Robert DiGiacomo

For LGBTQ people who came of age in the '70s, '80s and '90s, queer comics helped open a window into the communities they could create in the real world.
A group of groundbreaking artists used queer comics to depict a range of experiences, from the first black LGBTQ superheroes to the everyday lives of lesbians, at a time when LGBTQ people were often misrepresented or ignored.
"I hope the film will serve as a fresh vehicle to tell queer history to a new generation."
The new documentary, "No St...

Over the course of a normal week, SAGE: Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders provides a lifeline—both real and virtual—to people in New York City and around the country.
Through its New York City-based CyberCenters, SAGE offers free access to computers and tech support to several hundred older adults at five locations, as well as virtual services.
“When you look at older LGBT adults that are receiving services, these are the older adults that have faced years of discrimination that have result...

If you haven't been to Atlantic City lately, you might assume that the storied resort's luck might have finally run out.
Five casinos –– including the once fabled Trump Taj Mahal and a multi-billion-dollar flop called Revel that lasted just over two years –– shut down, leaving seven remaining. The city flirted with bankruptcy amid the lingering recession and unprecedented competition from casinos in neighboring states.
But like a player whose cards are suddenly hot, Atlantic City could be on ...

(This article originally appeared on Next Avenue.)
As the modern LGBTQ rights movement gained momentum in the late 1950s, activists realized they faced a major roadblock.
Being gay wasn't just considered a bad "choice" or something immoral, it was an actual medical condition listed in the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
If you were mentally ill, the reasoning went, how could you successfully lobby for equal rights or any ri...

Multimedia artist Mary Mattingly has been thinking beyond the canvas. The climate crisis, food justice, and sustainable resource management have inspired her to create large-scale works to enlighten, engage, and—ultimately—galvanize audiences to take action.
The Brooklyn-based artist has shown her highly interactive works around the world, including at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the Seoul Arts Center in South Korea, but often focuses closer to home in New York City and the surrounding r...

At Philadelphia’s newly opened Rooster Soup Company, the signature choices might include mouth-watering versions of mushroom barley or matzo ball. You can pair the soups with chef Erin O’Shea’s interpretations of classic diner sandwiches and entrees like a tuna melt or chicken pot pie and finish up with a slice of the pie of the day.

Even more satisfying than the menu offerings from the team behind nationally known Zahav, Federal Donuts and Dizengoff, is the restaurant’s mission. Rooster Soup...

For an in-person tasting of Austrian wines in Moscow, organizers hosted socially distanced tastemakers who could connect with the winemakers in Austria via video calls. A Helsinki-based hackathon held its local event, but also expanded to 11 in-person “hubs around the world, with each site linked by video. TEDxSydney 2020 combined an in-person studio audience of 22 socially distanced people with a virtual “hall of faces” to beam its programming worldwide via eight cameras.
These are just some...

By Robert DiGiacomo

Three years ago, while working at a New York City art gallery, self-taught furniture-maker Brian Christopher (bicyclettefurniture.com) decided to rent a space in Hoboken to try his hand at woodworking. Acquiring his first tool from Craigslist and using the power of Instagram, he began building a client base for his signature white oak pieces. Last year, Christopher returned to his native Philly and set up a s...

Whether you’re looking for arts and culture, festivals and special events, dazzling fall foliage or some combination thereof, Philadelphia offers something for seemingly every interest in the fall. Here are five themed fall weekends that you can mix and match.
Experience Fall Thrills
Anyone who loves Halloween — or a good scare — will want to visit the annual “Terror Behind the Walls,” presented from late September through early November, at the historic Eastern State Penitentiary.
The intera...

After Two Decades, a Philadelphia Urban Farm Grappl...

Credit: St. Martin's Press
In 2013, the United States took a major step forward in the fight for marriage equality, thanks in large part to the determination — and courage — of the late Edie Windsor.
The New York City-based octogenarian was the lead plaintiff in a landmark Supreme Court case that overturned a portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The high court found that in 13 states and Washington, D.C., the definition of “spouse” couldn’t be restricted to marriages between...

Class of ’94 | Back in 1998, Erica Armstrong Dunbar C’94 was sifting through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s electronic archives when she spotted an advertisement in the May 26, 1796 issue of Claypoole’s American Daily Advertiser. It began:
Absconded from the household of the President of the United States, on Saturday afternoon, ONEY JUDGE, a light Mulatto girl, much freckled, with very black eyes, and bushy black hair … Ten dollars will be paid to any person, (white or black) who w...

Keep puppies and new rescue dogs on a sleep schedule to establish good habits.
Add flexibility to the schedule, until your dog develops problem behaviors.
Consult your veterinarian if your dog develops sleep issues that affect their awake time or disrupt the household.
Given the option of getting up early or sleeping until late, my Chihuahua would rather stay under the covers. Mabel, who’s eight, can snooze for 12-plus hours overnight, without needing to take care of her business or wanting t...

(Editor’s note: Covering LGBTQ issues is an ongoing Next Avenue priority, and this June, during Pride Month, we are publishing a special LGBTQ-focused series. The first article in it: How to Be an LGBTQ Ally.)
Drag in all its sequined, feathered and bewigged glory has long captivated author-comedian Frank DeCaro.
He was just 4 when he discovered drag while watching the classic TV sitcom, The Munsters. In the episode, Frankenstein-like Herman Munster gets struck by lightning and wakes up as a ...