and I joined to do it together and, 28 years later, we’re still doing it together.” This marked the first year CBLSL launched its own hall of fame, inducting Lydia Yureck posthumously. Photo: Scott A. Drake
A state lawmaker last week introduced the first-ever legislation that would prohibit accused murderers of invoking a “panic” defense based on a victim’s LGBT identity. State Rep. Michael Schlossberg (D-132nd Dist.), who represents Lehigh County, introduced HB 1509 on Aug. 25. The state’s criminal code currently allows consideration of voluntary manslaughter, downgraded from a murder charge, when, among other factors, “serious provocation” can be demonstrated. Schlossberg’s bill would amend the provocation stipulation to clarify that the term “does not include the discovery of, knowledge about or potential disclosure of the homicide victim’s actual or perceived gender identity or expression or affectional or sexual orientation.” Schlossberg is joined by cosponsors Reps. Mark Rozzi (126th Dist.), Stephen Kinsey (201st
Dist.), Dan Frankel (23rd Dist.), Daniel McNeill (133rd Dist.), Mark Cohen (202nd Dist.) and Mike O’Brien (175th Dist.). Schlossberg told PGN this week that he happened to read about a case in which the “gay-panic” defense was invoked and was surprised to learn that such strategies weren’t banned in Pennsylvania, a sentiment shared by several fellow lawmakers. “It was one of those things you just sort of come across by accident. I saw that it was used and I was just shocked and horrified. My first thought was, How can something so archaic and barbaric be legal in the 21st century?” Schlossberg said. “That’s a pretty common feeling with other legislators I’ve talked to about this, just genuine surprise. A lot of people didn’t think something like this still happened, but it does.” Locally, a judge prohibited the defense team for Raymond Armstrong, accused of a 2008 murder, from using a “gay-panic” PAGE 16 defense, and
Who’s who among antibias-bill backers By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com The long-awaited legislation to ban LGBT discrimination in Pennsylvania made its way back into the state legislature last week — a bill that has support from all corners of the state and across both sides of the aisle. A record number of original cosponsors signed on to the newly named Pennsylvania Fairness Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s Human Relations Act, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. Within a day of its introduction, the House bill had 86 cosponsors, including 13 Republicans.
There are 203 lawmakers all together in the Republicancontrolled House. Of the 86 cosponsors, the majority comes from Philadelphia and its surrounding four counties, with 24 Philly lawmakers and 24 suburban signing on. The only member of the Philadelphia delegation who is not yet cosponsoring is Republican Rep. Martina White (170th Dist.) of Northeast Philadelphia, who was elected in a special election in March. Nearly all of the Republican support for the bill came from lawmakers in the Philadelphia suburbs; 12 represent one of the four counties, with the last being Rep. John Taylor of Philadelphia. “I think Republicans are coming around on PAGE 16
sCHOOL sPIRIT: It was a new spin on back-to-school Saturday night at Pulse Events’ Show Your College Pride party at Smokin’ Betty’s. Partiers were encouraged to wear gear of their college of choice, with all the door money going to the LGBT campus group of the best-represented colleges. Rowan University won by a landslide, followed by Villanova, so both schools’ LGBT clubs will receive donations from Pulse. About 150 people turned out for the party. Pulse plans to host a similar event early next year. Photo: Scott A. Drake