Washington Blade - April 26, 2006
Greg Marzullo

The Equality Forum, which started in 1993 as PrideFest Philadelphia, is being held May 1-7 in various locations around the city. The week is crammed with panels, film screenings, art exhibits and lectures all related to gay civil rights and the current gay cultural experience around the world.

"We're going through a transitional period in terms of our civil rights movement," says Malcolm Lazin, executive director and founder of Equality Forum. "We need to continue to educate our own community, but more importantly, we need to be engaging the mainstream community."

In an attempt to address the interactions between gay and straight people and their intersecting day-to-day experiences, Lazin says this year's Forum will, as usual, address blatant homophobia but will also begin to explore systemic discrimination.

THE FORUM COVERS a variety of topics throughout the week to generate discussion about - and give people tools for - handling the current state of gay civil rights.

Included in the lineup are the ongoing hot-button subjects of marriage and politics. Three panels devoted to these themes cover marriage, the 2006 elections and the roles of gay elected officials. The guests are not all from one area of expertise, political party or the liberal East and West Coast hot spots of gay life. Panelists include Davina Kotulski, the executive director of Marriage Equality U.S.A., Patrick Guerriero, the executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans and Jim Roth, a gay Oklahoma City councilman.

"[Gay civil rights] is a very fast-moving movement," says Lazin. "What we're trying to do is always stay ahead of that curve, yet make sure we're providing adequate focus on all the issues."

In an attempt to stay ahead of the technological curve, Equality Forum is hosting a media panel on the way blogs affect reporting in all types of media, gay and otherwise. Among the guests is Jeff Gannon, bisexual conservative blogger and occasional opinion columnist for the Washington Blade. He garnered media attention when he was exposed as a former male escort while working as a member of the White House press corps.

Gannon describes his site, www.jeffgannon.com, as "a voice of the new media."

"The old media is the traditional media - TV, newspapers, magazines - that have been dominated by one viewpoint for the longest time," Gannon says. "The new media is that which hasn't been dominated and has been open to allow expression of other points of view."

Other media panelists include John Aravosis, a longtime gay rights activist and blogger behind the site AMERICAblog, who broke the story of Gannon's past work as an escort.

The pairing of Gannon and Aravosis should make for some interesting repartee. Aravosis refused the Blade's interview request for this article.

Anne Gordon, managing editor of the Philadelphia Enquirer and Pam Spaulding, a liberal blogger on politics and gay civil rights issues, are also part of the event.

While Gannon is certainly in the panel's minority in terms of his political views, he says he still has a valuable contribution to make.

"I'm willing to compete in the marketplace in free ideas," he says. "People are free to agree or disagree."

Each year the Forum also highlights the gay climate and culture in one nation. This year the featured nation is China.

Clockwise from top: Cyndi Lauper performing at 2005's Equality LIVE! Concert, two men kissing in front of anti-gay protesters, director of the Log Cabin Republicans Patrick Guerriero (left) with gay Time blogger and author Andrew Sullivan who received one of 2005's 40 Gay Pioneers awards, Equality Forum founder and executive director Malcolm Lazin (far left) at a panel, gay activist protesting anti-gay activists, partiers at one of Equality Forum's many celebrations. (Photos courtesy of Equality Forum)

ALONG WITH THE focus on gay media, business practices, religion and raising families, the Equality Forum has long been devoted to gay art and film. Much of the buzz this year revolves around the documentary film "Saint of 9/11," a portrait of Father Mychael Judge, a gay New York City Fire Department chaplain and Franciscan friar who died at ground zero on 9/11.

Lazin served as the executive producer of the documentary directed by Glen Holsten. The pair worked on two previous films presented at Equality Forum, "Jim in Bold," a chronicle about gay youth in America, and "Gay Pioneers" which focused on the early frontrunners of gay civil rights.

"In terms of Mychael Judge, we immediately became interested after 9/11," says Lazin. He adds, though, that the film team understood some time needed to elapse before bringing the friar's story to the screen.

"It really is allowing the passage of time in order to provide perspective," he says.

