20

www.facebook.com/readingpride www.twitter.com/readingpride
Proud Sponsors of Reading Pride Celebration
Chef Alans American Bistro
525 Penn Ave., West Reading, PA 19611

Crowne Plaza
1741 Paper Mill Rd., Wyomissing, PA 19610

Red Star Saloon
11 South 10th St., Reading, PA 19602
The Gayzette is currently accepting literary contributions for the newsletters
next edition. If you would like your work included, please submit your item by
way of email, CD, or flash drive. Articles should be approximately 350 words or
less in length. Any submission will be subject to editing and possible rejection.
Questions and submissions may be directed to our email address:
rpcgayzette@gmail.com.

The Official Newsletter of Reading Pride Celebration
2

From the
Presidents Desk

The Gayzette
A publication of
Reading Pride Celebration
The Gayzette is a GLBT and
allies publication serving the
Greater Reading Pride area
with the latest LGBT news,
announcements, and more.
______________________
Summer 2014, Vol. 17
______________________
NEWSLETTER COMMIT-
TEE CHAIR
Richard T. Wagner

EDITING AND LAYOUT
Richard T. Wagner

CONTRIBUTORS
Sue Hain
Jim Kuser
Fr. Dewayne Messenger
Ben Renkus
Richard Spangler
Richard Wagner
______________________
DISCLAIMER: The views
expressed in these articles are
those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the views of
Reading Pride Celebration.
by Richard Spangler
What a year it has been for Pennsylva-
nia and Reading Pride Celebration. The marriage
equality that most were predicting was at least 10
years away. It suddenly became reality on May
20, 2014 and everything changed. We thought it
would be temporary, because surely the Corbett
administration would appeal the decision. A day
later came the news that there was to be no ap-
peal. Before we could catch our breaths, mar-
riage equality was the law in the Commonwealth.
This scenario has been repeating throughout the
country. There is now no state in the nation that
is not in some form of litigation questioning the
constitutionality of Defense of Marriage Legisla-
tion. It is now a foregone conclusion that the
United States of America will be a marriage
equality nation. The only question that remains,
will it continue to be state by state or will the Su-
preme Court of the United States of America
(SCOTUS) finally say enough is enough, and
make it the law of the land.
We have much to celebrate and be proud
of, and as a direct result of these changes, there
will be a wedding at Pride on July 20, 2014. Two
women who wish to commit to each other, will
legally be wed. The key word is legally.

19
Upcoming Events
July 20, 2014 12:00 PM Reading Pride Celebration 2014
Centre Park, Reading, PA

July 20, 2014 6:00 PM Official Pride After Party
Goodnites Lounge at the Crowne Plaza
Reading, PA

July 21, 2014 7:00 PM RPC General Membership Meeting
Chef Alans American Bistro
525 Penn Avenue, West Reading, PA 19611

August 4, 2014 7:05 PM LGBT Night at the Fightin Phils
First Energy Stadium
Reading, PA

August 16, 2014 8:30 PM Reading Pride Celebration Pageant
Crowne Plaza
Reading, PA

August 18, 2014 7:00 PM RPC General Membership Meeting
Chef Alans American Bistro
525 Penn Avenue, West Reading, PA 19611


18

What Does Gay Pride
Mean in 2014

by Sue Hain
What does "gay pride" mean in 2014? One response was, "not letting
anyone sway your opinion of love just because of their ignorance." I would say,
that's right to the heart of the matter and something that takes many of us years
to learn! As always, love is the key. Taking pride in ourselves, -in who we are as
human beings begins in loving ourselves. Loving ourselves makes it possible for
us to love others.
LGBT people are witnesses to incredible bravery. Progress has been
made because one by one, LGBT people have stepped out into full light. It is
impossible to be healthy, loving and fully whole human beings while living a life
buried in the darkness. Pride is an act made possible by love, and an act that
changes the world around us little by little. The world is changing because indi-
viduals, families and, organizations, want something better for themselves and
for the future generations, and are all working together to make sure that love
wins out in the end.
SEND YOUR SUBMISSIONS VIA EMAIL, CD, OR FLASH DRIVE

EDITORIALS FICTION NON-FICTION RECIPES
REVIEWS GLBT EVENTS POETRY ADVICE
IF YOU WRITE IT, WE WANT IT!

