Dito van Reigersberg's Pig Iron Theatre Company was among this year's Knight Arts Grant winners.

Way back in January, I posted about six LGBTQ-related artistic groups up for the 2013 Knight Arts Challenge, an annual contest run by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation that doles out tens of thousands of dollars to local creative types who have “the best ideas for engaging and enriching Philadelphia through the arts.” Well, the awards were finally announced last night and I’m happy to say that two gay artists walked away winners, two who just so happen to be boyfriends.

Dito van Reigersberg‘s (aka Martha Graham Cracker) Pig Iron Theatre Company won $60,000 “to merge two indie-arts genres by translating the music of rock band Dr. Dog into a theatrical spectacle.” READ MORE

"Dreams are bus passes with no expiry date." Philly's Denice Frohman at the Women of the World Poetry Slam.

Philly poet/lyricist Denice Frohman brought home the top prize at this weekend’s sixth annual Women of the World Poetry Slam (WoWPS) in Minneapolis — beating out 70 female poets from around the world. The queer 27-year-old announced the win on her Facebook page yesterday, saying, “This is for Philly. NYC. For my abuela. For my family. For the Latina queer girl who wonders if this world will ever understand her.”

Frohman — who was just named one of Philly’s emerging LGBT leaders in the Philadelphia Gay News — works as an educator and program director for the Philly Youth Poetry Movement, and she lends her face and voice to the citywide UnLitter Us Campaign. As a multicultural queer woman, she says her work is about pushing gender norms and “claiming the power to wear multiple identities proudly, and to wear them however we wish.”

You wear “winner” well, Denice. Many congrats!

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Haddonfield Child Care posted this statement on its website today. It’s super vague, but I’m guessing it’s in response to their decision to invite then disinvite Martha Graham Cracker to read Dr. Seuss to their students.

Haddonfield Child Care is committed to providing an environment that recognizes and encourages diversity in our staff and activities. Along with that commitment comes a responsibility to be sensitive to the developmental levels, maturity and ages of the children in our programs, which range from 5 to 11 years old. We strive to provide a variety of activities that respect the individual needs and parenting styles of all of the families we serve.

What do you think?

Philly drag cabaret legend Martha Graham Cracker has performed in front of almost every kind of audience imaginable — from gays and straights to, well, Bill Murray — but recently she was asked to do something she’s never done before: read to kids at an after-school program. The unique opportunity was nixed dead in its tracks, however, when school officials chimed in that her act was “inappropriate” for children.

It all started when Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret bandleader (and Philly Post contributor) Victor Fiorillo received an email from Mark Simmons, a supervisor at Haddonfield Child Care, an after-school program in New Jersey with around 25 kids ranging in age from kingergarten to fifth grade. He wanted Martha to take part in his upcoming Read Across America series that paid tribute Dr. Seuss. She would read from a Seuss book of her choice, and maybe sing a few kid-friendly ditties. Simmons stated that he usually invited “local authors, police, politicians and illustrators,” but wanted to ask Martha, because he was “trying to add a bit of variety to our program.”

Fiorillo says the group was excited to accept the invitation. A message was posted on the Cabaret’s Facebook wall, and “likers” seemed ecstatic about the idea. A few days later, however, Fiorillo received this message from Simmons: READ MORE