PGN Oct. 7-13, 2011

Mapa chats us up before coming to Philly to crack us up

Family Portrait: Lisa Thompson

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Out at the Philadelphia Zoo returns with added fun and frolic

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Oct. 7-13, 2011

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Vol. 35 No. 40

Come out, come out for OutFest

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com The streets of the Gayborhood will be teeming with rainbows this weekend as Philadelphia stages the world’s largest celebration of National Coming Out Day. OutFest, now in its 21st year, is expected to bring about 40,000 LGBTs and allies to Center City from noon-6 p.m. Sunday for an afternoon of socializing, shopping and celebrating.

“Everybody just gets so excited for OutFest,” said Franny Price, executive director of Philly Pride Presents, which stages both OutFest and June’s Pride festival. “It’s so unique to the Gayborhood and just a really fun day for the community.”

This year’s festival will be extended down 12th Street to Pine, to take in the area sur-

rounding Giovanni’s Room. At 2 p.m.

Sunday, Mayor Nutter and community leaders will unveil a new historic marker outside of Giovanni’s Room, the oldest LGBT bookstore in the nation, paying tribute to the bookstore’s rich history.

PECO will also pay tribute to the city’s LGBT community by displaying, for the first time, a light-up tribute to OutFest Sunday at the top of its towering building.

Also new to the festivities is the addition of a photo booth where festivalgoers can capture their time at OutFest for $5, with proceeds benefiting Philly Pride Presents, and the inclusion of the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, whose performers will be wowing audiences throughout the festival.

The crowd will be served a full schedule of entertainment, from the traditional delivery of “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Gayborhood”

by Michael Byrne to a workout session, performances by Chad D, drag entertainers such as “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Mimi Imfurst and her Doll House Revue, acts from Bob and Barbara’s and Brittany Lynn’s Drag Mafia, as well as Goddess Isis, Needle Jones, Miss Philly Gay Pride Charlene Summer Moore and Miss Philly Black Pride Karen Vonsay.

When not performing, Goddess Isis and Mrs. P. will circle through the festival to gather footage for their popular YouTube hit “It’s Always Funny in Philadelphia.”

The main stage, at 13th and Locust streets, will also host contests like the penis-shaped bagel-eating competition, high-heel race, pet contest and a kids’ magic show.

Apart from the entertainment, the stage area will also host the youth-applause wave, which will take place at 4 p.m. Started last year in light of the wave PAGE 43

More photos, page 23

Center employee contends antigay harassment

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com

One year later, Blahnik case stalled

A staff member of the William Way LGBT Community Center says he was the target of antigay slurs when he attempted to seek assistance from an individual tasked with promoting the safety and wellbeing of Center City residents and PAGE 43

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Police continue to investigate the murder of a local transgender woman as the oneyear anniversary of her death approaches.

In an interview last week, Philadelphia Homicide Capt. James Clark told PGN that investigators are continuing to look at a “person of interest” in the murder of Stacey Blahnik, but are not yet close enough to make an arrest.

Blahnik was strangled to death Oct. 11 in her South Philadelphia home. She was the house mother for House of Blahnik.

Clark said there is DNA evidence linking the person of interest to the crime scene, but that it doesn’t provide sufficient cause for an arrest yet.

Investigators are continuing to examine other angles, Clark said.

“We of course would like to make an arrest very quickly in every murder, but that’s just not always the PAGE 41

INDIGO BALL AND INDIGOGO BRING OUT HUNDREDS TO SUPPORT THE WILLIAM WAY LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER. Photo: Scott A. Drake

Youth to discuss challenges, solutions

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com

WALKING BACK IN TIME: Passersby in Center City got a dose of HIV/AIDS education Sept. 30 as AIDS Fund kicked off the lead-up to its 25th annual AIDS Walk Philly Oct. 16. The organization featured a historical timeline of the past 30 years of the AIDS epidemic at the entrance to Rittenhouse Square Park, with AIDS Fund director of operations Karis Yusavitz (from left), community-relations coordinator Anna Scodel and executive director Robb Reichard marking 1987, the year the first walk was held. To register, visit www.aidswalkphilly.org. Photo: Scott A. Drake

Gay History Month Special Coverage

We Are America . . .

Young people from around the state will converge on Philadelphia next weekend for the first-ever statewide conference created by and for LGBT youth.

The Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition will host the Youth Action Conference from Oct. 14-16 on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.

Registration, which costs $15 and includes accommodations with Penn students as well as several meals, is open to youth PAGE 40

Outing an American president PAGE 25

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

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EAT. DRINK. REPEAT.: Thousands took advantage of the mild weather on Oct. 1 to partake of tasty treats at the Midtown Fall Festival. Some of this year’s hits were shrimp tacos from 13, roast pork and fried pickles from Fergie’s and Sampan’s beef and chicken satays. Photo: Scott A. Drake NEWS

Local Media Trail News Briefing Obituary Out Law

5 12 6 12 13

Contents

EDITORIAL/OP-ED

Creep of the Week Editorial Letters/Feedback Mark My Words Street Talk

10 10 11 11 11

How do you enjoy OutFest?

Poll results from our online survey as of Oct. 5:

27% I don’t go 27% Walk through once, then hang out and drink 16% Go early, stay late 11% One quick pass through and done 9% Volunteer for part, enjoy the rest 9% Work a table or an event Go to www.epgn.com to weigh in on this week’s question:

Where are you watching the Phillies in the playoffs?

Philadelphia Gay News 505 S. Fourth St. Philadelphia, PA 19147-1506

For advertising inquiries; advertising@epgn.com or 215-625-8501 ext. 218.

Art Director/Photographer Scott A. Drake (ext. 210) scott@epgn.com

Phone: 215-625-8501 Fax: 215-925-6437 E-mail: pgn@epgn.com Web: www.epgn.com

Advertising Director Dan Calhoun (ext. 218) dan@epgn.com

Graphic Artist Sean Dorn (ext. 211) sean@epgn.com

Publisher

Advertising Manager Greg Dennis greg@epgn.com

Editor

Advertising Sales Representatives Amy Mather amy@epgn.com

Executive Assistant/ Billing Manager Carol Giunta (ext. 202) carol@epgn.com

Mark Segal (ext. 204) mark@epgn.co0m Sarah Blazucki (ext. 206) sarah@epgn.com Staff Writers Jen Colletta (ext. 215) jen@epgn.com Larry Nichols (ext. 213) larry@epgn.com Writer-at-Large Timothy Cwiek (ext. 208) timothy@epgn.com

Prab Sandhu prab@epgn.com National Advertising Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 Office Manager/ Classifieds Don Pignolet (ext. 200) don@epgn.com

Philadelphia Gay News is a member of: The Associated Press Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Suburban Newspaper Published by Masco Communications Inc. © 2011 Masco Communications Inc. ISSN-0742-5155 The views of PGN are expressed only in the unsigned “Editorial” column. Opinions expressed in bylined columns, stories and letters to the editor are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of PGN. The appearance of names or pictorial representations in PGN does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that named or pictured person or persons.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

5

MANNA launches 15th annual pie sale

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Even though fall just began, the holiday giving season is already in full swing at one local organization.

More than 50 Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutritional Alliance volunteers spent last Sunday in the kitchens at Classic Cake Bakery in Northeast Philadelphia, crafting more than 1,000 pies to open the organization’s 15th annual Pie in the Sky fundraiser.

MANNA works to provide nutritional meals to those with life-threatening illnesses, including HIV/AIDS, and the pie sale is the agency’s biggest annual philanthropic venture.

“Pie in the Sky is our largest and most important fundraiser every year,” said MANNA executive director Richard Keaveny.

MANNA volunteers teamed up with Classic Cake last weekend to create this year’s signature dish, the Sky Pie — a creamy cheesecake chock full of walnuts and caramel — an effort MANNA marketing and media director Lindsay Cohen said the organization undertook to involve its dedicated volunteers directly in the production process.

“A few years ago we baked the pies right in the MANNA kitchen with the help of our

volunteers and we wanted to bring that idea back in a sense with the bake-off,” she said.

“Not all of the pies will be made by the volunteers but we definitely wanted to incorporate them as much as possible.”

In addition to the signature dessert, MANNA will offer three other varieties — holiday pumpkin, traditional apple and southern pecan, which Classic Cake will produce. The signature pie will go for $50 — with a chance for the buyer to win a $1,000 US Airways voucher — while the other dishes are $25. Pies will be on sale through Nov. 18.

Organizers are looking to raise more than $250,000 from the sale.

In addition to purchasing pies for their own Thanksgiving celebration, supporters can sign up to be individual or team sellers, getting the word out about the pie sale.

“This year we really reevaluated how to make the most from our fundraiser and that’s going to be through our pie-selling teams,” Cohen said. “Teams can be two people or big groups, and you just need to reach out to your own family, friends, coworkers, and encourage them to buy a pie.”

Friendly competition undoubtedly will arise through the effort, Cohen said, as MANNA’s seller page includes rankings and statistics on team sales.

A kickoff party will be held for current or interested selling teams from 6-7:30 p.m.

ON TOP OF THINGS: MANNA volunteers top a batch of pies Oct. 2 at Northeast Philadelphia’s Classic Cake Bakery for this year’s Pie in the Sky sale. Photo: Courtesy of MANNA

Oct. 10 at Bertucci’s, 523 W. Lancaster Ave. in Wayne, and from 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at Public House Restaurant, 1801 Arch St. “MANNA is working hard to recruit more pie-selling teams for 2011 in order to bring about the success we need in order to feed families and provide nourishing meals for those who are seriously ill,” Keaveny said, adding that the purchase of

one pie — or a donation in its place — can provide an entire Thanksgiving meal for a family in need. “This year, we are encouraging those who don’t need a Thanksgiving dinner pie to outright contribute $25 and MANNA will provide a delicious soup-tonuts Thanksgiving dinner for four.”

For more information, visit www.mannapies.org. ■

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

LOCAL PGN

News Briefing Coming out on NCOD On Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, author Rabbi Andrea Myers will host a discussion about her own coming-out experience at the Gershman Y, 401 S. Broad St. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., with the discussion following at 7.

Myers, author of “The Choosing,” will discuss the union of faith and sexuality in her own life, detailing her conversion to Judaism and acceptance of her sexual orientation and the role those identities played in shaping her life.

Tickets are $20 at the door or $16 in advance. Advanced tickets can be purchased at www.gershmany.org.

Clean up Wash West The Washington West Civic Association and the city will host a neighborhood cleanup Oct. 15.

The city will drive street-cleaning machines through the area from Broad to Seventh streets and Locust to South streets

beginning at 8 a.m. Parking will be prohibited on streets with parking on both sides, and cars must park on the “wrong” side of the street on roads with one-sided parking.

Debris should be swept into the street in advance of the Saturday morning cleaning.

Free paper-shredding services will be available from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Seger Park, 1020 Lombard St., where bags, brooms and gloves will also be available.

For more information, email greeningwashwest@aol.com.

‘Frolic’ in NYC SAGE will host a “Fall Frolic” women’s dance from 3:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at LQ Club, 511 Lexington Ave. in Manhattan, to raise funds for LGBT elders.

The event will feature free salsa and hustle dance lessons, raffles and music spanning several decades by DJ NancyB. Stickers will be available for those seeking dance partners.

The dance will raise funds for SAGE’s Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders.

Tickets are $25 at the door or $20 if purchased in advance at www.sageusa.org/ womensdance or by calling 212-741-2247.

Afternoon for arts The second annual CAFe Community Arts Festival will feature anything and everything art from noon-4 p.m. Oct. 15 at

Crane Arts Building, 1400 N. American St. The festival will bring together more than 20 local arts and environmental groups to offer interactive activities and educational opportunities to support budding artists and environmentalists.

The family-friendly event will feature kids’ activities, live music and food.

Proceeds will benefit local youth-arts programs including ArtsRising’s “ArtsZones,” which offers cultural activities for local children and their families.

For more information, search for CAFe Community Arts Festival on Facebook or call 215-235-3405.

Walk against violence State Sen. LeAnna Washington will host the fourth annual “Walk to End Domestic Violence” Oct. 22 on West River Drive.

Registration begins at 9 a.m., with the walk kicking off at 10:30 a.m. across from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The walk will raise funds for the city’s domestic-abuse hotline (866-SAFE-014).

Registration is $5, and the walk will be held rain or shine.

Organizers include Women Against Abuse, Women in Transition, Lutheran Settlement House and Congreso de Latino Unidos.

For more information, visit www.senatorwashington.com. ■ — Jen Colletta

LOCAL PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

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Temple to host LGBT-inclusive discussion on aging

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Temple University School of Law will stage a conference next week that examines the myriad challenges faced by American seniors — with LGBT older adults included at each step of the discussion.

Temple’s “Aging in the U.S.: The Next Civil Rights Movement?” will run from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at Temple’s Klein Hall, 1719 N. Broad St. While the event will address some of the legal issues the elderly community grapples with, it was designed to also be accessible and relevant to non-legal professionals, with a reduced fee for social-service professionals and students.

Temple law professor Dr. Nancy Knauer, author of “Gay and Lesbian Elders: History, Law and Identity Politics in the United States” and recipient of several awards for her research on LGBT elder issues, organized the inaugural event.

“This is really an outgrowth of my work with LGBT elders. Aging is something that, if we’re lucky, is going to affect all of us, regardless of sexual orientation,” she said.

At a conference earlier this year, Knauer said she heard Syracuse law professor Nina Kohn pose the question, “Do we all run the risk of outliving our civil rights?” which inspired the upcoming conference.

“She brought up this issue of losing our

the LGBT older-adult rights as we got older, community. so I decided I wanted “Previously, if there to reach out to the was a discussion of broader law and aging LGBT issues, it was communities and often sort of a fringe bring together everyone I could find in issue, if it was talked the United States who about at all,” Meyer is approaching elder said. “So the fact law from a civil-rights that a conference like perspective. Instead this is incorporating of looking at issues LGBT issues throughHILARY MEYER (LEFT) AND NANCY out shows that this is like estate planning KNAUER a much wider issue, or health-care financing, we’re bringing going even beyond together a real mix of scholars and advocates LGBT folks: Marginalized communities are to look at this question of civil rights.” finally being paid attention to and are startKohn will provide the keynote address ing to become part of the mainstream discusfor the day, which will offer five panels sion on aging.”

Meyer’s agency, launched a year-and— Healthcare, Self-Determination and Autonomy; Guardianship, Vulnerability a-half ago, is a partnership of a handful of and Autonomy; Elders, Family and the organizations throughout the country led by State; Elders and Long-Term Care; and Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders, and offers services including informational Intersectionality.

In addition to Knauer, speakers who focus resources on LGBT aging, cultural-competheir work primarily on LGBT issues will tency training and technical assistance.

The Resource Center is funded through include British researcher Sue Westwood; Daniel Redman, of the Del Martin Elder Law a grant by the U.S. Department of Health Initiative at the National Center for Lesbian and Human Services, marking the first time Rights; and Hilary Meyer, executive director Administration on Aging funds have been of the National Resource Center on LGBT used specifically for LGBT older adults.

Aging.

Meyer will sit on the Intersectionality Meyer said the unique format encourages panel, discussing the fusion of LGBT older the notion that the “tides are changing” for adults with the current state of federal policy

and activism on aging issues.

“The fact that we received this grant is a huge step in the right direction in terms of federal acknowledgment that this is a population with unique needs that warrants funding,” Meyer said, adding that the LGBT community has been mobilizing to draw attention to this population. “At this point, there is a whole generation of people who have been out of the closet their whole lives but who are starting to face situations where they may not feel comfortable being out as they get older, so we’re seeing more and more people saying that this is not acceptable and that we need to change the system so that they can be served properly.”

Knauer said she’s eager for the conference to encourage registrants to, among other aims, more readily consider the LGBT perspective in their work.

“I think the issues of civil rights is really striking a chord right now because baby boomers are starting to get older and they need to face what that means right now in America. And I think it’s important that we present LGBT issues alongside every other issue. We need to be asking, And how does this affect LGBT people?”

For more information or to register, visit www.law.temple.edu/Pages/Academics/ Aging_in_the_US.aspx.

For more information on the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, visit www.lgbtagingcenter.org. ■

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LOCAL PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

Out, loud and Pride at zoo

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com

The nation’s oldest, continuously operating LGBT bookstore.

A Reading with Lazaro Lima, Emanuel Xavier, Charles Rice-Gonzalez, and Steven Cordova

Oct. 7, 5:30 pm Co-editor and contributors to Ambientes: New Queer Latino Writing,by Lazaro Lima and Felice Picano (U. of Wisconsin, $22.95 pb)

A Reading with Hanne Blank Author ofA Big Big Love: A Sex and Relationship Guide for People of Size (and Those Who Love Them)

Oct. 10, 5:30 pm

(Ten Speed/Celestial Arts, $15.99 pb)

3 million eBooks available at www.queerbooks.com email: giovannis_room@verizon.net 345 S. 12th St. Philadelphia, Pa 19107 215-923-2960 Mon-Sat 11:30 - 7, Sun 1 - 7

The city’s pride of lions will be joined by a different type of pride next weekend when the nation’s first zoo welcomes back LGBTs and allies.

The Philadelphia Zoo’s third annual Pride Day will run 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 15, with a bevy of new activities and programs to entertain and educate community members and supporters of all ages.

Andrea Rodgers, the zoo’s manager of events and community partnerships, explained the LGBT community day began in 2009 after zoo board member Deb Francesco, who also sits on the William Way LGBT Community Center board, raised the idea of LGBT outreach.

“Deb’s a big supporter and was talking about how we should do something so the community knows what the zoo has to offer and that we’re an open and aware organization. Everyone was really supportive and our president felt strongly that we should do it, and from that point on, we just went right ahead with the idea.”

The event has attracted about 600 guests each year, with participants representing all facets of the community.

“We’ve been happy to see a lot of families come with parents or children who identified as LGBT. But we’ve also seen a lot

of other groups, like college students,” she said. “What we’re offering and our educational programming that day isn’t just for families with kids. A lot of people think, ‘I have to borrow someone’s kids to go to the zoo,’ or ‘I haven’t been to the zoo since I was a kid,’ but we have so many things going on in terms of education and conservation that’s really of interest to everyone.”

The zoo has been working on developing its Pride Day programming the past two years, and Rodgers said staff approached the third year with a “fresh, new energy” that resulted in several introductions to the lineup.

Through the day, live entertainment will be provided by reggae group The Broozers Band, as well as Spiral Q Puppet Theater and the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus.

Guests of all ages can also participate in a daylong, zoo-wide scavenger hunt that fuses fun with learning — featuring little-known facts about homosexuality in the animal kingdom and achievements of LGBT leaders in the zoological field.

As the first zoo in the country, Philadelphia is known as a trailblazer, and Rodgers said she got calls from three other zoos after the first LGBT community event in 2009, all expressing interest in launching similar events.

One of the best pieces of advice Rodgers said she had for them was to partner with

groups within the LGBT community. For the upcoming event, the Philadelphia Zoo has worked with the William Way, Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus, The Attic Youth Center, Sapphire Fund and PGN. “We didn’t want to just try to put on something for the community without actually working alongside people in the community to execute it,” Rodgers said. “Like we do with a lot of the community initiatives we work on, we try to foster relationships with people in the community as our resources because this event isn’t about us, it’s about the community that we’re serving.”

Rodgers said organizers from other zoos had concerns about possible backlash from their members, an issue that has not arisen at the Philadelphia Zoo. “We’ve been very vocal about it and want to make sure everyone knows that they’re welcome here. Some of what we have planned for this year is making sure that all people know that they’re welcome and we hope people who aren’t members of the LGBT community can take part in the activities and network and engage with everyone.