"Saint of 9/11" has been attracting mainstream interest because of its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 27. The New York Times has selected the documentary as one of two films that will be the subject of a special screening and panel discussion after the festival.

"It's a film which is really made for the mainstream, but like æBrokeback Mountain,' it's a film our community will be really proud of," Lazin says.

Equality Forum is also hosting its seventh annual art exhibit, featuring the photography of lesbian artists B. Proud and Maria Martinez-Canas, and on Sunday evening, at the annual Equality LIVE! concert, people can enjoy the vocals of three-time Grammy-nominated musician Taylor Dane at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing.

AFTER A LONG week of wrapping your brain around intense topics, the legendary Blue Ball could be just the escape everyone needs. Organized by the Sapphire Fund, a philanthropic organization dedicated to gay Philadelphians, this year's circuit party is the first time the party will be held in above-freezing temperatures. At least part of the event's name came from the traditional January date.

"After 15 years, a lot of us were a little tired of being cold," says Matthew Ray, one of the all-volunteer organizers for the party. "January is a tough sell. How do I convince someone in L.A. to spend time with me in January?"

Ray says the primary goal of Blue Ball is to raise money for gay charities in the party's local area, and since its 1991 inception, the event has given more than $1.6 million to its historically AIDS/HIV-related beneficiaries. The Blue Ball regularly has around 4,000 attendees, but Ray says the organizers are expecting a slightly higher number because of the Forum and the warm weather.

"[Blue Ball] was a fundraiser to benefit the community suffering from AIDS," says Ray. "As we've expanded in the last four years, we've tried to pick not only beneficiaries that help people living with AIDS and HIV, we've also tried to pick organizations that promote understanding, education and enrichment in LGBTQ communities."

This year's recipients are the William Way Community Center, Philadelphia's gay and lesbian community center established in 1996, the Attic Youth Center, the city's organization dedicated to assisting gay youth, and the Mazzoni Center which provides medical and mental health services to minorities and those affected by HIV.

Starting on Friday, May 5, a VIP reception kicks off the circuit weekend, followed by the first dance, Shamblue with DJ Gomi, a devotee of superstar gay DJ Junior Vasquez, in the booth. After persistently approaching Vasquez with his music, Gomi finally began a collaboration with him. While under Vasquez's wing, Gomi began making a name for himself by remixing for Cher, Madonna, Celine Dion and Whitney Houston and gaining residencies at New York's Avalon and XL.

The main event, Blue Ball: Fusion, takes place Saturday night at the Electric Factory and will be deejayed by Tracy Young. The star DJ's remixing art is adored by gay icons like Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Nicks and Shakira. She currently lives in Miami but travels all over the world to spin her now-legendary tunes. The Fusion party starts at 10 p.m. and lasts until dawn.

On Sunday morning there's the annual Blue Ball brunch, a tradition for all those who can crawl out of bed, and for many attendees, it's the highlight of the weekend.

"Anything that has eggs and bacon and boys at - I'm ready to go," laughs Ray.

Tickets for individual events range from $20-$85, and package passes, which include admission to the weekend's big events and a gift bag, go for $115. If you really want to put your gay money where your mouth is, be an angel and buy one of the Angel VIP passes for a minimum donation of $1,000. For your contribution, you get two passes to the weekend's events, assured seating at the brunch, entrance into VIP lounges and a gift bag.

This year's weekend also includes a large women's party on Friday night. DJ Melissa, recently in D.C. for Cherry weekend, will be spinning the tunes, and she's no stranger to Blue Ball, having played their main event last year.

Ray says the women's event has become extremely popular.

"[The women's party] brings in a whole new market. It's part of the inclusiveness," he says.

Both Ray and Lazin say the link between the circuit party and Equality Forum was created for mutual benefit and not because of any planned combination of the two organizations.

"Blue Ball asked to present their parties during Equality Forum," Lazin says. "We were pleased to have them do that."

Ray cites the complimentary fit of the two events as part of the reasoning behind the party's move to the week of Equality Forum.

"I think Blue Ball has a proven track record of really great events," says Ray. "I think Equality Forum has a track record of wonderful outreach and educational venues. It's a fit."

060426
WB060407

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2006. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .