PGN Spt. 13-19, 2013 by The Philadelphia Gay News

Miss’d America on the move Deborah Gibson: Coming full Cirque

Family Portrait: Tammyrae Barr talks Gender Reel

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Local members win national NLGJA board positions PAGE 2

Sept. 13-19, 2013

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Vol. 37 No. 37

Hearing held in Shephard murder

State commission to hold session on HB 300

By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com William F. Smithson took a step forward in his quest for a new trial as he participated in an evidentiary hearing this week. Smithson is convicted of the 2006 strangulation death of coworker Jason Shephard inside Smithson’s home. Authorities also claim that Smithson administered the date-rape drug gamma hydroxybutyric acid, or GHB, to the young man and then tried to rape him. Smithson is serving a life sentence, but maintains his innocence and seeks a proper investigation of F. Bruce Covington, who was also in Smithson’s home when Shephard died. PAGE 20 Covington was con-

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com

OUT AT WORK: The Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the LGBT Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Family Law Section held a continuing-legal education session Sept. 6 at PBI that focused on LGBT-employment issues. The panel discussion was moderated by Mazzoni Center legal director David Rosenblum (from left), with attorney panelists Katie Eyer, state Rep. Dan Frankel (D-23rd Dist.), Reynelle Brown Staley, Mary Tiernan and Tiffany Palmer. The group discussed employment, labor and benefit trends for LGBT Pennsylvanians, including Frankel’s proposed House Bill 300, which would incorporate sexual orientation and gender identity into the state’s nondiscrimination law. Photo: Scott A. Drake

A.C. drag show cancelled By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com

Entertainment, nightlife, people, community, food & drink

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2013

LEADING THE LINE: Steven Getzow (from left) was first in line to turn in his pre-application Monday morning for residence in the John C. Anderson Apartments. The LGBT-friendly senior facility opened its apartment-rental unit at William Way LGBT Community Center and was flooded with more than 100 applicants. The complex is set to open in January. More coverage, page 7. Photo: Scott A. Drake

The popular Atlantic City drag show that brought together the likes of Dolly Parton, Prince, Patti LaBelle, Liza Minelli and Joan Rivers will end its run this month. The last “Divas Do A.C.” at Resorts will be Sept. 27. The drag event sold out regularly, five shows a week, but casino officials said it ran its course. “The decision was certainly not malicious. It was a tough decision to make,” said Resorts director of advertising and public relations Courtney Birmingham. “These are top-notch professionals and great people and it was great to have them on the property. The Divas have

brought something so special not only to the property but to Atlantic City. We don’t want to lose that LGBT feel and we hope to find a show that will appeal to the community, but we are looking to do something different.” The show launched as “Divas in a Man’s World” in 2011, but last summer lead performer Steven Andrade was terminated and the show was changed to “Divas Do A.C.” Andrade later filed a lawsuit for �� copyright infringement. Birmingham said the suit was not related to the show’s cancellation. “We can’t comment on pending litigation, but no, that had no factor in closing our current ‘Divas Do A.C.’ show,” she said. Birmingham PAGE 19

The state agency that enforces Pennsylvania’s nondiscrimination law has scheduled a first-ever session to explore public opinion about the proposed bill to incorporate sexual orientation and gender identity into the law. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission will hold a public hearing Oct. 28 in Harrisburg on House Bill 300. Commission spokesperson Shannon Powers said the session will function similar to a legislative hearing, although the nine commissioners do not have any legislative authority. They will, however, vote to either support or oppose the bill after the meeting. The commission has in the past unanimously backed previous versions of HB 300, although Powers noted there are new commissioners on the panel. Powers said the commission’s session will allow the members to take an informed position on the legislation. “Rather than just take a position based on history, they want to find out what opposition is based on, other than the obvious that we’ve heard,” Powers said. “They want to look at how this will really affect workplaces, employers, housing providers, the different entities that would be affected by a change in law. They want to more thoroughly examine the real effects of the law before they support or oppose it.” Powers said the commission is inviting eight organizations — four that support the legislation and four that oppose — to testify at the meeting. The commissioners will have the opportunity to ask the witnesses questions, and after the meeting will PAGE 20

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

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Philly media professionals elected to national board By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com Several local media members now sit on the national board of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. Philadelphia NLGJA member Steve Rosen was elected to the national board and fellow local member Kevin Barry was re-elected, while former Philly resident and previous PGN editor Sarah Blazucki was re-elected as vice president of print and online. NLGJA was founded in 1990 as an organization for LGBT journalists, media professionals, educators and students in the news industry to create fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues. The organization now has 17 chapters across the United States. The elections took place at NLGJA’s annual convention last month in Boston. After 10 years as a general member of NLGJA, Rosen, 54, a public-relations professional and

managing partner at marketing Out.com and in Edge publicacompany Star Group, said he was tions. He is also credited as one ready to take on a leadership role of the first-ever NLGJA bloggers and helped launch Re: Act, the in the organization. “I was actually asked if I was organization’s official blog. He has been involved with interested in a seat on the board and I was excited about it because NLGJA since 2005, and first got I think I am able to bring a lot of involved in the New York chapter to meet things to new people the table,” in his field. he said. “I “I went have a marketing comto work for pany and a firm in I can proNew York vide public and I got relations, involved in advertising NLJGA and support and from there, graphicmy freelance work design s u p p o r t . KEVIN BARRY (LEFT) AND STEVE ROSEN grew,” he said. “After A s i d e from that, the organization means a year in New York, I moved to Los Angeles. where I exclusively a lot to me.” Barry, 34, is a freelance jour- did freelance. I was chapter presinalist and fundraiser who has dent of L.A.’s NLGJA chapter served on the national board for there in 2006.” three years and was re-elected for Barry currently serves on another two-year term. NLGJA’s Rapid Response Task Barry has been published on Force, which moderates cover-

age on LGBT issues throughout the country and works behind the scenes to ensure fair coverage. Barry also serves on the finance and development committee and the Michael Triplett Memorial Committee, which is named for the late NLGJA president. Barry, alongside Blazucki, cochaired the NLGJA conference when it was in Philadelphia in 2011. He said he wants to continue building communication efforts within the organization. “I want to see us re-establish the NLGJA newsletter because I think we need to. Every association needs to have a newsletter to keep members current on what is going on and I also want to develop new leadership, enhance communications and make sure to build capacity for the organization,” he said. Rosen said he hopes, in his inaugural term on the board, to help the organization create a more visible presence. “NLGJA does amazing work but sometimes the mission and

the vision of the organization isn’t as powerfully communicated as it could and should be, so my goal is to have the organization become well known as a thought leader when it comes to promoting fair and accurate journalism in relation to the LGBT community,” he said. “I think a lot of us are thinking how can we become known as recognized thought leaders in promoting fair and accurate journalism in the LGBT community. We will put out communications and call media on it, but we hope people would say, ‘We have to talk to NLGJA, they are the people who are the best source.’ I think it’s a wonderful organization but our next step is to have widespread awareness and appreciation.” Also elected to the board were: Matthew Berger, Bil Browning, Barbara Dozetos, Fiona Dawson, Sue Green, Laura Kutch, Patty Mattern, Rick Stuckey and Jeff Truesdell. NLGJA also elected Jen Christensen, an investigative producer for CNN, as its new president. ■

locations in Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA — NORTH OF C.C.

1 Shot Coffee, 1040 N. Second St. • 2601 Parkway Condos lobby, 2601 Pennsylvania Ave. • Bebashi, 1217 Spring Garden St. • Beehive Hair Salon, 2319 Fairmount Ave. • Beth Ahavah, 615 N. Broad St. • Bridgeview Place Condo lobby, 315 New St. • Colonnade Condos lobby, 1601 Spring Garden St. • Community College CCP Lambda, 1700 Spring Garden St. • Congresso de Latinos, American St. & Lehigh Ave. • Crooked Frame Café, 2545 Brown St. • Darling’s Diner, 1033 N. Second St. • Filter Coffee House, 331 Race St. • Girard Vet, 28th St. & Girard Ave. • HIV Early Intervention Clinic, St. Joseph’s Hospital, 16th St. & Girard Ave. • Logan View Apts. lobby, 17th & Callowhill sts. • Northern Liberties Iron Works, 821 N. Second St. • One Day At A Time, 2532 N. Broad St. • Philadelphian Condos lobby, 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. • PYT Restaurant, 1050 N. Hancock St., at the Piazza • Sammy’s Place, 1449 N. Fifth St., 1st ﬂoor • Shampoo, Seventh & Willow sts. • SILOAM Ministries, 1133 Spring Garden St. • Temple University Student Activity Center, 1755 N. 12th St. • Welker Real Estate, 2311 Fairmount Ave. • Whole Foods Market, 2001 Pennsylvania Ave. •

PHILADELPHIA — SOUTH OF C.C.

Bethel Community Home, 933-935 S. Third St. • Black N Brew, 1523 E. Passyunk Ave. • Carmen’s Country Kitchen, 11th & Wharton sts. • Class Act Auto Repair, 2042 S. Bancroft St. • Equal, 1516 Snyder Ave. • Essene, 719 S. Fourth St. • Expressive Hand, 622 S. Ninth St. • Fuel, 1917 E. Passyunk Ave. • Hideaway, Days Inn, 2015 Penrose Ave. • Jackson Place, 501 Jackson St. • Kris Restaurant, 1100 Federal St. • Rockerhead Salon, 607 S. Third St. • South Philly Bagels, 613 S. Third St. • Ultimo Coffee, 1900 S. 15th St. •

PHILADELPHIA — UNIVERSITY CITY

Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. • Bucks County Coffee, 3430 Sansom St. • Bucks County Coffee, 40th & Locust sts. • Fresh Grocer, 4001 Walnut St. • Goodman Hall, 710 S. 42nd St. • International House, 3701 Chestnut St. • LGBT Center at Penn, 3907 Spruce St. • Old Quaker Condos lobby, 3514 Lancaster Ave. • Oslo Hall, 510 S. 42nd St. • Penn Bookstore, 3610 Walnut St. • Sheraton Hotel, 36th & Chestnut sts. • St. Mary’s Church, 3916 Locust Walk • University of the Sciences England Library, 4200 Woodland Ave. • University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St. • Wilson Hall, 708 S. 42nd St. • World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. •

PHILADELPHIA NEIGHBORHOODS — OTHER

Almost Paradise, 742 Frankford Ave. • Coffee Junction, 7210 Cresheim Road • Elfant Wissahickon Realty, 8962 Ridge Ave. • Fantasy Island Books, 7363 State Road • GWHS Beacon Center, 10175 Bustleton Ave. • Harry’s Natural Foods, 1805 Cottman Ave. • Infusion Salon, 7133 Germantown Ave. • Morris House, 5537 Woodland Ave. • One Day At A Time, 2532 N. Broad St. • Philadelphia University KANBAR Center, 4201 Henry Ave. • Prevention Point, 166 W. Lehigh Ave. • Today’s Videos, 9255 Roosevelt Blvd. • Touch of Class Books, 3342 Kensington Ave. • WCAU TV lobby, City Line Ave. & Monument Road • Weaver’s Way, 559 Carpenter Lane • Welker Real Estate, 2311 Fairmount Ave. • WPVI TV lobby, City Line Ave. & Monument Road •

All of these locations are now visible on a zoomable Google Map at

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

2013 ��

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MOMENTOUS MEDAL: Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was in Philadelphia Tuesday night to accept the 25th annual Liberty Medal at the National Constitution Center. In remarks leading up to the presentation of the medal by NCC CEO Jeffrey Rosen, Mayor Michael Nutter and other dignitaries remarked on Clinton’s LGBT work and video tributes included well wishes from longtime friends such as out tennis legend Billie Jean King. Several officials got rowdy applause when they suggested a potential 2016 presidential run for Clinton. In her acceptance speech, Clinton emphasized the need for bipartisanship and diversity to promote “active citizenship” of all Americans. Her remarks came shortly before President Obama’s address on the Syrian crisis, and she alluded to the issue, saying the country should “put national security ahead of partisan strength.” Several-dozen protestors demonstrated outside the ceremony, condemning Clinton for her handling of the Benghazi incident and calling for the country to stay out of Syria. Photo: Scott A. Drake

Bristol adopts LGBT ordinance By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com This week saw another victory for LGBT nondiscrimination in Pennsylvania, as Bristol Borough becoming the 33rd municipality in the state to prohibit discrimination against the LGBT community. Borough Council amended its current nondiscrimination ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity in a unanimous vote Sept. 9. The measure was introduced by Councilman Greg Pezza. Equality Pennsylvania executive director Ted Martin was present at the council meeting and said the complete lack of opposition was unusual, yet welcomed. “It was standing-room only with probably 50 people present. There was no opposition, which was remarkable,” he said. “No one spoke in opposition to the ordinance and it was a heated meeting about other things. Interestingly enough there were 23 things on the agenda and this was not one of the hot buttons, so I take that as a good sign.” Martin said LGBT residents in Bristol

reached out to the agency earlier this year to enlist their support in amending the ordinance, which already protected against discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, age, mental and physical disabilities, familial and marital status and the use of a mechanical aid and/or support animal. “We were approached by some folks from the community. We saw this moving forward and it prompted me to reach out to Greg and provide him with materials and advice,” Martin said. “And when it came time to get this rolling, we sent out an email to our 150 members in Bristol Borough.” Martin, who contacts state legislators whenever an ordinance of this kind is passed, said ordinances like the one passed in Bristol could send a clear message to lawmakers that residents are ready for statewide LGBT protections. “It alerts the community and helps educate people that these protections don’t exist statewide and it helps move statewide effort forward to give people these protections,” he said. ■

Nightlife, people, community, entertainment and food & drink. Starting today, vote online at surveymonkey.com/s/BOGP2013 or use one of our printed ballots like the one on this week’s back cover.

Voting open from Sept. 13 - Oct. 28. Winners announced Nov. 8

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Get out of town. No, really, we mean it. Find deals both near and far, along with travel tips from Philly’s own Jeff Guaracino.

Only in Online and in print every third Friday of the month.

Outward Bound

Jeff Guaracino

Are you taking care of yourself? How’s your health and well-being?

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On Being Well

TALKING JUSTICE WITH THE JUSTICE: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sat down at the National Constitution Center Sept. 6 for a conversation with the agency’s new president and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. In his introduction, Rosen noted that Ginsburg recently became the first U.S. Supreme Court justice to officiate a same-sex wedding. Ginsburg’s talk ranged from her opposition to the court’s recent opinion on the Voting Rights Act to her support for the landmark ruling overturning a key provision of the federal ban on same-sex marriage, saying the Defense of Marriage Act was “violating the equality that liberty guarantees.” Photo: Scott A. Drake NEWS

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Local Media Trail News Briefing International Regional

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Contents

EDITORIAL/OP-ED

Creep of the Week Editorial Op-Ed Mark My Words Street Talk

10 10 11 11 11

Is the era of the independent bookstore over? What special challenges does the LGBT community face when it comes to the law? Whether it’s adoption, co-habitation agreements or a will, Angela Giampolo shares legal advice for our community each month.

Poll results from our online survey as of Sept. 11:

3% For some, not for all 25% Yes, for the most part 25% Adapting might mean survival 19% Not yet, but it’s a matter of time 28% Never, there’s always a niche

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Out Law

Angela Giampolo

We’re all getting older. For LGBT seniors, being out in the golden years can pose a whole new set of challenges. Each month, Gettin’ On brings you insights on aging, from legal issues to sexual health.

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Which is better: Miss America or Miss’d America?

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LOCAL PGN

News Briefing IRS lien placed on BEBASHI The IRS has placed a $52,531.20 lien on BEBASHI Transition to Hope, a local AIDS agency. The lien was placed on the agency on June 4, according to court records. Gary J. Bell, executive director of BEBSASHI, said the agency is working with IRS officials. “BEBASHI is in the process of negotiating a payment plan with the IRS to resolve this debt,” Bell told PGN. “We have every intention of resolving this.” Bell said the agency has occasional cashflow problems. “BEBASHI, like many other nonprofits, has, at times, encountered challenges that have affected our cash flow. However, as you can see, we have weathered these minor challenges, as we will this latest one.”

BEBASHI is located in Spring Garden. It was founded in 1985 in response to the increasing incidence of HIV/AIDS in the city’s African-American community.

