PGN April 3-9 2009 by The Philadelphia Gay News

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Philadelphia Gay News Police in Delaware arrested the pastor of a Philadelphia congregation last week for allegedly raping and sexually assaulting a teenage male over HARRY BENSON the course of several years. New Castle County police arrested the Rev. Harry Benson, 40, at his home in Newark, Del., March 24, where he lives with his wife and four adopted children. Benson was the pastor of the Eastwick United Methodist Church, on Lindbergh Boulevard in Southwest Philadelphia. The arrest came after a guidance counselor at a Delaware high school contacted police to report that an 18year-old male student had disclosed years of sexual contact between himself and Benson. Benson is charged with ﬁrstdegree rape, continuous sexual abuse of a child, 12 counts of ﬁrst-degree unlawful sexual contact and sexual solicitation of a child. Lt. Patrick Crowell of the Newark Police did not disclose where the teen attended school or how he came into contact with Benson, but said the abuse was ongoing. “The abuse started when the victim was 12 and occurred over the course of several years,” Crowell said. Bishop Peggy Johnson, who heads the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church, said in a statement last week that Benson had been suspended from pastoral duties effective immediately. “As a church, we take any allegations of abuse very seriously,” Johnson said. “We especially grieve whenever a youth or child is victimized by a trusted adult.” Benson is currently being held at Howard Young Prison after failing to post $126,000 bail. ■

Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer A committee of the Pennsylvania House approved a bill last month that would ban discrimination against LGBT people in the state, and the legislation’s supporters are now calling on lawmakers and the governor to stand behind the bill before it can go before the full House for a vote. Rep. Dan Frankel (D-23rd Dist.) introduced HB 300 — which would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity and expression” as classes protected from discrimination in employment, public accommodations and housing — March 5 with 79 cosponsors, the highest number of lawmakers that a pro-LGBT bill has ever been introduced with in the House. Over the past several weeks, however, several cosponsors have dropped their names from the bill. Frankel said lawmakers have been under intense pressure from such groups as the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and the Family Institute of Pennsylvania to vote against

HB 300. “Those who oppose the bill have been very active, very aggressive and in my view have been even bullying some members and distorting what the bill does,” Frankel said. “They’ve orchestrated quite an opposition to this.” Frankel said the bill’s supporters are evaluating nondiscrimination laws in other states and working with lawmakers who are open to discussion about the bill to determine under what circumstances they’d support HB 300. He said numerous lawmakers are interested in expanding the bill’s religious exemption. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to have to have a compromise to move this bill forward; right now there’s some opposition in the Democratic caucus and an enormous amount of opposition in the Republican caucus,” he said. “As of today, the bill would not pass if it got to the ﬂoor for a vote.” Gary Miller, a spokesperson for Gov. Rendell, told PGN this week that the governor is willing to work with legislators to bolster support for See HB 300, Page 13

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: Rob Saxon (from left), director of resource development at Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutritional Alliance; Calcutta House executive director Matt Teter and MANNA executive director Richard Keaveney and director of events Meg Rider gathered March 28 at Solefood for an after-party to celebrate the success of “Shut Up & Dance.” About 1,200 people attended the 17th annual Pennsylvania Ballet production, which raised approximately $140,000 for MANNA to aid in its mission of providing meals to area residents dealing with life-threatening illnesses such as HIV/ AIDS. “It was a great success, and the dancers did a fabulous job,” Keaveney said. He noted this was the first year for the after-party, which was supposed to end at midnight but stretched until 2:30 a.m. During the event, MANNA announced that beginning May 1, the organization will deliver three meals a day to the 27 residents of Calcutta House’s two HIV/AIDS housing complexes, which Teter said will allow his agency to better “direct its energy and resources to the development of new housing opportunities for people living with AIDS.” Photo: Scott A. Drake

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By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

Community calls on leaders to support HB 300

al nu an

Philly priest arrested for sex abuse

Vol. 33 No. 14

r w ou – e A su is y 17 is ge n th pa n ee Pe S

Honesty Integrity Professionalism

April 3 - 9, 2009

eHarmony opens gay dating site By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

Dating site eHarmony made good on its legal agreement with the New Jersey Attorney General this week with the launch of its new matching site geared to gays and lesbians. The new site, CompatiblePartners.net, went live March 31. Free six-month subscriptions are available for the first 10,000 subscribers. The launch comes four months after eHarmony creators settled a legal dispute brought by a gay New Jersey man, who argued that the Web site’s heterosexual-only services amounted to a violation of the state’s Law Against Discrimination. eHarmony, founded by evangelical Christian Neil Clark Warren, purports to utilize a scientific formula to match personality traits of its approximately 20-million members, but only allows users to apply as a “man seeking a woman” or a “woman seeking a man.” In a 2005 interview with USA Today, Warren said that while the company had not ruled out opening up its matching services to samesex couples, it was hesitant to “participate in something that’s illegal,” referring to the fact that same-sex marriage is illegal in most states. Eric McKinley, of Ocean County, N.J., filed suit against the company in March 2005 after he unsuccessfully attempted to use the site to search for a male partner. The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights issued a finding of probable cause in July 2007 and, although the company appealed, it eventually settled in November 2008. Under the agreement, the company created the companion site, which is geared toward “singles seeking a long-term, same-sex relationship.” Compatible Partners must utilize the same technology that eHarmony uses on its main site and guarantee the same quality of service to users. On its home page, however, Compatible Partners cautions that its research is based only on heterosexual couplings: “The company’s patented Compatibility Matching System was See eHARMONY, Page 13

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“BINGO!”

Beth Robinson speaks to protesters in Montpelier, Vt.

AIDS Fund will present its Ferrara Family Volunteers of the Year Award to Trish Houck and her children, Leah and Eric, at Black-Tie Bingo tonight.

Legislators in Vermont are expected to vote this week on a bill that would grant same-sex couples the right to marry in the state.

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mark@epgn.com

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Pink Penny III: The staff picks the best of everything we could think of that would ﬁt in to one issue!

Professional Portraits:

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Former Penn State basketball player Jennifer Harris will be featured in “Training Rules” a documentary by ﬁlmmaker Dee Mosbacher.

Jeff Sotland

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Columns Ms. Behavior

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Get your glow sticks and head on down to TLA.

Ballet, cowboys and Latin dance

Long live the queen.

Michelle Malone celebrates “Debris.”

Coming clean about dating ex’s friends

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Poll results from our online survey as of April 1:

Where do you usually go to ﬁnd new romantic interests?

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Go to www.philagaynews.com to weigh in on this week’s question:

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Should high-school students be allowed to cross-dress while attending classes?

National Advertising Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Office Manager/Classifieds Don Pignolet (ext. 200) don@epgn.com Executive Assistant Credit/Billing Manager Carol Giunta (ext. 202) carol@epgn.com Philadelphia Gay News is a member of: The Associated Press National Gay Newspaper Guild Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Published by Masco Communications Inc. © 2009 Masco Communications Inc. ISSN-0742-5155

The views of PGN are expressed only in the unsigned “Editorial” column. Opinions expressed in bylined columns, stories and letters to the editor are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of PGN. The appearance of names or pictorial representations in PGN does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that named or pictured person or persons.

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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News Briefing

Regional

Man pleads guilty to murdering gay senior

A WINNING WEEK: University of Pennsylvania students competed in the “Boat Race” juice-chugging competition at Hill Field, 34th and Chestnut streets, March 29 during the annual Pride Games, one of the closing festivities of QPenn Week. The week included discussions, shows and social gatherings to raise awareness of Penn’s diverse LGBT community. Other activities at Pride Games, an event organized by Penn’s Athletes & Allies Tackling Homophobia, included a limbo competition, three-legged race and a drag race — a unique relay-style event in which teams raced to dress and undress themselves in a drag costume. Photo: Scott A. Drake

Del. lawmakers vote twice in favor of LGBT rights By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

The First State took two steps forward for LGBT rights last week. The Delaware Senate rejected a measure that would have amended the state constitution to deﬁne marriage as between a man and a woman, and the House approved a bill that will add “sexual orientation” as a protected class in the state’s nondiscrimination law. Hundreds of LGBT and ally individuals, as well as LGBT-rights opponents, gathered outside Dover’s Legislative Hall March 26 to await the results of both votes. The Senate voted 11-9 against SB 27, proposed by Democratic Sen. Robert Venables, which sought to add the words, “Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be a valid or legally recognized marriage in this state” to the constitution. The bill needed a two-thirds majority to pass. A 1996 law already prohibits same-sex marriage in Delaware. The legislation did undergo one amendment before it was brought up for a vote. The initial bill stated that opposite-sex marriage is the only “legal union” valid in the state, but legislators changed the wording so as not to prevent the consideration of the legalization of civil unions in the future. The Senate held a public hearing on the legislation March 25, during which Drewry

Fennell, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware, urged legislators to oppose the bill, which she posited was motivated by discrimination. “Elevating a prohibition that isn’t based on one thing but discriminatory feelings is wrong,” Fennell said. “That’s not what we use the constitution for. I think it sends a message that many of you would not want to be sending.” To amend the state constitution, SB 27 would have needed a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and House in this and the next legislative sessions. Meanwhile, the House approved HB 5, which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, public-works contracting, public accommodations and insurance, in a 2614 vote. House Majority Leader and Democratic Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, whose constituency includes Rehoboth Beach, spearheaded the bill. The Delaware House approved similar legislation three times previously, but HB 5 garnered the highest number of favorable votes the bill has ever seen. HB 5 will now go to the Senate for a vote. Bob Martz, president of Delaware Liberty Fund, which advocates for pro-LGBT legislators and legislation, expects the Senate to approve the bill. “I think it will pass in the Senate,” Martz said. “We just have to get it to the ﬂoor for a

vote.” The three previous times the Senate has taken up the legislation, it fell victim to the so-called “desk-drawer veto,” in which the Senate President Pro Tempore Thurman Adams (D), a cosponsor of SB 27, had the power to set legislation aside and not assign it to a committee, effectively killing a bill. At the beginning of this latest legislative session, however, the Senate passed new rules that stipulated that all bills must be assigned to a committee, which then has 12 legislative days in which to consider them. Schwartzkopf said the old practice gave senators the option of petitioning Adams to release the bill to committee, but that many lawmakers who were supportive of the LGBT nondiscrimination bill were hesitant to take such action. “It was looked at that if you had enough votes to petition a bill out of the drawer, then in theory you had enough votes to replace the Senate leader,” Schwartzkopf said. “This stymied people from wanting to jump on because it’s seen at as a challenge to the leadership.” Under the new rules, if a committee leader fails to bring the legislation up for a hearing within the allotted time, senators can circulate a petition for a hearing. “I know a couple of people who were very, very reluctant to sign a petition against the leadership of the Senate, but I See DELAWARE, Page 8

Stephen Robinson, accused of slashing to death an elderly gay man in May 2007, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder this week and was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in state prison. Robinson acknowledged slashing to death Michael Lopuszanski, 78, inside the man’s residence in the Torresdale section on May 28, 2007. Robinson, 40, was arrested several weeks later, after a female acquaintance notiﬁed police that Robinson allegedly told her about killing Lopuszanski. She indicated that Robinson knew Lopuszanski and killed him during a dispute over money, according to court records. During a brief court proceeding March 31, Robinson acknowledged that he killed Lopuszanski and apologized to several of the victim’s relatives who were in attendance. Common Pleas Judge Renee Caldwell Hughes sentenced Robinson to a minimum of 20 years in prison for the murder, in addition to a minimum of ﬁve years in prison for theft and for possessing an instrument of crime. Thus, Robinson must serve at least 25 years before being considered for parole. “Considering his lengthy criminal record, it’s exceedingly unlikely that he’ll ever be paroled,” Hughes told PGN after the proceeding. “In my humble opinion, justice has been served.” Assistant District Attorney Brian M. Zarallo said he was pleased with the plea agreement and the sentencing. “From the standpoint of the Lopuszanski family and the community, this outcomes serves justice in every way,” Zarallo told PGN. — Timothy Cwiek

Pine St. construction still pending The Philadelphia Water Department will hold meetings with residents in the coming weeks to evaluate the possibility of moving a construction project that had been slated for Pine Street further south. The department announced late last year that it was considering Pine, from Seventh to Broad, as the site for a stormrelief project to stem sewage backup in some Washington Square West and South Philadelphia homes. Joanne Dahme, PWD watersheds manager, said the department will meet with different South Philadelphia communities over the next few weeks to discuss the plan. See NEWS BRIEFING, Page 16

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APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

Volunteers take center stage at GayBINGO By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

MARK T. WATKINS, DO JOHN DEL ROSSI, PA-C

The LGBT and ally communities will dress to the nines and hope for the lucky number at the AIDS Fund’s Black-Tie GayBINGO tonight. The 10th-annual event will feature the same campy entertainment as always, guided by the antics of the drag-queens253 S. 10th St. on-skates Bingo-Verifying Divas, First Floor but it will also raise vital funds for Philadelphia area HIV/AIDS organizations and give recognition to a few of the individuals who’ve made AIDS The news you want. Fund’s work possible over the past When you want it. PAGE 15 year. The Favorite Straight Person of the Year Award, an honor that’s been in existence since the first black-tie event, will be given to John Cella, outgoing director of Philadelphia’s AIDS Activities Coordinating Office. Cella joined the office in 1993 and took over as director in 2004. A frequent face at community events — such as those sponsored by Mazzoni Center, the Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutritional Alliance and Action AIDS — Cella has also been a constant presence at AIDS Fund’s annual AIDS Walk. He not only participates in the walk each year, but has also assisted with the creation of AIDS Walk promotional materials, spoken during the event and organized large contingents of city workers to get involved. He said that while the recognition is not necessary, the gratitude of the LGBT community is meaningful Cleaning to him.

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“I’ve always felt that it’s an honor to serve in the ﬁeld. I’ve taken HIV work very, very seriously, as well as the communities that we serve through AACO,” he said. “With this, I feel like they’re recognizing the work I’ve done for the LGBT community, which is very special to me because this is one of the main communities that we work with, and they’re recognizing that I’ve cared and that I’ve tried.”

Cella will retire from AACO in June, and Robb Reichard, AIDS Fund executive director, said the award is a timely tribute. “John has been involved in the HIV/AIDS community through his work with the Philadelphia Health Department for many, many years, and he’s really been involved in

LEAH (FROM LEFT), TRISH AND ERIC HOUCK; JOHN CELLA

a variety of components as the director of AACO,” he said. “He’s getting ready to retire, so we wanted to acknowledge the years of dedication that he put in.” Cella said he will continue to dedicate his time to HIV/AIDSservice organizations in the region after his retirement. “I’m sad to be leaving, but I plan to stay involved on a volunteer basis,” he said. “I have an activist mentality beneath this bureaucratic exterior.” AIDS Fund will also present its Ferrara Family Volunteers of the Year Award, which has been given out for about five years, to Trish Houck and her children, Leah and Eric. The Bridesburg family first started volunteering at the monthly GayBINGO events about five years ago when Leah started at Central High School, which requires students to fulfill a certain number of volunteer hours throughout the school year at an organization of their choice. Trish Houck said she initially heard about GayBINGO from a PBS documentary about the events. “I thought it looked like fun and it benefits a great cause,” Houck said. “I planned to volunteer with her and we started going to the events, and it was so much fun that we continued throughout her years at Central.” Houck’s son, Eric, joined his mom and sister, who is now a student at Kutztown University, to earn his own volunteer hours when he started at Central in 2006. The family has also participated in numerous AIDS Walks, arriving at the Parkway before daybreak to help set up for the event. “I’m a real advocate of being good for nothing. Even before

the kids had to get service hours, we’d been involved in various organizations,” Houck said. “I’m hoping to instill in them some commitment to giving something back to the community, to lend a hand however you can and in any small way you can. Every little bit helps the bigger cause.” Reichard said the AIDS Fund does have some families who volunteer at their events, but it’s rare to see a family that lends as much of its time as the Houcks. “Trish and her children have been involved for a number of years and they’re really consistent,” Reichard said. “They’ve been at every Bingo, every AIDS Walk and we’ve watched Eric and Leah grow over the years, so we wanted to acknowledge them.” Houck said she and her children did not know anyone with HIV/ AIDS prior to this experience and do not have any close friends or family members who are LGBT, but their involvement with AIDS Fund has helped to expose her kids to the diverse populations within the city. “I wanted to make an effort for the kids to feel comfortable with people of all genders, ages, sizes and orientations. This was a way to introduce them to another group of people in our community and give them the opportunity to become comfortable with all types of people.” Black-Tie GayBINGO will kick off at 6:30 p.m. at the Crystal Tea Room, 1201 Market St. Tickets to the event are $150 and include dinner, a silent auction and six Bingo games. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (215) 731-9255. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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National

Media Trail

Vt. marriage bill awaiting House approval

Miami Beach OKs pride flags

By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

Legislators in Vermont were expected to vote Thursday on a bill that would grant same-sex couples the right to marry in the state. The House Judiciary Committee voted 8-2 Tuesday to send the bill to the floor for a vote. Republican Gov. Jim Douglas pledged last week to veto the bill if it survives a House vote, but a two-thirds vote of both houses could override his veto. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the legislation 26-4 on March 23, but it would also need 101 House votes to overcome a veto. The House committee approved an amendment to the bill that clarifies the exemptions for religious institutions that do not accept same-sex nuptials. Because of the amendment, if the House approves the bill, it must return to the Senate for another vote or gain the approval of a joint House and Senate committee. Since announcing his intent to veto the legislation, Douglas has been flooded with opposition from marriage-equality advocates. Hundreds of LGBT and ally individuals gathered at the Statehouse late last week to

protest Douglas’ position. The governor agreed to meet with about 80 of the supporters in his office March 27. Beth Robinson, board chair of Vermont Freedom to Marry, said the contingent “made it clear to him that we are part of the Vermont community and we deserve fairness and equal treatment under the laws,” but that the governor did not indicate he was considering changing his position. LGBT-rights supporters followed the governor to several public appearances last weekend, calling on him to reverse his decision to veto the bill. The Associated Press reported this week that within the first two days after Douglas pledged to veto the legislation, he received about 1,500 letters and e-mails, most of which criticized his decision. A Douglas spokesperson said that prior to his announcement, about 70 percent of the correspondence he received about the bill was in opposition to samesex marriage; now, however, that number has dwindled to 40 percent. An unscientific poll taken by Republican state Sen. William Doyle — a 40-year tradition the lawmaker undertakes to assess the public’s view on divisive

FIGHTING FOR MARRIAGE: Supporters of a bill that would allow full marriage for gays and lesbians in Vermont listen to Beth Robinson (bottom right) during a protest March 27 at the Statehouse in Montpelier. Upset over a threatened veto by Gov. Jim Douglas, same-sex-marriage supporters protested outside his office. AP Photo: Toby Talbot

social issues — found that 55 percent of residents felt that same-sex couples should have the right to marry. That number was just 32 percent in 1998. Doyle voted in favor of samesex marriage during the Senate vote. Vermont became the ﬁrst state in the country to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples in 2000 and, if the state approves same-sex marriage, it will become the ﬁrst to do so through legislative means.

Connecticut, Massachusetts and California legalized gay marriage through judicial avenues. The California Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the state was overturned by the ballot initiative Proposition 8 late last year. The court is currently considering legal challenges to Prop. 8. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

New Hampshire heads toward gay marriage By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

The New Hampshire House approved a marriage-equality bill by a slim margin last week, and the Senate will next consider the legislation. The House took its ﬁrst vote March 26 and the legislation failed by one vote, but the bill’s supporters quickly lobbied other legislators and took another vote later that day, which passed 186-179. The future of the bill in the Senate remains unclear. Democratic Senate President Sylvia Larsen said legislators are concentrating on the economic crisis at the moment and she did not want to speculate about how the Senate would fall on the issue of same-sex marriage. “Our main focus must remain on the state budget and on revitalizing our economy,” Larsen said. “I cannot say what the ﬁnal position of the Senate will be” on the

marriage-equality bill. If the Senate does approve the bill, it could face a possible veto from Democratic Gov. John Lynch, who’s expressed opposition to marriage equality but has not indicated if he would veto the bill. The New Hampshire legislature approved civil unions in 2007, and Lynch signed the bill into law. Colin Manning, a spokesperson for the governor, said Lynch believes that civil unions provide equal rights to same-sex couples. “Gov. Lynch has not supported samesex marriage,” Manning said. “But the civil-union bill he signed into law prevents discrimination and provides the same legal protection to all New Hampshire families to the extent that is possible under federal law.” Democratic Rep. Jim Splaine, the openly gay prime sponsor of the bill, said that when the legislation failed by one vote, supporters of the bill took to the ﬂoor to convince some

lawmakers to change their votes. “I’ve been around here long enough to know that when you see you’re one vote away, you know there’s a way you can win,” Splaine told the Concord Monitor. “Given the opportunity to look people in the eye and say, ‘I’d really, really, really, really like you to consider this as an issue of discrimination,’ especially if you are openly gay, that can be a very powerful argument.” The lawmakers voted down a motion by opponents to table the bill and, before pursuing the second vote, conducted hours of debate, in which such representatives as openly gay Democrat David Pierce, who has two daughters with his partner of 20 years, and Democrat Melanie Leavesque, who is part of an interracial couple, testiﬁed about the damaging effects of discrimination on families. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.

MiamiHerald.com reports that Miami Beach residents recently got the go-ahead to fly rainbow pride flags, but only after they acquire a city permit. “The problem is the businesses just went out and bought a flagpole and in an expression of their pride, put up the flag,” said City Commissioner Victor Diaz, adding that a number of business owners have been fined and taken their flags down. Flying any flag in the right of way without a permit is a violation of city code. Due to the upcoming Miami Beach pride celebration on April 18, the commission took immediate action and made an exemption for April. “We’re solving it in the short term with the temporary permit,” Diaz said. “But we need to find a more permanent solution.”

Cohen comedy gets NC-17 rating Variety.com reports the MPAA has given an NC-17 rating to the upcoming Sacha Baron Cohen comedy, in which he plays a gay Austrian fashionista, because of numerous gay sex scenes. The studio plans to edit the film to land an R rating for “Bruno” before its July 10 release. The deleted sequences will likely be saved for the DVD release. Cohen’s previous film, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” also received an NC-17 rating when first submitted to the MPAA but eventually garnered an R.

Gay foe appointed to Cinn. NAACP board 365gay.com reports the president of the NAACP’s Cincinnati chapter has appointed an antigay lawyer to its board. New board member Chris Finney wrote Article 12, a 1993 city charter amendment that prohibited city ofﬁcials from passing laws that protected gays and lesbians. It was repealed in 2004 after a national boycott resulted in $45 million in lost convention business. Christopher Smitherman, the Cincinnati NAACP’s president, said that no one should be judged on one issue alone. “I cannot be concerned with the interests of any other constituency group. I must look out for the interests of our membership,” Smitherman said. ■ — Larry Nichols

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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Teen arrested for assaulting boy By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

An 18-year-old male is accused of pulling a 10-year-old boy from his bicycle and raping him in a Southwest Philadelphia house last week. Police arrested Walter Vicks on March 26 after neighbors contacted them with reports of a child’s screams coming from inside a home at 1600 S. 56th St. Vicks attempted to ﬂee into a back alley but police apprehended him. He was treated at Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia for injuries he received while trying to escape and then taken into police custody. Vicks is charged with rape, aggravated and sexual assault, false imprisonment, corruption of minors and 10 other related offenses. The 10-year-old was transported to Children’s Hospital of

DELAWARE From Page 5 don’t think they’ll be as reluctant to sign against the chairman of a committee,” Schwartzkopf said. The Delaware legislature is in session three days a week and has a two-week break over the Easter holiday, so the 12-day period will expire in early May. Schwartzkopf noted the

Karam Monnzer, M.D., Medical Director Angela Kapalko, MHS, PA-C Joseph Onderein, PA-C

WALTER VICKS

Philadelphia in stable condition. Police spokesperson Ofﬁcer Jillian Russell was unsure if and when the child was released. The boy told police that he had an early dismissal at school and was riding his bike at about 1:40 p.m. around the Kingsessing neighborhood when Vicks dragged him at knifepoint into the secondﬂoor bedroom of the house, which was being renovated. Neighbor Lonnie Mitchell said he could hear the assault through legislation has been circulating for nearly 10 years and that he’s been a strong advocate of it since his 2002 election. He took over as prime sponsor of the bill when the House gained a Democratic majority this session. “I represent a large gay community in my district, and I’m very much in tune with what’s going on from talking with members of the community, and

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the walls of the rowhome. “I told [police] they have to hurry and get in because he’s doing something to that little boy and it’s not just rough-housing,” Mitchell told CBS 3. Police scaled the house and broke through an upstairs window. Mitchell said that shortly after police arrived, the boy ran out the front door naked, repeatedly yelling, “He raped me.” “It was horrific,” Mitchell said. “It was nothing you’d want to see ever.” Russell said there was no indication that the teen and the child knew one another. Vicks lives near 19th and Oxford streets in North Philadelphia. A preliminary hearing in the case was scheduled for today. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com. there is still discrimination based on sexual orientation,” he said. “I was a police officer for 25 years, and I’ve seen what people can do to each other when discrimination is allowed.” Schwartzkopf noted that the Senate should feel extra pressure to consider HB 5 since it brought SB 27 up for a vote. “I don’t know what excuse they can use now to keep House Bill 5 from coming to the floor for a debate after they allowed Senate Bill 27 out of committee and onto the floor,” he said. “I don’t know what justification they can use now to keep it from getting to the floor. If they allowed that one, they have to allow this one.” Martz commended the backers of HB 5 for speaking out against LGBT discrimination. “The credit has to go to the sponsors of the bill and the people who’ve had the courage to stand up and do this,” Martz said. Twenty states prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, 13 of which also cover gender identity or expression. The Pennsylvania House State Government Committee recently voted in favor of a bill that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment and public accommodations. The bill is now awaiting a full vote in the House. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

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APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Local LGBT alumni of Naval Academy participate in documentary By Timothy Cwiek PGN Writer-at-Large

Leon R. Ingleright 4th has overcome many crises in his life: alcoholism, cancer, severe financial setbacks. But he’s still trying to cope with his separation from the military due to being gay, he said. In September 2002, just two months before fulfilling his obligation of five years of service, Ingleright was abruptly discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps. His commanders discovered an e-mail Ingleright had written to a male lover a year earlier, prompting the discharge under the military ban on openly gay servicemembers. To this day, Ingleright doesn’t know who supplied the e-mail to his commanders. Today, the 1997 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy has been slowly putting his life back together. He’s gotten a good job as a database and network administrator with a Center City nonprofit and established a longterm relationship, living with his partner Robert and their dog Austin in Ambler. Despite this, Ingleright still feels a lingering sense of loss due to his traumatic discharge from the Marines. As part of the healing process, he’s participating in a documentary that spotlights LGBT alumni of the Naval Academy, called “Out of Annapolis” — the first documentary on LGBT alumni from a military school. “It’s a little out of character for me,” said Ingleright, 35. “I’m an introvert by nature. But I think it’s important for me to tell my story.” He said he wants people to see the diversity of LGBT servicemembers and the wide range of skills they bring to the military. He added that talking about his discharge also helps him feel better, though he’s not bitter or vindictive toward his commanders. “They did what they had to do based on the rules. I completely understand that,” Ingleright said. “But I’m still dealing with the loss. Ever since I was a teen in Junior ROTC, I’ve had an affinity for the military.” The documentary is expected to be released this summer, and Ingleright hopes it will be

LEON INGLERIGHT 4TH

screened at LGBT film festivals in major cities across the country, including Philadelphia, though the film doesn’t have distribution yet. Steve Clark Hall, 55, of San Francisco, is the producer/director of the film, and he’s also a 1975 graduate of the Naval Academy. So far, he’s excited about the positive reception the documentary has received. “The whole point is to get the stories out there,” Hall said. He’s done more than 20 on-camera interviews and accumulated more than 14 hours of footage, though not all of the interview subjects will be featured in the 40-minute finished product, he said. “When I asked people why they were participating in this project, the answer typically wasn’t to do away with ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” Hall noted. “Instead, they said that no one should have to be in the Naval Academy and think they’re the only ones. When they were in the Academy, they all felt they were the only gay person

there.” Another local Naval Academy graduate, Joseph W. Soto, also played an active role in helping Hall produce the documentary, donating time and resources. “It’s been a labor of love,” the 48-year-old said. If the documentary helps end the military’s ban on gay servicemembers, so much the better — but that’s not its main focus, Soto emphasized. “We don’t want to turn the documentary into a DADT [‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’] debate and lose the value of the stories,” Soto said. “Of course, it will have some sort of role in the debate. But we don’t want it to be hijacked for that purpose.” Soto said he expects the finished product to reflect well on the Naval Academy, remarking that he has very fond memories of his time there. “It was a great education that served me well, and that’s what I hope to convey if my story is included in the finished product,” Soto said. Ingleright appears in a fourminute trailer on YouTube, though his interview, too, might not make the final cut, and that’s OK with him. “Whether I’m actually featured in the film is not as important as how much of an impact it has, and how well it’s put together,” he said. “It’s bigger than me.” ■ Timothy Cwiek can be reached at (215) 625-8501 ext. 208.

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

Editorial Give us some love, guv The bill that would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” to the state’s nondiscrimination law was voted out of the House State Government Committee on March 11 — the first time the legislation had made it out of committee. The vote was strictly on party lines: 12 Democrats for, 11 Republicans against. Last year, sponsors hosted four hearings across the state on a similar bill, with supporters and opponents speaking about the need for the protections and their concerns about it, respectively. After the vote, the bill was referred to the Appropriations Committee, where it awaits another vote. Rep. Dwight Evans — a cosponsor of the bill — chairs this committee and, with a Democratic majority, shouldn’t have any problem passing it to the full House, though it isn’t scheduled for a vote yet. To date, Gov. Rendell has stated he would sign the bill if and when it crossed his desk, which signals the bill has his support — even if it’s a bit tepid. To some, this appears as though the governor is backpedaling. Rendell is known for his support of the community, both in word and deed. He has attended annual pride events; issued an executive order banning discrimination for transgender state employees; appointed the first openly gay judge in the city of Philadelphia, as well as an openly gay man to head the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission; and, as mayor, signed Philadelphia’s domestic-partner law. He also led Chelsea Clinton on a Gayborhood bar crawl during the presidential primary campaign last year. If the governor is such a staunch supporter, why hasn’t he been a stronger advocate for the statewide antidiscrimination bill? To be sure, it’s a political decision. To gain the support of Democrats and Republicans in the full House and ensure the bill’s passage, he’d have to either give up something on his agenda or pledge support for an item on theirs. He’s certainly weighing the political repercussions — but at least the two-term governor isn’t worrying about a reelection campaign. And he’s bargained for other issues, less important than equal rights. With the economic crisis in full swing and budget deficits looming, it’s understandable that LGBT rights aren’t on the top of everyone’s list right now. But we’d like to believe the governor and our legislators can walk and chew gum at the same time. Governor, may we suggest you host a planning session with House and Senate Democratic leaders to develop the best strategy to pass this bill? This legislative session is the best chance the bill has had, and you have the political capital. We’re asking you to stand up for your LGBT constituents. ■

Correction In the caption for “Rainbow Warriors” (March 27April 2), one of the co-chairs of the 2009 QPenn LGBT Awareness Week was incorrectly identiﬁed. Co-chair Dennie Zastrow was in the center of the group. PGN regrets the error.

Glenn Lash (glennlash@yahoo.com)

Other Views

Jennifer Vanasco

Straight women dating women I’m worried about these “straight” women who fall in love with other women. Recently, we’ve seen them on Oprah and on Tyra. We hear them say things like Chris did on Oprah, after her heart was broken by the woman she left her husband for: “If I’m capable of having intimacy with a man, then that means probably that I’m not gay,” she said. “However, when it comes to relationships and where I’m most comfortable, I prefer to be with women.” Um, the word for that is “bisexual.” It’s interesting to me that — like men who sleep with other men but deny they are gay — women, too, seem to have their own version of being on the down low. That is, they fall in love with other women, they sleep with other women, they have relationships with other women, and yet they insist they are straight. The media loves this story. They say it’s a “trend.” In hushed tones, they lionize these women who are “brave” enough to cross over into Lesbos without living there permanently. Of course, some of them, like Oprah’s guest Chris, do indeed return to dating men exclusively. “It’s less complicated,” she told Oprah.

And, yep, it sure is. A woman in a straight couple only needs to worry about guest lists and seating charts, not whether the state in which she plans to marry will let her legally wed or adopt children. But I doubt it is the complicated legality that makes women like Chris hesitant to call themselves gay or bisexual. What I worry about is that they think that labeling themselves “gay” or “bisexual” will make them residents of a country in which they don’t want to settle permanently. They think that “lesbian” will mean they have to give up something about who they are, that they will have to fit in with some cultural stereotype of what it means to be a woman who is in love with a woman. They are afraid they will label themselves and then be alone. Instead, the opposite is true. Declaring oneself gay or lesbian, bisexual or queer is the most freeing feeling in the world. Better yet — it comes with an entrée into a vibrant, flourishing culture that provides emotional and social support. I think the “complications” these women struggle with are the everyday difficulties that come from being part of a lesbian relationship in a straight world, where people might

not understand that a woman loving another woman is to be celebrated, not viliﬁed. Labels may seem restricting, but we all have them. The wrong label is stultifying. But the right one can be a passport into a new life, a true life, an invitation into a community. To be a woman in a relationship with a woman in the center of the gay community is a very different experience — a validating experience — than to be in a lesbian relationship with no one around you but straight people. I am not saying there aren’t supportive straight people. There are hundreds of thousands of them — including all those heterosexuals who voted against Proposition 8. But still, in the big, straight world, the assumptions are different. A woman is assumed to be interested in men. People ask who the man is. People ask how it is possible for lesbians to have sex. I’m worried for these “straight” women, because clearly, they’re not straight at all. Society has just given them the wrong label. ■ Jennifer Vanasco is an awardwinning syndicated columnist. Email her at jennifer.vanasco@gmail. com.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

Mark My Words

Mark Segal

HRC missed the mark Last Saturday night should serve as a lesson to all of us. There were a host of events that you could choose to attend. That in itself is an amazing point. We’ve become such a large community that you could actually be at a Human Rights Campaign fundraising dinner with speaker Chris Matthews of MSNBC at the Marriott, the annual “Shut Up & Dance” event, a gay dance competition at the Convention Center, a country-dance benefit with a performance by a gay cowboy dance group from D.C., the Scene dance party ... and that’s just part of the list. All of these events point out very clearly what an incredible community we have become. It also points out some shortcomings. All of theses events are worthwhile and should be supported, but we each have our limitations. Therefore, it is up to each organization to promote and market their events. Let’s take a look at the first two. Both have long reputations and both are great events that the community can take pride in. But “Shut Up & Dance” takes the prize. Why is that? Several reasons come to mind. First, with so many benefits on one night, we’re spreading the community thin and not all can be a success. In this case, the one that promotes itself the best wins. In that regard, it was “Shut Up & Dance,” which got its message out with

Op-Ed

invitations, ﬂiers, posters, press releases, contacts by phone and, of course, ads in PGN. The event was almost a sell-out. On the other hand, HRC sent out fewer invites, no press release (at least not to PGN), no press calls and no advertising. Attendance at the dinner was down by 50 percent. There’s another reason this is bad. Matthews, the keynote speaker, is a possible candidate to run against U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter here in Pennsylvania. It would have been great for his message to get out to our community and for him to be seen in the non-gay media at an LGBT event. Don’t get me wrong: I believe the HRC dinner is the most important political dinner in Philadelphia’s LGBT community. I’m only sorry for the lost opportunity. Last week also saw preparations for upcoming elections. Liberty City had its ﬁrst candidates night and a great turnout. Steve Glassman held a fundraiser for openly gay Harrisburg City Councilman Dan Miller, who is a candidate for City Controller in that city. For the more theater-minded, we had the opening of “Happy Days, the Musical.” We love Broadway at the Academy, but this was a clunker. Also opening last weekend was a winner at Society Hill Playhouse, “Say Goodnight Gracie,” about the late comedian George Burns and Gracie Allen. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a sold-out opening. It has a limited 10-week run, so run and see it. ■ Mark Segal is PGN publisher. He can be reached at mark@epgn.com.

PAGE 11

Street Talk Should providers be permitted to deny medical services based on moral grounds?

Maya Amichai social worker Olympia, Wash.

Mustapha Greenidge pharmacy technician Overbrook

“Yes. I don’t like to be forced to do something, so I’m not into forcing someone else. The outcome might be less than satisfactory. But I do think doctors should be obligated to make referrals if they won’t do a specific procedure.”

“Yes. Personally, I’m against artificial insemination for lesbians. I wouldn’t want to force a doctor to do it. But doctors should be required to give basic medical services to lesbians and gays. People have a right to access necessary healthcare.”

Chelsea Reeder server South Philadelphia

Tattiana Smith student West Philadelphia

“No. If you’re a professional, you can’t pick and choose your clients based on opinions about their lifestyle. That's a slippery slope. Where does it end? Just because you don’t like the looks of someone, you won’t offer medical care? There shouldn’t be that kind of discrimination.”

“In some cases a doctor can make judgments. Like, he can consider whether a woman can afford more children using artificial methods. But the judgment should be based on finances, not morals. If a person has a real need, and the doctor is trained to provide the service, he should provide it.”

Mayor Michael Nutter

Spring Cleanup, back by demand During last year’s ﬁrst-annual Philly Spring Cleanup, friends, family and neighbors got together, rolled up their sleeves and went to work cleaning our neighborhoods and parks. The ﬁrst Philly Spring Cleanup set a record as the largest single-day cleanup effort in U.S. history. Here are some of the remarkable results: — More than 15,000 volunteers came out to help. — Over 3,500 blocks, 71 commercial corridors, 28 recreation centers and 27 Fairmount Park sites were cleaned and revitalized. — Over 2.5-million pounds of trash and 48,000 pounds of recyclables were collected. Last year’s cleanup effort is something that we can be proud of and I commend all of those who helped out. Over the past year, citizens across the city have been asking me, “Are we doing

the cleanup again this year?” When I’ve spoken with you, I can feel your pride when you tell me about what’s happening in your communities and share your willingness to work together to keep them clean and vibrant. So, back by popular demand, I’d like to announce the city’s secondannual Philly Spring Cleanup, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 4. The theme of this year’s effort is “Building Sustainable Communities” and the goal will expand beyond trash pick-up and planting trees. These projects are vital to a successful cleanup but I hope that other beautiﬁcation projects, like grafﬁti removal and the restoration of our neighborhood murals, will encourage the trend of preserving Philadelphia’s artistic and cultural appeal. If all of us do our part, we can keep Philadelphia sustainable so future generations of families and workers will have an opportunity to live and work in

a world-class city. Things nowadays are tough and I recognize the hardships that many of you are facing as recent challenges have grown in their complexities. I’ve listened to stories of many of you who have sacriﬁced to adjust to the realities all of us are facing. But along with these serious challenges comes an opportunity to join together once again and pitch in to keep up with that immense pride that’s still very much alive in communities across Philadelphia. Living and working in a cleaner city may not solve our problems, but taking a walk around a clean block or through a park can provide all of us a stronger resolve to deal with our common challenges together. To learn more about the Spring Cleanup, please log onto www. phillyspringcleanup.com or call 311. I’m looking forward to April 4 and hope to see you there! ■

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 12

Adoption Corner

Scott A. Drake Sex: Male (neutered) Health: Good; up-to-date shots Other information: Koko has

PAWS STAFF ALLISON HOMER AND ALLISON LAMOND HOLDING KOKO

Name: Koko Breed: Domestic short-hair Age: 2-4 years

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

been microchipped. The Humane Society, animal control or any area shelter or vet that has microchipscanning technology can identify him. History: Koko was taken in from a home where he had not been sensitively cared for and then brought to PAWS when his new owner decided she had too many pets. Because of his experience, Koko is timid and at times fearful of others, but not aggressive. He is gradually relaxing around people and would settle well into a home with other cats.

Mark your calendar and join PAWS at these upcoming adoption, fundraising and community-building events:

Saturday, April 4 Meet your new best friend! Dog and cat adoptions from 1-4 p.m. at In the Doghouse, 2319 Fairmount Ave.; www. inthedoghouseinc.com Dog Days of Spring Treats, toys, dog wash, dog training and adoptable pets from PAWS, hosted by Drexel Law Student Animal League Defense Fund with proceeds beneﬁting PAWS, from 1-4 p.m., Chester Avenue Dog Park, 48th Street and Chester Avenue. Tuesday, April 7 Animal Photography by Ruth Savitz and Christopher Woods Photography exhibition opening reception from 5:30-8 p.m.; exhibition and sale runs through May 4, Le Virtù Trattoria, 1927 E. Passyunk Ave. Tickets are $15 with proceeds beneﬁting PAWS. For more information,

visit www.phillypawsprints.org or www.levirtu.com. Sunday, April 19 Second Annual “Pawesome” Doubles Golf Tournament PAWS beneﬁt tournament will be held 2 p.m. at the Sedgley Woods Disc Golf Course. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit www.pawesomedoubles. webs.com. Saturday, April 25 Hounds on Highland Meet adoptable PAWS dogs and cats and learn how to help save lives at the Pet Adoption Festival sponsored by Bone Appetite, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., 8505 Germantown Ave. Earth Day Block Party Meet adoptable PAWS dogs and cats and learn how to help save lives from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Whole Foods Market, 929 South St. (Rain date is April 26.)

Sunday, April 26 Seventh annual John DeBella Dog Walk Meet adoptable PAWS dogs and cats from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Green Lane Park, 1614 Snyder Road, Green Lane. Update: Dora (above), featured in the March 20 issue, was adopted on March 22.

