THE BASICS
words by Josh Middleton photo by Neal Santos
the lgbt queue
OUT ON THE TOWN YOU’RE HERE. YOU’RE QUEER. LET’S DO THIS. Don’t fret, young gay transient! Philadelphia isn’t entirely made up of macho sports fans and figurebusting cheesesteaks. Here thrives an LGBTQ community that’s just as embraced by city dwellers as the lost-its-ding-dong Liberty Bell. I mean, come on, we have a whole neighborhood named after us. Nightlife The Gayborhood is your safest bet for a wellrounded gay night on the town. If you like your drinks strong and your men well-aged, start at Uncles (1220 Locust St., 215-546-6660, unclesupstairsinn.com) for cocktails that are stiff and cheap. For the next stop, it’s all about what (or who) you’re looking for. Get your dance on with guy-next-door types at hood mainstay Woody’s (202 S. 13th St., 215-545-1893, woodysbar.com), sing a ditty with artsier queens in the piano lounge at Tavern on Camac (243 S. Camac St., 215-545-0900, tavernoncamac.com), or brush hairy elbows with leather-bound daddy bears in the dungeonesque Bike Stop (206 S. Quince St., 215-627-1662, thebikestop.com). If you think dudes are icky, Sisters (1320 Chancellor St., 215-735-0735, sistersnightclub.com) overflows with enough lesbians to make your head spin. Festivals Sure, we have a summertime Pride Parade and Festival (phillypride.org) with marches and parties out the ying-yang, but our LGBTQ-
honoring festivities don’t stop there. Every spring, the weeklong Equality Forum (equalityforum. com) hosts a responsible itinerary of discussions, film screenings and get-togethers geared toward propelling the national gay rights movement. When fall rolls around, OutFest (phillypride. org) celebrates National Coming Out Day with a massive street party in the Gayborhood. And Queers of the Avenue is a popular monthly happy hour along one of Philly’s newest gay corridors, East Passyunk Avenue, which in the warmer months spills out into the streets — block-party style. Shopping A multitude of gay-owned businesses keep Philly’s commerce community booming. Lesbian couple Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran run six businesses in Midtown Village, including upscale noshery Grocery (101 S. 13th St., 215-922-5252, grocery13.com); modern home goods shop Open House (107 S. 13th St., 215-922-1415, openhouseliving.com); and Verde (108 S. 13th St., 215-546-8700, verdephiladelphia. com), an earthy purveyor of accessories and artisanal chocolates. Keep your closet fresh with up-to-date threads from Matthew Izzo’s unisex fashion boutique (111 S. 12th St., 215-829-0606, matthewizzo.com) and Metro Men’s Clothing (1615 E. Passyunk Ave., 267-324-5172, metromensclothing.com). And your queer lit collection will look a lot sexier
with a few purchases from Ed Hermance’s Giovanni’s Room (345 S. 12th St., 215-9232960, giovannisroom.com). His cozy, two-level book nook is the oldest LGBTQ bookstore in the country. Community Outreach Whether you’re volunteering or utilizing their services, getting involved with any of Philly’s gay-oriented nonprofits is your key to becoming a vital member of the local queer scene. The William Way Community Center (1315 Spruce St., 215-732-2220, waygay.org) provides educational resources meant to bridge societal gaps between the different groups that comprise the LGBTQ spectrum. Spring chickens between the ages of 18 and 23 can take advantage of a variety of gay-youth-empowering activities offered at the Attic Youth Center (255 S. 16th St., 215-545-4331, atticyouthcenter.org). And the Mazzoni Center (21 S. 12th St., 215-5630652, mazzonicenter.org) is an abundant medical resource agency — providing everything from free HIV testing to health care for those without coverage. Tip: Remember these places when you’re feeling charitable. Look for Josh Middleton’s column, “Queer Bait,” every other week in the Agenda section of City Paper.
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