PGN April 26- May 2, 2019 by The Philadelphia Gay News

pgn Philadelphia Gay News LGBT NEWS SINCE 1976

Vol. 43 No. 17 April 26-May 2, 2019

Family Portrait: Gordon Pulaski, artful in his activism PAGE 35

Assault alleged at Valley Forge Military Academy PAGE 12

HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM

Local GLF members among grand marshalls for World Pride 2019 PAGE 6

Community heads off protesters at local Drag Queen Story Time By Gary L. Day and Jess Bryant PGN Staff The nation’s newest culture war played out on the grounds of a Philadelphia library last weekend, marking the first such local demonstration over a Drag Queen Story Time. A Christian group from Hanover clashed with community members outside the Free Library’s Lovett Memorial Branch in Mount Airy during an April 20 DQST reading. “It was hard,” said Ian Morrison, known as drag performer Brittany Lynn, who founded the local DQST. “One guy had a 6-foot-tall picture of Mary. Someone yelled out, ‘Homosexuality is a sin!’ They started walking toward me and telling me something about how this will cause me to go to hell. I couldn’t help but wonder why they take so much time to protest diversity, love and acceptance. I’m a little shook up that, even in 2019, people have time to do this.” The counterprotesters, in support of DQST, blocked the library entrance to prevent the protesters from disrupting the reading. The local clash is only the most recent salvo in what has become a national controversy. DQST promotes children’s literacy by having drag queens present readings at libraries, museums and other kid friendly venues. The program has gained nationwide popularity and traction in library systems. But protests have erupted in various cit-

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals this week said city officials acted within their legal rights when they stopped referring children to a Catholic foster-care agency that refuses to certify same-sex couples as foster parents. In March 2018, city officials stopped

PAGE 33

The Attic names acting executive director as investigations continue By Josh Middleton PGN Contributor

NEIGHBORHOOD VOICES: Mount Airy neighbors gather in support of Brittany Lynn as protesters from ANF attempt to interrupt Drag Queen Story Time.

ies, with conservative Christian groups trying to block DQST readings while supportive parents and other community members stage counterprotests like the one on Germantown Avenue last Saturday. Ten members of a group called American Needs Fatima showed up in front of Lovett with about 20 community members ready to keep them from entering the library. The exchange became heated, with an ANF member calling out, “The 3-year-olds inside didn’t have a choice to be there” — to which a counter-

protester replied, “They didn’t choose to go to church either.” ANF and similar sects of radically conservative Christians contend that Drag Queen Story Time introduces radical gender idealogy to children. A series of clashes at the Landsdale Public Library last February garnered considerable publicity. Since then, Lynn said, “my [Facebook] page started being attacked,” with messages such as, “‘You’re a horrible person,’ and ‘You’re going to burn in hell.’” PAGE 14

Appeals court sides with city in foster-care dispute By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com

Experimental queer porn festival

referring foster-care children to Catholic Social Services after published reports disclosed the agency wouldn’t place children with same-sex couples. City officials said CSS’ policies violate the city’s Fair Practices Ordinance, which bans LGBT bias in public accommodations. But, two months later, CSS filed suit against the city, claiming violations of its constitutional rights to freedom of speech

and religion. CSS asked U.S. District Judge Petreses B. Tucker to issue a preliminary injunction ordering the city to renew its contract despite its unwillingness to comply with the city’s nondiscrimination requirement. Tucker denied that request in July. On April 22, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Tucker’s ruling. In a 50-page opinion, PAGE 23

The Attic Youth Center has named an acting executive director and launched two investigations following damaging allegations that a minor was sexually assaulted on its premises and that former employees had experienced racial discrimination while working at the LGBTQ youth-serving nonprofit. Attic board member Shawnese Givens stepped into the acting executive-director role, replacing Carrie Jacobs, who was immediately relieved of her duties when the accusations surfaced in early March. The replacement was announced on April 4 in an open letter to the community, which stated that Givens, a self-identified feminist and social-justice advocate with a background in marriage and family counseling, was expected to begin her duties on April 15. Kate Wilhelm, director of Ceisler Media, a public-relations and issue-advocacy firm hired by The Attic following the allegations, told PGN that Givens, who has been on The Attic board since 2016, will report to board president Shawn Leavitt as she “oversees day-to-day operations, represents The Attic in the community and makes sure the legal council gets access to anything they need to conduct thorough and complete investigations.” Wilhelm told PGN that The Attic has obtained two law firms to handle each allegation facing the center. Abara Law is conducting the investigation into the claims of racial discrimination against employees, while Morgan Lewis is looking into the claims of sexual assault. “Both law firms have also been charged with providing recommendations on policies and procedures that will make sure [that The Attic] will always be a safe, inclusive environment,” Wilhelm said, estimating the investigations would take a couple of months to be completed. She said The Attic is committed to being transparent throughout the process. All new information will be shared with the community via open letters posted on the organization’s website. PAGE 23

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

Resource listings Legal resources • ACLU of Pennsylvania: 215-592-1513; aclupa.org • AIDS Law Project of PA: 215-587-9377; aidslawpa.org • AIDS Law Project of South Jersey: 856-784-8532; aidslawsnj.org/ • Equality PA: equalitypa. org; 215-731-1447

• Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations — Rue Landau: 215-686-4670 • Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: 215-7603686; ppd.lgbt@gmail.com • SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: 717-920-9537

• Office of LGBT Affairs — Amber Hikes: 215-686-0330; amber.hikes@phila.gov

Community centers • The Attic Youth Center; 255 S. 16th St.; 215-545-4331, atticyouthcenter.org. For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. • LGBT Center at the University of Pennsylvania; 3907 Spruce

St.; 215-898-5044, center@dolphin.upenn.edu.

• Rainbow Room: Bucks County’s LGBTQ and Allies Youth Center

Salem UCC Education Building, 181 E. Court St., Doylestown; 215-957-7981 ext. 9065, rainbowroom@ppbucks.org.

• William Way LGBT Community Center 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220, www.waygay.org.

Health and HIV testing • Action Wellness: 1216 Arch St.; 215981-0088, actionwellness.org • AIDS Healthcare Foundation: 1211 Chestnut St. #405 215971-2804; HIVcare.org • AIDS Library: 1233 Locust St.; aidslibrary.org/ • AIDS Treatment Fact line: 800-6626080 • Bebashi-Transition to Hope: 1235

Spring Garden St.; 215769-3561; bebashi.org • COLOURS: coloursorganization.org, 215832-0100 • Congreso de Latinos Unidos; 216 W. Somerset St.; 215-7638870 • GALAEI: 149 W. Susquehanna Ave.; 267-457-3912, galaei. org. Spanish/English • Health Center No. 2: 1720 S. Broad St.; 215-685-1821

• Mazzoni Center: 1348 Bainbridge St.; 215-563-0652, mazzonicenter.org • Philadelphia FIGHT: 1233 Locust St.; 215-985-4448, fight.org • Washington West Project of Mazzoni Center: 1201 Locust St.; 215985-9206 • Transgender Health Action Coalition: 215-732-1207

Liberty City announces its 2019 primary endorsements By Gary L. Day PGN Contributor With a record number of LGBTQ candidates running for office this year, Liberty City Democratic Club had its work cut out for it. And after months of poring over candidate questionnaires and the last couple weeks of hosting the political hopefuls, the club has released its endorsements for the May 21 primary election. In perhaps the LGBT community’s most closely watched contest, LCDC voted to endorse incumbent Second District Councilman Kenyatta Johnson over LGBT challenger Lauren Vidas. The club cited concerns over Vidas’ background as a paid lobbyist — a controversial decision that led to a robust conversation among some members. When asked about the controversial decision, Liberty City Co-Chair Alexander Olson explained the endorsement process. “Our endorsement committee puts many, many volunteer hours into choosing who they believe the best candidates are for office in the Philadelphia region, and have decades of experience with this responsibility. After reviewing the record, they chose to recommend that the general body endorse Vidas given her strong credentials and record of service to the community,” said Olson. “But our endorsement committee does not have the final say. Given that we are a democratic organization, we make sure all endorsements are reviewed and voted upon by the membership. The membership voted

three-to-one to endorse Kenyatta Johnson for the seat.” In the crowded City Council-at-large race, endorsements went to transwoman Deja Lynn Alvarez who got the nod over out candidate Adrian Rivera Reyes. “Adrian and Deja both have powerful life stories that would empower them to have successful careers in City Council,” said Olson. “That being said, Deja’s years of impassioned and effective service to the community are what pushed the endorsement committee in her direction.” “We loved Adrian, and it was thrilling to have such a difficult decision before us, and are disappointed we did not have the ability to recommend more people. Although the organization did not endorse him, I will personally be voting for him.” ckground For Common Pleas Judge, both out candidates, Henry Sias and Tiffany Palmer, were given endorsements — a decision that came without much controversy. While the Club prioritizes openly LGBT candidates, being out does not grant a candidate a coveted LCDC endorsement automatically. The slate of issues LCDC inquires about is extensive, and one’s sexual orientation is only one factor considered. Also, prominent local politicians favored by the local Democratic Party organization are frequently passed over when the Club’s membership finds the candidate’s support of the LGBTQ community wanting. LCDC’s debate and voting process is private, open only to club members, and not open to the press. ■

Here is the full list of Liberty City endorsements: MAYOR: Jim Kenney CITY COMMISSIONER: Lisa Deeley and Kahlil Williams SHERIFF: Rochelle Bilal

Other • Independence Branch Library Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection: 215-685-1633

COUNCIL AT LARGE: Deja Lynn Alvarez, Helen Gym, Erika Almirón, Derek Green, and Justin DiBerardinis

• Independence Business Alliance; 215-557-0190, Independence-

DISTRICT COUNCIL: Mark Squilla (1st District), Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District), and Maria D. Quiñones-Sánchez (7th District)

• LGBT Peer Counseling Services: 215-732-TALK

SUPERIOR COURT JUSTICE: Dan McCaffery

• PFLAG: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Philadelphia): 215-572-1833

COMMON PLEAS JUDGE: Nicola Serianni, Wendi Barish, Anthony Kyriakakis, Henry Sias, and Tiffany Palmer

• Philly Pride Presents: 215-875-9288

MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE: David Conroy

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Patron sues Woody’s Bar and Voyeur Nightclub By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com A Juniata Park man recently filed suit against Woody’s Bar and Voyeur Nightclub claiming he was served excessive amounts of alcohol at the establishments that caused him to sustain “life-altering” injuries, including a permanent injury to his left ankle. The patron, Joamir Vazquez-Rios, filed a 16-page complaint on April 17 against the Center City venues, seeking damages in excess of $50,000. According to the complaint, on Feb. 2, 2017, Vazquez-Rios was served excessive amounts of alcohol inside Woody’s Bar, 202 S. 13th St. He then walked a few blocks to Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James St., where he was served more alcohol. At Voyeur, he allegedly experienced an unspecified type of accident, causing him to sustain a serious injury to his left ankle. “By reason of the carelessness, negligence, recklessness and statutory violation of defendants, plaintiff Joamir VazquezRios was caused to sustain serious, debilitating, permanent and life-altering injuries,” according to the complaint. Woody’s Bar and Voyeur Nightclub could not be reached for comment.

Allegedly, Woody’s and Voyeur failed to train and monitor their employees regarding serving alcohol to visibly-intoxicated patrons and have no policy for ensuring that visibly intoxicated patrons get home safely. The complaint accuses the establishments of “failing to establish, monitor and administer training programs and operating procedures designed to identify and assist visibly intoxicated patrons,” and goes on to accuse the establishments of “having a policy and practice of continuing to serve persons without adequately checking to see whether the person was in fact intoxicated or exhibited signs of visible intoxication.” The two businesses are also accused of “having a policy and practice to encourage patrons to continue drinking alcohol after they become visibly intoxicated.” Moreover, the complaint accuses the establishments of “failing to have a policy and practice of helping visibly intoxicated patrons sober up before exiting the facility,” and “failing to maintain the premises in a safe condition.” The case, for which a jury trial was requested, has been assigned to Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Arnold L. New. A case-management conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. May 3 in Room 613 of City Hall. ■

News & Opinion

“I went through every Sally Field emotion today, but Brittany Lynn doesn’t back down.”

News Briefing New Jersey LGBT Chamber of Commerce hosting event The New Jersey LGBT Chamber of Commerce has partnered with TD Bank to host an event for the development of local businesses. The workshop will be hosted by TD Bank’s Vice President of Business Development for the LGBTQ Community, Steven Garibell, and will focus on assessing the current financial state of a business and exploring the business’s future and financing options. The event will be held May 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Jersey City branch of TD Bank at 125 18th St where refreshments will be served as guests network with industry professionals.

DVLF social fundraiser The Delaware Valley Legacy Fund will be hosting their monthly networking

Mazzoni Center finds additional conference sponsor The Mazzoni Center has announced additional sponsors have come forward to fund their 2019 Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference. Previously announced sponsors include POZ magazine, Little Hikes Co., the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Disability Services, as well as the Philadelphia Gay News. The Crane Center for Transgender Surgeries, Philly AIDS Thrift, Take Shape Plastic Surgery, and the Gender Confirmation Center of San Francisco have all pledged additional sponsorship. Sponsorship of the Trans Wellness Conference allows attendees free access to information and resources on transgender health care. ■

Columns

19 — Mombian 25 — Family Law

Arts & Culture ~ Brittany Lynn, page 14

29 — Feature: The Chaperone 31 32 35 37

PGN 505 S. Fourth St. Philadelphia, PA 19147-1506

social event on Wednesday, May 22d at Opa, a Greek restaurant. The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at 1311 Sansom St. All profits generated by the event will be donated to the Mazzoni Center’s TRIP Project, which provides people of color within the community access to HIV and STI resources as well as support in securing health care and housing. Tickets are currently available for purchase online for $5 or will be sold for $10 at the door.

10 — Creep of the Week Editorial 11 — Mark My Words Street Talk Transmissions

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Dining Out Out & About Family Portrait Q Puzzle

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

Judge dismisses lesbian’s antibias case By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com A federal judge dismissed the antibias lawsuit filed by an African-American lesbian against Parx Casino on the basis that anti-LGBT workplace bias isn’t prohibited by federal law. On April 12, Judge Joel H. Slomsky of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania tossed out the case of “Michelle Doe.” But the judge said Doe could refile her lawsuit as a sex-discrimination case if she chooses to do so. Slomsky noted that sex discrimination in the workplace is banned by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This week, the Supreme Court announced it will take up the issue of whether Title VII bans LGBT workplace bias. In the fall, the high court will hear oral arguments on three cases involving a gay skydiving instructor in New York, a transgender funeral director in Michigan and a gay child-welfare services coordinator in Georgia. The high court is expected to issue a ruling on those cases in June 2020. Justin F. Robinette, an attorney for Doe, said he plans to ask Slomsky to hold in abeyance Doe’s case until the Supreme Court rules on the other cases. “However the Supreme Court rules, it’s going to affect our case,” Robinette told PGN. Robinette expressed hope that the Supreme Court will issue a pro-LGBT ruling. “LGBT bias always involves gender stereotyping, which is a form of sex discrimination,” Robinette said. “We want a clear ruling from the Supreme Court that workplace LGBT bias is covered under Title VII.” Robinette said the 2nd Circuit and 7th Circuit recently ruled that sexual-orientation discrimination is covered by Title VII. Those circuits encompass the states of Connecticut, New York, Vermont, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Robinette also said the 6th Circuit recently ruled that gender-identity discrimination is covered by Title VII. The 6th Circuit encompasses Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

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But Robinette acknowledged that 10 other circuits have either avoided ruling on the issue or ruled that LGBT workplace bias isn’t covered by Title VII. Andrew J. Kramer, an attorney for Parx Casino, declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation. Doe’s lawsuit against Parx Casino was filed in December 2018. She claimed that a hostile workplace made it difficult for her to do her job and eventually resulted in her dismissal. Doe was employed as a dealer at Parx, based in Bensalem, Bucks County, between December 2017 and August 2018. Coworkers allegedly ostracized her throughout her employment. They would refer to her in derogatory terms, including, “bitch,” “sir” and “baby.” One coworker told Doe she was “dirty” and had a “bald head,” according to the lawsuit. Doe reported her concerns about working in a hostile environment to management. However, the mistreatment continued, according to her suit. On Aug. 12, Doe’s employment was suspended after she complained to management about a “negative interaction” with a patron. Details regarding the interaction aren’t included in the lawsuit. On Aug. 13, Doe’s employment was terminated. Parx “used a negative interaction with a customer as a pretext to terminate [Doe’s] employment, and the real reason for [Doe’s] termination was [Doe’s] sexual orientation (lesbian), and/or others’ negative reactions to [Doe] being openly lesbian,” the lawsuit alleged. “A motivating factor in [Doe’s] discharge was the fact that [Doe’s] co-employees reacted poorly to [Doe] being openly lesbian.” Her lawsuit sought more than $150,000 in damages, including lost wages, punitive damages, compensation for pain and suffering and reasonable attorney’s fees. The suit also sought a court order to require Parx to implement a company-wide LGBT antibias policy. A jury trial composed of eight jurors had been requested. ■

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LOCAL PGN

Local GLF members to be grand marshals at World Pride 2019/Stonewall 50 By Victoria A. Brownworth PGN Contributor

Stonewall 50 celebrates LGBTQ history and those who made it. The grand marshals consist of LGBTQ people who were The Gay Liberation Front has been present that fateful night at the Stonewall named one of a few grand marshals for Inn, and also LGBTQ folks who weren’t World Pride 2019/Stonewall 50 in New born until decades later. When announcing those who would York City. The group represents LGBTQ front what will be the largest LGBTQ community past, present and future. In the early hours of June 28, 1969, Pride celebration in history, Julian Sanjivan, NYC Pride the Stonewall March director said, Rebellion began. “In a world where Gay men, lesbians, LGBTQIA+ people bisexuals, drag continue to experience queens and trans profound oppression, people refused to the NYC Pride March be subjected to one is a beacon of hope more police raid; and community. This one more night June 30, that beacon of lesbians being will shine the brightstrip-searched to est it ever has when see if they were [the cast of] “Pose,” wearing three artiPhyll Opoku-Gyimah, cles of women’s Gay Liberation Front, clothing; one more The Trevor Project night of gay men and Monica Helms being shoved apart lead 115,000 marchwith night sticks; SUSAN SILVERMAN ers in the largest disone more night of play of LGBTQIA+ lesbians and trans women being sexually abused; one more Pride the world has ever seen.” Last June, FX network and the cast of night of the worst verbal abuse and as much physical abuse as the police could “Pose” made history as the first scripted TV series starring trans actors. The series get away with.