N.J. man wins healthcoverage battle Anthony Putz, a gay New Jersey resident, has won his battle to remain on his domestic partner’s health-care plan. Putz, 47, was threatened with removal from the plan by his partner’s employer, GCA Services Inc., based in Ohio. Putz said he was told by a GCA representative that the company doesn’t recognize civil unions such as the one entered into by Putz and his partner, Patrick Callaghan. However, in a letter dated Aug. 27, Putz was informed that he will be allowed to remain on Callaghan’s health plan. James Calamia, a senior regional manager for GCA, expressed regret for any inconvenience GCA caused Putz. “The error was on our part,” Calamia told PGN. “It wasn’t our intent to disrupt his health-care coverage.” The couple lives in Williamstown, where Callaghan works as a custodian at Williamstown Middle School. Callaghan isn’t employed by the Monroe

Forum staffer heads to FIGHT By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com Equality Forum communications director Chip Alfred is leaving that post to take on a role at another community organization. Alfred will start as Philadelphia FIGHT’s director of communications, public relations and events Sept. 24. His last day at Equality Forum, where he has worked for five years, is the day before. Alfred takes over the FIGHT position that was recently vacated by Mark CHIP ALFRED Seaman. Alfred was born in Albany, N.Y., and has lived in Philadelphia for the past five years. He received his bachelor’s in broadcast communications from San Francisco State University and went on to work in the television industry, doing everything from promotions to producing, writing and directing. He was working out of Lexington, Ky., in 2008 when the Equality Forum position arose. “At that point, I had done a lot of work in television and I was ready for a change and I love to write and do the public-relations part of the job and the media relations, so I applied for the position at Equality Forum as communications director,” he said. “I am passionate about working for the LGBT community and, having worked in LGBT media in several different publications, I

was drawn to that element of the position because I could use my skills as a promotions manager in a different realm. With this job, I’ve instantly connected with so many organizations and so many people in the media and in the LGBT community, so it was a good move.” Alfred is a longtime member of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and is also the publicity chair for the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus. He is also editor-at-large for Art and Understanding Magazine: America’s AIDS Magazine. With communications, public-relations and writing experience under his belt, Alfred said, the position at Philadelphia FIGHT seemed like the perfect fit. “I looked at the position and it looked like it was written for me. I have a lot to learn about the organization and culture, but this job is right up my alley, and I am very excited to join this organization and be a FIGHTER,” he said. “This is exactly what I want to do and where I want to do it. I think Philadelphia FIGHT is the best in town at what they do. They offer a broad array of services for people living with HIV regardless of who you are or ability to pay and that is important.” Alfred said he’s eager to show the city what the organization has to offer. “I want to put Philadelphia FIGHT more on the map and make more people aware of the work that we do and make our events more successful. The position encompasses a lot of different things and I just want to exceed their expectations.” ■

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Township School Board, which owns the school, because the board contracts with GCA to provide custodial services. Callaghan is represented by a union, which supported his request to have Putz remain on his health plan. Calamia had no comment on whether GCA will now recognize civil unions entered into by all of its employees, or just those employees represented by unions. — Timothy Cwiek

Man murdered in Gayborhood Police last week found the dismembered body of a man in the Schuylkill River who was murdered in the Gayborhood. On Sept. 4, police responded to a call from a boater about a headless and limbless torso in the river in Grays Ferry. The body was eventually identified as 40year-old Frank Zarzycki, a loan officer and

resident of Northeast Philadelphia who had been reported missing by his family. Authorities said Zarycki was killed in an apartment at 220 S. 11th St. in the Gayborhood. The apartment was a front for a prostitution ring that Zarzycki frequented, they said. Police last week arrested Keith Tolbert, 34, Angel Weston, 21, and Stephanie Foulke, 22, and charged the trio with murder. Police believe Zarzycki was murdered Aug. 26 in what began as a robbery. “We believe it started out as a planned robbery, which escalated to a murder by suffocation and ended with his body being chopped up, bagged and thrown in the river,” Homicide Capt. James Clark said at a press conference last week. Police believe the struggle began in the living-room area and ended in the bathroom, where Zarzycki’s body was dismembered with a hatchet. The rest of the remains have yet to be recovered. ■ — Angela Thomas

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Kenney urges Nutter to cut ties with Russian city Councilman-at-Large James Kenney this week wrote Mayor Nutter a letter asking him to reconsider his decision to keep Philadelphia affiliated with Russian Sister City Nizhny Novgorod despite the city’s and country’s anti-LGBT laws. Nutter’s spokesperson previously told PGN the mayor supported keeping that tie to help provide outreach to LGBT citizens in Russia. Last year, Nizhny Novgorod, the fifthlargest city in Russia, introduced an antiLGBT propaganda law, which this summer was passed at the federal level. In his letter, Kenney encouraged the Nutter administration to sever the ties to show solidarity with Philadelphia’s LGBT citizens. “I would ask that you join me and other members of City Council in severing our Sister City relationship with Nizhny Novgorod as well as expressing Philadelphia’s opposition to this clear violation of the human rights of LGBTQ citizens throughout Russia,” he wrote. Kenney has said he may introduce a resolution this month calling on the mayor to take action on the issue. ■ — Angela Thomas

New stage, host for Miss’d America By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com Organizers of the 2013 Miss’d America Pageant are gearing up to wow audiences next week with some big changes for the annual event. The drag pageant will be held Sept. 21 at the House of Blues Showboat Casino Hotel. Miss’d America was previously staged in Boardwalk Hall but, according to Larry Sieg, vice president of marketing for Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority, the decision to change venues was a financial one. “The number-one reason why we put on the pageant is to raise money for charity and unfortunately in this economy, sponsorship dollars are not there like they used to be, so we had to make a decision,” Sieg said. “We contacted our partners and they came back with proposals for us to help absorb production costs. The most important thing is to raise money for charity. We hope to eventually bring it back to Boardwalk Hall.” The event, which is modeled after the Miss America Pageant, is expected to bring in up to 2,000 guests, and Sieg said he hopes it will raise more than $30,000 for local charities, which have not yet been determined.

The show has traditionally been held in January, but was moved to the fall this year in part to coincide with the change in schedule of the Miss America Pageant, which is returning to Atlantic City, where it originally began. “It’s not only a great opportunity because of the Miss America Pageant, but we also decided to host the event in September so we are not dependent upon the weather,” Sieg said. “We dodged a bullet MISS’D AMERICA with the blizzard HOST MICHELLE last year and it is VISAGE just generally better weather.” Michelle Visage from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will be this year’s host, along with special musical guest CeCe Peniston. Sieg said Visage was a natural choice for host due to her support for the community. “She is a wonderful entertainer and extremely supportive of the LGBT community,” he said. “She is known for her witty tongue in drag and we thought she

was a perfect choice this year.” The pageant will also bring back a live orchestra to play during the event. “This is the second year in which, instead of tracks, we have a live orchestra,” Sieg said. “The Melanie Rice Orchestra will perform and that went over really well last year, so we decided to do live music again because it adds so much to the event.” This year, 14 contestants will vie for the title of 2013 Miss’d America. They will compete in swimsuit, evening gown, talent and interview sections. Miss’d America will also stage two other events centered on the show. The pre-party will be held at 8 p.m. Sept. 20 at Pro Bar at Resorts Casino Hotel, and the post-party will immediately follow the pageant in the Harlem Ballroom. Sieg said the changes this year are expected to make the event a memorable one. “It is important for people to come out and support charitable causes and it is going to be a fun-filled night that you will never forget.” Tickets for Miss’d America range from $45-$100 and can be purchased at www. atlanticcitynj.com/missd-america.aspx. For more information on the pageant and contestants, visit www.acglbt.org/mainpages/missdamerica.asp. ■

Congratulations We want to know! If you are celebrating an anniversary, engagement, wedding, adoption or other life event, we would be happy to help you announce it to the community. Send your contact information and a brief description of the event to editor@epgn.com.

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UDel seeks lesbian couples with children for study By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com A Ph.D. candidate at the University of Delaware is looking to recruit lesbians with children for a new study examining the impact of marriage equality — and inequality — on such families. Nikki DiGregorio, a graduate assistant in the university’s Department of Human Development & Family Studies, is seeking up to 20 couples to participate in the study, her dissertation project. Couples will undergo a one-hour interview that will include questions on their views on marriage, their relationship, parenting and their plans for the future. Study participants will be reimbursed $20 for their involvement, and all identities will be kept confidential. DiGregorio, herself a lesbian, conducted her master’s thesis on the concept of family through the lens of lesbian women and said this next venture is a natural stepping stone from that work. She has already interviewed couples from

New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Iowa, where relationship recognition is available for same-sex couples, and is particularly interested in interviewing couples whose state, like Pennsylvania, does not sanction civil unions or marriage equality. “I think it is critical to demonstrate that marriage is more than just a legal issue and that there are subtle nuances that policy does not always address that move beyond simply labeling it as symbolic,” DiGregorio said. “I hope to gain a deeper understanding of what marriage means to the community at large by hearing the narratives and then relaying those stories to academia in a way that is meaningful.” DiGregorio hopes to have the research published and said this study will be strictly qualitative, although there is the potential for a longitudinal study based on these interviews in the future, as well as the possibility of a similar study examining the issues from the gay-male perspective. For more information or to volunteer for the study, email SameSexMarriagePolicy20 13@gmail.com. ■

FIRST STEP FORWARD: LGBT-friendly senior-living facility John C. Anderson Apartments came one large step closer to fruition Sept. 9 with the opening of the rental unit at the William Way LGBT Community Center. Seniors started lining up outside the center the night before, and dozens of volunteers were on hand to hold their spots overnight. Once the doors opened at 9 a.m., more than 100 preapplications came in for the 56 units, and a waiting list has been started. Potential residents were assigned appointment times for project organizers to evaluate their applications with them, and a third-party agency will then be brought in to ensure applicants’ compliance with federal guidelines and other eligibility requirements. Selected residents will be notified by the end of October, and move-in is scheduled for the first week of January. Photos: Scott A. Drake and Micah Mahjoubian

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

REGIONAL PGN

First broadcast drag Trans student fights policy pageant to air in Pittsburgh in Western PA By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com Pittsburgh audiences next week will be able to tune into a first-of-its-kind televised drag pageant. Keystone Alliance/Gaylife Newsletter president John DeBartola, along with TV personality Brian T. World and Miss Keystone Alliance Eternal Christian Diane, will host the Miss Pittsburgh Public Access TV Pageant 2013 at 11 p.m. Sept. 18, running Wednesdays through Oct. 30. Although this is not the first year for the pageant, it is the first year of its televised broadcast, which DeBartola said he wanted to do to promote broader awareness of the LGBT community. “I’m doing it because I really want to, because I believe,” DeBartola said. “I’m not doing it for political gain or for money because I’m not getting anything. It’s altruistic in that sense. I am doing this because I care about this.” The pageant benefits the Trevor Project, an agency that works to prevent LGBT youth suicide, and an issue DeBartola said

the community needs to be focused on. “The reason we choose this is because teen suicide is on the rise and it is extremely important that this be dealt with,” he said. “This helps the community because it shows that we care, it shows that we take our youth seriously and that we are going to allow them the space to become who they need to be, whether it be gay or straight.” The pageant has a production team of 60 people and DeBartola said it is expected to reach thousands of viewers. This will be the public-access station’s first broadcast drag pageant. “They were on board and excited about it,” DeBartola said. “So far it has been a very positive response not only from the public but the members of the various gay organizations in the community itself, and we feel very supported by the community as a whole.” DeBartola said the pageant will also help unify the LGBT community. “I think this will be an overall great production, but also it is going to activate people and allow creative free speech and allow things to be expressed.” ■

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Another transgender teen from Pennsylvania is fighting his school’s homecoming-court policy regarding gender-nonconforming students. Kasey Caron addressed the Richland High School board Monday night in Johnstown, outside of Pittsburgh, about his school’s decision to ban him from running for homecoming king. The board said it would examine the issue and announce a decision later this month. The Richland school guidance counselor last week reportedly asked Caron, who identifies and presents as a male, whether he wanted to be listed on the ballot for homecoming king or queen. He chose to be listed with the other males, but the school’s principal halted that process and said the school could not legally allow him to run for homecoming king since he is legally female. His classmates went on to elect him to the court as a female, but school officials asked Caron to bring his own date, as

opposed to getting paired with one of the males on the court, as per tradition. At Monday’s meeting, Caron was surrounded by about 100 supporters, including his mother. At least one school-board member misgendered the student in his remarks. Caron presented his driver’s license, which has a male gender marker, but several board members said they would not consider him legally male until his birth certificate reflects that gender. The board also acknowledged that it has the authority to overturn the school policy of having “legal” females and males run for queen and king, respectively. Indiana University of Pennsylvania Pride Alliance president and Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition assistant convener Faith Elmes was in attendance at this week’s meeting and commended Caron’s courage. “While no student should ever have to face the challenge of the school district administration taking away their dignity, Kasey was fearless in directly countering their ignorance and bigotry,” Elmes said. ■

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

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PARTY AT THE PARK: Thousands of LGBTs and allies flooded Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., Sept. 7 for the 10th annual Fairgrounds: Out at Night event. This marked the first time the LGBT party was held on a Saturday, as well as the first time there was a daytime component. Organizer Chris Wright said final attendance numbers aren’t in yet, but the event was a hit. “It was the biggest Gay Day we had, and our 10th year was a success,” he told PGN. Guests took advantage of the short lines to partake in the park’s dozens of rides, including Rolling Thunder, which experienced its final rides that night. The park’s first wooden rollercoaster is being demolished to make way for the entryway of a new high-drop ride debuting next summer. For attractions with longer lines, the Big Apple Corps entertained guests while they waited. Apart from the rides, partiers packed the beer garden and club zone, taking in the three DJs and a performance by Bex. Photos: Scott A. Drake

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

EDITORIAL PGN

Creep of the Week

D’Anne Witkowski

Pat Robertson

Editorial

Students as teachers Another transgender high-school student in Pennsylvania is taking on his school board over a discriminatory school policy. A Johnstown teen this week petitioned the Richland School Board to override his principal’s decision to ban him from running for homecoming king, instead relegating him to the female side of the homecoming court. There are a number of issues at play here and, in each, the youth involved are the ones who have shown courage and conviction, while the adults seem to be acting of cowardice. Senior Kasey Caron reportedly was initially told by a counselor that he could run on the male ballot, but that decision was squashed by the principal, who cited legal reasons for the change. Even with that development, Caron, who presents as a male, was elected by his classmates to the court. High-school elections such as this have the potential to elicit immaturity or cattiness, but Caron’s classmates clearly respected him — and his gender identity — enough to elect him to represent them on the court. However, once on the court, school officials told Caron he would have to bring his own date to the event, rather than be paired with one of the males on the court, as are the rest of the queen nominees. So the administration mandated he run for homecoming queen but then acknowledged that he doesn’t quite fit the mold of the female nominees and relegated him to his own special category. Forget the confusion this decision raises; the blatant “othering” that school officials forced on Caron with that move is alarming. Add in the fact that administrators were so apprehensive to pair two male-presenting students together, and you also have a hefty slap to LGB students, on top of the obvious discrimination against transgender and gender-nonconforming students. When he took his case to the school board, it got even worse. One board member referred to him as female, others scoffed at the male gender marker on his driver’s license. They instead suggested he would need to undergo sexual-reassignment surgery and have the gender marker on his birth certificate changed before he could run for homecoming king. So the Department of Motor Vehicles, a state agency, recognizes that Caron is a male, yet that is not good enough for a highschool dance? But again, the bright spot of the meeting was the youth. About 100 supporters turned out to Monday night’s meeting, including many classmates, as well as family and community members. These young people at Richland are supposed to look to their school administrators for guidance and leadership, but instead school officials need to take direction from their pupils. Let’s hope they learn their lesson. ■

For decades, conservative Christian yapping head Pat Robertson has made a living by saying really crazy shit. He says it on TV, he writes it in books, he’s on the Internet. So this crazy shit gets a lot of attention. And the shit just gets weirder and weirder. Take the time when he blamed 9/11 on “pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays, lesbians, the American Civil Liberties Union and the People For the American Way.” Or when he made fun of people who have plastic surgery, saying they’ve “got the eyes like they’re Oriental” and then pulled his eyelids to either side and squinted. Or when he asked if mac and cheese was a “black thing.” Or when he compared homosexuality to demon possession. But the man was not content to stop there. He had not reached the apex of his insanity. And while some people said it couldn’t be done, the man may have finally maxed out his crazy card. On the Aug. 27 episode of “The 700 Club,” while discussing AIDS with cohost Terry Meeuwsen, Robertson said, “There are laws now. I think the homosexual community has put these draconian laws on the books that prohibit people from discussing this particular affliction. You can tell somebody they had a heart attack, you can tell that they’ve got high blood pressure, but you can’t tell anybody they’ve got AIDS.” Huh? So homosexuals have made it illegal to talk about AIDS? It’s not clear from what he says if he means that gays have made it illegal to disclose your own status to people, or if he’s talking about the legality of disclosing someone else’s status. Either way, it isn’t true. There is not a gay mafia gag order on AIDS talk. Robertson continues, and this is when shit gets real, “You know what they do in San Francisco? Some in the gay community there, they want to get people so if they got the stuff they’ll have a ring, you shake hands and the ring’s got a little thing where you cut your finger,” Robertson said.

Meeuwsen replies, “Really?” Which is probably the closest one can come to saying, “WTF?” on “The 700 Club.” She also is giving Robertson an out, a chance to say, “Just kidding, LOL! No one would possibly believe such a thing or say something so completely untrue and inflammatory on national TV!” But that’s not what he says. He says, “Really. It’s that kind of vicious stuff, which would be the equivalent of murder.” If slicing AIDS handshakes were a real thing, that would be shocking in itself. But that someone would say such a thing out loud and believe it is the real shock here. So I got to thinking about how Robertson’s not afraid to say ignorant, offensive, racist shit and, considering the derision he receives, he’s not afraid to be laughed at. And that’s when I realized the truth about Pat Robertson. He’s a stand-up comic on the down low. These aren’t just the ravings of a fringe lunatic, they’re bits. All this time he’s been punking us. Granted, he’s not very funny. But it doesn’t seem fair to hold him to the same quality standards as mainstream comics. I mean, that’s how it works with Christian rock. But his secret is out. And the fact that no one in his audience gets the joke helps explain why he’s trying out more shocking material, like the AIDS-ring bit. It’s sad to watch a comic bomb. And sadder still that Robertson doesn’t have people in his life who have the heart and the guts to tell him to get off the goddamn stage. ■

“If slicing AIDS handshakes were a real thing, that would be shocking in itself. But that someone would say such a thing out loud and believe it is the real shock here.”

D’Anne Witkowski has been gay for pay since 2003. She’s a freelance writer and poet (believe it!). When she’s not taking on the creeps of the world, she reviews rock ’n’ roll shows in Detroit with her twin sister.

Correction In “GALAEI looks to bridge gaps with innovative campaign” in the Sept. 6-12 issue, PGN identiﬁed subjects in the POSITIVO campaign as living with HIV/AIDS. The subjects are instead supportive of those living with HIV/AIDS. PGN regrets this error.

