pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 42 No. 48 Nov. 30 - Dec. 6, 2018
Family Portrait: Racking up spices
Boyertown restroom dispute draws ire
PAGE 33
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
World AIDS Day Supplement PAGE 6
PAGES 17-20
Gay men claim unlawful eviction
World AIDS Day: Know your status
By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com
By Adriana Fraser adriana@epgn.com
Two men claim they were rendered homeless after being evicted from their Port Richmond apartment because they were in a same-sex relationship. “John Doe” and “James Roe” filed suit last month in federal court alleging violations of their civil rights by their former landlord and his wife. From February to July, the men lived in an apartment on the 3400 block of North Lee Street prior to being evicted due to their sexual orientation, according to their 27-page lawsuit. Court records listed no attorney for the defendants. Because they could not be reached, PGN will refer to them as J.H. and his wife, C. On Feb. 23, J.H. allegedly told Roe that Doe couldn’t live with him in the apartment because other tenants and their children might complain about hearing the men having sex, according to the suit. The men claimed that before they vacated the premises in July, they were subjected to insults and slurs by J.H. and C., including “fucking fag” and “patos,” which is a Spanish slur for gay men. “C. physically assaulted and attacked [Doe] by calling [Doe] a ‘fucking fag’ and slapping him in the face,” wrote Doe’s attorneys. The plaintiffs’ utilities were shut off on two separate occasions even though J.H. didn’t obtain the permission of utility companies prior to doing so, according to the suit. The men alleged that heterosexual families who resided in the building weren’t treated that way. Doe and Roe are seeking an unspecified amount in compensatory and punitive damages, reasonable attorney’s fees and a requirement that the defendants adopt an LGBT-inclusive antibias policy, wrote their lawyers. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge C. Darnell Jones. Justin F. Robinette, an attorney for the plaintiffs, had no comment for this story. n
On the 30th annual World AIDS Day, organizers want to make it clear: Despite advancements in treatment, the disease is still a formidable threat. Hence the theme for this year’s milestone commemoration, on Dec. 1, especially targeted to young people: “Know your status.” “We’re seeing that we have a new group of people growing up that think HIV isn’t as much of a risk as it was before. That’s not the case,” said Sarah DeLaurentis, director of development and communications at Action Wellness in Philadelphia. “Even though the younger generation may be removed from the devastation of the epidemic, it’s still a prevalent issue that we have to actively be in the know about.” Nearly 8,500 young people received an HIV diagnosis in the United States in 2016, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eighty percent of those diagnoses occurred in A list of local World AIDS those aged 20-24. Day events is “There are a lot of young on page 20 people who tend to think they’re immune to getting HIV,” said Jane Shull, CEO of Philadelphia FIGHT. “Some young people think they’re impenetrable and that’s not always the case. Condoms are as important as ever.” Heshie Zinman, cofounder of the AIDS Library of Philadelphia and chair of the LGBT Elder Initiative, said a significant part of self-care and care for sexual partners is being knowledgeable about prevention methods such as PrEP — a type of pre-exposure prophylaxis that, if used as directed, is 99-percent effective in preventing transmission of HIV to previously uninfected people. “If you’re engaging in risky activities, it’s your responsibility to get care and get tested,” he said. “Early access to care will lead to a longer life — a life where you can be resilient and thrive. “We should continue to educate people on being aware of prevention methods and what they mean,” added Zinman. “It’s a challenge to stay healthy without HIV. Now factor in HIV and it becomes an even greater challenge.” In 2017, according to the CDC, there were 1.8-million new cases of HIV in the United States. AIDSvu. org, which maps HIV rates across the country, reported that roughly 19,000 Philadelphians were living with HIV in 2016. PAGE 14
GIVING TUESDAY: Philly AIDS Thrift got into the holiday spirit by giving out checks of $1,500 to The Attic Youth Center and AIDS Law Project on Nov. 27 at their store. Alyssa Mutrin (third from left) from the Attic and Adrian Lowe from AIDS Law (right) were on hand to accept the donations. WKDU also got into the act by surprising and presenting PAT with a check for $1,500, which was raised at their recent dance party. The next collaborative dance party was also announced for Feb. 16, 2019, with a Valentine’s Day love theme. WKDU is also upgrading the store’s sound system and creating a listening booth for the music section. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Queer and trans-inclusive erotica event comes to Philly By Angela Burns PGN Contributor
If all you want for the holidays is a space to unleash your desires and fantasies, you needn’t wait for Santa. SEXx Interactive will host QT Erotica Literary Salon 6-8 p.m. Nov. 30 at Flow State Coffeebar in Kensington. The event will provide the chance — and the space — for participants to be their full erotic selves. The brainpower behind the event, Elicia Gonzales and Susan DiPronio, are aiming to create a space where erotica is more inclusive and to remind people “just how vital it is to our community.” They said queer erotica differs from the cis-hetero variety in that the physical acts and imagery play along with the tease. “Our aim is to create a platform of individuality and acceptance — a space for us
to be the full sexual beings we are,” said Gonzales. The pair became interested in hosting an erotica salon after DiPronio texted Gonzales a photo of the book “Strange Desires,” which features authors such as William Faulkner, Thomas Mann and Mark Van Doren. They expect to host up to 12 community members reading classic erotica and original writings, providing “a great opportunity to share their erotic fantasies.” Gonzales and DiPronio said it was important for SEXx Interactive, in its role as a collective dedicated to ensuring and preserving sexual freedom as a basic human right, to be inclusive of and accessible to everyone. “We know that fighting for sexual freedom must include all people,” said Gonzales, who created the initiative — PAGE 14 also known as SEXx