Philadelphia Gay News Nov. 26 - Dec. 2, 2010
Honesty Integrity Professionalism
Power shift to impact Philly, LGBTs
Settlement on hold in Scouts case By Timothy Cwiek PGN Writer-at-Large Last spring, when former city official Joyce Wilkerson was asked if she would support the Scouts’ eviction from a city-owned building even if it meant Philadelphia losing $65 million annually in federal assistance, she answered affirmatively. “The city has a clear policy, a city ordinance, that prohibits discrimination,” Wilkerson said. “It doesn’t say, ‘Prohibited unless it’s going to cost the city some money.’” Wilkerson, who once served as chief of staff to former Mayor John F. Street, was testifying at the federal jury trial about the Scouts’ contention that their eviction is unconstitutional. Now, some LGBT activists are criticizing the city for not adhering to that same principle with a settlement plan that was made public last week. Instead, they say, Mayor Nutter is willing to sell a building to the Boy Scouts Cradle of Liberty Council so they can discriminate on private property — partly in reaction to the Scouts’ threat of a $1-million legal bill. “The mayor said [earlier in the litigation] that there are certain principles on which the city would stand, and those principles have been abandoned,” said Andrew A. Chirls, a member of the LGBT Working Group, which has been trying to resolve the dispute for years. In September, the city Law Department and the BSA Cradle of Liberty Council reached a tentative settlement of the federal lawsuit. They agreed that the property at 231251 N. 22nd St. is worth $1.1 million, and should be sold to the Scouts for $500,000; in return, the Scouts would relinquish their right to seek attorneys’ fees from the city. But the sale requires City Council approval and, so far, no council member has introduced legislation to finalize the sale. City Councilman Darrell L. Clarke, whose district encompasses the building, said he won’t introduce legislation enabling the sale until more of his constituents convey their views. “I have 150,000 bosses: the people in my district,” Clarke told PGN. “They’re the ones who can tell me what to do.” The deal, if consummated, would mark
Vol. 34 No. 47
By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
HATRED HITTING HOME: The University of Pennsylvania’s LGBT Center hosted its first-ever Transgender Day of Remembrance memorial service Nov. 20 on Penn’s campus, where LGBTs and allies came together to pay tribute to transgender community members who’ve been victims of violence. Malik (standing), the boyfriend of Stacey Blahnik, a local transgender leader who was murdered last month, spoke to the crowd about the true impact of transphobia. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Lancaster disbands Human Relations Commission By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
Despite months of backlash by civilrights activists, the Lancaster County Commission last week voted to disband the county’s panel that investigates discrimination complaints. The commission voted 2-1 Nov. 17 to repeal the law that authorized its Human Relations Commission, which accepted discrimination cases involving race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, age or disability. Activists had recently been pressing for the law to be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender-identity protections, but two of the commissioners announced their intention to disband the commission shortly after that effort began. The county operated a joint Human Relations Commission with the city of Lancaster from 1962-91, when the city moved to include sexual orientation in its nondiscrimination law and the two split into separate commissions. Commissioners Scott Martin and Dennis Stuckey, both Republicans, advocated for the shuttering of the commission, claiming it would save taxpayers $500,000 a year. Martin and Stuckey argued that those who See SETTLEMENT, Page 26 faced discrimination could file complaints
with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, located in Harrisburg. Commissioner Craig Lehman opposed the shuttering of the commission. The commission held a series of public hearings in the past few months, during which the vast majority of public witnesses testified against the closing of the agency. Adanjesus Marin, an organizer of the effort to oppose the closing, said the two commissioners appeared to be unwavering in their intent to close the agency since the inception of the plan. “When this proposal was first made, it became clear that the commissioners had little concern with what public opinion was,” Marin said. “This proposal was made in a way that was very different from other proposals that have been made to save money since these commissioners have been in office. Generally there are a number of investigations, but this was the first one made without any study or deep discussion. From the beginning, their goal was to eliminate local civil-rights enforcement.” Marin said that during last Wednesday’s hearing, only two audience members spoke in favor of closing the commission, and both referenced the need to prevent the nondiscrimination ordinance from becoming See DISBANDING, Page 17
Following the midterm election earlier this month, Pennsylvania legislators cast their own ballots for a series of leadership positions over the last few weeks, setting up a state legislature that is going to look decidedly different next year. Republicans gained control of the Pennsylvania House in the election, joining the already-Republican-controlled Senate. In the House, GOP lawmakers elected Rep. Sam Smith (R-66th Dist.) to serve as Speaker and Rep. Mike Turzai (R-28th Dist.) as majority leader. House Democrats selected Rep. Frank Dermody (D-33rd Dist.) as minority leader and Senate Democrats chose Sen. Jay Costa (D-43rd Dist.) as that chamber’s minority leader. The power shift in the state legislature swung away from Philadelphia with the election, as the House Speaker, majority and minority leaders and Senate minority leader all hail from the western part of the state, as does Gov.-elect Tom Corbett (R). Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission chair Steve Glassman said balanced representation from around the state is best for the legislature, but the local community will have to work with what has been presented. “I think it is wise to have geographic See CHANGES, Page 27
World AIDS Day supplement Pages 33-40
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
DVLF director departs, new board steps up By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer LGBT grantmaking agency Delaware Valley Legacy Fund will again come under new direction, as its executive director announced he will step down next month. Michael Kendrick has headed the organization since August, but plans to move back to his home state of New York in December. Kendrick’s partner, a respiratory therapist, was recently offered a promotion that would require him to work in Manhattan. Kendrick, who’s been with his partner for 23 years, will also be working in Manhattan in a role similar to his DVLF post, which he will depart Dec. 9.
See related TOY story
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Sandra Thompson will carry out the duties of interim executive director, a position she previously filled with Chris Bartlett during the national search that resulted in Kendrick’s hiring. The board of directors plans to re-evaluate the other two finalists it was considering in its search and, if necessary, will reopen the national search. Kendrick said that while he didn’t get much time at DVLF, the experience was valuable. “It’s been very educational,” he said. “It’s such an umbrella-type organization, and it’s able to touch people in all parts of our community. DVLF really covers everything, so I got to meet lots and lots of people and get insights I never would have gotten otherwise.” In addition to the pending leadership change at the organization, the DVLF board also underwent a transition this month, as it elected a new slate of officers to its executive committee: president D. Mark Mitchell, vice president Jeanne McIntyre, treasurer Michael Stara, secretary Jacqueline Boyer and fifth member R. Robin Austin. Angela Giampolo, former board president, said the body usually brings on a whole new stable of members during the officers’ elections, but decided this year to stagger the appointments, having brought on two new members each month for the past several months. She said the decision was a strategic one that sought to ease
the new members into the positions as Kendrick also settled into his role. Since the s u m m e r, t h e board has KENDRICK grown to 14 members. Members are eligible for a oneyear term and can then stay on for an additional two-year term, while officers serve a one-year term. Giampolo said selecting the next director, even if the board has to relaunch the national search, won’t be as arduous as it was the first time around. “It won’t be as difficult on the organization since it’s already been done once,” she said. “The tools that we need were already created, like candidate-scoring analyses, committees, all the things that we’d never done before. A big bulk of the search process was creating the process itself. So at least that huge learning curve has already been dealt with.” The changes were announced just a week before Toy, DVLF’s annual holiday fundraiser. Mitchell noted that, although Kendrick has only been at the helm of the organization for a few months, he was very influential in laying the groundwork for what should be a successful event. “He really tackled Toy,” said the new board president. “He’s been going after donors and sponsors and, in fact, over the last couple weeks, brought in $15,000$16,000 in sponsorships. He’s really been working hard on this event.” Giampolo said Toy will serve as the swan song for a leader who, although his term was short-lived, was effective. “Michael was so integral to this event, with acquiring sponsorships and working with Matthew, the chair of Toy, and the committee,” she said. “He’s been getting out there and going to New Hope and Rehoboth and all over Center City getting silent-auction items. He’s seen this through from soup to nuts. So this is also going to be a huge going-away party for him to thank him for all that he’s done.” ■
Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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News Briefing
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Joan Rivers benefit The Career Wardrobe, a nonprofit shop that works to provide professional attire for women seeking employment, is staging a benefit party next weekend that pays tribute to gay icon Joan Rivers. The Joan Rivers Costume & Cocktail Party will be held from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 2 at The Wardrobe Boutique, 1822 Spring Garden St. A Joan Rivers impersonator will be on hand as host, and prizes will be given out for the best male and female Joan Rivers costumes. The event is free, but donations are encouraged. For more information, visit www. careerwardrobe.org.
FOOTBALL FRENZY: Gloria Casarez, the city’s director of LGBT affairs, tossed the coin to start the Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League’s final games of the season Nov. 20 at Columbus Square Park in South Philadelphia, which Mayor Nutter also attended. Casarez said the mayor surprised many by telling them he used to run a football league before he entered the political scene, and he even headed onto the field to throw a few passes to the GPFFL players. The Black Holes were the eventual champions, taking the top spot in the GPFFL’s first fall season. Photo: Scott A. Drake
NJ legislature passes anti-bullying law By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Lawmakers in both chambers of the New Jersey General Assembly voted Monday to approve a bill that would strengthen the state’s anti-bullying law and that explicitly references bullying based on sexual orientation. The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights passed with vast bipartisan support Nov. 22, sailing through the Senate in a 30-0 vote and the Assembly with a 71-1 vote, with five abstentions. Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll (R) cast the only dissenting vote. It was unclear whether Gov. Chris Christie (R) would sign the bill, and his office had not responded to a call by PGN as of press time. Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D), the prime sponsor in the Assembly, hailed the vote in a statement Monday, saying the measure will go a long way to ensure that state’s youth are well protected in the classroom. “In 2002, New Jersey adopted its first anti-bullying legislation encouraging school districts to actively combat bullying. Some districts have done an impressive job in answering that call. Others have not,” she said. “This legislation makes it clear that preventing and responding to incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying are not optional.”
The bill sets up uniform standards for both students and educators, mandating disciplinary action against teachers who ignore bullying incidents and requiring schools to be scored annually by the Commissioner of Education on their handling of harassment cases. It also puts in place training for school officials and creates school-safety teams to review bullying complaints. The measure describes harassment, intimidation and bullying as any gesture, written, verbal or physical act or electronic communication reasonably perceived to be motivated by any actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, color, religion or sexual orientation, or any other “distinguishing characteristic.” Carroll said he decided to vote against the bill for several reasons, such as possible costs associated with training and even lawsuits, but primarily said he opposed the measure because it outlaws bullying based on the listed characteristics. “This bill defines bullying as akin to a biased crime,” he told PGN this week. “It says that bullying consists of doing things to people who happen to have a particular status, instead of saying all victims are created equal. I was bullied when I was a child, and I’m not gay or disabled or black — the bully just thought I was a weakling — so why shouldn’t I have been treated equally under this law?” LGBT-rights group Garden State Equality
supported the bill throughout its short tenure in the Assembly: The measure had been in the works since the beginning of the year but was introduced in October, shortly after the suicide death of gay Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi. Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality, said the bill’s success signals progress for all bullied students, regardless of their sexual orientation. “As someone brutally bullied in my own youth, I can’t even begin to describe how the passage of this bill is a moment of deeply poignant, personal healing for me and thousands of others who have been bullied,” he said. “The best revenge is to make the world a kinder place. This legislation will make our state a kinder, safer place for students for generations to come.” Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, commended the lawmakers for their votes, and said the measure, if enacted, can be used as a model for other states. “Bullying, and in particular anti-LGBT bullying, is a public-health crisis in our country that is affecting countless young people’s ability to get an education,” she said. “What already was one of the strongest laws in the country is now even stronger.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.
Stylists headline fashion show The Evoluer House will host its annual fashion show next week to raise funds for its efforts to empower area girls to achieve their full potential. The third-annual event, themed “La Vie en Rose” this year, will run from 710 p.m. Dec. 3 at the University of the Arts’ Hamilton Hall, 320 S. Broad St. Stylists Micah Lamar, Debra Ginyard and Philadelphia’s own Raphael Monroe will direct the show. This marks the first time that the fashion show will be created by a team of celebrity stylists. Sarah Dash of LaBelle, designer Loris Diran and Dame Jennifer Smith, former premier of Bermuda, will serve as the event’s honorary chairs. Advance tickets are $65, and tickets will be sold for $80 at the door. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.evoluerhouse.org.
Young writers needed Mountain Meadow, which brings together youth of LGBT-headed families, is looking for young writers to help produce its newsletter. Youth ages 14-17 can submit personal essays and news articles to be featured in the newsletter, providing clips and a résumé-building opportunity for aspiring writers. Youth ages 8-13 are also encouraged to write personal stories about their experiences at this past summer’s Mountain Meadow camp. Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , e - m a i l Annamarya at news@mountainmeadow. org. Submissions must be made by Dec. 15. ■
— Jen Colletta
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
Toy to provide support to area youth By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer The 700 kids who passed through the doors of the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance last year came from all areas of the city, all family backgrounds and represented an array of ages, but they all had one thing in common: They were all victims of sexual abuse. While the pain of the abuse is not easy to overcome, the PCA does its part to alleviate some of the kids’ burdens and restore some of their youthful vigor — an effort that this year will be fueled by contributions from the LGBT community. In the past several years, LGBT grantmaking agency Delaware Valley Legacy Fund has collected hundreds of stuffed animals, games, dolls and other toys for children in the HIV/AIDS unit of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia through its annual Toy event, a toy drive that will be expanded this year to benefit PCA. The plush toys donated at Toy will be sent to PCA, while the rest of the items will go to CHOP, which especially needs gifts for teens and infants. Both agencies will also receive grants of at least $2,000. Each holiday season, PCA workers play Santa Claus and deliver gifts to their lowerincome clients, while the teddy bears and other stuffed animals that are collected will be used to bring smiles to youth throughout the year. PCA executive director Chris Kirchner
very welcoming, and it felt like a place where a child who has been traumatized could come and find some comfort,” he said. “I knew what we could bring to the table with Toy, and I felt like helping to create this great environment where these kids can just play and be kids seemed like the right fit.” The PCA works with youth up to age 18, although most of its clients are 8 or 9. About onethird of the children are boys, something Kirchner said donors in the holiday drive often overlook, as well as the fact that the DVLF’S TOY 2009 CO-CHAIRS STORMY LUNDY organization also serves teens. AND JOE MATTHEWS PGN file photo: Scott A. Drake When families come to PCA, the agency offers trained childexplained that the plush toys are used to decorate the agency, and each child who interview specialists to discuss the abuse comes for services is allowed to select an with the child and determine the facts of the case. The agency also offers counselanimal to keep. “We try to make them feel as comfortable ing, support and self-esteem groups and an as we can while they’re here,” Kirchner array of educational resources and assissaid. “We use the stuffed animals to make tance for caregivers. The organization serves youth from our waiting room as child-friendly as possible and they’re given out throughout the throughout the city, although a majority of its clients come from lower-income areas. year.” “We know child sex abuse happens in all Joe Matthews, chair of Toy, was himself a victim of childhood abuse, which motivated socio-economic situations, all neighborhoods and to people of all cultural backhim to consider PCA. He said once he toured the agency, he grounds, but kids in lower-income families was eager to help contribute to the atmo- often tend to be more at risk,” Kirchner said. “These kids aren’t always in the best sphere the organization fosters. “I went and did a walk-through and it felt daycare settings and the families may be
more transient, so the people we serve do tend to be skewed toward the lower socioeconomic scale.” Kirchner noted that the organization keeps in touch with clients and often provides assistance like cab fare to therapy sessions to help the children and their families continue to heal. The gifts that are delivered during the holidays, as well as the stuffed toys that each child leaves the office with, can go a long way to restore some normalcy in the children’s lives, Kirchner said. “These kids often have many other problems in their lives. Sex abuse is one of potentially many issues and challenges they face, so we try to do everything we can to help make their Christmas a little bit better and also to help them throughout the year. Kids who’ve been abused sometimes have lower self-esteem that develops from that abuse, so giving them these toys that are just for them helps them to feel better about themselves. Helping families give them a good Christmas or letting them choose their own bear out of the pile combine hopefully to help offset the damage that was done by the abuse.” Toy will be held from 7-11 p.m. Dec. 4 at Marketplace Design Center, 2400 Market St. Tickets are $40, plus one unwrapped toy. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.dvlf.org. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.
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NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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National
Media Trail
Senate to vote again on military gay ban
Teacher’s suspension stands My Fox Detroit reports a Michigan school district won’t reverse a teacher’s one-day unpaid suspension for kicking a boy out of class because the student said he didn’t “accept gays.” Howell schools superintendent Ronald Wilson said in a release Nov. 17 that Jay McDowell violated the student’s right to free speech on Oct. 20. Wilson said the high-school teacher also “violated board policy” in dismissing the student “who disagreed with him.” The district is 45 miles northwest of Detroit. McDowell said he was explaining the difference between the Confederate flag and gay-pride symbol the rainbow flag when the student made his statement. McDowell has filed a complaint against the district.
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NOW OR NEVER: Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn., center) gestures toward Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), not shown, during a Nov. 18 news conference on Capitol Hill, to push for the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on openly gay servicemembers. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore., second from left) and Christopher Coons (D-Del., right of Lieberman) also attended. AP Photo: Ann Heisenfelt
By Anne Flaherty The Associated Press The U.S. Senate’s top Democrat said last week that he will call for a vote in the lameduck session on legislation that would allow gays to serve openly in the military. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s announcement makes good on his pre-election promise to resurrect legislation that would repeal the 1993 law known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” But it remains far from certain whether the legislation would have enough votes to pass. Several leading Republicans, including Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), have said they oppose lifting the ban. “We need to repeal this discriminatory policy so that any American who wants to defend our country can do so,” Reid said in a statement. The legislation would, for the first time, allow gay troops to acknowledge publicly their sexual orientation. However, the repeal of the current law would take effect after the president and his top military advisers certify that doing so would not hurt the military’s ability to fight. The bill emerged from a deal struck earlier this year between more liberal Democrats eager to change the law and the White
House, under pressure by the Pentagon to give it more time to determine how to repeal the law without causing any backlash. The provision is tucked into a broader defense policy bill that includes such popular programs as a pay raise for the troops, which gay-rights groups hoped would help its chances of passing. But when the bill reached the Senate floor in September — just weeks before the midterm Congressional elections — Republicans united in objecting to its debate on procedural grounds. Reid insisted that few amendments be considered in the interest of time; Republicans said restricting debate on such a wide-ranging policy bill was unfair. Jim Manley, a spokesperson for Reid, said last week that it had not been decided yet how many or which amendments might be considered for debate. A wild card in the upcoming debate will be a Pentagon study on gays in the military that will be released Nov. 30. Last February, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he supports an eventual repeal of the law but wanted time to figure out how it should be done. He ordered a 10-month study due Dec. 1, and announced last weekend the report would be released one day early.
If the Nov. 30 deadline holds, the Senate Armed Services Committee could hold hearings that week on the measure to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Gates said in a press conference Sunday. Gates noted that if Congress is unable to pass the legislation, the issue could be left up to the courts, which he said would not be the best course for repeal. The government is currently appealing a court ruling that would lift “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” A draft of the 370-page Pentagon assessment has found that the ban could be lifted with little harm and that most troops don’t object to the change in personnel policy, according to officials familiar with its findings. But it also found that some troops had serious concerns with repealing the law. Military officials have warned that even scattered resistance to the change could pose logistical and discipline problems for field commanders. Gay-rights groups see the lame-duck session of Congress, before newly elected Republicans are sworn in, as their best chance at repealing the law. The House has already passed the bill. But come January when the new Congress is seated, Republicans will take control of the House and the Democratic majority in the Senate will be narrowed by six seats. ■
The Houston Chronicle reports the El Paso City Council has let stand a voterapproved ban on health-insurance benefits for domestic partners of city workers. The city council Nov. 16 declined to reject the measure, approved Nov. 2, that will end such benefits for 19 gay and unmarried partners of city employees. City Attorney Charlie McNabb had said the approved ordinance is so broad that about 200 people, including some city retirees, also will lose medical coverage as of Jan. 1. But the council voted 4-3 not to introduce an ordinance that would have retained the benefits.