SUBMISSIONS SHOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 250 WORDS AND ARE SUBJECT TO
EDITING OR REJECTION.

CONTACT: RPCGAYZETTE@GMAIL.COM
SUBMIT YOUR WORK SUBMIT YOUR WORK
SUBMIT YOUR WORK SUBMIT YOUR WORK
3
Not a commitment ceremony, not a domestic partnership, not a civil union. The
appropriate word for this joyous occasion is marriage, the same as the millions
of straight couples have been doing since the beginning of time. So let us CEL-
EBRATE who we are and what we have accomplished.
But let us not after the celebrating who we are and where we have come
from and our newly acquired freedoms and equality, forget that Gay men in this
country CANNOT donate blood, that there is no state or federal protections for
employment and housing for LGBT Americans. So while we have come so far,
there is still a long way to go till there is full equality. And when our struggle is
won, let us all remember our brothers and sisters in many other countries
around the globe who have yet to even be accorded any human dignity or rights.
RPC is very happy to be continue our partnership with the Reading
Fightin Phil's and once again be apart of the Second annual LGBT NIGHT AT
THE READING FIGHTIN PHILS. This years game is scheduled for Monday
August 4th. The Fightin Phils will be vendors at Reading Pride Celebration on
Sunday July 20, 2014 at Centre Park from Noon to 6 PM. Visit their booth for
Free tickets to the game.
Reading Pride Celebration is extremely proud that we have entered into a
partnership with the Greater Reading Convention and Visitors Bureau. Please
see the article on this partnership for further details, also in this edition of The
Gayzette.
Finally, we are entering our eighth year and will begin planning for 2015
our ninth festival. We are always looking for people to join us and become the
future of Reading Pride Celebration. Wouldnt you like to be a part of LGBT
History in Greater Reading. You can make a difference; just ask our members,
we know it and Thank You all for standing up and being counted on the side of
Equality and Human Dignity.
4 17
Birthday Celebratons
Other things discussed was a combined press conference regarding
the festival and the partnership; tagging businesses, organizations, events
that are LGBTA Friendly; encouraging LGBT businesss membership
with the GRCVB; presence on RPCs website inviting visitors to Greater
Reading, identifying LGBTA Media outlets, etc.
Last year we entered into a partnership with the Reading Fightin
Phils and their First Annual LGBT Night which was very successful. We
are looking forward to a long and productive relationship with the
GRCVB. We will continue to look for other partnerships in time to help
promote our mission and further other organizations partnerships with
the Greater Reading LGBTA Community.
Happy birthday to the following friends and committee
members of Reading Pride Celebration!

David Ramos July 14
Amber Brown July 22
Geri Farley July 22
Bethany Colon July 29
Lewis Colon August 5th
Fanci DisMount August 13
th

Jane Street August 29
Minaj A Twa July 9
Pedro Lozenzi September 9
Stephanie Sarti September 9
Justin Mason September 10
Jason Roth September 12
Whitley Nycole DeAire September 17
16

Visitors Bureau and Pride
Form Partnership

by Ben Renkus
Several months ago Crystal Seitz, President of the Greater Read-
ing Convention and Visitors Bureau (GRCVB), wrote an article in the
Reading Eagle about the benefits of attracting members of the LGBTA
community from other areas to our area. Recently, Dr. Santo Marabella
offered his expertise in marketing and management to Reading Pride Cele-
bration (RPC) and arranged a meeting of the two organizations. The
meeting was quite encouraging and exciting in that both parties left that
meeting with a shared purpose. With RPC it is to reach untapped and new
markets with its mission to educate and celebrate the diversity of the
LGBTA community. With the GRCVB it is to
build its market with the LGBTA Communities at
large attracting them to Greater Reading and to
the local LGBTA community for events. Besides Crystal and myself, Lisa
Haggerty, Marketing Manager with GRCVB, Dr. Marabella, and two more
members of RPC, Daniel Schlenker and David Ramos were part of the
initial meeting on June 17th. Others from RPC have expressed interest in
being a part of future meetings.
The first order of business was to determine and outline how the
two organizations could help each other enhance their marketing and mis-
sions, short and long term. Being that the RPC Festival was fast ap-
proaching it was determined that the most immediate need was to pro-
mote the Festival. Several ways will be explored and
worked on to achieve the promotion including a listing of
RPC events on the GRCVB website,
www.gogreaterreading.com.
5

