MontCo marriages still in limbo
Montgomery County officials say they’re working diligently to obtain state validation for about 100 same-sex marriages performed by Montgomery County Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes.
In 2013, Hanes issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples even though marriage equality in Pennsylvania wasn’t established until the following year.
About 100 couples who received licenses from Hanes are uncertain about the validity of their marriages.
Last week, Michael P. Clarke, an attorney for Hanes, said he expects those marriage to be validated shortly.
“[W]e are in the final stages of discussions with the state in an effort to resolve this issue,” Clarke said in an email. “I cannot tell you anything at this moment but we hope to have it completed [in June].”
Some same-sex couples who received marriages licenses from Hanes took additional steps to have their marriages affirmed by a judge.
But the 100 couples whose marriages remain uncertain haven’t yet received similar judicial affirmation.
Kenneth Oakes and Ed Rice are among the couples whose marriage remains uncertain. They’re hoping their marriage will be validated shortly.
“Ed and I remain grateful to Bruce Hanes for his courageous act, and we are hopeful that this situation will be resolved in everyone’s best interest in the coming few weeks,” Oakes told PGN.
Morris open-records request pending
PGN’s open-records request for certified records from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office pertaining to the Nizah Morris incident remained pending this week.
Additional information was unavailable as of presstime.
Morris was a transgender woman found with a fatal head wound in 2002 shortly after a courtesy ride from Officer Elizabeth Skala. Her homicide remains unsolved.
For reasons not clear in the record, Skala initiated an unrelated vehicle stop while still assigned to handle Morris, who was intoxicated.
PGN is seeking certified records pertaining to Skala’s vehicle stop.
In October, the D.A.’s Office gave PGN a dispatch record that appears to be related to Skala’s vehicle stop. But affidavits from the office didn’t clarify whether the record is complete or redacted.
“Officer Skala’s vehicle stop is a major component of the Nizah Morris incident,” PGN stated in court papers. “It affected the city’s response to Ms. Morris, and it played a significant role in the lack of a prompt criminal investigation. It’s in the public interest to have accountability and transparency in the Morris case, including full access to all dispatch records relating to Officer Skala’s vehicle stop.”
Deadline set in trans-bias case
Last month, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice has until July 21 to decide whether to intervene in the Kate Blatt case.
Blatt, a Pottsville trans woman, is suing Cabela’s Retail Inc. for job discrimination.
She claims Cabela’s discriminated against her on the basis of her disability — gender dysphoria — by denying her access to a female restroom.
Part of Blatt’s federal lawsuit challenges the Americans with Disabilities Act’s exclusion of gender-identity disorder as a protected disability.
Blatt contends that Congress acted unconstitutionally in 1989 when it excluded GID as a protected disability under the ADA.
In court papers, the DOJ indicated it may intervene in Blatt’s case but said it needs more time before making a final decision.
On May 15, U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr. gave the DOJ until July 21 to decide whether to intervene in the case.
Cabela’s is located in Hamburg and specializes in outdoor sports items. Blatt worked there as a seasonal stocker between September 2006-March 2007.
The ADA protects people with disabilities from discrimination in private employment, public accommodations and governmental services.
Colorado man to be deposed in Scouts case
Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Mark I. Bernstein last week allowed a local woman who’s suing the Boy Scouts of America to obtain the deposition of a former high-ranking BSA official.
Paul Beauregard, former president of the BSA Chester County Council, must undergo a deposition in the lawsuit of Patricia Evasew, the judge ordered.
Evasew filed suit against the BSA council in 2013, claiming her son, Thomas, committed suicide after being molested by a former scoutmaster at the council, Charles Morris.
Morris denies the allegations.
Evasew contends Beauregard has information that’s pertinent to her lawsuit. But attorneys for the BSA council claim she’s on a “fishing expedition,” and tried to sharply limit the deposition.
On May 26, during a brief court proceeding, Bernstein ruled in favor of Evasew. Her attorneys say they’ll travel to Colorado to take Beauregard’s deposition in the near future.
“The family of Thomas Evasew and I are pleased with the court’s rulings,” said Joshua B. Schwartz, an attorney for Evasew.
Attorneys for the BSA council had no comment for this update.
— Timothy Cwiek
Visitors Center explores LGBT history
The Independence Visitor Center will mark Pride month with its annual LGBT history presentation this weekend.
At 2 p.m. June 5-7, a park ranger and officials from William Way LGBT Community Center will present a free slide program about the LGBT-rights movement’s Philadelphia roots. The program will highlight the Annual Reminder Days, one of the nation’s earliest LGBT-rights demonstrations, held 1965-69 outside Independence Hall celebrating their 50th anniversary next month.
A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.
— Jen Colletta
Affordable-art fundraiser returns
InLiquid’s 16th-annual Art for the Cash Poor party and fundraiser returns on Pride weekend.
The art- and music-packed event will take place noon-6 p.m. June 13-14 at Crane Arts, 1400 N. American St. The two-day art sale features more than 100 artists, with all pieces under $199, as well as music, beer and food trucks. A special preview party of the event benefiting AIDS Fund will take place 5:30-9 p.m. June 12, giving art fans first access to the sale
Tickets are $30 in advance, $40 at the door or $120 for groups of five.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.inliquid.org.
Panel explores women’s health
Join Lifecycle WomanCare, formerly the Birth Center, for its first-ever breakfast panel symposium on women’s health.
The State of Women’s Health program will take place 8-10:30 a.m. June 10 at the Union League of Philadelphia, 140 S. Broad St. Individual tickets are $60.
The event will feature discussions on both policy and practice. Panelists include several leaders in the health and social-work fields, with a keynote by Dr. Rachel Levine, acting Pennsylvania Physician General and the highest-ranking transgender woman to hold public office in the state.
Topics will cover issues such as health disparities, maternity and lactation care, LGBT interests, integrative health, aging and end-of-life issues, domestic violence and more.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.lifecylewomancare.org.
Phoenixville tea dance becomes nonprofit
Kick off your summer with a fundraising LGBT dance party in the greater Phoenixville area.
Originally created as an informal social gathering for LGBTs in the area, the LGBTea Dances is now a full-blown non-profit organization. Come celebrate its inaugural event as a 501(c)3 from 4-8 p.m. June 7 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Exton.
“Our original idea was to form a social group, a place for the LGBT community to come together in a safe and supportive environment,” said LGBTea Dances board president Rachel Stevenson. “But, the group grew fast, from 50 attendees to 100 in just a month, and our purpose expanded to meet the need.”
The community-wide event will feature music, dancing, dinner buffet and dessert, silent auctions, 50/50 raffles and more.
Proceeds from the event will benefit LGBT education programs, GSA clubs, local Pride parades and community-outreach efforts.
For more information, email [email protected].
— Ryan Kasley