Group wants to expand school violence policy Minnesota’s KARE 11 News reports the Minnesota School Board Association wants school districts to expand their antiharassment and violence policies. Specifically, the policy should include LGBT students. Most Minnesota school districts’ policies only protect against harassment based on race, religion or sex. The association’s update would prohibit any form of harassment or violence “on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, familial status, and status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation or disability.” The association also wants school officials to intervene when they see bullying. The recommendation will likely be controversial when 335 member districts decide whether to act on it. ■ — Larry Nichols
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
Gayborhood Crime Watch The following incidents in the Midtown Village and Washington Square West areas were reported to the Sixth Police District between Nov. 5-13. 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. ARREST: At 12:50 a.m. Nov. 5, a male entered the Town Deli, 1301 Lombard St., and demanded money from the employee, pointing a gun at him. The employee recognized that the gun was a toy and ordered the male to leave. A brief struggle ensued and the male fled without taking anything. Sixth District Officer Cifelli stopped a male in the 200 block of South 13th Street fitting the description provided by the complainant, who positively identified the male, and a toy gun was recovered. The 34year-old alleged offender with a homeless-shelter address was charged with robbery and related offenses. ARRESTS: On Nov. 9, City Wide Vice plainclothes officers arrested two males for prostitution between 9:20-9:40 p.m. at 300 S. 13th St. and 200 S. 13th St. REPORT: Between 6:25-8:30 a.m. Nov. 10, a 2000 GMC truck, parked in the 1300 block of Sansom Street, had a lock cut off and four bags of coins taken. Sixth District Officer McCausland attempted to lift prints. ARRESTS: On Nov. 10, Sixth District plainclothes officers arrested seven males for obstruction of a highway related to prostitution between 10:40-11:45 p.m. at the following locations: 1200 Locust St., 1201 Lombard St., 400 S. 12th St., 1200 Spruce St., 211 S. 13th St. and 240 S. 12th St. ARRESTS: Between 11:15-11:25 p.m. Nov. 10, Sixth District officers arrested three males, ages 2226, for summary offenses outside 300 S. 12th St. and 200 S. 12th St. REPORT: Between 8:45-9:40 p.m. Nov. 10, complainant’s secured bicycle was stolen from the 300 block of South Camac Street. REPORT: Between 10 p.m. Nov. 10 and 1 a.m. Nov. 11, out-of-
town complainant’s 2008 Chevy, parked in the paid lot at 1309 Locust St., had a window smashed and an iPod and CDs taken. Sixth District Officer Colon attempted to lift fingerprints. REPORT: At 7:55 p.m. Nov. 10, a male accidentally bumped into two other males outside Cosi, 1128 Walnut St. When the males began cursing, the complainant attempted to walk away, until one of the males pulled out a gun told him he’d better go inside. Moments later, another complainant was accosted outside 1116 Walnut St. by a group of 10-12 of young black males, no further description. The second complainant was punched and kicked and had an iPhone and wallet taken. The group fled south on the 200 block of South Quince Street, where a third complainant was accosted, punched and kicked and a briefcase was taken. One of the offenders was described as 6foot-2 and 200 pounds, wearing a black hoodie. The group fled the area going south on Quince. ARRESTS: On Nov. 10, City Wide Vice plainclothes officers arrested a male for prostitution at 9:10 p.m. at 1200 Locust St. and a female for prostitution at 9:20 p.m. at 1300 Locust St. ARREST: At 11:40 p.m. Nov. 10, Sixth District plainclothes officers arrested a male for obstruction of a highway related to prostitution in the 1200 block of Locust Street.
District officers responding to the description broadcast over police radio stopped the female at 19th and Spruce streets, where she was positively identified and the $27 that had been taken was recovered. The 23-year-old suspect with a Shippensburg address was charged with theft and related offenses. ARRESTS: Between 7:30-8 p.m. Nov. 12, Sixth District officers arrested four males, ages 31-41, for drinking alcoholic beverages on the highway at 400 S. Watts St. and 412 S. 13th St. ARREST: At 9:25 p.m. Nov. 12, a male was in the 200 block of South Juniper Street when he reportedly spotted a male who had taken his BlackBerry phone on Oct. 29, in the 200 block of South 13th Street. Sixth District Officer Romanczuk responded to the complainant’s 911 call and stopped the male at 209 S. 13th St., where he was positively identified. The 20-year-old suspect with a homeless-shelter address was charged with robbery and related offenses.
CRASH SCENE AT 13TH AND WALNUT
ARREST: On Nov. 12, Sixth District plainclothes officers arrested two males for obstruction of a highway related to prostitution between 12:35-1:45 a.m. at the following locations: 200 block of South 12th Street and 300 S. Camac St. ARREST: At 12:48 a.m. Nov. 12, a female was observed taking money from the tip jar inside Sisters, 1320 Chancellor St. Employees chased the suspect to Broad and Spruce streets, where she became confrontational and continued to flee west. Ninth
Photo: Scott A. Drake
ARREST: At 10:35 p.m. Nov. 13, Sixth District Bicycle Patrol Officer McQue was preparing an auto-crash report at 13th and Walnut streets, which was cordoned off with crime-scene tape, when a male entered the restricted scene. Officers ordered the man to get behind the tape line several times, and when he was approached for further investigation, the male grabbed the officer by the throat, knocked him from his patrol bicycle and assaulted him. The 29-year-old suspect with a Center City address was arrested and charged with assault and related offenses. ■
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Tensions ease over college’s gay-marriage course By Kelly Heyboer The Associated Press SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — It is the class that wasn’t supposed to happen. In the basement of Jubilee Hall at Seton Hall University, 24 undergraduates meet twice a week for a course known as “Special Topics in Political Theory: Gay Marriage.” Most of the tension that surrounded the first few weeks of class has disappeared. The security guard who stood outside the door the first week is gone. The death threats against the professor have died down. But a few students still haven’t told their families they are taking Seton Hall’s most talked-about and controversial course. “A couple of students said they are not going to tell their parents they are taking a class like this because they don’t want the controversy,” said W. King Mott, the associate professor teaching the course. “But it’s a very lively class.” The three-credit course made headlines last spring when Newark Archbishop John J. Myers questioned whether a Catholic university should be teaching students about a topic the church opposes. “The course is not in sync with Catholic teaching,” Myers said at the time. Seton Hall’s board of trustees, which includes Myers, convened a committee over the summer to look into the proposed course. For a time, many on the South Orange campus assumed the class would be canceled. But when the semester started, Mott was permitted by Seton Hall administrators to teach the class over the objections of the church. Mott, who is one of Seton Hall’s few openly gay professors, spent weeks fielding “hate-filled emails and phone calls” from antigay and pro-Catholic protesters around the country who opposed the class. Several of the threats were specific enough to notify South Orange police, and a security guard was briefly assigned to his classroom door, he said. Though the class has gone on
without incident, Seton Hall officials have repeatedly declined to publicly discuss the controversy surrounding the course. Seton Hall also declined to allow The New Jersey Star-Ledger to observe or photograph the gay-marriage class or interview students, though the university has regularly allowed media coverage of undergraduate classes in the past. “To allow press presence in a small class on a sensitive topic about which there is significant public debate could stifle the atmosphere of freedom of discussion that Seton Hall faculty aspire to create and preserve for their students,” said a statement released by Seton Hall Provost Larry Robinson’s office.
“A couple of students said they are not going to tell their parents they are taking a class like this because they don’t want the controversy.” W. KING MOTT, Seton Hall University associate professor
Church officials also declined to discuss the gay-marriage class, except to say Myers still believes Seton Hall should not offer the course. “His position has not changed,” said James Goodness, Myers’ spokesperson. Mott has a reputation of clashing with church officials on gayrights issues. In 2005, he was demoted from his post as associate dean of Seton Hall’s College of Arts and Sciences after The Star-Ledger printed his letter challenging the church’s view on homosexuality. The veteran professor said he designed the gay-marriage course
to explore a public-policy issue, not to advocate for one side. Mott is in a civil union with his partner, who works in real estate. The couple have four daughters — a 21-year-old junior in college in New York and 17-year-old triplets in high school. The gay-marriage class includes a mix of gay and straight students and a few undergraduates who oppose some aspects of samesex marriage, the professor said. But class discussions have always been respectful. “No one is demonizing gay people,” Mott said. Students have read several books on the history of marriage and studied the gay-marriage court case in California. They will end the semester by taking a final exam and writing an ethnography — a paper describing what it was like for them to take the controversial class. Mott hopes to have the student papers published. The course also has included guest lecturers, including a speaker who is in a gay marriage and an attorney who deals with legal issues related to same-sex unions. Hudson Taylor, an assistant wrestling coach at Columbia University and an activist for gay equality in college sports, spoke to the class last month. The former All-American wrestler lectured about being a heterosexual athlete working in the gay-rights movement. “It was a great experience to be able to sit down, to really get some insight and perspective on what these kids’ questions are,” Taylor said. Despite the controversy, Mott plans to teach the class again next fall. Under Seton Hall’s rules, if a special-topics class is taught three times, the professor can propose it become a permanent class. Mott said he would like to have the gay-marriage class offered every year as long as the issue is part of the national debate. “People can demonize me all they want to,” he said. “The important thing is to examine the idea.” ■
PGN
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
Editorial Raw deal It was announced as a done deal. After years of wrangling, two lawsuits, backroom deals and broached agreements, the city and the Scouts had a deal on the table. Last Wednesday, City Solicitor Shelley Smith and Cradle of Liberty attorney Sandra Girifalco announced they had an agreement that “resolves the lawsuit, saves the City $1 million and gives the Scouts the opportunity to buy the headquarters they have been in for 80 years.” The statement continued, “We understand an ordinance regarding the sale of the building will be introduced in City Council on Thursday, Nov. 18.” Except the councilmember apparently expected to undertake that task, Darrell Clarke, introduced neither an ordinance nor a resolution. Clarke, whose district encompasses the building that the Scouts council occupies, isn’t on board with the proposed settlement yet. Neither are the LGBT activists who have repeatedly asked the city to end its decades-old agreement that allows the Scouts to stay in the building at 231-251 N. 22nd St. free of charge. Essentially, activists argue, allowing the Scouts to stay in the building rent-free rewards them for violating the city’s nondiscrimination law. Yes, the U.S. Supreme Court said the Scouts, as a private group, could exclude gays and atheists. But that doesn’t mean the city is required to subsidize their bad behavior and forego potential income. The settlement announced by the city solicitor and the Scouts attorney said the Cradle of Liberty would move any traditional Scouting activities out of the building within three months and they agreed on a purchase price of $1.1 million, discounted to $500,000 if the Scouts purchase in 2012 or $600,000 if they purchase in 2013. If the Scouts do not buy the property by 2013, they agreed to vacate it. The discounted price was based on the Scouts asking for nearly $1 million in legal fees, on which the judge has not yet ruled. One of the more interesting occurrences in the wake of this case has been how the mainstream media has reported on it. More than one media outlet reported the (now-stalled) agreement as a done deal. More than one media outlet has spread the fallacy that the Scouts pay $1 a year in rent (there is no dollar figure in the original 1928 ordinance, and no record of any payments, ever). Media outlets have also reported that a jury ruled in favor of the Scouts earlier this year, a half-truth. Yes, the jury found in favor of the Scouts in one of the counts it considered, and found in favor of the city in the other two. And finally, media outlets have perpetuated the idea that the city owes the Scouts some $900,000 in legal fees, which the judge hasn’t actually ruled on yet, as he was waiting to see if the two sides could come to an agreement. The city negotiated a settlement that appears to assume that it lost the lawsuit with the Boy Scouts, which isn’t the case. The two sides need to return to the negotiating table and consider having a more transparent process — so they can reach an agreement the community, the neighborhood and city government can support. ■
Creep of the Week
D’Anne Witkowski
Peter LaBarbera Have you ever been at an airport looking around at all of the harried travelers in flip-flops and sweatpants stuffing their faces with dinner-platesized Cinnabons and thought to yourself, “If only there was a job that would pay me to grope these people?” Well, it’s your lucky day. There is such a job. As an agent of the Transportation Security Administration, you’ll get to participate in the new “enhanced” pat-downs that include genital touching. The thing is, if you’re female, you can only grope ladies. If you’re male, you can only grope guys. In other words, it’s the perfect job for homos! Now, no doubt and obviously, gays and lesbians are quitting their jobs and unemployed homos are throwing down their “Will Work for Groping Privileges” signs and flocking to their local TSA hiring offices saying, “Sign me up! Hell, I’ll do it for free!” Unfortunately, Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality wants to ruin the fun by raising the alarm on homosexual America’s TSA grope party. Pointing out that “pat-downs” on passengers are done by a TSA agent of the same sex, LaBarbera asks, “But what about homosexual TSA agents? Isn’t it just as inappropriate for a ‘gay’ male TSA agent to pat-down male travelers as it is for a normal, heterosexual male TSA agent to pat-down
female travelers?” Good question. Never mind the invasiveness of the TSA’s new procedures: The real issue is that God-loving heterosexuals don’t want sex-crazed homosexuals rooting around in their ass cracks in the name of security. “The reality is, most traveling men would not want Barney Frank to pat them down at the airport security checkpoint,” LaBarbera added. “Neither would it be fair to assign Ellen DeGeneres to pat-down female travelers.” He’s right. Most travelers probably wouldn’t want Frank and DeGeneres doing their pat-downs because passengers would be all, “Hey, aren’t you wildly overqualified for this job? Don’t you have a legislation to write or a TV show to tape?” Actually, no offense to Frank, but I think a lot of women actually wouldn’t mind DeGeneres doing their pat-down if only because she might make the experience pretty hilarious rather than humiliating and degrading. Using TSA officers of the same sex as the passenger getting the pat-down, is “to assure the public that sexual tension will be taken out of the equation,” said LaBarbera. “Hence, we must take seriously the self-identified desires of homosexuals. ‘Gay’ men define themselves as being sexually attracted to other men. Lesbians are sexually attracted to women. And bisexuals are
attracted to both.” Thanks for the human-sexuality lesson, LaBarbera. Very informative. There’s something I think LaBarbera doesn’t understand, however. When he says, for example, that “lesbians are sexually attracted to women,” he seems to mean that lesbians are attracted to all women. Anyone with a vagina will do. Same with gay men and penises. LaBarbera poses: “Is it fair to travelers who may end up getting ‘groped’ by homosexual TSA agents who are secretly getting turned on through the process?” This, of course, is only happening in LaBarbera’s wild imagination. But seeing gays and lesbians as anything other than sex-crazed perverts who get a secret thrill every time they touch the underwire of your gram’s bra or paw at your dad’s nut sack would ruin LaBarbera’s narrative where homosexuals are lurking everywhere, waiting to pounce on you and your privates. The only solution, of course, is to do away with all homosexual TSA employees. Of course, then you have homosexual travelers “secretly getting turned on” via TSA grope. So you’ll have to ban them, too. And with no homos flying or working in airports, well, I suppose they could always go Gayhound. ■ D’Anne Witkowski is a Detroit-based freelance writer and poet (believe it!).
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
Mark My Words Mark Segal No, really — shut up, Pope As I’ve said time and again, Pope Benedict is the pope that just keeps on giving. Last week, he made a new pronouncement on condoms. Basically, they may be used to stop AIDS. When asked for an example, he actually said, “Like male prostitutes.” Kids, you can’t make this stuff up. This of course follows his last attempt to discuss condoms, about a year and a half ago during a trip to Africa. That trip and his position prompted me to write a column titled, “Shut up, Pope,” in the April 24-30, 2009 edition. To my amazement, it won the SNA column of the year. Nothing has changed, so for those of you who have asked, here is the 2009 column of the year once more.
Shut up, Pope
You read that correctly, and let me reiterate: Pope Benedict, shut up. Why use such harsh language? Well, this is not the first newspaper to use that phrase. Keep reading and you might be surprised. The Associated Press reported last week that Pope Benedict XVI said last month that condoms weren’t the answer to Africa’s AIDS epidemic and could make the problem worse, drawing criticism from many sides. “France, Germany, the U.N. AIDS-fighting agency and the British medical journal The Lancet criticized the comments as irresponsible and dangerous. The Belgian parliament passed a resolution calling them ‘unacceptable’ and demanding that the government officially protest.” Belgium’s ambassador to the Holy See lodged the formal protest April 15, prompting a strongly worded Vatican statement April 17. Criticizing the Belgian vote, the Vatican said it deplored “the fact that a parliamentary assembly
should have thought it appropriate to criticize the Holy Father on the basis of an isolated extract from an interview, separated from its context.” The Vatican statement said the remarks had been “used by some groups with a clear intent to intimidate, as if to dissuade the Pope from expressing himself on certain themes of obvious moral relevance and from teaching the Church’s doctrine.” This is the same pope who, as a youth, was a Nazi, the same pope who along with his predecessor tried to conceal the extent of child molestation by its clergy and has, in his short tenure, infuriated Arabs, Jews, women, gays and now medical professionals. With this statement, he insults the world’s collective intelligence with his shrill stupidity on a major health issue of life-and-death importance in Africa, not to mention the entire planet. As numerous health professionals have said, his words harmed the efforts to educate people about HIV/AIDS. And as all intelligent people know, education is the only safeguard regarding HIV/AIDS. Now to the title of this column: It goes back to 1975 when, after testifying for Philadelphia’s gayrights bill, homophobic City Council President George Schwartz asked me as many insulting questions as possible. He finished with, “By gay, do you mean you do it with parakeets?” Yes, folks, that’s what it was like fighting for gay rights in the 1970s. His stupidity was addressed by an editorial in the Daily News titled, “Shut Up, George.” So, in the spirit of and as a tribute to my good friends at the Daily News, I’m proud to point out stupidity, ignorance and intolerance and say, “Shut up, Pope.” ■
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Street Talk What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
Lauren Dougherty nurse Society Hill
Joseph Girandola university professor Bella Vista
“Green-bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup, fried onions on top sprinkled with breadcrumbs to get an au-gratin effect. I love vegetables. The combination of green beans and mushrooms creates a savory taste.”
“Scottiglia. It’s roasted rabbit in a Bolognese red sauce. The rabbit is cut into cubes and roasted in an oven. The whole dish is served over crusted bread. It’s referred to as a peasant’s dish in our family.”
Ashley Mayer speech therapist New York City
Jenny Sojat teacher Vancouver, Canada
“Sweet-potato casserole with marshmallows on top. Serve it with mulled wine. It’s a spicy wine with cinnamon bark, nutmeg, cranberries and orange grind. Serve it warm.”
“Homemade pumpkin cheesecake. The crust is made with almonds, brown sugar and graham crackers. You must add bourbon when you’re blending the cheese and pumpkin together. It’s pure bliss.”
