Honesty Integrity Professionalism
Oct. 1 - 7, 2010
NJ student believed dead after gay sex video A freshman at Rutgers University is believed to have committed suicide after his roommate allegedly set up a live-stream video feed of him having sex with a man. Eighteen-year-old Tyler Clementi’s body had not been found as of Wednesday afternoon, but police had identified an abandoned car, parked on the George Washington Bridge, as his. Clementi’s roommate, Dharun Ravi, and Ravi’s friend Molly Wei, both 18, were arrested this week and charged with two counts of invasion of privacy for allegedly setting up a hidden video camera to film Clementi’s sexual encounter last week in the boys’ dorm room on the New Brunswick campus. Ravi was charged with an additional two counts of invasion of privacy for attempting to transmit another live feed Sept. 21. On Sept. 19, Ravi created a Twitter post describing that Clementi had asked to be alone in the room until midnight, and Ravi turned on his web cam and viewed Clementi “making out with a dude” from Wei’s room. He allegedly directed followers to his iChat account, where he streamed the sexual encounter live. Ravi allegedly unsuccessfully attempted to air another broadcast two days later. Ravi turned himself in on Sept. 28 and was released on $25,000 bail, and Wei surrendered the day before and was released without having to post bail. ■ — Jen Colletta
By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
CHANGE-MAKERS: About 200 people packed the Franklin Institute Sept. 28 to pay tribute to local community activists selected by Bread & Roses Community Fund for their contributions to social change. This year’s Tribute to Change Awards featured such honorees as Paul Robeson Lifetime Achievement winner Carmen Febo-San Miguel, as well as Phil Straus, Dorothy Johnson-Speight, Blanca Pacheco and Scribe Video Center. Legacy Awards were presented in memoriam to Jonathan Schmidt and LGBT activists Walter Lear and Larry Frankel. Photo: Scott A. Drake
By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
See EQPA, Page 16
Vol. 34 No. 40
CDC: Philly men unaware of HIV status
Equality PA, HRC team up Local LGBT advocacy group Equality Pennsylvania has formed a unique partnership with the nation’s largest LGBT organization to fuel both statewide and national education and action on issues. EQPA announced last week that it is joining forces with the Human Rights Campaign with the hiring of a staffer who will work on behalf of both organiza-
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Philadelphia Gay News
HONORING OUR HEROES: LGBT grantmaking agency Delaware Valley Legacy Fund hosted its annual Heroes event Sept. 24, honoring local individuals and organizations that have gone above and beyond to contribute to the LGBT community: Chris Bartlett, Mazzoni Center and Whole Foods. Fundraising totals are not tallied yet, but the event drew about 60 guests, including DVLF board vice president Mark Mitchell (from left), Whole Foods store team leader Dale Stirzel and community liaison Carolyn Reinhardt, DVLF executive director Michael Kendrick, Mazzoni Center executive director Nurit Shein and the Hon. Ann Butchart, accepting on behalf of Bartlett. Photo: Scott A. Drake
A new report by the Centers for Disease Control found that about one in five men who have sex with men (MSM) in large U.S. cities has HIV. While HIV prevalence in Philadelphia was slightly lower than in other locales, the city’s percentage of men who were unaware of their HIV status was markedly higher. The study, published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Sept. 24, looked at data from 21 metropolitan statistical areas, including Philadelphia that participated in the CDC’s National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system in 2008. In the cities, researchers interviewed and tested 8,153 MSM and found that approximately 19 percent of the men were HIVpositive. The report also examined the number of men who were previously unaware that they were infected with HIV — about 44 percent of the total 1,562 infected men across the 21 cities. In Philadelphia, 440 men were included in the study, with 48, about 11 percent, eventually testing positive for the disease. Of those participants, 34 — or 71 percent — had not known their status. While the city was in the lower bracket for HIV prevalence, only Baltimore and San Juan, P.R., reported higher percentages of men who had been unaware of their HIV status. Brian Green, executive director of The Safeguards Project, noted that the CDC study looked at prevalence — the number of HIV infections per a population — as opposed to incidence — the overall rate of new HIV infections. While the city reported 11 percent of men included in the study were HIV-positive, Green noted that Philadelphia’s HIV incidence is alarming, recently found to be twice that of New York See CDC, Page 19
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
LGBT center brings The Big Easy to Philly By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Southern hospitality will be on display this weekend at the William Way LGBT Community Center’s annual gala, as festivities and fundraising fuse to a backdrop of Creole culture. The 2010 Indigo Ball, 6-11 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Doubletree Hotel, 237 S. Broad St., will follow the theme “New Orleans Extravaganza” and capture the jubilant atmosphere of Mardi Gras. “The planners wanted to do a celebratory event and wanted a theme to energize the evening, so they thought New Orleans would be a good choice for that reason,” said Chris Bartlett, William Way executive director. The Ormandy Ballroom at the hotel will be adorned with Mardi Gras decorations for the evening, and Henri David will set the mood by leading a Mardi Gras-style parade into the gala at the beginning of the night. DJ Robert Drake will be on hand to get people onto the dance floor, and guests are encouraged to add their own Mardi Gras stylings to their wardrobes. The food offerings will feature Bourbon Street-inspired dishes. In past years, guests partook of a sit-down dinner, but the center is trying something new this year by eliminating assigned seating. A two-hour open bar, during which hors d’oeuvres will be served, will be followed by buffet selections and carving stations
and, finally, dessert. Bartlett said the new set-up will allow guests to mingle with a wider array of community members, as opposed to just the people with whom they were sharing a table. “The planning committee saw the success of this new style of event that allows people to sit with different folks throughout the night,” Bartlett said. “You can mix with different groups, as opposed to just sitting at the same table and talking with the people you came with. It gives the community a chance to really move around and get to know a lot of other people.” Bartlett noted, however, that even though the event will not feature a sit-down meal, guests will still get their fill. “There is going to be plenty of food,” he said. “It’s going to be a very well-fed group of people.” In addition to the dinner and dancing, Indigo Ball will feature a silent auction, remarks by community leaders and an appearance by Mayor Nutter. Bartlett said about 300 people are expected to turn out for the gala, and organizers are looking to raise $100,000. Guests can also donate to the center during the event and, this year, William Way can match up to $40,000 in contributions brought in at Indigo Ball. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.waygay. org. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
BITTERSWEET BALL: William Way LGBT Community Center former board co-chairs Deb Francesco (left), Rhonda Cook (from right) and Ted Greenberg and current co-chairs Dave Michelson and Emilie Carr present the center’s former executive director, ’Dolph Ward Goldenburg, with a commemorative piece of the facility’s flooring during last year’s Indigo Ball. PGN file photo: Scott A. Drake
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Regional Graduating police class gets lesson in LGBT By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer “My reality might not be your reality, but my reality is my identity, and all you gotta do is respect that.” That was the message Jaci Adams, a member of the LGBT Police Liaison Committee, tried to communicate to the city’s incoming rookie police officers, who underwent an LGBT-awareness training this week. The 157 cadets gathered in the auditorium of the Police Academy in Northeast Philadelphia Sept. 28 to hear a presentation by committee members Adams, Fred Bostwick, Gloria Casarez, Jack Barry, Robert Tuerk, Maria Gonzalez and police liaison Deputy Commissioner Stephen Johnson. The cadet class, which graduates next week, could be the last for some time. No other cadet classes are scheduled currently because of a lack of city funding, although the committee could offer the training to “laterals” or non-rookie officers who come into the city from other areas if such a group is hired. The afternoon session kicked off with a message from Johnson, who explained his role as liaison and the duties of the committee, which works to facilitate the relationship between the LGBT community and police. Bostwick led the cadets through a presentation on the LGBT community, covering everything from the early LGBT-rights movement in Philadelphia to the layout of the Gayborhood and its gathering spots. He displayed photos of popular LGBT symbols like the rainbow flag or the pink triangle, and provided statistics on the neighborhoods with the highest populations of LGBT people, although he cautioned that the LGBT community is spread throughout the city and not just concentrated in the Gayborhood. He also reviewed preferred terminology, such as sexual orientation over sexual preference and LGBT over homosexual. The cadets were asked to voice their opinions on what makes LGBT people different or similar to heterosexuals, and several noted that more similarities than differences exist — such as the fact that LGBTs are also sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. To emphasize that LGBTs are everywhere, Bostwick asked for a show of hands of how many cadets have a family member, friend or know someone who identifies as LGBT, and nearly everyone raised a hand. When Barry took the microphone later, he asked the cadets if they’d ever had coffee or dinner with an LGBT person and, again, nearly every hand was raised. No cadet, however, raised his or her hand when asked if they were uncomfortable during the time
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Memorial for Westbury icon F r i e n d s o f l o n g t i m e We s t bu r y employee Billy Carlin, who passed away in June, are invited to a celebration of his life from noon-4 p.m. Oct. 2 at the bar, 261 S. 13th St. Carlin worked for Westbury for more than 25 years, managing the restaurant throughout the 1980s and ’90s. The Westbury will host a silent auction with Westbury nostalgia items, and the proceeds from the auction, as well as a portion of the bar proceeds, will go to the Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutritional Alliance in Carlin’s name.
Gay flag to be raised
JACI ADAMS FIELDS A QUESTION FROM A POLICE CADET AT A SEPT. 28 LBGT-AWARENESS TRAINING. Photo: Jen Colletta
they spent with an LGBT person. Casarez reviewed the current legislative state for LGBT people and detailed her role as the city’s director of LGBT affairs, offering herself and her office as a resource for the cadets. Tuerk attempted to illustrate for the cadets that LGBT stereotypes often do not hold up. An athlete himself, he noted that most of the cadets may not have considered him to be gay upon first glance, demonstrating that characterizing gay men by the extremes shown in the media could not only be offensive, but potentially dangerous for the police. The cadets were offered a unique point of view from Gonzalez, a retired police officer. Gonzalez worked for the department for 40 years — about half of which were spent as a firearms instructor at the Police Academy, and retired in 2007 — shortly after coming out as transgender. Gonzalez discussed her experiences on the force and the support she saw from most of her superiors when she made the decision to transition. While she noted she has had very few negative reactions from others over the last few years, she cautioned the cadets to not make assumptions about their fellow officers or the people they encounter in their districts, as they can’t be certain they’re not going through the same internal struggles she endured during her time on the force. The cadets were put to the test in a roleplay situation, in which Gonzalez pretended
to be a driver pulled over for a broken taillight. Gonzalez presented the two cadets who volunteered with a license with a male name and gender marker on it, and they were asked to come up with a response. In the exchange, the pair questioned Gonzalez as to how she identified and subsequently referred to her as ma’am and with female descriptors. When it was Adams’ turn to speak, she delivered a high-volume invective to demonstrate to the cadets that they need to be prepared for anything. As a former criminal herself, Adams sought to show the cadets that they can’t expect respect from the people they encounter on the street. She also criticized them sharply for the inattention she claimed some of them showed during the presentation. “Respect is worked for. And if you don’t show it to other people, you’re not getting it back.” Adams said the dearth of questions that had been asked by the cadets was unacceptable and she stressed that the committee was looking to arm the new officers with enough information so that they can protect themselves once they hit the streets. By the end of the session, several cadets stood and questioned the committee members on their own coming-out experiences and hate-crimes statistics and, when the session finished, gave the committee a standing ovation. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.
In honor of LGBT History Month, Mayor Nutter and the Office of LGBT Affairs will host the first Rainbow Flag Raising Ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 6. The raising of the flag marks the first time that a rainbow flag will fly alongside the red, white and blue ensign at any municipal building in the city. The program will include highlights of several upcoming LGBT events and initiatives this month: GLBT History Month Icons, the LGBT Elder Initiative Summit, OutFest and the LGBTQ Women of Color Conference. The Philadelphia Freedom Band, Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus and Philadelphia Voices of Pride will perform at the event, which will take place at the northwest corner of City Hall.
Clothes swap returns Swap o Rama Rama, an expansive community clothing swap, will return for its third year, this time at the Urban Outfitters Building 543, 5000 S. Broad St., from noon-5 p.m. Oct. 3. Participants can bring clothes they’re looking to get rid of and, for $20, take part in unlimited swapping at the myriad clothing tables set up throughout the festival. There will be workshops about creative reuse, kids’ activities and a juried garment exhibit. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.phillyswap.com.
Temple celebrates coming out Temple University will host its second annual National Coming Out Week festivities from Oct. 4-11 to provide visibility to the university’s LGBT community See NEWS BRIEFING, Page 9
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
Women’s group honors two LGBT leaders By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer A national women’s news service is holding its second-annual awards ceremony to honor local female leaders, and two out lesbians are among the recipients. Women’s eNews will honor 14 area women’s advocates at its 2010 Philadelphia Leadership Awards ON Oct. 20, including city director of LGBT affairs Gloria Casarez and Mazzoni Center executive director Nurit Shein. The awards pay tribute to the women and men who demonstrate a dedication to improving the lives of local women and girls, and who encourage that ideal in the individual populations with which they work. “There are a lot of women who are heads of nonprofits and other organizations who do a lot of great work with women, but we really also try to look for diversity and for areas of action,” said Women’s eNews editor-in-chief Rita Henley Jensen. “So having a woman who
works directly for the mayor and then someone who is working on the issue of health among lesbians is something that’s really crucial for so many women and they’ve been able to accomplish so much, so we’re delighted to be able to honor them.” Last year’s inaugural slate of recipients included the Hon. Ann Butchart and The Attic Youth Center executive director Carrie Jacobs, both out lesbians. The other recipients this year include Wendy Beetlestone, Alice T. Emerson, JoAnne Fischer, Patricia Giorgio, Nancy G. Klavans, Marjorie Margolies, Dr. Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Vincent Panvini, the Rev. Michelle Anne Simmons, Lorraine S. Webb, Deborah Wei, Melissa Weiler Gerber and M. Patricia West. “It’s really powerful that a guy who works with a sheet metal workers’ union to promote female candidates [Panvini] and the president of Bryn Mawr College [McAuliffe] and Nurit and Gloria are all in the same room,” Henley
GLORIA CASAREZ (LEFT) AND NURIT SHEIN PGN file photos
Jensen said. “And that’s part of our message: The women’s movement is all over. And the work that needs to be done is being done by these people right here.” Casarez said she was honored to be counted among such a diverse group of women’s advocates. “These are basically leaders
from all areas, from women’s reproductive health organizations, folks who come from the political world, people like Nurit, and it’s amazing to be recognized alongside this really accomplished group. I’m in really great company,” she said. Shein agreed that the other hon-
Philadelphia Gay News
orees are “substantial” and many have been her own personal role models. She noted that the Leadership Award, while an honor, also carries with it a duty. “What this really means to me is that there’s a responsibility that comes with being perceived as a role model, and what does being a role model mean, and how will I make use of this exposure to empower other women to be change agents in their own lives and in the lives of other people?” she said. The Philadelphia Leadership Awards will begin at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner and the awards ceremony at 7 p.m. The event will be held in the Thomas Great Hall at Bryn Mawr College, 101 N. Merion Ave. in Bryn Mawr. For more information or to make a reservation, visit www. womensenews.org. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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National
Media Trail
Judge orders lesbian reinstated to Air Force
Parents: Bullies drove son to suicide The Houston Chronicle reports an eighth-grader committed suicide Sept. 23, shooting himself in the head after enduring antigay harassment from students at Hamilton Middle School. Asher Brown’s family said he was “bullied to death” — picked on for his small size, his religion and because he did not wear designer clothes and shoes. Kids also accused him of being gay, some of them performing mock gay acts on him in his physical-education class, his mother and stepfather said. The 13-year-old’s parents, David and Amy Truong, said they complained about the bullying to Hamilton Middle School officials during the past 18 months, but claimed their concerns fell on deaf ears. School district spokesperson Kelli Durham said no students, school employees or the boy’s parents ever reported that he was being bullied.
ANOTHER BLOW FOR MILITARY BAN: Margaret Witt (center) and her partner, Laurie McChesney (left), celebrate with Sher Kung, an attorney with the ACLU, as they leave the federal courthouse Sept. 24 in Tacoma, Wash. A federal judge ruled last Friday that Witt, a flight nurse discharged from the Air Force for being gay, should be given her job back as soon as possible. AP Photo: Ted S. Warren
By Gene Johnson The Associated Press TACOMA, Wash. — A federal judge ruled last Friday that a decorated flight nurse discharged from the Air Force for being gay should be given her job back as soon as possible in the latest legal setback to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The decision by U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton came in a closely watched case as a tense debate has been playing out over the policy. Senate Republicans blocked an effort to lift the ban last week, but Leighton is now the second federal judge in the last month to deem the policy unconstitutional. Maj. Margaret Witt was suspended in 2004 and subsequently discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy after the Air Force learned she had been in a longterm relationship with a civilian woman. She sued to get her job back. Leighton hailed her as a “central figure in a long-term, highly charged civil-rights movement.” Tears streaked down Witt’s cheeks and she hugged her parents, her partner and supporters following the ruling. “Today you have won a victory in that struggle, the depth and duration of which will be determined by other judicial officers and hopefully soon the political branches of government,” the judge told her, choking up as he recalled Witt’s dramatic testimony
about her struggles. The ruling was the second legal victory in the last month for opponents of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and it throws the law into further disarray. Barring an appeal, Witt will now be able to serve despite being openly gay, and a federal judge in California earlier this month ruled the law unconstitutional and is considering whether to immediately halt the ban. While such an injunction would prevent openly gay servicemembers from being discharged going forward, it wouldn’t do anything for those who have already been dismissed. Witt’s attorneys, led by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, say her case now provides a template for gays who have been previously discharged to seek reinstatement. Gay-rights advocates say that if the government must justify each firing under “Don’t Ask,” it will mean a slow death for the policy — even if an outright repeal isn’t endorsed by Congress or the courts. The 1993 law prohibits the military from asking about the sexual orientation of servicemembers, but allows the discharge of those who acknowledge being gay or are discovered engaging in homosexual activity. The Justice Department did not immediately comment on the ruling, but James Lobsenz, Witt’s attorney, said he expected an appeal. In 2006, Leighton rejected Witt’s claims that the Air Force violated her rights, fol-
lowing precedent that the military’s policy on gays is constitutional. An appeals court panel overruled him two years later, holding that in light of a Supreme Court ruling striking down a Texas ban on sodomy, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” intrudes on the rights of gay servicemembers. For the government to discharge gays it must prove that their firings further military goals, the panel said. Leighton determined after a six-day trial that Witt’s discharge advanced no legitimate military interest. To the contrary, her dismissal hurt morale in her unit and weakened the squadron’s ability to carry out its mission, he ruled. “There is no evidence that wounded troops care about the sexual orientation of the flight nurse or medical technician tending to their wounds,” Leighton ruled. Leighton became emotional as he recalled Witt’s testimony about the support she has received from her parents since she came out to them on the eve of filing her lawsuit. “The best thing to come out of all this tumult is still that love and support,” he said. A crowd of spectators remained quiet until the judge left the courtroom, when it erupted in cheers. “I’m just so thrilled I have the chance to do what I wanted to do all along: that’s return to my unit,” Witt said. She also said that she appreciated the judge’s recognition of the many gays who continue to quietly serve in the military. ■
Senator’s office source of anti-gay slur TheHill.com reports the office of Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) confirmed Sept. 23 that an anti-gay slur posted to an LGBT blog originated from one of its computers, but said the author had not been identified. “That part of the review is ongoing, and is now in the hands of the Senate sergeant at arms,” the office said in a statement. Questions arose Sept. 22 when “All [gays] must die” was posted as a comment on Joe.My.God, a blog that covers gay and lesbian issues. Blog author Joseph Jervis, with readers’ help, traced the IP address of the post’s author to an Atlanta office building shared by Chambliss and Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.).