was nominated for numerous awards, of LGBTQ militancy that spread with including a Golden Globe for Best Drama unprecedented vigor and impact across the TV Series. Billy Porter, one of the show’s nation and the world.” stars, was nominated for Best Actor in a PGN publisher Mark Segal was one of Drama TV series. the youngest members of GLF and will be Co-star, Indya Moore, was among the one of the representatives for the organiTIME 100 and fêted at the Lincoln Center zation when a group of 40-plus members gala on April 23. The 24-year-old trans grand marshal the Stonewall 50 Pride. actor has spoken movingly about their “Gay Liberation Front and Stonewall personal journey and how representative “Pose” has been for them. They will be among the youngest of the grand marshals. The Gay Liberation Front represents a different generation of activists, still iconoclastic. The Pride March organizers described GLF succinctly GLF PROTESTS TIME MAGAZINE. PGN PUBLISHER MARK as “the very first SEGAL IN STRIPED SWEATER. LGBTQ activist organization formed after the Stonewall are synonymous,” Segal said. “We’re Rebellion. The courageous members the ones who wrote on the walls and of GLF fought to give political shape street of Christopher Street that night and direction to a whole new generation with chalk, ‘Tomorrow PAGE 24

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Philly Black Pride and Woody’s are at odds this week after PBP claimed that the Gayborhood bar was throwing a PBP block party without the namesake organization’s consent. PBP President Le Thomas told PGN that AIDS Healthcare Foundation submitted a special-events permit to close part of 13th Street for a block party April 28 that would conflict with a party PBP is hosting around the corner, at Camac and Fawn streets. Thomas said the permit gave the name of the event as “Philadelphia Black Gay Pride” and that HAF submitted it on behalf of Woody’s, because the document had to be submitted by a nonprofit organization. In a statement released on Facebook and to the media, he wrote that the bar had been promoting it as a Black Pride block party and that Woody’s “neither consulted us, nor asked our permission before co-opting our event.” “Woody’s doesn’t have the right to use our name,” said Thomas, who said that “Philly Black Pride” was trademarked last year. Woody’s, in a statement to PGN, claimed it never used the name. “It should be known that we have not co-opted or misrepresented our participation in the 20th anniversary of the Black Pride Organization,” the email statement read. It goes on to say that the block party in question is an annual event — one that benefits organizations primarily serving people of color — and that Philly Black Pride has been associated with for the past two years. In 2017, Woody’s co-owner Billy Weiss planned the first block party for Philly Black Pride weekend with Simply Christopher, a party production company run by former Philly Black Pride president Christopher Allston. The event was a big success, so Woody’s decided to become a full sponsor of Philly Black Pride in 2018. It organized a second block party that benefited both PBP and The Colours Organization. Thomas said PBP had been in discussions with Woody’s this year about collaborating on more events during this year’s festival. “After multiple conversations about the collaboration efforts, we left with an understanding that a partnership was not possible for this year’s planning, and that future opportunities would remain open,” he said. Woody’s has a different take. “Woody’s has tried since December

to work with Philly Black Pride as one of the benefiting partners in our annual event, as we did last year,” the statement read. “Despite our best efforts … they refused to work with us at every turn.” Woody’s said after the failed attempt, it decided to bring on other black-centric beneficiaries for this year’s block party, including AIDS Healthcare Foundation, The Colours Organization and Q Spot. As of press time, the Philly Black Pride block party was planned for April 28, in collaboration with Tavern on Camac, U Bar and Tabu Lounge & Sports Bar. A representative from Woody’s said its block party is up in the air due to impending inclement weather. “If the weather holds out, and [the benefiting partners] still wish to be a part of this event, we are committed to working with them to bring awareness to their mission and services. We also remain committed to providing them with the funding commitment they need to continue to do important work within the LGBTQ black community.” If it does happen, Thomas said, he worries it will crush attendance at his event, which is happening on a smaller street around the corner from Woody’s. “Woody’s happens to be centrally located. If [13th Street] is blocked off, that’s where people will go. It’s going to stop our attendees from coming to our event,” he said. “People are coming from all over the country to celebrate Philly Black Pride, and we want them to be at an event that’s actually hosted by Philly Black Pride.” Both entities also said that they’d be willing to work together after the PBP event, whether the Woody’s block party happens or not. “If they have their block party, it’s going to change the conversation. It’s going to make it more difficult to establish a trust level,” said Thomas. “Even though it would be frustrating to see that still happen, we would be willing to sit down and unpack all of this.” This is something Woody’s can agree on. “It is our desire to continue to contribute resources to organizations [that are] doing important work in the LGBTQ black community. We are still holding out hope and remain willing to work with Le Thomas and Philly Black Pride for this year and for years to come. This event, and future events, are too important for building awareness and should not get in the way of badly needed resources for charities such as AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Colours and Q Spot. They should not be collateral damage, especially on the 20th anniversary of such an important Pride.” ■

LOCAL PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

Road to Stonewall 50: Stormé DeLarverie By Victoria A. Brownworth PGN Contributor When Stormé DeLarverie died at age 93 on May 24, 2014, it was a mere month before the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. Now the 50th approaches. The New York Times’ obituary of DeLarverie noted, she “threw the first punch” at the police who were harassing patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, though this has not been confirmed. DeLarverie’s friend, activist Lisa Cannistraci, co-founder and current owner of the Greenwich Village club Henrietta Hudson, said, “Nobody knows who threw the first punch, but it’s rumored that she did, and she said she did. She told me she did.” DeLarverie has been identified by eyewitnesses — and has identified herself — as the legendary “Stonewall Lesbian” whose assault by police became the pivotal moment in the conflict that spawned the uprising of gay men, lesbians, drag queens and trans people that night and

in the Days of Rage that followed. Until Stonewall, the New York State Liquor Authority penalized and shut down establishments that served alcohol to known or suspected LGBTQ people, arguing that the mere gathering of homosexuals was “disorderly.” The Stonewall Rebellion was indeed “disorderly” and DeLarverie frequently used that term to describe her behavior the night of the confrontation. Although now photographs of DeLarverie in all her 1950s and 1960s butch splendor abound on Pinterest, she was more of an unsung hero. As the 50th anniversary of Stonewall approaches, DeLarverie’s pivotal role in both the event itself and the movement it helped build deserves recognition. She was a founding member of the Stonewall Veterans Association where she held the singular title of Stonewall ambassador and served as vice president. DeLarverie was a proud butch lesbian, singer, drag king performer and storied nightclub bouncer, as well as a noted gay activist. Born in New Orleans on Christmas Eve 1920, the biracial

daughter of a white father and black mother, DeLarverie said she was bullied and taunted throughout her childhood. As a teenager she joined the Ringling Brothers Circus, where she rode the jumping horses until an injury ended her budding career. After her circus work ended, DeLarverie began singing in clubs and cabarets, which she did throughout her 20s. She eventually moved to New York City where she had a long career as a performer throughout the 1950s, ’60s and early ’70s. DeLarverie was the only woman in The Jewel Box Revue, a legendary troupe of female impersonators known as “25 Men and One Girl.” She performed as a male impersonator, emceed the performances and acted as stage manager. The group performed regularly at the iconic Apollo Theatre as well as at Radio City Music Hall. It also toured the theater circuit nationwide, performing for audiences who were always surprised to discover who the “one girl” was. Black lesbian filmmaker Michelle Parkerson highlighted DeLarverie in her

film, “Stormé, The Lady of the Jewel Box.” Noted photographer Diane Arbus once captured a lean and handsome butch DeLarverie dressed in a man’s slim-cut suit, sitting on a park bench, wearing the ubiquitous lesbian pinky ring, the last of a cigarette in her long, tapered fingers. The image, titled Miss Stormé de Larverie, the Lady Who Appears to be a Gentleman, N.Y.C., was taken in 1961, at the zenith of DeLarverie’s tenure at the Jewel Box Revue. DeLarverie saw her role in the LGBTQ community as one of mentor and parent to younger lesbians and gay men, often befriending young people adrift in New York who had been shunned by their families of origin. As a bouncer at various lesbian and gay clubs in New York, she also acted unofficial security at queer events, vigilant against those she called “ugly” — bigots intent on harming LGBTQ people with words or actions. For decades DeLarverie served the community as a volunteer street patrol worker, the “guardian of lesbians in the Village.” As The New York Times described her, “Tall, androgynous and PAGE 26

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EDITORIAL PGN EDITORIAL

Creep of the Week

D’Anne Witkowski

Donald Trump

Editorial

Living LGBTQ in rural America Sometimes those born and raised in cities see urban areas as mecca centers for LGBTQIA communities — at times even dismissing the thought that rural areas contain more than a few lone queer souls. However, a recent study done by LGBTQ think tank Movement Advancement Project estimated that 3-5 percent of people living in rural areas identify as LGBTQ — between 2.9-3.8-million people. “Being LGBT doesn’t mean you want to go live in a coastal city,” said Logan Casey, a MAP policy researcher. Logical as that seems and is, historically and now, LGBTQ folks must make compromises if they decide to live rurally. Many members of our community reminisce about hometowns — the sometimes-bucolic nature of rural life — but may feel ostracized. Further, resentment can arise as many LGBTQ folks feel shunned from a sense of “home” they might have wanted, angry that their return would mean sacrifice of community. The MAP report found that, in fact, LGBTQ folks are “more vulnerable to discrimination” in rural areas, and that “Public opinion in rural areas is generally less supportive of LGBT people and policies.” In Philadelphia, the LGBTQIAplus community is comprised of many formerly rural-dwelling folks, as is any city. Urban areas do provide safer spaces with more access for our com-

munity members. The report states that only 11 percent of rural-living LGBTQ people have access to an LGBTQ health center, while 57 percent of those living in cities do. Parents of LGBTQ youth also must make compromises to remain in rural areas, as only 36 percent of schools in these areas offer an LGBTQ group, while 60 percent in urban areas offer these spaces. As is typical, the transgender population is subjected to increased discrimination in rural areas, with transition-related hormones and surgery denied by insurance companies at a rate 15-percent higher than in cities. The report also states that 34 percent of trans people encountered discrimination on public transportation. Even so, the MAP report confirms that more LGBTQ folks live in rural areas than might have been expected. In fact, LGBTQ families and individuals are raising children at higher rates in rural areas and some LGBTQ people report feeling safer in rural areas than in cities. Perhaps this new information will promote state spending that benefits the LGBTQ community in rural areas. Maybe those of us living in cities, too, can cease rural degradation, with an understanding that our community resides there too, and those folks are thriving with far fewer resources directly benefiting the LGBTQ population. ■

As I write this, the Notre Dame Cathedral in “made gender dysphoParis is on fire. It is a terrible loss to anyone who ria [a] disqualifying cares about history. Donald Trump’s response, condition.” This allows however, was to tweet to try to tell French firethe Trump adminisfighters how to do their jobs. Trump probably tration to “ban transsees the fire as a business opportunity. Maybe he gender troops without dreams that the latest Trump Hotel will spring up admitting that they are in its place. banning transgender Just in case it isn’t clear, Trump is a terrible troops; rather, they person. can argue that they are Want more proof? Trump’s totally needless simply pushing out transgender troop ban went into effect on April people with gender 12. The ban will effectively save America from dysphoria.” people who voluntarily serve in it and are willing “That’s disingenuous because the Venn diato risk their lives for the country. gram of transgender people and people who Oh, and in addition to kicking out trans troops, experience gender dysphoria, while not a perfect the Trump administration is also hell-bent on circle, is pretty damn close to one,” Allen writes. kicking out immigrant troops. But don’t worry, She argues that this ban is basically “Don’t the military is addressing the problem by relaxAsk, Don’t Tell” for transgender service meming recruit standards, making it a great place for bers. Just as DADT was harmful and wrong white supremacists who are currently unhappy when it applied to all LGBTQ members, it is still with their access to weaponry in their civilian harmful and wrong. lives. One of the biggest complaints Trump and Whew. I know I’ll sure be sleeping more other anti-trans bigots have about transgender soundly. people serving in the military is the cost of their As you’ll remember, this whole thing started medical care. And it’s true that the cost of, say, a with a Trump tweet in 2017, because that’s how gender-affirmation surgery can be pretty expenwe make sweeping policy decisions that directly sive. impact people’s lives, FFS. Many entities immeAnd so there’s this right-wing conservative diately came out against such a ban and two idea that transgender folks are flocking to the years of wrangling in military in order to get court followed. But their surgeries paid for. “The Trump-Pence transgender the Supreme Court let This is not true. But the plan go into effect troop ban is dangerous for both even if it were, SO in a 5-4 decision, furWHAT? If you’ve got transgender people and our ther highlighting the people who are qualfact that ELECTIONS ified and capable volnational security, which is why a unteering to serve their MATTER, especially when a heartless madcountry, even going bipartisan chorus of members man gets elected. so far as risking their The Human Rights lives, then we should Campaign, not surpris- of Congress, leading military be thanking them — ingly, denounced the not kicking them out experts and overwhelming ban. because we fear their “At this difficult costs. majorities of Americans oppose healthcare moment for transgenBut, of course, der service members this isn’t really about this despicable policy.” and those wishing to money. It’s about serve their country, bigotry. Letting a every transgender patriot should know that a transgender person wear a uniform of the United grateful nation supports you,” said HRC National States military is tantamount to saying, “This Press Secretary Sarah McBride. “The Trumpcountry does not discriminate and cares more Pence transgender troop ban is dangerous for about someone’s qualifications than we do their both transgender people and our national secugender identity.” rity, which is why a bipartisan chorus of memBut under Trump, we aren’t that country. Sure, bers of Congress, leading military experts and the majority of Americans might disagree with overwhelming majorities of Americans oppose the ban, but they aren’t the people running the this despicable policy.” country. We’ve got a radical minority at the helm The majority of Americans also oppose hell-bent on hurting the people they don’t like. Trump, but here we are. If you feel like each day under Trump gets McBride is also the author of “Tomorrow Will worse and worse, rest assured. You are 100-perBe Different: Love, Loss and the Fight for Trans cent correct. ■ Equality,” a book I really cannot recommend D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian highly enough. living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been Now, some conservatives will argue that this writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow isn’t a transgender troop ban. But as The Daily her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski. Beast’s Samantha Allen points out, they’ve

OP-ED PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

PGN welcomes international journalists Representatives from 19 countries visited the office of the Philadelphia Gay News to see how a newspaper for the LGBT community operated in the Unites States. Among these questions: What rules do we follow and do we use the ethics of the mainstream media? More importantly to them: How is a gay newspaper able to prosper in a country that was once so oppressive to the LGBT population? And how could it operate when most of the community was still in the closet when the newspaper was founded?

Transmissions

Many came from countries where even meeting with LGBT media could cause major problems with their respective governments, as the countries either prohibit homosexuality, or the taboo and stigma is severe. One journalist stated “death to homosexuals” summing up the cultural norms of their country, while another stated that there were no homosexuals in his country. Others were from countries overwhelmingly influenced by the Catholic Church. While many marveled at Segal our freedom to write articles

Mark My Words Mark

about wrongdoing by the U.S. government authorities and our community’s fight for equal rights, it was hard for some to understand the First Amendment, which guarantees such freedom. Harder still was explaining that the First Amendment was under attack by our president; confusing too as were talking about it so openly. Our points to them were simple. Just write. Tell your readership what is happening in its LGBT community because, often, the real enemy is invisibility. By doing that simple but brave act, they can change the world. It can and will be dangerous. This must be acknowledged, but that’s the core of journalism, what it’s all about: Report basic facts and tell people’s stories. ■

Gwendolyn Ann Smith

As in a mirror So often when people who are not transgender speak of transgender people, there is one important thing that is gotten terribly wrong, and I think it’s a core part of understanding exactly what it is to be transgender. As an example, I want to talk a bit about Chelsea Manning. I’m not bringing her up to discuss whether what she did was right or wrong, or if she is a patriot or a traitor. That can be a discussion for another time. She will, however, illustrate my point. Manning is back in jail, held in contempt of court for not testifying in a case against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. Manning had originally been jailed after providing nearly 750,000 documents to WikiLeaks, but had her sentence commuted by President Obama shortly after he left office. Oh, and Manning is a transgender woman, who committed her initial crime while still legally under a different name and presenting in a different gender. I mention this not to be factual about Manning’s gender identity — remember that for later — but because this becomes important when one looks at the way stories about Manning’s current incarceration hit the media. It should be no surprise that the rightwing media has had a field day referring to Manning under her birth name and pronouns. While they do have hatred toward her, they also have a general dislike of transgender people and seek to reinforce the gender binary. Calling Manning by male pronouns and her birth name is par for the course. They would do the same about, oh, Caitlyn Jenner — or, for that matter, about me. For this group, the concept is simple: You are born a man or a woman, and that is who you are for the rest of your days. Ergo, to them, it is their duty to refer to you by the name and gender presented to you while you were still too small to even keep your eyes open. You’ll also find similar misgendering of

Manning in circles where people are otherwise supportive of transgender people, but do not approve of Manning’s actions. These may be people who consider themselves allies of transgender people, but their tolerance has a limit. By calling Manning by her birth name, they are declaring that their acceptance is conditional, and Manning’s actions violated those conditions. These are the same people who might tell transphobic jokes about Ann Coulter, or enjoy a laugh about caricatures of Donald Trump in a dress, embracing Vladimir Putin. They may argue that they’re not attacking the “good” transgender people, but that their support requires a sort of quid pro quo. I have bad news for this second group: You have proven yourself to not be the ally you think you are. You have shown that your support goes only as far as your comfort. You are truly not that different from the first group, wielding the same sort of willful cruelty while assuming you can cloak yourself in a guise of a supporter of transgender people. I think there’s a third group to consider: These are the people who would otherwise be supportive of Manning, but when speaking of her life, might nevertheless revert to the pronouns she had at birth when describing her pre-transition self. This, unlike the first two groups, is not born out of any sort of animus, but out of a misguided belief that they’re being factual about Manning. After all, they might argue, at the time, Manning was using a different name and a different set of pronouns than they are today, so it would be right — even respectful — to use them to refer to whom Manning was then. While this third group doesn’t display the same sort of willful cruelty, they’re still revealing a lack of understanding about what it means to be transgender. They may even be approaching this from a very subconscious level, not even realizing why they might think this would be correct.