Mark Segal is PGN publisher. He is the nation’s mostaward-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 “Letters and Feedback,” Nov. 19-25:
sense, at least in a cultural way. I am heartened to hear that a passerby intervened along with your friends. It is one concrete sign that not everyone is swayed by the culture that encourages gay panic. — KHG
Dear Alexander: I’m sorry to hear about your assault. Your response shows tremendous strength and is inspiring. Will this be prosecuted as a hate crime? Wishing you continued strength. — Andy Garland
In response to “Weiss sentenced to house arrest, fine,” Nov. 19-25:
Alexander, Thank you for writing about your terrible experience in Rittenhouse. It’s important for other Philadelphians to know exactly when and how homophobia works in our city. The gay-panic defense never makes sense. It is crazy in that
Yea, St. Michael and arcangel Tre, such humanitarians, with $1.6M still missing, they should pay for more than one person’s mortgage. The feds need to look at the books of their other businesses. Probably the $1.6M is in Billy’s basement. — Pedron
What a creep. He should have gotten jail time like anyone else and it’s no surprise, he also lies about how much Woody’s makes as well. They should really look into this; he’s cheating the government out of millions. Get him! — Joeshmo Nothing shocking here. Every restaurant business owner understates the amount of money they make, especially when it comes to cash. The only thing shocking is that the charge stems from tax filings at the Palmer Social Club. No one goes there and it is barely See FEEDBACK, Page 20
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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40 pct of health money wasted By Maria Cheng The Associated Press
REMEMBERING THE DISCUSSION: Andrea Harrington, Community PROMISE Coordinator at The Colours Organization Inc., was one of several people who took the podium at Colours Nov. 20 for the agency’s Transgender Day of Remembrance observance. About 50 people attended, and Soda Nobuhle, one of the organizers of the citywide TDOR events, said the discussion was a productive one. “I really appreciated the reflections on issues of race and age and class and gender, and I think Colours did that really well,” she said. Photo: Scott A. Drake
LONDON — Health-care systems worldwide are wasting up to 40 percent of their funds, but more money is needed to boost their capabilities, according to a new report from the World Health Organization. In an analysis of how countries pay for health and what they get in return, the United Nations agency concluded that, despite these losses, even more funds need to be invested in health care. The report was released on Monday at an international conference on health financing in Berlin. Of the approximately $5.3 trillion the world spends on health care every year, about $300 billion disappears in mistakes or corruption, according to European Health Care Fraud and Corruption Network, quoted in the report. Up to a quarter of the money governments are supposedly using to buy drugs is somehow lost along the way, costing developed countries up to $23 billion a year, the report said.
WHO says some countries pay almost double what they should for drugs and that at least half of the medical equipment in poor countries is unusable. Much of the medical equipment donated to developing countries is also useless, it said. “In some countries, almost 80 percent of health-care equipment comes from international donors or foreign governments, much of it remaining idle,” the report says. It said most of the medical equipment shipped to the Gaza Strip after 2009 simply sat in warehouses. Some experts, however, questioned WHO’s calls for more health donations. “How do you make an impassioned plea for spending more money when we’re wasting so much?” asked William Easterly, a foreign-aid expert at New York University. He said much of the problem in developing countries is that while donors have spent billions on things like drugs, vaccines and malaria bednets, little has been spent on the health workers needed to distribute them.
“Medicines and vaccines don’t administer themselves,” Easterly said. He also criticized U.N. agencies and major donors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who have mostly avoided investing in health systems, preferring instead to build separate programs for illnesses like malaria, polio and AIDS. “That is like doing aerial bombing at 35,000 feet without knowing what you’re hitting on the ground,” Easterly said. “But investing in medicines for AIDS and malaria makes for much better publicity than investing in health systems.” David Evans, WHO’s director of health-systems financing, said the focus on disease-specific programs was partly because of the U.N.’s goals to significantly cut poverty and improve health in poor countries by 2015. “The international community focused on raising new money and channeling it to what it thought was appropriate,” Evans said. “It’s only [been] since about 2005 there’s been an increasing awareness this is not going to get people to where they want to get.” ■
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Transgender Houston attorney becomes a judge By Brian Rogers The Associated Press HOUSTON — Thirty years ago, Phyllis Frye, a longtime activist for LGBT causes, could have been arrested for wearing women’s clothing in the Houston City Council chamber. Frye, a transgender Houston attorney born as Phillip Frye, fought back tears last week as the mayor appointed her to a municipal bench in the same room where she helped repeal Houston’s “crossdressing ordinance” in 1980. “I almost started crying, because I remembered 31 years ago, in that very same chamber, I was subject to arrest,” Frye said. The 63-year-old will hear traffic ticket cases and other low-level misdemeanor trials. Municipal judges are not elected, she noted. Frye said she would be the first transgender judge in Texas. She knows of at least two transgender judges in other parts of the country. Frye applied for the position several months ago and was vetted before being appointed by Mayor Annise Parker last Wednesday with seven other new associate judges. “I think she’s a great addition to our judiciary,” the mayor said. “I’m
DISBANDING From Page 1 LGBT-inclusive. Last week’s vote marked the first time a nondiscrimination ordinance was repealed in the state. Elsewhere, the Hatboro Council voted 4-3 Nov. 22 to approve an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance and create a local humanrelations commission to investigate discrimination complaints. Ted Martin, executive director of Equality Pennsylvania, which also worked to counter the commissioners’ proposal, said Lancaster’s action sets a bad precedent. “I think the most troubling part of the whole thing is that I have to wonder if this can be used as the beginning of a larger assault on local ordinances. The argument was made that this was for cost-containing purposes. Well, plenty of places that have these ordinances are having financial challenges, so I think that’s something the community needs to be aware of,” he said. “I don’t want
very proud I was able to nominate her, and she agreed to serve.” Frye joins 43 other associate municipal judges and 22 full-time municipal judges. “I don’t want to underplay this, because I understand it is very significant,” Frye said. “But I don’t want to overplay it either. I don’t want people to think I am anything other than an associate municipal court judge.” Three decades ago, Frye volunteered at City Hall when she worked to repeal an ordinance that allowed police to arrest men in women’s clothes and lesbians wearing fly-front jeans. “Things have changed, and it’s pretty wonderful,” Frye said. A graduate of Texas A&M, Frye was an Eagle Scout and an Aggie cadet. She also was a husband and a father. Frye has practiced criminal defense law in Houston since 1986. She now heads a six-lawyer firm and has parlayed her expertise in LGBT legal issues into a storied legal career — the latest chapter of which is her representation of Nikki Araguz, a transgender Wharton, Texas, widow embroiled in a legal battle to receive part of her firefighter husband’s death benefits. ■ to be alarmist and don’t think this is something that’s about to spread like wildfire, but people need to understand that this is out here.” Despite the outcome of the vote, Martin noted that the initiative to prevent the repeal was able to energize and unify residents. “If anything good came out of this, it was that a lot of different groups of people came together to say that this was wrong and that this was an embarrassment, everyone from the average citizen to religious groups to the chamber of commerce,” Martin said. The commissioners are up for reelection next year, and Marin said activists are ready. “In the primary, and if necessary in the general election, we’re going to make sure people remember what these two commissioners did,” he said. The commission will officially shut down Dec. 17, and eight employees will be laid off. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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International News Anti-gay texts in British schools Thousands of Muslim children in the United Kingdom are being taught the Saudi national curriculum with textbooks that contain homophobic and anti-Semitic lessons, according to a BBC documentary. The BBC reported that BBC Panorama found that more than 40 Saudi Students’ Schools and Clubs are teaching the official Saudi national curriculum to about 5,000 pupils. While the Saudi government denied any official ties to the schools, the BBC reported that the Saudi government owns one London building where the textbooks were found, and that the Saudi embassy oversees the network of schools. According to the BBC, “One of the textbooks asks children to list the ‘reprehensible’ qualities of Jewish people. A text for younger children asks what happens to someone who dies who is not a believer in Islam: The answer given in the textbook is ‘hellfire.’” Another text describes the punishment for gay sex as death and states a difference of opinion about whether it should be carried out by stoning, burning with fire
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
Larry Nichols Group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Citizenship. Activists are demanding a thorough investigation of the attack on Luiz, and calling for Brazil’s Senate to pass a law banning discrimination based on sexual identity or orientation.
or throwing the person over a cliff. In a book for 14-year-olds, Sharia law and its punishment for theft are explained, including detailed diagrams about how hands and feet of thieves are amputated. The Saudi embassy said the materials were being taken out of context and often referred to historical descriptions.
Gay coffins for sale
Suspects held in Rio shooting The Brazilian army is holding two soldiers in connection with the shooting of a young gay man following Rio de Janeiro’s pride parade. An army statement says one of the suspects acknowledged shooting 19-year-old student Douglas Igor Marques Luiz. The two sergeants were arrested last Thursday and will be questioned by police. Luiz claimed he was with friends at the Arpoador, a rocky outcrop between Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, Nov. 14 when three men in military uniforms approached. The 19-year-old said they told everyone to leave, but held him back and started verbally abusing him. The aggression escalated and he was shot once in the stomach. The army initially denied any involvement.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Men kiss during the annual gay-pride parade on Nov. 14 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Elsewhere that day, the shooting of a gay 19-year-old by men in military uniforms has drawn attention to a country generally seen as gay-friendly. According to Rio Sem Homofobia, a gay-rights organization, there were 600 complaints of anti-LGBT violence last year. AP Photo: Silvia Izquierdo
Luiz was treated and released at a local hospital. The shooting created particular attention because it came at a moment when Brazil’s LGBT community was holding its biggest celebration. Advocates called the shooting an example of lingering homophobic attitudes that mar the city’s reputation for tolerance. LGBT tourists make up one quarter of Rio’s approximately 3 million international visitors every year, and the gay-pride march
drew nearly a million participants, organizers estimated. Despite Rio’s reputation as a gay-friendly and sexually uninhibited place where anything goes, there have been 600 complaints of anti-LGBT violence in the last year just in Rio state. “We’ve gotten very far, but we need more political will to really improve conditions for the LGBT community in Brazil,” said Julio Moreira, president of the advocacy organization Grupo Arco-Iris de Cidadania LGBT, the Rainbow
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Two German undertakers are offering coffins designed with nude male images to appeal specifically to the gay market. Cologne-based Thomas Brandl and his 34-year-old business partner Michael Koenigsfeld say they are expanding into the gay market to satisfy the increasing number of special requests from same-sex couples they have received. “We believe you should be able to have a coffin that lets you embark on your last journey in a way that reflects how you lived your life,” Brandl says. “People are really interested because it’s so unique. Reactions have been very positive so far.” In a statement, the two men said, “Even though the Lord Mayor of Berlin, the vice-chancellor and many others openly admit to being homosexual nowadays, marginal groups still face prejudices and bureaucratic hurdles.” The pair also sell coffins and urns in rainbow colors and offer burials around a tree reserved exclusively for gay people. The coffins cost approximately $2,300.
Homophobia fueled by gay priests A German theologian says that much of the homophobia in the Catholic Church can be traced to the large number of gay priests who are attempting to suppress their sexual orientation. David Berger, an expert on St. Thomas Aquinas and former publisher of a Catholic magazine, called on the church to acknowledge its many gay priests and change its teaching on homosexuality in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine. “It must be acknowledged that a large number of Catholic clerics and trainee priests in Europe and the United States are homosexually inclined,” said Berger. He added, “The worst homo-
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phobia in the Catholic Church comes from homophile priests, who are desperately fighting their own sexuality. Obviously, those who follow their urges are repudiated more fiercely when one is so painfully repressing that disposition oneself.” Berger, who is gay, recalled spending time in conservative Catholic circles with upper-class Germans who praised Hitler for imprisoning and murdering gay people in concentration camps. Now a teacher near Cologne, he has written a book, “Der heilig Schein [The Holy Illusion],” which tells the story about his experiences with the church.
Violence ends St. Petersburg event A gay-rights demonstration in St. Petersburg, the first such statesanctioned event to be held in Russia, was greeted by egg-throwing protesters on Nov. 20. Orthodox Christians and other radicals tried to break up the march, which lasted less than one hour due to the violence. Antigay demonstrators threw eggs and shouted insults, leading to the arrest of 10 people. The dozen or so gay-rights
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
marchers were outnumbered by protesters including older women and skinheads. Last month, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the repeated bans on gay-pride parades in Moscow violated the European Human Rights Convention.
U.N. ends lesbian, gay protections A United Nations General Assembly panel dropped a specific reference protecting gays in a resolution condemning executions. Every two years, the panel passes a resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions. In 2008, the resolution included a reference to killings due to sexual orientation. In fact, it has included such a reference for the past 10 years. This year, however, Morocco and Mali introduced an amendment on behalf of Muslim and African countries that replaced the term “sexual orientation” with “discriminatory reasons on any basis.” The resolution does specify that it condemns targeted attacks on racial, national, ethnic, religious, linguistic and other groups. Many Western delegations,
including the U.S., expressed their disappointment at the amendment and also voted against it. A British statement to the panel said: “The subject of this amendment — the need for prompt and thorough investigations of all killing, including those committed for ... sexual orientation — exists in this resolution simply because it is a continuing cause for concern.” The amendment eventually passed by a slim margin of 79-70, and the U.N. General Assembly committee approved the final resolution with 165 in favor and 10 abstentions. Countries that voted to remove sexual orientation from the condemnation resolution included Iran, Nigeria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Uganda, where homosexuality is criminalized and even a capital offense in some cases. The resolution is now expected to be formally adopted in December. A Human Rights Watch spokesperson, Philippe Bolopion, said, “It’s a step backward and it’s extremely disappointing that some countries felt the need to remove the reference to sexual orientation, when sexual orientation is the very reason why so many people around the world have been subjected to violence.”
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Pope relaxes views on condoms Sexual-health charities, politicians and gay-rights advocates have welcomed what appears to be a relaxation in Pope Benedict XVI’s opposition to condoms. In an interview for an upcoming book, the pope argued that, in some cases, the use of condoms is the first step in the direction of “moralization” of an individual. In 2009, the pope told journalists on a flight to Cameroon that HIV/ AIDS was “a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems.” But recently, speaking to a German journalist Peter Sewall for his “Light of the World” book, the pope said, “There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the
evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality.” In a clarifying statement, the chief spokesperson for the Vatican, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the comments by the pope do not indicate “reforms or changes” to church teaching, which forbids the use of condoms. “With this, the pope isn’t reforming or changing the teaching of the church, but reaffirming it, putting it in the context of the value and the dignity of human sexuality as expression of love and responsibility,” he said. Nevertheless, Lisa Power of U.K. sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust said, “We’re relieved that the pope has accepted the reality that condoms are a major weapon in the fight against HIV.” Gay-rights advocate Peter Tatchell said the pope “seems to be admitting, for the first time, that using condoms can be morally responsible if they help save lives ... Benedict seems to realize that his unrelenting, blanket opposition to condoms has damaged his own authority and that of the church.” ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
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On Being Well
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
Judy Morrissey
Surviving — and even enjoying — the holidays The holidays can be a stressful time for LGBTQ people and their families, but there are several strategies that you can use to help reduce stress and enjoy a happy holiday this year. If you are LGBTQ, don’t assume you know how somebody will react to news of your sexual orientation or gender identity — you may be surprised. The hectic holiday pace may cause family members to act differently than they would under less stressful conditions. Remember that “coming out” is a continuous process. You may have to “come out” many times. Don’t wait for your family’s attitude to change to have a special holiday. Recognize that it takes time for people to adjust to all sorts of changes. It took you time to come to terms with who you are; your family and friends may need time of their own. Let your family’s judgments be theirs to work on, as long as they are kind to you. If it’s too difficult to be with your family, create your own holiday gathering with friends and loved ones. The bottom line should be concern for your emotional health. Before the visit Make a decision about being “out” to each family member before you visit. If you are partnered, discuss in advance how you will talk about your relationship or show affection with one another. If you
FEEDBACK From Page 11 ever open. I’d imagine sales at the Palmer are probably 20-30 percent (generously) of what they are at either Woody’s or Voyeur, which are both cash-only operations. The bars in the Gayborhood aren’t cash only because they want to ensure fast, efficient service to all of us homos. They want to maximize their profits because it is so easy to understate earnings when everything is done with cash. Meanwhile, $1.6 million is paltry compared to the amount of money that has probably been underreported at Woody’s and Voyeur for many years. How
bring your partner home, don’t wait until late into the holiday evening to raise the issue of sleeping arrangements. Make plans in advance. Have alternate plans if the situation becomes difficult at home. Find out about local LGBTQ resources. If you do plan to come out to your family over the holidays, have support available, possibly including PFLAG publications and the number of a local PFLAG chapter. During the visit Focus on common interests. Reassure family members that you are still the same person they’ve always known. If you are partnered, be sensitive to his or her needs as well as your own. Remember to affirm yourself. Realize that you don’t need your family’s approval. Connect with someone else who is LGBTQ or someone who cares — by phone or in person — who understands what you are going through and will affirm you along the way. Often people try to counter emotional strain by overindulging in food or drink or placing still further demands on themselves by going to bigger and more elaborate efforts to ensure their holidays are the best ever. Consider engaging some of these strategies to avoid the holiday blues:
You may be feeling out of sync with the season’s “jollier” aspects because of something going on in your life. When you feel down, avoid critical self-perceptions and instead try to articulate the understanding you need from those around you. —Limit predictable sources of stress: If you feel the annual trappings of shopping, decorating, cooking and attending social events risk becoming overwhelming, use discretion and limit your commitments. — Don’t fall prey to commercial hype: You can show love and caring in lots of thoughtful ways that don’t cost a lot and that make the holidays all the more meaningful and personal. — Get together with friends and family members: As much as possible, share the holidays with friends and family members in person, as well as by phone, e-mail and mail. If you’ve recently suffered the loss of someone close, spend time with friends and family members with whom you can share warm memories.
— Keep your expectations for the holiday season manageable: Be realistic about what you can and cannot do — as well as what you want to do and don’t want to do.
— Join a social group: Feelings of loneliness and isolation can often be remedied by participating in activities with others. You might consider looking into groups affiliated with your local church, museum, library or community center.
— Remember the holiday season does not banish reasons for feeling sad or lonely:
— Engage in volunteer activity: Helping others is a pretty foolproof method of
could you possibly account for such a heavy volume of cash? Why would you report every cent if you could get away with it? He’s just an idiot for being too greedy and getting caught. If this outrages you in the slightest, try taking it out on them by arranging a slip-and-fall accident in one of their bathrooms. Chances are, if you’re reading this post, you’ve spent enough money at these bars in your lifetime to justify a little kickback. Chances are, they never told the government about your money in the first place. So technically, it’s still yours. — MLos1 In response to “Second person arrested in Omni murder,” Nov. 19-25:
I’m curious about why you listed the date, time and room number for these people’s arraignments. — jasmine1376 Glad to see you posted the dates and times, many may want to be active citizens and show our support of the prosecutors on this case. I wonder what “Peaches’” legal name is, doubt the man is named that. Funny that even the reporter is still buying what he told his family. He stayed there when he had “early morning meetings.” We all know there is no traffic in town before 8 a.m.; he had other intentions. “Tranny Hookers” on the menu at Omni now? — PogMoThoinPhilly
PGN
making the holidays feel more meaningful. From food banks to senior centers, there are many volunteer organizations that need extra help during this time of year. — Enjoy activities that are free: Financial strain can be the cause of added holiday stress, so think about driving or walking around to admire holiday decorations, going window shopping, making a snowperson, attending free concerts, etc. — Don’t abandon healthful habits: Many of the season’s parties and social gatherings include alcohol, but be aware that excessive drinking will only contribute to or increase feelings of overwhelm or depression. Alcohol is not an antidepressant and, in fact, often worsens mood. — Make the time to get physical exercise: Exercising, such as aerobics, walking, skiing, hiking, yoga or swimming, can help burn away a lot of stress as well as the extra calories of holiday meals. — Remember that life brings changes: As families change and grow, traditions often need to adapt to the new configurations. While you can hold on to certain family rituals, understand that each holiday season is different and can be enjoyed in its own way. ■ Judy Morrissey is the behavioral health services director for Mazzoni Center, the region’s only LGBT-specific health center.