PAWS 100 N. Second St. (215) 238-9901 Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. www.phillypaws.org

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HB 300 From Page 1 HB 300. “Just as he does with any other legislation he supports, Gov. Rendell will speak with legislators about why he feels this measure should be enacted,” Miller said. Miller said Rendell will sign HB 300 if and when the House and Senate approve it. “Gov. Rendell favors House Bill 300 and would be inclined to sign it, should it reach his desk,” Miller said. “The governor is pleased to see that there is growing public support for addressing what he feels is a matter of basic fairness.” Steve Glassman, chairman of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, said he’s “pleased to see that the governor continues to strongly support House Bill 300” and noted that Rendell could be an asset in encouraging undecided lawmakers to stand behind the bill. “I hope that he is able to use his considerable political skills and influence to work with those legislators in both parties who have not yet indicated their support for the legislation,” Glassman said. “The governor has been a champion for civil rights for all minorities in every political office he has ever held. We need him at this moment to stand publicly and visibly for the civil rights of the LGBT community.” Perry Monastero, executive director of LGBT grantmaking organization the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund, said he’s spoken with several community members who are anxious for the governor to express firmer support for the bill. “There’s a level of frustration on the part of folks that feel that the governor’s not done enough to advance LGBT rights in the state in the past four years,” Monastero said. “We’re looking for something in addition to his public support of the community. What people are feeling is that we need something proactive out of the governor’s office. It’s time.” Michael Hinson, interim

eHARMONY From Page 1 developed on the basis of research involving married heterosexual couples. The company has not conducted similar research on samesex couples.” Although there is no link to Compatible Partners on the main eHarmony site, users can identify themselves as a “man seeking a man” or a “woman seeking a woman” and be redirected to the Compatible Partners site. However, the sites do not accommodate bisexuals, as users of both sites must state they are seeking a “man” or a “woman,”

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS executive director of the COLOURS Inc. organization, said community members may be anxious to see Rendell take a more public stance on HB 300, but that they also have to be conscious of the political limitations the governor faces. “I think that there’s no doubt that Gov. Rendell has been on our side and is on our side on this issue,” Hinson said. “We can only hope that he’s using his great political understanding to build that support and a winning strategy for us, because that’s what he’s done in the past.” ’Dolph Ward Goldenburg, executive director of the William Way LGBT Community Center, said that while he’d like to see the governor put more pressure on lawmakers to get on board, just his endorsement of HB 300 sends an important message to the legislature. “If he had the time to lobby legislators right now, that would be great, but his commitment to sign the bill tells legislators where he stands and encourages those who are most allied with him to stand with him,” Goldenburg said. “If he has the time to really pick up the phone and call speciﬁc legislators who are on the fence, that’s fantastic. But when he comes out and says, ‘Yes, I’ll sign it,’ he’s telling the legislature and individual legislators that he hopes it gets to his desk.” Frankel noted the work of community members may be more integral than the governor’s support, as it will show the legislators that there are LGBT and ally individuals within their districts who back this legislation. “I think this issue goes beyond having somebody like the governor being aggressively supportive,” Frankel said. “What we need even more than that is the individual constituents going to their representatives and saying, ‘You need to support this bill and this is why it’s important.’” Since the bill was introduced last month, eight cosponsors have removed their names from the

bill: Republican Reps. Thomas Murt (152nd Dist.), Susan Helm (104th Dist.) and Bernie O’Neill (29th Dist.), as well as Democratic Reps. John Galloway (140th Dist.), Harry Readshaw (36th Dist.), Daniel Deasy (27th Dist.), Camille Bud George (74th Dist.) and John Hornaman (3rd Dist.). Hornaman chief of staff Joy Greco said the representative removed his name because he wanted more information on how it will affect Section 8 of the Human Relations Act, which allows the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission to recommend a multicultural educational program for schools. Greco said Hornaman “very well may still vote for the bill,” but that he just wants clarification. Frankel said his office is working on providing this information to Hornaman. Calls to the other seven lawmakers were not returned. Rep. Thomas Caltagirone (D127th Dist.) had removed himself as a cosponsor but put his name back on the bill this week. The House State Government Committee approved HB 300 in a 12-11 vote March 11. The bill was recommitted to the Appropriations Committee that day. A spokesperson for Rep. Dwight Evans (D-203rd Dist.), chairman of the Appropriations Committee and a cosponsor of HB 300, was unsure when the bill could come up for a vote, which is necessary before it heads to the full House. Fifteen of the 21 Democratic members of the committee are cosponsors of HB 300, and none of the 14 Republicans on the committee are cosponsoring the bill. Frankel said he hopes the bill can come to the floor before the legislature adjourns for the summer and that HB 300’s supporters take the time to ensure the bill has the proper support in the House. “We’d like to get it run in the spring or early summer, but we want to know that we can win a vote on the floor before we get it to that point,” he said. ■

but not either or both. McKinley, who received $5,000 from the settlement, said the segregation of the hetero- and homosexual sites was unnecessary. “It’s unfortunate that we have to have a separate site,” he said. “It’s a shame the company has to waste its resources to keep this separate; I wish it could have just been combined with the regular site.” The settlement also stipulated that the company must revamp its diversity efforts, including featuring photos and success stories of samesex couples under its Diversity tab, and must hire a media consultant familiar with outreach to gay and

lesbian consumers. eHarmony spokesperson Paul Breton said the company has retained the services of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations to enhance its ability to market the site to gay and lesbian users, and will publish testimonials from successfully matched same-sex couples once such matches have been made. “Since the site just launched, we don’t have real success couples yet,” Breton said. “As soon as we do, we’ll use their stories and show their pictures on the site.” ■

Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

PAGE 13

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Palm Sunday: 9:00am Service; 10:15am – Service of Palm – Rittenhouse Square; 11:00am Palm Distribution Maundy Thursday: Noon & 7:00pm Services Good Friday: Noon & 7:00pm - Tenebrae Service Easter: 8:00am & 11:00am Worship Services - both in Main Sanctuary -Handicapped Accessible -Nursery Available 2110 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA • 215.567.3668

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Saturday, April 11: Passover Cafe, 6:30 PM. Join us for a meal of traditional Passover foods, followed by the reading of some Passoverrelated stories. Share your own joyful and entertaining Passover memories. $15/person, payable at the door. Please reserve by April 7, 2009 by calling the BA phone, (215)923-2003. Friday, May 1: Equality Forum Shabbat Service, 8:00 PM. Guest speaker: Malcolm Lazin. Beth Ahavah and Rodeph Shalom are afﬁliated in spirit and share a sacred home.. In July 2007 Beth Ahavah afﬁliated with Rodeph Shalom. Beth Ahavah retains its congregational status within the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and proudly offers its congregation dual membership at both synagogues. Visit www.bethahavah.org for additional information, programming and directions

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PAGE 14

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

International News Harassment widespread in Europe A European Union report released on March 31 showed that lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals face widespread harassment, bullying and discrimination across Europe. The harassment and discrimination occurs “in all areas of social life,” from schools to the workplace to healthcare centers, the report by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency said. Agency director Morten Kjaerum said the investigation found gays and lesbians continue to face assault and other physical attacks due to their sexual orientation, despite EU rules meant to guarantee equality in the 27 member nations. “These are alarming signals in an EU that prides itself on its principles of equal treatment and nondiscrimination,” he said. The report said gay-pride events were being obstructed in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Romania. Meanwhile, politicians and religious leaders in Italy, Hungary, Malta, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have also rejected calls to improve the rights of gays and lesbians. Kjaerum said, according to the

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Larry Nichols

scarce data available from national authorities, “very few incidents” of assault, hate speech by public ﬁgures or verbal attacks are reported to police. He also noted that current laws meant to protect against discrimination also do not cover areas such as housing, education or healthcare. The report, which compiled studies and surveys from across Europe, said homophobic abuse is usually carried out by young men in groups, but is also persistent at work, in school or when trying to get medical care.

Lesbian mayor elected in Zurich Switzerland has elected its ﬁrst openly gay mayor. Corine Mauch, a longtime political activist and environmentalist, scored a massive victory on March 29 when she was voted to become mayor of Zurich, Switzerland’s second-largest city. Mauch was elected to city council only last month and was considered to be a long shot when she announced her candidacy to succeed outgoing mayor Elmer Ledergerber. Both are members of the centerleft Social Democrats. The 49-year-old Mauch received

nearly 42,000 votes, about 11,000 more than her only rival, Kathrin Martelli of the center-right Radicals. Throughout the campaign, Martelli attempted to use Mauch’s sexuality against her. The office of mayor in Zurich is largely ceremonial, but the fact that voters gave Mauch such an overwhelming victory is seen as a significant advancement. The timing is also significant, as Mauch will take over at the end of April, just days before gays from throughout the continent arrive in Zurich for this year’s EuroPride.

Students banned for ‘lesbian’ acts The girls’ school set up by Oprah Winfrey in South Africa has suspended seven pupils for violating the school’s code of conduct by allegedly touching each other sexually. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy School For Girls, in Henley-on-Klip, near Johannesburg in South Africa, aims to educate 450 highachieving female students a year by 2011. Winfrey’s spokesperson, Lisa See INTERNATIONAL, Page 16

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From Page 15 Halliday, conﬁrmed on March 31 that seven pupils were found to have “touched each other intimately.” It is also alleged that they were “intimidating others into partaking of inappropriate behaviors.” A letter sent to one of the suspended girls’ parents apparently read: “You have been found guilty of physical contact of a sexual nature with another pupil on campus, harassment, bullying other girls on campus and of being dishonest by not telling investigators the whole truth.” This is the second time Winfrey’s $46-million school has been at the center of an alleged sexual-misconduct case. In 2007, former school matron Virginia Tiny Makgobo faced 13 charges including indecent assault, common assault, assaulting a minor to perform an indecent act and verbal abuse of pupils, all of which she has denied. Winfrey herself is yet to comment on the recent allegations,

NEWS BRIEFING From Page 5 “We’re still working it out with the community, so we wouldn’t be inviting Pine Street residents to these meetings because we’re looking to move [the project] closer to South Philly right now,” Dahme said. If the project were to proceed

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APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

but this will most likely be a blow to the TV host and philanthropist, who has previously said of her pupils: “These girls are like my children. That’s not just rhetoric for me. I take their futures and the possibility for what their futures hold very seriously.”

Ugandan gay-rights event draws few Fewer than 20 openly gay Ugandans attended a public protest in Kampala calling for equal rights. At the protest in the capital of the east African country, lesbian activist Jacqueline Masha said, “We are law-abiding citizens. We deserve equal rights and protection under the law and constitution.” The protesters, all but one of whom were female, told of their experiences of homophobia at the hands of church ofﬁcials and ordinary Ugandans. Under Ugandan law, homosexuality is illegal and perpetrators of this “crime” can

on Pine Street, it would shut down one- to two-block sections of the road to vehicular trafﬁc for several months at a time. Pine Street residents and business owners have been mobilizing for the past several months to prevent the project from shutting down the street. Dahme said the department should make its ﬁnal decision on where it will conduct the project

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expect to face a penalty of up to seven years’ imprisonment. Activists say Uganda, with a population of 31 million, has some 500,000 gays and lesbians.

Pro-gay law passes in Serbia Lawmakers in Serbia approved a law banning discrimination against people based on sexual orientation, gender and several other factors on March 26. The bill passed 127-59, only one vote over the minimum needed to pass. The legislation was proposed to put Serbia, a conservative nation, more in line with European Union policies. In addition to sexual orientation and gender, the law bans discrimination on the basis of race, religion, health condition, mental condition, ﬁnancial status, language, age and disability. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.

by the end of this month. For more information, contact Dahme at (215) 685-6110 or Joanne.Dahme@phila.gov.

Del. group honors HIV/AIDS leaders The Delaware HIV Consortium will honor dedicated volunteers and companies during its annual awards presentation later this month. The organization will host the ﬁfth-annual WOW Awards Gala from 6-11 p.m. April 17 at the Clarion Hotel-The Belle, 1612 N. DuPont Highway in New Castle, Del. This year’s ceremony, themed “Paint the Town Red,” will bestow its 2009 Red Ribbon Awards to PhRMA, Bank of America and GlaxoSmithKline, as well as an assortment of local individuals who improve the quality of life of Delaware’s HIV/AIDS community. The event will feature food, cocktails, dancing and a silent auction. Single tickets are $125, and all proceeds beneﬁt the Delaware HIV Consortium. For more information, visit www.delawarehiv.org or call (302) 654-5471. ■ — Jen Colletta

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PGN staff offers its 2 cents on area favorites

Detour PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

A departure from the ordinary

ANNUAL

Pink Penny AWARDS

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009 PGN Staff

In 2007, The Pink Penny Awards were born. It was a prosperous time when the world was ﬂush with oil money, Internet millionaires, the lies of a corrupt political party and a booming housing market with no end in sight. The world stood up and took notice of our celebration of all things worthy and fabulous in the City of Brotherly Love and the people rejoiced. But that was a different time. It’s 2009 and the world has changed — and the Pink Penny Awards have changed with it. Now at a healthy three years of age, the Pink Penny Awards have ceased being the cute and precious child of light, rainbows and designer fashions they once were and have transitioned into a precocious, vengeful and egotistical little hellion drunk on power and juice boxes, running amok through the city as if it were their own personal Chuck E Cheese’s. It was with that mindset that we, the trusted PGN staff, racked our caffeine-stimulated brains and threw our exhausted carcasses back and forth across the city through the dark of frigid nights and merciless hordes of unwashed masses as we slaved over our categories and winners. In the process, we lost a lot of blood, friends, brain cells and innocence. And we might

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

have to self-medicate for the next month or so. But it was all worth it. And if you happen to disagree with our 2 cents, that’s OK. We’d like to see you try and do better. So sit back, shut up and take your medicine, Philly. LIVING GOODBYE (Local): Robin’s Bookstore Personally, we don’t mind places like Circuit City or Tower Records going belly-up, but when an independent store that went above and beyond the call of duty to promote all kinds of literary ﬁnds has to scale back its retail operations, it really hurts. Note we said scaled back: Robin’s Books and Moonstone Arts Center is at 110aS. 13th St., on the second ﬂoor, selling used books and hosting readings.

GOODBYE (National): Prosperity It’s funny. Living off Top Ramen, Easy Mac and peanutbutter sandwiches, shopping at Wal-Mart and collecting loose change to put gas in the car seemed so much more romantic when we were in college. It’s enough to make you bitter. Some of us are too damn old to be calling our parents for movie money. GOOD RIDDANCE (Local): Snow Thank heavens it’s ﬁnally spring. No more automotive Ice Capades on the side streets, black-slush-encrusted parking spaces and road salt all over our cars and shoes.

GOOD RIDDANCE (National): George W. Bush We’re really not all that surprised that ol’ W pimped for Big Oil, was a lap-dog for the religious right, displayed the intelligence of a sea monkey and managed to drop the ball on things like Katrina, the environment, civil liberties, etc. But we are amazed that somehow, someway, he managed to torpedo his own political party and most of the über-rich that he took a secret Illuminati blood SAY HELLO TO ROBIN’S BOOKS oath to protect. And then AND MOONSTONE ARTS CENTER the dumb SOB didn’t even All photos: Scott A. Drake have the presence of mind

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to blame it all on Cheney on his way out. BEST THING ABOUT THE RECESSION: Watching rich people bitch about their money troubles Don’t get us wrong: If you bought a million-dollar McMansion that is all of a sudden worth $250,000, we feel your pain. But every time a news report airs about the upper 10 percent not being able to afford to keep their yachts or put gas in their private jets, we have a hearty laugh and an angel gets its wings. BEST LGBT TRIUMPH: Dustin Lance Black’s acceptance speech at the Oscars It was classy, heartfelt and politically charged at the same time. Stick that in your hookah and smoke it, Bollywood! BEST SCANDAL (Local): Vincent Fumo Final Score: Fumo: 0 Federal Grand Jury: 137 You would have thought Fumo could have sidestepped at least one of those charges. BEST SCANDAL (National): Bernie Madoff How do you steal $50 billion over 20 years and not have an escape plan? It takes a level of vision and a large set of brass balls to pull something off like

that. And by now, Madoff should have been sitting in a pimped-out fortress inside a hollowed-out volcano on an uncharted island, drinking champagne and laughing maniacally while stroking a white cat wearing a diamondencrusted collar. But thankfully, the monumentally greedy crook is sitting in jail, wondering which federal prison he’ll get to die inside of while his family gets sued back into the Stone Age. BEST COMEBACK: Britney Spears Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke may have clawed their way back to the top, but they had a large reservoir of talent to draw upon for their comebacks. But Brit makes it look so easy: Grow your hair back, put on some underwear, make album and tour. Bang! Welcome back! She may not be singing live, writing her own songs or looking after her kids but, damn it, she looks good, and those alimony/child support checks to The Federline aren’t going to write themselves. BEST EXAMPLE OF PHILLY NEEDING TO STEP UP ITS GAME: SEPTA during the Phillies’ Victory Parade Last Halloween, Philadelphia, extremely high off the Phillies’ World Series victory and fresh on the heels of the impromptu moonlight street fair/near-riot that See PINK PENNY III, Page 21

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APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PINK PENNY III From Page 19 erupted after the winning game, decided to throw a victory party on Broad Street. They invited a million people. An estimated 2 million showed up and found out that Philadelphia did not make enough potato salad for this picnic. SEPTA choked mightily — which might not have been surprising if not for the fact that the city told everyone things would go much smoother if people used SEPTA that day. Now, we aren’t blaming SEPTA for stranding already-drunk people in the city for hours (we wouldn’t let them in our car either). We’re just saying don’t be surprised when you invite someone to a party and then they show up. BEST WAY TO GET AROUND PHILLY: SEPTA Without bringing up old wounds, have you tried driving in the city on a Friday night? Going 10 blocks takes 30 minutes. And then you have to ﬁnd parking. By the time we park, we are testy, hungry and late. Had we taken SEPTA, we wouldn’t have to worry about crazy cab drivers stopping in the middle of the street, the meter hikes and getting a spot close enough. BEST REASON TO COME DOWNTOWN: Avenue of the Arts

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Because $50 steaks and $100 theater tickets are the best way to forget about the ﬁnancial crunch the city is in. BEST REASON TO MOVE TO THE ’BURBS: Parking Philly’s Parking Authority is so ruthless, relentless and badass that it has its own TV show on A&E called “Evil Bureaucratic Wageslaves Who Spread Street-level Misery to other Wageslaves.” Actually, the show is called “Parking Wars,” but you get the point. What other show would have you rooting for the guy who’s trying to foil an effort to put a boot on his prized 1986 Cutlass Supreme? BEST CONDO: Western Union, 1111 Locust St.; (215) 928-9100, www. westernunionbuilding.com

You can actually hear the theme to “The Jeffersons” playing inside your head when you walk into this modern but classy condo complex. But we’re just visiting. So when we leave and hear the theme from “Good Times” play in our heads, we get a little teary-eyed. BEST VIEW: Ben Franklin Bridge Usually, when you drive over the Ben Franklin, you pay no mind to the view. You are too busy worrying about the jerk in the next lane trying to change lanes without signaling. But

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traverse it on foot (or two wheels) on a clear morning and you can soak in the visual glory of Center City and the Delaware. Who knew the city could look this good? BEST POLITICIAN (Local): Gov. Ed Rendell Don’t let it go to your head, Ed. In this instance, we are using “politician” as a “person experienced in the art or science of government” (www.m-w.com). As in, one who plays the game of politics. While we appreciate what the governor has done for the community in the past, we think it’s time he uses his politicking skills and political capital to further the statewide nondiscrimination bill. What do you have to lose, Governor? BEST POLITICIAN (National): Barack Obama His kung fu is better than yours. Plus, do you think any other politician would have given a shout-out to the gays in his or her election-victory speech? BEST CELEBRITY ‘WHAT THE F%&K!’ MOMENT: Chris Brown/Rihanna Ladies! You almost had a woman running the country last year (one step forward). Now a major pop star is getting beat down on the streets of Hollywood on Grammy weekend (two steps back). Please, get your shit

KIMMEL CENTER

together. Hold an emergency feminist meeting and get Rihanna a new boyfriend. And while you’re at it, please have a word with whomever the hell is signing up for shows like “Flavor of Love,” “Rock of Love” and “The Bachelor.” BEST GAY CAMPUS HANGOUT: The LGBT Center at Penn The longstanding LGBT Center is almost good enough to make us want to go back to school. But then again, what would we do with better degrees, higherpaying jobs and a more focused sense of purpose? DINING, BARS & CLUBS BEST BRUNCH: Valanni, 1229

Spruce St.; (215) 790-9494

Ah ... brunch. An event that combines the most important meal of the day with alcoholic beverages. Valanni elevates brunch far beyond the standard ho-hum egg dishes, mufﬁns and mimosas most places offer and jazzes it up with the likes of lemon ricotta pancakes, poached eggs with lump crab, Kobe beef burgers and Brazilian pop. It makes us not want to sleep through Sunday. BEST CHEESESTEAK: Tony Luke Jr.’s, 118 S. 18th St.; (215) 568-4630

The area’s hellish trafﬁc is worth it for the non-greasy slab of arterial roulette that is Philly’s See PINK PENNY III, Page 22

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PINK PENNY III From Page 21 signature sandwich. You never have to worry about the meat eating through the bread like alien blood and the toppings are the freshest around. The sides are especially superior as well. Don’t even try to cut in front of us in line. BEST SUSHI: Haru’s Rainbow Roll, 241-243 Chestnut St.; (215) 861-8990

Even though we like to get adventurous with our sushi eating and go for the more exoticsounding fare on the menu, we kind of have to try the rainbow roll wherever we ﬁnd it (for obvious reasons). We’re pretty jaded by them as a whole, so we were shocked when Haru’s tasty offering knocked us off our chairs. Their menagerie of fresh ﬁsh has us hooked. We might have to check into rehab to stop eating them.

TONY LUKE JR.’S CHEESESTEAK WIT

helping of chips and salsa soak up the tequila quite nicely. BEST THAI: Café de Laos,

1117 S. 11th St.; (215) 467-1546

We are often prone to a debilitating jones for Thai food here at the ofﬁces of PGN. And

HARU’S SUMMER AND RAINBOW ROLLS

BEST TAPAS: Amada, 217-219 Chestnut St.; (215) 625-2450

The menu can be a little pricey, but damn, it’s worth it! Amada is the type of place where you want to have a party of at least four people at your table because, with all the sumptuous items offered, you’re going to want to hit every corner of the menu (snaking a bite from sharing with your companions, of course), from the lamb meatballs to the grilled baby squid. Bring a healthy appetite. BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT: Pico de Gallo, 1501 South St.; (215) 772-3003

There’s something about Pico’s quaint and somewhat cramped conﬁnes that keeps us coming back. Oh, right. It’s the margaritas. We love them. So much so that we have to eat there just to stave off brain freeze and alcohol poisoning. The delectable shrimp quesadilla and a healthy

for our hard-earned dollars, Café de Laos is the place to go for reasonably priced bundles of aggressively spicy Thai goodness. If you like your food on the bland side of the spectrum, you might want to sit this one out. BEST NEW (TO US) ETHNIC THAT WE ARE NOW OBSESSED WITH: Banana Leaf, 1009 Arch St.; (215) 5928288

We’re really angry with ourselves that we didn’t ﬁnd this place sooner. All this time we’ve been eating $5 foot-longs when we could have been bombarding our taste buds with the spicy Malaysian and Japanese fare that Banana Leaf prepares quite masterfully every day. Ugh ... We hate ourselves so much. BEST NEW STEAKHOUSE: Union Trust Steakhouse, 717 Chestnut St.; (215) 925-6000

This is proof that God is a

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

carnivore. And this is our new church. And, like church, Union Trust requires respectable attire and a decent amount of ﬁscal ﬂuidity (read: money). But, sticker shock be damned, any place where you can select steak and oysters based on their pedigree is too fussy not to be the most decadent eating experience you can have. If anyone is lucky enough to land one of the restaurant’s very-exclusive Vertical Steak Tastings, let us know how it is.

If we could make crème-brûlé lattes in our home ofﬁces, we’d never leave the house during daylight hours. Fortunately, Mugshots has that and more in its coffee-shop arsenal to draw us out of hiding yet keep us productive. Besides that, Mugshots serves up fair-trade coffee, supports local farms and recycles nigh on everything. Take that, Starbucks.

