Huge Majority of Pennsylvanians Support LGBT Rights—So, Now What?
If you hang out with the right crowd, open LGBT discrimination outside of anonymous Internet threads and chatrooms isn’t part of your consciousness. But if you hang in Harrisburg, you’re all too aware that discrimination isn’t just a thing: It’s built into the stubborn laws of the state. Because Pennsylvania state law neglects a multitude of...
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: Kensington Strangler Found Guilty, Sentenced
That didn’t take long: Antonio Rodriguez, a.k.a. The Kensington Strangler, was convicted yesterday of three counts of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and abuse of corpse. He will spend three life sentences in jail. Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Minehart, the judge in the case, noted to Rodriguez after the judgment: “You not only violated these...
Continue ReadingIs Liquor Privatization an LGBT Issue? Some Say Yes
Add this to the list of groups who may oppose liquor privatization: Equality PA today says privatizing the state’s wine and spirits stores “is an issue LGBT citizens need to understand thoroughly.” And it may come up in debate this week, as the state Legislature is set to vote on House Bill 11 which would sort of privatize the state liquor industry, eventually. Currently,...
Continue ReadingProtests at Temple Call on University to Hire Minority Labor
Temple University is building a new 24-floor residential hall for students at the corner of Broad and Cecil B. Moore. It’s one of many new construction projects going up in North Philly to expand the Philadelphia university. And every Monday for the past month, the Fair Hiring Coalition, a group of union and non-union labor workers and supporters have taken...
Continue Reading‘Sharia Law’ Bill Declared Unconstitutional in OK—What does that mean for PA Legislation?
On Tuesday, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals declared an Oklahoma ban on Sharia Law—overwhelmingly made part of the state Constitution through a 2010 ballot measure—unconstitutional. In their 37-page decision, the Denver-based three-judge panel called the measure discriminatory and agreed it violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. This is...
Continue ReadingWhy Did Prison-Evading ‘Gay Basher’ Get Light Sentence?
In 1994, Patrick Groce and Thomas Grafton were driving through the gayborhood and spotted Alan Yollin, at whom they began shouting antigay slurs: “Are you gay? Are you gay? Are you a faggot?” They parked in front of him, around 13th and Lombard, got out of the car and beat him up, leaving Yollin with “bruised ribs and facial lacerations.” They...
Continue ReadingIs There Racial Animosity in Philly Schools Amongst Teachers? Tell Us.
We’ve been scouring the Internet looking for some thoughts on this alleged “Philly white teachers can’t teach black students” thing first reported yesterday. To catch you up (if need be), four East Falls teachers — Nicole Boyd, Debra McKibben Marenbach, Colleen Yarnell and Marta Ciccimaro – have filed lawsuits accusing a black principal, Charles...
Continue ReadingPA Human Relations Commission Alleges ‘Reverse Redlining’ Against Wells Fargo
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission filed a complaint against Wells Fargo Bank early this month, claiming that the bank used reverse redlining in Philadelphia neighborhoods. In other words, Wells Fargo is accused of exploiting poor, African-American residents by allowing an abundant of sub-prime loans in densely black-populated neighborhoods that ultimately...
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