Family Portrait: Nathan Townsend has music to heal PAGE 41
PPD says hatecrime report is accurate PAGE 2
The Mormons are back in town PAGE 37
Diving icon Greg Louganis to receive Lifetime Achievement Award PAGE 5 Nov. 27 - Dec. 3, 2015
Since 1976
PGN Philadelphia Gay News HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Vol. 39 No. 48
Antigay tweets to be included in gay-bashing trial By Paige Cooperstein paige@epgn.com
STUFFING THEIR PLATES: About 100 youth celebrated Thanksgiving early with The Attic Youth Center’s annual Thanksgiving gathering Nov. 24 at the center. The vast spread, provided by The Dow Chemical Company and Harrah’s of Chester, was served by staff from The Attic and volunteers from Gays, Lesbians and Allies at Dow, the company’s LGBT resource group. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Four tweets that the prosecution characterizes as antigay will be admitted as evidence during the trial of Kathryn Knott for her alleged role in last year’s attack of a gay couple in Center City, Judge Roxanne Covington ruled at a motions hearing Tuesday. “Those tweets may or may not be interpreted as anti-homosexual,” she said. “I will leave those arguments to be made for the jury.” Jury selection takes place Dec. 9, with the trial expected to begin later in the month. Knott faces charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and conspiracy in the Sept. 11, 2014, attack of Zachary Hesse and
Nutter signs bathroom bill into law
Appellate court upholds landmark surrogacy ruling
By Paige Cooperstein paige@epgn.com Transgender activist Dawn Munro pointed out her regular seat at Fergie’s Pub; it was two from the end that’s closest to the bathrooms. “One of the things that happens when you get to beer number three, at least for an old fart like me, is of course you need to visit the restroom,” Munro told a crowd of over 50 gathered at the Center City Irish bar Nov. 19 to witness Mayor Michael Nutter sign the single-use, gender-neutral bathroom bill into law. It will take effect Jan. 20. “It’s really important to me that I can do so in safety,” Munro said. “There are bars in this city that I could be taking my life in my hands if I went to the restroom. But there are two things you may do in there and that’s about it. Then you come back out and you order more beer.” Munro, a resident of the John C. Anderson Apartments, spoke alongside Nutter; Nellie Fitzpatrick, director of the city Office of LGBT Affairs; Rue Landau, executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations; and Mayor-elect Jim PAGE 24 Kenney.
Andrew Haught on Chancellor Street. Knott remains free after posting part of her $50,000 bail, and attended the Nov. 24 hearing at the Criminal Justice Center with her parents. Earlier this month, Knott’s co-defendants, Kevin Harrigan and Philip Williams, accepted plea deals from the District Attorney’s office that included probation and community service at an LGBT organization, but no jail time. Knott refused a similar agreement. In court Tuesday, PAGE 19
By Jen Colletta Jen@epgn.com
Plan underway to name street after Gloria Casarez A resolution to name the 200 block of South 12th Street “Gloria Casarez Way” was introduced in Philadelphia City Council Nov. 19. Councilman Mark Squilla, who represents the First District including the Gayborhood, sponsored it. That section of 12th Street was chosen because it runs past the mural on 12th St. Gym that was painted in honor of Casarez, the inaugural director of the city Office of LGBT Affairs who died last year of breast cancer. Council will hold a final vote on the resolution during its Dec. 3 meeting, said Rue Landau, executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. Landau said she expects a naming ceremony to take place before the end of the year. n
The Superior Court of Pennsylvania this week bolstered the validity of gestational-surrogacy contracts, a boon for many same-sex parents. The appellate court on Monday upheld a lower-court ruling that found that such agreements are enforceable. This is the first appellate decision in Pennsylvania to support such a finding, which is especially important as the state lacks any statutes governing assisted-reproductive rights. “The only law we really have that gives lawyers guidance on this issue is case law,” said Tiffany Palmer, partner at Jerner & Palmer, P.C., who represented the father in the case, Lamar Sally. “And up until this point, there was very little case law at all on the issue of surrogacy.” Sally is the ex-husband of actor and former talk-show personality Sherri Shepard. The two wed in 2011 and, when they learned Shepard’s eggs were not viable for pregnancy, decided to go the route of surrogacy, using Sally’s sperm PAGE 19