I admit it: When it comes to politics, I can get a little obsessed. Labor Day West Wing marathon? I’m there. C-SPAN broadcasting Ann Richards’ 4 a.m. address to the Democratic convention delegates from Delaware? Count me in. Camille Paglia blogging about the electoral college? Sure, why not? But I’m also a cantankerous lefty who’s more likely to assume Senator John Kerry has a link to Halliburton than I am to believe any progress can be made in this country without dumping the two-party system.

So when I walk through Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center (http://www.constitutioncenter.org), where a permanent exhibit called The Story of We the People includes a hokey yet spectacular multimedia performance with a live actor narrating a film projected on a 360-degree screen in a star-shaped theater, I’m surprised when I get a little choked up. Even I have to admit, the history of the Constitution is powerful stuff.

Everybody knows Philadelphia’s chockablock full of history, but what does it have to offer the smart queer traveler who’s on a treasure hunt of her own? As it turns out, plenty, and Equality Forum, the world’s largest global celebration of LGBT civil rights and culture, which hits Philadelphia April 25 to May 1, is your chance to find out.

BRUSH UP ON YOUR HISTORY
Philadelphia is known as the birthplace of American democracy, and that’s no understatement. The city’s vast array of monuments, museums, tours and live events brings Philadelphia’s past to life for a modern world.

Pennsylvania is named for its Quaker founder, William Penn, who dubbed the colony after his father and added the suffix “sylvania” (which means “woodlands”) for a little flair. When he chose Philadelphia as the colony’s capital in 1682, he optimistically gave it the Greek word for “brotherly love.” Quakers are known for their deliberation, but there’s another reason Penn designed the city streets as a grid: He was a survivor of London’s Great Fire of 1666 and didn’t want to repeat the challenges of hauling water up those winding streets. (If you’ve got an original Philadelphia map from 1682 in your attic, it will still get you where you need to go.)

While they’re now housed at the National Archives in Washington, both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drawn up and read in Philadelphia; on July 8, 1776, the Liberty Bell rang out from Independence Hall to summon citizens to hear the first public reading of the Declaration. Philadelphia was once the second largest city, after London, in the British Empire; it was the capital of the United States from 1790 until Washington, D.C., became the capital in 1800.

What you might not realize, however, is that Philadelphia was also, with New York and San Francisco, the birthplace of the modern LGBT civil-rights movement. In his study City of Sisterly and Brotherly Loves: Lesbian and Gay Philadelphia, 1945–1972 (Temple University Press), Marc Stein argues that a vital gay and lesbian presence in pre-Stonewall Philadelphia was instrumental in giving rise to gay visibility nationwide. Stein’s impeccably researched history features Philly-based pioneers like Barbara Gittings, who served as president of the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, organized for gay literary visibility in the American Library Association and fought to have homosexuality removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental illnesses. The book also maps the history of gay and lesbian bars, centers and establishments and offers a detailed history of civil rights efforts, like Philly’s militant Annual Reminder demonstrations, which took place every July 4 from 1965 to 1969. At the “final reminder” demonstration in 1969, Gittings told the crowd, in words that sound poignant in light of today’s proposed Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, “We are here today to remind the American public that in its homosexual citizens, it has one large minority who are still not benefiting from the high ideals proclaimed for all on July 4, 1776.”

Thom Nickels’ excellent pictorial history Gay and Lesbian Philadelphia (Arcadia) also offers a bevy of historical images from the queer community, from dance bars on Rittenhouse Square and drag shows during the 1920s to pre-Civil War black lesbian and gay house parties in North Philly and stirring moments from the Annual Reminder demos. You’ll even find a swell photograph of Curve’s own Victoria A. Brownworth, a Pulitzer-nominated Philadelphia journalist and activist who is known for her work on AIDS, breast cancer and the intersections of racism and classism in the queer community, and who attended the founding meeting of Radicalesbians in 1970 when she was a freshman in high school.

SEE IT FOR YOURSELF
Already trooped over to Society Hill, the Liberty Bell and the Betsy Ross House, but want to get away from noisy tourists? The best way to see Philadelphia is by foot, and Philly’s temperate, blossom-filled spring offers perfect walking weather for peering up at the historic district’s tiny one-room trinity houses, which are stacked three stories high and were once home to the city’s working class. It’s easy to see why Philly-raised filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan sets many of his spooky movies here; the chill-worthy Edgar Allan Poe historic site is also close by (http://edgarallanpoe.areaparks.com), and you can even take a nighttime ghost tour of the city (http://www.ghosttour.com).

You don’t have to go far to stumble into the Gayborhood, where you’ll find the William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center (http://www.waygay.org), whose west wall is adorned with the world’s largest mural honoring the LGBT community. The moving, block-long Pride and Progress, by artist Ann Northrup, depicts 1960s gay liberation marches in Philadelphia and New York.

Treat yourself to a leisurely browse through the venerable 32-year-old gay bookstore Giovanni’s Room (http://www.giovannisroom.com), housed in one of Philadelphia’s entrancing trinities, which offers an amazing array of books, CDs, DVDs and periodicals, including an impressive selection of foreign-language titles. Upstairs, you’ll find an assortment of wacky chandeliers and fantastic multicolored glass sculptures hanging from the ceiling.

