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queerVOICE
Draft
Sestak vs. Specter
James Duggan
copyright 2009
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Just when you thought you were safe and the
primaries were over, I'm dragging you back in. Next year's Democratic
Primary in Pennsylvania
is just 361 days away on May 18, 2010, and with the recent defection of Senator
Arlen Specter from the Republican to the Democratic Party, this next primary
has taken on a new urgency for our community.
Specter's most compelling motivation for switching
parties was so he could keep his senate seat and save his 29-year political
career. Specter was being challenged by conservative Pat Toomey and, in all
likelihood, would have lost to him. To save himself, Specter made deals
with the Democratic leaders in Washington
and switched parties.
This is one of the problems we as Americans face;
backroom deals that support party politics above the ideals for which the party
claims to hold is making us all cynics as more and more Americans distance
themselves further from our political process. One simply needs only to
look at the voter apathy that Philadelphians just demonstrated. Sadly, less the 13% of eligible voters cast
ballots in the primary on May 19. Something is seriously wrong with that in the
cradle of liberty.
It is a sad state of affairs where we see how
politics really works--where partisanship and party politics, deal making and
acts of self-preservation are all placed above doing what is right for the
citizenry. To accept Arlen Specter's "change of heart," along with the
jovial embrace by Democratic leaders as they "secured" a veto-proof 60th seat
in the senate would be to accept those same things that I reject. Similarly,
Specters' switch to the Democratic Party should be rejected as being both
dishonest and a detriment to that which is necessary in our fight for equality.
Specter, the "de-publican," was considered an ok independent
Republican moderate but as a Democrat he is completely unacceptable. And
while there are some among us who support and consider him a friend of our
community, I say that perhaps it is time to review what we mean by friends and
whether it's time to change that standard of friendship.
We should no longer be satisfied with simply being
welcomed at the table by "friends" who express support for us when we hold the
ability to decide what type of friends we choose to sit with. Specter is
no longer the type of friend whom we should seek to work with but rather we
should turn to an individual who clearly places democratic ideals over the
whims of party politics and the needs of the citizenry over the interest of
elected officials. We need a friend who is willing to take responsibility
and accountability in both their representation and leadership in our struggle
for full equality. I believe Joe Sestak is such a friend.
Sestak--openly and proudly supports--our full right
to equality, including marriage, as well as the repeal of the Defense of
Marriage Act and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." He is more then just a
"friend," he is an "affirming ally," the only type of friend we should ever
consider supporting for office.
Because he was willing to stand fast against the
party leadership when he first ran for Congress, because he has proven
himself to be a respected congressmen with notable leadership skills, and a
because of his open advocacy for our full equality, QUEERtimes openly calls on
Joe Sestak to challenge Arlen Specter for the Democratic nomination. With
this call, we endorse and support Joe Sestak for the Untied States Senate for Pennsylvania.
We share this so that others will consider calling
on Joe Sestak to challenge Arlen Specter. In both our will and our
actions, we have the ability to ensure that the next United States Senator from
Pennsylvania
is a true friend; an affirming ally for our community. Take action, spread
the word, make a difference, and call on Sestak to make the run against
Specter. Joe Sestak for U.S.
Senate!
Comments: james@QUEERtimes.net
Re-decorate your bedroom, help out
a great cause, AND get a tax deduction, all at the same time!!
Alexander
Inn, Philly's chic
boutique bed and breakfast located in the heart of the "Gayborhood,"
(12th and Spruce), is "sprucing up" its five stories of guest rooms
with new furnishings. So proprietor Mel Heifetz is selling off the
gently-used old furniture, and has generously agreed to turn the proceeds from the sale over to Philadelphia's HIV/AIDS
service organizations, at the discretion of the buyer.
 The Art Deco inspired pieces include
nightstands ($50), 3-drawer and 6-drawer dressers ($75 and $100), headboards to
fit, twin, full, queen and king beds ($30 each), and upholstered side chairs
($35).
You can view pictures of the furniture by visiting their website,
or call 215.985.0601 to arrange to see the furniture in person. Mel will donate
the purchase price to the organization of your choice. (So, don't forget
where you heard about this great deal!)
