Philadelphia Gay News Honesty Integrity Professionalism
Mar. 13 - 19, 2009
Vol. 33 No. 11
House committee passes nondiscrimination bill By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer
WEEK OF OPPORTUNITIES: Dr. Donald Schwarz, the openly gay deputy mayor for health and opportunity, addresses a crowd of local LGBT and ally individuals outside the Mazzoni Center March 10 to announce that Philadelphia would take part in the National LGBT Health Awareness Week, March 8-14. Pictured with Schwarz are the mayor’s director of LGBT affairs Gloria Casarez (far left) and Nan Feyler, chief of staff of the office of the health commissioner. The theme of the seventh annual awareness week is “Expect More: Everyone Deserves Good Health.” Representatives from numerous LGBT organizations, such as ActionAIDS, Black Gay Men’s Leadership Council, Philadelphia FIGHT and The Attic Youth Center, were on hand for the proclamation. “It is the people, the dedicated leaders and staffs of all of the LGBT organizations in this city, who really make a difference in the health and wellness of individuals in our community,” said Mazzoni executive director Nurit Shein during the event. Photo: Scott A. Drake
A committee of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted to approve a bill this week that would prohibit discrimination against LGBT individuals, marking the first time such a bill has been passed out of committee. The House State Government Committee voted March 11 along party lines, with the 12 Democratic representatives who were present — Babette Josephs (182nd Dist.), Michael O’Brien (175th Dist.), Louise Bishop (192nd Dist.), Brendan Boyle (170th Dist.), Mike Carroll (118th Dist.), Mark Cohen (202nd Dist.), Lawrence Curry (154th Dist.), Florindo Fabrizio (2nd Dist.), prime cosponsor of the bill Dan Frankel (23rd Dist.), Robert Freeman (136th Dist.), Frank Oliver (195th Dist.) and Greg Vitali (166th Dist.) — voting in favor of HB 300, and all 11 Republicans voting against it. Reps. John Galloway (D-140th Dist.), Jaret Gibbons (D-10th Dist.) and Rick Taylor (D-151st Dist.) were absent from the committee meeting. HB 300 would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act of 1955 to add sexual orientation and gender identity or expression as classes protected from discrimination in employment, housing and
public accommodations. This is the fourth time that such legislation has been introduced in the House; all previous versions of the bill died in committee. “I am very pleased. This is historic,” said Josephs, chairperson of the committee and a strong proponent of the bill. “We’ve never moved a civil-rights bill for the LGBT community out of a standing committee until now.” Currently, 14 municipalities, including Philadelphia, across the state have LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination laws, but about 75 percent of the state’s residents live outside of these regions. “I’m very pleased committeemembers took the first step in providing basic protections for all Pennsylvanians,” Frankel said. “Pennsylvania is at a competitive disadvantage when it does not protect all of its citizens against discrimination, and I look forward to the entire House voting to pass this important legislation.” Frankel introduced HB 300 on March 4 with 79 cosponsors, the highest number of cosponsors a proLGBT bill has ever been introduced with. Frankel had introduced the previous LGBT nondiscrimination bill, HB 1400, in June 2007 with See HB 300, Page 18
Defendant testifies in Gay man kills partner, porn murder trial self in New Hope By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer Testimony in the murder trial of Harlow Cuadra, who is accused of killing Bryan Kocis, a rival in the gay-porn industry, wrapped up this week after Cuadra testified on his own behalf. Cuadra, 27, took the stand in his own defense March 10, against the advice of his attorneys, and testified that his former partner, Joseph Kerekes, committed the murder by himself. Kerekes, who pleaded guilty to the crime in December and is serving a life sentence, took the stand earlier that morning but refused to testify on Cuadra’s behalf. Attorneys delivered closing arguments March 11, and the case is now in the hands of the jury. Cuadra was the only witness for the defense. Cuadra and Kerekes, 35, were arrested in May 2007 and accused of stabbing
Kocis, owner of gay-porn company Cobra Video, nearly 30 times and setting his Dallas Township home on fire Jan. 24 of that year. Prosecutors alleged that both men plotted to kill Kocis to obtain the rights to work with porn star Sean Lockhart, who was locked in a legal battle with Kocis, for whom he’d worked for several years. During his testimony and crossexamination, which carried over into March 11, Cuadra alleged that Kerekes dropped him off at Kocis’ home the night of the murder to discuss Cuadra acting in films for Kocis, which Cuadra said was Kerekes’ idea. Cuadra said that after about 20 minutes, there was a “rapid knock” on the door and Kerekes entered the house and began punching Kocis. “I’m shouting at Joe, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?’” Cuadra See PORN TRIAL, Page 14
By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer A quiet, upscale suburban neighborhood was teeming with investigators last week, seeking to piece together the murdersuicide of a longtime gay couple. Police say that Joseph Lofft, 50, shot and killed his partner of 21 years, Jerry Rudman, 48, before turning the gun on himself in the couple’s Solebury Township home in New Hope. A cleaning woman discovered the bodies around 9 a.m. March 5. Rudman had been shot multiple times and the woman found his body in the garage. Solebury Township Police
MURDER-SUICIDE DISCOVERED: Solebury Township Police Chief Dominick Bellizzie (left) and Bucks County First Assistant District Attorney Dave Zellis hold a press conference March 5 in front of the home of a gay couple found dead that day. Police allege that Joseph Lofft shot and killed his longtime partner, Jerry Rudman, then killed himself inside 6157 Upper York See NEW HOPE, Page 14 Road. Photo: The Intelligencer/David Garrett