BEST PLACE TO CARBRELOAD AFTER A RUN: Marathon Grill, various

If you ﬁnd a better martini in the city, you call us. Really, we mean it. We’re probably going to argue with you about it and say some things we really don’t mean about you and your family. But if you really, seriously think you have found a better martini in the city, let us know and we will drink one or a half-dozen of them and then call you drunk in the middle of the night, yelling

locations; www.marathongrill.com

Sometimes we are so spent after a weekend workout that we barely have the strength to go home and open a can of soup. So we drain our last energy reserves to crawl into the Marathon Grill, haul our strained and sore bodies onto a chair and croak out an order for a hearty wholewheat wafﬂe with walnuts and bananas. When we’re done, we have enough energy to make it through the rest of the day and, amazingly, commit ourselves to run a few more miles next week. BEST REASON TO VISIT REHOBOTH BEACH: Seafood Shack, 42 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.; (302) 2275881

We know most people go to the beach for, well, the beach. But after you’ve put your toes in the frigid water, the Seafood Shack is the place to go. No-nonsense food, drink and entertainment are always on the menu and the service is always satisfying. BEST PLACE TO WI-FI IN THE GAYBORHOOD: Joe Coffee, 1100 Walnut St.; (215) 592-7384

It’s unfortunate that Starbucks has a chokehold on our collective wallet. Especially when there are great independent coffee shops like Joe Coffee serving up fairtrade brews with a conscience. Besides, Joe Coffee hosts an LGBT game night every second Tuesday of the month. When was the last time you played a good game of Scrabble? Like, really good, where you laid down a word like “quiz” on a triple-word score for 66 points? Just asking. BEST PLACE TO WIFI OUTSIDE THE GAYBORHOOD: Mugshots Coffee House and Café, 2100

Fairmount Ave.; (267) 514-7145

PAGE 23

place. But that’s how we roll. We hang out with presidents. Don’t mess with us! (Oh, what, we weren’t supposed to try them out before writing this?)

night, the suit is back on a hanger and we’re back to dollar drafts and wing specials.

BEST BEER: Founder’s Breakfast Stout at Monk’s, 264

545-4511

S. 16th St.; (215) 545-7005

Beer and coffee and chocolate? For real? Did Willy Wonka crawl inside our heads and decide to go into the adult-beverage industry? How else could Monk’s defend the tasty Founder’s Breakfast Stout? You can do what you want to do, but some of us could drink this tasty brew until we’re drunk enough to see oompa loompas.

BEST MARTINI: Mexican peach martini at Bump, 1234 Locust St.; (215) 732-1800

BUMP’S MEXICAN PEACH MARTINI

because you were either right or wrong about it being the best martini, but we’re still pissed at you for doubting us in the ﬁrst

BEST UPSCALE BAR: XIX Nineteen, Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue, 200 S. Broad St., 19th ﬂoor; (215) 790-1919

Because sometimes we like to take our friends out for a drink and make them think we’re better off than we actually are. The next

BEST DIVE BAR: Bob & Barbara’s, 1509 South St.; (215) This place is a John Waters movie waiting to happen. With its cheap thrills and its even cheaper drink prices, Bob & Barbara’s is the kind of unapologetic downand-dirty watering hole that we hope never goes out of style in this world chock full of singlesyllable-named bars with the fufu drinks and all the rough edges sanded down to a dull shine. BEST DIVE BAR (TAKING A STAB AT A RECOVERY): Sal’s on 12th, 200 S. 12th St.; (215) 731-9930

Overheard somewhere: “If the movie ‘Roadhouse’ was set in Philadelphia ... ” See PINK PENNY III, Page 24

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 24

excellent DJs or its proximity to Rittenhouse Square, but there’s something about Stir that makes still being in a bar at 1:45 a.m., trying to make something, anything, happen through a martini-goggle haze seem less pathetic than it normally is.

PINK PENNY III From Page 23 BEST BARTENDER: Tony at Uncles, 1220 Locust St.; (215) 546-6600

Overheard on numerous occasions: “He’s adorable.” But aside from that, he is about as friendly and attentive as you can get for someone who has to spend his nights dealing with drunks.

BEST PLACE TO BE IN BETWEEN HAPPY HOUR AND LAST CALL: Sisters,

1320 Chancellor St.; (215) 7350735

BEST HAPPY HOUR: Triumph Brewing Company,

117 Chestnut St.; (215) 625-0855

When you need to unwind, there are few places that can compete with Triumph Brewing Company’s modern but laidback décor, tasty selection of beers (we often can’t decide between the Gothic Ale and the Coffee and Cream Stout) and penchant for hosting live music and DJs. BEST PLACE TO BE

TONY AT UNCLES

DURING LAST CALL: Stir,

1705 Chancellor St.; (215) 7352900

Maybe it’s the décor, the

It’s easy to win us over at happy hour because we just left work and, by last call, we like any place with beer on tap that isn’t playing Nickelback or T.I. It’s the space in between that makes a club worthwhile. Night after night, whether we’re kicking back to catch a game on a big screen, screeching out a Pink song on Karaoke Night or shaking our asses on the dance ﬂoor, the good people at Sisters make us glad we decided

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

not to stay home. And if that’s not enough entertainment, we can always count on peoplewatching. BEST PLACE FOR A FIRST DATE: Tavern on Camac, 243 S. Camac St.; (215) 545-0900

Tucked away on tiny Camac Street, TOC has lots to offer in a relatively small space. You can have an intimate dinner downstairs at The Underground, soak in the music at the piano bar or dance at the upstairs club bar. With all of these options, you’re covered if you want to hear what your date has to say — or completely avoid all conversation. BEST PLACE TO FIND A SUGAR DADDY: Knock, 225 S. 12th St.; (215) 925-1166

Dancing shirtless in a cage on a smoke-ﬁlled dance ﬂoor might be good at netting you a free drink, and maybe dinner or breakfast,

but you have to class it up a bit if you want that student loan paid off. BEST FUNDRAISING BAR: The Bike Stop, 206 S. Quince St.; (215) 627-1662

Don’t let all the leather, beer and bears fool you. Recently, it seems that every other charity event is at The Bike Stop. We know that can’t really be the case, but kudos to them for hosting events for worthy causes. BEST PLACE TO ROCK YOUR I. GOLDBERG ENSEMBLE WHILE YOU WAIT FOR THE REPEAL OF DADT: 12th Air Command, 254 S. 12th St.; (215) 545-8088

A tour of duty at 12th Air deﬁnitely won’t put you through college, but you might be able to earn an honorable discharge. BEST CLUB WITH THEME NIGHTS: Paradise, 101 Asbury

Ave., Asbury Park, N.J.; (732) 9886663

For true connoisseurs of decadence, you can’t beat Paradise. From the countrywestern and Latin motifs to toga parties and armed-forces nights, Paradise has a lock on the kind of events that attract partygoers from all over the region. BEST SPORTS BAR: Westbury Bar & Restaurant, 261 S. 13th St.; (215) 546-5170

The Phillies’ victory and the Eagles’ playoff run got most of us all ﬁred up. But if you don’t want to leave the Gayborhood to get your athletic freak on, you can’t do any better than the cozy, sporty atmosphere of the Westbury. BEST DJ: DJ Zathan, www. myspace.com/djzathan

If DJ Zathan isn’t rocking the house with his progressive library of dance music at Stir or some other area club, he’s remixing or producing his own releases that ﬁnd him combining classic dance grooves with cutting-edge beats. ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES BEST ART GALLERY: The Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St.; (215) 925-3453

The Clay Studio consistently does an excellent job of scouring the country for artists who make even the most mundane material extraordinary with eye-catching, three-dimensional works of art. And for those who want to learn the craft, the studio also offers

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

BEST SINGER/ SONGWRITER (Femaleidentiﬁed): Steph Hayes; www. myspace.com/thegoodproblems

The hardest-working singersongwriter in Philadelphia is always busy and entertaining, whether she’s performing solo or rocking out with The Good Problems or one of her many, many side projects. We feel lazy just watching her work. BEST REASON TO VISIT A.C.: The Borgata, One Borgata Way, the big, sleek-looking purple and black building on the left

If it weren’t for the Borgata, we wouldn’t even bother getting on the Atlantic City Expressway. DJ ZATHAN Situated just far enough away from the core neon supernova ceramic classes year-round that is downtown Atlantic and LGBT date nights, though City, The Borgata has the best probably more than a few people entertainment and atmosphere attend because of the potteryone could hope for from a town wheel scene from the movie that exists only to empty your “Ghost.” soul and your wallet. BEST LGBT SPORTS TEAM/ BEST REASON TO VISIT EYE CANDY: The Fins WILMINGTON: The Dupont Aquatic Club Theatre, 1007 N. Market St., Thanks to Michael Phelps, 2008 was the year of the Wilmington, Del.; (302) 656-4401 swimmer. And, as far as we’re It must suck to be Wilmington. concerned, the Fins can smoke Why? Because you will never, all they want. We’ll still cheer ever in your lifetime hear for them. Besides, the way this Christina Aguilera, Metallica, country is going, people who Jay-Z or Bono in front of a look good hairless and soakingscreaming audience saying, “Are wet in a Speedo will soon be an you ready to rock, Wilmington?”

THE FINS AQUATICS CLUB

endangered species. BEST SINGER/ SONGWRITER (Maleidentiﬁed): Aiden James; www. aidenjamesmusic.com

James’ blue-collar work ethic, along with his songs blending folk, rock and country inﬂuences, won us over. There’s a level of moody, experimental brilliance on his latest album, “On The Run,” that you just don’t easily ﬁnd in other artists at this level. Keep an eye on this one.

But you can catch Patti Lupone, Ruben Studdard and some of the best Broadway shows around. And the reason you can see them in that fair city is because of the DuPont Theater. BEST REASON TO VISIT CAPE MAY: It’s not the rest of the Jersey Shore For the most part, the Jersey Shore resembles and embodies every overwrought Springsteen/ Bon Jovi song you’ve ever heard. Who needs all that drama?

Cape May is a tranquil oasis by comparison ... well, once you ﬁght your way through trafﬁc to get there. BEST CABARET: L’Etage,

Thursday nights, 624 S. Sixth St.; (215) 215-0656

Between the crèpes and the camp atmosphere, there is no other place in the city we’d

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most like to get our saucy and sexy groove on than L’Etage. Actually, you can show up any night (except Mondays) and have a good time. But if you can only go one night a week, make it a Thursday. BEST DISPLAY OF GRRL POWER: Lesbians of Laughter Tour; www.theloltour.com

There aren’t enough female comedians out there. So when we see a group of women who make people laugh — especially when they aren’t talking about kids (boring) — we take notice. Make sure you catch Lisa Kaplan, Jackie Monanhan, Deborah Eisner and Jules Riley at their See PINK PENNY III, Page 26

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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PINK PENNY III From Page 25 next area show and get your tickets early: The last few shows sold out. BEST FESTIVAL: Outfest; second Sunday in October in the heart of the Gayborhood; www. phillypride.org

Where else can you get all the fun and pageantry of Philly Pride with half of the sweat? BEST NEWLY OUT CELEBRITY: Wanda Sykes We love Wanda because she is outrageously funny and smart to begin with. But then she upped the ante by coming out for all the right reasons: righteous anger.

It’s OK if you want to come out because you had a kid with a surrogate and decided to stop BSing the public, or you want to hang out with your new girlfriend at Spago. But nothing beats an angry lesbian kicking the hinges off her closet door to spit hot ﬁre over the passing of Proposition 8. BEST GAY MOVIE: “Milk”

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

There really was no better movie last year, but somehow the Oscar judges were more enamored with visions of dancing Indian orphans than with real-life struggles for equality. Fortunately, the performances both in front of and behind the camera were so damn good that “Milk” couldn’t be completely shut-out.

BEST MAINSTREAM MOVIE: “Wall-E” Forget that this was marketed as a kid ﬂick. No other movie was as equally and perfectly dark, funny, poignant, entertaining and somehow socially relevant last year than “Wall-E.” The story of a lonely robot on a trashed future earth who winds up saving humanity from itself was the only other movie last year that was as universally praised (and given the short end of the stick at awards time) as “Milk.” BEST MOVIE THEATER: The Ritz Landmark Theatres, various locations; www. landmarktheatres.com

BEST OF THE BUNCHES: PHAG, I. GOLDBERG AND GIOVANNI’S ROOM

OK, we know that Ritz theaters were bought by Landmark. We don’t care. They still reward our undying affection with a steady ﬂow of independent and arthouse ﬁlms far superior to the blockbuster popcorn fare usually foisted upon us. BEST BOOKSTORE: Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; (215) 923-0813

The independent gay bookstore is a dying breed. We don’t think our beloved Giovanni’s is going anywhere, but the city’s plan to tear up the street probably won’t help things. So, just to be safe, catch one of its many readings and buy a bunch of stuff while you’re there. Go, go, go. Spend, spend, spend. BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE: TLA, 334 South St.; (215) 922-

1011

There are many venues in Philly with an impressive lineup of shows and loud sound systems, but TLA wins for being all of those things and a comfortable place to see a show. And we do mean “see.” There’s not a bad piece of real estate in the house, whether you are pressed up against the stage or belly up to one of the bars. BEST CD/RECORD STORE: Long in the Tooth, 2027 Sansom St.; (215) 569-1994

There are some experiences you can’t get on iTunes. This used-and-new-CD store has a funky yet selective collection of vinyl records, used books and DVDs to keep you sifting through its inventory for pop-culture treasures. SHOPPING & SERVICES BEST SHOE STORE: Benjamin Lovell Shoes,

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

makes everything from the fullarm sleeve to a “tramp stamp” look like it should be hanging in an art gallery ... or airbrushed on the side of a van. Whatever your tastes dictate. BEST REASON ETTORÉ IN HIS NAMESAKE TO LAUGH: Helium Comedy various locations; www. Club, 2031 benjaminlovellshoes.com

We have a small weakness for shoes. But, as we grow in age and wisdom, we ﬁnd we have less tolerance for “movie shoes” — the kind that are so cute but hurt your feet so much that you can only wear them to the movies. That’s where Benjamin Lovell comes to the rescue. We can ﬁnd shoes that satisfy our fashionista cravings without killing our feet. BEST SPA TREATMENT: Ettoré Salon and Spa, 1201 Market St.; (215) 928-9010

When you have to get wrapped, waxed, hot-stoned and coiffed, go to Ettoré. Personally, we prefer the sport massage, but you really can’t go wrong with any of the treatments, even if you go cheap and get the $30 chair massage. But shame on you if you do. You could have gotten that at the mall. BEST HAIR STYLIST: Nadia at Paradis, 1822 Chestnut St.; (215) 988-1720

No matter how undone our dos are (and we have rolled into Paradis with some train wrecks), we can rest assured that Nadia will have us looking like a million dollars with her follicular wizardry, no matter how unrealistic our expectations are. BEST PLACE TO GET INK: Tattoo Eddie’s, 621 S. Fourth St.; (215) 922-7384

If you’ve got the mundane patch of skin, Eddie’s will hook you up with stinging, yet gratifying, graphic hotness that

Sansom St.; (215) 496-9001

The city really should have a larger comedy-club scene than it has. But Helium is doing such a damn good job of bringing in the funniest touring comedians from television and the movies, you really can’t blame someone for not wanting to try and compete with them. BEST NIGHT OUT: Karaoke Gong Show & Rock Band Shred-a-Thon at the Balcony Bar at The Trocadero, 1003 Arch St.; (215) 922-5483

Every karaoke night should have a freakin’ gong — even if the whole night ends up like a really bad kung-fu movie in the process. Don’t just stand up there holding the mic and singing in monotone. Give us a show or you are gone. And if you haven’t played Rock Band yet, get off your ass and do it. When you strap on one of those fake instruments, you’re going to feel like a member of Queen rocking a stadium. BEST GYM: Bellevue Sporting Club, 224 S. Broad St.; (215) 9859876

We have ADD at the gym, so we need more than treadmills and free weights to keep us interested. And sometimes — oh, say, after a breakup — we need a change of pace from 12th Street. Lucky for us, there’s the Bellevue. You don’t stay in the ﬁtness business for 30 years without some serious See PINK PENNY III, Page 28

The King’s Collar Custom Shirtmakers Ardmore, PA 19003 Phone: 610-642-9910 • Fax: 610-642-9909 Email: nancy@Kingscollar.com By appointment only “With hundreds of shirts in just your size, isn’t it time YOU considered Custom Made?”

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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into a better you. Yoga Sutra has it all: a relaxing atmosphere and awesome instructors to inspire beginners and experienced students alike.

PINK PENNY III From Page 27 athletic mojo going on. This topnotch facility offers everything you could possibly need to whip yourself into shape, from boxing and Pilates to swimming and racquetball.

BEST PERSONAL TRAINER: Liz Sherman at SWEAT, 1425 Arch St.; www.sweatﬁtness.com

All this eating and drinking in preparation for the Pink Penny Awards leaves us a little thick in places like Hansel and Gretel with hangovers. Luckily, Liz is there for us at Sweat with her tough-exercise love to whip us back into shape ... or whatever form we were in before this nightmare started.

BEST YOGA STUDIO: Yoga Sutra, 1401 Walnut St., second ﬂoor; (215) 640-0909

You know you’ve found the right yoga studio when you’re too spent and at peace (or, in our case, cramped and sore) to look for anyplace else to get stretched, twisted and molded

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BEST PLACE TO LEARN SELF-DEFENSE: Philly Roller Girls Most martial-arts schools teach you basic robotic motions and, eventually, you’ll work your way up to some John Woo action moves. But this is Philadelphia, and most people who wish you harm aren’t going to wait for you to earn your black belt. Life comes at you fast, much like the wheeled opponents you see at the Philly Roller Girls’ brutally entertaining throw-downs. So why not take notes on how to throw an elbow or a punch just right — because we doubt there’s a mugger out there more dangerous than an angry, frothing roller-harpy on skate. BEST HOTEL: The Independent Hotel, 1234 Locust St.; (215) 722-1440

We like to get pampered when we can afford it. But with some of the luxury hotels boasting 100-plus rooms, it’s a little difﬁcult to feel special. Thankfully, the Independent Hotel has only 24 rooms, so you can feel fully entrenched in the lap of luxury as the hotel doles out its considerable charm and top-notch service. BEST PLACE TO GET CAR REPAIRS: 11th Street Auto,

820-22 S. 11th St.; (215) 928-

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APRIL 3 - 9, 2009 0376

The only thing harder to ﬁnd that a politician you trust is ﬁnding a mechanic you trust. The good people at 11th Street Auto win over customers every day with their expert automotive skills, friendly demeanor and ability to make you feel like you’re in good hands every step of the way. BEST BIKE SHOP: Bicycle Therapy, 2211 South St.; (215) 235-7849

Admit it: There was at least a hot minute last year when we all thought, “To hell with the skyrocketing gas prices, I’m kicking it Fred Flintstone-style and buying a bike.” Well, it’s still a good idea, at least during spring and summer. But a lot of us haven’t ridden or bought a bike since we rocked a Huffy to and from the playground. And since we’re a bit smarter now and don’t want to trust 25 pounds of metal and moving parts sitting between our legs to the technical expertise of a mall department store, we have to seek out the best. No other bike store in Philly will have you ready to pedal through the

BICYCLE THERAPY

streets like Lance Armstrong quicker than Bicycle Therapy. BEST REASON TO GIVE TO CHARITY: Goodwill, various locations; www.goodwill.org

We know that we have too much stuff. We buy new clothes, books, shoes and other things we just have to have without a thought to where the hell we are going to put them. So, here’s an idea: If we can’t seem to accomplish the “reduce” concept of “reduce, reuse, recycle,” perhaps we can master the reuse/recycle part. Best of all, when we make a tax-deductible donation, we can pick up a few (new-to-us) things without breaking the bank. BEST MODERN HOME DÉCOR: Bo Concept, 1719 Chestnut St.; (215) 564-5656

As much as we love to deck out our living quarters with IKEA and Target furniture like

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

we are still in college, we would burn both of those stores to the ground and dance happily around their ashes if we could shop at this ultra-chic furniture venue every day. And, best of all, they have consultants to help you get your design groove on. BEST PLACE TO GO TO SPRUCE UP THE HOMESTEAD: PHAG Shop,

1225 Walnut St.; (215) 627-0461

Every now and again we need to update our home accessories. Fortunately, PHAG has a selection of home décor that lets you get your place looking sharp without having to go all Zsa Zsa in the process. BEST PLACE TO GO ON A BUDGET: AIDS Thrift, 514 Bainbridge St.; (215) 922-3186

The only thing better than second-hand discount fashion freshness is having the proceeds go to local organizations involved in the ﬁght against HIV/AIDS. Shop away! BEST PLACE TO GET ALL CULTURED ’N’ STUFF: The Kimmel Center, 260 S.

Broad St.; (215) 790-5800; www. kimmelcenter.org

When you’ve got the best of Broadway, classical music, concerts and dance performances in the same complex, why would you dress up for anything else? The Kimmel Center is always hosting some form of breathtaking, show-stopping entertainment to keep us enthralled.

BEST PLACE TO ADOPT A PET: Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), 100 N. Second St.; (215) 238-9901

Animals feel recessions too, you know. Come on, we’re all suckers for doe-eyed creatures in need of a home. If you are so inclined, head to PAWS. The no-kill shelter ﬁnds homes for thousands of animals each year, so hurry up and pick up a cute bundle of co-dependency. BEST PLACE TO UPDATE YOUR WARDROBE: South Moon Under, 1731 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-2298

Whether your look is glam or garage rock, get yourself looking good and somewhat edgy, if you so please, with South Moon Under’s wide selection of non-threatening hipster wear.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

BEST PHILLY-RELATED PIECE OF CLOTHING: West Philly onesie at VIX Emporium, 5009 Baltimore Ave.; (215) 471-7700

Let the world know your newborn is representing the strength of street knowledge with this must-have urban babywear. Additional bling not included. BEST PLACE TO DRESS LIKE A SOLDIER WITHOUT HAVING TO ASK OR TELL: I. Goldberg Army & Navy Store, 1300 Chestnut St.; (215) 925-9393

When DADT ﬁnally eats it this year (yeah, we know ... we’re being optimistic that Team Obama is going to do right by us so soon), there are going to be military-themed bar nights and tons of our newly liberated brothers and sisters running around looking to ask, tell and all the things that come

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between. So you might as well head down to I. Goldberg and get suited up for when Johnny and Jenny come marching home for a patriotic debrieﬁng. BEST PLACE TO FEEL LIKE A SKANKY WHORE (IN A GOOD WAY): The Pleasure Chest, 2039 Walnut St.; (215) 561-7480

With the relative mainstreaming of sex toys and lingerie, we tend to forget the days when the purchase of erotic paraphernalia felt like a naughty, clandestine transaction ripped from the pages of a spy novel. The Pleasure Chest remembers. With its underground bunkerlike location and the need for a secret knock to gain entry (OK, we’re kidding about the secret knock), The Pleasure Chest is by far the naughtiest-feeling place to prepare for your carnal exploits. Shame on you!

