The City of Brotherly Love says “I Love Lucy” PAGE 27
Holiday lists
Family Portrait: Avis Albaladejo: Front and centered
PAGE 10 Staff holiday wishes “What holiday gift have you always PAGE 11 wanted but never gotten?”
ACLU asked to provide relationship backgrounds for lawsuit
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Dec. 20-26, 2013
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Vol. 37 No. 51
Corbett backs HB 300 By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
BACK IN ACTION: Brittany Lynn (center) unveiled new components to this year’s LGBT drag presence at the annual New Year’s Day Mummers Parade at a Dec. 17 press conference at the Mummers Museum. This year’s event will feature 17 drag performers — 11 queens and six kings, with the latter making their debut in the event. For more coverage, see page 5. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Psych exam ordered for alleged murderer of transwoman By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com A man accused of brutally murdering a transwoman this past summer will undergo a psychological evaluation before trial, according to a judge’s ruling this week. Charles Sargent, 44, came before Municipal Court Judge Teresa Carr Deni Dec. 17 for a preliminary hearing at the Criminal Justice Center. Sargent is charged with murder, possession of an instrument of crime and abuse of corpse in connection to the stabbing death and dismemberment of Diamond Williams. On Tuesday, Sargent’s attorney, J. Michael Farrell, asked Carr Deni to grant Sargent a psychological evaluation to determine if he is competent to stand trial, which the judge ordered. Investigators allege Sargent stabbed
Williams before dismembering her body in his Strawberry Mansion home. Williams reportedly came to Sargent’s home for a sexual encounter. Sargent was arrested July 20 and remains incarcerated at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. Sargent is also charged with making terroristic threats, after he allegedly threated to kill his girlfriend if she contacted law enforcement about his alleged involvement in Williams’ murder. Carr Deni has been criticized for a 2007 case she presided over involving a sex worker who was raped at gunpoint. In that case, the judge dismissed the rape and sexual-assault charges but let stand “theft-of-service” charges. Sargent’s next hearing will take place at 9 a.m. Dec. 24 in Room 306 of the Criminal Justice Center. ■
Hearing set in Gayborhood attack By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com The two men accused of attacking and robbing a local gay man last month will come before a judge next week. Miguel Maldonado and Matthew Morris are both set for a preliminary hearing at 8 a.m. Dec. 27 in Room 906 of the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert St. They face six charges each, including aggravated assault and robbery, in connec-
tion with the Nov. 10 attack on Nick Forte in the 200 block of South Camac Street in the Gayborhood. Surveillance video from the scene appears to show Maldonado, 32, a bouncer at Voyeur, strike Forte from behind with what appears to be a flashlight, and Morris, 27, a Voyeur patron, then pummel him while Forte laid unconscious. Forte suffered a number of broken bones, including both eye sockets. D e t e c t ive R u s s e l l PAGE 2
The Republican governor of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday that he supports the long-stalled effort to instate nondiscrimination protections for LGBT Pennsylvanians. In an interview with the Inquirer this week, Gov. Tom Corbett said he is coming out in support of HB 300 — which would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations — after learning
the federal government did not offer such protections. PGN publisher Mark Segal said the governor committed to supporting HB 300 in an October meeting with him, Equality Pennsylvania executive director Ted Martin, his chief of staff, openly gay transition-team co-chair Tom Paese, Human Rights Campaign board member Chris Labonte and Betty Hill, the executive director of Pittsburgh’s Persad Center. Segal said the conversation has been taking place among Corbett’s administration for three years. “We have really looked at every way about this and
the governor had promised in that meeting that we would get it done,” Segal said. “So I told the governor, ‘We’ll do it within your comfort zone and when you’re ready.’” Corbett’s director of comPAGE 17 munica-
Methodist minister stands firm in LGBT dispute By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com
side at the news conference at Arch Street United Methodist Church and expressed support for their embattled colleague. After the jury verdict, Schaefer was told that he must surrender his credentials if he doesn’t promise to obey church rules in their entirety. PAGE 24
Surrounded by dozens of supporters, the Rev. Frank Schaefer this week vowed to resist any efforts by Methodist officials to defrock him for performing his son’s same-sex marriage. Appearing at a Dec. 16 news conference in Center City, Schaefer, 51, reiterated that he has a role to play in the church, including as an advocate for the LGBT community. “If allowed, I’d like to continue my ministry and continue to be a voice and advocate for the LGBT community, until these discriminatory statements and laws will vanish,” he said. For the past 30 days, Schaefer has been suspended as a church THE REV. HERB SNYDER (CENTER) HOLDS UP pastor, after a jury of fellow pasA LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR THE REV. FRANK tors determined that he disobeyed SCHAEFER (TO HIS RIGHT), WHO WAS SURand violated church rules by perROUNDED BY FELLOW SUPPORTIVE RELIforming his son’s marriage. GIOUS LEADERS AT A DEC. 16 NEWS CONFERBut other pastors more symENCE AT ARCH STREET UNITED METHODIST pathetic to Schaefer stood by his CHURCH. Photo: Associated Press/Matt Rourke