Craigslist trial delayed
A judge last week approved a continuance in the trial of a man accused of posing as a police officer to defraud gay men.
Michael Daniels was scheduled to stand trial Oct. 20, but the proceeding has now been delayed until 10 a.m. Nov. 2 in Courtroom 502 of the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert St.
Daniels faces a slew of charges stemming from at least four cases, in which he allegedly responded to Craigslist sex ads from local gay men dressed as a police officer and threatened to arrest the men for not verifying that he was of age.
At least two of the men paid him hundreds of dollars.
Chefs dish up support
Local female chefs will don their aprons Nov. 4 for the annual Dish It Up! cooking competition, a fundraiser for Women Against Abuse.
The cook-off, which will take place from 5:30-8 p.m. at Moore College of Art and Design, 20th Street and the Parkway, will feature such competitors as Valerie Safran and Marcie Turney, lesbian partners who own local venues Lolita, Bindi and Barbuzzo.
Tickets are $85 and can be purchased at the door or at www.womenagainstabuse.org.
Prayer vigil at NARTH meeting
The Metropolitan Community Church of Philadelphia will host a prayer vigil outside the local conference of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality, a group that advocates for reparative therapy for LGBT individuals.
MCCP’s vigil will take place at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 outside the Renaissance Philadelphia Hotel, 500 Stevens Drive, near the Philadelphia International Airport.
Following the vigil, a group of MCCP members will conduct a sit-in protest at the hotel.
For more information, contact The Rev. Jeffrey Jordan at (215) 873-5719 or at [email protected].
Award to recognize college leaders
There are only a few weeks left for young leaders to submit applications to a national LGBT college association for consideration in its annual award contest.
Campus Pride will accept applications for its Voice & Action National Leadership Award until Nov. 19.
The award recognizes undergraduate college students who are working to create positive change for LGBTs and allies on their respective campuses. In addition to selecting the Voice & Action winner, Campus Pride will, for the first time, also select a “Top 12 Leaders in Action” from the pool of candidates.
For more information or to apply, visit www.campuspride.org.
Mazzoni launches new recovery group
Mazzoni Center and Recovery Empowerment and Community Health are launching a new “Social Sober Space” monthly group meeting to provide men, transmen and transwomen a venue to assist them in their recovery.
The first meeting will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Washington West Project, 1201 Locust St., second floor.
“In our work with clients, we have found that there is a real need to provide activities and sober spaces where individuals can come together and socialize with each other without alcohol or other substances being a focus of the interaction,” said REACH project manager John Edwards.
To RSVP or for more information, contact Alex Leigh at (215) 563-0652 ext. 521 or e-mail [email protected].
— Jen Colletta
Conviction in Pa. murder upheld
A state appellate court has upheld the conviction and life sentence of a Virginia man in the murder of a rival in the gay porn business in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Harlow Cuadra, 29, of Virginia Beach, Va., was seeking a new trial, alleging errors by the judge before and during his March 2009 trial in Luzerne County. The Times-Leader of Wilkes-Barre reported last Monday that the Superior Court ruled Oct. 14 that the judge’s rulings were “well-detailed and well-reasoned.”
Cuadra was convicted of first-degree murder and other offenses in the 2007 slaying of 44-year-old Bryan Kocis in his rural Dallas Township home. Investigators said Cuadra and 26-year-old Joseph Kerekes killed Kocis and then set the house on fire. Kerekes pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in December 2008 and was sentenced to life in prison.
— The Associated Press