Philadelphia Gay News Vol. 34 No. 45
Honesty Integrity Professionalism
Nov. 5 - 11, 2010
LGBT supporters suffer midterm massacre Dems hang on to U.S. Senate, lose House
Pro-LGBT casualties not losing hope
By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
In a decisive commentary on the current Democratic leadership, Americans on Tuesday cast vote after vote for Republican candidates, who swept races from coast to coast. The GOP gained a majority of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, although Democrats managed to hang on to control of the U.S. Senate. Republicans only needed to pick up 39 House seats but ended up with at least 60. In the Senate, the GOP was looking to unseat 10 Democrats but succeeded with just six. Although, at press time, several races were headed for recounts, the current balance in Congress now stands at a 239184 Republican-led House and 51-46 Democratic-led Senate. Pennsylvania Senate hopeful Joe Sestak and incumbent Congressman Patrick Murphy, strong allies of the LGBT community, were among those who lost their bids on Tuesday. Elsewhere in the nation, after a strong campaign from the antigay National Organization for Marriage, voters in Iowa ousted State Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices David Baker and Michael Streit, who voted to legalize same-sex marriage there in 2009. While that vote was unanimous, the three justices were the only ones on the panel up for retention. Pro-LGBT candidates weren’t completely shut out on Tuesday, however. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (DNev.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), both of whom have voted with the LGBT community, fended off challenges from Tea Party candidates Sharon Angle and Carly Fiorina, respectively. Steve Pougnet, the openly gay mayor of Palm Springs, Calif., lost his bid for Congress Tuesday against Republican incumbent Mary Bono Mack, but Congress did gain one more out member: Providence, R.I., mayor David Cicilline. Cicilline’s election brings the total number of LGBT members of the U.S. House
Whether it was financial or ideological fear that motivated a majority of American voters to go Republican in Tuesday’s midterm elections, the nation’s LGBT citizens are left holding their collective breath over the legislative implications. With the GOP taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives and, in Pennsylvania, the state House, the future is less promising for a slew of pro-LGBT bills. Among the community’s biggest political losses is U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, prime sponsor of the bill to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and credited with garnering House approval for the measure this year. Murphy lost his bid for reelection to Republican Mike Fitzpatrick, whom he defeated four years ago. “Losing Patrick Murphy sent a very damaging signal to our allies who have already been resistant to taking on a leadership role in regards to LGBT issues in Congress,” said Steve Glassman, chair of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. “Patrick stuck his neck out for us and was an extraordinary champion for LGBT rights, and became the face and voice of the repeal for ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ And, while I don’t
See NATIONAL, Page 18
LAST CALL: Gov. Ed Rendell (left) started his final Philadelphia gay bar crawl Oct. 30 at Q Lounge, stomping for Democrats across the state before the midterm elections on Nov. 2. A longtime supporter of LGBT issues, Rendell also spoke passionately at five other bars in the Gayborhood about voting to retain current LGBT rights in Pennsylvania and keeping the movement going forward. Photo: Scott A. Drake
The new face of the PA Legislature and U.S. Congress Fern Kaufman reacts to another election loss State Senate leadership and LGBT rights
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See LOCAL, Page 19
Numbers at a glance:
THE DOORS AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW: The entrance of the William Way LGBT Community Center swung open only 61 times for voters on Tuesday, despite that about 8,300 are registered to vote at this location. The center became the newest Center City polling place after crowds at St. Luke’s around the corner on 13th Street had to wait hours to vote in 2008. Photo: Scott A. Drake
354,117
Number of votes Onorato lost by
78,455
Number of votes Sestak lost by
17,247
Number of votes Murphy lost by
1.2 million
Number of registered Democrats over Republicans in Pennsylvania
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Witnesses tell City Council of continued HIV scourge By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer With HIV incidence rates in Philadelphia nearly five times the national average, a committee of the Philadelphia City Council last week convened a public hearing to discuss how the city should be responding to the ongoing epidemic. Nearly two-dozen HIV/AIDS advocates, activists and researchers presented testimony Oct. 27 to the council’s Committee on Public Health and Human Services, with the consensus that, while many consider the disease to have abated, it’s still just as virulent and deserves more attention and additional funding. The committee is comprised of six members, and committee chair Marian Tasco and vice chair Donna Reed Miller were present for the hearing. The hearing drew testimony from such groups as Philadelphia FIGHT, Proyecto SOL Filadelfia, BEBASHI, Prevention Point and The Colours Organization, Inc. Robert Burns, Colours executive director, focused his testimony on the impact of HIV on communities of color and the disproportionate funding such organizations often receive. African Americans comprised 66 percent of all new HIV infections
last year, but only about 42 percent of city HIV/AIDS funding is given to organizations that specifically target minority communities, said Burns. “City Council had the opportunity to see and understand that the HIV epidemic is still an issue within our city,” he noted. “We talked about how funders do want to do as much as possible to support the community-based organizations, but this is a time when we’re so resource-strapped. So I think they were able to recognize that there is a need for further collaboration and partnerships and the need for innovation in addressing and attacking HIV in our community.” City health officials also spoke out during the meeting, including out Deputy Health Commissioner Donald Schwarz and AIDS Activities Coordinator Office Director Jane Baker. Dr. Amy Nunn, associate professor at Brown University Medical School, said that instead of focusing on the city’s alarming HIV statistics, she’s proposing proactive remedies to reduce those numbers. Nunn suggested the city needs to reallocate resources to certain geographic “hot zones” that have the highest HIV prevalence, like Germantown, North Philadelphia and Southwest Philadelphia.
She also proposed the city launch a media campaign targeting at-risk populations and implement comprehensive sex education in the public schools. In addition, Nunn addressed the need for increased attention to social and economic drivers of HIV. “We can’t just be thinking strictly behaviorally, but rather need to look at the complex social issues that put people at risk: Things like the incarceration of black men or poverty are having an impact, and that’s something that we need to look at.” Many of the witnesses testified that the city needs to invest more in reaching out to heterosexual populations. Due to the growing rate of HIV among heterosexual African Americans, Nunn began working with the city earlier this year to create a program that would enlist black faith leaders in the fight against the disease. “Growing up in Arkansas, I saw just how important black churches can be to their communities for any kind of social issues, in particular anything to do with social justice,” Nunn said, adding that, after she arrived in Philadelphia several years ago, the city’s vast number of AfricanAmerican churches renewed her commitment to begin a discussion about HIV. “A
lot of people told me black pastors don’t want to take on this issue, but I wasn’t convinced that was the case.” Nunn connected with The Rev. Dr. Marguerite Handy of the Mayor’s Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and, this past summer, began organizing focus groups of black pastors and imams to involve them in HIV prevention efforts. The participants were very receptive, she said. Several faith leaders stepped up to help organize the Interfaith Health Action Alliance of Philadelphia, the Kaiser Family Foundation donated a wealth of HIV/AIDS educational materials and AACO offered volunteers to provide HIV testing. IHAAP will host a week of awareness raising, testing and prayer activities Nov. 8-14 targeted to African-American communities of faith. “I think we have to have people from all walks of life coming together to build partnerships that are sustainable,” Nunn said. “I think this Interfaith Health Action Alliance is a great example of what can be done when people from across all sectors come together to support a social-justice issue.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.
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Local trans celebrity Desiree Hines will open the 2010 OUTMusic Awards.
TOY! 2010 kicked off last month and bagged a carload of bears.
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Mark Segal (ext. 204) mark@epgn.com
Editor Sarah Blazucki (ext. 206) sarah@epgn.com
Detour Comics Diversions Meeting Place Portraits Q Puzzle Scene In Philly Worth Watching
Art Director Scott A. Drake (ext. 210) scott@epgn.com Staff Writers Jen Colletta (ext. 215) jen@epgn.com
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Larry Nichols (ext. 213) larry@epgn.com Writer-at-Large Timothy Cwiek (ext. 208)
One on one — finally! — with our favorite D-Lister
“The Laramie Residency” brings the original “Project” and a 10-year update for a two-part drama.
Family Portraits:
Danielle English
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Columns
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Advertising Manager Greg Dennis (ext. 201) greg@epgn.com
Diversions pick
Taylor Dayne
Op-Ed
Out Law
Calling it quits
Elly Jackson and La Roux at the Troc
NJ Arts Festival grabs pop singer
History lesson
Divvying up the goods after a break-up
After two election attempts, Kaufman opts out
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emails
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NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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News Briefing
Regional
Haverford sees LGBT bill The Haverford Township Commissioners will undertake a first reading and vote of a proposed LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance next week. The commission meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Quatrani Buildling, 2325 Darby Road in Havertown. The issue was first raised at a commission meeting last month by openly gay Haverford resident Lou DeVecchis, who said the commissioners were amenable to working on legislation that would prohibit discrimination against LGBT residents, similar to several suburban efforts that have passed in recent months. The meeting is open to the public and LGBTs and allies are encouraged to attend to show support for the measure.
Craigslist trial postponed CHECKING OUT, CHECKING IN: About 40 members of the Independence Business Alliance hopped a trolly tour to five member hotels in their most recent business crawl Nov. 2. Stops included the Independent Hotel, Loews Philadelphia, the Sofitel, the Hyatt at the Bellevue and the newly opened Le Meridien (bottom). Photos: Scott A. Drake
LGBT college group’s ‘Top 25’ includes locals By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer National LGBT college association Campus Pride last week named the top movers and shakers of the LGBT and ally college communities, and two area leaders made the list. Campus Pride’s “2010 Hot List” includes local attorney Brian Sims and Penn State University researcher Dr. Sue Rankin. In addition to recognizing the work of the leaders, the top25 list, which also BRIAN SIMS includes individuals PGN file photo by like Kathy Griffin, Scott A. Drake Judy Shepard, Mara Kiesling and Dan Savage, serves as a resource for colleges looking to host speakers who can address LGBT-awareness issues. Sims, chair of the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia and president of the board of Equality PA, has been visiting college campuses throughout the nation for the past year, telling his own story of coming out as a college athlete in order to encourage awareness and tolerance throughout colle-
giate athletic communities. Sims was captain of the Bloomsburg University football team when he came out, making him the first openly gay football captain in the history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He said he tries to speak the language of the students. “I say to them, ‘Listen, as athletes you’re kind of expected to not be supportive of LGBT issues, but I don’t think that about you. You may have supported our community in coming out, and we want to support you coming out as allies.’ That’s the definition of sportsmanship,” he said. “We can have different opinions and different approaches, but we can still come together for our common goals and our common interests; they’re more important than our differences.” The response to his presentations have been overwhelmingly positive: After having spoken to about 10,000 college students, athletic employees and others in the past year, Sims hasn’t yet received negative feedback. Last week, he was a guest at the University of North Carolina, where he spoke with about 500 of the school’s athletes and students — and the next day, received at least 40 e-mails from audience members, all expressing gratitude. “Usually about a third of the responses are heavily straight, with the students saying, ‘I always thought I was OK with gay issues,
but if I’m the only one who knows that and none of my friends realize that I’m supportive, then maybe I’m not doing enough to be proactive.’ And then a third are from athletes who are struggling with how to come out and trying to figure out if they should tell a teammate, a family member, a coach, or where the best place to start is. And the last is from coaches and parents and friends who say that they never really realized what these athletes could be struggling with. The coaches want their teams to win but they also want them to have a positive impact on the athletes, and I think they’re starting to realize that they need those athletes to bring their whole person to the field or to the court. And if they’re ignoring people who may be struggling with being LGBT, they don’t feel like they’re doing their whole job.” Sims said he is a “huge fan” of Campus Pride and was honored to be included on the organization’s top-25 list. “Campus Pride laid the foundation for most colleges to bring in people like me to talk about these issues,” he said. “We share a lot of common goals, and when I’m at colleges and people ask for advice, I am always quick to recommend Campus Pride. It’s a great organization for college students and administrators to help them gauge these issues.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.
The trial for the man accused of impersonating a police officer to defraud several gay men was postponed again, the second time in as many weeks. Michael Daniels was set to stand trial Nov. 2, but his attorney requested a continuance. The attorney, appointed by the Public Defender’s Office, recently was transferred to the case and asked for more time to review the discovery. The prosecutor said the state had offered Daniels a plea bargain but the defendant rejected it. The defense attorney said he would again review the offer with his client. Daniels is accused of answering sex ads from at least four gay men on Craigslist and meeting them while he was dressed as a police officer. The men allege that Daniels extorted money from them by threatening to arrest them for not verifying he was at least 18. The trial is now scheduled for 10 a.m. Dec. 2 in Room 502 of the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert St.