Key West task force to keep gays safe USA Today reports a new task force in Key West is seeking to safeguard gays from hate crimes. The Anti-Hate Crimes Task Force hopes to bring more diversity training to Key West schools following an incident last month in which a man and his boyfriend were beaten and addressed with a gay slur. The Key West Citizen reports the Gay and Lesbian Community Center also is developing an information sheet to distribute to bars, restaurants, taxi drivers and other businesses that will contain tips on what to do if attacked, and on avoiding dangerous situations. ■ — Larry Nichols
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Gayborhood Crime Watch The following incidents in the Midtown Village and Washington Square West areas were reported to the Sixth Police District between Sept. 20-25. Information is courtesy of Sixth District Capt. Brian Korn; Stacy Irving, senior director, Crime Prevention Service; Center City District; the Police Liaison Committee and Midtown Village Merchants Association. REPORT: At 8:40 p.m. Sept. 20, three males grabbed complainant’s phone and purse that were on a table outside Rana Deli, 300 S. 11th St., and fled south. The offenders were described as black males, all 12-13 years old, one wearing a white T-shirt and another wearing a black hoody. REPORT: Between 4-9 p.m. Sept. 21, complainant’s secured bicycle was stolen from 11th and Walnut streets. REPORT: At 6:30 p.m. Sept. 23, complainant was walking in the 1300 block of Locust Street talking on an iPhone when a male grabbed it and ran north through a parking lot. The robber was described as a black male, wear-
NEWS BRIEFING From Page 5 and create a safe and supportive environment for those coming out. From Oct. 4-7, tables will be stationed around campus with students giving away free NCOW T-shirts, with the logo “When did you come out?” to encourage community members to tell their stories. On Oct. 5, six out LGBT individuals will take part in a discussion panel on their experiences belonging to minority communities within the LGBT community, and the following night the school’s Queer Student Union will sponsor a movie showing at the Student Center’s Reel. The highlight events of the week will take place Oct. 11, with an equality rally at the Bell Tower, bringing together student organizations, administration and faculty to call for equal treatment of the LGBT community. A host of LGBT resources will be available at informational tables during the rally. The week will wrap up with “Come Out, Speak Out,” which allows singers, spoken-word artists and poets to share their own
ing a white T-shirt. REPORT: Between 10 a.m. Sept. 12 and 11 a.m. Sept. 23, complainant’s secured bicycle was stolen from Pennsylvania Hospital garage, 800 Spruce St. ARREST UPDATE: A second suspect was arrested in a July holdup. At 1:40 a.m. July 17, the victim was confronted by two males at 12th and Spruce streets. Armed with a razor, they demanded his valuables. The complainant resisted and was Maced by one of the males, who took his cell phone and cash. Sixth District Officer Auman responded to a 911 call and surveyed the area along with the complainant who identified a male at Camac and Spruce streets as one of the offenders. The 31-year-old suspect with a South Philadelphia address was apprehended and charged with robbery, assault and related offenses. On Sept. 24, the officer was in court at the Criminal Justice Center for this case and arrested a male in the courtroom that the complainant identified as the second offender in this robbery. The 29-year-old alleged thief with coming-out stories in a creative environment. For more information, call (215) 204-5221 or e-mail nprad@temple.edu. — Jen Colletta
Appeal filed to stop church’s demolition The Callowhill Neighborhood Association is appealing the Philadelphia Historical Commission’s decision permitting the demolition of a historically designated church owned by a local AIDS-service agency. Siloam wants to raze the Church of the Assumption, 1133 Spring Garden St., contending the vacant structure isn’t economically viable and cannot be rented or sold. Siloam provides alternative AIDS therapies including yoga, massage and nutritional counseling. Its annual budget is about $700,000, and it serves about 1,000 clients. Siloam purchased the church in 2006, as part of a package deal that also included a rectory, convent, storefront and parking area.
a South Philadelphia address was also charged with robbery, assault and related offenses. ARRESTS: Between 10-10:30 p.m. Sept. 24, Sixth District plainclothes officers arrested two males for prostitution at the following locations: 1300 Spruce St. and 300 S. 12th St. REPORT: At 9:40 p.m. Sept. 25, complainant was entering his residence in the 1200 block of Pine Street when two males approached him from behind, armed with a handgun. They demanded money. The complainant gave them some cash and they took a cell phone and fled west on Pine. The robbers were described as black males, one was 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and wearing a white shirt and jeans, the second was wearing an orange shirt.
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REPORT: Between 1-5 p.m. Sept. 24, complainant’s bicycle was stolen in the 1000 block of Pine Street. REPORT: Between 4:30-5:30 p.m. Sept. 25, complainant’s secured bicycle was stolen from the 800 block of Spruce Street. ■
In May 2009, the Philadelphia Historical Commission placed the church on the city’s Register of Historic Places, noting its distinctive architecture and ties to two saints, John Neumann and Katharine Drexel. But Siloam responded by contending the church lacks the potential for profitability, and is in danger of collapse. On Sept. 10, the Historical Commission approved Siloam’s request to tear it down. Two city advisory panels also recommended that the church be torn down. The Callowhill Neighborhood Association maintains the presence of the church has a stabilizing effect on the community and contends its demolition would detract from the area’s quality of life. The association also believes a way can be found for Siloam to sell the building. On Sept. 24, the association filed an appeal with the city’s License and Inspection Review Board to prevent the demolition. A public hearing is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Nov. 30 at 1515 Arch St., 18th floor. ■ — Timothy Cwiek
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
Editorial David and Goliath?
Last Sunday, Bishop Eddie Long, leader of the Atlanta megachurch New Birth Missionary Baptist, likened himself to David in the biblical story of David and Goliath. The married pastor of the 25,000-member church stands accused of luring young men into sexual relationships. Four men filed lawsuits against Long last week, alleging he groomed them for sexual relationships when they were 17 and 18 and plied them with international trips, cars, jewelry and cash. Long, who has been pastor of New Birth since 1987, built church membership from 150 to its current size, along with building a $50-million cathedral that seats 10,000 — a veritable empire. If anyone should be likening themselves to David — the youth who killed the giant Goliath with a slingshot — it should be the young men, not the leader of a church with 25,000 followers. In sermons, Long has denounced gay marriage and his church has counseled gays to become straight. In his Sunday sermon — available on the Internet for $3.99 — he never denied the allegations brought against him, though he said he wasn’t perfect. He continued, “We are all subject to face distasteful and painful situations. Bishop Long, Eddie Long — you can put your name in that blank — will have some bad situations.” The “distasteful situation” Long finds himself in is only complicated by the homophobic tendencies of many African-American churches (and more than a few white churches). In Long’s case, not only has he been accused of adultery, but of homosexuality (worse, in his eyes), abusing his position of power and coercing teens into sex. But Long is not the first pastor to be accused of hypocrisy when it comes to openly condemning gays and lesbians and having secret sexual relations with men (Ted Haggard is the first that comes to mind). For a millionaire preacher who claims to be anointed by God, it makes it all the more difficult to believe the antigay rhetoric he spewed. Whether one believes the Bible or not, there are far more references to the behavior of rich men than to gays. Old and New Testament alike condemn those who pursue wealth, from Proverbs 23:4-5: “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” To Matthew 19:24: “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Perhaps the bishop should remove the log from his own eye before attempting to remove a splinter from anyone else’s eye. As long as religion is used as a tool to vilify sexual minorities, gays and lesbians will be denied equal rights, LGBT youth suicide rates will remain higher than their heterosexual counterparts and gay youth — and adults — will overwhelmingly struggle to accept themselves. As a community, we cannot afford to lose our youth to suicide any longer. In just the month of September, four LGBT teens have committed suicide. ■
Creep of the Week
D’Anne Witkowski
Ann Coulter Perhaps it was Ann Coulter’s very public referral to former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards as a “faggot” that nabbed her an invitation to address a conservative gay group, or maybe it was her recent essay extolling the virtues of Ronald Reagan and his battle against “government endorsement of homosexuality.” Whatever the reason, Coulter, everybody’s favorite anti-gay fag hag, appeared Sept. 21 at her longawaited Homocon gig: a fundraiser for GOProud, a group of gay conservatives. Anti-gay right-wingers were aghast that Coulter would speak to such a depraved group and some lamented that she’d gone over to the dark side. But they needn’t have worried. Even when talking to a group of homos, she has no problem not being very nice to homos. “Marriage is not a civil right. You’re not black,” Coulter told the group. “Blacks must be looking at the gays saying, ‘Why can’t we be oppressed like that?’” Ha, ha, ha. Get it? Because gays are all rich and can afford to hire high-profile guest speakers for their big, fat, gay parties in New York City. Silly gays, always pretending to have problems bigger than where
their next martini is coming from. Oh, and also there are no black gays. LOL. WTF. It was “one of a series of racially insensitive remarks that pervaded her speech,” reported Talking Points Memo. This should come as no surprise since Coulter is widely perceived to be a racist bitch (and yes, I realize that “racist bitch” is not a strong enough term, but I’m trying to be politically correct here). So, wait — is Ann Coulter saying that civil rights only apply to black people? Apparently so. According to TPM, she told “the crowd that the 14th Amendment only applies to African Americans and that it does not, in fact, apply to women, LGBT people or other minorities.” Kind of makes me wonder if she’s actually read the 14th Amendment. Keep in mind that Coulter was made part of the event to lighten things up with her, um, humor. “The gay left has done their best to take all the fun out of politics, with their endless list of boycotts and protests. Homocon is going to be our annual effort to counter the ‘no fun police’ on the left,” said GOProud Chairman of the Board Christopher Barron. “I can’t think of any conservative more fun to headline our inau-
gural party than the self-professed ‘right-wing Judy Garland,’ Ann Coulter.” Really? You can’t think of a conservative who’s “more fun” than Ann Coulter? Maybe that means there really aren’t any “fun” conservatives. But what do I know? I’m a humorless member of the gay left doing my best to take all the fun out of politics, because of how the gay left doesn’t appreciate how hilarious it is that gays can’t get married. And don’t forget the sidesplitting debate around “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” And the laughs about hate-crimes legislation, or the fact that in many states it’s OK to fire someone for being gay, or deny them hospital visitation rights or a place to live. Stop, my sides. No, seriously. Stop. But hey, at least we’re not black, right? Am I right? [Crickets chirping.] Guys? What’s the matter? Was it something I said? Sigh. I guess I just don’t have Ann Coulter’s silver-tongued wit. ■ 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.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
Mark My Words
Mark Segal
A 40-year LGBT success story PECO, Philadelphia Electric and its national holding company, Exelon, for over 40 years has had a hands-off — if not downright homophobic — attitude toward the LGBT community. As demonstrated in a meeting last Friday, all of that has changed. On that Friday, PECO president Denis O’Brien and many of his top executives met with a group of about seven LGBT community leaders. The meeting, held in the PECO executive dining room, was an eyeopener. Mr. O’Brien had assembled an array of his executives who were actively working on LGBT inclusion within PECO, and bringing PECO into our community as an active partner. Charles Thomas explained the LGBT employee and ally group. Another executive discussed the company’s new diversity classes and another mentioned getting LGBT suppliers onboard. Then, to prove their commitment, Jeffrey Gordon, who handles PECO’s community sponsorships, stepped up to the plate and offered to sponsor the William Way LGBT Community Center’s Indigo Ball to the tune of $5,000, double what they did the previous year. This is an incredible turnaround. For those of us who had to fight to get HIV/AIDS education up on those crown lights, now have this company embracing the LGBT community proves that people are listening and our message is getting out there. For those who have little faith in the future, please take
note. Another example of success and moving forward is the LGBT Police Liaison Committee. It’s a body that’s been around for a long time but seems to only react to situations, not take a leadership role. Well, that has all changed with its new chair, Franny Price. Along with secretary Rick Lombardo and treasurer Fred Bostwick, the board is asking hard questions and getting involved in incidents, such as its fast action on the attack of a transgender woman on Sept. 19. The committee was also instrumental in getting PGN to publish the weekly Gayborhood Crime Watch, allowing you to be aware of crime in the neighborhood where you live and socialize. It also enables town-watch organizations to tailor their focus to specific locations. This body is now proactive rather than reactive. One of the marks of success of any community is that it safeguards its members. This is a great start. And, finally, a personal plug. Join me on a Mural Mile Tour and Lunch from 9:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Oct. 16, starting at McGillin’s Olde Ale House, 1310 Drury St. I’ll lend my perspective on 17 Center City murals and local neighborhoods, including the Gayborhood. Lunch at McGillin’s will follow the tour. The cost is $45 and reservations are required. For more information, call (215) 685-0754 or visit www.muralarts.org/tours. ■ Mark Segal is PGN publisher. He is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media, having just received the 2010 Columnist of the Year Award from the 2,000-member Suburban Newspapers of America. He can be reached at mark@epgn.com.
PAGE 11
Street Talk What’s the biggest obstacle to repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”?
Jordan Gulaskey student South Philadelphia
Jeffrey Holden fashion stylist Washington Square West
“Conservative Republicans in the Senate. I don’t appreciate their stalling tactics. They’re dragging their asses. But repeal of the policy is inevitable. It’s just a matter of time.”
“My guess is the top brass of the military. They’re resistant to change. They don’t want to modernize with the times. But the Old Guard won’t be running the military forever. I’m hoping the policy will be repealed within the next two to five years.”
Michael Schnitzer student Washington Square West
Aria Velz student Center City
“Religion and tradition. They’re very powerful forces in society. Religion is pretty archaic, and so is ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ I think the fact that many people in society are ignorant also plays a role.”
“Republicans, including tea-party types, who can’t get past their prejudices. Unfortunately, people are losing their jobs, and their lives in the military, while the right wing allows it to happen.”
Letters and Feedback Nice ideas: LGBT ordinances, senior housing In response to “Philly suburbs consider LGBT ordinances,” Sept. 24-30: Ms. Myers neglects to mention that the councilperson (Nancy Guenst) who was eager to spearhead this effort is her mother. — Concerned Citizen That fact was mentioned in two other articles regarding the ordinance in Hatboro. Your point is what, exactly? — oh please ... I’m proud of my mother for spearheading this issue, Concerned Citizen. I approached her as a borough citizen would approach a councilperson —
plain and simple. I “neglected to mention” to the reporter that my second toe is longer than my big toe and, when I think no one’s looking, search Google images for funny cat pictures (must have been a forgetful morning for me). Thank you for going out of your way to try and make sure everyone reading this story had the facts. It must be a little discouraging to you that the Philadelphia Gay News would put a positive spin on a story about non-discrimination ordinances — how dare they! — Ms. Myers Dear Editor: I think that a gay senior hous-
ing center would be nice [“Senior center project takes next step,” Sept. 17-23]. At first my cynical mind reeled, thinking it would probably be an impenetrable fortress of Gayborhood nepotism — housing only the Bartletts, Acostas and those who’ve been honoring each other for the last 50 years, or a bare-bones flop house for working-class barflies. Whatever the roster, though, housing is a basic right, however ghetto-ized. We should celebrate the ability to produce such a facility and support all its efforts. Sometimes things are over-scrutinized and I, and others, should accept what it simply is: a nice idea. — Augustus Finknottle Center City
PAGE 12
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 13
Gay History Month Fifty years of LGBT movement activism in Philadelphia By Marc Stein PGN Contributor This past August marked the 50th anniversary of LGBT movement activism in Philadelphia. As I recounted in my book “City of Sisterly and Brotherly Loves: Lesbian and Gay Philadelphia, 1945-1972” (originally published in 2000), the “Radnor Raid” launched the gay and lesbian movement in the region. In this extraordinary incident, Main Line police and postal officials raided a meeting held to discuss forming a gay and lesbian rights group for Greater Philadelphia. Apparently tipped off by publicity fliers about the meeting, the police arrested more than 80 people, including Jack Adair, who had arranged for the use of the Main Line estate where the meeting took place, and “Albert J. De Dion,” a New York activist who led that city’s chapter of the Mattachine Society, a national “homophile” group. Eventually everyone arrested in the Radnor Raid was released, the charges were dropped and, in the coming months, Greater Philadelphians founded their own Mattachine chapter, initiating local LGBT movement advocacy. Historical memory is often more complicated than it may seem, and the uses we
make of the past can vary greatly. When I first learned of the Radnor Raid, I regarded it as an important example and symbol of the political repression experienced by LGBT people and LGBT rights advocates then and now. I also thought it significant that the raid took place in the suburbs, which haven’t received much attention as sites of significant developments in LGBT history. Most of all, I thought the story of the Radnor Raid was important as a story of resistance, of LGBT people struggling against oppression in ways small and substantial. In the 10 years since my book was published, I haven’t changed my mind about any of these aspects of the history of the Radnor Raid. But to mark the raid’s 50th anniversary, I’d like to add another layer to the story, which centers on how I came to learn about some of the episode’s most revealing details.
I can’t remember exactly how I first learned about the Radnor Raid, but I know that very early in my research, I read contemporary reports about it in the gay press and in local newspapers. I was particularly struck by the language used in the first newsletter of the Philadelphia Mattachine Society, which declared that there was “no reason to believe” that such a raid “need ever occur again.” The newsletter continued: “This was the first time the police have ever disrupted any Mattachine meeting, and we have confidence it will be the last.” I also took note of a report by the New York activists who had been helping to organize the Philadelphia group: “Due to a misunderstanding, we were visited by the local police, who, under the misapprehension that we were showing obscene films, took the entire crowd to the police station for questioning.” Was it the defensive tone of the New York report — the insistence that the meeting did not feature the showing of obscene films — that caught my critical eye? I can’t recall now, but I know my suspicions increased when I began to hear rather formulaic and defensive language about pornography in the oral interviews I conducted with activists who remembered being at the raid or
hearing about it around the time it occurred. At least five people made a point of emphasizing to me that there was nothing obscene about the movies and other materials shown at the organizing meeting in Radnor. Now of course I knew it was possible the reason they all took pains to mention this to me was that the police had tried to justify the raid on obscenity-based grounds. And it made a certain sense that the police would emphasize this rationale for the raid; otherwise, there might have been constitutional problems with denying LGBT people’s rights of speech and assembly. But those of us who are professional historians are trained and encouraged to look critically at all of our sources of information. This is typically easier to do when reading a government report, a newspaper account or a court transcript than when listening to a set of courageous activists generously sharing their memories with a younger member of their community. Nevertheless, I found something suspicious about the stories I was hearing, and began wondering if the accounts were based on strategic narratives activists constructed to defend their actions to themselves, to their friends and See HISTORY, Page 18
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 14
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Remembering a lesbian legend By Victoria A. Brownworth PGN Contributor Jill Johnston, author of “Lesbian Nation,” died from complications of a stroke Sept. 18. Her death was announced Sept. 22 by her wife, Ingrid Nyeboe. Johnston was 81. For a whole generation, Johnston was the first out lesbian writing for a newspaper — New York City’s Village Voice — that was neither queer nor underground. She was a cultural critic, an advocate of lesbian separatism and she brought one of the major literary sexists, Norman Mailer, to his knees in public. Johnston was an iconoclast even among iconoclasts. She was out before Stonewall. She was writing about being a lesbian before it was popular. She was making out in public at literary forums. She was advocating that women leave their husbands (as she had) and insisting that all women were lesbians; some just had not yet discovered it. She stirred up anger and resentment, adoration and fealty in the burgeoning second wave of feminism, making everyone in the feminist hierarchy either acutely uncomfortable or secretly thrilled by her antics. Johnston began writing for the Village Voice in 1959, at age 30, and had a column there for 15
years. She began as a dance critic, but in the halcyon days of 1960s New York City, was encouraged to take on cultural issues as a beat. Her columns, written in all lowercase letters and with only sporadic punctuation, had the look, feel and sound of something urgent, something brewing, something about to erupt. Johnston’s writings were inherently 1960s-style revolutionary text and, for the uninitiated, definitively subversive. Like many young lesbians, I discovered Johnston while I was in high school. Johnston’s writing was public and yet many considered it dangerous. Clippings of her writings — including her infamous “coming out” column titled “Lois Lane Is a Lesbian” — found in my high-school locker were part of the materials used to expel me from Philadelphia High School for Girls for being a lesbian. But discovering Johnston was a lifeline for many of us. Her writing was a portal to the new age of open queerness. In the early 1970s, she was hitting her zenith as both writer and activist. Her openness about her sexuality and her love for women was breathtaking, groundbreaking stuff in the early 1970s — and just as highly controversial. She had a confrontational, in-your-face activist style of writing and public speaking that pre-dated groups like ACTUP and Queer Nation by decades. The now-notorious literary panel at New York’s Town Hall in 1971 was one of the most scandalous events of the entire feminist movement. A group of feminist lions — the critic Diana Trilling, NY NOW president Jacqueline Ceballos, feminist writer Germaine Greer and Johnston — took on Norman Mailer and his recently released anti-feminist tome, “The Prisoner of Sex.” It started out tame and then became a free-for-all, thanks to Johnston, who had a lover jump onto the stage and begin kissing her. A third woman then joined them and Johnston mimicked sex on the floor of the stage with her, flummoxing Mailer who demanded, “Come on, Jill, be a lady.” Mailer was trounced by Johnston’s activist approach. She later wrote about it in the Voice. When Johnston’s book “Lesbian Nation: The Feminist Solution” was published in 1973, her theories sparked a national lesbianseparatist movement. Women-only communities sprang up around
JILL JOHNSTON
PGN file photo
the country with Johnston as their progenitor. In “Lesbian Nation,” Johnston wrote: “Many feminists are now stranded between their personal needs and their political persuasions. The lesbian is the woman who unites the personal and political in the struggle to free ourselves from the oppressive institution [of marriage] ... By this definition lesbians are in the vanguard of the resistance.” It was heady stuff in those days, when marriage to a man was the goal for all women — so much so that Johnston’s approach to lesbian feminism caused a schism within the lesbian and feminist communities. Some lesbians insisted on referring to themselves as “gay” to differentiate themselves from the women who followed Johnston. Johnston spent her later years writing about art, dance and literature. And while her wife asserts that this was the writing of which she was most proud, for many lesbian feminists of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, Johnston’s manifesto on lesbian separatism was the foundation for all subsequent feminist theory. Johnston redefined how lesbians looked at their lives — not in relationship to men, but in relationship to each other. She was a pivotal, provocative figure in queer liberation — and as such, an historic icon of the movement for queer civil rights as well as the rights of women. She is survived by Nyeboe; her children from her marriage to Richard Lanham: Richard and Winifred; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Johnston married Nyeboe in 1993 in Denmark after having lived with her since 1980; the couple, who lived in Hartford, Conn., married there in 2009. ■
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
PAGE 15
Obituary Dr. Alan Barman, CBLSL co-founder, 52 By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Dr. Alan Barman, one of the founders of Philadelphia’s LGBT softball league, died Sept. 14 after a long battle with multiple myeloma. He was 52. Barman was one of several pioneering players who helped fuel the early growth of the City of Brotherly Love Softball League in the early 1980s, and remained involved until his death. Last year, Barman was tapped to be head coach of the Philadelphia East Coast Fusion, CBLSL’s softball team that traveled to Germany for the Gay Games this summer. Barman and his brother Howie organized tryouts and put together the team, but Barman learned early on that he wouldn’t be able to attend the Games because of his health. Fusion team member Ryan Merrigan first met Barman during the tryouts and kept in touch with him throughout the team’s preparation for Germany. He said Barman kept a positive attitude despite the medical challenges he faced. “He was in the hospital off and on for a while, but he’d always call and e-mail and see how things were going,” Merrigan said. “We’d talk when he was in the hospital and he’d just listen to how things were going and always tried to act like nothing was going on and that he was feeling OK.” CBLSL member Bob Lenahan met Barman about 10 years ago when he joined the league, just about the time Barman was diagnosed with cancer. He agreed that Barman never let his medical problems get him down. “He always had an upbeat attitude,” Lenahan said. “He still came out to things and supported us. He would even joke that the doctors didn’t give him very long to live, but he didn’t listen to them so he was around for another 10 years. He was a fighter.” Merrigan said Barman was overjoyed when Fusion garnered the gold medal in Germany. “He was just ecstatic. The fact that we were able to get everybody together to go was a feat in itself, and then to win the gold medal was amazing, and he was just so happy to hear it.” During the Gay Games homecoming party Sept. 21, Fusion pre-
sented Howie Barman with a jersey and gold medal in honor of his brother. CBLSL commissioner Jeff Sotland said that, since the league’s inception, Barman served as a player and coach and sponsored several teams. Sotland said that throughout his decades of involvement with CBLSL, Barman stayed true to the original mission of the league and noted that his countless contributions were also bolstered by the support of his brother, an LGBT ally. “They were a great duo to support the league, showing that the LGBT community and allies of the community stand side by side,” Sotland said. “Al never lost sight of the purpose of our league and the overriding need to have a place for the LGBT community and its allies to be able to play softball in a safe, supportive and friendly environment.” Howie said his brother played baseball throughout high school and was accepted onto the team at Cornell University, from which he
graduated in 1981 with a degree in biology, although he chose to focus on his studies instead of sports. Barman, a native of Rosedale, N.Y., went on to graduate from the College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1986. Since 1993, Barman worked as a nephrologist with Clinical Renal Associates Ltd. in Chester. Despite his budding medical career, Howie said his brother could not be distracted from CBLSL and the league’s unique mission. “He wanted to bring softball to the gay community,” Howie said. “He wanted to give people who didn’t play sports, either because they were gay or felt ostracized or were afraid to play, an opportunity to get involved and to learn how to play the game.” Howie called his brother “the greatest guy I ever met,” and Lenahan concurred that the entire CBLSL community can learn from Barman’s unwavering dedication to the league and its players. “He was very influential,” Lenahan said. “He played in all the various divisions within CBLSL, except for the women’s of course. He was very warm and inviting and welcoming to me and
to everyone. He was always looking for the league to grow, to get more people. And he promoted it outside the city as well: He played in tournaments, sponsored teams to go to tournaments and worked to bring people in to our tournaments. I think especially for the younger kids playing, he really wanted to foster a sense of community, and he did that.”
A funeral was held Sept. 16 in Media. Donations can be made in Barman’s name to the Multiple Myleoma Research Foundation by visiting www.themmrf.org. A guestbook has been set up on the site for Barman. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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Friday, July 24th, 8:00 PM: BA Shabbat service. Please join us for a lay-led BA service, followed by the oneg (social hour). Tuesday, August 4th, 7:05 PM: 7th Annual Gay Community Night at the Phillies. Join us for the game against the Colorado Rockies. Tickets are $24, checks payable to Congregation Rodeph Shalom (please indicate name, address, phone number, and the words “Phillies game” on your check.) Payment required by July 25th (no exceptions). Friday, August 28th, 8:00 PM: BA Shabbat service. Please join us for a lay-led BA service, followed by the oneg (social hour). Please watch this space for announcement of Beth Ahavah Shabbat Services schedule. Beth Ahavah and Rodeph Shalom are affiliated in spirit and share a sacred home. In July 2007 Beth Ahavah affiliated with Rodeph Shalom. Beth Ahavah retains its congregational status within the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and proudly offers its congregation dual membership at both synagogues. Visit www.bethahavah.org for additional information, programming and directions
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 16
EQPA From Page 1
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Human Rights and Human Rights Watch are petitioning the Moroccan government for a fair trial for the men and to protect their right to privacy. The groups are asking supporters to show their opposition to Moroccan authorities by sending an e-mail to petitionmaroc@hrw.org.
tions to promote GBT equality. Allyson Diane Hamm, who is based in Allentown, will serve as EQPA and HRC’s statewide organizer for Pennsylvania, conducting outreach to all four corners of the state to generate support for national and state-level pro-LGBT legislation. Paul Guequierre, HRC communications director, said the EQPA relationship marks the organization’s only current formal partnership with a state LGBT group, although a similar endeavor was employed with One Iowa several years ago. Ted Martin, EQPA executive director, said HRC reached out to his organization shortly after he took the helm of the group earlier this year to discuss options for collaboration. HRC president Joe Solmonese
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
said EQPA’s recent organizational development made the agency a viable partner for the national agency. “We are extremely excited to join Equality Pennsylvania in their great work for fairness,” Solmonese said. “EQPA clearly knows its mission and has recently undergone significant changes aimed at making it a truly effective state LGBT civil-rights organization. We recognize the importance of those changes and we look forward to working with them to make equality a reality in Pennsylvania.” Hamm, an out member of the LGBT community, is currently the vice-chair of the Allentown Human Relations Commission and vice president of the Unitarian Universalist Church’s LGBT group Interweave. She previously served as president of Pride of the Greater Lehigh Valley and as 15 the regional coordinatorPAGE for the
built a cult following in Russia despite gaining just 1.9 percent of the audience share in February. MTV in Russia also shows “South Park,” but has yet to receive any criticism from the Protestant group.
Gay is our Trans meeting middle set for Berlin Cartoons draw Russianname. ire
PGN
It was announced March 14 that the second meeting of the European Protestant groups in Moscow Transgender Council will be held are trying to shut down a cartoon this year in Germany. channel because they claim it The council, comprised promotes homosexuality and of Transgender Europe, the religious intolerance. Transgender Network Berlin and Channel 2x2 broadcasts Western TransInterQueer Berlin, will meet cartoons like “South Park,” which May 2-4 in Berlin. Their last event some believe promotes “homosexual was held in Vienna in 2005. propaganda.” Representatives from international Vitaly Vlasenki, a spokesperson activist groups and experts such as for The Consultative Council of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty the Heads of Protestant Churches International are expected to attend in Russia, said the group had sent the event and share their experiences a letter to Prosecutor General Yury in the eld of human rights and Chaika on March 12 accusing the transgender-related work. network of promoting “cruelty, The results of the Study of the violence, homosexual propaganda, Lives of Transgender people In religious hatred and intolerance.” Europe, conducted by Press for Yekaterina Doglosheveva, head Change (U.K.), will be revealed, of corporate affairs for Prof-Media, which polled more than 2,000 dismissed the criticism from the transgender people. religious group. Berlin has a diverse transgender who contributes to his community 2007 2008. Transgender “The Federal Culture and scene, andand Wigstoeckel Cinematography Agency may be United is set to organize the city able to control the activities of our council’s ofcial show and party for channel, but the Protestants cannot,” Medical the event. � Arts Bldg. Doglosheveva said. St. , can Suite 1302 at Larry Nichols be reached Channel 2x2, which 1601 also Walnut larry@epgn.com. broadcasts “The Simpsons,” has Phila. PA 19102
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Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Alliance. Hamm’s salary will be paid jointly by EQPA and HRC. She will work out of EQPA’s Lehigh Valley office when it opens, but will travel frequently throughout the state. Hamm will focus on garnering public support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act — as well as for state measures like House Bill 300, legislation currently before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives that seeks to ban LGBT discrimination — and encourage residents to contact their lawmakers about these issues. She will also spearhead a specific outreach initiative for communities of faith. With the election now just weeks away, Hamm also will urge residents to get out to the polls and support pro-LGBT candidates. “I think it’s important to have an outreach person who works throughout Pennsylvania for that increased level of involvement and interest with the issues like nondiscrimination,” Martin said. “We need to make sure our elected officials know not just that discrimination is wrong, but that there are people in this state that need them to take up their responsibility to pass laws that remedy the situation.” Hamm said her years of LGBT advocacy have prepared her for the myriad new responsibilities she’s taking on with the position. “I’ve been doing queer advocacy for over 10 years. It’s a personal passion,” she said. “I’ve done grassroots campaign work, work for candidates and work for equal rights, and GLBT rights have always been one of my biggest concerns. I’m very excited to be able to do this now in a staff position where I can dedicate more time and be even more effective with more backing and capability.” Hamm is currently seeking volunteers and interns to assist in the outreach effort, and she and EQPA will be hitting the streets at OutFest next weekend to enlist supporters. “I want to get out and meet as many people as possible,” she said. “We’re going to need help doing phone banks and other things, and I’m really looking to meet a lot of people in Philadelphia who want to get involved.” To volunteer for EQPA, contact Hamm at allyson@equalitypa.org or (215) 731-1447. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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allies, and to potentially hostile public authorities. There’s also the possibility that people are remembering the memories, rather than the events that served as the basis for the memories. Many of us have to admit that when we have told a particular story about our lives over and over, we remember the story more than the experiences that first led us to construct the story. I wondered if this was happening with the Radnor Raid. Several years after I first learned about the raid, I caught a lucky break. While doing research in the extraordinary collection of gay movement materials housed at the New York Public Library, I came across an exchange of correspondence in 1960 and 1961 between Mattachine New York leaders and Thomas Brandon of Brandon Films. In one of the letters, Brandon emphasized that he and his company were “opposed to government censorship” and the actions of the Radnor police. Nevertheless, he would hold Mattachine responsible for misusing a film booked for a showing in New York and failing to notify the company immediately about its seizure. Mattachine responded with relief that since the district attorney had finally returned all the films seized in the raid, Brandon’s film could now be returned to its rightful owners. Fortunately for me, Mattachine’s response named the film: “Muscle Beach.” I remember chuckling when reading the name of the movie, and later I identified the film as a 1950 amateur short by Joseph Strick, described in one source as “a satire on the ‘labors of relaxation’ of exercise devotees.” I also knew that one of the other films shown at the Radnor Raid was Kenneth Anger’s homoerotic avant-garde “Fireworks” (1947), which an oral-history narrator took pains to emphasize was “a film about homosexuality which had previously been cleared by the courts.” What was significant to me was not the question of whether “Muscle Beach” or “Fireworks” were obscene, but why the written accounts and the oral-history testimonies emphasized, over and over again, that they were not. No one suggested that sexually provocative, risqué or erotic materials might have been strategically useful for attracting an audience at the Mattachine organizing meeting. No one argued that the movement had sexual aims and that, in this context, sexual films were entirely
appropriate to show at an organizing meeting. No one argued that sexual films were understood to be a tool that could stimulate erotic bonds and passions, which in turn could motivate political activism. For my book, my thoughts about this became the foundation of an argument I made about the politics of respectability in the homophile, gay liberation and lesbian feminist
“No one argued that sexual films were understood to be a tool that could stimulate erotic bonds and passions, which in turn could motivate political activism.” MARC STEIN movements of the 1960s and ’70s. Denying the sexual content of the films that inspired the Radnor Raid was in keeping with the politics of respectability adopted by many (though certainly not all) activists in this period. At the same time, the very fact that activists planned to show sexual films on the night they launched the local homophile movement reminds us there has always been more to queer politics than the politics of respectability. Fast-forward 50 years to our ongoing discussions about the politics of same-sex marriage. Samesex marriage is a complicated and contested issue in LGBT communities, as it should be. Here I only want to use the story of the Radnor Raid to make one small point. When I hear proponents of same-sex marriage insist there is nothing sexual about their agenda, that marriage is about rights and not sex and that the legalization of same-sex marriage will not affect the politics of sex in general and the politics of sex education in particular, I hear echoes of the stories about the Radnor Raid. Without a doubt, these stories are strategically smart in political environments marked by hostility toward LGBT sexual expression. But it’s worth thinking more about what we lose when we tell and listen to these stories and what happens when we forget about or deny the importance of sex in our movement and our society. ■ Marc Stein’s latest book, “Sexual Injustice: Supreme Court Decisions from Griswold to Roe,” will be published in October by the University of North Carolina Press.
