No marker for bookstore this year
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission notified local LGBT bookstore Giovanni’s Room last week that it would not receive the historical marker for which it had applied. The commission did not deny the store’s application on merit, but rather on the fact that it was submitted after the deadline. The letter, which was sent to the store and to the cadre of community leaders who put together the application packet, urged the store to apply again next year. If the application had been approved, the corner outside the store, the oldest LGBT bookstore in the nation, would have become only the second location in the city to be marked by an LGBT-specific PHMC sign; the first was installed several years ago in front of Independence Hall marking the LGBT demonstrations of the 1960s. Second annual LGBT workplace summit Out & Equal Greater Philadelphia will host its second annual Regional Workplace Summit from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. March 27 at The Comcast Center, 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard. The summit will include a series of business workshops and roundtable discussions, as well as opportunities for networking with other LGBT professionals. Registration is $89 or just $29 for employees of nonprofit organizations. Members of local LGBT chamber of commerce Independence Business Alliance receive a 25-percent discount. Following the summit, participants, as well as the entire LGBT community, are invited to a networking reception at Stir, 1705 Chancellor St. For more information or to register, visit www.outandequal.org/philadelphia. Football kicks off The Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League will launch its spring season with a pick-up game at 9 a.m. March 27 at Columbus Square, 12th and Wharton streets in South Philadelphia. Players of all genders, sexual orientations and skill levels are welcome at the games, after which players will congregate at new LGBT sports bar Tabu. Outgoing league commissioner Scott Dinkins said the league’s inaugural year was a success and he’s looking forward to its continued growth. “Our goal this year is to grow this league even bigger and make it an integral part of the Philadelphia gay sports community,” he said. “The first year was ‘survive’ mode; we are definitely in ‘thrive’ mode now.” For more information about the league, visit www.phillyflagfootball.com. Attic stages performance LGBT teens will share their coming-out stories at two performance events, 8 p.m. April 2 and 4 p.m. April 3 at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St. “I Do Exist,” sponsored by The Attic Youth Center, will allow the youth to share their stories through dance, song, poetry or another form of expression, and will also bring together professional performers who will support the teens. J. Mason, job-readiness specialist at The Attic education and outreach component the Bryson Institute, said the adult performers will stage works that deal not only with LGBT issues, but with a range of identities, such as race and ethnicity. There is a sliding scale of between $5-$10 for admission, and proceeds benefit the Bryson Institute. Vote for the worst Keystone Progress is hosting a parody of this month’s NCAA tournament entitled “March Badness,” an online competition that allows voters to select the worst of the worst among conservative leaders. The tournament divides nominees into the Hannity Division and the O’Reilly Division, where they go head-to-head with one another to compete for the top title. Candidates include national conservatives such as Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, as well as locals like Tom Corbett and Pennsylvania Sen. John Eichelberger. For more information or to vote, visit www.keystoneprogress.org/page/s/pamarchbadness. — Jen Colletta