pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 42 No. 36 Sept. 7-13, 2018
Family Portrait: Jamie Holmes-Allen isn’t sweating the sisterhood PAGE 23
Allegheny police to implement training after misgendering trans woman By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com The Allegheny County Police Department last week said it will implement LGBT-sensitivity training in response to concerns about the department’s misgendering of a trans woman who was allegedly raped by her cellmate in a county jail. The department, based in Pittsburgh, provides law-enforcement services on the county-owned property and assists local police in 130 municipalities within the county. It has about 240 sworn officers and 50 civilian employees. Superintendent Coleman McDonough told PGN the department is in contact with a local LGBT-advocacy group, Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh, to help implement the training. “As we move forward, we will work with local entities representing the LGBT community to develop policies and train our officers accordingly, so we can truly serve every citizen fairly, equitably and sensitively,” McDonough said in an Aug. 31 email. Dena Stanley, a trans woman of color and Delta board member, said in a statement: “We are encouraged that the Allegheny County Police are willing to come together and learn about my community. It’s important that there be training and education as well as ongoing conversations with diverse people as they serve all.” The issue arose after a transgender woman said she was raped inside the Allegheny County jail by her cellmate on July 17. An Allegheny County police criminal complaint filed in Pittsburgh Municipal Court against the defendant, Taylor J. Booth, identifies the alleged victim as “John Doe.” The document repeatedly uses male pronouns when referring to her, describes her as an “adult male” and refers to her female name as an “alias.” Booth, 21, stands accused of three felonies and two misdemeanors, PAGE 17
William Way Center closes temporarily for permits PAGE 9
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
The Bearded Ladies Cabaret offers a “Cookie PAGE 45
OUTPour: Picasso of the posterior
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Progressive political-action summit heads to Philly By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com
A political-action group is hosting a summit in Philadelphia to excite voters ahead of November’s elections and maximize civic engagement. The Arena will host its fifth summit, entitled “Love + Action,” Sept. 7-8 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The social-welfare organization was formed after Ravi Gupta, a 2008 Obama campaign staffer who also previously worked as the special assistant and speechwriter for Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, put out a call to action on Facebook encouraging friends to join his efforts to “do something” after Donald Trump’s election win. Three weeks after Trump’s victory over Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton, The Arena hosted its first summit in Nashville, where more than 400 attendees gathered to discuss the future of the country. This year’s Philadelphia summit is expected to be The Arena’s largest, with more than 1,000 civic and political leaders coming from around the country to discuss strategies on how to be more politically active. The summit will be a combination of keynote speeches and breakout training sessions that include workshops such as “Hip Hop, Politics and Your Voice,” “Taking Action for the 2018 Midterms” and “Working on a
2020 Campaign.” One of the main objectives of the summit, Lee Pedinoff, the Arena’s director of marketing, is to help anyone interested in running for political office get their campaigns off the ground. Speakers will provide information on how to get on a ballot, establish campaign fundraisers and enlist volunteers. Attendees can also gain insight on how to start their own civic organizations and nonprofits. More than 20 speakers will addres the summit, including Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, former Mayor Michael Nutter, City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart and Malcolm Kenyatta, the out Democratic candidate running for state representative in the 181st House District. Kenyatta said the summit is the latest progressive movement to give people a platform to create change. “The summit will be a crash course on how folks can actually get involved and help to flip the House one campaign at a time, one vote at a time. We’re taking action one step further and actually providing people with the resources they need to run their own campaigns or to help educate people on how they can support their local candidates running for office.” The political-action group is working to establish the next generation of public officers, said Pedinoff. The Arena sponsors progressive candidates
and offers a scholarship for attendees looking to start a political campaign or a civic organization. “Our whole goal is to break down barriers and make politics more accessible to everyone. We realized that we needed to help more people without the money or the network get more civically engaged and politically active,” Pedinoff said. “The summit is for people who know that they want to do something, but they don’t know what that something is.” Pedinoff added that the summit’s wide range of guests was intentional, to “make running for office much more of a real thing for people.” “As we put together the lineup of speakers, we were intentional about bringing together a diverse coalition in age, gender and sexual orientation. We want people to leave with a clear plan of action of how they’ll get involved regardless of any barriers that might be in their way.” n For information on purchasing tickets to The Arena’s Philadelphia summit, visit https:// thearena.run/philadelphia/#eventbrite.
Community college opens LGBTQ center By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com Community College of Philadelphia is unveiling its first LGBTQ center to provide a safe, affirming space for LGBTQidentified students. The initiative is part of the college’s larger mission to support LGBTQ students, said Gregory Murphy, vice president of institutional advancement at CCP, who was involved in creating the center. “We’re providing accessible, high-quality education that will contribute to students’ success while helping them make it to graduation. The center is one of many steps the college is taking to spread the message that we’re inclu-
sive to all students, especially those from marginalized groups.” The MarcDavid LGBTQ Center is the newest addition to the Winnet Student Life Building on CCP’s main campus in the Fairmount neighborhood. The open-admission institution has close to 15,000 full-time students enrolled, with more than 30,000 students taking credit and noncredit courses. Vincent Scarfo, the center’s newly appointed coordinator, went from holding meetings in secret locations at the University of Southern California a few years ago for a group of LGBTQ students who were part of Greek life to now welcoming LGBTQ students to his own office — one adorned with rainbow and transgender-pride flags. PAGE 18
VINCENT SCARFO