NLGJA Philadelphia

Show Your Phillies Gay Pride

2009-06-13T16:27:00.001-07:00

Show Your Pride Gay Night at the Phillies Game

Get The official t-shirt of 7th Annual Philadelphia Gay Community Night!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 7:05 PM
Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies

PROCEEDS from the sale of shirt to BENEFIT the Sean Halpin Memorial Scholarship Fund.

100% cotton preshrunk jersey. Set-in rib knit collar and sleeve cuff. Double-needle stitched collar, cuffs and bottom hem.

$19 includes free shipping

http://www.gaytshirt.com/show-your-pride-night-phillies-game-p-976.html

2009-06-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia (GALLOP) and Philadelphia Chapter of National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) and www.phillygaydays.com
proudly present:

7th Annual Gay Community Night!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies
Game Time: 7:05 pm

Offer Ends Tuesday, July 7th!
Limited Tickets Available!
Sit in special Gay Community Night Sections!

A portion of every ticket sold will benefit the Sean Halpin Memorial Scholarship Fund

Tickets can also be ordered online at: http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/phi/ticketing/group/gcn.jsp

If you have any questions, or to order tickets by phone, please call Jillian in the Phillies Sales Office at (215) 463-5000, ext. 5654.

General Questions? E-mail: Phillygaydays@yahoo.com

Tickets on Sale Now for "Passing By"; Join the Chapter for Cocktails

2009-03-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

A benefit performance for NLGJA Philadelphia of the Philadelphia premiere of Martin Sherman’s comedy “Passing By” on Sunday, April 19

The Philadelphia premiere of Martin Sherman’s comedy “Passing By” opens April 17 for a three-week run at Philadelphia’s Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge Street. NLGJA member Rich Rubin directs.

Presented by Quince Productions, “Passing By” consists of a series of short scenes during which a relationship between two men unfolds in a series of surprises. Simon Callow, who starred in the original London production, has called it “one of the most radical gay plays ever written. They simply found each other highly attractive and one thing led to another. It was amusing, touchy, sexy, and entirely normal.”

Tickets for the NLGJA Philadelphia benefit performance on Sunday, April 19, at 7 p.m. are $25, available online at www.quinceproductions.com. Additionally, 100% of the profits from this performance will be donated to our chapter! This performance is open to the public.

The Schubin Theatre seats 43 patrons – so tickets should go fast. Invite your friends - post it on your Facebook page or Twitter your friends about it.

There will be a pre-show cocktail party at The Latest Dish, 613 S 4th Street, with cocktail, beer and wine specials from 5-6:30 p.m. They serve a full dinner menu as well as appetizers from 5 p.m. on – very good food and great atmosphere.

Anyone is welcome to join us for cocktails (cash bar) even if you’re not seeing the show. This should be a fun evening and a significant fundraiser for our chapter!

What we will need is a head count for The Latest Dish. Please RSVP to Chip (chip.alfred@gmail.com) by April 12 if you would like to come - and guests are welcome, too.

Save the Date: Gay Night at the Phillies

2009-03-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Save the date for the 7th Annual Gay Community Night at the Phillies, sponsored in part by NLGJA Philadelphia. This year's event will be held August 4.

More information will appear on this site in the future.

Save the Date: "Passing By" Premiere to Benefit NLGJA Philadelphia Chapter

2009-02-28T10:23:00.001-08:00

Save the Date!

A benefit performance for NLGJA Philadelphia of the Philadelphia premiere of Martin Sherman’s comedy “Passing By” on Sunday, April 19.

The Philadelphia premiere of Martin Sherman’s comedy “Passing By” opens Friday, April 17 for a three-week run at Philadelphia’s Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge Street. NLGJA member Rich Rubin directs.

Written by the author best-known for the Holocaust drama “Bent,” “Passing By” is set in the 1970s and tells the story of Toby (played by Matt Taylor) and Simon (John Jarboe), two men who meet in a movie theatre and end up spending not just the night but an unexpected amount of time together due to unanticipated occurrences. As their emotions pull them together and their careers pull them apart, do they fall in love forever, or are they just…passing by?