PGN

News for your lifestyle.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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Ms. Behavior

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

Meryl Cohn

Coming clean about dating ex’s friend relationship three months ago, he was devastated. We’ve seen each other a few times since, and were at least heading toward friendship — until a few weeks ago, when he introduced me to one of his friends. Oops. Our attraction was immediate, and though we behaved in front of my ex, we started seeing each other, taking things slowly in deference to my ex. (More at the friend’s insistence than mine, I admit.) We wanted to “come out” to my ex gently and gradually, but it didn’t happen the way we intended. When my ex found out about us, and that I had fabricated some details about my plans and whereabouts, he ended our

friendship and has ceased all contact with me. The friend, in order to salvage their relationship, has decided we shouldn’t be in touch for now, so I don’t at this point know where things stand with him, or them. I realize I’m asking for advice in a near-vacuum, but here goes: What does one owe one’s ex? Considering the length and casual nature of our relationship, and how long we’d been apart, at what point would it have been reasonable to start dating his friend? Is there a proper waiting period? How could the friend and I have been more careful, more considerate of my ex, given the magnitude of our attraction? (And given the fact there aren’t that many eligible men in our mid-sized city.) When is it OK to lie? Is kindness sometimes better than truth? — Flummoxed Dear Flummoxed: You and “the friend” magically lulled yourself into believing that you were sparing your ex’s feelings by keeping your relationship secret. But actually, your decision not to tell him was more selfish than kind; you didn’t want

to deal with your ex’s feelings, and your lie allowed you to avoid conflict with him. Also, keeping the secret from your ex served to fuel the erotic tension between you and the friend. Ms. Behavior hears your objections from afar: “No,” you squeal. “We didn’t want to hurt him, and anyway, the sex would have been hot even if it weren’t secret.” But sneaking and lying do serve to “up” the sexual ante. You made up stories about where you were and what you were doing to “protect” your ex, but in essence, the risk that he might discover the truth fertilized your passion. What one owes one’s ex is nothing more than respect. Your assumption that your ex might be upset by your attraction to his friend is probably right. But the idea that he could not handle the truth and therefore should be kept in the dark is probably just a self-serving wish, i.e., “He’ll never get over me, so it’s more generous to lie.” How long to wait before dating an ex’s friend depends, of course, on both the number of eligible men in your city and the length of your ex’s penis. Oh,

wait: That’s not right. It doesn’t actually make sense to specify a period of time. It depends on so many factors, including your ex’s emotional state, whether you travel in the same social circles, whether or not he’s still burning candles for you (and, of course, whether or not he had someone else’s johnson in his mouth when you broke up with him). If you’re attempting to be friends with an ex, don’t date his friend until you can be honest about it. This doesn’t mean you have to call your ex and make a big announcement right away. But it does mean you shouldn’t tell him you’re going out alone for a facial and a pedicure when you’re really going out for sushi and frottage with his friend. As for your final question, “When is kindness better than truth?” the answer is rather simple: only when you’re truly sparing someone (other than yourself) pain. Oh, but there’s an important part of this that most people seem to miss: We’re not talking about short-term pain, like being told an uncomfortable truth. We’re talking about the deeper pain of knowing someone doesn’t respect you, or is treating you like a fool. ■ Meryl Cohn is the author of “‘Do What I Say’: Ms. Behavior’s Guide to Gay and Lesbian Etiquette” (Houghton Mifﬂin). E-mail her at MsBehavior@aol.com or visit www.msbehavior.com.

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Dear Ms. Behavior: For the first time in my 45 years, I’ve been having major drama. I’ve looked at my own actions, and those of the other parties, to figure out right, wrong, etc., but it’s hard to be objective. Here’s a small bit of background: I dated a guy for several months in 2008, during which he repeatedly made it clear we were not in it for the long haul. (For instance, we never even used the word “boyfriend.”) But when I ended our

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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Professional Portraits Jeffrey C. Sotland must have a heck of a time deciding what to wear each day. As a first baseman and commissioner of the City of Brotherly Love Softball League, does he pull out his baseball cap? Or does he don an apron as the co-owner of new University City restaurant Mikey’s American Grill & Sports Bar? Does he pull out a cowboy hat from his former days as a member of the Liberty Gay Rodeo Association, or is it a three-piece suit for his duties as a partner at the law firm of Mintzer, Sarowitz, Zeris, Ledva & Meyers, LLP? Or perhaps something historical for his job as a board member of the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus? When PGN spoke with Sotland, it was just a simple button-down shirt. PGN: Among other things, you are the tourist guy. Where are you from? JS: Newburgh, N.Y., until I went away to college when I was 18. I went to a small liberalarts school in southern Illinois, Blackburn College. I majored in political science and minored in economics. We only had about 450 students, so it was very intimate. I was one of only three Jewish students at school my first year and, when I graduated, I was the only Jewish student. I lived with students who had relatives who were members of

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

Suzi Nash

the KKK and to them, it was a badge of honor, something to be proud of. But for me, it was one of the reasons I left New York — to be around people who lived and thought differently. It was funny: I didn’t face any outright discrimination, but people would make comments that they didn’t realize were derogatory. They were just terms that they were used to using and, in their ignorance of the world, didn’t know any better. They had more issues with black students coming in from Chicago and there were some interesting dynamics that came out of those clashes. I was the co-editor of the school newspaper and we wrote some articles about the events — it could be intense. Then I came back east to go to Dickinson School of law in Carlisle, Pa. For some reason, I thought Harrisburg would be an exciting place to be. It was not! I did a year of general practice at a firm there and then I got a job opportunity that would put me in Philadelphia for six months on my way to Pittsburgh. I never made it to Pittsburgh. I’m still with that same firm: There were about 12 people when I started and now we have about 65. PGN: What type of law do you practice? JS: It’s all litigation, mostly insurance defense work. I work a

lot with the auto industry. PGN: What’s an exciting case you’ve had to work on? JS: I do property damage, building collapses and fires, that sort of thing. Non-personal injury such as architectural malpractice and engineering malpractice. I worked on Pat Croce’s case when he had the motorcycle accident and nearly severed his leg. His best friend accidentally hit him in a freak accident. His insurance company filed for his injuries and there were a lot of interesting things we had to deal with. He was an interesting guy and is just who he appears to be. It’s the people that you meet along the way, rather than the cases that you take, that make it interesting. PGN: So how have you ended up in the restaurant business? JS: Years and years ago my father opened up a small hamburger joint called Hamburger Choo-Choo. He also went into insurance and then, about the time I was born, he moved to Newburgh and opened a catering business with a business partner. They were the only Kosher caterers in the tri-county area, so they did every bar and bat mitzvah and Jewish wedding for years. He originally wanted to go to law school, but I was a bit

JEFFREY SOTLAND Photo: Suzi Nash

of a surprise baby, so he never went. All of us kids worked for the catering company. My brother Steven went to school for accounting and then switched to culinary school. When I came back from Illinois, I stayed far away from the family business. My brother continued and was very successful. About a

year ago, we decided to open something up in this area and, believe it or not, we were just looking for a small neighborhood bar with no food component. Somehow we ended up with this — a 120-seat restaurant with a full menu. PGN: What made you decide to go in on it? JS: We felt it was a place that was missing its mark. It was located basically on a college campus and yet not catering to students. We opened in October of last year. PGN: What was the opening like? JS: It was crazy. We opened during the end of the World Series. Our first night was the first half of the last game that got rained out, our second night was the last night of the World Series and our third night open was the night of the parade. After the parade, everyone came up Chestnut Street on their way back to University City and came in here for drinks. You couldn’t be in business for a year and be expected to handle that kind of business and it was our first week. PGN: Who is the sports enthusiast? JS: We both are. But it was

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

more about getting the proper atmosphere for the demographic we were catering to than any personal likes on our part. During the day, we have all administrators and teachers, but come 5 o’clock, it’s all students. PGN: Were you athletic as a kid? JS: No. I didn’t play any organized sports really until I came to Philadelphia and joined the City of Brotherly Love Softball League. I played on some pickup teams but nothing serious. I was probably more bookish, though I was an underachiever for many years. PGN: How did you get involved in the league? JS: I had some friends in the league and I was just coming out, so I thought it would be a good way to meet people. I liked the fact that it was something social that was different than going to a bar. I’ve been playing for nine years. I play first base. PGN: A highlight of your baseball career? JS: Last year in Seattle, we played 13 games in five days and finished second in the country in our division at the NAGAAA [North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association] World Series. We’re hoping to do even better at the World Series in Milwaukee this year. It’s amazing: We went from running a softball league with 24 teams to now having a budget of over $100,000, 32 teams and hosting a tournament with teams from all over coming to town. We have 30 regional sponsors, five national sponsors and are really taking it to another level. PGN: So you came out rather late? JS: I did. When I came to Philadelphia, I didn’t know anyone that was gay and I slowly built a base of friends. I wanted a support structure in case things didn’t go well with my old friends when I came out. It was a fear of what might happen instead of what was reality. When I came out to my friends, not a single one of them had a problem with it. They had been more concerned because I’d been so stressed out building up to telling them that they thought that I was sick or something. The next year I came out to my family and the next year to people at the law firm. PGN: When did you come out to

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

yourself? JS: Looking back, I think you always knew, but it was a question of realizing, “Oh, that’s what it was.” I wasn’t, I guess, “stereotypical.” As a camp counselor, I was always the first one out there cutting down trees; I did play pick-up sports here and there. None of my friends had any idea except my friend John, who later pointed out that when we were at a gym, if an attractive woman walked by, I would be the only guy not looking. I was oblivious to it, so it was funny that he remembered it.

Q Puzzle Classic Elton Tunes Across

1. Fem accessory 6. What you might be in when you’re out 10. Worn-out horses 14. Lover of Henry and June 15. Blows away 16. Ready to go in 17. Musical tribute to two 20. Windy day toy 21. Test for college srs. 22. Coins featuring Eleanor’s PGN: How many siblings do you husband 23. Mate in Montreal have? 24. With 60-Across, song that JS: I have two brothers and a references Oz sister. She is a Wall Street head27. Hard-rock center hunter, although I guess people 28. Gay men’s lifestyle magadon’t like that term these days. zine 30. Fruitcake PGN: How did your family 32. It can cut leaves of grass handle your coming out? 33. Bosom buddy JS: My sister-in-law is from 35. Place for one’s drawers Australia and she laughed hys36. With 51-Across, song about terically and said, “I knew it! I a fictional band told them all before, I knew it!” My brother was cool and wanted 39. Goya’s naked lady 42. “Sorry about that” to tell our parents for me, but I 43. “Uh-oh!” of the Bard’s day wanted to do it myself. A lot of 47. Ezra Pound, e.g. people can’t fathom the way I 49. Evita’s married name told my parents, but it actually 50. Car buyer’s initial purworked for us. I sent them an email and then left town for a con- chase? 51. See 36-Across ference. They actually appreciated the way it was done because 55. Cube with pips 56. Winter driving hazard it was non-confrontational and 58. AP rival gave them time to process it 59. Another white meat themselves before dealing with 60. See 24-Across me. I’m sure my mother shed a 64. Porter’s regretful miss few tears, but when we did talk 65. Author Marcus they were fine with it. 66. Ask too much 67. Annapolis inst. PGN: What did you learn being 68. ’N Sync member Lance a camp counselor? JS: I started out as a counselor at 69. Took a Greyhound a YMCA day camp and worked my way up to being the assistant director. We had a very, very diverse environment. There were kids with special-ed needs who See PORTRAIT, Page 37

PAGE 33

Down

1. A guy’s junk 2. Like random shots 3. Giving a lot of mouth 4. “Boys on the ___ ” 5. Subj. for some aliens 6. Where “Aida” premiered 7. Had title to 8. Trysted 9. Straight-grained wood 10. “___ lay me ... ” 11. Work for Disney 12. Book that mentioned Adam but kept Steve a secret? 13. Lamentable scrotum? 18. The I’s have it 19. Genie portrayer Barbara 24. Richard of “And the Band Played On” 25. Bessie Smith’s specialty 26. Johnny ___ (Nick Adams’ rebel role) 29. Switch from plastic to paper, e.g.

31. Bewilder 33. 100 smackers 34. Body part to shoot from 37. Enjoy an Oreo 38. Breaks for Heather’s mommies 39. Love-letter signoff 40. Good luck charms 41. Tom Waddell’s shaft 44. Backbreaking 45. “Metrosexual” or “gaydar” 46. Rubbed the right way 48. “What’s ___ you?” 52. Sui ___ 53. “Spartacus” and others 54. Start of a “Hollywood Squares” win 57. “Born Free” lioness 59. Drop ___ (moon) 61. Cybersex system 62. Cross-dresser’s padding site 63. CIA Cold War opponent SOLUTION, Page 38

Help Wanted

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 34

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

TV host talks about his decade in ‘Bed’ By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer It’s been 10 years since local gay TV personality Butch Cordora hopped into bed and in front of the camera to interview local and national gay figures on his cable show, “In Bed With Butch.” He continues to put various-shaped celebrity dents in that mattress as his show airs nightly on DUTV. Cordora also has parlayed his local notoriety into, among other things, a weekly radio show, “In Bed With Butch Radio,” which launched last June and airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on WPEB. Not bad for someone who knew nothing about journalism or broadcasting when he started out. Never one to shy away from self-promotion, Cordora is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his show with an appropriately overthe-top bash with a celebrity guest list featuring Gervase Peterson, Jade Starling, Brini Maxwell, Frank DeCaro and Felipe Rosem on April 5 at Pure, 1221 St. James St. Cordora talked to PGN about what makes his show work and how the landscape of gays on television has changed since he started out. PGN: How is “In Bed With Butch” different now than when

you started out? BC: In a lot of ways it’s exactly the same. When I started out, I just wanted it to be this gay talk show that celebrated the gay community. I wanted to be entertainment-based: not too heavy and nothing too much about the problems of the gay community. I just wanted to celebrate the gay lifestyle. It was in a bed. That was one thing that got me on the air. I wanted to have DJs, drag queens, artists, actors and photographers. Then, through the years one of the fresh growing pains was, as I became the only talk show left, a lot of people started saying I had a responsibility to the gay community and I should try and be everything to everyone. I started in 2002 having political people on and social activists. That was a road I went down for a couple of years. That was stuff I really didn’t necessarily care to do. I sort of backed away from that. PGN: In the last decade, TV and radio have gotten more inclusive about gays and lesbians. Does that make it easier or harder for you to stand out in such a competitive field? BC: I think there’s still a long way to go being a gay talkshow host. It’s still very controversial. There are still gay

interviews because I have to muddle through them. PGN: It’s your show. Why would you book those interviews if you don’t like doing them? BC: I have producers and sponsors now. I don’t want to always have drag queens on. I try to be well-rounded. PGN: What do you like to do most, the TV show or the radio show? BC: By far the TV show. BUTCH CORDORA AND BRINI MAXWELL

characters on reality shows, but Ellen [DeGeneres] doesn’t even speak of being gay on her show. Graham Norton isn’t even on the air anymore. In a lot of ways, it’s very controversial to be an openly gay talk-show host because there still isn’t any on network television. Of course, there’s Ellen but it’s not like she has gay and lesbian guests all the time. She’s just a mainstream talk-show host. I don’t know of any openly gay talk-show hosts who gear themselves to the gay community. PGN: Who has been your favorite guest on the show? BC: Frank DeCaro from “The

Daily Show” was one of my favorites, just because I think he’s so funny. Another one was the Dell dude. He literally talked about his drug bust. Lady Bunny was crazy. Jay McCarroll from “Project Runway” was really funny, intimidating and cursed a lot. PGN: What has been your worst interview ever? BC: Political people because I don’t know what I’m talking about when I’m talking to them. I just had [Judge] Dan Anders on, but he was a really good interview. But I just really don’t like politics or law or anything like that. So they are my worst

PGN: How long did it take you to pull together the guest list for your 10th-anniversary party? BC: It wasn’t too hard to do. All these New Yorkers that come down to do my show, I’ve managed to stay friends with them. Felipe [Rose] lives in Asbury Park and I just called him up and asked him if he would do it. Frank [DeCaro] is a dear friend of mine. You can celebrate the 10th anniversary of “In Bed With Butch” from 10 p.m.-3:30 a.m. April 5 at Pure, 1221 St. James St. For more information, visit www. ibwb.tv or call (215) 735-5772. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 35

Filmmaker puts Penn State discrimination case on big screen By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer A new documentary making its world premiere at the Philadelphia Film Festival shines a brighter spotlight on the discrimination lawsuit alleging homophobic practices in Penn State’s women’s basketball team. Academy Award-nominated and openly gay filmmaker Dee Mosbacher was already set to direct a project about homophobia in sports when she heard about the case. “Training Rules” covers the lawsuit filed in 2006 by student athlete Jennifer Harris against Penn State University and women’s basketball head coach Rene Portland after Harris was dismissed from the Lady Lions because of her perceived sexual orientation. During her 27 years of coaching, Portland was known to enforce a strict “no-lesbians” policy on the team. Portland was fined $10,000 for creating a hostile and offensive environment and, in March 2007, she resigned from the university. When she heard about Harris’ story, Mosbacher decided to shift her focus and make a characterdriven, social-issue documentary. Because the lawsuit was settled under confidential terms, Mosbacher found that many of the parties involved were not willing to be interviewed for the project. “Penn State’s administration was not particularly cooperative with making the film,” she said. “We did go there and try to interview some of the folks there. They were not willing to talk about the issues. We tried several times during the case and after the settlement to interview Rene Portland and she was not willing to be interviewed and, in fact, I could not locate her after she moved away from State College.” Moreover, Mosbacher said some of the victims of discrimination were reluctant to participate because of the emotional wounds. “They were too raw,” she said. “Even interviewing some of the players that this happened to 20 or 30 years ago, they were still pretty broken up about it. I am a psychiatrist by trade, and it seemed to me that some of them still had some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. It was still painful to recall. I applaud their courage as well as the Harris family’s courage to speak out about the

to be gay. The dynamics are very different. “The cost of coming out can be pretty high. That’s why you don’t have someone who is out on the football field, particularly in professional ball, because they don’t want to get themselves killed. If you’re a woman, you’re assumed to be gay, and that means you have to go to extreme measures to make sure that people don’t perceive you that way. The hiding and needing to be so deep in the closet that you have to wear a ponytail on the court or you have to wear DEE MOSBACHER Photo: Nanette Gartrell eye makeup while you’re playing contributes to the issue.” issue of homophobia.” Mosbacher said the film shows Mosbacher said “Train Rules” that homophobia is as big a prob- shows both the emotional pain lem in women’s sports as it is in caused by allowing homophomen’s sports, but the effect on bic practices to continue and the the players is vastly different. financial pain — for the academic “If you’re a woman playing institutions — that can be caused sports, you’re assumed to be a by allowing it. Which makes the lesbian,” she said. “That’s the settlement of Harris’ case — and way that it’s been for a very long keeping the details confidential time. In fact, the better you are, — part of the problem, not the the more you’re assumed to be solution. a lesbian. If you’re a guy play“That’s exactly why I made ing sports, you’re assumed to be this film,” Mosbacher said. “I straight. It’s easier to cover as a made this film not only as a chalmale because you’re not assumed lenge to colleges and universi-

ties to stop this practice. The people who had the courage to come forward, they felt so disappointed that Rene and Jen didn’t get their days in court. This is going to show the depth of it, the breadth of it and the role the university played in it.” “Training Rules” premieres at 7:15 p.m. April 4 at the Ritz East, 125 S. Second St. For more information or tickets, visit www.trainingrules. com or www.phillycinefest.com, or call (267) 765-9800 ext. 4. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn. com.

JENNIFER HARRIS Photo: Centre Daily Times

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 36

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

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APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

PORTRAIT From Page 33 were being mainstreamed, we had campers from ages 5-15 and a staff of 30 for about 300 kids each day. Looking back, I definitely wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility, being basically a kid myself and telling specialed teachers in their 40s what to do. PGN: So what was the biggest challenge in opening the restaurant? JS: The City of Philadelphia. They were an interesting — I don’t want to say obstacle because there were some people who were extremely helpful — but it’s hard to fathom how often the initial reaction to anything was, “It’s not our problem, it’s yours.” PGN: What’s the best thing about being a bar owner? JS: Aside from never having to pay for a drink again while I’m here, I enjoy the opportunity to build something. At my day job, it’s more about tearing things apart, ripping things open to get to the truth and expose hidden agendas, whereas this allows me to work with people in a whole different way. PGN: How do you deal with drunken frat boys? JS: One of the first things we did was go to Drexel and ask them about their policies, which they appreciated. Drexel actually has a pretty liberal alcohol policy: You can drink on campus if you’re over 21. They told us, if anything happens, we want to know about it. They then deal with the student. We’ve had a lot of events with fraternities and other student groups and they are usually very respectful and police each other if someone is starting to get out of control. PGN: Favorite toy as a kid? JS: I got an Atari 2600 for my bar mitzvah and that was it. PGN: What hobbies do you have? JS: I love to read. Whether I’m at the gym or at home, I love to read as much as I can. I like reading mysteries, but I’ll read biographies on the side. I have season tickets to the Broadway series at the Academy of Music. It’s great; it lets you see shows without having to run up to New York. Of course, the softball

league is a central focus. PGN: What’s your involvement with the city tourism board? JS: I’m a board member of the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus and I chair the sports committee. I help LGBT sports teams bring their events to town. I help them find sponsor money and help them become better and more economically viable teams.

JS: There was a time when I would go to work, go home, go to work, go home. But getting involved in the softball league really broadened my horizons. Being able to contribute handson to the community, instead

PGN: What has the softball involvement done for you?

of just writing a check, was so much more fulfilling. ■ Mikey’s American Grill & Sports Bar 3180 Chestnut St. (215) 222-3226

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PGN: I know that you are single, but any four-legged companions? JS: I have a greyhound named Quincy. PGN: Why Quincy? JS: I got him with my ex, who was a funeral director. We went with the medical-examiner theme, naming him after Jack Klugman’s character.

