Philadelphia Gay News Vol. 34 No. 49
Honesty Integrity Professionalism
Dec. 3 - 9, 2010
FBI: Hate crimes drop in U.S., PA By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
OFF THE RUNWAY: Jack Mackenroth (third from left), out HIV-positive former contestant on “Project Runway,” was in town Dec. 1 to participate in a local World AIDS Day observance, staged at Broad Street Ministry, with collaboration by AIDS Fund and Sapphire Fund. Mackenroth gathered with Broad Street Ministry’s Andy Greenhow (from left) and Bill Golderer, AIDS Fund executive director Robb Reichert, Sapphire Fund board member Antoine Johnson and volunteer Tika von Mehhren during the event, which featured HIV testing and education services and performances by the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus and Smoke, Lilies & Jade Arts Initiative. Mackenroth, who’s been touring the country with his campaign “Living Positive by Design” to lessen the stigma of HIV/AIDS, said it was “an honor” to be in Philly for World AIDS Day. “I have been living with HIV for almost as long as World AIDS Day has been recognized, and it is inspiring to see how far we have come, but also to remember the work left to be done,” he said. Photo: Scott A. Drake
DADT report finds little risk in repeal By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer The long-awaited Pentagon report on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was released this week, revealing that a majority of servicemembers don’t think repealing the ban will impact the military. About 55 percent of the 400,000 active and reserve servicemembers who participated in the Pentagon survey on the law said lifting the ban on openly gay servicemembers would have either no effect or a balanced mixture of positive and negative effects, with an additional 15 percent believing repeal would have only positive results. The findings were released Nov. 30, in advance of Thursday’s scheduled two-day hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee on a measure that
would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The U.S. House already approved such a bill, but it has thus far failed to advance in the Senate. Advocates are pressing for the measure to come up for a vote this month before the new legislative session begins and Republicans officially take control of the House. However, reportedly all 42 Senate Republicans signed on to a letter this week pledging to filibuster any bill not related to cutting taxes and reducing spending. President Obama released a statement Tuesday night urging the Senate to move forward on repeal in the lame-duck session. “With our nation at war and so many Americans serving on the front lines, our troops and their families deserve the certainty that can only come when an act
of Congress ends this discriminatory policy once and for all,” he said. “Today I call on the Senate to act as soon as possible so I can sign this repeal into law this year and ensure that Americans who are willing to risk their lives for their country are treated fairly and equally. Our troops represent the virtues of selfless sacrifice and love of country that have enabled our freedoms. I am absolutely confident that they will adapt to this change and remain the bestled, best-trained, best-equipped fighting force the world has ever known.” Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered the Pentagon study earlier this year to determine the possible ramifications, if any, of repeal. Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, who See REPEAL, Page 19
The Federal Bureau of Investigation released its annual hate-crimes report last week, finding that the number of bias crimes in the nation dropped last year, with Pennsylvania reporting the same trend. The 2009 Uniform Crime Report compiled data on hate crimes from more than 14,000 law-enforcement agencies nationwide, covering about 91 percent of the nation’s population. For the fifth year in a row, the FBI reported that Pennsylvania saw a drop in the number of reported hate crimes and last year recorded just five such incidents motivated by sexual orientation. National statistics Nationwide, there were 6,604 bias-motivated incidents in 2009, a decrease from 7,783 incidents the previous year. Nearly one-half of the incidents were motivated by a victim’s race, while 18.5 percent — the secondhighest group — stemmed from bias against a victim’s sexual orientation, followed by religion, ethnicity and disability.
Though current statistics don’t include them, the 2010 UCR will track hate crimes based on gender and gender identity, in accordance with the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act. In 2008, the number of sexual orientation-related crimes increased from the previous year to 1,297, while last year there was a decrease to 1,223; however, the percentage of overall crimes related to sexual orientation increased from 16.6 percent to 18.5 percent. The majority, 55.8 percent, of the crimes motivated by sexual orientation were labeled as antimale homosexual, followed by anti-homosexual, anti-female homosexual and anti-bisexual. About 1.7 percent of the crimes were fueled by anti-heterosexual bias. There were 1,482 victims targeted by a sexual-orientation bias, with 1,394 offenders. Of the 7,789 actual offenses committed during the crimes, more than half were categorized as crimes against persons, most of which were simple or aggravated assaults or intimidation. There were 1,436 total offenses See HATE CRIMES, Page 16
NOURISHING PRAYER: Guests of Philadelphia FIGHT’s annual Prayer Breakfast Dec. 1 join hands for an opening blessing. The breakfast, held at the Doubletree Hotel, was the first in a series of World AIDS Day events throughout Philadelphia Wednesday and drew about 100 participants. The event featured remarks by a diverse group of religious leaders and a keynote address by the Rev. Dr. Damone B. Jones Sr., pastor of Bible Way Baptist Church. Photo: Scott A. Drake