There’s going to be a lot of great energy and we expect people to just have a really fun day.”

Tickets to the event are $13, discounted from the usual $18. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.philadelphiazoo.org. ■

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

9

Goldfein selected for Outproud Friend award

By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com Ronda B. Goldfein, a longtime ally of the LGBT community, has been chosen as the first recipient of the Outproud Friend award, to be bestowed Oct. 9 at OutFest.

The new annual award recognizes contributions made by allies on behalf of the LGBT community, said Chuck Volz, senior advisor to Philly Pride Presents, which stages OutFest.

Goldfein, an accomplished attorney, is known as a fierce warrior in the courtroom.

Her friends say when she takes on a case, she advocates to the peak of human endurance, giving adversaries little chance.

“If I had to pick one person to be in a foxhole with me, it would be Ronda Goldfein,” Volz quipped.

In LGBT affairs, her recent activities range from fact-gathering in the Nizah Morris case to ensuring tax equity for samesex couples in Philadelphia.

Goldfein said she’s excited about the award.

“I’m honored to be recognized for any actions I’ve taken that have been supportive of the LGBT community,” she said.

Goldfein, 53, has served as executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania since 2000. She oversees 12 staffers and a $930,000 annual budget. The organization seeks to vindicate those who

have suffered discrimination due to their HIV/AIDS status.

“My job involves a lot of administrative work, but I also carry an active caseload,” she said.

Goldfein added she’s pleased the RONDA GOLDFEIN law project has Photo: Timothy Cwiek directly benefited the LGBT community, though its clients are all people with HIV/AIDS. One recent case was the first filing for a same-sex couple to be exempt from the city’s real-estate transfer tax, Goldfein noted.

“We also secured benefits for a deceased man’s partner rather than the former wife, who was divorced from the man for 25 years,” she said. “And we’ve gone to the homes and hospital beds of tons of LGBT clients who needed documents, like powers of attorney and wills.”

The law project has assisted about 35,000 clients since its inception in 1988, she said.

“Every achievement we’ve made is because a client has stepped forward and refused to accept unequal treatment,” she said. “A lot of social justice has been brought about on the backs of the clients. I

have tremendous respect and admiration for them, their struggles and their willingness to stand up for what’s right.”

Goldfein also praised the law project’s staffers.

“We’re occasionally struggling to make payroll,” she said. “We’re fighting with adversaries who don’t like us, who don’t like our clients. But the staff remains committed because they understand our clients need us, and because of their own sense of fairness and justice.”

Interacting with the LGBT community is nothing new for Goldfein. When she was growing up in Wilmington, Del., her mother took her to drag shows.

“It all seemed very natural and fun,” Goldfein said.

When she was 12, her family moved to Miami Beach.

She attended law school at Nova University in Ft. Lauderdale and, upon graduation in 1983, moved back north.

For a brief period of time, she worked at a law firm specializing in insurance defense, but it wasn’t her calling, she said.

In December 1992, Goldfein began volunteering at the law project and, in 1994, was hired as a staff attorney. Six years later, she was promoted to executive director.

“I love the work we do,” she said. “At this place, we get the opportunity to positively impact the quality of somebody’s life. How many jobs give you that opportunity? I feel

fortunate to have one of those jobs.”

She expects the highest quality of service for clients.

“Everyone who walks through our door is to be treated as well as if they were walking through the door of the biggest, richest law firm in the city,” she said. ”While our furnishings may not be as nice, the respect and dignity we show our clients — along with the level of our expertise — is unparalleled.”

Goldfein is married to Philadelphia Daily News assistant city editor David Lee Preston. The couple live in Center City with their pet terrier, Johnson.

Goldfein also serves on the Police Advisory Commission, a city watchdog agency that oversees investigations of police misconduct, and recommends remedial action when appropriate.

Mayor Nutter appointed her to the 17member panel in April 2010.

This week, she was scheduled to visit the District Attorney’s office to review records in the case of Morris, a transwoman who was found with a fatal head wound shortly after she received a ride from Philadelphia police in 2002.

“I see my role as giving the citizens of Philadelphia an opportunity to voice complaints or concerns about the police, as well as being a neutral party to provide the police an opportunity to vindicate themselves, if appropriate,” Goldfein said. ■

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

EDITORIAL PGN

Creep of the Week

D’Anne Witkowski

Keith Ablow

Editorial

Redefining American history To commemorate October as LGBT History Month, PGN is running a series of articles each week showcasing men and women who were a part of the founding of this country or fought to unite it during the Civil War. Members of the LGBT community and allies were integral to creating the United States as we know it. From presidents to artists, from military leaders to songwriters, gays and lesbians were accepted, tolerated and welcomed.

This week, we focus on President James Buchanan and Vice President William Rufus King. Buchanan (1791-1868) was in office as the tensions between the North and the South escalated ahead of the Civil War. Often categorized as a weak president, Buchanan failed to reconcile the differences over slavery and avoid the secession. Whether or not his actions forestalled the war, historians still disagree. But he was the only president who never married.

Indeed, Buchanan lived with King (1786-1853), vice president to President Franklin Pierce, for some 17 years in Washington, D.C. At the time, King was a senator from Alabama and Buchanan was a senator from Pennsylvania, and then he became Secretary of State.

Though neither the term nor the concept of homosexuality was used until the late 1800s, there were certainly men and women who preferred the company of those of the same sex.

While the strict Merriam-Webster definition of “homosexuality” is “a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex” and “of, relating to, or involving sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex,” one could argue that it would also include having passion, love and close non-sexual relationships with those of the same sex.

For many historical figures, it’s difficult to prove that sexual relations may have occurred, but not impossible. Often, historians paint everyone heternormatively — assuming heterosexuality even if there is scant supporting evidence, or the evidence is inconclusive or very open to interpretation.

For instance, in Buchanan’s case, he was engaged in his late 20s, but his fiancée broke off the engagement and died later the same year. After that, a few records note that Buchanan pursued other women.

However, there are references to his close relationship with King. His postmaster referred to “Buchanan and his wife;” Buchanan wrote of his “communion” with his housemate.

In an 1844 letter to Mrs. James J. Roosevelt, following King’s appointment as minister to France, Buchanan wrote: “I am now solitary and alone, having no companion in the house with me. I have gone a wooing to several gentlemen, but have not succeeded with any one of them. I feel that it is not good for man to be alone, and I should not be astonished to find myself married to some old maid who can nurse me when I am sick, provide good dinners for me when I am well and not expect from me any very ardent or romantic affection.”

Hardly absolute, but certainly open to interpretation. ■

Full disclosure: I do not watch “Dancing With the Stars.” In fact, I can’t even say I’ve ever intentionally viewed it unless you count a YouTube clip of Bristol Palin dancing in a gorilla mask. And then there was the time I was subjected to about 10 minutes of the program while my wife was flipping through channels. And I really wish I could have those 10 minutes of my life back.

Another full disclosure: I do not love Chaz Bono. I don’t hate him either, mind you. He’s just not someone I think about a lot. He never calls, he never writes. But then again, neither do I. So when I heard he was going to be on DWTS, I thought, “That’s nice.” I mean, hooray for transgender visibility and all that, but I still wasn’t about to watch the show.

Of course, that was before I learned that Bono is making kids who watch the show turn transgender.

That’s not even something I thought was possible before, but color me intrigued.

Bono, granted, has been rather coy about this whole thing. In fact, it was psychiatrist and Fox News contributor Keith Ablow who let the tranny cat out of the tranny bag, as the saying definitely goes.

“If you care about your kids, don’t let them watch ‘Dancing with the Stars’ starring Chaz Bono,” Ablow wrote in a Sept. 2 opinion piece on the Fox News website.

Why? Because if kids see Bono strutting his stuff, they’ll get the idea in their heads that turning tranny will solve all of their problems.

According to Ablow, these impressionable youngsters will say to themselves, “Maybe all this angst and suffering I’m feeling as I emerge into puberty and pass through it isn’t just because I’m changing, but because I should change completely — and have my breasts removed or my penis amputated!”

That’s right. Bono will inspire mass amputation of this nation’s pubescent private parts.

“It would be wrong to think that gender dysphoria cannot be kindled by celebrating those who have undergone sexual-reassignment surgery,” Ablow continues. In other

words, just by seeing Bono getting any kind of positive attention, kids will want all of the fame and fortune and adoration and glory that comes with being a transgender person in the United States. No, make that the world.

American Psychiatric Association President Dr. John M. Oldham thinks otherwise. “There is no evidence that viewing a television game show with a transgender contestant would induce gender-identity disorder in young people,” he says.

But what does Oldham know? He’s merely the APA president. It’s not like he’s a Fox News commentator or anything.

Ablow’s view that being transgender is some kind of airwave-born contagion has earned him some other critics as well, including Fox News’ own Megyn Kelly, who called Ablow out on the Sept. 14 “America Live.”

“Isn’t it just tolerance?” Kelly asked after Ablow declared that letting transgender folk be shown on TV in a positive light was “irresponsible.” In fact, he was so adamant about this point that I shudder to think what would be an acceptable portrayal of transgender people on TV in Ablow’s eyes.

“There’s so much hate out there. There’s so much hate for gays and lesbians and transgendered people,” Kelly said, clearly exasperated with Ablow. “The thing is, Doc, you seem to be adding to the hate.”

Thankfully, Bono seems to be above all of that. As he told “Extra,” “I don’t really pay attention to the haters, but the people who’ve been so supportive have been a huge motivation for me.”

Not that Ablow sees it that way. As far as he’s concerned, Bono’s DWTS role is the ushering in of the era of the tranny tween.

As for people who are already transgender, watching Bono on TV will not turn you trans. It will, however, make you believe that Cher is your mother. ■

As far as Ablow is concerned, Bono’s DWTS role is the ushering in of the era of the tranny tween.

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

Tell us what you think Send letters and opinion column submissions to: pgn@epgn.com; PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147; fax: (215) 925-6437.

Please include a daytime phone number.

Letters may be edited for clarity, style and space considerations.

OP-ED PGN

Next on the agenda: nondiscrimination According to a press release from The Virginia dragging the Mid-Atlantic down.

Williams Institute regarding the 2010 Marriage equality as an issue has really Census, the 10 states where same-sex moved quickly — faster than other issues couples comprise the largest portion of in our struggle for equality. In a short all couples who designated themselves as time, 12 states have adopted some form of spouses were all states where same-sex civil union/domestic partnership/marriage couples could either marry or compared to 22 states that have some form of nondiscriminaenter into civil unions or registered domestic partnerships. tion legislation. While marriage Those states were Washington, equality is a relatively new issue, nondiscrimination as an D.C. (12.5 same-sex couples per 1,000 “husband/wife” issue goes back to the 1970s. couples), Massachusetts (7.5), Likewise, we’ve come a long Vermont (6.0), California way on gays in the military, a (4.5), Connecticut, (4.0), New battle that began in the 1970s and ’80s with the cases of Sgt. Hampshire, (3.7), Rhode Island Leonard Matlovich and Col. (3.2), New York (3.2), Oregon Margarethe Cammermeyer.

(2.7) and Nevada (2.7).

So why are marriage equality Take a close look at that list and gays in the military leadand the numbers and it makes a ing the pack on issues for the very clear point. Massachusetts LGBT community? The answer and the D.C. have the largest Mark Segal is public opinion and what punnumbers. Why is that important? They happen to be the dits like to label “Flavor of the Month” issues. two places where the battle for marriage So now you can be married by the equality was hotly debated. Massachusetts military chaplain on a military base and was the first state to grant marriage become a same-sex couple in the military. based on a state Supreme Court decision.

But a teacher in most states can still be Vermont was the first state to grant marriage equality through the legislative profired simply for being LGBT. So what is cess. The only real surprise on the list is our next priority? ■ Nevada.

Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the New England is a bastion of marriage nation’s most-award-winning commentaequality, along with other northern states tor in LGBT media. He can be reached at New York and Oregon — and with the exception of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West mark@epgn.com.

Mark My Words

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

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Street Talk What LGBT historical figure inspired you the most?

“Allen Ginsberg. I grew up with his poetry.

I totally enjoyed reading it. His poetry was thoughtful, Jason Ferraro funny and musician irreverent. He Pennsport wrote about taboo subjects like anal sex, yet still was recognized by the mainstream.”

“Walt Whitman. I think of him because I jog over the Walt Whitman Bridge {sic] quite frequently.

Latrice Hollins I use the caseworker bridge to get Overbrook to the Cherry Hill Mall, and to visit my aunt in Pennsauken.”

“James Buchanan.

He wasn’t a very good president, but at least he was a president.

He achieved stature Katie McCormack in society.

Realtor I feel a Queen Village connection to him, because he lived in Pennsylvania.”

“[Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich] Tchaikovsky.

My mother has records of his music.

She would play them Magda Plota for me as secretary a child.

Lunen, Germany It always sounded good to me. I like classical music because it never goes out of style.”

Letters and Feedback In response to “Best of gay PHILLY 2011,” Sept. 30-Oct. 6:

win anything.

It’s a bird, its a plane ... no its a jaded queen! Can’t some people just be happy for places to win rather then put their two sense in about how wrong people are? If this was an attempt to bring the community together, your comments have done the opposite.

Ps. You should really check your grammar before posting such negative comments! PGN should be burned as well as all three of your readers!

Much love and luck in the future.

Sorry, but this list should be the “Worst of gay Philly.”

— A keily

— observation [In the interest of preserving grammatical integrity, PGN runs the above letter unedited.]

Sad establishments in New Hope didn’t

— anonymous

Weird as it sounds, I’m kind of glad my boyfriend didn’t win now. He’s great the way he is, and apparently if you win, the prize is PGN tears you a new asshole. The only thing worse than your best list is the one in G Philly and that ain’t sayin’ much.

Who is this guy anyway? He knows nothing about the places or people who won, obviously.

— alsoran In response to “Smart strength training: Make your bottom half your better half,” Sept. 30-Oct. 6: Thanks, Noe. This is one of the best

workout columns I’ve read in a while. I hope you are writing this regularly.

Question: What is the best way to learn balance while doing leg exercises?

Sometimes I feel like I’m falling over.

— Todd19107 In response to “Family Portrait: Monica Bey-Clarke: Entrepreneur, foster parent, aspiring pilot,” Sept. 30-Oct. 6: Good luck with your new venture.

Thanks for sharing.

— Andrea Fuentes In response to “Sims to challenge Babette Josephs in 182nd Dist.,” Sept. 9-15: It’s quite common for a person who gains a little bit of notoriety to enter politics and reach for the stars. I do not know Brian Sims personally, but he did answer

one of my emails, when I wrote and told him I am also a graduate of Michigan State University. But it is also my home state, unlike Sims. The second email he did not answer, but he is a busy man. I believe Sims is very popular for a few reasons: 1.

He is very good looking. 2. He is young. 3.

He is very macho and tough looking. Now if he was homely, I don’t think he would be where he is at right now. These are my thoughts only. If being very popular has gone to his head and he is strutting around like an emperor penguin, well that’s just Brian, let him be. The man I really admired was Sen. Edward Kennedy: When he was young and handsome, he never let it go to his head. He was always a people’s man no matter what type of background you came from. Maybe, if what I hear is true, Sims should take some lessons from the great Sen. Kennedy. But I much admire Brian no matter what.

— Mike Ramon

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Obituary Donn DesChaine, restaurant worker, artist

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Former South Street restaurant worker and artist Donn DesChaine died Sept. 29 of complications from emphysema. He was 53.

DesChaine worked at Lickety Split and Judy’s Café on South Street throughout the 1970s and ’80s, serving as a food-prep and salad worker.

DesChaine was a native of California and moved to Philadelphia with a boyfriend in the early ’70s.

He acquired his nickname, Mondo, while working at Judy’s, said longtime friend Diane Keller, also a former café employee.

“The whole South Street community was very gay-friendly back in the ’70s, so he really felt at home there. There was just this whole cast of characters on South Street that really created the restaurant renaissance at that time.”

Once he left both eateries, DesChaine took on house-painting jobs before heading back to California in the 1990s.

Keller said he lived with his sister in the northern California mountains for several years before moving to Eureka, where he worked as the kitchen manager for a nonprofit homeless shelter.

DesChaine struggled with emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary dis-

ease for a number of years and, unable to work, moved back to Philadelphia in 2010.

He moved in with Keller and her husband, Joel Spivak, also a longtime friend of DesChaine.

Keller said DesChaine collected disability compensation and, although he couldn’t work full-time, exercised his passion for the arts.

DesChaine was a member of innovative arts group Dumpster Divers, whose members craft artwork out of recycled products.

Pieces of his work, which included jewelry composed of found objects, are on exhibit at the group’s gallery at 604 South St. “He was very good-natured and this positive, creative energy,” Keller said. “He cared an awful lot about people and had a crazy sense of humor. He was a loving friend and a loyal friend and is going to be missed by a lot of people.”

DesChaine donated his body to science, Keller said, and memorial plans are still in the works.

Those interested in participating in a memorial event can contact Keller at 215389-7082 or diane_keller@comcast.net. ■

Media Trail Cain says he should have spoken up for gay soldier Yahoo News reports GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain said he should not have stayed silent after the audience booed a gay soldier at a recent GOP debate.

The Georgia businessman said it would have been “appropriate” for him to defend the soldier. None of the candidates at the Sept. 22 forum responded to the booing.

Cain’s remarks came after President Obama on Sept. 30 chastised the GOP candidates at the debate, saying the nation’s commander-in-chief should stand up for Americans in uniform.

The soldier was booed when he asked via a recorded video if the candidates would thwart progress for gay servicemembers.

Deacons held for assault The Advocate reports a gay Tennessee couple allege they were beaten as they tried to attend services at Grace Fellowship Church in Fruitland — and that the assault

was prompted by the father of one of them, who happens to be the church’s pastor.

Jerry Pittman Jr. said his father, Pastor Jerry Pittman, instigated the attack.

“My uncle and two other deacons came over to the car per my dad’s request,” he said. “My uncle smashed me in the door as the other deacon knocked my boyfriend back so he couldn’t help me, punching him in his face and his chest. The other deacon came and hit me through my car window in my back.”

Charges were filed against deacons Billy Sims, Eugene McCoy and Patrick Flatt as well as Pittman Sr.

NY considers Medicaid for transgender surgery CBS News reports a panel considering ways to revamp Medicaid in New York has proposed that the program that pays for low-income residents’ health care cover sex-reassignment surgery and hormonereplacement therapy.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed a task force earlier this year to overhaul the Medicaid system and cut costs. A group of health-care professionals is expected to decide where the transgender proposal fits on its list of priorities.

Advocates say the change could cut Medicaid costs for mental-health and drugabuse treatment. ■ — compiled by Larry Nichols

STREET

Domestic & Foreign Care State Inspection & Emissions Inspection

215-928-0376 820-22 S. 11th Street at Christian

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Inheritance tax reform may be on the horizon In a short amount of time, Pennsylvania lateral beneficiaries. has seen two very important bills be introCurrently, the Pennsylvania inheritance duced in the House: One would put sametax rates are 4.5 percent for transfers to sex relationships on par with heterosexual direct descendants, 12 percent for transfers to siblings and 15 percent for couples in Pennsylvania by transfers to other heirs. Property allowing them to marry here, as well as recognize marriages jointly owned between husband performed in other states. And, and wife is exempt from inheritance tax. Couples who are not most recently, the introduction registered as civil partners upon of HB 1828 by Reps. Michelle F. death must pay a full 15-percent Brownlee (D-195th Dist.), Maria inheritance tax.