Presented by Quince Productions, (an independent Philadelphia producer which has presented David Parker and the Bang Group’s "Backward and in Heels" and Victor Bumbalo’s comedy “Niagara Falls”), “Passing By” consists of a series of short scenes during which the relationship unfolds in a series of surprises. Simon Callow, who starred in the original London production, has called it “one of the most radical gay plays ever written. They simply found each other highly attractive and one thing led to another. It was amusing, touchy, sexy, and entirely normal.”

Tickets for the NLGJA Philadelphia benefit performance on Sunday, April 19, at 7 p.m. are $25. 100% of the profits from this performance will be donated to our chapter. Tickets will go on sale in March. This performance is open to the public as well as NLGJA Philadelphia members.

The Schubin Theatre seats 43 patrons – so it shouldn’t be hard to sell out the house. There will be a pre-show cocktail hour in the vicinity of the theatre (cash bar), details to follow. We will send out another notice once tickets for the show go on sale.

Sigourney Weaver Stars in Lifetime Original Movie "Prayers for Bobby"

2009-01-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

Academy Award Nominee and Golden Globe Winner Sigourney Weaver Stars in Poignant Lifetime Original Movie Prayers for Bobby

Based on a true story and Leroy Aarons' critically acclaimed book

Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son

Los Angeles, CA -- Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Sigourney Weaver (Aliens, Gorillas in the Mist, Working Girl) stars in the Lifetime Original Movie Prayers for Bobby , marking her first performance in a made-for-television motion picture.

Based on a true story and Leroy Aarons' book of the same name, the film tells the story of Mary Griffith, a profoundly religious wife and mother who begins to question her faith after the suicide of her gay son. Ultimately, with the posthumous acceptance of her son's homosexuality, Mary draws strength and comfort from the gay community and becomes an advocate for gay rights. Prayers for Bobby also stars Ryan Kelley (Mean Creek), Henry Czerny (The Tudors), Austin Nichols (John from Cincinnati), Dan Butler (Frasier), Scott Bailey (Guiding Light) and four-time Emmy Award nominee Susan Ruttan (LA Law). Based on a book by acclaimed journalist Leroy Aarons, Prayers for Bobby premieres on Saturday, January 24, 2009 on Lifetime Television.

About the Movie
Mary Griffith (Weaver) is a devout Christian who has raised her children with a conservative religious perspective. When her younger son, Bobby (Kelley), reveals to his older brother that he is gay, the entire family dynamic is irrevocably shifted. While Bobby's father and siblings slowly come to terms with his homosexuality, Mary turns to her steadfast beliefs in an attempt to “cure” her son. Alienated and quickly becoming more detached from the safety of his close knit family, Bobby's depression drives him to suicide. Now, faced with the devastating tragedy of losing a child, Mary begins to question her faith and, through a painfully emotional journey, ultimately draws strength and support from the gay community.

Set in 1980's California, Prayers for Bobby is based on a true story and the groundbreaking book of the same name by Leroy Aarons.

Prayers for Bobby is produced by Once Upon A Time Films in association with Permut Presentations and Sladek Taaffe Productions for Lifetime Television. Emmy Award winner Stanley M. Brooks (LMN's Capture of the Green River Killer, Broken Trail), David Permut (Face/Off), Daniel Sladek (Tale of the Mummy) and Chris Taaffe (Thank Heaven) are executive producers. Silvio Muraglia (High Speed), David Steinberg , Leroy Aarons, Mary Griffith and Steve Longi (Charlie Bartlett) served as co-producers. Damian Ganczewski (Broken Trail) produced the movie. Russell Mulcahy (Queer as Folk, Swimming Up Stream) directed from a script written by Katie Ford (Miss Congeniality).