In response to “Two murder cases spotlight trans community,” Nov. 12-18: “Police said this week they were still unclear how Brady, a married father from the suburbs, knew Burton.” This sentence in your article implies that white, married, suburban men should not and could not ever have reason to know a black, trans, young woman from the big bad city. Your biases are showing, PGN. — jasmine1376 To Jasmine 1376: I’m a black man and the first thing running through any sane person’s mind would be why does this suburban father of three know
a transvestite with 38 arrests. As soon as I heard the story about an older gentleman being killed in his room before there was any mention of suspects, I said this had to be a transsexual prostitute. 1) He had to know the person, 2) they had to be strong enough to overpower him (not likely a natural woman) and 3) most likely a prostitute. No one lets a stranger into their room at that time of night for coffee and tea or conversation, and definitely not a suburban professional married father — unless it’s for some shady activity. This has nothing to do with bias: This is simply being an aware human/citizen of the world. — hbb
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Obituary Jon Paul Hammond, Prevention Point co-founder, 50 By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Jon Paul Hammond, a longtime harmreduction activist and the co-founder of the city’s needle-exchange program, died Nov. 5 of a drug overdose at age 50. Hammond, a native of Philadelphia, was one of the founders of Prevention Point Philadelphia, which launched in the early 1990s to allow injection-drug users to swap used needles for clean ones in an attempt to reduce the spread of diseases like HIV. Hammond, who identified as pansexual, was HIV-positive and struggled with drug use for many years. He grew up in Northern Liberties and attended Friends World College in New York. While at a student conference in college, he met Wende Marshall, who would become his future wife twice. “He was a wonderful and amazing man, but he was also quite a pain sometimes and we really went through a journey since I was 21,” Marshall said. “But I loved him.” The two were friends for several years before eventually becoming lovers. After he graduated, Hammond was hired as the student executive of his Quaker-run alma mater. His father died in 1989 and the two moved to Philadelphia, where they lived next door to Hammond’s mother. Marshall said Hammond became very involved in ACT UP once back in Philadelphia, and worked with the other members to create Prevention Point.
Jose Benitez, current executive director of Prevention Point, said Hammond’s work to get the a g e n cy o ff t h e ground proved invaluable. “He was one of the few people who at the early days of the epidemic, when HIV was just running rampant from the IV-drug-using community, stood up and said that we need something like a syringe exchange,” Benitez said. “He was responsible for saving the lives of countless people.” Hammond was influential in raising awareness among the political world about harm reduction, pressing then-Mayor Rendell to sign the executive order allowing drug users to carry syringes. Hammond and Marshall married in 1992, but Marshall left him three years later when his drug use became too intense, she said. Hammond spent time living in California, working with HIV/AIDS activists and researchers in San Francisco on harmreduction and overdose-prevention efforts. Dr. Lauretta Grau, associate research scientist at the Yale School of Public Health, met Hammond in 1997 and said that, while his passion was activism, he was also an exemplary researcher. “He was on a multi-site project we
were doing of active injectors as part of our research field team, and he was a very wonderful, careful, systematic researcher,” he said. “He did a lot of epidemiological research for us and was a wonderful, wonderful colleague. He was reliable, he was fastidious and he was organized. He was an extremely bright man.” Last year, Hammond, who had moved back to Philadelphia, called Marshall and said he believed he wasn’t going to live much longer. The two began spending time together again and remarried Sept. 5, 2009. “He came back into my life after 14 years, and he had asked me to help him die, but I said, ‘OK, but let’s see if we can figure out how to live.’ So that’s what we did,” she said. “He started taking anti-retrovirals and he bloomed.” Marshall was teaching at the University of Virginia, but after several months of a long-distance relationship, moved back to Philadelphia this past summer. She said that although her husband tried hard to keep his drug use under control, its effect on him became more apparent to her once she was living with him again. Marshall noted Hammond’s drug use stemmed from the same place that fueled his passion for fighting for marginalized communities. “He was an exquisitely sensitive man who felt the pain of the world very intensely. Some people can notice pain and keep on going, but for him all the pain of the world was felt internally; that wasn’t something
he could externalize,” she said. “He wasn’t a saint or anything, he was also a super-big pain in the ass. He just wanted the wretched of the earth to be heard. He thought that the most oppressed should be part of the process and he wanted people accepted without stigma.” A memorial service was held Nov. 14 at Arch Street Friends Meeting House, where Hammond was an active member. Marshall said during the service, several people spoke about the enduring nature of Hammond’s work, which she said he worried people would never appreciate. “One of the last things he said to me was that people can’t recognize his contributions because they’ve been overshadowed by his drug use,” she said. “But at the service, people got up and talked about how many lives he saved. He saved so many lives through his work in San Francisco and then through Prevention Point here in Philadelphia. We’ll never really know just how many people were saved because of him.” In addition to Marshall, Hammond is survived by mother Rochelle Sinclair Hammond, brother Martyn Luther Hammond, niece Savannah and many other relatives and friends. Donations can be sent to the Jon Paul Hammond Memorial Fund, c/o The Harm Reduction Coalition, 22 W. 27th St., fifth floor, New York City, NY 10001. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.
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SETTLEMENT From Page 1 the first time in Philadelphia that publicly owned land is sold to avoid compliance with anti-bias rules — and Clarke acknowledged concern about such a precedent. Before any real-estate transaction can be voted on by City Council, the City Planning Commission must be given 30 days to offer a recommendation. Gary J. Jastzrab, executive director of the nine-member commission, said it’s too early to say what, if any, recommendation the commission would make. A public hearing also must be held by a committee of City Council, and the proposal must be given two public hearings before the entire body, before a final vote is taken. City Council members interviewed briefly by PGN declined to give specific opinions about the controversy, but they all noted their commitment to nondiscrimination. “I think we would all like to keep our city, state and world as bias-free as possible,” said City Councilman Frank Rizzo Jr. C o u n c i l m a n Wi l l i a m K . Greenlee expressed confidence that he and his colleagues wouldn’t act hastily, and would keep in mind the long-term public interest. “I thought the Scouts should have been thrown out of that building a long time ago,” Greenlee said, but he also noted the reality of the jury verdict. In June, after an eight-day trial, federal jurors said the city has a right to set anti-bias rules for the building, but that it placed an “unconstitutional condition” on the Scouts when it asked them to comply with the rules. Greenlee questioned whether the Scouts would agree to any settlement that permanently precluded antigay discrimination inside the building. City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell emphasized that she wants to hear from all sides about the issue. “I’m all for community feedback,” she said. Councilman Bill Green said he’s
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
keeping an open mind, and cautioned that if the building is sold to the Scouts, the city wouldn’t be in a legal position to prohibit antigay discrimination inside. Through a spokesperson, City Council President Anna C. Verna said she had no views to express about the matter until a bill is actually introduced. Last week, the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the ACLU of Pennsylvania sent a letter to Nutter and City Council members, expressing opposition to the proposed sale of the building to the Scouts. “It is unreasonable for the City of Philadelphia to reward discrimination with the donation of over a million-dollars’ worth of public property,” the letter states. Members of the LGBT Working Group say the $1 million legalbill threat is hollow, pointing to an extensive analysis by the law firm of Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis, which concluded that the city would be required to pay, at most, $268,583 if the Scouts prevailed at this stage of the litigation. “In addition to the duplicative work of the junior associates, the overall hours claimed [by Drinker Biddle] must be reduced to account for the instances of double billing, duplicative work among the more senior attorneys, excessive hours and over-staffing,” the law firm concluded. Schnader Harrison was brought into the case in January 2010, at the urging of the LGBT Working Group, over concerns that the city Law Department wasn’t giving the case adequate attention. Chirls said the property is worth much more than $500,000. “The building is a palace on the Parkway with 19 parking spaces, and it would be sold for the price of a nice rowhouse,” he said. “We’d be giving the Scouts a gift to discriminate in.” Chirls said members of the LGBT Working Group would like to discuss other settlement options with administration officials that wouldn’t subsidize discrimination.
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Nutter had no comment for this story, according to a spokesperson. Robert A. Stuart, a board member of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, said a neighborhood meeting was held about the dispute on Nov. 21. “The neighbors appear to be committed to ensuring that any permanent use of the building does not include discriminatory programming,” Stuart told PGN. “We do not want to live anywhere near any discriminatory programming. Our main priority would be a deed restriction to ensure that nothing is built on the property that would be out of scale with the existing rowhouse character of the neighborhood. But we also want to be assured that any programming that takes place inside the building is nondiscriminatory.” Steven A. Glassman, a member of the LGBT Working Group, expressed hope that administration officials meet with LGBT leaders. “I think it would be valuable for the mayor, the city solicitor and members of the Nutter administration to meet with the leadership of the LGBT community to discuss a variety of options which are still available,” he said. Glassman emphatically opposed a settlement that would permit antigay discrimination inside the facility. “Taxpayer dollars should not be subsidizing any settlement with the Boy Scouts that would allow them to continue discriminating against LGBT people,” Glassman said. “It is unacceptable to allow discrimination to take place against any group in Philadelphia which is protected by the Fair Practices Ordinance.” U.S. District Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter has not yet ruled on an earlier request by the city to overturn the jury verdict or, alternatively, to grant a new trial. Drinker Biddle & Reath, the BSA council’s law firm, is seeking $963,575.07 from the city for legal fees and expenses incurred due to the litigation, according to court records. Members of the LGBT Working Group said the Scouts have little or no chance of prevailing on appeal, due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming the constitutionality of subsidy policies such as the one applied to the Scouts. If the Scouts lose on appeal, the city would not be required to pay their attorney’s fees. ■ Timothy Cwiek can be reached at (215) 625-8501 ext. 208.
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CHANGES From Page 1 representation in the leadership in both houses and both parties, but we have to just respond to the leaders that have been elected,” Glassman said. The House Democratic Appropriations Committee was also turned over to a Western lawmaker, as Philadelphia Rep. Dwight Evans (D-203rd Dist.), the longtime ranking Democrat on the committee, was ousted by Rep. Joseph Markosek (D-25th Dist.), from Allegheny County. “I believe that the best interests of Philadelphia are served by a Democratic majority, not by a Republican majority,” said Rep. Mike O’Brien (D-172nd Dist.), who nominated Markosek to the post. “But I believe the way back to the majority is without Dwight in leadership. I think he’s failed in his policy initiatives.” O’Brien disagreed with the fear that the lack of Philadelphia leadership in the House Appropriations Committee, and across the board, in the new session will cut off funding for the city. “In the last eight years, Philadelphia has had a governor from Philadelphia, a House Appropriations chair from Philadelphia and previously a Senate Appropriations chair from Philadelphia. We’re facing a $5-billion deficit and a $1-billion deficit in transportation. That’s a lot of money that we have to come up with. So there just isn’t money to go around, and I don’t think Philadelphia would be in a better position than with a Philadelphian in that seat.” O’Brien did note that the Philadelphia area will still be represented in the appropriations process through Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-7th Dist.), who was elected the minority leader of the Senate Appropriations Committee. In addition to the geographical shifts, the new leadership marks a transition from the previous legislature in terms of LGBT support. While Rep. Keith McCall, outgoing House Speaker, sponsored several pro-LGBT measures, neither Smith and Turzai have supported LGBT-rights measures; both voted in favor of the 2006 Marriage Protection Amendment, which sought to ban same-sex marriage in the state, a vote shared by Markosek. Despite Markosek’s previous vote, however, O’Brien said he’s assured the legislator, and other newly elected Democratic leaders will effectively represent the inter-
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
ests of the LGBT community. “Being a leader of the Democratic caucus and just representing your specific district can be different,” he said. “For me, there are times when it’s pretty obvious that I’m voting my district and speaking solely for my district and you can’t move me off of that position. But it’s an entirely different issue when you’re a leader and your voice is not just for your legislative district but you speak for Democrats across the state. I’ve had conversations with the new leadership team and I have expressed my concern about various anti-LGBT legislation, and I feel very confident that this Democratic caucus will adopt an agenda that will try to prevent any harm to the community.” With the Republican stronghold, O’Brien said it’s going to be difficult to advance any pro-LGBT legislation; instead, ally lawmakers will likely have to focus on defeating efforts like the Marriage Protection Amendment. “We will have a Republican governor, a large Republican majority in the House and a large Republican majority in the Senate, so regardless of who’s sitting in leadership positions, the chance of advancing LGBT legislation is slim to none. Going into this next session, our position almost has to be defensive,” he said. “For us Democrats, it’s just time-out for the next two years. We’re out of the game because there’s just not enough of us. With Bobby Donatucci passing away, we only have 90 Democrats. Republicans can run an agenda without one Democratic vote, send it over to the Senate and then on to the Republican governor for his signature without even talking to us. And that’s the hard, cold political reality, and that’s what we have to be prepared for.” Despite the grim outlook, Glassman said LGBTs need to be persistent about opening conversation with the new leadership about the community’s issues. “We unfortunately don’t determine the leadership, that’s the parties who do, and the truth is that the House and Senate have been more conservative over the last number of years,” he said. “That’s the reality of the political situation. A lot of their positions have been unfavorable to LGBT equality in the past, but we can only hope that we’ll have opportunities to educate them and work with them on the issues and help them to understand how a change in position on their part would benefit Pennsylvania.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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‘TOP CHEF’ ALL STARS: Judge Gail Simmons, Richard, Judge Tom Colicchio, Spike, Antonia, Dale L., Judge Padma Lakshmi, Stephen, Elia, Carla, Fabio, Angelo, Mike, Casey, Tre, Tiffani, Tiffany, Jen, Jamie, Dale T., MarceL Photos: Matthias Clamer/Bravo
A departure from the ordinary
Detour
‘Top Chef’ alums return for all-star season By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer Fans of the Emmy-winning series “Top Chef” can rejoice. The Bravo Network’s reality cooking competition is returning Dec. 1 for an all-star season featuring 18 of the most talented chefs from all seven previous seasons, all of whom who went far on the show but did not win the grand prize. Call it a clash of the culinary titans. OK, maybe we’re being a bit hyperbolic, but we can’t help it. We’re damn excited about this. Two of the chefs returning for the all-star season are openly gay
chefs Dale Levitski, who came within a hair of winning “Top Chef” season three, and Jamie Lauren, who almost made it to the finale of season five. So naturally our enthusiasm for what is sure to be the culinary smackdown of the year found us hammering the good people at Bravo nonstop with requests to get these two chefs on the phone. And it worked. PGN: What was your first
thought when you were asked to do “Top Chef: All-Stars”? Dale Levitski: “Oh shit!” It was a little bit of trepidation and flattery. Jamie Lauren: I honestly was
sort of shocked. I didn’t know what to think or do. I swore to myself I would never do it again. So it was an interesting thing to be asked to go back to it. PGN: Did any part of you not
want to participate?
DL: You definitely second-guess
if you want to go back. But for me, I had so much fun on season three and made some amazing friends out of it that pretty much saying no was not an option. JL: I remember sitting in the stew room [where contestants wait while the judges deliberate] when I did my season and being so bored and tired and in a very strange headspace because
you’re being judged on what you’re passionate about. It’s funny because that was the first thought I had when they asked me. I flashed back to being in the stew room. After I thought about it more, I thought it was a good opportunity and I should do it again. PGN: How much weight does
being on “Top Chef” carry in the culinary world? DL: That’s interesting. It does carry a lot of validity and I think now that so many more established people have been on the show and with “Top Chef: Masters,” the credibility factor from early on is much, much
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higher. Within the culinary world, it’s respected but I think it’s more in the general public where it’s, “Oh my God! You were on ‘Top Chef.’” I think now people really understand how truly hard it is and so many chefs want to be on it now because it is that much fun and that hard. JL: As the show has progressed, the credibility has gotten better because the caliber of chefs has gotten better. They’ve figured it out over the years. It exposes a whole new market and community of people who never watched television cooking before who are now excited about it. PGN: Did being on ‘Top Chef’ help you careerwise? DL: Overall, yes. I had a restaurant in the works before I did season three and that fell through. Now that I’ve opened Sprout [in Chicago], it’s definitely helped business. JL: Obviously it’s changed my life in ways I didn’t know it could. You can either cook or you can’t. People that would come to my restaurant in San Francisco were kind of shocked at how good the food was. PGN: Did you
keep up with the show before or after the season you were on it? DL: I watched most of season four because Stephanie, the winner of season four, was my sous-chef and I nominated her for the show. I didn’t really see any of season five. I saw half of season six and that was about
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are looking for, but they’re pretty smart. They’re pretty impossible to figure out. So I don’t think anyone can say that they have the game tagged. JL: No. I still don’t know what the hell the judges are looking for. I really don’t know. It’s a case-by-case thing with them. it. It’s difficult to watch. It’s like you’re back in it. You get the shakes and you want to be in the challenge. JL: I did season five and, on season six, I did a blog for Bravo TV. Season seven I didn’t watch. I watched one episode and was kind of like, eh. But I have been watching “Top Chef: Just Desserts,” which I’m sort of in love with. I think it’s hilarious. PGN: Is there some kind of curse
on the show that if you’re an early favorite to win, you either go down in flames on restaurant wars or choke in the finale? DL: I guess it can be. One of the other curses is people tend to go out on their specialties. I’ve noticed that. On season three, Joey went out on Italian and he’s Italian and that’s his life-blood. I’ve seen a lot of that happen. JL: I’ve never heard of that before. On my season, the curse was you went home on your birthday.
