I want to share a success story with you, which started in the pages of Philadelphia Gay News. Once upon a time, I wrote a column with the headline, “The Pie-in-the-Sky Project.” It was about a project on the drawing board. It would create affordable housing for members of our LGBT senior community, to be located in their own community. Most people thought it was preposterous – an impossibility. Some people even laughed. Still, others didn’t understand the need. As with any column, I listed the basics, starting with what should be obvious, that LGBT seniors are our first real […]
I Don’t Do Movie Reviews, But …
There is a movie that by seeing its trailers and advertising on TV, you’d have no expectation that it has any relevance to you or our community. At the end of 2018, there were five major movies with major gay characters or themes. Bohemian Rhapsody, Boy Erased, The Favourite, Can You Ever Forgive Me? and the one you must see, The Green Book. Here’s how IMDB (International Movie Database) describes the film: “A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.” The title refers to a publication […]
LGBT economic equality and empowerment
Last week, as I turned the pages of my local daily newspaper, the newspaper of record, I saw a few pages of ads from the city notifying the public of the coming elections, where the polling stations were and what was on the ballot. This is common practice from governments around the country. And in many of those municipalities, they also place those ads in community newspapers to ensure the participation of minority communities who have been left out of the process. So I smiled when I saw those ads, since those same ads were in this paper last […]
LGBT History: 50 Years On: Busting the Myths of Stonewall
Each of us who were at Stonewall has a different view of the event. They run the gamut from it being a rebellion, a riot, a revolution, or simply a night of the queens having fun and taking over their home, Christopher Street. There are many other versions espoused by people who were there, historical scholars, journalists, and people who like to make things up. Let’s parse out the facts and inconsistences of all of these views. First: who was there? It amazed me, as I was on my book tour, how many people came up to me and asked, […]
Trump, the Reality Edition
So how bad is it? Let’s take a look at what he’s done in almost two years in office. Tariffs: Trump’s favorite products – gas and oil – are suffering. The American Petroleum Institute stated last week that Trump’s tariffs will end our oil and gas exports. Raw-steel materials or aluminum imported from China are at a 20% higher cost for manufacturers in the US. Think about those cars and washing machines that Trump likes to brag about. Anyone own a Harley Davidson? They cost 20% more and sell for less, which translates to a loss of jobs at these […]
LGBT Commission Makes History – Again
History is repeating itself 42 years later. That’s where my thoughts were as Jason and I were on Amtrak on our way to a reception at the Pennsylvania’s governor’s residence this past Monday. Many of you often remark how joyous I am, and this week proved your point. How else to react to witnessing something that you envisioned 42 years ago once again being used to empower our community? Thanks to Gov. Tom Wolf, I had the honor to join him as he made history – or should I say, repeated history? It is a history I took part in […]
The Facts of LGBT Discrimination
This week, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney won a major court case that will most likely make its way to the US Supreme Court and affects our community more than the super-hyped wedding-cake case. And guess what? Almost no one noticed the significance of this major turn of events, but with much higher stakes, not only for you, but especially for religious organizations. Why does it loom large, with billions in tax dollars? Yes, we’ve reached a new stage of our struggle, where discrimination against LGBT people could cost billions – that’s billions, with a B – of dollars to those […]
The Best Gay American History Character Ever!
Readers here know my passion for LGBT history and my almost-decade-long research and writing on my favorite gay historical character – and I do believe he was a character. He is Baron Friedrich von Steuben. And there’s a longer version of his name, but that will do. It took years, but the research many of us have done is finally being acknowledged by most reputable historians, The Museum of the American Revolution and the Steuben Society of America itself, that von Steuben was a gay man. That’s very important – maybe the most important LGBT American-history fact there is. Let […]
Talk is Not Cheap
Ah, summertime – the living is easy. We toss our cares to the wind, head for a little R&R and, for many, that great summer vacation. So, it should be a time to relax, lay back, and enjoy the sunshine. But wait, we’re five months from an election. Here’s where I can envision you saying, “Mark, why are you bringing this up now?” Here’s the point: We can’t rest until we do something to put a check on the madness that is Donald Trump, and the harm already done to this country in just 18 months. At this point you’re […]
Finding Common Ground in LGBT Health Centers
The LGBT medical clinic in Philadelphia, Mazzoni Center, which serves more than 35,000 clients, announced that the board had appointed a new CEO. Lydia Gonzalez Scirarrino, it turns out, is not LGBT, and that seemed to distress some people in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. How could a non-LGBT person head an organization that has a majority of its clients from the LGBT community? There seems to be a way to find common ground on this issue, and it’s possible that the answer is already out there. Take Washington, DC, as an example. The LGBT community clinic […]