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Diversity Matters Making community events more inclusive Rainbow Connection

Advocates and activists we think you should know

Economics of Inclusion Introducing the LGBT Chamber of Commerce

Sweet Hearts

Valentine gifts from creative couples

Gay in the MFA Art tour exposes queer classics

Country Lovesongs LeAnn Rimes plucks our â&#x20AC;&#x2122;strings

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Just imagine. AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE, EXPERIENCE DRIVES THE IMAGINATION.

To places wonderful, joyful, and mysterious. By seeing and touching what is, we picture what isn’t. Yet. And then questions flash, gears turn, pencils fly, and imaginations explode. Because we’re inspired to see what our own mind is capable of. To figure out, to invent, to create, AND TO HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE WE BELIEVE IS POSSIBLE.

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From The Publisher

Ameriprise Brian Gerhardson

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Cambridge Savings Bank

Celebrity Series

Amazing, isn’t it? As I sit here and try to find the words to sum up 2017, it is proving to be a bit more difficult that it has been in past years. Prior to 2017 we had spent the past decade celebrating the many victories for LGBT rights and protections. Unfortunately we now find many of these same rights and protections under attack once again…defying all logic and sanity. Then again, far too much of what is going on in the world today defies logic and sanity.

City Winery

Club Café

Davios

COVER

Destination Salem

On the brighter side of things, 2018 marks the 13th year that we have been publishing Boston Spirit. Just writing that sentence has me shaking my head. How can it be 13 years already? Our first issue hit newsstands in April of 2005. We had a feature story on the Goodridge family and the fight for marriage equality in Massachusetts. Times have changed over 13 years.

DJ Mocha

Dover Rug

Eastern Bank

Fenway Health

Foxwoods Resort Casino

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Happy 2018!!

In this issue we explore the lack of diversity at many of the area’s major LGBT events. It’s an important topic and one that needs to be addressed; hopefully our article will be a start to a longer and more in-depth conversation. I know that, internally, we have discussed the issue as it relates to Boston Spirit’s events and are working at making our events more welcoming to all ages, races, ethnicities, etc. We welcome any and all feedback on this topic as the more voices that are involved, the better. Finally, as I acknowledged, 2017 was a tough year in many ways. At this point none of us know if 2018 will be more of the same or if there is a light at the end of the tunnel (please hurry up, Mr. Mueller). What we do know is that it is a new year and we have a chance to take a deep breath, recognize all that is good in our lives and be thankful for new beginnings.

David Zimmerman Publisher

2 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Johnny Appleseed Trail Association 9 Lucia Lighting

Lyric Stage Company of Boston

Marriott Copley Place

Museum of Science

Partners Healthcare

Peabody Essex Museum

COVER

Rockland Trust

Seashore Point

Seasons Four

Truvada

Get more. Do more. Enjoy more.

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1 Annual Percentage Yield. This special offer is available beginning January 2, 2018. Minimum opening deposit of $10,000.00 in new funds, not previously on deposit at Cambridge Savings Bank. The APY is effective from the date of deposit through a minimum of 90 days following the date of deposit. Your rate will change at some point after April 2, 2018 following the 90 day special offer period when new accounts will convert to our regular Performance Money Market variable rate account. Customers who have existing Performance Money Market Accounts and wish to deposit at least $10,000.00 in new money not previously on deposit at Cambridge Savings Bank will be converted to the Performance Plus Money Market Account for at least 90 days. Following the 90 day special all Performance Plus Money Market accounts will either convert or revert to a Performance Money Market Account. Based on the balance, Performance Money Market Accounts will receive the APY associated with the tier you are in at that time. If your balance drops below $10,000.00, the interest rate and APY is 0.10%. The maximum account balance to receive the stated 1.35% APY is $1,000,000.00. Offer available only if you work or live in New England, this offer may not be combined with any other special offers and there is a limit of one account per household. Promotional rate and offer date subject to change without notice. Fees may reduce earnings. SAV-0019a Rev 11/17