PGN: Did you ever think any of the challenges were unfair? DL: That’s the point of the game. They’re all unfair. The challenges are supposed to be next to impossible to pull off. Some of them are based on reallife situations, the worst-case scenarios that can ever happen. But the parameters we’re given and the amount of questioning going into a challenge, you have no idea. It’s basically panic. I think that’s what makes the show so addictive. We’re all pulling off the impossible. JL: No. Not at all. I don’t think they play favorites or anything like that. They don’t even really get to know us. I think it’s very much based on what you’re cooking at the moment. PGN: Is there an advantage to
knowing the strength of your competitors going in to the competition? DL: I think for everyone there’s an absolute intimidation factor because everyone on this season is really, really good. It has less of a stigma if you’re booted out this time around because everybody there has earned their chops. This is the best of the best. No matter who gets eliminated first or who wins, I think there’s pride to be there for everybody. But it definitely scared the shit out of most of us. JL: Sure. I think that there is but it’s also incredibly intimidating when you walk into a room and you see people you’ve watched on the show who are really great cooks. It’s intimidating, but it’s also cool in a way because it’s a really good way to challenge yourself and do better. PGN: Do you
feel like you have a better idea of what the judges are looking for? DL: Going into it, I think all of us have a better knowledge of the tastes of the judges and what the judges
PGN: Do you think chefs that compete on later seasons have it easier than the chefs that competed before them? DL: I would say yes. The people that are going in the show now have watched all the seasons of it and they know every single challenge. They’re able to study. They know the judges just as well as some of the competitors at this point. They are more prepared. PGN: Do you think
contestants from earlier seasons have become better chefs since their time on the show? DL: I think everybody has grown since their season. In my life, my cooking style has changed. I think some of the changes that people have are pretty interesting and rewarding for the judges to see. JL: I think that I’ve taken some more risks with my cooking. I’ve had three more years of experience. That’s a big thing. I’ve had the opportunity to move to another city and become a chef of a different restaurant. That’s always a really amazing growth experience in itself. I actually think my food is the best now than it’s ever been. But I said that two years ago. It’s always changing and evolving. “Top Chef: All Stars” airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Bravo beginning Dec. 1. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
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Health care act, national HIV strategy bold steps to end AIDS By Matthew McClain President, McClain and Associates Public Health Policy and Planning When future historians write their books on the AIDS crisis in America, this year may need its own chapter to tell how health reform and a national AIDS plan — both new in 2010 — helped to end the epidemic once and for all. So how does health reform required by the Affordable Care Act — ACA for short — impact people living with HIV/AIDS? Right now, fewer than one in five people living with HIV has private insurance. Nearly one-third do not have any coverage at all. When fully implemented in 2014, ACA will help ensure people living with HIV/AIDS will have secure, stable, affordable health insurance
and the relief they management and Notable years the history of need from skyrockother medical and AIDS in America eting health-insursupportive services 1991: The Ryan White Program was ance costs. through the federally launched, bringing new federal fundMedicaid, the funded Ryan White federal-state pro- ing to care for people living with HIV Program. Yet this in the Philadelphia region and 15 other gram that provides funding is not guarhealthcare benefits big cities anteed from year to to low-income peo- 1994: AZT was found to protect newyear. So advocates borns from HIV ple and people with must continuously disabilities, has long 1996: The age of combination therapy lobby Washington arrives been a major source for every dollar, of coverage for 2009: The ban on the use of federal every year. funds for syringe-exchange programs people with AIDS, The ACA will is lifted as is Medicare, the address some, but 2010: Enactment of the Patient federal program for not all, of these Protection and Affordable Care Act seniors and people problems. Already, with disabilities. The (ACA) and launch of the nation’s first insurers cannot deny Ryan White Program National HIV/AIDS Strategy coverage to children is another key source living with HIV/ of funding for health AIDS. They are also and social services for people living prohibited from canceling coverage for with HIV/AIDS. Currently, of the nearly adults or children unless they can show 30,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in evidence of fraud in an application. And the Delaware Valley, more than 12,000 of insurers can no longer impose a lifetime them receive primary care, medical case cap on benefits. Health insurers offering
new plans will have to develop an appeals process to make it easy for enrollees to dispute the denial of a medical claim. ACA brought $160 million federal dollars to Pennsylvania as of July 2010 to provide coverage for uninsured residents with preexisting medical conditions through a new transitional high-risk pool program, funded entirely by the federal government. It also for the first time gives Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware the option of federal Medicaid funding for coverage for all lowincome populations, irrespective of age, disability or family status as soon as the state applies for a special waiver that is available now. In addition to expanding coverage, the authors of the ACA wisely thought about how the estimated 30 million Americans who will be newly covered by 2019 will get their health care and who will provide the care. So, things like increased federal funding for community health centers and programs to expand the health-care work See STRATEGY, Page 36
Local activists press for cure By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
The AIDS Policy Project, headquartered in Philadelphia and San Francisco, is taking a rarely employed approach to the HIV/ AIDS epidemic, pressing not for enhanced prevention and treatment methods but for a more final solution: a cure. Kate Krauss, founder and executive director of the project, said she and other staffers have worked both in the prevention and treatment arenas and, while both are crucial in the fight against HIV/ AIDS, researchers need to start looking further into the future. “We know that prevention is not going to save the lives of the 33 million people who have AIDS now,” she said. “And treatment is very different when it comes to different countries: There are about 15 million people who need treatment immediately, but only about 36 percent are actually receiving it. The number of people with AIDS is increasing and most don’t have access to treatment, so they’re just dying.” Krauss said she’s seen a disconnect between those in the HIV/ AIDS community and HIV/AIDS researchers on this issue. “Many researchers think people
with AIDS are perfectly happy with their treatment and aren’t concerned about wanting a cure,” Krauss noted. “But people we’ve worked with who have AIDS are just stunned by that. Most of them have no idea that there would be any confusion over whether people with AIDS would want a cure found.” Just recently, Krauss was Skyped in the middle of the night by an HIV-positive man in Pakistan, who was interested in learning more about the work of The AIDS Policy Project. She said the man was on his second line of therapy, which wasn’t working well, and worried that he wouldn’t be able to afford to keep trying new drug combinations. Despite countless situations like that man’s, however, Krauss said researchers in the field have historically been resistant to opening up a discussion about a cure, an effort The AIDS Policy Project is hoping to fuel. “A lot of researchers have said it’s no longer necessary to look for a cure because the treatments are so tremendous. I’ve seen researchers use air quotes around the word ‘cure,’ and seen them whisper the word. And that’s really an issue. We want to connect activists and people with AIDS with
the researchers so they can just shake them and say, ‘Yes, you’re doing great work, but we do need a cure.’” The AIDS Policy Project last week hosted a town-hall meeting in Philadelphia to help educate the public about cure research. One of the most well-known efforts is the Berlin Patient, an HIV-positive German man with leukemia whose infection was cured in 2008 after he received a stem-cell transplant from a donor with a CCR5 double deletion, a mutation that makes cells highly resistant to AIDS. That case has spurred a number of research initiatives that utilize less risky methods, Krauss said. Cure research is being conducted at the University of Pennsylvania by Drs. Carl June and Pablo Tebas, as well as at the Quest lab in San Francisco, the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. At the latter location, Dr. Paula Cannon administered human stemcell transplants in mice to create human immune systems and then infected the mice with HIV. Mice whose systems had been genetically modified to remove ALIVE WTH ACTIVISM: Philadelphians are reminded of HIV/AIDS budgetary, health and policy issues because of ACT-UP’s frequent See CAMPAIGN, Page 38 protests. Photos: Scott A. Drake
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What would you do if you just found out you were HIV-positive? By Elizabeth Hagan Director of Client Services, ActionAIDS
PHILLY AIDS WALK 2010 Photos: Scott A. Drake
What would you do if you just found out you were HIV-positive? Or perhaps you have known for a while that you are positive, but recently you have been noticing changes in your health. Where would you turn? Medical case management can help. Medical case managers are professionally trained clinicians in the field of social work, psychology, nursing or a related human-services field. Since 1986, ActionAIDS has worked in partnership with clients to help increase access to vital services that are necessary for someone to live a healthy, fulfilling life. The agency’s founding mission is that no one will face HIV/AIDS alone. As HIV disease has changed over the years, medical case management has been adjusted and refined to meet the changing needs of the people we serve. In recent years, as co-morbidities have become more prominent, we have added medical case manager specialist positions to our staff to better meet needs in the areas of behavioral health, addiction, and most recently, aging. In addition, we have linguistic and cultural specialists who are fluent in Spanish, American Sign Language and French. We have family case managers and case managers who specialize in working with youth. Housing specialists and assistant case managers are available with case management. ActionAIDS has clinical staff at over 35 places throughout Philadelphia. These include health clinics, hospitals, jails and drug and alcohol facilities. Medical case managers can help with getting medical insurance and applying for Social Security disability. Housing is a very big need for clients and case managers can assist in assessing available options and taking steps to obtain housing. Navigating the system of medical care, accessing benefits and entitlements, understanding
the intricacies of Medicare Part D and knowing which government programs one is eligible for can be overwhelming. ActionAIDS is one of several AIDS service organizations throughout the Philadelphia EMA that offers medical case-management services. Obtaining casemanagement services is easy. Someone can walk into an agency and speak with an intake worker, or call the AACO Uniform Access System directly. All intakes go through the city’s centralized intake system. A brief information gathering occurs on the phone and then a client is assigned to a medical case manager.
“Medical case managers can provide information, education, advocacy and support at a time when someone is quite vulnerable.” Case management begins with a relationship. It can be daunting to not only have to deal with the symptoms of HIV disease; figuring out how to advocate for and access medical care and other systems can be an added hurdle. Medical case managers can provide information, education, advocacy and support at a time when someone is quite vulnerable. Medical case-management services are tailored to meet the specific needs of each individual. The case manager arranges with the client to meet and complete an initial needs assessment. The case manager and client work together to create a goal plan, including the interim steps necessary to achieve stated goals. Case-management services may be short-term or longer term depending on the needs and goal plan established. There are many resources and supports available to individuals living with HIV disease. Take action: Reach out and register for a case manager if you or someone you know needs one. ■
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A message to Philadelphia By Kevin J. Burns, LCSW Executive Director, ActionAIDS If you have not yet had the opportunity to view the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and Implementation Plan posted on the White House website, it is worth your time to take a look. The web address is www.whitehouse.gov/ administration/eop/onap/nhas. The primary goals of the plan are to reduce HIV incidence, increase access to care and optimize health outcomes and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The strategy and plan outline clear goals and objectives that are especially meaningful to the citizens of the Philadelphia region, because we have an HIV/AIDS infection rate that is estimated to be five times the national infection rate. Wake up, Philadelphia, and take action! The first step to achieving the goal of reducing HIV incidence is getting tested. All of us need to get tested! No exceptions! No excuses! No questions! Just take the HIV test! All of us getting tested and talking about it will go a long way to reducing incidents
and reducing stigma. Just think, if getting tested for HIV was something everyone did regularly, it would be less stressful, less stigmatizing and more normal. Asking people why they think they need to be tested for HIV disease is a barrier to testing. Just do the test — don’t make me convince you that I need one! Do we ask people why they think they need their temperature taken or blood pressure checked? Or why they might think they need to be tested for diabetes or heart disease? We all need to know our HIV status — for ourselves and for those we love. If you have never been tested for HIV, now is the time to do it. The test is easy, painless and you can have your results in 20 minutes. A simple oral swab does the trick. If you are HIV-positive, ActionAIDS can help you access the care you need to live a full life with a normal life expectancy. The longer you wait to find out you are HIV-positive and the longer you wait to get treatment, the less likely you are to have good
results from treatments. If you are HIV-negative, ActionAIDS can help you make sure that you stay HIV-negative by supporting low-risk behaviors and helping you to fully assess your risk. We can answer questions and provide support! These simple steps will go a long way to achieving the second goal to increase access to care and optimize health outcomes. No so difficult, right? Reducing HIV-related health disparities will only happen when we stop assigning guilt and shame to people who are HIV-positive. Getting tested for HIV is nothing to be ashamed of: It’s smart. Having HIV is nothing to be ashamed of: It’s a disease. Protecting yourself and others from HIV infection is nothing to be ashamed of: It’s something to be proud of. Taking care of yourself if you are HIVpositive is nothing to be ashamed of: It’s empowering! So come on, Philadelphia, wake up and take action! ActionAIDS is here so you don’t have to do it alone. No one should face AIDS alone. Join us! ■
Advocacy & consumer feedback By Suzanne Bartch Case Manager Coordinator, ActionAIDS
Being diagnosed with HIV can be an overwhelming experience. One may feel a tremendous variety of emotions including hopelessness, helplessness and an overall loss of control. Advocacy can allow that person to again gain control of his/her life and feel empowered to identify and request the support and services that s/he needs. ActionAIDS focuses on advocacy as a primary component of its overall mission of serving the HIV/AIDS community. Through the ActionAIDS Advocacy Committee, staff members meet monthly to advocate for the needs and rights of our consumers. Staff members are able to provide a voice for consumers and advocate for them at all levels of involvement. Advocacy many times begins by addressing agency-level services and may expand to include addressing broader needs for
change up to the federal level. Whether it is through letter-writing campaigns, call-for-action demonstrations or other methods, the advocacy committee’s goal is always to advocate for the diverse consumers ActionAIDS serves. Along with the staff at ActionAIDS, consumers also take a key role in advocacy efforts. Through the Consumer Affairs Committee and Consumer Feedback Groups, consumers are able to advocate for themselves and the services and issues that are important to them. The Consumer Affairs Committee consists of a group of consumers that meet to plan the quarterly Consumer Feedback Groups that ActionAIDS hosts throughout the year. Since the feedback groups are planned by consumers themselves, they focus on the issues most important to the HIV community and provide an open forum for those infected and affected by HIV to voice their concerns and share their ideas. Living with HIV can be challenging, yet the support and
guidance by meeting with others infected provides insight and guidance into battling the epidemic on a personal level and beyond. While advocacy may not be the direct theme of all or any of the feedback groups, it is evident in the planning, collaborating and sharing that take place in each meeting. The Consumer Feedback Group meetings are not strictly open to ActionAIDS consumers: Rather, they are open to the entire HIV/ AIDS community in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. Some future Consumer Feedback Groups will focus on communication with one’s case manager and navigating services, women’s and men’s issues and groups and advocacy. Through the ongoing work of the Advocacy Committee, Consumer Affairs and the Consumer Feedback Group, ActionAIDS continues to ensure it provides consumer-driven services and place advocacy for the entire HIV/AIDS community at the forefront of its mission. ■
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STRATEGY From Page 33 force will be ramped up. Access to health care does not guarantee you will have quality coverage or good health outcomes. So ACA requires a comprehensive benefits package that equals that of a typical employer plan and includes prescription drugs, preventive care, chronic-disease management and substance-abuse and mental-health treatment. These changes, and others that will be available in the months and years ahead, will provide a bridge to 2014, when Americans will have access to affordable coverage options in the new healthinsurance exchanges, and insurance companies will be prohibited from denying coverage to
Americans with pre-existing conditions. People with low and middle incomes will be eligible for tax subsidies to buy coverage from new health-insurance exchanges that will be operated by states. Your choice of doctors will be protected by allowing plan members in new plans to pick any participating primarycare provider, prohibiting insurers from requiring prior authorization before a woman sees an ob-gyn and ensuring access to emergency care. ACA was not able to address some major problems that will remain or need some kind of national action, for example drug cost containment and adequate physician reimbursement from the public payment systems. No provision is made in ACA for the
ACA broadens Medicaid eligibility to include people with income below 133 percent of the federal poverty line (currently that’s $14,400 for an individual and $29,300 for a family of four). Single adults who have not been eligible for Medicaid benefits before will get them. For a person living with HIV who meets this income threshold, they won’t have to wait for an AIDS diagnosis to become eligible for Medicaid. ACA also phases out the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit “donut hole” by 2020 so that Medicare beneficiaries no longer will be able to afford their medications.
WORLD AIDS DAY 2009 PGN photos: Scott A. Drake
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Vision of the National AIDS Strategy “The United States will become a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstances, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination.” Barack Obama President of the United States of America
tens of millions of people living in the U.S. who are undocumented, a population in great need that will require some sort of safety net for their health care. NATIONAL HIV/AIDS STRATEGY Less than three months after ACA was enacted, President Obama released the first-ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. The strategy commits to four major goals over five years: — Reduce new HIV infections to 42,225 per year (from 56,300 now) — Increase access to care and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV — Reduce HIV-related health disparities — Achieve a more coordinated national response While the strategy mostly refocuses existing efforts to deliver better results within current funding levels, it also makes the case for new investments. It assumes that while ACA is unfolding, the strategy will make sure that the HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment activities that are implementWHERE TO GO TO KEEP ABREAST OF ACA HealthCare.gov WhiteHouse.gov HHS.gov Families USA Urban Institute Kaiser Foundation Trust for America’s Health National Association of County and City Health Officials Association of State and Territorial Health Officials National Association of Community Health Centers State Healthcare Access Research Project
ed respond to both health reforms and the relentlessly uncontrolled HIV epidemic, especially among people of color and those in big cities like ours. The strategy confronts the fact that two-thirds of the people who know their HIV status in America are not in care now — even though in many places including Philadelphia, if you seek HIV care and you have no insurance, you can get it. And that care will be of high quality, too. The White House took great care to make the national strategy’s goals bold, achievable and fiscally viable. For example, the prevention elements — if implemented — will avert enough new infections to pay for the treatment expansions for people already infected (or soon to be), who must be linked to health care as soon as possible after the moment of infection or diagnosis. The hope is that more people will know and act on their status, few new infections will occur, and the 18,000 HIV-related deaths each year in America will, as the strategy’s vision suggests, be zero. ■ Matthew McClain is former chairman of Cities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief Coalition and founding chairman of HealthHIV. WHERE TO GO TO KEEP ABREAST OF THE NATIONAL HIV/AIDS STRATEGY AIDS.gov Treatment Access Expansion Project Treatment Action Group Harvard Health Law and Policy Clinic Dose of Change CAEAR Coalition National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors HIV Medicine Association Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy
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HIV and African immigrants in Philly By Raphiatou Noumbissi Family Case Manager, ActionAIDS West Office There are an estimated 200,000 African and Caribbean immigrants and refugees in the Greater Philadelphia area. This growing number of immigrants is also reflected in the growing number of HIV-positive Africans seeking care in the Philadelphia Public Health Centers. Medical and social providers are confronted with many challenges, including cultural and systemic barriers, in the areas of HIV prevention, testing and treatment. Barriers include lack of legal documentation, fear of deportation, language issues, lack of bilingual providers, fear of the American health system turning away people without medical coverage, misunderstandings and myths about modes of transmission of HIV, and lack of knowledge about antiretroviral treatment. Other barriers are a lack of culturally appropriate education about HIV prevention and treatment, stigma related to HIV and disclosure, financial insecurity, isolation due to a very poor social network and lack of appropriate housing. Most people in the African
CAMPAIGN From Page 33
Join us for our next Dining Out for Life
April 28, 2011
the CCR5 gene maintained their health. Krauss said her agency is advocating for such studies to eventually use human subjects. “The idea in the research community is that people with AIDS aren’t going to volunteer for a study with a less-than standard of care,” she said. “But if people know that this is work being done to find a cure and that it’s safe, they’re going to volunteer.” Krauss said the organization’s primary focus right now is lobbying for funding for cure research. She said the National Institutes for Health’s funding for a cure accounts for only about 3 percent of its total AIDS budget, with the rest of the money going to vaccines, health-disparities research,
community have learned about their HIV diagnosis in the States. Women are often diagnosed during a routine pregnancy visit. The news most often creates a huge crisis and anxiety in the person’s life. The American system unfortunately has little to offer to the undocumented population facing this health issue: There are few safe, bilingual agencies where they can go for support and answers without fearing disclosure and deportation. ActionAIDS is one social-service agency providing services to this population. The agency has created a safe place where clients can receive social, emotional and financial help even if they are undocumented. ActionAIDS has bilingual case managers and assistant case managers working at its site office in West Philadelphia, where many Africans have settled. ActionAIDS also has bilingual case managers out-stationed at Health Center #3 and Strawberry Mansion Health Center, where a high concentration of African immigrants goes for medical care. In addition, ActionAIDS has been working closely with African and Caribbean organizations in the Philadelphia area to collaboratively address the many needs of the African community. ■ treatment and other areas. The AIDS Policy Project is currently promoting a letter-writing campaign to NIH director Francis Collins to urge him to bring the agency’s AIDS cure research spending up to $240 million, about quadruple the current allocation. “We have several different promising AIDS cure research strategies being pursued, but there’s just not enough money,” Krauss said. “Researchers are scrambling for crumbs of money, and this is a pandemic. We need a cure, and we’re not going to get it if we don’t have enough money to fund the research.” For more information or to participate in the letter-writing campaign, visit www.aidspolicyproject.org. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.
