"There's No Place Like Home"

This is the new ad for Philadelphia's "No Place Like Home" celebration. Below is a quick rundown of the event. You can find more information, including discounts offered from area businesses at facebook.com/visitgayphilly.


This summer, Philadelphia is celebrating its vibrant “Gayborhood” with two weeks of events, taking place from Saturday, July 10 through Saturday, July 24. Dubbed There’s No Place Like Home, the two-week celebration features a ribbon-cutting ceremony, block party, photo exhibit and over 20 special offers. The celebration will take place concurrently with QFEST – Philadelphia’s LGBT Film Festival.

Since its inception in the 1970s—when the gay community began migrating from west of Broad Street near Rittenhouse Square to its current location on the east side of Broad around 12th Street—Philadelphia’s “Gayborhood” has developed into an impressive cultural, retail and dining destination. Over the last two years, the neighborhood has welcomed many new businesses, renovations and developments, and July’s celebration will recognize the efforts of the business owners, non-profit organizations, public officials, residents and visitors who invested time, passion and resources to make the ‘Gayborhood’ a dynamic, thriving city enclave.

Special Events:

• Southwest Airlines’ “Grand Reopening” Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony: Saturday, July 10, 4:00 p.m., in front of Uncle’s Bar (1220 Locust St). Featuring a press conference and an appearance by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, this is the official kick-off of the “Gayborhood” celebration.

• QFEST Film Screening: Following the press conference on Saturday, July 10 at 6 PM, bars throughout the “Gayborhood” will play the documentary film, Welcome to the “Gayborhood,” Philadelphia simultaneously.

• Gayborhood Photo Retrospective: Opening Saturday, July 10 and running through July 24 at the William Way Community Center, 1315 Spruce Street. This photo exhibit will display images from phases in the historic evolution of the “Gayborhood.”

• Wells Fargo’s “Gayborhood” Block Party: Sunday, July 11 from 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - 13th Street between Locust & Walnut Streets and Camac Street between Locust & Spruce Streets. Local businesses, organizations and vendors will participate in this entertaining and unique, outdoor community-building event.

• Re-Launch T-Dance with Dj Roland Belmares: Sunday, July 11 from 4:00 p.m.- 10:00 p.m. at Voyeur Nightclub – 1221 St. James Street

Lesbians make better partents than straight couples

According to a new study, children born to lesbian mothers appear to have healthy, if not better, psychological development when compared with average American children.

According to their mothers' reports, the 17-year-old daughters and sons of lesbian mothers were rated significantly higher in social, school/academic, and total competence and significantly lower in social problems, rule-breaking, aggressive, and externalizing problem behavior than their age-matched counterparts in Achenbach's normative sample of American youth. Within the lesbian family sample, no Child Behavior Checklist differences were found among adolescent offspring who were conceived by known, as-yet-unknown, and permanently unknown donors or between offspring whose mothers were still together and offspring whose mothers had separated.

Conclusions Adolescents who have been reared in lesbian-mother families since birth demonstrate healthy psychological adjustment. These findings have implications for the clinical care of adolescents and for pediatricians who are consulted on matters that pertain to same-sex parenting.

Topless Transgender Men on Rehoboth Beach

Rehoboth Beach has a new issue and one most have never considered before. Over Memorial Day Weekend, several transgender men caused quite a stir when they went topless on the beach.

Police say passers-by complained after the men removed their tops and revealed their surgically enhanced breasts. A lifeguard on duty asked the men to their tops back on. The men initially refused, but covered up before police arrived.

Even if they hadn't, though, Police Chief Keith Banks notes that the men were doing nothing illegal. Since they have male genitalia, they can't be charged with indecent exposure for showing their breasts. Banks says there's no need for a specific law to address the issue.

Rehoboth commissioner Kathy McGuiness isn't so sure. She says the matter will be discussed at a town hall meeting next week.

U.N. committee moves to keep out gay-lesbian NGO

Reuters is reporting a United Nations committee that decides which nongovernmental organizations (NGO) can be accredited to the world body moved on Thursday to keep out the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

The group, which had applied for "consultative status" at the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) three years ago, is an international NGO and advocacy group focusing on protecting the rights of homosexuals and lesbians worldwide.

Diplomats from Western nations that support gay rights complained that Egypt and other developing states that have been criticized by rights groups for discriminating against gays and lesbians prevented the committee from voting on whether to accredit the group, thereby leaving it in limbo.

"IGLHRC is disappointed by the vote of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations to block action on our application," Cary Alan Johnson, head of the New York-based group, said in a statement to Reuters.

The U.N. NGO committee has 19 members, among them the United States and Britain, as well as Egypt, Sudan, Qatar, Pakistan and China.

Johnson said it was a "clear case of discrimination against an organization because it defends the human rights of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi- and transsexual) people around the world."

The U.S. delegation defended the work of IGLHRC (www.iglhrc.org).