Contribute your opinion: editor@bostonspiritmagazine.com

As We Go To Press As we go to press, Massachusetts State Senate President Stan Rosenberg is temporarily stepping down, as investigations into his husband’s sexual harassment claims commence. Fenway Health’s CEO Steve Boswell just resigned, in the wake of accusations against researcher Harvey Makadon. With Time magazine naming “The Silence Breakers” as the Person of the Year, we appear to be experiencing a significant cultural moment. And although it’s largely been playing out as powerful straight men preying on women, the gay community has not been immune. The intersection with the LGBT community on this topic could be fraught. Gay people are all too aware of the hysteria that can come from sexual witch hunts. So it’s fair to ask if media coverage and the discussion of sexual harassment among LGBT people is being portrayed commensurately with that among heterosexuals. In fact, a reporter from the Associated Press reached out to me for my take on that question—specifically with regards to the shocks we have felt here in New England concerning Rosenberg, Makadon and Boswell.

4 | BOSTON SPIRIT

My answer to him? With the exception of some Facebook threads and ancillary news sources, it seems that the dialogue has been appropriately sexual orientationblind—that is to say, I don’t believe our LGBT leaders are being handled with any more or less accountability than straight leaders. (If others disagree with me, I am happy to hear other points of view.) Sexual harassment is about abuse of power. There has been a systemic acceptance of sexual harassment at an unacceptable level that has finally broken through. The systemic acceptance of sexual harassment keeps its victims, women in particular, from contributing as fully to society as they are capable of. Any systems that keep people from achieving their potential is an abuse of power. Which brings me to our cover story on diversity in the LGBT community. We need to seriously ask ourselves: Why is there such a lack of ethnic and cultural diversity in many of our primary LGBT organizations? Put another way, why do events like the HRC New England Dinner, the Men’s Event and, yes, even Boston Spirit’s Executive Networking Night look so white? We don’t have numbers, but anyone with eyes can see that there is a distinct lack of proportionate representation at these

functions of every community within the larger LGBT community. Think of it this way. A friend of mine is a white, straight, former fire chief. When fire chiefs gather, he says, it’s about 90 percent white, straight males. What if fire chiefs were represented proportionately across all populations? Would our fire services suffer? No. In fact, our fire services would likely get better, because we’d have the best of the best of possible fire chiefs from every part of the population. Our LGBT organizations are no different. We need better proportional representation in them. That they are not is a systemic abuse of power. Because it’s systemic, which means it is deeply rooted, it may take the type of tsumani-like activation that is happening during this sexual harassment moment. We don’t have answers. But we know that lots of dialogue along the way led us to this sexual harassment moment. We are hoping that the our little article and profiles in this issue can help lead a to a much needed break-through—sooner rather than later.

James Lopata Editor

JAN|FEB 2018 | 5

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Economics of Inclusion

Contents JAN|FEB 2018 | VOLUME 14 | ISSUE 1

Spotlight

Feature

Seasonal

Newly formed Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce is open for business and positioned to empower enterprises small and large

Diversity Matters

How can we make LGBT events more inclusive to reflect, connect and celebrate our entire community?

Rainbow Connection

New England Events

Every Picture Tells a Story

Spirit of Justice Award Dinner 83 Pie in the Sky 84 Toys 4 Joys Wagon Build 2017 85 GLAD to Help 86 Celebration of Life Dinner 87 Dining Out for Life 88 Out in the Open Summit 89 OUT MetroWest Gala 90 ‘Design. Dine. Do Good.’ 91 Toys for Joys 92 ‘D-I-Wine’ 93 ‘Out in the Workplace’ 94 Worcester Pride Launch Events 95

Celebrate our many hues of intersectionality with these leading, local advocates and activists Gay historian’s popular museum tours reveal LGBT themes in art spanning centuries

The Gospel According to Lady Bunny 68 Legendary drag performer’s ‘Trans-Jester’ mixes comedy and commentary