OP-ED PGN

Getting the story straight It has been an incredible few weeks. I ally talked to Ron, and he gave me the line could use this column to tell you about the that the mayor used about legal issues. It recent chat I had with Magic Johnson at the seems to me that the mayor is giving cover to Donatucci. You’ll note that Donatucci’s Apollo Theatre, or a major LGBT-related name appears nowhere in the story. Begging change in the works at NBC or even my the question, was this a hit job on the “possible” new project — but the papers mayor? haven’t been signed for that Now that we address what one yet, so better not make that looks like poor journalism, let’s announcement. Or, more important, I could write about the face the facts and a solution. opening of the rental office for There are already two cases in the community’s pride and joy, the legal system that will test the John C. Anderson LGBTPennsylvania’s marriage law. friendly senior apartments, and They will go through the courts, about the scores who lined up and whichever side loses will appeal. One of the cases from the night before. But we have another important issue to disPennsylvania or another state cuss. will wind up at the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s about an article published So performing marriages in Tuesday in the Philadelphia Philly is a symbol, but a very Inquirer regarding Mayor Michael Nutter refusing to perpowerful one. It seems that the form same-sex marriages. My Mark Segal city is under financial strain because of the education system problem with the article was and other issues and doesn’t want another that it was dead wrong, and in my opinion legal bill. reflects what has become a pet peeve of mine, bad journalism. So here’s an answer, in fact two. Get a Here’s the background. A male couple that law firm to deal with any potential issues already received a civil union in Vermont but probono. Second option: Issue the license now lives in Philadelphia asked the mayor to (hear that, Ron?), then, when served with marry them, in contrary to Pennsylvania law. papers, simply show up at court and say one The request comes amid the Montgomery sentence: “We find no reason not to issue County register of wills’ recent decision to the license under the U.S. Supreme Court’s issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. recent ruling.” Leave the courthouse and let Here’s the first question it does not appear the judge rule any way he or she wishes. It the writer asked: Did the couple sign up for will be appealed, and the same should happen in the next court. In fact, with pro-bono Philadelphia’s domestic-partnership registry? Question two, if marriage equality is so counsel, the city would pay very little or important to them, did they take a 30-minute nothing until it gets to the U.S. Supreme drive to Delaware, where they can get a legal Court. This is not a column in justification of marriage? Question three, has the mayor Mayor Nutter. Like many, I have issues with performed any form of same-sex unions? The answer is yes. Question four, how many him. Rather, it is a column about journalism and symbolism. It is not a column on the heterosexual marriages has the mayor performed? Inquirer, of which I am a fan. Does that seem to be a biased article? But this column has a message: Mr. Especially when the writer knew most of Donatucci, it is time for you to stand up for those questions to ask. I know that, since I civil rights and equality. ■ told him before the story was published. Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the But his most important omission is who nation’s most-award-winning commentaactually is responsible for issuing marriage tor in LGBT media. He can be reached at licenses in Philadelphia. His name is Ron mark@epgn.com. Donatucci, register of wills. I’ve person-

Mark My Words

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Street Talk Should Mayor Nutter officiate at same-sex weddings? “Sure, he should. They did it in San Francisco before it was settled law. This is the City of Brotherly Love. It’s the Daryl Martini least that political consultant Mayor Nutter Manhattan can do. Every day people wait for these rights, justice is denied.”

“Definitely yes. The mayor talks up Philly as a very LGBTfriendly city. Let him put his money where his mouth is. It’s Jeremy Martini pastry chef an urgent Manhattan matter, with over 1,000 rights at stake. He needs to step up to the plate.”

“Yes. I’m a strong supporter of the LGBT community. People should be able to love who they want. Mayor Nutter is Kate Smith supposed to student be the mayor South Philadelphia for everyone. He should act like that. He needs to go outside the law because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Yes. He’s a very influential person. He should take the initiative and set a good example, so Katie Wade others will server follow in his Queen Village footsteps. I have faith that one day gay marriage will be legal throughout the country.”

Thinking Out Loud

Abby Dees

My LGBT opinions aren’t so simple to come by lately When the deadline for this column loomed, I panicked. I have absolutely no clear opinions about anything this week, aside from my continued disgust about the status of LGBT civil rights around the world. Being disgusted by something, however, doesn’t immediately translate into having something interesting to say about it. Those leaders who are supporting everything from involuntary “corrective” therapy (Russia) to “corrective” rape (South Africa) for LGBT people need to be strung up by their toes. I don’t really have a middle ground to discuss. Moral people must take a stand, regardless of their opinions about — I dunno — same-sex marriage or teaching LGBT history in schools. Aside from such clear assaults on our humanity, I’m at a loss about what to think about the issues discussed this week. Let’s start with the Sochi Olympics. Like I said, Russia is on my s--- list. But what do we

do about the winter games there? After I read British actor and writer Stephen Fry’s impassioned call for a change of venue to someplace mellow, like Canada, I had to agree. The scape-goating and harassment of LGBT people in Russia looks eerily like the treatment of Jews around the 1936 Munich Olympics. Seemed clear that reasonable people couldn’t support the Sochi Olympics. But then Greg Louganis, the out Olympian diver, publicly opposed such a move, or any boycott of the games, because, he argued, it would hurt the wrong people. Going to the games as planned will give LGBT athletes an opportunity to show the world what LGBT strength and dignity looks like, and keep Putin from being able to act like a martyr for antiquated social policies in Russia. Oh well, that makes sense too. Hmm. I guess I’m against the boycott PAGE 15

FINANCES PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Ensuring good business with insurance Q: My life partner and I co-own a small business in Philadelphia. If something happened to one of us, it might be hard for the business to survive financially. Is there anything we can do to help protect the business and ourselves?

is employed as the funding mechanism in buy-sell plans — legal agreements that provide for an orderly transfer of ownership interests — and to compensate for the loss of a key person.

Buy-sell agreements A buy-sell agreeA: This is a comment allows the mon concern for most remaining owner or small business ownowners to acquire the interest of a departing ers. The loss of critical personnel can be lifeowner due to death threatening to a small or another specified business. However, event, such as disabilwith the proper planity or retirement. The ning, this is a risk that agreement typically can often be mitigated. restricts an owner’s ability to transfer his Jeremy or her interest and sets Using life insurance to ensure business Gussick out the terms under continuity which another owner Life-insurance polior the business entity cies are frequently used in plans may acquire the departing ownaimed at making it possible for er’s interest. a business to survive a change of A buy-sell agreement can anticipate situations that could ownership or the loss of a partner, the chief executive or an imperil the business or be harmful to owners and employees. For employee whose creative talent, technical knowledge or salesman- example, it can be used to prevent ship drives the business. unwanted outsiders or heirs from Most commonly, life insurance obtaining an ownership inter-

Out Money

est; can prevent the continued involvement of retired or inactive shareholders or partners; and can ensure legal continuation of the entity if an owner becomes bankrupt or loses a required license. Among its benefits, a buy-sell agreement creates a marketplace for the shares of a closely held business, helping ensure that departing owners will receive adequate compensation. Life insurance is typically used to fund the agreement and may also provide cash to pay other costs. How life insurance is employed depends on the structure of the agreement. In the case of a partnership, the agreement may call for each partner to buy and maintain policies on each of the other partners in an amount sufficient to cover the beneficiary’s partnership interest. In other types of buy-sell plans, the business entity purchases the insurance policy on each owner and the business is the beneficiary. Insuring a key person Key-person life insurance compensates the business against losses that result from the

NOTICE

insured’s death. In that event, the company — which has purchased the policy and paid the premiums — immediately receives the policy’s tax-free death benefit and applies the proceeds toward the resulting business costs. Examples of costs include those incurred in recruiting and training a replacement, purchasing the decedent’s ownership interest and replacing lost revenue. To provide greater flexibility, the company may arrange an exchange agreement, allowing it to transfer coverage to a successor if the key person leaves the firm prior to retirement. While the insured is employed, the life insurance may provide the firm with additional benefits, such as a potentially higher credit rating and the ability to tap the policy’s cash value for emergency funds. Practical matters Establishing a value (or valuation method) for the business is a necessary step in determining how much funding will be needed for a buy-sell agreement. Likewise, the amount of life insurance to purchase for a key

person should be based on a reasonable estimate of the costs the firm would incur as a result of his or her departure. A professional appraisal is usually advisable in preparing a buy-sell agreement. Professional advice is also recommended in key-person situations where issues such as a potential reduction in the firm’s credit rating or loss of confidence among customers, employees or vendors may be involved. Your financial/insurance professional can provide information about life-insurance terms and costs. Keep in mind that insurance premiums are not deductible business expenses and that lifeinsurance cash values and death proceeds may result in corporate alternative minimum taxes. Owners contemplating a buysell agreement should consult legal and tax advisors to discuss how the proposed agreement may affect their personal financial situation and estate planning.1 ALERT: With all of the exciting recent news coming from PAGE 15 Washington,

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PARENTING PGN

Julie Silver: A journey of faith, family and song It’s the season of the high holidays for As part of an interfaith couple, Silver Jews around the world — and that means said, “I had to learn to accept everything Julie Silver, one of the most popular singthat raised my partner, and everything that ers and songwriters of Jewish contemshe embraced. Even though we come from porary music and a lesbian mom, is very two totally different faiths, the only thing busy. She took time, however, to speak that’s important is that we support each with me about being a mom, balancing other in what we’re doing.” family and work, coming out, living as As a parent, Silver said, “I’m going to an interfaith family and doing good in the raise my children with love and they’re world. going to know how I was raised, and Silver has been performing professionthey’re going to experience all these ally for more than 25 years, first in her Jewish things — but they have another native Massachusetts and now mother, who has her experience across the United States and as well. So we have to find a beyond. Her albums are a mix way to fit both into our home.” of songs about the Jewish and She explained, “We raise our broader human experiences, children in a synagogue, but we also go to midnight Mass as well as Jewish holiday and in New York City and celebrate liturgical songs. Her 2007 “It’s some of [Mary’s] holidays.” Chanukah Time” is the only Silver organized the EasterJewish album ever recognized on Billboard, reaching the egg hunt for their girls last number-five spot in 2009. A year when Connelly was away. retrospective CD for the (approSimilarly, when Silver is away priately) silver anniversary of on the weekends, Connelly her career is in the works. their eldest to Hebrew Dana Rudolph takes school. For the past 20 years, she has made her home in Still, Silver said that being Southern California, where she lives with an interfaith family is “a running dialogue. her spouse, television producer Mary The more we talk about our faith, the more Connelly, and their two daughters, 8 and 1. we talk about our separate experiences, the Despite some initial fears that becommore we have combined experiences, the ing a parent would interrupt her career, more our experiences mean to us.” Silver found that parenting “didn’t really In her public life, Silver is committed to divide my time. Adding love to your life using her experiences and her platform as shouldn’t be a drawback and it shouldn’t a performer to help LGBT people. be an interruption, and it really wasn’t.” “I’ve come out to 10,000 people in Parenthood has instead “elevated” her Washington, D.C., at the regional biennial life and career. for the Reform movement. I’ve come out “It felt out of spiritual necessity that for 25 seventh-graders that I’m just kind I had to keep doing this work, and do it of talking with. Audiences throughout the even better,” she explained. She wants her country hear me say, ‘our daughters, my daughters to see her passion for making wife,’” she related. a contribution to the world, so they “feel By getting people to be comfortable passion in their work and everyday lives.” with her, she hopes they can learn to feel Conversely, her career has informed her comfortable with themselves and others. parenting. Having sung at high holiday Another cause in which she is “deeply services since she was 15, she said, she invested” is women’s right to pray feels well-equipped to explain “in very equally with men at the Western Wall in simple terms” to her daughters what the Jerusalem. This November, she is going to holidays mean and “what it means to be Israel for the 25th anniversary of Women part of a community of learners and seekof the Wall, the group pushing for change ers and people who want to do good things there. Silver insists that when it comes to in the world.” social action, “everybody has a gift. That community — of progressive, liberal Jews — has always accepted her, she Everybody has something to offer.” said. She’s had “a completely different For herself, she said, “If I can raise experience” from LGBT people who feel my voice because I have a platform, then condemned by their religion. “There was that’s the best I can do. I have a performance skill. That’s how I’m going to nobody more important to me than Jewish hopefully help.” professionals in my coming out. Judaism Silver will be performing at Kesher has done nothing but support and embrace Israel Congregation in West Chester Oct. all the pieces of me. Especially that one.” 25-27. Visit juliesilver.com for details. ■ Because of her deep roots in the Jewish community, Silver surprised herself when Dana Rudolph is the founder and pubshe fell in love with Connelly, an Irish lisher of Mombian (mombian.com), an Catholic. “I never thought in a million award-winning blog and resource direcyears I would ever be with somebody who tory for LGBT parents. was non-Jewish,” she said.

Mombian

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

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EDITORIAL PGN MONEY from page 12

D.C., about same-sex marriage recognition for certain federal benefit programs, I’m sure many of you have questions. Please feel free to contact me if I can offer any guidance on how these latest developments may impact you and your partner. And please look for upcoming Out Money columns that will address some of these issues as they continue to develop. ■ 1 Life-insurance policies contain exclusions, limitations, reductions of benefits and terms for keeping them in force. Your financial professional can provide you with costs and complete details. This information is intended to provide general education on the importance of buy-sell agreements. Please note that the LPL financial advisor providing this column does not provide business-valuations services.

Jeremy R. Gussick is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, the nation’s largest independent broker-dealer.* Jeremy specializes in the financial-planning needs of the LGBT community and was recently named a 2013 FIVE STAR Wealth Manager by Philadelphia Magazine.** He is active with several LGBT organizations in the Philadelphia region, including the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund, the Greater Philadelphia Professional Network and the Independence Business Alliance. OutMoney appears monthly. If you have a question for Jeremy, contact him at Jeremy.gussick@lpl.com. LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. *As reported by Financial Planning magazine, 1996-2013, based on total revenues. **The Five Star Wealth manager is an award based on client satisfaction. Respondents evaluate criteria such as customer service, expertise, value for fee charge and overall satisfaction. The overall score is based on an average of

all respondents and may not be representative of any one client’s experience. This article was prepared with the assistance of S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. Consult your financial advisor, or Jeremy, if you have any questions. Because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications or its sources, neither S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications nor its sources guarantees the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or availability of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. In no event shall S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications be liable for any indirect, special or consequential damages in connection with subscribers’ or others’ use of the content.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

than the other. I was thinking GLAAD should be happy about “Orange” when I read a compelling commentary on the invisibility of bisexual identity in the show. Never mind the main character is fairly obviously bisexual, no one calls her that. I see the problem. Damn, and I like the show so much. Have I become wussy and uncertain in my opinions or has our community dialogue become way more sophisticated? Back in the day, it seemed like we just pushed back. That’s not enough now. We have progressed to the point where we have choices. We have strategies to formulate. Everyone has a potential media presence to consider. I’ll go out on a limb and say that it’s not me — things are more complicated now. Please cut me some slack, and I promise I’ll keep trying to figure out what I think about it all. ■

OUT LOUD from page11

now. Now let’s look at the ex-ex-gays — you know, the former Exodus leaders who apologized for the all the damage they did trying to make people straight. Last month, I wrote that I forgave these guys, even though I could understand why other people wouldn’t be so willing to. After a week, the only comment I got accused me of blaming the victim. OK, I get it. Maybe it wasn’t up to me to forgive. After all, I’ve never been to gay-conversion therapy. I don’t know what it’s like to have the whole “Clockwork Orange” number done on my sexual psyche. I’m not quite willing to concede my right to forgive, but I can understand how this issue is more fraught than perhaps I originally suggested. Let’s move to pop culture. If you have broadband Internet, then you have by now binge-watched “Orange is the New Black,” a fabulous lez-poz spin on the old prison cliché. Not only is “Orange” clever, it deftly explores the myriad of human sexuality, with no one type of relationship being more healthy or “normal”

Abby Dees is a civil-rights attorneyturned-author who has been in the LGBTrights trenches for 25-plus years. She can be reached at queerquestionsstraighttalk. com.

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AMY F. STEERMAN Attorney at Law

��

Concentrating in Planning for Lesbian and Gay Couples • Probate • Wills • Living Wills • Powers of Attorney

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1900 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.amysteerman.com

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215-735-1006

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

NEWS PGN

International Archbishop of Mumbai says being gay ‘not a sin’ In a recent letter to LGBT activist groups in India, the Archbishop of Mumbai has said he would advise priests to be more sensitive while referring to gay people in public sermons, adding that “to say those with other sexual orientations are sinners is wrong.” Cardinal Oswald Gracias’ statement came in response to a letter from Queer Azaadi Mumbai about a sermon at a church in Goregaon, north of Mumbai, where the priest described being gay as “a great sin” and opposed same-sex marriage. The sermon at St. Thomas Church had taken place just a day before Pope Francis issued a statement in which he said: “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Cardinal Gracias, in his letter dated Aug. 31, said, “Going by the data in the letter, some of what the priest said is alright and some part is inappropriate. The Church does not accept gay marriage because the Bible teaches us that God willed marriage to be between man and woman. “On the other hand, to say that those with other sexual orientations are sinners is wrong. I do think we must be sensitive in our homilies [sermons] and how we speak in public and I will so advise our priests.” Members of QAM said they were satisfied with the response. A parishioner of the Goregaon Church and member of QAM who had attended the sermon said, “The Archbishop’s response was very reassuring for the community. It gives me confidence as a member of the Church that I will not be discriminated against.” Harish Iyer, who is a prominent LGBT activist in India, added, “We are grateful to the Church for categorically stating that they are not against homosexuality. The Archbishop of Mumbai has set a benchmark for everyone else.”

Guyana judge eases cross-dressing rule A judge in Guyana has ruled that crossdressing is a criminal offense only if it is done for an “improper purpose” such as prostitution. A colonial-era law has banned males from wearing female attire and females from wearing male attire in public or for any improper purpose. But in a Sept. 6 decision, Chief Justice Ian Chang ruled that people can’t be found in violation of the law if they are cross-

dressing “for the purpose of expressing or accentuating his or her personal sexual orientation in public.” A Guyana group representing gays and lesbians has demanded that the government toss the law. Group official Zenita Nicholson said Sept. 8 she is not happy with the judge’s “dubious decision.” She says transgender citizens will “continue to be vulnerable to human-rights abuses.”