P. Donatucci (D-185th Dist.), HB 1828 specifically proDan Frankel (D-23rd Dist.), Babette Josephs (D-182nd Dist.), poses that “[i]nheritance tax Michael H. O’Brien (D-175th upon the transfer of property passing to or for the use of an Dist.) and Rosita C. Youngblood (D-198th Dist.), among others, individual in a domestic partnership shall be at the rate of zero which would address the inheriAngela percent for estates of decedents tance tax as it affects LGBT couon or after Jan. 1, 2012.” ples. Essentially, the bill would Giampolo dying add domestic partners to the list This would make the tax code for domestic partners the same of relatives who are currently as that for married couples. exempt from paying state inheritance taxes.

The bill defines “domestic partners” as: The Pennsylvania inheritance tax is a A relationship between two individuals who tax on the beneficiary’s right to receive are at least 18 years of age; are not related to property. The amount of tax a beneficiary each other by blood or marriage within four pays depends on the value of the property degrees of consanguinity; are not married or received and his or her relationship to the in a civil union or domestic partnership with deceased. Traditionally, the Pennsylvania another individual; and agree to be in a relainheritance tax had two rates: A rate of 6 tionship of mutual interdependence in which percent applied to assets that passed to soeach individual contributes to the maintecalled lineal descendants, such as children, nance and support of the other individual grandchildren and stepchildren. A higher and the relationship, even if both individuals rate of 15 percent applied to so-called col-

Out Law

Crowne-PHILAGAYNEWS-due8-26_typeOutlines.indd 1

are not required to contribute equally to the relationship.

HB 1828 goes on to state that the Department of Revenue may require an individual who asserts a domestic partnership under this statute to provide an affidavit signed under penalty of perjury by two individuals stating that they have established a domestic partnership and proof of any two of the following documents: (1) joint liability of the individuals for a mortgage, lease or loan; (2) the designation of one of the individuals as the primary beneficiary under a life insurance policy on the life of the other individual or under a retirement plan of the other individual; (3) the designation of one of the individuals as the primary beneficiary of the will of the other individual; (4) a durable power of attorney for health care or financial management granted by one of the individuals to the other individual; (5) joint ownership or lease by the individuals of a motor vehicle; (6) a joint checking account, joint investments or a joint credit account; (7) a joint renter’s or homeowner’s insurance policy; (8) coverage on a health insurance policy; (9) joint responsibility for child care, such as guardianship or school documents; (10) relationship or cohabitation contract.

Should this proposed bill become law, it is imperative that LGBT couples protect themselves with the proper legal documentation. LGBT couples with an estate plan and cohabitation agreement executed properly will have no issues meeting legal requirements to prove their domestic partnership.

Unfortunately, many LGBT couples are unaware of the underlying federal discrimination they face until it is too late: Because of DOMA, same-sex couples do not have the right to pass property to their partners without taxation.

It is important to note that the differential treatment of same-sex couples and married couples by the federal estate tax has not been a permanent part of the estate tax’s 90-year history. No federal estate tax marital bequest deduction existed before 1948, and the deduction only became unlimited in 1981. Regardless, the cost of the unequal treatment on affected same-sex couples of both federal and state tax laws is quite large.

Though this bill is a progressive step, the day “straight taxes” and “gay taxes” are the same, there will be reason to celebrate. ■ Angela D. Giampolo, principal of Giampolo Law Group, maintains offices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and specializes in LGBT law, business law, real-estate law and civil rights. Send Angela your legal questions at angela@giampololaw.com.

8/22/11 11:19 PM

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International Six antigay extremists arrested in Belgrade Serbian police have arrested six suspected antigay extremists in connection with attempts to disrupt a Pride march.

Police canceled the march, which was to be held Oct. 2 in Belgrade, over fears of mass violence.

Some of those arrested were found with ski masks and baseball bats.

Riot police were deployed across Belgrade and other cities over the weekend to quell any trouble.

A Pride march was held last year in Belgrade for the first time in 10 years, but ended in violence as 20,000 people held a counter protest.

This year, reports claimed that extremists were planning to use violence and start fires to disrupt the gay-rights march.

Pride organizers were unwilling to cancel the event and accused authorities of giving in to threats.

But human-rights minister Milan Markovic said many people could have been killed.

“It’s far from the truth that the state has capitulated and that hooligans are more powerful than the state; that’s complete nonsense,” he said.

Instead of holding a march, gay-rights advocates held an indoor press conference.

Serial killer targeting gay men in Johannesburg There are fears that a serial killer may be targeting gay men in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Four gay men have been discovered bound and strangled in their homes in the last 10 months. In each case, there was no sign of a break-in and little was stolen, the South African newspaper Independent reports.

In the most recent case, 39-year-old Barney Van Heerden was found bound and strangled in his Orange Grove home.

Security guards found his car gate open and his front door unlocked.

In December 2010, Jim Cathels was found bound and strangled at his home in Berea.

Four months ago, Oscar O’Hara, 33, was found bound and strangled in Kensington, where he was house-sitting for a friend.

On Sept. 11, a week before Van Heerden’s death, Siphiwe Selby Nhlapo, 36, was found dead in the same way at his home in Kliptown, Soweto. In this incident, the victim’s body had acid poured over it.

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Police working separately on the four cases have not publicly discussed a possible link; but there are fears in the gay community that the cases may be connected.

Forensic specialist Dr. Mark Welman said: “It would be remiss of investigating authorities to not consider possible links.”

40 detained during Moscow gay-rights rally Russian police say they detained dozens of antigay protesters and gay-rights activists during a gay Pride rally in central Moscow.

The Oct. 1 rally was one of the few gayrights events sanctioned by authorities. In recent years, several attempts to hold gay Pride marches in Moscow and other Russian cities have been blocked by police, Russian Orthodox Church activists and soccer fans.

Moscow police spokesperson Anatoly Lastovetsky said 40 people were detained Oct. 1.

He said that police were “finding out whether [the detained] were part of the rally or the people who tried to thwart it.”

During the rally, several men were seen trying to pelt the protesters with tomatoes and unfurling posters with pejorative remarks about homosexuality.

Canadian group accused of transphobia A right-wing Canadian group claims that school equality policies are “corrupting children.”

The Institute for Canadian Values ran an ad in the National Post recently urging adults to stop “confusing children” by teaching them about gay and transgender people.

The ad, which shows a little girl, says: “Please! Don’t confuse me. Don’t teach me to question if I’m a boy, transexual, transgendered, intersexed or two-spirited.”

Appealing to the leaders of the three major Ontario parties, it continues: “Please tell me you will stop telling teachers to confuse me.

I face enough in the world already.”

The ad serves to revive last year’s “Stop Corrupting Children” campaign.

According to gay newspaper Xtra!, the ad wrongly claims that optional sex-education lessons are mandatory.

The National Post’s manager of advertising sales told Xtra! that the newspaper had received plenty of complaints and would probably not run the ad again.

Transgender activist Chase Joynt has created a spoof ad in response, which says: “Please! Don’t insult me. Teach me to question everything!”

“I thought it was manipulative to use the face of a small child,” he said. “Where the ad is doing the most damage is in not only presenting trans identities in any form as invalid and shameful, but also to rely on the education system to disseminate these lies.”

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MOSCOW ON THE MOVE: Gay-rights activists participate in an Oct. 1 gay Pride rally in central Moscow, during which Russian police say they detained dozens of activists and antigay protesters. The rally was one of the few gay-rights events sanctioned by authorities. AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev

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Spain to open first gay retirement home Work will begin on Spain’s first gay and lesbian retirement home, the December 26th Foundation, in Madrid in the coming months.

The luxury center will have 115 apartments, a gym and a swimming pool.

Residents will have access to yoga, Tai Chi and a restaurant. Its owners say it will be open to anyone, regardless of sexuality, but will be gay-friendly.

“We want to make sure old people who are gay can live out their lives freely with dignity and among equals,” said Federico Armenteros, a representative for the foundation.

The foundation is named for the 1979 date when Spain’s antigay law was repealed.

Gay-rights activists say negative attitudes toward homosexuality are still common in the elderly, especially in care homes.

Jose Maria Herreras, 65, has already made plans to move in as soon as work is completed. He said that in his current accommodation, he is insulted and ignored by other residents because he is gay.

“I have to make myself as invisible as possible — go back in the closet — so they don’t notice me. And I spend as much time outside the home as possible,” he said. “This is somewhere where everyone will be equal.

It’s a totally different home where we won’t have to hide who we are. We will be people.

I will be free again.”

British passport forms to go gender-neutral Following on the heels of the United States, which in June began issuing gender-neutral passport applications and citizenship forms for children of American parents born out of the country, passport forms in the U.K. are being updated to include options for same-sex parents.

Instead of being limited to the traditional “mother” and “father” entries, the new forms are expected to include options for “parent one” and “parent two.”

Agencies will also issue gender-free passports to allow transgender people to opt out of identifying themselves as specifically male or female.

According to Sam Dick, head of policy at the gay-rights group Stonewall, “These changes simply reflect the realities of modern life for families — making it clearer for same-sex parents applying for passports for their children and more straightforward for the officials who process them.”

A spokesperson for the Identity and Passport Service said, “It is essential that any parent provides the necessary information on their status as parents or guardians when applying for a passport on behalf of their child. This protects the interests of the child and ensures that IPS are able to issue passports securely and safely to the

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right person.”

The new forms are expected by the end of the year.

Will Honduras ban Ricky Martin?

Some people don’t want Ricky Martin to visit Honduras this month as part of his world tour, but it’s not entirely clear if right-wing religious leaders or government officials are objecting.

Martin is scheduled to perform in Tegucigalpa on Oct. 16. The minister of interior of Honduras, Africo Madrid, is telling the media that evangelical and Catholic leaders want Martin’s visa denied in order to “protect the moral and ethical principles of our society.” Madrid said the Christian officials don’t approve of Martin’s homosexuality or the fact that he’s a proud father of two children. “His nuclear family is not the type of family that Honduran society and laws approve of,” Madrid said.

But El Heraldo newspaper reports that sources in the Honduran secretary of state’s office claim there have been no written petitions to deny Martin entry into Honduras. Considering this as well as Madrid’s statements to the media, it may be Madrid who really doesn’t want Martin coming to his country.

Gay former NBA star starts HIV support group John Amaechi, the openly gay former basketball player, is supporting a new HIV program aimed at African communities in the United Kingdom.

The 40-year-old, who is of Nigerian heritage, launched the three-year Terrence Higgins Trust program Sept. 30.

The program will see 15 volunteers each year taking a two-month training course on HIV and mentoring skills.

They will then hold training workshops in the community on HIV treatment, prevention and stigma.

Amaechi, who now works as a psychologist and political activist, said, “I’m proud to be endorsing such an innovative community-focused project, which will make a tangible difference through the powerful medium of peer-to-peer support. HIV is now a manageable condition, but people are still dying needlessly because of a lack of education about the virus and social stigma, which contributes to fears about HIV testing in African communities.

“As someone with Nigerian roots, I know just how complex cultural beliefs are about sexual health and how important it is that this group has specialist support to counter prejudices and equip people with the information and tools they need to look after their health and the health of their families.”

The former NBA star came out in 2007 in his book “The Man in the Middle.” ■ — compiled by Larry Nichols

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Ally rugby player takes on bullying, homophobia

By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com After more than a decade as a leader in the sports world, recently retired British rugby star Ben Cohen is now investing his energy and leadership into his other longtime passion — tackling homophobia.

Upon his May retirement from rugby, the World Cup winner launched the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which works to raise awareness of anti-LGBT bullying and generate funds for agencies seeking to combat bullying around the globe.

Cohen, who has long been an ally voice for LGBT equality, said he’s received a wholly positive response to his efforts both from his U.K. and U.S. fans.

“I haven’t had any negative feedback at all, which is fantastic and needed,” he said. “The foundation’s been very wellreceived.”

Cohen, 33, has spent the last several months on a global tour promoting the tenets of his organization, and made a stop Monday at the University of Pennsylvania with ally American wrestler Hudson Taylor to speak about alleviating homophobia in educational and sports settings.

Penn junior Jason Magnes, a member of the university’s tennis team and chair of Penn Athletes and Allies Tackling Homophobia, which helped organize this

week’s event, said he has seen that education and open discussions are the best means to achieving LGBT acceptance in the sports world.

“I’ve seen progress on my own team from when I first came out because people didn’t know how to respond initially and now it’s such an accepting environment,” Magnes said. “People really aren’t used to having gay people in sports, so we need to get them talking about it. I talk to people on my team about my relationships and they see that they’re not much different from their relationships with girls, and those small things make them realize that we’re really not that much different. So I think it’s all about exposure and getting more out gay athletes out there as role models for younger kids.”

Throughout his six years of antibullying advocacy, Cohen said he has been personally touched by stories of bullying of all stripes from kids throughout the globe.

“There was one boy who got bullied so bad at school that he tried to commit suicide by hanging himself with his Harry Potter scarf. I love Harry Potter and that just really hit home for me to have this child trying to kill himself with this scarf,” Cohen said, noting that the attempt was unsuccessful but the boy’s struggles continued. “He tried to run away from what he had to deal with at school and turned a lot of it in on himself and it created a lot of anxiety and even

internal bleeding. He eventually finished school but he had a lot of trouble finding a job because of the mental-health problems he has now. And you know the whole reason he was bullied? Red hair.”

His work has also given him the opportunity to meet with bullies themselves, some of whom have turned their ways around, he said.

While he said a lot of the motivation to bully stems from the “core values” passed down to children from their parents and guardians, he’s also seen kids from seemingly stable backgrounds become aggressors.

As the father of young twin girls, Cohen said, the pervasiveness of bullying strikes a chord for him.

“It makes me really angry. Bullying would make anyone angry, but when you have kids, I think it makes you even angrier,” he said. “Having kids is a whole new love, a different type of love. I wish I could just wrap them up and protect them their entire lives.”

The schoolyard bullying that goes unchecked can resurface later in life, Cohen said, noting the professional sports world has recently seen its fair share of namecalling.

A member of the Philadelphia Eagles and possibly one of the Flyers were recently caught using antigay slurs, the same word

dropped by Kobe Bryant.

“When you play a sport, you go into this zone and this mode where you’re in a different place. You need that arrogance and you need to be self-centered, but when you go from game mode to the real world, you’ve got to click that off,” Cohen said.

“With the Kobe incident, I’m far from condoning what he said, but he was caught up in the moment of the sport and what came out? ‘Fucking faggot.’ And we need to look at where that stems from, because it’s the playgrounds, the schools, the neighborhoods when we’re growing up. But when you’re a leader, whether for sports or something else, growing up you need to be taught that you’re a role model and that comes with a responsibility. If you’ve got one person, 10 people or 50 million people looking up to you, you need to set an example, and a lot of sportsmen and women fail when it comes to that performance.”

Despite the slur Bryant dropped, Cohen noted he’s such a high-profile player that the incident thankfully focused attention on the issue of anti-LGBT sentiments and encouraged discussions about homophobia.

That conversation would likely be furthered if a current professional American athlete came out.

On that front, Cohen said the question isn’t whether the American sports world is

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STAND-UP GUYS: Former British rugby star Ben Cohen (right) and American wrestler Hudson Taylor spoke to a packed crowd of LGBTs and allies at the University of Pennsylvania Monday night. The pair shared personal stories of how they came to be strong LGBT allies and led a discussion on the movement for LGBT acceptance in sports settings. Photos: Scott A. Drake

ready for a gay athlete, but rather if that athlete is prepared to be gay in the American sports world.

“That person needs to be ready to say, ‘You know what, I’m gay. Deal with it.’

I’ve had a lot of conversations with sportsmen and women about when the correct time to do that is, and it’s all up to the person because there are a lot of pros and cons to coming out. If you’re not open, that’s a lot of sacrifice in your career. Personally, I

think that an openly gay player who comes out at the top of their game is going to do so much better than someone who comes out and it becomes another object they have to fight to become the best player in the world. Very, very wrongly, if an athlete is perceived to be different, whether they’re gay or not, it can knock them off course because people won’t necessarily be focusing on their talent. But, if they’re at the top of their game and already have that respect,

I don’t think people will focus on their orientation as much.”

Encouraging respect for people of all orientations and identities is one of the basic principles of the StandUp Foundation, Cohen said.

So far, the nonprofit has focused on developing its brand, enlisting the support of four of the world’s largest companies in promoting the organization’s logo and mission.

“Things have been happening so quickly, every week, and I’m just amazed,” Cohen said of the rapid success of StandUp. “We’re at a massive tipping point right now in terms of homophobia and bullying; so the timing is perfect — and I’m not really superstitious, but I think that, with the way that this has come together, things really happen for a reason.”

For more information, visit www. standupfoundation.com. ■

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CENTER CELEBRATION: The William Way LGBT Community Center hosted its annual fundraiser Indigo Ball Oct. 1, this year featuring a sold-out sit-down dinner and, new this year, an afterparty, IndiGoGo. Executive director Chris Bartlett said the combined events netted $63,000 for the center, with 250 and 450 attending, respectively. “The community center was thrilled by the support of men and women of all generations who came out to experience the community we are aiming to create,” he said. Bartlett said this year that the center wanted to hold a more intimate dinner followed by a dance party at a lower price point. Planning for next year’s event, which Bartlett hopes to grow, will begin in about a month. Photos: Scott A. Drake

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

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GAY HISTORY MONTH — WE ARE AMERICA PGN

We are America: How members of the LGBT community helped create the USA

James Buchanan: America’s first gay president?

First in a monthlong series

wrote to a friend after King went to France revealed the depth of his feelings for King.

“I am now solitary and alone, havBy Timothy Cwiek ing no companion in the house with me,” Exclusively for PGN Buchanan wrote. “I have gone a wooing to National Gay History Project several gentlemen, but have not succeeded More than 150 years before America with any one of them. I feel that it is not elected its first black president, Barack good for man to be alone; and should not Obama, it most likely had its first gay presi- be astonished to find myself married to some old maid who can nurse me when I dent, James Buchanan (1791-1868).

Buchanan, a Democrat from nearby am sick, provide good dinners for me when Lancaster County, was the 15th president I am well, and not expect from me any very ardent or romantic affecof the United States, and tion.” a lifelong bachelor. He Loewen said their served as president from relationship — though 1857-61, tumultuous interrupted due to foryears leading up to the eign-service obligaCivil War. tions — ended only with Historian James W. King’s death in 1853.

Loewen has conducted In the late 1990s, extensive research into Loewen visited Buchanan’s personal Wheatland, the manlife, and he’s convinced sion in Lancaster, where Buchanan was gay.

Buchanan spent his later Loewen is the author years. of the acclaimed book Loewen said he asked “Lies Across America,” a staffer at Wheatland if which examines how Buchanan was gay, and historical sites inaccuthe reply was: “He most rately portray figures and JAMES BUCHANAN, 15TH definitely was not.” events in America’s past.

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED L o ew e n s a i d t h e “I’m sure that STATES staffer pointed to a porBuchanan was gay,” trait of Ann Coleman, Loewen said. “There is clear evidence that he was gay. And since I the daughter of a wealthy iron maker, whom haven’t seen any evidence that he was het- Buchanan was engaged to briefly in 1819 erosexual, I don’t believe he was bisexual.” — shortly before she committed suicide.

However, Loewen scoffed at the staffer’s According to Loewen, Buchanan shared a residence with William Rufus King, a suggestion that the brief engagement to Democratic senator from Alabama, for sev- Coleman proved Buchanan was heterosexual. eral years in Washington, D.C. Loewen said Buchanan showed little Loewen said contemporary records indicate the two men were inseparable, and interest in Coleman, appeared more interwags would refer to them as “the Siamese ested in her fortune, and possibly contributed to her suicide due to his emotional twins.”