Validating History

Making his Mark

Man of the People

Stories of Art and Courage

‘Heartache’ and Healing

Connecticut Landmarks to open first LGBTQ historic site in state

Like Leonard Bernstein, Rob Kapilow is on a musical mission Three new films offer moving portraits of LGBT lives

Calendar

Rainbow Connection

Eddie Shields is at home on the Boston stage

Economics of Inclusion

8 13 15 18 20 22 24 26 27 28 30 32

Kit Yan’s personal journey is a poetic powerhouse

Scene

Coda

Ally for Equality

With rousing, ‘LovE is LovE is LovE,’ HRC honoree and country star LeAnn Rimes tributes late, beloved uncle

‘Heartache’ and Healing

Ally for Equality

GOOD

CELEBRATES Good loves. Good unites. Good takes a stand. Eastern Bank stands proudly with the LGBT community today and every day as we work towards a more equal tomorrow.

learn more at joinusforgood.com

SPOTLIGHT Trending STORY Scott Kearnan

Hit List NEWS, NOTES AND TO-DOS FOR EVERY GAY AGENDA streets to chat up unsuspecting passerby. More: viceland.com

CONSIDER THE HISTORYMAKING POTENTIAL of political

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR “P-Town,”

KEEP AN EYE OUT for Rosie

O’Donnell, because the out star has been spending much more time in the Boston area lately. Not only is she starring in the new South Boston-set Showtime comedy “SMILF,” her new girlfriend is Elizabeth Rooney, a 33-yearold Worcester police officer. O’Donnell explained on “The Howard Stern Show” that the twosome met at a Hub charity event and have fallen in love fast—but O’Donnell has no plans to marry again. Said O’Donnell, “I think I would just rather stay in it for love and not have to deal with lawyers if God forbid it didn’t work out.”

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” alums Trixie Mattel and Katya, a Boston native who cut her teeth at Bay Village’s historic Jacques Cabaret. The hilarious series, which premiered last month on Vice Media’s new Viceland TV channel, expands on the twosome’s highly popular YouTube web series. The two queens kvetch about everything from online dating to sex toys and take to the

TUNE IN TO “The Trixie and Katya Show” a new television show starring best pals and

a new TV drama being developed by Starz. Written and executive produced by Cambridge native Rebecca Cutter, the series will follow a Fishery Service agent in Provincetown (one who happens to be a “hard-partying lesbian,” according to industry publication “Deadline”) as she discovers a dead body in the bay and becomes drawn into the dark storm of Cape Cod’s opioid epidemic. Shows with lesbian leads are in short supply, but here’s hoping “P-Town” can capture stark realities of Cape Cod drug crime without sensationally maligning our favorite gay haven.

TAKE A MOMENT TO REMEMBER

pioneering politician Ed Flanagan, who died in November at age 66. Flanagan, who served as Vermont’s state auditor from 1993 to 2001, was considered the country’s first openly gay politician elected to statewide office; he also served two terms in the Vermont State Senate despite declining health from a 2005 car crash that left him hospitalized for six months. “He was passionate and very progressive,” longtime friend and Vermont State Rep. Mary Sullivan told the Associated Press. “He was guided by a moral compass.”

candidate Chris Pappas. Pappas previously served two terms as a New Hampshire state representative and is now running for US Congress seat in the Granite State’s first district. If elected, he would be the first openly gay member of Congress from New Hampshire. Currently in his third term on the Executive Council of New Hampshire, Pappas is also a fourth-generation owner of Manchester’s 100-year old Puritan Backroom restaurant. More: chrispappas.org

GIVE A GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE SALUTE to the mavericks who made Vermont America’s first state to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples in 2000, a distinction now recognized by a new historic marker on the statehouse lawn. As the marriage equality movement grew, civil unions became considered an unacceptable

PUBLISHER David Zimmerman EDITOR IN CHIEF James Lopata MANAGING EDITOR Robert Phelps [rob@bostonspiritmagazine.com] ART DIRECTOR Dean Burchell CONTRIBUTING LIFESTYLE EDITOR Scott Kearnan [lifestyle@bostonspiritmagazine.com] CONTRIBUTING ARTS EDITOR Loren King CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alyssa Gillin, Tom Joyce, Natalie Nonken, Kim Harris Stowell CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Joel Benjamin COVER PHOTO Elena Seibert ON THE WEB [bostonspiritmagazine.com] TALK TO US [feedback@bostonspiritmagazine.com] EDITORIAL CONTACT [editor@bostonspiritmagazine.com] PUBLISHING AND SALES CONTACT [publisher@bostonspiritmagazine.com or 781-223-8538] THE FINE PRINT Boston

JAN|FEB 2018 | VOLUME 14 | ISSUE 1

Spirit magazine. A Division of Jake Publishing, LLC Published by Jake Publishing, LLC. Copyright 2004 by Jake Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without the written permission of Boston Spirit magazine. Neither the publishers nor the advertisers will be held responsible for any errors found in the magazine. The publishers accept no liability for the accuracy of statements made by advertisers. Publication of the name or photograph of any person, organization or business in this magazine does not reflect upon one’s sexual orientation in any way. Boston Spirit Magazine, 398 Columbus Ave. #395, Boston, MA 02116

8 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Linda DeMarco and Sylvain Bruni at InterPride compromise, but Vermont’s controversial enacting of them (“in recognition of our common humanity,” per the marker) was an important first step forward. Vermont was the fourth state to legalize full marriage equality, and the first to do so by legislative action.

CONGRATULATE Boston Pride

on taking an even larger role in InterPride, the international organization of LGBT Pride events founded in Boston in 1982. Boston Pride’s vicepresident, Linda DeMarco, was recently elected co-president of InterPride alongside Australia’s Brett Hayho. DeMarco now guides unifying agendas for 220 Pride events worldwide. “It is truly an honor to lead InterPride, as it has its roots in Boston where the commitment to advocating for the LGBTQ community is without question,” said DeMarco. Boston Pride president Sylvain Bruni also serves as an InterPride regional director.

LEARN SOME NEW KITCHEN TRICKS with “Kristen Kish

Cooking: Recipes and Techniques,” a new cookbook from lesbian “Top Chef” winner Kristen Kish, who rose to fame in Boston as a chef at star restaurateur Barbara Lynch’s restaurants. Since becoming only the second woman to win the Bravo reality TV competition, Kish has scored several endorsement deals and co-hosted the Travel Channel series “36 Hours.” More: kristenkishcooking.com [x]

What is TRUVADA for PrEP?

Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP?

TRUVADA for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a prescription medicine that is used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.

Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: ® Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. ® Also take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA for PrEP? Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-negative. ® Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. ® You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. ® If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. ® To further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: ® Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners. ® Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you. ® Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners. ® Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. ® If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. TRUVADA can cause serious side effects: ® Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV and stop taking TRUVADA, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include: ® Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA. ® Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. ® Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. ® Bone problems, including bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TRUVADA for PrEP? ® All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis. ® If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA can harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA. ® If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can be passed to the baby in breast milk. ® All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-thecounter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. ® If you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose. These medicines include certain medicines to treat hepatitis C (HCV) infection. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following page.

I'm active, not unaware. I know who I am. And I make choices that fit my life. TRUVADA for PrEP™ is a once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when taken every day and used together with safer sex practices. ® TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex. ® You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you. Learn more at truvada.com

IMPORTANT FACTS

This is only a brief summary of important information about taking TRUVADA for PrEPTM (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.

(tru-VAH-dah) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP Before starting TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must be HIV-1 negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative. • Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include flu-like symptoms, tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. • You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you think you were exposed to HIV-1 or have a flu-like illness while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. • See the “How To Further Reduce Your Risk” section for more information. TRUVADA may cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA for PrEP is a prescription medicine used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. • To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health. Do NOT take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. • Take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

HOW TO TAKE TRUVADA FOR PrEP • Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1. • Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • Use TRUVADA for PrEP together with condoms and safer sex practices. • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About TRUVADA for PrEP” section. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. • Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. • Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. • Bone problems. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP include stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. These are not all the possible side effects of TRUVADA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP.