Obama meets with Russian rights activists Before leaving the Group of 20 summit, President Barack Obama sat down with nine Russian civil-society activists Sept. 6 to assure them that he would keep pressing the Russian government to respect human rights, some of the activists said. But Obama also explained to them why this was not always possible. “He was telling us how difficult it is for him to raise these issues, especially in relations with Russia and China,’’ said Pavel Chikov, who heads Agors, a legal-aid nongovernmental organization. Yana Yakovleva, head of business-advocacy group Business Solidarity, described the meeting with Obama as “open and sincere.” Obama, who said that he draws inspiration from rights activists like them, told them that the U.S. administration has to think carefully before poking the Russians, she said. “His main message was that there’s a lot of differences between the two great powers, and that while deciding which issue to raise, they have to weigh carefully the impact it may have on relations on the whole,” Yakovleva said. The meeting was held several hours after gay activists rallied in St. Petersburg to protest Russia’s new antigay laws. Igor Kochetkov, the head of LGBT Network, who attended Obama’s meeting with the civil-society activists, said they pushed him to be more outspoken in his criticism of the rights situation in Russia. “We asked him to be more open while assessing the human-rights situation in other countries, including Russia,” Kochetkov said.

Mexico legislator seeks to ban public same-sex weddings A Mexican legislator has come under criticism for calling on authorities to ban same-sex weddings from all public spaces. Colima state lawmaker Rafael Mendoza argued that gay couples being allowed to marry in public spaces confuses children. The lawmaker said mothers had come to him with complaints after a civil-union ceremony took place between an American man and a Mexican man in the main plaza of the city of Cuauhtemoc. He said that society was not ready for same-sex weddings, and that mothers did

NEWS PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

LGBTEI

Legal Clinic Your legal documents prepared free! PRESIDENT OBAMA (CENTER) MEETING WITH RUSSIAN ACTIVISTS SEPT. 6 Photo: Associated Press/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

not know what to tell their children when the two men kissed. “Parents are coming to me, to my house, to tell me they are against the city carrying out these weddings in public,” he said. “I am not against these civil unions; the only thing is, I don’t want them in public.” A representative from a different political party has said it will file a human-rights complaint this week accusing Mendoza of discrimination. The Mexican state of Colima at the end of July became the latest in the country to allow same-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships, as a change was made in the state’s constitution by a majority of local authorities. Just two members of Congress voted against the change, instead arguing that the state should not limit same-sex couples to

civil unions, and should allow marriage. Several other states allow either samesex marriages or civil unions. Mexico City and Quintana Roo allow marriage, while Coahuila allows civil unions. One state, Yucatan, banned same-sex marriage in 2009. In December, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled in favor of three couples wishing to marry in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca in a decision seen by some as opening the door to eventually having a federal equal-marriage law. Almost 400 same-sex couples married in Mexico within the first six months of the law permitting same-sex marriage coming into effect. The law also allowed gay couples to adopt. ■

A free Legal Clinic and workshop will be held Saturday, September 28, 2013, at William Way Community Center at 11:00 am. At the workshop you will learn what documents you need for legal planning. Attorneys will be available to prepare these documents for you, at no charge. Pre-registration is required. To register, or for more information, please email your name and telephone number to info@lgbtei.org or call the LGBT Elder Initiative at 267-546-3448.

— compiled by Larry Nichols

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

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NATIONAL PGN

Media Trail Vt. gay couples in legal clear after DOMA ruling

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According to the Burlington Free Press, two same-sex married couples in Vermont are celebrating their new immigration status after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for the foreign-born spouse in each to gain legal residency in the country. Peru-born Christian Pinillos and his spouse, Jason Kirchick, live in Stowe. Pinillos was in the country on a work visa and had feared he would lose his job. He now has his green card. Japan-born Takako Ueda and her wife, Frances Herbert, live in Dummerston. Ueda’s student visa expired, and federal authorities demanded in December 2011 that she leave the country. She later got a deferral of deportation but remained in legal limbo until the federal court decision. Ueda was told this past week that her green card is in the mail.

N.M. high court to hear marriage case next month The El Paso Times reports New Mexico’s highest court signaled Sept. 6 it may quickly resolve whether gay marriage is legal in the state. T h e fiv e - m e m b e r s t a t e Supreme Court issued an order setting an Oct. 23 hearing in a case that finally could decide whether marriage licenses can be issued to gay and lesbian couples. The court took the step a day after New Mexico’s 33 counties and county clerks statewide filed a petition asking justices to determine whether a state district judge in Albuquerque was correct last week in declaring it’s unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples. More than 900 marriage licenses have been issued in

New Mexico since Aug. 21, when the Dona Ana County clerk decided independently that gay marriage was allowed. Seven other counties have followed in granting licenses to same-sex couples or are planning to do so, several in response to court orders. “This is excellent news because county clerks will now know what the law is, and they’ll know how to not just administer their offices but how to serve their constituents,” said Daniel IveySoto, a lawyer for clerks and a Democratic state senator from Albuquerque. The quick hearing “indicates the Supreme Court is interested in clarifying the law,” he said. The high court could issue a decision immediately after hearing arguments from lawyers in the case or it could take longer to make a ruling. The justices asked parties in the case to submit written arguments by Sept. 23. Unlike a district-court ruling, a decision by the state Supreme Court will establish a statewide legal precedent. New Mexico law doesn’t explicitly authorize or prohibit gay marriage. However, current and previous state attorney generals have said the law in effect bans same-sex marriage because state statutes contain a marriage-license application with sections for male and female applications and other references to “husband” and “wife.” The judge in Albuquerque ruled that denying marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples violated a 1972 voterapproved equal-rights constitutional amendment that prohibits discrimination “on account of the sex of any person.”

Appleton bans sexidentity housing discrimination The Appleton Post-Crescent reports Appleton has become the third city in Wisconsin to adopt rules against housing discrimination based on gender identity. Seventeen states and more than 160 cities, including Madison and Milwaukee, and counties nationwide prohibit

housing discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Transgender Law and Policy Institute. “Why now? There aren’t state and federal protections for transgender and gendernonconforming individuals, so it’s up to cities,” said Kathy F l o r e s , A p p l e t o n ’s d ive rsity coordinator. “People are assigned female or male at birth, and often that’s the identity that stays, but that’s not true for everybody. Gender is not that black or white.” Landlords who deny rentals to transgender individuals face a penalty of up to $10,000 under Appleton’s new ordinance. Wisconsin became the first state in the nation to adopt anti-discrimination protections for gay residents in 1982. But transgender residents still experience discrimination while looking for housing statewide, said Katie Belanger, president of Fair Wisconsin, a state advocacy group for LGBT issues.

Disputed gay-rights ordinance in Texas adopted The Houston Chronicle reports the San Antonio City Council has adopted anti-bias protections for gay and transgender citizens over the protest of religious conservatives and top Republicans in Texas. The 8-3 council vote Sept. 5 adds the nation’s seventhlargest city to a list of nearly 180 others nationwide with ordinances banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity. San Antonio was the last major Texas city without the protections. The local proposal roiled conservatives nationwide and was opposed by big-name Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who predicted a lawsuit over religious freedoms. But Abbott has not said the state will challenge the ordinance. The packed council chamber was divided by supporters in red shirts and opponents in blue sitting on opposite sides of the room. ■ — compiled by Larry Nichols

NEWS PGN DIVAS from page 1

said the decision to cancel the show was made to partly bring in more variety and fresh ideas for entertainment. “We’ve been happy to have the show for almost two-and-a-half years but it is time to try and get something new in the Showroom,” she said. “Two-and-a-half years is a long time for a show to run in Atlantic City. The show itself was brought in to match our LGBT efforts, which started the same day as the show, and to reach out to our database and cash customers.” The venue wants to keep the LGBTfriendly feel fostered by “Divas” and other initiatives, Birmingham said, and could bring in a new LGBT-focused show. “Right now, we are exploring a lot of opportunities but we haven’t found anything that has excited us enough to say yes to yet,” she said. “We are definitely looking at all sorts of options — whether it be a drag show or something different.” “Divas Do A.C.” launched about the same time that Resorts opened Pro Bar, the first LGBT casino bar in Atlantic City. Birmingham said the show’s cancellation will not affect Pro Bar, nor does she expect it to adversely impact LGBT tourism. “There is not going to be that steady show four to five nights a week in the immediate future but the Pro Bar is doing a great job and always has something going on there,” she said. “The show itself wasn’t strictly an LGBT show — everybody enjoyed that show because they were great performers. It isn’t going to have a huge impact.” Andrade said he had “mixed emotions” about the show’s cancellation. “ I created, designed, cast, produced, starred in and funded the original ‘Divas’ show — ‘Divas in a Man’s World’ — with my life’s savings,” he said. “Following the death of Resorts’ CEO Dennis Gomes, and before the current management, Mohegan Sun, arrived, Resorts terminated me from my own show, and effectively stole the show from me. This caused severe financial hardship for me and my partner.” He went on to file a federal suit for interim injunctive relief, and was granted most of what he requested. Andrade, who said he is getting back on his feet and this summer had the opportunity to perform for Cher, whom he portrays in shows around the world, is now pursuing claims for damages and breach of contract in arbitration. Andrade added that “Divas” closing should not have a detrimental effect on LGBT tourism. “My show was designed as a way to present the talents of the LGBT community to mainstream heterosexual audiences who rarely, if ever, get to see a show of that genre,” he said. “If I had been producing a show targeted to the LGBT community, I would have made very different casting, design, comedic and music choices. So, in my view, the show’s closing should not have any direct impact on LGBT tourism in A.C.” For more information on “Divas Do A.C.” or to book tickets for the remaining shows, visit www.resortsac.com/divas-do-ac. ■

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

PGN NEWS

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

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CAREGIVER

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HB 300 from page 1

review written testimony submitted from the public before issuing a position. More details about the session and the process for submitting written testimony will be released in the coming weeks. The announcement comes shortly after antigay Rep. Daryl Metcalfe announced he would block HB 300 from coming up for a hearing or vote in the House State Government Committee, which he chairs. Public legislative hearings on HB 300 were last held in 2007, at which time former commission executive director Stephen Glassman testified about the HEARING from page 1

victed of drug-related charges stemming from the incident, but prosecutors say Smithson is the killer. Delaware County Common Pleas Judge Barry C. Dozor must determine if a new trial for Smithson is warranted. The only witness at the Sept. 10 hearing was G. Guy Smith, who Smithson alleges served ineffectively as his trial attorney. Smithson alleges Smith failed to ensure Smithson’s right to confront a serologist and DNA specialist who participated in the case; failed to properly investigate Covington; failed to cross-examine a damaging witness about the witness’ substance-abuse issues; and improperly had a state trooper read a statement by Covington to jurors. “Guy Smith failed me,” Smithson told PGN. “This hearing is my chance to present my case, and build a record for the higher courts to review.” For his part, Smith said he did his best to represent Smithson, but was hampered by a series of judicial rulings, including a gag order that limited his ability to gather information about Covington. Outside the courtroom, Smith voiced his personal opinion that Covington allegedly killed Shephard. The attorney expressed concern that Covington heavily drugged Smithson and Shephard, then strangled Shephard, possibly after trying to have sex with him. He said Smithson should have contacted police as soon as he became lucid, but instead he panicked and tried to cover up the situation.

agency’s support. Equality Pennsylvania executive director Ted Martin said he hopes the event helps show lawmakers that Pennsylvanians are ready to move the bill forward. “I hope some good will come out of this in the sense that the commission has been supportive for over a decade of this legislation, and I hope this is a moment for people to understand more clearly why there has been that support and why the state needs this,” Martin said. “This will hopefully be an opportunity to discuss the importance of protecting everyone’s civil rights. I hope it’s that kind of moment.” ■

“When Jason’s body was found [by authorities], Bill was seen as the culprit,” Smith said. “Once that train left the station, I couldn’t get it back. I couldn’t get the focus on Covington, where it belonged.” Covington didn’t attend the hearing and couldn’t be reached for comment. Smith also expressed support for a new trial for Smithson. “I’m not a perfect person by any means,” he said. “If a court can find grounds for a new trial, then of course Bill should get one.” Smith said an atmosphere o f h o m o p h o b i a p e r va d e d Smithson’s 2008 murder trial. “Witnesses were asked if they were gay, as if that were relevant,” he noted. “That shows you where the prosecution’s head was at.” Even if Dozor rules against Smithson, the defendant may be able to get a favorable ruling in federal court, Smith added. “His chances are better there,” Smith continued. “At the federal level, the constitutional safeguards are going to get a lot more scrutiny. I think there are a number of things they can look at to see if Bill got a fair trial.” Rob Nardello, a staunch advocate for Smithson, stopped short of accusing Covington of killing Shephard, but he didn’t rule out that possibility. “Three people were in Bill’s house when Jason was killed,” Nardello said. “Why was Bill the only person put on trial?” Dozor is expected to review additional court filings before issuing a ruling within the next several months. Smithson, 48, remains incarcerated at a state prison in Huntingdon. ■

Liberty City Press SEPT. 8-15, 2013

\\\

point

#ManUpMrMayor

Mayor’s response to PFT ad calls for more than a hashtag and YouTube video

isclosure: Up until a week ago, we at The Point did not understand the fuss over Mayor Nutter’s tweet: “Bottom line - I put up $155 million in new City ed funding last 3yrs, State cut funding $140M - that’s my record, indisputable, #dropthemic.” �� after getting the better of someone.” Slate provides an exhaustive history of the phrase “drop the mic,” which seems to have moved beyond its 1990s rap and comedy club origins to “a full blown meme in American culture.” (OK, we had ��meme—“a thought pattern that replicates itself via cultural �� Slate, came in 2012 when Comedy Central’s sketch comedy show Key & Peele had President Obama win a rap battle by taking the mic and declaring matter-of-factly, “I’m the leader of the free world,” after which he holds the mic out, drops it and drives away. The article goes on to note that the sketch was followed by the president dropping the mic after he “Slow Jammed The News” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon�� word) by a Saturday Night Live parody of the second Romney-Obama debate, which ended with Obama walking up to Mitt Romney, holding out his arm and dropping the mic at Romney’s feet. This drop-the-mic tutorial provides the context in which Mayor Nutter ends his tweet: an in-your�� that of the governor’s. The Twitterverse responded: “DropTheMike? More like #DropTheBall...” and “he dropped the mic then kept tweeting? you can’t keep talking shit after you drop the mic, its the end thats why you dropped it … And plus now no one can hear him” and “pickthemicbackup” �� Now, that may sound more like a mayor, but in this case we’d rather see more swagger and less mayor. Why? Because what precipitated the #dropthemic was a television ad launched by the Philadelphia

Mayor Nutter tweeted a ﬁery response to the PFT’s ad attacking his education record. From Twitter.

Federation of Teachers (PFT) attacking Mayor Nutter, which we found to be both false and misleading. The ad, which features public-school parent Kia Hinton, begins with “You’ve let us all down,” then accuses the mayor of “starving our kids of the education they deserve,” and concludes with: “The thing �� Mr. Mayor, you have a choice. Invest in our kids’ education, or keep cozying up to the governor.” There are many things you can accuse this mayor of (and we have), but “cozying up to the governor” is not one of them. Maybe he hasn’t been as vociferous an advocate for state funding as the PFT would like, but, seriously, “cozying up to the governor”? A governor whose statewide popularity is in the toilet, with only one in �� re-election next year? Heck. Even Republicans aren’t cozying up with this governor.

It is not that Nutter doesn’t

cozy up to the governor, he

doesn’t even get onto the loveseat. In describing the latest state package to close the school budget gap, Nutter told

the Philadelphia Public School Notebook this month, “There’s not a person sitting at this table who was in negotiation on what

came out of the legislative process… None of us were in a room anywhere with anyone.”

Fair game would have been

PFT citing the mayor’s failure

to be at the table; “starving our kids” is a shot below the belt.

Our issue with the mayor’s

response to the ad is not its ap-

propriateness. Calling out hundreds of thousands of dollars

of false advertising for being false is always appropriate. But doing so in one hashtag and a

YouTube video is like bringing

�� up, Mr. Mayor.

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Liberty City Press is a collaborative publication effort of the Philadelphia Multicultural Media Network.

People

\\\ Liberty City Press

Eagles Not Soaring

really use some young, strong

Continued from page 12

people too, in case it’s needed. I

only touchdown on a three-yard run. “He had to go both ways and didn’t miss a play,” he said. “He was a rock for us. I was very pleased.” �� Springside-Chestnut Hill. The �� 97 yards and threw for another 190 yards. “They played very well,” Cohen said. “They took it to us and took advantage of our mistakes.” Unfortunately for the Eagles (0-1), they are going into a heated game with West Catholic on a down note—last season the Eagles had a miracle comeback and beat the Burrs in overtime. “They will be remembering the game, that’s for sure,” Cohen said. “This will probably be the toughest game on our schedule.” Cohen hopes to have more players suit up. He mentioned that some newcomers who didn’t practice enough will have a chance to play against West Catholic if they get more reps this week. Cohen has taught in the district for more than 45 years and is concerned about the start of the school year for students and faculty. “I’m hearing that some of the counselors and secretar�� which is good,” he said. “But the district used this pool system based on seniority, which means the older teachers and aides and �� of these older aides won’t be able to handle everything. We can

��

know that I am older [70 years I had 20 years ago.”

He added: “Some of my as-

sistants were noon aides, here for lunch, and they were as-

signed to other schools. I worry that everything will be so new here. These guys know the kids

at Washington and their behaviors. It may take a new secretary

a while before she learns where the copy machine is and the classes in the building. It’s going to be interesting.”

Overall, Cohen is happy that

school will open for students on

Sept. 10. “It’s a relief. Most of my players and most of the kids

here don’t really understand how

dire and bad the situations have

�� in the district. They don’t know

�� be or could have been,” Cohen said. “But I do.”