About Lifetime Television
Lifetime is a diverse, multi-media company, committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of the Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

Meet the NLGJA Philadelphia Board of Directors

2009-01-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

President: Chip Alfred
Chip Alfred is the Communications Director for Equality Forum and a nationally published freelance journalist. Formerly a TV Promotion Director, Chip has lectured at major universities and teaches writing for radio and television at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, N.J.

Vice-President: Matthew T. Patton
Matthew T. Patton is editor of ADVANCE for Medical Laboratory Professionals, a bi-weekly newsmagazine published by Merion Publications, Inc., a publishing house in the Philadelphia suburbs. He has written several historical and genealogical books, focusing on his home state of Kentucky.

Secretary: Gary Kramer
Gary M. Kramer is a publishing executive and a freelance writer and film critic. In Philadelphia, he is a contributing writer to Philadelphia Gay News, The Philadelphia City Paper, aroundphilly.com, Filmbill, and The Jewish Exponent. His work also appears in queer weeklies across the country as well as in Instinct magazine, and the journal Film International. He is the author of Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews.

Treasurer: Sarah Blazucki
Sarah Blazucki is the editor of Philadelphia Gay News, an award-winning LGBT-focused weekly serving the greater Philadelphia area. When not editing spelling, style and substance, she reads, practices yoga, runs, bikes and climbs fake rock walls. In addition, she is a freelance résumé writer and career coach.

Snapshots: NLGJA Philadelphia Holiday Party

2009-01-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

The NLGJA Philadelphia chapter is experiencing a revival. New officers have been elected – including Chip Alfred, president; Matthew T. Patton, vice president; Sarah Blazucki, treasurer; and Gary Kramer, secretary.

For the chapter's holiday cocktail party on December 16, NLGJA Philadelphia hosted OurNightOut, a monthly gathering of LGBT professionals and friends. About 150 revelers packed into Supper, a trendy South Philadelphia restaurant, for some holiday cheer. The event received coverage on WCAU-TV (NBC 10), NBCPhiladelphia.com and in Philadelphia Gay News.

Chapter membership in the "City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection" is on the rise and, according to Alfred, there will be chapter events at least every other month in 2009. "Our goals are to grow membership and increase our presence in the community. I think we are off to a great start," he said.

Photos/courtesy Scott Drake

NLGJA Mourns Larry Fish, Founding Member

2008-12-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

Larry Fish, a founding member of NLGJA-Philadelphia whose career included some 20 years with the city's Inquirer newspaper, died Saturday in his Center City home from complications of heart disease. He was 56 years-old.

William K. Marimow, the Inquirer's editor, is quoted in Mr. Fish's obituary as saying, "I always felt he was a stellar reporter, and just as important, a really terrific colleague. He was accurate, thorough and fair."

In addition to his sister, Mr. Fish is survived by his parents, two sisters and four nephews. NLGJA extends its most sincere sympathies to Mr. Fish's family and friends.

Click here to read the full obituary: http://tinyurl.com/5hpazc.

NLGJA Philadelphia Officers Announced

2008-11-30T16:50:00.001-08:00

The envelope, please!

We are happy to announce the new members of the next local board of directors:

President: Chip Alfred
Vice-President: Matthew T. Patton
Secretary: Gary Kramer
Treasurer: Sarah Blazucki

All individuals accepted their nominations for their respective posts. The one-year terms of office officially begin on Jan. 1, 2009.

October Is GLBT History Month

2008-10-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

Modeled after Black and Women’s History Month, GLBT History Month highlights annually the achievements of 31 gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender Icons—one each day—with a free video, bio, bibliography, images and other resources. Take the weekly Trivia Challenge each Friday, starting October 10, and the Rainbow Challenge at the end of the month.

For more information, visit http://www.glbthistorymonth.com.

Local Chapter Member's Documentary to Screen During Film Festival

2008-09-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

The African documentary A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message (http://www.albolmovie.com/) by Philadelphia-based journalist and filmmaker Scott Hatfield (pictured) profiles the efforts of stylish East African musicians who teamed with Ugandan medical personnel to create a powerful HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention song. Hatfield is a member of NLGJA Philadelphia.

The documentary is scheduled to screen in Philadelphia at the First Glance Film Festival on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7:45 p.m., along with several official selections, at Philadelphia’s Prince Music Theater.

A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message received a number of awards. The 20-minute piece was recognized as a finalist in the 2007 International Health and Medical Media Award competition known as the FREDDIE, in the prevention category. The FREDDIE honor (http://www.thefreddies.com/) is billed as the Oscar of medical/health films.

Recently, the documentary was honored with two 2008 Telly Bronze Awards, in the health and wellness and social issues categories. The documentary A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message was among 14,000 entries received for the 29th Annual Telly Award judging.

“I am truly pleased the documentary is recognized as a 2008 Telly Award winner for its approach in capturing the Ugandan efforts to stop the African AIDS scourge,” said Producer/Director Hatfield. “Using video, photography and the written word to tell the story was a creative challenge I undertook in hopes of sharing the unique musical effort with the world.”

A 2008 Videographer Award of Distinction winner, A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message was filmed entirely in Kampala, Uganda in early 2007 and is screening at various national and international film festivals through 2008.

Clips of the documentary aired on CNN International during a 2007 broadcast of the Africa affairs program Inside Africa with host Femi Oke, and interviews with Producer/Director Hatfield taped in Atlanta, home of CNN. Comcast broadcasted a story in the United States on its network show Art Fennell Reports, also airing clips of the documentary in 2007 along with an extensive interview and commentary with Producer/Director Hatfield.

“The mixing of the Ugandan music artists and medical, health professionals to raise awareness about preventing AIDS was a story I hoped would reach the world,” said Producer/Director Hatfield, who is based in Old City. “It was a privilege and honor to document A Little Bit of Love, allowing more people to hear these important HIV/AIDS prevention messages, rapped or sung in song.”

The Ugandan people are affected deeply by HIV/AIDS in their communities. Stories about lost loved ones, women sexually violated by husbands and becoming infected to Africans living in silence with HIV and dying anonymously were all part of the fabric that led to the making of A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message. These experiences witnessed in everyday East African life led to the cooperation of the Ugandan musicians who worked with medical/health personnel to create HIV/AIDS prevention messages rapped and sung in song. In the documentary, the musicians share their altruistic reasons for joining the unique musical effort.

For more about the documentary visit: http://www.albolmovie.com/.

Local Chapter Member Honored by NLGJA

2008-09-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

By Jen Colletta
PGN Staff Writer

Gail Shister (pictured) has grown accustomed to having to break down barriers.

As one of the first out reporters in the journalism industry and the first female sports writer at the Buffalo Evening News, the New Orleans States-Item and the Philadelphia Inquirer, she learned quickly how to hurtle over seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association recognized the strides Shister has made for the LGBT community as it inducted her into its LGBT Journalists Hall of Fame at the organization’s annual convention in Washington, D.C., Aug. 21-24.

Shister and this year’s other inductee, former Village Voice executive editor Richard Goldstein, now join seven other previously inducted LGBT pioneers, such as activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, the late NLGJA founder Leroy Aarons and Sarah Pettit, the late Newsweek editor and co-creator of OUT Magazine.

Although Shister said she was “overwhelmed and tremendously honored” to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, she also proffered another frank attitude about the award: “It makes you feel really old. You think of people in a Hall of Fame as either old or dead; you don’t think of them as being young and virile with biceps of steel like myself,” she said.

The Buffalo, N.Y., native, who started as a sports writer at the Inquirer in 1979, said she was forced to hone her sense of humor decades ago in order to manage the discrimination she faced in the journalism industry.

“It was very, very depressing. I was the first woman in the sports department at the Inquirer, and some of those guys were still living in the Stone Age. They really resented having a woman there,” she said. “Sports is kind of like the last bastion of male supremacy. They don’t want women in the locker room, which the sports department still is at a lot of papers — it’s the equivalent of a locker room. When we’d all be covering the games, the other guys just wouldn’t even speak to me. The hostility was unbelievable.”