Loewen also said Buchanan was “fairly detachment.

Patrick Clarke, director of Wheatland, open” about his relationship with King, causing some colleagues to view the men as said the staff now takes a neutral stance on Buchanan’s sexual or affectional prefera couple.

For example, Aaron Brown, a prominent ence.

“There’s no solid proof that Buchanan Democrat, writing to Mrs. James K. Polk, referred to King as Buchanan’s “better was heterosexual, nor is there solid proof half,” “his wife” and “Aunt Fancy ... rigged that he was homosexual,” Clarke said. “If we ever come up with a smoking gun that out in her best clothes.”

In 1844, when King was appointed min- proves it one way or the other, I would defiister to France, he wrote Buchanan, “I am nitely encourage our staff to share it with selfish enough to hope you will not be able the public.”

But, he said Coleman’s portrait no longer to procure an associate who will cause you is displayed at Wheatland. to feel no regret at our separation.”

The tours focus mainly PAGE 28 Loewen also said a letter Buchanan

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GAY HISTORY MONTH PGN — WE ARE AMERICA

William Rufus King: First gay U.S. vice president?

By Lou Chibbaro Jr. Exclusively for PGN National Gay History Project William Rufus DeVane King, the 13th United States vice president, has the distinction of having served in that office for less time than any other vice president.

He died of tuberculosis on April 18, 1853, just 25 days after being sworn into office on March 24, 1853, according an official biography of King prepared by the Office of the Historian of the U.S. Senate.

Other historians have speculated that King holds yet another distinction — the likely status of being the first gay U.S. vice president and possibly one of the first gay members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

King (1786-1853) served in the House of Representatives from North Carolina for six years beginning in 1811 and later served in the Senate from the newly created state of Alabama from 1819-44, when he became U.S. minister to France.

He returned to the Senate four years later, in 1848, where he served until December 1852, when he resigned after winning election in November 1852 as vice president on the ticket of Franklin Pierce.

A lifelong bachelor, King lived for 15 years in the home of future U.S. president James Buchanan while the two served in the Senate. Buchanan, also a lifelong bachelor, is believed by some historians to be the nation’s first gay president.

“They certainly didn’t have the word gay back then,” said Paul F. Boller Jr., professor emeritus of history at Texas Christian University and author of several books on

presidential politics, including the book of them.”

King’s relationship with Buchanan, who “Presidential Campaigns: From George was from Pennsylvania, could have been a Washington to George W. Bush.”

In a telephone interview, Boller said factor in Buchanan’s sympathy for the South Washington insiders at the time speculated during Buchanan’s tenure as a senator and over whether King and Buchanan’s well- later as president from 1857-61.

Most accounts by historians of King’s known close friendship had evolved into a romantic relationship. political career portray him as a moderate “I don’t think the word southerner who supported homosexual was used either,” slavery while emerging as a Boller said. “So they’d sort strong unionist. King voiced of use the term ‘a little femiopposition in the Senate to nine’ and all of that.” calls by some of his fellow Boller and historian Jean southerners for the South to H. Baker, professor of hissecede from the United States tory at Maryland’s Goucher during the tense decade prior College and author of a biogto the Civil War. raphy of Buchanan, each “From such a calamity may God in His mercy cite reports that President deliver us,” King wrote in Andrew Jackson referred expressing opposition to the to King as “Miss Nancy” growing calls for secession. and “Aunt Fancy.” Aaron V. WILLIAM RUFUS KING King was born in 1786 in Brown, who became U.S. Sampson County, N.C., to a postmaster general while Buchanan was president, reportedly referred family of wealthy planters. His father owned more than two-dozen slaves, the Office of to King as Buchanan’s “wife.”

Baker reports in her Buchanan biography the Senate Historian reports in its biography that King’s and Buchanan’s nieces report- of King. edly destroyed their uncles’ correspondence It says King attended an elite preparawith each other, fueling speculation that the tory school before attending the University two men were in a gay relationship that their of North Carolina, where he studied law.

Following a legal apprenticeship, he was families wanted to conceal.

In one letter that survived, Buchanan admitted to the state bar in 1805 and began expressed sadness over King’s departure a legal practice. He served in the North from his house in 1844 to become the U.S. Carolina Legislature from 1808-09, won election in 1810 to the U.S. House and began envoy to France.

“I am now solitary and alone, having no serving as a congressman in 1811 at age 25.

He resigned from the House in 1816 companion in the house with me,” Buchanan wrote. “I have gone a wooing to several gen- to enter the world of diplomacy by taktlemen, but have not succeeded with any one ing a job as legation secretary for William

Pinkney, who was appointed by President James Monroe as U.S. minister to Russia in St. Petersburg. King returned to the U.S. in 1818, when he moved from North Carolina to the territory of Alabama, becoming one of the leaders of the Alabama statehood movement.

The Senate historian’s biography says King purchased 750 acres of land in Alabama and established a plantation. He later joined others to form a land company that founded the town of Selma, which King reportedly named. In December 1819, he became one of Alabama’s first two U.S. senators.

As a moderate Democrat, King became an early supporter of Andrew Jackson’s quest to become president, the Senate biography says. It quotes an unnamed King critic as describing him as “tall, prim, wig-topped mediocrity,” noting that King wore a wig “long after such coverings had gone out of fashion.”

The biography quotes a fellow senator as saying: “He was distinguished by the scrupulous correctness of his conduct. He was remarkable for his quiet and unobtrusive, but active practical usefulness as a legislator ...

To his honor be it spoken, he never vexed the ear of the Senate with ill-timed, tedious or unnecessary debate.”

The Encyclopedia of Alabama reports in a 2003 article that rumors circulating in Washington about King’s sexual orientation increased as his close friendship with Buchanan became widely known.

“Neither man ever married, and by 1836 they were sharing a residence in Washington,” the encyclopedia article says. “Any negative reactions to their relationship appear to have had little effect, and the men continued with

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their living arrangement and their work as legislators.”

By 1840, newspapers in Alabama supportive of the Democratic Party, of which King was a prominent member, promoted King as a vice-presidential running mate for incumbent President Martin Van Buren. Although King received little support outside Alabama for the vice-presidential nomination, he continued to position himself behind the scenes as a possible vice-presidential candidate for the next two decades, the Alabama Encyclopedia reports.

The Senate biography of King says President John Tyler interrupted King’s vice-presidential ambitions in 1844 when he nominated him to become U.S. minister to France and the Senate quickly confirmed the nomination by a lopsided margin.

The bio says King succeeded in his main mission to persuade France not to oppose U.S. plans to annex Texas, which the U.S. acquired following the Mexican-American War. King returned to the Senate in 1848, two years after completing his service in France.

In July 1850, King became the defacto U.S. vice president when President Zachary Taylor died in office and then Vice President

Millard Filmore became president, leaving the office of vice president vacant.

King’s Senate colleagues responded by unanimously selecting him as president pro tempore of the Senate, which normally would have placed him third in line to become president. With the vice president’s post vacant, King emerged as first in line to become president if Filmore were to die in office.

In 1852, after years of vying for the vicepresidential nomination, the constellations appeared to be in perfect alignment with Democratic Party politics for King’s longtime dream. After nominating Franklin Pierce for president on the 49th ballot, the Democratic Convention, convening in Baltimore, nominated King as Pierce’s running mate. In the ensuing months, King campaigned aggressively for the Pierce-King ticket, playing some role in Pierce’s victory in November 1852.

But biographers report that King’s coughing spells became increasingly frequent and painful, leading to a diagnosis of tuberculosis. By December 1852, King described himself to friends as “looking like a skeleton,” the Senate biography reports. Later that month he resigned from the Senate and

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

made arrangements, at the advice of his doctor, to spend the winter in Cuba, where the warm, tropical climate would hopefully help him regain his health.

In early February 1853, King realized his condition was getting worse and he would not be well enough to travel to Washington in time for the March 4 inauguration ceremony.

Upon learning of King’s deteriorating health, Congress took the unusual step of passing a law allowing him to take the oath of office for vice president on foreign soil.

“On March 24, 1853, near Matanzas, a seaport town 60 miles from Havana, the gravely ill statesman, too feeble to stand unaided, became the nation’s 13th vice president,” his Senate biography says.

King boarded a ship to return to the U.S. in April 1853 and arrived home at his Alabama plantation on April 17. He died one day later at age 67.

David Durham, a University of Alabama professor of law and history, said in a Sept.

9 interview that it remains an open question whether King was gay. Durham said it’s also uncertain but a strong possibility that King played a role in shaping Buchanan’s policies and views on the issue of slavery in the years

27

leading up to the Civil War. “I don’t think anybody can prove it one way or the other,” he said in discussing King’s sexual orientation.

“A lot of the speculation comes from misinterpreting, I think, 19th-century lifestyles, where men commonly slept in the same bed and thought nothing of it,” Durham said.

“And the kind of terms of affection used in letters and correspondence between males — in our society now it’s like, umm, that’s very interesting. But they thought nothing of it and it didn’t mean there was some kind of romantic attachment.”

“But that’s not to say that there wasn’t,” Durham added. ■

SERVICES & HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY

Lou Chibbaro Jr. has reported on the LGBT civil-rights movement and the LGBT community for more than 30 years, beginning as a freelance writer and later as a staff reporter and currently as senior news reporter for the Washington Blade. In 2011, Chibbaro became the first reporter from the LGBT press to be inducted into the Society of Professional Journalists D.C. Professional Chapter’s Hall of Fame, and received the Justice for Victims Crime Award from the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in 1998. He received a bachelor’s degree with a double major in biology and political science from the State University of New York at Brockport.

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PGN GAY HISTORY MONTH — WE ARE AMERICA from page 25

on the mansion’s décor and activities that took place there during the later years of Buchanan’s life, he added.

Wheatland also has about 45 volunteer tour guides, and to Clarke’s knowledge, none of the guides is openly gay.

“The volunteer guides who we train to share the history of James Buchanan’s life and times are directed to take a neutral stance regarding [his] sexual preference,” Clarke said.

But Clarke said he wouldn’t object if a volunteer offered a personal opinion that Buchanan was gay, if asked by a visitor.

“When you have 50 minutes to take people through a nine-room house, there’s only so much you can discuss,” Clarke said. “But if the question is raised, the guide may express a personal opinion.”

Loewen said many historians rate Buchanan as one of the worst U.S. presidents. Buchanan was part of the pro-slavery wing of the Democratic Party, and corruption plagued his administration.

But Loewen said those flaws shouldn’t discourage members of the LGBT community from acknowledging Buchanan’s status as a gay man.

“Lots of gay people have been exemplary,” he said. “Let’s look at Walt Whitman. For my money, he’s the best poet in the history of the country. But we also have to acknowledge the failures. If we only admit that really great people are gay, what kind of history is that? And how is that believable? It’s ridiculous. We have to tell it like it was.”

As a heterosexual male, Loewen added, he has no hidden agenda in outing Buchanan.

“I’m not gay,” Loewen said. “I don’t run around trying to find gay folks or black folks underneath every rock. But I’m not going to ignore clear evidence.” ■ Timothy Cwiek holds a bachelor of arts degree in U.S. history from West Chester University. He has written for Philadelphia Gay News since the late 1970s and written freelance articles for numerous publications on topics such as the Lincoln assassination, the Kennedy family, the shootings at Kent State University, first ladies and the macrobiotic movement in America.

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PGN YOUTH from page 1

of all ages, with more than 150 expected to attend. Minors must have a permission form from a parent or guardian.

PSEC, which formed this past spring, voted to go ahead with the statewide summit during an inaugural conference for organization leaders over the summer, explained PSEC executive director Jason Landau Goodman.

“We spent the summer developing our infrastructure and we’re now ready for implementation,” Landau Goodman said.

“We’ve hit the back-to-school season now, so it’s time for action.”

Action will be a theme throughout the weekend, as registrants will be encouraged not to just discuss the issues facing LGBT youth in Pennsylvania, but to actually formulate ways to address those challenges in their school and campus communities.

“What we’re doing is something that hasn’t been done in a long time, a civilrights conference,” Landau Goodman said.

“We want to train and empower young people for action. We don’t have anyone telling us what to do but we’re talking about our own issues and thinking of ways to rise up and do something about them. We’re not just saying, ‘This is what’s going on’ in this intellectual framework, but are actually taking it to a level where we can go back to our communities and really accomplish things.”

The panels are divided into sections that address the LGBT youth movement both within and outside the LGBT community,

the multiple identities LGBT youth hold, and on-campus concerns like gender-neutral housing and homophobia in Greek life or sports.

Each panel will feature an “expert” on a certain topic, along with a student leader.

After a brief presentation, the discussion will be opened so that all participants can join the conversation.

Among the speakers are Alison Gill, public-policy manager at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, and Tammy Simpson, mother of Brandon Bitner, the Pennsylvania teen who committed suicide last fall after pervasive bullying because of his presumed sexuality.

“Brandon’s mother is someone who’s really been affected by the issues we’re working on,” Landau Goodman said. “We want to talk about the actual on-campus events that led to his suicide and what we can do to make it stop, so it’ll be really important to hear directly from Pennsylvanians like her to take this conversation to the next level.”

In addition to the upcoming conference, PSEC is organizing nine town-hall discussions throughout the state in the coming weeks to hear directly from LGBT youth about their local concerns.

Philadelphia youth are encouraged to attend the local town hall at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 at The Attic Youth Center, 255 S. 16th St. Conference participants can register online until Oct. 13. For more information, visit http://pennsec.org/psec-youth-actionconference/. ■

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case,” he said.

In a homicide investigation, a primary investigator is assigned to the case who works with the entire squad on the investigation in the first two days, after which time he or she takes over the case, along with a partner.

The investigators have continued to interview and reinterview neighbors near the 1800 block of Manton Street where Blahnik lived, along with other acquaintances, in the past year and have looked into all calls about the murder, STACEY BLAHNIK Clark said.

“We have followed up on every single tip and have now identified this person of interest and are working to build our case around that individual,” he said.

Clark noted that there is no standard timeline to which a murder investigation can be held, as each case is contingent upon myriad factors.

“There’s nothing with murder that’s usual or unusual,” he sad. “Sometimes we bring [the suspect] in in the first couple minutes and sometimes it takes four

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

or five years. There are a lot of different things that come into a murder investigation.”

Malik Moorer, Blahnik’s partner of seven years, said investigators have kept in touch with him over the past year.

While an arrest in the case would provide a modicum of closure for him, Moorer said, it would also be reassuring to clear his name, as he said that, although he was ruled out as a suspect, he has been plagued by rumors in the past year.

“I want them to find the killer so he’s punished and also because I don’t want my name in any way associated with doing any kind of harm to her,” he said. “Even if they arrest the person, I’m still going to have a lot of questions about why this happened, but it would help a little bit.”

Moorer said adjusting to day-to-day life without his partner has been difficult.

“Some people say it gets better with time but this has been the hardest year of my life,” he said. “Everything that has come up, it’s been the first for this or the first for that. When it was her birthday or my birthday or Thanksgiving, I’ve always got to deal with it being the first.”

Clark urged Blahnik’s loved ones to remain patient, saying he believed the case could be successfully solved.

“To the friends and family of the victim, we never stop working no matter what. We believe very strongly that we will bring this job in and an arrest will be made in the future.” ■

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visitors.

Eric Bunting, the center’s facilities assistant, said he was called to the Gayborhood the night of Sept. 27 to help subdue a friend who had taken crystal meth and was “out of control.”

Bunting said his friend was becoming violent, punching him and at least one passerby, and climbing onto tables at El Vez at 13th and Sansom streets.

After arriving at the scene around 9:45 p.m., Bunting called police, as did staff at El Vez and several people in the crowd who gathered to watch the incident, Bunting said.

Bunting said he waited about a half-hour for police before spotting a Center City District representative in the crowd watching the situation.

The CCD staffer, who was standing with another CCD representative, was wearing a radio, and Bunting asked him to call police on the radio, hoping to speed up the response.

OUTFEST from page 1

of LGBT youth suicides, Price said organizers wanted to continue the tradition to emphasize to the community’s young people that they’re not alone.

“We had 92 youth on stage last year and hundreds more in front of the stage and the applause was just deafening. To see the looks on their faces was just incredible,” she said. “It’s important for them to know that we’re there for them. We can’t talk to each young person and tell them that, but we can tell them all together like this.”

Organizers will also pay tribute to several community leaders with the annual awards presentation. The 2011 honorees include OutProud Award winner Metropolitan Community Church of Philadelphia, Gilbert Baker National OutProud Award winner Giovanni’s Room, OutProud Friend Award winner Ronda Goldfein and OutStanding Youth Award winner Jermaine Benton.

Price said MCCP, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, has always been “out and proud in the community,” and its members have been fixtures in the annual Pride festivities, investing months of energy into preparing a performance for the parade each year.

MCCP pastor the Rev. Jeffrey Jordan said the award was especially meaningful because of the church’s anniversary year.

“For 40 years, Metropolitan Community Church has been on a mission of proclaiming God’s love for whosoever, and we dedicate the award to all those who have served the ministry of MCCP over the last 40 years,” he said.

Price added that the Gilbert Baker award was also appropriate given the marker dedication Sunday that honors the store’s influence, which she noted is national, and said Goldfein has been integral in engaging the community’s allies in LGBT- and HIV/ AIDS-rights work.

Benton, 18 and a recent graduate of the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, has been a member of

“I asked him if he could radio the police and help me and he said, ‘I’m not helping no fucking faggots,’” Bunting said.

Bunting said he told the representative that it was his job to assist and, when he asked for the individual’s name, he said he covered his name badge with his hand.

Bunting said he attempted to pull the man’s arm off of his tag to no avail.

“He was just screaming and hollering at me so I realized, why don’t I take a picture of him? So I pulled out my phone and went to take it and he grabbed my phone and threw it in the gutter,” Bunting said, noting that the CCD employee called him a faggot several times.

Bunting turned his attention back to his friend and said he wasn’t sure at which point the CCD representative left the scene.

Shortly after the exchange, an off-duty Philadelphia police officer approached Bunting and offered to radio police, who arrived shortly thereafter, transporting Bunting’s friend to Jefferson Hospital.

A corner of Bunting’s iPhone was cracked The Attic for two years.

Carrie Jacobs, the agency’s executive director, said Benton is a talented artist who proved integral to the organization’s completion of a mural this past summer and also excelled as a volunteer for The Attic’s Bryson Institute, where he worked with foster parents.

“Watching him grow and become more involved in the center, which is really his own community, has been so inspiring,” Jacobs said. “He’s really creative and talented and has become such a contributor to the community.”

In addition to the stage festivities, activities will abound throughout the festival — from mechanical-bull rides to a trampoline to a water-gun game — with specialized sections, including a pet zone, dance spot, sports area and family section.

Guests can also partake in a raffle, with prizes such as $1,500 toward a trip with Agape Travel.

About 130 vendors are expected to line the streets this year, offering merchandise and a wealth of information on local and national LGBT resources.

One of the vendors, Jeans Donation, will be collecting garments that will be distributed to the city’s needy.

The nonprofit organization, launched in 2007, accepts jeans of all shapes, sizes and conditions for men and women, and donates them to those struggling with homelessness, those who are returning to the city after spending time in prison and many others.

The company also collects T-shirts, and CEO John Jones encouraged OutFest participants to bring their garments to the event to help those in need.

In addition to the streets, the bars throughout the area will also be packed throughout the day; Woody’s will host the official OutFest kick-off party, and outdoor celebrations will also be held in front of Tabu and Sisters.

For more information about OutFest, visit www.phillypride.org. ■

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

in the incident, he said, and he can’t turn the device off.

On Friday, Bunting filed a complaint against the CCD representative with the agency and said the individual who took his report was “appalled” at the story.