BEFORE TAKING TRUVADA FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis. • Have any other medical conditions. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can pass to the baby in breast milk. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with TRUVADA for PrEP.

HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK • Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you. • Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners. • Do not share needles or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about TRUVADA for PrEP. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more, including how to prevent HIV infection. • Go to start.truvada.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit start.truvada.com for program information.

TRUVADA FOR PREP, the TRUVADA FOR PREP Logo, the TRUVADA Blue Pill Design, TRUVADA, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: April 2017 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. TVDC0131 07/17

SPOTLIGHT Travel STORY Scott Kearnan

Out in the Berkshires

Mount Greylock

FIND A FABULOUS INN, MAKE IT YOUR BASE CAMP AND EXPLORE THE FOUR SEASONS OF WESTERN MASS “I like creating occasions for people.” That’s how Scott Shortt explains his motivation for opening the Kemble Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts—the heart of the beautiful, notably gay-friendly Berkshires. He’s quite good at his goal. The Kemble makes a striking first impression. Open the front door to this 1881-built Colonial Revival mansion and you’re met by a sparkling crystal chandelier set against a backdrop of bright “Caribbean blue” walls, a classic-contemporary juxtaposition that carries throughout the property. In the gorgeous piano-equipped parlor, 12-foot-high ceilings soar, and flames roar in a grand fireplace framed by ornate millwork; tiger-print accent pillows keep it playful. Queens of all kinds will appreciate the regal whimsy of the dining room-style on-site restaurant, Table Six, which is filled with paintings of Canadian (and UK) monarch Elizabeth II—Shortt is an Ontario native. And the 13 guest rooms, several with their own working fireplaces, are appointed in the style of a more flair-filled Ralph Lauren. It’s a stunner, bringing comfortable refinement—and a dose of its owner’s chic gay sensibility—to a region better known for lace and doily-stuffed B&Bs. It didn’t always look like this. The 12,000-square foot estate on two acres was built for Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, U.S. Secretary of State under President Chester A. Arthur, and needed lots of love by the time Shortt purchased it in 2010 for $1.65 million. It was “flowers on flowers, like bad 1980s Laura Ashley,” laughs Shortt, who at one point slept on the inn’s basement floor

Kemble Inn while pouring $2 million into renovating the property. The result: a cozy-classy boutique hideaway that’s especially perfect for special events—he’s hosted a number of same-sex weddings—and buyouts for groups of gay pals. It’s even rumored that a certain monstrously famous, LGBT-favorite pop star once took the place over. In February, he’ll open a new 16-seat cocktail bar inside the inn, offering another reason for visitors to stop by.

It hasn’t been easy single-handedly transforming a historic property in the hyper-seasonal Berkshires, but Shortt has a history of ambitious enterprises. He started his first graphic design and Internet marketing company when he was 17 years old and sold it by age 25. Shortt succeeded in corporate America, climbing the ranks of financial service giants, but the hospitality bug always had a strong bite on him. He wound up enrolling in NYC’s French Culinary Institute and, in addition to his

JAN|FEB 2018 | 13

full-time job, even worked in a catering kitchen one day a week to learn the ropes of the industry.

Nick Cave exhibition at Mass MoCA. PHOTO courtesy of Mass MoCA

Now his passion shows in every corner, giving the Berkshires gay-owned accommodations primed to update the larger region’s rep. “I fell in love with this place,” says Shortt. We know the feeling.

