Nutter to Sign LGBT Rights Bill
At 3pm today, Mayor Nutter will sign a bill that will make Philadelphia the most LGBT-friendly city in the country, according to a press release. The legislation, sponsored by Councilman Jim Kenney, will provide the first “Life Partner and Transgender Health Tax Credits” in the country, offering tax incentives for private companies to provide benefits to...
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Attempting to Quell Momentum, Anti-Gay Marriage Bill Introduced in PA House
There’s always someone willing to fight the inevitable. In Harrisburg this week (and most weeks), that someone is state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, who did his best to cut the introductory celebration of an LGBT nondiscrimination bill short, with some legislation of his own. Metcalfe, 50, is a Butler County Republican well-known for being Pennsylvania’s most...
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PA Legislature Introduces Bipartisan Nondiscrimination Act to Protect LGBT Citizens
History was made this morning as a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania legislators introduced two bills—House Bill 300 and Senate Bill 300, the Pennsylvania Nondiscrimination Act—which would put an end to discrimination throughout Pennsylvania as it affects the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. Several members of the Legislature, as well as advocates,...
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Equality Forum: Q&A with Rabbi Nancy Wiener
An author and teacher on many issues within the Jewish faith, New York City-based Rabbi Nancy Wiener was instrumental in crafting a resolution on officiating ceremonies for gay and lesbian couples at the Central Conference of American Rabbis. She will be speaking at the Equality Forum’s Religious Colloquy this week and PW spoke with her about her various ventures...
Continue ReadingRight-Wing Media Freak Out Over Philly’s LGBT Equality Bill
As PW and every other local media source reported last week, Philadelphia City Council passed a historic bill that would provide for more transgender rights and tax incentives for companies that provide for domestic partners’ health care coverage. That information has gone through the usual Internet outrage cycle and has come out the other side: David Horowitz’s...
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3 Councilmen Voted Against City LGBT Bill—Why?
Philadelphia City Council passed historic legislation this morning which gives incentives for private companies in the city to provide benefits to members of the LGBT community employed by said company and mandates the city government do more to avoid sexual discrimination. After a short debate and public comment, three councilmen—David Oh, Brian O’Neill...
Continue ReadingWATCH: State Rep. Brian Sims on MSNBC’s ‘Hardball’
Pennsylvania State Rep. Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia) joined MSNBC host Chris Matthews on Hardball Friday to talk about Americans’ evolution on gay rights and, particularly, gay marriage. Watch it below: Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Matthews invited Sims to speak alongside Joy-Ann Reid, managing editor of TheGrio.com,...
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Here’s a Rundown of What PA Currently Offers Its LGBT Citizens (Answer: Not Much)
As the U.S. Supreme Court looks at both California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) this week, we here at Philadelphia Weekly would like to remind you that your new Facebook picture is nice and all, but your state is an anomaly on LGBT issues in the Northeast. In a bad way. “Pennsylvania is the worst state in the Northeast when...
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Brian Sims Touts Bipartisanship in Anti-Bullying Bill: “No Longer a Wedge Issue”
Rep. Sims speaks in favor of the PASS Act Last week, it was reported that state Rep. Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia), the first openly-gay-elected member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, had been urging his fellow House members to support House Bill 156, anti-bullying legislation known as the Pennsylvania Safe Schools (PASS) Act. “As many of you can...
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Q&A: Michael Shelton’s ‘Family Pride,’ a New Book on LGBT Families
With today’s re-inauguration of the first president ever to endorse gay marriage, the cultural winds seem unmistakeable: America will continue along the path toward full equal rights for LGBT citizens. With that in mind, Michael Shelton, director of sexual minority treatment services at Equilibria Psychological Consultants in Philadelphia, wrote the new...
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