LGBT volunteers invited to serve meals and network
Volunteers are invited to serve breakfast at Broad Street Ministry this weekend, then get to know one another over lunch at William Way LGBT Community Center.
The event starts 10:45 a.m. Jan. 23 at Broad Street Ministry, 315 S. Broad St. People will serve meals until 1:45 p.m. through the church’s hospitality collaborative, which offers free meals to those in need.
It’s organized by Repair the World, a Jewish nonprofit in West Philadelphia; the LGBTQ community at Broad Street Ministry; and Spectrum, a group for Jewish LGBT people in Philadelphia.
After serving meals at the church, the volunteers will migrate to William Way, 1315 Spruce St., for lunch and discussion from 2-3:30 p.m. The lunch is open to all LGBT people regardless of whether they volunteered. Food scarcity in the LGBT community will be among the topics discussed.
To register for the event, visit http://ow.ly/Xe1Tt.
Professional-readiness workshop for transgender people
Equality Pennsylvania is hosting a free workshop for transgender people to share résumé-writing, interview and general professional tips.
The event, called “Trans at Work,” takes place from 6-8 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Philadelphia Equality Pennsylvania office, 1211 Chestnut St., sixth floor. Advanced registration is not required.
Kayden X Coleman, a local transgender activist who recently formed the mentorship group Loving My Trans* Body, will speak at the event. Discussions will include situations unique to the transgender community, such as disclosing gender identity at work.
Attendees are also asked to bring any old professional clothes they are willing to donate. There will be a professional clothing exchange at the event. Suggested items include slacks, dress skirts, button-up shirts and ties.
— Paige Cooperstein
Volunteer for trans prisoners
The first-annual Trans Prisoner Day of Action is set for Jan. 22, and Philly will do its part to mark the occasion.
A-Space Anarchist Community Center, 4722 Baltimore Ave., will host a letter-writing session where volunteers can send a letter or artwork to a trans-identifying inmate. Hearts on a Wire will provide information about inmates, and Up Against the Law Legal Collective will stage a know-your-rights training.
Art supplies and postage will be provided.
The event will take place from 4-8 p.m.
To get involved, email [email protected] and [email protected].
— Jen Colletta
Officer in homophobic encounter disciplined
Philadelphia Police Officer Matthew Zagursky, who uttered anti-LGBT slurs during a traffic stop last year, has been disciplined for his behavior, a police spokesperson confirmed this week.
But Officer Tanya Little said details of Zagurksy’s discipline won’t be released to the public “at this time.”
A hidden camera caught Zagursky uttering “faggot” and other anti-LGBT slurs during a routine traffic stop. Zagursky also urged the motorist to purchase tickets to a police charity in order to avoid having his car towed.
After a public outcry, Zagursky was placed on desk duty. In December, after an Internal Affairs Division investigation, Zagursky was cleared for active street-patrol duties in Northeast Philadelphia.
The IAD report of the incident is inaccessible to the public.
Zagursky’s annual salary is $64,495, according to city records.
Conshy’s legal-fees request remains pending
A 2012 request by Conshohocken Borough Council for $18,000 from anti-LGBT activist James D. Schneller remains pending in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.
Schneller involved the borough in protracted litigation, due to his challenge of its 2011 LGBT-inclusive antibias ordinance. Schneller’s efforts to nullify the ordinance were unsuccessful.
Schneller, of Norristown, claims the ordinance violates his protected religious freedoms.
In September 2012, the borough filed suit against Schneller, seeking $18,000 in reimbursement for its legal fees incurred while defending the ordinance.
The borough’s request for $18,000 from Schneller remains pending before Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Thomas C. Branca.
In an email, Schneller referred to the borough’s lawsuit as a “SLAPP,” which stands for a “strategic lawsuit against public participation.”
Conshohocken borough solicitor Michael J. Savona said the borough isn’t actively pursuing the matter.
“Neither party has made any steps to move the matter forward,” Savona told PGN. “The borough has been preoccupied with a number of other more pressing issues, including the renovation of the new municipal building and relocating there.”
Savona added: “Mr. Schneller can call [our lawsuit] what he likes. The borough sued him only to recover their costs, which were prompted by his frivolous litigation.”
Assault victim pursues damages from Voyeur
Attorneys for Nicholas D. Forte last week reiterated their request for punitive damages from Voyeur Nightclub.
On Dec. 10, 2013, Forte allegedly was assaulted outside Voyeur by Miguel Maldonado, a Voyeur bouncer, and Matthew Morris, a Voyeur patron.
Forte’s injuries include a broken eye socket, a broken nose, a broken rib and multiple facial fractures.
Maldonado and Morris were convicted of multiple offenses stemming from the incident and remain incarcerated in state prisons.
Forte alleges that Morris and/or Maldonado were served alcoholic beverages at Voyeur while visibly intoxicated, prior to assaulting Forte.
He’s seeking compensatory and punitive damages from Voyeur in excess of $50,000.
But attorneys for Voyeur say Forte hasn’t made a case for recklessness on the part of Voyeur, thus his request for punitive damages should be dismissed.
In a Jan. 12 filing, attorneys for Forte said there’s an adequate basis for Forte to seek punitive damages from Voyeur.
“The allegations in [Forte’s] complaint, when read as a whole, could arguably lead a jury to conclude that reckless behavior ensued,” the filing states.
The filing also alleges Voyeur failed to warn patrons of dangerous conditions outside the nightclub, located at 1221 St. James St.
The matter remains pending before Common Pleas Judge John M. Younge. As of presstime, Younge hadn’t ruled on Voyeur’s request for partial dismissal of Forte’s complaint.
Trial date set in gay-bashing civil case
A 2017 trial date has been set in the civil case of Francis McGlinn, who reportedly was present during a September 2014 assault of two gay men in Center City.
McGlinn wasn’t charged with any criminal wrongdoing stemming from the incident. But shortly after the incident, McGlinn lost his position as an assistant basketball coach at Archbishop Wood High School.
Last year, McGlinn filed notice in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, stating that he intends to sue Archbishop Charles J. Chaput and Archdiocese spokesperson Kenneth A. Garvin for allegedly slandering him.
McGlinn’s actual lawsuit detailing his allegations hasn’t been filed.
A trial is tentatively set for 10 a.m. Oct. 2, 2017, in Courtroom 483 of City Hall, with Common Pleas Judge Younge presiding.
In October, Phillip R. Williams and Kevin J. Harrigan pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from the incident and received probation.
In December, a Philadelphia jury convicted Kathryn G. Knott of simple assault and related offenses. She awaits sentencing in February.
— Timothy Cwiek