ACT UP to co-host City Council forum
ACT UP is joining the MLK Dare Coalition and United with the Alliance for a Just Philadelphia a to host an all-inclusive City Council forum. More than 70 candidates are seeking council seats in each of the 10 districts and the seven at-Large seats. ACT UP is a member of The Alliance also.
ACT UP members will begin gathering at 2:30 p.m. March 24 in from of Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 N. Broad St. for the forum scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ACT UP members and their guests may receive tokens to aid with travel and there will be T-shirts for ACT UP members, though non-members can also purchase them. If you would like a T-shirt or tokens, RSVP at [email protected], or just show up.
A progressive agenda on issues and policies will be the theme of the forum with several key points of consideration: the targeting of black and brown people; investment in healthy schools, re-entry, affordable and accessible housing and jobs; demanding dignity and respect for all work; making corporations, developers and universities pay their fair share; more community control of land, housing, schools and energy; and ensuring a democracy where all can participate.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
Penn Medicine holds lecture for LGBT Health Week
In conjunction with National LGBT Health Awareness Week, Penn Medicine is holding an informative lunch hour lecture on PrEP called “Interventions to maximize the benefit of PrEP in the real world: our experience at the University of Pennsylvania.” National LGBT Health Awareness Week is March 25-29
PrEP studies have shown repeatedly that regular usage of the drug reduces the chances of becoming infected with HIV-positive to near zero. It has become an invaluable tool in the fight toward getting to zero: zero new infections, zero deaths, zero stigma. It has also become clear that HIV-positive individuals who maintain their drug regimens and are undetectable are also untransmittable.
Large-scale use of PrEP in Philadelphia lags behind the national average and this lecture will address ways to increase awarenes and usage of PrEP to decrease infection rates here. The lecture will be noon-1 p.m., March 26 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, White Building in Flyers Sixers Auditorium. Lunch will be provided.
To register, go to https://goo.gl/forms/3ENvPlriqefwuCxE3.
Put on a ’stashe and win some cash
Philly Dyke March is calling all amateur drag kings from the Philadelphia region including New Jersey and Delaware for the annual Drag King contest. The competition is pageant style with runway, performance and a Q&A segment. The one-night event will culminate with the crowning of the 24th Mr. Philly Drag King.
Do you have what it takes to follow 2018 winner Ken U. Knott? Entry applicants must be 18 or older to compete or attend. Tutorial classes are also available. To sign up, look under the events listings on Facebook.
Tickets start at $5 and will be sold at the door. Pre-event-night tickets are available now, and each level has limited quantities. Tickets purchased the night of the show do not guarantee a seat. The advance levels are:
• $35 Royal Court VIP: guaranteed entry, reserved seat, one drink ticket and Dyke March T-shirt.
• $20 VIP: guaranteed entry, reserved seat and one drink ticket.
• $15 Advance Purchase: guaranteed entry.
Go online to https://www.eventbrite.com/o/philadelphia-dyke-march-13247577423 to order.
Emerge Wellness hosts its first art show
Emerge Wellness is marking its new location in the Gayborhood with an art show: Personal Psychology. This exhibition will be the first of many and features 10 Philadelphia-area artists exploring personal growth and self-actualization. The show is curated by artist and psychotherapist TJ Walsh.
“The process of creating is an intimate practice,” said Walsh. “Art making is a meditative, reflective, physical, emotional and spiritual practice. Creating something that comes out of ourselves, releasing part of us into the world to be experienced by others is something that many people in our culture do not experience. This intimate practice of pulling from within and connecting with the deepest parts of our beings is beautiful because it’s natural, pure and uninhibited. It’s being human on one of its most raw levels.”
The artists showing works are Christine Bruning, Krista Dedrick Lai, Debora Rosa Dias, Seth Darnall, Stephan Dobosh, Lauren E. Peters, Lauren Rinaldi, Scott Schultheis, TJ Walsh and Jessica Zawadowicz.
The inaugural Emerge Wellness art show is 6-9 p.m. March 27 at 1221 Locust St., 2nd floor. There will be for food and beverages and everyone is welcome.
— compiled by Scott Drake