PAGE 37

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PAGE 38

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

worth watching: Queer TV you can always see: All My Children

Zach filed for divorce. Reese told him she’s still fighting for Bianca and urges him to reclaim his life. How long until Bianca realizes Reese is still her soul mate? MondayFriday, 1 p.m. on ABC. As the World Turns

Luke’s campaign to stop antigay discrimination has already landed him in the hospital. Luke’s father, Damien, is back in town; last time, he put Luke in an exgay camp. Monday-Friday, 2 p.m. on CBS. Guiding Light

Springfield’s baddest and sluttiest girl, Olivia, has run through all the men in town and has now set her sights on Natalia. And since Natalia is scheduled to be married next week, Olivia needs to work fast. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. on CBS. Ellen

Monday-Friday, 3 p.m. on NBC. The Rachel Maddow Show

Monday-Friday, 9 p.m. on MSNBC.

FRIDAY Dollhouse When Echo, Sierra and Victor wake up with most of their original personalities and memories intact, Echo attempts to escape from the Dollhouse. 9 p.m. on FOX. SATURDAY Ashes to Ashes The latest British offering about a cop who ends up back in time in 1981, which makes for great music and other interesting premises — gay, bi and straight. 8 p.m. on BBC America. SUNDAY Amazing Race Gay activist Dr. Mel White and his gay son, Mike, escaped elimination yet again. Could they become the ﬁrst gay dad and son to win? 8 p.m. on CBS. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Jill Scott stars in this adaptation of the best-selling mystery series set in Africa. 8 p.m. on HBO. In Treatment

Season premiere of the hit show about therapy. Gabriel Byrne stars. 9 p.m. on HBO. The Tudors The spectacle returns with the second-season premiere. 9 p.m. on Showtime. The United States of Tara Season ﬁnale. Tara encounters an important person from her past

and begins to heal some of her pain. She and her gay son will return for a second season. 10 p.m. on Showtime. MONDAY House The team deals with an older woman who has been tending to her dying husband, but is stricken with an unknown disease that threatens to kill her before her husband. 8 p.m. on FOX. The Unusuals Series premiere. This quirky cop show has everything — including LGBT issues. 10 p.m. on ABC. TUESDAY American Idol 8 p.m. on FOX. Rescue Me Fifth-season premiere of the dramedy. With the fabulous Denis Leary. 10 p.m. on FX. WEDNESDAY America’s Next Top Model The female and TG models get dressed down by Tyra Banks, who recently received a GLAAD award. 8 p.m. on the CW. Lie to Me Lightman is obsessed with his investigation of two women who committed suicide. 8 p.m. on FOX. New Adventures of Old Christine Lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes. 8 p.m. on CBS. Better Off Ted Portia de Rossi, Ellen DeGeneres’ wife, stars in this hilarious new black comedy. 8:30 p.m. on ABC. American Idol Countdown to the ﬁnals begins. 9 p.m. on FOX. THURSDAY Hell’s Kitchen The lesbian chef, LA, was eliminated last week. Now Pennsylvania native Andrea is left to lead the female pack. 9 p.m. on FOX.

NOT-SO-PLAIN JANE: It’s wife and season number 3 as Annabelle Wallis and Jonathan Rhys Meyers star as Jane Seymour and Henry VIII in the historically inspired drama “The Tudors” at 9 p.m. April 5 on Showtime. Hopefully the series will outlive Jane. Photo: Jonathan Hession/Showtime

Parks and Recreation Series premiere of Amy Poehler’s (“SNL”) new comedy. 9 p.m. on NBC.

PAGE 39

Q on the tube: The O’Reilly factor By Victoria A. Brownworth PGN Contributor Bill O’Reilly knows how to work his “brand.” His show, “The O’Reilly Factor,” remains a ratings-grabber on FOX as the highest-rated cable news show on the air for the 100th month in a row. O’Reilly is alsoa favorite guest on other talk shows, including “Oprah.” Cut from the same homophobic, liberal-hating cloth as Rush Limbaugh, but more photogenic and seemingly less extremist, O’Reilly has managed to deflect any negative press from himself, unlike Limbaugh, who remains a lightning rod for the left. “Liberals” and “secularists” have been the targets of choice for O’Reilly in recent years, and he has taken on a plethora of actors from TV and film. He’s had encounters with David Letterman, who regularly called O’Reilly an idiot and, when interviewing him on his own late-night show, said, “Isn’t it fair to say that about 60 percent of what you say is just crap?” O’Reilly countered by asking Letterman if he wanted the U.S. to win in Iraq. Like many right-wing talk-show folks, O’Reilly likes to attack Hollywood. His latest target is Sean Penn, Oscar-winning star of “Milk” who opened his Best Actor acceptance speech with, “You commie, homo-loving sons of guns.” It’s unclear why the right is so Hollywood-obsessed. The only well-known Hollywood actors who ever made it in politics were Republicans, notably Ronald Reagan and Fred Thompson. But the right asserts that Hollywood — comprised, as the Hannitys and Limbaughs assert, of homosexuals, Jews and liberals — runs Washington. Of course D.C. was run by Republicans until a nanosecond ago, but facts never seem to be an issue for rightleaning pundits. In a recent interview with “The Hollywood Reporter,” O’Reilly called for a boycott of Penn’s films. The talk-show host asserted that his “job is to watch the powerful,” and that “a performer has a forum that other people do not, and all we ask is that they be fair.” In the interview, O’Reilly discussed his previous run-ins with George Clooney, but acknowledged it was only Penn’s work that he would categorically refuse to watch, and that he was boycotting Penn’s films, several of which have been Oscar winners. According to O’Reilly, the problem with Penn in particular and other actors as well is their bully pulpits. “If they believe something and use their TV show, movie or concert to spout off about it, that’s fine,” asserted O’Reilly. “But if we have some questions about their beliefs, I think they should answer them — and not be drive-by people.” One can only imagine why O’Reilly has decided to go after Penn now, post-Oscar, but Penn’s vocal opposition to Proposition 8 — the same-sex marriage ban in California — is likely a reason. O’Reilly has said on his show that same-sex marriage could lead to “nuptials with goats” and has repeatedly asserted that same-sex marriage is one of the big dangers posed by “secularists” and the “politically correct.” On March 24, O’Reilly announced his support for Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, who said last week he would veto a same-sex marriage bill that has strong support in the state (Vermont was the first state to allow same-sex civil unions). Douglas’ “reasoning” is that the bill will create a “distraction” from the economic crisis, even though Vermont has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Most queers have known for a long time that Bill O’Reilly is not their friend. But his recent comments have made clear that he is an enemy not just of the LGBT community, but also of anyone who supports civil rights for same-sex couples. ■

PAGE 40

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Diversions

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

Your guide to arts and entertainment

Theater

At Home at the Zoo The ﬁrst play by out playwright Edward Albee is staged through April 19 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St.; (215) 985-0420. Born Yesterday The Walnut Street Theatre presents one of America’s original screwball comedies about a business tycoon who goes to Washington, D.C., to break into the “special-interest” business with an ethically challenged senator, through April 26, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 5743550. The Berenstain Bears’ Family Matters If you have small children and you want to teach them stuff without actually having to talk to them, point their cherub-like faces at this show based on the successful book characters, through April 4 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The musical family favorite about a magical ﬂying car runs April 7-12 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Criminal Hearts The Walnut Street Theatre’s Innovation Studio on 3 presents a screwball comedy about a burglar and a jilted wife hatching a plot for revenge, through April 19, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550. Defiance Bristol Riverside Theatre presents the Philadelphiaare premiere of the second play in Pulitzer Prize-winner John Patrick Shanley’s trilogy, which began with “Doubt,”

through April 12, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol; (215) 785-0100. A Few Good Men Ritz Theatre Company presents the story of military lawyers at a courtmartial who uncover a high-level conspiracy in the course of defending their clients, through April 4, 915 White Horse Pike, Oaklyn, N.J.; (856) 858-5230.

PGN

Pick

Flatterers of Dionysis Pneuma Breath of Life Productions presents the story of the esteemed scholar who lives homeless on a park bench following a crisis of conscience, April 5-12 at Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom St.; (215) 563-4330.

The Old Neighborhood The Players Club of Swarthmore Theater’s Second Stage presents three one-act comedies from David Mamet, through April 18, 614 Fairview Ave., Swarthmore; (866) 811-4111.

Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Tour The Kimmel Center presents a jazz concert featuring Bill Charlap, Ravi Coltrane, Peter Bernstein, Lewis Nash, Nicholas Payton, Peter Washington and Steve Wilson, at 8 p.m. April 3 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Family Concert: Green Eggs and Ham The Philadelphia Orchestra presents its colorful interpretation of the Dr. Seuss classic at 11:30 a.m. April 4 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.

Fresh Fish Festival B. Someday Productions presents the second year of its short-play festival, through April 19 at The Walking Fish Theatre, 2509 Frankford Ave.; www. walkingﬁshtheatre.com. Iron Kisses The heartfelt and often funny exploration of the relationships between parents and children runs through April 5 at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler; (215) 6540200.

Music classical

EEEEK, A MAU5!: Since the DJ/remixer/producer known as Deadmau5 came roaring out of Canada in 2005, he’s pretty much rocketed to the upper reaches of the electronics world. Which means either his electro house/trance/techno grooves are really good or the world of dance music is easily impressed. We know he’s that good, so get your glow sticks and head on down to catch the masked wonder when he performs at 11 p.m. April 4 at TLA, 334 South St. For more information, visit www.deadmau5.com or call (215) 922-1011.

The Vagina Monologues Ethical Society of Philadelphia presents the Riverdance popular production to The celebration of Irish beneﬁt Women Against music gives its area Abuse, which runs the city’s farewell performances, only shelter for abused through April 5 at Kimmel’s women, through April 5, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Square; (215) 735-3456.

A Year with Frog and Toad Arden Theatre Company presents the revival of the smash-hit musical based on the Newberyand Caldecott-honored children’s books by Arnold Lobel, through April 19 at 40 N. Second St.; (215) 922-1122.

Previn Plays and Conducts The Philadelphia Orchestra presents conductor André Previn highlighting his talents as conductor and, for the ﬁrst time since 1969, as orchestral soloist at 8 p.m. April 4 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.

Music other

Girlyman The rock group signed to Amy Ray’s Daemon Records performs at 7:30 p.m. April 5 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; (215) 222-1710. Katy Perry The girl-kissing pop singer performs at 8 p.m. April 5 at TLA, 334 South St.; (215) 922-1011. Steph Hayes The out singer-songwriter performs at Michelle Malone’s CD-release show at 8 p.m. April 7 at Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St.; (215) 928-0770. Colin Hay The Men At Work singer performs at 7:30 p.m. April 6-7 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; (215) 222-1710. Jeff Beck The legendary rock guitarist performs at 8 p.m. April 8 at the Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St.; (215) 627-1332. Seal The international pop star performs at 8 p.m. April 8 at the Tower Theatre, 19 S. 69th St., Upper Darby; (610) 352-2887.

Bob Mould The bandleader and former Hüsker Dü/Sugar frontman Assembled performs at 9 p.m. April 3 at North Star Bar, 2639 Abstractions Poplar St.; (215) 787-0488. AxD Gallery presents an exhibition of original paintings by Barbara Chris Cornell Klein and Michael Smith, The former Soundgarden/ through April 25, 265 S. Audioslave frontman 10th St.; (215) 627-6250. performs at 8 p.m. April 4 at the Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St.; (215) 627Collective 1332. Aphrodite Gallery, Philadelphia’s showcase for erotic ﬁne arts, presents DeadMau5 a staff art show through The trance DJ performs May 24 at Passional Toys, at 11 p.m. April 4 at TLA, 620 S. Fifth St.; (215) 829334 South St.; (215) 9224986. 1011.

Exhibits

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

Notices Send notices at least one week in advance to: Diversions, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147; fax them to (215) 925-6437; or e-mail them to diversions@epgn. com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Ion Zupcu: Works on Paper Gallery 339 presents an exhibition of still-life photography, through May 16, 339 S. 21st St. (215) 731-1530. L’arte d’alluminar Haverford College Library Special Collections presents an exhibition of illustrations of Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” through April 22, 370 Lancaster Ave., Haverford; (610) 896-1161. Making Arrangements Wexler Gallery presents a solo exhibition of new sculptural works by the Vancouver-based ceramic artist Dirk Staschke, through April 25, 201 N. Third St.; (215) 923-7030.

artistic expressions using handmade paper pulp, recycled paper, paper cuts, cardboard, papier-mâché and folded paper, through June 28, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown; (215) 3409800. Sendak on Sendak The Rosenbach Museum and Library hosts an exhibition exploring the work of gay artist/ author Maurice Sendak, through May 3 at 200810 Delancey Place; (215) 732-1600.

Victory for Tyler 2009: Sculpture Cristo Redentor Ice Box Project Space Proximity Gallery presents the second presents an exhibition by in a series of biennial Philadelphia native and exhibitions to beneﬁt cityscape artist Anthony the Tyler School of Art’s A. Ferrara, through April Exhibitions and Public 26, 2434 East Dauphin St.; The Many Faces of Programs department, (267) 825-2949. Stereotypes through April 26, 1400 N. Verdadism Art Gallery American St.; (215) 923Impressions of an Age: Ukiyo-e Prints from the hosts an exhibition of New 6552. York-born artist Soraida’s Berman Collection new series of drawings, Yuichi Hibi: Neco The Philip and Muriel through April 30, 220 S. Gallery 339 presents Berman Museum of Art at Berlin Road, Lindenwold, Hibi’s photographic Ursinus College presents N.J.; (856) 346-3131. exhibition that evokes an exhibition of woodblock the menace, beauty print (ukiyo-e) art made Pulp Function and mystery of urban popular during Japan’s Edo landscapes at night, Period, through April 17, 601 Fred Beans Gallery at Michener Art Museum through May 16, 339 S. E. Main St., Collegeville; presents a wide variety of 21st St.; (215) 731-1530. (610) 409-3500.

Out singer-songwriter and indie recording artist Michelle Malone celebrates the release of her latest CD, “Debris,” which hit the shelves March 31, with a show at 8 p.m. April 7 at Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St. “Debris,” Malone’s 10th album, expected to be her most revealing to date, drawing from her southern inﬂuences to tackle the anger, heartbreak and humor found in a not-so-amicable break-up. As a bonus, local out singer-songwriter Steph Hayes opens the show. For more information, visit www.michellemalone.com or call (215) 928-0770.

Dance

No Boundaries:

Dancing the Visions of Contemporary Black Choreographers

The Painted Bride Arts Center presents a suite of pieces choreographed by the nation’s leading African-American dance artists, including Bebe Miller, Donald McKayle, Reggie Wilson, Andrea Woods, David Roussève and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, at 8 p.m. April 3-4, 230 Vine St.; (215) 925-9914.

PAGE 41

presents a performance by the Xhale Dance Company, at 7 p.m. April 5, 230 Vine St.; (215) 925-9914.

Film

Invaders From Mars The 1953 sci-ﬁ movie is screened at 2 p.m. April 4 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; (610) 9170223.

The Lavender Hill Mob The 1951 comedy is screened at 2 p.m. April 5 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Rock the Ballet Rasta Thomas’ Bad Boys of Phoenixville; (610) 917Dance perform a theatrical 0223. fusion of ballet, Broadway, contemporary, hip-hop and Slumdog Millionaire The Oscar-winning ﬁlm is tap, April 3-5 at DuPont screened at 8 p.m. April 6 Theatre, 1007 N. Market at the Trocadero Theatre, St., Wilmington, Del.; 1003 Arch St.; (215) 922(302) 656-4401. 5483. Ballet X Spring Series ’09 The contemporary ballet company presents a diverse Staceyann Chin Giovanni’s Room presents program featuring a new piece by Matthew Neenan, the author of “The Other Christine Cox and Edwaard Side of Paradise: A Memoir” for a reading Liang, April 4-11 at the at 7 p.m. April 3 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St.; (215) 546-7824. Neighborhood House, Christ Church, 20 N. American St.; (215) 923Seven Deadly Sins 2960. Painted Bride Arts Center

Books

Etc.

LGBTQ Womyn of Color Conference Over 100 LGBTQ women of color are expected to attend the two-day event ﬁlled with thoughtprovoking discussion, art-making, healing and networking among different generations, April 3-4 at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 732-2220. Hal Sparks The comic best known for his work on “Queer As Folk” and “Talk Soup” performs April 3-4 at Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St.; (215) 496-9001. Kathleen Madigan The comedian performs at 8 p.m. April 3 at The Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.; (302) 652-5577. Butch’s Enormous Decade Tony Enos, Salotta Tea, Sandy Beach, Brini Maxwell, Frank DeCaro and Felipe Rose celebrate the 10th anniversary of “In Bed With Butch” from 10 p.m.3:30 a.m. April 5 at Pure, 1221 St. James St.; (215) 735-5772. ■

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 42

Meeting Place A community bulletin board of activities, facilities and organizations

Community centers ■ The Attic Youth Center: For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. Groups meet and activities are held from 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; case management, HIV testing and smoking cessation are available Monday through Friday. See the Youth section for more events. 255 S. 16th St.; (215) 545-4331 ■ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center at the University of Pennsylvania 3907 Spruce St.; (215) 898-5044; center@dolphin.upenn.edu, Summer hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. ■ Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies Youth Center: 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays: Doylestown Planned Parenthood, The Atrium, Suite 2E, 301 S. Main St., Doylestown; (215) 348-0558 ext. 65; rainbowroom@ppbucks.org. ■ William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center: 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 732-2220; www.waygay.org. Peer counseling: Monday through Friday, 6-9 p.m. Library hours: Mondays 3-9 p.m., Tuesdays 3-6 p.m., Wednesdays 3-9 p.m., Thursdays 3-9 p.m., Fridays 3-9 p.m., Saturdays noon-6 p.m., Sundays noon-6 p.m. Volunteers: New Orientation: First Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.; Volunteer Velada, third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.

Health Anonymous, free, confidential HIV testing Spanish/English counselors offer testing 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 166 W. Lehigh Ave.; (215) 763-8870 ext. 6000. AIDS Services In Asian Communities Provides HIV-related services to Asians and Pacific Islanders at 340 N. 12th St., suite 205; (2215) 536-2424. Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative Free, anonymous HIV testing from 9:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays at 1207 Chestnut St., fifth floor; (215) 851-1822 or (866) 2223871. Spanish/English. HIV testing Free, anonymous testing and counseling is offered from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment at AIDS Resource, 520 W. Fourth St., suite 2A, Williamsport;

Key numbers ■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: (215) 587-9377 ■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: (856) 933-9500 ext. 221 ■ AIDS Library: (215) 985-4851

(570) 322-8448. HIV treatment Free HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment for Philadelphia residents are available from 9 a.m.-noon Mondays and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Health Center No. 2, 1720 S. Broad St.; (215) 685-1803. HIV health insurance help Access to free medications, conﬁdential HIV testing available at 17 MacDade Blvd., suite 108, Collingdale; Medical Ofﬁce Building, 722 Church Lane, Yeadon; and 630 S. 60th St.; (610) 586-9077. Mazzoni Center Free, anonymous HIV testing; HIV/AIDS care and treatment, case management and support groups; 1201 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-0652. www.mazzonicenter.org. Washington West Project Free, anonymous HIV testing. Walk-ins welcome 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; 1201 Locust St.; (215) 985-9206.

■ Mazzoni Center Family and Community Medicine: (215) 563-0658

■ AIDS Treatment hot line: (215) 5452212

■ Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations: (215) 686-4670

■ Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection at the Independence Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library: (215) 685-1633

■ Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force: (215) 772-2000

■ Equality Forum: (215) 732-3378 ■ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Peer Counseling Services: (215) 732-TALK ■ Mayor’s liaison to LGBT communities:

■ Greater Philadelphia Professional Network Networking group for area business professionals, self-employed and business owners meets monthly in a different location throughout the city, invites speakers on various topics, partners with other nonprofits and maintains a Web site where everyone is invited to sign up for e-mail notices for activities and events; www.gppn.org. ■ Independence Business Alliance The Philadelphia chapter of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, providing networking, business development and educational opportunities. Holds monthly networking events; (215) 7014760; P.O. Box 12647, Philadelphia, PA 19129; www.independencebusinessalliance.com. Monthly Brown Bag forums for LGBT business owners at noon on third Thursdays at the William Way Center. ■ National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association The Philadelphia chapter of NLGJA, open to professionals and students, meets for social and networking events; www.nlgjaphiladephia.org. ■ Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus A regional organization dedicated to promoting gay and lesbian tourism to the Greater Philadelphia Region, holds meetings every other month on the fourth Thursday (January, March, May, July, September and the third Thursday in November), open to the public; 304 S. 12th St.; (215) 840-6141; www. gayphiladelphia.org. ■ Philly OutGoing Professionals Social group for gay, lesbian and bisexual professionals meets for social and cultural activities; (856) 857-9283; popnews19@yahoo.com.

■ Philadelphia Police Department liaison — Chief Inspector James Tiano: (215) 685-3655 ■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: (215) 494-LGBT; ppd.lgbt@gmail.com ■ Philly Pride Presents: (215) 875-9288 ■ SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: (717) 920-9537 ■ Transgender Health Action Coalition: (215) 732-1207 (staffed 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays, and 6-9 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)

12-step programs and support groups Adult Children of Alcoholics

Meets at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at the William Way Center. ■ Rainbow Adult Children of Alcoholics and Alcoholics Anonymous meet at 7 p.m. Saturdays at Limestone Presbyterian Church, 3201 Limestone Road, Wilmington, Del.; (302) 456-9129. ■

Al-Anon

Gay Al-Anon meets at 8 p.m. Fridays at St. Andrew’s Church, 50 York St., Lambertville, N.J.; (215) 986-1029. ■ Meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays at the William Way Center. ■

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Acceptance meets at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays at Episcopal Church, 22nd and Spruce streets. ■ Beginnings meets at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at 1201 Locust St.; (215) 563-0663 ext. 282. ■ Community meets at 8 p.m. on Thursdays at Holy Communion Church, 2111 Sansom St. Gay and lesbian but all are welcome. ■ GLBT Alcoholics Anonymous meets at 7 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. on Wednesdays at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 100 W. Windsor St., Reading; (484) 529-9504. ■ Living In Sobriety meets at 10 a.m. Mondays through Fridays and 11 a.m. Sundays at the William Way Center. ■ Night Owl meets at 11:30 p.m. Sunday through Saturday at the William Way Center. ■ Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian Beginners meeting meets at 7:30 p.m. Mondays at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2212 Spruce St. ■ Sober and Gay meets at 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Friday at the William Way Center. ■ Stepping Stone meets at 2:30 p.m. Mondays at the Mazzoni Center. ■ Ties That Bind Us is a12-step Alcoholics Anonymous meeting for the BDSM, leather and alternative sexuality community. Meetings are held from 7:30-9 p.m. in South Philadelphia. For location, call (800) 581-7883. ■

Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA)

Meets at 7 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the William Way Center.