For a non-transgender person, their sense of their own masculinity or femininity is a core part of their gender identity. They don’t think about if they are a man or woman. For them, they simply are. As a result, the idea of transition is to become something different from who they are. They’d become another person, very different from who they are today. Seen through this lens, it would make sense to think of Manning — or any other transgender person — by his/her birth name and pronouns when referring to his/her pre-transition life. That, they might argue, would be a person’s core identity before he/ she transitioned to some other core identity. Put in allegorical terms, the non-transgender person pictures transition as a Jekyll and Hyde transmogrification, where a person triggers a monumental change in himself, but that core identity, under the surface, remains. For transgender people, however, their sense of their own masculinity or femininity is also a core part of their gender identity. It simply is opposite of what we were assigned at birth, opposite of what others raised us to understand and opposite of what non-transgender think we are. For us who are transgender, we did not so much transition from a core identity into another, as a non-transgender person might envision. No, we have always been ourselves, and transitioned away from a body that doesn’t match our core identity, and away from social expectations based on that body. For a transgender person, we are not Dr. Jekyll, but more akin to the ugly duckling of Hans Christian Andersen. We have revealed our truth, the core being we always have been. ■ Gwen Smith was going to reference the Matrix, but that’s too on point. You’ll find her at www. gwensmith.com

Street Talk What is your favorite spring activity in Philadelphia? “Going down to Penn’s Landing and hanging out where they string up all those hammocks.”

Delilah Matthews Musician Philadelphia

“Walking around the different parks and going to the Art Museum.” Bailey Peterson Cashier Pittsburgh

“I’m usually just skateboarding any time of the year, but it’s nice in the spring with all the trees and sunlight.”

Oliver Salome Student Warrington

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

Former student alleges violent assault at Valley Forge Military Academy

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A former student at Valley Forge Military Academy and College has filed suit against the prestigious Main Line institution, claiming he was sexually assaulted by other male students in a brutal hazing ritual known as “toothpasting.” On April 17, attorneys for “John Doe” filed a 24-page lawsuit against the school in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. The suit alleges that Doe was sexually assaulted by classmates while school officials ignored the situation. In addition to having a lacrosse stick inserted in his rectum, Doe allegedly was waterboarded, beaten up and verbally abused by other cadets. Doe was so affected by the alleged mistreatment, he now relies on psychiatric medications to function, according to court records. The suit seeks more than $50,000 in damages from the school, which is located in Radnor Township. A jury trial has been requested. The case has been assigned to Common Pleas Judge Arnold L. New. “Cadets at [the school] would severely degrade other cadets, including but not limited to physical and emotional assaults on Doe,” the suit alleges. “On numerous occasions, other cadets would create songs about Doe to embarrass, humiliate and antagonize [him]. This type of bullying was commonplace at [the school].” The most serious assault against Doe occurred in February 2017, when he was a senior at the school, according to the suit. “On or about Feb. 25, 2017, Doe is subjected to a violent assault by other cadets at [the school] while in the dormitory room of another cadet,” the suit alleges. “Approximately six cadets locked Doe in the dormitory room. Doe was repeatedly and violently hit with a lacrosse stick. Doe’s mouth is forced open and a lacrosse stick is forced into his mouth, as far as

possible. Cadets then attempt to penetrate Doe anally with the same lacrosse stick, through his clothes. This violent assault is so common at [the school] that cadets have named it ‘toothpasting.’ According to a former cadet, toothpasting is ‘somewhat of an initiation at [the school]. It consists of someone putting a stick in someone’s butt, pants on.’ In describing this ‘ritual,’ the same cadet admitted to an episode where he and another cadet picked up a nearby broom handle and shoved the broom handle into another cadet’s rear end.” “Shockingly, Doe had to endure further assaults,” the suit continues. “Doe’s hands and legs are restrained. Cadets covered his eyes and begin striking him with belts. Cadets ‘waterboarded’ Doe by covering his face and pouring water on his face and mouth to simulate drowning. Cadets attempted to hang Doe from the door in his dormitory using his restrained arms and legs. Doe was left screaming while hanging restrained and blindfolded from the door.” He was not found for about 20 minutes, the suit adds. “In March 2017, John Doe reached his breaking point, wanting to quit school. He was unable to attend school for the remainder of the year and was forced to complete his courses through remote instruction,” the suit alleges. Juvenile charges were filed against three boys connected to the assaults and were dealt with through the juvenile justice system, according to the suit. The school issued the following statement: “This incident was investigated, reported and handled appropriately in accordance with appropriate law and in cooperation with local police, including the discipline of involved cadets up to and including dismissal. Back in 2017, we believed the parents involved were satisfied with our handling of the situation. We’re surprised by this potential lawsuit, but stand behind our process and conclusions.” ■

PGN

Buddy Program fosters connections

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

@ P H I L LY M AG E V E N TS

# PH LWI NE F E ST

By Lenny Cohen PGN Contributor Studies show that being social and cultivating an interpersonal support system leads to a healthier lifestyle. Action Wellness, a Philadelphia-based organization serving the needs of those living with chronic illness and HIV, knows this intimately. “For over 30 years, a particular ‘human connection’ program, known officially as the ‘Buddy Program’ at Action Wellness, has been mutually successful to those who participate in it,” explained Ronald Hoskins, Director of Volunteers. In the Buddy Program, volunteers reach out to local people living with various chronic illnesses, including HIV, to provide emotional support, companionship and socialization. “Our volunteer services are the heart and soul of Action Wellness, and for clients, their ‘buddy’ is often the first phone call they make with good or bad news,” said Kevin Burns, LCSW, executive director Action Wellness. “I am proud that we have one of the largest and longest-surviving volunteer buddy programs in the country.” Hoskins explained that the buddy program thrives and provides invaluable support, “Not through various channels of social media, and not through texting or emailing, but much more basically — by use of the human ‘voice’ and the human ‘presence.’” A recent article from Black Health Matters listed five health benefits of friendships and interpersonal relationships — reduced anxiety and depression, a stronger immune system, better fitness, a healthier heart and longer life — and they’re good for everyone. Unfortunately, not everybody has access to a social network, especially as they get older or ill. “So many people who experience ongoing chronic illnesses often find that their previous support systems begin to slowly fade away, with some even ‘disappearing,’ and they long for an occasional phone call so they can hear another human voice,” said Hoskins, the volunteer director. “Just hearing the phone ring and having someone say ‘Hello, How are you doing?’ is probably the best emotional immune booster one can have when one is not well, especially to individuals who don’t hear the phone ring anymore, other than to receive incessant ‘robocalls.’” Hoskins explained that any type of ongoing illness ultimately presents “isolation” because the average person tires of hearing the health concerns of those around them, even if they are close friends. “But having someone stop over, or even better yet, getting someone out of their home for a change PAGE 20

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problem. Drag Queen Story Time will be When Lovett staff members learned appear at this branch again in June, and there was going to be a protest, they con- Molly said she’s not expecting any troutacted Lynn to warn her and offer support. ble. “Of course, if there is a protest, we will Andrew Nurkin, deputy director of enrichment and civic engagement at the support Drag Queen Story Time 100 perFree Library, issued a statement on social cent. While we believe people should be media and to the press to clarify the allowed to voice their opinion, we will library’s position supporting Drag Queen continue to stand behind and support Drag Queen Story Time and the work they do.” Story Time. The statement read, in part: America Needs Fatima is a radically “The purpose of Drag Queen Story Time is to promote literacy while also conservative Catholic sect that often orgacelebrating diversity, self-expression, and nizes protests against what they view as imagination. Drag Story Times at the Free sinful or blasphemous events. In addition Library are neither sexual nor explicit in nature. The storytellers who read during these programs are trained by our library staff, and every story time is accompanied by a library professional. The tone and themes of these programs are age-appropriate, uplifting, and welcoming of all kinds of families. “It has been our experience — and that of many other libraries across the country — that children and parents who attend Drag Story Times do not find them confusing or frightening, but rather joyful, fun, and engaging.” Lynn, previously unaccustomed to being protested by hate groups, said she took solace in DQST’s supporters. “It was the most positive moment I’ve experienced in my entire career. All those ANF PROTESTORS people showed up, in the rain, to support us. To see that, it meant everything. It was like an epic battle of to protesting Drag Queen Story Time, the love vs. evil in that the counterprotest- group protests abortion rights, marriage ers made everything OK, they erased the equality and LGBTQ rights. Calls to the nonsense from the people who were pro- group’s Hanover headquarters weren’t testing. They packed up in the face of the returned by press time. Lynn said she won’t let the prospect of counterprotesters. It was awesome.” Lynn said she also was heartened by the future protests intimidate her, and she has gestures of support from other venues that added new colleagues to the DQST stahosted DQST. The Fumo Family branch ble of performers, including prominent in South Philly, where Lynn has estab- local drag performers Eric Jaffe, Timothy lished longstanding ties, sent messages Quinn and Sasha Mala, to help amp the Story Time experience up to a new level asking how it could help. Lynn recounted a story of a family for the kids. But it’s been a sobering experience for confronting the staff of the Please Touch Museum, threating to drop its member- Lynn. “It’s one of those things that you see but ship if the museum wouldn’t drop DQST. The Please Touch staff responded simply: don’t know how to feel when it happens to “We’re sorry to see you go, but you’re you,” she said. “But then it was like wow, obviously not the sort of members we’re they’re really coming for me! I can’t believe this small-mindedness still exists. looking for here.” DQST has future events scheduled We’re in a bubble and sometimes we forat other branches of the Free Library, get, but sometimes you need a reminder including the Independence and Andorra to know there’s still bigotry and that we libraries, in addition to Fumo. Along with need to continue to do this program and return engagements at the Please Touch fight. I went through every Sally Field Museum, DQST will be venturing as far emotion today, but Brittany Lynn doesn’t back down.” ■ afield as Atlantic City. A librarian at Andorra, who asked to be identified only as Molly, said DQST For more information and to donate to Drag Queen has appeared twice at her branch and Story Time visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/dragwas “wildly popular,” with no hint of a queen-story-time-20-tour. DRAG STORY TIME from page 1

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News Analysis

Incumbent mayor faces primary challenge for first time in 32 years What does it mean for LGBTQ Philadelphians? By Victoria A. Brownworth PGN Contributor

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Philadelphia’s primary election is May 21 and for the first time since 1987, the incumbent mayor will face primary challengers. In 1987, then-District Attorney Ed Rendell tried to unseat Wilson Goode Sr. While Rendell lost, he came close. Four years later when he ran again, Rendell was elected mayor. Kenney has been the strongest ally LGBTQ people have had in City Hall, surpassing even his predecessor, Michael Nutter. Soon after taking office, Kenney created the Office of LGBT Affairs as a liaison between the mayor’s office and the city’s LGBTQ community. Last month, Kenney announced he would order an investigation into whether Catholic Social Services and Bethany Christian Services violated city contracting laws by refusing to place foster children with same-sex couples. Kenney has also taken on President Trump, maintaining the integrity of Philadelphia as a leading sanctuary city. On the day Trump’s Muslim ban was activated, Kenney headed directly to help with the crisis as travelers were being denied entry. Kenney has been vocal in decrying Trump’s ban on trans persons serving in the military. He has also pushed for the Safehouse injection site, which would help reduce opioid deaths as well as reduce HIV transmission. Philadelphia is a one-party town. The last Republican mayor was Barney Samuel who left office in 1952. While there is a Republican challenger in every primary — this year South Philadelphia attorney Billy Ciancaglini — with registered Democrats exceeding Republicans seven to one in the city, whoever wins the Democratic primary will be the mayor-elect. Kenney’s opposition consists of well-known local politicians with solid name-recognition, making this a real primary. State Senator Anthony Williams is one of West Philadelphia’s best-known politicians and has been in Harrisburg for 30 years, first as a state rep and since 2011 as Democratic Whip of the Pennsylvania Senate. Alan Butkovitz was a state legislator from the Northeast for 14 years before his 12 years as Controller. He was ousted last year by Rebecca Rhynhardt,

a staunch progressive and the first woman to hold the office. Rhynhardt was Kenney’s former chief administration officer. Williams was one of one of six Democratic candidates running for mayor in 2015 when there was no incumbent and came in second with 26 percent of the vote in the primary, which Kenney won with 56 percent. In a statement, Williams said he’s running because “the culmination of tremendous frustration about city government coupled with a nationwide, new energy in politics, sparked by revelations about the way Philadelphia is run behind closed doors make a powerful equation for change.” Butkovitz cited Philadelphia’s “homicide crisis,” high poverty rate (Philadelphia is America’s poorest big city) and the soda tax as his reasons for running when he announced in November 2018. Butkovitz said of Kenney, “While he has given the back of his hand to poor people in this city, he’s also managed to antagonize businesses whose investment we need in order to create jobs for our local economy.” In 2017, Butkovitz told PGN he should be re-elected as Controller because, “with the concentration of gays in Center City and among the very highly educated and sophisticated portion of the city, I think they want a progressive, scientific, fact-based and evidence-based government. We have been providing it.” During the last mayor’s race, Williams told PGN, “I have always supported LGBT-inclusive legislation,” he said. “Two years ago, I introduced a conversion-therapy ban in Pennsylvania as a state senator.” Williams also said, “My votes and resolutions, my record as a state representative and senator, and most significantly the fact that I am here working with people that are different than me are all ways in which I have and will continue to lobby for inclusion.” Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for the Kenney campaign, reduced the challenges to a sound bite. Hitt said, “Philadelphians want a progressive leader who will stand up to the rich and powerful, not a corporate Democrat running to help billionaire soda CEOs.” ■ April 22 is the last day to register to vote in the primary. You must be a registered Democrat to vote in the Democratic primary.

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

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Prominent lesbian journalist murdered in terrorist killing By Victoria A. Brownworth PGN Contributor Internationally known independent journalist and LGBTQ-activist Lyra McKee, 29, was shot to death on April 19 in Northern Ireland. The Belfast lesbian was reportedly covering a riot in Londonderry when she was murdered in what Irish officials are calling a “terrorist act.” The riots were linked to the anniversary of the Easter Rebellion that led to Irish independence from Britain. On April 23, the New IRA released a statement acknowledging responsibility for McKee’s killing. “In the course of attacking the enemy, Lyra McKee was tragically killed while standing beside enemy forces,” the statement said. McKee had been standing near police officers who were attempting to control the rioting. “The IRA offer our full and sincere apologies to the partner, family and friends of Lyra McKee for her death,” the statement said. McKee was well known throughout Northern Ireland and frequently appeared on newscasts in Belfast. Her work had been published throughout the U.K. and in the U.S., appearing in the Guardian, among other U.S. publications. She was on Forbes’ 30-under-30 list of international activist journalists and won the prestigious Sky News Young Journalist Award at only 16. By 2014 McKee had risen to international prominence after she wrote an essay, “Letter to my 14-year-old self” about growing up as a lesbian in Belfast. At her death, activist writer Paraic O’Donnell told the Irish Times, “Belfast isn’t the easiest place in the world to grow up gay — but Lyra found a way to belong here, a way to tell her story. She was our people.” McKee’s essay on being gay was made into a short film and landed her a two-book deal with international publisher Faber & Faber. Violence has flared in Northern Ireland since Brexit,

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and activists have increasingly become targets. McKee’s celebrity in Northern Ireland as a lesbian journalist and activist had already made her the subject of reprisals, according to officials. McKee had long been subjected to online abuse on social media, which she talked about in panel discussions and interviews. Holy Week is a contentious period in Northern Ireland. In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement was signed, ending three decades of sectarian violence known as The Troubles. McKee had written extensively about the political strife in Northern Ireland and her book, The Lost Boys, was scheduled for 2020 release. Laura Hassan, editorial director for McKee’s publisher, Faber & Faber, said, “As a writer Lyra was drawn to subjects usually met with silence — she wrote about growing up gay in Northern Ireland, the epidemic of suicide among her generation in Belfast, and, in her forthcoming book, she was investigating the unsolved disappearances of children during The Troubles.” Her literary agent, Will Francis, said, “We’ve lost a tremendous talent, and today I’m remembering Lyra, and thinking of her friends, her partner and her family.” Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson said of McKee, “Her death is utterly senseless. A shocking waste. To wake up to the news of such violence on Good Friday of all days — no political or religious symbolism needs to be invoked, we know what this means. Lyra was a blazing comet — fearless and full of integrity.” Sara Canning, McKee’s longtime partner, spoke on Friday at one of several vigils held for McKee over the Easter weekend. “This cannot stand,” Canning said, crying as she spoke. “Lyra’s death must not be in vain because her life was a shining light in everyone else’s life, and her legacy will live on in the light that she’s left behind.” Memorials to McKee have sprung up throughout Northern Ireland and the U.K. and her death has been reported internationally. ■

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Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

New LGBTQ-inclusive books for the youngest children Not only has the number of LGBTQ- red-heavy image of two dads happily inclusive picture books increased greatly holding their newborn. “Orange is healover the past few years, but also more are ing,” says the next spread, showing two being published, even for the youngest parents, one of whom is gender ambiguchildren. Here are some new ones aimed ous, helping a child who has fallen off a at babies, toddlers and preschoolers. bike. It continues through all the colors Robin Stevenson’s “Pride Colors” of the rainbow and ends with a spread board book (Orca Book Publishers) takes showing the families from the book wavthe original meanings of the ing rainbow flags and walking colors in the Pride flag, as together, perhaps in a Pride envisioned by creator Gilbert parade. It’s not as warmly perBaker, and turns them into a sonal as Stevenson’s book but poem from parent to child. makes a bright introduction to We’re treated to a celebration the colors of Pride and images of self and relationships, couof LGBTQ families. pled with images of babies and “Love Makes a Family,” toddlers, and sometimes their by Sophie Beer (Dial Books), two moms or dads. “Yellow is a cheery board book, in the sunshine, smiles so bright. / vein of many other children’s I’ll hug you, kiss you, hold books, showcasing a range of you tight,” reads one spread. family diversity. Beer’s stands There’s a mention of “Pride out for the fun, dynamic and Day fun” at the end, but the Dana Rudolph gently humorous illustrations book is less about LGBTQ — she is an award-winning history and more about the illustrator and it shows. “Love sentiments that extend far beyond a single is ...” begins each spread. “Waking up day or month. Parents will enjoy reading bright and early” finishes one, showing Stevenson’s loving words as much as two dads yawning in bed as their children children will enjoy the uplifting state- march in playing drums and maracas. ments, gentle rhythms and bright photos. “Watching from the front row,” concludes “Rainbow: A First Book of Pride,” another, as two moms enjoy their children by Michael Genhard and illustrated by putting on a backyard performance. Other Anne Passchier (Magination Press), pages show single and different-sex parwhich comes out in May, uses essen- ents and their children in this joyful look tially the same concept, but in a more at family life. literal way. “Rainbows!” it begins, with “My Two Moms and Me,” and “My Two a page showing waving rainbow flags. Dads and Me,” by Michael Joosten, with “Every color means something.” It con- illustrations by Izak Zenou (Doubleday), tinues, “Red means life,” and shows a are board books that depict the everyday