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Becoming a ‘buddy’ By Ronald Hoskins Director of Volunteers, ActionAIDS Human illness is a fact. Human suffering is a fact. And yet, regardless of trying to get the best medications we can get or the best treatments from our healthcare, or the best stable housing in which to endure or recuperate, or having the best physicians who know most about our infections, we all know that there is a “human” element to wellness and endurance — that of support from other human beings who care when we are ill and incapacitated, who wish to assist with what we endure, how we endure what we undergo, and to whom we turn professionally for the best care available. That can make all the difference in experiencing illness, no matter how long. The new national HIV/AIDS strategy and strategy-implementation plan this year indicates a need to optimize health outcomes. And it is ActionAIDS, who for 25 years has had as its
mission that abiding statement that we exist solely so that “no one faces AIDS alone.” We have done that for a quarter century, not just by helping people secure housing or medical treatments or accessing consistent HIV/AIDS medications, but also by emphasizing the “person-to-person” element of illness — and just how important that is. We all know that as illness endures in a person’s life, especially now with the chronic nature of HIV/AIDS, most times the initial support systems people have when they have discovered their illness seem to fade away gradually. Most people who are sick begin to notice the gradual spiraling down of support, because people get tired of listening to how they feel if it lasts for not just weeks but months and even years, or because others who may be just as sick are no longer on the scene to connect with. The buddy program at ActionAIDS is directed to satisfy that “gap” that can happen, with emotional support, companionship and assistance with the tasks
of daily living that become so important for daily survival in the face of ongoing HIV/AIDS illness. This support becomes even more important because many people’s lives are now extended much more than before: More and more of the HIV/AIDS-infected population are long-term survivors and need long-term human support to break down loneliness, isolation, weariness and even boredom that can accompany HIV/AIDS illness. So consider becoming a volunteer “buddy” to someone living with HIV/AIDS who can utilize your humanity and caring. When you become involved in the buddy program, we’ll provide you with ongoing education and supervision so you can serve as long-term human support for someone who needs you so badly — someone whom you may never have met if it were not for such a program. Think about becoming a volunteer buddy and give someone else your “human” element. It will create a bond you will never, ever forget. ■
Take action — anywhere By Ralph Chartier, M.Ed Assistant Director of Client Services, ActionAIDS We all live very busy lives. It is difficult to take care of the things we need to do on a daily basis: laundry, cleaning the apartment or house, grocery shopping, getting a little exercise, walking the dog, cleaning the litter box ... The list goes on and on. How do we get all these things done and prioritize taking care of ourselves? One item that may be on the to-do list is getting an HIV test: Where would I go to get tested? What if I am HIV-positive; how would I find the time to get into medical care? Who’s going to help me with these other tasks so that I can find the time to add this to my already-hectic life? There is no easy solution, but ActionAIDS can help. The agency offers different locations for getting tested, including walk-in hours at 1026 Arch St. There, testing staff is available to speak with individuals about the testing
process and any concerns prior to getting tested, and will walk people through the process if positive. There is also testing staff at different locations throughout the city, including our office in North Philadelphia, the William Way LGBT Community Center, Temple University, Sarah Allen House, Planned Parenthood, Valley Youth House and Bloomburg Housing, to name a few. Testing staff are also present at community events and health fairs throughout the year, providing on-site rapid testing. If it is difficult for you to come to Center City for an HIV test, call and speak with one of our testing staff: Chances are there is a testing location near you. And what happens if you are HIV-positive? The testing staff will work with you to schedule a doctor’s appointment, and will go with you to your first appointment, if this is preferred. Staff will work with the newly diagnosed to find a competent HIV provider in an area that is convenient and comfortable. Once a provider is
chosen, staff will help you engage in case management services. A personally assigned case manager will assist you in scheduling medical appointments, understanding your diagnosis, possible medications and insurance issues and any appropriate linkages to mental-health or drug and alcohol programs. ActionAIDS case managers are located throughout the community, and are stationed at more than 30 clinics, health centers and hospitals throughout Philadelphia. Chances are, an ActionAIDS case manager is located where you choose to receive your medical care, which will mean one less trip for you. So, has ActionAIDS solved all your daily problems? Probably not. But do we make it more convenient to find out your HIV status? We certainly try. And if positive, do we make it easier for you to engage in care and supportive services so that you can live a healthy and productive life? That’s our goal. So take action, get tested and get into care! ■
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World AIDS Day events ACT UP D.C. demonstration ACT UP Philadelphia is organizing a trip to Washington, D.C., for a White House demonstration on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1. Activists will press President Obama to increase funding for HIV/AIDS causes both domestically and globally. Buses will be leaving from Broad and Walnut streets at 7 a.m. and returning to the city around 5 p.m. Lunch will be provided, and the bus is free. RSVPs are encouraged. For more information or to RSVP, e-mail actupphilly@gmail.com. Philadelphia FIGHT Prayer Breakfast More than 60 faith leaders are expected to gather for Philadelphia FIGHT’s annual World AIDS Day Prayer Breakfast, 8-10 a.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel, 237 S. Broad St. The guests will remember those who’ve died from AIDS and discuss how to spread the message about HIV prevention through their work. Red balloons at City Hall Living Equal will turn Center City red in honor of World AIDS Day from 1-3 p.m. Supporters will meet at Love Park Resources HIV CASE MANAGEMENT ActionAIDS 215-981-0088 actionaids.org ASIAC 215-563-2424 asiac.org BEBASHI 215-769-3561 bebashi.org Congresso de Latinos UnidosPrograma Esfuerzo 215-763-8870 congresso.net Gay and Lesbian Latino/a AIDS Education Initiative 215-851-1822 galaei.org
Mazzoni Center 215-563-0652 mazzonicenter.org Philadelphia FIGHT 215-985-4448 fight.org HIV EDUCATION / OUTREACH ActionAIDS 215-981-0088 actionaids.org AIDS Fact Line (Pennsylvania) 800-662-6080 CHOICE 215-985-3300 choice-phila.org Colours Inc. 215-496-0330 coloursorganization.org
beginning at 12:30 p.m. and will carry red balloons from the plaza through City Hall and south on Broad Street. For more information, search for Red Balloon on Facebook. Red Ribbon Awards The Penn Center for AIDS Research Community Advisory Board will host its seventh annual Red Ribbon Awards Ceremony from 5-7 p.m. at Philadelphia City Hall. The annual awards presentation will honor a local policymaker, researcher, community member and young person who’ve worked to fight HIV/AIDS. The event will feature a keynote address from Dr. Robert E. Fullilove, associate dean at Columbia University, and will be emceed by Lorraine Ballard Morril, community affairs director at Clear Channel Radio. Broad Street Ministry dinner Broad Street Ministry is teaming with AIDS Fund, Sapphire Fund and numerous area HIV/AIDS service organizations to stage its annual World AIDS Day event, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 315 S. Broad St. The evening will include dinner, performances by the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus and Smoke, Lilies and Jade, rapid HIV testing and an array of vendors offering HIV prevention and treatment inforPhiladelphia FIGHT 215-985-4448 fight.org Prevention Point Philadelphia 215-634-5272 preventionpointphilly.org Project Safe 866-509-SAFE safephila.org Safeguards Project 215-985-6873 safeguards.org LEGAL / RESOURCES AIDS Library 215-985-4851 aidslibrary.org AIDS Law Project Aidslawpa.org 215-587-9377
YOUTH AND FAMILY The Attic Youth Center 215-545-4331 atticyouthcenter. org Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 215-590-2956 chop.edu St. Christopher’s Pediatric AIDS Program 215-427-5284 stchristopherhospital.com Youth Health Empowerment Project 215-564-6388 yhep.org
mation. Jack Mackenroth, an HIV-positive former contestant on “Project Runway,” will emcee the free event. For more information, e-mail kirsten@ broadstreetministry.org or call (215) 7354847. BEBASHI 25th anniversary gala BEBASHI, an HIV/AIDS outreach center that primarily serves communities of color, will host its 25th anniversary gala in conjunction with World AIDS Day. The event, held at the Hilton Philadelphia Hotel at 4200 City Ave., will begin with a VIP reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. BEBASHI will recognize its John Allen Blue Awards recipients — Black Entertainment Television’s “Rap-ItUp” Campaign, Dr. Walter P. Lomax Jr. of Lomax Health Systems, Inc., and William Butler Jr. of Bright Hope Baptist Church and Community Behavioral Health — as well as present its Founder’s Awards to Rashidah AbdulKhabeer and Wesley William Anderson Jr. Tickets to the gala are $75 or $100 with the VIP reception. Tickets can be purchased at www.bebashi.ticketleap. com. For more information, contact Deena Weems Thornton at (215) 769-3561 ext. 140 or deenaw@bebashi.org.
Delaware Interfaith Service and Candlelight Vigil Several HIV/AIDS service agencies in Delaware will come together at 6 p.m. for a vigil and interfaith service to remember those who’ve died of AIDS at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1502 W. 13th St. in Wilmington. For more information, call (302) 6526776. Under Pressure: UArts Alumni World AIDS Day Concert The University of the Arts will host a World AIDS Day benefit concert beginning at 8 p.m. at the Caplan Studio Theater, 211 S. Broad St., with all proceeds benefiting the Mazzoni Center. The event will feature performances by UArts alum and professor Bill Budd, as well as alum Marc Silver and his band the Stonethrowers, along with musician Luke Dow and host Courtney Custer, a UArts graduate. Tickets are $30 or two for $50. A special $100 ticket price includes a CD of each of the performers and two tickets for the evening’s raffle. Mazzoni will use the funds for its food bank and annual coat and gift drive. Tickets can be purchased at the door or are available at www.mazzonicenter.org/ underpressure or by calling (215) 5630652 ext. 270.
Philadelphia testing sites Center City ActionAIDS 1026 Arch St. (267) 940-5515 AIDS Fund, Broad Street Ministry 4-9:30 p.m. 315 S. Broad St. ASIAC 340 N. 12th St., Suite 205 (215) 629-2300 The Attic Youth Center 55 S. 16th St. (215) 545-4331 Youth Health Empowerment Project 112 N. Broad St., ninth floor (215) 564-6388 ext. 11 Mazzoni Center 1201 Chestnut St., third floor (215) 563-0658
GALAEI 1207 Chestnut St., fifth floor (215) 851-1822 Family Planning Council 260 S. Broad St., Suite 1000 (215) 985-6828 North Philly Congreso 216 W. Somerset St. (215) 763-8870 ext. 1010 St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children 3601 A St. (215) 427-3802 PHMC Health Connection 1035 W. Berks St. (215) 765-6690 Covenant House Health Services 251 E. Bringhurst St. (215) 844-0181
Eleventh Street Family Health Services at Drexel University 850 N. 11th St. (215) 769-1100 South/West Philly CHOP 3550 Market St., fourth floor (215) 590-3537 Urban Solutions 1408 S. Broad St., first floor (215) 755-0700 Health Center #3 555 S. 43rd St. (215) 685-7504 Health Center #4 4400 Haverford Ave. (215) 685-7601/7651
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
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NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
Mombian
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Dana Rudolph
LGBT resources for National Adoption Month November is National Adoption Month. It seems a particularly good time to celebrate, since Florida has recently overturned its ban on adoption by gay men and lesbians. Here, then, are some resources for LGBT adoptive parents and prospective parents. The U.S. Department of Health
LGBT people, and encourage us to attend general sessions as well. In their listings of children available for adoption, MARE also makes a point of noting when children are open to twomom or two-dad households, or even when they might thrive better in a home with parents of just one gender. One profile, for example, noted that the child “responds better to women than to men, and would prefer to be placed in an all-female household.” Another said, “It has been recommended by his adoption worker that [child] be placed in an all-male family as [child] struggles with female authority.” The picture that emerges is that the best interests of the child must prevail — and that including “OFF AND RUNNING” same-sex couples and Human Services has a speamong prospective parents offers children more options. See marecial page for the month, and even inc.org. includes information specifically for LGBT parents. See childwelAnd although we are far from the Sunshine State, I should menfare.gov/adoption/nam and click tion — since it is new and excitthe “Diverse Populations” tab. ing — Equality Florida’s page The Human Rights Campaign also has a special National for LGBT people who want to Adoption Month page, with adopt there. They’ll help you get links to information and videos answers and/or find an attorney. for both prospective parents and See eqfl.org/adoptequality/queschild-welfare professionals, along tionnaire. Moving to books and film, with news and event listings. there are only a few fiction works Many of the resources are taken specifically about adoption and from its ongoing “All Children same-sex parents. For the very — All Families” initiative that youngest tots, Todd Parr’s “We works with adoption and fostercare agencies across the country Belong Together” shows both to implement LGBT-inclusive same-sex and opposite-sex parpolicies and practices. See hrc. ents in its simple, colorful picorg/adoptionmonth2010 for infor- tures of adoptive families. The mation and a list of participating text is a series of paired phrases agencies. like, “We belong together because ... you needed a home, and I had In Massachusetts, we are also one to share,” and “We belong lucky to have the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange, together because ... you needed which connects the Department someone to say ‘I love you,’ and of Children & Families, private we had love to give.” Response adoption agencies and prospecto the book among online reviewtive parents. They have held ers was mixed. Many liked the informational sessions just for focus on the parents’ and chil-
dren’s feelings rather than the mechanics of adoption. Others felt the phrasing made it seem like the children were passive and “needy.” I think the end of the book makes it clear that adoptive parents and their children each have something to share with the other. For preschool and early elementary-school children, try “Felicia’s Favorite Story,” by Lesléa Newman, author of “Heather Has Two Mommies.” It’s a gentle story about preschooler Felicia, who loves to hear the tale of her adoption from Guatemala by her two moms. The drawings by Adriana Romo unfortunately come off as slightly amateurish, but it is a sweet bedtime tale. For teens, this year brings the documentary “Off and Running,” by Nicole Opper, about an
African-American teen who was adopted as an infant by a white, Jewish lesbian couple. One of her brothers is black and Puerto Rican; the other is Korean American. Searching for her African-American roots, Avery writes to her birth mother. The response shakes her emotions, and the crisis jeopardizes her future in college and track — but the ending is ultimately positive. It raises some tough but important questions about family, identity and race. The DVD is available at firstrunfeatures.com. For parents themselves, there is the memoir “Waiting for the Call: From Preacher’s Daughter to Lesbian Mom,” by Jacqueline Taylor, which chronicles Taylor’s journey from an evangelical household in the American South, through two heterosexual marriages, to coming out and adopt-
ing two children from Peru with her partner. Another compelling film about an LGBT adoptive family is “Preacher’s Sons,” filmmaker C. Roebuck Reed’s documentary about five years in the lives of two gay dads (one of whom is a Unitarian minister) and the five boys they adopt from California’s foster-care system. The DVD is available at preacherssons.com The above are all worthwhile tales, but they are only a fragment of the rich mosaic of LGBT adoptive families who adopt domestically, internationally, as single parents and as couples, and with children of different races, ages and numbers of siblings. These stories must continue to be told. We should also not forget See MOMBIAN, Page 44
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Local artists to perform World AIDS Day benefit By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer Some local musicians and organizations are joining forces to produce “Under Pressure,” a World AIDS Day benefit show Dec. 1 at Caplan Studio Theatre. Hosted by Courtney Custer, “Under Pressure” will feature performances by out indie pop performer Bill Budd, out folk singer Marc Silver with his band The Stonethrowers and singer-songwriter Luke Dow. Budd said the downturn in the economy motivated him to organize the event. “I had been reading some articles in the press about how nonprofit funding was down because of the state of the economy,” he said. “It just made me really uncomfortable thinking that organizations like Mazzoni Center and other nonprofits that are more public-service-oriented were going to suffer because of it. I was inspired
BILL BUDD (LEFT) AND MARC SILVER AND THE STONETHROWERS
to put this World AIDS Day benefit idea at the forefront of my agenda. I brought the idea to them. We talked about exactly what programs of the Mazzoni Center needed the most funding and help. They’ve been helping me organize it from there.” Besides the artists, Budd said a number of local businesses and organizations have donated to the event providing prizes for the event. “We’re having a raffle and we’ve had some donations from Ettore Spa, who donated some gift certificates,” he said. “Philadelphia School of Circus Art donated an hour aerial lesson for two people as one of the prizes. The rest of the prizes haven’t come in yet. Those organizations donating prizes are a big help. UArts donated the space and they’ve been really supportive
MOMBIAN From Page 43 that Mississippi still bans samesex couples from adopting, and Arkansas, Michigan and Utah ban unmarried couples — by definition, all same-sex couples in the state. We still have a long way to go before the more-than 115,000 children in the U.S. awaiting adoption have access to all qualified prospective parents. Unfortunately, the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, which would ban adoption and foster-
and helpful in allowing us to get in there early, set up, practice and find the best sound. They’ve been a great asset. Using the space for free is a huge contribution, including whatever labor they need to provide for us the night of the show. They also donated that.” All proceeds from “Under Pressure” will benefit Mazzoni’s Annual Coat and Gift Drive as well as the center’s food bank, Vivian’s Cupboard, both of which provide direct support to people living with HIV/AIDS. Last year, the food bank distributed groceries and meals to 1,093 households. Each holiday season, the Mazzoni Center organizes a gift and winter coat drive for children whose parents or guardians utilize the agency’s care services. Budd said he would like to see this event raise at least $5,000. “That is my main goal,” he said. “I really just want to raise money for the Mazzoni Center’s two programs that we are working for: the food bank and the holiday clothing drive. It would be nice to just raise a little bit of awareness just to get people thinking and not closing themselves off. Mazzoni is in survival mode. When you talk to the organizers of these programs and find out how much they are able to do with so little money, they are really great programs and I’d really love to give them some extra money to give more people clothing and food.” “Under Pressure” starts at 8 p.m. Dec. 1 at The Caplan Studio Theatre, 211 S. Broad St., 16th floor. For more information on the Mazzoni Center or to purchase tickets for this event, visit www. mazzonicenter.org/underpressure or call (215) 563-0652 ext. 270. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
care entities that receive federal funds from discriminating against prospective parents on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, looks unlikely to move during this session of Congress. Whether the bill will be reintroduced in the Republicancontrolled House next session remains an open question. ■ Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian (www. mombian.com), a blog and resource directory for LGBT parents.
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
Offline
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Bruce Yelk
Love the ones you’re with Last week, I received word that a beloved employee at one of our local gay hotspots passed away unexpectedly. As the news traveled through our community, it was met with heartbreak, confusion and the type of deep, regrettable sadness caused only by the premature loss of a vibrant and respected young person. With the holidays upon us, a tragedy like this puts the importance of our lives and loved ones in heightened perspective. In the next few weeks, gay Philadelphia will kick off the holiday season with several special events. No matter how you choose to spend your social time — whether with family, friends or someone in between — remember to cherish every moment with the ones you love, and deeply engage in the time you have together. Tonight at Sisters, 1320 Chancellor St., Philly’s ladies are in for a spectacular treat as several amazing performance artists take to the Burlesque Showcase stage. The hottest local burlesque groups have joined forces for this one-of-a-kind evening, including stars of the Liberty City Kings, Revival Burlesque, Cabaret Red Light, Awakenings Pole Fitness and Sister’s Sirens. Performances will range from aerial art and belly dancing to acro-yoga and intense dance numbers. Doors open at 10 p.m., and the show will begin around 11. Anastascia Beaverhousen will host the show, which is a steal at $5 a person. Proceeds will support the per-
formers’ efforts to enhance and deepen Philadelphia’s live arts scene. Go to sistersnightclub.com for all the info. This Sunday, New Hope’s Nevermore, 6426 Lower York Road, will be ground zero for the region’s leading lesbians as they gather for Bob Egan’s New Hope Cabaret featuring an exclusive set by stand-up icon Judy Gold. An Emmy Award-winning writer and producer, Gold is best known for her work on the comedy circuit. Her stand-up credits include the New York Comedy Club, the Broadway Comedy Club and the Laugh Factory. The show will start at 3 p.m., followed at 4 by the Ladies Nevermore/Ramada Dance Party with DJ Michael DeCero. Ladies 2000 is organizing the celebration, so I recommend getting your tickets as early as possible. Visit bobegansnewhope.com if you have questions about the show, and ladies2000. com for information on the afterparty. Next weekend, Philly’s gay holiday spirit will kick into high gear, highlighted by the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund’s annual fundraiser, Toy, on Dec. 4 at the breathtaking Marketplace Design Center, 2400 Market St., fourth floor. Over the last few years, Toy has become one of the region’s most popular charity events. Tickets are $40, and each attendee is asked to bring one unwrapped toy for a child in need. Toys collected at the event will be distributed to abused children being cared for by the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance and youngsters receiving treatment in the HIV/AIDS unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. For all the event details or to learn more
about DVLF, go to dvlf.org. Also taking place next weekend is “Pa Rum Pa Pum Pum,” a holiday concert presented by the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus. You’ve got three chances to catch this musical showcase: 8 p.m. Dec. 3 and 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 4 at Center City’s Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, 2111 Sansom St. This time around, the chorus’ repertoire includes a mixture of holiday classics, sing-along and children’s favorites, including “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Tickets range from $20-$50, and can be purchased at pgmc.org. In mapping out your holiday schedule, remember to pencil in a visit to the Christmas Village at Dilworth Plaza on the west side of City Hall. Over 80 vendors will take up residency in wooden booths to sell authentic international wares, including artwork, ornaments, clothing and food. In addition to shopping, many local choirs, orchestras and bands will perform on the village’s center stage. If you have family visiting this holiday season, the Christmas Village is a must. It opens to the public Nov. 26 and runs through Dec. 24. Daily hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. To view a list of vendors and scheduled performances, go to philachristmas. com. I hope my suggestions help you get in the holiday spirit. If you have an upcoming event you’d like considered for my next column, e-mail bruce@nightlifegay. com. Until next time, get offline and see what your community has to offer! ■
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Family Portraits
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
Suzi Nash
When he was in third grade, Kevin Trimell Jones told his class that he wanted to become an archaeologist and uncover great and important relics in Egypt. Lucky for us, he came to Philadelphia and has been searching for relics here, and not just the late-night crowds at some of the local watering holes. An accomplished young man, Jones is a national trainer with the Gay Men’s Health Leadership Academy and a founder of the Black Gay Men’s Leadership Council. Between 2008-10, he served as a humanities scholar/facilitator for Scribe Video Center’s Precious Places Community History Project. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan, and graduate degrees from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the University of Pennsylvania. In 2007, he founded the Black LGBT Archivists Society of Philadelphia and currently serves as its lead curator. PGN: Where do you originally hail from? KTJ: I was born and raised in and around Detroit, Mich., and lived there through college. I was an undergrad at the University of Michigan. PGN: What was your major? KTJ: [Laughs.] I had a few of them. At one point I was interested in religion, then business, but I ended up with a major in American studies. The humanities have always been a great interest of mine. After Michigan, I went to the University of Massachusetts. Then I worked for a few years in Connecticut before coming to Philadelphia about eight years ago. PGN: Any siblings? KTJ: I have a blended family with two brothers and one sister. My one brother is my twin. He’s also gay. They all still live in Michigan, except for my twin who is in Atlanta. PGN: Ever get into double trouble in school? KTJ: People tell us wee look alike all the time but we’re fraternal twins, so there was no switching clothes and pretending to be each other or that kind of thing. PGN: Who’s older? KTJ: My brother is 12 minutes older than me. He also came out as gay before me. PGN: What were you like as a kid? KTJ: I was kind of bookish. I was very inquisitive, probably a bit quiet as well. I think being the youngest sibling, I was able to learn from my siblings. I learned how to get away with things by observing their mistakes. I mean overall I was a good child and never caused any real trouble. It was interesting: In my early years, we lived in Saginaw [Mich.], in a very multiethnic neighborhood. I had friends of all
different races and backgrounds. I think that diversity and harmony between all types of people influenced a lot of who I am now. Then at about 10, my parents got divorced and I moved to Detroit with my mother. We lived in a predominantly black neighborhood and I learned a lot from that as well. I leaned the reasons why social justice was so important. PGN: What did your parents do? KTJ: My father worked and still works for General Motors. Being from Detroit, a lot of the family worked in the auto industry. He’ll retire soon after over 50 years there. My mother had various jobs. She worked by choice, so she did whatever interested her.
book as a kid? KTJ: In third grade, after we finished our work, we were allowed to go to the library and pick out a book. There was a short story by Langston Hughes called “Thank You, Ma’am” that I just loved. I memorized the whole thing. I still have it memorized to this day! It was about a young black boy who tries to steal a woman’s purse. She scolds him but also shows him compassion and invites him into her home for dinner. He has to figure out why she’s being so nice to him and, in the end, parts with a “Thank you, ma’am.” I try to pattern myself after the woman, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, and show compassion in my life. By the way, you didn’t ask me yet but “Fraggle Rock” was my favorite TV show growing up! PGN: “Fraggle Rock”! You’re just a baby. KTJ: I’m 33; I’ll be 34 in December. Sagittarius.
