pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976
Vol. 43 No. 19 May 10-16, 2019
Family Portrait: Yul Giraldo PAGE 31
Landmark study affirms the power of PrEP PAGE 6
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM The Road to Stonewall: Tommi Avicolli Mecca PAGE 9
Equality Act passes with local bipartisan support
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LGBTQ survivors of domestic violence speak out Part one of a two-part series By Victoria A. Brownworth PGN Contributor
BUSINESS BOOST: Independence Business Alliance honored MTR Therapy at its annual Business Leaders Luncheon on May 7. IBA executive director, Zach Wilcha said, “For 12 years, the IBA has provided a safe space for community networking and continues to do so in these shifting political landscapes. We’re so proud to annually team with PNC Bank to grant a local LGBT-owned business $10,000 to help them scale their business and amplify community impact.” Honorees Michael Tyler Ramos (center) and Jared Elper (second from right) accepted the grant from IBA Board president RIch Harrow (from left), PNC vice president Joseph Meterchick and Wilcha. Photo: Courtesy of IBA
PA lawmakers make impassioned plea for a vote on antidiscrimination law By Jess Bryant and Denise Fuhs PGN Staff
State legislators and members of the LGBTQ community and its allies held a news conference in Harrisburg this week to announce the introduction of anti-discrimination legislation, and to implore citizens and fellow legislators to support it. House Bill 1404 and Senate Bill 614 would provide protection at work, in housing and in business services for LGBTQ people by adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to the state’s nondiscrimination law, which was originally written in 1955. The law still only covers race, religion, ancestry, age, sex, national origin and disability. Without this legislation commonly known as the Fairness Act, Pennsylvania — the only state in the Northeastern USA without a law protecting the LGBTQ community — will continue to have a patchwork of legal protec-
tions rather than a uniform antidiscrimination law. More than 50 municipalities, including Philadelphia, have enacted LGBTQ ordinances on their own. State Reps. Brian Sims (D-182nd Dist.), Malcolm Kenyatta (D-181st Dist.) and Dan Frankel (D-23rd Dist.) were joined by State Sen. Larry Farnese (D-1st Dist.) at the Capitol Media Center where they spoke passionately about the bills. “It’s time we take action to ensure equal protections across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said Frankel, who introduced H.B. 1404 and opened the news conference. “This issue is not or should not be partisan.” For 20 years and 11 sessions, Frankel said, he’s been an advocate for civil-rights’ protections. He also spoke directly about Kenyatta and Sims: “When you come into a chamber and sit next to someone who is a member of the LGBT community, it’s a lot harder to say to PAGE 20 them, ‘I’m prepared to discrimi-
It was supposed to be a sex game. It turned into a rape. Terrell Johnson was only 20, his partner, Matt, 26, forced him to have sex against his will. It’s an experience that, even five years later, Johnson has trouble discussing with all but his closest friends. Like all the victims/survivors PGN interviewed for this report, he agreed to speak under condition of anonymity. “I want people to know this happens,” said Johnson (not his real name). “That’s so vital, so vital — that folks know they aren’t alone, that this is really happening and, no, you didn’t imagine it. And no, you didn’t bring it on. And no, you are so not exaggerating what happened. But I have seen what happens to sisters who come forward. They get branded as victims. I don’t want that. Not for me, not for anyone else. “It’s a fine line you got to walk with this.,” Johnson added after a pause. “I am telling you my story because I want to raise that awareness. But I am not ready to be
anyone’s poster child.” When he met Matt, Johsnson had recently changed colleges. He had transferred from a liberal-arts college in the Midwest that he said proved a bad fit for him to a university in Philadelphia. Matt was a graduate teaching assistant in his department. They ended up at a campus party together, and Johnson said the chemistry between them was strong. They quickly started seeing each other “a lot.” “I was still new to the gay scene,” he said. “My family is religious. I had struggled with coming out. I was new to Philly. I was new all over. That’s what he saw in me — something fresh. He knew I wanted to explore. He took advantage. I was so open, and what he did shut me down for a long time.” The face of the #MeToo movement in the USA is not young, black, gay men like Terrell Johnson. But LGBTQ people are as much the victims — and often more frequently — of sexual assault and interpersonal violence as their heterosexual and cis peers, according to recent research. The Williams Institute of the University of California School of PAGE 13
Gov. Wolf vows to explore options to combat Trump’s transgender military ban By Erin Moran PGN Contributor After New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s May 3 order to the New Jersey Army National Guard to defy President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender military servicemembers, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said he wants to “explore” ways to protect trans National Guard members in this state. Right now, however, he has no plans to join Murphy in defying the ban. “Gov. Wolf agrees that this policy is completely antithetical to our values,” said J.J. Abbott, Wolf’s press secretary. “He has consistently opposed this policy change. We should be praising and welcoming all those who want to serve, not discriminating against them.” Abbott added that the governor’s office is
currently reaching out to other states to see what options are available to avoid discriminating against qualified recruits that happen to be transgender. “Gov. Wolf wants to explore and exercise every available option to protect transgender military members and recruits from discrimination,” Abbott said. New Jersey was the sixth state to defy Trump’s ban, which Wolf has publicly opposed in the past. On Jan. 23, after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban by a 5-4 vote, Wolf tweeted his support of Pennsylvania’s transgender servicemembers. “This is discrimination, plain and simple,” Wolf tweeted. “I stand with Pennsylvania’s courageous transgender military servicemembers and aspiring servicemembers. Thank you for following PAGE 22