PHI LADELPHIA GAY NEWS

est. 1976 HONESTY . INTEGRITY . PROFESSIONALISM

March 6 - March 12, 2020 75¢ V ol. 44 N o. 10 pgn

O U R H I S T O R Y, O U R F U T U R E In 1979, Rikers Island gave gay prisoners hope PAG E 16

Sheriff’s Office honors Dante Austin,

Bilal promises LGBTQ liaison
JESS BRYANT
jess@epgn.com
Philadelphia’s Sheriff’s Office
helmed by Sheriff Rochelle Bilal held
a commendation and awards ceremony
on Feb. 27 at Fraternal Order of Police
Lodge #5. During the ceremony, Dante
Austin, the first out gay deputy sheriff,
who died by suicide on June 6, was
honored with a special presentation,
posthumous promotion to deputy sher-
iff sergeant and promise from Bilal that
she would appoint a new LGBTQ com-
munity liaison — a position Austin had
held since 2017.
Austin’s death shook both the
LGBTQ and Sheriff’s communities.
He was found dead in his office just
one month before he would have been
appointed to sergeant by former Sheriff
Jewell Williams and only a few days
before Philadelphia’s LGBTQ Pride
Parade and celebration.
Dante Austin’s commemoration was
the denouement to an evening filled
with awards, promotions, distinguish-
ments and presentations. A somber but
celebratory presentation was given by
Deputy Sheriff Sergeant Jetaria Tay-
lor and Inspector Joshua Perez. Perez
spoke about working with Austin in
the Lieutenant mentorship program
and Austin’s inclusion efforts. Taylor
awarded Austin his posthumous pro-
motion and gave a heartfelt speech. In
her opening words, she said, “I am hon-
ored to be able to present this award to-
night in honor of my best friend Dante
Austin. I thought about the many things
I wanted to say tonight but quickly re-
membered that his work spoke for it-
self. Austin was intelligent, respectful,
kind and made friends with everyone
that he came in contact with. Austin
proved himself to be a leader while also
being a team player and was well re-
spected and loved by those around him.”
Taylor told PGN that Austin’s
promotion “signaled a change with-
in the office that was well needed.
During a time where it felt like Aus-
tin was overlooked, Sheriff Rochelle
Bilal came in and quickly made
things right.” She said Austin’s pro-
motion will allow his SHERIFF ROCHELLE BILAL HONORS DANTE AUSTIN
legacy to live on. page 28

PETE Local gay bar ‘hopes’ to

BUTTIGIEG reopen by end of week
ENDS JESS BRYANT the liquor license transferee, Tim

HISTORIC jess@epgn.com (Prentim) Dedja will be the own-

er and manager of Boxers if the

CAMPAIGN Largely due to community sup-

port and legal restructuring, the
LGBTQ bar, Boxers PHL hopes to
VICTORIA A. BROWNWORTH reopen its doors Friday “with a full
PGN Contributor liquor license,” according to Gener-
al Manager Ben P. Ablao, Jr.
On March 1, Pete Buttigieg ended Boxers has been closed since
his campaign for President. Butti- Feb. 4 due to a liquor license dis-
gieg’s run was historic: he was the pute, wherein David Singer, a prin-
first out gay candidate of a major par- cipal owner at Michael Singer Real
ty, the youngest candidate of any party Estate, filed a petition to intervene
and the first out gay candidate to win against the liquor license transfer
primary delegates for a major party’s from Boxers PHL’s New York own-
presidential nomination. Mayor of the ers, 1330 Walnut Street Partners, to
sixth-largest city in Indi- Photo: Philly for Pete IMER DEDJA LLC.
ana, an Afghanistan war page 30 While Imer Dedja is listed as
transfer is approved, according to
William Morrin, the liquor law and
licensing attorney representing Tim
Dedja.
Pennsylvania Liquor Control
Board (PLCB) confirmed on Feb. 6
that three protests and one petition
to intervene were filed against the
transfer, which requires a hearing.
Though Boxers originally indi-
cated Singer’s petition was due to
hate, Singer noted concerns about
health violations of Imer Dedja, cit-
ing Big Ass Slices as a reason for
his concern.
PLCB stipulates that page 29

PA G E 4 PA G E 2 PA G E 1 2

THE MOST LGBTQ RELEVANT
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RACES
On April 28, along with voting in the presidential primary,
residents will vote for new and existing candidates running
for the state House of Representatives and Senate.
HRC PRESIDENT LAUNCHES
INTERFAITH TOUR IN PHILLY
“God is a lover of justice,” declared Human Rights Campaign
(HRC) President Alphonso David from the pulpit of the His-
toric African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas.
PPD WELCOMES FIRST OPENLY
TRANS ACADEMY GRADUATE
The Philadelphia Police Academy saw its first transgender
graduate, Benson Churgai, sworn into the Philadelphia Police
Department, as part of PPD’s 391st class, on Feb. 28.
2 LOCAL
RESOURCE LISTINGS
LEGAL RESOURCES
PHILADELPHIA COMMISSION ON
HUMAN RELATIONS —
Rue Landau
215-686-4670
PHILADELPHIA POLICE
LIAISON COMMITTEE
215-760-3686
ppd.lgbt@gmail.com
SPARC — STATEWIDE
PENNSYLVANIA RIGHTS COALITION
717-920-9537
ACLU OF PENNSYLVANIA
215-592-1513; aclupa.org
AIDS LAW PROJECT OF PA
215-587-9377; aidslawpa.org
AIDS LAW PROJECT OF
SOUTH JERSEY
856-784-8532; aidslawsnj.org
EQUALITY PA
equalitypa.org; 215-731-1447
OFFICE OF LGBT AFFAIRS —
EVAN THORNBURG
215-686-0330
evan.thornburg@phila.gov
COMMUNITY CENTERS
THE ATTIC YOUTH CENTER
255 S. 16th St.; 215-545-4331
atticyouthcenter.org
For LGBT and questioning youth
and their friends and allies.
LGBT CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF PENNSYLVANIA
3907 Spruce St.; 215-898-5044
center@dolphin.upenn.edu
RAINBOW ROOM: BUCKS
COUNTY’S LGBTQ AND ALLIES
YOUTH CENTER
Salem UCC Education Building
181 E. Cour t St., Doylestown
215-957-7981 ext. 9065
rainbowroom@ppbucks.org
WILLIAM WAY
LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER
1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220
www.waygay.org
H E A LT H A N D H I V T E S T I N G
ACTION WELLNESS
1216 Arch St.; 215-981-0088 ac-
tionwellness.org
AIDS TREATMENT FACT LINE
800-662-6080
AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION
1211 Chestnut St. #405
215-971-2804; HIVcare.org
AIDS LIBRARY
1233 Locust St, aidslibrar y.org
MOSAIC MEDICAL CENTER FOR
LGBTQ+ HEALTH AND WELLNESS
www.mosaicmedicalcenter.org
610-583-1177
AIDS CARE GROUP
www.aidscaregroup.org
610-583-1177
PrEP DELCO
www.prepdelco.com
610-872-9101
BEBASHI-TRANSITION TO HOPE
1235 Spring Garden St
215-769-3561; bebashi.org
COLOURS
coloursorganization.org
215-832-0100
CONGRESO DE LATINOS UNIDOS
216 W. Somerset St
215-763-8870
GALAEI
149 W. Susquehanna Ave
267-457-3912, galaei.org
Spanish/English
HEALTH CENTER NO. 2
1720 S. Broad St
215-685-1821
LGBT ELDER INITIATIVE
1315 Spruce Street, 4th Floor
lgbtelderintiative.org
215.720.9414
MAZZONI CENTER
1348 Bainbridge St
215-563-0652
mazzonicenter.org
NOVUS ACS
MEDICAL SERVICES
11 DUANE RD, STE A
DOYLESTOWN, PA
267-454-7086
NOVUSACS.COM
PHILADELPHIA FIGHT
1233 Locust St.; 215-985-4448
fight.org
WASHINGTON WEST PROJECT OF
MAZZONI CENTER
1201 Locust St.; 215-985-9206
TRANSGENDER HEALTH ACTION
COALITION
215-732-1207
OTHER
INDEPENDENCE BRANCH LIBRARY
BARBARA GITTINGS GAY AND
LESBIAN COLLECTION
215-685-1633
INDEPENDENCE BUSINESS
ALLIANCE
215-557-0190, independence-
businessalliance.com
LGBT PEER COUNSELING
SERVICES
215-732-TALK
PFLAG: PARENTS, FAMILIES AND
FRIENDS OF LESBIANS AND GAYS
(PHILADELPHIA)
215-572-1833
PHILLY PRIDE PRESENTS
215-875-9288
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
HRC president launches
national interfaith tour at first
Black Episcopal church in
Philadelphia
A L P H O N S O D A V I D AT H I S T O R I C A F R I C A N E P I S C O P A L C H U R C H O F S T. T H O M A S
JENNIFER AMELL
PGN Contributor
“God is a lover of justice,” declared Hu-
man Rights Campaign (HRC) President Al-
phonso David from the pulpit of the Historic
African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas.
In conjunction with the HRC Foundation,
the educational arm of our nation’s largest
LGBTQ organization, David kicked off his
cross-country “Coming Home to Faith: A
Search for Common Ground” tour in Phila-
delphia this Sunday morning.
David shared the pulpit with the Very Rev-
erend Canon Martini Shaw who extended
a warm welcome to the HRC. “St. Thomas
has a history of engaging in outreach to the
community around us and ensuring that the
welcoming love we see in the Gospels is felt
by everyone we serve— including LGBTQ
people,” preached the Very Reverend Shaw,
“We encourage everyone to reflect on the
ways in which people of faith can begin find-
ing common ground with LGBTQ people in
their communities.”
For many, a conversation between
LGBTQ+ people and those of faith is long
overdue. David’s campaign aims to “explore
and strengthen” the relationship between two
communities with a history of friction.
The HRC Foundation’s mission hits on a
raw nerve for many LGBTQ+ people whose
stories include horrific encounters with reli-
gion-based conversion therapy, excommuni-
cation, exorcism, and even hate crimes. No
one can forget all those colorful signs from
the Westboro Baptist Church or the inevita-
ble sign-toting posse who protest from the
sidelines of Pride. In short, it is a difficult
conversation to broach — and yet, a worth-
while one.
The HRC states that there is no reason to
believe “a person cannot be LGBTQ and also
a person of faith, or vice versa”. In fact, the
Public Religion Research Institution (PRRI)
reported in 2019 that the majority of all ma-
jor religious groups across America favor
laws that prevent LGBTQ discrimination.
This is a reassuring statistic to bolster Da-
vid’s mission.
P h o t o : H R C i n P e n n s y l v a n i a Tw i t t e r
“The cornerstones of religion and faith and
the LGBTQ movement are the same: inclu-
sion and justice. LGBTQ people are in every
faith tradition, and LGBTQ people and peo-
ple of faith have more similarities than they
do differences,” said David, “I am excited to
visit diverse houses of worship and strength-
en HRC’s relationships with faith commu-
nities. Today’s visit to the Historic African
Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Phila-
delphia, the first African Episcopal church
in the United States, with a strong legacy of
humanitarianism and community outreach, is
the perfect way to begin this series of con-
versations to advance dialogue and initiatives
around LGBTQ equality.” That David, who
identifies as a gay Black man, launched his
tour at the first Black Episcopal church in
Philadelphia is no subtle statement.
In a 2016 report, The Philadelphia Com-
mission on Human Relations (PCHR) re-
sponded to rising “reports of racial tension
and discrimination within Philadelphia’s
LGBTQ population” citing issues of Black
exclusion in the Gayborhood, “ad hoc pol-
icies [that] support discrimination”, and
“questionable employment policies”. Na-
tionally, PRRI reported in 2017 that 86 per-
cent of Black Protestants believe that the
Black LGBTQ community experiences a lot
of discrimination. It is no wonder then, why
Alphonso David is choosing to bring his mes-
sage of inclusion, equity and justice to many
historically Black churches across America.
Yet, David’s mission is also broader in scope.
“In the course of the tour,” said HRC
Foundation Religion & Faith Program Direc-
tor Michael Vazquez, “Alphonso David will
visit houses of worship across the country,
including Historic Black Churches, evangeli-
cal churches, synagogues, mosques and other
religious and faithful spaces.”
It has long been a hallmark of the HRC
to demand equality while creating space for
individual freedom of expression. Volunteers
with HRC’s Get Out The Vote (GOTV) gath-
ered on Sunday to help St. Thomas’s con-
gregation register, update information and
pledge to encourage friends and family to
come out and vote in upcoming elections. n
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
PGN
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4 LOCAL
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020

pgn The most LGBTQ relevant

Publisher
Mark Segal (ext. 204)
Democratic Primary races
mark@epgn.com

Office Manager/
Distribution
Don Pignolet (ext. 200)
don@epgn.com

Editor
Jess Bryant (ext. 206)
editor@epgn.com

Staff Writers
Michele Zipkin (ext. 215)
michele@epgn.com

Larry Nichols (ext. 213)

larry@epgn.com

Timothy Cwiek (ext. 208)

timothy@epgn.com

Editorial Designer/
Illustrator
MICHELE ZIPKIN
Ash Cheshire (ext. 210)
ash@epgn.com michele@epgn.com
Web Designer The Pennsylvania Democratic Primary
Sean Dorn (ext. 211) elections are nearing. On April 28, along
sean@epgn.com with participating in the presidential prima-
ry, residents will vote for new and existing
Photographer candidates running for the state House of
Kelly Burkhardt Representatives and Senate. This year, four
burkhardtkelly@gmail.com
races are particularly relevant to LGBTQ
Advertising Sales voters. Out Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta of the
Joe Bean (ext. 219)
181st District faces Democratic challeng-
joe@epgn.com er Charlotte Greer-Brown; Out Rep. Brian
Sims, who represents the 182nd District,
Prab Sandhu (ext. 212) is running against Marisa Shaaban; Rep.
prab@epgn.com
Mary Isaacson of District 175 faces three
National Advertising challengers — Andre Del Valle, Vanessa
Rivendell Media: McGrath and Jeff Dempsey; Sen. Larry
212-242-6863 Farnese of the first Senatorial District faces
a challenger in Nikil Saval.
IT Consultant Successful campaigns often — not al-
Micah Mahjoubian ways — rely on successful financing ef-
forts. According to the Pennsylvania State
Department Campaign Finance Online Re-
porting records for the year 2019, Kenyatta
Phone: 215-625-8501 PGN has an ending cash balance of $27,574.53,
Fax: 215-925-6437 505 S. Fourth St.
E-mail: pgn@epgn.com Philadelphia, PA with no unpaid debts and obligations; Sims
Web: www.epgn.com 19147-1506 has $6,660.74 in funds, with $50,000 in
unpaid debts and obligations; Isaacson has
Philadelphia Gay News $86,784.02 in available funding, with no
is a member of:
The Associated Press unpaid debts; McGrath has a balance of
Pennsylvania Newspaper $24,186.40 and no unpaid debts; Dempsey
Association
Suburban Newspapers has an ending cash balance of $851.00, with
of America no unpaid debts; Farnese has $296,334.70
in available funds, with $48,321.73 in un-
The views of PGN are expressed only in the unsigned
“Editorial” column. Opinions expressed in bylined col- paid debts and obligations; Nikil Saval has
umns, stories and letters to the editor are those of the $103,689.10 at his disposal, with no unpaid
writer, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of
PGN. The appearance of names or pictorial represen- debts. Del Valle and Shaaban have not dis-
tations in PGN does not necessarily indicate the sexual closed their financial reports at this time.
orientation of that named or pictured person or persons.
Malcolm Kenyatta, the first openly
Copyright © 1976 - 2019 Copyright(s) in all materials
in these pages are either owned or licensed by Masco
LGBTQ person of color elected to the Gen-
Communications Inc. or its subsidiaries or affiliate compa- eral Assembly, has served as a Pennsylva-
nies (Philadelphia Gay News, PGN, and its WWW sites.) nia State Rep. since November of 2018.
All other reproduction, distribution, retransmission, mod-
ification, public display, and public performance of our When speaking to PGN, he cited several is-
materials is prohibited without the prior written consent sues as being important for Pennsylvanians
of Masco Communications. To obtain such consent, email
pgn@epgn.com. Published by Masco Communications Inc. — namely the need to pass The Fairness
© 1976-2019 Masco Communications Inc. ISSN-0742-515
Act, a nondiscrimination law that would
add sexual orientation, gender identity and
gender expression to Pennsylvania’s ex-
isting nondiscrimination law. He co-spon-
sored the bill that Rep. Dan Frankel, Rep.
Brian Sims and others have been pushing.
Sen. Farnese co-sponsored the bill in Penn-
sylvania’s senate.
Kenyatta said, “It’s just on its face ab-
surd — depending on the county you’re in,
your right to housing and to be free from
discrimination in employment can be in-
fringed on.”
Kenyatta also emphasized the impor-
tance of his forthcoming bill requiring state
forms that collect demographic data to in-
clude an optional LGBTQ identifier, and a
resolution calling for implicit bias training
for all government employees and contrac-
tors.
He considers deep poverty to be one of
the most pressing issues for Pennsylvania
as a whole and co-sponsored a resolution
recognizing poverty as a public health cri-
sis. He also pointed out the extent to which
the poverty crisis affects LGBTQ com-
munities, largely due to lack of cultural-
ly-competent employers who are willing
to hire queer workers, especially trans indi-
viduals, he said.
Kenyatta, who secured a 2020 Working
Families endorsement for his work fighting
to help improve working conditions and
pay for Pennsylvania families, said Repub-
licans targeting Black voters as a method of
hindering African American voter turnout
has been a challenge to his campaign.
“One of the things that I think has been
interesting to watch is the way that the Re-
publican party has targeted North Philly,”
Kenyatta said. “They had this Black Peo-
ple for Trump event in my district. They’re
opening 15 offices across the country, try-
ing to, in my opinion, decrease turnout
among African Americans. I have a Demo-
cratic opponent who has been endorsed and
supported by multiple Republican Ward
leaders. That’s something I’ve been keep-
ing an eye on, that Republicans want to try
to move the needle or at least create confu-
sion in terms of my race.”
Kenyatta’s challenger is Charlotte Greer-
Brown. Her Facebook campaign page says
she has worked to create jobs, improve
education, provide resources for displaced
youth and assist those experiencing men-
tal health disorders through the National
Council for Behavioral health. She cur-
rently serves as the CEO and founder of
the Elite 30 Association and Coalition, a
nonprofit that provides resources for Black/
African-North American and underserved
communities experiencing poverty, psy-
chological warfare and lack of education.
She also worked as a legislative assistant
and community outreach specialist for for-
mer State Representative Curtis Thomas.
She deems gun violence as related to
youth populations as one of the most press-
ing issues in Philadelphia, according to her
campaign page.
Greer-Brown did not respond to PGN’s
request for comment.
Rep. Brian Sims was elected to the State
House of Representatives in 2012, as the
first openly gay state legislator in Pennsyl-
vania. During his time in office, his prior-
ities have been strengthening public edu-
cation, protecting resources and services
for seniors, bolstering civil rights for all
Pennsylvanians and creating jobs, accord-
ing to his biography on pahouse.com. As
a legislator, Sims has introduced bills and
resolutions in support of the Fairness Act,
protecting minors from conversion thera-
py, implementing comprehensive sex edu-
cation programs, updating Pennsylvania’s
equal pay law and instituting insurance
coverage of HIV medications including
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), to name
just a few.
A roughly three-year-long state ethics
probe investigating Sims’ travel fees and
speaking gigs recently re-
vealed that the representative page 23
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
PGN
5
6 LOCAL
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
Safehouse injection site closed
due to protests
JOSÉ DE MARCO AND SAFEHOUSE SUPPORTERS (2019)
VICTORIA A. BROWNWORTH
PGN Contributor
Just 48 hours after the opening of the
groundbreaking Safehouse injection site
was announced Feb. 25, a spokesperson for
Constitution Health Plaza announced that the
plaza was canceling plans to allow the non-
profit Safehouse to operate a supervised in-
jection site on its premises. The lease on the
site was withdrawn.
Safehouse, modeled on successful safe in-
jection sites in Toronto and throughout Eu-
rope, which have been proven to lower the
rate of overdose deaths, would have been the
first safe injection site in the U.S. Mayor Jim
Kenney has been a staunch proponent of the
site, arguing that with the city’s massive opi-
oid and overdose problem, it is a simple way
to save lives.
But on Feb. 26, South Philly residents met
with Safehouse officials, including former
Gov. Ed Rendell, stating that they had not
been consulted about the placement of the
site. Constitution Plaza also houses a daycare
center.
At the meeting, Council people Kenyatta
Johnson and Mark Squilla both voiced ob-
jections to the site. Johnson said, "You can’t
come into a community, make a decision
such as putting a safe injection site, putting
children in danger, without consulting with
the community. But most importantly, the
site was absurd in the first place."
City Council met Feb. 28 to determine
what should happen going forward.
Kenney attempted to mitigate the blow-
back from both City Council and city resi-
dents.
He said, "I am glad that this will allow
Safehouse more time to examine its options
and to engage the community. It will allow
those with concerns more time to get an-
swers."
He added, "And it will allow everyone to
take a deep breath and focus on the ultimate
goal of this effort: to save the lives of fellow
Philadelphians who are struggling with ad-
Photo: Laura Smythe
diction. I remain convinced that overdose
prevention sites do save lives — as they have
in more than 100 cities around the world. I
remain committed to moving forward in a
deliberate, thoughtful and collaborative way
to open a site that will save lives."
According to 2015 data from the National
Survey on Drug Use and Health, adults de-
fined as "sexual minorities" (LGBTQ) were
more than twice as likely as heterosexual
adults to have used illicit drugs in the pre-
vious year.
José de Marco, an LGBTQ and AIDS ac-
tivist with ACT-UP Philadelphia, said of the
lease cancellation and protests, "People con-
tinue to overdose and die while politics and
neighbors point out the drugs, used syringes
and public drug use in their neighborhood.
These problems are present in their neighbor-
hoods now. Safe consumption is not creating
these issues."
De Marco argued that "A safe consumption
facility will eliminate many of the problems
by taking it indoors away from the public,"
adding, "Drug users will receive immediate
referral to treatment if they want it — medi-
cal care and social services. A win-win situa-
tion for everybody."
De Marco said that "without safe consump-
tion, the deaths will increase, as will the prob-
lems with discarded paraphernalia."
The plaza announcement of the lease can-
cellation prompted still more protests from
neighborhood residents and other Philadel-
phians. On March 1, a rally of over 1,000 peo-
ple was held outside the site, with protesters
arguing that there is no place in Philadelphia
that is safe for such a program.
On March 2, State Sen. Anthony Hardy Wil-
liams, a longtime foe of Kenney, held a press
conference with State Sen. Tina Tartaglione.
Williams argued for legislation he had pro-
posed last October. Williams’ bill would re-
quire "at least three public input community
meetings," that drug use be done under "obser-
vation by appropriate medical professionals,"
and a "proactive and comprehen-
sive community safety plan." page 18
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
PGN
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8 PGN
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
PGN
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10 EDITORIAL
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020

EDITORIAL BY JESS BRYANT

LGBTQ COMMUNITY SHOWED UP ON SUPER TUESDAY
The LGBTQ community will,
in fact, impact the 2020 primary
and general elections. While PGN
has always known the political
passion of our LGBTQ readers
and community, newly available
statistics are starting to paint an
even clearer picture.
Exit polls from NBC News on
Super Tuesday showed that be-
tween 6 and 13 percent of vot-
ers identified as LGBTQ in 12
of the 14 states voting. A third
of the voters were under 30 and
60 percent were under 45. Half
of LGBTQ voters said they were
“very liberal,” 30 percent identi-
fied as “somewhat liberal” and 4
percent said they were “conserva-
tive.”
The importance of these statis-
tics cannot be overstated. When
candidates and policymakers in
the federal government under-
stand that we are a contingency
that brings voters to the polls,
our collective political “pull” in-
creases.
“Tonight, LGBTQ people
showed up in record numbers and
cemented our status as a crucial
constituency to court. LGBTQ
people and our rights have been
on the ballot for decades, com-
pelling us to register to vote and
participate in politics rather than
let others decide our rights for
us,” said President of the Human
Rights Campaign Alphonso Da-
vid in an emailed statement.
In Philadelphia, our legislators
are aware of our commitment to
politics. They know how strong
our voice is. Just this week PGN
spoke to out State Rep. Malcolm
Kenyatta, State Rep. Mary Isaa-
cson and Mayor Jim Kenney for
various stories. In another story of
ours, the attorney for Boxers’ new
ownership thanked out State Rep.
Sims and Sen. Farnese for their
work helping Boxers reopen. Be-
cause our
voice is
valued and
we have representation, we are
not ignored in the City of Broth-
erly Love and Sisterly Affection.
Of course, our fight for equity
is far from over, particularly for
those members of the LGBTQ
community that also fight racism,
classism, transphobia, sexism and
transmisogyny. But, we are not
ignored, and in this city, we have
nondiscrimination protections,
which isn’t true for the state or the
rest of the nation.
It’s safe to assume that the
LGBTQ community surprised
legislators in, say, Texas where HRC
the LGBTQ community ac-
counted for 10 percent of the polls, the less we will be thrown stituency with increasing power.
primary electorate, and in Okla- to the side. Banning trans people Though we have always fought
homa and Tennesee, where we ac- from the military and stripping against injustice, our numbers
counted for 8 percent of the votes trans folks of health care can no (at least our out numbers) are
cast. Queer folks really came longer be done without notice growing. One out of every 10
through in Maine and Massachu- and will not be a left-alone nod voters on Super Tuesday iden-
setts, where our vote represented to pacify anti-LGBTQ constitu- tified as LGBTQ. This is not a
13 percent of total primary votes. ents. We will fight against such small victory, it is a large, mean-
The more we show up to the discrimination, and we are a con- ingful one. n

CREEP OF THE WEEK BY D’ANNE WITKOWSKI

SCOTT LIVELY
Once upon a time in a land far, far away
— aka Germany — there was an ambassa-
dor from the United States. That man “rep-
resented our country exceedingly well”
according to Donald Trump, and so he was
named acting director of national intelli-
gence.
And that man was gay. Is gay. This is actu-
ally present tense. Richard Grenell is acting
director of national intelligence and also a
gay.
Reuters describes Grenell as “a strong
supporter of [Trump’s] policies,” which ex-
plains why Trump was willing to look past
the gay thing. Loyalty to Trump trumps all.
Rumor has it that Grenell was known in
Germany to be kind of a jerk. According
to Reuters, a German lawmaker told them,
“His actions have an audience of one: the
U.S. president.”
Anyway, as you might imagine, there are
people upset with Grenell’s new gig. And
they should be. After all, Trump’s policies
are cruel, short-sighted, woefully unin-
formed and serve one thing, and that thing
is Trump’s ego. So, since Grenell is a big fan
of these policies: boo.
Ah, but you might imagine that there are
some who have a problem with Grenell sim-
ply because he is gay.
Scott Lively calls Grenell a “homosexual
Trojan horse.” I’m not sure what that is, but
I’d like to think it is a giant wooden horse
that, instead of being filled with Greek sol-
diers, is filled with nothing but condoms and
dicks. Honestly kind of shocked the Trojan
condom company hasn’t already done this as
a giant promotional event. If they ever do, I
want credit.
Anyway, Lively writes in a Feb. 21 World-
NetDaily column that he is concerned that
“the hero we’re rallying behind to fight the
progressive agenda has embraced one of its
most insidious and destructive tenets.” And
by “hero,” yes he means Trump. And by
“insidious and destructive” he means a gay
man.
Grenell should have “kept his sexual pro-
clivities to himself,” Lively writes. But he
didn’t. And by being an out gay man “he
crossed the line from expecting reasonable
tolerance from our genuinely magnanimous
live-and-let-live society to demanding pub-
lic acceptance.”
And Lively has no intention of ever ac-
cepting homosexuality, something he claims
is an attack on “the natural family of one
man and one woman united in life-long mo-
nogamous heterosexual marriage.”
In fact, Lively claims that “acceptance”
of homosexuality will eventually lead to
“forced participation in LGBT culture” and
the “punishment of dissenters.”
And by that, I think Lively means that men
like him will one day be forced to compete
on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and will ultimate-
ly be punished by having to “sashay away.”
But don’t get Lively wrong.
“I’m not saying that a homosexual can’t
be a conservative,” he wrote. “I’ve known
many.”
The problem is the “openly declaring
oneself homosexual
instead of keeping
one’s sexual issues
private” part, which
kind of makes me
skeptical about his
“I’ve known many”
claim. If these gay
conservatives were
out to him, then
they are by Lively’s
definition an unwit-
ting arm of the pro-
gressive movement,
“carrying the pro-
gressive agenda behind enemy lines.” eryone in the U.S. should sleep very sound-
Like, you know, a horse filled with con- ly because what harm could possibly come
doms and d--ks. from having our national security in the
So, like, how does Lively know these gay hands of people who don’t know anything
conservatives if being gay is a deal-breaker but think they know everything?
for him? Does he just have really good gay- I agree, no one should trust Grenell. No
dar? Do they just present with better groom- one should trust Trump, either, but you’ll
ing habits and fashion sense? I seriously recall that Lively referred to Trump as a
want to know. Lively, DM me. “hero.” So. Gays? No. Adulterers and ac-
“Richard Grenell is a Trojan Horse,” Live- cused rapists? A-OK. It’s all in God’s plan.
ly wrote. “President Trump should not trust Meanwhile, your plan should be to vote.
him and neither should we Deplorables.” Vote this entire corrupt administration out.
Interesting that he should mention that, Check to make sure you’re registered to vote
because you may recall that Trump pretty at vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote right
much hates the national intelligence com- now. And if you’re not, register, damn it. n
munity because they have facts that conflict
with Trump’s alternative universe. Lively is D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and co-
telling his followers that they shouldn’t trust median living in Michigan with her wife and
Grenell even though Trump literally chose son. She has been writing about LGBT poli-
him because he’s a yes man, living in the tics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter
same alternative universe as Trump. So ev- @MamaDWitkowski.
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
OPINION
11

MARK MY WORDS WITH MARK SEGAL

we
wanna
know
Thank your local LGBT newspaper for web freedom
This newspa- was getting worried about the freewheel- the law to get PGN’s website shut down How do you feel about
per you are read- ing internet. The net began its move from in the entire nation.
ing right now an interesting invention in 1989 to popu- The ACLU sued and brought Philadelphia Pete Buttigieg dropping out
most likely had lar common use just nine years later. By Gay News (PGN) in as one of the plaintiffs of the presidential race?
a major effect on 2002, almost every part of society was in “Plaintiff vs. President William Clinton
your life that you active on the internet, and as a form of and The United States of America,” and
may not even free speech, citizens began openly crit- PGN’s case was simple. Yes, we wanted to
know about. Do icizing elected officials. Conservative reach young people and older people with It was time…
you use the web members also worried, how newspapers information that will save their lives, includ-
and enjoy how like this one — ones which, for example, ing safe sex information. Soon enough, it
free it is? You give safe sex information for LGBTQ reached the Supreme Court.
can thank this people — reached America’s youth. Most people don’t get a chance to go to
newspaper. Just The main conservative argument to the Supreme Court suing the president and
this week, as I limit and censor the internet was called Congress. Sitting there defending this “I’m glad, but
went to a gala to celebrate the ACLU, “The Child Online Protection Act.” newspaper and freedom of speech was a saddened he
I was reminded about our fight to keep And the reason for its title was that they humbling experience. wasn’t a progres-
sive candidate
the internet open for discussion and free claimed that children were encouraged to The New York Times editorial showed that I could have
speech — a fight that went all the way to view pornography. The legislation passed how PGN’s part in the case was instrumen- supported.”
the Supreme Court. in Congress and President Clinton signed tal to winning. And we eventually did.
It sounds like a big claim, but here’s the it into law. But think about it: if a person Next time you’re on the web, thank your
background on the case, which most law- in Alabama objected to their gay child local LGBT newspaper, because we kept the
yers will know well. In 1998, Congress viewing PGN’s website, they could use internet open and free. n

He should give
Biden lessons
on how to speak
OP-ED BY NATE OSBURN - PHILLY FOR PETE FOUNDER coherently.”

Why Pete’s run mattered to me

In 2014, I traveled with a U.S.
trade delegation of about 20 busi-
ness leaders to the Gulf region. I
was serving as the speechwriter for
Commerce Secretary Penny Pritz-
ker who led the group.
As an openly gay man, I was
aware of the fact that the coun-
tries we would visit — including
Saudi Arabia — are oppressive to
LGBTQ people. I couldn’t let my
guard down when people asked
about my family or other seem-
ingly mundane topics.
Over the past year, as I and oth-
ers built an active grassroots net-
work of “Philly for Pete” support-
ers, the officials Pritzker met on
that trip kept coming to mind.
I have daydreamed about being
a fly on the wall when the leader of
an LGBTQ-unfriendly nation was
briefed on the U.S. presidential
race. Perhaps an aide would bring
in photographs or bios of the Dem-
ocratic contenders and the conver-
sation would go like this:
Aide: “Here are the candidates.
You probably recognize Joe Biden,
Bernie Sanders, Mike Bloomberg,
Elizabeth Warren…”
Head of State: “And who is this
young man?”
Aide: “His name is Pete Butti-
gieg. He’s a veteran of the war in
Afghanistan. He’s a city mayor.
And he’s gay and married to a
man.”
How would that conversation
then progress?
Perhaps that head of state might
be worried about whether Presi-
dent Buttigieg would be willing
to even speak with him… Perhaps
he would be concerned about a
big business or military deal with
the U.S. being put in jeopardy…
And perhaps, most importantly,
the thought would cross his mind
that his nation should review or
even improve its civil rights laws
or policies affecting its LGBTQ
citizens.
It’s not far-fetched to think such
conversations may have taken
place across the globe, including
in the region where Pete himself
was deployed.
The huge influence that Pete’s
campaign has had in advancing
LGBTQ rights should not be dis-
counted. He has been a beacon of
hope for LGBTQ people every-
where.
Of course, that also includes
people here in our own country.
Domestically, we know this:
Many young LGBTQ people have
met with or written to Pete, saying
how he changed their lives or, in
some cases, prevented them from
committing suicide.
Let’s be clear: Pete saved many
lives simply by running and man-
aging to stay in the race as long as
he did.
And, of course, he made his-
tory. When he won Iowa, he be-
came the first out LGBTQ person
to win a state and delegates in the
nomination process for a major
political party.
His race inspired us here in
Southeast Pennsylvania, too.
I remember setting up the
first grassroots “watch party” at
a bar in Center City to listen to
Pete’s campaign kickoff speech
from South Bend. With just one
week of notice, about 100 people
from every walk of life showed
up — some from the LGBTQ
community, others who walked
over from a church service, a few
health care workers and many
more.
I have become good friends
with many of these folks. To-
gether we have marched in pa-
rades, registered voters, collected
signatures to put Pete on the bal-
lot, organized “Pete-Ups,” can-
vassed barbershops and beauty
salons, and hosted grassroots
events with Pete and Chasten
themselves.
I personally saw how Pete in-
spired college students, queer
people of color, people with dis-
abilities, and many others who
had never before been involved
in any political campaign.
Many of us had been phone
banking, text banking, or travel-
ing to early primary states — and “Proud of how
also gearing up for our own pri- far he made it!
mary on April 28 — in the weeks Five years ago,
before Pete ended his campaign. we didn’t even
In everything we did, Philly have marriage
for Pete deeply reflected the val- equality.”
ues of belonging and inclusion
that our candidate touts and em-
bodies. Possibly for that reason,
while we felt some loss when
it was over, the overwhelming I feel elated and
emotion was that of deep grati- relieved, he’s
tude for having been part of the a moderate at
journey. best.”
We may see Pete Buttigieg as
a vice president or U.S. Cabinet
member by this time next year,
and he may be president some-
day. Bummed.”
But even if that doesn’t hap-
pen, he will have positively im-
pacted the lives of LGBTQ peo-
ple and many others in our city,
commonwealth, country and be- Bye white power
yond. Pete.”
My personal hope is that the
next time any LGBTQ Amer-
ican goes on a trade mission,
serves abroad in our military or
frankly just gets up and goes to
work or school, the people they
interact with will remember that follow us on instagram
to participate in our
a gay Indiana man and his hus- social polls and questions:
band nearly made it to the White @phillygaynews
House.
Each of our paths will be a lit-
tle easier because of their cour-
age. n
12 LOCAL
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020

Philadelphia Police
Department welcomes first
openly trans graduate

Excel Endodontics SCREENSHOT OF 6ABC’S VIDEO OF

BENSON CHURGAI READING THE SPEECH HE PRESENTED
T O F E L L O W G R A D U AT E S O F T H E P O L I C E A C A D E M Y

of Pennsylvania MICHELE ZIPKIN and mental abuse that members of the

Drs. Melissa Vettraino Bachstein
and Minje Kim are happy to announce
that they are
michele@epgn.com
The Philadelphia Police Academy saw
its first transgender graduate, Benson
Churgai, sworn into the Philadelphia Po-
lice Department, as part of PPD’s 391st
class, on Feb. 28.
“Among the top priorities of the Police
Department is to ensure that our ranks are
diverse, inclusive, and reflective of the
communities we serve,” newly appointed
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw
LGBTQ+ community routinely face in
their everyday lives, including himself.
“Over the course of my coming out, I have
had to face many of these things personal-
ly, all because I was living my life as who I
am meant to be,” he said in the video.
His speech also covered the need for
integrity and open communication in the
police force. “We need to have conver-
sations to help us get past problems and
misconceptions,” he said in the video. He
wanted to be as transparent with his peers

now accepting new patients said in a written statement.