Mombian

lives of children with two moms or two dads. “When I open my eyes each morning, I see my smiling moms,” the mom version begins. While the first-person text reads as if it were a single child narrating the whole, however, the illustrations show a different family for each spread. This may be disorienting at first, though ultimately it’s good to see images of families from varied racial and ethnic backgrounds. The families in these books all wear very stylish clothes (not surprising, given Zenou’s background as a leading fashion illustrator) and seem well off — two of the moms have a pool, and two of the dads buy organic kale at the farmer’s market, which feels very trendy. This may resonate more for some families than others. (Remember that LGBTQ couples with children are twice as likely as non-LGBTQ peers to have incomes near the poverty line, according to UCLA’s Williams Institute.) These books are also almost identical in concept to two other existing board book pairs about children with samesex parents: Lesléa Newman’s “Mommy, Mama, and Me,” and “Daddy, Papa, and Me” (Tricycle Press, 2009) and Stacey Bromberg and Joe Taravella’s “Hugs of Three: My Mommies and Me” and “Hugs of Three: My Daddies and Me” (Forward Footsteps, 2012). Each offers a slightly different mix of racial and ethnic diversity, though, so you may want to check them all out to see if one better fits your family. All three pairs nevertheless have an

essentially similar narrative of daily family life. I hope that in the future, publishers push themselves to offer a greater variety of LGBTQ-inclusive storylines. Brian Bigg’s delightful 2017 board book “I’m a Librarian” (Abrams) shows one way of doing this. It focuses on the town librarian going about his job. Along the way, it shows him getting out of a bed in the morning where his husband is sleeping, then coming home to read in bed next to him at night, but it’s not “about” LGBTQ families or even families per se. Another original storyline for young children came recently in “They, She, He easy as ABC,” by Pura Belpré, Honor Award winner Maya Gonzalez and Matthew Smith-Gonzalez. The book is a follow up to their 2017 “They She He Me: Free to Be!”and is a joyous celebration of pronouns and identities. Maya Gonzalez’ dazzling illustrations also populate this new work as we meet an alphabet of friends who dance their way from A to Z. “Ari loves to arabesque. They hold their pose with ease,” it begins. Each new letter introduces us to another child with a different dance and pronoun. Most are children of color, which feels needed and refreshing in a literary world that’s mostly white. It ends with an invitation to the reader to “Join the dance. There’s always room.” While there is always room for more LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books, these selections offer a good starting place. ■ Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian (mombian.com), a GLAAD Media Award-winning blog and resource directory for LGBTQ parents.

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Sales Representative at PGN Queer library set to open in Montgomery County By Gary L. Day PGN Contributor

Philadelphia Gay News (PGN) currently has immediate opening for advertising sales position available for an energetic, self-motivated individual with outstanding communication skills. Our ideal candidate must have polished sales skills with experience in lead generation and cold calling, combined with a track record of closing the sale. Qualifications: * Two years minimum of successful sales experience, former print and/or advertising sales are a plus * Strong verbal and writing skills * Excellent at relationship building * Ability to work independently and part of a team * Knowledge of local media market and LGBT community a plus * Computer literacy a must Salary/Benefits: Competitive Salary based on your past experience, plus commission. Our benefits package includes medical and dental insurance, paid holidays, vacation and a casual work environment. Qualified individuals interested in applying are encouraged to send their résumé. to mark@epgn.com

The opening of a new queer library in Hatboro, Pa. on May 4 will mark another step in the increasing LGBTQ visibility in this Montgomery County suburban community. The queer library is a project of the SAGA Community Center, an all-volunteer LGBTQ social services organization. SAGA, which was founded in February 2017, is hosted by Love In Action United Church of Christ, which has given over space to the group as well as has provided logistical and moral support to the nascent organization. The opening of the new library will be a major step forward in the expansions of LGBTQ services offered by SAGA, according Jennifer Angelina Petro, a SAGA spokesperson. “The library has been a dream of ours for a long time,” said Petro. “I know it’s small, right now, a single wall of books, but it’s a start and it’s growing.” Petro said that the genesis of the library came from her SAGA colleague Niki Kulp, who one day simply said, “I’d like a queer library.” And while it’s taken some time for it to come to fruition, the library is now a reality. The library has been stocked primarily through donations from private collections. Petro admitted that a fair percentage of the initial collection came from her own personal library. Nevertheless, she is proud of the diverse collection they’ve been able to pull together. “We have books from all kinds of various categories,” she said. “We have books on history and health, and even including queer religion and spirituality. One thing we have to be cautious about though: We BUDDY PROGRAM from page 13

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of scene, proves to be for many of our people ‘just what the doctor ordered.’” Hoskins went on to explain that the Buddy Program provides a connection that influences someone’s mood, spirits and disposition as well as physical health and the desire to maintain the current health. “The bond between our clients and their volunteer ‘buddy’ is very strong, and helps our clients to manage anxiety, depression, reduce isolation, increase medication

have to remember that we’re housed in a church. While Love In Action is very supportive of our work, they’re still a church. We have to be very cautious about, let’s say — adult material.” Petro is also proud of the level of support SAGA and its new library is garnering from

the mainstream suburban and local government. “The mayor [of Hatboro] is planning on attending our grand opening.” When SAGA first began providing its services a little over two years ago, attendance was understandably sparse. But as word has gotten around, LGBTQ suburbanites “have been coming out of the woodwork,” as Petro put it. SAGA is still a small operation and is still only open one night a week. But in that one night, the group works hard at the task of “queering-up the burbs” with such things as activity nights and support groups. All events are held at the church at 350 S. York Rd., Hatboro. Hopefully the opening of the library will spur additional interest and growth, enabling SAGA to expand its services — and its hours. “We want to be a resource in the suburbs for LGBTQ people, in the way William Way Community Center is for city dwellers,” Petro said. The grand opening for the SAGA Community Center’s queer library will be May 4, from noon to 3 p.m. at 350 S. York Road, Hatboro. For more information, call 215-675-8808, or visit sagahatboro.com. ■ adherence and achieve Wellness!” Burns added. Burns and Hoskins agreed that the program benefits both sides of the equation, the giver and the receiver. The Buddy System creates a two-way street, because, of course, the equation inevitably includes two humans connecting over, among other things, a collective humanity. ■ For information on the Buddy Program and other Action Wellness services, go to https://www. actionwellness.org or call 215-981-0088.

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school either. However, superintendent Boyd Brown said April 19 that was not the district’s intention. He said Confederate flags are banned because, like swastikas, they are viewed as a hate symbol.

to dance to songs with sexual language and that his moves were learned in dance and gymnastics classes. The furor began after Jacob, of Perrysburg, performed in drag as “Miss Mae Hem” at a Lancaster bar outside Columbus in December.

Media Trail Boy’s drag performance at Ohio bar prompts lawmaker’s action The Toledo Blade reports the drag queen performance of a 9-year-old boy at a bar outside Ohio’s capital city has prompted a state legislator to propose a law aimed at closing what he says is a, “loophole in child exploitation laws.” Legislation proposed by Rep. Timothy Schaffer, a Lancaster Republican, would update child endangering laws to prevent performances by children that simulate sexual activity and appeal to “the prurient interest.” Schaffer says Ohio can “do better” to protect children. Jacob Measley’s mother, Jerri, disagrees. She says her son is not allowed

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

2016. It allows them to serve openly and covered gender affirmation surgery. Midshipman Regan Kibby, currently enrolled in the academy, is one of six service members suing the Trump administration over its ban.

Naval Academy will bar Confederate flags, not rain- transgender students in fall bow ones, banned in schools 2020

Kentucky city rejects anti-discrimination ordinance

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports the superintendent of a Wyoming school district says rainbow flags and LGBTQrelated clothing are not banned in the school district despite a contrary message to students. School officials said they stopped students from waving both Confederate and rainbow flags at McCormick Junior High School in Cheyenne on April 17 because it was disruptive. The Laramie County School District also said in the statement that it would not allow the display of Confederate flags going forward. Students in the gay-straight alliance at McCormick said were told April 17 that they could no longer have any LGBTQrelated apparel or rainbow colors at

The Bowling Green Daily News reports officials in a South Central Kentucky city have voted against an ordinance that would add specific housing and employment protections for gay, lesbian and transgender residents. The Bowling Green City Commission voted 3-2 on April 16 to reject the first reading of the ordinance, though another reading is set for May 7. More than 100 people attended the meeting and 24 spoke in favor of the proposal while nine opposed it. The newspaper reports Bowling Green is the largest city in the state that hasn’t added formal protections for residents based on sexual orientation and identity. ■

The Capital Gazette reports the U.S. Naval Academy will ban people who are transgender from attending the school, beginning with the 2020 school year. The Defense Department confirmed the policy change to the Capital Gazette on April 15. The school in Annapolis, Maryland, currently accepts transgender students and retains midshipmen who transition to another gender. The change follows a policy shift under the Trump Administration to bar people who are transgender from serving in the military. The new policy applies to students enrolled in the 2020-21 school year and beyond. The Obama Administration lifted restrictions on transgender service members in

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a three-judge panel of the court said CSS failed to demonstrate that city officials violated its constitutional rights. “The city stands on firm ground in requiring its contractors to abide by the city’s nondiscrimination policies when administering public services,” wrote the panel, consisting of judges Thomas L. Ambro, Marjorie O. Rendell and Anthony J. Scirica. “The question in our case is whether CSS was treated differently because of its religious beliefs,” they wrote. “Put another way, was the city appropriately neutral — or did it treat CSS worse than it would have treated another organization that did not work with same-sex couples as foster parents but had different religious beliefs? Based on the record before us, that question has a clear answer: no. The city has acted only to enforce its nondiscrimination policy in the face of what it considers a clear violation.” The panel also rejected CSS’ allegation that it was targeted for anti-Catholic persecution. “The current record does not show religious persecution or bias. Instead it shows so far the city’s good faith in its effort to enforce its laws against discrimination,” the panel stated. According to court testimony, CSS received about $1.7 million annually from the city for foster-care services prior to referrals being halted. CSS currently provides services for about 97 foster children. The city contracts with 29 other agencies to provide foster-care services for about 5,700 children. The city also provides about $26 million annually to CSS for services apart from foster care. “The city has maintained its other relationships with CSS and has merely insisted that, if CSS wants to continue providing foster care, it must abide by the city’s nondiscrimination policy in doing so,” the judges wrote. “There is simply no evidence that this is a veiled attempt to coerce or impose certain religious beliefs on CSS.” Lori H. Windham, an attorney for CSS, blasted the ruling, saying politics were prioritized over children. “This ruling is devastating to the hundreds of foster children who have been waiting for a family and to the dozens of parents working with CSS who have been waiting to foster a child,” Windham said in a statement. “We’re disappointed that the court decided to let the city place politics above the needs of kids and the rights of parents. But we will continue this fight.” Windham couldn’t be reached for com-

ment regarding whether CSS would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. During oral arguments in November, Windham said if CSS doesn’t receive additional referrals from the city, it may have to close its foster-care program. She also contended that it’s wrong for the city to reject CSS’ offer to refer same-sex couples to other foster agencies for child placement. Such referrals, she said, wouldn’t constitute illegal discrimination against a same-sex couple; instead, CSS would be exercising its constitutional rights. But city attorneys countered that it would be unacceptable for CSS to refer same-sex couples to another agency — a process that would stigmatize the LGBTQ community and deny foster children loving, affirming homes. To allow CSS to behave in that manner would convey to LGBTQ youth that their civil rights won’t be respected when they reach adulthood, city attorneys said. Also during oral arguments, Ambro suggested to Windham that CSS compromise by placing children with qualified samesex couples while clarifying that it continues to oppose same-sex marriage. He noted that another foster agency, Bethany Christian Services, settled its differences with the city in such a manner. However, Windham said the compromise would be unacceptable for CSS. Pennsylvania state law requires foster agencies to consider a variety of factors before approving a foster parent, including whether the candidate has the ability to nurture and supervise a child, whether the candidate’s home is safe and appropriate and whether he/she has supportive ties within the community. Pennsylvania doesn’t require an inquiry regarding the sexual orientation of a prospective foster parent. Leslie Cooper, deputy director of the ACLU’s LGBT and HIV Project, praised the Third Circuit’s ruling. During oral arguments, Cooper argued on behalf of the Support Center for Child Advocates and Philadelphia Family Pride, intervenors in the case that advocate on behalf of children in the city’s foster-care system and families headed by same-sex couples who seek to care for them. “Religious liberty is one of our most fundamental freedoms, and it protects all of us from government interference with whether, when, and how we practice our faith,” Cooper said in a statement. “It does not entitle taxpayer-funded child welfare agencies to impose their own religious eligibility criteria on important government programs. The city of Philadelphia recognizes the need to maximize the num-

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

ber of families available for children in foster care and has every right to insist that the agencies it hires to find families for these children accept all qualified families. Nothing in the Constitution puts the religious beliefs of these agencies ahead of the needs of the children in their care.” City officials also heralded the ruling. Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement: “I am grateful for the court’s careful analysis of the case and its thoughtful decision. Our policy ensures that same-sex couples do not face discrimination as they seek to offer loving homes to Philadelphia children in need of foster care. At the same time, the policy safeguards religious liberties. We are proud that Philadelphia is a welcoming, inclusive city that values the diversity of its residents. This policy is the embodiment of those values, and we are pleased that the court has now upheld it.” City Solicitor Marcel Pratt added: “We could not be more pleased with the court’s decision on such an important issue for the city of Philadelphia. The decision also recognizes that the city’s nondiscrimination laws and policies are neutral and generally applicable, and do not violate religious liberties.” Department of Human Services Commissioner Cynthia Figueroa urged LGBT individuals to consider serving as foster parents. “We want all individuals who are able to provide safe, loving and welcoming homes to consider fostering,” Figueroa said. “The court’s decision means that prospective foster parents will not be unlawfully turned away from our provider agencies and will allow us to best serve the children and youth in our care.” Stephanie Haynes, executive director of Philadelphia Family Pride, echoed those sentiments. “We are grateful that the appeals court understood the lack of legal merit in the challengers’ case. As a result, families like those we represent can provide safe, caring homes to children in the foster system without fear of discrimination. Philadelphia needs more loving, qualified parents for foster children. That’s what Philadelphia’s nondiscrimination policies make possible.” Ten states permit state-licensed child-welfare agencies to refuse to place and provide services to children and families — including LGBT people and same-sex couples — if it conflicts with their religious beliefs, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Those states are Alabama, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia. ■

ATTIC from page 1

The Attic is also working with gayowned social-media marketing company ChatterBlast Media to ensure that its messagging “reaches as many people in the community as possible” through the center’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platforms. “We want people to feel they are hearing from us,” Wilhelm said. The accusations of sexual assault and racial discrimination were revealed on the Facebook page of the Black & Brown Workers Co-op (BBWC). The group released a 53-minute video discussing three pages of allegations and demands the immediate resignation of three top-rung employees — Jacobs, Director of Programs and Operations Christina Santos and Associate Director Jacinto “Jay” Grant — and changes to the board of directors. Jacobs and Santos were relieved of their duties, but Wilhelm said Grant remains in his position and teh board is intact, other than Givens stepping into the role of acting executive director. “Any further changes at this point would be premature,” she said. “We can explain our decisions once we reach them. We want to be thorough and thoughtful in this process, always keeping in mind that our commitment is to delivering the promise to our youth that they will have the safe, welcoming environment they expect.” The BBWC did not respond to PGN’s requests for comment, though Wilhelm said the group is watching the proceedings closely and that The Attic respects its input and “wants to be as responsive as possible to them.” “We are doing our best to acknowledge and respond to all of their concerns in a way that is very thoughtful and very intentional,” she said. “We want to work alongside them, because we feel this is a moment others — not just our organization — can learn from as well. We have a great amount of respect for what they do. They are trying to make change and so are we. We are united in that, but sometimes that just takes a little time.” Wilhelm said the main focus of The Attic at this time is “serving the youth who depend on our center and participating fully with the investigations that are underway.” She said that the controversy hasn’t had a negative impact on donations to the nonprofit, and youth are accessing the organization just as much as they were before. “Attendance has been consistent — some days it has actually increased.” ■

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LGBT people age just like the rest, with significant exceptions. More than an average number have HIV or other health issues, many are living alone with no close relatives, and others live mear poverty levels. Gettin’ On explores these and other senior LGBT issues every month.

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Phyll said she was “beyond excited” to be night, Stonewall.’ We’re the ones who part of Stonewall 50. “I cannot wait to be spoke from Stonewall’s front door the part of World Pride 2019. What an approsecond night. We’re the ones who created priate way to celebrate and remember the an LGBT community from the ashes of Stonewall uprising. So humbled and honStonewall. GLF and Stonewall are inter- ored to be asked to be a grand marshal.” Trans military veteran Monica twined.” Susan Silverman was also a found- Helms and The Trevor Project, which ing member of GLF. Silverman, of provides support to LGBTQ youth in criPhiladelphia, now lives at the well-known sis, round out the grand marshals. With a John C. Anderson apartments, the build- trans military ban and conversion therapy ing itself an example of gay activism, funded by the community to create a safe living space for LGBTQ seniors. Silverman was also one of the youngest GLF members. Now 70, she came out at 19, at a time when fewer lesbians had the strength or fearlessness to do so. “I was politicized by the civil-rights and anti-war movements,” Silverman PGN PUBLISHER MARK SEGAL AT GLF PROTEST told PGN. “I came out in a flurry of of LGBTQ youth putting members of political activity with incredible support.” The native New Yorker was living on the community risk, their inclusion is a the Lower East Side when Stonewall hap- reminder that the work of activists remains pened. “It was an exciting, electric time,” essential. “As millions of LGBTQIA+ folks from she said. “My generation really was committed to making change.” GLF is proof of across the world make their pilgrimage that change and is being honored accord- to WorldPride 2019 and the commemoingly. In many ways, the GLF paved a road ration of Stonewall 50, New York City will display its Pride like never b e f o r e ,” said Chris Frederick, e x e c u t iv e director of NYC Pride. “The entire month of June, and this day in particular will be a celebration of everything the LGBTQIAplus comm u n i t y for some of the other grand marshals to stands for.” Segal said, “I’m often asked how many travel, and those grand marshals will likely days were the Stonewall riots. My answer pave new roads for the future. The voices and faces of lesbians, partic- is 365 days, since it took GLF a year to ularly lesbians of color, have often been create community and the world’s first erased from LGBTQ history, making the Gay Pride. I’m proud that my marshal’s inclusion of black lesbian activist Opoku- badge from that very first Pride is now Gyimah as a grand marshal critically at The Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History, and smile important. Lady Phyll, as she’s known, is cofounder at how far we have come from that very and executive director of U.K. Black Pride, first march.” ■ which she helped establish in order to “cel- For details on the march and the events, which take ebrate LGBT-plus people of color.” Lady place throughout June, visit www.worldpride.com. GLF from page 6

Thinking Queerly

Kristina Furia

Thinking Queerly explores the psychological and social experiences of being LGBT in America and sheds light on the importance of LGBT community members prioritizing their mental health.