Trans Day of Remembrance The Colours Organization, Inc., will host a vigil from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Nov. 20 in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance. The event will memorialize members of the transgender community who have lost their lives due to anti-trans hatred or prejudice. The vigil will be held at Colours, 112 N. Broad St., in the first-floor conference room. For more information, call (215) 496-0330. ■
— Jen Colletta
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer The board of directors of the William Way LGBT Community Center voted unanimously this week to give conditional approval for plans to proceed on the proposed LGBT senior residences. The board voted unanimously Monday night to allow builder Pennrose Property to move ahead with its preliminary funding applications for the project, but the two must come to a final agreement by March 1 in order for the board to give its final stamp of approval. Center executive director Chris Bartlett said the board will analyze a range of factors throughout the next four months. “This conditional approval gives the board time to address a broad range of issues of concern,” he said, including aspects like “gaining further input from community stakeholders, ensuring appropriate compensation to the center for its
By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
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WWCC green-lights housing proposal property and for any potential temporary relocation costs, ensuring that the center continues to own all of the current footprint of the property, ensuring approval of all architectural plans and resolution of other concerns raised by the board and its stakeholders.” The proposed William Way Senior Residences, an initiative announced earlier this year by the Dr. Magnus Hirschfield Fund, would house about 70 affordable apartments for low-income seniors. The residences would comprise an 11-story structure situated behind and above the existing community center, and the building proposal would include renovations to the center as well. Bartlett said the board is eager to garner feedback from the public about the initiative before it comes to a final decision. “We continue to proceed with cautious optimism and due diligence and look forward to engaging seniors, community members and other key stakeholders in these
deliberations in the months ahead,” he said. The proposal also saw a funding victory last week. The City’s Office of Housing and Community Development released the names of the grantees of its most recent funding cycle, and the proposed senior residences was on the list. The project will get $2 million in OHCD funding, out of a pool of about $8.5 million that was split among several other initiatives. Mark Segal, dmhFund president and PGN publisher, said the grant is a big boon for the project. “We at dmhFund thank [OHCD] for, after careful review of the numerous submissions received in this funding cycle, selecting our proposal of the William Way Senior Residences for funding,” Segal said. “This dream for our community is a step closer, thanks to their support.” Last month, the state approved a $7-million allocation for the project. ■
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B e f o r e p e r s o n a l i t i e s l i ke Melissa Etheridge and Carol Channing take the stage at the 2010 OUTMusic Awards in New York City next month, a transgender Philadelphia organist will be in the spotlight as the night’s opening act. The LGBT Academy of Recording Arts, which stages the annual awards ceremony, invited local performer Desiree Hines to open the Dec. 1 show, marking the first time a classical musician has been included in the event lineup. Hines, founder of the annual Philadelphia GLBT Arts Festival, said she discussed the need for a classical-music element at the event with OUTMusic executive director Diedra Meredith, who suggested Hines put a face to the classical community. “We really connected well: We’re both black women from the South, and she was like, ‘Wow, you’re a black woman from Mississippi who plays the pipe organ. We have to talk,’” Hines said. “We started talking about how they’re working on redeveloping OUTMusic and LARA, and she told me that she has a real deep appreciation for classical music, and that conversation eventually turned into her saying that it was about time to add classical music
to the OUTMusic Awards.” Hines will perform a four-minute toccata on “Amazing Grace,” written by J. Christopher Pardini on a virtual organ donated to her by a gay couple in Manhattan. “I’m preparing very nervously, that’s for damn sure,” she joked. “It’s a lot different because usually in a three-hour practice session, I focus on a whole recital, but with this I’m practicing one short piece for three hours. I think this piece showcases my capability as an organist and the power of the instrument: It starts on fullness and ends on fullness. This [piece] is something people can recognize and attach themselves to.” The 20-year-old event returned from a two-year hiatus last year with new energy, Hines said, noting the increased emphasis on classical music will give exposure to individual performers and fuel LARA’s own growth. “They want to show who the musicians are who specialize in this type of music and help support our endeavors to become recording artists,” she said. “I think that’s going to serve as a wonderful opportunity to help the organization develop. It’s going to add a different flavor and perspective to the organization’s goals and give it a presence in places it may not have had before.” Hines announced earlier this year that she would be stepping
down as director of the GLBT Arts Festival to pursue her ow n m u s i c career next year. Hines plans to move out of the city by DESIREE HINES the summer, PGN file photo by Scott A. Drake and said her relationship with LARA is likely to boost her professional growth. “Lately, I feel like I see myself three blocks ahead and I need to catch up. Just the other day I already got a call from a major concert hall. I think there are going to be a lot of good things coming my way. I’m so blessed to have come to Philadelphia and get my feet wet, because everything that’s happened here has prepared me for the next stage of my career.” Organizers of OUTMusic are holding several regional 20thanniversary parties this month, including one event from 6-9 p.m. Nov. 17 at Tabu, 200 S. 12th St. The party will also help raise funds for LARA’s new initiatives to support HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts among LGBT young adults. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
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Media Trail Activists push for antidiscrimination ban The Miami Herald reports that Jacksonville, Fla., gay-rights activists are urging business leaders to support a measure that would ban discrimination based on sexual preference. Jacksonville is the state’s only major metropolis that doesn’t ban discrimination against gays. The city’s current ordinance prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations on the basis of race, religion, disability, sex, marital status, national origin, color and age. HOLIDAY HUGGABLES: The fourth annual TOY! event’s 2010 kickoff at Matthews Interior Design on Oct. 23 amassed over 100 teddy bears for children in area hospitals. Joe Matthews (above) is the chairperson for the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund event, which will again be held at Marketplace Design Center, 2400 Market St., on Dec. 4. For more information on the event, go to www.dvlf.org. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Soledad O’Brien on career, new book By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Veteran journalist Soledad O’Brien will be in town next week to discuss her new memoir and her storied career at the kickoff of the First Person Arts Festival. O’Brien will be the guest of honor at “First Taste Dinner,” 6-9 p.m. Nov. 8 at Le Méridien Philadelphia, 1421 Arch St. The newswoman may be best known in the LGBT community for her recent CNN documentary “Gary and Tony Have a Baby,” a profile of a gay couple’s journey to fatherhood that first aired this summer. Among O’Brien’s many CNN specials are series like “Black in America” and “Latino in America” — not attempts at political correctness, but rather at poignant storytelling, she said. “It’s not like we were checking off, ‘OK black,’ ‘OK Latino,’ ‘Now look at the time, we need a gay in America.’ It was more of, ‘Wow, this is a great story that’s compelling and interesting,’” she explained. “We need people that you want to actually sit and watch for two hours and care about them as you watch their lives unfold.” O’Brien found such a story in Gary Spino and Tony Brown, LGBT activists who enlisted a surrogate to help them start their family. The pregnancy, preparations and courtroom efforts to ensure the baby was legally theirs took up two hours of screentime, but the reporter spent nearly a year closely following the growing family. O’Brien, whose own background includes Latino, African-American and Irish roots, is not an LGBT community member, but said such a relationship to her subjects is not necessary. “I think sometimes if you identify too closely with someone, that can get in the
w a y,” s h e s a i d . “Sure, I’m black, I’m Latina, I’m a mother, but that doesn’t mean I’m an expert on any of those roles, so what I try to do is just do good interviews and find out as much as I can about who these people are O’BRIEN as human beings, not just about their communities. We actually started shifting the naming of the projects from just ‘gay’ or ‘Latino’ stories because they’re about individuals. It’s not the telling of the story of everyone in the gay community in America, but just narrowly of these two guys. Gary and Tony’s story is about Gary and Tony.” O’Brien said public reaction to the piece was overwhelmingly positive and that, while she isn’t currently working on another LGBT-focused documentary, “Gary and Tony” won’t be the last of its kind. Although O’Brien is a longtime LGBT ally, she said her work on the documentary drove home the similarities between opposite- and same-sex couples, especially when it comes to parenting. “As a mother, it was interesting for me to see these two guys go through the same things my husband and I did. There was the cleaning of the apartment, the sniping at each other because someone wants to keep something and the other wants it to be ditched, the stress of a new baby entering the family, and the falling in love with that baby,” she said. “When they saw Nicholas for the first time, that moment was literally exactly like the moment my husband and I first saw our baby and how we started cry-
ing and just saying how lucky we are. “People think things are so different, but they’re really not. Humans are humans, and that’s something I’ve discovered from reporting across the globe,” O’Brien said. “People basically just want the same things: security, love, happiness and for their children to be in better positions than they were.” O’Brien looks at some of the other innumerable lessons she’s acquired from her worldwide work in her new memoir, “The Next Big Story,” which will be released later this month. As a journalist, she explained, she’s required to remove herself from her reporting, so the book offered a way to review certain assignments from a personal perspective. She compared trying to pick her most valued story to trying to pick her favorite child, but said high-profile world events like the Haitian earthquake, the tsunami in Indonesia and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina rank near the top. “Hurricane Katrina was both miserable and amazing. We were walking through the airport and none of us had showered or changed our clothes in two weeks. We were filthy and disgusting, and we were all wearing CNN baseball caps, and the people in the airport gave us a standing ovation as we walked by for the work that we’d been doing. That was one of the most amazing moments of my life,” said O’Brien. “I just feel so lucky to be a journalist. I get to have this great view of the world. I get to hop on planes and interview people about their lives for a living. That’s just amazing.” To order tickets to the First Taste Dinner ($135-$250), visit www.firsttaste2010. eventbrite.com or call (267) 402-2055. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.
Noose found at gay-rights group’s office The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a gay-rights group has found a black noose hanging on the door of one of its Southern California offices. Equality California phone-bank trainer Mel Distel said she found the noose Oct. 28 when she opened up the Santa Ana office for campaign volunteers. Distel says she called police and an officer told her, “Sometimes you have to live with being a victim.” She plans to file a formal complaint about the officer’s response. Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna declined to comment on Distel’s account. He says police are investigating. The Anti-Defamation League has condemned the noose and urged police to treat the incident seriously.
Court reaffirms custody for lesbian The Vermont Supreme Court has unanimously granted custody to a lesbian who has been battling to become the guardian of the young girl she and her former partner raised together. The ruling favors Vermont resident Janet Jenkins, affirming a 2009 court order giving her sole physical and legal custody of their 8year-old daughter. Lisa Miller, Jenkins’ former partner, remains at large with the child, according to Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, which argued on Jenkins’ behalf. Vermont “has determined that same-sex couples have the same rights and responsibilities as opposite-sex couples — thus, the sexual orientation of the parents is irrelevant in a custody determination,” the court wrote Nov. 1. The court added that because Miller fled with the child, her behavior is not in the 8year-old’s best interests. ■ — Larry Nichols
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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PA State House
2008
U.S. Senate
57 Democrats (+2 Independents caucus with Dems)
104 Democrats
99 Republicans
U.S. House
U.S. Senate
51 Democrats (+2 Independents caucus with Dems)
87 Democrats
111 Republicans
5 Und.
46 Republicans (+1 Undecided will caucus with GOP)
U.S. House
PA State Senate 30 Republicans 20 Democrats (No Change)
30 Republicans
The makeup of Pennsylvania’s state Senate hasn’t changed from the 2008 election. The state House lost 17 Democrats and gained 12 Republicans.
PA State House
2010
41 Republicans
PA State Senate 20 Democrats
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
255 Democrats
178 Republicans
In Congress, Democrats lost six Senate seats. Republicans gained five, but Dems still hold the Senate majority. In the U.S. House, the shift was far more dramatic: Dems lost 71 seats while the GOP gained 61 — and the House majority.
184 Democrats
239 Republicans
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Out PA House candidate blames LGBTs, in part, for her loss By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Pennsylvania House candidate Fern Kaufman aspired to be the state’s first openly LGBT lawmaker, but instead she became one of countless Democratic casualties throughout the country Tuesday. Kaufman lost the race for the 26th District to 18-year Republican incumbent Tim Hennessey, who also bested her in 2008. This year’s final tally was 56-43 percent, while two years ago the race was slightly closer. She postured that the loss had little to do with her own candidacy and more to do with the widespread dissatisfaction with the nation’s Democratic leadership. “I don’t think this was a referendum on any particular candidate. When you look at the results from U.S. Congressional races down, I don’t think most of them had anything to do with the candidates, but showed how people right now only care about the party they affiliate themselves with,” said Kaufman. She said she ran into many residents at the polls Tuesday whom she’d met while
canvassing door to door and who told her they voted for all Republicans, except for her; others “charged past us right into the polls with what looked like this vitriol in their eyes.” “They just went in there trying to FERN KAUFMAN get the Democrats PGN file photo by o u t ,” K a u f m a n Scott A. Drake said. “It was almost like the ballot was a weapon that they were using. But I don’t think this had anything to do with LGBT issues or with me personally. I was running in a district that is extremely hard for Democrats, and yesterday was just not a day for Democrats. I just got caught up in the whirlwind.” Meanwhile, Kaufman added, she doesn’t plan to try for that seat again. “I don’t think I have another one in me. I don’t know if anybody gets what this takes out of you. Both [partner] Cheryl and I have gone through this twice, spent summers with
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zero vacations, been out every single weekend going door to door. I haven’t gone on to higher positions in my career where I could be making more because I needed something with flexibility. I don’t think I can do it again, and I couldn’t ask any more of Cheryl. This wasn’t her dream, but she wanted to support me, and the issues that are important to me are important to her.” On top of the toll the campaigns have taken on Kaufman, she said she’s been dismayed by what she calls a lack of response from the LGBT community. While she noted that some LGBT voters did their best to support her, she said the community as a whole was ineffective in her campaign. “I actually had to fight with my own community for this. I don’t know if I can take on another uphill battle when my community was not there for me,” she said. “That’s a harsh statement to make, but they weren’t. It was sporadic, and I had to fight for them to pay attention but, by and large, they did not. It’s one thing to say, ‘We really support you,’ and slap me on the back and say, ‘Go, girl, you’re great.’ That’s great, but I need people who are actually willing to put rubber to the
road because this isn’t something that can be done alone. I don’t know if I have that fight in me again to go back to the community and try to get them to actually show up.” Kaufman added that political apathy among LGBT individuals can have tangible results. “I think that probably for the next 10 years now, it’s going to be very difficult for the LGBT community to really gain a voice in Pennsylvania after this election. The community needs to take a good look at itself right now. They squandered opportunities that they had, not just with me, but across the board. There are consequences for this, and now in my district we’re going to see another two years of inactivity from an entrenched incumbent who doesn’t do anything. And it’s going to be the same in a lot of other districts. “Our community needs to take stock of what’s really important to them, and I hope, if nothing else, this election will open up a greater conversation about politics in our country and our community.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
Editorial Welcome to your glass houses Clint McCance, Molly Wei and Dharun Ravi are catching hell, running scared and getting a taste of their own medicine. Good! On Oct. 28, McCance, a member of the Midland School Board in Pleasant Plains, Ark., announced his resignation on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” amid controversy surrounding antigay posts he made on his Facebook page. To be exact, he wrote: “Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers killed themselves. The only way I’m wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide. I can’t believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed thereselves [sic] because of their sin.” Later, when faced with criticism for his post, McCance doubled down on his ignorance and wrote that he liked that gay people “can’t procreate [and] I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other AIDS and die.” Several gay-rights groups condemned the postings and called for his resignation. When interviewed on CNN, McCance said he and his family received thousands of phone calls and hate mail, and that he sent his family members out of the state to protect them. On Oct. 29, it was announced that Wei and Ravi, the two Rutgers students charged with invading the privacy of Tyler Clementi, had withdrawn from the university. Clementi committed suicide after a sex tape of him with another man was streamed on the Internet. Rubin Sinins, Wei’s lawyer, said she withdrew out of concern for her safety. Yeah ... Karma is a ruthless bitch, isn’t she? The irony is that these individuals who thought so little of publicly victimizing LGBT students can’t take the same negativity and scrutiny they’ve inflicted. And yet, McCance having to send his family out of state and Wei’s and Ravi’s withdrawing from school may throw a monkey wrench into their lives, but these situations are temporary and at least offer them the option to flee. That same sense of feeling unsafe is exactly what many LGBT students face daily, not only at school but also at home, on the street and online. And many victims of antigay bullying don’t have the means or the option to move to another state, switch schools or obtain any kind of guarantee that the same ignorant attitudes won’t be waiting for them wherever they go. Nor do many have the understanding of a family or other support system to help remedy their situations. McCance, Wei and Ravi are experiencing just a sliver of the invasive vitriol and unwanted attention LGBT students face every day. What will it take to rebuild those glass houses? ■ 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.
Creep of the Week
D’Anne Witkowski
Clint McCance You know the old saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, say it on Facebook?” Well, Arkansas Midland School District vice president Clint McCance took it to heart recently when he posted some vile antigay hate speech to rival Fred Phelps and his band of “God Hates Fags” loonies. What set McCance off was a call for supporters of LGBT youth to wear purple in memory of the young people who recently committed suicide after being bullied. “Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers committed suicide,” he posted. “The only way im wearin [sic] it for them is if they all commit suicide. I can’t believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed therselves [sic] because of their sin. REALLY PEOPLE.” Yes, really. Did I mention he was a school board member? Oh, to be a gay kid in Midland. Those lucky devils. One of McCance’s friends commented, “Because hatred is always right ... ” To which he responds, “No because being a fag doesn’t give you the right to ruin the rest of our lives. If you get easily offended by being called a fag then don’t tell anyone you are a fag. Keep that shit to yourself. I
don’t care how people decide to live their lives. They don’t bother me if they keep it to thereselves [sic]. It pisses me off though that we make a special purple fag day for them. I like that fags can’t procreate. I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other aids [sic] and die.” Did you catch that last part? He “enjoys” when gays get AIDS and die. Ha ha. You know, typical LOL stuff. Another friend commented, “You know this is somebody’s kids here how would you feel if they were talkin [sic] about your kids like this. It would make you feel like SHIT.” No worries, McCance knows exactly how he’d feel. “I would disown my kids if they were gay,” he posts. “They will not be welcome at my home or in my vicinity. I will absolutely run them off. Of course my kids will know better. My kids will have solid Christian beliefs.” Where these “solid Christian beliefs” will come from I don’t know. Certainly not from their father. Needless to say, McCance’s comments caused quite a stir, with many people calling for his firing. A visibly uncomfortable and maybe even contrite McCance appeared on CNN with Anderson Cooper and apologized for his comments, saying they were “too emotional” and “went too
far.” As for the terms “fag” and “queer,” he told Cooper: “I know those are hurtful words and like I said, I picked the wrong words to use. And used them poorly. I didn’t bring honor to what I was about.” I’m not sure there’s an honorable way to wish all gay people dead, even if he had used different words to do it. He also stated that he doesn’t “wish death on anyone” and that “it does look like I’m a hatemonger or a horrible person and that’s not me at all.” Um, yes. It does look like that. Very much like that, in fact. It’s kind of hard to accept that a person who thinks “Hey, I have a minute to post on Facebook before I head off to this school board meeting and here’s something totally appropriate to say” isn’t a hatemonger. No matter how much he apologizes or whether he resigns from the school board on “Anderson Cooper 360.” So, yeah. He resigned. And he’s sorry. But the boot print of mistrust and fear on the backs of LGBT school kids, especially those in the Midland school system, isn’t going to wash out so easily. ■ D’Anne Witkowski is a Detroit-based freelance writer and poet (believe it!).
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
Mark My Words
Street Talk
Mark Segal
State Senate leadership and LGBT rights Yes, the midterm election is over, but another election takes place around Nov. 17 that can actually put LGBT rights into play in Pennsylvania. And you and I don’t even get a vote. It’s the race for Democratic leadership in the state Senate. The Democratic leadership in the state House is already LGBT-friendly thanks to people such as Babette Josephs and Mike O’Brien, but not the state Senate. And the Senate can be where we finally get equality. Leadership can get legislation out of committee and onto the floor and has the clout to create a coalition to get it passed. This is an inside game and only the senators get to vote. But this time, for the first time in history, we have a progressive slate of state senators committed to LGBT nondiscrimination as part of their legislative agenda if elected. A state ENDA could be in reach. There’s another reason this vote is important. The progressive pro-LGBT slate is from Southeastern Pennsylvania. To be blunt, leadership means funds back to your district, and the reality is that over the last couple of years, Philadelphia and the rest of Southeastern Pennsylvania has lost leadership and thus funds. We’re losing our champion or rainmaker named Ed Rendell: He’s gone this January and will be replaced by someone from Western Pennsylvania. Gee, what do you think his priority will be? Not Southeastern PA. Couple that with Senate leadership from Western Pennsylvania and the financial out-
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look is grim. So we have three issues here: progressive policies, an inclusive LGBT equality position, and funding to assist Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania in dealing with the current recession. Why is this important to us? Does anyone remember the antigay-marriage constitutional amendment that was introduced in the Senate a couple years ago? It was our friends Sens. Tony Williams and Vince Fumo who kept up the heat by constantly introducing amendments; in the background, Sen. Stack and his staff quickly wrote one after another. The Republicans gave up after our amendment to outlaw all divorce in Pennsylvania. These senators at that time were not friends, but they had one issue in common: our equality. So they worked together and we defeated the Republicans’ attempt to make us third-class citizens. Now that Fumo is gone, Stack and Williams are all that we have left of that coalition. Luckily, they have been joined by Sen. Farnese, who has stepped up successfully. Along with a majority of the Philadelphia delegation, they are now poised for leadership. And they are telling their colleagues that LGBT issues are to be treated as a Democratic priority, not on the backburner. Any elected official can easily talk the talk. By putting LGBT issues in the forefront, these senators are walking the walk. Win or lose, they clearly point to a new day in Pennsylvania. ■
Have you been bullied, or bullied someone?