Out in the Berkshires Use the Kemble Inn as your home base from which to explore one of New England’s most LGBT-friendly reasons. Here are a few top ideas in other towns. Becket. Its kitsch-filled, campy-roadhouse interior recalls the B-52s’ famous “Love Shack,” so it’s no surprise that Dream Away Lodge, a 200-year-old farmhouse on the edge of October Mountain State Forest is reputedly a former brothel. Since 1997 it has been home to former theater artist Daniel Osman, whose radical faerie philosophy informs the vibe of his eclectic eatery. Weekending Brooklyn hipsters and queer crowds converge for fabulous farm-to-fork dining, funky cocktails around a glowing fire pit and nightly live music. Wearing its quirks on its sleeve, this whimsical hideaway is a total gem hidden in the thick of Western Mass’s mountains. Dream Away Lodge is seasonal, closing in late November; it reopens in March. But Becket’s Jacob’s Pillow, founded by pioneering modern dance artist Ted Shawn, well-known for his romances with male performers, recently extended its programming to include four seasons of events—all the more reason to visit the Berkshires institution. Pittsfield. Berkshire County’s largest city is home to Barrington Stage Company,

14 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Ballet Hispanico Dancers at Jacob’s Pillow. PHOTO courtesy of Jacob’s Pillow producing works like the 2018 world premiere of “The Royal Family of Broadway,” a musical based on the life of the famed Barrymore clan. When you visit, dine at gay-owned District Kitchen & Bar for excellent New American cuisine, and toss back a few at Methuselah, a craft cocktail bar that wouldn’t be out of place in Boston. Egremont. The Berkshires’ LGBT community is strong but scattered, so shout-out to folks like Oskar Hallig, who is helping to organize more consistent community events. He’s a member of both Out in the Berkshires and Fourth Friday, Berkshire Queer Night Out, a Facebook-based collective that organizes everything from bowling to movie nights. Hallig also has his own Egremont-based event business

that is producing the “Miss No-Good Drag Pageant” on Friday, January 19 (8–11 p.m.) at The Barn at Egremont Village Inn, the town’s rustic-cool bar and live music venue. North Adams. Stop in to gay-owned restaurant PUBLIC Eat + Drink for elevated comfort food, then head to MASS MoCo, the nationally renowned contemporary art museum spread over a campus of brick warehouses. Through February 11 you can catch “Are You Really My Friend?” T photo exhibition that’s also a meditation on social media and intimacy that saw artist Tanja Hollander travel the world to snap images of all her hundreds of Facebook connections. [x]

SPOTLIGHT Community STORY Bob Linscott

Senior Spirit ‘Oh Say Can You See’ A FIRST AMENDMENT FLAP OVER RAINBOW FLAG AT NATICK SENIOR CENTER The small movement started with the purest of intents. Susan Ramsey, director of the Natick Senior Center, wanted to begin the work to become more welcoming and inclusive to populations she felt were not attending the center, including LGBT older adults. Thus began a process of LGBT cultural competency trainings for the center’s staff conducted by The LGBT Aging Project at Fenway Health. Ramsey learned in the trainings about the importance of a clear and unmistakable message of

welcoming and inclusion. This would be critical to reach out to LGBT older adults who have never felt comfortable in mainstream senior centers for fear of discrimination or harassment. She also wrote a diversity statement, which the center adopted. But Ramsey felt that she needed a more visible symbol to convey her desire to be truly welcoming and inclusive. So Ramsey purchased a rainbow flag for the center’s first community event for LGBT older adults and friends back in fall 2016.

One of many rainbow flags raised by Natick residents in solidarity with LGBT neigbhors. At the same time that the center was ordering its rainbow flag, the town of Natick was rocked by an act of hatred and vandalism that involved another rainbow flag. Lauri Ryding and her wife Carrie purchased a rainbow peace flag in the wake of the tragic shooting at the

Pulse night club in Orlando. Like many, the couple had been devastated by this attack and they wanted to honor the 49 victims. But when they returned home after a vacation, they found their house had been pelted with dozens of eggs and their rainbow flag had been

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Susan Ramsey [LEFT] and Lauri Ryding. PHOTOS courtesy of Natick Senior Center stolen. Word quickly spread in this closeknit neighborhood and within days, 62 of the 88 houses had rainbow flags hanging in solidarity. This soon spread to other neighborhoods in the town, and the couple’s story became national news. The running joke in the area was that there were more rainbow flags in Natick Massachusetts than there were in San Francisco. When Ramsey and her staff learned about this incident they invited the Rydings to

their community-wide event on LGBT aging. The event was a huge success that drew older adults, providers and allies from across the Metro West area, and the rainbow flag stood proudly at the door to welcome everyone into the center. Lauri Ryding, who is not a senior, was incredibly moved to learn about the issues LGBT elders were facing and made a commitment right then and there to help in whatever way she could.