Cohen conceded that many

Public League schools took a

number of losses for football due to transfers, mostly to Catho-

lic and charter schools. But he acknowledged that there might be issues there, too. “I think the

school district was in support of

charter schools getting so many more of our kids this year,” he said. “I think this is what they wanted based on all the hard-

ships going on. But I think some of these charter schools may be hard pressed to get all the kids into them, too.” JT

Rev. LeRoi Simmons’ Germantown Clergy Initiative ran a safe passage program for Germantown High School for 10 years. Photo by Sarah J.Glover

The Long Walk Home? Unease surrounds school safety this year by Sheila Simmons

�� news outlet in the country covered the Chicago Public Schools Safe Passage initiative— Education Week, �� Post, Washington Post, New York Times, CBS, NBC, FOX and from Great Britain, The Guardian. Philadelphia also has a safepassage program that is designed to protect children along their routes to and from school. WalkSafePHL is coordinated by Town Watch Integrated Services and �� of Philadelphia, the city, SEPTA police and community members. An Aug. 9 press conference on WalkSafePHL received brief, passing coverage. That’s unfortunate, because perception is reality, and those willing to harm our children as they trek to and from

school should see and hear that the community and city are out there, protecting and watching. This year’s route to school could be unfamiliar for as many as 10,000 students—the estimated number being transferred from the 23 Philadelphia public schools that were closed—into sometimes former rival schools, into neighborhoods where they were taught that longtime territorial boundaries insisted they dare not tread. Perhaps attention to safe passage was overshadowed by Superintendent William Hite warning that schools might not open as scheduled on Sept. 9 if school funding issues were not resolved by week’s end. But as with every year, when representatives for our children were forced to go begging for ad��

the school doors were opened. Still, never has a school year started with this level of unease about student safety—both outside and inside the schools. On the Parents United for Public Education website, Maurice Jones, president of the Home & School Association for Lea School, which is accommodating hundreds of students from the now-shuttered Wilson School, wrote: “To this day, we still have �� for the safe passage of children to and from Lea and Wilson schools.” Rev. LeRoi Simmons, whose Germantown Clergy Initiative operated a Safe Corridors program around Germantown High School for 10 years, offered, “I think everybody is in that ‘Let’s wait and see mode.’ “Let’s see if it blows.’” But it’s not like we’re Chicago. For its initiative, the city hired an additional 600 workers at a rate of $10 per hour to guard routes and deployed city departments to repair sidewalks, replace �� board up nearly 300 abandoned buildings along the routes. Chicago’s position is only partly to be admired—their foresight is actually hindsight. Chicago gained international attention with the 2009 videotape of a 16-year-old honors student being beaten to death with a railroad tie after three area high schools were merged into one turn-around school. Chicago, which reopened this year after closing 49 schools last year, would pay money to not be ��lines. I hope we won’t be, either.

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Liberty City Press is a collaborative publication effort of the Philadelphia Multicultural Media Network.

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Liberty City Press \\\

Pulse

MADE IN AMERICA

Annual Labor Day festival brings top talent to the Parkway by HughE Dillon �� fans, 44 musical performances, a carnival atmosphere and lots of happy people.

1. On Thursday night the Budweiser Clydesdales made stops in Fairmount, delivering cases of beer to area restaurant owners, including Little Pete of Little Pete’s. 2. The ﬁrst day of the festival had 22 musical acts, none more anticipated than Mrs. Carter, Beyoncé, who closed out the night with an exciting 90-minute show, singing 10 of her biggest hits and changing outﬁts six times. 3. Solange Knowles, Beyoncé’s little sister, took to the stage Sunday to perform an hour long set. 4. Aaron Cichowski was commissioned by the festival to create a guitar that represented Philadelphia. It will be displayed at the Anheuser-Busch museum in St. Louis. 5. The breakout star on the festival circuit this summer had to be 26-year-old Scottish musician Emeli Sandé. 6. Nine Inch Nails, fronted by Trent Reznor, closed the festival with a 19-song set that captivated the audience. HughE Dillon/photographer

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play

\\\ Liberty City Press

Eagles Not Soaring SCH bests GW in opening game

Martin Luther King High School quarterback Joseph Walker threw for two touchdowns in the opener against Simon Gratz. Photo by Sarah J. Glover

King Not the King Yet MLK’s new football team loses to Gratz by Jeremy Treatman

he players on Martin Luther King High School’s football team barely know each other yet, �� lead Friday night but couldn’t hold it in a tough 22-14 loss to Simon Gratz. King (0-1) has high expectations this season after many stars from Germantown High School’s renowned team (as �� “It’s very disappointing,” said Jordan Alexander, a Germantown transfer who led the team with eight �� be a learning experience. I still think we’ll have a great season.” �� a 50-yard run, and shut out King from there. �� archrivals. “The whole thing was a little strange, even though I planned for this along with my coaches and some of my old teammates all summer,” he said. “Honestly, I was excited to put on the uniform. I thought we were going to win. But Gratz outplayed us in the second half. They are a good team.” �� was 10-2 last year and won the division,” he said. “We played a team that has been together longer than us. �� to our kids that.” King scored on a pair of passing touchdowns from Joseph Walker to Emmanuel Walker and ��

George Washington coach Ron Cohen is not used to having low personnel numbers for his respected football powerhouse in Northeast Philadelphia. But only 26 players suited up for the team in a 28-13 loss at Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy on Aug. 30. Two of Cohen’s players don’t actually attend classes at George Washington—Chris Schlegel, the team’s placekicker, attends Philadelphia Academic Charter School, and Shane McFadden, a special teamer and linebacker, attends Mast Charter. The Philadelphia Public League allows both to play for GW because their day schools don’t have football teams. Cohen said he was pleased with both of their

efforts. Perhaps he was most impressed with Schlegel, who plays soccer and doesn’t attend practices with GW. He made an extra point and hit two kickoffs deep into SCH territory. “That is a tough thing to do,” Cohen said. “He came in and made an extra �� kickoffs for us.” Cohen seemed to be most pleased with his special teams. “We put the unit together it seems like minutes before the game,” he said. “I really think �� long run backs, good punts, good coverage, and Chris made an extra point.” Cohen said he was �� Santos, who scored the team’s Continued on page 2

BIG SIGNINGS �� JT

S E P T. 8 - 1 5 , 2 0 1 3

Liberty City Press is a collaborative publication effort of the Philadelphia Multicultural Media Network.

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

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PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Saturday, September 21, 2013 8:00 p.m.

1 0 2

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AC ul t ure rts

PGN FEATURE

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

PAGE 33

Barcrawlr Dining Out Family Portrait Out & About Q Puzzle Scene in Philly Worth Watching

Page Page Page Page Page Page Page

28 32 29 34 30 27 28

DEBBIE GIBSON (Photo: Troy Smith) WITH CIRQUE MUSICA PERFORMERS

Teen star Deborah Gibson brings circus show to life with new music By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com

The name Debbie Gibson may conjure images of teased hair, torn jeans and shoulder pads — but the singer-songwriter, now known as Deborah, is a long way from her days as the bubblegum pop princess of the 1980s. After becoming the youngest-ever artist to write, record and sing a number-one Billboard single, Gibson continued to explore her varied musical and writing talents in the past two-and-a-half decades. She recorded nine studio albums and sold 16 million albums worldwide, went on to a successful Broadway career and hit the reality-TV circuit, including

an appearance on “The Celebrity Apprentice” — as well as being a frequent face at Prides and other LGBT events. Gibson’s latest venture is “Cirque Musica,” pulling into Trenton’s Sun National Bank Center Sept. 18. The show fuses daring circus acts from Ringling Brothers’ and Cirque du Soleil vets, with a live symphony orchestra whose repertoire will range from classical to pop. Gibson composed two original songs for “Cirque Musica” and recently talked with PGN about the new show and her other career highlights since her ’80s heyday. PGN: Last year was the 25th anniversary of your debut album. Does it feel like that much time has gone by?

DG: If I add up all the tours and all of the eight shows a week on Broadway etc., yes, it seems I would have filled most every minute of the last 25 years! But at the same time, it is literally like a minute has passed. PGN: Do you ever regret getting into the industry so young? DG: Never! I believe that we all have a path we are meant to follow, and for me that was the moment I was meant to break. And I wouldn’t change a minute of it.

PGN: Some of the young stars of today have gone down destructive paths. From your experience, what is the pressure like for young people in the spotlight?

DG: It’s a lot harder than people think, and that is mainly because you are not allowed to say it’s hard or you look ungrateful. So young performers go out of their way to make believe they feel superhuman all the time and it’s that that gets them in trouble. Imagine being not even college-age and employing 100 people and being responsible for putting food on all those 100 families’ tables! Most kids that age are just figuring out what they’re going to major in in college. Psychologically, young people are just not equipped to handle that, and it’s even worse now with the scrutiny and social media. I don’t know how kids keep up! PGN: You’ve been

PAGE 26

FEATURE PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

GIBSON from page 25

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composing most of your life. How do you feel your composing style has changed over the years? DG: I think in the beginning, my early hits were very much channeled. I didn’t overanalyze and I was in a zone when they just kind of poured on through me. Then I got a bit heady about the writing and started to actually think egotistically that I was doing something. [Laughs.] Now I am back to being totally humbled and I am “CIRQUE MUSICA” PERFORMERS WITH channeling again and I am SYMPHONY way more particular now as an adult about lyrics and the banning of DDT that my man Dr. because clichés don’t cut it once you’ve had Rutledge directed and produced. The song life experience. At this point, it is my job to we worked on for that was shortlisted for an sum up in the most perfect way what people have been through and what they are feeling. Academy [Awards] nomination and is called “Rise,” and it really is about any group of PGN: You’ve worked in the recording indus- people that society tries to keep down.

try, on stage, in film and TV. Is there one of those mediums that you feel most drawn to? DG: I do love it all, but being in front of a live audience is always the greatest because it is an energy exchange and no two shows are ever alike, even when you are doing the same theater piece eight times a week. There is ultimate freedom in performing my original material because I can change things on the spot, etc.

PGN: Throughout your career, you’ve developed a large following in the LGBT community. Did that ever surprise you? DG: Well, “Only In My Dreams” really broke in the gay clubs, so from the time I was 16 I was playing for gay clubs a week on average! So it wasn’t a surprise, but the surprise is in the fact that the LGBT audience has been so loyal to me throughout the years. It never ceases to amaze and move me. Thank you for picking me! [Laughs.] PGN: Did you ever see any pushback for your support of the LGBT community? DG: Occasionally there is some ignorant person or two on Twitter and I block them if they say anything negative about the LGBT community because, as I see it, they are entering my house and I do not invite people into my house to show hatred and ignorance. PGN: How did the partnership with “Cirque Musica” come about? DG: I was doing the Rewind Symphony dates with Sam Harris for producer Steve Cook and we were on the same flight home, and I reminded him that I am primarily a composer at heart and asked if he had any projects brewing, and it just so happened he needed two original songs for “Cirque Musica” and quickly! I grew up performing at the Metropolitan Opera in the children’s chorus and I’ve always loved the big-symphony sound and foresee myself scoring film someday. In fact, I scored “3 billion and Counting,” a documentary on malaria

PGN: What can people expect from the new songs that you created for “Cirque Musica”? DG: “Birdsong” is the song the aerial artist performs to and it is a waltz. There are many songbirds in this world to mimic what they hear, but this is about being the music that is most authentic because there is only one you. The spectacle in the show is amazing, but it is my goal to impart something deeper to people. The music really sums up the experience of “Cirque Musica” because it is not just something you hear or see or feel, it is all encompassing. And you, the audience member, become a part of the experience. So this song is my command for you to be a part of what we’re doing up on the stage. It combines elements of Bollywood, Latin music and theater music. It is a melting pot of styles and cultures much like the cast of “Cirque Musica.” Christine LaFond performing the songs live is such a treat. You will feel like you are discovering a star that you want to rally behind for her whole career. She is quite extraordinary as a vocalist! PGN: Are you planning to make any appearances at the shows, especially the New Jersey one? DG: At the moment, I am only scheduled to appear in the performances in Ohio, but never say never! PGN: What’s next for you? DG: My main focus is working on new music and continuing to perform live. I also wrote a musical with Jimmy Van Patten and we are exploring possible performance venues in Las Vegas. My new album will hopefully be out sometime next year. The writing process is taking a while but I promise it will be worth the wait! ■ “Cirque Musica” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at Sun National Bank Center in Trenton. For more information or tickets, visit www.sunnationalbankcenter.com.

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

BARC 28

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

NIGHTLIFE PGN

So hard

Worth Watching SINGLE MALE INTO HORSEBACK RIDING LOOKING FOR SOME HEAD: The headless horseman is resurrected alongside Ichabod Crane in the premiere episode of the new mysteryadventure drama series “Sleepy Hollow,” 9 p.m. Sept. 16 on Fox. Photo: Fox/Kent Smith

Before I start the usual rundown of local make Philly so amazing, including The Notorious OMG (aka Rudy Flesher), Brian nightlife events, please allow me to share Sims, the Goddess Isis and many more. something I’ve actually been very excited Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the about for months: The Pet Shop Boys are performing at the Mann Music Center door, with proceeds benefiting Way Gay. Sept. 22! See www.waygay.org for tickets. This is only their second performance in Philadelphia in their 30-year career, Miss’d America Pageant and it promises to be one of their biggest The Miss’d America Pageant continues tours ever, as they are promoting their its nearly 20-year tradition of spoofing last two studio albums, “Elysium” and the (only slightly?) better-known Miss “Electric.” I’ve been a huge fan from the America Pageant at 8 p.m. Sept. 21 at the beginning and, while many think this is Showboat House of Blues, 801 Boardwalk a comeback tour, others know in Atlantic City. This year’s host they’ve been prolific since day is Michelle Visage of “RuPaul’s one, with 55 singles, 46 videos, Drag Race” and musical guest 12 studio albums, seven conis CeCe Peniston, while a bevy of drag beauties compete in cert DVDs, four remix albums, swimsuit, evening gown, intertwo live albums, a musical, a view and, of course, talent. film score and even a ballet Peniston will also perform at under their belts. They’ve literally sold more than 50-million a pre-party 8 p.m. Sept. 20 at records and are recognized as ProBar in Resorts Casino Hotel. the most successful pop duo Tickets for the weekend range in U.K. music history, having from $45-$100 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. worked with the likes of Dusty Check out www.showboatac. Springfield, Tina Turner, Liza Jim Kiley- com for a special room rate. Minnelli, David Bowie, New Order, Blur, Madonna, Kylie Zufelt Chad Michaels at ProBar Minogue, Elton John, The Don’t miss your chance to see Killers and Lady Gaga, just to Chad Michaels, the breathtaking winner name a few. of “RuPaul’s All-Star Drag Race,” at midTheir music is joyous, their lyrics are night Sept. 21 at ProBar in Resorts Casino introspective and they put on one hell of Hotel. Michaels brings a level of experia show, combining dance, projections and ence and professionalism to her art that has absolutely fabulous lighting. You simply resulted in nearly two decades of acclaim. do not want to miss this event, trust me! Most famous for her impersonation of Tickets range from $30-$65 and are available at www.ticketphiladelphia.org or Cher (that even knocked Cher for a loop), www.ticketmaster.com. she’s breaking new ground with the release of her first single, “Tragic Girl.” Rock the Rainbow Pride Picnic Celebrate South Jersey Pride from noon- Sunday Brunch Cruise Join the Philadelphia Gay Tourism 6 p.m. Sept. 15 at Cooper River Park in Caucus from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 22 on Pennsauken. The free event will feature a board the Spirit of Philadelphia for their DJ battle, drag show, dance performances, second annual brunch cruise. Tickets are voguing contest, vendors and barbecue. $80 and proceeds benefit the PGTC. For You can even get your New Jersey civil tickets and more info, see www.philadelunion performed right at the event with phiagaytourism.com. their onsite official! The highlight of the day will be a performance by “RuPaul’s Porkchop at the Venture Inn Drag Race” star Miss Monica Beverly Chicken Livermore is usually my favorHills, followed by a meet-and-greet. ite meal at Venture, but not tonight, when everyone’s favorite dish will be Porkchop! Anita’s Angels I’m talking Miss Victoria “Porkchop” Enjoy a Cajun dinner, then stay for Parker from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” She the show from 8-10 p.m. Sept. 15 at the was the very first to sashay away in the Blue Parrot Bar & Grill, 1934 W. Sixth first season, but her charisma, uniqueness, St. in Wilmington, Del. Your hostess, Anita Mann, will be joined by Karyn nerves and talent have made her one of the Thomas and special guest Felicia O’Toole ultimate fan favorites! Buffington. Cover charge is only $5 and See for yourself 10 p.m. Sept. 22 at you can stay for karaoke after the show. Venture Inn, 255 S. Camac St., as she takes the stage for this one-night-only event. There will be drink specials all night long Way Gay PowerPlay Virgo Birthday Bash and no cover. ■ There will be live drag, burlesque and dance performers from 8-10:30 p.m. Sept. Questions, comments, Pet Shop Boys 20 at William Way Community Center, stories to share? Contact Jim at 1315 Spruce St. It’s a Virgo Birthday Bash barcrawlr@gmail.com or follow him on in honor of some of the Virgos who help Facebook for links to back articles and

Barcrawlr

KNOT AGAIN: Reality TV star Nene Leakes gets married to her former spouse on the new series “I Dream of Nene: The Wedding,” 9 p.m. Sept. 17 on Bravo. Photo: Bravo/ Wilford Harewood

NO HONEYMOON: Out “Survivor” alum Colton Cumbie returns, competing with (or against) his fiancé in “Survivor: Blood vs. Water,” 8 p.m. Sept. 18 on CBS.

