|
 |
queerVOICE
©2008
|
|
This week I was intrigued by John Baer's Daily News' column, entitled, "Pa. Legislature: Too bad, so sad."
Baer reported that Bruce Katz of the "prestigious" Brookings Institute noted that "that Pennsylvania's 46th in the nation in population growth; 37th in job growth; has lost 2.9 million acres of open space and farmland, nearly a quarter of its total, since 1980, and runs itself with badly fragmented government - 2,565 municipalities" and "as a result, the politics and the policies of the state produce low expectations among its electorate and little or no sense of government ownership among its citizens."
As if that weren't bad enough, Tim Potts, of Democracy Rising, said that 56 percent of House members and 75 percent of senators seeking re-election face no opposition: 'I don't know what you call a government in which the majority of elections are uncontested, but you can't call it representative democracy.'
Baer is correct in pointing out the horrid state of the Pennsylvania Legislator what with legislative indictments, a Senior Senator facing a corruption trial, the state's first gaming-license winners facing felony charges, years of suspect legislative behavior, including shady enactment of a slots law and (the never to be forgotten) pay raise for lawmakers and judges.
The corruption, apparent lack of ethics, career politicians, questionable motives, selfishness and a lack of concern for the greater good has pervaded our government and is not just holding the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from moving forward; it seems clearly to be moving it backward.
Actually I have harsher words I would like to direct at the PA Legislators but I will hold my tongue.
Well, maybe, not completely.
For any queer living, working or visiting in Pennsylvania it should be known that in this state you are not protected by anti-discrimination laws (except in ONLY 13 counties or municipalities) because the PA Legislators either can not, or will not, amend the state's anti-discrimination law to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Every election year we queers have the same politicians come before us and make promises that they have yet to fulfill, and as they continue to fail to deliver on providing us the rightful protections that should be ours they make excuses on why they couldn't.
When they do come through for us, as when they included sexual orientation and gender identity in the hate crimes bill, they do so in such a failed procedural manner that it is overturned by the court; not on its merits but on how it was enacted.
Quite frankly, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of queers being treated as if we don't matter or that heterosexuals should have more rights than us. It is a disgrace that in this day and age we are still fighting for basic rights in this country.
The time has past for such protections to be extended to the queer community as they are to our heterosexual counterparts. As the incidences of hate crimes against queers rise in this country so should our indignation toward politicians who either chose, or fail, to recognize us as equals.
When the Pennsylvania Legislators return in mid-September, they will have approximately three months to correct their error on the hate crimes bill and to amend the state's anti-discrimination bill to include all people.
If not, they should be voted out of office or asked to resign. It is time to take the gloves off and hold our elected official to what is right and just. Take notice--time is running out on your party.
|
|
12th Street Gym |
|
|
|
|
Lift The Ban |
|
|
|
|
What It Looks Like From Here
A Qt Exclusive
|
|
Notes from a Queer Festival Director
It was a night of surprises this year for the packed house, guests, sponsors and organizers at the closing night of the 14th Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (PIGLFF) on July 22, at the Prince Music Theater.
Yours truly acted as master of ceremonies of the first part of the evening, acknowledging everyone from the sponsors to the interns who make the festival possible.
Waiting in the wings, Ardmore SCION's James Johnston and corporate representative Mike Wirth, were ready to present the SCION First-Time Film Director Award for PIGLFF 2008 and a $1,000 check to a surprised director Tom Gustafson and producer/life partner Cory James Krueckeberg for "Were the World Mine," the closing night comedy/musical film about coming out, a high school production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and the rugby team-turned-fairies and queens.
After the screening, at the Q&A, Gustafson turned the tables on me and the enthusiastic audience by bringing up Judy McLane, who plays Tanya in Mamma Mia, on Broadway, and Donna, Tanner Cohen's mother, in "Were the World Mine". It was McLane's first role in a movie. "I learned so much from Tom Gustafson in the transition from acting for the stage to acting for this movie," she told the audience.
Later, while walking the film's entourage to the Top of the Tower, the site of the closing night party, McLane told me that she was impressed with all the changes in Philadelphia, a city that she hadn't visited in ten years. "It's looking more like New York City, I could easily live here," said McLane who also admitted her Pennsylvania connection, she's from the Scranton area.