Natick Senior Center monthly group for older LGBT adults, friends and allies. After the flag’s debut at the community gathering, the plan was to put it back up for LGBT events at the center and also through June for Pride month. But something about that bothered Ramsey. She felt that it sent the wrong message to LGBT seniors—that they were only welcome during those times. Ramsey wanted the center to be welcoming to them all the time.

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to any group’s flag displayed in a municipal building. When he was told the reason for the flag, he said it was unnecessary because the American flag stood as a universal symbol to welcome everyone. This veteran, a respected member of the community, raised his objections appropriately through the town council, which prompted an investigation to determine the legality of not only flying the rainbow flag at the senior center but also including any images of the rainbow flag on materials for the center including their newsletter and event flyers.

staff’s efforts to make the Natick Senior Center welcoming and inclusive for all people. She underscored that the flag was nothing more than a symbol of those efforts. Then she waited for their decision.

So the decision was made to make the flag a permanent fixture in the entry way of the senior center, where it remained for several months without issue. During that time a number of people went out of their way to thank Ramsey for the flag and tell her they had children or other family members who were part of the LGBT community.

Forced to seek legal counsel over months preparing her case, Ramsey reached out to groups like GLAAD and Lambda Legal. Seeking a precedent, she searched all over the country for a rainbow flag permanently installed at a municipal building. She came up empty-handed. Dozens of places displayed rainbow stickers or graphics but any place that flew the rainbow flag only did so for certain events or during Pride month. Because this issue was being tried as a First Amendment issue, Ramsey and her staff were concerned that the use of anything with the rainbow symbol on town property could banned.

Thanks to Ramsey’s efforts, a group for older LGBT adults, friends and allies has formed at the Natick Senior Center and meets bimonthly for coffee and conversation. Now everyone who enters the Senior Center walks through the vestibule past the rainbow flag on the right and the American flag on the left. There is also another change at the center. Ramsey now has a new assistant program director for diversity and inclusion—Lauri Ryding.

Everything changed when a retired Marine who had served in the Korean War raised objections. Hed argued that it was unlawful

Ramsey was left with only one option. She provided the municipal attorneys with all the documentation that supported her

In September 2017 the attorney for the city of Natick released his finding, which clearly stated that the display of the rainbow flag or rainbow symbols at the senior center was not a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The flag could stay.

To learn more about the LGBT events at the Natick Senior Center contact Lauri Ryding at lryding@natickma.org. [x]

Bob Linscott is assistant director of the LGBT Aging Project at Fenway Health.

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SPOTLIGHT Entertainment STORY Scott Kearnan Bette Davis impersonator Charles Pierce, drag-donning playwright Charles Busch and flamboyant gay puppeteer Wayland Flowers. Back when she was starting out in NYC, Coco Peru guerillamarketed herself by passing out flyers outside clubs and stenciling her name on city sidewalks. Now drag, once the domain of queer people on the fringe, reaches the mainstream via VH1’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The show has churned out many globetrotting stars that cite Coco Peru as a pioneer, thereby introducing her to younger crowds. And Peru is also enjoying a new chapter of YouTube-fueled fame: One of her most popular viral videos, “Coco Goes to K-Mart,” has been viewed over 1.2 million times. Her audiences are increasingly filled with fans of all stripes, from the usual gay men to “a lot of teenage girls with their moms,” says Peru.

