pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 42 No. 37 Sept. 14-20, 2018
Morris homicide timing concerns PAGE 2
Antigay judge set to ascend to SCOTUS
Family Portrait: Reginald Lee, fashionably ever after PAGE 23
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Jeff Guaracino to head city’s tourism office
Fringe-worthy dance performances
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Progressive political-action summit a success By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com
By Victoria A. Brownworth PGN Contributor A dramatic week of often-contentious hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee saw several-hundred protesters arrested and dozens disrupting the proceedings as senators grilled Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kavanaugh has received high marks from the American Bar Association and more than a dozen witnesses — mostly former law students and law clerks — testified on his behalf on the final day of hearings Sept. 8. But while Kavanaugh is beloved by conservatives, those across the aisle feel equally strongly about his troubling views on abortion, contraception, gay rights, the Affordable Care Act, minority voting rights and gun control. Democratic senators tried to elicit as much information on those key issues as possible over several days of questioning. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a likely front-runner for the 2020 presidential race and the former attorney general of California, was one of Kavanaugh’s toughest questioners. She was also the first senator to query Kavanaugh on whether or not he considered Obergefell to be settled law. In an exchange that appeared to leave Kavanaugh unsettled, Harris first asked if the judge considered Obergefell to be a landmark civil-rights case like Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, which decided segregation. Kavanaugh demurred. Harris pressed him: “My question is very specific. Can you comment on your personal opinion on whether Obergefell was correctly decided? It’s a yes or no. Please.” Kavanaugh referenced Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, in which SCOTUS ruled against gay plaintiffs who wanted a wedding cake and for the bakery that refused PAGE 15 them service. He refused
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MALCOLM KENYATTA, THE OUT DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE IN THE 181ST HOUSE DISTRICT, DELIVERS OPENING REMARKS AT THE ARENA’S “LOVE + ACTION” PHILADELPHIA SUMMIT AT THE PENNSYLVANIA CONVENTION CENTER SEPT. 7. Photo: Kelly Burkhardt
Trans woman remembered; killer still at-large By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com The Hunting Park and Germantown communities planned to memorialize one of their own this week, while a national LGBT-rights organization and a state-run anti-violence group called out yet another murder of a trans woman of color in a growing epidemic. Shantee Tucker was shot to death early Sept. 5 on the 4300 block of Old York Road. Witnesses said the victim had been involved in a brief argument around 1 a.m. with the driver of a black pickup truck, who then fired eight shots. One hit Tucker in the back. Police transported her to Temple University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead about four hours later, said Captain John Ryan of the Police Homicide Division in a press conference later that day. Tucker, 30, resided in nearby Germantown. Police don’t believe she was targeted for her gender identity, Ryan said; however, the motive remained unknown and the killer was still at large as of Wednesday.
A candlelight march and call-toaction demonstration for Tucker was planned for that evening at Old York Road and Hunting Park Avenue. “We’re demanding justice for Shantee,” said Tatyana Woodard, a longtime friend of the victim who organized the event, which was scheduled to begin after press time. “We encourage everyone to come out and stand with us as we ask Philadelphia police and the neighborhood to start standing up for our girls.” Woodard described Tucker as someone who would intercede on another’s behalf. “She was a strong person, a friendly person. Very loving. Always quick to defend others. She never liked to see anyone get bullied. She was a peacemaker.” The Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT advocacy group, issued a statement decrying Tucker’s death and noting the growing incidence of violence against trans individuals. In the United States so far this year, 19 known transgender individuals were PAGE 15 fatally shot or killed by
More than 1,000 political advocates, educators and civic leaders from around the country convened at The Arena’s Philadelphia summit to discuss concerns stemming from the Trump presidency — and, more pointedly, how they could mobilize to ensure their voices and constituents are heard and heeded. The two-day “Love + Action” summit, Sept. 7-8, tackled an extensive agenda that featured nearly 40 keynote speakers and seven breakout training sessions, bearing titles and objectives like “Economic Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship” and “Preparing for the Last Weekend: Getting Involved in 2018.” Two Arena emcees, Jason Green and Erica Atwood, kept the crowd engaged as they facilitated and introduced the revolving door of speakers. Guests enjoyed wrap-up parties at The Franklin Institute and NOTO Philadelphia. The summit opened with a performance by Play On, Philly, a symphony orchestra composed of local middle- and high-school students. The 20 young musicians, elegantly dressed in black, performed “The Star Spangled Banner,” with one of the students addressing the anthem’s controversial third verse, which glorified the death of slaves. PoP performed the often-omitted verse — and added a hip-hop-infused fourth verse the students wrote: “O say can you see the blood of our children Who are slaughtered by those who vow to protect us And from shackles to shame we still wear on our frame Incarcerated; they enslave our men in a cage And from whips to police, they keep us on a leash No proof, no rights It’s a battle we fight.” Malcolm Kenyatta, the Democratic candidate for state representative in the 181st House District, applauded the students for addressing the issue. “In 2016 on election night and in all the days past, we’ve watched our country go in a dangerous direction,” he told the audience in the summit’s PAGE 18