(IRON) MANON-MAN ACTION: Robert Downey Jr. returns as billionaire Tony Stark in “Iron Man 2,” 8 p.m. Sept. 17 on CBS. Photo: Marvel/Francois Duhamel

PROFILE PGN

Family Portrait

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Suzi Nash

Tammyrae Barr: Taking on a truthful transition Gender Reel, the nation’s only coastto-coast film and performance-art festival dedicated to enhancing the visibility of gender-nonconforming and transgender people, images and experiences, is being held in Philadelphia from Sept. 19-21. The festival is a mixture of films, live performances and panel discussions. This week we spoke to Tammyrae Barr, the Philadelphia festival event coordinator, an avid film buff and friend from QFest. PGN: Are you a native Pennsylvanian? TB: I am not. I was born in East Keansburg, N.J., which became North Middletown, then just Middletown. The house stayed in the same spot, yet I had three different addresses growing up! Kind of freaky. It used to be all forest and farms; now that’s long gone and there are 45-foot roads with curbs and sidewalks. PGN: Tell me a little about growing up in East Keansburg. TB: I had what I’d say was a typical blue-collar boyhood life. Dad worked at the factory, Mom worked at the store and we did what we had to every day to keep things going. Dad was also a mechanic, a really good one. He was always tinkering with or fixing something, so my younger brother and I and even my mom had to pitch in — going to the junkyard and stripping parts, tearing apart cars and putting in new motors to sell and make a few dollars. I guess the highlight of all of that work was that when I was 16, we were able to buy a junker on Friday night for a couple hundred dollars, rebuild the engine, fix the transmission, paint it and I had a car by Monday morning. It was a lot of work but I think it cultivated my work ethic. I tend to jump into everything full-force. PGN: Aha, my car’s leaking something. I should have you take a look! TB: [Laughs.] I’d probably be able to tell you what was wrong, but couldn’t do anything about it. I don’t have the tools my dad had. He was amazing. If he didn’t have a certain tool, he’d bring out a welder and make it. PGN: What was a favorite vacation or memory as a kid? TB: We didn’t have the budget to vacation afar, but my father fixed up an old boat and we’d sail and go camping on the boat. It was fun to just get away from it all. When I was 12, I was allowed to buy my first dirt bike. My dad insisted that we learn to ride early, so by the age of 7, I had a mini bike; by 8, I had a go-cart. We’d go whipping through the woods and have fun, and when I was able to get a motorcycle, it allowed us to travel to other places. I have fond memories of the whole family going places together, me on my dirt bike, my brother on his Harley Davidson trailblazer, my mom on her street bike and Dad on his monster machine. It was quite the scene.

PGN: What were your extracurricular activities at school? TB: In high school, everyone told me that I needed to be the first one in the family to go to college, so I made sure my grades were good and that I was smart about things and tried to get involved in anything that would make me well-rounded. I was the editor of Viewpoint, which was our school literary magazine. I was involved in student council, and I also ran track and field — six-time varsity-letter winner, cross country, indoor and outdoor track, hurdles, relays. I tried the long jump and pole vault, but wasn’t any good at them. Shot put and discus were too muscular-based. I couldn’t compete with the guys; even running, I usually trained with the girls’ team where my friends were. PGN: What was your craziest sports moment? TB: Probably me doing the high jump. Instead of jumping over head-first on my back doing a Fosbury Flop, I do it oldschool-style, feet-first. It’s a little crazy to watch when you’re not used to it. I’d launch so far, I’d land on the other side of the mat so the coaches would have to stand there and catch me. Learning to jump like that was helpful in running away from thugs and bullies.

but one night we had a holiday dinner at a country club. It took me three hours to get dressed because I just couldn’t make myself put on a jacket and tie. Shortly after, I was outed and lost that job. In 2009, I got the job I have now and in 2010 I started transitioning.

on playing because he didn’t want to let the team down. When I told him he might hurt someone with the cast, he said, “No I won’t” and played the whole game with his arm tucked behind his back. He’s a very empathetic guy. They’re both awesome in their own rights.

PGN: I didn’t realize it was that recent. TB: Well, it’s difficult in the trans community. There’s a lot of infighting over who does what and when, and if you should have surgery or not, but all the variations aren’t wrong, they’re just different choices. For me, I felt an obligation to my family, to my kids and wife. I tried to cling to my old life because I didn’t want to lose anything and I did lose a lot: I was a Boy Scout leader and leadership trainer and I had to resign, I lost my job as director of engineering and had to take a big cut down to design engineer. I told my family and they stopped speaking to me. It was pretty brutal. But life is much simpler now: I’m a parent and an engineer, and I’m just Tammyrae.

PGN: And how have they handled things? TB: The divorce was hard on them, that’s for sure, but since I’ve transitioned, we’ve come together on a level that’s undeniably beautiful.

PGN: Did you have to do that much? TB: Yeah, I was picked on for being a sissy. I once had my head smashed with a rock and was left lying in the gutter. I took karate after that incident. PGN: Sheesh. Where did you go to college? TB: I went to the College of Engineering at Rutgers. I’ve been a practicing engineer ever since. Right now, I work for a company that designs railway systems. I transitioned at work, which was a little tricky. The firm has policies in place to protect me, but people are people and there have been a few personal bumps along the way. PGN: When did you transition? TB: Full-time as far as the world is concerned was Dec. 8, 2010. But I’ve been living as Tammyrae for a very long time. I went back and forth and showed what I thought people needed to see. In fact, initially I went down a very stereotypical hetero-normative path; my family was not very open to anything outside their blue-collar world. So I married a woman, had two children and, though she knew before we got married that I had gender issues, they grew during the marriage to the point that she finally said, “You need to go be you 100 percent.” I think a lot of people at work must have figured or at least thought that I was gay because I wore a lot of purple and pink and my nails and brows were always done, even with a suit and tie on. I tried to survive being incongruent with myself

PGN: Tell me about your kids. TB: They’re 16 and 19 now. The oldest has completed the rank of Eagle Scout and was involved in a lot of things at school — mocktrial team, mock U.N. He even got to speak on the floor of the United Nations. And he’s a DJ! He has now gone off to college. He’s quite the character. The youngest is radically different. He prefers to be a team player rather than the star. When he was a child, he broke his arm playing soccer and insisted

PGN: I remember you saying something about one of them being really supportive. TB: About four years back, before I left the house, we were having some problems with the older one. He wasn’t listening to his mother or his father. He didn’t believe in the family unit or that anyone cared and started doing things that were counter-intuitive to his normal success rate, hanging with the wrong crowd, etc. My wife said, “You need to go upstairs and tell that boy everything. Because he knows that when you leave here at 9 p.m. with a gym bag full of clothes, that you’re not going to the gym. Because he feels that you’re doing something sneaky, he doesn’t trust you anymore. He doesn’t trust us because we’re not telling him what’s going on.” Prior to that, she didn’t want me to share that aspect of my life, but we were at a turning point. I went upstairs and sat down cautiously and began to explain my gender issues to my son. Through the process we both cried, we both hugged and said I love you and when I was finished, he looked at me and said, “Dad, are you not the person who always told me to lead and not follow? To be true to myself regardless of what others think?” I said, “I am” and he looked at me and said, “Then why don’t you just transition already?” I said, “You know, you’re totally right. Let me go talk Photo: Suzi Nash to your mom.” I told her and she said, “OK, now go tell the other one.” PGN: That’s great. TB: Yes, the younger one took it a little harder because he didn’t quite understand it, but my wife and I had raised both boys to be open-minded about things, unlike the way we were brought up. It’s difficult because I identify as lesbian and I still love the woman I married, but she PAGE 30

FUN PGN & GAMES

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Q Puzzle See cruise Across

1. Partners of bottoms 5. Vidal’s _Visit to a ___ Planet_ 10. Words before delighted 14. Final Foursome org.? 15. CafÈ con ___ 16. Go down 17. Hudson and Day pillow activity 18. Spear of Minnesota 19. Sultry Horne 20. Tom Cruise danced in his briefs in this flick 23. Storage spot 24. Eavesdropping org. 25. Folk singer DiFranco 26. Elbow-bender 28. Excessive 30. Still in the closet, perhaps 32. Some cracks are full of it 35. They shoot up when they shoot off 37. With 46-Across,

song to which Cruise danced 39. Coloratura Gluck 41. “West Side Story” girl 42. Decorated man, maybe 45. Born in Boulogne 46. See 37-Across 48. “Breakfast on Pluto” actor Stephen 49. Beat (out) 51. “Not to worry” 53. Singer of the song 59. Positive sign 62. Response to an online personal 63. Nick Adams character Johnny 67. Actress Skye 68. Rimbaud’s turf 69. Ditch school for the day 70. Hockey thug 71. Trojan beauty 72. Just your type?

Down

1. Explosive stick 2. Ovate wind instru-

PORTRAIT from page 29

doesn’t want the world looking at her like that. As a result, we as a family unit are over. So I’ve moved forward and have started dating. My boys have met some of the people I’ve dated and there have been no

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ment 3. Air an aria, avid diva 4. Fifth Avenue store 5. Puts in stitches, like Kate Clinton 6. Moore of “Hair” 7. Rights-defending org. 8. Tibetan capital 9. Big dictator in the land of Peter the Great 10. “Spamalot” writer Eric 11. They cover the knees of drag queens 12. Yves’ evening utterance 13. Ecology org. 21. Work with the hands 22. Big bang cause, briefly 23. It picks people up who eventually get off 27. QB feats 29. Home of the Bruins 31. Problem for skin 33. Gay-dog owner of “South Park” 34. Object to 35. “Get ___ the Church on Time”

36. By mouth 38. Russian commune 39. Bannon of ‘50s lesbian pulp fiction 40. Bloom of “The Producers” 43. ___ Speedwagon 44. Hard woody one 46. Busy activity 47. Tell a tall tale 50. “The Wizard of Oz” dropout Buddy 52. No-tell motel meeting 54. Aleph follower 55. Nemesis of Tinkerbell 56. Banjoist Scruggs 57. Wilde country 58. One side of Ed Wood 59. Party in a fairy tale threesome 60. Elton’s john 61. One, to Frida 64. Ho’s instrument 65. Be social 66. “Rent” unit (abbr.) PAGE 27

problems with the boys and me in that area. It’s inspiring.

up bouncing on my knee, I’m not able to see them anymore.

PGN: So we have Gender Reel coming up. What’s one of the films that you’re especially looking forward to? TB: There’s a Jules Rosskam film called “Thick Relations.” Having grown up in prototypical suburbia with a more or less privileged white-culture life, I never understood “chosen families.” Because up until transitioning, I had family — mother, father, brother. This film is about chosen families and I really want to dig into it and learn what it’s about. I have some “sisters” now, but I still haven’t rebuilt that family unit.

PGN: You’re right about kids understanding. Though I’m not trans, my nephew must have sensed something different and at 2 he started calling me Uncle Suzi. I loved it and the name stuck. It was fun to see the other kids at the park looking puzzled when he yelled out, “Uncle Suzi, can you push me on the swings?” TB: Ha! I get that. My boys insist on calling me Dad or Father. The best story I ever had was when my oldest and I went to Home Depot. We decided to divide and conquer to make the trip quicker. I finished first and was waiting by the cashier. She was ready to ring me up and I told her that I was waiting for my 16-year-old. She asked what he looked like and I described him. She insisted on looking for him and when she found him, said, “Hey, your mom’s looking for you!” He said, “That’s impossible, I just got off the phone with her.” He looked past her and saw me and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Yo, Dad! I found the part, but there are two kinds. Which one should I get?” I went clicking down the aisle in my little dress and heels and the cashier just stared at me. I walked past her and said, “Honey, it’s OK. I’m his father, we have a unique family.’

PGN: So your birth family has not been as progressive as your wife and kids. TB: No. My father seems to think that he failed somehow. He didn’t build me into the man I was supposed to be. Not true, he built me into an awesome individual, but he has a ’40s mentality and can’t see that. I cry a lot over that. My life isn’t what he expected, but I still do all the things I was supposed to do — taking care of my kids, taking care of my career, looking out for and helping others. But he just can’t cope, he’s unable to see me. My mother is trying. In fact, just this week, finally after five years, she called me Tammy and used a female pronoun for the first time. [Tears up.] That was huge for me. Especially considering just back in May for my birthday she informed me that I basically had no right to change the birth name that they had given me. It was mind-blowing to hear her call me Tammy. My brother still struggles. He thinks I’m going to confuse his children so I haven’t seen them in years. I’ve missed Christmas, Thanksgivings and birthdays. I know that if I were able to explain it to them, they’d probably be fine — kids don’t care about that sort of thing — but even though they grew

PGN: Great story! Now for some randomquestions. Who was your favorite group growing up? TB: Foreigner or Def Leppard. PGN: Last item bought on eBay? TB: A vintage Coach purse. PGN: Would you go skydiving? TB: Hmmn, I have two friends who are so good they can pack parachutes, but I also have a friend who broke his back skydiving. I’m leery but I think I’d try it.

PGN: I still can’t believe that I once ... TB: Locked the throttle of a motorcycle and stood on the seat driving down the highway at 60 miles per hour. It was a night I should have been taken from this planet. PGN: Say what? TB: In the path to transition, a lot of trans people have suicidal thoughts and I’m no different. After a few moments of standing on the seat with my arms in the air flying past cars, steering by shifting my weight, I finally sat down and said. “I guess it’s not my time.” After that incident, I put the motorcycle away and didn’t ride for a while. PGN: Favorite movie line? TB: I have to go Philadelphia on this one. It’s from one of the “Rocky” movies where he talks to his son and says, “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!” I’ve taken the hits, a lot of them — as a child getting beat up, having a knife pulled on me, to coming out in the trans community where I faced a different bias because I transitioned late in life and have perceived “privileges” like career and family and never faced life on the street. But no one knows what struggles a person goes through. I just keep up hope and try to help others and trust that things will turn out fine. ■ “Gender Reel” will run Sept. 19-21 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., and Passionate, 317 South St. For more information, visit www.genderreelfest.com. To suggest a community member for Family Portrait, write to portraits05@aol.com.

PGN FILM

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Trans film festival goes national By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com Gender Reel, the annual event giving visibility to gender-nonconforming, gender-variant/queer and transgender people in film, is no longer just a Philadelphia event. “We’re launching in four cities instead of one so it’s gone national,” Gender Reel organizer Tammyrae Barr said. After launching in Philadelphia in 2011, Gender Reel will now run in three other cities across the country — Minneapolis, Minn.; Portland, Ore.; and Oakland, Calif. — this year showcasing short and feature-length films and performance art ranging from familyfriendly fare and documentaries to adult-oriented fare (read: porn), which will be screened at a separate venue, the more appropriate confines of Passionale. “Gender Reel has been a grassroots start-up,” Barr said. “Our executive founder, Joe Ippolito, recruited locally and has found opportunities elsewhere in the country and made contacts with places. People have embraced us

and contributed to the film festival in past years. This year, one of our local organizers has moved to Portland. Joe has moved to Minneapolis. So that gave us three cities. The film festival also made

“ALLEY OF THE TRANNY BOYS” Photo: Christoper Lee

a connection in Oakland. Once I started pushing the concept I thought, if we’re already separated, why don’t we just create

more venues, and the concept of a national film festival became a reality. We went out and talked to the public in various places. There has been support in each of the communities and we decided to go ahead and go national. And there are opportunities for further expansion in years to come.” When asked about the programming for the different cities, Barr said the same films featured in Philadelphia will be screened in the other cities as well. “The films will be the same but not all venues will have all the films because they do not have the same amount of time available to them,” Barr said. While Gender Reel draws a mostly LGBT audience, Barr said the event does bring in a significant non-LGBT crowd, which is expected to grow. “It’s in the range of 15-20 percent,” Barr said about the ally audience. “But that is bound to change this year, as we’re in many different venues and now hitting a much broader audience and targeting on a national basis. I think we’re going to have a larger draw than we have had before.”

While the Gender Reel organizers plan to keep expanding the festival in years to come, Barr said ideally such an event would be unnecessary. “I think the vision is to create a need to no longer have Gender R e e l ,” B a r r s a i d . “ I t ’s going to take us a long time to get there. But if we can VENUS DEMARS IN “A CONDITION OF THE SOUL: VENUS DEMARS” just normalize the way society looks at the trans commu- quickly.” ■ nity and the gender-nonconforming communities, life is going to Gender Reel runs Sept. 19-21 with be better. If we can get rid of the screenings at The Rotunda, 4014 whole aspect of ‘LGBT’ and have Walnut St., and Passionale, 317 South people just be people, we will St. For more information about feahave accomplished our goals. tured films and a screening schedule, But I don’t see it happening very visit www.genderreelfest.com.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Food & Drink Food & Drink

DINING PGN

Where wurst is better By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com With Oktoberfest around the corner (Sept. 21-Oct. 6), now is a good time to get acquainted with German cuisine. And for locals, that means a trip to Brauhaus Schmitz, a German Bierhall and restaurant at 718 South St., or Wursthaus Schmitz at Reading Terminal Market. Various forms of meat and potatoes are the main attraction of most of the dishes but there are also some nice displays of talent with vegetables. The kartoffelsalat (potato salad, $2.50 small, $5 large) isn’t the mayonnaisebased salad most Americans are used to and you won’t miss that ingredient, as the apple-cider vinaigrette and onions do a great job of spicing up the familiar dish. The gurkensalat (cucumber salad, $3 small, $6 large) is refreshingly bright and simple in presentation. Another salad that was memorable was the kohlrabisalat ($8), a kohlrabi salad with watercress, roasted-garlic dressing and fried onions, which had a wonderful array of flavors and textures. But regardless of the veggie brilliance, Brauhaus is a playground for carnivores (and beer-drinkers). The pokelwurst ($4) is juicy pickled pork sausage that is akin to the very-thick big brother of a Slim Jim. Meat gets more than its fair share of attention on the entrees. The sauerbraten ($22) is classic, a healthy portion of rump roast smothered in gravy with a massive potato dumpling and a nice helping of braised red cabbage that adds brightness to the dish, both with its color and sweet and sour flavor. The schaschlik ($19) was more adventurous in the flavor department, with skewers of spicy pork and cherry peppers. The accompanying fries were excellent too, with some irresistible curry ketchup. As good as Brauhaus is, the fare at Wursthaus Schmitz is even more excit-

ing, offering a dizzying selection of cured meats, sausages and specialty sandwiches. Their Bavarian pork steak sandwich ($10.50) could easily go toe-totoe with any cheesesteak sandwich in town and win wich. the heart of any hungry lunch-timer. The meats at Wursthaus are worth the The schnitzel BLT ($9.50) is a great trip too. Do yourself a favor and try the way to introduce newbies to the joys of more adventurous meats like the headGerman fare. For an exceptional comcheese, which is meatier and far less fort-food experience, head straight for gelatinous than the more common specithe Lyoner sandwich ($9.50), which is thick with fried bologna and rounded out mens people are used to. Whether you want to sit down for with onions, horseradish mustard and a beer or you are on the go, definitely muenster cheese. Yeah, it may not be make some time to experience some your mother’s fried bologna sandwich, authentic German flavors. ■ but we doubt you’ll care. But if you really want to take your taste buds on a ride, try the amazing Hungarian sandwich ($9.50), a spicy bratwurst with beef goulash and Hungarian WURSTHAUS’ BAVARIAN SANDWICH peppers. Wursthaus Schmitz at Reading Make sure Terminal Market you get Brauhaus Schmitz 51 N. 12th St. an order 215-922-4287 718 South St. of potato 267-909-8814 www.wursthausschmitz.com pancakes www.brauhausschmitz.com Mon.-Fri. and Sun.: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. ($7.50) with Sat.: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun.: 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. your sand-

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

‘Four’ play scores big on screen By Gary M. Kramer PGN Contributor “Four” is an outstanding character study directed by Joshua Sanchez, who adapted Christopher Shin’s play. The film, which opens at AMC Cherry Hill Sept. 13, depicts two couples who meet up for sex on the same Fourth of July. June (Emory Cohen) is a shy, gay teen who arranges a hook-up over the Internet with Joe (Wendell Pierce), a gregarious, married African-American man. Sanchez deftly captures the awkwardness and strained intimacy of their encounter, which is contrasted with Joe’s daughter, Abigayle (Aja Naomi King), reluctantly meeting up with the smooth-talking Dexter (E.J. Bonilla). In a recent Skype session, out writer/ director Sanchez talked about the queer content in his film.

