pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 41 No. 51 Dec. 22-28, 2017
Nizah Morris: Dec. 24 marks 15 years; having a new DA raises hopes PAGE 2
Community activist Malcolm Kenyatta jumps into the political ring PAGE 7
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Staff wishes for the holidays
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Family Portrait: Alex Nelson and Mike Rubino take fashion off the runway and onto the Internet
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Top Stories 2017 By PGN Staff This year has presented its fair share of challenges. Since the inauguration, President Donald Trump has attempted to roll back several LGBT rights throughout the country all while Philadelphia experienced its own unique struggles — from leadership shakeups to community protests. However, with each setback, the community has also taken some positive steps forward. This includes an assortment of LGBT firsts, city initiatives and steps toward racial inclusion. Let’s take a look back at the highlights of the past year. RACE AND INCLUSION THRIFTY NICK: Santa entertained customers and volunteers alike when he made his annual visit to Philly AIDS Thrift on Dec. 16. The jolly-old elf strolled the immediate neighborhood rallying children before taking a seat to hear whispered wishes from young and old. PAT will close 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and reopen Dec. 26. Sister store PAT @ Giovanni’s Room in the Gayborhood will also be closed Christmas Day and offer 25-percent off all purchases Dec. 26. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Reading City Council unanimously bans conversion therapy By Jeremy Rodriguez jeremy@epgn.com Reading just became the fourth municipality in Pennsylvania to ban conversion therapy for minors. Reading City Council voted unanimously to ban the controversial practice Monday. Councilman John Slifko introduced the legislation Dec. 4 with the support of Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center executive director Adrian Shanker and LGBT Center of Greater Reading president Jocelyn Young. Mayor Wally Scott was set to sign the legislation in a public ceremony Thursday. Details of the ceremony were not available by presstime but Scott spoke with PGN prior to the signing. “[Therapists are] there to help but [they’re also] there to listen and it’s not up to [them] to decide what a person should do. I think [they] should sit there, listen to everything a person has to say and then [they] must be
supportive to whatever [patients] decide to do. “None of us has the right to tell a person how to live their life,” Scott added. Shanker noted the message Reading is sending to LGBT youth. “Every time a municipality takes action to protect LGBT people, whether it’s nondiscrimination or to protect youth from conversion therapy, they are sending a strong message that their municipality is a progressive place to be for LGBT people,” he said. Shanker added that “LGBT people are fine just the way they are and conversion therapy is a debunked, harmful unscientific practice that unfortunately continues to be promoted by some mental-health professionals. Banning this practice is critical to ensuring the health of LGBT youth.” Young noted the importance of getting legislation passed on the local level. “We know how the current political situation is on the federal and state level: not PAGE 15 in our favor. It’s always
City adds brown, black stripes to Pride flag Philadelphia made international news last summer when it unveiled its updated LGBT Pride flag, which features black and brown stripes. The design was chosen to reflect the city’s commitment to racial equality. The flag debuted at the annual Pride flag-raising ceremony in June at Philadelphia City Hall. The effort was a collaboration between the Office of LGBT Affairs, helmed by director Amber Hikes, and advertising agency Tierney. A number of local people of color participated in the flag-raising ceremony as performers and speakers. The development followed several months of community discussions about racism in the LGBT community. Hikes told PGN that the revamped flag “is a step toward healing for our community and this genuine unity that so many of us are saying we want.”
report identified that LGBT people of color, women and transgender people often feel unsafe in the Gayborhood; that racism and discrimination have been longstanding in the community; that some Gayborhood businesses have operated practices that substantiated reports of racism and discrimination; and that current and former employees of some LGBT social-services agencies have reported patterns of discrimination about their organizations’ employment practices. PCHR went on to mandate training for owners and staff at Gayborhood bars, as well as at Mazzoni Center and Philadelphia FIGHT, on the city’s nondiscrimination law and the concept of implicit bias; to recommend such training for other community nonprofits; to recommend leadership-development training by Independence Business Alliance for prospective board members at local LGBT organizations; and to mandate that city-funded nonprofits comply with nondiscrimination policies. Both Mazzoni Center and FIGHT said in statements to PGN that their organizations were happy to undergo PAGE 12
PCHR releases findings on Gayborhood racism Three months after a history-making city hearing on racism in the LGBT community, the host organization released a report addressing the issue and offering recommendations. The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations held a press conference Jan. 23 to release its long-awaited findings stemming from the October 2016 hearing. The
DIRECTOR OF LGBT AFFAIRS AMBER HIKES AT THE RAISING OF THE NEW RAINBOW FLAG AT CITY HALL Photo: Scott A. Drake