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
CDC From Page 1 City and five times the national average. “The incidence data for Philadelphia is very striking,” Green said. “And the fact that 71 percent of newly diagnosed people were unaware of the infection is also extremely concerning.” Green said the demographic factors of both those infected and those unaware of the infections illustrate where more work needs to be done. Demographics The CDC did not release demographic data on each geographic region but, overall, black MSM were most significantly impacted, with 28 percent of men testing positive. About 18 percent of HIV-positive participants were Hispanic and 16 percent were white. Black men were also less likely to be aware of their HIV status, with about 59 percent who tested positive not having previously been aware of the infection, compared with 46 percent for Hispanics and 26 percent for whites. HIV was most prevalent among the 40-49 age group, although awareness of HIV status increased with age. For instance, about 19 percent of the men over 50 who tested positive had been unaware of their status, compared with 75 percent of men ages 18 and 19. Green noted that the data squared with the rates in Philadelphia that show younger MSM contracting the disease at alarming rates. “This younger age group is the group in Philadelphia that is increasingly coming up as HIV infected, and they’re predominantly African American, predominantly male and predominantly MSM,” Green said. “This is a new trend for Philadelphia. In the past decade, incidence dropped among MSM as a whole and heterosexual transmission was increasing, but the numbers are going back up for MSM. And it’s trending younger; the rates in Philadelphia for those 18-24 just jump out at you.” Kevin Burns, executive director of ActionAIDS, said the CDC statistics should urge the healthcare community to more vigorously promote routine testing and may also reflect a need for more frequent testing: Currently, CDC recommends MSM be tested annually. Burns said prevention methods are needed that more effectively communicate that MSM should
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
not become complacent about HIV. “One of the things talked about in the National AIDS Strategy is the need to reengage the LGBT community about HIV. This data really substantiates that issue,” he said. “We need to educate gay men that HIV continues to be a huge issue for them and that they do need to be protecting themselves. It’s a bit discouraging that we don’t do a better job and that these numbers aren’t better, and I think that speaks to the fact that the prevention things we’ve been doing are not as effective as we’d like to think they were.” Green agreed that more intense, MSM-specific messaging is needed to curb the infection rates, especially among the younger population, and heighten awareness of regular testing. “It’s about promoting testing but also about reinvigorating prevention methods. These are people who grew up without the benefit of the more in-your-face, sex-positive messages that may be something that a gay man could recognize instead of this broader, blander messaging,” Green said. “Unfortunately, a lot of people have tuned out prevention because there haven’t been these type of messages for gay men or MSM in a very long time due to regulations and federal restrictions that don’t allow us to have depictions of sexuality that’s considered to promote homosexuality. That’s been the law for two decades now and it’s had an impact on our ability to get messages out there that are sailable to MSM, as opposed to just ‘know your status.’” Other factors The CDC also looked at standard-of-living factors, finding that HIV prevalence decreased and awareness of an infection increased with higher levels of education and income. Health care was also examined, with the CDC reporting that men without health insurance were more likely to be unaware of their status. About 81 percent of men who had not visited a health-care provider in the previous year and who tested positive for HIV had not known their status. “These numbers point to the role that access to health care plays,” Green said. “Right now, there are high numbers of people who are unemployed, uninsured and living in poverty, and that all impacts access to health care.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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Detour A departure from the ordinary
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
The Jersey
FOUR
Popular musical brings hits to life in Philly By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer The Jersey Boys are coming to Philly. And no: We’re not talking about The Situation and company doing a drunken pub/tanning-salon crawl. “Jersey Boys,” the documentary-style musical chronicling the rise and struggles of 1960s pop-rock sensations Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, has been a hit with audiences internationally since it debuted in 2005 on Broadway. And its popularity shows no signs of slowing down. “I just recently heard the show is booked through 2015,” actor Jonathan Hadley said. “This thing is just going and going.” The 46-year-old out actor plays Bob Crewe, a songwriter who co-wrote several of The Four Seasons’ biggest hits: “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” He also wrote huge hits for other artists during his career, including “Lady Marmalade” and “Devil With A Blue Dress On.”
“Bob Crewe is the genius behind the scenes,” Hadley said. “He’s their producer, manager and lyricist. So we see that in the
show they start to take off once the four of them meet with him. I often describe Bob Crewe as the “Fifth Season,” really.
He created what is their signature Four Seasons sound in the studio. While they were out singing it, he was creating it in the studio.” Crewe also happens to be gay, but his sexuality isn’t exactly a big part of the story audiences see on stage. “It’s completely in the context of 1964,” Hadley explained. “Then, nobody was out. Everybody was in the closet. The line that sums it up the best is by one of the characters, Bob Gaudio — who wrote most of the music and collaborated with Bob Crewe as the lyricist — [when he] said, ‘We knew something was different about this guy but, back then, we thought Liberace was just theatrical.’ So I think that sums up how you see Bob Crewe. He’s definitely flamboyant. I think today an audience would label him as gay, but back then he was theatrical. That’s about CREWE AND THE ‘BOYS’: (Top of page, from left) Joseph Leo Bwarie, Ryan Jesse, as specific as it gets in the show.” Both Valli and Crewe are still alive and Matt Bailey and Steve Gouveia play the Four Seasons in ‘Jersey Boys.’ (above) Actor Jonathan Hadley (from left), as Bob Crewe, plots a future hit with Bwarie and Miles kicking, both still doing what brought Aubrey. Photos: Joan Marcus them fame and fortune: performing and
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HADLEY (LEFT) AND ANDREW RANNELLS AS BOB GAUDIO
writing hits, respectively. Hadley said Crewe wasn’t involved in the creation of “Jersey Boys” per se, but he has been known to give his two cents to the production here and there. “He was not directly involved. I know he came in and saw rehearsals and workshops toward the end right before it opened before it came to Broadway. I know he made some suggestions here and there but he wasn’t as involved as Frankie and the remaining Four Seasons. I have yet to meet him, but I e-mail him on his birthday every year. We have that kind of contact.” The focus of the show is the music of the Four Seasons, who had an impressive run of hits from the early 1960s through the ’70s. And it doesn’t matter how young you are or if the group’s name doesn’t ring a bell: Somehow, some way, if you’ve ever been in an elevator or seen a TV commercial, you know a Four Seasons song. This is probably why the show is such a hit. “It attracts a huge crowd of all age ranges,” Hadley said. “I’d say the 55 and over crowd, it hits them in a different way because it’s nostalgia. It’s the music they grew up with and it reminds them of high school, their proms and their first
dates. With the younger crowd that comes, they’re responding to the songs that they’ve heard on the radio and commercials and to the story. They are also introduced to songs they didn’t know. They run out and buy the soundtrack and get into it that way. We get a huge range of people in the audience and they all leap to their feet by the end of it. I’ve never seen anything like that.” Hadley said he falls somewhere in the middle as far as his exposure to the music of the Four Seasons. “I didn’t have their records but I certainly knew their music. When I was a kid in the 1970s, they were still on the radio with their later stuff. But once I got into the show, I didn’t realize how many of their songs I knew. I think that’s something all of the audiences realize when they get here. You know almost every song in the show. You realize you’re a bigger fan than you thought you were. It keeps it in the theatrical realm, but they want you to feel like you’re at a concert. They pump up the volume and it shakes the theater and, by the end, you feel like you’re at a Frankie concert.” And while the music is big, Hadley said, the story behind it is just as powerful. “It’s one of the strongest scripts I have ever read for a musical, especially in this genre of the jukebox musical. The roles that I was auditioning for, the scripts, were great. So that was exciting. After auditioning for it, I went and saw it and was completely bowled over. I had no idea the emotional impact this JESSE (FROM LEFT), BWARIE, BAILEY AND GOUVEIA
BACK THEN HE WAS THEATRICAL: Out actor Jonathan Hadley portrays lyricist Bob Crewe in ‘Jersey Boys.’
show was going to have. The music is universal. Everybody knows the songs. “But it goes back to the story, which is about friendship, family, lifelong ties and perseverance. You get the whole story of these guys and it’s not pretty. You go through the hard stuff as well as the glamour of it. I think that’s what attracts people. By the end, they were all coming out saying, ‘I had no idea all this happened to these musicians.’” Hadley added he’s glad he landed the role of Crewe. “For me, it’s the perfect fit. He’s a great character. They’ve given me some great lines and some great scenes. And I don’t have to sing the high notes like those kids that play the Four Seasons do, like Frankie Valli, so I’m thrilled about that.” Speaking of Valli, Hadley said finding actors who can pull off the singer’s piercing falsetto night after night isn’t an easy task for the show’s producers.
“They do a nationwide search every so often. Right now they’ve got a stable of guys that do it, but it’s taken years to find that because you have specific looks requirements. You have to be a short, dark guy who can hit the high notes who looks somewhat Italian. They used to have a thing called “Frankie Camp,” where they would identify a bunch of guys and bring them all to New York for a weekend [and] they would teach them to be Frankie Valli. But we’ve got two guys that do it on our tour. One guy does six shows a week and the other does two. And then there are two understudies. So every company has about four guys that play Frankie.” The Kimmel Center presents “Jersey Boys” through Dec. 12 at The Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St. For more information, call (215) 790-5847. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
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Offline Bruce Yelk Riding the wave As with every minority group that has fought long and hard for visibility, there is a risk that those in the LGBT community may get fatigued or complacent. We can review the past 10 or 20 years and list several major victories in the struggle for equal rights. We’re riding a wave of momentum, but for every accomplishment and benchmark, those who disapprove of our lives and loves become more motivated to reverse the tide. From advocacy on complex federal issues to living “out and proud,” each day presents an opportunity to be active participants in the LGBT movement — starting right here in Philadelphia. In the next couple of weeks, I suggest that each of us participateS in a local community-building event. From fundraisers to networking events, the strength of our community, as well as the individuals and organizations that fight for our rights, will only grow with our support. Here are some events I recommend: — Book signing with Mitchell Gold, 7-9 p.m. Oct. 1 at HOST Interiors, 205 Arch St. This evening, openly gay celebrity, design icon and author Gold is appearing at HOST Philadelphia Furniture and Home Décor for an exclusive party in celebration of his new book, “The Comfortable Home.” Gold co-authored the book with business partner Bob Williams. Gold will also sign his earlier book, “Crisis: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up Gay in America.” — “Broadway Bound: An Evening of Cabaret,” 8-10 p.m. Oct. 2 at Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James St. Tomorrow night, local LGBT vocal group the Philadelphia Voices of Pride will take the stage. Hosted by drag personality Cherry Cola, the group will perform classics like “The Little Mermaid,” “Westside Story” and “Nine,” among others. Admission is $20, and guests are invited to meet the performers after the show.
— New Hope-Lambertville AIDS Walk, 9 a.m. Oct. 3 in New Hope. There is no place in the five-county region that’s more breathtaking and serene than LGBT Philadelphia’s home away from the city, New Hope. This Sunday, Fighting AIDS Continuously Together (FACT) Bucks County will host the 11th annual New Hope-Lambertville AIDS Walk. The route will take participants through downtown New Hope and on scenic back roads. For more information, visit www.factbuckscounty.org. Consider this a warm-up for the Philadelphia AIDS Walk on Oct. 17. — Rainbow Flag Raising with Mayor Nutter, 1:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at the northwest corner of City Hall. Nutter has been incredibly supportive of Philadelphia’s LGBT community since taking office. On Oct. 6, he will take another unprecedented step to illustrate his support. In honor of Gay History Month, he will lead Philadelphia’s first-ever Rainbow Flag Raising at City Hall with Gloria Casarez, the city’s director of LGBT Affairs. This event is certain to draw plenty of press coverage and attention from local elected officials whose support we can’t live “equally” without, so it’s critical that we have an impressive turnout. — OutFest Block Party, noon-6 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Gayborhood. As one of gay Philadelphia’s most popular and anticipated annual events, OutFest is a fun and entertaining block party. Alongside the live performances, dancing, food and cocktails will be the infrastructure that makes our community one of the most vibrant in the country: Nearly every LGBT nonprofit and service organization will be on hand to share its mission and recruit new volunteers. If you’re looking to help out a new organization, mark your calendar for Oct. 10. Visit www.phillypridepresents. com for details. That should get you started. I’d love to hear your stories of community engagement; share them with me at byelk@nightlifegay. com. ’Til next time, get offline and see what your community has to offer! ■
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
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Beauty ‘queen’ to make Philly debut By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer Already a hit with theater and cabaret audiences in Provincetown, Mass., Atlanta, Chicago and New York, the performer known far and wide as Miss Richfield 1981 will perform in Philadelphia for the first time Oct. 7-9 at Society Hill Playhouse’s Red Room. The former Midwestern beauty queen and all-around laugh riot was cooling her heels in her trailer in her hometown of Richfield, Minn., when PGN caught up with her to talk about what fresh and inappropriate hilarity she plans to unleash upon the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. PGN: What is it about Midwestern beauty queens that people find so fascinating? MR: I can’t explain it either! Perhaps it’s my subtle natural beauty, my booming baritone vibrato or my consistent use of the Pamprin with codeine that I get from Mexico. PGN: Do you have any advice for the newer beauty queen-types out there like Carrie Prejean? MR: Something my mother told me as a child: “Always pack a smile in your handbag! Because you can lose your money, you can lose your lipstick and you can lose your dignity, but as long as you’ve got a smile, you’ll always be able to find some trucker to give you a ride home!”
question! PGN: What’s wrong with your politicians over there in Minnesota? MR: Hmm, not really into politics! I’m too busy living life to be reading about it! But personally, I think that crazy Jesse Ventura proved that we’re not afraid to try something different and the good Sen. Al Franken proves that we like fun! Not to mention we’ve been blue since the late ’70s. PGN: What is the message behind your new show, “Asians and Homos and Jews ... Oh My.” MR: The brothers are running the show now and it’s time to get along! So I’ll be reaching out, but not touching, those who are different in color, religious beliefs and even physical capabilities. Nobody is left out of this show, which I promise will go to new depths because it’s a new world out there! PGN: Who do you draw inspiration from for your performances? MR: My idols are Mother
PGN: A lot of our readers are excited that you’re coming to town. Have you ever visited Philadelphia? MR: I was in the Philly area a number of years back for the 52nd Annual National Lutheran Bingo Callers Convention. We had wonderful and affordable accommodations at the Club Body Center on Chancellor, as I recall. I remember it as a friendly place with sort of a late-night clientele, and all the towels you needed! I hope it’s still there! PGN: What is the significance of the “1981” in your name? MR: A beauty pageant, of course! I was crowned on a plywood stage in Richfield, Minn. That’s where I received my title as a result of my floor-length polyester gown, a handsaw and a small fire that horribly disfigured the other 11 contestants. Next
Theresa and that Christian gal on “The View.” But I live by the book “That Girl In Your Mirror,” which is authored by Vonda Kay Van Dyke, Miss America 1965. A good Christian woman who captured this esteemed title, Vonda had one lung removed, then continued on a career as a ventriloquist and mother! PGN: Do you ever worry about imposters going around pretending that they are you? MR: Not really, because they’d have to look like they’re from Richfield and I think that’s a look I’ve mastered. You can’t duplicate my hair that’s jacked up to Jesus and sprayed to France! My naturally raven bouffant is always at its best because I wrap it in toilet paper and sleep on my face!
PGN: Has Hollywood ever come knocking on your trailer door wanting to make you a huge star? MR: Constantly, but I’m seldom there! My church, A Mighty Fortress Lutheran Church in Richfield, has me on the road most of the time, so I’m hardly home for more than a few days. They’re always working on a special collection to buy me another bus ticket to go someplace else — one way, of course — you know it’s Jesus and he isn’t made of money! At the price of Greyhound tickets, I
must motor through the country alone. But I am not lonely, as I always sit in front and visit with the driver. PGN: Do you think you’ll ever move out of the trailer park or Minnesota? MR: No, not since I took the wheels off my trailer two years ago and planted some nice geraniums around the hitch. I’m here to stay! Miss Richfield 1981 performs at 8 p.m. Oct. 7-9 at Society Hill Playhouse’s Red Room, 507 S. Eighth St. For more information, visit www.societyhillplayhouse. org or www.missrichfield.com. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
PGN: Is there a big difference in the shows you perform in the U.S. and the shows you do internationally? MR: Not usually. Although when I’m in Canada I always tell the jokes twice.
JOIN US AT THE WESTBURY Oct. 2nd 12pm – 4pm
PGN: Do you find that younger audiences are easier to offend with off-color humor? MR: Off-color? What are you trying to say? I’m always in an appropriate color. If you look closely, I always wear white patent leather shoes, because they make my feet look small. And then I insist on a matching handbag and gloves. So color has never been an issue for me. Now young people, yes, they are sometimes a problem — children in particular. I don’t care for them, as they’re often sticky and I have such nice things! I think that covers it.