Only in Online and in print every second Friday.

PGN

Summertime child custody As summer approaches, our thoughts drift to family reunions and vacations. Summer is a great time for a family vacation as children are out of school. Even for people who cannot vacation in the summer, there are often family get-togethers at the homes of relatives, in a local spark, or at the beach. For parents who are separated, by divorce or otherwise, summertime child-custody scheduling can be a challenge. Child-custody order: If you have one, review it now

And sometimes — well, let’s just say sometimes it can be challenging. What do the kids want? There is a big difference between a 3-year-old and a teenager. A 3-year-old goes where the parent goes usually, but a teenager might have special needs and desires. Maybe a 16-year-old wants to go to another state and spend a big portion of the summertime with grandparents, an aunt and an uncle, or cousins. A teenager might possess special talents, like in sports or music, and perhaps a sports or music camp would be a perfect summertime setting for that child, at least for part of the summer. If you cannot afford to send your child or children to camp, you can inquire about financial assistance. Just make sure to include the other parent in any planning along these lines if you have shared legal custody.

If you have a child-custody order, now is the time to review it carefully. Each custody order is specific to the circumstances of your child or children. But it may be that your custody order provides for some flexibility. It will probably have a specific custody schedule but may allow for other times as agreed by the parties. Each parent might be permitted a week or two As time marches on, things during the summer, and it Mark-Allen change might require a certain number Taylor, Esq. Changed circumstances of days prior written notice to are inevitable. The law underthe other parent. So, get your stands this and allows for a parent to notice to the other parent before you pay petition the court to amend the child-cusfor or put down a big deposit on a vacatody order if the changed circumstances tion. A custody order might state that warrant it. That 3-year-old will become whoever gives notice first gets the time. a teenager. Maybe the other parent has But make sure your notice is delivered in remarried. Or maybe you have remarried time to the other party and that you can or have a special friend. Maybe one of show it was indeed received. the parents got a great job offer out of Talk to your lawyer: If you have one state. Whatever the change or changes in your circumstances, maybe a change in If you are unsure or confused by the your child-custody order is needed. No terms of your child-custody order, contact lawyer can predict what the court will the lawyer who represented you. If she/he decide, but certainly changed circumstances should be evaluated and maybe is no longer your lawyer, you can always brought before the court. Some changes consult with another family law attorney. are minor and some are significant. If you do not have a lawyer: You are a Maybe you want your child raised in the pro se litigant same religion as you and the other parent disagrees. Maybe you would like your If you did not have a lawyer represent child to go to a particular school and the other parents disagrees. There may be you in your child-custody matter, and any number of changes or differences. you don’t have a lawyer now, it might be You might consider working with an a good time to consult with a family law attorney. Individuals who represent them- attorney who can try to broker an agreement. And there is also mediation which selves in court are called pro se litigants. If you cannot afford a lawyer, contact can be very helpful in addressing changes your local city, county or state bar assoor differences. ciation, which can help you find a lawyer, maybe even a lawyer who will work Have a great and safe summer with you regarding the costs. Also, the bar association should be able to provide Childhood is a short time with sevyou with contact information of legal aid eral different stages of development. organizations, which might provide you Each child is unique. Enjoy your time with a lawyer pro bono, meaning at no with your child or children now. All best cost to you. wishes for a great and safe summer. ■ Every parenting pair behaves differMark-Allen Taylor, Esq. is a Center City attorney speently. Some are really good sports and cializing in family law (www.mat-law.com). Email him encourage their child or children to have a good relationship with the other parent. at mat@mat-law.comor call 215-854-4008.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

Getting married?

Family Law

If you are celebrating an anniversary, engagement, wedding, adoption or other life event, we would be happy to help you announce it to the community. Send your contact information and a brief description of the event to editor@epgn.com.

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26-May 2, 2019

Spring is here!

Take a bite out of it.

International Colombians stage kiss-athon in support of LGBT rights Dozens of same-sex couples kissed simultaneously outside an upscale shopping mall in Colombia’s capital, in the latest demonstration calling for LGBT rights in the South American country. The “kiss-a-thon” was held just days after two gay men in their early 20s were harassed at the Andino Shopping Mall in Bogotá. The incident was caught on video by bystanders and shared widely on social media, sparking a wave of support for the young gay couple. On April 17, hundreds of activists waving rainbow flags gathered around one of the mall’s entrances and shouted chants in support of gay rights.

Court lifts ban on LGBT Pride events in Turkey’s capital city Kaos GL, a Turkish LGBTI rights group, on April 20, successfully appealed a ban on Pride events in the capital city of Ankara at the 12th administrative court on. The court lifted the ban. LGBTI rights supporters had attempted to appeal the ban in November 2018, which was ultimately rejected. The ban had been in effect since November 2017. It had been introduced under emergency powers brought followSTORMÉ from page 9

Read PGN’s food reviews every second and fourth week of the month

- and check out our archive of past reviews on epgn.com.

armed — she held a state gun permit — Ms. DeLarverie roamed lower Seventh and Eighth Avenues and points between into her 80s.” She walked often and checked in at local lesbian bars. “She was on the lookout for what she called “ugliness”: any form of intolerance, bullying or abuse of her “baby girls,” reported The Times. Cannistraci said of DeLarverie in the same article, “She literally walked the streets of downtown Manhattan like a gay superhero. She was not to be messed with by any stretch of the imagination.” Superhero she was, until ill health befell her. For decades DeLarverie lived at the iconic Chelsea Hotel, but in 2010, she was injured in a fall. A short hospitalization uncovered a series of health problems including dementia. Cannistraci became DeLarverie’s guardian until her

ing an attempted coup against the Turkish government in 2016. The governor’s office had initially justified the move on the grounds that LGBTI Pride events could “provoke reactions within certain segments,” such as counter-protests from far-right groups. In recent years, LGBTI rights advocates have expressed alarm at what they perceive to be increasing authoritarianism and homophobia by the authorities. News of the ban being lifted was a welcomed by LGBTI allies and supporters

Kenya’s lesbian pastor says LGBTQ people are ‘children of God’ Jacinta Nzilani, who came out as a lesbian in February, said in an interview with Kenya’s Tuko TV when she was asked about Biblical passages condemning homosexuality that LGBTQ people are “children of God.” The evangelist who preaches in Nairobi replied: “God didn’t give us freedom which is limited, it is unlimited. I am free to choose what I want. The way they [LGBT+ people] relate — the way they associate and express themselves — should not be agenda for others to block them, criminalize them and let them be cocooned somewhere. They are people of God, children of God and God has given us all things in equity. If it is life, it is equal to everybody. If it is salvation, he gave it to us all.” In the interview, the lesbian pastor spoke about her long journey towards coming out in Kenya, a country that still has an oppressive regime against LGBT+ people. She explained that she was married to a man for many years, and that she came to realize through “all the struggle in the marriage” that she “loves women.” ■ — compiled by Larry Nichols death. DeLarverie was a fixture at the New York Pride March for years, often as grand marshal. She held a treasured place within the community, being given many awards for her years of service. Her final years were reportedly rather lonely, after she was no longer able to work — she was a bouncer until she was 85 — and prior to Cannistraci taking over her care. The discovery of her circumstances helped the community become more aware of LGBTQ seniors with no family to care for them, sparking necessary dialogue. DeLarverie was once asked why she worked so hard for the community. She said, “Somebody has to care. People say, ‘Why do you still do that?’ I said, ‘It’s very simple. If people didn’t care about me when I was growing up, with my mother being black, raised in the South.’ I said, ‘I wouldn’t be here.’” ■

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

INFORMATION STATEMENT ON ACCESS TO THE ELECTION PROCESS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA MUNICIPAL PRIMARY AND SPECIAL ELECTION TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

In accordance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Voter Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984, the City of Philadelphia does not discriminate against people with disabilities in providing access to its election process. According to these federal laws, the City of Philadelphia is required to ensure that its election process is accessible to people with disabilities in all elections. This means that polling places shall be accessible to people with disabilities to the extent that accessible locations are available within each election district. The City Commissioners designates and lists polling place accessibility in varying degrees. Polling places that fully meet all federal and state criteria are designated with an “F” for fully accessible building and an “H” for handicapped parking. If a polling place location does not fully meet these federal and state criteria but provides relative accessibility with minor assistance in entry, then that location will be designated with a “B” for substantial accessibility. If a fully accessible location, that meets all federal and state criteria (designated as “FH”), is not available for a polling place in your election Division, voting accessibility will be provided using an Alternative Ballot in accordance with directives issued by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. If you are a registered voter who is disabled or age 65 or older and who is not assigned to a polling place that has been designated as “FH”, you are qualified to vote using an Alternative Ballot. ONLY THE FOLLOWING WARDS AND DIVISIONS POLLING PLACES HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED AS “FH” OR FULLY ACCESSIBLE. IF YOU ARE A REGISTERED VOTER IN ANY ELECTION DISTRICT IN PHILADELPHIA, EXCEPT FOR THOSE LISTED BELOW, AND YOU ARE DISABLED OR AGE 65 OR OLDER YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE FROM HOME USING AN ALTERNATIVE BALLOT OR AT CITY HALL ROOM 142 ON ELECTION DAY USING AN EMERGENCY ALTERNATIVE BALLOT: THIS LIST IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE – REFER TO THE WEBSITE BELOW FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION www.philadelphiavotes.com Electoral District

Electoral Division

Address

Location

Electoral District

Electoral Division

Address

2 3

16, 25

416 Queen St.

Settlement Music School (Curtis Branch)

15, 16, 17, 22

Langdon & Sanger Sts.

New Fels High School

3, 4

6212 Walnut St.

Care Pavilion

2200 Moore St.

St. John Neuman Place

1039 N Lawrence St.

St. John Neumann Home

2862 Germantown Ave.

Warnock Village

3226 McMichael St.

Abbottsford Homes

3015 W School House Ln.

Second Church of Christ

Location

4400 Fairmount Ave.

Angela Court Nursing Home

9, 11

4035 Parrish St.

Sarah Allen Senior Housing

40 St. & Parkside Ave.

School of the Future

4200 Wissahickon Ave.

Salvation Army KROC Center

4700 Parkside Ave.

Discovery Charter School

4349 Ridge Ave.

Falls Ridge Apts. Com Ctr.

167 W Allegheny Ave.

Villas Del Caribe

10, 19

501 Jackson St.

Jackson Place

13, 17

200 E Somerset St.

Somerset Villas

13, 14

Magee & Keystone Sts.

Fire Engine # 38

2 Franklin Town Blvd.

The Water Mark

4501 G St.

City Sign Shop

2400 Chestnut St. Bldg

4901 Chestnut St.

West Phila. High School

2400 Chestnut St. th 17 St., South of Spring Garden St.

Community College

16, 17

5201 Haverford Ave.

Spectrum Comm Health Center

4, 5

20 E Mermaid Lane

7, 22

2600 Moore St.

St. John Neuman Place

7301 Germantown Ave.

Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting House Lutheran Theological Seminary

3, 20

1300 W Godfrey Ave.

Community College of Phila.

6, 7, 8

4340 Germantown Ave.

Nicetown Court

3900 City Ave.

Presidential City Apts

1100 Fairmount Ave.

Gladys Jacobs Apts.

11, 12

2600 Belmont Ave.

Inglis House Founders Hall

1100 Poplar St.

Street Community Center

22, 23, 24

1717 N 54 St.

Wynnefield Place

6401 Ogontz Ave.

Mt Airy Church of God in Christ

2101 Strahle St.

Samuel Tabas House

1340 Frankford Ave.

Lutheran Settlement House

5, 21

13500 Philmont Ave.

Calvary Chapel

2, 3, 4

3 & Ontario Sts.

Marin Munoz School

9, 13, 17

608 Welsh Rd.

St. Thomas Syro Malabar Church

6, 7

2800 N American St.

Congreso Edu. & Training Ctr.

1619 Grant Ave.

Randi’s Restaurant

2400 N Howard St.

Hunter School

9896 Bustleton Ave.

Paul’s Run

1600 N 8 St.

Gray Manor

633 W Rittenhouse St.

Rittenhouse Hill Apts.

7901 Henry Ave.

Henry on the Park

2, 8, 12, 23

4901 Chestnut St.

West Phila. High School

3015 W School House Ln.

Second Church of Christ

4, 6

5429 Chestnut St.

Holmes Senior Apts.

6400 Greene St.

Cliveden Convales Center

11, 23

8550 Verree Rd.

Villages Pine Valley Clubhouse

4400 Baltimore Ave.

H.M.S. School

608 Welsh Rd.

St. Thomas Syro Malabar Church

1450 S 50 St.

Reba Brown Senior Apts.

8, 9, 10, 13, 14

3201 Ryan Ave.

Lincoln High School

1800 Lombard St.

Penn Medicine

15, 16

8301 Roosevelt Blvd.

Deer Meadows

10, 11, 25

Rising Sun Ave. & Comly St.

Lawncrest Recreation Center

2, 7

10980 Norcom Rd.

Norcom Community Center

An Alternative Ballot may be obtained for any election, upon your advance request on an Alternative Ballot Application. In Philadelphia an application for an Alternative Ballot can be made on the regular Absentee Ballot Application by checking the box for “Handicapped or 65 years or older and who is assigned to an inaccessible polling place”. The applications may be obtained at the County Board of Elections in Room 142, City Hall or by contacting (215) 686-3469 VOICE, or TTY/TDD through the AT&T Relay System. TDD users may utilize this service by calling 1-800-654-5984 and telling the communications assistant they want to speak to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Elections at (717) 787-5280. Alternative Ballot Applications by mail must be submitted to the County Board of Elections no later than 7 days before the election. Alternative Ballots must be returned to the County Board of Elections no later than the close of the polls, at 8:00 P.M. on Election Day. Additionally, registered electors with disabilities may apply for an Emergency Alternative Ballot Application and cast their ballot in person at the County Board of Elections, in Room 142, City Hall, up to the close of the polls on Election Day. In addition, the City shall provide registration materials in large print at each registration facility and voting instructions in large print at each polling place. Should you have any questions about your rights, or the City’s obligations under these laws, or if you need assistance in determining if your polling place fully meets federal and state criteria, please contact the Accessibility Compliance Office, or the County Board of Elections. City Commissioners Office City Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19107

County Board of Elections City Hall, Room 142 Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-686-3469 / 215-686-3943

Accessibility Compliance Office 1401 JFK Blvd, MSB, 10th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102-1677

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

DECLARACIÓN DE INFORMACIÓN SOBRE EL ACCESO AL PROCESO DE ELECCIONES PARA LAS PERSONAS CON DISCAPACIDADES EN LA CIUDAD DE FILADELFIA ELECCIONES MUNICIPALES PRIMARIA Y ESPECIAL DE MAYO 21 DEL 2019 De acuerdo con el Título II de la Ley de Americanos con Discapacidades de 1990 y la Ley de Accesibilidad de Votante para los Ancianos y los Discapacitados de 1984, la Ciudad de Filadelfia no discrimina a la gente con discapacidades al suministrar acceso para el proceso de elecciones. Según estas leyes federales, se requiere que la Ciudad de Filadelfia asegure que su proceso de elecciones en conjunto sea accesible a la gente con discapacidades en todas las elecciones. Esto significa que los sitios de votación serán accesibles a los discapacitados de tal manera que haya locaciones accesibles disponibles dentro de cada distrito electoral. Los Comisionados de la Ciudad designan y enumeran la accesibilidad de los lugares de votación en grados variables. Los sitios de votación que cumplen en su totalidad con los criterios federales y estatales son designados con una "F" que indica que es un edificio totalmente accesible, y con una "H" que indica que hay estacionamiento para discapacitados. Si un logar de votación no cumple en su totalidad con estos criterios federales y estatales, pero provee accesibilidad relativa con una pequeña ayuda en la entrada, entonces ese logar será designado con una "B" que indica que tiene una accesibilidad substancial. Si no hay disponible un lugar totalmente accesible, que cumpla con todos los criterios federales y estatales (designados como “FH”), como sitio de votación en su División de elección, la accesibilidad para votar será proporcionada mediante el uso de una Boleta Alternativa de acuerdo con las directrices expedidas por el Secretario del Estado. Si usted es un votante registrado, que es discapacitado o tiene 65 años de edad o más, y no se le ha asignado un lugar de votación que haya sido designado como “FH”, entonces cumple con los requisitos para votar mediante una Boleta Alternativa. SÓLO LOS CENTROS DE VOTACIÓN DE LOS DISTRITOS Y LAS DIVISIONES ELECTORALES QUE SE MENCIONAN A CONTINUACIÓN SE HAN DESIGNADO COMO “FH” O TOTALMENTE ACCESIBLES. SI USTED ES UN VOTANTE REGISTRADO EN CUALQUIER DISTRITO ELECTORAL DE FILADELPHIA, SALVO EN AQUELLOS QUE SE ENUMERAN A CONTINUACIÓN, Y ES DISCAPACITADO O MAYOR DE 65 AÑOS, CUMPLE CON LOS REQUISITOS PARA VOTAR DESDE SU HOGAR MEDIANTE UNA BOLETA ALTERNATIVA O EN LA SALA 142 DEL AYUNTAMIENTO EL DÍA DE LA ELECCIÓN MEDIANTE UNA BOLETA ALTERNATIVA DE EMERGENCIA:

ESTE AVISO ESTA SUJECTA A CAMBIOS – PARA OBTENER INFORMACION ACTUALIZADA IR A WWW.PHILADELPHIAVOTES.COM Distrito Electoral

División Electoral

Domicilio

Centro de votación

Distrito Electoral

División Electoral

Domicilio

Centro de votación

16, 25

416 Queen St.

Settlement Music School (Curtis Branch)

15, 16, 17, 22

Langdon & Sanger Sts.

New Fels High School St. John Neuman Place

3, 4

6212 Walnut St.

Care Pavilion

2200 Moore St.

1039 N Lawrence St.

St. John Neumann Home

2862 Germantown Ave.

Warnock Village

4400 Fairmount Ave.

Angela Court Nursing Home

3226 McMichael St.

Abbottsford Homes

9, 11

4035 Parrish St.

Sarah Allen Senior Housing

3015 W School House Ln.

Second Church of Christ

40 St. & Parkside Ave.

School of the Future

4200 Wissahickon Ave.

Salvation Army KROC Center

4700 Parkside Ave.

Discovery Charter School

4349 Ridge Ave.

Falls Ridge Apts. Com Ctr.

167 W Allegheny Ave.

Villas Del Caribe

10, 19

501 Jackson St.

Jackson Place

13, 17

200 E Somerset St.

Somerset Villas

13, 14

Magee & Keystone Sts.

Fire Engine # 38

2 Franklin Town Blvd.

The Water Mark

4501 G St.

City Sign Shop

2400 Chestnut St. Bldg

4901 Chestnut St.

West Phila. High School

2400 Chestnut St. th 17 St., South of Spring Garden St.

Community College

16, 17

5201 Haverford Ave.

Spectrum Comm Health Center

7, 22

2600 Moore St.

St. John Neuman Place Community College of Phila.

7301 Germantown Ave.

Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting House Lutheran Theological Seminary

3, 20

1300 W Godfrey Ave.

6, 7, 8

4340 Germantown Ave.

Nicetown Court

3900 City Ave.

Presidential City Apts

1100 Fairmount Ave.

Gladys Jacobs Apts.

11, 12

2600 Belmont Ave.

Inglis House Founders Hall

1100 Poplar St.

Street Community Center

22, 23, 24

1717 N 54 St.

Wynnefield Place

6401 Ogontz Ave.

Mt Airy Church of God in Christ

2101 Strahle St.

Samuel Tabas House

1340 Frankford Ave.

Lutheran Settlement House

5, 21

13500 Philmont Ave.

Calvary Chapel

2, 3, 4

3 & Ontario Sts.

Marin Munoz School

9, 13, 17

608 Welsh Rd.

St. Thomas Syro Malabar Church

6, 7

2800 N American St.

Congreso Edu. & Training Ctr.

1619 Grant Ave.

Randi’s Restaurant

2400 N Howard St.

Hunter School

9896 Bustleton Ave.

Paul’s Run

4, 5

20 E Mermaid Lane

1600 N 8 St.

Gray Manor

633 W Rittenhouse St.

Rittenhouse Hill Apts.

7901 Henry Ave.

Henry on the Park

2, 8, 12, 23

4901 Chestnut St.

West Phila. High School

3015 W School House Ln.

Second Church of Christ

4, 6

5429 Chestnut St.

Holmes Senior Apts.

6400 Greene St.

Cliveden Convales Center

11, 23

8550 Verree Rd.

Villages Pine Valley Clubhouse

4400 Baltimore Ave.

H.M.S. School

608 Welsh Rd.

St. Thomas Syro Malabar Church

1450 S 50 St.

Reba Brown Senior Apts.

8, 9, 10, 13, 14

3201 Ryan Ave.

Lincoln High School

1800 Lombard St.

Penn Medicine

15, 16

8301 Roosevelt Blvd.

Deer Meadows

10, 11, 25

Rising Sun Ave. & Comly St.

Lawncrest Recreation Center

2, 7

10980 Norcom Rd.

Norcom Community Center

Es posible obtener una Boleta Alternativa para cualquier elección, a través de una petición por adelantado de una Solicitud de Boleta Alternativa. En Filadelfia se puede pedir una Boleta Alternativa en la solicitud corriente de Boleta para Votar en Ausencia, señalando la casilla de “Discapacitado, 65 años de edad o mayor y a quien se le ha asignado un lugar de votación inaccesible”. Las solicitudes se pueden obtener en la Junta de Elecciones del Condado en Sala 142, del Ayuntamiento o llamando al teléfono (215) 686-3469 VOICE, o por TTY/TDD (Teletipo/Aparato de Telecomunicación para Sordos) a través del AT&T Relay System. Los usuarios de TDD pueden utilizar este servicio llamando al 1-800-654-5984 e informándole al asistente de comunicaciones que desean hablar con la Oficina de Elecciones de Pensilvania en el (717) 787-5280. Las Solicitudes de Boleta Alternativa deben enviarse por correo a la Junta de Elecciones del Condado a más tardar siete días antes de la elección. Las Boletas Alternativas deben devolverse a la Junta de Elecciones del Condado a más tardar al momento del cierre de las urnas,a las 8:00 p.m. del Día de Elecciones. Además, los electores registrados con discapacidades pueden pedir una Solicitud de Boleta Alternativa de Emergencia y depositar la boleta personalmente en la Junta de Elecciones del Condado, en sala 142, del Ayuntamiento, hasta el momento del cierre de elecciones durante el Día de Elecciones. Ademas, la Ciudad proporcionará materiales de inscripción en letras grandes en cada instalación de inscripción, y suministrará las instrucciones en letras grandes sobre cómo votar en cada sitio de votación. Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre sus derechos o sobre las obligaciones de la Ciudad según estas leyes, o si necesita ayuda para determinar si su lugar de votación cumple en su totalidad con los criterios federales y estatales, comuníquese con la Oficina de Cumplimiento con la Accesibilidad, o la Junta de Elecciones del Condado.

Oficina del Comisionados de la Ciudad City Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Junta de Elecciones del Condado City Hall, Room 142 Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-686-3469 / 215-686-3943

Oficina de Cumplimiento con la Accesibilidad 1401 JFK Blvd, MSB, 10th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102-1677

FEATURE PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

entertainment Dining Out

Page 31

Q Puzzle

Page 37

Out & About

Page 32

Family Portrait

Page 35

Rising queer singers

PAGE 32

Out TV director debuts first feature film By Gary M. Kramer PGN Contributor In Michael Engler’s feature film debut, two completely different women leave Kansas for New York City, creating a bond that fosters personal transformations. Out director Engler has helmed episodes of some of the best-loved TV series in recent years including “Downton Abbey,” “Empire,” “30 Rock,” “Sex and the City” and “Six Feet Under.” His first venture into film is “The Chaperone,” a 1920s coming-of-middle-age story with a queer twist. The film reunites Engler with two of his colleagues from “Downton Abbey”: writer Julian Fellowes, who adapted Laura Moriarty’s book of the same title; and Elizabeth McGovern, who stars as Norma, the title character. Fellowes and McGovern had been working on this film for years when they brought Engler on to direct. He also will direct the forthcoming “Downton Abbey” feature (and no, he cannot discuss that). Inspired by true events, “The Chaperone” opens in Wichita, Kansas, where the teenage Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson) needs someone to accompany her to New York City so she can study modern dance. Norma, who was orphaned as a young

woman helps the other achieve the thing they want — though it is not what they would want personally.” The director said he admires Julian Fellowes’s script because it “tells an intimate story about people and the subtle and powerful ways they change each other in times of change. The characters determine their destiny and interact with the limitations around them and their time, social

sarily change, even as time does, Engler added. “People’s lives and sexuality were being re-examined. There was so much shame around sexuality and abuse. That’s always been there and problematic, and you have to deal with it and look at it with distance. If you don’t, it is just nostalgia. People are always going through the same thing, so it’s healing [to see it in a period piece].

MICHAEL ENGLER, ELIZABETH MCGOVERN AND JULIAN FELLOWES

VICTORIA HILL AND HALEY LU RICHARDSON

girl, volunteers to take Louise because she hopes to track down her birth mother. Whereas Norma is prim and proper, Louise is spontaneous, bursting with vim and vigor. They certainly learn and grow from knowing one another, as expected, but unlike similar narratives that are overly saccharine, the women’s bond is never sentimental. In a recent phone interview, Engler said the characters complement each other. “Despite their personal views, each

class, and economic situation. How they encounter different obstacles or opportunities, determines their character.” “The Chaperone,” in some ways, parallels society today. Period pieces resonate most when they are relevant to contemporary themes. “There is a generation of Victorian women who fought for voting, and the next generation, the flappers, thought their mothers were stiff, uptight, corseted, and dismissed them for being behind the times,” Engler said. “But the [flappers] couldn’t be women without their [mothers’] fight. I see this in the millennials and the tensions and allegiances they share with previous generations.” The human condition doesn’t neces-

You feel less alone and trapped in your own reality.” Would the filmmaker have liked to have lived in that era? “Well, that’s interesting,” he replied. “I think being a gay artist in New York, probably the ’20s was the beginning of the time when one could try to have a life, career, and circle of friends. It was probably the beginning in America when currents started to open up and it’s not unrelated to the freedoms of people to live in different ways. But I don’t have nostalgia for it; it would have been tough in many ways.” Engler said his own coming-of-age began when he moved to New York to go to college at New York University. “I began to take ownership of my cre-

ativity and accept that my life might be difficult. I came out at that time to my family, and everyone else in my life, and owned it. It’s one thing to say who you are, and another to free yourself from all the software loaded into you — your internalized feelings, fears and judgments. You have to cleanse or move beyond or grow beyond them. Because we have been raised by fear, questions and judgments,

Photos: Barry Wetcher Courtesy of PBS Distribution

you have to do the work to free yourself to live differently or it will constantly pull you back.” Norma awakes to her point of view in “The Chaperone,” providing the film’s emotional core. She gains new experiences that shape her as she comes to terms with her sexuality and sense of self,” Engler said. “Norma surprises herself, finding a strength and clarity and an ability of happiness she didn’t think she had.” Watching her grow and come into herself, is what is especially gratifying about Engler’s lovely, touching film. ■ “The Chaperone” opens on April 26 at the Landmark Ritz at the Bourse.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

PGN

The Philadelphia Gay News won eight Keystone Press Awards this year, an honor that recognizes professional excellence and journalism that “consistently provides relevance, integrity, and initiative in serving readers, and faithfully fulfills its First Amendment rights/responsibilities.” The Keystone Press Awards are sponsored by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. PGN earned top honors in the categories of investigative reporting, news, ongoing news coverage, news beat reporting, series, news photo, photo story/essay and diversity, for Division V — weekly publications that have a circulation over 10,000.

Second Place Timothy Cwiek Investigative Reporting: Coverage of the Nizah Morris case

Honorable Mention Scott Drake Photo Story/Essay: Pride 2018

Second Place PGN Staff Diversity

Second Place Timothy Cwiek News Beat Reporting: PGN courts’ coverage

Second Place Scott Drake News Photo: Dr. Martin Luther King Installation

Second Place Jen Colletta Series: Family Forward

Honorable Mention Kristen Demillo General News: “Upscale Cancun resort rejects same-sex wedding.”

Honorable Mention Timothy Cwiek Ongoing News Coverage: Coverage of Foster Care Dispute

DINING PGNOUT

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

Nothing twisted about this brunch By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com With its arsenal of bourbon selections, live blues music and Southern-comfort food, The Twisted Tail is the kind of place where one might choose to end the night. But the weekend brunch menu makes a compelling case for starting the day there. The comfortable space is quieter and not as rollicking in the daylight, and you can always return later to get your roadhouse blues on. The menu offers a great selection of comfort food made lighter, like the spicy shrimp BLT ($10), which packs a lot of guilt-free flavor. The bacon tamale ($16) is a pleasant detour across the border, topped with short ribs and hollandaise sauce for an elegant take on the comfort dish. The brunch offerings shine brightest when they throw down with some unapologetically decadent Southern dishes. The chee-

sey grits ($10), generously topped with bacon crumbles, a poached egg and cheddar, are irresistibly creamy and hearty. The crawfish mac and cheese ($10) is among our favorite seafood-infused macand-cheese dishes. The ham and cheese French toast ($10) is a delightful sandwich combining the salty and the sweet. But The Twisted Tail’s crowning glory are the biscuits and gravy ($13) — a familiar dish with enough departures from tradition to make it extraordinary. The biscuits are buttery and studded with cheese and jalapenos. The gravy is a light-brown stock instead of white, giving the dish an added dimension of savory goodness. The generous helpings of sausage in the gravy “ups the ante” while the two sunny side up eggs perched on top make the downhome staple all the more luxurious. The Twisted Tail might have you singing the blues at night, but will definitely have you singing their praises by day. ■

If you go The Twisted Tail 509 S. Second St. 215-558-2471

http://thetwistedtail.com Mon.-Fri.: noon-2 a.m. Sat.: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Sun.: 10 a.m.-2 a.m.

CD reviews: Superstar singers release new albums By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com P!NK Hurts 2B Human RCA It’s kind of strange that P!nk is dropping a new album in the middle of the world tour for her last album (“Beautiful Trauma”). Then again, P!nk has always played by her own pop rulebook, so we guess this is fitting. Still on her sonic trajectory that is equal parts Mae West, Janis Joplin and Stevie Nicks, P!nk kicks off “Hurts 2B Human” with attitude and swagger on the bouncy electronic cabaret-sounding “Hustle” before settling into her breezy modern-pop groove with tracks like the upbeat “(Hey Why) Miss You Sometime” and the arresting “Walk Me Home.” After that, the album settles into a pleasantly consistent holding pattern of reflective and soulful mid-tempo and slow-burning numbers of varying degrees of intensity and emotional resonance. Songs like “Love Me Anyway” and “The Last Song of Your Life” cover the acoustic, folk/country-tinged side of the spectrum, while the title track, “Circle Game” and “90 Days” hold down the R&B/pop-ballad terrain. P!nk’s balls-out rock/punk side is noticeably absent in this effort, but that’s a small complaint when the collection is so strong and assured. With this latest release, it’s easy to see why she has remained on top of the global pop-star game as long as she has.

Chaka Kahn Hello Happiness Island It’s been a while since we’ve gotten a new studio album from the legendary singer. Her last studio effort was 2007’s “Funk This” — but her new release proves the 12-year wait was worth it. With only seven tracks and clocking in at less than 28 minutes, this short and concise effort compared to most albums these days. But readers of a certain age still remember the vinyl-album days when seven songs and 30-ish minutes of music were what you got with a new record. The truth is, seven songs are enough this all-killer, no-filler collection — just enough to fascinate without becoming tiresome. For this outing Kahn takes a slight side trip from the raw funk and R&B of her last album and brings in a healthy dose of electro and disco to serve as the sonic backdrop for her legendary voice. The title track and “Like a Lady” have the kind of mechanized disco muscle that makes us really miss Daft Punk. (And Chaka sings better that any auto-tuned robot anyway, so it’s all good.) Kahn doesn’t abandon her funk roots completely. Tracks like “Don’t Cha Know” and “Like Sugar” bristle with gritty guitar work, limber bass lines and soulful psychedelic organs that would give the Isley Brothers a run for their money in the ass-shaking department. There’s also a splendid detour into reggae territory with the excellent “Isn’t That Enough.”

At this stage of her career, it’s commendable that Kahn isn’t coasting on her past glories and impressive catalog. An album like “Hello Happiness” is just enough of a brilliant tease to keep us wanting more. Dido Still On My Mind BMG British singer Dido takes a deep dive into folk and New Age with her latest album — an ideal vehicle for her ethereal voice. Awash with lush, beautiful, and glorious soundscapes in the form of piano driven tracks like “Walking By” and “Give You Up,” as well as acoustic guitar-laden folksy songs like “Some Kind of Love,” Dido moves away from trip-hop with this new album. New age and ambient textures dominate the overall mood of the album but remain are the undercurrents of EDM and trance influences keeping things eclectic and interesting. “Take You Home” has a sultry and up-tempo vibe that somehow still fits in with the overall feel of the album. “Hell After This” has a quirky beatbox flavor that really stands out. Dido’s new album might be a little more subdued than her previous efforts but it still offers a delightful sonic trip to embark upon. If you need a soundtrack for your next spa day or yoga marathon, this is the playlist for you. ■

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

ENTERTAINMENT PGN LISTINGS

Rising queer singers talk new singles and EPs By Larry Nichols larry@epgn.com This is proving to be the year for up-and-coming queer artists are ready to take things to the next level, challenging the mainstream’s views of image and sexuality along the way. Grayson, a nonbinary singer-songwriter, model and stylist, recently released “Cherry Pits,” a dreamy, sparse and hypnotic electro-pop song from their upcoming EP, “Head to Head.” Grayson said the song is about growth and the need to take ownership of self. “This desire brought up many questions: What are my needs? People often say, ‘You can’t have everything.’ You definitely can’t have it by stepping on someone else in order to get there. It warps the success of whatever that thing may be. Misery loves company, as the cliché goes.” Grayson added they have never been able to handle confrontation well, “but ‘Cherry Pits’ is a firm voice giving me permission to no longer stay in a damaging cycle. Toxic behaviors often repeat, but when you can finally turn the corner of letting go, the energy around you feels super-charged.” Meanwhile, Grayson said their involve-

SARO Photo: Courtesy of No Deal PR

been into a lot of queer artists,” they said, noting Prince and David Bowie. “Those are some of the icons that I’ve been studying.” Saro, a queer androgynous musician of color, model and an avid gamer, is also making a name for himself in music and fashion. His latest single, the haunting and yet danceable “Nothing Remains,” is out ahead of his upcoming EP due in June. “It’s about feeling hopeless about love,

Theater & Arts Arte Povera: Homage to Amalfi ’68 Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition recreating one artist’s reactionary exhibition against minimalism and pop art, through July, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100. Beethoven’s “Eroica” The Philadelphia Orchestra performs one of the legendary composer’s most popular works, through April 27 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 300 S. Broad St.; 215-8931999. BODYTRAFFIC Dance Affiliates presents the Los Angeles-based dance group blending hip-hop, jazz and ballet, April 26-27 at Harold Price Theater, 3680 Walnut St.; 215-898-3900. Brian Regan The comedian performs 8 p.m. April 27 at The Met, 858 N. Broad St.; info@TheMetPhilly. com. Civil War Stories Walnut Street Theatre presents a show featuring a cast of actors/musicians immersing the audience in stories of real people from both sides of the USA’s most divisive conflict, through May 26, 825 Walnut St.; 215574-3550.