Now Is the Time To
Take Our Power Back

by Sue Hain
Now is the time to take our power back, and begin the process of liv-
ing together in peace and harmony. We define this in our Declaration of Inde-
pendence as the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Wherever you live,
and whoever you are, you must support this philosophy of respect for the digni-
ty and human rights for all.
You have every right to believe mar-
riage is a sacred institution between a man and
a women, women should not be financially
compensated the same as men for doing the
same job, to label and discriminate against any-
one is ok. But I think it's time that we start to
ask ourselves if those are loving and spiritual
values, or the wishes of a loving and just god.
Any conscious thinker would understand all those beliefs are based upon our
old fears, phobias, and ego based and have no right to be in our enlightened and
prosperous society today. Hate, intolerance, and judgment are not family or spir-
itual values. To discriminate, persecute or deny basic human rights to anyone on
the basis of their sex or sexual identity is a slap in the face against all humanity.
Now is the time that we see how we are all connected and focus on how we are
alike, not different, and that love is who we all are.
As Unitys co-founder, Charles Fillmore, so beautifully states what Unity
believes is the definition of love: Love is the great harmonizer and healer. Di-
vine love will bring your own to you, adjust all misunderstandings, and make
your life and affairs healthy, happy, harmonious, and free. In Divine Mind, love
is the power that joins and binds in divine harmony the universe and everything
in it. Love is the pure essence of Being that binds together the whole human
family.
6

Dear Friends


by Fr. Dewayne Messenger
Dear Friends,

This article in the Gayzette will be the last one I will have the privi-
lege to write. As has been announced in other venues, I am stepping down
as the Pastor of All Souls and am moving to take over as the Pastor of the
Parish Church of St. Jerome in Tulsa, OK. St. Jeromes is a sister-parish to
All Souls as we are both part of the same denomination (the Ecumenical
Catholic Communion). It too is an Anglican-rite parish and was founded
as a predominantly GLBT congregation. It too has the same Bishop and
thus, while Ill no longer be living in the area, I will be interested in what is
going on in Reading and will remain connected in some way.
Leaving a beloved parish is bitter sweet especially when that par-
ish is one you founded and was your whole life for over five years. While I
look forward to the work I will be doing in Tulsa, I will miss my parish
family here. It has been my whole life for these past five-plus years.
As I was reminded recently, All Souls is a God-send. It has offered
a place of solace for those who have not felt at home in other church-
es. While other churches are slowly becoming more welcoming All Souls
has been on the forefront including, empowering and celebrating with our
community. I am proud of what weve been able to accomplish here in
Reading. All Souls may not be perfect, it may not be the answer to every-
ones needs, but it is a church that has ministered faithfully to the LGBT
community and has been called upon to give voice to our concerns repeat-
edly.
As I prepare to leave, I am comforted that All Souls remains in
good hands. The Board of Directors are dedicated individuals and have
wonderful gifts to share. We have already identified Mtr. Linda Grant and
Fr. Henry Pruski who will serve as the interim Pastors while the parish de-
termines who it will call as its new leader and visionary. Mtr. Linda may be
new to some of you, but Fr. Henry is well known in this community. He
has been involved in the leadership of Reading Pride for many years and
has been a part of All Souls almost since its founding.