Wednesdays:

A support group for HIV-positive women will meet from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Arch Street United Methodist Church, 55 N. Broad St.; (215) 387-6055. ■ AIDS Services in Asian Communities’ weekly volunteer work group will meet from 6-8 p.m. at 340 N. 12th St., Suite 205; (215) 563-2424. ■ Project Teach, a peer-education and empowerment program for people living with HIV/AIDS, will meet from 3-5 p.m. at Philadelphia Fight, 1233 Locust St. ■ Positive Effect, for HIV-positive people 18 and over, meets from 5-7 p.m. at Camden AHEC, 514 Cooper St., Camden, N.J.; (856) 963-2432. ■

Thursdays:

A support group for HIV-positive men and women will meet from 6-8 p.m. at BEBASHI — Transition to Hope, 1217 Spring Garden St.; (215) 769-3561. ■ Diversity, an HIV/AIDS support group for all infected or affected, meets from 7-9 p.m. at Arch Street United Methodist Church, 55. N. Broad St.; call Zak, (215) 848-4380, or Paul, (215) 307-0347. ■

Saturdays:

AIDS Delaware’s You’re Not Alone youth support group meets at 11 a.m. at AIDS Delaware, 100 W. 10th St., Suite 315, Wilmington; a social session will follow at 12:30 p.m.; (302) 652-6776. ■

Narcotics Anonymous (NA)

Emotional Support

Healing After Loss has monthly activities in South Jersey and surrounding area; www.lsn. southjersey.com. ■ Pink and Blues is a free depression and bipolar support group for sexual minorities and meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at St. Luke and The Epiphany Church, 330 S. 13th St.; (215) 627-0424. ■ Pink and Blues Main Line, a peer-run mental health support group, meets 6 p.m. Thursdays at Bryn Mawr Consumer Center, 1001 W. Lancaster Ave.; (610) 527-1511. ■ Survivors of Suicide Inc. meets at 7:30 p.m. on ﬁrst Tuesday of the month at 3535 Market St., Room 2037; (215) 545-2242; www.phillysos. tripod.com. ■ Survivors of Suicide Inc., Chester County meets at 7:30 p.m. on second Wednesday of the month at Paoli Memorial Hospital, Willistown Room, Medical Ofﬁce Building; (215) 545-2242; www. phillysos.tripod.com.

Meetings are at 2 p.m. Sunday through Saturday and at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the William Way Center. ■

Overeaters Anonymous (OA)

■

Open meeting, Tuesdays, beginners meet at 5:30 p.m., regular meeting at 6 p.m. at Hahnemann University Hospital, 245 N. 15th St., third ﬂoor, room 3208; call Troy, (215) 514-3065. ■

S.A.R.A.

Substance Abuse – Risk Assessment; day and evening hours; (215) 563-0663 ext. 282. ■

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous

■

Mondays, 7 p.m. at the William Way Center. ■ Mondays, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 20 N. Route 9, Marmora, N.J.; (609) 675-1998. ■ Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. at All Saints Church, 18 Olive Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.; (302) 5423279. ■ Fridays, 7:30 p.m. at the Ocean View Lodge, Metropolitan Community Church, 521 Glade Road, Rehoboth Beach, Del.; (302) 945-5982. ■ Saturdays, 8:30 p.m. at the William Way Center.

Mondays:

HIV/AIDS

Meeting Place rotates listings on a four week schedule.

A support group for HIV-positive men and women meets from 1:30-3 p.m. at BEBASHI — Transition to Hope, 1217 Spring Garden St., first floor; (215) 769-3561. ■ Encuentros Positivos, a group for HIV-positive Latino men who have sex with men, meets on first and third Tuesday of the month at 1205 Chestnut St.; (215) 985-3382. ■ “Feast Incarnate,” a weekly ministry for people affected by HIV/AIDS, begins at 5 p.m. at University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St. Bible study follows at 6 p.m.; (215) 387-2885. ■ A support group for people recently diagnosed with HIV/AIDS will meet from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Mazzoni Center. ■ Youth Outreach Adolescent Community Awareness Program’s Voice It Sistah, a support group for HIV-positive women, meets at 11 a.m. every first and third Tuesday at YOACAP, 1207 Chestnut St., Suite 315; (215) 851-1898. ■

■

Strength In Numbers Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ SINPhiladelphia.

■ Mazzoni Center: (215) 563-0652; www.mazzonicenter.org

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

■ Equality Advocates Pennsylvania: (215) 731-1447; (866) LGBTLAW

■ Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia GALLOP holds board meetings at 6:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at 100 S. Broad St., Suite 1810; GALLOP also provides a free referral service; (215) 627-9090; www.galloplaw.org.

Gloria Casarez, (215) 686-2194; Gloria. Casarez@phila.gov; Fax: (215) 686-2555

■ ACLU of Pennsylvania: (215) 5921513

■ The COLOURS Organization Inc. 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 4960330.

Professional groups

APRIL 3 - 9, 2009

■

SEPCADD

Positive Brothers, a support group for men of color living with HIV/AIDS, meets from 6:308:30 p.m. at 112 N. Broad St., 11th ﬂoor; (215) 496-0330.

■

Safe space to meet and discuss substance abuse problems with ofﬁce in William Way Center; (215) 340-9995.

Tuesdays:

■

AIDS Services in Asian Community offers safer-sex and HIV/AIDS information at 10 a.m. on second Tuesday of the month at the Independence Branch of the the Free Library, 18 S. Seventh St.; (215) 685-1633. ■

Smoking Cessation

FreshOUT!, Mazzoni Center’s free quitsmoking program, hosts individual sessions, classes and support groups and offers Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches, gum and lozenges); (215) 563-0652 ext. 228 or e-mail quitsmoking@mazzonienter.org.

Send submissions to pgn@epgn.com or fax (215) 925-6437 PGN Meeting Place, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 Meeting Place is a public service. Submissions must include a phone number for publication. Complete Meeting Place listings of all Parent/Family, Professional, Recovery, Recreation, Religion, Sports, Men, Women, Trans and Youth groups can be found online at www.phliagaynews.com and www.epgn.com.

APR. 3 - 9, 2009

PAGE 43

Classifieds

With Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services and Personals

February new-home sales rose unexpectedly By Alan Zibel The Associated Press It was the second-worst month on record for sales of new homes. But it still brought a long-awaited shred of good news for the battered building industry. February’s results, while still far below last year’s levels, provided some hope that new home sales have ﬁnally hit bottom and the worst may be past. Prices, however, are likely to remain weak for months as builders continue to clear out their stock of unsold homes. “We are prepared to hazard the view that the post-Lehman meltdown is now over and the market is stabilizing,” wrote Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, referring to last fall’s collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers and the subsequent Wall Street plunge. “That’s not the same as a recovery, but it is better than continued declines in sales.”

The Commerce Department said sales rose 4.7 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 337,000 from an upwardly revised January figure of 322,000. Even after the revision to January’s sales results, that month remained the worst on records dating back to 1963. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected February sales to fall to a pace of 300,000 units. The report “is another faint but nonetheless encouraging sign that the economic slide may be moderating,” wrote David Resler, chief U.S. economist at Nomura Securities. Since the report reflects signed contracts to buy new homes rather than completed sales, it could reflect the early impact of a new $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers signed by President Barack Obama in midFebruary. Despite the boost, February’s sales were still down by more than 40 percent from the same month a

year earlier. The median sales price fell to $209,000, a record 18-percent drop from the same month last year. The median price is the midpoint, where half sell for more and half for less. And some analysts remain skeptical new-home sales are starting to recover, saying the data are notoriously volatile. They wouldn’t be surprised if sales fall back again, especially as the recession worsens. Until job losses stop mounting, “I don’t think you’re going to see good housing numbers,” said Patrick Newport, an economist at IHS Global Insight. The nation’s unemployment rate — now at a quarter-century peak of 8.1 percent — is expected to keep climbing. Some economists think it will hit 10 percent by the end of this year. In California, the jobless rate is forecast to climb to a staggering 11.9 percent by spring of next year, and double-digit unemployment

will linger through 2011, according to the quarterly Anderson Forecast from the University of California at Los Angeles, which was released last Wednesday. Nationally, the number of unsold homes fell to the lowest point since April 2002. But sales are so slow that it would take more than a year at the current sales pace to exhaust the supply of new homes on the market. Fallout from the housing crisis has played a central role in the U.S. recession, now in its second year. Foreclosures have spiked, ﬁnancial companies have racked up multibillion-dollar losses and homebuilders like Pulte Homes Inc., D.R. Horton Inc. and Lennar Corp. have been clobbered. To stabilize the housing market, which has pulled the overall economy into the deepest recession in decades, the Obama administration has unveiled a $75billion plan to curb foreclosures, and the Federal Reserve is taking

dramatic steps to lower mortgage rates. In February, sales rose almost 10 percent in the South from a month earlier, and 7 percent in the West. They dropped about 9 percent in the Midwest and 3 percent in the Northeast. “I’m hopeful the worst is over,” said David Crowe, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders. “I don’t think we’re quite out of the woods either. I think we will bounce around the bottom for a month or two.” In another encouraging sign last week, sales of previously occupied homes also jumped unexpectedly in February by the largest amount in nearly six years as ﬁrst-time buyers took advantage of deep discounts on foreclosures and other distressed properties. The National Association of Realtors said that sales of existing homes grew 5.1 percent to an annual rate of 4.72 million in February, from 4.49 million units in January. ■

Location! Location! Location! This week’s featured property

Marlton - Kings Grant, New Jersey

Beds: 2 Baths: 2 Square Footage: 1,300 Cost: $210,000 Realtor: Conrad Kuhn Real Estate Co: Weichert Realtor Phone: 856-227-1950 ext.-124 Direct: 609-221-1196 Web Site: www.conradkuhn.com

Check your ad

PLACING ADS Using voicemail? Please be sure to have the following information ready when you call: • Your ad copy • The type of style you want • Desired abbreviations • American Express, Discover, MasterCard or VISA information • Your name and mailing

Lakefront! A rare ﬁnd, a ranch end unit w/ garage. Features include vaulted ceilings, gas ﬁreplace & granite kitchen counter tops

address • Daytime telephone number Having all this information ready will speed your order and help to avoid errors. Phone calls can only be returned during business hours. For more information, see the coupon page in this section.

Philadelphia Gay News assumes responsibility for errors in classified ads only when notified by noon the Tuesday after the ad first appears. To receive credit for errors, please notify PGN by then. Credit only will be extended in the form of additional advertising space. Any cash refunds, for any reason, are subject to a $10 service charge. PGN will publish no classified ad — in any category — that contains sexually explicit language. Obviously excluded are traditional four-letter words that relate to sexual activity. Other words may be excluded at the discretion of the publisher, who reserves the right to edit or rewrite any ad that, in his opinion, violates this policy or its intent.

CLASSIFIEDS

PAGE 44

APR. 3 - 9, 2009

Placing Classiﬁeds Liner Ads In Person: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, By Phone or on the Web: 24 Hours, 7 Days

Deadline for Line Advertising is Friday at 3 p.m. for the following Friday’s issue. You may place your ad via our secure voicemail system, fax or e-mail at any time, or on our Web site. Please have the following information ready to place your ad:

YOUR AD COPY • YOUR NAME AND MAILING ADDRESS • DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER • CREDIT CARD INFORMATION PHONE: 215-625-8501 ext. 200 OR 215-451-6182 (DIRECT) • FAX: 215-925-6437 • E-MAIL: don@epgn.com GENERAL INFORMATION

All classified advertising must be in our office by 3 p.m. Friday for the next Friday’s paper. Ads arriving after that time will be held for the next available issue. PGN reserves the right to edit or rewrite ads as needed, to refuse any ad for any reason and to determine the final classification. Ads determined to be in bad taste, directed to or from persons under the legal age of consent or containing racially or sexually discriminatory language will be refused. We need your full name, mailing address and daytime phone number on the insertion order form for you ad. This information is confidential and will not appear in the paper. Any ads received without full information will be destroyed. Sexually explicit language will be edited or refused at the discretion of the management.

PAYMENT AND PLACEMENT

Classified ads may placed online or by mail, fax, e-mail or in person at the PGN offices at 505 S. Fourth St., Phila. Phone, fax and e-mail orders are accepted with credit/debit cards only. A $10 minimum applies to all charges. If you are paying in person with cash, please have the exact change as we cannot make change at the office. All ads must be prepaid for their entire run. NO EXCEPTIONS! DO NOT SEND CASH THROUGH THE MAIL; IT’S NOT SAFE AND CANNOT BE GUARANTEED.

TERM DISCOUNTS - BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ISSUES PREPAID 4 weeks, 5% • 8 weeks, 10% • 16 weeks, 15% • 26 weeks, 20%

CANCELLATION POLICY All PGN Classified ads are cancelable and refundable except for “FRIENDS” ads. Deadline for cancellation is 3 p.m. Friday. The balance will be credited to your credit/debit card. Checks take two weeks to process. The date of the first issue the ad appeared in, along with the classification, your name, address and daytime phone number is required to cancel your ad.

Classiﬁeds Liner Insertion Order

Select the TYPE STYLE you want from the examples below, and begin each line under the arrow to the left of the letter representing that style. Write to the end of the line (hyphenate words correctly. Do not stop at any other arrow, as each arrow represents a starting point. Allow one block for each letter, number, punctuation mark and space. Be sure to skip a space between words. PHONE NUMBER MUST INCLUDE AREA CODE. Be sure to circle one of the classiﬁcations and compute the cost of your ad. Liner advertising is on a PREPAY BASIS ONLY, and payment must accompany this form. PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH THROUGH THE MAIL. Type STYLE A Type STYLE B TYPE STYLE C

HEADLINE (24 SPACES PER LINE) FREE WHEN PLACED ONLINE 40 spaces Per Line 36 spaces Per Line 24 SPACES PER LINE

7 point 7 point 7 POINT

NAME ADDRESS CITY PHONE

PLEASE PRINT STATE

ZIP

AMEX • MASTERCARD • VISA • DISCOVER CARD NUMBER EXPIRATION SIGNATURE NAME ON CARD # # #

“A” LINES @ $5.50 - $ “B” LINES @ $7.50 - $ “C” LINES @ $10.00 - $ BOX YOUR AD $5.00 SUBTOTAL

NUMBER OF WEEKS X SUBTOTAL % TERM DISCOUNT AD TOTAL CLASSIFICATION (CIRCLE ONE) REAL ESTATE FOR SALE • REAL ESTATE FOR RENT • ROOMMATES • SEASONAL RENTALS • SERVICES • FINANCIAL SERVICES HELP WANTED • JOBS WANTED • BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES • FOR SALE • AUTOMOTIVE • AUCTIONS • TRAVEL RESORTS ADOPTION • PERSONALS • FRIENDS MEN • FRIENDS BISEXUAL • FRIENDS TV/TS • FRIENDS WOMEN

PGN now offers

FREE online classifieds. Go to www.philagaynews.com for the details. You can also place your print ad through the Web site it’s fast and easy!

TOTAL PAYMENT ENCLOSED

Return form and payment to: Masco Communications 505 S. Fourth St., Phila., PA 19147 or fax: 215-925-6437 or email: don@epgn.com

APR. 3 - 9, 2009

Real Estate

REAL ESTATE

MEDIA, $450,000 Fabulous arts and craft home located on a quiet street just a short walk to downtown Media. Home combines the best of old world charm with modern amenities. Minutes to Phila/Willmington by train/car. Offered for sale by Coldwell Banker Preferred Media. 610-566-1100. _______________________________33-14 Land For Sale: Cabin Front Creek w/ 5 acres - $299/ month. It’s time to invest in your family! Back to Basics: Campﬁres, quiet walks, sunsets. Call for details. Christmas & Associates 800-229-7843 www.LandandCamps.com 20 % down, 15 yrs. _______________________________33-14 Potter County - 2 acres only short walk to State Forest Land! Perc approved, electric, perfect for home, cabin, or camper. $19,900 Owner Financing. 800-668-8679. _______________________________33-14

ART MUSEUM HOUSE 2 B R h o u s e w / p a r k i n g , deck Art Museum Area-- off 26th St. (800 N. Bambrey, 19130) 800 N. Bambrey--Corner house on quiet street, close to public transportation. Newly renovated, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, hardwood ﬂoors, AC, laundry, deck, PARKING, wired. $1600+ call 215-990-4850. Go to www.kratzworks.com for rental app and pix. _______________________________33-17 Smithville, NJ- 55+ FOUR SEASONS- 3BR, 2BA, handicap accessible, 2 sunrooms, many upgrades. Near AC and shore. Owner Financing 3%. $299,900. 609-748-2988 or 609-335-5124. _______________________________33-14

SALE

PAGE 45

CLASSIFIEDS

SALE

REAL ESTATE

SALE

Gay is our middle name.

PGN

1608 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19103

www.philarealtyexchange.com

AV E N U E O F T H E A R T S 1326 SPRUCE ST #2903 (Center City One)-2br, 2 bth, 29th ﬂ views $435,000 Tom Gange G R A D UAT E H O S P I TA L 923 S. 17th - Attn Investors!! Triplex renovation started $260,000 Janis Dubin OLD CITY 244-48 N. 3rd, UNIT 3B – Corner unit condo, parking included $225,000 Kera Ritter RITTENHOUSE 226 W. RITTENHOUSE SQ. - 2 br/den. 2 bth, newly renovated, with park view, $895,000 Tom Gangemi 1613 LOMBARD ST- Brand new everything, 3 br, 2

bth and working fire place $499,900 Kera Ritter 401 S. 17th St-401 S. 17th: Quaint space, great location, new kitchen, commercial on 1st floor. $499,900. Kera Ritter SPRIN G G ARDEN 1601 SPRING GARDEN ST #419- gorgeous upgraded unit, elevator and secure $179,900 Janis Dubin SOUTH PHIL ADELPHIA 1904 S. 9th St. - 2br home in Bella Vista w/ large living room, $139,900 John Perno UNIVERSIT Y CIT Y 209 Saint Marks Sq - 6br,2.5bth porch front w/ huge backyard, c/a, w/d, wood floors and high ceilings. $599,000 Janis Dubin

FOR RENT 711 S. 18th ST-2 beds/1.5 baths, backyard, 2 secure parking spaces, great space $2,000 mo Kera Ritter 3512 BARING ST – Studio, utilities included in rent starting at $900 mo Kera Ritter 4030 W. GIRARD AVE-Huge Storefront retail space, $1000 mo Kera Ritter 1613 LOMBARD ST Brand new everything, 3 br, 2 bth and working fp $2000 mo Kera Ritter 2314 REED St- 2 bedrooms- 2 Units-wood ﬂoors, new kit, exposed brick starting $895 mo Janis Dubin 226 W. RITTENHOUSE SQ-2br,den, recently renovated, balcony, view of park $3500 mo Tom Gangemi 1601 SPRING GARDEN ST #419- gorgeous upgraded unit, elevator and secure $1000 mo Janis Dubin 2015 WALNUT ST-Commercial Storefront in Rittenhouse Sq. $2,000 mo Kera Ritter Various 1 and 2 bedroom residential listings-For More Information Please Call The Ofﬁce CAREER OPPORTUNITY FOR FULL TIME SALES AGENT- FOR INTERVIEW CALL OFFICE

WE WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME OUR NEW SALES ASSOCIATE, MAURICE CORNELIUS

Rittenhouse Square Jewel 1630 Waverly & Addison Carriage House

This exquisite 2 Bedroom/2 bath, 3-story home offers EVERYTHING for the urban “City” buyer!! Location!! Drama! Style! Form! Function! Amenities! AND PARKING!!!! • Carriage House (Garage parking & 2-story office/guest suite with bath) • Landscaped Zen Slate Patio/Garden with pond (fish included in sale) • 1st & 2nd floor rear wall is a “wall of glass” that floods the house with sun and wonderful energy!

$695,000

Check out the gorgeous virtual tour and see for yourself at: http://www.obeo.com/Public/Viewer/Default.aspx?ID=484316

322 Bainbridge Street Philadelphia PA 19147 (215) 925-6600

White Garrett Associate Broker (215) 906-6800

REAL ESTATE

SALE

REAL ESTATE

PREFERRED • FREE Listings by Email...DAILY! • Negotiable Commissions!