GRAYSON Photo: Sam Sparro

ment in both music and fashion tends to blend, even unintentionally. “For me, everything intertwines with music. I seek some separation, but music is my everything.” It’s not surprising that Grayson draws inspiration from artists and icons that blur the line between genres and genders. “For the last couple months, I’ve really

fearing you’ll never have it,” Saro said of his single. “But then someone blindsides you and sneaks in and makes you realize that you are capable of loving someone.” Saro’s sound is categorized as “altR&B” and pop, but if you spin through the radio dials and playlists of most R&B stations and streaming services, a lot of R&B performed by PAGE 37

SONIC WAR ‘HORSES’: Punk-rock icon, singer-songwriter and activist Patti Smith lands in Philly to shake things up with an evening of songs spanning her legendary career, 8 p.m. April 29 at The Met, 858 N. Broad St. For more information or tickets, e-mail info@TheMetPhilly.com.

Mary Cassatt, Vincent van Gogh and others of the genre, through Aug.18, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-7638100. Jon Lovitz The comedian formerly of “Saturday Night Live” performs May 2-4 at Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St.; 215-496-9001. La Bohème Opera Philadelphia performs the classic April 26-May 5 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 300 S. Broad St.; 215893-1999. La Danse Koresh Dance Company performs new work inspired by the famous Matisse paintings through April 28 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St.; 215-751-0959.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Walnut Street Theatre presents an adventure focused on a teenage sleuth, through April 28, 825 Walnut St.; 215574-3550.

Long Light Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition featuring the photography of David Lebe, through May 5, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-7638100.

The Impressionist’s Eye Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition featuring the works of Claude Monet,

Mimi Imfurst Presents Drag Diva Brunch Mimi Imfurst and special guests perform 11 a.m.–2 p.m. April 27

at Punch Line Philly, 33 E. Laurel St.; 215-6066555. New Chinese Galleries Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition exploring 4,000 years of Chinese art, through summer, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-7638100. Sheherazade The Philadelphia Orchestra performs the classic tales of 1001 Arabian Nights, 11:30 a.m. April 27 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 300 S. Broad St.; 215893-1999. Tchaikovsky And Elgar The Philadelphia Orchestra performs with Fritz Kreisler, May 2-4 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 300 S. Broad St.; 215-893-1999. Treasure Island Arden Theatre Company presents the swashbuckling pirate tale, through June 2, 40 N. Second St.; https:// ardentheatre.org. Trevor Noah The comedian and host of “The Daily Show” performs May 3-4 at The Met, 858 N. Broad St.; info@ TheMetPhilly.com.

Whitman, Alabama Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition that brings Walt Whitman’s poem, “Song of Myself” to life through the voices of Alabama residents, through June 9, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100. Yoshitoshi: Spirit and Spectacle Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an exhibition featuring the brilliant colors and spirited lines of the last great master of the traditional Japanese woodblock print, through Aug. 18, 26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-8100.

Music Lisa Loeb The singer-songwriter performs 8 p.m. April 26 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215222-1400. Joan Osborne The classic-rock singer performs the songs of Bob Dylan 8 p.m. April 28 at World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215222-1400. Patti Smith The iconic singer performs 8 p.m. April 29 at The Met, 858

ENTERTAINMENT PGN LISTINGS

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

Queer porn showcase offers more than money shots By Ray Simon PGN Contributor

GOING THEIR OWN WAY: Electronic DJ duo Fleetmac Wood reframes the music of the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Famers through disco, techno and house music, 10 p.m. May 3 at Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St. For more information or tickets, call 215-627-1332.

N. Broad St.; info@ TheMetPhilly.com. Todd Rundgren The classic rock singer performs 8 p.m. May 1-2 at The Fillmore Philadelphia, 29 E. Allen St.; 215-6253681. Anthem: A Sing-ALong Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus performs its favorite gay anthems from the 1970s to today, May 3-4 at Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, 2111 Sansom St.; www. pgmc.org. Fleetmac Wood Presents Gold Dust Disco A rave-style DJ duo that reframes the music of Fleetwood Mac through disco, techno and house music, 10 p.m. May 3 at Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St.; 215-6271332.

Nightlife Jukebox Revue The drag show feature songs from the 1950s-’60s 7 p.m. April 26 at L’Etage, 624 S. Sixth St.; 215-5920656.

Amateur Drag Attack The drag show and competition returns 9 p.m.-1 a.m. April 26 at Tabu, 254 S. 12th St.; 215-9649675. Problematic: A Spice Girls Drag Tribute Show The wannabes suit up and perform 7 p.m. April 27 at L’Etage, 624 S. Sixth St.; 215-592-0656. Black Girl Magic A charity drag show featuring local black drag performers, 7:30 p.m. April 27 at Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 Saint James St.; 215-735-5772. Gender Queery: A Trans and Nonbinary Drag Show Retrograde Productions presents the best in binarybusting performers, 8 p.m. May 3 at Stir Lounge, 1705 Chancellor St.; 215732-2700. Steam’d: BOS Philly A steampunk/mask themed party, 10 p.m. at The Bike Stop, 206 S. Quince St.; 215-627-1662.

Outta Town Lewis Black: The Joke’s on Us The comedian performs April 26-27 at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-3171000. The Manhattans and The Delfonics The classic soul/R&B groups perform 8 p.m. April 26 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside; 215572-7650. The Wizard of Oz The classic film is screened 7:30 p.m. April 26 and 1:30 p.m. April 27 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610-9171228. Close Your Legs, Honey Bootless Stageworks presents the hilarious

and troubling musical about a little girl competing in the Lil’ Miss Cutie Pie Pageant who would rather be at home playing an astronaut crime-fighter, April 2628, 1301 N. Broom St., Wilmington, Del.; 717682-3192. Beth Hart The singer-songwriter performs 8 p.m. May 3 at Scottish Rite Auditorium, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, N.J.; 856-858-1000. Bowielive A David Bowie tribute show, 8 p.m. May 3 at The Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 202-730-3331. Serial Mom The John Waters film is screened at 9:45 p.m. May 3 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610-9171228. ■

Notices Send notices at least one week in advance to: Out & About Listings, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 fax: 215-925-6437; or e-mail: listings@epgn.com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone.

The Hot Bits Queer XXX Film Festival is a cinematic celebration of passion, pleasure and politics from a queer perspective. Hot Bits is featuring 25 films from around the globe April 26-27 at Lightbox Film Center. Different movies will be screened each night, and performers, including Icon Ebony Fierce and Mistress Lilith, will entertain the audience. Spectators can also browse wares from vendors like Darb Garb, which makes whimsical non-phallic packers, and get information from local organizations, including SEXx Interactive, which has a sex-positive event of its own planned for May 17. There’s even an afterparty, Hot Cakes, where another 20 films will be screened. Despite all the activities, movies are paramount at Hot Bits. “We’re really focusing on, or the majority of the time is spent, watching films from around the world that range from softcore to hardcore,” said Evie Snax, a local queer artist and performer. Snax and fellow organizers Heart Byrne, Wit López and Arazel Newman have curated a film festival that offers an alternative to mainstream porn. For starters, they’ve gathered films from as far away as New Zealand and South Africa. That’s significant, because it gives viewers a glimpse of queer life outside North America. The organizers also selected work that resists the typical tropes of mainstream porn, which include the ubiquitous “money shot,” gym-sculpted bodies and a single-minded emphasis on the pleasure of cis-het white males. “What we want to do is sort of alleviate the burden that some of those tropes and images have on our community and instead provide an alternative that is full of abundance and positivity and different queer sexuality, ways of relating to one another, ways of experiencing pleasure,” Snax said. Consequently, Hot Bits shows films that foreground consent and curves and feature performers who are queer, transgender and people of color. Many of the movies are do-it-yourself projects that run the gamut from erotic to explicit. This year’s films include “Cherry Cola,” a humorous paean to the pleasures of soda pop, and “Hot Tea,” a sexy animated take on the ritual of making and drinking tea. There’s also an excerpt from “Kitchen

Talk,” which Snax edited. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at the set of a queer porn film where the performers, all people of color, laugh, cry and discuss their feelings. “I think it’s really also important that we document the emotional side of this, for us,” says Caritia, one of the performers, “because more often than not, we don’t.” Hot Bits also gives local filmmakers an opportunity to share their work, such as with “Frutas,” a collaborative effort from Topsy Pendejo, Consuelo Fuego, Sin Vxrgüxnza and Cariño and “Allegheny Cemetery,” featuring Annie Mok and Lynx. “It’s their first time making films, I think, for both of them, and I’m really excited to screen their films because those films were made exclusively for Hot Bits,” Snax said. It’s fitting that Hot Bits encourages rookie filmmakers. Snax and Byrne were in that position themselves only a few years ago. In 2016, they had a movie accepted at the Berlin Porn Film Festival, which they attended. They returned to Philadelphia determined to do something similar here. The first Hot Bits, which took place in 2017, was an intimate, invite-only event for a few-dozen friends. And it was a huge hit. “People literally told us that the event changed their life,” said Snax. “So we thought, OK, let’s make this a public thing.” Part of making Hot Bits public is including the audience, which is where Hot Cakes comes in. “The afterparty gives you an opportunity to flirt with people, mingle with people, dance, sweat, feel your body, get out some of that tension; maybe let some of that sexy energy surround you,” said Snax. DJ Delish and DJ Manifest Love will be spinning at the afterparty, which also includes a pole dancer and a “sexy” pancake-eating contest. Best of all, Hot Cakes benefits Project SAFE, which advocates on behalf of women sex-workers: cis, trans and gender non-conforming. It’s an ambitious program for such a young film festival, but Snax hopes it makes a positive impression. “I would love for people to come away with an expansive, new idea about the possibilities and values of queer porn. And to feel connected to a potentially global community of queer, horny, freaky weirdos.” ■ For more information, visit www.hotbitsfilmfest.com.

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

PGN

Out Philadelphia director focuses on Black Britain and its people in ‘Untitled’ By A.D. Amorosi PGN Contributor Philadelphia’s Inis Nua Theatre, along with its performance stage at The Drake, is renowned for its singular outlook and inventive takes on contemporary theater from Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Playwright Inua Ellams’s tale of two twin brothers — born on Nigerian Independence Day and separated at birth — focuses on Black Britain and its people. Setting the shape of the production is the

DIRECTOR JERRELL HENDERSON

naming ceremony, that happens under the first full moon of the twins’ lives in Nigeria. One brother (X) cries out and refuses to be named, while the other (Y), laughs, creating a metaphor for the play to rely on as the boys’ stories are told. At 7 months, the children are separated when Y is taken to England by their mother. X remains in Nigeria until later, when they reunite. Y’s life is one of order, and full-circle, as an adult, he takes a branding job in advertising where he names products in London. X’s life is very different from his brother’s, chaotic and spontaneous. “It’s a world where myth intertwines with reality, where the past catches up to us, and where a name spells destiny,” writes Tom Reing, Inis Nua’s Founder and Artistic Director. Seemingly a perfect for fit for Inis Nua, “Untitled” is vastly different from other productions. Chicago-to Philadelphia transplant, direction Jerrell Henderson, notes how other Inis Nua productions are about the “white experience of the U.K.” Henderson said, “As they were telling a different sort of story, they wanted to branch out and work with a different kind of director. Henderson said, “Inis Nua’s top brass wanted someone who fit that world better.” An out African-American man, Henderson said he is excited that the company is presenting a different sort of representation. “I am a director of color tackling a story of people of color,” said Henderson, adding that

through conversations with Inis Nua and Tom Reing, he realized the company wanted to expand itself and the conversations being had through the theatre. “What it means to be British can be many things and includes many different facets,” said Henderson, and this move by Inis Nua “allows them to tap in to a newer, different market as Philadelphia has a large Nigerian population. It’s good to mix things up and bring other flavors to the table.” With greater inclusion, dialogue elevates. Diversity is necessary to paint an accurate portrait of a place and time. Keith Illidge, the actor who plays both brothers in “Untitled” said he is thrilled to do Ellam’s oneman, two-character show. Illidge said the concept of family is what appeals to him. T h e actor was even more pleased – as a fellow Chicago to Philly transplant who had worked with Henderson at Allen’s Lane – to be teamed with a director with whom he could share a stagey shorthand. “Who did I know would give 100%? Who did I know had quiet strength of vision? Jerrell. Plus, his ease and demeanor is so smooth. He was an actor, so he knows how to talk to us in the process.” While both men discuss how Chicago and Philadelphia have similar theater scenes — intimate and family like — Henderson believes that both also hold food and restaurant life up as a totem. “I refuse to tell you which place has better food,” Illidge said with a laugh. As for “Untitled,” Henderson wanted to tell a story of two brothers at a distance, and he needed to make it urgent for himself and his audience. “The ‘why now’ of the story,” he said of its urgency. “It’s the two sides of a coin. Whatever one brother has, the other one lacks, and in order for them to be whole, they somehow have to come together. You have the old world of X who is still in Nigeria and those traditions, and you have the new world of Y in Britain and in the world of branding. Past and present. They have to fulfill each other’s destinies by coming together. With all that, I want to keep everyone on the edge of their seat. You have to own your whole self, and I want the audience to feel that.” ■ “Untitled” runs through May 12 at Louis Bluver Theater at the Drake. For information and tickets, visit inisnuatheatre.org.

Elisabeth Moss captures the madness of Becky Something in new film By Gary M. Kramer PGN Contributor “Her Smell” is an excruciating and compelling look at the downward spiral of troubled rock star, Becky Something (Elisabeth Moss). As the lead singer in the (fictional) all-female alt-rock band, Something She, Becky may have hit records to her name, but she alienates everyone around her with her outrageous and bad behavior. Becky is intense and deliberately unlikable. She taunts her long suffering bandmates — drummer Ali van der Wolff (Gayle Rankin), and lesbian guitarist, Marielle Hell (Agyness Deyn) — as well as her producer/manager Howard Goodman (Eric Stoltz), ex-husband Danny (Dan Stevens) and mom Ania (Virginia Madsen). The film, which clocks in at 135 minutes, becomes an endurance test for everyone. But as Becky says, “It’s the Highway or Her Way.” Writer/director (and Bryn Mawr native) Alex Ross Perry immerses viewers in Becky’s world. It is a five-act story, and each episode plays like one of the stages of grief — denial, anger, depression, and bargaining before Becky reaches acceptance. Viewers not completely put off by “Her Smell,” may experience a kind of Stockholm syndrome as the film unfolds. The film’s riveting first sequence

and late for a concert. (Songs by Alicia Bognanno and Philly-based Anika Pyle). Throughout “Her Smell,” whether backstage or in the studio, Becky never stops performing as Moss throws herself into the character with reckless abandon. Becky gives mini-speeches as if she were a Shakespearean queen. When she arrives on stage with blood on her face, she is too preoccupied to notice or care. It’s a go-for-broke performance and Moss delivers. In Act IV, Becky is broke and broken. Having given into her demons, she tries to re-establish a sense of peace and bond with her young daughter. A tender scene of her performing Bryan Adams’ “Heaven,” is poignant and moving — even more so because Perry’s restless camera stays still in this moment. But “Her Smell” doesn’t stay steady for long. Perry has Becky in comeback mode in Act V, making this character study about redemption and reinvention end on an intriguing note. The film may be stagy and low-budget, but Perry creates a palpable, claustrophobic atmosphere of the dressing rooms and studio space that infects the characters and causes them to combust. “Her Smell” shows how the jaded and bitter Becky handles her demons and insecurities. In Act II, having pissed off her bandmates, Marielle and Ali, she connects with a young trio of musicians, Crassie Cassie

ELISABETH MOSS AS BECKY SOMETHING

unfolds backstage after a tour-ending performance. Becky tries to bond with her infant child, conduct a spiritual cleansing with her shaman, Ya-ema (Eka Darville), and reject an offer to open for singer Zelda E. Zekiel (queer actress Amber Heard). Perry’s handheld camera relentlessly captures this chaos and Becky’s mercurial, erratic responses to it. Audiences, like Becky’s peers and members of her entourage, will be rubbernecking as her mania snowballs. Watching Becky self-destruct and inflict pain on others is not easy or fun, especially in Act III, when she arrives — with a film crew, no less — strung out,

(genderfluid performer Cara Delevingne), Roxie Rotten (Ashley Benson) and Dottie O.Z. (Dylan Gelula), known as The Akergirls. Of course, Becky sees something of herself in their wonder and naivete and hopes to recapture that sensation. Perry’s film emphasizes the madness not the music, which can be frustrating, but “Her Smell” seems designed — even from its title — to exasperate. ■ Alex Ross Perry will participate in a talkback with Anika Pyle after the 6:30 p.m. show April 27 at the PFS Roxy Theater.

Family Portrait

PGN PROFILE

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

Suzi Nash

Gordon Pulaski: An artful activist Pride [noun]: confidence and self-respect as expressed by members of a group, typically one that has been socially marginalized, on the basis of their shared identity, culture and experience. We have a lot of Pride in the greater Philadelphia area. There’s Philly Pride of course, South Jersey Pride (nearby Asbury Park) and I recently read that Doylestown will be hosting its first Pride Festival this year. But kicking off the season in high style is New Hope Celebrates (NHC) Pride. The festival gets in gear on May 4 with a battle of the bartenders for the Best Cocktail Contest. The “Equality — Pride in our history” exhibition opens the same day at the Parry Mansion Museum. On May 11, the Pride flag will be unfurled, and dances, trivia nights and many other events lead up to the Grand Parade down Main Street on May 18. Boasting marching bands and floats and almost 5,000 participants, the event has become increasingly bigger each year, somehow managing to hold its small town charm. One of the folks responsible for the event is Gordon Pulaski, the art and creative director of New Hope Celebrates.

just had to have it, and that was the end of my vegetarian phase. My mom and I are close, and I’m still in touch with my dad, but we’ve had our differences. My stepdad, Colin, who I called dad, just passed away recently. PGN: Tell me about mom. GP: She and my dad were into the party scene back in the late ’70s, back when places like the Prelude, January nightclub and the Yellow Brick Toad were hot. January’s was this big barn, probably illegal, but everyone went. It was during the disco craze.

