pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 42 No. 44 Nov. 2-8, 2018
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
“Bohemian Rhapsody” review PAGE 45
School District appeals bullying decision PAGE 2
Raising funds for LGBTQ youth residence PAGE 5
Family Portrait: Adam Romanik: Not his first time at this rodeo PAGE 41
Trans activists fight latest attack By Victoria A. Brownworth and Adriana Fraser The U.S. Department of Justice has levied a new attack against transgender people. In a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, Solicitor General Noel Francisco insisted that businesses can discriminate against workers based on their gender identity without violating federal law. Francisco filed the brief Oct. 25 to override the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s support for Aimee Stephens, a Michigan trans woman who was fired from her job when she revealed she was in the process of transitioning. He argued that the EEOC, which has defended Stephens, is wrong in its assertion that she and other transgender workers are protected under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act based on gender identity. SCOTUS is considering hearing the Stephens case in its next session. Local activists were quick to decry the Trump administration’s latest attack on the LGBT community. Naiymah Sanchez, transgender education and advocacy coordinator for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, condemned the DOJ’s latest
move. “It’s not a shocker that Trump and the departments working under him are trying to roll back the protections for trans people,” Sanchez said. “It just heightens our anxiety that we may not be protected in work, housing or schools. As of right now, we are protected. The ACLU and other organizations are fighting to make sure that we continue to stay protected and that the language reflects us as people.” The latest argument of the DOJ follows its attack last July on lesbian, gay and bisexual workers, when Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared they could not file discrimination suits based on sexual orientation and gender identity. That decision was made in advance of two separate discrimination cases brought by Kimberly Hively and Jameka Evans, lesbians who had been fired, and a case brought by a gay man, Donald Zarda, who was also fired. The federal courts found in their favor. (Zarda died in an accident prior to his case being heard, but his family pursued the discrimination suit.) Each of the cases hinged on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which proPAGE 19 hibits discrimination in
Local Jewish leaders react to synagogue shooting By Victoria A. Brownworth and Adriana Fraser Philadelphia’s Jewish leaders are mourning the victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27 while planning how to protect the city’s large and diverse Jewish population against a similar attack. To that end, more than 170 leaders took part in a security briefing Oct. 29 at he Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross Jr., FBI and Homeland Security agents joined Jewish Federation security director Frank Riehl in drilling procedures, training tips and need-to-know essentials on
preparing for crisis situations. Naomi Adler, Jewish Federation president, told PGN that the priority following the shooting is increasing security measures for Jewish institutions. “A number of Jewish communities have hired security directors in response to the growing anti-Semitism in the nation,” Adler said. “I was met with full support by the network of Jewish leaders who are in favor of a creating a security department that will regularly go over safety and security protocols.” Rabbi Alanna Sklover, director of Lifelong Learning at the Germantown Jewish Centre, identifies as queer and noted that security is an issue for all sites that welcome PAGE 14
DIABOLICAL DONATIONS: Philly AIDS Thrift volunteer Phil Chau sorts through some drop-offs first thing Halloween morning as the store gets ready for last-minute costume-shopping chaos. PAT will take lightly used costumes for next year’s scary season. The store is at 710 S. Fifth St., and opens at 11 a.m. daily. PAT’s next big sale is Black Friday, Nov. 23, when everything is 50 percent off from 7-11 a.m. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Harrisburg city council to oppose conversion therapy By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com Harrisburg will not be joining the eight cities and boroughs across Pennsylvania that have banned conversion therapy, but it has introduced a resolution that will officially oppose the practice. Harrisburg’s city council, all Democrats with seven members, introduced the measure Oct. 23 to put the city’s opposition to conversion therapy on the record. Ben Allat, council vice president, who worked with Harrisburg’s Law Bureau to draft the resolution, told PGN the bureau recommended that the resolution take the form of an opposition instead of a ban “because of legal ramifications” around enforcing it. “If it were me personally, I would love to have an outright ban, but there are limitations to how far we can go. One of the unique things that Philadelphia has that Harrisburg doesn’t is that the city can pass legislation that supersedes what the state law says. We don’t have that same ability. We have larger parameters to work under in order to do it,” he said. Allat added that he and a committee of community members will work on the resolution in
December and discuss the possibility of passing. He said he hopes the measure is passed by the end of the year. Amanda Arbour, executive director of the LGBT Community Center of Central PA in Harrisburg, said the proposed measure “doesn’t have the enforcement power of actual legislation, but it’s an important first step for the city to go on record and say that we oppose conversion therapy. It’s something that’s harmful to our community as a whole but particularly for LGBTQ youth.” Conversion therapy on minors has been banned in Philadelphia, Allentown, Reading, Pittsburgh, State College, Yardley and Doylestown. Allat’s experience with being exposed to conversion therapy in his early 20s led him to author the resolution. “I don’t think the average Joe understands what it entails,” he said, adding he believes Harrisburg’s formal opposition to the practice will raise more awareness of its damaging effects. Arbour noted that “in a time where there’s a lot of fear and attacks on our community from the federal government, this would send an important message that the city of Harrisburg is seeing and valuing our LGBTQ-plus communities.” n