“A Celebration of Life”
PGN: Who is the most famous person you’ve ever seen in the audience at one of your shows? MR: Chita Rivera came to my show in New York City last summer and brought her family. Originally hailing from Puerto Rico, Chita is my favorite Mexican in the world!
MISS RICHFIELD 1981
ensuring that all my gowns are machine washable, fire-resistant and made in the Philippines, where the children really know quality stitching.
PGN: Where do you find your fancy clothes? MR: You may find this hard to believe, but I don’t shop on the sale racks. I wait until the clothes are heaped on tables or in large barrels. That’s when you get the deals. And I am strict about
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Family Portraits Impresario [from Italian, literally: one who undertakes; see “impresa”]: A sponsor who books and stages public entertainments, promoter, showman. They’re all apt descriptions of Philly’s own impresario, Dan Contarino. (The thesaurus also lists “exhibitioner, shower, organgrinder and pornographer” as synonyms, but we’ll skip those for now ...) Contarino was the mastermind behind Shampoo Nightclub’s Shaft Friday parties and, over the last couple decades, has created close to 1,000 events and raised over a quarter-million dollars for charity. And, at 42, he still turns heads with his supermodel looks. PGN: Where are you originally from? DC: I was adopted when I was an infant and grew up on a 100-acre farm in Mullica Hill, N.J. My parents sent me to a very small Catholic school for grade and high school. I only had 74 people in my graduating class and only about 300 in the whole school. PGN: When did you learn that you were adopted? DC: I knew all along growing up. I recently found part of my birth family and just met my mother and my grandmother for
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
Suzi Nash the first time. It’s funny: With my adopted family, both my mom and my dad had large families, seven brothers and sisters on each side. My mom lost two children in pregnancy before the third survived. When my brother was in high school, they wanted more kids so they adopted my older sister and me. We’re not biologically related. Most of my adopted family — parents, aunts, uncles — are all a generation older than me, so I’ve been the youngest for a long time. Now I found out that I’m the oldest of three brothers! About a year ago, I met my younger brother, who’s about six years younger than me. We look identical! He and his wife came up to visit and a lot of my friends got to meet him. It was very surreal. And there’s a second brother we haven’t met yet. PGN: So what was life like on the farm? DC: [Laughs.] It wasn’t much of a life! I baled hay after school and all summer long. PGN: What did they grow? DC: At first it was a lot of soybean and barley but, in the ’70s, the prices fell off and they switched to straw and hay. We supplied feed to a lot of the horse-racing farms in the area. My mom also had antique shops
in Mullica Hill. PGN: Any animals? DC: When I was a baby they did, but growing up it was all Siamese cats and poodles. PGN: [Laughs.] Well, no wonder you’re gay! How did you get off the farm? DC: After I graduated high school, I had a scholarship to the University of Delaware, but I was going through some rough times. This was in 1986 and things weren’t as open as they are now. I decided to take a year off before college and I moved to Atlantic City. At that time the gay scene wasn’t great there, but it was growing. I was only 18, but I got a job at the Tropicana, so most of the people I hung with were in their 30s. Unfortunately, it was also the height of the AIDS epidemic and I lost a lot of friends. Sometimes it feels as if my past is gone. I must have buried over 20 friends over the years. But despite that, it was a great time and, thank God, I’ve still been negative after all these years. PGN: How did you come out? DC: I guess I was always out, but it’s hard to define. I was molested over a period of time starting when I was 6. It was difficult because people didn’t believe me.
DAN CONTARINO Photo: Suzi Nash
PGN: I saw Todd Bridges on “Oprah” and he also spoke about being abused. He said that it wasn’t the abuse that sent him into a tailspin, it was the fact that when he told his father, his dad called him a liar. DC: Yeah, it caused a real rift in the family because half of them believed me and the other half didn’t. For years, I felt guilty because I thought that I’d been the cause of the family breaking apart. I guess the good thing that came out of it is that I’m a “Gold-
Star Gay,” because I’ve never slept with a woman! PGN: What was your first job? DC: I was a valet driver at Tropicana. Then I started working at the brasserie in the casino. One of my best friends was doing marketing for John Schultz, who owned Studio Six and the Brass Rail. My friend used to get me in even though I was underage and I got to hang out with people like Joan Rivers, Dom DeLuise and Peter Allen. Jade Starling was one of my good friends and her song, “Catch Me I’m Falling,” was a big hit. I would go to see her and Divine and a bunch of others perform live at Studio Six and it got me hooked on the club scene. That was phase one. After that, I moved to Philadelphia and worked at a couple of restaurants. A few friends of mine who lived in Ft. Lauderdale invited me to spend my 21st birthday there. I loved it and, a week later, I packed my Hyundai and moved to Florida. I got a job modeling and bartended at the Copa while running a car-detailing business on the side. I also did some veejaying at the Cathode Ray Club, which was really hot back then. At the time, South Beach was just starting to take off and I started bartending and then throwing events at the Warsaw Ballroom and the Torpedo Bar. That was around 1991 and it was the beginning of my career in promotions. PGN: Tell me about North Beach. I remember the sand at the opening party!
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
DC: When I came back to Philly, there was a place on Delaware Avenue called The Beach Club that, believe it or not, is sitting under where the SugarHouse casino is now. We had big plans and a full schedule of events to make it “the” gay place to go in the summer and called it “North Beach.” We had a big grand opening and, two days later, they had to close down. Unbeknownst to us, part of the property was on the SugarHouse land, which was in bankruptcy court, and a federal judge closed the club while they sorted it out. It sat there with all the tables and bars, sound equipment and lighting for a couple of years. I had events scheduled with RuPaul and Grace Jones, and with Diane Lusk and the Ladies events, but it worked out OK for me because I was able to move them over to [Club] Egypt and I developed a good relationship with the owners there. When they later opened up Shampoo in 1998, I did the promotions for them and started the Shaft Fridays, which I think I’m most known for. PGN: How great is Grace Jones? I met her a few times and was surprised at how sweet she was. She comes across in public as such a diva, but she was very kind. DC: She’s great. When I was at the Copa, I did stage security for her and we became
Q Puzzle Can I Have Your Number Across
1. Story of Greeks that busted some Trojans 6. All-night bash 10. She played with Sherman on “The Jeffersons” 15. Brando’s last one was in Paris 16. Zip 17. Standard of excellence 18. Charlize Theron’s “Monster” award 19. Patriot’s place 20. Suffix with Beatle 21. Edward Albee play of 1991 24. Saviors 25. Require a bottom? 29. Dines at home 34. Crowds around 35. Susan Feniger main dish 40. “Otello” villain 41. Jane Bowles novel of 1943 44. Muscle Mary’s pride 45. Sea food? 46. Last inning, usually 47. Preposition for Byron 48. Tempting location 49. Where to find gay. com, with “the” 50. “Our” in a crime name
friends. A funny story: When she was on tour with “The Wiz,” she called me because there was a presidential summit in town and she couldn’t get a room at the hotel she wanted until they left. She was staying across the street in the Embassy Suites and, as soon as a room opened up, she asked me to help her carry her bags over to the Four Seasons. It was my second week doing Shaft Fridays and she came over and made an appearance for me. She’s an amazing performer. PGN: Before Gaga there was Grace! So what was the most extravagant party you did? DC: Philadelphia was the first leg of Madonna’s U.S. “Drowned World” tour and I did the kick-off party. It was a twonight event and we had about 7,000 people attend. We honored her career by turning Shampoo into a history of Madonna. The garden had a Jacuzzi with mermaids, one room was the “Sex” room, another was made to look like the church from “Like a Prayer” and I had a Dick Tracy-style cab. The Drowned World tour is when she did the country thing, so I had 1,200 bales of straw delivered to the club and two-dozen horses outside. We had multiple performances as well, Noel Zayas got the kids from UArts to do a vogue dance number,
53. Lip service? 56. Appropriate 57. Rita Mae Brown novel of 1978 62. Mate in Montreal 63. Abound (with) 65. Reserved 66. “___ ever so humble ...” 67. Peril for Patty Sheehan 68. Hard stuff in your mouth 69. Climactic start 70. Uses the tongue too much 71. Most in need of BenGay 72. Org.
Down
1. Simpson trial judge Lance 2. Avoid premature ejacu-
lation 3. Nothing to brag about 4. Tutti-frutti ingredient 5. “The Sound of Music” song 6. Takes five 7. Box to Vidal 8. “Grease” singer Frankie 9. ___ Gay 10. Brunch cocktail 11. Sandler of “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” 12. Surrealist Magritte 13. Reclined 14. Home st. of Harper Lee 22. Conger catcher 23. Cart part 25. Respondents to 911 26. “___ lay me ... ” 27. Choice piece of meat 28. State with conviction
we had a gospel choir and we even had Madonna’s actual background singers perform live. Tracey Young, who does Madonna’s remixes and spun at her wedding to Guy Ritchie, was a guest DJ. It was a $120,000 production. PGN: What was the most outrageous outfit you’ve worn? DC: Every Halloween, we’d have a “Go to Hell” party at Shampoo. One year, I decided to go in drag. I got a big witch’s hat and hot-glued four black boas around the rim and put on these big glasses. It was great, no one recognized me. When I pulled up at Shampoo, my security guard almost wouldn’t let me park because he didn’t know who I was. PGN: What are you doing now? DC: I’m becoming a managing partner at Darling’s Diner at the Piazza. We’ve had a successful first year and we are going national with our famous cheesecakes soon. We’ve expanded our catering and we’re excited by our relationship with the SugarHouse casino. I still do club events: I’m doing the monthly Ultra Friday parties at Voyeur. We have DJ Eddie Baez down from New York, trivia in the lounge with Natasha from 9 p.m.-midnight, classic and house music with Lee Jones until 3 a.m. 30. Cleans (up) 31. “Samson et Dalila” composer 32. Response to a joke, with “it” 33. Enjoy some ladyfingers, e.g. 36. Winged goddess 37. ___ the line (conformed) 38. Queens do this 39. Where to see sweaty athletes 42. They have big mouths 43. She got her gun 50. Like a metrosexual 51. Type of queen 52. Nurses’ assistants 53. Went down on a body part 54. What a guy does nocturnally
See SOLUTION Page 33
PAGE 27
and hip-hop on the mezzanine. It’s a lot of fun. PGN: Random questions. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? DC: Probably my temper. I’d like to learn to be more patient. PGN: What do you do to relax? DC: I like to Rollerblade. I was going to the gym regularly, but I’ve let that slip. I need to get back with all of the cheesecakes around here. I’ve got to watch my figure you know! PGN: What actor should play your life story? DC: If he were alive, I’d love it to be James Dean. PGN: An artist you’re embarrassed to admit you like? DC: Eminem. PGN: Worst tasting food? DC: Sushi. I can’t do raw fish. The best tasting food is stone crab claws. Love them. See PORTRAIT, Page 33
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Last month, PGN won two more journalism awards. This year alone, PGN has garnered top honors from almost every major national journalism organization. The recent awards, from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, are
Excellence in News Writing Award Excellence in Photojournalism Award Other recent honors include:
Best Column Writing Best Feature Photo Arts & Entertainment Writing — Feature Health and Medical Writing Editorial Writing Commentary PGN is the most award-winning LGBT publication in the country. Our slogan for nearly 35 years says it all: Honesty, Integrity, Professionalism. Week after week.
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Philly Fashion Week expands for second year By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer Philadelphia Fashion Week returns for a second year — growing from the single-day event it was last year to four days of runway shows and entertainment Oct. 6-9. Charlie Smith, director of productions for Philadelphia Fashion Week, said last year’s event laid the groundwork for the event to be bigger this year. “Last year we really created a great formula,” he said. “We took the year to put the concept together. So this year, there are challenges that come up, but the formula was already written and it was like adding variables into the equation. So it makes things easier.” S m i t h ’s p a r t n e r, M i c h a e l Anderer, executive creative director of Philadelphia Fashion Week, said that while this year’s event is reaching further into the international fashion community, it still maintains its focus on local fashion talent. “We’re trying to support designers that are from Philadelphia who design and produce in Philadelphia,” Anderer said. “But we’re also trying to attract a lot of international interests or renowned designers that are looking to expand in the Philadelphia market. So they’re using Philadelphia Fashion Week as an event to showcase for the buyers in Philadelphia in hopes of being picked up and carried in their stores.” Added Smith: “This year, we built upon that concept to add designers that we thought would be appropriate for the Philadelphia client or the Philadelphia fashionista. So we included designers from all different countries. We have nine countries represented. And all of the designers, wherever they’re from, we feel fit the style-conscious person in Philadelphia.” Of course there will be some LGBT talent on display and behind the scenes at Philadelphia Fashion Week. One of the out designers Anderer and Smith are excited about this year is Dieter de Cock, who is designing for Cold Method of Amsterdam. “It’s his first season designing for Cold Method,” Anderer said. “He’s been a very renowned designer for the past six years in Europe, designing lines such
as Viktor & Rolf and also Blue Blood. Now he’s moved on to Cold Method as his new baby. Having watched Cold Method for the last two years, you can tell Dieter’s influence on it in the styling of the entire collection. I think he’s somebody who’s going to make a name for himself very soon.”
PHILADELPHIA FASHION WEEK 2009 Photo: Chris Gabello
When asked if being so close to a fashion mecca like New York City had any effect on their fashion event, Smith said that people should see Philadelphia Fashion Week as its own thing, as it has little in common with the Big Apple. “New York’s Fashion Week is industry-based and what we saw was it’s very hard for the general public to enjoy Fashion Week,” he said. “It’s a very-VIP experience. We also recognize that trying to recreate New York in Philadelphia would never work. So we created our fashion week and we look at it as a forum to celebrate all the arts in Philadelphia, but with an emphasis on fashion. With that kind of approach, designers are excited to participate because they see it as a cultural experience as well as a way to get their brands known within a new market.” Philadelphia Fashion Week runs Oct. 6-9 at the 23rd Street Armory, 22 S. 23rd St. For more information and a list of events, visit www.philadelphiafashionweek.org. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
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FRIDAY Troy Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom star in this epic based on Homer’s “The Iliad.” 8 p.m. on AMC. Real Time with Bill Maher The talk show hosted by the outspoken comedian. 10 p.m. on HBO. Fashion Police Joan Rivers discusses the week’s notable fashions. 10:30 p.m. on E! THAT CAN BE ARRANGED: “The Arrangement,” the first-ever floral-design competition series (that’s right ... competitive gardening), pits 10 talented designers against each other in a series of over-the-top challenges. Case in point: Episode one finds judge Eric Buterbaugh (from left) and host Gigi Levangie Grazer deciding how well contestants Jenny and Guillermo mastered decorating a naked sushi model with floral arrangements in their first mini-challenge. Personally, we think Logo would have done a lot better with a competitive naked sushi modeling show, but nobody listens to us. Anyway, catch the series premiere at 11 p.m. Oct. 4 on Logo. Photo: Gabe Alaaya/Logo
worth watching: The Ellen DeGeneres Show Monday-Friday, 3 p.m. on NBC. The Rachel Maddow Show Monday-Friday, 9 p.m. on MSNBC.
SATURDAY Contact Jodie Foster stars in the sci-fi drama. 8 p.m. on Encore. Hairworld: The Pursuit of Excellence Highlights (Get it? Highlights?) from the 2006 Hairworld Championships in Moscow. 8 p.m. on Logo. Saturday Night Live Bryan Cranston hosts and Kanye West performs. 11:30 on NBC. SUNDAY Desperate Housewives 9 p.m. on ABC. Brothers and Sisters
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OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
Look for out characters Kevin and Scotty in this episode where Luc’s career as an underwear model takes off. 10 p.m. on ABC. MONDAY How I Met Your Mother Out actor Neil Patrick Harris stars as the womanizing Barney, who this week is trying to woo Ted into a design job. 8 p.m. on CBS. Dancing with the Stars Look for out comedian Margaret Cho. 8 p.m. on ABC. The A-List: New York The lives of New York’s gay elite are at the center of this new reality series. 10 p.m. on Logo. Thintervention Out fitness guru Jackie Warner stars in this fitness series. This week, she suspects some of her clients are cheating on their diets. 10 p.m. on Bravo.
Glee The kids engage in a theological discussion. 8 p.m. on Fox. Inside the Actor’s Studio This new episode features Betty White. 8 p.m. on Bravo. Flipping Out Out house-flipper Jeff Lewis stars in this reality series. This week, Jenni tries to save her job by finding Jeff’s lost dayplanner. 9 p.m. on Bravo. WEDNESDAY America’s Next Top Model Look for out fashion experts J. Alexander and Jay Hernandez in this reality modeling competition. 8 p.m. on CW. Top Chef: Just Desserts There are a few openly gay contestants in this spin-off of the cooking competition show, which focuses on desserts. This week, the chefs must make flaming desserts. 10 p.m. on Bravo.
The Arrangement A reality show about flower arranging. 11 p.m. on Logo.
THURSDAY Grey’s Anatomy The gay-friendly medical drama. 9 p.m. on ABC.
TUESDAY Biggest Loser Look for out trainer Jillian Michaels. 8 p.m. on NBC.