PGN: Are you a native New Hopian? GP: More or less. I was actually born in California when my parents went to visit some relatives there. But we lived at the Jersey Shore, where my father had several restaurants until my parents split up when I was about 6. My mother moved to Titusville, across from New Hope and remarried. They moved to Washington Crossing in the New Hope area, which is where I grew up. PGN: What’s the best part of living in the area? GP: I think the best part is the landscape itself; it’s beautiful, it’s green, we have seasons — no, actually I think it’s the community you find here. I’ve traveled a bit, lived in Key West and in Montana for several years — all in small communities that reminded me of New Hope. Eventually I moved back here. PGN: I visited Key West once, and I don’t know how people live there. It was so hot. GP: Yeah. The last year I was there, the humidity was brutal. You could definitely feel the effects of climate change starting to happen. I was there 24 years ago. I just moved there on a whim. PGN: Family? GP: I have a sister who is three years younger. She has an awesome food-vending place in New Hope at the Ferry Market called “The Pork Shop,” which is funny because my mom is a vegetarian. I dabbled with vegetarianism when we were young until we were in Europe. I saw a steak and

PGN: I think the first gay bar I went to was the Prelude with my mother. I was underage at the time, but they didn’t care. GP: Yeah. Back in those days, if you got pulled over for being drunk, the cops would just give you a ride home. It’s definitely not like that anymore. I have a gay uncle and he and his partner were together for about 24 years. They have both passed now, but they used to come down and stay at the Raven and would invite me to go out with them. I remember we were going out one time and they said, “We’re going to have lunch with Mother,” and I had no idea who that was. Turns out it was Mother Cavellucci, who was a famous drag queen here in New Hope. That was my first real exposure to the LGBT community. PGN: What were you like as a kid? GP: [Laughing] I’ve been on the creative side since I was a kid. I had this big toy chest, and I used to decorate it with shells my grandmother gave me from Florida

and charge admission for the other kids to come see it. I also had a relative, who worked for a paper company, and he’d bring me reams of different styles of paper, and I’d make cool things with it. I even made a bulldozer from paper. I went to high school at Council Rock where we had an amazing arts curriculum. Then I went to Parsons School of Design in New York City to study communication arts. I wanted to be a painter, but decided that graphics was a little more stable and lucrative. I was also very shy. I would observe everything, which served me well in art and marketing later. PGN: When did you first know that you were gay? GP: Early. There was a restaurant called The Blue Ram, and one of my high school classmates, Bob Scarpa, worked with me. We ended up dating for five years, and we’re still very close. We got outed because we’d taken some pictures at a photo booth, nothing sexual, but you could tell by the way we were looking at each other that something was up. I had them in my wallet on a table at his house, and his mother said that the wallet just opened up when it fell off the table. [Laughing] Yeah right. It was Velcro and fastened together. She went through my wallet! That was tense, but other than that, it was never a problem at my house — everyone was very accepting. One thing that I didn’t realize until I was older was that when my gay uncles would tell stories to the older members of the family, they would switch the genders. When they went to one of Mother Cavellucci’s drag weddings, they would make it sound like a straight couple got married, but everyone knew. It did take my real dad a while to come around. One time I brought Bob to one of my dad’s restaurants and had him jump in to help out. My father went to the hostess and told her that he wanted Bob to leave. I was like, wow, that’s really messed up. He didn’t even come to me, but that’s the most traumatic thing that ever happened. I’ve been lucky. When we were working at the Blue Ram, and my co-workers found out we

were dating, they had a big celebration. They broke out champagne after we closed and made a big deal of it. PGN: So sweet. Speaking of celebrations, how long have you been a part of New Hope Celebrates? GP: I started in 2009, so 10 years. I wasn’t really aware of it because I’d been living in NY working on my graphics career. I worked for Forbes Magazine and a ton of other companies. Dan Brooks, who founded NHC, called me and asked if I would help him because his designer and web guy left town abruptly. So I stepped in, and I exceeded my own goals for the project. The rest is history. Or, more accurately, preserving history. PGN: Yes, tell me about the history project. GP: New Hope Celebrates History is a project that Daniel Brooks and Sara Scully started. It’s a great collection of pictures and videos and other memorabilia. We also created videos doing interviews with people from New Hope telling their stories. We want people to be able to look back and see all the incredible things that have happened here in the community over the years. It’s mostly an online archive, but we also have physical items. We had dresses and T-shirts, trophies, and menus and all sorts of memorabilia. It’s great to have the online archives, but it’s a different experience to be able to see things in person. Unfortunately, we need to find a way to properly store the things that people give us so they don’t get destroyed over time. But for the festival, we’ll have things exhibited at the Parry Museum, and Dan is going to do a lecture there on the history of New Hope on the 29th. PGN: He knows a lot, so that should be good. Let’s do some random questions. Best celebrity encounter? GP: When I was in Montana, I’d see Peter Fonda fairly often and played pool with him a few times, but the best was probably when I was in Parson’s School of Design. It wasn’t your typical campus and apparently our dorm had a famous illustrator and some other well-known artistic people on the top floors, so we’d have celebrities visiting all the time. I was on the elevator one time and there was a guy who looked familiar, but it wasn’t until he got off that I realized that it was Mick Jagger. I’d see Grace Jones and Andy Warhol in the hallway. Bob was also a graphic designer, still is and we went to Parson’s together. We were club kids in NY and they’d have us pass out flyers for events. Andy Warhol would do this public access cable show from a couch, and one time he interviewed the two of us. I wish I had a copy of those tapes. PAGE 37

PGN

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

The

Out baritone reprises role in ‘La Bohème’

Guide to the Gayborhood

By A.D. Amorosi PGN Contributor

The Philadelphia Gayborhood is roughly centered at Locust and Camac streets. Look for the rainbow street signs at intersections and remember to be aware of your surroundings wherever you go. Boxers

1330 Walnut St. facebook.com/ boxersphl Sports bar with a TVs, pool table, brick pizza oven, sports specials

1316 Walnut St. 215.546.8888 Festively lit women-owned bar complete with a “beer” pong table

1221 St. James St. 215.735.5772 voyeurnightclub.com After-hours private club; membership required

202 S. 13th St. 215.545.1893 woodysbar.com Includes attached Walnut Street bars Rosewood and GloBar

❍

❍ <—

206 S Quince St. 215.627.1662 Levi Leather men’s bar; pool tables, second floor sports; basement has enforced dress code

Chancellor St.

❍

St. James St.

❍ Locust St.

Manning St.

❍

Quince St.

❍

11th St.

❒

Latimer St.

12th St.

<—

Camac St.

13th St.

❍

❒

The Bike Stop

Walnut St.

❍

Juniper St.

Voyeur

Toasted Walnut Woody’s

❍ Spruce St.

❍

Pa. bars close at 2 a.m. unless they have a private-club license. Please drink responsibly.

Cypress St.

Writer’s Block Rehab William Way 1342 Cypress St. 267.603.6960 A cozy, comfortable bar and lounge perfect for escaping the norm

Frankie Bradley’s

LGBT Community Center 1315 Spruce St. 215.732.2220 waygay.org A resource for all things LGBT

1320 Chancellor St. 215-735-0735 Resaturant, dance club, live performers and entertainment

<—

1220 Locust St. 215.546.6660 Relaxing corner bar, easy-going crowd, popular for happy hour and window watching

Tavern on Camac

<—

West of Broad Street The Attic Youth 1705 Chancellor St. Center Stir Lounge

215.732.2700 stirphilly.com Fun two-bar lounge, DJ in the back, regular poker games and specials

U Bar

255 S. 16th St. 215.545.4331 atticyouthcenter.org Safe space and programs for LGBTs age 16-23 weekday afternoons and evenings

255 S. Camac St. 215.545.8731 Piano lounge with upstairs dance floor; Tavern restaurant below is open late.

Knock

225 S. 12th St. 215.925.1166 knockphilly.com Fine-dining restaurant and bar, outdoor seating, piano in back room

Tabu

254 S. 12th St. 215.964.9675 tabuphilly.com Three floors with a dance floor,, drag shows, lounge and rootop deck.

Bar X 255 S. Camac St. Bar and dancefloor

lar delight.” As for Cook keeping his Marcello fresh on stage, he says, “You feed off your colleagues in an ensemble, and whenever there is a new group of colleagues, it’s different,” adding, “You find something new every time.” Puccini’s torrid tale is an ensemble piece, “the sum of its parts,” in the baritone’s opinion. Puccini authors his operas much like a film score. Cook says this means that the “emotional journey is transcribed for you, and you have to fit your acting and your characters into that. “ He elaborates that when performed well, when executed precisely, Puccini’s score punctuates the actor’s work, makes the actor noticeable and large. “it’s a size and scope that only opera can do and transcend.” Cook says that producing an opera is very different than producing a musical. “Opera companies are public service organizations,” he says, because they tackle difficult subjects and hold up a mirror to them. On a technical level, says Cook “actors in a conventional play are creating meter, pacing, acting beats and such.

Troy Cook, an out, Philly-area baritone with a warm piercing voice and a playful personal manner will appear (again) in La Bohème. Cook will play “Marcello” for this third time, only this time, soprano Ashley Marie Robillard will be his “Musetta.” “I have loved each opportunity to play him, equally,” said Cook. “Every time, it just gets better.” Cook moved through the “opera mecca of New York” after graduate school until deciding he was finished with the city that never sleeps. “I’m OK with New York, but I’m done,” said Cook. He settled in Bucks County, because it reminded him of his hometown, Louisville, KY, and it was close to both New York City and Philadelphia, “the principle towns” he works in. As he put it, “that makes life easy.” As for how his identity has fit into opera and his life over the course of his career, Cook says, “Opera, as an industry, has always been open and friendly toward the gay community, and an opera as an art-form has always been part of the gay community. I know colleagues whose families were not very supportive when they came out, and they have been able to find their chosen family within the opera community. In my career I’ve not once felt like I couldn’t be myself.” La bohème, Cook says, “is about a group of artists simply trying to figure out who they are. That speaks to the universality of this opera; gay or straight we are all just trying to navigate our way through this crazy thing we call life and hopefully by the end dis- BARITONE TROY COOK IN A 2012 PERFORMANCE OF LA BOHÉME Photo: Kelly and Massa cover who we really are.” While Opera Philadelphia has produced “La bohème” before, In opera, we’re working in a forum this time, the staging and costumes where everything is predetermined — are what Cook calls, “art works that the inverse. However, we’re making it live and breathe in Philadelphia — the feel as if it was created on the spot.” Barnes Foundation/Museum, and the Cook says ultimately that La bohème Philadelphia Museum of Art.” Cook says is about the ability to embrace love and that this is Philadelphia’s La bohème, one that engages art work that exists only find community, to consciously couple and uncouple. “We all have those here, and that can be seen out your back door. “This isn’t the Zefferelli La bohème friends who break up just to make up — that’s what Musetta and Marcello are: of New York City,” says Cook. “This is that couple,” he says. “You fight, and uniquely Philadelphia.” you know everything will come together While Robillard states that her in the end, even if – in La bohème – Mussett’s lush green costuming is pulled they get very near the precipice of the fresh from the frames of more than a few end.” Cook says, their relationship of Philadelphia’s Renoirs, Cook states that Marcello and his costuming is Monet “might be more fragile than they first imagined.” ■ influenced and magnificent. “Marcello” has never been a better painter in comPhiladelphia Opera’s La Bohème runs April 26–May 5 parison,” he said with a laugh. “To be at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad “Marcello” in this production is a particu- St. For more information and tickets, visit operahila.org,

PGN PORTRAIT from page 35

PGN: What fun! I met Grace Jones at a fundraiser, and she was so sweet, not the fierce diva I’d expected. GP: Yeah, she was lovely. I was just a kid and I said to her, “Oh my God, you’re amazing!” I saw her a lot. She was so beautiful, super super tall and really nice. I saw her perform live, and it was unbelievable; the stage opened up, and she came out and was striking. I still get chills thinking about it. PGN: Are you a single fella? GP: I’m actually widowed. Wow, that sounds weird. I was with Joey Ray for about eight years, and we were married for two. He proposed to me on my 50th birthday at John and Peters. [Laughing] I told him, “You ruined my birthday! You couldn’t have picked another day so we’d have two celebrations! Now it’s always going to be one party for both!” We moved to Florida in 2017, and he passed away pretty suddenly of liver disease caused by alcohol abuse. It was rough. The hospital that I took him to screwed up and my belief is that it was because of our sexual orientation as well as financial discrimination. We were at Holy Cross Hospital, and they were very curt and dismissive. The doctor said, “Oh, it’s probably just a bladder problem.” Come on, the dude was yellow! We had to go somewhere else, but by that time it was too late. I was going to pursue it legally – even his ex-wife wanted an autopsy done – but I just decided to let it go. Autopsies cost money, but mostly I just wanted to put it behind me and move forward. It caught me so off guard. I always thought I’d be the one to go QUEER MUSICIANS from page 32

straight artists on the airwaves is as electronic, ambient and clubby as anything you will find among Saro’s releases. Still, Saro doesn’t mind the “alt” tag as long as it helps him find his fan base. “I honestly think it’s more about the demographic,” he said about his alternative status. “The sounds change so often and every song could be R&B or electronic or something different.” Saro said he doesn’t agree with pigeonholing artists into one genre in the contemporary music scene. He says, “I think keeping it as general as possible is best when it comes to genres.” But he said he does enjoy the ease of finding like-minded musicians within an ever-advancing listening landscape. “Everything is evolving. The up-the-middle R&B and modern music are in the direction of other elements.” Saro has used his alternative status to score appearances in premier festivals like Coachella. “I fit more in with festival music,” he said. “The biggest festivals are more eclectic. Coachella now is so mainstream, but they also have the indie acts.” While Saro misses the underground roots Coachella was once known for, he does like

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

first. [Laughing] Even Father Michael who married us said, “I didn’t expect the ’til death do we part’ to come so soon.” That was just last year, and then I jumped right into doing Pride, but that was probably the best thing for me. It gave me something else to think about. PGN: What’s your favorite photo of Joey? GP: He hated getting his picture taken but before he died, I had to go to Florida for some business. He came with me and before we left. I insisted we go to the beach. I took a picture of both of us, which I really love. It was actually our last weekend together. PGN: Any pets? GP: I have a cat that we adopted in Florida. Well, she adopted us. Her name is just Kitty, because Joey said that if we named her we’d have to keep her. We ended up keeping her anyway. PGN: What are you excited about for the 2019 New Hope Celebrates? GP: Nice weather would be great. But the best part is seeing it all come together. You go through so much pulling everything together. All the ups and downs can make you pull your hair out, but the day of the event, it’s incredible to be standing there with the parade going by. To see so many different people coming together as a community is a beautiful thing. You just start bawling, and it gives you chills to see what you’ve accomplished. To know that you helped in creating this great experience that so many people are enjoying. [Laughing] It makes all the headache and craziness worth it. ■ that it opens up the world of indie music for others. “Ariana Grande might not ever have heard someone like [me]. Any opportunity for them to kind of hear indie acts is important.” And, he adds, of course, “The cool factor of the festivals makes them worth doing.” Both Grayson and Saro said the artists that influenced them, as well as out successful pop and R&B artists like Sam Smith and Frank Ocean, have made it easier for queer musicians to find success and acceptance in their respective genres. “Grace Jones and Annie Lennox and so many other powerful, colorful women really paved the way for presenting androgyny and images of strength,” Grayson said. “There’s a lot of separation now, but the more visibility there is for nonbinary folks, the better it will be for them.” Added Saro, “People are starting to look past certain things,” and relating to those who are coming out. He admitted he was nervous being open about his sexuality fearing, “it would put me in some sort of bubble or stuck is some niche. But being honest and truthful about who you are is the way to be the truest to whom you are and make the best art and connect with the most people.” ■

Q Puzzle Isn’t It Ironic Across

1 Foam at South Beach 5 Stuck deeply 10 Light, woody material 15 Series ender 16 Humble home 17 Online sexual favors? 18 Irene of “Fame” 19 Israeli Heights 20 Genesis patriarch 21 Start of an updated quote from “Ironic”: “It’s meeting ___...” 24 Brian Epstein’s guy 25 Binges, briefly 26 Lurches side to side 29 Male member, in slang 34 Don’t call me this 35 “___ Horny” (2 Live Crew hit) 36 One of the T’s of Socrates 37 End of the quote: “...and then meeting his ___” 42 Guns N’ Roses frontman 43 Consider, with “over” 44 He’s hard...to find 45 Heteros may change it at the

altar 48 Manatees, for example 50 Helen Reddy’s “___ Woman” 51 Poet Sylvia 52 “Ironic” singer who updated her lyrics 60 Pesto herb 61 Sappho title start, perhaps 62 Coin of Versace’s homeland 63 Makeup maker Lauder 64 Nick Adams as Johnny Yuma 65 Barbra’s “Funny Girl” guy 66 Base before home 67 Stadium sections 68 Stat for Richard Simmons

Down

1 Result of a religious body’s split 2 Colorado neighbor 3 Pink on the inside 4 Mardi Gras torch 5 Cro-___ 6 Source for some gay erotica 7 Husband of Pocahontas 8 Source of red balls 9 Declare untrue 10 Fag hags, at times 11 If all goes right 12 Angelina’s

tomb-raiding role 13 “The King and I” setting 14 Cathedral of Hope collection 22 Ready for anything 23 “___ mind?” 26 Cassius et al., to Caesar 27 Amazon assistant 28 Iranian coins 29 Harden 30 ___Kosh B’Gosh 31 Prefix for da Vinci’s land 32 Music of Ty Herndon, for short 33 Praise for Lammies, e.g. 35 Farm animal that’s no breeder 38 Mosque leaders 39 “Fe fi fo ___!” 40 Smacks balls on the diamond

41 James Buchanan, notably 46 More microscopic 47 Shagged 48 Pitch that isn’t straight 49 Stands next to O’Keeffe 51 Anal insert from a UFO? 52 Aid’s partner 53 S&M unit 54 Italian wine region 55 “Boys in the Band” author Crowley 56 Part of an R.E.M. title 57 Paula Martinac’s “Out of ___” 58 Hazard for Sheehan 59 Features of Disney’s Dumbo Trapps

Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com April 26- May 2, 2019

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May 17 & 18

Friday, May 3 • 8pm

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Parx Casino® will be hosting the best chefs, restaurants, wineries and breweries from Bucks County and beyond to participate in a celebration of delicious food, fine wine, and local brews. Visit bucksfood.com for more details.

Friday, May 31 • 8pm

Terry Fator

Saturday, June 1 • 8pm

The Philly POPS® Big Band Friday, June 21 • 8pm

Hotel California

Thursday, June 27 • 6:30pm

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Melissa Ethridge and Liz Phair

Lobster Night Thursdays

Friday, July 5 • 8pm

Jay White

Saturday, July 13 • 8pm

Righteous Brothers

To purchase tickets, visit parxcasino.com/xcitecenter

Enjoy new lobster specials at Liberty Bell Gastropub, Bambu Noodle House, Beer Garden and Parxgrill every Thursday night! Follow us on social media to find out each week’s specials. parxcasino.com

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