PGN: The Archivists Society collects personal notes and letters to record our history. What was the best or most recent letter you received? KTJ: About three years ago I was at home in Michigan. My mother’s taken a while to accept me and my brother’s sexuality — not that we ever had any major problems with her, but she was always concerned. I think it had a lot to do with her fear of HIV and AIDS. When I got home from the trip, I found a note in my briefcase from her telling me that she loved me and that though she didn’t necessarily understand it, she KEVIN TRIMELL JONES Photo: Suzi Nash just wanted me to be happy and to know that she loved me. She’d said those things to PGN: As someone with family in the auto me before, so it wasn’t out of the blue, but industry, was the bailout a good thing? to go into my bag and have it there written KTJ: I think it was. The funny thing is that down was so sweet. It was the best note people were critical of it when, in reality, I’ve ever received. the financial industry got a much bigger bailout. People were ready to let the auto PGN: Tell me about first realizing that you industry fail. I think the blue-collar workwere gay. ers were not given the same respect as Wall KTJ: I think I always knew. My twin brother and I both always knew we were Street. But it worked and General Motors different from our other siblings and very is back trading publicly now, so hopefully some of the money will filter back to much like each other. I always noticed places like Saginaw and Detroit that have other boys and had some experiences with really been suffering in past years. playmates growing up, but I still dated females through middle school and high PGN: You are a big fan of the written school. Even on a spiritual level, I knew word. Do you remember your favorite that dating girls was not who I was. But
growing up in the ’80s, hearing so much about HIV/AIDS, it was scary. I clearly remember sitting in church and hearing that HIV was God’s gift to the gays and that they were all going to hell. It was hard, knowing that there was something inside me that I couldn’t change while all the people who were important to me were telling me these terrible things. But in my heart I knew what I felt. I loved being around sissies. I would love hearing stories about effeminate black gay men, even if it was my mother talking about this person at church or that one in the beauty salon. Or someone talking about the fags that lived down the street. I loved hearing about them and I wanted to be like them. In terms of coming out, my twin told my mother when we were undergrads together at U of M. Right after he told her she called me crying and asked me if I was gay. I told her I wasn’t, and that was the hardest thing. I could have used it as an opportunity to open up but I was afraid that she couldn’t handle having two sons come out to her back to back in the course of minutes. About a year later, I came out to her and our relationship was definitely impacted. It took her a while to get to the point that she could write me that note saying she just wanted me to be happy. PGN: What brought you to Philadelphia? KTJ: After grad school, I worked in Massachusetts and Connecticut for a while. I really felt a desire to do work around health issues for gay men of color and I knew that Connecticut was not the place for that! There was not a lot of diversity in Amherst or even in Hartford. I looked at going to D.C. and to Philly. I applied for a job in research at the Public Health Management Corporation and they hired me, so Philly it was. I was also going through a break-up so I figured it was a good time to get a fresh start. It was hard since I didn’t have any family here. I had a cousin who had lived here but he died a while back. He was older than me and also gay. Sometimes I feel I moved here to get closer to him in a way. Working with the Archivist Society, when I see old photographs, sometimes I wonder if any of the people in the pictures were people that he knew or places that he hung out. PGN: And what do you do at work? KTJ: My official title is manager of research projects and we do HIV-vaccine development. I help design recruitment and research for vaccine trials with the University of Pennsylvania. PGN: And you founded the Black LGBT Archivists Society of Philadelphia. KTJ: I’ve always had a love for history and spoke to some people about doing an exhibit for Black Gay Pride. We got comSee PORTRAIT, Page 48
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
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1. “Look out ...” 5. Kisses the ass of 13. Robert of the Violet Quill 15. Tickled-pink feeling 16. The Violet Quill writer 18. Pitching stat 19. Fishy yarn 20. Triple X, for Caesar 21. Fireman, at times 22. Small team 24. Balks, as a horse 27. George of the Violet Quill 32. Noble title for Chablis 33. Motor City org. 34. Dancer Reagan 35. “We ___ Family” 36. Felice of the Violet Quill 39. Scolding syllable 40. Site for three men in a tub 41. Hospital pros 42. Hoover hookup that sucks 43. Andrew of the Violet Quill 46. Less nuts 47. Milk, in a way 48. Rainbow shape 50. Words before were 53. On ___ with 54. Park of New York City
57. The Violet Quill writer 61. Teri Hatcher, before she was a desperate housewife 62 .Edmund of the Violet Quill 63. Overshadowed, on Broadway 64. Tributes in verse Down 1. “All ___” (1984 Tomlin film) 2. Will beneficiary 3. Shamu, for one 4. Abbr. for a British king 5. Academy member 6. Zero-wheeled
vehicle 7. Showery mo. 8. Wed. follower 9. Beat it 10. Mystery writer Gardner 11. French goose egg 12. Comes out with 14. One of the “Maneater” singers 17. Stud site 21. “Listen up!” 22. “Gorillas in the Mist” author Fossey 23. Spy plane or rock band 24. Cut 25. Nonoral Marx 26. Rupert Everett’s “An ___ Husband” 28. Mao’s successor 29. Halliwell’s partner 30. Shake in bed? 31. Penetrate 36. J. Buchanan, e.g. 37. As to
38. Land of Stonewall Jackson and R.E. Lee 42. Skeptical ejaculation 44. Musician of old 45. Dropped off 46. Stick it to 49. Root word 50. Sometime defender of gay rights 51. Take advantage of International Male 52. Bisexual writer Murdoch 53. Top drawer 54. “Phantom” scar source 55. Help re-elect a Log Cabin candidate, e.g. 56. Former lovers 58. ’70s org. of kidnappers 59. Touching children’s game 60. P on Socrates’ paper
SOLUTION
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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worth watching: The Talk Out actress Sara Gilbert hosts the talk show alongside Sharon Osbourne, Julie Chen, Leah Remeni and Holly Robinson Peete. Monday-Friday, 2 p.m. on CBS. The Nate Berkus Show Monday-Friday, 2 p.m. on NBC. The Ellen DeGeneres Show Monday-Friday, 3 p.m. on NBC. The Rachel Maddow Show Monday-Friday, 9 p.m. on MSNBC. FRIDAY Wizard of Oz The classic fantasy film. 8 p.m. on TBS. Fashion Police Joan Rivers discusses the week’s
notable fashions. 10:30 p.m. on E! SATURDAY Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon A documentary about 1970s gay porn star Jack Wrangler. 8 p.m. on Logo. Saturday Night Live This week the show is hosted by Bryan Cranston and features musical guest Kanye West. 11:30 p.m. on NBC. SUNDAY Brothers and Sisters Look for gay characters Kevin and Scotty. 10 p.m. on ABC. MONDAY How I Met Your Mother Out actor Neil
PORTRAIT From Page 46 munity members to bring items together to make a collection. In three months, we collected close to 1,000 items. The exhibit was a success and I realized how much information and history there was that many people had never seen. That was the beginning of the Archivists Society. PGN: Where is it housed now? KTJ: Right now it’s in my home, so we’re trying to find a place for it. I want to make sure that the items are stored safely and also want to get them to a place where they’re accessible to people. I’ve started a blog and a website so that people have a way to contact and connect with us. We’ve already had requests from people looking for certain items or information. PGN: What was the most interesting or moving item you’ve received? KTJ: We have a collection of photographs. Four of them are from the Penn Relay weekends in the mid-’50s. The relays were always a gathering time for black gay men with people coming here from all over the country. The pictures are from house parties and show men dancing with each other, hugging and being affectionate with each other. I look at them whenever I need
Patrick Harris stars as the womanizing Barney. 8 p.m. on CBS. 90210 Look for out characters Teddy and Ian. 8 p.m. on CW. Skating with the Stars Stars on ice ... and not in the good way. 8 p.m. on ABC. The A-List: New York The lives of New York City’s gay elite is the center of this new reality series. 10 p.m. on Logo.
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
The Fashion Show Iman and Isaac Mizrahi host and judge this fashion competition. 10 p.m. on Bravo. Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Supermodels strutting around in lingerie. 10 p.m. on CBS. WEDNESDAY America’s Next Top Model It‘s the season finale in this fashion competition. 8 p.m. on CW. Modern Family Look for gay couple Mitchell and Cameron. 9 p.m. on ABC.
TUESDAY Biggest Loser Look for out trainer Jillian Michaels. 8 p.m. on NBC.
The Arrangement The reality competition about flower arranging. 10 p.m. on Logo.
Glee Out actress Jane Lynch stars in the acclaimed series. 8 p.m. on Fox.
THURSDAY Grey’s Anatomy Look for out character Callie Torres. 9 p.m. on ABC.
encouragement: I think of the men in the pictures as my gay uncles or grandfathers. I also recently returned from Seattle and one of my coworkers from our Seattle site gave me about 80 adult magazines of black and Latino interest. So I’m going through airport security trying to explain why I’m carrying on a suitcase full of porn! That was one of our more interesting donations. PGN: Tell me three LGBT people of color that we’d be surprised to know. KTJ: Well, that’s a tricky one. There are people who have been named as members of the LGBT community but it’s a struggle for me. If people didn’t talk about it in their lives, how much do we reveal once they’ve passed on, particularly if there’s no public record of it? Even with people like Langston Hughes, there’s been pushback from the families about the sexuality, so I’m reluctant to answer the question. Even currently it’s an issue. If we were not on record, I could give you names of people you’d be shocked to hear, but I think that’s one of the responsibilities of maintaining history: to get the information on record so that there’s no question. Or we try to put it in context that the person was involved with or around the community without definitively saying that they were gay. I’ve already had family members call me to say, “Why are you saying so-and-so is homosexual? Just because they are stand-
GIRL TALK: Now that the holidays are upon us, there’s a slim chance that some of us might be at home during the day to catch “The Talk,” which airs weekdays at 2 p.m. The show is hosted by Leah Remini (clockwise, from bottom left), Holly Robinson Peete, Sharon Osbourne, Julie Chen, Marissa Jaret Winokur and out actress Sara Gilbert, who also was a developer and executive producer for the show. Photo: James White/CBS
ing in a picture doesn’t mean they were gay.” It’s a struggle. PGN: Do you think that it’s going to be harder for future historians? In the past, you would go back and look at old bills and sales receipts to see what people were doing, buying, what things cost, etc. Nowadays, everyone shreds everything. KTJ: There won’t be any paper left, but we’ll have a lot of things digitally archived. There’s always the question of where things go once you post them on the Internet, that once something’s there it can never truly be removed. I believe that 100 years from now, most of our archeological searches will be digital. I also think that there will be a lot of printed history to discover. I’m always amazed at how many people don’t shred their information. PGN: There was a special on the Library of Congress recently and the head curator was saying how ephemeral we were, having everything on paper or computer, whereas the ancients have their records in stone for all eternity. KTJ: Unless they drop it! I do think we need to be more intentional about preserving our history. I think the ancient Egyptians or the ancient Greeks and Romans were very deliberate about making sure they left a record of their experiences and explaining who they were.
That’s why it’s important for us, especially marginalized communities like the LGBT community and the LGBT communities of color, to really make sure we leave a record of how we want to be remembered. PGN: OK, random questions. Ever play any sports? KTJ: I ran track in eighth grade and that was it. I was more the bookish type. PGN: If you could trade places with anyone for a month, who would you pick? KTJ: My twin, because people always say we’re so much alike and yet I think we’re totally different. I’d just want to see what his life is really like. If not him, I’d love to be Langston Hughes for a month during the height of the Harlem Renaissance. Just to experience that time of great creativity and also to know what it was like to express yourself so freely as a gay man during a time when it wasn’t considered acceptable. PGN: What question would you ask a psychic about the future? KTJ: When can I get legally married in Pennsylvania? ■ To suggest a community member for “Family Portraits,” write to portraits05@aol.com.
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Quality, quantity abound at La Scala’s By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer There’s plenty of style and substance to go around at La Scala’s, 615 Chestnut St., especially on the plates, which consistently hold feasts for the eye as well as for
more fun. The pasta menu at La Scala’s is exceptional. The gnocchi ($18) was an exercise in simple perfection, impossibly light and bathed only in mozzarella, basil and tomato sauce. You’ll want to finish every morsel. Heartier
plant capanata but suffered slightly at the hands of a too-dry mushroom polenta cake that was not on par with the other strong flavors on the plate. The true clash of the titans on the entrée menu was the filet mignon Philly style ($29) and
the grilled pork chop ($24). Each delivered its own unique “Wow!” factor. The filet mignon was a refined version of Philadelphia flavors, smothered in sautéed onions, provolone sauce, mushrooms, hot peppers and roasted potatoes. Without a doubt, it
LA SCALA’S MAIN DINING ROOM (LEFT) AND PRIVATE DINING ROOM Photos: Scott A. Drake
appetites should drift toward your lucky gullet. If La Scala’s chopped salad the short rib agnolotti ($20), an ($9) is any indication, there’s fine earthy dish well seasoned with attention to detail to the quality of Gorgonzola and wild mushthe greens. It was chopped, tossed rooms. Be warned that La Scala’s and dressed impeccably, with its various elements — Italian meats, entrées are massive. If you’ve pepperoncini, red onion and fon- indulged in any of the aforementioned selections during the tina — each able to stand out. On La Scala’s small-plate menu, course of your meal, hit the desthings got off to a decadent, bor- sert cart and call it night. You dering on obscene, start with the can always come back later and crab chips ($11): delicately thin try the entrées. And trust us, you fried potato crisps topped with really, really, really want to try the entrées. crab meat, proThe jumbo volone cheese lump crabsauce, hot pepcake ($22) is pers, Old Bay pushed over seasoning and the top by bacon. Subtle a generous La Scala’s it’s not, but this dusting of 615 Chestnut St. dish was irrefried zucchini Open daily for lunch and sistible. (we could dinner The grilled swear they (215) 928-0900 artichoke ($10) tasted more www.lascalasphilly.com with prosciutto like shoeand Parmesan string fried h e l d i t s ow n potatoes ... in against the crab chips even though it was far more a damn good way), keeping the refined and laidback dish. The texture crunchy and interesting. escarole and white beans ($8), on Garnishes both make and break the other hand, while satisfying, the lamb chops ($28), which proved that carnivores do have paired excellently with the egg-
works like a cheesesteak and an upscale dinner at the same time. The pork chop was a monster 14ounce double-cut portion made all the more enticing by the hot and sweet peppers, mushrooms, onions and balsamic vinegar that topped it and the fluffy mashed potatoes alongside it. When La Scala’s dessert cart comes around, you could play it safe and order the cheesecake with fresh strawberries ($8) or the crème brûlè but, really, with its track record on Italian dishes, there’s no use resisting the tiramisu ($8) or the homemade cannoli ($7). Both are extremely rich and naughty, with the former being soft, moist and piled super-high and the latter a crunchy, creamy, chocolatechip-laden force of nature. La Scala’s demands a big appetite. Bring it and you won’t leave disappointed. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.
If you go
PGN
Gay is our middle name.
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Adana Kebab $11.75
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
PAGE 51
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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
Diversions Your guide to arts and entertainment
Theater
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Philadelphia Theatre Company presents the award-winning tale of six kids in the throes of puberty vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime, through Dec. 5 at Suzanne Roberts Theater, 480 S. Broad St.; (215) 985-0420. Annie Media Theater presents the musical with out comedian and TV star Wanda Sykes star as Miss Hannigan, through Dec. 12 and Jan. 12-16, 104 E. State St., Media; (610) 891-0100.
Jersey Boys The Kimmel Center’s Broadway series presents the award-winning 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. My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish and I’m in Therapy Society Hill Playhouse presents a comedic oneman show through Dec. 12, 507 S. Eighth St.; (215) 923-0210.
The Borrowers Arden Theatre Company presents an adaptation of the beloved children’s novel, Dec. 1-Jan. 30 on the F. Otto Haas Stage, 40 N. Second St.; (215) 9221122.
Old Wicked Songs Bristol Riverside Theater presents out playwright Jon Maran’s Pulitzer Prizenominated drama about a piano prodigy who travels to Vienna, desperate to regain his waning creative spark, through Dec. 5, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol; (215) 785-0100.
Caesar’s Palace O’ Fun The Walnut Street Theatre presents a musical variety show centered around an outrageous lounge lothario, through Jan. 2 at Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 5743550.
The Santaland Diaries Flashpoint Theatre Company presents an adaptation of out humorist David Sedaris’ comedic look at the holidays, Dec. 1-19 at Second Stage at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St.; (215) 568-8077.
I Capture The Castle The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey presents the romantic comedy about a 17-year-old budding writer, Cassandra, and her eccentric family, who live in a crumbling 17thcentury English castle, Dec. 1-Jan. 2, 36 Madison Ave., Madison, N.J.; (973) 408-5600.
Sister’s Christmas Catechism The Kimmel Center’s Off Broadway Series presents the holiday-themed comedy, through Nov. 28 at Innovation Studio, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Walnut Street Theatre presents an all-new production of the holiday Broadway musical, through Jan. 9, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550.
South Pacific The Kimmel Center’s Broadway Series presents the classic musical, through Nov. 28 at the Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. This Is the Week That Is 1812 Productions presents the smash news comedy returning for its fifth year,
Dec. 2-31 at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St.; (215) 5929560.