JS: I feel that a lot of gay men have a reaction to Joe that is nuanced and complex. You can read all kinds of unsavory aspects into his character, but to me, he was a man who was dealing with a lot of common gay male stuff. It was normal in my view of how gay men develop and the challenges they face. It makes folks uncomfortable to see the younger man-older man, gay-male relationship, which is common for younger guys who look to older men to show them how to be gay. One of the aspects of June’s character is that we don’t see him as a victim. I thought of Joe as someone who had so much potential, intelligence and sophistication, but when you’re not able to be who you want to be or who you are, that’s a sad thing. That’s not to say Joe is without

PGN: What were you like as a teen — shy but adventurous like June, or more flamboyant like his gay friend Todd (Liam Benzvi)? JS: [Laughs.] I was probably much more like June. I grew up in Texas. My parents were very religious. [Texas] was not a

Haute Mexican? Haute Mexican! EMORY COHEN AS JUNE

hope, but he’s struggling with it more than June is. There are aspects of June I related to: I was more introverted, and not outgoing, but I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I’ve recognized my ability to stand on my own and be confident, and this film was part of my journey to that.

After ten successful years in northeast Philadelphia, Paloma is serving to-die-for French-Mexican cuisine in Bella Vista. ��

a semifinalist for the 2011 James Beard Foundation awards

welcoming environment for a gay kid. I was not unhappy as a teen — I struggled with my sexuality — but I had other things to keep me afloat; I was into punk rock, skateboarding and film. I wish I was more like Todd. Gay kids are like that now, the acceptance is greater. I wouldn’t want to ascribe any kind of positivity to struggling with sexuality, but it does prepare you to deal with life. It is a good thing that kids get to be more open now.

PGN: The film has themes about being big, being proud and believing in oneself ... JS: I guess that Joe himself ... that moment where he asks June to “be big, be American” is right after they first meet, and in a way it is the inciting aspect of the movie. It’s setting the tone of the rest of the film. It brings this confidence out of June. It’s also hypocritical, because Joe has such a twisted notion of what that means for himself. That’s kind of part of growing up, reconciling aspects of yourself that you’re not comfortable with, and learning to love yourself and keep your confidence up.

PGN: How do you think “Four” speaks to the issues it raises about race, class and sexuality? JS: Gosh, I think it says so much! The questions I get asked most are about Joe and the controversial elements about an older African-American man in the closet who finds himself in that situation in his life, what that says about AfricanAmerican men in general and their being about to deal with gayness. I’m not sure that it’s a [film] that gives a lot of easy answers.

PGN: And you did that, coming out? What are your experiences as a gay man? JS: When I came out, I was 23, and it was in 2000. It was not the easiest thing. I came to New York [for school], and I knew I had to get out of Texas. I needed that space to come into my own, sexually and otherwise. I had a few boyfriends before I landed into a long-term relationship with an older man for seven years. He’s still a huge part of my life, but I’m in another long-term relationship now, with a guy more my own age. I felt “Four” was honest to my experience.

PGN: How do you think audiences, gay men in particular, relate to Joe and June?

PGN: What makes your film so effective is how you frame the characters.

WENDELL PIERCE AS JOE

PAGE 36

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT LISTINGS PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

OUT & ABOUT The week ahead Fri. 09/13 Art Gallery: Brett Kuri, Nicole Donnelly, Tom Sonnenberg The William Way LGBT Community Center hosts an opening reception for the three-person show in the gallery featuring the winners of the Seventh Annual Art Exhibition, 6-8 p.m., 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220. Loft23 presents The Game Loft The William Way LGBT Community Center hosts a game space geared towards gamers (21-29 years old) and is an opportunity to meet new people, play games and socialize out-

side of the bar/club scene, 6-8 p.m., 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220. Christine Havrilla The out singersongwriter performs 8 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400. Dane Cook The comedian performs 8 p.m. at Tower Theatre, 19 S. 69th St., Upper Darby; 610-3522887. Queen at The Queen featuring The Rainbow Chorale of Delaware Rock band In The Light performs the music of Queen 8 p.m. at World Cafe

Live at the Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 302-994-1400.

1801 W. Indiana Ave.; RSVP at recr uitment@pennjerse yrollerderby.com.

Russell Brand The comedian performs 9 p.m. at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000.

Stephen Lynch The comedian performs 9 p.m. at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000.

Big Gay Rave A black-lightthemed rave featuring DJ Steal Yo Girl and guests, 10 p.m.-3:30 a.m. at Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James St.; 215-735-5772.

Sun. 09/15

Sat. 09/14 Penn Jersey Roller Derby Orientation and Assessments See if you have what it takes to roll with the derby, noon-3 p.m. at the Penn Jersey Roller Derby Warehouse,

The Apartment The 1960 dramedy is screened 2 p.m. at Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610917-0223.

Mon. 09/16 Free Quizzo and Board Game Night Roll the dice, 7 p.m. at World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 302-994-1400.

Rittenhouse Square Fine Arts Show An Outdoor Art Show of Original Artwork

One of the most respected outdoor art shows of original art in the entire country

More than 140 top artists from around the country will

“CIRCLE THE SQUARE” Rittenhouse Square at 18th and Walnut in Center City Philadelphia

September 20-22, 2013

Friday 11-7 • Saturday 11-6 • Sunday 11-5 For more information call 610-299-1343 or visit RittenhouseSquareArt.org

THE FINALS FRONTIERS: The Trocadero Theatre hosts a double feature of the sciﬁ reboots “Star Trek” and “Star Trek: Into Darkness” starring out actor Zachary Quinto as Mister Spock, 8 p.m. Sept. 16, 1003 Arch St. For more information, call 215-922-6888.

Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness The two sci-fi films are screened 8 p.m. at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; 215-922-6888. Lipstick Mondays A weekly drag show featuring a changing roster of queens takes the stage 9 p.m. at The Raven, 385 W. Bridge St., New Hope; 215862-2081.

Tue. 09/17 Robert Randolph and the Family Band The rock band performs 7:30 p.m. at World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 302-994-1400.

Wed. 09/18 4W5 Blues Jam Local musicians get down, 7 p.m. at World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 302-994-1400. Dumpstas do Dionne The Dumpsta Players perform a show to benefit Philly AIDS Thrift, 11 p.m. at Bob and Barbara’s, 1509 South St.; 215-5454511.

Terry McMillan The best-selling author of “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” hosts a reading 7:30 p.m. at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; 215- 686-5322. Dessa The female rapper performs 8 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400. Travis The rock band performs 8 p.m. at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave.; 215-5727650.

N. Broad St.; 215627-6747.

Fri. 09/20 Patty Larkin The out singersongwriter performs 8 p.m. at Sellersville Theatre 1894, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville; 215257-5858. MST3K: Master Ninja I The failed TV show is lampooned by sar-

castic robots, 9:45 p.m. at Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610917-0223. Miss’d America Pre-Party CeCe Peniston performs and DJs spin to kick off the weekend’s festivities, 9 p.m. at Pro Bar, Resorts Hotel and Casino, 1133 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, N.J., 800-772-9000. ■

Thu. 09/19 The Burlesque Show The new event kicks off 9 p.m. at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000. The Sexuality Spectrum Opening Reeption The Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art and Congregation Beth Ahavah at Rodeph Shalom celebrate the kickoff of the art exhibit examining LGBT prejudice at 6:30 p.m. at 615

GREEN DAY: Out singersongwriter Patty Larkin is on the road in support of her new album “Still Green,” performing 8 p.m. Sept. 20 at Sellersville Theatre 1894, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville. For more information or tickets, call 215-257-5858.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PGN LISTINGS

Opening My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m STILL in Therapy Bristol Riverside Theatre presents the sequel to Steve Solomon’s popular comedy Sept. 17-Oct. 6, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol; 215-785-0100. Sklar Brothers The comedians perform Sept. 19-21 at Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St.; 215-496-9001.

Continuing Candy Coated Wonderland Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition by Philadelphia-based multimedia artist Candy Coated (formerly Candy Depew) reinterpreting children’s fancy dress costumes from the museum’s collection, through Nov. 17, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

Serpentine The Academy of Natural Sciences hosts an exhibition of photography of the world’s most deadly snakes by Mark Laita, through Sept. 22, 19th Street and the Parkway; 215-299-1000. The Sexuality Spectrum The Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art and Congregation Beth Ahavah at Rodeph Shalom host exhibit examining LGBT prejudice through Nov. 18 at 615 N. Broad St.; 215-627-6747. SPY: The Secret World of Espionage The Franklin Institute presents an exhibition of historical artifacts from the intelligence community, through Oct. 6, 20th Street and the Parkway; 215448-1200.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of drawings and watercolors by Jerry Pinkney, through Sept. 22, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-7638100.

Closing If I Were a Drag Queen, I Would Be Famous A one-woman musical written, compiled and performed by Philadelphia writer and actor Shannon Agnew, who portrays Broadway legends including Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Julie Andrews, Patti LuPone, Cyndi Lauper, Bernadette Peters and more, through Sept. 15 at Red Room at Society Hill Playhouse, 507 S. Eighth St.; 215-4131318. Kill Me Now, Rowan Edition: The Ultimate Dance Competition A live-dance competition game show modeled after such popular TV reality series as “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” through Sept. 14 at The Latvian Society, 531 N. Seventh St.; 215-4131318.

Design for the Modern Child Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition featuring some of the latest furniture, toys, tableware, wallpaper and textiles designed internationally in Australia, Asia, Europe, Great Britain and the United States, along with classics from the museum’s design collection, through Oct. 14, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215763-8100.

Rhys Darby from Flight of the Conchords The comedian performs through Sept. 14 at Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St.; 215-496-9001. ■

FREEDOM OF SPEECH: Rapper and spoken-word artist Dessa performs her socially conscious brand of hip hop 8 p.m. Sept. 19 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. For more information or tickets, call 215-2221400. Photo: Kelly Loverud

In The Heights Walnut Street Theatre presents the Tony Award-winning musical through Oct. 20, 825 Walnut St.; 215-574-3550. Private Lives/Public Spaces: Bringing Philadelphia’s LGBT History Out in the Open The William Way LGBT Community Center presents the first solo exhibition of LGBT history in a mainstream museum in Philadelphia, which features a glimpse into the John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archival Collection, through Oct. 25 at The Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, 15 S. Seventh St.; 215-6854830. The Safe Word is Begonia Walking Fish Theatre Company presents the story of a frustrated fiancé who discovers the world of S&M, through Sept. 21, 2509 Frankford Ave.; 215-427-9255.

GETTING BAWDY ON THE BOARDWALK: Comedian and ﬁlm star Russell Brand brings his rambunctious wit to Atlantic City 9 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way. For more information or tickets, call 609-317-1000. SOLUTION from page 30

Notices Send notices at least one week in advance to: Out & About Listings, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 fax: 215-925-6437; or e-mail: listings@epgn.com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone.

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COMICS PGN FOUR from page 33

A scene between Joe and June in the car is amazing; you cut back and forth between them, visually isolating them even though they are sitting side by side. JS: We used a handheld camera to tell the story effectively. We shot it in scope — a long rectangular box — which could keep two characters in the frame at the same time and then pull focus since it was so much about two characters in the same scene. PGN: The sex scenes are passionate, but not erotic. What was your goal in depicting sex in “Four”? JS: I approached it by [asking], What would typically happen in a situation like that? Staging it was hard for all of us. We shot the Joe/June part in a real hotel room, which adds an authenticity to the vibe. The talented actors were very unafraid — they wanted to push it even more than I was comfortable pushing it. They wanted to tell the truth of the situation. But also with [the straight couple], it was going to be raw and lustful and not the best sex they would ever have in their lives. What made the difference was giving the space and time to the actors to do what they have to do to discover the beats of the performances to bring out the emotions. ■ Director Joshua Sanchez and actor Emory Cohen will attend a post-screening Q&A after the 7:40 p.m. show Sept. 15 at the AMC Cherry Hill.

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Real Estate Sale

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

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Help Wanted Heavy Equipment Operator Training! Bulldozers, Backhoes, Excavators. 3 Weeks Hands On Program. Local Job Placement Assistance. National Certifications. GI Bill Benefits Eligible. 1-866-362-6497. ________________________________________37-37 DRIVERS Transport America has Dedicated and Regional openings! Variety of home time options; good miles & earnings. Enjoy Transport America’s great driver experience! TAdrivers. com or 866-204-0648. ________________________________________37-37 CDL-A SOLO & TEAM DRIVERS NEEDED! Top Pay & Full Benefits. Even MORE Pay for Hazmat! New Trucks Arriving Daily! CDL Grads Welcome! 800-942-2104 www.TotalMS.com ________________________________________37-37 Exp. Reefer Drivers: GREAT PAY /Freight lanes from Presque Isle, ME, Boston-Lehigh, PA. 800-277-0212 or primeinc.com ________________________________________37-37 ATTENTION REGIONAL & DEDICATED DRIVERS! Averitt Offers Excellent Benefits & Hometime. CDL-A req. 888-362-8608. Recent Grads w/a CDL-A 1-5/wks Paid Training. Apply online at AverittCareers.com Equal Opportunity Employer. ________________________________________37-37 Gordon Trucking: CDL-A Drivers Needed. A better Carrier. A better Career. Up to $5,000 SIGN ON BONUS. Earn Up to .46 cpm. Refrigerated Fleet with Great Miles, Full Benefits, Great Incentives. No Northeast Runs! EOE. Call 7 days/wk! GordonTrucking.com 866-554-7856. ________________________________________37-37 EARN $500 A-DAY Insurance Agents Needed; Leads, No Cold Calls; Commissions Paid Daily; Lifetime Renewals; Complete Training; Health/ Dental Insurance; Life License Required. Call 1-888-713-6020. ________________________________________37-37 Milton terminal needs Class A driver. Get up to $1,000 sign-on bonus and weekly hometime. Recent driving school grads welcome. Call 800-333-9291. ________________________________________37-37 Class A drivers get up to $1,000 sign-on bonus. Milton terminal offers 48 hrs weekly hometime. Call 800-333-9291. ________________________________________37-37

Pets Free cat, loving Tabby cat to a good home. He is white and gray with black stripes. I took him in as a stray two months ago but my ten year old cat refuses to get along with him. He is about 4-6 years old, kitty litter trained, neutered and he received all of his shots with papers. I gave him the name Lucky. He is loving and playful and gets along with other cats, other than mine and gets along great with my Shih Tzu. Only serious replies please, and a person or family willing to give him a great and loving home that he deserves. I can be reached at 267-342-0143. ________________________________________37-39

All real-estate advertising is subject to Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended. Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental and ﬁnancing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and handicap (disability). PGN will not knowingly accept any real-estate advertising that is in violation of any applicable law.

cell: 610-203-9509, ofﬁce: 610-520-0100, email: helenedv@kw.com

Open Houses - Sunday September 22, 2013

12:00-2:00 PM

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215.546.2700 Business • 267.238.1061 Direct 215.432.7151 Cell • 215.558.1063 Fax dtobey@cbpref.com • www.cbpref.com

Notices

Friends Men

Pursuant to §128.85 of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Title 7 regulations, GROWMARK FS, LLC. hereby gives notice of ground application of “Restricted Use Pesticides” for the protection of agricultural crops in municipalities in Pennsylvania during the next 45 days. Residents of contiguous property to our application sites should contact your local GROWMARK FS, LLC. facility for additional information. Concerned Citizens should contact: Michael Layton, MGR. Safety & Environment, mlayton@growmarkfs.com GROWMARK FS, LLC. 308 N.E. Front Street, Milford, DE 19963. Call 302-422-3002 ________________________________________37-37

LOOKING FOR ROMANCE Attractive GWM, warm, sensitive, caring, 48 y.o. with a smooth gymnast build looking for other GWM, 30-50, who is also in good shape. I live in NE Phila. I’m looking for guys who are also sensitive, caring with a fun personality. If this sounds interesting to you feel free to call me, David, 215-698-0215. ________________________________________37-39 BM, 60 looking for British gent, 35-45 for intimate encounters. 215-763-3391, 6PM-Midnight. ________________________________________37-39 57 y .o., 5’2”, blue eyed chunky bottom looking for someone who would enjoy playing chess with me and getting lucky; win, lose or draw. Lookng for a top guy to put me in check. Call me at 215-380-1700 between 6 PM & 12 AM any day. Please leave a message if no answer. ________________________________________37-38 WM, NE Phila. If you’re looking for hot action, call 215-934-5309. No calls after 11 PM. ________________________________________37-40

Massage David, 63, 6’, 200 lbs., attentive. 215-569-4949. (24/7) ________________________________________37-48

PGN does not accept advertising that is unlawful, false, misleading, harmful, threatening, abusive, invasive of another’s privacy, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, hateful or racially or otherwise objectionable, including without limitation material of any kind or nature that encourages conduct that could constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any applicable local, state, provincial, national or international law or regulation, or encourage the use of controlled substances.

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

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BACK TO SCHOOL

Sat., Sept. 14th, 2013 • Time: 11pm-3:30am WHAT TO EXPECT: • DJ David Dutch • Complimentary Food & Beverages • A Full House of Guys To Choose From & So Much More.