For a cool breather, take in a game of the Fairmount Park Women’s Softball League (http://www.geocities.com/fpwsl, 215-508-3922), which at one time was the largest women’s league in the country and now is celebrating its 30th triumphant year.

If you have time, a short pilgrimage to Walt Whitman’s house across the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey, is a treat (328 Mickle Blvd., 856-964-5383). The gay author of Leaves of Grass made his home here from 1884 until his death in 1892, and archivists are still restoring the house to resemble its appearance in photographs from Whitman’s time there. The house is a little more gloomy than you’d expect from the ebullient author of such lines as “Clear and sweet is my soul, and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul,” but if you’re a fan of Whitman’s long, rolling lines of poetry, you’ll enjoy the voyeuristic experience of hanging out in his parlor and servant’s quarters. If you want more of a culture buzz, stop by Camden’s Walt Whitman Arts Center (http://www.waltwhitmancenter.org), a multicultural arts space that offers readings, open mics, workshops and exhibits.

If you’re itching to get away from urban life, a 45-minute trip to nearby New Hope is quite enchanting. This former artist’s colony, which was home to Pearl S. Buck, the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature, and which hosted other writers like the droll Dorothy Parker, is awash in black maple leaves and pink and white magnolia blossoms this time of year. Bucks County (http://www.gaybuckscounty.com) has become a gay and lesbian hot spot; queer venues include the Raven, with its moody, atmospheric restaurant, B&B, cruisy pool area and several bars (385 W. Bridge St.; 215-862-2081).

THE CITY THAT LOVES YOU BACK
Now that your head’s crammed full of historical facts, you’ll probably want to play. Hungry? Head over to gay favorite More Than Just Ice Cream (1119 Locust St.; 215-574-0586) for casual fare, including fun round fries, deep-dish apple pie and, of course, ice cream. For more serious eating, try Patou (http://www.patourestaurant.com), a former soft pretzel factory that has been transformed into a French-Mediterranean restaurant with seafood specialties like poached lobster over watercress, endive, avocado, and red onion with grapefruit vanilla vinaigrette.

If you truly want to treat yourself, get thee to the century-old ship-housed Moshulu Restaurant (http://www.moshulu.com), docked in Penn’s Landing just off Lombard Circle. The oh-so-elegant dining rooms and bar offer live entertainment and South Pacific-Asian fusion cuisine as well as spectacular city water views. Signature dishes include penne pasta with spicy grilled skirt steak, pan-roasted red peppers, sweet Maui onions and cilantro cream.

Ready for fun? Of course you are. Like a lot of American cities, the Philly club scene is a bit boy-busy, but there are some solid picks for chicks. Sisters (http://www.sistersnightclub.com), Philadelphia’s largest lesbian bar, offers three whole floors of women. It’s also worth checking out Libations (231 Broad St.), a popular spot for lesbians of color, and Shampoo (http://www.shampooonline.com), a converted warehouse that offers dance space and a Latin lounge for mixed crowds on Friday nights. Philly gals are also blessed with revolving circuit parties like Girl (http://www.phillygirlparty.com), every third Saturday, the G-Room (http://www.g-room.com), every second Saturday, Ladies 2000 (http://www.ladies2000.com), a traveling event dance space for older gals, Fabric (http://www.thefabric.net), every second Saturday, and Elevate (http://www.elevatephilly.com), where the bomb pop martinis taste just like ice cream.

Nurse that morning hangover with a tasty brunch (and even tastier mimosas) at Valanni (http://www.valanni.com), a groovy, relaxed neighborhood restaurant offering refined Mediterranean and Latin cuisine with scrumptious breakfasts like a bosc pear and sharp cheddar omelet. Now you’re in excellent shape for a little political education at the Constitution Center.


>> Walk it

For a comprehensive overview of the city’s economic, political and cultural history, I highly recommend you set yourself up with the good folks at Poor Richard’s Walking Tours (http://www.phillywalks.com), who operate between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Named after the almanac published by Philadelphia’s own Ben Franklin, Poor Richard’s is made up exclusively of smarty-pants graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania (founded by Franklin), who really know their stuff. These enthusiastic walking tours are the best way to get the kind of city flavor you can’t glean from one of those obnoxious tour buses, and Poor Richard’s offers a remarkable breadth of information about the city from colonial times to the 21st century. The company also offers customized tours in human rights history, literary Philadelphia, the origins of the American political system, Germantown and Philadelphia’s role in building the largest free African-American community during Emancipation. If you can get a group together, request one of their jam-packed gay and lesbian history tours.

>> Work it

If you attend one national gay and lesbian event this year, consider making it Philadelphia’s Equality Forum, which runs April 25–May 1 (http://www.equalityforum.com). This year’s Equality Forum, which celebrates the cultural and political legacy of the LGBT community with more than 50 events by 75 regional, national, and international organizations, will feature a 40th anniversary celebration of the lesbian and gay civil-rights movement, in part commemorating the first Annual Reminder March that took place July 4, 1965.

Other events worth catching in the city of sisterly love this year include Blue Ball, January 28–30 (http://www.blueballphilly.com), a popular circuit dance party; Philadelphia Black Gay Pride, April 21–24 (http://www.phillyblackpride.org); the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival in June (http://www.philagaylesbiantheatrefest.org); Philadelphia Pride, June 12 (http://www.PhillyPride.org); and the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the country’s biggest queer film fest outside California, July 7–18 (http://www.phillyfests.org).

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