PGN
Pick
Music
Bob Dylan The legendary rock singer performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 26 at the Borgata Hotel, Casino and Spa Event Center, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City; (609) 3171000. KT Tunstall The rock singer performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 26 at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; (215) 922-6888. The Machine The Pink Floyd tribute band performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 26 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside; (215) 5727650. Bret Michaels The rock singer performs at 9 p.m. Nov. 26 at the Tropicana Casino & Resort, 2831 Boardwalk, Atlantic City; (609) 3404000. Beatlemania Now The Beatles Tribute act performs at 3 and 8 p.m. Nov. 27 at Sellersville Theater, 24 W. Temple Ave.; (215) 257-5808. Ray Davies The classic-rock singer performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 27 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes The E Street band member performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 27 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside; (215) 572-7650. Sugar Town benefit for Philabundance Janet Bresslerm Prima Donna, Jeska from Showin Tell, Little Invisibles,
The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts hosts Parsons Dance, Dec. 2-4 at Zellerbach Theatre, 3680 Walnut St. The multi-media dance troupe features live singers accompanying the choreography of one of today’s greatest choreographers, David Parsons, with rock renditions of arias. The production also features Tony Award-winning lighting design by Howell Binkley and costumes by “Project Runway” star Austin Scarlett. For more information, visit www.parsonsdance.org or call (215) 898-3900.
Christine Leneem and Alison Tartalia perform at 8 p.m. Nov. 27 at Tritone, 1508 South St.; (215) 5450475. Brandon Flowers The Killers frontman performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St.; (610) 7845400.
W. Temple Ave.; (215) 2575808. Res The pop/rock singer performs at 8 p.m. Dec. 2 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; (215) 222-1400.
Exhibits
Art of the American Soldier The National Constitution Debbie Reynolds Center presents the worldThe actress, singer and debut exhibition of over dancer performs at 8 p.m. 15,000 paintings and Dec. 1 at Taj Mahal Atlantic sketches created by 1,300 American soldiers in the City, 1000 Boardwalk at line of duty, through Jan. Virginia Ave.; (609) 4491000. 10, 525 Arch St.; (215) 4096895. Mike Doughty The Soul Coughing singer Best of Show performs at 8 p.m. Dec. 2 University of the Arts hosts at Sellersville Theater, 24 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. 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. Desert Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier GuerrandHermes Collection Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition of jewelry and historic photographs from Algeria,
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
Libya, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia, through Dec. 5, 26th Street and the Parkway; (215) 763-8100.
Stack and Carrie Patterson, through Dec. 4, 265 S. 10th St.; (215) 627-6250.
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 Dec. 19, 26th Street and the Parkway; (215) 763-8100.
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.
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, 26th Street and the Parkway; (215) 763-8100. John Folinsbee and American Modernism Woodmere Art Museum presents a fresh look at the New Hope painter’s life and work, revealing the artist’s move from impressionism toward modernism, through March 6, 9201 Germantown Ave.; (215) 247-0476.
The Visionary State: A Journey Through 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.
Dance
Parsons Dance The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents the multi-media dance troupe, Dec. 2-4 at Zellerbach Theatre, 3680 Walnut St.; (215) 898-3900.
Film
Monty Python and the Holy Grail The classic comedy is screened Nov. 26-29 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; (610) 917-0223. The Lady Vanishes The Alfred Hitchcock film is screened at 2 p.m. Nov. 28 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; (610) 917-0223. The Expendables The 2010 action film is screened at 8 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch
Listen to My Story, See Through My Eyes: Stories from the Robert R. Rosenbaum Oral History Project The William Way LGBT Community Center presents video recordings of over 40 oral histories from local activists, celebrities and everyday people in the LGBT community, through Dec. 25, 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 732-2220. Object and Fields AxD Gallery presents an exhibition of works by Mike
Notices Send notices at least one week in advance to: Diversions, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147; fax them to (215) 9256437; or e-mail them to diversions@epgn.com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone.
SECOND TO NUN: Nuns are funny. Not in real life. But on stage they are a hoot. In “Sister’s Christmas Catechism,” the titular character retells the story of the nativity and will probably rap you on the knuckles with a ruler if you nod off. Catch the holiday-themed comedy through Nov. 28 at The Kimmel Center’s Innovation Studio, 240 S. Broad St. For more information, call (215) 790-5847.
PAGE 53
St.; (215) 922-6888.
Books
Nov. 28, 507 S. Eighth St.; (215) 923-0210.
Arlene Weintraub The author of “Selling the Fountain of Youth: How the Anti-Aging Industry Made a Disease out of Getting Old — And Made Millions,” hosts a discussion at 6 p.m. Dec. 1 at Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut St.; (215) 898-7595.
Etc.
Dr. Joan Capuzzi The veterinarian and author of “Knack Puppies: A Complete Guide to Raising a Happy Puppy in a Positive Environment” hosts a Q&A at 5 p.m. Dec. 2 at Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut St.; (215) 898-7595.
Jo Koy The comedian performs at 9 p.m. Nov. 26 at the Borgata Hotel, Casino and Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City; (609) 317-1000.
Cabaret
Back In The Army Cabaret Society Hill Playhouse presents the military-themed show filled with drag and drama, through
Morris Arboretum’s Holiday Garden Railway The holiday-themed quarter mile displays bustling model trains and buildings, through Jan. 2, 100 E. Northwestern Ave.; www.morrisarboretum. org.
Jay Leno The comedian and TV personality performs at 9 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Borgata Hotel, Casino and Spa Event Center, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City; (609) 317-1000. ■
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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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, Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 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. Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Peer counseling: 6-9 p.m. Monday through Friday Library hours: 3-9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 3-6 p.m. Tuesday; noon-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers: New Orientation: First Wednesday of the month at 7:30 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; (215) 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 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.
Key numbers
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; 21 S. 12th St., eighth floor; (215) 5630652. www.mazzonicenter.org. Mazzoni Center Family & Community Medicine Comprehensive primary health care, preventive health services, gynecology, sexual-health services and chronic-disease management, including comprehensive HIV care; 809 Locust St.; (215) 563-0658. 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.
■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: (215) 587-9377
■ Mazzoni Center: (215) 563-0652; www. mazzonicenter.org. Legal Services: (215) 563-0657, (866) LGBT-LAW; legalservices@m azzonicenter.org
■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: (856) 933-9500 ext. 221
■ Mazzoni Center Family & 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
■ The COLOURS Organization Inc.: 112 N. Broad St., third floor; (215) 496-0330 ■ Equality Pennsylvania: (215) 731-1447; www.equalitypa.org ■ Equality Forum: (215) 732-3378 ■ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Peer Counseling Services: (215) 732-TALK ■ Mayor’s Director of LGBT Affairs: Gloria Casarez, (215) 686-2194; Gloria. Casarez@phila.gov; Fax: (215) 686-2555
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
12-step programs and support groups Professional groups ■ Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia GALLOP holds board meetings at 6:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at 100 S. Broad St., Suite 1810; GALLOP also provides a free referral service; (215) 627-9090; www.galloplaw.org. ■ Greater Philadelphia Professional Network Networking group for area business professionals, self-employed and business owners meets monthly in a different location throughout the city, invites speakers on various topics, partners with other nonprofits and maintains a Web site where everyone is invited to sign up for e-mail notices for activities and events.; www.gppn. org. ■ Independence Business Alliance Greater Philadelphia’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce, providing networking, business development, marketing, educational and advocacy opportunities for LGBT and LGBT-friendly businesses and professionals. Visit www. IndependenceBusinessAlliance.com for information about events, programs and membership; (215) 5570190; 1717 Arch St., Suite 3370. ■ National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association The Philadelphia chapter of NLGJA, open to professionals and students, meets for social and networking events; www.nlgjaphiladephia.org. ■ Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus A regional organization dedicated to promoting gay and lesbian tourism to the Greater Philadelphia Region, holds meetings every other month on the fourth Thursday (January, March, May, July, September and the third Thursday in November), open to the public; P.O. Box 58143, Philadelphia, PA 19102; www.philadelphiagaytourism.com. ■ Philly OutGoing Professionals Social group for gay, lesbian and bisexual professionals meets for social and cultural activities; (856) 8579283; popnews19@yahoo.com.
Adult Children of Alcoholics
Meets at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at the William Way Center. ■ Rainbow Adult Children of Alcoholics and Alcoholics Anonymous meet at 7 p.m. Saturdays at Limestone Presbyterian Church, 3201 Limestone Road, Wilmington, Del.; (302) 456-9129. ■
Al-Anon
Gay Al-Anon meets at 8 p.m. Fridays at St. Andrew’s Church, 50 York St., Lambertville, N.J.; (215) 986-1029. ■
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
Acceptance meets at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays at Episcopal Church, 22nd and Spruce streets. ■ Beginnings meets at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at 1201 Locust St.; (215) 563-0663 ext. 282. ■ Community meets at 8 p.m. on Thursdays at Holy Communion Church, 2111 Sansom St. Gay and lesbian but all are welcome. ■ GLBT Alcoholics Anonymous meets at 7 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. on Wednesdays at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 100 W. Windsor St., Reading; (484) 529-9504. ■ Living In Sobriety meets at 10 a.m. Mondays through Fridays and 11 a.m. Sundays at the William Way Center. ■ Night Owl meets at 11:30 p.m. Sunday through Saturday at the William Way Center. ■ Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian Beginners meets at 7:30 p.m. Mondays at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2212 Spruce St. ■ Sober and Gay meets at 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Friday at the William Way Center. ■ Stepping Stone meets at 2:30 p.m. Mondays at the Mazzoni Center. ■ Ties That Bind Us is a12-step Alcoholics Anonymous meeting for the BDSM, leather and alternative sexuality community. Meetings are held from 7:30-9 p.m. in South Philadelphia. For location, call (800) 581-7883. ■ Way Gay Young Peoples meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the William Way Center. ■
Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA)
Meets at 7 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the William Way Center.
Tuesdays:
■ AIDS Services in Asian Community offers safer-sex and HIV/AIDS information at 10 a.m. on second Tuesday of the month at the Independence Branch of the the Free Library, 18 S. Seventh St.; (215) 685-1633. ■ A support group for HIV-positive men and women meets from 1:30-3 p.m. at BEBASHI — Transition to Hope, 1217 Spring Garden St., first floor; (215) 769-3561. ■ Encuentros Positivos, a group for HIV-positive Latino men who have sex with men, meets on first and third Tuesday of the month at 1205 Chestnut St.; (215) 985-3382. ■ “Feast Incarnate,” a weekly ministry for people affected by HIV/AIDS, begins at 5 p.m. at University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St. Bible study follows at 6 p.m.; (215) 387-2885. ■ A support group for people recently diagnosed with HIV/AIDS will meet from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Mazzoni Center. ■ Youth Outreach Adolescent Community Awareness Program’s Voice It Sistah, a support group for HIV-positive women, meets at 11 a.m. every first and third Tuesday at YOACAP, 1207 Chestnut St., Suite 315; (215) 851-1898.
Wednesdays:
A support group for HIV-positive women will meet from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Arch Street United Methodist Church, 55 N. Broad St.; (215) 387-6055. ■ AIDS Services in Asian Communities’ weekly volunteer work group will meet from 6-8 p.m. at 340 N. 12th St., Suite 205; (215) 563-2424. ■ Project Teach, a peer-education and empowerment program for people living with HIV/AIDS, will meet from 3-5 p.m. at Philadelphia Fight, 1233 Locust St. ■ Positive Effect, for HIV-positive people 18 and over, meets from 5-7 p.m. at Camden AHEC, 514 Cooper St., Camden, N.J.; (856) 963-2432. ■
Thursdays:
A support group for HIV-positive men and women will meet from 6-8 p.m. at BEBASHI — Transition to Hope, 1217 Spring Garden St.; (215) 769-3561. ■ Diversity, an HIV/AIDS support group for all infected or affected, meets from 7-9 p.m. at Arch Street United Methodist Church, 55. N. Broad St.; call Zak, (215) 848-4380, or Paul, (215) 307-0347. ■
Saturdays:
AIDS Delaware’s You’re Not Alone youth support group meets at 11 a.m. at AIDS Delaware, 100 W. 10th St., Suite 315, Wilmington; a social session will follow at 12:30 p.m.; (302) 652-6776. ■
■
Emotional Support
Healing After Loss has monthly activities in South Jersey and surrounding area; www.lsn. southjersey.com. ■ NJ LGBT Cancer Support Group Discussion/support group for LGBT cancer survivors, patients and caregivers meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Friday of every month at the Pride Center, 85 Raritan Avenue, Room 3, Highland Park, N.J.; (609) 217-8697; njlgbtcsg@me.com. ■ Pink and Blues is a free depression and bipolar support group for sexual minorities and meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at St. Luke and The Epiphany Church, 330 S. 13th St.; (215) 627-0424. ■ Pink and Blues Main Line, a peer-run mental health support group, meets 6 p.m. Thursdays at Bryn Mawr Consumer Center, 1001 W. Lancaster Ave.; (610) 527-1511. ■ Survivors of Suicide Inc. meets at 7:30 p.m. on first Tuesday of the month at 3535 Market St., Room 2037; (215) 545-2242; www.phillysos. tripod.com. ■ Survivors of Suicide Inc., Chester County meets at 7:30 p.m. on second Wednesday of the month at Paoli Memorial Hospital, Willistown Room, Medical Office Building; (215) 545-2242; www. phillysos.tripod.com. ■
HIV/AIDS
Strength In Numbers Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ SINPhiladelphia.
Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
Meetings are at 2 p.m. Sunday through Saturday and at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the William Way Center. ■
Overeaters Anonymous (OA)
■ Open meeting, Tuesdays, beginners meet at 5:30 p.m., regular meeting at 6 p.m., and 6 p.m. Friday, at Hahnemann University Hospital, 245 N. 15th St., third floor; call Troy, (215) 514-3065.
S.A.R.A.
Substance Abuse – Risk Assessment; day and evening hours; (215) 563-0663 ext. 282. ■
Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
Mondays, 7 p.m. at the William Way Center. ■ Mondays, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 20 N. Route 9, Marmora, N.J.; (609) 675-1998. ■ Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. at All Saints Church, 18 Olive Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.; (302) 542-3279. ■ Fridays, 7:30 p.m. at the Ocean View Lodge, Metropolitan Community Church, 521 Glade Road, Rehoboth Beach, Del.; (302) 945-5982. ■ Saturdays, 8:30 p.m. at the William Way Center. ■
SEPCADD
■ Safe space to meet and discuss substance abuse problems with office in William Way Center; (215) 340-9995.
■
Meeting Place rotates listings on a four week schedule.
Mondays:
Positive Brothers, a support group for men of color living with HIV/AIDS, meets from 6-8 p.m. at 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 496-0330. ■
Smoking Cessation
FreshOUT!, Mazzoni Center’s free quitsmoking program, hosts individual sessions, classes and support groups and offers Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches, gum and lozenges); (215) 563-0652 ext. 228 or e-mail quitsmoking@mazzonienter.org. ■
■ Philadelphia Police Department liaison — Deputy Commissioner Stephen Johnson: (215) 683-2840 ■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: (267) 216-6606; ppd.lgbt@gmail.com ■ Philly Pride Presents: (215) 875-9288 ■ SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: (717) 920-9537 ■ Transgender Health Action Coalition: (215) 732-1207 (staffed 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays, and 6-9 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)
Send submissions to pgn@epgn.com or fax (215) 925-6437 PGN Meeting Place, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
Meeting Place is a public service. Submissions must include a phone number for publication. Complete Meeting Place listings of all Parent/Family, Professional, Recovery, Recreation, Religion, Sports, Men, Women, Trans, Youth groups can be found online @ www.phliagaynews.com and www.epgn.com
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
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Classifieds With Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services and Personals
Mortgage rates jump along with Treasury yields By Janna Herron The Associated Press
Any borrowers who were betting that mortgage rates would fall even further lost out this week. The best rates may now be behind them. The average rate on a 30year fixed mortgage jumped to 4.39 percent from 4.17 percent, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said last Thursday. That’s the lowest level on records dating back to 1971. The 15-year loan, a popular refinance option, climbed to 3.76 percent from 3.57 percent, the lowest level since that survey began in 1991. “We have a pipeline of folks who were waiting, who chose to float instead of lock in their rate and may have
missed their opportunity,” said Ritch Workman, co-owner of Workman Mortgage in Melbourne, Fla. That means some borrowers may find that refinancing no longer makes financial sense. Others may pay add-on fees known as points in exchange for a lower rate. Or they might just settle for the higher rate, which is still historically low. The recent jump in rates has rippled through the mortgage market. The number of people applying for mortgages slumped earlier this month, the Mortgage Bankers Association said. Purchase applications dropped by 5 percent from the previous week. Refinance applications tumbled 16.5 percent. Rates have risen because long-term Treasury yields have
climbed to their highest level since July. Mortgage rates tend to track those yields. The yields rose as traders dumped Treasurys they had bought before the Federal Reserve announced its $600billion bond-buying program to spur the economy. Republican economists and lawmakers have criticized the Fed program, saying it could lead to runaway inflation. Those fears have led investors to sell Treasury bonds. Bond analysts don’t expect Treasury yields to revisit the lows of last month. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell then to its lowest point since the financial crisis. “We’ll get nowhere near that this year,” said John Spinello, a bond strategist at Jefferies &
Co. Before last week, rates had steadily declined over the past seven months, setting new lows almost weekly since April. Investors, worried about the economy, had shifted money into the safety of U.S. Treasurys. Mortgage rates fell to their lowest point at 4.17 percent as traders snatched up Treasurys ahead of the central bank’s announcement. While refinancing activity got a boost, low rates did little to buoy the struggling housing market. Potential buyers are worried about their jobs. Or they’re unable to qualify for a loan because of tighter credit standards. Others can’t sell their own homes before buying another. To calculate average mortgage
rates, Freddie Mac collects rates from lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday each week. Rates often fluctuate significantly, even within a single day. Rates on five-year adjustablerate mortgages averaged 3.4 percent, up from 3.25 percent, the lowest rate on records dating to January 2005. Rates on oneyear adjustable-rate home loans were unchanged at 3.26 percent. The rates don’t include the add-on fees known as points. One point is equal to 1 percent of the total loan amount. The average fee for 30-year mortgage in Freddie Mac’s survey was 0.9 point. It was 0.7 point for 15-year fixed loans and five-year mortgages. It was 0.6 point for one-year mortgages. ■
Location! Location! Location! This week’s featured property
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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.
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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
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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
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NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2010
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REAL ESTATE
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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
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Noon - 1:00 PM 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
Office: 856.227.1950 ext. 124 Cell: 609.221.1196 www.conradkuhn.com Realtor856@aol.com
ROOMMATES
Washington Township Office 5070 Route 42 Turnersville, NJ 08012
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 HOUSE SHARE W. COLLINGSWOOD, NJ 2 BR avail in new 4 BR house. Share BR, kit, LR, W/D. $800/mo. + 1 mo. sec. Call Wendy at 215-266-7997, email: wmf69@comcast.net _______________________________34-49
927 Spruce St. Unit 2R Deluxe Junior 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath with new kitchen. Unit contains a queens size Murphy bed. (parking space available for an additional $20,000) .....................................................................................................$199,900 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 $189,000 255 S. Hutchinson St. (between 9th and 10th off Spruce St.) Historic, 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath on charming cobblestone street in heart of Washington Sq. West. ..........................................................................................................$250,000
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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.. .......................................................................................................... Now $574,900
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The Curtis Center 1401 Walnut St. 8th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102
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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 QUEEN VILLAGE 3rd & Catharine. Perfect commercial/professional space. 2 floors, 1200 sq. ft. $1800 total. 215-687-8461. _______________________________34-49 JEFFERSONVILLE, NEAR K OF P, BLUE BELL Large efficiency on private wing on home with large yard. Private bath, entrance, kitchen. $495/mo. + elect. & sec. dep. Call 610-5396381, leave message. _______________________________34-50
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