After completing roughly nine months
of training, Churgai came out as trans-
at both loc ations gender to his fellow police officers-to-be
in a short, prepared speech that received
cheers from his peers. Before revealing his
identity to his PPD cohort, he had shared
his trans identity only with his family and
We look forward to working with you friends.
6ABC footage showed Churgai reading
to provide exceptional patient care! a copy of the speech he gave: “I’m the first
openly out transgender person to come
through the Philadelphia Police Academy,
1500 walnut St., Suite 600 2646 South Broad Street and I sure hope I will not be the last,” he in
the video. “We are a city that is constantly
philadelphia, pa 19102 philadelphia, pa 19145 changing; Philadelphia is very accepting
as possible by telling them that he needed
to live as a transgender man in order to live
authentically.
Ultimately, Churgai hopes that his com-
ing out will help foster a greater sense of
understanding and kindness toward mem-
bers of the LGBTQ community.
“I hope all of us that are soon going to be
police officers have a better understanding
when they come in contact with members
of the LGBTQQIA+ community,” he said
in the video, “And that we treat them with
respect just like everybody else we come
in contact with.”
Inspector Verdell Johnson, command-
ing officer of the Training and Education

215.732.1403 215.755.1001 to everyone. By me telling my story, I can

only hope it makes a change, not just for
the police department, but also for the city
and the LGBTQQIA+ community,” he
www.rootcanalpa.coM continued.
In his speech, Churgai acknowledged
the discrimination as well as physical
Services Division, supervised Churgai as
he carried out the training program.
“One of the things I told Benson — if
I were the first Black officer, I know a
lot of people would look up to me to let
them know that they can do this,” John-
son said. n
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
PGN
13
14 LOCAL
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
NEW JUDGE ASSIGNED TO
PENN ANTIBIAS CASE
TIMOTHY CWIEK
timothy@epgn.com
new year,
A new federal judge has been assigned to
the case of “Jane Doe,” a transgender wom-
an who’s suing the University of Pennsylva-
nia for alleged anti-trans bias and wrongful
new job
termination.
U.S. District Judge Karen S. Marston
will replace U.S. District Judge Mitchell S.
Goldberg in the case, it was announced on
Feb. 27. “Jane Doe,” claims she was mis-
treated during a routine medical procedure
at the Hospital of the University of Pennsyl-
Philadelphia Gay News (PGN) currently has immediate opening for advertising
vania on Feb. 20, 2018. After the incident,
sales position available for an energetic, self-motivated individual with outstand-
she claims she had difficulty returning to
ing communication skills.
work because the hospital exacerbated her
Our ideal candidate must have polished sales skills with experience in lead genera- gender dysphoria, Four months later, HUP
tion and cold calling, combined with a track record of closing the sale. fired her. She filed a federal antibias lawsuit
Qualifications: * Two years minimum of successful sales experience, former print against Penn in July 2019.
and/or advertising sales are a plus * Strong verbal and writing skills * Excellent at On Aug. 14, 2019, President Trump an-
relationship building * Ability to work independently and part of a team * Knowl-
nounced his intent to nominate Marston
edge of local media market and LGBT community a plus * Computer literacy a
to serve as a federal judge for the Eastern
District of Pennsylvania. On Sept. 9, 2019,
must
her nomination was sent to the U.S. Senate.
Salary/Benefits: Competitive Salary based on your past experience, plus commis- On Dec. 19, 2019, her nomination was con-
sion. Our benefits package includes medical and dental insurance, paid holidays, firmed by a Senate vote of 87–6.
vacation and a casual work environment. “Karen Marston has served her com-
Qualified individuals interested in applying are encouraged to send their résumé. munities admirably as a 5th-grade school
to mark@epgn.com teacher, law professor and federal prosecu-
tor,” U.S. Senator Robert Casey (D-Penn-
sylvania) said in a statement released after
Marston’s Senate confirmation.
In a questionnaire from U.S. Senator
Dianne Feinstein (D- California) prior to
her confirmation, Marston said she would
honor the request of a transgender plaintiff,
defendant or witness who wished to be re-
ferred to in accordance with that person’s
gender identity.
Marston previously served as an assistant
United States attorney in the United States
Attorney’s Office for the Western District
of North Carolina, receiving the Depart-
ment of Justice Director’s Award in 2002.
From 2010–19, she served as an assistant
United States attorney in the United States
Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District
of Pennsylvania, where she was chief of
the office’s Narcotics and Organized Crime
section. She has also served as an adjunct
professor at Temple University Beasley
School of Law.
In her new role, Marston must rule on a
request by Penn to dismiss major portions
of Doe’s case, including her allegations of
negligence and recklessness. Penn main-
tains those allegations would be more ap-
propriate in a medical-malpractice suit,
which Doe hasn’t filed.
Penn defendants also want Marston to
dismiss a bias claim Doe filed under the
Americans With Disabilities Act, on the ba-
sis that Doe hasn’t shown that her gender
dysphoria limits her life activities. Doe’s
rebuttal filing emphasizes the ways her
gender dysphoria limits her life activities.
“[Doe] has alleged substantial limitation
of major life activities, including the fact
that she couldn’t go to work because of
her gender dysphoria and couldn’t social-
ize because of gender dysphoria — and
defendants’ failure to recognize it — mis-
gendering her and manhandling her while
she was a patient. These important occu-
pational and social functions were sub-
stantially limited by her gender dysphoria
and defendants’ discrimination against
her because of it,” the rebuttal brief states.
Additionally, Doe’s filing asserts that
Penn defendants never discussed pro-
viding reasonable accommodations for
her gender dysphoria. “Defendants have
never discussed nor offered reasonable
accommodation for Ms. Doe’s disabili-
ty,” the filing states. “HUP and the oth-
er defendants acted with malice and/or
reckless indifference, including but not
limited to acting with transphobic hatred.
After the [medical procedure] incident,
Ms. Doe’s gender dysphoria flared up and
she experienced difficulty in returning to
HUP, her workplace — understandably,
given her treatment at the hands of de-
fendants. HUP knew, yet failed to make
reasonable accommodations for her, then
illegally fired her on June 28, 2018. Ms.
Doe could have been reasonably accom-
modated but for her employer’s lack of
good faith.”
Doe is seeking an unspecified amount
of damages and a jury trial. As of press-
time, Penn’s request to dismiss major
portions of Doe’s case remained pending
with Marston. Neither side had a com-
ment for this update. n
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
PGN
15

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16
O U R H I S T O R Y, O U R F U T U R E
In 1979, Rikers Island gave gay prisoners hope
JASON VILLEMEZ
PGN Contributor
In May 1979, PGN writer Jack Veasey
published a lengthy two-part feature on
the country’s first separate prison hous-
ing for gay men and trans women. Rikers
Island, the prison just east of Manhattan
(and made famous from the “Law and Or-
der” series), opened the wing in February
of that year to quell the verbal and phys-
ical abuse those prisoners had endured.
When Veasey visited the new wing with
his photographer, he met six gay men
and three trans women who changed his
COLUMN
perception of the prison system and how
LGBT prisoners navigate life behind bars.
Before his visit, when Veasey men-
tioned the new “Homosexual Housing
Wing” to his friends and colleagues, their
responses ran the gamut of gay stereo-
types: throw rugs, marble floors, blue
glass coffee tables, a code system for sex
preferences. Most couldn’t believe some-
thing like that would be necessary; it’s
possible, perhaps, that such glib reactions
were merely thinly veiled homophobia.
But jokes and mockery aside, Veasey was
nervous to spend the day with the prison-
ers, who he assumed to be dangerous. As
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
he entered the prison, with its gray stone
walls that he compared to the castle in
Dracula, the sense of foreboding did not
go away.
Imagine his surprise, then, of Deputy
Warden Henry Bernsen’s first remarks to
him:
“Their behavior’s beautiful. They’re the
easiest inmates in this institution to deal
with. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll take
a whole prison full of homosexuals any
day.”
Considering the statistics of incarcer-
ated LGBT people, Bernsen wasn’t that
far off. According to a 2013 Williams In-
stitute study, there are 238-thousand
incarcerated sexual minorities in the
U.S. lesbian, gay and bisexual people
are three times more likely to be in-
carcerated than heterosexual people.
Of total prison populations, 5.5 per-
cent of men are gay or bisexual and a
staggering 33.3 percent of women are
lesbian or bisexual. And, unfortunate-
ly, though perhaps not surprisingly,
gay and bisexual men and women are
six times more likely to be sexually
victimized while incarcerated.
That last statistic, along with a
class-action lawsuit brought forth by
the New York Legal Aid Society, is the
reason that Bernsen and the leadership
at Rikers Island decided to implement
the Homosexual Housing Wing.
In most prisons around the country,
including at Rikers pre-1979, alterna-
tive housing for inmates, including ho-
mosexuals, was limited to either solitary
confinement — 23 hours a day in a small
room — or special wings that were often
more crowded, less clean, and with less
amenities than those that housed the gen-
eral prison population. But mixing with
the general population meant, for many
gay and lesbian people, being the subject
of verbal and physical abuse of the worst
sort.
To gain entry to the Homosexual Hous-
ing Wing in 1979 was a simple process.
“They made us sign papers,” Angie,
one of the transgender inmates, said to
Veasey. “They asked whether we wanted
to be part of general population or to be
segregated…and in turn, we were brought
before a committee, who asked us if we
were out-and-out homosexuals, and did
we wanna be segregated, and the reasons
why. And those who wanted to be segre-
gated were given a form to sign, and seg-
regated.”
Angie was one of the nine inmates who
Veasey spent the day with. The others
included street hustlers, a former court
worker who took a bribe, and an insur-
ance company employee falling on the
sword for his fraudulent colleagues. The
nine of them created their own
community and their own en- page 22
AERIAL VIEW OF RIKERS ISLAND
Photo: U.S. Geological Sur vey
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
Needing More Than a Moment:
LGBTQ Representation in Children’s Media
DANA RUDOLPH
PGN Contributor
The Academy Award-winning song-
writers behind Disney’s “Frozen,” Kris-
ten Anderson-Lopez and husband Bobby
Lopez, announced last week that they are
working on Universal Pictures’ movie
musical adaptation of “The Prince and
the Dressmaker,” Jen Wang’s award-win-
ning graphic novel about a genderqueer
prince. Although no release date has been
announced, it will likely be the first chil-
dren’s feature film to star a clearly queer
character — making this a good time to
assess the state of LGBTQ representation
in children’s film and television.
Much queer representation in chil-
COLUMN
dren’s media has felt like too little, too
late. The new Disney Pixar film “On-
ward,” about two teenage elf brothers on
a quest to magically reunite with their
dead father, includes the studio’s first
clearly queer character who speaks, cy-
clops Police Officer Specter (voiced by
actor Lena Waithe, herself a lesbian). She
appears only in one scene, though, pull-
ing over a driver who complains about
his girlfriend’s children. She comments,
“My girlfriend’s daughter got me pulling
my hair out.”
Because the character has a name and
dialogue, though, her depiction is a step
up from the brief moments in Disney
Pixar’s 2019 “Toy Story 4,” when a back-
ground character is dropped off at school
by two moms, then picked up and
hugged by them. Some have also
argued that the studio’s “Finding
Dory” briefly showed a two-mom
couple, but the filmmakers refused
to confirm it, and lead voice actor
Ellen Degeneres, who should know
these things, denied it to the Asso-
ciated Press.
Dreamworks’ 2019 “How to
Train Your Dragon 3” did a lit-
tle better. Blacksmith Gobber, a
secondary but important charac-
ter, clearly admired another male
character’s physique in a cou-
ple of scenes. The 2014 “How to
Train Your Dragon 2” had also hinted
at his sexuality with a vague reference
to a “reason” he hadn’t married, though
that line makes less sense after marriage
equality.
The first clear instance of an LGBTQ
character in a mainstream children’s film,
however, was Universal Pictures’ 2012
“ParaNorman.” Right before the end, we
learn that the older brother of the protag-
onist’s best friend is gay. The point may
have been that his gayness didn’t matter
as much as the rest of his character, and
that’s valid — but it felt like it was played
for the surprise factor.
Similarly, Disney’s 2014 live-action
feature film “Beauty and the Beast,”
which director Bill Condon said would
have an “exclusively gay moment,” saved
that moment until the very end, when vil-
lain LeFou dances with a man for a cou-
ple of seconds, in what could also be read
as an accidental stumble on the dance
floor.
A number of television shows for ele-
mentary and middle-grade children, too,
have shown same-sex relationships only
in the last season or last episode, includ-
ing “Gravity Falls” (Disney XD), “Good
Luck Charlie” (Disney Channel), “My
Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” (Dis-
covery Family), “Adventure Time” (Car-
toon Network), “Dawn of the Croods”
(Netflix), and “Star vs. the Forces of
17
MOMBIAN
Evil” (Hulu). And in “Legend of Korra”
(Nickelodeon), the revelation of a same-
sex relationship in the very last scene of
the series was so vague that the creators
issued a statement to confirm it.
Netflix’s “Voltron: Legendary Defend-
er” showed a main character, Shiro, with
a male fiancée in the penultimate season,
but the fiancée died shortly thereafter.
Many fans complained that this exempli-
fied the “bury your gays” trope and that
the series never authentically developed
Shiro’s identity. They weren’t assuaged
when Shiro married another man in the
series’ very last episode.
Other shows for this age group, howev-
er, have shown more LGBTQ inclusion
across the spectrum and with ongoing
characters. They include “Steven Uni-
verse” (Cartoon Network); “She-Ra and
the Princesses of Power” (Netflix); “Kipo
and the Age of Wonderbeasts” (Netflix);
“The Dragon Prince” (Netflix); “Twelve
Forever” (Netflix); “OK K.O.! Let’s Be
Heroes” (Cartoon Network); “Craig of
the Creek” (Cartoon Network); “The
Loud House” (Nickelodeon); “Danger
& Eggs” (Amazon); “Andi Mack” (Dis-
ney); “Clarence” (Cartoon Network);
and “Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling”
(Nickelodeon).
Shows for preschoolers, too, are slow-
ly becoming more inclusive.
“Chip and Potato” (Netflix), page 26
18 PGN
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020

SAFEHOUSE
from page 6

There are no explanations in the bill nor

from Williams on what constitutes a "public
input hearing." Who qualifies as a "medical
professional," and what makes a plan "com-
prehensive" is not defined, either.
Proponents of Safehouse argue that Wil-
liams’ bill would ultimately criminalize
such sites and those using them with stiff
sentences up to 20 years. Kenney and Dis-
trict Attorney Larry Krasner have been
working to decriminalize drug use in Phila-
delphia, particularly personal-use marijuana
and to take a public health and medical in-
tervention approach to personal use opioids.
In response to Williams’ press confer-
ence, Kenney told PGN, "The effort to intro-
duce overdose prevention sites is about sav-
ing the lives of individuals suffering from
substance use disorder, and this legislation
attempts to criminalize this effort unless a
certain political process is followed and ap-
proved."
Kenney emphasized that lives were at
stake. "While we support the need for ad-
ditional community engagement, the reality
is that if we are to consider substance use
disorder the disease that it is, we must allow
opportunities for those suffering to come
out of the shadows so that we can ensure
they live long enough to get better," he said.
"Overdose prevention sites will not sole-
ly resolve this crisis, but I would implore
elected officials to talk to people who have
lost loved ones to this disease, and be will-
ing to look parents in the face and say they
opposed this when it could have possibly
saved their child’s life."
De Marco takes the stance ACT-UP once
took on AIDS deaths — the opioid crisis is
a public health emergency that demands a
public health response and safe injection
sites are a proven aid in that effort.
De Marco said, "Mayor Kenney and
Health Commissioner Farley must declare
a medical emergency that requires a medi-
cal intervention. Safe consumption should
be put in every city public health center."
De Marco noted that the efforts to de-
criminalize IV drug use has a long histo-
ry. "Sterile syringe exchange happened
because of an executive order by [then]
Mayor Rendell," he said.
Rendell signed the executive order on
July 27, 1992, authorizing a citywide nee-
dle exchange program whereby IV drug
users could exchange their used syringes
for clean ones in an effort to reduce both
HIV and hepatitis C transmission.
But as de Marco explained, with the opi-
oid crisis and the failure to address the is-
sue of IV drug use, "HIV and Hep C infec-
tions are rapidly increasing in the injection
drug use community."
For now, Safehouse is in stasis as a new
site and plans for opening are debated in
City Council. But de Marco said it’s up to
the Mayor to ensure that Safehouse does not
become another casualty of Philadelphia
politics.
He said, "Mayor Kenney must find his
backbone and step up and do what he knows
is the right thing to do: Saving lives." n
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
BLIND GAY MAN ON
DIALYSIS DENIED MEALS
ON WHEELS
TIMOTHY CWIEK
timothy@epgn.com
A Lancaster County gay man who’s blind
and on kidney dialysis has been denied low-
cost meals through his local Meals on Wheels
agency since 2016, allegedly due to an-
ti-LGBT bias, according to a complaint filed
with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Com-
mission.
In May 2016 “Michael Doe” injured his
right leg and twisted his left ankle after falling
due to being blind. A social worker at a local
medical center recommended Doe for Meals
on Wheels following his injury, according to
the complaint.
Between May 2016 and September 2016,
Doe, 62, received from United Churches-
Elizabethtown Area Meals on Wheels two
meals daily for $5 from Monday through Fri-
day. His life partner “Michael Roe,” 54, would
sometimes accept the meal from the delivery
person. In October 2016, the coordinator tele-
phoned Doe and informed him that he no lon-
ger would be receiving meals. Doe asked why
he wasn’t given advance notice. The coordina-
tor replied: “Why don’t you have that man that
lives with you make your meals?” according
to the complaint.
The following week, Roe asked the coordi-
nator why Doe was terminated. The coordina-
tor said Doe didn’t pay his bills on time. Roe
then showed up at the Elizabethtown Recre-
ation Center where the coordinator worked
and presented receipts showing that Doe had
paid all of his bills. The coordinator replied,
“You don’t speak for [Doe],” according to the
complaint.
In October 2016, Doe contacted the Penn-
sylvania Council for the Blind to intervene on
his behalf. A representative from the council
telephoned the coordinator to inquire why the
service was canceled. The coordinator didn’t
mention anything about Doe not paying bills
on time. Instead, she said Doe was “not blind
enough,” according to the complaint.
Doe contacted the coordinator, hoping to
renew the meals service. During that phone
call, the coordinator said Doe was disqualified
because he lived with someone, according to
Doe’s complaint.
On May 18, 2017, Doe received a cease-
and-desist letter from Meals on Wheels in-
forming him to stop contacting the agency and
that he would not be receiving meals from the
agency “now or in the future. You do not meet
the qualification guidelines of the program.”
REGIONAL
19
Moreover, the letter said Roe will never re-
ceive meals from the agency. The agency sent
a copy of the letter to the local police depart-
ment.
In a Feb. 24 filing with the Pennsylvania
Human Relations Commission, attorneys for
the men emphasized Doe’s ongoing health
problems and his need for the meals. The fil-
ing states that Doe has suffered multiple heart
attacks since 2017. In October 2018, he had
five stents placed in his body for heart prob-
lems. In May 2019, he underwent surgery to
have six more stents placed in his body.
In defense papers, Meals on Wheels stated
that Doe was granted five months of meals on
a temporary basis due to his slip-and-fall in-
jury. But he didn’t meet the qualifications for
long-term meals because he’s not 65, home-
bound or unable to provide meals for himself.
Also, Meals on Wheels said Doe was “fre-
quently” abusive verbally to volunteers. Meals
on Wheels also accused Roe of impersonating
Doe on one occasion. Moreover, Meals on
Wheels urged the PHRC to dismiss the com-
plaint because sexual orientation isn’t a pro-
tected category in Pennsylvania’s antibias law.
Doe and Roe maintain they’re victims of
anti-LGBT bias. They’re asking PHRC for a
clear ruling that sexual orientation is a pro-
tected category in Pennsylvania’s antibias law
because it’s a form of sex discrimination, said
Justin F. Robinette, an attorney for the men.
Robinette said it’s wrong for the agency
to permanently ban both men from receiving
meals. “It’s outrageous that these gentlemen
have been permanently barred from receiving
meals from this agency, for no good reason,”
Robinette told PGN. “I’m convinced if they
weren’t gay they would have been treated dif-
ferently. It’s unfortunate that we had to initiate
legal proceedings over something so basic as
receiving meals.”
The Meals on Wheels agency issued this
statement: “United Churches-Elizabethtown
Area operates a Meals on Wheels program.
United Churches-Elizabethtown Area has a
written non-discrimination policy that pro-
hibits discrimination, including discrimina-
tion based on gender, gender expression and
sexual orientation. One of the individuals in
question was provided meal services for a
limited period of time. His sexual orientation
was known at the outset and was never a fac-
tor in the decision to provide services. United
Churches-Elizabethtown Area is vigorously
defending the claims and denies any discrim-
ination against the complainants. We do not
plan to provide any further comment on this
matter.”
A PHRC spokesperson issued this state-
ment: “PHRC does not discuss the facts of any
case prior to/if a case goes to public hearing.
As a matter of fact. we do not even confirm or
deny that a case exists. Each complaint is in-
vestigated thoroughly and decisions are based
on evidence collected from both sides during
the investigative process.” n
20 PGN
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
PGN
21

