Family Portrait: Monica McIntyre and NOLA in Philly PAGE 29
National National LGBT LGBT History History Month Month Project Project
LGBT features of the Philadelphia Film Festival
Police-brutality trial set to begin
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PAGES 17, 19
Oct. 23-29, 2015
Since 1976
PGN Philadelphia Gay News HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Vol. 39 No. 43
LGBT-friendly charter school proposed By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
COLORS OF CARNAVAL: Out Geno’s Steaks owner Geno Vento (center), Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus members and local drag queens got into the “Carnaval” spirit at PGMC’s Fall Ball, Oct. 17 at Loews Hotel. Modeled after the famous Rio de Janeiro celebration, the fundraising masquerade gala drew a record 275 revelers and is expected to have raised the most amount to date. All of the proceeds will support PGMC’s mission “to entertain audiences, support communities and foster acceptance,” said PGMC fundraising-events chair Paul Fontaine. “It was an amazing and fun time. So many people said it is the most fun they’ve had at a fundraising event like this.” Photo: Scott A. Drake
An application will be submitted to the Philadelphia School District’s Charter School Office next month that proposes the creation of a new charter school that would have an emphasis on anti-bullying and include an LGBT-awareness curriculum. The James Baldwin Charter High School would educate students grades nine-12, with a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The school would operate out of a site that is currently vacant in West Philadelphia’s Mantua neighborhood. The application is being spearheaded by a board of trustees that includes Quincy RileyGreene, executive director of LGBT youth organization Educational Justice Coalition; a University of Pennsylvania professor in the Graduate School of Education; a clinical nurse at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; a school nurse; and a parent. The board will submit the application to
Plea deals for two, trial for one in gay-bashing case By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Two men accused of attacking a gay couple in Center City last year accepted plea deals last week that do not include any jail time, while a third suspect will head to trial. Kevin Harrigan, 26, and Philip Williams, 25, pleaded guilty Oct. 15 in connection with the Sept. 11, 2014, attack on Zachary Hesse and Andrew Haught. Kathryn Knott, 25, also implicated in the crime, rejected a plea deal from the District Attorney’s Office, which prosecutor Mike Barry said was “similar” to the other offers. Knott was scheduled for an Oct. 30 hearing to decide a trial date, which Barry said could be within six months, depending on the judge’s schedule. The defendants were walking
with a large group of friends at 16th and Chancellor streets the night of the incident when they encountered the couple. Harrigan said to Hesse, “Who is that? Your fucking boyfriend?” and went on to call him a “dirty faggot,” Barry said in court last week. Barry said Harrigan pushed Hesse, Hesse pushed back and Harrigan punched him. Barry said Hesse’s arms were pinned to his side and he was struck multiple times. Williams repeatedly assaulted Haught, and Knott allegedly attempted to swing at the men but missed, also using homophobic language, Barry said. Haught sustained facial fractures and had his jaw wired shut for two months. The incident caused a sharp public outcry and prompted Philadelphia PAGE 14
the district by Nov. 15. Community members and stakeholders are invited to learn more about the application at this month’s Q Spot LGBT youth social, 4-8 p.m. Oct. 24 at 3535 Market St., 16th floor, which this month will focus on the charter application. Riley-Greene said he conceived of an LGBT-friendly charter school nearly a decade ago but saw some resistance from LGBT community leaders. He went on to found EJC in 2007 and launched the Q Spot program in 2011. Their success, coupled with evolving LGBT acceptance and the revamping of the city’s charter-school application process — applications are now accepted once a year, as opposed to sporadic cycles previously — convinced him to revisit the idea. “Our young people need a space where they will not experience bullying, violence or discrimination and where they can learn without those factors impacting their academic achievement,” Riley-Greene said. The school could offer an LGBT history PAGE 14 course similar to one
PA Fairness Act stalled in committee By Paige Cooperstein paige@epgn.com
LEADING THE PACK: Clocking in at 17 minutes and 24 seconds, Thomas Freitag of Erdenhiem dashed across the finish line to win the 5K run portion of the AIDS Walk/Run Oct. 17. Despite chilly temps, about 10,000 people participated in the 29th-annual fundraising event, organized by AIDS Fund. Fundraising was under goal, but supporters can still donate at aidswalkphilly.org/sponsor. See page 5 for more coverage of AIDS Walk. Photo: Scott A. Drake
The budget impasse in the state legislature is putting a damper on progress for the Pennsylvania Fairness Act, according to organizers with Pennsylvania Competes, a bipartisan social-welfare nonprofit working to pass the bill. Leaders of the organization spoke with PGN this week. The bill, which was reintroduced in August after being stalled for years, would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to prohibit LGBT discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. It remains in the State Government Committee in the House of Representatives and Senate, and cannot move forward until the chairman in either body schedules it for a vote. There are 84 bipartisan cosponsors in the House and 25 in the Senate. Republican state Rep. Daryl D. Metcalfe, chairman of the House State Government Committee, did not return a call asking if he planned to schedule a vote on the bill. Republican state Sen. Mike Folmer, chairman of the Senate State Government Committee, would like to host a PAGE 14 public hearing before scheduling a vote