According to the CCD website, customerservice representatives are meant to be “an effective deterrent to crime and a welcoming presence in downtown Philadelphia, equally prepared to administer first aid, provide directions, radio police or provide outreach to homeless individuals.”

Tony Nazzario, director of human resources at CCD, said in a statement this week that the two CCD representatives involved were disciplined but declined to provide to what extent because of personnel policies.

“Mr. Bunting filed a report with the Center City District. We did an extensive investigation regarding his allegations,” Nazzario said. “We found the two [customer service representatives] were in violation of our policies and appropriate action was taken.

43

Personnel matters for both current and former employees, however, are confidential.”

CCD president and CEO Paul R. Levy added that the agency “has very clear policies regarding any form of discrimination.

We investigated the complaint and took strong and corrective action that will prevent such conduct from ever reoccurring.”

Bunting said he is exploring the possibility of filing a report with the Philadelphia Police Department or the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations.

Deputy Commissioner Stephen Johnson, the LGBT police liaison, has been in touch with Bunting.

Bunting said the CSR’s reaction was dismaying especially considering his supposed job responsibilities.

“I’m outraged,” he said. “The district is full of gay people, and we could be anywhere in the city. We look up to these people as people who can help you but then they don’t. What else is he doing walking around collecting a paycheck if he’s not helping people?” ■

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PAGE 54

Bulletin Board Family Portrait Out & About Scene in Philly Q Puzzle Worth Watching

Page Page Page Page Page Page

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Alec Mapa headlines new gay comedy festival

By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com Philly Improv Theater and NightlifeGay.com have joined forces to present QComedy Fest 2011, an extravaganza featuring LGBT comedians, improv performers and spoken-word artists from throughout the United States in venues across Center City, Oct. 9-15.

QComedy Fest producer and comedian Alejandro Morales — organizer of Camp Tabu, a bimonthly alternative comedy night at Tabu — said the impetus for the festival came when he was trying to help find a place for a visiting gay comedian to perform.

“I got put in touch with a comedian from San Francisco and he was coming into Philadelphia for a wedding and he needed a venue,” he said. “So I got in touch with Greg Maughan at Philly Improv Theatre to see if he could arrange a venue. He couldn’t, but he mentioned he wanted to put together a festival featuring LGBT talent. He and I sat down together and talked more about it. I talked to some other improvisers who are in the community and they were all really excited about it. It sort of grew from there.”

And grow it did. Headlining QComedy Fest for its first time out of the gate is Alec Mapa, who has appeared on television shows “Desperate Housewives,” “Ugly Betty” and Logo’s “Gossip Queens.” The actor and comedian will perform 9 p.m. Oct. 15 at Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St.

James St. “A couple months ago, the gig didn’t exist and they called out of the blue and asked me to come to Philadelphia, and I immediately said yes because it’s one of my favorite cities,” Mapa said. We believe he loves our city: He headlined Philly Pride in 2009. For the festival, Mapa will appear in the cozier indoor space of Voyeur instead of the open-air main stage of Pride, which is somewhat of a relief to him.

“Pride outdoors is challenging because you’re dealing with a lot of distractions,” he said. “I just did Pride in Las Vegas and it was a similar venue. I kind of like having everybody up closer. On a festival stage, there’s more of a distance between me and the audience. I prefer a more intimate setting. It becomes more of a conversation as opposed to a shouting match.”

So why on earth would a comedian sign up for that — you know, besides the big payday?

“It’s so hard. It’s really hard,” Mapa said. “But when it goes well, it’s incredibly gratifying and also you get to see more diversity when you perform at festivals. When I do Pride in Long Beach, that is not going to be the same crowd that I see in a theater in West Hollywood. I’ll be seeing a more diverse group of people.”

Diversity is key to the ambitions of the QComedy Festival, as both the performers and the target audience get little support from area comedy clubs, none of which are part of the festival.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

FEATURE PGN

“They just cater to sort of a different crowd,” festival producer Morales said of the clubs.

“They don’t really connect to the [LGBT] community in a way that is meaningful.”

Mapa added that the climate in stand-up comedy is to blame.

“It’s a lot of homophobic comics,” he said.

“Any time I go to a straight comedy night, even if it’s at the Laugh Factory or The Comedy Store, you’re always kind of bracing yourself because a homophobic joke or a homosexual panic joke is a really easy go-to. It’s something designed for the straight guys in the audience that are drinking and their girlfriends.

It’s designed to establish a rapport really easy. It’s kind of like, ‘I hate gay people too.’ The thing about comedy is you’re forced to be as outrageous as possible and homophobia is still a really easy blunt weapon to use in a comedy club. So I think that it’s a matter of, if I’m paying money to be entertained, I don’t want to go to a straight club and hear a bunch of homophobic comics, who are probably all closeted, do their antigay stuff. I saw one comic get up there and he had like maybe 10 minutes about how much gay sex grossed him out. And he went on and on. And the longer he went on, all I could think was, Clearly you’ve given this a lot of thought. We are a really underserved audience. There aren’t hundreds of gay comics working the circuit all the time. We’re still a minority and, as a result, we don’t hear our own stories up there and we don’t hear our experiences related back to us for our culture. And there is an absolute need for that because when your story isn’t told, ever, you start to feel that your story doesn’t matter or isn’t as important. But I’ve found the more specific you are, the more universal you become because everybody is going through the same thing.”

Mapa balances his comedy performances with his many acting gigs, which, thanks to the faltering economy, are plentiful.

“Everybody is broke so there’s a benefit every week,” he said. “There’s always some organization that needs me. I did a cancer benefit on Monday and I’m doing a benefit for the gay and lesbian center at the end of this month. I’m pretty much on stage in front of an audience a couple times a month, sometimes a couple times a week.”

When asked about his upcoming TV projects, Mapa said he’s waiting to hear if there is going to be any new episodes of his talk show, “Gossip Queens.”

“We’re in a holding pattern right now, which means somebody is scrambling to see if they can get enough money to buy us another season.”

He added that the bulk of his TV work is moving in a new direction.

“I’m actually doing a lot more children’s programming now, strangely enough, which is great because I have a kid,” he said. “So it’s things he can actually watch. It’s a venue that allows me to overact, which I enjoy. The right wing likes to go on and on about the bad influence of the gay community on children and what they don’t know is so many gay people work in children’s television. There are so many gay people working at Disney as writers and designers and executive producers. There’s so many gay people working at the Children’s Te l ev i s i o n Wo r k s h o p a n d Nickelodeon. So we are influencing children but in a very positive way, because you look at children’s television and the casts are very diverse.

There’s ethnically diverse and there are all kinds of people, and a lot of the messages in many of the mainstream Disney comedies are about being different.”

When it comes to being different, Morales said he hopes enough people will connect with the festival so it can be an annual event.

“I hope that we can connect with the community and the audiences and really let everybody know about the work that we are doing,” he said. “I hope it is a tremendous success. I would love to do it again next year.”

Morales also said that organizing the festival allowed him the opportunity to discover some local performers that, up until recently, had flown under his radar.

“I was surprised I hadn’t met all these people who are working in the improv community,” he said. “I was surprised at the number of people who were doing their own separate thing, and I had hoped that something like this would happen at some point. I’m happy to be a part of it. I think this a really great time to be involved in comedy. The improv community is doing some really great work.

The Philly Improv Theater is doing wonderful work. There’s just this real sense of excitement right now because people are making these great connections and doing these wonderful performances. I’m also celebrating the show that I host, Camp Tabu. Through that I have been able to meet so many comics that are friendly to the cause and have a sensibility that jibes with our community. Now, comedy in the city isn’t necessarily something that someone for the LGBT community is going to connect with. It just doesn’t jibe. So I’m just glad there’s an offshoot of that that doesn’t rely on rank misogyny and homophobic sentiments.” ■ QComedy Fest 2011 runs Oct. 9-15. For venue and performer information and tickets, visit www.qcomedyfest.com, www.phillyimprovtheater.com or www.nightlifegay.com.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

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Uh Huh Her to rock Philly

CAMILA GREY (LEFT) AND LEISHA HAILEY

By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com Damn our bad timing!

Had we waited a week to schedule an interview, we’d have gotten all the dirt on Uh Huh Her’s situation with Southwest Airlines — when the duo was reportedly escorted from a flight for a public display of affection.

Alas, we had plenty to talk about, regardless. The electro-pop/rock duo comprised of Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey is about to release a second full-length album Oct. 11.

Grey said the new album is not as electronic-sounding as previous efforts.

“It is a little more rock-driven this time around,” she said. “I was super-inspired by the 1970s for some reason. I went back to my record collection and was only listening to Psychedelic Furs and Led Zeppelin.

So that was a big influence. Luckily, we got to work with Wendy Melvoin of Prince and The Revolution and she inserted her oldschool style into it as well.”

And seeing as we at PGN are huge fans of Prince and The Revolution — including Wendy and Lisa — here at PGN, we had to know all about Melvoin’s involvement with the new record.

“We were friends with her,” Grey said.

“I met her in passing. She heard our demos and I guess she fell in love with them and wanted to help us. We obviously said yes.

We had just gotten a record deal and we were in need of help from anyone. She’s an incredible musician, so we jumped at the chance to work with her. The record had already been produced and then we went in and polished it. Wendy played some of the guitars and she played some bass and percussion.”

Uh Huh Her is now in the midst of headlining the first-ever Keep A Breast music

tour, which supports breast cancer prevention and awareness. Grey said she felt it was important to be part of this tour.

“Both my grandmothers had breast cancer and were survivors, so I had an immediate interest in it,” she said. “I think people being educated is the most import thing when it comes to diseases in general. When you catch it early enough, the chances of surviving are far greater. I’m really happy to be a part of it because it hits close to home.”

Grey said she and Hailey are focusing on the new album and touring to support it, even though they’re busy with other artists and projects. Hailey balances acting and music — she had a starring role on Showtime’s “The L Word” — and Grey has performed as a backing musician for artists ranging from Dr. Dre to Adam Lambert.

“Right now for both of us, the group is our main focus,” Grey said. “For the first time, she’s not on ‘The L Word’ and I’m not touring with Adam or somebody else. We’re full steam ahead with the new record. We’re planning on touring it until we can’t. We’ll see. She always wants to act and I always want to do other projects, so that will always be a part of it. I just think that right now we want to give this a shot. And being an independent artist is a lot harder, so I think we really have to focus. Because it’s our baby and we worked so hard on it, it’s nice to see it through and see your work pay off and have people appreciate it. It’s different when you’re playing someone else’s music. Even though those might be more grandiose venues and you’re playing for 50,000 people as opposed to 1,000 people, it’s just as rewarding because it’s your own.” ■ Uh Huh Her performs 8 p.m. Oct. 8 at TLA, 334 South St. For more information, visit www.uhhuhher.com or call 215-9221011.

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FILM PGN

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‘Weekend’ captures nascent romance

By Gary M. Kramer PGN Contributor

and that’s what Russell breaks down. We tried to make Glen as rounded as possible — not one-note, or aggressive.

The best gay romance of the year, PGN: How much of the film was impro“Weekend,” opens today at the Ritz.

Queer writer-director Andrew Haigh vised? invites viewers to eavesdrop on the bud- CN: It’s hard to say what was in the script ding relationship between Russell (Tom and what we improvised. It would be Cullen) and Glen (Chris New). The guys interesting to look at the original script meet at a club one evening and spend the now. We were very in-the-moment, and night together. And the next day, and the did lots of versions. Because we were shooting in sequence, we could do that next night, and the next day.

Glen is an artist and has a queer political and not worry about saying something bent. Russell is more subdued, an everyman that we’d already shot. That was really who just wants to be happy. Their conversa- great, very [freeing] and allowed us to tions range from sensitive — Chris explains relax. how he was outed in school — to heated, as when Russell argues a position about gay PGN: You have a very natural rapport marriage. Haigh films the men in a docu- with your co-star Tom. How did you crementary-like fashion in Russell’s apartment ate that?

CN: We didn’t do any specific techniques. or chatting idly on public transit.

Yet the filmmaker’s intimate, fly-on-the- The main thing we did is try to relax wall approach, along with the actors’ strong around each other. The relationship on the performances, provide the key to the film’s set wasn’t one-to-one/one-on-one, but a emotional power. “Weekend” allows view- three-way between Andrew, Tom and I. ers to bask in the pleasure of the two men sharing a bicycle ride, or sense the emotion PGN: So you discussed everything right behind their frequent physical contact. As down to, well, who’s on top in the sex Glen and Russell go through the familiar rituals of dating — particularly not wanting to say goodbye to an attractive potential new boyfriend — audiences will become invested in the relationship, perhaps to the same degree that the two men fall for each other. And the film’s poignant finale is sure to jerk tears from more than a few viewers.

Both actors are fantastic in their roles. Handsome without being too pretty, they seem perfectly comfortable and natural together. Cullen TOM CULLEN (LEFT) AND CHRIS NEW IN “WEEKEND” nicely underplays his part; a scene at his goddaughter’s birthday party scene? belies his desires to be with Glen. New is CN: You do have to discuss [who’s on particularly charismatic and irresistible. top] when you’re doing a film with intiWatching these men connect is simply macy. The characterization of sexuality as it’s discussed in the film — each character magical.

PGN phoned the openly gay New in has a way they like to take part in sex — speaks to where they are in the world, England to chat about “Weekend.” and what’s in their heads as well. Because we were relaxed, there were no tensions PGN: Chris, you are very charming as when [the camera] rolled. We were open Glen. How did you develop the character? to try anything. So if Tom changed a line, CN: My charm? I brought that to the film. or a move, or his intonation, we’d just Andrew had no charm. [Laughs.] I’m jokgo with it. That’s what made some of the ing. Andrew let me bring my own kind of more-interesting moments in the film, sense of humor to him. I enjoy the absurd, when we create a nice chemistry. the strange little things in life.

PGN: How did you identify with him?

CN: I think I may have been like him at one point in my life — not wanting to get involved in a relationship. There are phases where we do that, and isolate ourselves. I recognized that protective element of him, Glen wanting to remove himself from the [dating] game. This makes him cerebral,

PGN: What can you disclose about the sex scenes? The film is so real they didn’t seem simulated.

CN: [Laughs.] They weren’t real. They seemed real because we didn’t show that much. So people believe it [was real] because of the intimacy we created.

PGN: Is Tom your type?

CN: No. He’s completely the opposite, sadly. Which made it kind of easier, actually. [Laughs.] But he’s got quite a fan club now that the film’s been released.

Apparently he’s lots of people’s type.

PGN: Why do you think Glen and Russell are attracted to each other?

CN: I think, as with a lot of relationships, it’s the accidental challenges that make it work. They say the right thing, in the right frame of mind to each other. Their personalities ... the timing is right. You are ready to have that experience. That happens with a lot of relationships, short or long, that “right period” where you respond to each other.

PGN: Glen is a bit political, talking about gay marriage, addressing issues of living in a straight world. How political are you?

CN: I am quite politically minded, but I’m not sure if I agree with Glen’s politics. It’s interesting: The generation I come from in England feels slightly at a distance from the gay movement. We look at it and respect it and admire what people have done for us, but it’s hard for me to see what the relevance is. I’ve only just been learning about that in the past few years.

It’s because I’m getting older. I see these things do have an effect. I just got married last weekend. It was a shotgun wedding — I got him pregnant. [Laughs.] Taking that step, I had to think about the marriage question. My partner and I don’t at all copy or attempt to simulate a straight marriage. The stereotypical way of looking at that is that we have an open relationship, and that’s a cheap idea. A gay couple can get married and do it in a slightly different way. We had no

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Family Portrait

PROFILE PGN

Suzi Nash

Lisa Thompson: Opera, classical by day; Bob and Barbara’s by night “The most important political step that any gay man or lesbian can take is to come out of the closet. It’s been proven that it is easier to hate us and to fear us if you can’t see us.”

— Amanda Bearse, actress National Coming Out Day is Oct. 11 and once again Philadelphia will celebrate being out, loud and proud with a fabulous street fair, Oct. 9 in the heart of the Gayborhood.

There will be food and craft vendors, penisshaped bagels (for those of you who like that sort of thing ... ), performers, music from DJ extraordinaire Maria V, a pet show, a mechanical bull, a family zone, health exams, a visit from Mayor Nutter and even a trampoline. A returning performer at the event is Lisa Thompson, aka Lisa Lisa, host of the popular drag show at Bob and Barbara’s.

PGN: So Ms. Thompson, where are you from?

LT: I’m originally from Stamford, Conn., and came here to Philadelphia to attend the University of the Arts, where I majored in voice and opera. I got my degree and started working for the city doing afterschool music programs during the school year and at Penn in the summers. We do musicals and programs there. In my off time — my fun time — I host the show at Bob and Barbara’s. I’ve been doing it there for over 18 years.

PGN: Where do the kids you teach come from?

LT: They come from all over the city. They have to audition to participate in the summer program. During the school year, I go to different recreation centers to teach and I also teach private voice lessons.

PGN: Tell me about a particular kid who really struck you.

LT: I had one student, LaChanze Sapp, who won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in “The Color Purple” and was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in “Once on This Island.” Sadly, she lost her first husband on 9/11 when she was eight-months’ pregnant.

He worked for a financial-services firm located in Tower One of the World Trade Center. She was primarily a dancer, but wanted to take voice with me. I knew she was special right away: She had the drive you need to make it in the business. But I’ve been lucky; so many of the kids are really talented, really gifted. A lot of them have gone on to get degrees in music and then have returned to teach in the program.

PGN: That must be rewarding.

LT: Oh yes, it’s nice to see it come full circle. I have a girl right now who’s really gifted: I think she’s going to be a big star.

It’s exciting to see them succeed.

PGN: Do you watch “Glee”?

LT: I watch it a bit, but I’m really more about classical music. Though you can tell that some of the kids have had classical training. I just hope that kids watching it realize how much goes into what they do — understand that there’s a lot of training and hard work that went on before. Kids just don’t jump up out of the blue and perform like that. Actually, they’re not even kids, they’re adults playing kids.

PGN: I know. I bartend for a friend on weekends and I recently carded this girl who looked slightly familiar. She was 25 and seemed a little surprised that I carded her: Turned out it was the woman who plays Tina on “Glee.” Speaking of which, the last episode was about a girl trying out for the choir who was really awful but thought she was great. Have you dealt with that?

LT: As a teacher, you really have to be careful. You work with them and encourage them and, you’d be surprised — sometimes those are the students who work the hardest and do well. It’s not always the best voice that gets the role.

to my own rules.

PGN: What did they do for a living?

LT: My mom was a kindergarten teacher and my father was not in construction, but in the building field.

PGN: Any siblings?

LT: Yes, there are five of us. I’m the oldest.

PGN: Were you the caretaker?

LT: No, we’re a very close-knit family and I think we all take care of each other. We never had any fighting amongst ourselves.

Our parents were really good role models and taught us how to deal with each other.

PGN: What’s a good family memory?

LT: When we had our first family reunion.

Everybody got together and it was great.

We got to meet some cousins and family members we hadn’t met yet and reunite with others we hadn’t seen in a while. We talked and laughed and ate! It was great.

PGN: What was your favorite class in

PGN: Like Rex Harrison who was famous for talk/singing his songs.

LT: Yes, or like [opera singer] Maria Callas.

She actually didn’t have the best voice but she was a great actress and was able to bring the song across.

LT: Diana Ross, the record with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” on it. I just love her — well, I guess every gay person does — and Patti LaBelle. But I was also into Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

PGN: Outside of opera, what’s a favorite type of music?

LT: Oh, I like Broadway musicals. And contemporary music too. Really all types, because I have students of all types that I have to teach and they don’t all do opera, so I have to be versatile.