Lilly Bamberi student Washington Square West
McCormack Kennedy student Washington Square West
“I was bullied in elementary school. I had buck teeth and people would call me ‘rabbit.’ That broke my 7-year-old heart. Eventually, I lost the buck teeth, but the experience was awful. I still have bad memories.”
“I’m slight of build and wear glasses. I got ‘faggot’ a lot as a youngster. Yes, I did some bullying of my own, to retaliate. It was probably just a release. I wouldn’t say it made me stronger. But I’m more resilient today.”
Jaymie Kovalsky student Washington Square West
Rose McGuinn student Center City
“At Jericho Middle School in New York, students spread rumors that I’m a lesbian. I was called ‘lesbo’ and ‘dyke.’ To find support, I joined the Gay-Straight Alliance. But I was the only member. It felt very isolating.”
“I weighed 200 pounds in fourth grade and students called me fatass. They didn’t hold back. When I’d walk down the aisle, kids would move their desks aside, to exaggerate my size. It did cause me to lose weight — but in a bad way. I’d have preferred Weight Watchers.”
Mark Segal is PGN publisher. He is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media, having just received the 2010 Columnist of the Year Award from the 2,000-member Suburban Newspapers of America. He can be reached at mark@epgn. com.
Letters and Feedback In response to “Investigation continues in Blahnik murder,” Oct. 22-28, 2010: After seeing my letter on PGN’s use of Stacey Blahnik’s birth name, I was surprised to see a PGN editor’s note in defense of your original practice. Really, PGN? Your defense simply obscures this issue even more and displays a true lack of understanding by offering readers a series of nonsensical excuses. Excuse No. 1: The police reported this as “the murder of a man, also using Blahnik’s legal name.” OK, so? Trans- and gender-variant people have been facing this same problem with the police for years. Why not write an article on how police disrespect, deny and erase the identities of trans-identified
and gender-variant people through transphobic crime-reporting practices? Instead, PGN imitates the same practice as the very institution that routinely defames us? What is the point of the LGB(T) press if not to rightly report the wrongs that are done to our LGBT communities? Excuse No. 2: “It is possible that Blahnik’s killer was motivated by her gender identity.” Exactly! And as one of the first letter writers astutely pointed out, by PGN identifying Blahnik as “transgender,” well, you covered the motive angle already. No need for a male pronoun or birth name. Unless you think your readers are really so ignorant about trans-identity that they cannot figure this out. If that is the case, well, an educational article is in order.
Excuse No. 3: “It was important that the community knew that Blahnik was the person who had been killed, not a second male-identified individual.” Huh? Who is “male-identified” here? It is very, very possible that few community members even knew Blahnik’s birth name since she was part of a community, as evinced by the first two outraged letter writers, who knew her name was Stacey. Excuse No. 4: “Blahnik, for whatever reason, had not changed her name ... We must assume ... that she had a valid reason, and we respect that.” This is the most incredulous of all PGN’s excuses. To suggest using Stacey’s birth name was a matter of showing See FEEDBACK, Page 15
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
Out Law Angela D. Giampolo, Esq. Breaking up is hard to do, especially when you have stuff The end of a relationship can wreak havoc on your emotions. But, with proper planning and familiarity with the law, the process of dividing up property and determining visitation rights doesn’t have to be a total nightmare. Here are some common questions that arise in a same-sex breakup situation. How do you go about dividing up items you’ve purchased together? In the absence of a comprehensive set of legal rights and obligations, a same-sex couple may formalize their relationship by entering into a contractual arrangement called either a cohabitation agreement or a domestic partnership agreement. This agreement may cover a number of different subjects. It may address, for example, the pooling of income during the relationship; the division of responsibilities for expenses; and/or the division of property, support payments and method of dispute resolution upon the couple’s separation. No reported decision in Pennsylvania specifically addresses the enforceability of a domestic partnership agreement between same-sex partners. In Knauer v. Knauer, however, the Pennsylvania Superior Court held that an agreement between unmarried partners is enforceable so long as it is not predominantly based on sexual consideration. Despite its potential unenforceability, a domestic partnership agreement evidences the familial nature of the relationship between the partners and provides evidence of the parties’ intent regarding the sharing and titling of property. For instance, in an unreported decision citing
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Knauer, the Court of Common Pleas for Northampton County enforced a property settlement agreement between same-sex partners and, in doing so, held that the agreement was not against public policy. Who gets to keep the pet? Do either of us have visitation rights? Lately, family-law judges have recognized that pets are not just like furniture. In a heterosexual divorce case, the judge will listen to the parties and then decide which one is better suited to care for the pet or has more of an attachment or history, and will generally grant ownership to that individual. However, since samesex couples do not go through divorce proceedings to dissolve the relationship, they typically won’t have a legal decree of ownership. The decision of ownership will have to be made by the individuals at the time of separation, perhaps in mediation, or provide for such a situation in a domestic partnership agreement detailing the ownership and visitation rights at the time of pet purchase. Who gets to keep the security deposit on our apartment? Security deposits are usually paid back to the individual whose name was on the check for the deposit. If, as it usually happens, both of you contributed to the deposit but only one person wrote the check, the person whose name was not on the check will have to rely on the honesty of the check writer to give back the portion that doesn’t belong to him or her. This can be avoided by contracting for this scenario in advance, when the deposit is paid. Otherwise, the matter will have to be taken to small-claims court. What are the rights of the non-biological parent after a separation if the child was conceived during the relation-
ship (between men as well as women)? For same-sex couples, there are three general paths to having children: foster parenting, adoption and assisted reproductive technology (ART), i.e., intrauterine insemination and/or in-vitro fertilization for lesbian couples and surrogacy for gay couples. Same-sex couples might also pursue a combination of these paths to establish a family. In the absence of a second-parent adoption or a shared-parenting agreement, the court held in T.B. v. L.R.M. that the former same-sex partner of a child’s biological mother had standing to seek custody or visitation using the in loco parentis doctrine. Whether custody or visitation will be awarded depends on the child’s best interest. To obtain primary custody, the partner must overcome the legal parent’s prima facie right to custody and prove by clear and convincing evidence that the award of custody is in the best interest of the child. In loco parentis status not only affords a non-legal parent standing to pursue custody or visitation of a former same-sex partner’s child, but also comes with potential child-support obligations. In L.S.K. v. H.A.N., the court held that the legal parent’s former partner was equitably estopped from asserting that she had no obligation to support their five children when she had taken on a parental role, cared for the children and sought custody of them following the breakup of the relationship. ■ Angela D. Giampolo, principal of Giampolo Law Group, maintains offices in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey and specializes in LGBT law, business law, realestate law and civil rights. Her website is www.giampololaw. com and she maintains a blog, www.phillygaylawyer.com. Send Angela your legal questions at angela@giampololaw.com.
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NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
Op-Ed
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 13
John Berry
Just another thousand feet to go
Right now, the LGBT equality movement is filled with conflicting emotions, intense passions and nervous energy — just like the rest of the country. We are not alone in our angst. When Dr. Frank Kameny was fired from his position as an astronomer with the U.S. Army Map Service in 1957 because of his sexual orientation, it was the policy of our government to deny any openly gay American federal employment. “The homosexual is a security risk ... [we] will not permit their employment,” wrote one official. Of course, today we know how wrong our government was. It seems silly to suggest otherwise. I was honored to offer Dr. Kameny a formal apology on behalf of the United States government last year. Frank stated that even he did not think he would see the day when an openly gay man would head the same agency that participated in firing him more than 50 years ago. “It’s as if we’ve gone from sea level to 18,000 feet,” he told me in conversation. “The summit is in sight. We’ve just got another thousand feet to go.” And we have taken many steps toward creating that more perfect union. But in the midst of so much progress, the recent suicides by LGBT youth are especially
painful. As sadly, Frank noted, the summit is now within our reach. What an amazing time we live in and how fortunate younger Americans are to be witnesses and participants in the final steps to secure our full civil rights. But too many don’t fully appreciate that amazing reality. People like Dr. Kameny, pillars of the modern movement for equality, have brought us this far. But as any climber will tell you, the last thousand feet are the most treacherous. After years of struggle, exhaustion can set in. So close to our goal, the air is thin, our bodies tired, the winds of opposition whip increasingly around us. But we know from history that this same steep peak — as frustrating and painful as it is to reach — has been conquered before. We tend to look back on history with rose-tinted glasses. But freedom and equality in America have never come easy. We forget that many American colonists saw the pursuit of liberty by our Founding Fathers as treason and would have cheered their hanging. Recall when half the country — half the country — used any and all means to defend the institution of slavery. Susan B. Anthony was widely mocked in her time. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was martyred. Even the schoolchildren of the Little Rock Nine were spat upon and shouted down as they approached their goal. Every day, we are making progress toward securing the rights and freedoms that belong to all of us.
In under two years, President Obama and his record number of LGBT appointees have accomplished so much for LGBT Americans. His and Congress’ historic achievement of securing health-care reform finally cements the most important protections for those in our community who need them most — especially those living with HIV and AIDS. Hospital visitation rights for all Americans, expanded benefits for the same-sex domestic partners of federal workers, enactment of the hate-crimes law, increased coverage for those living with HIV/AIDS, federal support for LGBT community-based organizations, anti-bullying programs enacted in schools, support for our aging LGBT population and so much more. These are real, concrete achievements that are saving and improving the lives of countless LGBT Americans right now. I realize that this subtle — but dramatic — change is hard to appreciate when full equality is in sight. It’s understandable. I’m not taking my eyes off the goal or asking you to. Indeed, the president is the first to say that change hasn’t come fast enough. But he has called on all of us to charge full speed ahead. The Tree of Liberty grows only by adding rings. From the Revolution to the Civil War, to women’s suffrage, the Civil Rights Movement and onward, our entire nation has been enriched by every added ring. Now is our time to complete our ring.
All administration officials, me included, are accountable to that goal: to the principles upon which our republic was founded — liberty and justice for all. We will not rest until discriminatory laws like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act are ended once and for all. And because no one should be denied a job because of discrimination, a fully inclusive Employment NonDiscrimination Act must be enacted as well. So hold us to account. Let us know when we’re right, be the wind in our sails when our momentum flags and pull us back to the path when we go astray. But whatever you do, don’t turn away. Don’t give up. Don’t relent. Educate yourself, educate others and fight for your beliefs. Speak up and speak out. Our path forward is steep, but clear. Just like those who have gone before us, our mettle is being tested in this moment. History is watching and we will be judged by what we do right now. But what an incredible time to be alive! As Teddy Roosevelt said, “Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords.” I couldn’t agree more. Bully! ■ John Berry is the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and is the highest-ranking openly LGBT official ever to hold a Senate-confirmed position in U.S. history.
Scott A. Drake Photography
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Gayborhood Crime Watch The following incidents in the Midtown Village and Washington Square West areas were reported to the Sixth Police District between Oct. 11-24. Information is courtesy of Sixth District Capt. Brian Korn; Stacy Irving, senior director, Crime Prevention Service; Center City District; the Police Liaison Committee and Midtown Village Merchants Association. ARRESTS: A man was walking in the 1100 block of Locust Street at 3 a.m. Oct. 11 when two males pulled his hoody over his head, punched him and took his wallet. The victim called 911 and a Sixth District police officer stopped two males inside the 7-11 at 12th and Sansom streets. The victim positively identified both males — a 21-year-old from Southwest Philadelphia and a 19-year-old homeless male — and they were charged with robbery and related offenses. REPORT: Two males approached a man in the 1200 block of Pine Street at 1:30 a.m. Oct. 12 and demanded his money. One of the perpetrators had his hand under his shirt, simulating a weapon. The offenders fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. Both were described as black males wearing black hoodies. One was about 20 years old and 5-foot-3 with a thin build; the other was about 30 and 6-feet tall with a goatee.
REPORT: A man who confronted a male urinating in public ended up in the hospital with an orbital fracture. The incident took place at 2:50 a.m. Oct. 16 in the 1100 block of Pine Street after the passerby approached the urinating male. In response, the male punched the complainant in the face and walked away. The victim went to the hospital two days later and was diagnosed with the fracture to his face. The offender was described as a 5-foot-1 white male with short brown hair and wearing baggy clothing. ARRESTS: Sixth District plainclothes officers made a total of 25 prostitution arrests from Oct. 1224 in the Gayborhood, both inside and on the street. Police apprehended the suspects, all male, throughout the 13-day period in the late-evening to early-morning hours at the following locations: 1201 Lombard St., 400 S. 12th St., 1341 Lombard St., 1301 Lombard St., 1200 Pine St., 1200 Locust St., 261 S. 13th St., 1233 Lombard St., 1228 Pine St., 407 S. 13th St. and 300 S. 13th St. Multiple arrests were made in several of those locations. The ages of the suspects were not disclosed. ARREST: A Sixth District officer gave chase and arrested a man on a bicycle Oct. 18, charging him with the indecent assault of four females in the 10th and
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Walnut streets area. Between 810 p.m. on that date, a biking male groped at least four different women. The officer spotted the suspect at Ninth and Market streets and chased the male to 12th and Arch, where he finally apprehended him. The victims positively identified the suspect, a 23-year-old West Kensington man, as the assailant, and police charged him with multiple counts of indecent assault. ARREST: Police arrested an apparent drug dealer who allegedly stabbed an unhappy customer. The incident took place Oct. 20 outside an apartment building at 233 S. 13th St. The victim, claiming he was sold oregano instead of marijuana, was arguing with his alleged supplier at 2:25 a.m. when the dealer stabbed him in the chest. The victim was taken to Jefferson University Hospital in critical condition. Responding officers arrested a male who was identified by a witness hiding in the rear courtyard of the building. The suspect, a 37-year-old North Philadelphia man, was charged with aggravated assault and related offenses. REPORT: A nightclub patron told police she was forced to perform a sex act at gunpoint Oct. 23. The victim reported to 39th District officers that she was inside Club Voyeur, 1221 St. James St., at 1:15 that morning when a male pulled a gun on her and forced her to perform the act, which was not disclosed in police reports. The Police Special Victims Unit is investigating the complaint. ARRESTS: Police arrested two men who, along with at least three other perpetrators, allegedly attacked and robbed a man outside a pizza shop early on Oct. 24. The victim was exiting the shop in the 200 block of South 13th Street at 4:10 a.m. when a group of about five males pulled him into an alley, punched him and hit him with an unknown hard object, then stole cash from his pants pocket. Officers who were responding to the incident caught two of the suspects in the 1300 block of Walnut Street and recovered cash and a metal pipe. The suspects, a 38-year-old South Philadelphia man and a 21year-old from North Philly, were charged with robbery, assault and related offenses. The other suspects remain at large. ■
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 15
FEEDBACK
CONGREGATION BETH AHAVAH at Rodeph Shalom
From Page 11
A GLBT synagogue welcoming people of all gender and sexual identities since 1975
“respect” is ludicrous. I am an example as to “why” someone might not legally change a name, having not done so until 10 years after transitioning. Why? Because it cost me $500 and required that I retain a lawyer to navigate my way through an extremely confusing legal system! It was not until I could save $500, and retain a wonderful trans-identified lawyer who was willing to work pro-bono, that I could legally change my name. There are other reasons people do not change their names too, including the fact that it is often dangerous to live in a body that does not match one’s legal name and gender marker. Furthermore, there are people who choose not to make legal changes to their identity documents because they do not feel they should be forced to do so by a transphobic society. All of these individuals still deserve the same respect for their self-identification, especially from a community institution — PGN — that purports to understand and represent our community. — Ben Singer In response to “Election interviews,” Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 2010: I’m glad I went to your site online for the first time: I got the voting information I needed, thanks! — Maureen Sweeney
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Beth Ahavah and Rodeph Shalom are affiliated in spirit and share a sacred home. In July 2007 Beth Ahavah affiliated with Rodeph Shalom. Beth Ahavah retains its congregational status within the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and proudly offers its congregation dual membership at both synagogues Visit www.bethahavah.org for additional information, programming and directions 615 North Broad Street, Phila., PA 19123-2495 Phone: 215.923.2003 E-mail: BethAhavah@rodephshalom.org Free secure parking: Cross Spring Garden at 13th St., left at next light, Mt. Vernon St. Parking lot entrance on left.