Project Runway Openly gay Tim Gunn hosts this reality fashion competition. 9 p.m. on Lifetime. ■
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Grammy-winning singer to perform at womyn’s conference By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer Elements Organization hosts its second annual LGBTQ Womyn of Color Conference Oct. 7-10 at various locations throughout the city. Last year’s inaugural conference drew over 150 participants from across the country. The theme for this year’s conference is “Crossroads and Crosswinds: Connecting Across Race and Space,” and features workshops, film screenings, keynote addresses and parties aimed at serving and addressing issues for LGBTQ womyn of color in Philadelphia. Grammy-winning singer Dionne Farris is scheduled to perform at the conference along with other singers and spoken-word artists. Farris said she’ll be contributing her best asset: her voice. “I’m going to be using my art as God has given it to me to do,” she said. “My purpose is to sing and that’s what I was called to do. So that’s probably what I’ll be doing.” Adrienne N. Williams, coexecutive director of Elements Organization, stressed how important it is to have artists and performers participate in the conference. “We just want to show the community that we have support from an ally like Dionne Farris who is saying, ‘You’re doing something great in your community. I’ll be a part of that.’ When the call to action was brought to her, the way that she signed on was awesome. So I think it’s great to show that our community can have something great that crosses across spectrums. It’s great for our community and our allies.” Farris’ manager, William Burke, brought the conference to Farris’ attention and said he believes that art, especially when used in events like this one, often bridges the differences people have in ideas and ideals. “Throughout history, we found that art forms such as music have become a universal language. So even when people are divided, music has a way of unifying people and helping to bridge the language barriers and help people to
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relate better to one another,” Burke said. The themes for this year’s workshops include issues addressed at last year’s conference such as race, gender expression and spirituality, as well as some newer subjects. “We’ll definitely reach all those points,” Williams said. “Social justice is also new this year and finding a way we can lift our voices nationally.” The keynote speakers for this year’s conference include Van Nguyen, a youth educator and community member; Coya Artichoker, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and founder of the 2-Spirit First Nations Collective; and Marquita Thomas, founder of the Serafemme Queer Women of Color Music Festival. Additionally, Gloria Casarez, the city’s director of LGBT Affairs, will speak at an Intergenerational Brunch at 10 a.m. Oct. 9. Both Farris and Williams were clear and concise about what they wanted participants to take away
from the conference. “For me, gratitude,” Farris said. “I hope people are grateful that I’m able to share with them what I do. I hope that I will be able to give something for someone to hold on to beyond the conference. I’m hoping that what is supposed to be exchanged will be exchanged.” “I hope people take away a sense of unification,” Williams added. “I hope they feel like their community has heard that they have a voice. This concert is for the constituency to come together and to celebrate who we are.” Elements Organization presents the Second Annual LGBTQ Womyn of Color Conference Oct. 7-10, with most events taking place at American Friend’s Service Committee Building, 1501 Cherry St. For a full list of events, activities and participants or to purchase tickets, call (610) 297-4282 or visit www.ourelements.org. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
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OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PORTRAIT From Page 27 PGN: How do you come up with ideas for event themes? DC: Believe it or not, I have boxes of tear sheets. I used to buy magazines from all around the world and, when I saw something that inspired me, or a good idea that someone else tried, I’d rip it out and file it. I’d spend about $100 a month on subscriptions. I’d have them filed under fashion, outrageous themes, crazy ideas, etc. I’ve been doing it for 15 years, so I have a lot of material to pull from. PGN: Are you a pack rat or purger? DC: I’m a pack rat, borderline hoarder. I collect anything with James Dean, Marilyn Monroe or Madonna. It’s taken over my house.
PGN: An event from the past you wished you’d been able to attend? DC: The first Live Aid concert at JFK Stadium. Everyone was there, from Mick Jagger to the Beach Boys to Run DMC. Madonna was introduced by Bette Midler and performed three songs. I would love to have been there. PGN: Earliest recollection you have of your mother/father? DC: My cousins used to pick on me because I was the runt of the group. One time I fell through the ice on the lake and no one helped me, they just walked back to the house. I remember my dad pulling me out of the water. That’s my first memory. PGN: What gift do you hate getting? DC: Any of them: I’m not good at receiv-
ing gifts. I love to give presents, but I’m uncomfortable getting them. PGN: And I would think you’re in a profession where people would give you stuff all the time. DC: [Laughs.] No, they all just want to be on the guest list and they want free drink tickets. PGN: A profession that you’ve never pursued that you think you’d be good at? DC: A priest or a vet. I love animals. I have a Dogbook page on my Facebook account for my boxers Madonna and Lourdes (Maddie and Lola for short, mother and child). Unfortunately, I lost Maddie about two months ago. They were show dogs and used to perform at the clubs. I still have Lola. PGN: You were born on Dec. 21. What’s
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the best thing about being a Christmastime baby? DC: My Carvel ice cream cake that I always get for my birthday. PGN: What era do you wish you could live in? DC: I guess the late ‘20s, back when places like the Cotton Club were hot. It would be amazing to be there on a Friday night. PGN: I love what I do because ... DC: I love to make people happy. My goal is to give them a journey, so that it’s not just a night out, it’s an experience they can tell their grandkids about. ■ To suggest a community member for “Family Portraits,” write to: Family Portraits, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 or portraits05@aol.com.
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Diversions
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
Your guide to arts and entertainment Theater
PGN
Carrie Brat Productions presents out actor Erik Ranson playing the titular role in the stage version of this horror classic, Oct. 2-Nov. 7 at Underground Arts at the Wolf Building, 340 N. 12th St.; (215) 627-2577.
Pick
Music
The B-52s The campy (and queer) alternative-rock band performs at 8 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St.; (610) 7845400.
Church Girl The musical story about a seemingly wholesome daughter of a prominent pastor, who is seduced by the charms of a worldly life, runs Oct. 5-10 at Merriam Theatre, 250 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.
Marc Anthony The Latin pop star performs at 8 p.m. Oct. 1 at Mark G. Etess Arena, 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City; (609) 449-1000.
Curtains The Walnut Street Theatre presents the murder whodunit set against the backdrop of a musical theater production circa 1959, through Oct. 24, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Bristol Riverside Theatre presents the classic tale of horror adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, through Oct. 17, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol; (215) 785-1000. Ghost-Writer Arden Theatre Company presents the story of a dead novelist and his secretary, who is still taking dictation from him, through Nov. 7, 40 N. Second St.; (215) 922-1122. Intimate Chaos The Philly Urban Theatre Festival presents the drama exploring lesbian relationships through Oct. 2 at Adrienne Theater, 2030 Sansom St.; www.putf.org. John and Jen Act II Playhouse presents a musical exploring the complexities of relationships between brothers and sisters and parents and children, set against the background of a
Jen Childs, Oct. 7-31 at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St.; (215) 592-9560.
Teenage Fanclub The alternative-rock group performs at 9 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; (215) 9226888.
The bombastic garage/glam-rock band Semi Precious Weapons, featuring bisexual singer Justin Tranter, is spending its short down time between tour dates opening for Lady Gaga with a headlining trek titled, The Dirty Showbiz Tour, which hits town at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St. For more information, visit www.semipreciousweapons.com or call (215) 787-0488.
changing America between 1950-90, through Oct. 17, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler; (215) 654-0200. Little Shop of Horrors New Candlelight Theatre presents the musical about a large talking plant with the taste for human blood, through Oct. 30, 2208 Millers Road, Ardentown, Del.; (302) 475-2313. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest People’s Light and Theatre Company presents a drama about a man who thinks he’s beaten the system by getting himself incarcerated in a state mental hospital instead of serving a prison term on a work farm, through Oct. 16, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern; (610) 644-3500.
Philly Fan The Kimmel Center presents the one-man show that takes the audience on a journey through Philadelphia sports history of the last 50 years, through Oct. 31 at Innovation Studio, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 7905847. The Threepenny Opera Arden Theatre Company presents the outrageous musical where whores and thieves prowl the streets of London, through Nov. 7, 40 N. Second St.; (215) 922-1122. Titus Andronicus Plays and Players Theatre presents Shakespeare’s first tragedy, through Oct. 2, 1714 Delancey Place; (215) 735-0630.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Theatre Horizon presents the Tony Award-winning musical through Oct. 3 at Centre Theater, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown; (610) 283-2230. Twelve Angry Men Ritz Theatre Company presents the drama depicting a jury forced to reconsider its nearly unanimous decision by the single dissenter who sows a seed of reasonable doubt, through Oct. 6, 915 White Horse Pike, Oaklyn, N.J.; (856) 858-5230. Why I’m Scared of Dance 1812 Productions presents a self-effacing comedy written and performed by
Paula Cole The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter performs at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; (215) 222-1400. Watts Plays Grieg The Philadelphia Orchestra performs with pianist André Watts, 8 p.m. Oct. 2 and 5 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 893-1999.
Starry Night of Romeo & Juliet The Philadelphia Orchestra presents a program highlighting music’s connection to other art forms, Oct. 7-9 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.
Exhibits
Acts of Nature Twenty-Two Gallery presents an exhibition of film and digital landscape photographs by Derek Jecxz, through Oct. 3, 236 S. 22nd St.; (215) 772-1911. Andre Gisson BOI’s of New Hope Art Gallery presents an exhibition of works by the French-American impressionist, through Oct. 31, 9 W. Mechanic St., New Hope; (215) 862-8292. Art of the American Soldier The National Constitution Center presents the worlddebut exhibition of over 15,000 paintings and sketches created by more than 1,300 American soldiers in the line of duty, through Jan. 10, 525 Arch St.; (215) 409-6895.
Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt Eric Benet The Franklin Institute The R&B singer performs presents an exhibition of at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at World 150 artifacts from Egypt, Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; through Jan. 2, 20th Street (215) 222-1400. and the Parkway; (215) 4481200. Mavis Staples The R&B and gospel singer Desert Jewels: North performs at 8 p.m. Oct. 4 African Jewelry and at World Cafe Live, 3025 Photography from Walnut St.; (215) 222the Xavier Guerrand1400. Hermes Collection Philadelphia Museum of Broadway Rocks! Art presents an exhibition Peter Nero and the Philly of jewelry and historic Pops perform Broadway photographs from Algeria, musical hits, Oct. 6-10 at Libya, Morocco, Egypt Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, and Tunisia, through Dec. 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 5, 26th Street and the 790-5847. Parkway; (215) 763-8100.
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
Eakins on Paper: Drawings and Watercolors from the Collection Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of 10 rarely seen drawings and watercolors that survey the early work of Thomas Eakins, through December, 26th Street and the Parkway; (215) 763-8100. Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom James A. Michener Art Museum presents an exhibition of photos featuring the New York Harbor through the lenses of Lewis Hines and Stephen Wilkes, through Oct. 10 in the museum’s Fred Beans Gallery, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown; (215) 3409800. Grew Up & Blew Up: Character Rehab SALT Art Gallery presents an exhibition of new works by Thomas Buildmore, Scott Chasse, Chris Clark, Dan King, Kenji Nakayama and Morgan Thomas, through Oct. 22, 212 Race St.; (215) 939-7426. I Bet You ArtStar Gallery presents an exhibition of solo works from Baltimore artist Rachel Bone, through Oct. 10, 623 N. Second St.; (215) 2381557. Legacy Embraced AxD Gallery presents an exhibition of works by Maria Nevelson and Val Bertoia, through Oct. 2, 265 S. 10th St.; (215) 627-6250. Pardon Me Painted Bride Arts Center presents an installation of paintings by Mary Dewitt, through Oct. 16, 230 Vine St.; (215) 9259914. Pleasures and Pastimes in Japanese Art Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
exhibition of costumes, masks and poetry exploring the ways in which leisure time was interpreted across all social classes in Japanese art, through January, 26th Street and the Parkway; (215) 7638100.
Opera
Othello The Opera Company of Philadelphia performs the Verdi opera based on the Shakespeare classic, through Oct. 15 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 893-1999. La Traviata Amici Opera Company presents Verdi’s opera at 3 p.m. Oct. 2 at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, 411 Susquehanna Road, Ambler, and at 3 p.m. Oct. 10 at Center for the Creative Arts, 410 Upper Snuff Mill Row, Yorklyn, Del.; (215) 224-0257.
The Diaspora Reading Group “Brendan Wolf” by Brian Malloy is discussed at 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; (215) 923-2960. The Women’s/Trans Reading Group “Kicked Out: Stories of LGBTQ Youth Homelessness,” is discussed at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; (215) 923-2960. Michael Cunningham The acclaimed author of “By Nightfall: A Novel” hosts a reading at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; (215) 6865322.
Cabaret
Broadway Bound Philadelphia Voices of Pride perform a Broadway-themed cabaret show hosted
by Cherry Cola at 8 p.m. Oct. 2 at Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James St.; (215) 7355772. Andy Kahn The singer and producer performs at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 2 at Harlans at The Nevermore, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope; (215) 8625225. ■
Notices Send notices at least one week in advance to: Diversions, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147; fax them to (215) 925-6437; or e-mail them to diversions@epgn. com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone.
Film
Cat People The classic 1942 horror film is screened at 2 p.m. Oct. 3 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; (610) 917-0223.
Books
Perspectives in Fiction/Non-Fiction LGBT Literature Authors Tom Mendicino and Audrey Stein share their respective literary works and offer thoughts on current LGBT writing at 6 p.m. Oct. 4 at Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut St.; (215) 898-7595. R.A. Salvatore The sci-fi and fantasy author best known for his work for “Dungeons and Dragons” hosts a reading of his new book, “Gauntlgrym,” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; (215) 6865322.
PAGE 35
COVER GRRLS: Punk-rock band Girl in a Coma, which features out members and is currently on Joan Jett’s record label, Blackheart Records, returns to the area to headline a show at 8 p.m. Oct. 4 at Mojo Main, 270 E. Main St., Newark, Del. The band’s new EP, “Adventures in Coverland,” comes out Oct. 19 and features the band covering songs by Selena, The Beatles, Joy Division, David Bowie and more. For more information, call (302) 369-6656 or visit www.girlinacoma.com.
PGN E-mail us: pgn@epgn.com
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 36
Meeting Place A community bulletin board of activities, facilities and organizations
Community centers ■ The Attic Youth Center: For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. Groups meet and activities are held from 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; case management, HIV testing and smoking cessation are available Monday through Friday. See the Youth section for more events. 255 S. 16th St.; (215) 545-4331 ■ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center at the University of Pennsylvania 3907 Spruce St.; (215) 898-5044; center@dolphin.upenn.edu, Summer hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. ■ Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies Youth Center: 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays: Doylestown Planned Parenthood, The Atrium, Suite 2E, 301 S. Main St., Doylestown; (215) 348-0558 ext. 65; rainbowroom@ppbucks.org. ■ William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center: 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 732-2220; www.waygay.org. Peer counseling: Monday through Friday, 6-9 p.m. Library hours: Mondays 3-9 p.m., Tuesdays 3-6 p.m., Wednesdays 3-9 p.m., Thursdays 3-9 p.m., Fridays 3-9 p.m., Saturdays noon-6 p.m., Sundays noon-6 p.m. Volunteers: New Orientation: First Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.; Volunteer Velada, third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.
Health Anonymous, free, confidential HIV testing Spanish/English counselors offer testing 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 166 W. Lehigh Ave.; (215) 763-8870 ext. 6000. AIDS Services In Asian Communities Provides HIV-related services to Asians and Pacific Islanders at 340 N. 12th St., suite 205; (2215) 536-2424. Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative Free, anonymous HIV testing from 9:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays at 1207 Chestnut St., fifth floor; (215) 851-1822 or (866) 222-3871. Spanish/English. HIV testing Free, anonymous testing and counseling is offered from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment at AIDS Resource, 520 W. Fourth St., suite 2A, Williamsport; (570) 322-8448.
Key numbers
HIV treatment Free HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment for Philadelphia residents are available from 9 a.m.noon Mondays and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Health Center No. 2, 1720 S. Broad St.; (215) 685-1803. HIV health insurance help Access to free medications, confidential HIV testing available at 17 MacDade Blvd., suite 108, Collingdale; Medical Office Building, 722 Church Lane, Yeadon; and 630 S. 60th St.; (610) 586-9077. Mazzoni Center Free, anonymous HIV testing; HIV/AIDS care and treatment, case management and support groups; 1201 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-0652. www. mazzonicenter.org. Washington West Project Free, anonymous HIV testing. Walk-ins welcome 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; 1201 Locust St.; (215) 985-9206.
Casarez@phila.gov; Fax: (215) 686-2555
■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: (215) 587-9377 ■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: (856) 933-9500 ext. 221
■ Mazzoni Center Family and Community Medicine: (215) 563-0658
■ AIDS Library: (215) 985-4851 ■ ACLU of Pennsylvania: (215) 592-1513
■ Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Philadelphia): (215) 572-1833
■ AIDS Treatment hot line: (215) 5452212
■ Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations: (215) 686-4670
■ Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection at the Independence Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library: (215) 685-1633
■ Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force: (215) 772-2000 ■ Philadelphia Police Department liaison — Chief Inspector James Tiano: (215) 685-3655 ■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: (215) 600-0627; ppd.lgbt@gmail.com
■ Equality Advocates Pennsylvania: (215) 731-1447; (866) LGBTLAW
■ Philly Pride Presents: (215) 875-9288
■ Equality Forum: (215) 732-3378
■ SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: (717) 920-9537
■ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Peer Counseling Services: (215) 732-TALK ■ Mayor’s liaison to LGBT communities: Gloria Casarez, (215) 686-2194; Gloria.
ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) Meets at 6 p.m. every Monday at St. Luke and the Epiphany Church, 330 S. 13th St.; (215) 386-1981; www.critpath.org/actup. Delaware Valley Chapter, Americans United for Separation of Church and State Seeks activists and supporters of church-state separation. Holds monthly meetings and events; (856) 863-3061; www.dvau.org. Equality Advocates Philadelphia Holds a volunteer night second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m., 1211 Chestnut St., Suite 605; (215) 731-1447; www.equalitypa.org. Green Party of Philadelphia Holds general meetings fourth Tuesday of each month (except April) at 6:30 p.m., 4134 Lancaster Ave.; (215) 243-7103; www.gpop.org. Log Cabin Republican Club of Philadelphia Meets at 7 p.m. third Wednesday of the month at the William Way Community Center; (215) 4655677; www.phillylogcabin.org. Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club Meets seasonally; (215) 760-7184; www. libertycity.org.