PGN: Any stage blunders?

LT: Not really, opera’s pretty disciplined.

You really rehearse all the kinks out. The worst mishap was probably someone coming in to the song at the wrong time.

PGN: Do you speak any other languages?

LT: Not fluently, but we had to take classes in all different languages so we could sing the parts authentically.

PGN: What’s the hardest language to sing in?

LT: German! Without a doubt, it’s very guttural.

Italian and French are the prettiest. I may get in trouble for saying that!

PGN: OK, I’ll get you in more trouble: What’s your favorite opera?

LT: “La Bohème.” I like arias from a number of operas, but I’ll admit to “La Bohème” being my favorite overall.

PGN: I know of African-American involvement in opera because of the late Malcolm Poindexter, who was involved with Opera Ebony/Philadelphia, but a lot of people don’t associate black people with opera.

LT: Yes, there are a lot of us in the classical arts, but I think that people want to highlight certain factions of the community and not others. I don’t like to get into the political aspects: I just teach and hope that people will open their eyes and accept people based on talent, whether it’s classical music, dancing or whatever. I believe it’ll work out. I believe we need to move beyond black, white, whatever, and just all have the opportunity to sing.

PGN: So tell me a little about yourself.

LT: I was brought up in Stamford, Conn., and I was always very shy. But my parents always taught me to be myself. They were very strong proponents of education. They believed you needed a strong educational foundation to advance to the degree that you wanted to. You can’t fool parents: They knew I was gay from a young age and, when I became a transsexual, they were very supportive. They were more concerned about how I would be accepted by society.

But, you know, you’re going to have your negative and positive people in life no matter what you do, so I just brush it off. I just feel it’s my life and I have to live according

PGN: So how did you transition from school to teaching?

LT: When I was in school, I used to sing at St. John’s, for about 15 years in fact, and I told my music history teacher there that I was looking for a job. She got in touch with a friend in the recreation department and they hired me to work for the city. I’ve been there ever since. school?

LT: [Laughs.] Music, of course!

PGN: Do you remember your first solo?

LT: I was in elementary school and my music teacher heard me singing and invited me to sing in the Christmas concert. I still remember the song: “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays.”

PGN: What was the first record you ever bought?

Photo: Suzi Nash

PGN: And how did you come to do the shows at Bob and Barbara’s?

LT: Back in the early ’90s, I used to do shows at the Cartwheel in New Hope. Bob and Barbara’s had been doing shows for two years, but they really didn’t want to do shows with “trannies.” I think they felt we’d attract a different crowd of people. There was a girl I knew who did their shows and had to cancel and asked me to step in. She told me that she’d PAGE 67

BOOKS PGN

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Best-sellers Information is courtesy of Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; 215-923-2960; www.queerbooks.com. Ten-percent off most hardcover in-store sales.

Men’s books 1. “We the Animals,” by Justin Torres (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $18 hb).

2. “No Brainer Variations,” by Jim Cory (Rain Mountain, $8 pb).

3. “A Body on Pine,” by Joseph R.G. DeMarco (Lethe, $18 pb). When Marco Fontana enters his friend’s spa on Pine Street, he doesn’t find the peaceful retreat he expected. DeMarco’s second Philadelphia mystery.

4. “Transparent,” by Don Lemon (Farrah Gray, $24.95 hb). In this unique memoir, “Primetime CNN” anchor Lemon takes readers behind the scenes of journalism, detailing his own struggle to become one of the most prominent African-American men in television news — and inside some of the biggest stories of our time.

5. “The Bad Seed,” by Lee Hayes (Strebor, $15 pb). Crazy in love: A hyper-sexual 17-year-old high-school boy develops a fatalistic crush on his reclusive high-school English teacher.

6. “Captain Harding’s Six-Day War,”

by Elliott J. Mackle (Lethe, $15 pb).

Assigned to babysit a loose-cannon colonel at remote Wheelus Air Base, Libya, handsome, hard-charging Capt. Joe Harding spends his off-duty time bedding an enlisted medic and a muscular major.

7. “No One in the World,” by E. Lynn Harris and R.M. Johnson (Simon & Schuster, $25.95 hb). The story of twin brothers struggling to answer many questions about themselves and one another.

8. “Mogul,” by Terrance Dean (Atria, $15 pb). A novel about the secret life of one of New York City’s most beloved hip-hop producers.

Men’s DVDs 1. “Finding Me: Truth,” directed by Roger S. Omeus Jr. (2011, 100 min., $17.99). Who knew Jersey City could be such a hotbed of gay drama?

2. “From Beginning to End,” directed

by Aluizio Abranches (2009, 96 min., $19.99). This controversial Brazilian drama follows the love and sexual intimacy between two men ... who are halfbrothers.

3. “Beautiful Thing,” directed by Hettie Macdonald (1996, 89 min., $24.95). The classic, heartfelt drama of young love triumphant against all odds.

4. “Blackmail Boys,” directed by Bernard Shumanski and Richard Shumanski (2011, 68 min., $19.99).

After moving to Chicago for art school, Sam begins turning tricks to help pay the bills.

5. “Children of God,” directed by Kareem Mortimer (2010, 104 min., $19.99). Percolating under the hot Bahamian sun are religious intolerance, political grand-standing, family woes and hopefully enough love to conquer them all.

6. “Strapped,” directed by Joseph Graham (2010, 95 min., $19.99). A routine trick at a man’s apartment propels a cynical hustler into a series of strange and life-changing encounters in this stunningly photographed drama.

Cheril N. Clarke, illustrated by Aiswarya Mukherjee (Dodi, $12.95 hb). For young children.

4. “Mommy, Mama, and Me,” by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson (Tricycle, $7.99). A toddler’s daily activities — from the park to bedtime — in the company of two loving mothers.

5. “Lesbian Sex: 101 Love-Making Positions,” by Jude Schell (Celestial Arts, $16.99 hb). Positions for tonguing and grooving with this innovative and clever sex guide for women who love women.

6. “Night Watch,” by Sarah Waters (Riverhead, $16 pb). Set during the air raids, blacked-out streets, and sexual adventure of World War II London.

7. “Empathy,” by Sarah Schulman (Arsenal Pulp, $15.95 pb). Anna O. is a loner in New York, an office temp obsessed with a mysterious woman in white leather; Doc is a post-Freudian psychiatrist who hands out business cards to likely neurotics on street corners and is himself looking for personal fulfillment.

8. “Fingersmith,” by Sarah Waters (Riverhead, $16 pb). Raised by a loving family of thieves, orphan Sue Trinder is sheltered from the worst of the Victorian underworld until it becomes her turn to make the clan’s fortune.

Women’s books 1. “Inside the Money Machine,” by Minnie Bruce Pratt (Carolina Wren, $15.95 pb). A passionate study in poems of working people and an in-depth exploration of 21st-century capitalism.

2. “Waiting in the Wings,” by Melissa Brayden (Bold Strokes, $16.95 pb).

Jenna McGovern has spent her whole life training for the stage.

3. “Keesha and Her Two Moms Go Swimming,” by Monica Bey-Clarke and

Women’s DVDs 1. “Room in Rome,” directed by Julio Medem (107 min., $24.95). Two women bare their bodies and their souls during one memorable night in a hotel in Rome.

2. “Big Lesbian Love,” Collector’s Set (321 min., $34.95). Four films cheap: “Four-Faced Liar,” “My Normal,” “And Then Came Lola” and “Itty Bitty Titty Committee.”

3. “Fest Selects: Best Lesbian Shorts” (101 min., $24.95). Nine lesbian shorts culled from top film fests.

4. “Elena Undone,” directed by Nicole Conn (2010, 111 min., $24.95). As their relationship takes on a life of its own, what ensues is one of the most passionate and intimate female-on-female scenes ever filmed.

5. “Purple Sea,” directed by Donatella Maiorca (105 min., $24.95).

A scandal hidden in 19th-century Sicily between two young women, Angela and Sara. Italian with English subtitles.

Trans book 1. “Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels,” by Justin Vivian Bond (Feminist Press, $16.95 pb). A moving and hilarious coming-of-age story about love, sex and attention deficit disorder. ■

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PHILADELPHIA, OLD CITY/SOCIETY HILL ZIP CODE 19106 • Independence Visitors Center, Sixth & Market streets • Free Library, Independence Branch, 18 S. Seventh St. •

Coldwell Banker Real Estate, Curtis Center, 170 W. Independence Mall • Independence Place Condos, 241 S. Sixth St., lobby in both towers • Zeke’s Lunch, 318 S. Fifth St. • Best Western Independence Park Hotel lobby, 215 Chestnut St. • Hyatt Regency Hotel lobby, 201 S. Columbus Blvd. • Philly Paws, 100 N. Second St. • Strands Salon, 25 N. Third St. • Dane Décor, 315 Arch St. • Old City Ironworks Gym, 141 N. Second St. • Chocolate Works Condo lobby, 321 N. Third St. • Bridgeview Place Condo lobby, 315 New St. • HONOR BOXES • Seventh & Pine streets • Fifth & Pine streets • Third & Spruce streets • Fifth & Spruce streets • Sixth & Chestnut streets • Fifth & Chestnut streets • Fourth & Chestnut streets • Third & Chestnut streets • Second & Chestnut streets • Second & Walnut streets • Walnut & Dock streets, by Ritz Movies • Fifth & Market streets • Third & Arch streets • Third & Race streets • Fourth Street bet. Arch & Market streets, by Holiday Inn

PHILADELPHIA: SOUTH ST./BELLA VISTA/PASSYUNK ZIP CODE 19147 • Whole Foods Market, 929 South St. • Big Green Earth Store, 934 South St. • Bean Café, 615 South St. • Copabanana, 342 South St. • PGN offices, 505 S. Fourth St. • Famous 4th St. Deli, Fourth & Bainbridge streets • Essene, 719 S. Fourth St. • Paper Moon, 524 S. Fourth St. • Rockerhead Salon, 607 S. Third St. • Philly Bagels, 613 S. Third St. • Office of Dr. Lynne Rosenthal, 530 S. Second St., second floor • Michael’s Café, 1623 E. Passyunk Ave. • Black N Brew, 1523 E. Passyunk Ave. • Carmen’s Country Kitchen, 11th & Wharton streets • Free Library, Southwark Branch, 932 S. Seventh St. • Bethel Community Home, 933-935 S. Third St. • Hideaway, Days Inn, 2015 Penrose Ave. • HONOR BOXES • 10th & South streets • Eighth & South streets • Sixth & South streets • 505 S. Fourth St. • Fourth & Bainbridge streets • Third & South streets • Passyunk Avenue & Mifflin Street • Passyunk Avenue & Tasker Street • Passyunk Avenue, 10th & Reed streets PHILADELPHIA WEST OF BROAD ZIP CODE 19102/19103 • U Do It Laundry, 15th & Spruce streets • Touraine Building lobby, 1520 Spruce St. • The Attic Youth Center, 255 S. 16th St. • TLA Video, 1520 Locust St. • Latimer Deli, 255 S. 15th St. • Dr. Wakefield’s Office, 255 S. 17th St., Suite 2306 • Art Institute, 1622 Chestnut St. • Art Institute, 1610 Chestnut St. • Café Cret, 1301 Race St. • Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel, 17th & Race streets • Adonis Cinema, 2026 Sansom St. • Sansom St. Gym, 2020 Sansom St. • Titan Room, 22nd & Market streets • Manna, 12 S. 23rd St. • Art Institute, 2300 Market St. • Phila. Daily News/Inquirer lobby, 400 N. Broad St. • Drexel Partnership, 1427 Vine St., third floor • Main Branch Phila. Free Library, 19th & Vine streets • HONOR BOXES • 17th & Pine streets • 20th & Pine streets • 15th & Spruce streets • 17th & Spruce streets • 18th & Spruce streets • 19th & Spruce streets • 23rd & Spruce streets • 25th & Spruce streets • 18th & Locust streets • 20th & Locust streets • 21st & Walnut streets • 22nd & Walnut streets • 20th & Sansom streets • Broad & Chestnut streets • 22nd & Chestnut streets • 16th & Market streets • 18th & Market streets • 22nd & Market streets • Design Center, 2400 Block Market St. • 16th Street & JFK Boulevard • 18th Street & JFK Boulevard • 20th & Vine streets PHILADELPHIA, FAIRMOUNT, ZIP CODE 19130 • Bebashi, 1217 Spring Garden St. • Colonnade Condos lobby, 1601 Spring Garden St. • CCP Lambda, Phila. Community College, 1700 Spring Garden St. • Logan View Apts. lobby, 17th & Callowhill streets • Free Library, Main Branch, 19th & Vine streets • Whole Foods Market, 2001 Pennsylvania Ave. • Welker Real Estate, 2311 Fairmount Ave. • Beehive Hair Salon, 2319 Fairmount Ave. • Philadelphian Condos lobby, 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. • 2601 Parkway Condos lobby, 2601 Pennsylvania Ave. • Crooked Frame Café, 2545 Brown St. • HONOR BOX, 23rd Street & Fairmount Avenue

PHILADELPHIA, WEST PHILLY, ZIP CODE 19104 • LGBT Center at Penn, 3907 Spruce St. • Penn Bookstore, 3610 Walnut St. • Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. • St. Mary’s Church, 3916 Locust Walk • International House, 3701 Chestnut St. • University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St. • Sheraton Hotel, 36th & Chestnut streets • Old Quaker Condos lobby, 3514 Lancaster Ave. • World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. • Bucks County Coffee, 3430 Sansom St. • Bucks County Coffee, 40th & Locust streets • Fresh Grocer, 4001 Walnut St. • Osol Hall, 510 S. 42nd St. • Wilson Hall, 708 S. 42nd St. • Goodman Hall, 710 S. 42nd St. • University of the Sciences England Library, 4200 Woodland Ave. • HONOR BOXES • 30th & Market streets, NW corner • 33rd & Market streets, SW corner • 38th & Chestnut streets • 38th & Walnut streets • 36th & Walnut streets • 34th & Walnut streets • 34th & Spruce streets • 37th & Spruce streets • 38th & Spruce streets • 38th & Walnut streets • 40th & Walnut streets • University City SEPTA Station

PHILADELPHIA, OTHER, BY ZIP CODE 19111 • Almost Paradise, 742 Frankford Ave. • Free Library, Welsh Road, 9233 Roosevelt Blvd. • Honor Box, Welsh Road & Roosevelt Boulevard • Harry’s Natural Foods, 1805 Cottman Ave. • 19114 • Today’s Videos, 9255 Roosevelt Blvd. • 19116 • GWHS Beacon Center, 10175 Bustleton Ave. • Free Library Bustleton Branch, 10199 Bustleton Ave. • 19118 • Weaver’s Way, 559 Carpenter Lane • Coffee Junction, 7210 Cresheim Road • Infusion Salon, 7133 Germantown Ave. • Newsstand, 8600 Germantown Ave. • Border’s Books, 8701 Germantown Ave. • 19119 • TLA Video, 7630 Germantown Ave. • Honor Box, Wyndmoor SEPTA Station • 19120 • Free Library, Olney Branch, 5501 N. Fifth St. • 19122 • Rainbow Eye, 1449 N. Fifth St., second floor • Free Library, Rodriguez Branch, 600 W. Girard Ave. • Barnes & Noble, 1700 N. Broad St. • Temple University Student Activity Center, 1755 N. 12th St. • 19123 • Darling’s Diner, 1033 N. Second St. • Beth Ahavah, 615 N. Broad St. • SILOAM Ministries, 1133 Spring Garden St. • Shampoo, Seventh & Willow streets • Honor Box, Fifth & Spring Garden streets • 1 Shot Coffee, 1040 N. Second St. • PYT Restaurant, 1050 N. Hancock St., at the Piazza • Northern Liberties Iron Works, 821 N. Second St. • HIV Early Intervention Clinic, St. Joseph’s Hospital, 16th Street & Girard Avenue • 19124 • Free Library Fishtown Branch, 1217 E. Montgomery Ave. • Free Library Frankford Branch, 4634 Frankford Ave. • Free Library Oak Lane Branch, 6614 N. 12th St. • 19126 • Free Library, Roxborough Branch, 6245 Ridge Ave. • 19127 • Free Library, Andorra Branch, 705 E. Cathedral Road • Honor Box, Main & Cotton streets • 19128 • Elfant Wissahickon Realty, 8962 Ridge Ave. • 19129 • Free Library Falls of Schuylkill, 3501 Midvale Ave. • 19131 • WCAU TV lobby, City Line Avenue & Monument Road • WPVI TV lobby, City Line Avenue & Monument Road • Free Library Wynnefield Branch, 5325 Overbrook Ave. • Honor Box City Avenue & 63rd Street • 19132 • One Day At A Time, 2532 N. Broad St. • 19133 • Congresso De Latinos, American Street & Lehigh Avenue • Free Library Lehigh Branch, 601 W. Lehigh Ave. • Prevention Point, 166 W. Lehigh Ave. • Free Library Richmond Branch, 2987 Almond St. • 19134 • Free Library McPherson Square Branch, 601 E. Indiana Ave. • Touch of Class Books, 3342 Kensington Ave. • 19136 • Fantasy Island Books, 7363 State Road • 19139 • Free Library West Phila. Branch, 125 S. 52nd St. • 19141 • Free Library Logan Branch, 1333 Wagner Ave. • Free Library Olney Branch, 6017 Ogontz Ave. • 19143 • Free Library Blanche A. Nixon Branch, 5800 Cobbs Creek Parkway • Free Library Kingsessing Branch, 1201 S. 51st St. • Philadelphia University KANBAR Center, 4201 Henry Ave. • 19144 • Free Library Joseph E. Coleman Branch, 68 W. Chelten Ave. • Free Library Lovett Branch, 6945 Germantown Ave. • 19145 • Free Library South Phila. Branch, 1700 S. Broad St. • Free Library Passyunk Branch, 1935 Shunk St. • 19146 • South Square Market, 2221 South St. • Honor Box, 22nd & South streets • L-2 Restaurant, 22nd & South streets • Honor Box, 19th & South streets • Honor Box, 17th & Lombard streets • Marine Club Condos lobby, Broad Street & Washington Avenue • 19149 • Newsstand, Bustleton & Cottman avenues • Free Library, Northeast Regional Branch, 2228 Cottman Ave.

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

■ Mayor’s Director of LGBT Affairs: Gloria Casarez, 215-6862194; Gloria.Casarez@phila.gov; Fax: 215-686-2555

■ ACLU of Pennsylvania: 215592-1513 ■ AIDS Treatment Fact line: 1800-662-6080

■ The COLOURS Organization Inc.: 112 N. Broad St., third floor; 215-496-0330 ■ Equality Pennsylvania: 215731-1447; www.equalitypa.org ■ Equality Forum: 215-732-3378

■ Mazzoni Center Family & Community Medicine: 215-563-0658 ■ Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Philadelphia): 215-572-1833

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■ SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: 717-9209537 ■ Transgender Health Action Coalition: 215-732-1207 (staffed 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 6-9 p.m.

Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)

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Health

AIDS Services In Asian Communities Provides HIV-related services to Asians and Pacific Islanders at 340 N. 12th St., Suite 205; 215-629-2300. www.asiac.org Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative Free, anonymous HIV testing from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1207 Chestnut St., fifth floor; 12-6 p.m.

Tuesdays at the Washington West Project, 1201 Locust St. 215851-1822 or 866-222-3871. www.galaei.org. Spanish/English HIV treatment Free HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment for Philadelphia residents are available from 9 a.m.-noon Mondays 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 and confidential HIV testing ■ Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia GALLOP holds board meetings at 6:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at 100 S. Broad St., Suite 1810; GALLOP also provides a free referral service; (215) 6279090; www.galloplaw.org.