Though "Were the World Mine" was shot entirely in Chicago and Gustafson cast actors from New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, I told the crowd that the film's Philly connection was that the post-production was conducted at Dive at Shooters' newly expanded studios in the Curtis Center. "That's where I first heard about your film, Tom, a real crowd-pleaser," I admitted. (Dive's Andy Williams was bragging about the film a month before.) The festival after-party were themed after "Were the World Mine" complete with a trio of hunky, clad only in their VERY tightie-whities and custom-designed fairy-angel's wings that PIGLFF events coordinator Catherine Morris gave them as a gift by the evening's end. I wonder where will spot these "fairies" flying, hopefully, towards us, and not away from us, some time in the very near future.
Tru Loved's Jane Lynch (also of The L Word, Boston Legal, A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, to name a few projects) couldn't have been nicer and wittier. Throughout most of the dinner at Cafe XIX Nineteen at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue, Lynch who was slurping oysters (we order 24 of the raw delicacies) talked about an out lesbian in Hollywood (she's impressive with how comfortable she is in her own skin), working with Tur Loved's screenwriter/director producer Stewart Wade, another guest at the table, costarring with Alec Mapa, and what's it like to work with Cybill Shepard. Lynch had only nice things to say about the known-to-be demanding and temperamental Hollywood actors. "Cybill is very dedicated to The L Word and very supportive of the rest of the cast," Lynch said.
Earlier in the festival, design wizard Bryan Hoffman and his domestic partner, Jim Lonsdale, hosted a private VIP party for porn goddess Chi Chi LaRue. Queer male superstars Blake Riley and the legendary Johnny Hazzard were being introduced to the party's guests by TLA Video's Erik Schut. LaRue who is always upbeat, mock bitchy, and eternally fun, greeted me with hugs and kisses, leaving some lipstick on my cheeks. When I told LaRue to tell Hazzard that he shouldn't get any more tattoos on that slim, trim, ripped body of his she retorted, "Honey, he still has room for tattoos, after all, he doesn't have any on his penis!"
|
|
Scroll Down for More on the Qt! |
|
|
|
2008 Mr. Gay Philadelphia Tickets |
|
|
|
Chiropractic and Sports Rehabilitation |
|
|
 |
I Wish I Had Said That: |
|
The wunderkind Belgian designer Kris Van Asshce was featured under "10 Rules of Style" (Details, April 2007) said the vests are the new jackets and Tee-shirts always should be worn with them, the three-day facial growth creates a good-looking balance with a suit, and he likes tattoos and piercings but only on other people, and offered this as his definitive statement on individual style: "Style is about personality. The same thing can look cool on one guy and disgusting on another. A basic suit would never look boring on Sean Penn because he has so much character."
_______________________________
Queer entertainer, now writer, Leslie Jordan, of the acclaimed gay cult movie, Sordid Lives, and frequent appearances in "Will & Grace," talked to Jonathan Riggs (Instinct, June 2008) about his book, "My Trip Down the Pink Carpet" (Simon Spotlight Entertainment) and his current one-man show touring the nation (Jordan appeared in Philadelphia for a quick book-signing in Philadelphia at Giovanni's Room but did not schedule a performance in our city): "I've just been blessed with this amazing journey through the '80s, where we lost so many people to AIDS, and the 90s on and here I am, still standing. I'll be a lot of this, a lot of that, a lot of name-dropping. It's not Cathy Griffin-ish. I'm too scared to be mean! I do talk about the size of a lot of famous people's privates, or what I thought, from doing a little Peter-gazing here and there."
____________________________
The goddess of outsider/insider political commentator Arianna Huffington on her personal friend, comedian Tracey Ullman's impersonation of her in the HBO "Tracey Takes On" that was inspired by Ullman's becoming a citizen of the United States, told Jacob Bernstein (WWD Scoop, March 2008): "She didn't need my permission. So many people have done impersonations of me, and so many of them are amateurs, so it's great to be finally done by a professional. She does a great impersonation of me."
____________________________
I'm Glad I Never Said That!