experience
Philadelphia’s Premier Wedding Brand

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Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
OUR HISTORY, OUR FUTURE
from page 16
tertainment, including a mock marriage
and divorce trial with Dorothy, one of
the trans inmates, presiding. The scene,
as Veasey described it, resembled some-
thing out of an HBO drama or a Ryan
Murphy mini-series.
Deputy Warden Bernsen, who Veasey
interviewed at length, spoke proudly of
his being the first prison in the country
to have special housing for homosexuals.
He said the inmates were better adjusted,
much less violent and less likely to cause
trouble. The only big trouble the wing
experienced was when Carlos, a hetero-
sexual man who lied about being gay in
order to gain entry to the wing, began
to dominate the other inmates. The oth-
ers quickly signed a petition to get him
thrown out, and Bernsen obliged.
Carlos was not the only problem the
inmates faced. Because there were such a
small number of them, they did not have a
permanent guard assigned to them. Many
of the temporary guards were not at all
friendly and committed similar verbal
abuse as the general population prison-
ers. But the relative harmony of the gay
wing was due in part to the inmates per-
sonalities but also the fact that there were
only nine of them. Veasey asked Bernsen
why the population was so low.
Read the stories at
mazzonicenter.org/stories
1
“It’s only been open since February,”
he said, “word hasn’t spread all through
the system yet. Believe me, when word
gets out they’ll start lining up to get in —
and problem half of ‘em will be phonies
like that Carlos character.”
Bernsen’s last remark proved to be
prophetic. The population of Rikers’
Homosexual Housing Wing did increase
once word spread. Inmates did fake be-
ing gay in order to gain access. Physical
and verbal abuse did continue. And in
2005, the wing was discontinued, with
its 50 inmates forced back into general
population. Nowadays, the only similar
housing for gay prisoners is in Los Ange-
les Men’s Central Jail. Rikers did open a
special transgender housing unit in 2014,
but that wing has had its own struggles,
most notably the mysterious death of
one of its inmates, Layleen Polanco, last
year.
Ultimately, the gay men and trans
women that Veasey interviewed shared
many of the same hopes and concerns
as many other inmates. They wanted a
safe and humane living situation. They
wanted to not be called slurs or physi-
cally abused. They wanted the ability to
prepare themselves for life outside of the
prison walls. Mostly, they wanted the
ability to serve their sentence in peace.
And, for a time, Rikers Island gave them
that. n
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
from page 4
technically violated the Pennsylvania Eth-
ics Act, according to Billy Penn.
Although Sims declined to disclose all of
his outside earnings, a necessity for govern-
ment officials, the Pennsylvania State Eth-
ics Commission relieved him of two major
violations of the total five with which he
was charged, resulting in a $750 fine. Ul-
timately, he was not found guilty of using
resources from his legislative office to co-
ordinate external speaking engagements
promoting LGBTQ issues, nor of soliciting
or accepting honoraria as payment for out-
side speaking appearances. Sims said in a
statement that he considers this leaked, con-
fidential complaint to be “an attack on [his]
identity as an LGBTQ person in this work.”
Sims did not respond to PGN’s multiple
efforts to reach him.
Sims faces Marisa Shaaban as a chal-
lenger, a committee person and secretary
for Ward 5 and public education advocate.
After spending time working on education
and healthcare issues in Pennsylvania, New
York and Washington on the state, local
and federal levels, she worked as associate
director of government and community re-
lations at Syracuse University, where she
collaborated with other administrators in
creating a residence for the LGBT Resource
Center.
As a candidate for the Pennsylvania leg-
islature, Shaaban said she prioritizes edu-
cation funding, accessible healthcare for
uninsured and underinsured communities
and legislation protecting LGBTQ Pennsyl-
vanians from discrimination. Shaaban said
she plans to fight for substantial increases in
educational funding, and will strive to take
measures above and beyond the Fair Fund-
ing Formula to get the job done. Shaaban
said she believes that this particular state
funding formula fails to properly allocate
resources to all students, especially those
facing poverty, non-native English speakers
and students with special needs.
Like many of her fellow candidates and
current legislators, she has plans to fight for
the passage of the Fairness Act in Pennsyl-
vania.
“I think it’s absolutely outrageous that
Pennsylvania does not have a law based
on sexual orientation or gender identity be-
cause all people deserve to be treated equal-
ly,” she said. “I will work really hard to put
an end to discrimination, especially when it
comes to housing, employment and public
accomodations based on sexual orientation
based on sexual identity.” She also plans to
address healthcare for transgender people,
specifically reproductive rights for trans
folks, which she believes is continously left
out of legislative conversations. In reach-
ing out to community members, Shaaban
said she noticed that many Philadelphia
residents place particular importance on
environmental issues, which she plans to
address if elected.
Rep. Mary Isaacson told PGN she plans
to focus on education funding and ensur-
ing safe schools, working to counter the
climate change crisis, and remedying lead
PGN
23
and asbestos in Pennsylvania’s schools.
On March 2, it was announced she secured
$3.1 million in safety grants for schools and
behavioral health programs in her district.
YAHIRA NESBY
Economic development, creating “fami-
ly-sustaining” jobs via raising the minimum
ELLIE MARIE WASHTOCK
wage and working toward sexual harass- NIKKI KUHNHAUSEN
ment-free work environments are other of
her priorities. She also strives to make sure DENALI BERRIES STUCKEY
women have a strong voice in Harrisburg.
Isaacson says she has been a champion
TAMEKA “MICHELLE” WASHINGTON
of LGBTQ rights, having worked for over ZOE SPEARS
15 years advocating and enacting positive
change in queer communities. She has BROOKLYN LINDSEY
co-sponsored the Fairness Act, and pro-
posed legislation to enact an Economic Bill
BAILEY REEVES
of Rights, in which “every Pennsylvanian BEE LOVE SLATER
would be provided access and coverage to
comprehensive healthcare without discrim- JAZZALINE WARE
ination from providers, ensuring that gen-
der affirming surgeries and mental health
ASHANTI CARMON
care are provided for,” according to a press CLAIRE LEGATO
release. She places importance on fighting
against violence toward transgender people, MUHLAYSIA BOOKER
especially trans women of color. She was
also instrumental in securing funding to
CHYNAL LINDSEY
open the John C. Anderson Apartments, an CHANEL SCURLOCK
affordable housing community for LGBTQ
seniors. JORDAN COFER
“The Anderson House holds a very spe-
cial place in my heart because it was a proj-
PEBBLES LADIME “DIME” DOE
ect that I worked on for years with the DM- JAMAGIO JAMAR BERRYMAN
Hfund and the community as a staffer [for
late Rep. Michael O’Brian],” Isaacson said. ITALI MARLOWE
“It was upon me to make sure that the nuts
and bolts got done and coordination was
TRACY SINGLE
done properly so we could get the funding.
Not just the funding from the state House
BUBBA WALKER
but also to help navigate the federal tax KIKI FANTROY
credits that were required and everything
else that goes into coordination between PARIS CAMERON
city, state and federal to make an affordable
housing project like that to be able to come
DANA MARTIN
to [life].” BRIANNA “BB” HILL
Additionally, Isaacson has promised to
make STD testing more accessible and even
free, and allocate funding to combat LGBTQ
youth homeless and provide for LGBTQ se-
nior housing. She has also collaborated with
SAY
the William Way LGBT Community Center
and Philadelphia FIGHT to achieve state
funding, and teamed up with organizations
to reach out to her constituents, including
Philadelphia FIGHT, Institute for Com-
munity Justice, ACLU-PA Trans Justice
Program, Women in Transition, the Maz-
THEIR
zoni Center, the Mayor’s Office of LGBT
Affairs, GALAEI and Valley Youth House,
Pride Program, according to a press release.
For Isaacson, reestablishing fair districts
in Pennsylvania is the key to gaining a Dem-
ocratic majority in the state legislature and
NAMES
passing laws on her most important issues.
“Once we can get fair districts that are
more reflective of Pennsylvania, then I
think that we can take those majorities and
start advancing legislation.”
Issacson faces three challengers — Va-
nessa McGrath, Andre Del Valle and Jeff
Dempsey.
Mcgrath previously worked as an attor-
ney and businessperson, and played leading
roles in several Philadelphia-based non- THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN REPORTS 25 TRANSGENDER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
profits, including PhilaSoup VIOLENTLY KILLED IN 2019. PGN WILL CONTINUE TO SAY THEIR NAMES.
— an organization that gives page 29
24 PGN
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020

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© 2020 Schell Brothers LLC. All Rights Reserved. All information and pricing is subject to change without notice.
26
MEDIA TRAIL
South Carolina Washington
sued over its ban on approves banning
LBGTQ sex ‘gay panic’ defense
education of homicide
discussions Time Magazine reported a measure
The Columbian reported it is against
state law in South Carolina for public
school sex education classes to mention
anything other than heterosexual rela-
tionships, unless the talk involves sexual-
ly transmitted diseases. A federal lawsuit
now aims to change that.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights
and Lambda Legal said their lawsuit filed
Feb. 26 seeks to overturn the Compre-
hensive Health Education Act of 1988 as
an unconstitutional violation of the equal
protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
“The law singles out LGBTQ students
for negative treatment,” a news release
introducing the lawsuit said. “It prevents
LGBTQ students from receiving any
health education about their relationships
except in the context of sexually trans-
mitted diseases, without imposing any
comparable restriction on health educa-
tion about heterosexual people.’’
The law also says that any teacher who
allows “a discussion of alternate sexual
lifestyles” including “homosexual rela-
tionships except in the context of instruc-
tion concerning sexually transmitted dis-
eases” can be fired.
State Superintendent of Education
Molly Spearman, named as a defendant
in the lawsuit, agrees that the law is on
shaky ground.
She requested an opinion on its consti-
tutionality from South Carolina Attorney
General Alan Wilson. That opinion says,
“a court would likely conclude” that the
law violates the equal protection clause
requiring that people in similar circum-
stances be treated the same under the law.
“I agree with the arguments and evi-
dence presented in the opinion,’’ Spear-
man said in a statement cited by news
outlets. “I also believe that parents should
continue to have the final say in whether
or not their child participates in health
education curriculum.”
Parents can have their children opted
out of the school sex education curricu-
lum, said Ryan Brown, a spokesman for
the state Department of Education.
N AT I O N A L
prohibiting homicide defendants from
claiming a defense based on panic over
a victim’s sexual orientation or gender
identity has been passed by lawmakers
in Washington State.
Nine states — California, Connecti-
cut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Nevada,
New Jersey New York and Rhode Island
— have legislatively banned the use of
gay or transgender panic as a legal de-
fense.
The Washington measure, passed by
the Senate on a bipartisan 46-3 vote Feb.
26, is named after Nikki Kuhnhausen,
a transgender teen who was killed last
year.
Kuhnhausen, 17, disappeared in early
June and her remains were discovered
Dec. 7, southeast of Battle Ground. A
Vancouver man has been charged with
second-degree murder and malicious
harassment, which is a hate crime in
Washington.
The bill, which passed the House ear-
lier this month on a 90-5 vote, would
block a defendant from using a defense
based on discovery or disclosure of
the victim’s actual or perceived gender
identity or sexual orientation and would
prevent a claim of “diminished capaci-
ty” because the defendant did not fully
comprehend the nature and gravity of
the alleged crime.
The legislation now goes to Gov. Jay
Inslee for his signature.
Ohio bill would
ban competition
by transgender fe-
males
Transgender girls and women would
be banned from competing in Ohio high
school and college girls and women’s
sports under a bill introduced Feb. 26 by
House Republicans.
The legislation would apply to all pub-
lic schools and colleges and any private
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
schools or colleges that are members of
a state or national athletic association.
The bill prohibits those assigned male
at birth from competing in girls or wom-
en’s sports. It comes as three high school
girl runners in Connecticut are suing to
block a policy that allows transgender
athletes to compete in girls sports.
Currently in Ohio, transgender girls
can participate in sports after they have
completed a minimum of one year of
hormone treatment related to gender
transition, under Ohio High School Ath-
letic Association rules.
Alternatively, transgender girls
can compete if they demonstrate to
OHSAA officials “by way of sound
medical evidence” that they don’t pos-
sess physical advantages over girls of
the same age.
Similar bills have been introduced in
Alabama, Arizona, Idaho and Missis-
sippi. The Ohio bill sponsors are Rep.
Jena Powell, of Arcanum in western
Ohio, and Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus of Paris
Township in northeastern Ohio.
Puerto Rico
mourns death of
Alexa
The recent killing of a transgender
woman, Alexa Negrón Luciano, has
shocked and angered many in Puerto
Rico. Gov. Wanda Vazquez said it is
likely a hate crime on Feb. 25.
While no one has been arrested, she
said the investigation into the fatal
shooting is being investigated.
“Everything points to this being a hate
crime, and that's how it will be treated,”
she said.
Luciano was found dead Feb. 23 in the
northern town of Toa Baja.
Police are investigating whether a vid-
eo that was made public where at least
two men are heard mocking and threat-
ening a person believed to be the victim
followed by gunfire is the actual killing.
Activist Pedro Julio Serrano said in a
statement that he was outraged by the
killing.
“There's no doubt that transphobia
and intolerance had much to do in this
case,” he said. n
Reporting via Associated Press
MOMBIAN
from page 17
“Pete the Cat” (Amazon), and
“Bug Diaries” (Amazon) all have
ongoing characters with same-sex
parents, and the rainbow-themed
school on Chip and Potato has
all-gender restrooms. A few oth-
ers have had queer characters in
single episodes, starting with the
2005 Postcards from Buster epi-
sode “Sugartime” (PBS), which
showed a two-mom family. This
episode was denounced by Presi-
dent George W. Bush’s Secretary of
Education Margaret Spellings, who
asked the producers to return all
federal funding. More recently, the
2017 Doc McStuffins episode “The
Emergency Plan” (Disney Channel)
featured a two-mom family, and the
2019 Arthur episode, “Mr. Ratburn
and the Special Someone” (PBS),
showed Arthur’s teacher marrying
a husband.
The venerable “Sesame Street”
has given a few mentions to two-
mom and two-dad families in re-
cent years and showed Muppet
Grover in a dress in the 2017 song
“Anyone Can Play,” about breaking
down gender roles. And actor Billy
Porter (“Kinky Boots,” “Pose”) will
appear as a guest in the upcoming
51st season, wearing a black tuxe-
do dress, per photos that the show
posted to social media. This will
be the first season where episodes
will debut on the streaming service
HBO Max before airing on PBS
Kids. Given the Postcards from
Buster hullabaloo and the current
federal administration, that may
unfortunately be the only way the
show can both survive and produce
queer-inclusive content.
The first and only mainstream
television series for very young
children that focuses primarily on a
family with queer members, howev-
er, is Hulu’s “The Bravest Knight,”
about a girl learning to be a knight
with the help of her two dads. The
first season premiered last year; a
second has not yet been confirmed.
We need more LGBTQ char-
acters in children’s media for all
ages, both as minor characters who
are simply part of the world and,
more importantly, as protagonists
or parents of protagonists, so that
viewers can engage with them more
fully. Studios should come up with
original stories or, like Universal,
look to some of the many excellent
LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books
for ideas. All children will benefit
from seeing themselves, their fami-
lies, and their world more fully rep-
resented.
Dana Rudolph is the founder and
publisher of Mombian (mombian.
com), a GLAAD Media Award-win-
ning blog and resource directory for
LGBTQ parents. n
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
PGN
27

A Visual Guide to the HIV Crisis

SPOTLIGHT ON PHILADELPHIA

1,500, 000 people are living in Philadelphia,

Over 19, 000 of them live with HIV

Number of new
HIV diagnoses: Number of deaths of people with
HIV in Philly, 2017
2018

424
2017
284
495 282 TRANS PEOPLE
ARE LIVING WITH HIV
I N P H I L LY, 2 0 1 7

P E R C E N TAG E O F P E O P L E L I V I N G W I T H H I V
P E R C E N TAG E O F P E O P L E L I V I N G W I T H H I V
B Y R AC E / E T H N I C I T Y
B Y S E X A S S I G N E D AT B I R T H

28% FEMALE 72% MALE 63.9% BLACK 15.4% HISPANIC/LATINX 17.3% WHITE

(Strides are being made to more accurately account for trans, gender- The rate of Black males living with an HIV
nonconforming and nonbinar y people living with HIV*, *PDPH 2018) diagnosis is 3.1 times that of white males.