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NATIONAL From Page 1 of Representatives to four. “On behalf of National Stonewall Democrats across the country, we welcome the newest out Congressman, David Cicilline,” said Michael Mitchell, National Stonewall Democrats PAC executive director. “We are looking forward to working with David in the next Congress to pass legislation that moves the LGBT community closer to full equality, as well as other issues that affect our lives, jobs and families.” Despite Cicilline’s win, Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese noted that LGBT Americans will need to work even harder to see victories on LGBT-rights legislation and to stave off efforts to backtrack any progress that has been made. “We will be prepared to fight attempts to turn back the clock on equality, as well as highlight how far this new leadership is outside the stream of public opinion,” he said. “We need not look any further than their decade of House control that brought us attempts to pass a federal marriage amendment, strip courts of jurisdiction to hear LGBT-rights claims, cut HIV/AIDS funding and vilify openly LGBT appointees.” Most recently, the LGBT community has seen movement on
GIFT GUIDES COMING DEC. 3 AND 10
efforts to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” as Murphy earlier this year was able to garner House approval for a bill to repeal the military ban on gay servicemembers. An appeals court in California earlier this week ruled DADT would remain in place as the government continues its appeal of a court ruling that would have lifted the ban. While the House approved the repeal measure, it failed in the Senate, and advocates are pressing to have it addressed in the next few weeks. Jeff Brauer, an openly gay associate professor of political science at Keystone College, said he doubts the Senate will successfully take up the repeal during the lame-duck session, but added this election will change the game for pro-LGBT federal efforts. “Certainly, the sweep of the House of Representatives probably isn’t going to bode too favorably for LGBT issues. But I think there a lot of opportunities in what happened,” Brauer said. “For things on the table like ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and ENDA [Employment Nondiscrimination Act], the president now has an opportunity to actually lead on these issues. He’s been sitting back and allowing things to play out, asking Congress to deal with the issues. But he doesn’t have that luxury now. We’re going to have a Republican House of
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
Representatives in January, so he’s going to actually have to stand up and push the issues himself if we have any chance of getting them passed.”
this is a chance for us to get more Republicans on board than before, because the reality is that we do need them,” said Brauer. “We need to work to get some of the
“For things on the table like ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and ENDA [Employment Nondiscrimination Act], the president now has an opportunity to actually lead on these issues. We’re going to have a Republican House of Representatives in January, so he’s going to actually have to stand up and push the issues himself if we have any chance of getting them passed.” JEFF BRAUER, associate professor of political science at Keystone College
Brauer said one bright spot in Tuesday’s election was that very few races across the country tried to use LGBT animus as a campaign tool. The Republican gains should force LGBT advocates, both in the public and in legislatures, to reach across the aisle and strive for creative solutions to advance pro-LGBT measures, he added. “If the Republicans are going to show that they’re an inclusive party, they need to deal with these issues now that they’re in power and have a place at the table. So
more pro-equality Republicans on our side and convince some of the more Libertarian-type Republicans, who want less government in people’s lives, that ours are Libertarian issues. We don’t want people telling us who we should marry, if we can join the military, what we should be doing with our personal lives. This is now an opportunity for us to bring more Republicans into the fold on LGBT issues.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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LOCAL From Page 1 think that’s the reason why he lost, I think many will perceive that that kind of courage carried too steep a price. So I’m concerned that our allies on both sides of the aisle may be more reluctant now to take on leadership roles in regard to ensuring our equality.” Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Fund, called Murphy a “bright, capable young leader.” “SLDN will forever remember and be grateful for Patrick’s remarkable leadership in the fight to repeal DADT, and I have no doubt Patrick Murphy will be back to serve this nation again,” Sarvis said. “We appreciate his long and extraordinary service to our country.”
“SLDN will forever remember and be grateful for Patrick’s remarkable leadership in the fight to repeal DADT, and I have no doubt Patrick Murphy will be back to serve this nation again.” STEVE GLASSMAN, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission chair Meanwhile, at the state level, Democrats made some gains with the election of candidates like Kevin Boyle, who ousted longtime Republican Rep. John Perzel. But Republicans are now in control of both the state Senate and House, which could make the passage of an LGBT-inclusive employment nondiscrimination or hate-crimes law extremely challenging, noted Glassman. “When we passed the hatecrimes bill [to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s hate-crimes law, which a court later overturned] in 2002, it was passed with a Republican governor and a Republican-controlled House and Senate,” he pointed out. “But the makeup of this Republican Party is so different now. The parties are so polarized and have much more extreme points of view on both sides, so it’s going to be exceedingly more difficult to move any equality legislation forward in a legislature
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
that is now much more conservative than when [former Gov. Tom] Ridge was in office.” The Democratic sweep out of Pennsylvania also claimed the governor’s race, with Republican Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett taking 55 percent of the vote over Democratic nominee Dan Onorato. Corbett has spoken out against hate-crimes laws and recently filed a motion to support overturning a California court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage. Pennsylvania Congressman Joe Sestak, an LGBT ally, lost his U.S. Senate bid to Pat Toomey, a Republican who has compared himself to former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, a strong opponent of LGBT rights. Pennsylvania Democrats Chaka Fattah, Jason Altmire, Allyson Schwartz, Mike Doyle, Tim Holden and Mark Critz were able to hold onto their Congressional seats. However, Republican Patrick Meehan defeated Democrat Bryan Lentz to fill Sestak’s open Seventh District seat, Democrat Manan Trivedi failed to unseat Republican incumbent Jim Gerlach, and Democratic incumbents Kathy Dahlkemper, Chris Carney and Paul Kanjorski were ousted. Fern Kaufman, a Pennsylvania state House candidate from Chester County, was defeated for the second time in two years by Republican incumbent Tim Hennessey. Had she been elected, Kaufman would have been the first openly LGBT legislator in the state. But the LGBT community did see one small victory at the polls: Voters approved a measure on the ballot questions that requires city contracts to explicitly prohibit LGBT discrimination. Although the outlook for proLGBT legislation is “pretty bleak,” said Ted Martin, executive director of Equality PA, the community is resilient. “I think we are in for some frustrating times. While I congratulate the new majority and certainly offer them every hand in partnership, I think a lot of work needs to be done to build the trust that’s needed to get anything done,” Martin said. “But none of the victories LGBT folks have worked for have ever come easily,” he added, “so we’re used to working hard, and I think we’re going to continue doing that, no matter how much more difficult it’s going to be now.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Detour
A departure from the ordinary
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NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
Kathy Griffin
By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer FINALLY! For the longest time we have been trying to land an interview with outspoken comedian, TV star, Emmy-winner, author, activist, trash-talker, spitfire and all-around gay ally Kathy Griffin. We’ve landed interviews with pretty much all the gay and gay-friendly superstars of comedy (Suzanne Westenhoefer, Margaret Cho, Kate Clinton, Wanda Sykes, etc., etc., etc.) but Miss Griffin has eluded us for years. “So, I’m your Streisand?” Griffin said when we told her this. Not really, because we actually want to see you in concert. Did we say that out loud? Anyway ... We wore her and her seemingly impenetrable crack team of publicists down on the heels of the latest of her many comedy specials on Bravo, “Whores on Crutches,” just in time for her Nov. 6 performance at the Academy of Music. And the conversation we had was well worth the wait. Kathy Griffin: I think you should know the guy from The Inquirer is upset that I was talking to you because he feels that he should have gay-ed it up more. And then he fucking confessed he’s a straight and I was like, look, don’t play games with me. You stay in your lane and I’ll stay in mine. PGN: Cool! Is it our imagination or do
you have a new hour of material every six months? KG: Yes, I do. I might sound really snobby and like a tool but I find it amusing when I talk to other comedians who work for two years to write 25 minutes. Luckily, my material is not un-similar to Nancy Grace’s breaking
Outspoken comedian and activist comes to Philly
news. I enjoy doing a lot of new material because there is so much going on. Let me just tell you about the stuff we’ll be talking about in Philly. Obviously, we’ll be talking about every Lohan from Michael on down. That is a breakingnews type of story. That’s a story that changes daily. So who knows how many press conferences Michael will have had by time then or how many he will have said he is not going to have any more press conferences. Also you should know that [Oct. 29] I’m actually invited to Paris and Nicky Hilton’s Halloween party. So I’ve come a long way, baby, if I’m sitting here telling this to you. You should also know that I’m in fear that the invite is an elaborate punk that Paris has put together for me because I’ve been a little bit tough on Paris over the years. Photo: Mike Ruiz
And yet I’m still willing to go because who can fucking resist that shit. PGN: When you walk into
a room full of celebrities and they see you, what happens? KG: It’s like a bomb went off, or if you can imagine Judith what’sher-face from The Times that day that she opened the envelope that she thought was anthrax. It would be like someone in the office getting a powdery envelope and then screaming, “Oh my God! It’s anthrax!” I’m used to it. I’m used to that reaction when I go to “The View.” I’m used to having that reaction with my own family at Thanksgiving. So there are very few places that I go where I walk in and there are cheers. The reaction is usually an uncomfortable shuffling. PGN: Being at the height of your popularity, why are you still getting banned from certain networks or TV shows? KG: You’d have to ask them that. I
don’t know why it was OK for Elizabeth Hasselbeck to call me scum on “The View.” When I was there, there was a guest one time that had thrown battery acid at his wife’s face and blinded her and she had nothing to say to him. So I make jokes about Hollywood and politicians and pop culture. But it’s interesting to me that the guy who threw battery acid in his wife’s face didn’t get called shit. But I’m scum. I don’t know. I’ll continue to do it regardless of what I’m banned from. I have to say my favorite standing ban — you might think it’s “Oprah” but that’s too obvious — is “Regis and Kelly.” I have no idea what’s at the bottom of that one. I do like Regis and I know him very well. I don’t know her very well. I think it’s the idea that I might say something inappropriate. I certainly know what I can get away with and what I can’t on TV and I probably know the First Amendment better than any talk-show host. And my lawyers are very busy bees. On the other hand, I enjoy pushing the envelope and at the live show in particular, all bets are off in a big way. If you watch my special “Whores on Crutches” on Bravo, if you buy my New York Times numberone best-seller, if you follow my “Twats on Twitter,” if you watch “My Life on the D-List,” if you pay to come see me in Philly, you deserve to see the stuff you’re not going to see any place else. I promise to bring the heat in ways that I absolutely cannot do on television. PGN: Do you think comedians are the last line of public figures who can say whatever they want? KG: It’s more than that. When you look at how Fox News has indoctrinated people like my 90-year-old alcoholic mother who doesn’t know any better, I believe comedians are the last bastion. I don’t mean to sound artsy, but I think the research showing that more young
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
people get their news from “The Daily Show” than the news is a good thing. “The Daily Show” is more fair and balanced than Fox News. They’re also more fearless than any other news channel. Comedians are more in trouble than we’ve ever been. I’m friends with Don Rickels and he’s not banned from anything. We’ve had many conversations about this so obviously a big part of it is sexism, period. I do so many shows and charity functions where, if there’s a lineup of comedians, I’m the only girl. So the sexism is alive and well. Also, I think there’s a precedent that has been set in the last 10 years in the politically correct movement that is antithetical to comedy. That’s why it just makes me want to fight harder because I feel like in this time people need to come to a live show and blow off steam. I know that people that are coming that night — the gays, the housewives, the straights that were dragged there with their girlfriends and the straights that accidentally like me for “My Life on the D-List” — that’s what that night is for. It’s a night to come and hear very inappropriate material, be a little bit shocked and leave the kids and the Bible at home. PGN: Have you participated in the “It Gets Better” campaign? KG: Not only did I participate, I retwatted the video. Besides having been kicked of Capitol Hill for DADT, besides marching in Prop. 8 rallies, besides decades of work with the LGBT community ... You know what’s funny? I make fun of LGBTQIA. With the A, I’m so happy. It’s like I finally got a letter. As an A, I absolutely did one of those videos. I had one of my friends from CNN help me write it because I wanted to sound like I know what I’m talking about. I’m doing a benefit performance for the Trevor Project and I feel that the hotline truly saves lives. The reason I chose Trevor over so many wonderful organizations like it is that I have a friend who, when he got laid off from his job, said, “I don’t know what to do with myself so I called
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Trevor and I asked if I could be trained to be someone who works the phone banks for the suicidal gay teens.” And he did and he worked his way up so he could take the calls. I really believe a call like that can save a life. And I’ve actually coldcalled them to make sure they’re legit. So on Dec. 16 in Los Angeles, I’m doing a big ol’ benefit for them and giving them a big fat check. In addition to that, I have a dream that it will not be about a check and people will volunteer at places like Trevor and train and learn how to work the phone banks. I’ve toured around the country and you’d be amazed that there are so many places where there are gay teens that think they are the only gay person in their neighborhood or their church, and they’re told you may as well go kill yourself. So I think that it is essential to combine coming out and having a laugh at the craziest darkest shit there is, and then in addition that with my more serious work, the activism, working toward a time when I don’t do a show and someone comes up to me and says, “Ms. Griffin, I think you’re so funny, but before I came to your show here in Knoxville, I don’t think I’ve ever met a gay person.” People still say that to me and then I say to them, “Oh, they’re in church,” and then they kind of turn and walk away. Anyway, that’s the goal. We’re getting there. It’s just taking a little bit longer than we want it to. PGN: Are there any plateaus you haven’t reached with your career yet? KG: Oh, of course. I’ve enjoyed doing the D-List so much and I’m so proud of it. I love my Emmys. But I really would love to do a hybrid show kind of like Larry David’s show or even Jerry Seinfeld’s show, where I still get to play myself but there are so many crazy things that happen to me off-season or when the cameras aren’t there that I don’t get to capture. I can talk about it in my act to a degree but that’s the next show that I’d really like to do. I’m not saying I’m on the A-List, but the D-List
isn’t 100-percent truthful anymore and it is a reality show and I believe it should be truthful. So I would love to morph into a hybrid show that’s half-real and half-scripted and still based on all the crazy trouble. Like when I got kicked off “The View,” I can’t do that on “My Life on the D-List” because they would never clear it. But I can reenact it and I could have someone play Elizabeth Hasselbeck and show the stuff that happened during the commercial break that I could never show on a reality show. For me, that is taking it to the next level, being able to go there with no restrictions. PGN: Seeing as you are all over the
Bravo network, can you please see what you can do about killing the “Real Housewives’” phenomenon? KG: Look, in my next special called “Whores on Crutches” (aired Nov. 2) I go after the New Jersey Housewives in a
PAGE 21
way that makes me have to have 24-hour security. So not only am I doing my part, I am literally risking my life because of course I watch them and think they’re ridiculous. But what is amusing to me is occasionally I meet them and they actually have serious conversations with me about the burdens of their fame and they all kind of talk like they’re Meryl Streep. After 25 years of being in television, I find that amusing. But don’t worry. In my special, the New Jersey Housewives go down so hard that I will literally have armed security in Philly. Kathy Griffin performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 6 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St. For more information, visit www.kathygriffin.net or call (215) 8931999. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
NO STRANGER TO THE SPOTLIGHT: Griffin addresses the crowd at the Human Rights Campaign rally for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in Washington, D.C., March 18. Photo: William B. Plowman/Bravo
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Platinum-selling singer and actress Taylor Dayne will light up the stage in Cherry Hill when she performs Nov. 7 at Bank of America Festival of Arts, Books and Culture. After bursting onto the charts in 1987 with the dance-pop hit “Tell It To My Heart,” Dayne went on to have a fruitful singing career internationally, as well as on Broadway and television with roles in productions like “Aida,” TV shows like “Rude Awakening” and independent films like “Jesus Was The Driver” and “Stag.” Dayne has had a number of career highs, but few have compared to recording and performing the official song for the opening of Gay Games VIII, “Facing a Miracle,” in Cologne, Germany. “It was a wonderful feeling standing in that stadium on that summer night July 31 doing the anthem,” she said. “You can look at it on YouTube. The ovation went on for four minutes. It brought me
to tears. That’s definitely a highlight.” With more than 20 years in the music business, these days Dayne balances her singing, acting and numerous club appearances with raising 8-year-old twins as a single mother. She pointed to a numbers of factors that allowed her to persevere in the entertainment industry for so long. “First and foremost, [you have to] want to be in it because, without that kind of passion and devotion, it ain’t going to happen in an industry that is changing rapidly,” she said. “The body of work that I created in the very beginning led me to be able to be a favorite in people’s hearts, and therefore that material has stood the test of time. They’re classic.” Dayne added that although she has recorded a number of albums since the late-’80s/early ’90s hit streak, she won’t ignore the classics when she performs at the festival. “At this point, my career has spanned 22 years,” she said. “There’s a body of work there, but
