Out musician takes top prize with proposal song
Presbyterian Church embraces equality
Family Portrait: Jamai brings the beat to the street
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Transman makes history at Mr. Gay Philadelphia PAGE 5 June 27-July 3, 2014
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Vol. 38 No. 26
Schaefer reinstated as Methodist minister
Corbett nominates out attorney By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com Republican Gov. Tom Corbett last week nominated an openly lesbian attorney from Philadelphia to fill a vacant judgeship on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Corbett called Abbe Fletman June 19 to notify her of her nomination. Fletman was among five Corbett nominees announced last week. Also nominated to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas was Kenneth J. Powell Jr., Michael Fanning and Vincent N. Melchiorre, and Anthony D. Scanlon for Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. Fletman told PGN it was an honor to be nominated by Corbett. “I hope to fulfill the confidence that he is placing in me,” she said. Each nominee must be approved by a twothirds majority of the state Senate within the next 25 session days in a two-thirds vote. If approved, they will serve on the bench until PAGE 25 2015, when the next
By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com
WRITING AN INJUSTICE: PGN writerat-large Timothy Cwiek (right) accepted the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi award for investigative reporting June 20 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Cwiek was honored for his continued coverage of the homicide of Nizah Morris, a local transgender woman killed in 2002. Cwiek was recognized in the category along with such publications as the Wall Street Journal. His marked the only award of the night given to an LGBT publication, and it is believed that this was the first SDX Award ever given to an LGBT outlet. Photo: Mark Segal
The Rev. Frank Schaefer, who officiated at his son’s gay wedding in 2007, has been reinstated as a Methodist minister. In December, local Methodist officials stripped Schaefer of his ministerial credentials after he declined to promise not to officiate at another same-sex wedding. But in an 8-1 vote Tuesday, the church’s Committee on Appeals for the Northeast Jurisdiction ordered him immediately reinstated, with back pay and benefits retroactive to Dec. 19, 2013. Schaefer’s salary and benefits package total about $65,000 annually. Schaefer praised the appeals committee’s decision. “This is very encouraging news for everybody,” Schaefer told PGN. “It’s definitely a big step in achieving LGBT equality within the church. And a big step towards ending
the exclusionary policies within the church. However, there’s still a lot of work to do.” It’s against church rules for Methodist ministers to officiate at same-sex weddings, and the appeals committee left in place a 30-day suspension for Schaefer. But the appeals committee said his defrocking was too harsh. “I think the decision will cause more of a rift or division within the church,” Schaefer noted. “It will heighten the tension that’s already there between conservatives and progressives. But it’s wonderful news for the LGBT community. And it will encourage pastors to be more courageous everywhere.” The appeals committee held a three-hour hearing June 20 in a hotel near Baltimore before issuing its decision. Advocates for Schaefer argued he was unfairly penalized for behavior he might carry out in the future. But proponents of his penalty argued that Schaefer should stay defrocked. On July 1, Schaefer will resume his pastoral work in Santa Barbara, Calif., where Methodist Bishop Minerva G. Carcano PAGE 12 offered him a position
Windsor impact continues, one year later By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
PGN file photo
The U.S. Supreme Court handed down its seminal decision on marriage equality on June 26, 2013 — and the full effect of the ruling continues to be realized one year later. That day, the nation’s top court found that the portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as being between one man and one woman was unconstitutional, following a lawsuit from Philadelphia native Edie Windsor, who was being forced to pay an exorbitant inheritance tax after the death of her wife. With the ruling, the key provision of the 1996 law crumbled, causing a landslide among discriminatory state and federal laws
and policies. State impact Pennsylvania is among the states whose marriage-equality laws have done an about-face in the last year. Since the Windsor ruling, seven states have legalized marriage equality — Hawaii and Illinois through legislative efforts and New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Indiana (as of presstime) through court rulings. Judges in an additional eight states overturned their respective states’ marriage-equality bans, but those decisions have been stayed by the ruling judges or appellate courts pending appeals. Judges in three more states issued rulings overturning elements of the states’ PAGE 13 marriage-
ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET: About 150 young people from throughout the region turned out for the 19th annual Philadelphia Alternative Prom, June 20 at Fire & Ice Lounge. The event, staged by GALAEI: A Queer Latin@ Social Justice Organization and The Attic Youth Center, allowed LGBT and ally youth to enjoy traditional prom offerings in a safe, accepting space. The evening featured dinner, dancing, music and live performances. Photo: Scott A. Drake