I N F O G R A P H I C C R E AT E D B Y A S H C H E S H I R E A L L D ATA S O U R C E D F R O M A I D S V U ( 2 0 1 7 ) & P D P H ( 2 0 1 8 )
28
DANTE AUSTIN
from page 1
When Austin took the Deputy Sheriff’s
exam in 2013, he earned the highest score
according to the sheriff’s office and con-
firmed by Taylor when told PGN what it was
like to work with Austin.
“We literally went from clearing houses
in the academy together to clearing houses
on the street,” she said. “We took the Depu-
ty Sheriff exam and scored number one and
number two, earning the nickname of ‘thing
one and thing two.’”
Taylor said Austin was a perfectionist
and a problem solver, “like myself,” and
that the two paired up as partners and
called themselves the “Dream Team.” She
added, “We always went above and be-
yond to help those in the community.”
But as indicated in her
remarks at the ceremony,
Austin was not only Tay-
lor’s coworker.
“Austin meant every-
thing to me,” Taylor said.
“We quickly became
friends back in 2013 and
ultimately became family.
We were almost insepara-
ble and talked to each oth-
er every single day. Austin
was a son, a brother, an
uncle and held the title
of friend to whomever
he came in contact with.
Austin was an inspiration
and role model especially
to those individuals in the
LGBTQ community.”
Taylor said she ad-
mired how quickly Aus-
tin became a face for the
LGBTQ community. She
said he advocated for
change, specifically for
the treatment of prisoners D E P U T Y S H E R I F F S E R G E A N T J E TA R I A TAY L O R
who identified as trans-
gender. “I also admire
Austin’s strength for com-
ing out and owning who
he was.”
Austin was a well-
known activist in Phila-
delphia’s LGBTQ com-
munity. He served on
the board of directors of
philanthropy group Dela-
ware Valley Legacy Fund,
which provides grants to
local LGBTQ nonprofits.
In 2018, he received the
organization’s Individual
Hero award in honor of
his contributions to the
LGBTQ community. Aus-
tin and his partner Tito
Valdes, were named the
first grand marshal cou-
ple in Philadelphia’s 2018
Pride parade. Austin was
also a military veteran,
serving during the era of
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,”
a discriminatory ban on
PGN
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
LGBT service members, according to past
PGN coverage.
In the final part of last week’s ceremony,
Local psychoanalytic center
Bilal took to the podium and thanked Austin
for bringing inclusion to the office, and ev-
eryone in the department for embracing him.
to host program on gender
She said that the issue of LGBTQ rights
would absolutely continue in her office. MICHELE ZIPKIN gression of gender development in familial
Taylor emphatically agreed and acknowl- michele@epgn.com and social spheres and talk about the inter-
edged how Bilal’s mission aligns with Aus- action of gendered experience as related to
tin’s values. The Psychoanalytic Center of Philadel- sexual experience.
“Sheriff Rochelle Bilal has been very vo- phia (PCOP) will host the event Gender PCOP is a nonprofit organization situated
cal, especially during her campaign, about Fixed and Fluid: Mournful, Melanchol- in East Fairmount Park’s Rockland Man-
welcoming all people including members of ic and Enigmatic on Friday, March 6. Dr. sion. The center is dedicated to furthering
the LGBTQ community. Her commitment to Adrienne Harris, Ph.D., will give a presen- the study and practice of psychoanalysis,
treating all people with respect, regardless tation geared toward clinicians, outlining and administers training programs to profes-
of their backgrounds is a prime example of gender development using a psychodynamic sionals in mental health and related fields.
what Austin stood for. In relation to Austin’s theoretical structure to chart the progression These programs encompass child and adult
legacy, I believe that it sends out the mes- of gender theory and practice throughout the psychoanalytic training sessions in both
sage to stand up for what you believe in.” n last 40 years. classical and
Within this modern con-
domain, Harris texts, and all
will discuss “a have units
complex mod- that cover
el of gender gender and
development female de-
integrating velopment,
interactions, E i c h e n
psychological pointed out.
structuring, bi- “[Gender]
ological mod- is a growing
els of com- issue in the
plexity and therapeutic
nonlinearity arena,” said
and social and Madelaine
cultural theo- Sayko, man-
ries,” accord- aging direc-
ing to the event tor of PCOP.
description. “As more
H a r r i s and more
serves on the people are
faculty and recognizing
acts as a su- that this is
pervisor in an area of fo-
the New York cus for fam-
University ilies [and]
Postdoctoral individuals
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y ASH CHESHIRE
Program in — issues
Psychothera- for them to
py and Psychoanalysis. Psychoanalyst and resolve personally — there’s a greater need
Clinical Psychologist Ann Eichen, Ph.D., to help people understand and identify, feel
and Psychiatrist Ruth Fischer, M.D., collab- comfortable with what their feelings are and
orated to plan the event and will facilitate learn more about this.”
the discussion that follows Harris’s presen- While all PCOP members are therapists
tation. of varying specialties, only a small number
“[PCOP has] a strong interest in female focuses specifically on LGBTQ issues in
development, from a psychoanalytic per- psychology. As such, PCOP staff intend this
spective,” Eichen said in an email. “There program to familiarize a range of therapists
is much academic interest in revising past with issues surrounding the gender spec-
theories that do not fit women, the ones that trum and gendered experience.
Freud created originally, so the field over “There are several members in our com-
the past 50 years has been developing new munity who are actively involved with the
theories to help understand female develop- LGBTQ community,” Eichen said. “While
ment.” that is not my life’s work, I support the work
Harris plans to employ clinical and devel- they do and am committed to human free-
opmental examples of both conscious and dom and equality.” n
unconscious gendered experience to demon-
strate how “powerful forces of gender con- Gender Fixed and Fluid will take place
formity co-exist, sometimes conflicting, and from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Discov-
sometimes comfortably and creatively in ery Center located at 3401 Reservoir Dr.,
different familial and social Philadelphia, PA, around the corner from
configurations.” PCOP’s main site. Interested participants
At the end of the presentation, participat- can register for the event here: https://pcph.
D A N T E A U S T I N ’ S E X T E N D E D FA M I LY ing therapists will also be able to single out memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_
sources of conflict and trauma in the pro- mcform&view=ngforms&id=2041356#/
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
from page 23
microgrants to Philly school teachers. She
considers education to be among her most
pressing concerns. She said her previous
work on Fair Funding Formula cases in the
Commonwealth Court means that she is
aware of the legislation needed to properly
fund Pennsylvania schools.
“In terms of the Funding Formula, only
6 percent of how we allocate funds consid-
ers things like areas that are more impover-
ished, areas where there’s a greater popula-
tion of students who are English as a second
language, children who have special needs,”
she said.
On LGBTQ issues, the Fairness Act is
her priority, as well as raising awareness of
LGBTQ rights in general. “It’s something
both professionally and personally import-
ant to me,” she said. “I’m very lucky that I
have a family that has been very accepting of
my sister and her wife. It’s something very
personal to me but it shouldn’t take a per-
sonal connection to this community to care
about their rights.”
Healthcare, specifically HIV care, clean
needle exchanges, more reproductive health-
care for women and trans people are also on
Mcgrath’s radar. “I am truly running against
the political machine and the establishment,
and that’s a difficult thing to do, particular-
ly as a young progressive woman,” she said.
“It’s these folks who come from political
families or from a political dynasty or hand-
picked from a political patron are the ones
BOXERS
from page 1
“anyone with knowledge of the reputation of
the applicant’s owners, officers, or proposed
Board-approved manager may file a petition
to intervene.”
“As a neighbor, I have a multi-family build-
ing,” Singer told PGN in early February. “I
have people living up there sleeping up there.
It’s my responsibility that they have a safe
and sanitary place to live. It has nothing to do
with what type of restaurant or establishment
it is.” According to the City of Philadelphia
records, Singer owns the property next to
Boxers at 1332 Walnut St.
On June 3, 2019, Big Ass Slices was issued
a Cease Operations order. At that time, Imer
Dedja was listed as the person “in charge”
at Big Ass Slices and signed documenta-
tion from the Philadelphia Department of
Health. But the owner of the establishment
was Junto Restaurant Group LLC, with its
corporate officer listed as Eric Keiles.
Morrin told PGN in early February that
Singer’s complaints against Imer Dedja
are “baseless.”
Nevertheless, a lengthy wait for a hear-
ing to decide whether or not Imer Dedja,
LLC would be awarded the transfer of a
liquor license forced Boxers to look into
alternate routes for reopening.
Morrin said, “We have restructured the
transaction with the New York owners
in order to reopen Boxers and continue
the fight. We will be continuing with the
PLCB transfer application process, and
PGN
who get ahead. To me, the system benefits
the few truly at the expense of the many.”
Andre Del Valle has been very active in lo-
cal Democratic politics. In 2019, he became
the first Latinx person to be unanimously
elected as president of the Pennsylvania
Young Democrats. He previously worked as
a Legislative Aide for Council member Ma-
ria Quinones Sanchez, where he helped to
establish a Municipal ID program – a help-
ing hand for many Philadelphia populations,
including returning citizens struggling with
opioid addiction.
As a candidate for State House of Repre-
sentatives, his priorities include tackling the
opioid epidemic, gun violence and the stu-
dent loan crisis. He is also very passionate
about taking measures to expand the defi-
nition of discrimination in Pennsylvania,
including fighting for legal protections for
LGBTQ communities and Latinx people.
“We need to expand those definitions of
harassment, racial discriminiation, gender
discrimination,” Del Valle said. He cited at-
tacks on transgender people as a cause for
concern. “When we’re talking about how we
hold people accountable, we need to expand
those definitions to give law enforcement
and our judicial system to be able to come
down on those who are harassing or violent-
ly attacking members of our LGBTQ com-
munity. Discrimination in any form, whether
you’re Black, white, Latino, gay, straight —
it’s discrimination.”
Del Valle nabbed a 2020 Working Fami-
lies endorsement for his efforts to raise the
minimum wage in Pennsylvania, working to
are trying to schedule a hearing on Mr.
Singer’s protest as soon as possible. We
have acquired additional funding from an
investor, who is a member of the LGBTQ
community, in order to continue with the
process. We hope to reopen by Friday. We
appreciate the support from the local com-
munity, Sen. Larry Farnese and State Rep.
Brian Sims.”
The new investor wishes to remain anon-
ymous until after Friday’s opening but sent
a statement to PGN through Ablao indi-
cating excitement “to get Boxers PHL re-
opened” and confirming that they identify
as LGBTQ.
While the indication is that Boxers will
reopen on Friday, the reiterated word
“hope” is essential. The liquor license for
1330 Walnut Partners LLC was put into
“safekeeping” status by the New York
owners at the beginning of the original
transfer process, which means a represen-
tative from PLCB must assess Boxers in
its current form and approve removing the
license from “safekeeping.”
Ablao met with staff on Tuesday to in-
form them of the anticipated reopening
and said, “as soon as I made the announce-
ment to them, all I heard was cheers and
applause. Everyone shared a feeling of be-
ing happy, and they were just waiting for
the news. Words can’t express how I felt.”
He added, ”I’ve had separate conver-
sations with employees as well, and they
were just so grateful because they had not
previously worked for people who worked
so hard to make sure that they were OK.”
expand the Worker Adjustment and Retrain-
ing Notification Act and fighting to expand
workplace protections.
Issacson’s third opponent is Jeff Dempsey,
who previously worked for Rep. Kevin
Boyle as deputy chief of staff, where he
took measures to protect LGBTQ residents
from discrimination and provide undocu-
mented children with educational resources,
among other progressive efforts. In 2015, he
became the program director for CeaseFire
PA, the largest gun violence prevention or-
ganization in Pennsylvania.
As a candidate for the state legislature,
Dempsey’s campaign site states he plans to
help enact education reform, anti-gun leg-
islation, uniform antidiscrimination legis-
lation protecting LGBTQ communities and
fighting for equal pay for women. Dempsey
did not respond to a request for an interview.
Sen. Larry Farnese has been a strong ad-
vocate for LGBTQ legislation throughout
his career as a senator, which he began in
2009. Not only is he a member of the Penn-
sylvania LGBT Equality Caucus, Farnese
has been very vocal about fighting for pro-
LGBTQ bills, including the Fairness Act.
He has been active in fighting for economic
development, public safety, reducing gun vi-
olence and ban assault weapons in the state
of Pennsylvania.
“It is despicable that members of the Gen-
eral Assembly are actively discriminating
against citizens of this commonwealth,”
Sen. Farnese said in a 2019 press release.
“Members of the LGBTQ community must
be treated with dignity and the way that they
Ablao said he fre-
quently checked in
with staff, and they
were told, “that they
weren’t going any-
where, and that even
if they had a tempo-
rary place to work,
they knew that it
was only temporary
— that once Boxers
reopened that they
were going back to
work.”
Ablao estimates
90-95 percent of
Boxers staff are re-
turning once the bar
reopens.
He said the
LGBTQ community
at large and those queer folks in the in-
dustry have been incredible since Boxers
closed. “I am eternally grateful for their
support, and for not only for the establish-
ment, but for our staff.”
He said Boxers regulars and other
LGBTQ community members have visit-
ed Boxers’ staff at their temporary places
of employment to support them and be in
contact, even after a month’s long process.
“It was heartwarming that the commu-
nity was engaged and concerned,” said
Ablao. “Bar managers and others asked if
there was anything that they could do.”
“We’re happy to reopen and continue
to provide a safe place for the community
29
express themselves should be fully respect-
ed,” said state Sen. Larry Farnese, D-Phila.,
and co-chair of the LGBTQ Equality Cau-
cus.”
Sen. Farnese could not be reached for
comment as of presstime.
Farnese faces Nikil Saval as a senatorial
contestant. A journalist and community or-
ganizer, Saval was the first Asian American
to be elected ward leader in Philadelphia.
As a big player in the 2016 Bernie Sanders
campaign, he co-founded Reclaim Philadel-
phia, where he continued to foster a progres-
sive majority in the city. The team played
an integral role in getting Larry Krasner to
run for district attorney. As a journalist who
wrote about urbanism and housing planning,
Saval’s main priorities in Pennsylvania is
addressing the housing crisis.
“It affects the poorest among us — work-
ing class youth, Black and Brown people;
40 percent of homeless youth identify as
queer,” Saval said. “This is a crisis that is
really [affected] by who you are. We need
a really strong solution to it.” As such, Saval
is calling for a Homes Guarantee, “which
would focus on building new affordable
units, preserving the units that we have and
also converting a lot of existing stock to af-
fordable units,” Saval said.
He feels strongly about bills like the Fair-
ness Act to protect LGBTQ folks and also
hopes to perpetuate antidiscrimination in
public accommodations to education, foster
care and adoption. “There’s so many areas
in which this is a pervasive problem,” he
said. n
B O X E R S S TA F F A N D F R I E N D S
Cour tesy Boxers PHL
and for everyone,” Ablao said. “There was
no time I ever felt like this isn’t going to
happen, and we’re going to close. I never
felt that way, and I was very honest with
staff when they asked if we were going to
open. My gut feeling was yes, just stick
with us longer and not only will we reopen
but with the support of new investors, we’ll
be able to get where we are wanting to be
and move forward.”
If Boxers reopens on Friday as expected,
guests can look forward to the “Rupaul’s
Drag Race” viewing party hosted by Iris
Spectre at 7.p.m and the local gay bar’s
largest monthly event, Clymaxxx, begin-
ning at 10 p.m. n
30
PETE BUTTIGIEG
from page 1
veteran and a Rhodes scholar who speaks