"This NGO is committed to combating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity," the U.S. statement said. "It has contributed to valuable research on HIV/AIDs and its work is well known to this committee."

A Western diplomat told Reuters that "unfortunately we didn't have the votes" on the committee to overcome opposition from countries like Egypt, Qatar, Sudan and others. The diplomat added that IGLHRC clearly fulfills all the criteria for U.N. accreditation.

The British delegation issued a statement expressing its "deep regret" for the decision to reject a U.S. proposal to take action on IGLHRC's application for a U.N. accreditation. The British statement said the move not to accredit the group was proposed by Egypt on behalf of African countries.

"This act of simple discrimination runs contrary to the principles of the U.N., of ECOSOC and of the NGO Committee," it said.

One envoy told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the United States and Europeans would push for the U.N. Economic and Social Council itself to move to accredit the group, a strategy that he said would have a better chance of success.

Lenfest to give Phila. parades $500,000 - Gay Pride Parade included

Good News! Businessman H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest will give $500,000 to a new non-profit called the Greater Philadelphia Traditions Fund to support Philadelphia parades and festivals. Under the Nutter administration, the city Festival Fund was eliminated to save the city money during the recession. Unfortunately, groups depended on this money to cover the costs of police, clean-up and other associated expenses.

In additon to the Gay Pride Parade, groups that will get money from the fund are the Mummers, Odunde Festival, the Columbus Day Parade, the Steuben Day Parade, the Puerto Rican Day Parade, the Greek Independence Day Parade, the Pulaski Day Parade, the St. Patrick's Day Parade, and the Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival.

Rehoboth Mr. Gay set for June 19th

The inaguaral Rehoboth Mr. Gay event will be presented on June 19th at the Double L Bar. Contestants will be judged on three categories: swimwear, anywear, and Q & A. If you think you are the right man for the job, email chrisriss@jacklingo.com.

'Golden Girl' Rue McClanahan dies

From AP: Rue McClanahan, the Emmy-winning actress who brought the sexually liberated Southern belle Blanche Devereaux to life on the hit TV series "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 76.

Her manager Barbara Lawrence said McClanahan died Thursday at 1 a.m. of a stroke.

She had undergone treatment for breast cancer in 1997 and later lectured to cancer support groups on "aging gracefully." In 2009, she had heart bypass surgery.

McClanahan had an active career in off-Broadway and regional stages in the 1960s before she was tapped for TV in the 1970s for the key best-friend character on the hit series "Maude," starring Beatrice Arthur. After that series ended in 1978, McClanahan landed the role as Aunt Fran on "Mama's Family" in 1983.

But her most loved role came in 1985 when she co-starred with Arthur, Betty White and Estelle Getty in "The Golden Girls," a runaway hit that broke the sitcom mold by focusing on the foibles of four aging — and frequently eccentric — women living together in Miami.

"Golden Girls" aimed to show "that when people mature, they add layers," she told The New York Times in 1985. "They don't turn into other creatures. The truth is we all still have our child, our adolescent, and your young woman living in us."

Blanche, who called her father "Big Daddy," was a frequent target of roommates Dorothy, Rose and the outspoken Sophia (Getty), who would fire off zingers at Blanche such as, "Your life's an open blouse."

McClanahan snagged an Emmy for her work on the show in 1987. In an Associated Press interview that year, McClanahan said Blanche was unlike any other role she had ever played.

"Probably the closest I've ever done was Blanche DuBois in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' at the Pasadena Playhouse," she said. "I think, too, that's where the name came from, although my character is not a drinker and not crazy."

Her Blanche Devereaux, she said, "is in love with life and she loves men. I think she has an attitude toward women that's competitive. She is friends with Dorothy and Rose, but if she has enough provocation she becomes competitive with them. I think basically she's insecure. It's the other side of the Don Juan syndrome."

After "The Golden Girls" was canceled in 1992, McClanahan, White and Getty reprised their roles in a short-lived spinoff, "Golden Palace."

McClanahan continued working in television, on stage and in film, appearing in the Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau vehicle "Out to Sea" and as the biology teacher in "Starship Troopers."

She stepped in to portray Madame Morrible, the crafty headmistress, for a time in "Wicked," Broadway's long-running "Wizard of Oz" prequel.

In 2008, McClanahan appeared in the Logo comedy "Sordid Lives: The Series," playing the slightly addled, elderly mother of an institutionalized drag queen.

During production, McClanahan was recovering from 2007 surgery on her knee. It didn't stop her from filming a sex scene in which the bed broke, forcing her to hang on to a windowsill to avoid tumbling off.

McClanahan was born Eddi-Rue McClanahan in Healdton, Okla., to building contractor William McClanahan and his wife, Dreda Rheua-Nell, a beautician. She graduated with honors from the University of Tulsa with a degree in German and theater arts.

McClanahan's acting career began on the stage. According to a 1985 Los Angeles Times profile, she appeared at the Pasadena (Calif.) Playhouse, studied in New York with Uta Hagen and Harold Clurman, and worked in soaps and on the stage.

