This past year was rife with LGBT news, and newsmakers — including three standouts whose efforts made 2014 a momentous year for our local LGBT community.
U.S. District Judge John E. Jones 3d
A federal judge appointed by former President George W. Bush earned his spot as one of PGN’s top people of the year after his landmark marriage-equality ruling impacted the lives of thousands of LGBTs in the area.
U.S. District Judge John E. Jones 3d overturned Pennsylvania’s marriage-equality ban on May 20, clearing the way for same-sex couples to marry in the Keystone State, after Attorney General Kathleen Kane decided not to back the discriminatory law, and Gov. Tom Corbett declined to appeal the ruling the next day.
Whitewood v. Wolf was the first suit ever to challenge Pennsylvania’s 1996 law banning same-sex marriage. More than two-dozen plaintiffs, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and law firm Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller, argued that the law, which defined marriage between one man and one woman, violated the constitutional equal-protection clause.
“We are a better people than what these laws represent,” Jones said in his 39-page opinion, “and it is time to discard them into the ash heap of history.”
In addition to permitting Pennsylvania couples to marry, Jones also ordered that the state recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages.
At the time, Jones’ was the 12th consecutive federal ruling nullifying a state ban on same-sex marriage. Pennsylvania became the 19th state to allow gay marriage — although it was the last state in the Northeast to do so.
While the plaintiffs, lawyers and state officials like Kane and Corbett all deserve credit for their role in bringing marriage equality to Pennsylvania, the fair-minded and decisive ruling from Jones changed the landscape for LGBT rights in our state in an instant.
“All couples deserve equal dignity in the realm of civil marriage,” Jones said in his ruling.
We at PGN agree. And on behalf of the more-than 22,000 same-sex couples living in Pennsylvania, we thank you, Judge Jones.
@FanSince09
The identification of the suspects in Philadelphia’s shocking gay-bashing incident this September was in large part thanks to a quick-thinking anonymous Twitter user’s Internet detective skills.
Here’s how it went down.
Shortly after they began their investigation into the Sept. 11 incident — in which a gay couple was attacked by a group of males and females in Center City — Philadelphia Police released security camera footage of the suspects walking down the street. Twitter user Greg Bennett posted photos from the video of the suspects, along with a photo of a group of people who resembled the suspects, posing at a restaurant. In his Tweet, Bennett noted the similarity but did not know where the restaurant photo had been taken.
That is when a Twitter user who uses the handle @FanSince09 stepped in and put his sleuthing abilities to work. A die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan and apparent South Jersey resident, FanSince09 retweeted the photo to his thousands on followers, receiving a flood of responses that identified the restaurant as La Viola on South 16th Street.
FanSince09 proceeded to identify the suspects by comparing people in the restaurant photo to the photos of people who had “checked-in” on Facebook that night at La Viola.
Then he called police.
Officer Joe Murray confirmed FanSince09’s help in solving the case by making a shout out to him on Twitter.
“This is what makes my job easy. Sure, it’s up to me to make the arrest but we are all in this together,” Murray posted.
Even though his involvement in the case has given him considerable exposure, he remains anonymous, even managing to conceal his identify during an interview on “The View.” While we may never know who FanSince09 is, that does nothing to diminish the fact that his help was integral in solving a heinous crime.
Philly AIDS Thrift
The nation’s oldest LGBT bookstore was given a new lease on life this year when it was taken over by Philly AIDS Thrift and reopened as a boutique version of PAT’s flagship location in Queen Village.
Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni’s Room still offers around 2,000 LGBT-related books, in addition to an always-changing selection of clothing and other thrifted items, with a slightly higher-end inventory than PAT’s Fifth Street store.
The LGBT community issued a collective sigh of relief upon learning that the famous bookstore would retain its place in the Gayborhood, on 12th and Pine streets, after long-time owner Ed Hermance announced he was retiring, and no buyer was found to take over the business.
The two-year lease was signed Aug. 16. As an extension of PAT, which donates proceeds to HIV/AIDS causes, the new store will also be considered a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
Thanks to Hermance and the folks at PAT, Giovanni’s Room’s newest incarnation continues to provide us with our favorite paper-bound iterations of all things LGBT — and will remain a mainstay of our community.