If you are paying by check, you can write the check directly to the benefiting
organization, and receive the tax deduction at the end of the year! It's a win-win-win situation!
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What It Looks Like From Here
Thom Cardwell
copyright 2009 |
Well, like they say,
when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. That means fashion and style are in the forefront.
 In a city like Philadelphia once
fashion, like food, restaurants, chefs and dining out, used to take a backseat
compared with metropolises like New York,
Los Angeles, London, Paris and Milan, but now there is a group of
passionate fashion-forward thinkers, planners and doers who are intending to
turn that all around. And I mean literally! Their goal is to establish Philadelphia as a fashion
city!
Cynical are we? But remember that the naysayers reacted that same way
when food pioneers wanted to make Philadelphia
a nationally recognized dining destination. No one can really argue with that
realization in today's culinary world!
 So, despite the economic challenges of the day, CMK Entertainment has been
formed so that the group can produce the first Philadelphia Fashion Week, October 8-10, 2009, at the 23rd Street Armory, where runway
shows will be the order of the days, featuring everything from student
designers to the latest in street wear to couture, 4 to 10 p.m. Designers
represented in the shows will be from the greater Philadelphia region, New York
City, and beyond.
Organizers Kristie Bergey, Michael Anderer and Charlie Smith plan to provide a truly
unique experience for show-goers that reaches beyond fashion to include
entertainment, food and shopping throughout this three-day event.
The team recently announced that The Art
Institute of Philadelphia has already signed on to design the event's
official logo and lend their support with the marketing efforts for the event. KB Consultants, Kelly Boyd's powerhouse public relations and marketing firm, is
also behind the effort to realize the first-ever Philadelphia Fashion Week this
fall.
You can expect to hear more news about this exciting development from me as I'm
a huge proponent of seeing more major events in our city and more excitement and
energy on the fashion front in Philadelphia!
 Okay, you've got to admit that you, like me, get a rush, a real ego-boast,
whenever Philadelphia
gets some good press in national media outlets.
My sense of civic pride at being a resident of the City of Brotherly Love (and
Sisterly Affection) enjoys going haywire, like in last week's The New York Times (May 10, 2009) in
the Travel Section where it was all about "36
Hours in Philadelphia."
 Writer Jeff Schlegel began his
schedule of people, places and events by stating: "Philadelphia's evolution from day trip to
destination city is such that you can spend a long weekend there without
visiting any 18th-century sites, and not even miss them. Restaurant openings
reinforce the city's growing culinary reputation--though an obligatory cheese
steak still hits the spot. Neighborhoods in transition provide hot spots for
shopping and night life, while other areas keep dishing out some old-school Philly 'attytood.' The city is on a
roll these days, from basking in last year's World Series title to exclusive museum exhibits this year featuring
Cezanne and Galileo." Are you beaming
red right now?
Wow! That's what Schlegel said about OUR city.
 His article celebrated City Hall as
an architectural wonder, accommodations like The Independent and Alexander
Inn, eateries like Silk City
Diner Bar & Lounge, Chifa, North
Bowl, Zahav, Sabrina's Cafe, Time and Lorenzo's Pizza, some less traveled
territory by the average visitor, including Isaiah Zagar's Magic Garden, Fabric Row and the Ninth Street
Italian Market, all for more local color, and caught exhibitions at The
Franklin and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and even suggested seeing the city
on two wheels by renting from Breakaway
Bikes.
Now is the time--for you--to discover or rediscover everything that's literally
in our collective own backyard. When was the last time that you took a tour of
City Hall and enjoyed the view from the Clock Tower?
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Colin's Queer Life on the Qt!
Colin McCullough
copyright 2009
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(Editors' note: QUEERtimes
is pleased in introduce, 'Colin's Queer Life on the Qt!' an occasional
life
style column, on being queer, being 20-something and living in
contemporary Philadelphia. Writer Colin McCullough is currently a
senior at Rowan University.)
Kiss Me, I'm a Nonsmoker
After
years of spending thousands of dollars, coughing countless times, and polluting
my lungs, I decided in January to quit smoking.
