At the National Politics Panel, experts weighed in on DOMA, ENDA and the chance we'll have an LGBT presidential candidate in the near future.
  
(L-R) National Black Justice Coalition’s Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Washington Blade editor Kevin Naff and the Equality Forum’s own Malcolm Lazin spoke on the National Politics Panel.
One of the cornerstones of each year’s Equality Forum is its wide array of topical panel discussions, and this year was no different: programming this go-round dissected everything from religion, the rights of the transgendered, and LGBT history to legal issues for the community and a lively chat among elected LGBT officials, including Pennsylvania’s own state reps Brian Sims and Mike Fleck.
One of our favorites was the National Politics Panel held at the National Constitution Center on Friday, May 3, which was moderated by Chuck Wolfe, the president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Institute, which raises money and support to elect LGBT candidates for political office. (Wolfe is basically the LGBT equivalent of Stephanie Schriock of Emily’s List.) The purpose of the panel was simple: To assess where the LGBT movement is in the national political landscape, and analyze, predict, and mull where it’s headed. READ MORE
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In "Tease," Jan Rattia offers a rare window into the lives of those mysterious men who make their living disrobing for strangers.
Jan Rattia has been taking pictures since he was a teenager in his native Venezuela, but it wasn’t until he was well into his thirties — and feeling unfulfilled with his career in business — that he decided to turn his passion for photography into a career. A graduate of New York’s prestigious International Center for Photography, Rattia, 38, moved from Atlanta to Rittenhouse Square with his partner, Neil Thall, last year. Today he debuts his first Philly gallery show, provocatively titled “Tease.” READ MORE
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Aside from his Abercrombie looks, the kicker also has interesting bona fides: a killer leg and an off-field identity as a devout Christian.
Following up on the initial report from OutSports, Out magazine’s web site has an interesting take on the now-underway NFL draft, and more specifically the case of kicker Alan Gendreau, arguably the first true “out” NFL prospect. Aside from his Abercrombie looks, which would certainly attract marketing attention, Gendreau also has interesting bona fides: a killer leg and an off-field identity as a devout Christian. The latter is a wrench that those who argue that having an openly gay player in the locker room would be a tremendous distraction will have a hard time getting around. READ MORE
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The sexy 30-year-old marketing specialist finishes our sentences — while shirtless!
 G Philly: My coming-out story is …
Joe Baker: Not nearly as confusing as Jodie Foster’s during the Golden Globes. I am thankful and fortunate that my family was very accepting. However, afterward my mother would call daily and remind me that I can’t be gay: “Y ou kill plants.”
GP: My worst date was …
JB: You want me to pick just one?
GP: My friends are constantly ribbing me about …
JB: My innate obsession with technology and gadgets.
GP: You wouldn’t believe that I eat …
JB: Oh, man. If it’s bad for you, I love it: home-style fried chicken, mac and cheese. Mac and cheese should really be its own food group.
GP: If I did porn, I would want the plot to be …
JB: Something dark and mysterious.
GP: The thing that annoys me most about Philly is …
JB: Potholes. Have you ridden down one of our streets lately? I’m not sure you could publish what I really want to say. READ MORE
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The 28-year-old urban designer reveals what turns him on, what he "geeks out on" and his secret celebrity crush.
 G Philly: What are your interests?
Greg Meckstroth: I’m obsessed with urbanism, city planning, and architecture. That’s what I geek out on. And I like to play tennis.
GP: What turns you on?
GM: Emotional intelligence. And, of course, a guy who’s good-looking. I’m attracted to guys who are five-nine, dark hair, fit.
GP: Five-nine? That’s pretty specific.
GM: I’ve just found that I tend to date guys shorter than I am. This is what happens when you’re single, you figure it out. Though it’s not absolute — I have dated taller than me!
GP: Turn-offs?
GM: If I meet someone at a bar, even if he’s hot, but we start talking and it’s clear we have nothing to talk about, I lose interest. Also, if he isn’t sarcastic or is too serious.
GP: Complete this phrase: When it comes to sex, I …
GM: Want more of it. [laughs] READ MORE
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A NoLibs townhouse living room is a study in subtle gay chic.
Thailand might not seem like the most immediate place one thinks of to shop for new fur niture, but when Alex Rosato and his partner, Keith Elsen, a realtor at Cityspace, went to decorate their new townhouse in Northern Liberties five years ago, that’s precisely where they found inspiration. “The open markets there are just incredible,” says Alex, 48, owner of the John Andrews hair salon in Wayne. “We took a trip to Chiang Mai after we moved in, and had a lot of the stuff shipped back.” READ MORE
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This season, fashion is all about muted color palettes and classic silhouettes sure to catch any guy’s eye.
Soft earth tones offer a clean transition from winter chill to spring warmth. Shirt by Van Laack, $255, sweater by Loro Piana, $1,295, and blazer by Gimo’s, $1,295, all at Boyd’s, Philadelphia. Pants by Brunello Cucinelli, $495 at Neiman Marcus, King of Prussia. READ MORE
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Our editor explains the revamped editorial slant behind our fab quarterly gay glossy and accompanying blog.
Yesterday marked the beginning of a new era for all of us here at G Philly—the publication of our Spring 2013 issue, and with it a new editorial direction for the publication. READ MORE
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Gorges' coming out would be a game-changer in pro sports.
 Our friends over at OutSports.com have been mulling forever the prospect of an active pro athlete coming out of the closet, which would certainly be a game-changer in the world of pro sports. Now it seems as if they (and we) might get their wish: Reports have surfaced this morning that Montreal Canadiens hockey player Josh Gorges is scheduled to announce this week that he’s gay.
While one could certainly argue that a coming-out story from MLB or the NFL (as Philly Mag explored not long ago) would carry more firepower, Gorges’ coming out–if confirmed–would nonetheless be a game-changer (ha!) in pro sports. For now, the German-born Gorges is staying mum, neither confirming nor denying the rumor. But for many of us who as tortured teens could not have imagined a pro athlete having the balls to come out of the closet (or gays being able to legally marry, either), just the prospect of such an announcement is cause for unbridled glee.
And a compelling reason to start watching hockey.
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In an online essay, the former presidential candidate explains why his party should go gay.
 As we lurch toward the March 1st sequester amid endless finger-pointing (Obama to GOP: “You want to throw poor people under the bus!” GOP to Obama: “You want to throw rich people under the bus!”), that rarest of birds has come out of its nest to offer a glimmer of hope for the future: the well-reasoned conservative.
As a demo gays may be a firmly Democratic lot, but the truth is half the country isn’t, and won’t be, probably ever. If we have any hope of ever breaking out of this awful paralysis that threatens our collective future, red state and blue, it’s going to have be done by somebody—anybody—having the guts to stand up and speak out and say, “This is nuts. The other side has some good points.”
Enter Jon Huntsman, the intelligent, interesting, and provocative former governor of Utah and ambassador to China who, naturally, got clobbered in the GOP primaries for President last year. (Because really, who wants those qualities in a presidential candidate when there’s… Mitt Romney?) In a fantastic essay for The American Conservative online yesterday, he laid out a convincing argument to the party of Reagan about why it should back gay marriage. Yes, gay marriage.
No, it’s no enough. And yes, he may be, for the moment at least, the canary in the coal mine. But we should be thankful that at least someone on the right other than that fabulous Ted Olsen is standing up for the LGBT community when it comes to this issue. It almost makes you weepy to think what might happen if his fellow GOPers actually took the time to listen.
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