Olympic competition to support Mazzoni
Students from seven physician-assistant programs in the Philadelphia region will compete in Olympic-style games as the culmination of their fundraising efforts for Mazzoni Center.
The games, which include a condom water balloon toss among other activities, take place from 4-10 p.m. April 1 at Frankford Hall, 1210 Frankford Ave. It’s free to attend, with 10 percent of all food sales and $1 from every beer sold going to Mazzoni as well.
The participating schools and their current fundraising totals include:
Drexel University: $2,075
University of the Sciences: $710
DeSales University: $625
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine: $344
Arcadia University: $25
Philadelphia University: $0
Salus University: $0
For more information, visit http://ow.ly/105taR.
Benefit for LGBT shelter
A community event for children of transgender parents will double as a fundraiser for Divine Light LGBTQ Wellness Center, a housing shelter in North Philadelphia.
SapphosWay is hosting “My Parents are Transgender” starting at 6 p.m. April 1 at 4914 Walnut St. The program includes conversations with families about building and sustaining community.
Tickets cost $25 at the door and a portion of the proceeds benefits Divine Light. A sliding scale is available for those who can’t afford the entrance price. People can also bring donations including household items, toiletries and nonperishable food.
For advance tickets, call SapphosWay at 267-756-0400. For those who can’t make the event, donations to Divine Light can be made by visiting www.gofundme.com/DivineLightLGBTQ.
Apply for $10K biz award
The Independence Business Alliance, Philadelphia’s LGBT chamber of commerce, is seeking nominations for a $10,000 award sponsored by PNC Bank.
The award recognizes businesses with “a well-defined plan for growth, including innovation, sustainability and ongoing contribution to the community.” The deadline is 5 p.m. April 15 to submit an application form, two letters of recommendation and a mini business plan.
To qualify for the award, LGBT businesses must belong to the IBA and have a headquarters in Southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey or New Castle County in Delaware. The companies that apply must be privately held.
A selection committee will interview the finalists. The winner will be announced at the annual Business Leaders Luncheon, May 13 at the Sofitel Hotel.
For more information, visit www.thinkiba.com.
Allentown LGBT center opens
Just over six months after acquiring a 13,000-square-foot building, the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center plans to open in Allentown.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for 1 p.m. April 9 at the center, 522 W. Maple St. It sits in the heart of the downtown business district, next to a new parking garage.
“It’s been a community collaboration to bring us to this point,” Adrian Shanker, the center’s executive director, said in a statement. He recognized the founding donors, design team, financing team and hundreds of volunteers.
The Bradbury-Sullivan Center began its fundraising campaign in June 2014 and purchased its building in September through a variety of nonprofit and pro-bono resources. It’s named after two longtime Lehigh Valley activists, Liz Bradbury and Dr. Patricia Sullivan.
For more information, visit www.bradburysullivancenter.org.
— Paige Cooperstein
Briefing schedule issued in SEPTA case
The state Supreme Court issued a briefing schedule in an antibias case involving SEPTA, the region’s mass-transit system.
The dispute involves SEPTA’s claim that, as a state agency, it’s exempt from compliance with the city’s LGBT-inclusive anti-bias ordinance.
In August, Commonwealth Court sided with SEPTA, but in March, the state Supreme Court agreed to review the matter, at the city’s request. City officials are hoping Commonwealth Court’s ruling will be overturned so the city’s Human Relations Commission can investigate antibias complaints filed against SEPTA.
According to a recently issued briefing schedule, the city has until May 2 to file its appellant’s brief. Then, SEPTA has 30 days to file a reply brief.
Andrew A. Chirls, an attorney for Mazzoni Center and the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said SEPTA should abide by the city’s Fair Practices Ordinance.
“We expect to file a brief in support of overturning the Commonwealth Court’s decision by May 2,” Chirls said. “I would hope that SEPTA will see the right thing to do is abide by the city’s Fair Practices Ordinance, and take the steps necessary to end the case. But if they won’t do that, we’re ready to keep litigating.”
SEPTA serves about 650,000 riders daily in Philadelphia, four surrounding counties and parts of New Jersey and Delaware.
Eakin to receive pension
J. Michael Eakin, a former state Supreme Court justice, will receive a pension, but he must pay a $50,000 fine for ethics violations stemming from his role in the “Porngate” scandal.
On March 24, the state Court of Judicial Discipline issued the fine and cleared the way for Eakin’s pension, which is estimated to be about $153,000 annually.
On March 15, Eakin resigned from the court in disgrace, after acknowledging he exchanged inappropriate emails. He had a 21-year career as an appeals-court judge.
Prior to resigning, Eakin, 67, received and sent numerous homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic and racist emails.
Eakin has six months to pay the fine. His attorney, William C. Costopoulos, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Discovery hearing set in sex-abuse case
A discovery dispute has emerged in the case of Rhonda Miller, who claims her son was sexually abused by a former counselor at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Germantown.
Miller claims that Percy Outland inappropriately touched her son during a field trip to the Kimmel Center in May 2015.
Outland allegedly followed the 12-year-old boy into a restroom at the center and attempted to have sexual contact with him.
The Boys & Girls Clubs wants a Philadelphia judge to compel Miller to produce documents and provide answers to questions pertaining to the matter.
A hearing on the dispute was set for 10 a.m. March 30 in Room 483 of City Hall.
Outland, 40, is charged with simple assault, unlawful contact with a minor and related offenses. He remains free, pending the outcome of a trial, which hasn’t been scheduled.
Miller is seeking more than $5 million in damages, according to court records.
Candidate’s record expunged
Louis D. Lanni Jr., an openly gay man running for the state House seat in the 182nd District, recently had an insurance-fraud conviction expunged from his record.
The conviction, which Lanni says was erroneous, dates to 1997, when he was 38.
“The city and state police, and the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts have all been ordered to destroy all [criminal] records of any type associated with this affair,” Lanni added.
In December, Gov. Tom Wolf issued a pardon for Lanni. On March 24, a Philadelphia trial commissioner granted Lanni’s request to have his record expunged.
Lanni said he was engaged in an 18-year quest for vindication, during which he incurred about $40,000 in legal fees.
“This is the same tenacity I will bring to the General Assembly next January, should I be given the privilege of representing the 182nd District,” Lanni said. “I intend to have a voice in that body. And I know that I can move issues important to the LGBT community, city and state forward.”
Lanni is running as a Democrat. He’s hoping to unseat Brian K. Sims, Pennsylvania’s first elected openly gay state lawmaker. Democrats Ben Waxman and Marni Snyder also are vying for the seat, which covers parts of Center City and South Philadelphia. The primary election will be held April 26.
Killer of gay man in general prison population
Frank R. Chester has transitioned into the general prison population at Graterford Prison, a state Department of Corrections spokesperson confirmed this week.
“I can confirm that he’s now in general population,” said Susan McNaughton in a March 28 email.
Chester and Richard R Laird murdered gay artist Anthony Milano in 1987. But a federal judge vacated Chester’s first-degree murder conviction in 2011, due to faulty jury instruction by the trial judge.
Rather than re-try Chester, prosecutors agreed to allow Chester to leave death row, where he’d been for about 28 years. In return, Chester pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, and will remain behind bars without parole for the rest of his life.
— Timothy Cwiek