several languages, Buttigieg brought a dis-
parate group of voters of all ages and eco-
nomic strata together with his center-left
message of inclusion and unity against the
Trump administration, as well as his strong
stances for climate action and gun control.
Buttigieg rose steadily in the polls
throughout the first half of 2019 to become
a top-tier contender, knocking four sena-
tors, two former Congress members, two
governors, a mayor and a former HUD
secretary out of the race. He won the Iowa
caucus, came in only one point behind
Sen. Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire
and came in third in the Nevada caucus to
catapult briefly to the position of frontrun-
ner. But it was Buttigieg’s limited support
among Black and Latinx voters that led to a
disappointing fourth-place finish in South
Carolina and his decision to withdraw.
With his husband Chasten at his side,
Buttigieg made the announcement in
South Bend, Indiana, on Sunday night,
saying, “Today is a moment of truth. The
truth is, the path has narrowed to a close
for our candidacy, if not for our cause.”
He told the crowd, “So we must recog-
nize that at this point in the race, the best
way to keep faith with those goals and ide-
als is to step aside and help bring our party
and our country together.”
Explaining to staunch supporters that
PGN
“the difficult decision to suspend my cam-
paign for the presidency” had to be made,
Buttigieg added, “We have a responsibil-
ity to concede the effect of remaining in
this race any further. Our goal has always
been to help unify Americans to defeat
Donald Trump and to win the era for our
values.” Buttigieg praised all of his com-
petitors for “demonstrating what public
service can be.”
In his final appearance as a presiden-
tial candidate, Buttigieg marched across
the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala-
bama, to commemorate the 55th anniver-
sary of Bloody Sunday with Black Civil
Rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis, among
many others.
Philly for Pete, a grassroots organi-
zation led by Nathan Osburn, had been
instrumental in raising awareness of the
candidate locally and engaging volunteers
at colleges and throughout the region for
Buttigieg.
Philly for Pete told PGN, “On behalf
of the Steering Committee of Philly for
Pete and our network of over 1,000 active
grassroots supporters, we want to thank
Pete for bringing to our city, our com-
monwealth, and our country a powerful
and historic campaign.”
They added, “We appreciated visits
from Pete and Chasten that rallied Phil-
adelphians around a bold vision for the
future. We will continue to promote the
message of inclusion and belonging for
our entire nation as all of us come togeth-
.
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
er with a focus on ensuring that Pennsyl-
vanians beat Donald Trump.”
Tariem Burroughs is on the board of
Liberty City Democrats. A Ph.D. candi-
date in sociology, he was a delegate for
Buttigieg from Philadelphia. Burroughs
said, “It was an amazing experience.” He
said he had previously “only put my toe
into the political realm,” but that working
for Buttigieg, he met “the most positive
people — people who mirrored Pete, his
morals, his character, his values.”
Burroughs said, “As a gay man myself,
I saw in Pete a man who is bucking the
system. And as a Black man, I was proud
to represent him.” Burroughs said he and
other Black people who supported Butt-
igieg felt their presence refuted the nar-
rative that the Black community is ho-
mophobic.
For many young, gay supporters like
Burroughs, Buttigieg represented the fu-
ture for Democrats. Burroughs said that
the party was in need of a “generational
overhaul” and that Buttigieg represented
that for Burroughs, who at 38 is the same
age as the candidate — 40 years young-
er than the two frontrunners, former Vice
President Joe Biden and Sanders.
Osburn echoed that stance previously,
noting, “People are wanting to turn the
page on what’s broken in Washington,
and so they’re looking to someone who
represents that next generation of leader-
ship.”
On March 2, just hours before the polls
opened in 14 states and American Samoa
for Super Tuesday, Buttigieg endorsed
Biden, and Biden won the majority of the
Super Tuesday races.
Buttigieg had warned supporters against
nominating Sanders and his “inflexible,
ideological revolution,” and although
Buttigieg had argued in debates that Biden
was the past, he said in his endorsement
that Biden would help down-ballot races,
which he said Sanders was unlikely to
do, but which was critical to maintaining
Democratic control of the House.
Biden praised Buttigieg, saying Butti-
gieg reminded him of his late son, Beau
Biden, who was Attorney General of Del-
aware until his death from brain cancer in
2015. Biden said in his speech and later
in a CNN interview that there would be
a place for Buttigieg in a Biden adminis-
tration, hinting at a Cabinet position. “He
has an enormous talent,” Biden said.
At the end of his withdrawal speech,
Buttigieg said, “I hope that everyone who
has been part of this in any way knows
that the campaign that you have built and
the community that you have created is
only the beginning of the change that we
are going to make together.”
Burroughs said of Buttigieg, “He grace-
fully entered, and he gracefully exited. I
have a picture of Chasten, my husband
and my son that will be something to hold
onto — an experience and of course, hope
for the future because Pete is not gone,
not gone for long.” n
 Arts & Culture
Q PUZZLE : PA G E 3 8 MUSIC : PA G E 3 4 HOROSCOPES : PA G E 3 5
F A M I LY P O R T R A I T Ashlei Hardenburg: Queerly focused and on the rise
“ B R E AT H E ” B Y N I C H O L E
New
Subversion, a group exhi-
bition juried by Alice Oh pre-
sented by Philadelphia Sculp-
tors and Da Vinci Art Alliance
exhibit
opened with a public reception
on Feb. 26 and runs through
March 22.
This show is the second col-
confronts laboration between the two arts
organizations.
The first collaboration, Shel-
societal
ter, took place in 2018. For Sub-
version, artists were encouraged
to submit works that pushed
back against societal norms.
constructs
The exhibit highlights work that
questions authority, traditions,
morals, and challenges social
constructs. The artwork in the
show confronts everything from
TERINA HILL gender norms to environmental
PGN Contributor threats.
EVENTS : PA G E 3 2 SCENE IN PHILLY :
Twenty-seven pieces were
selected from 18 Philadel-
phian sculptors — Theo. A.
Artz, David Beker, Natasha
Cheung, williamCromar, Da-
vid Detrich, Travis Donovan,
Deirdre
Doyle, Harold Kalmus,
Monica Kane, Eleanor Levie,
Nicholli Matheny, Constance
McBride, Collin Mura-smith,
Jeremy Sims, Holly Smith,
Helge Speth, Simone Spicer,
and Nina Valder — by juror
Oh, a painter with work in-
cluded in the collections of
the Philadelphia Museum of
Art, the Leeway Foundation,
Temple University, Yale Uni-
versity and SAP America,
Inc.
The Philadelphia Sculp-
tors, founded in 1997, is the
only professional organiza-
tion of sculptors in the region.
Its mission is to help raise
public awareness of sculpture
and its value through work-
shops, conferences, programs
and indoor and outdoor exhi-
bitions in traditional and non-
traditional venues.
Da Vinci Art Alliance pro-
vides a supportive commu-
nity of artists and creatives
focused on capturing the
spirit of Leonardo da Vinci —
“Like Leonardo, we ask big
questions, ponder complex
ideas, experiment with form
and create new ways of en-
gaging with and sharing our
M AT H E N Y art.”
Sims, a member of the
LGBTQ+ community, is one
of the sculptors exhibiting in the show. As a
ceramic artist, his pieces generally “start as
drinking vessels,” which he said are person-
al, intimate objects that “pull you in.” Then,
he allows his sculptures to transform into
something more abstract. His work some-
times has a tromp l’oeil effect.
Sims’ work responds to contemporary de-
sign and how design affects the way we see
the world subconsciously. His work in Sub-
version speaks to the current trend in the de-
sign world of personifying objects by giving
them human names, particularly men design-
ers giving objects like sofas or chaise loung-
es a woman’s name to invoke the inanimate
object’s “personality.”
In his work, Sims chose names that exist
outside of the gender binary in a fundamen-
tal way. His work explores his belief that no
human being exists on the gender spectrum
in the same way their entire lives and that
gender is a social construct.
PERSONA \ SAPPHO : PAGE 36
PA G E 3 3 pgn
PAG E 3 7
Sims has a new collection of work available
for sale called “Things You Can Live With,”
available on Amazon.
Another artist in the LGBTQ+ community
with a sculpture in the show is Matheny, who
focused on environmental issues with her piece
titled “The Gas Mask.” Born and raised in West
Virginia in southern Appalachia, Matheny said
coal mining was a way of life. It wasn’t un-
til she came to Philadelphia to study at Moore
College of Art & Design that she realized how
remote and disconnected her upbringing was
from the rest of the nation.
She emphasized that it took tornadoes in
West Virginia to bring respiratory issues of the
region into the national conversation. “The Gas
Mask” is a wearable, non-functional gas mask
made of brass, bituminous coal, copper and ep-
oxy inspired by medical scans of black lungs
belonging to miners who sued gas mask com-
panies due to recalls of respiration masks that
failed to protect them. After the Federal Min-
ing Safety Acts of 1977, miners placed their
trust in these masks only to find decades later
that they now are suffering from lung cancer.
When asked if being in the LGBTQ+ com-
munity ever informs her work, Matheny said,
“It has caused me to become more aware and
comfortable in my own skin which has in turn
allowed me to pay more attention to the out-
side world and spend less time hyper-focusing
inwardly on the self.” n
For more information about Subversion, visit
https://davinciartalliance.org/subversion.
Follow Nicholli Mathey on Instagram @nich-
otineart.
You can learn more about the work of Jere-
my Sims at his website: https://www.simsart.
work/. Sims uses he/they pronouns.
“ H O W M U C H D O YO U H A V E I N C O M M O N
W I T H YO U R S E L F, A D I ? ” B Y J E R E M Y S I M S
32
T H E AT E R & A R T S
BEN FRANKLIN SEX PARTY
A solo clown show where Constitution-
al Congress meets juicy orgy in a race
against syphilis, 8 p.m. March 6 at Good
Good Comedy Theatre, 215 N. 11th St.;
215-399-1279.
THE BEST MAN
Walnut Street Theatre presents the sto-
ry of a political game of cat and mouse,
March 10-April 26, 825 Walnut St.; 215-
574-3550.
DESIGNS FOR DIFFERENT FUTURES
Philadelphia Museum of Art presents
an exhibition exploring visionary and
sometimes controversial designs that
promise to transform how we live, eat,
heal, travel and even love, in any num-
ber of possible futures, through March 8,
26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-
8100.
DIEGO RIVERA: FRESCOES
Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an
exhibition of murals the revered Mexi-
can artist created in New York for dis-
play in an exhibition at the Museum of
Modern Art in 1931, through spring,
26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-
8100.
DRAG DIVA BRUNCH: COUNTRY
QUEENS
Mimi Imfurst and special guests have a
drag hoedown, noon March 7 at Punch
Line Philly, 33 E. Laurel St.; 215-606-
6555.
EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL
Philadelphia Theatre Company presents
the story of an Amish family struggling
with issues of faith and forgiveness,
through March 8 at Suzanne Roberts
Theatre, 480 S. Broad St.; 215-985-
0420.
KOGEI: ART CRAFT JAPAN
Philadelphia Museum of Art presents
an exhibition celebrating Japanese
kogei — one-of-a-kind, handcrafted ob-
jects made with traditional techniques
and natural materials, through summer
2020, 26th Street and the Parkway;
215-763-8100.
LA BAYADÈRE
The Pennsylvania Ballet performs Angel
Corella’s restaging of the masterpiece,
March 5-15 at the Academy of Music,
240 S. Broad St.; 215-893-1999.
LEWIS BLACK: IT GETS BETTER EVERY
DAY
The comedian performs 8 p.m. March
6 at Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St.;
215-893-1999.
MARISA MERZ
Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an
exhibition of sculptures and drawings
celebrating the life and legacy of the pi-
oneering Italian artist, through summer,
26th Street and the Parkway; 215-763-
8100.
NOTICES: Send notices at least one week in advance to: Out & About Listings, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 fax: 215-925-6437 or e-mail: listings@epgn.com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone.
E N T E R TA I N M E N T
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
events
OFF THE WALL: AMERICAN ART TO WEAR BEARLESQUE
Philadelphia Museum of Art presents an The bear burlesque show returns, 6:30
exhibition of works by mixed-media art- p.m. March 6 at Tabu, 254 S. 12th St.;
ists exploring nontraditional materials and 215-964-9675.
methods to create adventurous, deeply
imaginative works, through May 17, 2600 FLIRT VONNEGUT’S FANTASY BASE-
Benjamin Franklin Parkway; 215-763- MENT
8100. An evening of sex. comedy and Dun-
geons & Dragons, 8 p.m. March 7 at
PAULA POUNDSTONE Franky Bradley’s, 1320 Chancellor St.;
The comedian performs 8 p.m. March 7 at 215-735-0735.
Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St.; 215-
893-1999. BELLY DANCERS FIGHT FOR AIR
CHARITY HAFLA 2020
RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES Philadelphia’s best belly dancers per-
Broadway Philadelphia presents the musi- form, 5 p.m. March 8 at Franky Brad-
cal chronicling the journey of the Fab Four, ley’s, 1320 Chancellor St.; 215-735-
March 13-15 at Merriam Theater, 250 S. 0735.
Broad St.; 215-893-1999.
CUTTHROAT QUEENS
SHIP Three queens start the competition with
Azuka Theatre presents the story of a wom- $150 each, and if they want to leave the
an fresh out of rehab trying to return to glo- stage with any of the cash, they have to
ry in her hometown, through March 15 at survive three drag challenges and each
Proscenium Theatre at The Drake, 302 S. ‘GO’ EVERY- other, 8 p.m. March 8 at Tabu, 254 S.
Hicks St.; 215-563-1100. 12th St.; 215-964-9675.
WHERE:
WEEDING OUT THE STONED MARCH MADNESS WITH MARTHA
A comedy show where the audience tries Pop star and electro singer, GRAHAM CRACKER
to figure out which of the comedians isn’t Billie Eilish, brings her “Where Philly’s famous drag star goes mad
baked, 8 p.m. March 13 at Good Good Do We Go?” world tour to with her cabaret show, 7 p.m. March
Comedy Theatre, 215 N. 11th St.; 215-399- Philly when she performs 7:30 12 at L’Etage, 624 S. Sixth St. For
1279. p.m. March 13 at Wells Fargo more information or tickets call 215-
WELCOME TO THE IRONSIDE PLAY- Center, 3601 S. Broad St. For 592-0656.
HOUSE more information or tickets,
The William Way LGBT Community Cen- call 215-389-9543.
ter presents an exhibition of photos, film OUTTA TOWN
and ephemera from the Jack Van Alstyne
Collection, through April 24, 1315 Spruce FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 5: A NEW
St.; 215-732-2220. BEGINNING
The slasher film is screened, 9:45 p.m.
March 6 at The Colonial Theatre, 227
MUSIC Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610-917-
Hard rockers Life of Agony front- 1228.
ed by transgender singer, Mina
POPS ROCKS PHIL COLLINS: THE MUSIC
OF GENESIS AND PHIL COLLINS Caputo, hit the road in support of LARGER THAN LIFE
The Philly POPS performs the music of their latest album, “The Sound of The boy-band tribute group performs
Genesis and Phil Collins, March 6-8 at Scars,” cutting into Philly when 8 p.m March 7 at The Queen, 500 N.
Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St.; 215- they perform 7:30 p.m. March 13 Market St., Wilmington, Del.; 202-
893-1999. at The Foundry, 29 E. Allen St. For 730-3331.
more information or tickets, call
SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS 215-309-0150.
TOM PAPA
The retro-swing band performs to celebrate The comedian performs 8 p.m. March
its 25th anniversary at 8 p.m. March 8 at 7 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick
World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215- Ave.; 215-572-7650.
222-1400.
ON A WINTER’S NIGHT FT. CHRIS-
KRISTIN CHENOWETH IN CONCERT FOR TINE LAVIN, JOHN GORKA, PATTY
THE GIRLS LARKIN, CHERYL WHEELER & CLIFF
The Kimmel Center presents the Emmy EBERHARDT
and Tony Award-winning actress and sing- The veteran singer-songwriters per-
er, 8 p.m. March 13 at Verizon Hall, 300 S. form, 7:30 p.m. March 8 at Sellersville
Broad St.; 215-893-1999. Theater 1894, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sell-
ersville; 215-257-5808.
DEAD KENNEDYS
The legendary punk-rock band performs 8 DWEEZIL ZAPPA
p.m. March 13 at TLA, 334 South St.; 215- The rock guitarist performs 8 p.m.
922-1011. March 8 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N.
Keswick Ave.; 215-572-7650.
NIGHTLIFE THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS
TWICE
PHILADELPHIA LEATHER 2020 The classic noir film is screened,
A new titleholder is crowned 7-11 p.m. BRING THE PAIN March 8-9 at The Colonial Theatre,
March 6 at The Bike Stop, 206 S. Quince 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610-917-
St.; 215-627-1662. 1228.
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
S C E N E I N P H I L LY
33

24TH ANNUAL HRC GREATER PHILADELPHIA DINNER

AT LOEWS PHILADELPHIA HOTEL
PHOTOS BY KELLY BURKHARDT

Anne, Carolyn, Jesse, Kanak, Garima

H R C P r e s i d e n t A l p h o n s o D av i d M o r r i s H o m e wa s t h i s y e a r ’s G r e a t e r P h i l a d e l p h i a H o n o r e e Caitlin Kinnunen, HRC Visibility Honoree

To m a n d J u s t i n Molly Fr e n c h i e D av i s
34
Chill vibes permeated his 2018 self-titled
solo album, but Jake Shears feels like danc-
ing again. Shears’ latest single “Meltdown”
is a club-made banger with shared Scissor
Sisters disco DNA – which is exactly the
point. Because even though the band has
been on a hiatus since 2012, the glam-rock
group’s frontman says his latest solo music
is an extension of their legacy.
From New Orleans, Shears talked about
the constant “are the Scissor Sisters reunit-
ing?” question, why Judith Light should
play him in a biopic about his life, and how
his “Masked Singer” unicorn costume got
him DMs from the plushies community.
What did you want people to feel when
they heard “Meltdown”? I wanted to
make people dance. It’s absolutely my
straight-up tribute to the fabulous Sylves-
ter in such a big way. I wanted it to really
invoke that kind of carefree spirit through
the vocal styling and the bassline and just
sort of how the song is structured, but at the
same time I also wanted the song to feel
unsettling and a little bit creepy (laughs).
I don’t know why I always tend to have a
creepy streak run through my stuff, but I like
stuff with a little bit of a dark edge.
It’s funny, because with my last record, I
followed this vision. The last record was so
personal, and it was such a crazy thing to
be detached from the band. I just followed
my heart with that record. Not that I’m not
following my heart with this, but I definite-
ly was not making club music with my last
record.
The last record sounded a lot like you
were cutting the umbilical cord. I think
that’s a good way of putting it. I just made
the last record with almost a set of rules. It
was creative in a very specific way. So now
I’m feeling like I can kind of throw the rule
book out the window at the moment and just
make some dance music again. It’s been
a while since I fully made a carefree club
song.
How far along are you? About half of
finds his boots
the record is done. The songs are so f--king
good. I’m really very excited about them.
They share a common feel. And yeah, I’ve
just got a bunch of great singles right now.
When we last spoke, you talked about
how joyful music is important right
now, when things happening in the
Scissor Sisters frontman
talks new Scissor-sounding
world aren’t all that joyful. Is that vibe
something you’re bringing to the rest
of these tracks? Yeah. The music is su-
per fun, but it’s — I don’t want to say it’s
‘Meltdown,’ his next dance
cynical because I’m not a cynical person at
all. It’s just a little more abstract. I was just
reading an article in the Times about TikTok
killing the radio songwriter and all kinds of
contemporary pop records. It’s changing
songwriting, and there’s this whole piece
about it. And I guess. I mean, I don’t listen
to a ton of contemporary music, but people
are only really writing lyrics that are words
that would only actually come out of their
mouths in conversations. I guess a lot of pop
singers are basically only singing things that
they would say. That’s not what I’m doing.
MUSIC
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
So you’re not writing this album for
the TikTok audience? That’s the thing:
Who knows! There’s an old Scissor’s song
that’s just been making the rounds on there.
Do you know the song “I Can’t Decide” off
“Ta-Dah”? If you go on Spotify, I think it’s
our most played song now. It became some
fucking meme. But, basically, every teenager
knows this song. It’s very strange.
What does the culture of where you live
now — in New Orleans and sometimes
in Louisville, Kentucky — bring to you
creatively? In New Orleans, I can turn ev-
erything down a bit. I get so much stimula-
tion, and I’m so stimulated day-to-day in my
life in general, so I come to New Orleans
to really slow down. It gives me the space,
and it gives me elbow room. I just do a lot of
reading and writing and f--king playing vid-
eo games and hanging with my dog. I really
have to kind of unwind and sort of reset. I’m
buying a house down here. I’ve got an apart-
ment here that I’ve had for four years, and
now I’m fully sort of … I don’t know, it’s
weird. My life has felt very sort of unmoored
the last four or five years or so. I’m at this
point where I really do need to put down
some solid roots and really make a new home
for myself because I’ve really been living out
of a suitcase the past couple of years.
Are you bored yet with people asking you
if you’re ever going to reunite with the
Scissor Sisters? I mean, it’s sweet, but I’m
already giving you what you’d be getting.
These would be the Scissor Sisters records
for the most part (laughs). In general, this
would be the stuff that we’d be putting out.
So it’s a bit of a confusing question. But I
know, I understand. There’s a magic, espe-
cially live, seeing everybody together. But
musically I feel like I’m continuing the lega-
cy of the band. I’m definitely not reinventing
a wheel when it comes to my own stuff. This
is just the stuff I like to make.
Jake Shears
If you’re going back to this disco-dance-
club sound, why not make it with the
Scissor Sisters? Because I don’t feel like
twisting anybody’s arm. I don’t want to pull
teeth to make it happen. I’m sure someday,
we will write again, there’s no doubt. But no
one’s really chomping at the bit. I think I’m
kind of the only one who really truly loved it.
Being in the band, everyone sort of answers
to this entity, which is this thing that you’re
doing together. It has the last word. And I
think after a long time that gets frustrating
for everybody, especially if it wasn’t neces-
sarily what you thought you’d be doing with
your life. If everybody wanted to do it again,
album and Judith Light I’d be super happy, but I would want them to
want to do it and do it for the pleasure of it.
And I’m sure someday maybe they’ll get the
hankering for it.
C H R I S A Z Z O PA R D I
You were recently revealed as the
@chrisazzopardi masked singer on the UK’s version of
“The Masked Singer.” How did you go
about picking the songs you sang on the
show? I just had a long list, and my num-
P h o t o c r e d i t : K e v i n Ta c h m a n
ber one: I really wanted to do “Babooshka”
by Kate Bush. In the UK, they
hadn’t had “The Masked Sing- page 45
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
BY INEZ CARVALHO
ARIES
(Mar. 21 - Apr. 20)
Pisces season has themes of de-
construction, revealing and re-
newing. How can we gain new
awareness from some negative
aspects of ourselves? Now is a
hyper-aware and sensitive time
if you are willing to access that
power, and some things a new haircut won’t be able to
fix. Perspective and insight will serendipitously come to
you this week. The full moon on March 9 completes a
pattern.
TA U R U S
(Apr. 21 - May 21)
A subliminal truth breaks through
this week. Don’t hesitate to envi-
sion your ideal present and future.
Don’t let the idea of perfection
stop you from starting something
new. Being OK with making mis-
takes is a part of self-love’s qui-
et power. This week, fake “chill” won’t cut it anymore.
Take life step-by-step, and go easy on yourself; there is
no need to punish yourself. A full, earthy Virgo moon on
March 9 renews your sense of purpose. You can be strong
and still — be healing and growing.
GEMINI
(May 22 - Jun. 21)
Pisces season appears to have hit
you like a ton of bricks. You might
need to say goodbye to something
that feels hard to let go of right
now. Romantic relationships feel
more complicated and less satis-
fying these days. Focusing on personal pursuits, creative
endeavors and professional or platonic relationships
brings the most benefit to you. The Virgo moon on Mon-
day tells you so.
CANCER
(Jun. 22 - Jul. 22)
From March 8-9, the full Virgo
moon will give you confidence in
some of the decisions you have
made recently. You will find your-
self following through with your
plans with ease. Bold moves pay
off this week and may help you
gain new trust in yourself. A Jupiter and Pluto alliance in-
creases abundance and opportunity throughout March,
which begins to show.
ASTROLOGY
LEO
(Jul. 23 - Aug. 22)
Lately, you haven’t been getting
the attention or credit that you feel
you deserve, which can be very
frustrating. By pushing ahead and
forging a path, you will generate
validation for your own dang self!
The Leo moon kicks off the end of
your week and has you feeling in your element. The full
moon on March 9, occurring in Virgo, has you thinking
practically. The sun in Pisces still has you daydreaming
about your deepest desires. You’re in a dance of contra-
dictions and balance.
VIRGO
(Aug. 23 - Sep. 23)
The full moon in your sign on
March 9 can have you feeling
particular and fussy. You mustn’t
take this anxious energy out on
those around you. What you say
positively or negatively will be
taken sincerely and remembered,
especially this weekend. You have a precarious power;
be careful with it. Mercury’s transit suggests you play it
cool, even if your vibe is intense. Pisces season can be
tough on a Virgo, but when opposites converge, balance
can be found.
LIBRA
(Sep. 24 - Oct. 23)
You start the weekend feeling like
you have something to say, but you
can’t articulate it. During the full
moon in Virgo on March 9, you
may catch the bug to reorganize,
clean and heal your surroundings,
and this will help your mind untangle. The moon in Li-
bra the very next day asks you to enjoy what you have
curated. The whole week has gorgeous energy in store,
highlighting social and financial endeavors.
SCORPIO
(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)
A stellar week awaits you; there is
a favorable wind to be caught by
your sails. The full moon in Virgo
on Monday has a cleansing and
smoothing energy that trims away
what has been hindering you. Tidy-
ing up the house, investing in practical matters and routines
can be therapeutic. March 12 and 13 bring you the moon
in Scorpio, which has you looking and feeling sharp. All
week Mars and Venus positively transit your sign, making
art and romance likely. Beware of perfectionism.
35
S A G I T TA R I U S
(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21)
There are many things you have
set into motion over the past
month. The full moon in Virgo
on Monday asks you to review
how far you have come while
still keeping up the momentum.
Celebrate yourself because you
may not notice how hard you have been working; you
are not just running in place, even if it feels that way.
March 10 and 11 have the moon and Mercury juxtapos-
ing your sign positively — there are good days for any
grand scheme you have. This is your week.
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20)
The full moon in your fellow earth
sign of Virgo on Monday brings
a can-do attitude to the table.
However, Tuesday and Wednes-
day tread lightly due to the moon
entering your reputation sector.
Choose words wisely. The rest of the week bodes well with
the sun, Mars and Venus in harmony with your sun sign,
allowing you to access a wealth of emotional and physical
energy. The stars suit your style right now.
AQUARIUS
(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19)
A curious Mercurial energy fol-
lows you throughout the week.
The full moon in Virgo brings to
the surface some questions you
asked at the beginning of the
month during the new moon in
Pisces. You will be able to see
the bigger picture through a wider lens. Offer yourself
some gratitude. On March 12 and 13, the moon will
visit your reputation sector, so be sure to play nice.
PISCES
(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20)
This week has a beautiful fore-
cast in store for you, with many
planets moving to your bene-
fit. The full moon in Virgo on
March 9 completes a circle that
began at the start of Pisces sea-
son — the focus now is on cleansing, healing and cre-
ating harmony in your surroundings. Now is the time
to build. The Scorpio moon on Thursday and Friday
complements your watery nature by invoking memory
and mystery.
36 PERSONA
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020
PERSONA
SAPPHO
Likely born 620 B.C.
The 10th muse.
A lyrical lover of women.
Sappho imprints her words on
tender hearts and tears at tenuous
bonds. Her bittersweet lovesick
odes are queer reading 101.
B Y J E S S B R Y A N T / I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y A S H C H E S H I R E
BASED ON SCULPTURE BY WILLIAM WETMORE STORY
Trans woman Eve Lindley shines in AMC’s ‘Dispatches from Elsewhere’
and works as a do- shots of the Liberty Bell and Independence
cent at the art mu- Hall — like in so many other films that are
seum. Andre Benja- supposed to be set in Philly but are shot else-
min (better known where. The tiny side streets of various neigh-
as Andre 3000) is borhoods play their own role here — giving
Fredwynn, an im- the four main characters a landscape that
peccably dressed, meshes with their travels and travails.
tightly wound con- Peter lives in a grim apartment across from
spiracy theorist, the Racquet Club, which he can see outside
and Janice Foster his window. He watches old episodes of “Law
E V E L I N D L E Y I N “ D I S P AT C H E S F R O M E L S E W H E R E ” (Sally Field) is an & Order: SVU” while eating ramen. He’s
Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/AMC eager retiree who seeing a therapist who is trying to get him to
is used to following expand his life, but he tells her that he is set-
the rules. tling into the notion that this is it — there is
Victoria A. Brownworth The series is based on “The Institute,” a nothing more.
PGN Contributor 2013 documentary directed by Spencer Mc- Simone lives in South Philly with her
Call, reconstructing the story of the “Jejune bed-ridden grandmother, who is her emotion-
AMC’s new series “Dispatches from Else- Institute,” an alternate reality game set in al lifeline. Nana can read her grandchild easi-
where” is unlike anything else. Airing Mon- San Francisco, through interviews with the ly and references Olivia Benson’s experiences
days at 10 p.m., “Dispatches” is a bit surreal, participants and the creators. The game was on “SVU” as a metaphor (the show is a trope
like the original “Twin Peaks,” deeply emo- produced in 2008 by Oakland-based artist Jeff for “Dispatches”). Nana adores Simone, who
tional like “This Is Us” and quirky like “Lot Hull. Over three years, it enrolled more than allows herself to be held and comforted by her
49” and “Briarpatch.” 10,000 players who, responding to eccentric grandmother, even as she keeps the rest of the
AMC describes “Dispatches” as “an Amer- flyers plastered all over the city, started the world at arm’s length.
ican anthology drama series created by and game by receiving their “induction” at the The opening episode explains how Peter
starring Jason Segel. Set in Philadelphia, fake headquarters of the Institute, located in becomes involved with the Jejune Institute,
Pennsylvania, ‘Dispatches from Elsewhere’ an office building in San Francisco’s Finan- which is housed in a lavish building on Rit-
follows a group of ordinary people who stum- cial District. tenhouse Square. Peter watches the induction
ble onto a puzzle hiding just behind the veil of “Dispatches” follows the same basic trajec- film and is reduced to tears by the emotion-
everyday life.” tory but is set in Philadelphia — Center City, al well it taps in him. Later he is drawn to a
There are four main characters: Segel plays Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square, Old mass meeting of other inductees, and Simone,
Peter, an emotionally shut-down 30-some- City, the Gayborhood, Fishtown and Isaiah Fredwynn and Janice become his partners
thing millennial who works for a Netflix/ Zagar’s magical mosaic gardens on South for the game. The ways the game zeroes in
Spotify-ish company where he aligns musical Street are all on display. The series is lavish- on people who feel displaced in their lives is
choices for subscribers all day long. Simone ly in love with Philadelphia. While there is a both generous and insidious.
(Eve Lindley) is a hip 20-something trans good deal of creative geography happening “Dispatches from Elsewhere” is too de-
woman who favors miniskirts and short boots for those familiar with the city, there are no lectable a delicacy to divulge spoilers, but
the relationship that develops between Peter
and Simone is charming and sweet and deep-
ly moving. Simone has a difficult time navi-
gating the world and feels the world acutely.
In a scene where she happens upon the Pride
march on Locust Street, she listens to other
trans women calling for trans lives to matter,
but when they hand her the bullhorn, she feels
exposed and runs away down Camac Street.
(As with much of “Dispatches,” it’s unclear
whether this actually happens to Simone or
she imagines it happening.)
Lindley is a breakout star in her role as
Simone, and Segel’s Peter is entranced with
her, as audiences will be. Lindley’s approach
to Simone feels fresh and raw, and her ability
to portray a vast range of emotions is awing.
At the Television Critics Association press
tour in January, Lindley praised Segel and
“Dispatches” for how Segel allowed her to
work with him to create Simone as a char-
acter. “It was one of the best depictions of a
character, of a trans character that I had ever
read. She felt so close to me, and I felt like I
knew her, and I felt like I could tell her story.
And it was really great because Jason allowed
me to interject a lot of myself into her, and
you know, we really worked together to bring
her to life, I think,” she said at TCA.
“Dispatches from Elsewhere” may not be
for everyone — it demands some suspension
of disbelief as well as an acceptance of the
radical notion that people can, in fact, find
each other and joy in a world fraught with
anomie and isolation. But Lindley is a revela-
tion, and Segel’s beautiful, restrained perfor-
mance is heartbreaking. n
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
Ashlei Hardenburg: Queerly focused and on the rise
SUZI NASH
PGN Contributor
It’s film festival time! In the next few
weeks, if you’re a film aficionado, get ready
to warm up your popcorn. We have not one,
but two fantastic film festivals back to back
— The Women’s Film Festival (TWFF) and
qFLIX Philly (more on that next week).
TWFF runs from March 14-22 and has
plenty of queer content. Full disclosure,
I’m one of the programmers. The feature
film “Heavy Craving” beautifully explores
a friendship with a young trans person and
a school chef. “Pulse” is a fun comedy
short from Israel. One of my favorite films
is “Queering the Script,” which illustrates
the power LGBTQ fans have in shaping
storylines, including how Xena fans influ-
enced the tone of the show, and there will
be a Xena trivia contest. “Mud and Honey”
about teen angst and love is part of the
“Home Grown” segment devoted to local
filmmakers, and there is an entire program
devoted to LGBT short films. Highlights in-
clude “Nice Chinese Girls Don’t” with poet
and bodybuilder Kitty Tsui, “Say Grace,”
another nun-based film(!), and “Kama‘āina
(Child of the Land),” a moving film about
a homeless LGBT youth. The fabulous
Heather Raquel will host a special “After
Dark” program of films at Tattooed Moms.
“Eat Rich,” a film with a majority trans
cast and crew, will be featured in that pro-
gram. The closing night film “Clementine”
is a lesbian psychological drama featured
at Tribeca and starring Otmara Marrero
(“Start-Up”), Sydney Sweeney (“Eupho-
ria,” “Sharp Objects,” “The Handmaid’s
Tale”). And our “Sex, etc.” program (fol-
lowed by a burlesque performance), will
feature “A Single Evening,” a film directed
by this week’s Portrait, Ashlei Hardenburg.
Dates and times can be found at www.the-
womensfilmfestival.org
I read that you self describe as a bi/
queer Germa-Rican filmmaker from
Jersey. Yes! But my father was in the mil-
itary, so I was actually born on an airbase
in Germany. It’s funny, both of my parents
were born and raised in New Jersey, but they
met and fell in love in Texas before moving
to Germany where I was born. Then they
came back to Jersey and I grew up here.
What’s your background? My mother
is Puerto Rican, and my father is white —
German, Irish … and Polish sort of stuff.
How would you describe little Ashlei?
She read a lot of books, and she asked a lot
of questions. She was kind of a loner. Any-
time I run into my mom’s friends, they still
say, “You were so cute, you were always
quietly sitting somewhere in a corner read-
ing a book.” I spent the weekends with my
PROFILE
dad, and he loved movies. He would record
a bunch of them on a VHS tape for us to
watch all weekend. He would know all of
the lines to all the movies. He could name
every actor in every film. He’d watch a lot
of action films along with some weird com-
edies, and that’s where the love of films
first came into my life.
You were a reader. What was your fa-
vorite book? I had the whole Nancy Drew
series. My grandparents noticed how much
I loved to read, so they got me the set when
I was really young — all hardcover, and I
read all of them. I liked the mysteries, and I
“WHEN IT CAME TIME TO
COME OUT TO MY
FAMILY, I WAS REALLY
NERVOUS ABOUT IT.
I DIDN’T DO IT UNTIL I
STARTED WORKING WITH
QUEER FILMMAKERS
AND FELT SAFE.”
loved that it was a girl that I could identify
with. I was also a big OG Harry Potter fan
before it got popular. [Laughing] After that,
it wasn’t cool for me anymore!
What were your extracurricular activi-
ties? I did choir; I was a lawyer for mock
trials; I was into acting and singing, but
there wasn’t a program for it at our school.
So my friends and I got together and wrote
a musical which we performed at the
school. We used the funds we raised from
that to create and launch a drama program
at the school. We even installed a stage
in the cafeteria. Now kids are able to do
all kinds of theater at the school. Before
that, all that was being taught was a little
Shakespeare, and don’t get me wrong, I
love Shakespeare, but it gave people more
of an opportunity to do something more.
I really was interested in musicals, and
my school didn’t have those “High School
Musical” type opportunities, so we made
it for ourselves.
FA M I LY P O R T R A I T
Nice! Who was a mentor for you? I’m
really glad you asked that. Dr. Sara Sol-
berg was a huge mentor for me. She was
my Shakespeare teacher and my English
teacher. She absolutely loved theater and
would invite students to come over to her
house to read a Shakespeare play, and we
would sing Shakespearean songs around
the piano. It gave us a chance to lift our
voices and just hang out with each other.
Sometimes she would bake; it was just so
lovely. And I also had a mentor in Ms. El-
len Gibney; she was just awesome. She
introduced me to a ton of the classics and
to screenwriting. She was the first one to
say I had an aptitude for it — that I had
the eye to see stories and adapt them on
paper.
And you took that skill to the
prestigious Vassar Col-
lege. Yes, I did! I am
a Vassar girl.
37
What was that like? It was interesting.
I went there thinking I was going to be an
actress, but I just wasn’t feeling the acting
community there. It was very exclusive in
many ways. But once I took a film class,
I loved it. I got immersed in film theory,
which had to do with the history of film
and studying how films are created and
critiquing them. Film classes also gave
me opportunities to create my own stories,
and I learned how to direct, how to light
a scene properly, how to use the cameras.
What turned you away from theater?
Um, It’s an amazing school, but in the the-
ater department especially, I was kind of
turned off because it seemed like everyone
there already thought they were profes-
sionals and took themselves extremely se-
riously. They had vocal coaches and agents
already. I didn’t have the same background
as a lot of them, so people would be like,
“What’s your favorite Rodgers and Ham-
merstein musical?” and I didn’t even know
who they were because there was no musi-
cal theater in my high school. Some of my
peers were already doing off-Broadway
shows. Film was much more inviting, and
there were more opportunities to create
what I wanted.
What was your first gig after college?
I was really scared. I had a film degree,
but you’re always told that you can’t do
anything with a liberal arts degree. But
my first job was as an intern/office PA on
a movie called “The Last Five Years.” It
was a musical, which felt like a godsend,
even though I wasn’t paid. We got a $5 sti-
pend, which didn’t even cover my trip
from Jersey City, but because it
was a small budget, I got
to learn everything. I
really worked
hard and
page 44
38 Q PUZZLE
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020

Paula Poundstone talks comedy

style, upcoming Philly show
ments about our various activities.” I’ve
always navigated the world this way.

Most folks hear you regularly on

NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.”
Can you talk about doing improv? It’s
very similar to how I work anyway, and I
think that’s the joy of the experience and
why that show is a good match for me. I’ve
been on “Wait, Wait” for 18 years. Part of
the reason it’s successful — not just for
me, but all the panelists — is that we jump
in and say whatever we want. We are en-
couraged to blurt stuff out. We don’t know
what the questions will be, but I don’t
think of jokes in advance.

How did you decide on your personal

style? None of it is men’s clothing. I’ve
maybe twice bought a men’s suit. In recent
years, I’ve had my suits made, but when I
first started wearing them, I bought them
in the women’s section of whatever store
I was in. I decided a while ago that I liked
the size and color of a zoot suit, but when
GARY M. KRAMER I tried one on in a costume shop in LA,
PGN Contributor it was too boxy and angular. I was with a
wardrobe person at the time, so we took the
Need a laugh? Comedienne Paula pattern and modified it and made it round-
Poundstone will be presenting her com- er. I use that pattern or one other pattern
edy stylings at the Merriam Theater, 250 for all my suits. I find fabric that’s colorful
Q Puzzle on a Scandal”
45 Actress Chase
10 Using the
mouth a lot
39 Spots on TV
41 Movie where S. Broad Street, on March 7 at 8:00 p.m. so you can see it from stage, and I’m good
to go. I have one suit when I’m on the road.
46 More of the 11 Icy pellets Cher played gay PGN chatted with the performer while she
MAX OF “M*A*S*H” comment 12 Marine eagle 44 Having no point was walking her dog, Moe, who is named I like the idea of having a uniform. It saves
49 Favored by 13 Eligible for Soc. 47 What some did after one of the Three Stooges, “That’s me from having to decide what to wear.
Across heaven Sec. at Stonewall how classy I am!” she joked. Many years ago, I was in a store in Bever-
1 Cowardly lion 50 Rudy Galindo’s 21 Bonehead 48 Gertrude with a ly Hills, and I saw a tie. It was kind of an
actor milieu 22 Oscar-winner beer mug? What can folks expect from your olive green with cream-colored polka dots,
5 Lake ballet danc- 51 It’s hard and Marisa 49 Water near San show? I’m gonna do stand up. I talk about and I thought it was a great tie. So, I started
ers woody 25 Bring shame to Fran what I’m thinking about and doing. I’m wearing it. I bet you I have bought three
10 She played gay 53 End of the com- 26 “Zami” author 52 Mike holder obsessed with what the hell happened to ties in my whole life. I’m not even certain
in “Silkwood” ment Audre 53 A girl named our politics. I try not to let that dominate, about that. I’m leaving room for error. All
14 Personal lubri- 60 Heal, like a 27 Perfectly clear Frank because it’s good to get away from it. I talk the rest, people give to me. If I went to a tie
cant ingredient bone 29 Mauve hanky 54 Low-calorie about raising a house full of kids and ani- store right now, I wouldn’t find a good fab-
15 Man of morals 61 Moral code fetish 55 “Aren’t ___ mals, and I talk to the audience. ric. I started enjoying ties in the late 1980s.
16 Cocksure Aesop 62 Ready to go in 30 Colleague of lucky one!” Nicole Miller, I have one that’s a cross-
character 63 It comes before Marlowe 56 “Star Trek” guy Your humor is described as observa- word puzzle, and I like the movie ticket tie.
17 Green of “Buffy” date? 31 Lips service? full of wrath tional. Why did you gravitate to this But I don’t see fun fabrics anymore.
fame 64 Classic western 32 Cries from the 57 The 411 style of comedy? I have been telling my
18 Furnish food 65 “The Bells ___ sties 58 Ending with Can you talk about the difficulties of
little jokes for 41 years. I didn’t set out to
19 “It ___ Necessar- Mary’s” 33 Pester, as Jack Pride being a woman in this profession? I
be any particular kind of comic. The only
ily So” 66 Have an open- to Will 59 Goes down on think it’s difficult in most industries, not
20 Start of a com-
strong feeling I had was to be myself, be-
ing for 38 Force out 60 Toto’s home st. cause there are so many of us out there. just being a comic. We tend to be paid
ment about Klinger 67 Gaydar, e.g. less and dismissed more. Someone tweet-
by Col. Potter We’re all influenced by those who came
68 Umlaut pair ed the other day that Elizabeth Warren
23 Bottom support before us no matter what job you do, but If
I’m the most me I can be, I have a certain doesn’t look good when she’s angry. I
24 Small fry Down thought, “If you get some free time, Go
25 Lily Tomlin’s “ 1 Unit of flagella-
uniqueness.
f--k yourself!” You would never say that
___ Me” tion
You have a distinctive cadence. Can about a man! When I did the White House
28 More of the 2 Toward shelter
you describe developing and deliver- correspondents’ dinner a long time ago,
comment 3 “The ___ Balti-
ing a joke? I don’t know that there’s the next day, the Washington Post writes
34 Conflict with more”
boxers a conscious effort. I grew up loving the that I wore a white tuxedo. When did you
4 Vacation spot in ever hear about what a comic was wear-
35 NASDAQ rival Delaware sound of laughter and liking that people
36 “Mamma ___!” responded to what I said was funny. In ing? I didn’t want to go naked! I put on
5 Gives the ax to
37 Prefix with type my head, there’s a little rhumba. My brain clothes!
6 Be ambiguous
39 More of the 7 Nick and Nora’s looks for things to make jokes about. It’s
comment dog my coping mechanism. The first sentence Before we go, you are famous for your
40 “Of Thee ___ “ 8 Coward of “The of the last paragraph of the summary letter numerous cats. How are they doing? I
42 Cold war prog. Scoundrel” of my kindergarten teacher in May 1965 have 12 cats now. My census is down. I
43 Dench of “Notes 9 Fairies was, “I enjoyed Paula’s humorous com- had 16. There is attrition after a while. n
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
L I T E R AT U R E
39

‘Candy’ publisher talks visionary trans magazine

LARRY NICHOLS when you say “transport” — to go from one Saying “I’m not interested in politics” is a you somehow. It’s beautiful, attractive,
larry@epgn.com place to another; it’s a journey. “Transver- luxury that only frivolous people can afford, dreamy, glamorous and fun, and some-
sal” for me was something like “universal,” because if you’re a person who cares about how that helps to spread the message of
A new book — “The Candy Book of in a way. “Transversal” was a great way to everybody else, you can’t say you’re not in- love and understanding.
Transversal Creativity: The Best of Can- put a lot of people under an umbrella. That’s terested in politics. You have to be. And I am
dy Magazine, Allegedly” — is hitting the why I described the magazine as “transver- interested in politics, but that’s not the main Do you think the increased visibility
shelves this month celebrating over a de- sal.” subject of this magazine. It can be taken as of trans folks will widen the audience
cade of the eye-catching, groundbreaking a political statement, but I never intended for your magazine? I don’t know. May-
fashion and style magazine, “Candy.” Do you think “Candy” has had an im- for it to be like that. Once you do some- be it’s the opposite. When I was the only
Founded by Spanish editor and publisher pact on popular culture, given the in- thing and you put it out there for everybody, one doing it, there was a reason to keep
Luis Venegas, “Candy” has devoted its pag- creased representation of trans people it can be taken in many different ways. on buying it. But now, with so many oth-
es to the style and stories of the “transver- in mainstream er people do-
sal” community, as Venegas says, focusing media? I shouldn’t ing what I was
on art, fashion, culture, makeup and glam- be saying this my- doing 11 years
our. The release of Venegas’ book collects self because I’m ago, maybe I
the most inspirational and timeless images the man who made should change
featured in “Candy”’s pages over the last it with the help of the subject. I
decade. great people, but I am joking. I
PGN spoke to Venegas about the impact don’t know. When I have no inten-
and the influence that “Candy” may or may think of 2009, when tion of chang-
not have had on the world, both queer and it started, I never saw ing anything
mainstream, since its debut. any trans person on or at least to
the front cover of keep changing
With the long history of “Candy,” what any magazine. There forever. That
stands out to you? For me, it was the idea were almost no trans would be more
of making this magazine and making it hap- characters in movies appropriate. I’d
pen. I hadn’t seen any other like this before or TV shows. I’m love to keep
— to have it born and grow up and every- not saying all those changing forev-
thing. The first issue was quite meaningful things have happened er. That’s why I
for me, but that’s just personal. There were a because of “Candy”; keep changing
few issues that were much more significant they’ve happened the graphics
and had a bigger impact out there. We had because there have and the logo
an issue called “The Candydate.” It was at been people fighting of the maga-
a time when the Democrats were trying to for the rights of many zine. I feel like
decide who was going to be the person go- transversal people. it’s there. It’s
ing to the White House. Was it going to be a Finally, society has great to be cel-
Black man or a woman? Well, what if it was heard the message ebrated. Even
everything? What if it was a Black trans- and has taken the though there
gender woman as President of the United message more se- are magazines
States? So we did a cover with that idea, and riously. I feel like I and media
it was pretty successful. A couple of issues was lucky to see the talking about
later, we did an issue with the most inspiring signs of something similar matters,
trans women in the world today. It was our that was going to everything de-
role-model issue. There was Laverne Cox happen. It was the pends on how
and Janet Mock and many other great trans- first magazine cover- it’s done. I feel
gender women who are role models. I feel ing all those stories, like I have a
like it was the first time the cover of a fash- not from political or voice, and I
ion and style magazine featured 14 trans- social rights angles. try to be loyal
gender women in a foldout cover. Then, we I’ve always said the to that voice I
did an issue with Lady Gaga naked that was magazine celebrates have. It’s a mix
inspired by art. We’ve had a few memorable the culture and the of avant-garde
moments. artistic legacy of all photography
transversal mani- with glamor-
Why describe the magazine as “trans- festations. For me, ous content
versal”? The word “transversal” I’ve it’s a style and fash- from the past.
heard being used more than ever in the last ion magazine. Can Somehow I try
five or six years. For me, when I started 10 a fashion magazine to have a dif-
years ago, even though many people make change the world or ferent voice as
it seem like it’s a transgender magazine, it’s influence society? a person. The
not just a transgender magazine. There are Definitely. I think so. people who like
drag queens, androgynous people and gen- I’ve been influenced by many great publica- I can respect all the many different takes what I do can keep enjoying it anyway. It
der-nonconforming people. There are many tions myself. So I guess I have contributed on what I’ve done. Was it my intention to has a certain tone and way of speaking on
different things on the gender spectrum. I to that positive social change. There are a make it a political thing? Not at all. Can it matters that don’t compare to any other
felt like all of them are equally important for lot of things to be done still, but I feel like be taken as political? Yes, of course, and publications right now. I guess that’s part
me inside the magazine. What do all these I contributed to that a little with the maga- why not? For me, “Candy” even though of its success. n
manifestations have in common? The force zine. it wasn’t born for a political reason, the
of change and of transitioning from one fact that it exists itself is somehow, espe- “The Candy Book of Transversal Cre-
thing to another. I’m not saying they are all You say that the magazine isn’t politi- cially 11 years ago, a political statement. ativity: The Best of Candy Magazine, Al-
the same because they are completely dif- cal, but do you think in 2020, “Candy” It was like an iron fist inside a silk glove. legedly” hits stores March 24. For more
ferent things, but all of them have in com- can’t help but be politicized? In the world It impacts you strongly, hopefully, but at information, visit https://byluisvenegas.
mon this transition. So for me, trans is like we live in, everything is being politicized. the same time, you feel like it’s caressing myshopify.com/collections/candy.
40 PGN
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020

pgn

NEW
WEBSITE
COMING
SOON!
philadelphiagaynews.com
epgn.com
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
R E A L E S TAT E
41
42 COMIC
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020

Out comedian talks new project, ‘Worst in Philly’

CAMERON KELSALL should do a show about this — this is ac-
PGN Contributor tually what I really want to do now because
we have a lot of stupid places here that we
Review forums like Yelp and TripAd- don’t need.
visor can be a blessing and a curse for
businesses. These sites allow customers So far, what has been the worst place
to boast about their favorite restaurants, that you’ve found? Well, we’re only one
stores and entertainment experiences, show in, but I’ve found a lot of crap already.
which can raise profiles and attract new In terms of reviews and trying to find places
clients. But review forums can also be with the worst rating, Comcast is even lower
a breeding ground for bad-faith tirades than you might think. I think they’re at one
and career-ending meltdowns. Conven- star on Yelp. And it’s all about proportion,
tional wisdom suggests you have to take and Comcast has over 120 reviews. Then,
the good with the bad — sometimes, the there are all these places that shouldn’t
very bad. be on Yelp, like UPenn. They’re sitting at
Out local comedian Dan Vetrano was four stars. It’s kind of odd: Who goes to an
fascinated enough by Yelping culture to Ivy League school for four years and says,
create “Worst of Philly,” a monthly show “Huh, that was kind of nice. I should write
at Good Good Comedy Theatre that ex- a Yelp review! The service was really good
plores the worst reviews and lowest-rat- when I was doing my Master’s.” Surpris-
ed businesses in the city. Vetrano and his ingly, the UPenn School of Dental Medi-
comic colleagues comb the websites to cine is sitting at like two stars. Once you
find execrable experiences, then research go down to the different departments, that’s
it on their own. It’s the latest outrageous when things start to fall apart.
enterprise for Vetrano, who has made
a career in the Philly comedy scene What is your opinion of Yelp as a ser-
through offbeat interac- vice, in general? It’s terrible! That’s why
tive performance. it’s so funny. Only about half of the show is
PGN spoke with Ve- about how bad the business is; the other half
trano about drawing in- is about how bad the Yelper is. People that
spiration from the dregs write Yelp reviews are oftentimes making
of customer service, and themselves look like an idiot, and I want all
how he finds the funny of that in my show. “Worst of Philly” isn’t
in general. Some re- just about the worst businesses; it’s about
sponses have been con- the worst people writing about the worst
densed and edited for businesses. That’s an important distinction.
clarity. For example, in my first show, I covered
the Buffalo Wild Wings on Roosevelt Bou-
How did the idea for levard, and somebody wrote a Yelp review
“Worst of Philly” that started with, “I hit the lottery and de-
come to you? For cided to celebrate.” I just think that if you’re
the longest time, I was writing a Yelp review about how you won
doing my show “Get the lottery and went to BWW to celebrate,
Work,” where I would maybe it’s on you.
write fake résumés and
have people go on job What attracted you to performing com-
interviews live on stage. edy to begin with? I’m too loud, and I
It was really fun, but it constantly need attention all the time. What
got to the point where do you call it when you need attention all
I couldn’t think of any the time, and you constantly want to get up
new scenarios to write. in front of your friends and perform? Gay!
I work in a hotel as a I’m gay, so I feel like that’s a big part of it.
concierge, and I would I always have been the type of person who
tell myself that I would really loves attention and public speaking.
go into my job and write It just kind of made sense to me. About 10
a fake résumé during my years ago, I was working in a cafe and just
shift. But instead, be- insulting every customer who came in as
cause I was dreading it, soon as they walked out the door. I thought,
I was just going through maybe I should try comedy. I went to an
Yelp reviews of places open mic at Tabu — I was not out at the
that suck — just read- time, but I was doing open mics at a gay
ing all these catty Yelp bar — and I was terrible at it because when
reviews, Google reviews you start doing comedy, you’re terrible. But
and Facebook reviews in your mind, you’re great at it. It just kind
like: “There’s a new of stuck. n
cocktail lounge that just
opened, and somebody’s “Worst of Philly” is performed month-
already burned their ly at Good Good Comedy Theatre, 11th
hair on a candle!” Just and Race Streets. The next performance is
stuff that entertained me March 21 at 8:30 p.m. For tickets and infor-
during work. It led me mation, visit https://goodgoodcomedy.com/
to an “aha” moment: I worstofphilly/.
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
PGN
43
44 PGN
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020

FAMILY PORTRAIT On OITNB, I was the producer’s assis-

Health Services Directory from page 37
shined enough for them to bring me up
on other projects with them. I started
getting paid and involved in TV projects.
I got to work on Netflix shows, and it all
ONLY went uphill from there.
IN
It sure did. You’ve worked on some of
the most popular shows in the com-
munity, including “Jessica Jones”
15 2 8 W A L N U T S T • S U I T E 14 10 • P H I L A D E L P H I A and “Orange Is the New Black.” Tell
me about those experiences. There’s
pgn a huge learning curve once you make
Addiction Treatment with Results! the jump from working with non-celeb-
MOST INSURANCE CARRIERS ACCEPTED. rities to being around Rosario Dawson,
Laverne Cox and all of the big Marvel
people. You have to learn how to keep
LGBTQ Recovery Support Group ONLINE your cool, and you do that by knowing
Every Thursday at 6 pm AND that they’re just here doing a job, and
IN you all have one goal, which is to make
C A L L T O D AY F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N : PRINT the project. Learning that helped me on
EVERY a lot of future projects. I’ve worked on
8 6 6 • 2 4 7• 3 3 0 7 FIRST
FRIDAY
several big-budget projects. Being on
big shows, with giant sets, really helps
O R V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E AT : you with figuring out how everything
WWW. PROVIDENCETREATMENT. COM is done — from fight choreography on
“Jessica Jones” and “Daredevil” to how
the sets are built up and torn down over
and over on “Orange Is the New Black.”
tant, and part of my job was taking notes
at the meetings. I got to see the whole
process and hear the conversations about
everything that went on from the art de-
partment to hair and makeup to logistics
and how each department affected each
other.
That’s great. Yes, it was really help-
ful when I was ready to start doing my
own projects and taking a bigger hand in
other work. That’s when I started work-
ing with A.J. Mattioli, a really wonder-
ful trans producer who produced the film
“Killer Unicorn,” which is a queer horror
film. I started as a script supervisor and
got promoted to 2nd assistant director,
and since then, I’ve worked on a lot of
their projects. It was my first time being
surrounded by other queer artists, and it
was invigorating. There were drag artists
and queer screenwriters. One of them,
Jose Alvarez, produced the film “A Sin-
gle Evening,” which I’ll be screening at
The Women’s Film Festival. It’s great
that we’re able to support each other.
I worked on a large feature, and
we pretty much started
each day with the assis- page 46

City of Philadelphia
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of the City of Philadelphia will hold a Public Hearing on Monday, March
9, 2020, at 9:30 AM, in Room 400, City Hall, to hear testimony on the
following item:
An Ordinance amending Title 9 of The Philadelphia
200011 Code, entitled “Regulation of Businesses, Trades and
Professions,” by creating a new Chapter requiring that
certain employers provide Paid Family and Medical
Leave to eligible employees under specific circumstances,
and providing for funding, enforcement, and penalties, all
under certain terms and conditions.
Immediately following the public hearing, a meeting of the Committee on
Public Health and Human Services, open to the public, will be held to
consider the action to be taken on the above listed item.
Copies of the foregoing item are available in the Office of the Chief
Clerk of the Council, Room 402, City Hall.
Michael A. Decker
Chief Clerk
| PA 2I5•423•9663
MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020 . epgn.com
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45
JAKE SHEARS
from page 34
er” yet so this was the first sea-
son, so I wanted to do something
that the British public would
know — sort of a standard song
over there, but still a weird one.
It was truly not the easiest song
to start off with. Just singing un-
der that thing was really, really
tough. But they were all hard.
The other ones were even kind
of harder, but I was getting used
to it. You just can’t breathe in
there. You’re out of breath the
whole time. But they let me
choose the songs and my “Girls
and Boys” cover (originally by
Blur), I was really proud of. It
was just so much fun. It was a
blast. I was devastated when I
got unmasked. I truly was. I was
really bummed out.
Have you thought about who
you might cast as you if a
biopic based on your “Boys
Keep Swinging” happens?
God, that’s a good question.
Maybe your friend Kelly
Ripa in Jake Shears drag?
Yeah (laughs). If it were me
at 20 years old, she would be
amazing as my mom. I mean,
she’d be so good. God, I’m try-
ing to think who would play me.
Keep in mind we have access
to CGI and other post-pro-
duction tricks. I mean, I feel
like Judith Light is so versatile,
and she really is truly one of
the best actors of our time, so
I feel like she’d at least bring
something interesting to the ta-
ble with it. And they could do
motion capture. So I feel like
Judith Light could do me in
motion capture, and it would be
incredible.
What about another book
— would you be up for writ-
ing one? Yeah, I would love
to. I’m planning on someday
writing another one that starts
where this one left off. That one
finished in 2006, and we’re in
2020 now, so I would probably
need five more years, and I will
rev. dr. Nadine Rosechild Sullivan, ph.d. write the next one. The next
one would be even trashier and
Spiritual Counseling juicier than the last one. My 30s
were pretty decadent. n
drsullivan@rosechild.org
As editor of Q Syndicate, the
215.704.4264 international LGBTQ wire
www.rosechild.org service, Chris Azzopardi has
interviewed a multitude of su-
Spirituality • Sexuality • Relationships • Self-Esteem perstars, including Cher, Meryl
Streep, Mariah Carey and Be-
yoncé. His work has also ap-
peared in The New York Times,
Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard.
46 PGN
Philadelphia Gay News . MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2020

FAMILY PORTRAIT
from page 37
tant director trying to get things go-
ing by shouting, “I’m standing here
with my d--k in my hand! Why aren’t
things happening?” It was his favor-
ite phrase. Oh yeah, when I was on big-
ger projects, there were a lot of teamsters
hanging around and very male-centric
crews, so there were a lot of microaggres-
sions. “Hey sweetie, do you know how to
cook? Shouldn’t you be at home doing
that for your husband?” Working with
queer artists, you don’t get the same al-
pha-male mentality. It was the first time
I didn’t feel like I had to be on guard the
whole time.
Let’s talk about your film. It’s a mu-
sical about a young queer woman try-
ing to navigate the dating scene with
the help of several dating apps. How
much of it is autobiographical? It’s
very autobiographical! I’ve certainly had
people question my bisexuality — met
people who start out texting, “So? When
are we hooking up?” All of the songs were
written from my own experiences, and
then I molded the songs around the plot.
I understand the crew was very di-
verse. Yes, that was important to me. We
had a lot of queer folks, most of us women
and people of color. I think we had one
straight cis, white guy!
What was one of the craziest mo-
ments? After we cast the lead, Rebecca,
who is absolutely fabulous, she told
us, “By the way, I’m moving to Iceland
soon.” So we had to race to finish the film
and to record all the original music!
I do have a bone to pick. What is
wrong with Pineapple pizza! [Laugh-
ing] Honestly, I’m a fan! But so many
people have such a visceral reaction to
it, I used it in the film. And people did
react!
When did you come out? I had a mo-
ment when I said to a friend, “You know, I
think I might be bi,” and he said, “Yeah, we
all know,” and I was like, “Wait, I didn’t
know!” When it came time to come out to
my family, I was really nervous about it.
I didn’t do it until I started working with
queer filmmakers and felt safe. Finally, I
just called my mom and told her, and she
said, “OK, great, so what?” [Laughing] It
wasn’t the big dramatic reaction I wanted,
but it was such a relief to not carry a secret
and feel like I had to hide a part of myself.
Offbeat question, are you affected by
the moon? Not directly, but I directed
the play “Hair” in college, you know,
“When the moon is in the 7th house…,”
so I do always take a moment when I see
a full moon.
That’s an impressive undertaking for
college. Did the actors do the nude
scene and all? It was an awesome expe-
rience. Yes, they did, and we did the show
outdoors in 45-degree weather! They were
very cold, but they were very committed
and talented actors, and it was a beautiful
time together. No one was obligated, but
everyone wanted to participate.
Favorite body part. My eyelids — I
love makeup, so I like doing up my eyes
and being able to reshape them.
Any phobias? Oh yes, I can’t deal with
sharp objects; I can’t look at needles. If I
see one in a movie, I have to turn away.
I have trouble watching hockey because
those blades look dangerous, and I don’t
cook because I’m afraid of fire, and there
are too many knives involved.
Any distinguishing marks? I have
freckles on my left hand but not on my
right, and I have a beauty mark under my
left eyebrow. I don’t know why they call it
that. Does it really enhance your beauty?
Favorite saying? Do you? n

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Services & Home Improvement Directory

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of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental and financing
of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status
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 March 7
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