Andy Mariano

Direct Line 610-789-0982 Office 610-325-4100 E-Mail: sold.andy@verizon.net

SALE

PAGE 46

REAL ESTATE

pool). 5 hen, Dinm. Living 2nd r-2 n room, & ng room, oom, and 66 after 6

___32-17

ov. 3 BR, ,900. Call -2797. ___32-16

w/ beautiliving and outtted cabinets, s. Second oms and wer, extra y growing entury 21

CLASSIFIEDS

REAL ESTATE

Conrad Kuhn

HOMES FROM $10,000! MONTANA LAND BARGAINS Foreclosures for sale! 1-4 bedrooms available! 20AC with Utilities Broker/Sales Rep. Since 1987& Country Road was These homes must sell! For Listings Call 800Now $69,900 NJAR Circle of Excellence Sales$99,900 Award 19912007 BLM access. Deer & 706-1762 ext. 6888. Weichert President’s & Ambassador’s elk galore! CallClubs to view 877-229-7840 www. _______________________________32-16 WesternSkiesLand.com ATTENTION OUTDOORMEN Ofﬁce: 856.227.1950 ext. 124 _______________________________32-16 NYS Old Scout Camp 15 Ac on Lake- $39,900 Cell: 609.221.1196 GOLF SIDE SC HOME NEW CABINS- $19,900 Fishing & Hunting off Luxury four bedroom, four bath. Fully furnished. www.conradkuhn.com Realtor856@aol.com limits until now! A sportsman’s dream. Limited Mountain and lake views. $678,000. Call Dave time offer- call now! Christmas & Associates Washington602-758-9062. Township Ofﬁce 800-229-7843 www.landandcamps.com 5070 Route 42 _______________________________32-16 _______________________________32-16 72 acres NJ along McKean/Potter County line Turnersville, 08012 HERKIMER, NY 94.4 Acre dairy farm. 4 bedroom house, 85 near Shinglehouse. Mostly wooded, some stall cow barn, 4100’ paved road frontage. open area, includes old hunting cabin, Great views, open elds. $236,000. www. electric, $199,000. Field and Stream RE. 800-668-8679. helderbergrealty.us 518-861-6541. _______________________________32-16 _______________________________32-16

Lingo: Lingo: 302-227-3883 302-227-3883

ChrisRiss@JackLingo.com

www.RehobothBeachHouses.com

Rates have to HeightsTime of Collingswood

Loan Ofﬁcer

D R O P P E D

FRED W. BALDI

___32-17

REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® fred_baldi@hotmail.com

www.PoconosHomesInfo.com

___32-16 bedroom ons! Pay& Informa-

___32-16 adult (55 Delaware, 302-659om ___32-16 $45,000! down, 20 4-8363. ___32-16

(267) 341-1066 Direct Phone (267) 341-1067 Direct Fax Toll Free (800) 559-2514 x1066 Email: mjenofsky@fpms.com

6737 Harbison Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19149 (215) 333-5200 Main (215) 333-6012 Main Fax

Open House - April 5, 12-2 pm

1129 Spruce

PGN

Luxury Condos - All New!

All have hardwood ﬂoors, ﬁreplaces, granite, stainless, top-of-the-line everything.

There are easier ways to get noticed...

Unit 1 - 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 3 levels, 3000 sq. ft.. Impressive Contemporary Home $929,000 l ing Unit 2 - One bedroom, 1 1/2obath, de enbi-level M ﬁnishes Op upgraded cutie - best $319,000 d n Unit 3 - 2 bedroom, 2 bathGrawith deck, bi-level Bright and roomy! $529,000

Also

SALE

CHRIS RISS makes it happen in Direct: 302-226-6655 REHOBOTH!

Mike Jenofsky

Corners of Routes 390 & 44 • Candensis, PA 18325 OFFICE: (570) 595-2110 • FAX: (570) 595-7207 CELL: (570) 994-5118

REAL ESTATE

Let CHRIS CHRIS RISS RISSuse his Experience, Enthusiasm, and Contacts to sell your place or ﬁnd your new beach home. Most Transactions Award

Buy or Sell in the Poconos

Close to Mt. Airy Casino & Camel Back.

PAGE 91

SALE

)

CLASSIFIEDS

reﬁnance, consolidate debt, or buy NOW! Ask about our no closing cost option for buying a home.

PGN

Fox & Roach REALTORS®

At the Rittenhouse 210 W. Rittenhouse Sq. Phila, PA 19103 Dir. 215-790-5671 Fax 215-546-3415 Ofﬁce 215-546-0550 suzanne.petruzel@prufoxroach.com

Want to let mom, dad and all of your exs know you’re tying the knot?

Mike McKeown

Email: Enjoy all themike.mckeown@mindspring.com comforts of home. The Ultimate in Lifestyle. Convenient to Routes 38, 76, 70, 1-888-533-9890 I-676Licesensed the New by Jersey and 295.inJust minutes Dept. turnpike of Banking/Insurance NJ, PA, DE andfrom NY robust downtown Philadelphia, Collingswood is rich in historical associations Neighborhood cafes and quaint shops line the streets symbolic of an earlier time. Our newly renovated apartments feature upgraded Kitchens and Bathrooms. We are located across the street from Newton Lake Park and many activities including ﬁshing, boating, and jogging trails. · · · · ·

The COOLEST homes in Philadelphia’s OfﬁceHOTTEST 856-854-4112neighborhoods. • Fax 856-854-9390 Free shuttle to PATCO Speed line 24 hour state of the art ﬁtness center On site dry cleaners On site food market Garage parking available

· · · ·

Tennis court/Swim Club Pet Friendly Flexible lease terms Utilities included

� City location with the finest features Open Houses Sunday April 5, 2009

of a suburban townhome Noon - 1:00

�

2-3 Bedroom homes with garages

�

3 Bedroom homes with garages

�

Deck or balcony with each home

242 S 13th St Units C/F. Furness Flats. Large 1 and 2 bed, 1 bath. last two units (up to 1,710 sq. ft.) from the low $300’s left in this highly desirable building. Low fees and taxes ...................................... .........................................................................................Starting at only $255,000 507 S 15th St. Cute 2 bd., 2(up ba. home located thefrom Rittenhouse Square area. to 3,400 sq.inft.) the mid $500’s Full basement and side garden. Lowest price in the area..................................... ...........................................................................................A steal at only $250,000

NEW!! 1230 S. Iseminger St. (12th and Wharton) - Wonderful 2 BR in 1222 Spruce St Unit #3. Large open 2 bd. 1 ba. condo with low taxes and fees. � 10 year tax abatement .................................................................................................................$350,000 Lane Avenue desirable location. All new rehab hardwoodSchoolhouse ﬂoors, a/c, huge new bath-& Ridge 1:30 - 2:30 East Falls room. Move right in! $239,000 � Free Center City Shuttle 215.844.8888 136-138 N. 2nd St. “MALT HOUSE” condo. This is a very large 1 bd. 1ba. condo 1424 Lombard - huge 5 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath classic brownstone with with a big private terrace. Good condition and priced to sell. .................$300,000 large sep dining room 1860’s vintage - new kitchen - 3000 sq. ft. of TheUnique Arbours at Eagle Brewerytown Square TheSt.Villas & Regency 238 S 13th Unit G100 “George T. Sale Condo” Garden level Pointe 1 bd, 1 historic charm. Excellent condition $749,000 ba. unit w/ private entrance.. Low fees & Tax Abatement. Lowest price 1 bd. in at Packer Park S O M E R TO N B R E W E R Y TO W N Wash. Sq. West .......................................................................................$200,000 1014 Spruce 8-1 - Value! 2 bedroom, 1 bath. North 215.765-2800 & South views! SOUTH PHILADELPHIA 215.698.4540 416 S 10th St. NEW LISTING. Large update 4 bd. 2ba. with huge garden and Hardwood and stainless - only $339,000 215.389.9881 Brand New 2-3 Bedroom Townhomes with Garages Up to 1,700 sq. ft. From the Mid $200’s Suzanne E. Petruzel, GRI Sales Associate Tour our Decorated Models Cell 610-859-8030 Free Center City Shuttle

APR. 3 - 9, 2009

wonderfully roof deck with city skyline views. .........................................$800,000 A Lifestyle Community for

Spacious New One Floor Living & - 4:00 Adults 55 & Better 3:00 Distinctive Townhomes with Garages From the Mid Revival $300’s Twin, 2434 Poplar St. New Listing. Restored & Renovated Richardson Up2toFull 1,686 sq.Hardwood ft. 4 Bedroom, Baths, Floors, High Ceilings, 2 mantles, plus garden, From .................................................................................................. $409,000 the Mid $300’s Search area listings @ www.thephillyrealtors.com Tour all ourPhiladelphia Decorated Models The VillasDan are Tobey 85% Sold Out!

ePersonals westrum.com

The Curtis Center 170 W. Independence Mall , Suite L-44 Philadelphia, PA 19106

215.546.2700 Business • 267.238.1061 Direct 215.432.7151 Cell • 215.546.7728 Fax dtobey@cbpref.com

Send us your wedding/civil union/ commitment ceremony announcement and we’ll share it with the City of Brotherly Love.

E-mail information to editor@epgn.com or fax us at (215) 925-6437.

APR. 3 - 9, 2009

CLASSIFIEDS

ROOMMATES

Packer Park

Several Style Homesites Available from the low 300’s in the Community of Packer Park - Philadelphia Very safe, clean, convenient Community Minutes from Whitman Bridge, I - 95, Sports Complex, International Airport, FDR Park (350 acres of open Greenspace with golf, tennis, skateboarding, walking & biking trails) We have several luxurious home sites available, many with ten yr tax abatements & Developer Incentives, From the low 300’s - most with GARAGES for your safety and convenience.

bc@CapozziRealEstate.com www.CapozziRealEstate.com 215 551 5100 • 3320 South 20th St

PGN WILL NOT PUBLISH RACIAL DISTINCTIONS IN ROOMMATE ADS. SUCH NOTATIONS WILL BE EDITED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. ___________________________________ GREATER NE PHILA. Have your own bedroom in a beautiful split level home with 2 gay men. House is 4 BR, 2 full baths, W/D, upper and lower decks, use of kitchen. Property is by Welsh & the Boulevard, 1 min. to 58 bus. We ask only that you be at least reasonably neat and employed. Rent is $600 + 1/3 utils. Contact Dave at 215-698-0215. _______________________________33-15 Share 2 BR apt. 69th St. U. Darby . CC bus at door. $350 + 1/2 util. W/D. 610-352-1188. _______________________________33-15 ROOMMATE WANTED, LANGHORNE Room available langhorne. $550 inc, heat/ H2o, internet, shared kit/bath, W/D. close to train (R3), RT95, US1,, shopping malls. free parking. quiet setting. pool pass extra. htoad42000@yahoo.com _______________________________33-14 SPRINGFIELD, DEL. CO. Share home w/male w/male. 2 BR avail. Smaller rm $575/mo. Larger rm. $675/mo. Rent incl. all utils. Near trans. No smoking/pets. In ground pool, quiet neighborhood. Please call 610-328-2255. _______________________________33-15

REAL ESTATE

SALE

Open House - April 17th, 12-4 pm

PAGE 47

REAL ESTATE

SOMERS POINT TOWNHOUSE 3BR, 3Ba, on the Bay, hdwd flrs, C/A & vac, W/D, newer appls., 50FT boat slip w/dock, min to bch/casinos/shops. 12 mos. lease. $1550/mo + utils. 484-995-3381. _______________________________33-14 ART MUSEUM 2BR house for rent, parking deck Art Museum Area-- off 26th St. (800 N. Bambrey, 19130) Corner house on quiet street, close to public transportation. Newly renovated, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, hardwood floors, AC, laundry, deck, PARKING, wired. $1600 Call 215-990-4850. Go to www.kratzworks.com for rental app. _______________________________33-14 PENNSPORT AREA, FRONT ST. LOC. Newly remodeled 2 BR house w/full bsmt., hdwd flrs., C/A, new bath w/jacuzzi, mod. kit. D/W, C/D, microwave. Fenced in private patio. $1350. 215-768-9309. _______________________________33-14

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAYBORHOOD Available Immediately. One bedroom apartment with central air conditioning, ample closet space and wall to wall carpet. Great Center City Location for only $900 per month. Please call Tom at Solo Realty Co. to see this space. 215564-7656 ext. 22 or tom@solorealty.com _______________________________33-15

RENT

VACATION

RENTAL

RENT

PGN VACATION

RENTAL SUMMER RENTAL SEA ISLE CITY, NJ More info at www.vacationseaisle.com Monthly / Half Season / Full Season. _______________________________33-16 OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/ partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800-638-2102 Online reservations www.holidayoc.com _______________________________33-14

Vacation Rental Wildwood Crest, NJ

Adorable seashore home in the heart of the Crest. 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, EIK, living room, family room, outdoor shower and only 2 1/2 blocks to the beach! Great front porch and back deck for relaxing. Oﬀ street parking. Well behaved pets allowed. Contact Lisa at 973-492-1532 or iluvpits@msn.com

HELP WANTED

Cashiers / Cleaners Full-time / Part-time All shifts available Apply in person Sansom St. Gym 2020 Sansom St. Phila., PA 19103

enovated 6. www.

___32-17

May. 610-

___32-17

ard, family ed beams utils. Call ave.com ___32-17

s. 1st fgl. St. $650.

___32-16

do Bldg, D, Ctl Air,

___32-18

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___32-18 $45,000! down, 20 4-8363. ___32-16 07/month! 8/month! or listings

___32-16

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___32-16 dieu, The t. House/ art here! y call 1-

___32-16

PAGE 95

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HELPSALE WANTED

ROOMMATES HELP WANTED

PGN

PGN WILL NOT PUBLISH RACIAL DISTINCTIONS IN ROOMMATE SUCH Over 18? Between High SchoolADS. and College? NOTATIONS WILL BE EDITED. THANK Travel and Have Fun w/Young Successful YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. Business Group. No Experience Necessary. ___________________________________ 2wks Paid GREATER Training. Lodging, Transportation NE PHILA. Provided. Have your1-877-646-5050. own bedroom in a beautiful split _______________________________33-14 level home with 2 gay men. House is 4 BR, 2 full baths, W/D, upper and lower decks, use of NOW AVAILABLE! kitchen. Property is by Welsh the Boulevard, 1 2009 POST OFFICE JOBS.&$18-$20/hr. NO min. to 58 bus. We askTRAINING, only that youFED be atBENleast EXPERIENCE, PAID reasonably neat and employed. Rent is $600 + EFITS, VACATIONS. CALL 1-800-910-9941 1/3 utils. Contact Dave at 215-698-0215. TODAY! Ref #PA09. _______________________________32-19 _______________________________33-14 NE PHILA. House to share. $350/mo. Call John at 267574-1804. _______________________________32-16 OVERBROOK PARK/CITY LINE Room. Use of kitchen, W/D, cable. $450/mo. 215-850-7900. _______________________________32-16 REHOBOTH BEACH House share, room avail. Inc. pvt bath, deck, pool & utils. 5/1 to 9/1. $5400 season. Call 302-530-1071. _______________________________32-17

HELP WANTED

HOUSEKEEPER WANTED By gay couple in Bucks Co. Clean house, odds & ends. Live in possible. ksboll@verizon.net _______________________________33-14 Always Making Hourly? Earn up to $52K/yr! FT/PT Help Gov’t Buy/Sell Foreclosures! For More Info Call 800-935-9058. _______________________________33-14 Part-time, home-based Internet business. Earn $500-$1000/month or more. Flexible hours. Training provided. No selling required. FREE details. www.K348.com _______________________________33-14 Drive the Big Trucks! Earn Big Bucks! 25 Driver Trainees needed. $700-$800/week No CDL, no problem. No credit, no problem. Call Now! 1-800-961-4319. _______________________________33-14 $12.00 GUARANTEED For every envelope stuffed with our sales material plus a free sign on bonus. FREE 24 hour information. 1-888-250-8110. _______________________________33-14 Mailing Brochures! Weekly pay + Bonus. Supplies Furnished. Guaranteed Opportunity. Call Now! 1-800-307-7131. _______________________________33-14 Pickup truck & Commercial truck drivers needed. Deliver RV trailers and commercial trucks and buses to all 48 states and Canada. Log on to www.RVdeliveryjobs.com _______________________________33-14

APR. 3 - 9, 2009

CLASSIFIEDS

��

SELL AVON! 50% PROFIT. 1-800-AVON-443 (ISR) _______________________________32-20 Banquet Servers Needed Come experience a FREE facial with An all Natural Product Shifts Avail 7days/week $12-14/Hour. Call Today! -Gets rid of Wrinkles Best Personnel -Evens out skin tone: Removes redness 1315 Walnut St. Suite 320 -Makes you look younger 215-732-3100 _______________________________32-16 *Learn how to get product for FREE OPERATIONS DIRECTOR to make a lot of $$$ For successful growing*Learn cleaning how company. Starts P/T, becomes F/T. Must be: exible, Located in CC: Call Tracy 215-519-5055 or Bruce 215-327-1777 hands on, detail oriented, willing to learn and April 6th Monday @ 7pm grow. Salary commensurate w/exp. Great owners/leadership, great staff, paid training. TheFountainofYouth08@comcast.net Call 856-424-1444. Bruceslemmer@comcast.net _______________________________32-17

Jersey Shore AS SEEN ON CBS “ Face Lift From Inside Out” Housekeeper/Driver wanted. 40 hours a week. Valid drivers license and references required. Started at $15.6k per year. Med. Insurance after 6 mos. (Low rent Apt. available.)

Email: jjs@1616pr.com

Seeking part-time editorial intern The Philadelphia Gay News is seeking a part-time editorial intern. As editorial intern, you will perform a variety of duties in support of the editorial staff. Duties might include writing short articles and weekly event listings, research, fact checking, ling, archiving data and special projects. Intern(s) may also have the opportunity (depending on level of interest and journalistic skills) to attend local events (press conferences, rallies, etc.) and write news and features articles. Intern(s) should be highly motivated with strong writing skills. A journalistic background is preferred but not required. Intern(s) must have the ability to stay focused while working independently. Intern(s) must be able to meet deadlines both on a daily and longer-term basis. This is an unpaid internship (academic credit available), 15-20 hours per week. Skills: Computer procient. (Prefer Word, e-mail, In-Design, Excel. Photoshop a plus.) Organized, detail oriented Solid written and verbal communications skills; knowledge of AP style Team player

Please send résumé, cover letter and three writing samples to Sarah Blazucki, Editor, Philadelphia Gay News, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147. Or e-mail, editor@epgn.com.

��

MISREPRESENT HIMSELF? DID YOUR CARPENTER

�� PGN LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

��

PAGE 108 CLASSIFIEDS

APR. 3 - 9, 2009

FOR SALE Metal Rooﬁng and Siding Buy Direct, We manufacture and cut to your length, also a large supplier of Pole Building material 1-800373-3703 www.abmartin.net _______________________________33-14 ONLINE PHARMACY Buy Soma, Ultram, Fioricet, Prozac, Buspar $71.99/90 $107/180 Quantities. PRICE INCLUDES PRESCRIPTION! Over 200 meds $25 Coupon. Mention Offer: #21A31. 1-888531-6744. tri-pharmacy.info _______________________________33-14 ABSOLUTELY NO COST TO YOU!! ALL BRAND NEW POWER WHEELCHAIRS, HOSPITAL BEDS AND SCOOTERS. IMMEDIATE DELIVERY. CALL TOLL FREE 1-888-9984111 TO QUAILIFY. _______________________________33-14

SERVICES

PAGE 108

Responsible and reliable girl looking for more houses to clean. Cleaning done by girl from Europe. If you want your home cleaned and in spotless condition, call 215-427-0989. _______________________________33-15 ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE From Home. *Medical, *Business, *Paralegal, *Computers, *Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualiﬁed. Call 866-858-2121 www.CenturaOnline.com _______________________________33-14 AIRLINES ARE HIRING Train for high paying Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualiﬁed -Housing available. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance (888)349-5387. _______________________________33-14

BUSINESS

OPPORTUNITIES

Is it time to look for a new doctor?

100% RECESSION PROOF! Do you earn $800 in a day? Your own local candy route. Includes 25 Machines and Candy All for $9,995. 1-800-460-4027. _______________________________33-14 VANGUARD CLEANING SYSTEMS FRANCHISE Commercial Ofﬁce Cleaning. Operate a Business that YOU own! Since 1984, as low as $1500 down, Equipment, Support, Customers. Phone: 717-260-3678. _______________________________33-14

ADOPTION Considering Adoption? A beautiful home, loving attorney and nurturing full-time mom awaits your baby. Expenses paid. Call Anne & Phyllis (ask for michelle/adam). 1-800-790-5260. _______________________________33-14

Make waves. Write a letter.

PGN

AUTOS DONATE VEHICLE Receive $1000 Grocery Coupon. Noah’s Arc Support No Kill Shelters. Research to Advance Veterinary Treatments. Free Towing, Tax Deductible, Non-Runners accepted 1-866-912-GIVE. _______________________________33-14

CLASSIFIEDS PAGE 49

�� PAGE 106

Is it time to look for a new doctor? CLASSIFIEDS

APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008

Want to let mom, dad and all of your �� exs know you’re tying the knot? Individual, Couple & Family Counseling Life & Career Coaching

PAGE 108

Speciﬁc Expertise: Grief & Loss Transitions in Life Children / Adolescents with Educational or Emotional Needs Private Pay: Moderate Fee Scale Ofﬁce Location: East Norriton, Montgomery County

��

Is it time to look for a new doctor? ��

CLASSIFIEDS

PAGE 50

��

CLASSIFIEDS

APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008

APR. 3 - 9, 2009

HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY ��

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this space: �� only $25 per week* ��

�� Your ad dollars �� go�� further when �� you�� target your audience ��

PAGE 106

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Fax : 215-501-8306

Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. Call 215-625-8501 Today!

CLASSIFIEDS

APR. 3 - 9, 2009

HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY

PAGE 51

CASTELLI ROOFING® & GENERAL CONTRACTORS, INC.

Family Owned & Operated — Over 25 Years Experience Rooﬁng Siding General Construction Specializing in Historical Rooﬁng

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Reach Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. Call 215-625-8501 Today!

Social Security Disability Claims Appeals

Social Security Disability Claims Appeals PAGE 110 PAGE PAGE 110 PAGE 52 PAGE110 110215-629-0585 PAGE 110

Suite 202 Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030

215-629-0585

CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS

APRIL -- MAY 1, 2008 APRIL2525 25 MAY 1,2008 2008 2008 APR. 3 -1,9, 2009 APRIL - MAY

LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY CLASSIFIEDS

215-735-1006

1900 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.amysteerman.com

Attorney-at-Law

Disability Consultant

Estate & Tax Planning

GENERAL PRACTICE FOR THE COMMUNITY Social Security Disability �� Claims Appeals

MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2008

��

�� CLASSIFIEDS ��

215-629-0585

LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY �� Suite 202 �� Oxford Valley Rd.

215-546-1950 (Voice)

AMY F. STEERMAN Attorney at Law

Concentrating in Planning for Lesbian and Gay Couples • Probate • Wills • Living Wills • Powers of Attorney

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APR. 3 - 9, 2009

PAGE 53

THE PLAYGROUND

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

APR. 3 - 9, 2009