The National Dog Show returns to Philadelphia
12th Street Gym works out ownership change
Family Portrait: Kristen FarleyRambo
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Nov. 16-22, 2012
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Vol. 36 No. 46
LGBT liaison to retire from PPD
Senior site starts to take shape By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
After more than 35 years as a member of the Philadelphia Police Department, and about two as its LGBT point person, Deputy Commissioner Stephen Johnson will retire from the force later this year. Johnson, current director of the Internal Affairs Division, has served as the LGBT liaison since July 2010. As of presstime, a new liaison had not been named. Johnson’s retirement was announced at a press conference last Friday, in which the department unveiled a larger reorganization plan that included 36 command changes resulting from retirements, promotions and position restructuring. Of the department’s nine deputy commissioners, four, including Johnson, will leave by January. Deputy Commissioner Denise Turpin will assume their duties, including supervision of Internal Affairs. Police spokesperson Lt. John Stanford said that, as Turpin will take on Johnson’s IA role, there is a “good possibility” she could assume the LGBT liaison responsibilities, but that has yet to be determined. Johnson, 61, joined the PPD in 1977 and said the time felt right for retirement. “I made the decision a while ago with the reorganization and everything going on that this was an opportune time to get PAGE 13 out and seek some other
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER STEPHEN JOHNSON (FOURTH FROM LEFT) WITH COMMISSIONER CHARLES RAMSEY AND MEMBERS OF THE LGBT POLICE LIAISON COMMITTEE AT A MARCH MEETING
BUILT FROM A STRONG FOUNDATION: At the groundbreaking ceremony for the city’s LGBT-friendly senior-housing facility, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld Fund president and PGN publisher Mark Segal (from left) introduced some of the LGBT movement’s earliest pioneers — Jim Fouratt, Randy Wicker, Michael Lavery, Ada Bello, Mark Horn and Michael Knowles. The group, whose work dates to 1958, took part in the symbolic shovel dig at the site, on 13th Street between Walnut and Spruce streets. The facility, named the John C. Anderson Apartments, is set to open in late 2013. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Scouts: Learning for Life down to 500 youth By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com A youth program that a local Boy Scouts of America council touted in court filings to avoid eviction from a city-owned building has severely dwindled in size. Learning for Life, which in its heyday reportedly served up to 60,000 area youth annually in a nondiscriminatory manner, is down to about 500 participants. “The in-school Learning for Life program was suspended at the conclusion of the 20092010 school year due to funding cuts,” the BSA Cradle of Liberty Council said this week, in a prepared statement. “Only the after-school, workplace-based Exploring program, which is part of the LFL program, continued in the fall of 2010.” The 500 youth in the remaining work-
PGN Pet Issue
place-based program are served by a fulltime Cradle staffer and about 100 volunteers, according to the statement. The city wants Cradle to vacate a cityowned building near the Ben Franklin Parkway, partly because it won’t accept gays in its traditional Scouting programs. But Cradle filed suit in 2008, claiming the city violated its constitutional right to exclude gays during the eviction attempt. In multiple court filings, Cradle trumpeted Learning for Life for imparting “life skills” to anywhere from 30,000-60,000 area youths in any given year. The vast majority of Cradle’s activities in the Parkway building were focused on Learning for Life, the filings noted. Now, with the program down to 500 youth participants, it remains unclear whether the building has been a help PAGE 16
National Dog Show Pet Scene in Philly PAWS Mutt Strut photos
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The countdown has officially begun to the opening of the nation’s largest publicly funded LGBT facility. Community leaders and elected officials from every level of government took part last Friday in a groundbreaking ceremony for the LGBT-friendly senior-housing project, which had originally been scheduled for last month but was postponed because of Hurricane Sandy. Located at 249-257 S. 13th St., the property will be home to 56 one-bedroom apartments for those 62 and over, and a portion of the units will be dedicated to low-income residents. The facility, spearheaded by the Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld Fund and Pennrose Properties, is slated to open in late 2013. “This project is not just about Philadelphia, it’s not just about Pennsylvania, it’s not just about the United States; it takes a village, it really does,” said Mark Segal, PGN publisher and dmhFund president, at the ceremony. The $19.5-million project is supported by city, state and federal funding. At last Friday’s event, the name of the new facility was unveiled: the John C. Anderson Apartments. Anderson, who served on Philadelphia City Council from the late 1970s-early ’80s, was a key proponent of the city’s gay-rights ordinance and himself was gay. He died in 1983. Mayor Nutter, who said it was Anderson’s influence that led him to a career in politics, announced the name selection. He said Anderson was “quite a charismatic person who played a central role in the passage” of the bill. “This person also played a tremendously important role in my life as well,” Nutter said. “I think of him every day. He was a guiding force in my public service. Now and then, you get to do something really nice, and this is it.” The community room that will be used for an array of functions was named after the late John Kelly. The announcement was made by state Rep. Mike O’Brien (D-175th Dist.), PAGE 6
Pet fashion show Bravo’s “LOLWorks” Pet events
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