TAYLOR DAYNE
the core thing is most fans want to hear songs that are cornerstones for them, so I never ignore the hits that, in my mind, I feel really great about.” Taylor Dayne performs as part of the Bank of America Festival of Arts, Books and Culture, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at Cherry Hill West High School Auditorium, 2101 Chapel Ave. For more information, visit www.katzjcc.org or www.taylordayne.com. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Both ‘Laramie’ projects share the stage in Philadelphia By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer With the nation focused on the issue of antigay bullying and the recent teen suicides that have resulted, two plays have become more timely than ever as they explore the impact the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard had on the town of Laramie, Wyo., and the nation at large. The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts will host Tectonic Theater Project as it presents both “The Laramie Project” and the new companion piece “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,” Nov. 11-13. Philadelphia is one of the few cities where both plays are being performed on Tectonic Theater Project’s current tour. Greg Pierotti, who helped to write and acts in both performances, said the project — based on interviews with Laramie residents a decade after Shepard’s murder — is more relevant to what is happening in the LGBT community today. “Particularly in part two, there’s material that resonates with the suicides that are being reported,” Pierotti said. “I mean, they have been happening since forever, but for some reason the national media has started paying attention to them now.” Moisés Kaufman, the director and one of the writers of the Laramie plays, explained how seeing both of the plays together deepens the understanding of them. “There’s something rather epic about both of them being together,” he said. “It becomes a very large American story. It becomes the story of an American town over 10 years of its existence. The first play has a more immediate kind of feeling. The second play lets you see what happens over the course of 10 years.” Both Kaufman and Pierotti conducted some of the interviews for the plays and were shocked at how time had distorted the facts and the sentiment in Laramie toward Shepard’s murder. “A lot of the quick interviews we did on the street, walking up to people asking them what they remember about Matthew Shepard, were kind of shocking too,” Pierotti said. “We were walking up to kids on the campus and some kids hadn’t even heard of him. That was a little bit shock-
ing to find on the University of Wyoming campus. Then there were all the people that were telling a wildly different story about what happened to Matthew: that it was a drug deal or a robbery that went bad. One person said that he heard that Matthew was a drug dealer. Those were kind of shocking things to hear. I guess the most surprising interview for me was when I interviewed
and engaging with these communities because my faith in each community that we’re in is so disparate,” he said. “Certain days I feel like there’s hope and then on other days I feel like, what is happening in this culture? It depends who you talk to. There’s too wide of a discrepancy between people who are concerned for the wellbeing, safety and equal rights of gay
THE LARAMIE RESIDENCY
Aaron McKinney in prison. I found a lot of that interview quite shocking. He’s become a white supremacist since he went to prison. I wasn’t really expecting that. He wasn’t able to articulate any remorse for what he did to Matthew, which I was pretty shocked by after 10 years.” Pierotti added that traveling the country and experiencing the mixed and sometimes contradictory reactions to “The Laramie Project,” which can range from acclaim to protests, can be baffling. “It’s very confusing for me to be going around the country
people and people who could give a shit. I find all of this in every single community that we’ve been in, but I feel a little bit like maybe I’m naïve. Living in New York, I always feel like things are better than they are.” Kaufman said he isn’t surprised by the different reactions to their work. “I find that that is kind of a representation on where the country is at this moment,” he said. “We are divided, literally, down the middle almost around issues of social justice and acceptance. Depending on the poll, half the people in the country believes in
gay marriage and half the country is against gay marriage. We are in the middle of a battle and I think it’s irrefutable that some progress has been made in the last 10 years. I think every time that we encounter some progress there’s always a backlash.” Even if the impact isn’t always what the creators of “The Laramie Project” would hope, Pierotti said both plays have something to offer for both gay and straight audiences no matter what their background or residence. “Some of us have had antigay violence directed toward us growing up. For gay audiences, there’s a lot more identification and people are moved by a shared situation, but I think straight audiences are pretty provoked by the play to kind
of change their own attitudes, and I think often people are shocked by how unsafe it really does feel in the world for gay people. Because I think a lot of the straight audiences that come see the play aren’t homophobic: They have a heterosexual privilege and they just haven’t questioned how easy that has made things for them.” The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents “The Laramie Project” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11 and 2 p.m. Nov. 13, and “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,” 8 p.m. Nov. 12 and 13 at Zellerbach Theatre, 3680 Walnut St. For more information, visit tectonictheaterproject.org or call (215) 898-3900. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Family Portraits
Suzi Nash
William Cowper wrote that variety is the spice of life. If that’s the case, then Danielle English must be very spicy indeed. As a massage therapist, she covers a wide variety of modalities in the studio she shares with fellow masseuse Robin Keesey. From therapeutic deep-tissue to sports massage, range-of-motion stretching, feather touch, reflexology and fire cupping, there’s something to soothe every weary body and soul. We caught English between sessions at her business, Awakening Touch. PGN: Where are you originally from? DE: I’m from East Lansdowne, in Delaware County. PGN: Family? DE: Normal suburban family, one older sister. My dad works for Produce Junction so we get a lot of free vegetables and fruit! Right now I have all the pumpkins and all the caramel apples I could want. My mom works for the school district. PGN: What was it like growing up in the ’burbs? DE: I liked to watch TV and go fishing [laughing]. Those were my two activities growing up. My father loved to fish and he would take me every Sunday out on his boat with him. We did it for years. We did a lot of camping and outdoorsy stuff like that. PGN: What’s a favorite memory of that time? DE: He used to have a little rinky-dink canoe that we fished out of and one day when I was 10, he came home with a new fishing boat: It was 17-feet long and I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. That was a great day; when we took it out, he’d let me steer it. PGN: Did the whole family go? DE: Nope, just me and my dad. My mother wasn’t really into fishing and my sister was more of a girlie-girl. PGN: What was a favorite class in school? DE: I loved social studies. I loved learning about all the stuff that happened in the past that led up to why we do the things we do now. I still do; I watch historic documentaries and love going on historic tours and stuff like that. I don’t remember most of it ’cause I have the worst memory in the world, but I enjoy it! PGN: I’m the same way — but you remember the sentiment, you know that when the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, it can lead to something like the French Revolution, even if you don’t remember the dates it took place.
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
DE: Yeah. If you know your past, you can predict your future. PGN: What did you want to be when you grew up? DE: I wanted to be a secretary, like my mom. I thought she had the coolest job in the world, with a computer and desk. I especially liked spinning around on the floor in the swivel chair! I guess I was easily amused as a kid. And whenever I went to visit her, everyone was so nice to me, I wanted to follow in her footsteps. When I got to high school I realized that massage was really something I wanted to pursue. PGN: How did you know about massage in high school? DE: I’ve been massaging since I was very little, 5 or 6. I used to spend summers with my aunt in Ohio. She’d take me everywhere and, at the end of the day, her feet would hurt. We’d be sitting, watching old classic movies on AMC, and I used to rub them for her. Of course I didn’t know the therapeutic value of it, I just knew it made her feel better. Turns out she had edema in her feet, which caused them to swell, and the massage helped relieve her pain. Now, 22 years later, I’m still massaging feet — but now I get paid for it! PGN: When did you think it could be a profession? DE: When I was 16, I had a friend who had back issues. I’d rub her back, and after she’d be much better. I didn’t have any training, but I seemed to have a knack for it. I loved the fact that I could make people feel good and started thinking about it as a career. I thought that working in a spa would be really cool and then I got my certification and realized that working in a spa was the worst job ever! PGN: And now you have your own practice ... DE: Yeah; if it weren’t for Robin, I woul dn’t be here. She’s a really good friend and when I went to massage school, she grilled me about it: “What’s it like? How was the school? Did you like it? Should I try it?” I told her she should totally do it. She’s more adventurous than me and went to San Francisco to study. When she got back, she decided to get her own studio. I was working in a chiropractor’s office and she asked if I would share the studio with her. I did it part-time, not wanting to give up my day job, but it picked up and now I’ve been able to do this exclusively. PGN: Was it scary? DE: Yeah. I’ve always had a job where you punched the clock and got a regular paycheck. I’ve never had to generate my own business. It was frightening, but I figured if Robin was making it work, so could I. So I tried quitting the doctor’s office where I
was working, but they kept asking me to stay one last week, then another! I still sub for people if they need me. It was a great experience — I was 3 months out of massage school and they were like, “Here ya go, a job with clients in a cushy setting.” Sweet. PGN: Has the economy affected you or are people more in need of a massage these days? DE: A little of both. I have clients that I used to see twice a month who have had to cut back because they got laid off, and then I have business owners who are like, “Oh my God, my business is on the fritz, but I’m coming in anyway, I need this.” Most
flags at school, but when you get out into practice, you learn a whole bunch of stuff you didn’t know existed. For instance, an Esalen massage. Originally it was a stress-management massage started at the Esalen Institute in California. It was typically done seaside, basing the massage on the rhythmic movements of the ocean, and was clothing-optional for both the therapist and the client. It was a spiritual thing and is a wonderful massage technique, but now it has morphed into something else. If someone asks for it, I really have to question them to find out their expectations. If I hear, “Do I get a release at the end?” I tell them to hit the road. PGN: What do you do when you’re not working? DE: I’m either at home with my girlfriend, Ashley, trying to do as little as possible, or I’m at my karate school. PGN: Karate? DE: I teach and train Tang Soo Do at, insert shameless plug, World Class Martial Arts in Holmes, Pa. PGN: What’s the farthest you’ve traveled? DE: Well, I recently discovered cruising, which is a pretty fantastic way of getting away. We were supposed to go on a family trip to Bermuda but Hurricane Igor decided he wanted to vaycay there at the same time, so we went to the Bahamas, which was a nice little switch. My girlfriend and I are about to go on a trip to Thailand to study the amazing discipline of Thai massage.
DANIELLE ENGLISH Photo: Suzi Nash
of the time, people try to get in no matter what, and I appreciate their business. PGN: I guess if people are cutting extravagances like big vacations, they may want to pamper themselves in smaller ways. What was the most difficult part of getting started? DE: Learning the lingo! Being in the massage business, you can imagine the things that I’m approached with, that whole “happy ending” stuff. There’s a whole other language for that type of massage that I had to learn so I could stay clear of it. For instance, if a male customer asks you if you accept tips, that’s code for will you do “extras.” The first time someone asked me if I accepted tips, I said, “Sure! It’s not required, but I certainly appreciate it ... ” He was like, “Uh, do you know what I’m talking about?” People give us tips and that’s OK, but if they ask you if you accept them, it’s a different story. I had to learn fast. They teach you red
PGN: Does she do massage as well? DE: Nope, she doesn’t have the wrists for it! I try to get her to massage my neck or shoulders and she’s always, “My hands hurt!” Figures ... PGN: Is Robin, your business partner, lesbian too? DE: Yes, she is. PGN: When did you know you were gay? DE: It was because of Melissa Etheridge! One day we were driving home from my aunt and uncle’s house in Roxborough and we were listening to my mom’s Melissa Etheridge cassette in her big gold van. I said, “Mom, I really like this music, she’s great.” And my mom said, “Did you know that she’s gay?” I was about 11 and had no idea what that was, so my mom explained it, not in any kind of homophobic way; just told me that it meant a girl who liked girls. For the next year, I just kept going “huh” to myself, because it just resonated with me. I finally had a name for what I was feeling. It explained why I didn’t get the fascination with Gavin Rossdale (from the group “Bush”) and why I was more interested in my female friends than the
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
boys they fawned over. I tried to break the ice by telling my parents that I was bi, even though I knew it wasn’t the direction I wanted to take, and when I got my first girlfriend, I sat my mom down and said, “Look, sorry, I’ve been kind of lying about the whole bi thing. I’m really gay.” It took her a little while to get comfortable with it, but now she might as well be a P-FLAG mom. She goes crazy buying me every rainbow sticker and piece of jewelry she can find. All my Pride stuff is from her. Thanks, Mom! PGN: What about the rest of the family? DE: Once they had a moment to digest it, they were fine. My sister might have been a little weirded-out at first, which I think is natural, and then she was like, “Okay, who’s your girlfriend?” My dad was fine too. PGN: Yeah, sometimes we forget that we’ve been coming to terms with it for years and then we expect the family to take five minutes to adjust to it. DE: True. After I sat my mom down, I asked my sister to go talk to her. I told her that I’d just told our mom that I was gay and she might need some consoling. She was like, “Uh, wow, I think I’m going to go upstairs now ... ” And at first, my mom didn’t want me to tell our relatives. I
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
told her that was fine, and I respected her wishes; then, next thing you know, she told everybody! I only knew because family members kept coming up to me and saying, “Your mother told us and we want you to know we love you no matter what.” At first I had no idea what they were talking about, since we’d agreed not to tell, then I was like, “Oh, ooooh! OK, I got it. Well, thanks for your support.” It was really funny. PGN: Switching gears, what were you for Halloween? DE: For a party at the karate school, my girlfriend and I went as Super Mario Brothers Mario and Luigi. I was Luigi and, for a friend’s party, we recreated the Lady Gaga video “Telephone,” where she goes to jail and she’s wearing chains and sunglasses made from cigarette butts. [My girlfriend] was Gaga and I was one of the prison guards. It was so much fun, coming up with the concept and making the costumes. Much more fun than buying them, and I had half the stuff already! PGN: What are you most afraid of? DE: Cockroaches. Big, ugly cockroaches. That and seeing a ghost. I’m not afraid of ghosts — I don’t mind if I feel them and know that they’re there — but I just don’t want to see the apparition. This’ll make me
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sound like a crazy person, but the house I lived in with my previous girlfriend was haunted, a woman was murdered in it and there were a few spirits who resided there and a couple of them made themselves known. My ex was very sensitive to paranormal energy and she’d see and communicate with one of the spirits; I forget his name. I don’t really get that but I respect it and get it that it scares the shit out of me! I see ghost cats sometime, kind of shadowy figures, which sounds crazy but it’s true. PGN: Worst hairstyle? DE: I had a mullet until I was about 10! PGN: And you still talk to your mother? DE: [Laughing.] I don’t understand how it could be, but it was the best mullet! I have a picture of me at 5 wearing a shirt with rainbow hearts on it. I’m sitting on my dad’s motorcycle and rocking this fabulous mullet. Mullet, rainbows, motorcycle — I tell my mom she set me up for this life! PGN: In addition to people, do you massage animals? DE: Yes, they get aches and pains just like we do, especially when they’re older and the legs and hips start to go. They’re uncensored; either they want to be massaged or they don’t and they let you know
Q Puzzle In Memoriam Across
1. Gene Robinson, and others 8. Like a virgin 14. Kahlo’s tongue 15. Den din 16. Suspecting nothing 17. Mishima and Ang Lee 18. Wife of 52Across 20. Vintage vehicle 21. Rudy Galindo’s milieu 22. Cather’s “One of ___ “ 23. NY winter hrs. 25. Safe follower 26. Like Julia Morgan’s models 30. Forced to go 33. Third degree, often 34. “Phantom” scar source 35. Exiled Roman poet 36. With 32-Down, movie of 52-Across 37. Made a “Clang, clang, clang” sound 38. What Stipe holds close to his mouth 39. Will Smith title role
40. Sample some buns, e.g. 41. On the whole 43. Neighbor of 44-Across 44. Land of Lev. 45. Site of Alfred Douglas’ pre-Oscar parties 47. FICA funds it 50. Six in., e.g. 52. Screen actor born Bernard Schwartz 55. Angora fabric 57. Gay rodeo items 58. Novelist Marcel 59. Winner of a race 60. ___ music (does Shaiman’s job) 61. Tries to improve, as a lawn
Down
1. Film canine of the ’70s 2. Hayes of “South Park” 3. Bone in the back 4. “I Could ___ Danced All Night” 5. Like horses, anatomically 6. Castor’s male partner 7. More like the Family Stone? 8. Lookout point 9. Sudden silences 10. Friend of
it. They’re like, “Here I am, I’m yours, do what you want!” And they communicate: They’ll move their bodies so you keep working on a certain spot if they like it, and when they’re ready for you to move on, they’ll be like, “OK, time for you to do this spot” and turn. It’s amazing. Their facial expressions just tug at your heart: I can be massaging a Great Dane and he’ll have a huge puppy smile on his face. My sister has an older Chow. Her hips are starting to go and the poor little thing struggles to get up. I started rubbing her hips and she started licking me and laid down to let me work on her. Afterwards, she was able to move around much better. I also did massage at the National Pet Expo and I’ll never forget there was a blind pit bull pup. She was only 6 months old and had been hit by a car. I massaged her and it was so cute, she didn’t know what was happening, but she liked it. She head-butted me a few times and licked me and just really enjoyed the experience. I love doing animal massage almost more than I love doing people! Hey, can I mention my cats? I know this is so lesbian, but they’re my kids. Hi Sly, hi Xena! ■ To suggest a community member for “Family Portraits,” write to: Family Portraits, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 or portraits05@aol.com.
Rimbaud 11. Movie of 52Across 12. Dancer Tommy 13. Canadian oil company 19. Atlas strips 24. One of Cleopatra’s charms 25. Celebrations at Beth Simchat Torah 27. Poem of Sappho 28. Navel fetish accessory? 29. Beat barely 30. ___ erectus 31. Word on a map of Israel 32. See 36-Across 33. What bees collect 36. Mineo of movies
40. Teaching terms 42. Nancy Azara, for example 43. Where it’s at 46. Madea crossdresser Perry 47. Tennessee, but not Williams 48. Located 49. They may be kissed or kicked 50. REM gear 51. “Oliver!” request 53. “Here ___ go?” 54. “Evita” lyricist Tim 56. “The Sound of Music” setting (abbr.)