SIP- N- TWIRL SUNDAY

Sun., Sept. 14th, 2013 • Time: 3pm-6pm

BUSY TIMES FOR US:

These our are most popular days when people come-

SATURDAY AFTERNOON DELIGHT 4 Hour Lockers (8am - 4pm) Members: $5.00 and Non-Members: $15.00

SUNDAY RELIEF

Half Price Rooms (6am Sunday till 8am Monday) Members: $12.50 and Non-Members: $22.50 JOIN US SUNDAY MORNINGS for COMPLIMENTARY CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST with Fruit, Pastries & Coﬀee TO START YOUR MORNING OFF RIGHT....

MONDAY thru FRIDAY:

WHAT TO EXPECT: • DJ David Dutch • Complimentary Food & Beverages • A Full House of Guys To Choose From & So Much More.

Business Mans Locker Special (8am to 4pm) Members: $5.00 and Non-Members: $15.00

FALLING

Half Price Rooms (6am till 12 Midnight) Members: $12.50 and Non-Members: $22.50

Sat., Sept. 21st, 2013 • Time: 11pm-3:30am

WHAT TO EXPECT: • DJ David Dutch • Complimentary Food & Beverages • A Full House of Guys To Choose From & So Much More. - CHECK IN EARLY IF YOU WANT A ROOM... ROOMS GO QUICKLY!!! -

TUESDAYS

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY NIGHT CRUISE

$12 Flat Rate for Locker Admission & Clothing Optional (4pm-12 Midnight) Check out our website for our WEEKLY SPECIALS & JOIN OUR e-mail List to get the latest information on upcoming events....

Don’t forget to visit the Adonis Cinema right next door!! 2026 Sansom St/ PH: 215-557-9319

PGN

Religion/Spirituality Arch Street United Methodist Church Services 8:30 and 11 a.m. at 55 N. Broad St., youth/adult Sunday school at 9:30 a.m.; 5:30 p.m. prayer service; 215-568-6250. Bethlehem-Judah Ministries Open and affirming congregation holds services 10 a.m. Sundays at 5091 N. Dupont Hwy., Suite D, Dover, Del.; 302-734-9350. BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Church Services 10:15 a.m. at 2040 Street Road, Warrington; 215-3430406. Calvary United Methodist Church Reconciling, welcoming and affirming church holds services 11 a.m. Sundays at 801 S. 48th St.; 215-724-1702. Central Baptist Church Welcoming and affirming church holds services at 10:45 a.m. Sundays, summer services 9:30 a.m, at 106 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne; 610-688-0664. Chestnut Hill United Methodist Church Services 11 a.m. and Spirit at Play, an arts-based Sunday school for children, 9:30 a.m. at 8812 Germantown Ave.; 215-242-9321. Church of the Crucifixion Inclusive Episcopal community holds services 10 a.m. Sundays and 6 p.m. Fridays at 620 S. Eighth St.; 215-922-1128. Church of the Holy Trinity Inclusive church holds services 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sundays at 1904 Walnut St.; 215-567-1267. Dignity Jersey Shore An organization for sexual-minority Catholics meets the first Saturday of the month in Asbury Park. For time and location, call 732-502-0305. Dignity Metro NJ An organization for sexual-minority Catholics meets 4 p.m. the first and third Sundays of the month at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 550 Ridgewood Road, Maplewood; 973-509-0118. Dignity Philadelphia Holds Mass 7 p.m. Sundays at 330 S. 13th St.; 215-546-2093; dignityphila@aol.com. Drexel Hill Baptist Church Nonjudgmental Christian congregation affiliated with American Baptist Churches of the USA holds services 11 a.m. Sundays at 4400 State Road, Drexel Hill; 610-259-2356; www.dhbaptist.com. Emanuel Lutheran Church Reconciling in Christ congregation meets at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, summer services 9:30 a.m., New and Kirkpatrick streets, New Brunswick, N.J.; 732-545-2673; www.emmanuelnb.org. Evangelicals Concerned Lesbian and gay Christian counseling; 215-860-7445. First Baptist Church Welcoming and affirming church holds prayer services 10:30 a.m. Sundays and community worship 11:30 a.m. at 123 S. 17th St.; 215-563-3853. First Presbyterian Church of Lansdowne Welcoming church holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays at 140 N. Lansdowne Ave.; 610-622-0800; www.lansdownepresbyterianchurch.com.

Jersey; mccctl.com; 732-823-2193. Metropolitan Community Church of Philadelphia Holds services 1 p.m. Sundays at the University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, 3637 Chestnut St.; 215-294-2020; www. mccphiladelphia.com. Old First Reformed Church Open and affirming United Church worships at 11 a.m., summer services at 10 a.m, at 151 N. Fourth St.; 215-922-4566; www. oldfirstucc.org. Penns Park United Methodist Church Welcoming and affirming church holds services 10 a.m. Sundays at 2394 Second Street Pike, Penns Park; 215-598-7601. Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral Progressive and affirming congregation holds services 10 a.m. Sundays with Holy Eucharist at 3723 Chestnut St.; 215-386-0234; www.philadelphiacathedral.org. Rainbow Buddhist Meditation Group Meets 5 p.m. Sundays at the William Way Center. Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting worships 11 a.m., summer services 10 a.m, Sundays at 1515 Cherry St.; 215-241-7000; cpmm@afsc.org. Resurrection Lutheran Church Holds services 10 a.m. Sundays at 620 Welsh Road, Horsham; 215-646-2597. Silverside Church Holds services 10 a.m. Sundays followed by a group discussion at 2800 Silverside Road, Wilmington, Del.; 302-478-5921; silversidechurch.org. St. Asaph’s Church Inclusive and progressive Episcopal church holds services 8 and 10 a.m. Sundays, summer services 9:15 a.m., at 27 Conshohocken State Road, Bala Cynwyd; 610-664-0966; www.saintasaphs.org. St. John’s Lutheran Church (ELCA) Reconciling in Christ congregation holds services 10:30 a.m. Sundays at 24 N. Ridge Ave., Ambler; 215-646-2451; www. stjohnsambler.org. St. Luke and The Epiphany Church Open and welcoming church holds fall liturgy 9 and 11 a.m. Sundays, summer sevices 10 a.m., at 330 S. 13th St.; 215-732-1918; stlukeandtheepiphany.org. St. Mary of Grace Parish Inclusive church in the Catholic tradition celebrates Mass 6 p.m. Sundays in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, 145 W. Rose Tree Road, Media; 610-566-1393; www. inclusivecatholics.org. St. Mary’s Church Diverse and inclusive Episcopal church celebrates the Eucharist 11 a.m. Sundays at 3916 Locust Walk; 215-386-3916; www. stmarysatpenn.org. St. Paul Episcopal Church Welcoming and inclusive church holds services 9:30 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Tuesdays at 89 Pinewood Drive, Levittown; 215-6881796; www.stpaullevittown.org. Tabernacle United Church Open and affirming congregation holds services 10 a.m. Sundays at 3700 Chestnut St.; 215-386-4100; tabunited.org.

First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia A liberal, welcoming and diverse congregation that afﬁrms the dignity of all. Sunday services at 10 a.m., 2125 Chestnut St.; 215563-3980; www.ﬁrstuu-philly.org.

Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church Sunday worship with nursery care, 10:30 a.m; Fourth Thursday of the month contemporary worship with Communion at 7 p.m.; 2212 Spruce St.; 215-732-2515; trinityphiladelphia.org.

The First United Methodist Church of Germantown A sexual-minority-afﬁrming congregation holds services at 10 a.m., summer services 11 a.m., Sundays at 6001 Germantown Ave.; lunch follows; 215-438-3077. www.fumcog.org.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County Welcoming congregation holds services 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. Sundays, summer services 10:30 a.m., at 145 W. Rose Tree Road, Media. Interweave, a group for LGBT parishioners and allies, meets noon the ﬁrst Sunday of the month; 610-566-4853; www.uucdc.org.

Grace Epiphany Church A welcoming and diverse Episcopal congregation in Mt. Airy with services 9:30 a.m. Sundays at 224 E. Gowen Ave.; 215-248-2950. www.grace-epi.org.

Unitarian Society of Germantown Welcoming congregation holds services 10:30 a.m. Sundays at 6511 Lincoln Drive; 215-844-1157; www.usguu.org.

Holy Communion Lutheran Church ELCA Reconciling in Christ congregation worships Sundays at 9 a.m. at 2111 Sansom St. and 11 a.m. at 2110 Chestnut St. in the main sancturary; 215-567-3668; www.lc-hc.org.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Cherry Hill Holds services 10:15 a.m. Interweave, a group of LGBT Unitarians and their allies, also meets at 401 N. Kings Highway, Cherry Hill, N.J.; 856-667-3618; uucch.org.

Imago Dei Metropolitan Community Church Sexual-minority congregation worships at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at 1223 Middletown Road (Route 352), Glen Mills; 610-358-1716; www.ImagoDeiMCC.org.

Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration Welcoming congregation holds services 11 a.m. Sundays at 6900 Stenton Ave.; 215-247-2561; www.uurestoration.us.

Living Water United Church of Christ An open and afﬁrming congregation that meets for worship 11 a.m. on Sundays; 6250 Loretto Ave.; 267-388-6081; www.lwucc.org. Kol Tzedek Reconstructionist synagogue committed to creating a diverse and inclusive community meets at Calvary Center, 801 S. 48th St.; 215764-6364; www.kol-tzedek.org. Mainline Unitarian Church Holds services 10 a.m. Sundays at 816 S. Valley Forge Road, Devon; 610-688-8332; www.mluc.org. Maple Shade Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ Afﬁrming congregation open to all sexual orientations and gender identities holds services 10 a.m. Sundays at 45 N. Forklanding Road, Maple Shade, N.J.; 856-779-7739; mapleshadeucc.org. Metropolitan Community Church of Christ the Liberator Holds services 10:45 a.m. Sundays at the Pride Center of New

Unitarian Universalist Congregation, South Jersey Shore Holds services 10 a.m. Sundays in Galloway Township; 609-9659400; www.uucsjs.org. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Pottstown Holds services 10:30 a.m. at 1565 S. Keim St.; 610-327-2662. www. uupottstown.org. United Christian Church Open, afﬁrming and welcoming congregation holds services 10:15 a.m. Sundays, summer services 9:15 a.m., at 8525 New Falls Road, Levittown; 215-946-6800. Unity Fellowship Church of Philadelphia Diverse, afﬁrming LGBT congregation holds services 2 p.m. Sundays at 55 N. Broad St.; 215-240-6106. University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation Welcoming congregation holds services 10:30 a.m. Sundays at 3637 Chestnut St. preceded by “Adult Forum: Sundays” at 9:30; 215-3872885; www.uniphila.org.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

Community Bulletin Board Community centers

■ The Attic Youth Center 255 S. 16th St.; 215-545-4331; atticyouthcenter.org. For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. Groups meet and activities are held 4-7 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and 48:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday. Case management, HIV testing and smoking cessation are available MondayFriday. See the Youth section for more events.

■ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center at the University of Pennsylvania 3907 Spruce St., 215-898-5044; center@dolphin. upenn.edu. Regular hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday; noon-6 p.m. Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday. Summer hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

■ ActionAIDS: 215-981-0088 ■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: 215-587-9377 ■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: 856-933-9500 ext. 221 ■ AIDS Library: 215-985-4851 ■ ACLU of Pennsylvania: 215592-1513 ■ AIDS Treatment Fact line: 800662-6080 ■ Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection at the Independence Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library: 215-685-1633 ■ The COLOURS Organization, Inc.: 215-496-0330 ■ District Attorney LGBT Liaison: Helen “Nellie” Fitzpatrick, 215-6869980, helen.fitzpatrick@phila.gov

■ Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies Youth Center 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays: Salem UCC Education Building, 181 E. Court St., Doylestown; 215-957-7981 ext. 9065 rainbowroom@ppbucks.org.

■ William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220; www.waygay.org. Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Peer counseling: 6-9 p.m. Monday through Friday Library hours: noon-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; noon-3 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Friday; noon-6 p.m. Saturday. Volunteers: New Orientation: First Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.

Key numbers

of Lesbians and Gays (Philadelphia): 215-572-1833

■ Equality Pennsylvania: 215731-1447; www.equalitypa.org

■ Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations: 215-686-4670

■ Equality Forum: 215-732-3378

■ Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force: 1-877-pride-2000

■ GALAEI: A Queer Latin@ Social Justice Organization: 215-8511822 ■ LGBT Elder Initiative: 267-5463448; info@LGBTEI.org ■ LGBT Peer Counseling Services: 215-732-TALK ■ Mayor’s Director of LGBT Affairs: Gloria Casarez, 215-6862194; Gloria.Casarez@phila.gov; ■ Mazzoni Center: 215-563-0652; Legal Services: 215-563-0657, 866-LGBT-LAW; Family & Community Medicine: 215-563-0658 ■ Parents, Families and Friends

■ Police Department liaison — Deputy Commissioner Kevin Bethel: 215-686-3318 ■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: 215-760-3686 (Rick Lombardo); ppd.lgbt@gmail.com ■ Philly Pride Presents: 215875-9288 ■ SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: 717-9209537 ■ Transgender Health Action Coalition: 215-732-1207 (staffed 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 6-9 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)

Health

Anonymous, free, conﬁdential HIV testing Spanish/English counselors offer testing 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 216 W. Somerset St.; 215763-8870. ActionAIDS Provides a range of programs for people affected by HIV/AIDS, including case management, prevention, testing and education services at 1216 Arch St.; 215-981-0088; www.actionaids.org. GALAEI: A Queer Latin@ Social Justice Organization Free, anonymous HIV testing from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1207 Chestnut St., fifth floor; noon-6 p.m. Tuesdays at the Washington West Project, 1201 Locust St.; 215-851-1822 or 866-222-3871; www.galaei. org. Spanish/English HIV treatment Free HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment for Philadelphia residents are available from 9 a.m.-noon Mondays (walk-in) and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays (by appointment) at Health Center No. 2, 1720 S. Broad St.; 215685-1821. HIV health insurance help Access to free medications and confidential HIV testing

■ Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia Board meetings at 6:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at 100 S. Broad St., Suite 1810; free referral service at 215-6279090; www.galloplaw.org. ■ Greater Philadelphia Professional Network Networking group for area business professionals, selfemployed and business owners meets monthly in a different location throughout the city; www. gppn.org; 215-922-3377. ■ Independence Business Alliance Greater Philadelphia’s LGBT

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays at 13 S. MacDade Blvd., Suite 108, Collingdale; Medical Office Building, 722 Church Lane, Yeadon; and 630 S. 60th St.; 610-586-9077. Mazzoni Center LGBTQ counseling and behavioral health services, HIV/ AIDS care and services, case management and support groups; 21 S. 12th St., eighth floor; 215-563-0652; www. mazzonicenter.org. Mazzoni Center Family & Community Medicine Comprehensive primary health care, preventive health services, gynecology, sexual-health services and chronic-disease management, including comprehensive HIV care, as well as youth drop-in (ages 14-24) 5-7p.m. Wednesdays; 809 Locust St.; 215-563-0658. Washington West Project of Mazzoni Center Free, anonymous HIV testing. Walk-ins welcome 9 a.m.-9 pm. Monday-Friday, 1-5p.m. Saturday; 1201 Locust St.; 215-985-9206.

Professional groups Chamber of Commerce, providing networking, business development, marketing, educational and advocacy opportunities for LGBT and LGBT-friendly businesses and professionals; www. IndependenceBusinessAlliance. com; 215-557-0190; 1717 Arch St., Suite 3370. ■ National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Philadelphia chapter of NLGJA, open to professionals and students, meets for social and networking events; www.nlgja.

org/philly; philly@nlgja.org. ■ Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus Regional organization dedicated to promoting LGBT tourism to the Greater Philadelphia region, meetings every other month on the fourth Thursday (January, March, May, July, September and the third Thursday in November), open to the public; P.O. Box 58143, Philadelphia, PA 19102; www.philadelphiagaytourism. com; 215-840-2039.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Sept. 13-19, 2013

2013

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PGN

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Community LGBT Event LGBT Fundraiser

Did you just get done a fabulous dinner in the Gayborhood? Have a great workout with your trainer? Discover a new spot to quench your weekend thirst or return to an old favorite? Everybody likes raving about their favorites, so have no fear — you can share your two cents about the best of the best of our community in PGN’s annual Best of Gay Philadelphia!

LGBT Nonproﬁt

We leave it in your hands to determine the standouts in the city — from businesses to organizations to individual leaders. These folks may not always get the credit they deserve, so now’s your chance to give them a pat on the back with your votes.

People

The contest will run through Oct. 28, and you can use PGN’s handy-dandy online survey to share with us which person, place or thing you think should shine in each category. Think local, think LGBT. You don’t have to ﬁll out every category, but too many blank lines make us sad. And feel free to include witty comments with your choices; some may get printed and others may just give us a chuckle.

LGBT Sports Organization

Activist Bartender Hair Stylist

Personal Trainer When the contest closes, we at PGN will tally up all of your votes and present your picks for the Best of Gay Philadelphia in our Nov. 8 edition. Winners will be the guests Politician of honor at a special invite-only party in November. To vote, visit surveymonkey.com/s/BOGP2013, or pick your favorites on this form and mail it or drop it off to 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147, or fax it to 215-925-6437.

PGN’s Best of Gay Philadelphia 505 S. Fourth St. Philadelphia, PA 19147 Fax: 215-925-6437

Food & Drink

Go to www.epgn.com and click on the link for Best of Gay Philadelphia to cast your votes online.

Nightlife

Bar Food Date Restaurant Ethnic Food Place to Indulge a Sweet Tooth

Neighborhood Bar

Coffee Shop

LGBT Party

Place to Grab a Beer

Sports Bar

Happy Hour

Wine Bar

Breakfast/Brunch

Dance Floor

Lunch

Casino

Dinner

Non-LGBT Hangout

Overall Restaurant

Performance Space (drag/cabaret/piano) Theme Night Overall Bar

Arts & Entertainment Drag King Drag Queen DJ Musician Theater