She won an Obie — the off-Broadway version of the Tony — in 1970 for "Who's Happy Now," playing the "other woman" in a family drama written by Oliver Hailey. She reprised the role in a 1975 television version; in a review, The New York Times described her character as "an irrepressible belle given to frequent bouts of `wooziness' and occasional bursts of shrewdness."

She had appeared only sporadically on television until producer Norman Lear tapped her for a guest role on "All in the Family" in 1971.

She went from there to a regular role in the "All in the Family" spinoff "Maude," playing Vivian, the neighbor and best friend to Arthur in the starring role.

When Arthur died in April 2009, McClanahan recalled that she had felt constrained by "Golden Girls" during the later years of its run. "Bea liked to be the star of the show. She didn't really like to do that ensemble playing," McClanahan said.

McClanahan was married six times: Tom Bish, with whom she had a son, Mark Bish; actor Norman Hartweg; Peter D'Maio; Gus Fisher; and Tom Keel. She married husband Morrow Wilson on Christmas Day in 1997.

She called her 2007 memoir "My First Five Husbands ... And the Ones Who Got Away."

O'Reilly: "Do they have an Al Qaeda ad?"

Bill O'Reilly discussed McDonald's gay "Come As You Are" ad and asks if they will have an Al Qaeda ad. Check it out.

Obama expands federal employee benefits to gay couples

President Barack Obama on Wednesday expanded benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees, a move likely to be welcomed by gay rights activists who have questioned his commitment to their causes.

Obama said he had directed government agencies to offer a number of new benefits to the families of gay and lesbian federal employees, including family assistance services, hardship transfers and relocation expenses.

His directive builds on a move he made last year to offer healthcare benefits, sick leave and medical evacuation for same-sex partners of federal employees.

Obama said in a statement that while his directive was an "important step on the path to equality," existing federal law prevented him from taking further action to provide same-sex domestic partners with the same benefits offered to heterosexual married couples.

He called on Congress to swiftly pass a measure that would address that discrepancy.
(source)

Let's Go Flyers!

McDonald's runs new gay ad in France

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Bowling kicks-off in South Jersey

Madonna helps free gay couple in Malawi

Malawi's president on Saturday pardoned and ordered the release of a gay couple sentenced to 14 years in prison, but warned that homosexuality remains illegal in the conservative southern African nation.

Pressure on the President and the country's government not only came from gay rights groups but also from celebrities such as Madonna. In a statement on her website Madonna.com she was “shocked and saddened” by the court’s decision to sentence “two innocent men to prison” and calls for people to add their name to her website statement in support of equal rights in Malawi.

“I call upon the progressive men and women of Malawi,” she writes, “and around the world to challenge this decision in the name of human dignity and equal rights for all.”

From RaisingMalawi.org the following statement since their release has been posted by Madonna.

In the last week, over 30,000 of you added your names to Madonna's statement, requesting the release of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga – the Malawi couple sentenced to 14 years hard labor for the “crime” of homosexuality. After a global outcry, Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika has pardoned the couple. Madonna has released the following statement:

We celebrate this astounding turn of events with Steven, Tiwonge, and the countless Malawians fighting for their release. It is a historic day for Malawi.

Though they are free from prison, sadly their safety and future in Malawi is still unknown. I hope this is just the beginning of our work together.

Human rights injustices continue for so many Malawians facing poverty, disease, and a lack of critical resources. There are still over two million orphans and vulnerable children who need to experience love’s embrace.

It is going to take the love and creativity of all of us to bring justice to the people of Malawi.

—Madonna

Aiden James to perform live at Triumphant Pride

Philadelphia's own Aiden James will perform live at Triumphant Pride at Mad River on June 13th during Pride Day. James is an up and coming folk/indie singer that has been featured on MTV, VH1 & LOGO NewNowNext PopLab.

Currently living in downtown Philadelphia, this talented, twenty something is making great strides for a self taught musician. He independently released his debut album “have you ever” in July 2006 and quickly gained a devoted local following that feathered out across the region.

Aiden has toured from Boston to San Francisco for his current album "On the Run" - which is getting quite a buzz. He recently did a live performance and interview on Clear Channel station 93.7 WSTW in Delaware/Philadelphia called "Hometown Heroes". Continuing on, his live set with Q&A on Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 109 got big kudos from host Larry Flick saying, "amazing, such a talented man, and this is a great, great album".

Aiden has shared the stage with Elliot Yamin, Todd Martin, Adrianne, Heather Combs, Eric Himan, Betty, Gregory Douglass, Nicole Reynolds, Rachael Sage, Jay Brannan, Pamela Means, and many more.

A voice that's quietly powerful and strongly captivating, Aiden James is not only finding a place in our hearts... he's on the run with them. Check out these videos of Aiden.

Mash-up of Lady Gaga:

On the Run: