The Philadelphia Gay News

Love was in the air at the Philly Pride Visitor Center on Aug. 14 in celebration of National Romance Awareness Day. Councilmember Rue Landau, the city’s first openly LGBTQ+ city councilmember, hosted a vow renewal ceremony, which also featured complimentary couples portraits, Prosecco from Knock Bar & Restaurant and cupcakes from Cake Life Bake Shop.

Aries: Mercury and Jupiter meet in fellow fire sign Leo on Aug. 15, where meaning what you say and speaking honestly is the key to moving forward. This could be a time of taking greater responsibility and putting into practice what you have learned. The north node moves out of Pisces and back into Aquarius, showing a spiritual need to grow and develop personally no matter what phase of life you are in. Taurus: When Mercury and Jupiter meet in Leo on Aug.

When comedian Dina Nina moved from Los Angeles to the Midwest, she sought spaces where women and queer comics would be both prioritized and safe. She enjoyed the kinds of connections she found in those spaces in other cities, but wanted to find that same sense of community in her new home. This was the start of the Lady Laughs International Comedy Festival, which launched in Madison, WI in 2016.

The start of the school year should be a time of new learning and new opportunities. For LGBTQ+ parents, however, it may also bring concerns about how welcoming and inclusive our children’s schools will be. I advise following these ABCs. Before our children even start school, we can build their self-understanding and self-confidence by affirming their own identities, modeling good interpersonal behaviors, and conveying core lessons about values, ethics, and relating to others.

Last week, Philadelphia City Council held a hearing about allegations of police brutality in the Gayborhood following Pride celebrations on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. If you’re an avid PGN reader, you may wonder why this week’s editorial is focusing on a story that was front-page news LAST WEEK. And that’s because this needs to be an ongoing conversation.

Action Wellness has received a combined $60,000 in grants from two foundations to support emergency assistance, housing stability and perinatal services for people living with or at high risk of acquiring HIV. The funding includes a $40,000 grant from the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust for the Michael Taylor Fund (MTF) and a $20,000 grant from the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

Writer/director Dylan Meyer’s feature debut, “The Wrong Girls,” opening Aug. 14 at area theaters, is a genial stoner comedy about two friends, Frankie (Kristen Stewart, Meyer’s wife) and Molly (Alia Shawkat), who unexpectedly get caught up in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

So Rob Jetten, the openly gay Prime Minister of the Netherlands, tells me that were it not for people like me, he wouldn’t be prime minister. He takes a selfie with me. His staff gets their pictures. And you’d think that would be the most incredible thing that happened to me at WorldPride in Amsterdam. It was incredible. But there were other moments that were far more emotional — and, at times, surreal. One of the WorldPride displays brought me to tears.

Following allegations by former employees who accused Marsha’s — the city’s first queer-owned women’s sports bar — of fostering a workplace culture marked by transphobia, misogyny and retaliation, owner Chivonn Anderson participated in a community listening session on Aug. 1 at the South Street Headhouse District’s office. “At this time, we’re focusing on the critical repair work and healing needed in our community,” said a representative from Marsha’s to PGN via email.

“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” once eloquently said, “Yo homes, smell you later.” It would be an appropriate salute for this week’s Portrait, Bee Sampson. Bee is the person behind Venus Invictus, a perfume company with fragrances based on Greek and Roman mythology. We met as I was sampling their wares at the William Way LGBT Community Center’s Summer Vibes Block Party last month. So tell me, where are you originally from? I am originally from Florida.