During testimony before the House Armed Services Committee hearing on Don't Ask Don't Tell anti-queer crusader Elaine Donnelly, speaking against queers serving I the military, said "we're talking about real consequences for real people," Her written statement included warnings about "inappropriate passive/aggressive actions common in the homosexual community," the prospects of "forcible sodomy" and "exotic forms of sexual expression," and the case of "a group of black lesbians who decided to gang-assault" a fellow soldier. (Newswires)
|
|
Thom's Table's Tips
|
|
Hot August Nights at The Prime Rib
The Prime Rib, 1701 Locust Street (Philadelphia), at the Radisson Plaza Warwick Hotel, off fashionable Rittenhouse Square, is featuring the hands-down "greatest" summer-in-the-city meal deal throughout the month of August.
Dubbed "Hot August Nights" that means every night of the week, every night in August, according to proprietor Garth Weldon, diners will enjoy a three course dinner for $33 per person, excluding beverage, tax and gratuity. How can you beat that offer in a swanky steakhouse?
Imagine you can impress your date, your boss, your parents, even your best friend (especially for a special occasion from birthdays to job promotions), this is the time to do it at The Prime Rib.
No jacket? No problem! It's summer and they've relaxed the dress code in the main dining room, so, go ahead and enjoy!
The "Hot August Nights" menu features a choice of first course, House Salad, Caesar Salad, Feta, Tomato and Onion salad or Roasted Tomato Soup; second course, choice of entrees, Roast Prime Rib of Beef, Flat Iron Steak, Grilled Scottish Salmon, Imperial Crab or Breast of Chicken; and choice of sides, even, two per table, served family style, Broccoli Florets, Creamed Spinach, Fresh String Beans, Steak Fries, Mashed Potatoes and Potatoes Lyonnaise; and third course, choice of desserts, made-on-the-premises, Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Mousse Pie and Creme Brulee.
Weldon is always happy to accept reservations but with this laid back summer attitude, diners shouldn't hesitate to simply show up for a hot August night evening.
For more information, call 215.772.1701; visit theprimerib.com
Rouge and Food and You
Despite what you might think, Rouge, 205 South 18th Street (Philadelphia), between Locust and Walnut Streets., isn't just about be-and-be-seen "scene" to the all-encompassing "people watching" from the window seats inside to the al fresco dining outside though they've definitely got that covered.
These days the busy husband-and-wife owners, Rob and Maggie Wasserman, have been working closely with the 28-year-old executive chef Matthew Zagorski to bring the celebrated bistro menu to new and exciting heights, way beyond the critically acclaimed city's "best" Rouge burger to daily chef's tasting menus and an extensive selection of daily dinner specials.
A graduate of the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, "2006 Top Ten Chefs in Philadelphia" by Philadelphia Style, Zagorski began his culinary career with an apprenticeship as a sous chef at Neil Stein's Striped Bass, with a stint at Lacroix, across the square, at The Rittenhouse Hotel, followed by an appointment as sous chef at Rouge.
Highlights of some of the dinner menu additions may include baked escargot with herb goat cheese, melted leeks and garlic butter with fresh parsley, crispy calamari with spicy ginger aioli and micro-greens, pan-seared day boat sea scallops, served with blue foot mushrooms, haricots verts, fava beans and chicken jus, grilled day-aged rib eye, served with fingerling potatoes, leeks, morel mushrooms, asparagus and veal jus. For non-meat eaters and health-conscious diners, Zagorski offers his chef's daily vegetarian selection such as house-made luquini, porcini dust, English peas, portabella mushrooms, herb goat cheese, leeks, spinach, parsley, mushroom broth and single press olive oil.
For more information, call 215.732.6622.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Philadelphia's Paparazzo on the Qt
HughE Dillon - photographer
©2008
|
|
@ the VIP Party for Charlie David and Linda Carter hosted by Richard Weinstock of Clear Channel.
^ Guests of Honor Charlie David and Linda Carter.
^ Host Richard Weinstock and phillygaycalender.com's Steve McCann.
^ Richard Weinstock joins Mark Stiffler and Charlie David out in the yard.
^ Architect Andrew Pletcher with Thom Cardwell in the background.
|
|
Sex Dwarf |
|
| |