■ Greater Philadelphia Professional Network Networking group for area business professionals, self-employed and business owners meets monthly in a different location throughout the city, invites speakers on various topics, partners with other nonprofits and maintains a Web site where everyone is invited to sign up for e-mail notices for activities and events.; www.gppn.org.

available by appointment at 13 S. MacDade Blvd., Suite 108, Collingdale; Medical Office Building, 722 Church Lane, Yeadon; and 630 S. 60th St.; 610-5869077.

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Mazzoni Center Family & Community Medicine Comprehensive primary health care, preventive health services, gynecology, sexual-health services and chronic-disease management, including comprehensive HIV care; 809 Locust St.; 215-563-0658.

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Professional groups ■ Independence Business Alliance Greater Philadelphia’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce, providing networking, business development, marketing, educational and advocacy opportunities for LGBT and LGBT-friendly businesses and professionals. Visit www.IndependenceBusinessAlliance.com for information about events, programs and membership; (215) 557-0190; 1717 Arch St., Suite 3370.

■ National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association The Philadelphia chapter of NLGJA, open to professionals

and students, meets for social and networking events; www.nlgjaphiladephia.org.

■ Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus A regional organization dedicated to promoting gay and lesbian tourism to the Greater Philadelphia Region, holds meetings every other month on the fourth Thursday (January, March, May, July, September and the third Thursday in November), open to the public; P.O. Box 58143, Philadelphia, PA 19102; www.philadelphiagaytourism.com.

■ Philly OutGoing Professionals Social group for gay, lesbian and bisexual professionals meets for social and cultural activities; (856) 857-9283; popnews19@yahoo. com.

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Mazzoni Center Free, anonymous HIV testing; HIV/AIDS care and treatment, case management and support groups; 21 S. 12th St., eighth floor; 215-563-0652. www.mazzonicenter.org.

Washington West Project Free, anonymous HIV testing. Walk-ins welcome 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Monday-Friday except for 12-1 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. and 1-5 p.m.

Saturday; 1201 Locust St.; 215-985-9206.

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■ Philly Pride Presents: 215875-9288

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

Anonymous, free, confidential HIV testing Spanish/English counselors offer testing 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 3439 N. Hutchinson St..; 215-763-8870 ext. 6000.

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■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: 267-216-6606; ppd. lgbt@gmail.com

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■ Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection at the Independence Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library: 215-685-1633

■ Mazzoni Center: 215-563-0652; www.mazzonicenter.org. Legal Services: 215-563-0657, 866-LGBTLAW; legalservices@mazzonicenter. org

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■ Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force: 215-772-2000 ■ Philadelphia Police Department liaison — Deputy Commissioner Stephen Johnson: 215-683-2840

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■ AIDS Library: 215-985-4851

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■ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Peer Counseling Services: 215-732-TALK

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■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: 856-933-9500 ext.

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Key numbers

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■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: 215-587-9377

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■ Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning

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■ William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center: 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220; www.waygay.org.

Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Saturdays and Sundays. Peer counseling: 6-9 p.m.

Monday through Friday Library hours: 12-9 p.m.

Monday-Thursday; 12-3 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Friday; 126 p.m. Saturday. Volunteers: New Orientation: First Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.

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

and Allies Youth Center: 6-8 p.m.

Wednesdays: Doylestown Planned Parenthood, The Atrium, Suite 2E, 301 S. Main St., Doylestown; 215-957-7981; rainbowroom@ppbucks.org

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Community centers

■ The Attic Youth Center: For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. Groups meet and activities are held 4-8 p.m. MondayFriday; case management, HIV testing and smoking cessation are available Monday-Friday. See the Youth section for more events.

255 S. 16th St.; 215-545-4331

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Community Bulletin Board

57

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

PGN

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

Please join us for the

National Liberty Museum’s

Glass Auction Saturday evening October 15, 5:00 pm

Philadelphia Marriott Downtown honoring Brian Daggett & Franz Rabauer Bids start as low as $200 on 300 pieces of gorgeous contemporary art glass. Proceeds benefit the Museum’s work to build character, defuse violence and promote peace.

Tickets are just $250 per person.

Full five-course dinner included!

For information, call Arlene 215-925-2800, x126.

See the complete auction catalog and register online at www.libertymuseum.org. Absentee bidding also available!

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

PGN

© 2011 Viacom Inc. All rights reserved.

SPECIAL PREMIERE

MON 11P OCT 10 REGULAR TIME MONDAYS 10P

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ALISTDALLAS

#ALISTDALLAS

ALISTDALLAS_TabAd_PHIGayNews_10x11.indd

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ALISTDALLAS_TabAd_PHIGayNews_10x11

XXXXX-XXXXX MECH

ab

9/15/11 4:46 PM

FILM PGN from page 51

bridesmaids, no bouquets, no wedding lists, etc. Here in the UK, it’s called “partnership.” But I’m going to call it “marriage” and call him “my husband” and not let anyone stop me. Being gay, we can shape that anew for ourselves.

PGN: There are scenes where Glen and Russell bond over coming-out stories.

Can you discuss your coming out?

CN: My coming out was exactly timed when I came out of the womb. I was, If anyone has a problem — it’s their problem! I was lucky. I am stubborn. I came out of the womb knowing I was going to be an actor and a homosexual. I don’t know why I knew it, but I did.

PGN: Glen’s coming-out story involves him getting caught wanking off to Rupert Graves’ nude scene in “A Room with a View.” You have a quick full-frontal shot in “Weekend.” Do you imagine guys wanking off to your nude scene?

CN: [Laughs so hard he has to catch his breath.] Breathe! Hardly! I’d be very surprised. If they want to have a go at a frozen screen, fine. Good luck!

PGN: Glen records his sexual experiences for art, and reads Russell’s diarylike encounters. Have you ever done anything like this?

CN: I’ve never kept a record of those things. I don’t know why, really, I never keep a record of anything. I have the worst memory on earth. It’s strange to think why he would. It’s not just for the art. It’s a way of exploring the emotions and reality to explore it from a distance.

PGN: Why do you think it’s important to be an openly gay actor?

CN: There’s no reason not to be. If I miss out on a job, then I won’t know about it. My first agent told me not to tell the press I was gay, but I was in “Bent” so I fired him.

PGN: What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend?

CN: [Laughs.] Not sure ... usually in bed. If you’ve got a good bed, life’s good. I’m a very hermit-like person. I just stay in. I’m the homebody. Not a very sexy answer, is it?

PGN: Well, I’m going to say you are naked in your bed!

CN: [Laughs.]

PGN: I like to read in bed. What do you like to read?

CN: Jean Genet. I find his writings incredible. You read his novels, and you think everyone else is so lazy. He put more ideas in one page that others do in an entire book. It’s so sexy. His mind is fascinating, dangerous. He takes you places you don’t want to go. I read BUTT magazine all the time too, but it’s frustrating they haven’t published in ages. ■

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

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PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

Q Puzzle Remembering 9-11 Across

1. With 49-Across, gay hero of 9-11 5. Part of a club name 10. Speed meas. of a Johnny Mathis record 13. Soon, long ago 14. Leader of men in tights 16. Oscar-night transport 17. Condoms, slangily 18. Most like sexy undies 20. Robin Williams’ home, in “Aladdin” 21. Left-wingers, of old 22. Prepared for

questioning 25. Gauche 27. Hepburn of “The Children’s Hour” 28. Jerky meat 29. Dry as a bone 31. U-turn from NNW 32. Last journey of 1-Across 36. Venom source 39. Errol Flynn’s “The Sun ___ Rises” 40. Bridal party 44. Loads of ships 46. Audit 49. See 1-Across 51. Place for a light meal 52. Horse that isn’t hung 53. Tools used on the can 55. Cleopatra’s

queendom 57. Not using the tongue 59. Some eat it semi-firm 60. James Dean’s “East of ___ ” 61. Shed tears 62. Mother-and-son piece 63. Overly brainy sort

Down

1. Baudelaire’s “Fleurs du ___ ” 2. Dye ingredient 3. Lesbian pulp novel, perhaps 4. Cheap imitation 5. Take into custody 6. Wear the disguise of 7. Parting words

8. Part of a pink lady 9. Tickled pink 10. Gadabouts 11. Deep-dish entrees 12. L. Cruz and C. Torres, on “Grey’s Anatomy” 15. Squirrel away 19. Note to be paid 21. Bar in the homeland of Elton John 23. Hold one’s horses 24. “Men Behaving Badly” writer Simon 26. Fag ___ (women with gay friends) 30. P’s pronounced like R’s 33. Get slick in the shower 34. Ingrid’s role in

“Casablanca” 35. Trio that went to see Mary 36. Mil. jet locale 37. More disreputable 38. Illegal use of hands, to Kopay 41. Gate-crash 42. “A Room with a View” author 43. Rocker Brian 45. Wading bird 47. Peninsula where the rain falls mainly on the plain 48. What a man may be made of, in Oz 50. Oscar nominee, perhaps 54. House opener?

55. Bears org.

56. Here, to Colette 58. Put a halt to

Are you a community leader?

Mark Mitchell, board president, Delaware Valley Legacy Fund Amber Hikes, co-founder, Stimulus Drew Becher, president, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Alison Lin, co-founder, HotPot! Zane Booker, founder and artistic director, Smoke, Lilies and Jade Arts Initiative Wayne Knaub, commissioner, Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League

These people made the grade and were covered in PGN’s “Professional Portraits” column by Suzi Nash.

Every week, Suzi talks to people making a difference in Philadelphia. Has she talked to you yet?

ENTERTAINMENT PGN

Worth Watching

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

63

CDs

By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com

DOWN IN THE ‘PARK’: Renowned documentarian Arthur Bradford was granted unprecedented access to Trey Parker and Matt Stone (pictured), the creative masterminds behind the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series “South Park.” Shot extensively over the course of three months at the South Park Studios in Los Angeles, Bradford’s documentary, “6 Days to Air: The Making of ‘South Park,’” chronicles the rigorous process of producing the iconic series in under a week, 10 p.m.

Oct. 9 on Comedy Central.

Tori Amos Night of the Hunters Grammophon Records

THE A-LIST DYNASTY CONTINUES: “The A-List: Dallas” premieres Oct. 10 at 11 p.m. with a new cast of socialite, scenemaking gay men (and a female cast member to spice things up) out to prove they can be just as catty and materialistic as their New York counterparts. Photo: Logo/Mike Ruiz

‘MAD’ HATTER AND CLOTHIER: Out celebrity fashion designer Chris March stars in the new reality series “Mad Fashion,” which follows the former “Project Runway” alum and his eccentric crew of fashion misfits as they create one-of-a-kind designs for his loyal clientele, 10 p.m. Oct. 11 on Bravo.

We’d hang out with Tori Amos any time, mostly because we’re not sure what would happen.

Will she make us a cup of tea or cut us with a short sword? It’s even money. You never know.

That same sense of anticipatory uncertainty is also what makes Amos such a captivating record artist. Where is she going to take us this go-round? Will it be just Tori and a piano this time? Will it be rock-band Tori? Perchance electro-pop Tori?

“Night of the Hunter” finds Amos in classical mode, refreshingly stripped of all the electronics of modern music. On this record, her skilled piano playing and singing is only backed by haunting and/or whimsical stringed and woodwind instrumentation.

Just in time for Renaissance-festival season.

And it’s a perfect fit for Amos. Who else could you picture performing the unofficial, almost-cinematic score for people gussied up in the crushed-velvet and corset-clad revelry and chivalry that takes hold in the weeks leading up to Halloween?

We dare anyone who hears this record to not want to grow a handlebar mustache, wear a steampipe hat and sip whiskey at the local saloon.

Natalia Kills Perfectionist Cherrytree Recording Studios

Photo: Bravo/Miranda Penn Turin

GUESS WHAT’S COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET?: The new reality show “Fashion Hunters” follows four eccentric store employees, Tara Muscarella (from left), Karina Lepiner, Wilson Payamps and Ambria Miscia, as they go out searching the attics, closets and garages of New York’s elite to make dreams come true for shoppers looking for designer fashions on a budget, 10:30 p.m. Oct. 11 on Bravo. Photo: Bravo/Ren Cervantes

Listen to the top three pop divas ruling the charts right now — Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Katy Perry — and you’ll pretty much have heard all the elements that make up the new electro-pop singer jockeying to be number four.

“Perfectionist” has so much of a sonic and stylistic overlap with the three aforementioned singers that it’s difficult to see

the album as anything other than a calculated stab at whatever the hot thing is right now.

To her credit, “Perfectionist” is a solid effort despite its too-familiar sound. Kills has a visual and lyrical edge comparable to a toned-down Gaga. It’s almost like she doesn’t have the desire — or the budget — to push it to really adventurous territory. And it’s probably no coincidence that one of Gaga’s producers, Martin “Cherry Cherry Boom Boom” Kierszenbaum, is all over half the tracks on the album.

Sonically, Kills stakes her claim to safer electro-pop territory, churning out the same brand of slickly produced beats, synths and sterilized instrumentation already familiar to anyone who picked up the last two records by Rihanna or Perry, either of whom could have easily been attributed to the track “Love is a Suicide.”

Kills might have an edge if she dives deeper into her goth sensibilities displayed on tracks such as “Zombie” and “Acid Anne.” Otherwise, she is trying to elbow her way into an electro-pop party that is starting to get overcrowded.

VNV Nation Automatic Anachron After playing around with dark sounds and imagery on the last two albums (2007’s “Judgment” and 2009’s “Of Faith, Power and Glory”), British/Irish synthpop/EBM duo VNV Nation have ventured back into more light-hearted territory — for them at least.

Many of the tracks on “Automatic,” a concept album embracing ideals around the industrialization and technology of late-1930s America, overflow with optimism and infectious rhythms and melodies that echo early-’80s new wave, especially on tracks like “Resolution,” “Radio” and “Gratitude.”

Longtime fans of the group need not fear. As always, VNV still has some propulsive gothic bombast up its sleeves. “Control” and “Steamline” are brilliantly dark and danceable. The band also retains its gift for heartfelt introspection on the romantic-sounding epic “Nova.”

“Automatic” is a welcome return to form for a group with a dedicated and loyal international following. ■

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

OUT & ABOUT The week ahead Fri. 10/07 Lazaro Lima, Emanuel Xavier, Charles RiceGonzalez and Steven Cordova A co-editor and contributors to “Ambientes: New Queer Latino Writing” host a reading 5:30 p.m. at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; 215923-2960.

The Comedians of Chelsea Lately Comedians who are regulars on the talk show perform 8 p.m. at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside; 215-572-7650.

The First Annual Red Affair Tony Enos, Gianna Drama Queen, Stefon Royce Iman and Oliver Chris perform 8 p.m.-midnight at Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James St.; 215-735-5772.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band The rock group performs 8 p.m. at TLA, 334 South St.; 215-922-1011.

Honey Watts The acoustic/ ambient project by singer-songwriter Liz Fullerton performs 9 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400.

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

An American Werewolf in London The 1981 horror film is screened 9:45 p.m. at Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610917-0223.

Sat. 10/08 Second Annual Revival The tour of black lesbian poets featuring E. Kairo Miles, t’ai freedom ford, Washington, D.C. acoustic duo SolRose and LOVE the poet will perform 7 p.m. at Space Is The Place, 1319 South St. 1F;

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PGN LISTINGS

www.phillyrevival. eventbrite.com; 202-747-8802.

John Pinette The comedian performs 8 p.m. at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside; 215-572-7650.

Salsa Caliente!

2.0 The cabaret danceparty series featuring Latin big bands makes it hot 8 p.m. at The Painted Bride, 230 Vine St.; 215925-9914.

Uh Huh Her The synth-rock duo performs 8 p.m. at TLA, 334 South St.; 215-922-1011.

Comedian Roque Wilson The laughs start 8:30 p.m. at Bob Egan’s New Hope, Ramada Inn, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope; 215-8625225.

PLUS-SIZED PASSION: Author Hanne Blank hosts a reading and discussion of her new book “Big Big Love: A Sex and Relationship Guide for People of Size,” a comprehensive guide on the how-tos of love, romance and great big sexuality for everyone — regardless of gender or orientation — from the chubby to the super-sized, 5:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St. For more information, visit www. hanneblank.com or call 215-923-2960.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show The camp classic is screened 9:30 p.m. at Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610917-0223.

Bio Ritmo The salsa group performs 9 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400.

Sun. 10/09 Village of the Damned The horror film is screened 2 p.m. at Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610917-0223.

South of France Wine Tasting Get your sip on 4 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400.

Adi Braun The jazz vocalist performs 7:30 p.m. at Bob Egan’s New Hope, Ramada Inn, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope; 215-862-5225.

Mon. 10/10 Monday Jazz Jam at World Cafe Live 5:30-7 p.m. at 3025 Walnut St.; 215-2221400.

Groove Night Local musicians join forces to bring the R&B, soul, jazz and funk, 7 p.m. at World Cafe

Live at the Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 215-222-1400.

Scream 4 The horror film is screened 8 p.m. at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; 215-922-6888.

First Person StorySlam Local spoken-word artists perform 8:30 p.m. at 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400.

Tue. 10/11 Crooked Still The bluegrass group performs 7:30 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400.

TuesGAY Nights Lyrics Lounge and DJ June Rodrigues hosts a weekly night of music and performers for the LGBT community, 6527 Roosevelt Blvd.; 215-5335888.

N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 215-222-1400.

Dumpsta Players in OctoberFist VII The comedic performance troupe goes for it at 10 p.m. at Bob and Barbara’s, 1509 South St.; 215-5454511.

Thu. 10/13 John Lithgow The actor and author of “Drama: An Actor’s Education” hosts a reading 7:30 p.m. at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; 215567-4341.

Bob and Barbara’s Drag Show The outrageousness

begins 11 p.m. at Bob and Barbara’s, 1509 South St.; 215-545-4511.

Fri. 10/14 The Beach Boys The classic-rock band performs 8 p.m. at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000.

Spin Doctors The alt-rock band performs 8 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400.

The Legwarmers The ’80s rocktribute band performs 9 p.m. at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; 215922-6888.

Wed. 10/12 Jim Leher The author of “Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain,” hosts a reading 7:30 p.m. at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; 215-567-4341.

4W5 Blues Jam Local musicians get down 7 p.m. at World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500

WANDA DOES IT AGAIN: We’re glad to see out comedian and TV personality Wanda Sykes made it through her recent health scare OK. Now she’ll have the audience rolling in the aisles when she uncorks a fresh batch of jokes 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside. For more information, visit www.wandasykes.com or call 215-572-7650.

PGN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT LISTINGS

Opening Our Class The Wilma Theater presents the U.S. premiere of the play chronicling the lives of 10 classmates from their childhood in the 1920s to the beginning of the new millennium Oct. 12-Nov. 13, 265 S. Broad St.; 215-546-7824.

Red Philadelphia Theatre Company presents the 2010 Tony Award-winner Oct. 14-Nov. 6 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St.; 215-985-0420.

Aspects of Love

Continuing Walnut Street Theatre presents the romantic musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber through Oct. 23, 825 Walnut St.; 215-574-3550.

Here and Now: Prints, Drawings and Photographs by 10 Philadelphia Artists Philadelphia Museum of Art presents the exhibition through Dec. 4, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

Let Me Tell You About A Dream I Had Philadelphia Art Alliance presents an exhibition by The Miss Rockaway Armada, a collective of artists, teachers, sailors, activists, composers and clowns, through Dec. 30 at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St.; 215- 545-4302.

Men Unwrapped An exhibition of photographer Joe Bowman’s work is on display through Oct. 28 at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220.