Shister joked that the “sheer force of [her] fabulous personality” was influential in solidifying her position in the local newspaper industry.

“I eventually had to prove myself to them and show that I wasn’t going to take any crap from them,” she said. “Eventually, we worked out a decent relationship.”

In 1982, Shister started writing a daily television column for the Inquirer, which was picked up by hundreds of publications across the country.

Although Shister said it was challenging to be one of the few out journalists in the country at that time, she said the fact that she has always been open about her sexual orientation instilled an unshakable confidence in her that has served as a valuable motivator over the years.

“I came out at birth. I’ve been out since God was a boy. I’ve never been in the closet, and I think that’s given me a tremendous advantage, because I haven’t had to use a lot of energy over the years pretending to be someone I wasn’t,” she said. “That energy instead went into my work. It sounds totally ridiculous, but I’ve never doubted my work, my talent, my tenaciousness or my ability to succeed.”

Shister joined the NLGJA in 1991, the year after its founding, and started the local NLGJA chapter the same year. She served as the vice president of the national organization in the 1990s and spent two terms on the NLGJA board.

She noted that she initially became involved with NLGJA to establish camaraderie with other out journalists, who she said were always few and far between.

About 450 LGBT journalists attended last week’s conference, and Shister said she’s still amazed at how much the industry’s attitude toward LGBT journalists has changed since she started in the business — a trend she said NLGJA had a large role in developing.

“Thirty years ago, the idea of a national organization for gay reporters just was unheard of,” she said. “I always felt like the only one. And I’m like Groucho Marx — I hate groups. I don’t belong to any group that would have me as a member. But this group just captured me from day one because it was such a mindblower. I never thought it would happen, but I’m so glad that it did.”

Shister continued her television piece for 25 years until Inquirer management scrapped the column in April 2007 because of employment cutbacks; Shister is now a metro reporter for the paper and writes mostly profile pieces.

Shister said it’s near impossible to select her most memorable interview from the thousands of stories she’s written, but did say she was especially proud of a recent profile she wrote about Dr. Aaron Beck, the father of cognitive therapy.

She said it’s taken some time adjusting to her new reporter position, but that she’s trying to find the silver lining.

“I’m in a whole different milieu now. For 25 years my whole world was TV, and that was taken away from me, so I’ve had to adapt,” she said. “But I have made contacts in worlds that I had had no communication with before. I now know some judges, some big-time political people, some big-time labor people and some big-time lawyers. These are circles I hadn’t traveled in before and fields I had no connection to. So I’m starting from square one, but it’s opening me up to tremendous new vistas that I wouldn’t have known about before. I’m trying to look at the upside of it.”

Shister will celebrate her 29th year with the Inquirer in October and is also beginning her fourth semester teaching a course on TV criticism at the University of Pennsylvania next week.

“Talk about a tough transition,” she said of designing her own course. “I thought creating a syllabus was going to kill me, it was so hard. But I really love it, and the kids seem to love it. I’ve stepped out of Kansas, and I feel happy.”

Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

© 2008 Philadelphia Gay News. Reprinted with permission.

Member Q&A: Chip Alfred

2008-09-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

Chip Alfred,
Communications Director,
Equality Forum, Philadelphia

Q. Tell us about your career path.
A: It’s been a long and windy road from San Francisco to Tampa to North Carolina to South Florida to Kentucky to Philly in February 2008. Before moving to the City of Brotherly Love, I worked as a TV Promotion Director and freelanced as a writer for GLBT publications. My job at Equality Forum gives me the opportunity to do the work I love while making a difference in the GLBT community. I am also teaching TV Promotion part-time and coaching students at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill.

Q. What brought you to Philadelphia?
A: I was ready for a change, after 17 years in TV, and wanted to be in a bigger, gay-friendly city. When the opportunity came up at Equality Forum, all the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit together.