15
14

by Ben Renkus
Anthony Pignetti, Assistant Director of Sales with the Reading
Fightin Phils, and Reading Pride Celebration (RPC) President, Richard L.
Spangler met about helping to get the night off and running by getting the
word out to the community and distributing a chunk of the free general
admission tickets. Sponsors for the event are in place and ticket outlets
have been identified. Last year, over 6,000 fans, many from the LGBTA
community enjoyed a night of great baseball, entertainment and fun that
only be found with the Reading Fightin Phils at First Energy Statium in
Baseballtown, USA. This years game is scheduled for Monday, August
4
th
at 7:05 PM (gates open at 5 PM) when Reading plays the Harrisburg
Senators. General admission tickets are free with the special LGBT
tickets available at various outlets in the community. Visit the Reading
Fightin Phils booth at Reading Pride Celebration Festival at Centre Park,
Reading on Sunday, July 20
th
for your free tickets.
Thanks to Anthony, the Reading Fightin Phils organization and
management, and all the sponsors they were able to garner. They are
great to work with and they hope to make this a continuing annual event.
At last years event we met old friends, made new friends and the LGBT
community and our allies took a huge step in being more visible. Lets fill
the stadium in filling all 9,000 seats and really make a statement!
Any organizations or businesses that would like to join in distrib-
uting the free tickets can email me at RB1502@aol.com or Anthony at
Anthony@fightins.com.


Reading Fightin Phils Set Date For the
Second Annual LGBT Night
7

My departing wish and dream for Read-
ing is that you will continue to make advance-
ments in your progress toward equality. In the
past, the GLBT community has been a bit frac-
tured, so pray that you will come together in
solidarity, unity and work toward a common
vision. I know that All Souls will continue to
participate in those efforts and for that, I am
grateful.
I close this open letter using the words
of the Apostle Paul: Finally, brothers and sisters,
farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal,
agree with one another, live in peace; and the
God of love and peace will be with you. Greet
one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet
you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the
love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
- Fr. Dewayne Messenger
8

Its Almost Time

by Richard Wagner
Ok, its almost time for Miss Reading Pride Celebration 2015. This
marks the 4th year we are holding this pageant. I have been asked a few times,
"Why so late?" Well, the answer to that is because we have found it hard to find
contestants, and after sitting with the board we figured maybe it is best because
there are other pageants going on. So we decided to give August a try and will
give our reigning queen, Miss Gracie Freebush, two terms.
The pageant is scheduled to take place on August 16, 2015 at the
Crowne Plaza in Reading, PA. Music will be by DeeJay Journey. Tickets are $10
per person. A reserved table of 4 is $50,
and a reserved table of 8 is $100. Both pric-
es include your tickets. Doors open at
7:30pm with the pageant starting at
8:30pm. There will be a cash bar as well as
a small menu. After our royalty is crowned,
we will open the dance floor so stick
around for a good time.
This year if all goes well, we will be
introducing our new crown with the RPC
logo in it. We are also looking for our first
ever Mr. Reading Pride 2015. At this time, I
would like to thank our reigning Miss
Reading Pride Celebration, Gracie Free-
bush on two great terms. It had its ups and
downs, but you did me proud. I hope you
continue to help out with RPC and the pag-
eant. It would be great to have you as part
of our Miss RPC Board.
Miss Reading Pride Celebraton
2013/2014 Gracie Freebush
13

Dear Friends


by Ben Renkus
Before you know it, we will be celebrating our seventh Reading Pride
Celebration featuring the fabulous Maxine Nightingale fresh off a two month
stint at Resorts in Atlantic City. She will be flying in from her home in Califor-
nia to dazzle us at Pride as she did five years ago. This year promises to be the
best year yet and we hope that new vendors will come and join those who have
been participating year after year.
Vendors are the heartbeat of every Pride festival. Advocacy groups set
up shop and provide festival goers with information and how they too can help
make things happen to benefit the LGBT community. Welcoming religious
groups provide information regarding their worship services and the invitation
to worship with them for who you are. Service agencies also provide infor-
mation about services that you may be interested in or need such as health, legal,
pet rescues, adoptions, etc. Artisans bring their wares, designs, jewelry, paint-
ings and crafts that will dazzle your artistic eye and your appreciation for art.
Businesses whether selling services or their wares are interested in making sure
you are aware of their products. This year it appears that we will have a couple
more food vendors this year. After all if youre from Berks County then you
must love to eat. By being here at Pride, each and every one of these groups is
saying we support you. Some of these vendors travel hundreds of miles, then
setting up their display and spend most of the day waiting for you to see what
they have to offer you. While the rest of us head for the after pride party, they
still have to rip down their display for the travel home. Take the time to visit as
many of the vendors as possible and make them feel welcomed.
For anyone wanting more information on being a vendor at Pride 2015,
please see our website at www.readingpridecelebration.org or feel free to call me
at 610.375.8209.