August: Osage County Arden Theatre Company presents the Tony Award-winning comedy through Oct. 30 at F. Otto Hass Stage, 40 N. Second St.; 215-922-1122.

Mistakes Were Made 1812 Productions presents a comedy about a Broadway producer seeking professional and personal redemption through Oct. 30 at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St.; 215-5929560.

Beware the Lily Law Eastern State Penitentiary hosts a video installation on the experiences of trans prisoners through November, 2027 Fairmount Ave.; 215-236-5111.

Motherhood: The Musical Society Hill Playhouse presents the musical comedy from the creators of “Menopause: The Musical,” through Nov. 13, 507 S. Eighth St.; 215-923-0211.

GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT: Iconic Grammywinning lesbian folk/rock duo The Indigo Girls perform 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside. For more information, call 215572-7650.

Blowing on a Hairy Shoulder/Grief Hunters The Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania presents an exhibition of works by 20 artists from Israel, Greece, Germany, Belgium, Britain and America that examine the relationships between originality and origin with video, photography, drawing and sculpture through Dec. 4, 118 S. 36th St.; 215-8987108.

Chicago Media Theater presents the popular musical set in the prohibition era through Nov. 6, 104 E. State St., Media; 610-891-0100.

Spooky Dog and the Teen-Age Gang Mysteries Allens Lane Theater presents a campy comedy about a dog named Spooky and his teenage sleuth cohorts who confront criminals and their own sexual desires, with Brittany Lynn playing one of the teens, through Oct. 15, 601 W. Allens Lane; www.allenslane.org.

Transmutation and Metamorphosis Michener Art Museum presents an exhibition of collages by Ann Irwin, through Oct. 16, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown; 215-340-9800.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

65

Turnarounds AxD Gallery hosts an exhibition of works by Annette Cords, through Oct. 29, 265 S. 10th St.; 215-6276250.

Closing Zaha Hadid: Form in Motion Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of product designs by architect Hadid, who in 2004 became the first female recipient of the renowned Pritzker Architecture Prize, through March 25, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

Andy Kahn The pianist and producer performs through Oct. 9 at Hedgerow Theatre, 64 Rose Valley Road, Media; 610565-4211.

Carmen The Opera Company of Philadelphia performs the classic through Oct. 14 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; 215-790-5800.

Looking Pretty and Saying Cute Things Cabaret Red Light presents a musical comedy revolving around the infamous Mae West, through Oct. 9 at The Skybox at The Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom St.; 215-567-2848. ■

GRAMMY-WINNING GENIUS: The Kimmel Center presents modern musical chameleon Herbie Hancock, now in his fifth decade as a performing artist, 8:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St. For more information, call 215-790-5847.

Notices Send notices at least one week in advance to: Out & About Listings, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 fax: 215-925-6437; or e-mail: listings@epgn.com.

Notices cannot be taken over the phone.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

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PROFILE PGN from page 54

explained the type of person I was to the owner and that it was cool. Bob and Barbara’s was a straight bar and they had mostly cross-dressers performing, not transsexuals. But once I came, they saw I was just there to do a professional show.

As it happened, the person that was hosting the show left and the owner asked me to run the shows for him. I said yes, but told him that I had specific rules that we had to abide by. I didn’t want to have the same people there week after week: I wanted to keep it fresh. That was back in 1993 and I’m still doing it.

PGN: So why was it OK for cross-dressers to perform but not transsexuals?

LT: Well, it’s sad but, like everybody does from time to time, sometimes transsexuals get stereotyped. People think of cross-dressers as drag performers, but will think of “trannies” in conjunction with sex workers. They don’t think of us being educated or having normal jobs and families. It’s changing, though.

PGN: You’ve worked with so many acts — tell me someone who really blew you away.

LT: There’s a girl in New York named Victoria Lace. She’s amazing. A former Miss Gay PA and Miss Paradise 2010 and she can really dance.

PGN: What changes have you noticed since you started?

LT: A lot of straight people seem to be much more comfortable coming to the shows. It’s now recognized as entertainment. They don’t worry that they’ll be hit on or harassed, because I don’t believe you have to insult your audience to do a show. I treat it as a business. I don’t play favorites: When it comes time to bringing someone up from the audience, everyone has a chance, not just my friends.

PGN: For someone who’s never been, what can one expect?

LT: Oh, you just have to experience it for yourself. People are always telling me it was so much more than they expected. I guarantee you’ll have a good time.

PGN: I know Andrea LaMour sings live as part of her act: Do you sing or lip-synch?

LT: She’s another fabulous performer — we go way back. She’s in our show. I call her the pageant girl that steals the crown, because all she has to do is sing and she’ll steal any crown! For me, I lip-synch. My classical singing and my show are two different things and I keep them separate.

PGN: So you and your girls are doing a show for OutFest. Who will we see on stage?

LT: Tina Montgomery, Miss Bob and Barbara; Lady Marissa, Miss Philadelphia; Mimi, a close friend of mine who also does dresses; Miss Morgan Wells; Foressa from Tavern, and I’ll be hosting.

PGN: You’ve been doing the Pride events for years; what prompted you to volunteer?

LT: Well, they asked me years ago and I was happy to participate. I try to do nonprofit work when I can. I think it’s fun and it’s also a good way to show people in the community what we do. There are different types of drag: some are more campy and some like us more focused on the performances.

PGN: So you’re involved in the community.

Are you involved with anyone special?

LT: Yes, I’ve been in a relationship for over 17 years.

PGN: How did you meet?

LT: It’s so funny. I remember it was a Saturday night and I was walking to Woody’s. This person saw me and started talking to me on the street. At first I didn’t want to be bothered because I think he was

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

one of those ... what I call trannie-chasers. But he was very respectful and we exchanged numbers and he called me and we started talking regularly and from there the relationship just blossomed.

PGN: What does he do?

LT: He’s into real estate, but he’s also a musician. He’s a bass player.

PGN: What’s something fun you do?

LT: Mardi Gras every year!

PGN: Random questions. What historical event do you wish you could have attended?

LT: The Martin Luther King “I Have a Dream” speech. That would have been incredible.

PGN: Which punctuation mark describes your personality?

LT: A question mark. I’m always curious about things. Mostly people. I like people.

PGN: Any pets?

LT: I have a little teacup Pomeranian named Taylor. She runs the house!

PGN: If you could do a duet with anyone, who would you choose?

LT: Whitney Houston — I love her. No wait, I want to change that to Mahalia Jackson, the gospel singer. Oh my God, her voice just does something to me, no one has a voice like her — it puts me in a trance.

PGN: Ever participate in any sports?

LT: Oh no! I’m not a sports person. I tried to play some baseball as a kid, but no.

PGN: So what’s your hidden talent?

LT: I’m a pretty good dancer. As a matter of fact, I’m a good dancer! If I couldn’t sing I’d want to be a dancer. And I’m a pretty good cook. [Laughs.] But I don’t let anyone know that ’cause then they’ll want you to feed them all the time!

67

PGN: A magical moment from your childhood?

LT: When I got a little portable typewriter.

I always wanted one. I was so happy, it had stiff buttons and everything, but I still loved it.

PGN: Celebrity encounter?

LT: I worked at the Merriam Theater for a while so I met a lot of people: Tyler Perry, Vivica Fox, Patti LaBelle, etc. But through opera, I got to meet Pavarotti, which was really inspiring.

PGN: Worst job?

LT: I worked for a summer job program and they wanted us to clean streets with a little brush. I lasted two days. It was horrible!

PGN: Something you lost that you wish you could get back?

LT: [Laughs.] My shoes! I left a bag of shoes in a cab a few weeks ago. It sounds terrible, but they were my shoes and they were beautiful!

PGN: Last good book you read?

LT: “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden. It was fascinating. I like reading things that give me insight into different worlds, the culture and how they live.

PGN: Any phobias?

LT: I cannot walk across a bridge. I panic. It seems like the bridge is pulling me into the water. It’s horrible.

PGN: What was your favorite thing to pretend when you were little?

LT: While my brothers and sisters were all outside playing, I was always inside walking around in my mother’s heels and pretending I was on stage. Now I’m doing it for real! ■ To suggest a community member for “Family Portrait,” write to portraits05@aol.com.

EWS

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

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

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

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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. _______________________________35-49 COLLEGEVILLE, PA Private room, full house privileges. 2 males looking for 3rd to share 3200 sq ft. house in nice neighborhod. Great new interior and beautifully landscaped exterior. Pvt. back yard patio. $650 rent, utils incl. antho092@aol.com _______________________________35-41

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Cool Contemporary On10 Acres

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. _______________________________35-49 $1250.00 COLLINGSWOOD, NJ Newly renov. 2nd fl. 2 BR, 1 BA apt. New paint, carpet, kitch. cab. Lots of storage. Centrally loc.

Rent incl. heat & alarm. 609-226-4457. _______________________________35-45 2 BR APT. SOUTH PHILLY Lovely, in res. area. Mod kit & bath, C/A, hdwd flrs, W/D. $1100/mo. + utils. 215-680-0073. _______________________________35-40 RITTENHOUSE SQUARE AREA Studios & 1 Bedrooms - Call for Availability (215) 735-8050. _______________________________36-03 BROAD & ELLSWORTH Modern, large 1 BR, 1.5 bath apt. w/ hardwood floors, fire/burgular alarm, Call 609806-5050. _______________________________36-40

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

Ready for the suburbs, but stay close to city life!

Perfect home for you! Single 2 bedroom, 2 bath ranch with large open floor plan all leading to private yard. Patio and in ground pool. Great for entertaining! Just $269,900.

Call today to see!

Mariann Owens

2000

215-698-2027

Open Houses Sunday Oct. 9, 2011 NOON – 1 PM 1812 Spruce St. “Snowden Residence Condo” Unit #2R Brand new condo conversion in the Heart of Rittenhouse Square. Grand Scale 1 bd. 1.5 baths w/ office area. Magnificent ceiling molding details, Marble spa like bath. Huge South facing walk-out Terrace. Deluxe Gourmet Kitchen. Deeded covered parking available. Low fees and taxes. ...................................................................$450,000 1812 Spruce St. Unit #3R. Best value 2 bedroom, 1 bath in Rittenhouse Square.

Fabulous new condo conversion 1 block off Rittenhouse Square. Marble bath, deluxe kitchen, huge walk-out terrace. A/C. Large attic area.....................$395,000 1:30-2:30PM 1812 Spruce St. 3F. Large Bi-level townhouse style condo. Over 2,200 Square feet on two levels. 3 large bedrooms & 3 Marble baths. Deluxe Kitchen, S/S, walnut cabinets, Quartz counters Wood floors. Deeded parking available. Low taxes & fees ..........................................................................Pre-construction price $775,000 1812 Spruce St. Unit 2F. Very large condo in Rittenhouse Square, 1 bed, 1 bath.

High ceilings with great architectural details. Deluxe gourmet kitchen. Marble bath. Wood floors. Low fees and taxes. Deeded parking available. .........$425,000 Noon-2:30PM 1833-A Christian St. Brand new 2 bedroom, 2 bath two level townhouse. Open concept floor plan. Deluxe kitchen, S/S, Quartz counter tops. Hardwood floors.

Large rear garden. Glass tiles Spa-like master bath. Large family room in lower level. Tax abatement............................................................JUST REDUCED! $249,900 540 Cypress St. Charming, totally restored historic colonial in Society Hill. 2 large bedrooms, 1.5 baths. 2 fireplaces, wood floors, a/c, exposed brick walls, etc........ .....................................................................................................................$399,900

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

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

REAL ESTATE

SALE

REAL ESTATE

SALE

Conrad Kuhn

Broker/Sales Rep. Since 1987 NJAR Circle of Excellence Sales Award 1991- 2009 Weichert President’s & Ambassador’s Clubs

Office: 856.227.1950 ext. 124 Cell: 609.221.1196 www.conradkuhn.com Realtor856@aol.com Washington Township Office 5070 Route 42 Turnersville, NJ 08012

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REAL ESTATE

SALE

REAL ESTATE

SALE

FOR SALE SAWMILLS From only $3997-MAKE MONEY & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmill-Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE info& DVD:www.NorwoodSawmills.com/300N 1-800-578-1363 Ext.300N. _______________________________35-40 DIRECTV Summer Special! 1 Year Free Showtime!

3mos FREE HBO/Starz/Cinemax! NFL SUNDAY TICKET Free - Choice Ultimate/Premier - Pkgs from $29.99/mo. Call by 9/30! 1-800380-8939. _______________________________35-40

WANTED TO

BUY

BUYING COINS Gold, Silver & ALL Coins, Stamps, Paper Money, Entire Collections worth $5,000 or more. Travel to your home. CASH paid. Call Marc 1-800-488-4175. _______________________________35-40 Cash Paid For Diabetic Test Strips. Up To $10 Per Box. Most Brands. Call Tom Anytime tollfree 1-888-885-5097. _______________________________35-40

REAL ESTATE

SALE

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HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

Let us help! Personalized Adoption Plans.

Financial assistance, housing relocation and

needed for COMHAR’s Community Living Room Program located in Center City Philadelphia. The CLR is a community based psychiatric rehabilitation day program for people with both a MH and HIV/ AIDS diagnosis. The Outpatient Therapist will provide psychotherapy, facilitate group discussions, and be a part of the support team for our program members. This is a great opportunity for someone to be a part of an innovate day program where the interests and creativity of its members and staff are celebrated.

A master’s degree in a social service field + 2 yrs counseling experience required. LCSW or similar license required. Will consider candidate with clinical internship experience.

SEND RESUME TO:

ADOPTION UNIQUE ADOPTIONS

OUTPATIENT THERAPIST

REQUIREMENTS

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

more. Giving the gift of life? You deserve the best. Call us first! 1-888-637-8200 24-hours

hotline.

_______________________________35-40 PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION?

FFTA is here to help. We offer counseling,

REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE

Joy: 1-866-922-3678. www.foreverfamiliesthroughadoption.org

REAL ESTATE

SALE

SALE

GRATITUDE IN THREE MOVEMENTS Forgiveness, Acceptance, and Thanksgiving An Ecumenical Retreat for Gay and Bisexual Christian Men Nov. 10-13, 2011 – Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center (www.kirkridge.org) Featuring Robert V. Taylor (www.robertvtaylor. com), Chris Glaser (www.chrisglaser.com), and Joseph Palacios. _______________________________35-43

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families/ options to consider. Please call

REAL ESTATE

RELIGIOUS

ORGANIZATIONS

_______________________________35-40

financial assistance, and many different

SALE

SALE

GRACIOUS CAMAC ST.

COMHAR, Inc.

332 S. Camac St.

Attention: Recruiter 100 West Lehigh Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19133 Fax: (215) 634-1713 recruit@comhar.org www.comhar.org

$599,000

Exquisite . . .

Serene . . . Comfy

WANTED MALE HOUSEKEEPER UPPER BUCKS Well to do Gentleman Farmer seeking live in male housekeeper. Room & board provided + salary. Must like animals & rural life. Serious job opportunity, serious inquires only.

Email references, resume, & picture to: peter37@verizon.net _______________________________35-40 Driver-CDL-A: Experienced OTR Drivers.

Regional Lanes. HOME MOST WEEKENDS! Up to $3000 BONUS. Up to $.50 Per Mile.

888-463-3962. 6mo.OTR exp. & CDL Req’d. www.usatruck.jobs _______________________________35-40 Experienced Tanker/Flatbed Drivers! *Strong Freight Network *Stability *Great Pay. Every Second Counts! Call Today! 800-277-0212 or www.primeinc.com _______________________________35-40 Driver $2000 Sign On Bonus! Start a New Career! 100% Paid CDL Training! No Experience Required. CRST EXPEDITED 800-326-2778 www.joinCRST.com _______________________________35-40 Top Pay On Excellent Runs! Regional Runs, Steady Miles, Frequent Hometime, New Equipment. Automatic Detention Pay! CDL-A, 6mo.

Experience required. EEOE/AAP 866-3224039 www.Drive4Marten.com _______________________________35-40 Get Back to Basics. Solid Miles + Good Pay + New Equipment = Your Success! Great Benefits and Hometime. Dry Van & Flatbed.

CDL-A,6mo.OTR. 888-801-5295. _______________________________35-40 HIRING DRIVERS NOW $2000 Sign-On Driver, 43.7 per mile. $7500 Sign-On Teams, 51.3 Per Mile. CDL-A HazMat. 1-877-628-3748; www.driveNCTrans.com _______________________________35-40

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Lovely home in leafy quiet location in Washington Square West 3 Bedrooms 2 Baths with - Central Air, 2 f/p and BIG deck overlooking serene gardens. Historic Details and NEW KITCHEN!

Suzanne E. Petruzel, GRI Sales Associate Cell 610-859-8030

Fox & Roach REALTORS®

At the Rittenhouse 210 W. Rittenhouse Sq. Phila, PA 19103 Dir. 215-790-5671 Fax 215-546-3415 Office 215-546-0550 suzanne.petruzel@prufoxroach.com

Support the advertisers who support our community.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

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SHERIFF 2

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

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SHERIFF 3

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SHERIFF 5

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

SHERIFF 6

is pleased to announce the

LGBT Civil Union / Wedding Issue

October 21, 2011 with bonus distribution at the

Delaware Civil Union Expo - 10/23/11

To advertise in this issue please call 215-625-8501 ext. 218 or e-mail dan@epgn.com Deadline to book advertising 10/14/11

77

nite. GWM couple ISO GWMs 18-40 yrs. for 1 on 1 and group sex. Stockings, pantyhose, etc. Starts 9 PM Sat. Call Sat. 7-8 PM 856910-8303, ask for Mark. _______________________________33-24 Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011 78 Italian, GWM, top or bottom, 7” cut. Also into assplay, toys & water sports. Bi, straight, out of towners welcome. Day or night. Call Jeff at FRIENDS 215-850-7900. _______________________________33-18

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Sunday, October 30th... more details to come!

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Sunday - Thursday 4pm to 4am Friday & Saturday 4pm to 6am

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PH: 609-487-4030 www.brassrailac.com

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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.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com Oct. 7-13, 2011

by handsome athletic man

Ask about the After Midnight Special.

Call Mario anytime 24/7 at 215-490-7353 B24 Tall, attractive, muscular Sensual/Erotic Massage I will tailor your massage to suit your needs...

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I specialize in Outcalls to Phila area Hotels.

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PRE- OUTFEST BASH! RED LIGHT SPECIAL Saturday, October 8th, 2011 TIME: 11pm-3:30am WHAT TO EXPECT: * DJ Zathan Radix * Food Catered by Tommy D’s * OPEN BAR & Hot Shot Boys * A Full House of Guys To Choose From & Soo Much More...

P.A.N.G. (Philadelphia Area Naturist Guys) Sunday, October 16th, 2011 TIME: 3pm-6pm Boys will Be Boys- Awaken Your Spirit For More Information On Group: www.phillynakedguys.com/

B-7

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EVOLUTION: BLACK OUTARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? Saturday, October 15th, 2011 TIME: 11pm-3:30am WHAT TO EXPECT: * DJ Dutch * Food Catered by Tommy D’s * OPEN BAR & Hot Shot Boys * A Full House of Guys To Choose From & Soo Much More...

Party Nights Rooms go quickly and are on a 1st Come, 1st Served Basis. So Check In Early if you want a room...Check out our website for our HOT WEEKLY SPECIALS & JOIN OUR E-MAIL LIST to get the latest information on up coming events...

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

And if you are in A.C., please check out:

10 South Mt. Vernon Avenue •Atlantic City, NJ 08401

OPEN DAILY! Sunday- Thursday 4pm to 4am Friday & Saturday 4pm to 6am www.brassrailac.com

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Have an opinion? E-mail us a letter at pgn@epgn.com

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