Arts
Gay Men’s Book Discussion Group Meets at 6:30 p.m. first Wednesday of the month at the Independence Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 18 S. Seventh St.; (215) 685-1633. Library Book Club Meets to discuss a new book at 7 p.m. on third Wednesday of the month at the William Way Center. New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus Chorus rehearses at 7:30 p.m. Mondays in Princeton, N.J.; (609) 675-1998. Open-mic night An amateur poetry, music and storytelling event sponsored by The Pride Center of New Jersey, meets at 8 p.m. every third Friday at the George Street Playhouse, 1470 Jersey Ave., North Brunswick, N.J.; (732) 846-0715. Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus Chorus rehearses from 7-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays; (215) 731-9230; auditions@pgmc.org. Philadelphia Gay Men’s Opera Club Meets to share and listen to recordings at 6:30 p.m. on last Saturday of the month; (215) 224-6995. Philadelphia Voices of Pride Philadelphia’s first mixed GLBT chorus rehearses at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the William Way Center; (888) 505-7464; www.pvop.org. Queer Writer’s Collective Workshop and discussion group meets 4-6 p.m. on fourth Saturday of the month at the William Way Center. Women’s Book Group Meets first Thursday of the month at 6:45 p.m. at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; brassygrrl@hotmail.com.
■ Mazzoni Center: (215) 563-0652; www. mazzonicenter.org
■ The COLOURS Organization Inc. 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 4960330.
Activism/Politics
■ Transgender Health Action Coalition: (215) 732-1207 (staffed 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays, and 6-9 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)
Recreation
Diversity Dancers Ballroom dancers meet the first Sunday of the month for tea dance and lessons. Other events scheduled throughout the year; (215) 922-2129; DiversityDancers@aol.com. Gay Bridge Club Non-beginners group meets Monday afternoons at the William Way Center; (215) 985-4835. Gay-friendly Scrabble Club Meets from 6-11 p.m. in the P.I.C. Building, 42nd and Locust streets; (215) 382-0789. Gay and Lesbian Scrabble Players in the tri-state area gather for socializing and friendly/competitive games; ScrabbleGroup@excite.com. Gay Opera Guys of Philly New group for opera appreciation meets last Sunday of the month at 2:30 p.m. in Roxborough/ Andorra area; (215) 483-1032. Humboldt Society: Lesbian and Gay Naturalists Meets second Thursday of the month at the William Way Center; (215) 985-1456; www. humboldtsociety.org. Indepedence Squares GLBT square dance club, modern Western square dancing. Monthly open house. Tuesday classes in the fall; Lutheran Church, 2111 Sansom St.; (215) 735-5812; www.independencesquares.org. Male Oenophile Group
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010 Male group forming to discuss, appreciate and taste various wines. Will meet once a month to investigate the nuances and glories of the fermented grape. Call (267) 230-6750 for more information. Mornings OUT LGBT Senior Social Activities for sexual-minority seniors are held every Tuesday from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the William Way Center. PhilaVentures Philadelphia’s GLBT outdoor group meets for a hike in Wissahickon Valley Park on Sundays at 2 p.m. at Borders Books, Music and Café, 8701 Germantown Ave.; (215) 271-8822. Rainbow Bridge Group Congenial group meets for supper and to play bridge monthly on a Monday at 6:30 p.m. Members rotate serving as host. New players welcome. For information call Gerry at (215) 592-1174. Rainbow Room A meeting/activity night held for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth and their friends Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m. at the Rainbow Room of Planned Parenthood in Doylestown; (215) 348-0558.
Sports
Brandywine Women’s Rugby Club Meets for Tuesday and Thursday practice at Greene Field, Howell Street and Moore Road, West Chester; www.brandywinerugby.org. City of Brotherly Love Softball League GLBT softball league serves the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Games are played Sundays, beginning in April, in Fairmount Park; (215) 4622575; www.cblsl.org. Frontrunners Running club meets Saturday mornings at 9:30 for a run and brunch. Lloyd Hall, No. 1 Boathouse Row; www.frontrunnersphila.org.
Etc.
AIDS Law Project Provides free legal assistance to people with HIV/AIDS and sponsors free monthly seminars on work and housing; 1211 Chestnut St., suite 600; (215) 587-9377; www.aidslawpa.org. BiUnity Philadelphia area social and support network for bisexuals, their family members and friends meets at 7 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the William Way Center; www. biunity.org. Global A political, community and social group that also works to promote Bordentown as a gayfriendly community meets on the first Saturday of the month at Firehouse Gallery, 8 Walnut St., Bordentown, N.J.; jerseyglobal@yahoo.com. Delaware Pride Meets at 7 p.m. on first Thursday of the month at the United Church of Christ, 300 E. Main St., Newark, Del.; (800) 292-0429. Delaware Valley Pink Pistols For LGBT people dedicated to legal, safe and responsible use of firearms for self-defense; meets at 2 p.m. on third Saturday of the month at Classic Indoor Range, 1310 Industrial Blvd., Southhampton; (267) 386-8907; www. pinkpistols.org. Friday Feast and Fun Dinner hosted by St. John’s Lutheran Church at 6:30 p.m. second Friday of the month, 24 N. Ridge Ave., Ambler; (215) 576-8008. Haverford College’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance Open meetings 10-11 p.m. Mondays in the lounge in Jones Basement at Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Ave.; (610) 896-4938.
Gay and Lesbian Bowling League Bowls at 8 p.m. Thursdays in the Norristown area; call Doug Schneidig; (716) 864-4393.
Latina/o Virtual Community Local listserv offers various information and resources; (215) 808-2493; Zorros_mail@yahoo. com; LatinPhillyLGBT@yahoogroups.com.
Philadelphia Falcons Soccer Club GLBT and allied soccer club; practices Saturdays 10 a.m.-noon and Wednesdays 6-8 p.m. at Edgeley Fields in Fairmount Park;www.falcons-soccer.org.
LGBTQ and Friends Activity Group Meets at 7 p.m. on third Friday of the month to plan outings and potlucks at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County.
Philadelphia Fins Swim Team Male and female swimmers meet at 7 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. Saturdays in Center City; (610) 564-6661; www. philadelphia-fins.org.
Long Yang Club Philadelphia Social organization for gay Asians and their friends holds monthly socials; P.O. Box 401, Philadelphia, Pa. 19105; www.longyangclub. org/philadelphia.
Philadelphia Gay Bowling League Meets 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays September through April at Brunswick Zone, 1328 Delsea Drive, Deptford, N.J.; (856) 889-1434; www. philagaybowling.com.
Our Night Out A casual social networking party of LGBT professionals, allied communities, friends and colleagues meets in a different Philadelphia hot spot each month. To receive monthly event invitations, send email to OurNightOutPhilly@gmail.com; PhillyGayCalendar.com/org/OurNightOut.
Philadelphia Gay Flag Football New group forming. Contact Jered at gayflagfootball@gmail.com or (214) 770-5373. Philadelphia Gryphons Rugby Football Club Team seeks players; all skill levels welcome; (215) 913-7531; info@phillygryphons.org. Philadelphia Liberty Tennis Association Meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday at William Way Center; into@plta.us. Philadelphia Phoenix Women’s football team seeks players; (267) 6799535; www.philadelphiaphoenix.org. Philly Gay Hockey Association Philadelphia Phury seeks players; (917) 656-1936; phury@gayhockey.org.
Philadelphia Bar Association Legal Advice Offered from 5-8 p.m. on third Wednesday of the month; (215) 238-6333. Philadelphia Prime Timers Club for mature gay and bisexual men and their admirers meets regularly; (610) 344-0853; www. primetimersphiladelphia.org. Philadelphians MC Club for leather men and women meets 7:30 p.m. first and third Mondays of the month at The Pit at The Bike Stop, 201 S. Quince St.; (215) 627-1662.
Rainbow Riders of the Delaware Valley Motorcycle club meets regularly; (215) 836-0440; www.groups.yahoo.com/group/rainbowridersdv/.
Philly Paw Pals Gay and lesbian dog owners and their dogs meet on first Saturday of the month at a dog park; (215) 618-5290; PhillyPawPals@aol.com.
Rainbow Rollers Gay and lesbian bowling league meets 9 p.m. on Tuesdays September-April at Laurel Lanes, 2825 Rte. 73 South, Maple Shade, N.J.; (856) 778-7467.
Rainbow Amateur Radio Association ARRL affiliated; private; weekly HF nets, monthly newsletter, e-mail server; (302) 5392392; www.rara.org.
South Jersey Gay Bowling League Gay and lesbian bowling league meets 7 p.m. on Fridays September-April at Laurel Lanes, 2825 Rte. 73 South, Maple Shade, N.J.; (856) 778-7467.
Rock ’n’ Roll Queer Bar Party A party for gay and lesbian rockers with host Psydde Delicious starts at 10 p.m. every second Wednesday at N. 3rd, Third and Brown streets; (215) 413-3666.
Spartan Wrestling Club The gay wresting team meets from 7-9 p.m. Mondays at the First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St.; (215) 732-4545; www.phillyspartans. com. Team Philadelphia Meets at 8 p.m. second Wednesday of the month at the William Way Center; www.teamphiladelphia.org. Women’s Table Tennis New group forming. Interested women are encouraged to e-mail michelesimone19144@yahoo. com.
Silver Foxes Social and educational group for gays and lesbians 50 and older meets from 3-5 p.m. on fourth Sunday of the month at the William Way Center. Stonewall Model Railroad Club Meets monthly; (215) 769-4230; k3k@yahoo. com. Thirsty Third Tuesdays Collingswood Out in the Neighborhood meets at 7 p.m. on third Tuesday of the month for coffee, dessert and conversation at Three Beans, 40 N. Haddon Ave., Haddonfield N.J.; (215) 439-8337.
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 37
Classifieds With Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services and Personals
Pace of new-home sales second slowest on record By Alan Zibel The Associated Press
New homes sold at the secondslowest pace on record in August, signaling that the housing market will remain a drag on the U.S. economy. Last month’s new-home sales were unchanged from a month earlier at a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 288,000, the Commerce Department said last Friday. Sales were down by 29 percent from the same month a year earlier. Normally, the building industry powers economic recoveries. Each new home built creates, on average, the equivalent of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in taxes, accord-
ing to the National Association of Home Builders. But housing has been at the center of this downturn and it shows no signs of recovering quickly. The only time new-home sales were slower was in May, when the sales pace was 282,000. That’s the worst pace on records dating back to 1963. July’s results had been the worst on record, but were adjusted upward. “This is a pitiful performance but it should not come as a surprise to see sales so weak,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist for High Frequency Economics. “We don’t expect to see any meaningful pickup in sales until next year.” High unemployment, tight
credit and uncertainty about home prices have kept people from buying new and previously occupied homes. Government tax credits boosted the market earlier in the year, but those expired in April. Sales of previously occupied homes rose 7.6 percent in August from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.13 million, the National Association of Realtors said last week. That was the second-worst month for that category in more than a decade. July was the worst month in 15 years. The median sales price for a new home in August was $204,700. That was down 1.2 percent from a year earlier and the lowest since December
2003. Gains in Western and Northeastern states canceled out losses in the Midwest and South. Sales grew by more than 54 percent in the West and by 17 percent in the Northeast. They fell 26 percent in the Midwest and 11 percent in the South. Builders are competing with millions of foreclosures and other distressed properties that show no signs of abating. They are unlikely to ramp up construction until those are cleared away and demand for new homes picks up. The number of unsold new homes on the market fell to 206,000, the lowest since August 1968. At the current sales pace, it would take about 8.6 months
to exhaust that supply. The industry is suffering the repercussions of a massive building boom, in which many homes were sold to speculators. They then resold the homes, often to borrowers who took out risky loans and then defaulted. Those unsustainable boom times aren’t coming back. Economists at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch predict that spending on building and remodeling homes will decline in the July-September quarter and actually subtract 0.7 percentage points from overall economic activity. Home construction is up 25 percent from the bottom in April 2009, still 74 percent below the peak in January 2006. ■
Location! Location! Location! This week’s featured property
Center City – Midtown Village
Beds: 3 Baths: 2 Cost: $899,900 Square footage: 1,655 + terrace Age of property: 80 years Realtor: Tom Smitley Real-estate co.: Coldwell Banker Preferred Phone: (215) 546-2700 Cell: (267) 868-4874 E-mail: TSmitley@cbpref.com
Check your ad
PLACING ADS Using voicemail? Please be sure to have the following information ready when you call: • Your ad copy • The type of style you want • Desired abbreviations • American Express, Discover, MasterCard or VISA information • Your name and mailing
Incredible penthouse living. Not only a great living space, but a large landscaped terrace with extraordinary views. Lots of designer details and extras. Secured elevator access. Doorman building. Gated parking available.
address • Daytime telephone number Having all this information ready will speed your order and help to avoid errors. Phone calls can only be returned during business hours. For more information, see the coupon page in this section.
Philadelphia Gay News assumes responsibility for errors in classified ads only when notified by noon the Tuesday after the ad first appears. To receive credit for errors, please notify PGN by then. Credit only will be extended in the form of additional advertising space. Any cash refunds, for any reason, are subject to a $10 service charge. PGN will publish no classified ad — in any category — that contains sexually explicit language. Obviously excluded are traditional four-letter words that relate to sexual activity. Other words may be excluded at the discretion of the publisher, who reserves the right to edit or rewrite any ad that, in his opinion, violates this policy or its intent.
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PAGE 47 PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
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215-348-4848 Open Houses Sunday Oct 3, 2010
The Lenox Condominium - 250 S. 13th Street Penthouse 14B - 3BD/2BA, large landscaped terrace with irrigation system & extraordinary views. Kitchen has custom cabinetry, honed granite counter tops & upgraded appliances including two Fisher Paykel dish drawers. The unit includes a jacuzzi tub, walk in glass showers, hardwood flooring throughout, central air, washer/dryer, recessed lighting, indoor/outdoor sound system, 24 hour doorman, gated parking available ......................$899,900
Noon - 1:00 PM 2011 Catharine St. Totally new rehab with “2 car parking” Very large three bedroom, 3.5 bath traditional style home with all the modern upgrades. Wood floors, deluxe granite, S/S, cherry kitchen. Finished lower level. Spa like master bedroom and a huge bi-level deck with the best views in the area. Tax abatement applied for. ................................................................................................$599,000 1109 Spruce St. Unit 1R, 2R & 3R. Deluxe 1 and 2 bedroom, 1 or 2 bath units that have been totally rehabbed with wood floors and Granite and S/S kitchen. Located in the heart of Wash. Sq. West with low taxes and condo fees. .................... .............................................................priced from only $180,000 - $299,000 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM 927 Spruce St. Units 2R /2RP 1 bedroom, 1 bath unit totally rehabbed with new deluxe kitchen. This open style floor plan has the kitchen divided from main living area by French Doors. A queen Murphy bed completes the living area. .. ........................................................only $199,900 or $219,900 with parking. 2155 Montrose St. NEW Construction. Large (2,400 Sq. Ft.) corner home across from park. Open first floor plan with custom granite and S/S gourmet kitchen and rear garden. Bright and light filled finished lower level with 1/2 bath. Second floor has 2 huge bedrooms with large closets and deluxe hall bath. The Master Suite and marble spa bath covers the entire third level. All rooms have “Dark Oak Bruce” hardwood floors. Enjoy 360 degree views of the city from the huge roof deck. 10 year Tax abatement applied for............................................a must see, $425,000
Search all Philadelphia area listings @ www.thephillyrealtors.com Dan Tobey
The Curtis Center 1401 Walnut St. 8th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102
215.546.2700 Business • 267.238.1061 Direct 215.432.7151 Cell • 215.546.7728 Fax dtobey@cbpref.com • www.cbpref.com
PGN
The Lenox is one of the best pre-war buildings in the city. It is a doorman building located in the heart of Center City.
Unit 13D, - Grand center hall fully renovated 2BD/2BA unit on a high floor with lots of windows, great light and fantastic views. Includes spacious living room with original ornamental fireplace, formal dining room and beautifully renovated kitchen. Kitchen includes stainless steel appliances, ceramic tile floor and granite counter tops. Both bedrooms are very large with professionally organized walk in closets. This is a door man building and condo fees include heat and high speed internet ............................ $ 419,000
Tom Smitley, of the Tobey team 1401 Walnut Street, 8th Floor • Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 546-2700 Business • (267) 238-1093 Direct (215) 868-4874 Cell • (215) 546-7728 Fax
tsmitley@cbpref.com
Support the advertisers who support our community.
REAL ESTATE
SALE
WWW.GAYREALESTATE.COM Free On-Line Directory. Top Gay & Lesbian Realtors in Philadelphia. _______________________________34-40 VENTNOR, NJ, FACING THE BAY House and Adjacent Lot (inground swimming pool). 1st floor 3 bedrooms, bath, living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room and deck. 2nd floor 2 bedrooms, bath, efficiency kitchen, living room, dining area and deck. Central Air. Corner Property. Call 215-468-9166 evenings only. $675,000.00. Also property for rent1500.00 month plus utilities. _______________________________34-49 New York State DISCOUNTED HUNTING PROPERTIES 42 Acres-Borders State: $59,995. 97 AcresBorders State: $119.995. 14 Acres-Southern Tier Farm: $25,995. 25 Acres-TUG HILL’S BEST, On Trails: $39,995. 50 Acres-Salmon River Area; $59,995. Over 100 properties and camps discounted. Call: 800-229-7843 Or visit www.LandandCamps.com _______________________________34-40 Central Montana Ponderosa Pine Ranch 22 Acres- Beautiful Views County Road & Utilities $24,900. 160-500 Acres Starting @ $800/acre. Beautiful trees, ponds, & views. The best elk & deer hunting statewide. Call 888-361-3006 Or Visit www.WesternSkiesLand.com _______________________________34-40 Potter County - 17 Acres borders state forest, wooded, gently rolling. Access to snow mobile trails, electric, perc. Near Keating Summit. $72,900. Owner financing 800-668-8679. _______________________________34-40
ROOMMATES PGN WILL NOT PUBLISH RACIAL DISTINCTIONS IN ROOMMATE ADS. SUCH NOTATIONS WILL BE EDITED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. ___________________________________ GREATER NE PHILA. Have your own bedroom in a beautiful split level home with 2 gay men. House is 4 BR, 2 full baths, W/D, upper and lower decks, use of kitchen. Property is by Welsh & the Boulevard, 1 min. to 58 bus. We ask only that you be at least reasonably neat and employed. Rent is $600 + 1/3 utils. Contact Dave at 215-698-0215. _______________________________34-49 SOUTH PHILLY Large furnished room for rent in private home with shared bath, 1 block from Broad St. Full house privileges, W/D, D/W, A/C. All utils incl. exc. phone. $450/mo. Call 215-551-7611. _______________________________34-40
FINANCIAL
SERVICES IT’S YOUR MONEY! Lump sums paid for structured settlement or fixed annuity payments. Rapid, High payouts. Call J.G. Wentworth. 1-866-294-8771. A+ Better Business Bureau rating. _______________________________34-40 Settle IRS Back Taxes for less than you owe! If you quailify we can: Stop wage garnishments. Remove bank levies, tax levies, property seizures. Stop payment plans that get you nowhere. Settle state and business payroll tax problems. Eliminate penalties, interest charges & tax liens. If you owe over $15,000 in back taxes, call now! Free consultation! No Obligation! Confidential! American Tax Relief 1-800-317-9712 _______________________________34-40
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
REAL ESTATE
RENT
REAL ESTATE
RENT
For Rent
Three Newly Renovated Apartments • Graduate Area!
• Washer/Dryer!
• Close to major transportation!
• H/W Floors!
Two 2 Bedrooms
• C/A!
One Efficency
Call 215-285-5568
12TH & DICKINSON AREA Furnished Townhouse for rent: 3 levels. Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, 2 bedrooms , bath. Very Unique. 1500. mo plus util. (negotiable). Call 215 468-9166 after 6 pm. or 215 686 3431 daytime. _______________________________34-49 RITTENHOUSE SQUARE AREA Studios & 1 Bedrooms - Call for Availability (215)735-8050. _______________________________34-40 VENTNOR Large all new 1 BR apt. furn., A/C, W/D, great views, on Intercoastal. Large deck, reserved parking, boat slip avail. Yearly or seasonal. Call Loretta, 305-778-6897. _______________________________34-40 MANAYUNK 2 BR, 1 BA, Heart of Manayunk. W/D, D/W, C/A, microwave, range, large bright windows, small private porch. Rent $1,200/mo. Call Heather, 610-647-1776. eadeh.com _______________________________34-44
AVENUE OF THE ARTS 1 or 2 BR apts. Hdwd floors, recently renovated. Call 215-806-5050. _______________________________34-40 MANAYUNK 1 BR, 1 BA, Heart of Manayunk. W/D, D/W, C/A, microwave, range, large bright windows. Rent $1,075/mo. Call Heather, 610-647-1776. eadeh.com _______________________________34-44
REAL ESTATE
REAL ESTATE
SALE
AUTO AAAA** Donation. Donate Your Car, Boat, or Real Estate. IRS Tax Deductible. Free PickUp/Tow. Any Model/Condition. Help Under Privileged Children. Outreachcenter.com 1-800-597-8311. _______________________________34-40
SALE
PAGE 39
SERVICES
SERVICES
LEGAL NOTICE
AIRLINES ARE HIRING Train for high paying Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified -Housing available. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance (888)349-5387. _______________________________34-40 ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE From Home. *Medical *Business *Paralegal *Computers *Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualified. Call 888-220-3984 www.CenturaOnline.com _______________________________34-40
THERAPEUTIC/RELAXING/HEALING MASSAGE Intro $45 Serenity Massage & Wellness www. serenitygardens.me Call 1-87-REVIVE-ME Aren’t you Worth it? _______________________________34-44 MASSAGE smooth thin white bottom / Main Line pics Ez2getn2@gmail.com _______________________________34-43
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. _______________________________34-40
REAL ESTATE
REAL ESTATE
SALE
PGN SALE
REAL ESTATE
SALE
Bryn Athyn Antique Farm Estate in Bryn Athyn, This exquisite show place w an Italian Villa influence is surrounded by Penny Pack Wildlife preserve , secluded, Picturesque views, Lily pond, pool, 5 fireplaces, center island granite Kitchen, Fab great rm w 30’ ceilings, English conservatory. MBR loft w/ 2 separate baths & Juliet balcony, separate carriage hse w/ full quest quarters & artist studio.
$1,995,000
Jane Douglass • 215-850-2120 • douglass43@aol.com
VINTAGE, HISTORIC & CLASSIC PROPERTIES
Prudential Fox & Roach, Realtors 215-542-2200 x513
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 40
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
SERVICES & HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY dunbar painting
JOHN’S FIBER KLEEN
Specializing in Antique Upholstery And Fine Rug Cleaning
I Work Alone To Ensure Job Quality!
Cell 215-715-7335
Total Fabric Care
Interior/Exterior Painting • Plaster/Drywall Repair • Wallpaper Removal • Finish Carpentry • Old House Specialist•
Insured Registered Bonded
johnsfiberkleen.com Call 215
726 6828
We Buy Furniture
Excellent References - Photos of Work Available
Philadelphia Gas Heating & Air Conditioning
HEATER SALE
Starting at $1195 Time is running out for the stimulus rebate - get up to $1,500!
A/C SALE $1695
Heater check-up $80.00
Call Now 215.456.1300
FAST EMERGENCY SERVICE
John Cardullo & Sons, Inc. 703 Christian Street • Philadelphia, PA 19147
DOUGLAS CONSTRUCTION • Complete Home Remodeling • Interior Design • Kitchen & Bath Specialists • Custom Interior renovations
215-925-8564 • 215-925-6586 • Fax: 215-925-8856
$
150
00 Service
Contract
For 1 Year • Most Oil Heaters
Present this ad as a coupon for
$5 off
100 gallons or more
Coupon good for cash or credit card purchases only and must be mentioned when order is placed and given to the driver at the time of delivery. Only one coupon per order. Expires 10/30/10
“DON’T CALL AN 800 NUMBER FOR YOUR LOCAL HEATING OIL NEEDS” WE ACCEPT ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS
Free Estimates Licensed & Insured
Douglas Morgan 215-462-1066 Filippone Electrical
An Eye for Detail!
Our prices won’t shock you! Residential • Commercial Experts Licensed & Insured • FREE ESTIMATES
FALL SPECIAL 10% off with this ad
(must be presented at time of estimate)
We will beat any estimate!
Specializing in Custom Residential & Historical Restorations
215.783.3844
theprestigiouspainters.com
Free Electric Inspections
267-252-2000
www.filipponeelectric.com
Financing Available • Free Estimates • Fully Insured
Roofing Siding & Windows Ask About Our 15 Yr Guarantee
Family Owned & Operated for Over 44 Years
215.332.6600
Emergency Repairs Get the Stimulus Rebate Up to $1,500! WITH COUPON New Roof
up to 400 sq. ft.
as low as
$490
Yeager Carpentry • Custom Woodworking • Custom Cabinetry • Kitchens • Baths • Smaller Remodelling Projects
Warren Yeager 215-356-9185
Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. Call 215-625-8501 Today!
HEALTH DIRECTORY
CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
APRIL 25 25 -- MAY MAY 1, 1, 2008 2008 APRIL PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 41
LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
CLASSIFIEDS
APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008
HOME
IMPROVEMENT
AMY F. STEERMAN Attorney at Law
Concentrating in Planning for Lesbian and Gay Couples • Probate • Wills • Living Wills • Powers of Attorney PAGE 110
CLASSIFIEDS
215-735-1006
1900 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.amysteerman.com
HELP WANTED
James M. M. Quesenberry, Quesenberry, MA, MA, CRC, CRC, CVE CVE James
Disability Consultant COOKJames FOR NEW REST. IN HATBORO M. Quesenberry, MA, CRC, CVE Disability Consultant New gay owned BYOB organic restaurant. CuDisability Consultant linary students encouraged to apply. Will train. email: Social McCourtsRestaurants@comcast.net Security Disability _______________________________34-40 Social Security Disability Heat & Air JOBS - Ready to work? 3 week Claims Appeals accelerated program. HandsAppeals on environment. Claims Nationwide certifications and Local Job Placement Assistance! 1-877-994-9904. _______________________________34-40 TRUCK Suite 202DRIVERS WANTED! MORE HOMETIME! TOP Suite 202 PAY! Oxford Valley Rd. EXCELLENT BENEFITS! NEW Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PAEQUIPMENT! 19030 Up to $.48/mile company drivers! HEARTLAND Fairless Hills, PA 19030 EXPRESS 1-800-441-4953 www.heartlandexpress.com _______________________________34-40 Reefer, Tanker, Flatbed Drivers Needed! Experienced drivers & Class A commercial students welcome! Incredible Freight network offers plenty of miles! Call Prime Today! 1-800277-0212 www.primeinc.com _______________________________34-40 CDL-A Drivers: Lots of Extras! High Miles/ Great Pay, New 2011 Freightliner Cascadias, Performance Bonus. $500 Sign-on for Flatbed. CDL-A, 6mo. OTR. Western Express 888-801-5295. _______________________________34-40 Drivers: Big Rates = Big Pay. Industry Leading LEASE PURCHASE PROGRAM $0 Down, Only $225 week! Late Model Equipment. CRST MALONE 866-953-2778 www.JoinMalone.com _______________________________34-40 Boyd Bros. is Hiring Experienced CDL-A Drivers. Sign-on Bonus! Top Equipment and Benefits. Flatbed Training Available. 1 yr. OTR exp. req. 800-543-8923. _______________________________34-40 DRIVERS - YOU’VE FOUND THE RIGHT COMPANY *Excellent Equipment! *Consistent hometime *Great pay/benefits. 1yr OTR exp. req., EOE. SMITH TRANSPORT 877-432-0048 www. smithdrivers.com _______________________________34-40 Between High School and College? Over 18? Drop that entry level position. Earn what you’re worth!!! Travel w/Successful Young Business Group. Paid Training. Transportation, Lodging Provided. 1-877-646-5050. _______________________________34-40 Drivers- O/O’s FED EX GROUND *All hub-to-hub miles paid *Mileage Plus & Fuel Programs *Monthly Safety Incentives *Weekly Settlements. Fleet Owners Welcome! 866-8326339 www.buildagroundbiz.com _______________________________34-40 Home Time You Deserve! Class-A CDL Drivers Needed. Practical Mile Pay. $2,400 Bonus. Guaranteed Home-Time. Strong, Stable, & Safe. 1-Year OTR experience required. www. veriha.com 800-333-9291. _______________________________34-40
215-629-0585 215-629-0585
William A. Torchia, Esquire ESTATE & TAX PLANNING GENERAL PRACTICE williamatorchiaesquire.vpweb.com 118 South 21st Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 Phone: 215-546-1950 Fax: 215-546-8801
CONCIERGE LEGAL SERVICES
Charles S. Frazier, Esq.
“Safeguarding the Legal Rights of LGBT Families”
Attorney at Law
• General Practice • Wills and Trusts • Living Wills • Powers of Attorney • Probate
David C. Berman, LGBT Family Law Practitioner, will be presenting “Safeguarding the Legal Rights of LGBT Families”at Philadelphia Family Pride’s Family Matters Conference on Saturday October 16, 2010 at 1:00 PM at Bryn Mawr College. To register for this seminar and much more visit www.phillyfamilypride.org.
Wayne, PA (610) 687-4077 cstar1@verizon.net LEGAL SERVICES
James M. Quesenberry, MA, CRC, CVE Disability Consultant
Mr. Berman handles LGBT matters including life partnership dissolution, cohabitation agreements, second parent adoption, wills, powers of attorney, medical advanced directives, child support and child custody.
Reach Over 40,000Social Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 Security Disability Claims Appeals
Mark-Allen Taylor, Esq. Divorce Child Custody Support / Visitation Domestic Partnerships Wills & Powers of Attorney Name Changes and
Technologically-Assisted Reproduction Agreements
Law Offices of Mark-Allen Taylor, LLC 1325 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-735-2777 mat@mat-law.com
Free initial consultation
215-629-0585 Suite 202 Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030
Law Office of David C. Berman
2300 Computer Avenue Willow Grove, PA 19090 215-540-5857 www.dcbermanlaw.com
Wills, Trusts, Estates and Probate As a member of the LGBT community, Jeremy A. Wechsler can provide compassionate and sound solutions for all of your estate planning needs
Get In Touch: www.JawAtLaw.com or (215) 706-0200. Offices in Willow Grove, PA. Flexible hours and home visits upon request.
Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. Call 215-625-8501 Today!
PGN
Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS ADULT PERSONALS
PAGE 42
���������������������������
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
PETS
FRIENDS
PETS
MEN
Chestnut Hill Cat Clinic Celebrating 24 years 8220 Germantown Avenue
(215) 247-9560
www.chestnuthillcatclinic.com
TROUBLE LOSING WEIGHT? BOARD-CERTIFIED PHYSICIAN OFFERS SAFE & EFFECTIVE MEDICALLY SUPERVISED WEIGHT LOSS • PRESCRIPTION DIET MEDICATION • PROMOTE FAT BURNING • BOOST ENERGY
DR. ROBERT FORTINO
1913 S. BROAD STREET, PHILADELPHIA
(215) 336-8000
www.drfortino.com
ADOPTION
ADOPTION
A truly happy couple with so much love to share hopes to give your precious newborn a lifetime of happiness. Michael and Eileen 1-877-9558355. babyformichaelandeileen@gmail.com _______________________________34-40 Are you Pregnant? Considering Adoption? A childless couple seeks to adopt. Financial security, Expenses paid. Call Sharon & Christy (ask for michelle/adam) 1-800-790-5260. _______________________________34-40
ADOPTION Loving couple wants to share our life and love with your newborn. Call Liz & Geoff Toll-Free: 1-866-762-7821; Email: Liz_and_ Geoff@comcast.net _______________________________34-40
PGN
Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. HAVE YOUCall 215-625-8501 Today!
HAD IT WITH YOUR JOB!
Check Out Our
Help Wanted Section Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week.
PGN Classifieds
Select the TYPE STYLE you want from the examples below, and begin each line under the arrow to the left of the letter representing that style. Write to the end of the line (hyphenate words correctly. Do not stop at any other arrow, as each arrow represents a starting point. Allow one block for each letter, number, punctuation mark and space. Be sure to skip a space between words. PHONE NUMBER MUST INCLUDE AREA CODE. Be sure to circle one of the classifications and compute the cost of your ad. Liner advertising is on a PREPAY BASIS ONLY, and payment must accompany this form. PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH THROUGH THE MAIL. Type STYLE A Type STYLE B TYPE STYLE C
HEADLINE (24 SPACES PER LINE) FREE WHEN PLACED ONLINE 40 spaces Per Line 36 spaces Per Line 24 SPACES PER LINE
7 point 7 point 7 POINT
Reach A Over 40,000 B Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 C A Week.
NAME ADDRESS CITY PHONE
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. _______________________________34-49 CENTER CITY DOMINANT MASTER Young, mature, twenty-two year old professional dominant looking to host sessions in well equipped CC dungeon apt. Bondage, S&M, Much More. www.phillydominant.com _______________________________34-44 You: XXX endowed and/or hefty build. Me: nice white butt. Ready? 8-11 PM, 215-732-2108. _______________________________34-40 WM, NE Phila. If you’re looking for hot action, call 215-934-5309. No calls after 11 PM. _______________________________34-41 STEP RIGHT UP... Good looking middle aged GWM looking for another to do what feels best. If you live in Philadelphia, even better. 215 748 2406. _______________________________34-40 Nice looking, in shape 61yo masculine bottom guy in NE looking 4 top masculine only older men to be friends and 4 stress relief. Leave VM 215-264-1058. _______________________________34-44 GBM, 28, 8 seeks WM or Mexican, 20 to 30 for relationship. Caring person wanted. 215-2272180. Fem or Puerto Rican plusses. _______________________________34-43
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Entertainment listings: Diversions.
PGN PLEASE PRINT STATE
ZIP
AMEX • MASTERCARD • VISA • DISCOVER CARD NUMBER EXPIRATION SIGNATURE NAME ON CARD
Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. # # #
“A” LINES @ $5.50 - $ “B” LINES @ $7.50 - $ “C” LINES @ $10.00 - $ BOX YOUR AD $5.00 SUBTOTAL NUMBER OF WEEKS X SUBTOTAL % TERM DISCOUNT AD TOTAL TOTAL PAYMENT ENCLOSED
CLASSIFICATION (CIRCLE ONE) REAL ESTATE FOR SALE • REAL ESTATE FOR RENT • ROOMMATES • SEASONAL RENTALS • SERVICES • FINANCIAL SERVICES HELP WANTED • JOBS WANTED • BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES • FOR SALE • AUTOMOTIVE • AUCTIONS • TRAVEL RESORTS ADOPTION • PERSONALS • FRIENDS MEN • FRIENDS BISEXUAL • FRIENDS TV/TS • FRIENDS WOMEN
Return form and payment to: Masco Communications 505 S. Fourth St., Phila., PA 19147 or fax: 215-925-6437 or email: don@epgn.com
_______________________________33-48 Xdress sex party. CD house orgy every Sat. nite. GWM couple ISO GWMs 18-40 yrs. for 1 on 1 and group sex. Stockings, pantyhose, OCT. 1 - 97,PM 2010 etc. Starts Sat. Call Sat. 7-8 PM 856910-8303, ask for Mark. _______________________________33-24 FRIENDS GWM, Italian, top or bottom, 7” cut. Also into assplay, toys & water sports. Bi, straight, out of towners welcome. Day or night. Call Jeff at 215-850-7900. _______________________________33-18
MEN
Fantasy
Island
Adult MASSAGE
Books MASSAGE
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PAGE 44
ALB Granite PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
OCT. 1 - 7, 2010
FABRICATION AND INSTALLATION
FREE ESTIMATES • COMPETITIVE PRICING Custom Kitchens, Cabinets, Vanities & Fireplaces Sinks Included • Cabinets In-Stock
SERVING THE LGBT COMMUNITY FOR OVER 13 YEARS
Toll Free 1-888-270-5720 2120 Herbert Street Office 215-288-8062 Philadelphia, Pa 19124 Fax 215-288-8065 www.Alb-Granite.com • email Marble61@yahoo.com