12
Applications for the pageant will also be
available at the Reading Pride Celebration
booth the day of Pride!

Dont forget to pick yours up!
9

Celebrating Pride 2014

by Jim Kuser
As we all gather for the Pride celebration of 2014, we have a lot to be
thankful for. This is the year if you would like to marry your same sex partner.
You now can do this in our great state, along with many other states. You no
longer have to travel to another state to get married which many of you may
have done.. Just think a second on how many people it took to make all this
happen. It must be a very large number of people. The governor had the right to
appeal and he said he would not, which is pretty awesome. As a group, we can
tackle almost anything we want to. The strength, power, and determination a
large group can have is amazing. So now, if you would like to marry, we all have
that right. The benefits will also come along with that right. Yes, in 2014, we
have reached a milestone in this state in which we live. I will never forget it. It
now is a part of Gay history.
I recently watched a movie called THE NORMAL HEART. It is about
the struggles of HIV in the 1980s. It shows what they went through and how a
lot of people did not know what HIV was or how to even treat it. I highly rec-
ommend that you all watch it. It's a great movie and really puts things in per-
spective. I will not give details away about the movie. We've lost too many peo-
ple, friends, and loved ones. The movie has sad parts in it but it is well worth
seeing. HIV today is treatable and is no longer the death sentence it once was in
the 80s. I suggest you get tested for it every year at the very least. You can go to
Co County Wellness on Walnut Street in Reading. They offer free testing and
counseling. This movie is a prime example of why we all should know our stats.
Another movie I want to see is the Dallas Buyers Club, also a movie about
struggles in the 80s and HIV. I saw the trailer it really looked good.
I have written this column for a few years now and I have to say I am so
proud of our community and what we have accomplished. Continued on page 10
10
by Jim Kuser
We will not be having any Bar
Nights until August. We are still look-
ing for new members to join the club.
We are a leather/levi club, and we
meet every third Sunday of the month.
For further information, please see our
website: readingrailmen.net. You may
also email me at: justjsk@comcast.net.
READING
RAILMEN
NEWS
Celebrating Pride 2014 continued
I hope you all have a great Pride
month. The colors on the rain-
bow flag will never fade. Each of
you have made several contribu-
tions to this world in which we
live in, You can hold your head
up high and be proud of who you
and what your community has
become. We all help each other
out in the community whether
you are transgender, a gay man or
gay woman, bisexual, or an ally.
Happy Pride! Be safe...
11

by Ben Renkus
Before you know it, we will be celebrating our seventh Reading Pride
Celebration featuring the fabulous Maxine Nightingale fresh off a two month
stint at Resorts in Atlantic City. She will be flying in from her home in Califor-
nia to dazzle us at Pride as she did five years ago. This year promises to be the
best year yet and we hope that new vendors will come and join those who have
been participating year after year.
Vendors are the heartbeat of every Pride festival. Advocacy groups set
up shop and provide festival goers with information and how they too can help
make things happen to benefit the LGBT community. Welcoming religious
groups provide information regarding their worship services and the invitation
to worship with them for who you are. Service agencies also provide infor-
mation about services that you may be interested in or need such as health, legal,
pet rescues, adoptions, etc. Artisans bring their wares, designs, jewelry, paint-
ings and crafts that will dazzle your artistic eye and your appreciation for art.
Businesses whether selling services or their wares are interested in making sure
you are aware of their products. This year it appears that we will have a couple
more food vendors this year. After all if youre from Berks County then you
must love to eat. By being here at Pride, each and every one of these groups is
saying we support you. Some of these vendors travel hundreds of miles, then
setting up their display and spend most of the day waiting for you to see what
they have to offer you. While the rest of us head for the after pride party, they
still have to rip down their display for the travel home. Take the time to visit as
many of the vendors as possible and make them feel welcomed.
For anyone wanting more information on being a vendor at Pride 2015,
please see our website at www.readingpridecelebration.org or feel free to call me
at 610.375.8209.


Vendors at Pride