It didn't work. The problem is
that I love smoking. Of course, this is
the song many smokers sing: I love
smoking but hate the health effects. If
only smoking were free and healthy, I would be in a paradisiacal reality and
all would be merry! But smoking isn't
healthy and is far from free, so I decided that when the college semester
ended, I would try to quit again.
On
Sunday, my last day (hopefully) as a smoker, I met a cute boy. For me, smoking and cute boys always go hand
in hand. The usual story goes like this: I meet an interesting fellow at the bar,
strike up a conversation, enjoy flirting with this new found suitor and invite
him outside to smoke in order to avoid breaking any state or city law for
lighting up inside. Outside, where it is
less noisy and beautifully romantic on these spring nights, the conversation
continues. I shoot him a seductive
smile, he glances back at me and our eyes meet.
Before it gets too awkwardly silent, I ask him if he has a light. Of course, he does. He lights my glorious cigarette. As I smoke what my mother calls a nail in my
coffin, I ponder how I feel about this guy as I am sure he does the same about
me. We end our smoking respite with
either our eyes locked in romance or the words, "see ya later," uttered from
our lips.
This
was the normal dating scenario for this smoker until last Sunday night. I met this new cute boy outside a favorite
watering hole of mine and was immediately drawn to his dark messy hair and
casual attire. He must have dug me too, because
within seconds of meeting, we were overtly flirting. Naturally, the next action in this all-too-familiar
setting of flirting outside of a bar was the lighting of a cigarette. I reached in my pocket, grabbed my lighter
and lit my lovely smoke. He then shocked
me and said, "Well, I don't really like being around smoke, I'm going inside." The irony!
Monday was my planned date for quitting and this beautiful boy wouldn't
talk to me on my last day as a smoker!
Luckily
for us Philly queer inhabitants, beautiful boys are a dime a dozen. If one doesn't talk to me, I am bound to find
another one quite quickly. This
rejection though put into light my dating game.
I have up until this point thought of quitting smoking as a negative for
dating. Smoking relaxes me and I still
find it incredibly hot. The image of
James Dean standing against a brick wall defines sexy for me. But maybe I am in the minority. Maybe smoking hasn't just hurt my wallet and
health, maybe smoking has also hurt my dating game. Maybe as a nonsmoker, I will not only have
more money and fresh air, perhaps I'll have more fun too!
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Thom's Table on the Qt!
Thom Cardwell
copyright 2009
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Al Fresco Italian
 This summer
Philadelphians can truly escape to Italy's Amalfi Coast at the Sopra Lounge at Positano Coast, 212 Walnut Street , second floor, one of
the most exotic hotspots in Old City.
Regional owner Aldo Lamberti has
created the city's own authentic Italian Mediterranean retreat with Sopra
Lounge, the lush open-air lounge at Positano Coast, features a distinctly modern feel
with potted trees, plush pillows and long white curtains that flow with each
wonderful breeze.
"Relaunching Sopra Lounge is always exciting," said Lamberti. "It marks the
beginning of warmer weather in Philadelphia.
But this time, everyone at Positano Coast is even more excited to be a part of the
opening of Café Positano, which will
feature another area at Positano
Coast to enjoy al fresco
dining for our guests."
For those devotees of al fresco dining, Lamberti has now opened Café Positano,
a new European style sidewalk cafe
offering diners great views of Old
City.
Executive chef Pippo Lamberti
oversees the award-winning menu (Positano Coast was named #18 of the 50 Best
Restaurants by Philadelphia Magazine in 2008), seven days a week, for lunch and
dinner, serving crudo, an Italian style
sashimi, and their signature Lemon Drop
cocktail.
For more information, call 215.238.0499; or visit lambertis.com/locations/positanon
Authentic French
 Whenever you're in the mood for an authentic French wine bar and bistro, Zinc,
246 South 11th Street, should be your
culinary destination in Philadelphia.
Chef/owner Olivier Desaintmartin,
who was recently inducted into the Maitres
Cuisiniers de France, which consists of the 300 top French chefs in the
world, has crafted this special menu to incorporate all the season's freshest
ingredients, with many traditional
French dishes such as pig's trotters and rabbit stew, not often found
elsewhere in Philadelphia.
"Escargot, pieds de porc, scupions--these are foods one often finds in France that so many bistros here in the United States
omit from their 'traditional' menus," said Desaintmartin.
"Our spring menu is an authentic
look at the cuisine from many of the regions of my native country, prepared in
classic style. Diners can feel comfortable ordering these dishes, knowing that
a true Frenchman will honor their history and make them tantalizingly good," he
said.
Highlights of the menu at Zinc
include: appetizers such as Scupions Provencale, Panequet de Pieds de Porc,
Feuillette d'Escargots, and Chevre Croustillant; and entrees in two sizes, "not
so small" and "full" portions such as Raie Charcutiere, Foie de Veau,
Saumon Canadien, and Lapin aux Pates.
Hours are dinner, from 4 to 11 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and is open for
brunch and dinner, from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., on Sunday. For more information, call 215.351.9901; or visit zincbarphilly.com
Chef's
Tasting
 Mondays in Conshohocken! That's where area foodies should dine at Blackfish,
119 Fayette Street, where chef/owner Chip Roman (formerly of Le Bec-Fin and
Vetri) will feature a Chef's Tasting
Menu of four courses for $45 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
Roman said that the menu will change weekly and focus on a single ingredient
each week, including fruits de mer, tuna, lamb and fresh water fish.
The scheduled chef's tasting menus will include: May 18: A Tasting of Fruits de Mer, oyster "poboy,"carabineros, saffron, potato, razor clams, "chowda" style and
chocolate polenta "soufflé ": May
26: A Tasting of Tuna, warm big-eye
tuna, gaeta olives, chive flowers, white "tuna", fava beans, bottarga, citrus, "tuna
hoagie," and wasabi ice cream, ginger cake; June 1: A Tasting of Lamb, lamb gelee, tuna, pumpernickel, radish,
crispy lamb belly, lambs quarter, English peas, fava beans, Colorado lamb,
merguez, arabica jus and Mary's
chocolate "pot de crème, and June 8:
Tasting of Fresh Water Fish, quenelle de pike, sauce Americaine, crayfish gelee, beef carpaccio, wax beans,
charred tomatoes, salt roasted trout, almonds, brown butter and strawberry sundaes, elderflower.
For more information, call 610.397.0888; or visit blackfishrestaurant.com
Root?
 Let's get back to our roots. In this case, we're talking a brand new certified
100% organic spirit, for the Art in the Age brand, dubbed Root.
Produced by the same Philadelphia-based creators of the wildly successful Sailor Jerry Rum and Hendrick's Gin, Root is a spirit that
is truly incomparable to anything on the market today, a certified organic
spirit made with North American herbs and pure cane sugar. It is distinguished
as being the first true American Liqueur
in nearly 100 years.
Producers describe Root thusly: "Lively and rose gold in color, this
rustic spirit has a full, rich smoky flavor, inspired by an 18th century Pennsylvania folk
recipe, which eventually evolved into Birch or Root Beer.
The recipe stems from Root Tea, which
goes back to the 1700s, when Native Americans taught the recipe to settlers.
Over generations, Root Tea grew in potency, particularly in Pennsylvania, where the ingredients grew in abundance.
During the Temperance Movement, a Philadelphia pharmacist
removed the alcohol and ironically rechristened it Root Beer. This is our creation of a genuine potent, Root Tea."
Happily, Root is very aromatic in
the glass, with a delightfully rich
bouquet of birch, smoke, baking spices,
and vanilla.
This week, Root was premiered at The Art
in the Age flagship store and gallery, 116 N. 3rd Street, in Old City
Philadelphia.
For more information, visit artintheage.com
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Featured Photo on the Qt!
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What They Said:
copyrighted 2009 |
 Cleve
Jones,
the founder of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, and a close friend of
Harvey Milk, was portrayed by Emile Hirsch in the film, "Milk." The longtime
queer activist recently spoke with journalist Matt Kailey (OutFrontColorado,
April 22, 2009) about his reaction to the film (it's clearly positive), what it
was like to have an actor portray him ("it was a little unnerving" but Jones
willingly "endorsed" Hirsch's characterization on screen and the two became
friends during Jones' stint as a consultant to the production). If you'll look
closely there's even a brief cameo appearance by Jones in the rally scene when
Milk is addressing the masses after the Stonewall riots. In answer to the
question of whether or not "Milk" was an "accurate portrayal of the actual time
and events as Jones lived them," he replied: "Yes, Of course it's not a documentary and
it's not intended to be one. But I think it's very true to the spirit of the
times. And I think one gets a very clear picture of how exciting it was to be
there for, really the birth of the movement. And Sean Penn's portrayal of Harvey--it still
astonishes me. I've watched it many times, of course, but I'm still astonished
by how very real it is."
____________________________
 Queer
historian Jeffrey
Escoffier won't become everyone's best loved writer and his latest
book, "Bigger Than Life: The History of Gay Porn Cinema from Beefcake to
Hardcore," probably won't land on the coffee tables of a lot of queer men, even
admirers of gay porn, but he has, nevertheless, delivered a very comprehensive,
fascinating and well written book that's worth reading. Escoffier is no
stranger to sex, having edited the groundbreaking anthology, "Sexual
Revolution." He is respected for his other works on jazz, modern dance
and identity politics so as a writer his range is broad and wide. But he admits
to always seeming to return to the subject of sex and, of course, porn. His
initial approach to "Bigger Than Life" he told the editors (The Guide, May
2009) it was going to be a behind-the-scenes expose on the gay porn industry.
The more research he did, the more he realized that the book would be about gay
sexual history. "The book evolved almost
by itself, before I knew it I realized that I was writing a history of the
industry." He began to unearth fascinating facts about gay porn and the
sexual practices of the times. For example, he noted that "the hypermasculinity in the films made by Joe Gage in the '70s. .
.were a reflection of the rough-and-tumble sex lives of gay men in places like
New York and San Francisco." In evaluating his own achievement with "Bigger
Than Life," he observed: "Writing this
book, I always put the developments in porn in context with what was happening with
sex among gay men. After all, the history of porn is also the history of sex."
____________________________
 Suze
Orman is a power lesbian. The pop guru of financial advice now hosts her own
television show, appears frequently on Oprah Winfrey and Larry King, seems
equally at home within the pages of The Advocate as The New York Times Magazine
(May 17, 2009), is honest (her first virtue that she ascribes to as primary to
her perennial philosophy of life) about her gal partner in life, Kathy Travis,
and acknowledges her own ever-expanding empire. The queen of tough-love,
dressing down, take-no-prisoners, worth more than $20 million of personal net
worth (that's a low-ball estimate) genuinely wants to help the American public
get out of debt. Orman, a master of "spiritual-sounding financial advise
interspersed with more earthbound discussions" (it's the way most critics like
to describe her best-selling, three million copies, to be exact, of her
breakthrough book, "The Nine Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and
Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying," first published in 1997, and still
in print and selling well), wants to spread the word about developing and
maintaining a healthy relationship to money. Her mantra can be summed up this
way: "No one is keeping you down.
You are not the victim of your circumstances--if you can take that advice and
understand and always do what's right and not what's easy--may God bless each
and every one of you, and may you watch 'The Suzie Orman Show' on CNBC every
Saturday night!"
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Events on the Qt! |
May 23 (Saturday)
Fins to Host Swim Meet Memorial Day Weekend
 The Fins Aquatics Club will host its 9th
bi-annual international swim meet on Saturday,
May 23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
at Sheerr Poolat the David Pottruck Health & Fitness Center,
3701 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.
Meet organizers anticipate over 200 participants from the Philadelphia area, New Jersey,
Baltimore, Washington,
DC, New York and Florida.
Visit
the Fins Aquatics Club website for more information
May 28 to June 1, 2009 (Thurs - Mon)
Philadelphia GLBT Arts Festival
 Featuring over 20 performances presented by a wide range of artists - singers,
actors, musicians, dancers, filmmakers and performance artists.
Performances will at the following Philadelphia
locations:
First Unitarian
Church, 2125 Chestnut Street Arch Street
United Methodist
Church, 55 North Broad Street 119
Arts Center, 119 South
Street
Tickets
for each performance are available at traversetheater.org
or by calling the box office at 800.595.4849.
Ticket Price:
$15 per person, $10 for students and seniors.
Opening
Night Tickets: $30per person, and $25 for
students and seniors. | |