Q: What do you think are the most important issues GLBT journalists face today?
A: It’s become more and more challenging for a GLBT weekly or month publication to survive in this world of “fast-food news.” The proliferation of Internet news sites and blogs has made the industry much more competitive and the demand for news much more instantaneous. If the GLBT community wants to continue to have quality newspapers and magazines dealing with our issues, we as a community, along with GLBT and gay-friendly businesses, need to support the GLBT media more.

Q: What do you love most about the city?
A: Still considering myself a relative newbie here, there is a lot of this area I have yet to see. I have to say the most amazing thing to me is the gay-welcoming nature of this city – evidenced most prominently by the rainbow-colored street signs in the gayborhood. Just the fact that there is an official “gayborhood” means a lot to someone who has spent a considerable amount of time living in the Bible Belt.

Want to be featured in an upcoming post? E-mail matthewtpatton@yahoo.com.

Chapter Brunch: October 26

2008-09-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

Please join NLGJA Philadelphia at Valanni (http://www.valanni.com/) at 1226 Spruce St., Philadelphia, on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. for a chapter brunch! Friends and significant others welcomed! Please take a moment to review the menu and pricing.

We will be discussing activities for the Philadelphia chapter in the next year and beginning a drive to increase membership among gay and lesbian journalists and public relations professionals and college students studying in those fields. Bring your ideas!

NLGJA Philadelphia works to provide social, networking and career development opportunities for our members. We are working toward hosting a monthly happy hour series and a holiday party, as well as monthly events that range from theater outings to sporting events.

RSVP by e-mailing matthewtpatton@yahoo.com today! Deadline for RSVP is Oct. 20.

Giovanni's Room Celebrates 35th Anniversary

2008-08-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

Giovanni's Room will be celebrating its 35th anniversary this fall with a number of events. These are just the first. When the book seller started in 1973, there were way fewer than 100 titles on the shelves, among them James Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room," which has been almost continuously in print ever since.

In those days, every homosexual in North America had heard of the novel because there were so few gay novels, so the name was a codeword--lesbians and gay men knew what it meant but most other people did not.

Nowadays relatively few have heard of it, so Giovanni's Room is pleased "that we in our very small way help keep the book alive, though it's hard to explain where the name comes from to someone who calls to order a pizza!"

For more information about August events, visit http://www.giovannisroom.com/.

Join Us in Washington

2008-08-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

Join us this August 21-24 for "NLGJA Goes to Washington," our 2008 National Convention & 5th Annual LGBT Media Summit.

This is your chance to take part in three days of hands-on training, discussions and power networking with 700 of your friends and colleagues in the heart of the nation’s capital.

For more information, visit www.nlgja.org.

NLGJA Philadelphia Relaunch

2008-07-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

From your Chapter President, Matthew T. Patton:

As some as you may know, the Philadelphia chapter of NLGJA has been seemingly inactive for the past couple of years. Prior to that, the chapter representing the nation's fifth largest city was extremely active, with studio tours, brunches, mixers, holiday parties and other fun events. We can, with your help, become active again -- and emerge better than ever!

I've been charged with breathing life into the "new" chapter. To get started, I'd like to set up a coffee shop meeting (coffee's on me) for anyone who'd like to meet me in Center City (in the next 2 or so weeks) to talk about how we can work together to re-establish NLGJA Philadelphia, whether it's through mixers, outreach or other social venues.

To give you a little background, I joined the organization in 1999 after I was a student in the student project at the Atlanta convention. Since then, I've served as student mentor at national conventions and have, along the way, been involved in local activities. I've always been a "behind-the-scenes" member, so I'm looking forward and embracing this new role as chapter president.

In the meantime, let me hear back from you with your ideas for reinvigorating the chapter, and look for details about our upcoming coffee talk gathering. Finally, don't forget that I'll need a volunteer to help me relaunch the Web site.

Looking forward to hearing from you.