See SOLUTION, Page 29
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
Diversions
Your guide to arts and entertainment
Theater
Carrie Brat Productions presents out actor Erik Ranson playing the titular role in the stage version of this horror classic, through Nov. 7 at Underground Arts at the Wolf Building, 340 N. 12th St.; (215) 627-2577. Ghost-Writer Arden Theatre Company presents the story of a dead novelist and his secretary, who is still taking dictation from him, through Nov. 7, 40 N. Second St.; (215) 9221122. Girls Night: The Musical Five gal-pals hit a karaoke bar, 8 p.m. Nov. 6 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside; (215) 572-7650. Jersey Boys The Kimmel Center’s Broadway Series presents the awardwinning musical about Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Famers The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, through Dec. 12 at Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St.; (215) 790-5847. Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Walnut Street Theatre presents an all-new production of the holiday Broadway musical, Nov. 9-Jan. 9, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550.
The Laramie Residency The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents “The Laramie Project” and ”The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,” Nov. 11-13 at Zellerbach Theatre, 3680 Walnut St.; (215) 898-3900. Monty Python’s Spamalot PNC Arts Alive presents the popular and zany medieval comedy through Nov. 20, 915 White Horse Pike, Haddon Township, N.J.; (856) 858-5230. Norma Doesmen Society Hill Playhouse presents a gender-bent, comedic take on “Sunset Boulevard,” through Nov. 7, 507 S. Eighth St.; (215) 923-0210. Office Politics Quince Productions presents four short plays set in offices, through Nov. 13 at Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 627-1088. Run, Mourner, Run Flashpoint Theatre Company and out playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney present the story of a poor young man from a rural community in North Carolina who is suddenly thrust into a power struggle between the two richest men in town, through Nov. 20 at Second Stage at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St.; (215) 568-8077.
Silverhill InterAct Theatre Company presents a new drama about a self-supporting utopian community whose well-being is challenged by capitalism, through Nov. 14, on the Mainstage of The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St.; (215) 568-8077. The Threepenny Opera Arden Theatre Company presents the outrageous musical in which whores and thieves prowl the streets of London, through Nov. 7, 40 N. Second St.; (215) 9221122. Uncle Vanya Lantern Theater Company presents its first-ever production of a full-length Anton Chekhov work, through Nov. 21 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St.; (215) 829-0395.
Music
Pink Martini The lounge jazz group performs at 9 p.m. Nov. 5 at Caesars Circus Maximus, 2100 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City; (800) 745-3000. Van Zweden Conducts The Philadelphia Orchestra performs with Dutch-born conductor Jaap van Zweden, Nov. 5-6 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. The Dave Matthews Band The rock band performs at 8 p.m.
READY TO ROCK!: Girls Rock Philly celebrates the release of its second camper band compilation, “The Key of G(irl),” with an all-ages show featuring camper bands (such as Close Encounters, pictured), volunteer bands and DJs, from noon-4 p.m. Nov. 6 at Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. For the second year, the Girls Rock Philly camper bands went into a professional recording studio to create a compilation CD at the end of their August camp week. The annual camp teaches girls how to rock out while building self-esteem through music. For more information, visit www.girlsrockphilly.org.
Nov. 6 at the Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad St.; (800) 2984200. Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience The Merriam Theater hosts the Led Zeppelin tribute concert at 8 p.m. Nov. 6, 250 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Imagined: The John Lennon Song Project The Beatles’ songwriter is the focus of a tribute concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; (215) 2221400. Roger Waters The Pink Floyd mastermind performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 8, 9 and 11 at the Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad St.; (800) 2984200. Marc Silver The out singer-songwriter opens for Shawn Mullins at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; (215) 2221400.
Avi Wisnia The out singer-songwriter performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 11 at Tin Angel, 20 N. Second St.; (215) 928-0770.
Exhibits
Art of the American Soldier The National Constitution Center presents the worlddebut exhibition of over 15,000 paintings and sketches created by 1,300 American soldiers in the line of duty, through Jan. 10, 525 Arch St.; (215) 409-6895. Best of Show University of the Arts hosts an exhibition of The Photo Review 2010 Competition Prize Winners, through Dec. 10 at Gallery 1401, 14th floor of Terra Hall, 211 S. Broad St.; (215) 717-6300. The Big Sea ArtStar Gallery presents an exhibition of works from artist Andrew Zangerle, through Nov. 21, 623 N. Second St.; (215) 2381557.
Bob Mould The out rock musician performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 10 at Sellersville Theater, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville; (215) 257-5808.
Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt The Franklin Institute presents an exhibition of 150 artifacts from Egypt, through Jan. 2, 20th Street and the Parkway; (215) 448-1200.
A German Evening The Philadelphia Orchestra performs Strauss’ Second Horn Concerto, Nov. 11-16 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.
Desert Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand-Hermes Collection Philadelphia Museum of
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
Art presents an exhibition of jewelry and historic photographs from Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia, through Dec. 5, 26th Street and the Parkway; (215) 763-8100. Eakins on Paper: Drawings and Watercolors from the Collection Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of 10 rarely seen drawings and watercolors that survey the early work of Thomas Eakins, through December, 26th Street and the Parkway; (215) 7638100.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
California’s Spiritual Landscape University of the Arts hosts an exhibition by photographer Michael Rauner taking the viewer on a tour of California’s more eccentric religious movements, through Dec. 10 at Gallery 1401, 15th floor of Terra Hall, 211 S. Broad St.; (215) 717-6300.
Film
Trick R Treat The Canadian horror film is screened at 9:45 p.m. Nov. 5 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; (610) 917-0223.
400 Same-Sex Couples: Facing Inequality Bucks County Community College hosts an exhibition of photos by Liz Bradbury of gay and lesbian couples as a public reminder that same-sex couples in Pennsylvania cannot marry, gain rights through civil unions and get no legal recognition, through Nov. 6 at Hicks Art Center Gallery, 275 Swamp Road, Newtown; (215) 9688000.
Laurel & Hardy Shorts The classic comedy shorts are screened at 2 p.m. Nov. 6 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; (610) 917-0223.
A Glimpse of Paradise: Gold in Islamic Art Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition exploring the unique status of gold in Islam through a small group of objects drawn from the museum’s collection, through April 2011, 26th Street and the Parkway; (215) 763-8100.
Lost in Translation The Bill Murray film is screened at 8 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; (215) 922-6888.
Passing Evidence AxD Gallery presents an exhibition of works by Christine Stoughton and Nancy Sophy, through Nov. 6, 265 S. 10th St.; (215) 627-6250. Pleasures and Pastimes in Japanese Art Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of costumes, masks and poetry exploring the ways in which leisure time was interpreted across all social classes in Japanese art, through January, 26th Street and the Parkway; (215) 763-8100. Recent Work Twenty-Two Gallery presents an exhibition of mixed-media works by Karen S. Davies, through Nov. 7, 236 S. 22nd St.; (215) 772-1911. The Visionary State: A Journey Through
The Man Who Knew Too Much The Alfred Hitchcock film is screened at 2 p.m. Nov. 7 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; (610) 917-0223.
Books
Thomas James The author of “Into the Stars” hosts a reading at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; (215) 9232960. Jane Velez-Mitchell The openly lesbian journalist and author of “iWant: My Journey from Addiction and Overconsumption to a Simpler, Honest Life” hosts a reading at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; (215) 923-2960. Stacy Schiff The author of “Cleopatra: A Life” hosts a book event at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; (215) 686-5322. Ivan Coyote and S. Bear Bergman The authors, respectively, of “Missed Her” and “Butch Is a Noun” host a reading at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; (215) 923-2960.
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Cabaret
PGN
Steven Brinberg is “Simply Barbra” The cabaret singer performs at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at Bob Egan‘s New Hope, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope; (215) 862-5225.
Pick
Ann Hampton Callaway The cabaret singer performs Nov. 6-7 at Bob Egan’s New Hope, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope; (215) 862-5225.
Etc.
Louis CK The Kimmel Center presents the outrageously funny stand-up comic, 8 p.m. Nov. 5 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. She Devils Roller Derby Jello Wrestling The roller derby gets sticky and sweet, 9:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at Sisters, 1320 Chancellor St.; (215) 7350735. Kathy Griffin The stand-up comic and TV star performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 6 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music; (215) 790-5847. Wild West Presents: Vince Vaughn & Kevin James Comedy Roadshow The actor and the stand-up comic host a comedy show at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 at Kimmel’s Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. ■
Catch British electro-synthpop duo La Roux, featuring androgynous singer Elly Jackson, when their tour touches down at 8 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St. For more information, visit www.larouxonline.com or call (215) 922-6888. Photo: Andrew Whitton Photography
Notices Send notices at least one week in advance to: Diversions, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147; fax them to (215) 925-6437; or e-mail them to diversions@epgn.com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone. SOLUTION From Page 27
High quality dental treatment and preventive care
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
worth watching: The Talk Out actress Sara Gilbert hosts the talk show with Sharon Osbourne and Holly RobinsonPeete. Monday-Friday, 2 p.m. on ABC.
week’s notable fashions. 10:30 p.m. on E!
The Ellen DeGeneres Show Monday-Friday, 3 p.m. on NBC.
SUNDAY Brothers and Sisters Out characters Kevin and Scotty patch things up. 10 p.m. on ABC.
The Rachel Maddow Show Monday-Friday, 9 p.m. on MSNBC. FASHION UPGRADE: Supermodel Iman joins out fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi for the new season of “The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection,” which ups the stakes by splitting the designers into two fashion houses and making them work together to create a collection each week. Catch the premiere at 10 p.m. Nov. 9 on Bravo. Photo: Heidi Gutman/Bravo
FRIDAY G.I. Jane Demi Moore shaves her head and kicks military ass. 8 p.m. on Encore. Pretty in Pink The classic ’80s movie starring Molly Ringwald. 8 p.m. on Style. Real Time with Bill Maher The talk show hosted by the outspoken comedian. 10 p.m. on HBO. Fashion Police Joan Rivers discusses the
SATURDAY Saturday Night Live It’s a repeat. 11:30 p.m. on NBC.
MONDAY How I Met Your Mother Out actor Neil Patrick Harris stars as the womanizing Barney in this new episode. 8 p.m. on CBS. Dancing with the Stars Stars dance. 8 p.m. on ABC. The Real Housewives of Atlanta Look for bi-leaning Kim. 9 p.m. on Bravo. The A-List: New York The lives of New York’s gay “elite” are the center of this new reality series. 10 p.m. on Logo. The Arrangement
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Alum from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” guest star on this week’s episode of the reality show about flower arranging. 11 p.m. on Logo. TUESDAY Biggest Loser Look for out trainer Jillian Michaels. 8 p.m. on NBC. Glee Out actress Jane Lynch stars in the acclaimed series. 8 p.m. on Fox. WEDNESDAY America’s Next Top Model Look for out fashion experts J. Alexander and Jay Hernandez in this reality modeling competition. 8 p.m. on CW. Top Chef: Just Desserts There are a few openly gay contestants in this spin-off of the cooking competition show, which focuses on desserts. 10 p.m. on Bravo. THURSDAY Grey’s Anatomy The gay-friendly medical drama. 9 p.m. on ABC.
Nov. 7, 5:30 pm Jane Velez-Mitchell Author of “iWant: My Journey from Addiction and Over-consumption to a Simpler, Honest Life”
MON. - SAT. 11:30 - 7p.m. SUNDAY 1:00 - 7p.m. email: giovannis_room@verizon.net
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NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
Best-sellers Information is courtesy of Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; (215) 923-2960; www.giovannisroom.com. Ten-percent off most hardcover in-store sales. DVDs Gay Men’s Interest 1. “Unfaithful,” directed by Claude Pérès (2010, $24.99). The premise is simple: Pérès and a man he’s never met will sleep together while the cameras roll. No contract, no film crew, no boundaries. 2. “The Adonis Factor,” directed by Christopher Hines (2010, $24.99). An eye-opening journey through circuit parties, gay porn, and avant-garde fashion photo shoots, all of which promote their own kinds of idealized physiques. A documentary. 3. “Plan B,” directed by Marco Berger (2009, $19.95). Bruno is dumped by his girlfriend; behind a calm, indifferent expression, his mind plans a cold, sweet vengeance. He befriends her new boyfriend, Pablo. English subtitles. 4. “All Boys,” directed by Markku Heikinen (2009, $24.99). This documentary follows the rise and fall of the Czech porn star Aaron Hawke — whose short career serves as a cautionary tale on the fleeting nature of stardom. English subtitles. 4. “Men for Sale,” directed by Rodrigue Jean (2009, $24.99). Eleven sex-trade workers in Montreal over the course of a year recount their struggles to survive alcohol and drug-related addictions, abuse and stigmatization — and their troubled pasts. 5. “Just Say Love,” directed by Bill Humphreys (2009, $19.95).
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
When Guy becomes involved with Doug, a construction worker, he believes he has found “the one.” But there’s a wife with a baby on the way. Women’s Interest 1. “We Have to Stop Now, Season 1,” directed by Robyn Dettman (2009, 73 min., $19.95). Lesbian therapists Kit and Dyna have it all: They’re a power couple, they each have a thriving practice and a best-selling book. And then ... 2. “I Can’t Think Straight,” directed by Shamin Sarif (2008, 80 min., $24.95). Two women who fall in love on the eve of one woman’s wedding. 3. “Personal Best,” directed by Robert Towne (1982, $19.95). The landmark classic lesbian film comes to DVD at last. 4. “The L Word: Six Season Pack” (3,900-plus minutes, $181.99). A show that has become the biggest lesbian cultural phenomenon of our time. Like the perfect girlfriend, it’s fun, smart, sexy and entertaining. And available! 5. “Tru Loved,” directed by Stewart Wade (2008, $24.95). When her lesbian moms decide to move the family to a conservative suburban town, Tru’s life becomes complicated by sexual politics, closed minds and closeted friends. 6. “Truth Hall,” directed by Jade-Jenise Dixon (2009, $14.98). Years after graduation, a group of African-American women reunite for a wedding and find lingering grudges and long-buried passions from their college days. Books Trans Interest 1. “Luna,” by Julie Anne Peters (Little, Brown, $7.99 pb). Regan O’Neill has always known that
her brother, Liam, was, in fact, a girl. 2. “Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation,” edited by Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bergman (Seal, 302 pp., $16.95 pb). Part coming-of-age story, part mindaltering manifesto on gender and sexuality, coming directly to you from the life experiences of a transsexual woman. 3. “Missed Her,” by Ivan E. Coyote (Arsenal Pulp, 142 pp., $16.95 pb). Beautiful, funny stories about growing up a lesbian butch in the Canadian north have attracted big audiences whether gay, straight or otherwise. Coyote’s fifth story collection. 4. “Butch Is a Noun,” by S. Bear Bergman (Arsenal Pulp, $18.95 pb). On what it means to be butch. Second edition. Women’s Interest 1. “Water Mark: The Sixth Mickey Knight Mystery,” by J.M. Redmann (Bold Strokes, $16.95 pb). Micky’s investigation leads to a tangle of greed and deceit that stretches back generations in New Orleans. Rip Van Dyke, by Kate McLachlan (Regal Crest, $17.95 pb). When Van Hollinger is suddenly transported 20 years into the future, she is dumbfounded — and furious. Jill’s silly timetravel experiment wasn’t supposed to actually work. 2. “Sea of Grass,” by Kate Sweeney (Intaglio, $16.95 pb). Professor Tess Rawlins spent the last 12 years teaching agriculture in California, away from Montana and her heart. When she’s called back to the sprawling Double R cattle ranch and her ailing father, Tess is thrown back into the world she had nearly forgotten. 3. “Bird Eating Bird,” by Kristin Naca (HarperCollins, $13.99 pb). Her poems are
PAGE 31
playful and serious all at once. They explore the richness of her cultural and linguistic heritage, which spans the globe from Mexico to the Philippines. Winner of the 2008 National Poetry Series Prize. 4. “Stars Down Under,” by Sandra McDonald (Torr, $7.99 pb). Alien artifacts, political tension and a freshly married pair of heroes populate this sequel to the military-adventure sciencefiction novel The Outback Stars. 5. “Stone Gods,” by Jeanette Winterson (Mariner, $13.95 pb). Billie Crusoe and the renegade robo-sapian Spike have been assigned to colonize a new blue planet. But when a technical maneuver intended to make it inhabitable backfires, Billie and Spike’s flight to the future becomes a surprising return to the distant past. 6. “Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2,” by Fiona Zedde (Strebor, 234 pp., $15 pb). Steamy, sensual and poetically hypnotic Gay Men’s Interest 1. “Cockeyed: A Donald Strachey Mystery,” by Richard Stevenson (MLR, $14.99 pb). When Hunny “You go, girl!” Van Horn, Albany’s flaming-est flamer, wins the state lottery’s first billion-dollar payout, it’s PI Don Strachey who’s brought in to deal with the skeletons, some of them violent, that come crashing out of Hunny’s non-closet. The eleventh Strachey mystery is fast, funny and rather sweet. 2. “The City Real and Imagined,” by CAConrad and Frank Sherlock (Factory School, $15 pb). Wander with the authors through this psychogeographical poem set in Philadelphia. 3. “Probation,” by Tom Mendicino (Kensington Press,
304 pp., $15 pb). The author explores how a closeted gay man’s decision to marry impacts his life and the people he loves, and what happens when the lies unravel. 4. “Silver Lake,” by Peter Gadol (Tyrus, 290 pp., $14.95 pb). A stranger’s suicide threatens a gay couple’s trust in this haunting, literary Los Angeles novel. 5. “Murder on Camac,” by Joseph R. G. DeMarco (Lethe, 396 pp., $18 pb). Gunned down in the Center City street, author Helmut Brandt’s life ebbs away and puts P.I. Marco Fontana on a collision course with the church and local community. Dueling with the Catholic hierarchy and combing through seedy gay hangouts, Fontana encounters dangerous characters and powerful forces intent on stopping him. 6. “Object of Desire,” by William J. Mann (Kensington, 426 pp., $16 pb reprint). Filled with unforgettable warmth, incorrigible humor and irresistible charm, Object of Desire takes readers through three milestone eras in one man’s life: his youth in the 1970s, his days of abandon in the 1980s, and his more sober, reflective existence today. The book reaffirms Mann’s reputation as one of gay fiction’s major narrative powers. 7. “Diary of an Innocent,” by Tony Duvert, translated from French by Bruce Benderson (Semiotext(e), 240 pp., $17.95 pb). Duvert’s shocking novel about a sexual adventurer among a tribe of adolescent boys in Northern Africa. 8. “Missouri,” by Christine Wunnicke (Arsenal Pulp, 128 pp., $12.95 pb). This earnest, violent, yet utterly transfixing gay love story is set in the 19thcentury American Midwest. ■
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PAGE 32
Meeting Place A community bulletin board of activities, facilities and organizations
Community centers ■ The Attic Youth Center: For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. Groups meet and activities are held from 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; case management, HIV testing and smoking cessation are available Monday through Friday. See the Youth section for more events. 255 S. 16th St.; (215) 545-4331 ■ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center at the University of Pennsylvania 3907 Spruce St.; (215) 898-5044; center@dolphin.upenn.edu, Summer hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. ■ Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies Youth Center: 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays: Doylestown Planned Parenthood, The Atrium, Suite 2E, 301 S. Main St., Doylestown; (215) 348-0558 ext. 65; rainbowroom@ppbucks.org. ■ William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center: 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 732-2220; www.waygay.org. Peer counseling: Monday through Friday, 6-9 p.m. Library hours: Mondays 3-9 p.m., Tuesdays 3-6 p.m., Wednesdays 3-9 p.m., Thursdays 3-9 p.m., Fridays 3-9 p.m., Saturdays noon-6 p.m., Sundays noon-6 p.m. Volunteers: New Orientation: First Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.; Volunteer Velada, third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.
Health Anonymous, free, confidential HIV testing Spanish/English counselors offer testing 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 166 W. Lehigh Ave.; (215) 763-8870 ext. 6000. AIDS Services In Asian Communities Provides HIV-related services to Asians and Pacific Islanders at 340 N. 12th St., suite 205; (2215) 536-2424. Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative Free, anonymous HIV testing from 9:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays at 1207 Chestnut St., fifth floor; (215) 851-1822 or (866) 222-3871. Spanish/English. HIV testing Free, anonymous testing and counseling is offered from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment at AIDS Resource, 520 W. Fourth St., suite 2A, Williamsport; (570) 322-8448.
Key numbers
HIV treatment Free HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment for Philadelphia residents are available from 9 a.m.noon Mondays and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Health Center No. 2, 1720 S. Broad St.; (215) 685-1803. HIV health insurance help Access to free medications, confidential HIV testing available at 17 MacDade Blvd., suite 108, Collingdale; Medical Office Building, 722 Church Lane, Yeadon; and 630 S. 60th St.; (610) 586-9077. Mazzoni Center Free, anonymous HIV testing; HIV/AIDS care and treatment, case management and support groups; 1201 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-0652. www. mazzonicenter.org. Washington West Project Free, anonymous HIV testing. Walk-ins welcome 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; 1201 Locust St.; (215) 985-9206.
Casarez@phila.gov; Fax: (215) 686-2555
■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: (215) 587-9377 ■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: (856) 933-9500 ext. 221
■ Mazzoni Center Family and Community Medicine: (215) 563-0658
■ AIDS Library: (215) 985-4851 ■ ACLU of Pennsylvania: (215) 592-1513
■ Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Philadelphia): (215) 572-1833
■ AIDS Treatment hot line: (215) 5452212
■ Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations: (215) 686-4670
■ Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection at the Independence Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library: (215) 685-1633
■ Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force: (215) 772-2000 ■ Philadelphia Police Department liaison — Chief Inspector James Tiano: (215) 685-3655 ■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: (215) 600-0627; ppd.lgbt@gmail.com
■ Equality Advocates Pennsylvania: (215) 731-1447; (866) LGBTLAW
■ Philly Pride Presents: (215) 875-9288
■ Equality Forum: (215) 732-3378
■ SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: (717) 920-9537
■ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Peer Counseling Services: (215) 732-TALK ■ Mayor’s liaison to LGBT communities: Gloria Casarez, (215) 686-2194; Gloria.
ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) Meets at 6 p.m. every Monday at St. Luke and the Epiphany Church, 330 S. 13th St.; (215) 386-1981; www.critpath.org/actup. Delaware Valley Chapter, Americans United for Separation of Church and State Seeks activists and supporters of church-state separation. Holds monthly meetings and events; (856) 863-3061; www.dvau.org. Equality Advocates Philadelphia Holds a volunteer night second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m., 1211 Chestnut St., Suite 605; (215) 731-1447; www.equalitypa.org. Green Party of Philadelphia Holds general meetings fourth Tuesday of each month (except April) at 6:30 p.m., 4134 Lancaster Ave.; (215) 243-7103; www.gpop.org. Log Cabin Republican Club of Philadelphia Meets at 7 p.m. third Wednesday of the month at the William Way Community Center; (215) 4655677; www.phillylogcabin.org. Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club Meets seasonally; (215) 760-7184; www. libertycity.org.
Arts
Gay Men’s Book Discussion Group Meets at 6:30 p.m. first Wednesday of the month at the Independence Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 18 S. Seventh St.; (215) 685-1633. Library Book Club Meets to discuss a new book at 7 p.m. on third Wednesday of the month at the William Way Center. New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus Chorus rehearses at 7:30 p.m. Mondays in Princeton, N.J.; (609) 675-1998. Open-mic night An amateur poetry, music and storytelling event sponsored by The Pride Center of New Jersey, meets at 8 p.m. every third Friday at the George Street Playhouse, 1470 Jersey Ave., North Brunswick, N.J.; (732) 846-0715. Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus Chorus rehearses from 7-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays; (215) 731-9230; auditions@pgmc.org. Philadelphia Gay Men’s Opera Club Meets to share and listen to recordings at 6:30 p.m. on last Saturday of the month; (215) 224-6995. Philadelphia Voices of Pride Philadelphia’s first mixed GLBT chorus rehearses at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the William Way Center; (888) 505-7464; www.pvop.org. Queer Writer’s Collective Workshop and discussion group meets 4-6 p.m. on fourth Saturday of the month at the William Way Center. Women’s Book Group Meets first Thursday of the month at 6:45 p.m. at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; brassygrrl@hotmail.com.
■ Mazzoni Center: (215) 563-0652; www. mazzonicenter.org
■ The COLOURS Organization Inc. 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 4960330.
Activism/Politics
■ Transgender Health Action Coalition: (215) 732-1207 (staffed 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays, and 6-9 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)
Recreation
Diversity Dancers Ballroom dancers meet the first Sunday of the month for tea dance and lessons. Other events scheduled throughout the year; (215) 922-2129; DiversityDancers@aol.com. Gay Bridge Club Non-beginners group meets Monday afternoons at the William Way Center; (215) 985-4835. Gay-friendly Scrabble Club Meets from 6-11 p.m. in the P.I.C. Building, 42nd and Locust streets; (215) 382-0789. Gay and Lesbian Scrabble Players in the tri-state area gather for socializing and friendly/competitive games; ScrabbleGroup@excite.com. Gay Opera Guys of Philly New group for opera appreciation meets last Sunday of the month at 2:30 p.m. in Roxborough/ Andorra area; (215) 483-1032. Humboldt Society: Lesbian and Gay Naturalists Meets second Thursday of the month at the William Way Center; (215) 985-1456; www. humboldtsociety.org. Indepedence Squares GLBT square dance club, modern Western square dancing. Monthly open house. Tuesday classes in the fall; Lutheran Church, 2111 Sansom St.; (215) 735-5812; www.independencesquares.org. Male Oenophile Group
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010 Male group forming to discuss, appreciate and taste various wines. Will meet once a month to investigate the nuances and glories of the fermented grape. Call (267) 230-6750 for more information. Mornings OUT LGBT Senior Social Activities for sexual-minority seniors are held every Tuesday from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the William Way Center. PhilaVentures Philadelphia’s GLBT outdoor group meets for a hike in Wissahickon Valley Park on Sundays at 2 p.m. at Borders Books, Music and Café, 8701 Germantown Ave.; (215) 271-8822. Rainbow Bridge Group Congenial group meets for supper and to play bridge monthly on a Monday at 6:30 p.m. Members rotate serving as host. New players welcome. For information call Gerry at (215) 592-1174. Rainbow Room A meeting/activity night held for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth and their friends Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m. at the Rainbow Room of Planned Parenthood in Doylestown; (215) 348-0558.
Sports
Brandywine Women’s Rugby Club Meets for Tuesday and Thursday practice at Greene Field, Howell Street and Moore Road, West Chester; www.brandywinerugby.org. City of Brotherly Love Softball League GLBT softball league serves the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Games are played Sundays, beginning in April, in Fairmount Park; (215) 4622575; www.cblsl.org. Frontrunners Running club meets Saturday mornings at 9:30 for a run and brunch. Lloyd Hall, No. 1 Boathouse Row; www.frontrunnersphila.org.
Etc.
AIDS Law Project Provides free legal assistance to people with HIV/AIDS and sponsors free monthly seminars on work and housing; 1211 Chestnut St., suite 600; (215) 587-9377; www.aidslawpa.org. BiUnity Philadelphia area social and support network for bisexuals, their family members and friends meets at 7 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the William Way Center; www. biunity.org. Global A political, community and social group that also works to promote Bordentown as a gayfriendly community meets on the first Saturday of the month at Firehouse Gallery, 8 Walnut St., Bordentown, N.J.; jerseyglobal@yahoo.com. Delaware Pride Meets at 7 p.m. on first Thursday of the month at the United Church of Christ, 300 E. Main St., Newark, Del.; (800) 292-0429. Delaware Valley Pink Pistols For LGBT people dedicated to legal, safe and responsible use of firearms for self-defense; meets at 2 p.m. on third Saturday of the month at Classic Indoor Range, 1310 Industrial Blvd., Southhampton; (267) 386-8907; www. pinkpistols.org. Friday Feast and Fun Dinner hosted by St. John’s Lutheran Church at 6:30 p.m. second Friday of the month, 24 N. Ridge Ave., Ambler; (215) 576-8008. Haverford College’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance Open meetings 10-11 p.m. Mondays in the lounge in Jones Basement at Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Ave.; (610) 896-4938.
Gay and Lesbian Bowling League Bowls at 8 p.m. Thursdays in the Norristown area; call Doug Schneidig; (716) 864-4393.
Latina/o Virtual Community Local listserv offers various information and resources; (215) 808-2493; Zorros_mail@yahoo. com; LatinPhillyLGBT@yahoogroups.com.
Philadelphia Falcons Soccer Club GLBT and allied soccer club; practices Saturdays 10 a.m.-noon and Wednesdays 6-8 p.m. at Edgeley Fields in Fairmount Park;www.falcons-soccer.org.
LGBTQ and Friends Activity Group Meets at 7 p.m. on third Friday of the month to plan outings and potlucks at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County.
Philadelphia Fins Swim Team Male and female swimmers meet at 7 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. Saturdays in Center City; (610) 564-6661; www. philadelphia-fins.org.
Long Yang Club Philadelphia Social organization for gay Asians and their friends holds monthly socials; P.O. Box 401, Philadelphia, Pa. 19105; www.longyangclub. org/philadelphia.
Philadelphia Gay Bowling League Meets 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays September through April at Brunswick Zone, 1328 Delsea Drive, Deptford, N.J.; (856) 889-1434; www. philagaybowling.com.
Our Night Out A casual social networking party of LGBT professionals, allied communities, friends and colleagues meets in a different Philadelphia hot spot each month. To receive monthly event invitations, send email to OurNightOutPhilly@gmail.com; PhillyGayCalendar.com/org/OurNightOut.
Philadelphia Gay Flag Football New group forming. Contact Jered at gayflagfootball@gmail.com or (214) 770-5373. Philadelphia Gryphons Rugby Football Club Team seeks players; all skill levels welcome; (215) 913-7531; info@phillygryphons.org. Philadelphia Liberty Tennis Association Meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday at William Way Center; into@plta.us. Philadelphia Phoenix Women’s football team seeks players; (267) 6799535; www.philadelphiaphoenix.org. Philly Gay Hockey Association Philadelphia Phury seeks players; (917) 656-1936; phury@gayhockey.org.
Philadelphia Bar Association Legal Advice Offered from 5-8 p.m. on third Wednesday of the month; (215) 238-6333. Philadelphia Prime Timers Club for mature gay and bisexual men and their admirers meets regularly; (610) 344-0853; www. primetimersphiladelphia.org. Philadelphians MC Club for leather men and women meets 7:30 p.m. first and third Mondays of the month at The Pit at The Bike Stop, 201 S. Quince St.; (215) 627-1662.
Rainbow Riders of the Delaware Valley Motorcycle club meets regularly; (215) 836-0440; www.groups.yahoo.com/group/rainbowridersdv/.
Philly Paw Pals Gay and lesbian dog owners and their dogs meet on first Saturday of the month at a dog park; (215) 618-5290; PhillyPawPals@aol.com.
Rainbow Rollers Gay and lesbian bowling league meets 9 p.m. on Tuesdays September-April at Laurel Lanes, 2825 Rte. 73 South, Maple Shade, N.J.; (856) 778-7467.
Rainbow Amateur Radio Association ARRL affiliated; private; weekly HF nets, monthly newsletter, e-mail server; (302) 5392392; www.rara.org.
South Jersey Gay Bowling League Gay and lesbian bowling league meets 7 p.m. on Fridays September-April at Laurel Lanes, 2825 Rte. 73 South, Maple Shade, N.J.; (856) 778-7467.
Rock ’n’ Roll Queer Bar Party A party for gay and lesbian rockers with host Psydde Delicious starts at 10 p.m. every second Wednesday at N. 3rd, Third and Brown streets; (215) 413-3666.
Spartan Wrestling Club The gay wresting team meets from 7-9 p.m. Mondays at the First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St.; (215) 732-4545; www.phillyspartans. com. Team Philadelphia Meets at 8 p.m. second Wednesday of the month at the William Way Center; www.teamphiladelphia.org. Women’s Table Tennis New group forming. Interested women are encouraged to e-mail michelesimone19144@yahoo. com.
Silver Foxes Social and educational group for gays and lesbians 50 and older meets from 3-5 p.m. on fourth Sunday of the month at the William Way Center. Stonewall Model Railroad Club Meets monthly; (215) 769-4230; k3k@yahoo. com. Thirsty Third Tuesdays Collingswood Out in the Neighborhood meets at 7 p.m. on third Tuesday of the month for coffee, dessert and conversation at Three Beans, 40 N. Haddon Ave., Haddonfield N.J.; (215) 439-8337.
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 33
Classifieds
With Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services and Personals
Foreclosure activity up across most US metro areas By Alex Veiga The Associated Press
The foreclosure crisis intensified across a majority of large U.S. metropolitan areas this summer, with Chicago and Seattle — cities outside of the states that have shouldered the worst of the housing downturn — seeing a sharp increase in foreclosure warnings. California, Nevada, Florida and Arizona remain the country’s foreclosure hotbeds, accounting for 19 of the top 20 metropolitan areas with the highest foreclosure rates between July and September, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said last Thursday. Those states saw housing values surge during the housing boom years. When the boom ended, values collapsed and foreclosures soared. But the latest data show that many of the metro areas in those states saw a decline in the number of households receiving foreclosure-related filings, while many cities in other states saw a spike in
foreclosure activity. “The epidemic is spreading from the states at the ground zero of the foreclosure problems out into areas that hadn’t been previously affected,” said Rick Sharga, a senior vice president at RealtyTrac. The trend is the latest sign that the U.S. foreclosure crisis is worsening as homeowners facing high unemployment, slow job growth and uncertainty about home prices continue to fall behind on their mortgage payments. In all, 133 out of 206 metropolitan areas with at least 200,000 residents posted an annual increase in foreclosure activity in the three months ended Sept. 30, RealtyTrac said. The firm tracks notices for defaults, scheduled home auctions and home repossessions — warnings that can lead up to a home eventually being lost to foreclosure. Eleven of the nation’s 20 largest metropolitan areas saw foreclosure activity increase in the third
quarter compared to the same period last year. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area registered the sharpest annual increase — 71 percent. One in every 129 households received a foreclosure filing. The Chicago-Naperville-Joliet metropolitan area posted the second-highest annual jump, a 35percent increase. One in every 84 households received a foreclosure notice. Among the other metro areas where foreclosure activity jumped by a large margin this past summer were Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, up 26 percent; Detroit-Warren-Livonia, at nearly 23 percent; and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, up 20 percent. Economic woes, such as unemployment or reduced income, continue to be the main catalysts for foreclosures this year. The U.S. unemployment rate hit 9.6 percent last month. In the Seattle metro area, unemployment stood slightly lower at 8.5 percent in August and has
been edging lower. It was 8.7 percent in August last year. Still, many troubled homeowners have been unable to hang on. As a result, there’s been no letup in the inventory of foreclosed homes on the market this year, says John Bauer, an agent with ZipRealty in Seattle who represents lenders selling foreclosed properties. “It has been on an upward trend curve ever since 2008,” Bauer said. “And not just the third quarter of this year, but the last 12 months, it’s been on a steady ascension.” Chicago also had the thirdhighest number of homes repossessed by lenders during the quarter — 12,568 — behind the Phoenix metro area’s 14,317 and the Miami metro area’s 12,963, RealtyTrac said. Banks have seized more than 816,000 homes through the first nine months of the year and are on pace to seize more than a million. A controversy stemming from
allegations that banks evicted people without reading foreclosure documents wasn’t a factor in the July-September quarter, Sharga said. Lenders such as Bank of America and Ally Financial’s GMAC Mortgage initially halted foreclosure activity but have since resumed processing foreclosures. Preliminary data from this month shows almost no change in foreclosure activity versus September, Sharga said. “We’re not seeing what we might have anticipated in terms of a falloff,” he said. The Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., metropolitan area topped the list of metropolitan areas with the highest foreclosure rates in JulySeptember, with one in every 25 homes receiving a foreclosure warning — more than five times the national average. But foreclosure filings declined 20 percent from the same quarter last year. “It’s not out of the woods yet, it’s just less bad than it was a year ago,” Sharga said. ■
Location! Location! Location! This week’s featured property
Beds: 3 Baths: 2.5 Cost: $459,000 Square footage: 3,835 Age of property: 27 years Realtor: Naoji Moriuchi Real-estate co.: B.T. Edgar & Son Realtors Phone: (856) 235-0101 x. 211 Direct: (609) 781-0080 Website: www.121foxwood.com
An exceptionally gracious end-unit townhome located on a cul-de-sac in desirable Blason Woods. From refinished hardwood floors and crown moulding throughout, to custom built-in cabinetry and beautiful backyard views, this tastefully decorated home offers low-maintenance living with plenty of space.
Check your ad
PLACING ADS Using voicemail? Please be sure to have the following information ready when you call: • Your ad copy • The type of style you want • Desired abbreviations • American Express, Discover, MasterCard or VISA information • Your name and mailing
Moorestown, NJ
address • Daytime telephone number Having all this information ready will speed your order and help to avoid errors. Phone calls can only be returned during business hours. For more information, see the coupon page in this section.
Philadelphia Gay News assumes responsibility for errors in classified ads only when notified by noon the Tuesday after the ad first appears. To receive credit for errors, please notify PGN by then. Credit only will be extended in the form of additional advertising space. Any cash refunds, for any reason, are subject to a $10 service charge. PGN will publish no classified ad — in any category — that contains sexually explicit language. Obviously excluded are traditional four-letter words that relate to sexual activity. Other words may be excluded at the discretion of the publisher, who reserves the right to edit or rewrite any ad that, in his opinion, violates this policy or its intent.
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 34
Real Estate
Dramatically reduced to
$459,900
REAL ESTATE
SALE
REAL ESTATE
SALE
APARTMENT OVER LOOKING RITTENHOUSE SQUARE! The Plaza 12B - 1901 Walnut St.
Moorestown, NJ. This is $100,000 under the assessed value. Exceptionally gracious 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath end unit townhome is located on one of the best lots in Blason Woods. Low maintenance, tastefully decorated and easy access to Philadelphia and the surrounding area makes this a must see. For floor plans and additional pictures visit 121foxwood.com
Naoji Moriuchi
• • • •
2 Bedrooms / 2 1/2 Baths Newly Remodeled Kitchen & Baths Formal Separate Dining Room Moldings, Hardwood, Built-Ins!
$819,000
Realtor Associate Cell: 609-781-0080 Office: 856-235-0101 x211
REAL ESTATE
REAL ESTATE
REHOBOTH BEACH 2 bed, 2 bath 1st fl. Captiva Sands condo, walk out back porch. 1 mi. Poodle Beach. W/pool/ tennis. $229K. Call 267-221-8067. FSBO. _______________________________34-46 OPEN HOUSE SUN. 1-4 1 CAMIEL LANE, AUDUBON, PA Great for In-law or AuPair Suite. Upgrades t/o; brick walkways, lampposts, patio, deck, marble & h/w flr, new master Ste; custom millwork t/o, 5 BR, 3 Baths, 2nd kit, Methacton Schools, low taxes, near Valley Forge Park, Directions: 422 Exp., north on Egypt Rd., right onto Pawlings Rd. about 1 mile, left on Camiel Ln. C Moles Realtor 610-275-2050. _______________________________34-45 VENTNOR, NJ, FACING THE BAY House and Adjacent Lot (inground swimming pool). 1st floor 3 bedrooms, bath, living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room and deck. 2nd floor 2 bedrooms, bath, efficiency kitchen, living room, dining area and deck. Central Air. Corner Property. Call 215-468-9166 evenings only. $675,000.00. Also property for rent1500.00 month plus utilities. _______________________________34-49 IT’S HERE!! NYS FALL LAND SALE Oneida, Oswego, Madison, Chenango, & Lewis Counties. Over 150 Properties! 7 Acres Riverfront- $29,995. Cranberry Lake Woods42 Acres on Water. WAS: $229,995. NOW: $139,995. Adirondack River- 16 Acres on Water. WAS: $129,995. NOW: $79,995. Tug Hill- Montague- Hunting Land 25 Acres w/ Timber: $34,995. Free Closing Costs. Call NOW! 800-229-7843 www.LandandCamps.com _______________________________34-45 Lake Pennock NY: 6 acres Lakefront $29,900. 7 acres 1000’ Waterfront $39,900. 5 acres Lakeside Log Cabin $99,900. Borders 3,000 acre NYS Forest. Owners-Broker 1-888683-2626. _______________________________34-45
12TH & DICKINSON AREA Furnished Townhouse for rent: 3 levels. Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, 2 bedrooms , bath. Very Unique. 1500. mo plus util. (negotiable). Call 215 468-9166 after 6 pm. or 215 686 3431 daytime. _______________________________34-49 RITTENHOUSE SQUARE AREA Studios & 1 Bedrooms - Call for Availability (215)735-8050. _______________________________34-52 5986 HENRY AVE. ROXBOROUGH 1 BR/2 BR apts. Hdwd flrs, EIK, G/D, refrig., micro. Full tile bath. 1 car garage & storage. $850 + G/E. Call 215-919-3459, Judy. _______________________________34-47
SALE
BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITY
To learn more about my client satisfaction rating view this independent research & award as seen in Philadelphia Magazine: http://video.fivestarprofessional. com/philre2010/naojimoriuchi
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At the Rittenhouse 210 W. Rittenhouse Sq. Phila, PA 19103 Office 215-546-0550 Dir. 215-790-5671 Cell 610-659-8030 suzanne.petruzel@prufoxroach.com
B.T. Edgar & Son Realtors
Your Local Realtor since 1923 27 East Main Street Moorestown, NJ 08057 Find your next home or commercial property by using www.MoorestownAreaHomes.com
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Do you earn $800 in a day? Your Own Local Candy Route! 25 Machines and Candy All for $9995. 877-915-8222 All Major Credit Cards Accepted! _______________________________34-45 RESTAURANT IN GAY NEW HOPE FOR SALE/LEASE Turnkey operation. Owners retiring after 27 successful years. Al fresco and indoor dining. Call Bob or Grant at 215-862-2241 or email: grantwaldman@hotmail.com _______________________________34-46 Frac Sand Haulers-Tons of Runs in Texas! Come to where the weather is warm, pay is great and the land is flat. 817-769-7621, 817-769-7713. _______________________________34-45
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NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
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PGN WILL NOT PUBLISH RACIAL DISTINCTIONS IN ROOMMATE ADS. SUCH NOTATIONS WILL BE EDITED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. ___________________________________ GREATER NE PHILA. Have your own bedroom in a beautiful split level home with 2 gay men. House is 4 BR, 2 full baths, W/D, upper and lower decks, use of kitchen. Property is by Welsh & the Boulevard, 1 min. to 58 bus. We ask only that you be at least reasonably neat and employed. Rent is $600 + 1/3 utils. Contact Dave at 215-698-0215. _______________________________34-49 13TH & LOMBARD HOUSE SHARE Male pref, utilities and laundry incl. $700/month; sec. dep. + 1 month. Proof of employment, no smokers. Contact: wdparrott@hotmail.com _______________________________34-47
PAGE 35
(609) 206-1973
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MISCELLANEOUS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL WARRIORS! November 19-21. Boston is holding a New Warrior Training adventure for Gay, Bi and Questioning men. The New Warrior Training Adventure is a modern male initiation where men come together to support and mentor each other in a safe, authentic environment where we are free to be exactly who we are, without defenses or masks.For more information contact: Email: bill@katywil.com Phone: 877-843-6982 x2 Website: http://mkpne.org _______________________________34-46
ADOPTION Adoption: A childless, loving woman wishes to adopt newborn. Financially secure and close extended family. Legal and Confidential. Expenses paid. Please call Lisa at 1-866855-2166. _______________________________34-45 ADOPT A happily married couple have room in our loving hearts and home for your newborn. Expenses paid. Please call Debra & George at (877)732-0291. _______________________________34-45 ADOPTION Loving couple wants to share our life and love with your newborn. Call Liz & Geoff Toll-Free: 1-866-762-7821; Email: Liz_and_ Geoff@comcast.net _______________________________34-45 Are you pregnant? Andrew & Ariel are financially secure, educated, & seeking to adopt. Will provide loving home/full-time parent. Expenses Paid. Eagerly awaiting your call (ask for michelle/adam). 1-800-790-5260. _______________________________34-45
REAL ESTATE
SALE
Open Houses Sunday Nov. 7, 2010 Noon - 1:00 PM 2011 Catharine St. Newly rehabbed with “2 car parking” Very large three bedroom, 3.5 bath traditional style home with all the modern upgrades. Wood floors, deluxe granite, S/S, cherry kitchen. Finished lower level. Spa style master bedroom with a huge bi-level deck with the best views in the area. Tax abatement applied for.........................$599,000 927 Spruce St. Unit 2R. Deluxe Junior 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath with new kitchen. Unit contains a queens size Murphy bed. (parking available for just $20,000)............$199,900 1109 Spruce St. Unit 1R Deluxe bi-level 2 bedroom, 2 bath with garden and possible parking spot. This unit has been totally rehabbed with wood floors and Granite and S/S kitchen. Located in the heart of Wash. Sq. West with low taxes and condo fees.................. ..............................................................................................................................$299,000 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM 1109 Spruce St. Units 2R and 3R. your choice of two lovely 1 bedroom, 1 bath units. 2R has been totally rehabbed with new deluxe granite and S/S kitchen. 3R has a white modern kitchen, is newly painted and in move-in condition. ..................................... ..................................................................................................$225,000 and $189,000 2155 Montrose St. NEW Construction. Large (2,400 Sq. Ft.) corner home across from park. Open first floor plan with custom granite and S/S gourmet kitchen and rear garden. Bright and light filled finished lower level with 1/2 bath. Second floor has 2 huge bedrooms with large closets and deluxe hall bath. The huge Master Suite and marble spa bath covers the entire third level. All rooms have “Dark Oak Bruce” hardwood floors. Enjoy 360 degree views of the city from the huge roof deck. 10 year Tax abatement applied for. . .......................................................................................................a must see, $425,000 255 S. Hutchinson St. (between 9th and 10th off Spruce St.) NEW LISTING Historic, 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath on charming cobblestone street in heart of Washington Sq. West.......... ..............................................................................................................................$250,000 1109 Spruce St. Unit #4. NEW LISTING. Totally rehabbed loft style condo. Deluxe granite and S/S kitchen. Wood floors, tile bath, great views. Low condo fees and taxes, .... ..............................................................................................................................$185,000
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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
Complete rehabilitations are subsidized by Federal Stimulus Funds. These homes will not last!
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 36
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
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Chestnut Hill Cat Clinic Celebrating 24 years 8220 Germantown Avenue
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www.chestnuthillcatclinic.com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOB ASIAC seeks qualified candidates for a Chief Executive Officer position. ASIAC is a nonprofit CBO dedicated to promoting access for those who face barriers to receiving healthcare, HIV/AIDS, and social services. Qualifications include BA minimum, executive management experience, excellent communication skills and a proven track record for raising funds. Please send cover and resume to: ASIAC Executive Search, PO Box 2772, Framingham, MA 01702. _______________________________34-45 Sales Professionals Wanted: Recession-Proof Medicare Industry, pre-qualified leads helping Seniors. Positive attitude and communication skills required. Excellent Incentives, Growth Potential. $80,000 plus. Call Julie toll-free 1-877-864-9317 _______________________________34-45 **ABLE TO TRAVEL** Hiring 6 people, Free to travel all states, resort areas. No experience necessary. Paid Training/Transportation. OVER 18. Start ASAP. 1-631-241-4566. _______________________________34-45 ECM TRANSPORT, LLC Now Hiring Drivers .45/cpm plus Home Time. Requirements: CDL-A, Hazmat, 2yrs verifiable experience. Must apply online https://www. ecm.apply2jobs.com/ Questions: call 800548-7379 x5571. _______________________________34-45 ATTN DRIVERS! Top 5% Pay! Excellent Benefits, Latest Technology. Need CDL-A & 3 mos recent OTR. 877-258-8782 www.meltontruck.com _______________________________34-45 Drivers- 100% Tuition Paid CDL Training! Start your New Career. No Credit Chek, No Experience required! Call: 888-417-7564 CRST EXPEDITED www.JoinCRST.com _______________________________34-45 CDL-A Drivers: Drive In Style! New 2011 Freightliner Cascadias Plus The Best Miles, Pay & Performance Bonus. $500 Sign-On for Flatbed. CDL-A,6mo.OTR. Western Express. 888-801-5295. _______________________________34-45 Drivers: Big Rates = Big Pay. Industry Leading LEASE PURCHASE PROGRAM $0 Down, Only $225 week! Late Model Equipment. CRST MALONE 866-953-2778 www.JoinMalone.com _______________________________34-45 CLASS A CDL DRIVERS *Excellent Equipment! *Consistent home time *Great pay/benefits. SMITH TRANSPORT, INC. Call 877-432-0048 www.smithdrivers. com _______________________________34-45 Driver NEW PAY PACKAGE! Van and Refrigerated. Great Benefits! Flexible schedule! 98% No-Touch Freight. Steady Miles. CDL-A, 6 months recent experience. 800-4149569. www.driveknight.com _______________________________34-45 TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED! SALARY POSITION! $950+ WEEKLY! HOME WEEKENDS! EXCELLENT BENEFITS! NEW EQUIPMENT! HEARTLAND EXPRESS 1-800-441-4953 www.heartlandexpress.com _______________________________34-45
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PAGE 106
CLASSIFIEDS
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
PAGE 37
SERVICES & HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY Looking to Buy, Sell or Just Clean Your Antiques?
We’ve been in business since 2000. We buy and sell antique’s and fine furniture. But we don’t limit ourselves to just furniture. Liquidate Estates Take Donations Quick Pick-up Buy Vintage Item’s Period Liquidate Small Equipment, and Art Deco Tools Liquidation’s Hosting and Fine Upholstery Cleaning Auction’s Close-Outs And Clean-Outs
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PAGE 38
S
APRIL APRIL 25 25 -- MAY MAY 1, 1, 2008 2008
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010
LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008
AMY F. STEERMAN Attorney at Law
Concentrating in Planning for Lesbian and Gay Couples • Probate • Wills • Living Wills • Powers of Attorney PAGE 110
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CRC, CRC,CVE CVE A, t CRC, CVE ant
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ADULT PERSONALS PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
NOV. 5 - 11, 2010