pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 41 No. 42 Oct. 20-26, 2017
Family Portrait: Arlene Sullivan revisits “Bandstand” and being a Dick Clark fave
PAGE 31
SCOTUS urged to rule on LGBT discrimination PAGE 2
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
LGBT History Month
Shining a spotlight on body image PAGE 14
The ABCs before the LGBT PAGE 18
Republican lawmakers seek to ban CHIP coverage of trans services By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com
A state Senate committee this week approved a bill that would ban state funding of transgender medical services for children enrolled in the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program. The Oct. 18 vote in the state Senate Banking and Insurance Committee was 10-5, with all 10 Republicans on the committee supporting the proposed measure. H.B. 1388’s main purpose is to continue funding for the state’s CHIP through December 2019. Without passage of the bill, funding could expire in December
2017. The bill didn’t contain anti-trans language until an amendment was introduced by state Sen. Donald C. White (R) at the Oct. 18 committee meeting and approved by his Republican colleagues. White’s amendment excludes payments for trans-related medical services including gender-confirmation surgery, counseling, hormone therapies and physician and hospital services. Democrat lawmakers said they’ll seek to amend the bill as it winds its way through the legislative process, to reduce its anti-trans impact. H.B. 1388 still must PAGE 14
GETTING TO ZERO: Mayor Jim Kenney congratulated AIDS Walk Philly participant Walter Fralix at the finish line of Sunday’s race. About 5,000 walkers raised more than $275,000, which supports AIDS Fund’s grants for people impacted by HIV/ AIDS in the region. Fralix told PGN he “walked against stigma. Too often, I have been judged because I am HIV-positive,” he said, noting he plans to continue to participate until “we have eradicated the virus and the associated stigma.” He urged supporters to join Team Wheelz to help raise awareness and funds. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Statewide LGBT business disparities to be addressed at public meeting By Jeremy Rodriguez jeremy@epgn.com The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is conducting a first-ever disparity study on businesses owned by marginalized communities, including LGBT people. The state’s Department of General Services is leading the study on small diverse businesses, which includes minorities, veterans, disabled veterans, individuals with disabilities, women and LGBT people. Interested individuals can learn more about the study at a public meeting 1-5 p.m. Oct. 25 at Philadelphia City Council Chambers, 1400 John F. Kennedy Blvd. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions about the study and offer testimony about experiences working in the local marketplace. Gov. Tom Wolf and members of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Congressional Black Caucus will attend.
“People need to have their voice heard,” said Troy Thompson, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services. “It’s not an issue that we can just walk away from. We have people who don’t believe these disparity issues exist and it’s unfortunate. Gov. Wolf has taken a step to have this study commissioned. He has charged Secretary [Curt] Topper and Deputy Secretary Kerry Kirkland to show that these are issues that are real. These are issues that will not go away unless they are addressed head on.” The study will examine participation of small diverse businesses in public contracting, measure the availability of these businesses for public contracts and assess the local marketplace conditions for these businesses. Thompson said the office is aware that small, diverse businesses face difficulties and disparities but the study aims to “fully understand the extent to which [they] face discrimination in state PAGE 22
HEALTH FIRST: LGBT chamber of commerce Independence Business Alliance held its first-ever health fair Oct. 17 at Independence LIVE. The event, staged in partnership with Independence Blue Cross, featured LGBT-focused health and wellness resources and interactive educational opportunities like cooking and yoga demonstrations. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Lesbian mother ‘heartbroken’ after Pa. court ruling By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com A lesbian mother says she’s “heartbroken” after Pennsylvania Superior Court last week said she isn’t entitled to partial custody of her former life partner’s biological child. The woman, identified as “C.G.” in court papers, lived with “J.H.” for about a decade in Florida. Prior to her life partnership with J.H., C.G. had two children from a previous relationship. In 2006, J.H. gave birth to a son, identified in court papers as J.W.H. In PAGE 6