Ski Bunny COCO PERU PERFORMS ON THE SLOPES AT STOWE, VT BUT TALKS RETIREMENT ON A SUNNY BEACH We’re still cuckoo for Coco Peru. But make sure you snag tickets to see her in the snowy mountains of Stowe, Vermont at this year’s Winter Rendezvous, the hugely popular annual gay ski week. Because when Coco thinks of her future, it’s twilight on a sunny beach she has in mind. “I’ll be retiring in the not-toodistant future,” says the drag legend, a fixture on the LGBT scene for more than 25 years. She’s not putting a precise timetable on a final curtain call, but Peru is proud of her long career and getting comfortable with the idea of passing the baton to a new generation of performers.

“I’ll leave this to the young people, and I’ll be sitting on a beach in Spain.” Say it isn’t so, Coco! Peru first arrived to widespread attention in the early ‘90s, marrying theatre and activism via onewoman stage shows, building wider recognition through appearances in films and TV (like her must-see monologue in the gay flick “Trick”), and even chatting up celebrities like Bea Arthur, Liza Minnelli and Jane Fonda in her live “Conversations with Coco” interview series. But a lot has changed since Bronx-born Clinton Leupp first put on a copper-colored flip wig, inspired by folks like famed

18 | BOSTON SPIRIT

There’s a lot of benefit to a broadened audience. “I remember getting a letter from a mom who is a conservative Republican,” says Peru. “She told me her daughter had been bullied so they teach her at home, and they have bonded over my videos. She said it gave her daughter strength to see me being myself.” She’s even found a way to turn the table on the most venomous haters. “I received one really hideous, violent email from a Russian musician who basically told me if he ever saw me on the street he’d beat me to a bloody pulp,” says Peru. She wrote him back, calmly and compassionately appealing to openmindedness through his love of art, and “he totally flipped.” Now he’s a fan. While our increasingly interconnected post-“Drag Race” world has offered more opportunities for Coco Peru to move hearts and minds while making us laugh, it has also introduced less exciting side effects. Before social media, drag queens didn’t have to worry about being

attacked by Twitter mobs if a silly joke was misinterpreted as offensive. And performers like Peru, whose timely new show is titled “The Taming of the Tension,” didn’t have to compete with digital distractions. “I’m getting old—hell, I am old now—and I’ve been around long enough to see the changes in my audience,” says Peru. “I’ll look out and see people checking their phones, or I’ll have to tell a young person that they can’t record my show.” “At first they laugh, thinking I’m kidding. I’ll say ‘Why can’t you just be present?’ They’ll usually say, ‘I want to share it with my friends who couldn’t come.’ Well, if they can’t come, they missed the opportunity. They can see it another time.” We still hope she won’t make good on it, but maybe Coco Peru’s threat of retirement is actually a wily way of encouraging fans new and old to slow down, connect with favorite artists in person when they can and cherish every fabulous fleeting moment of life. “One of the queens from ‘Drag Race’ once said to me, ‘You rehearse a lot, don’t you?’” recalls Peru. “She said she could tell, and then she said, ‘I need to do more of that. I’ve gotten lazy. I don’t have to work hard. I was on ‘Drag Race,’ so I can show up and say any stupid thing and the kids go crazy, because ultimately all they want is to say they saw my show, post a video and take a bunch of selfies.’” “It wasn’t that way for me,” says Peru. “I’m lucky I survived this long, and that I still get to connect with so many wonderful people.” Coco Peru will perform on Thursday, January 18 at Winter Rendezvous in Stowe, Vermont. The annual gay ski week runs from January 17–21 and includes bonfires and pool parties, a “Downhill Drag Competition,” live comedy from comedian Julie Goldman and more. For the full schedule, tickets and lodging info, visit winterrendezvous.com. [x]

Where each matters.

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SPOTLIGHT Politics STORY Scott Kearnan

[ABOVE] Ambassador Gifford in Denmark. PHOTOS courtesy of

Gifford for Congress

Rufus Gifford for Congress.

[BELOW]

On the campaign trail.

OUT, PROUD FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR, OBAMA CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL AND REALITY TV STAR (YES, HE DID THAT TOO) RUNS FOR CONGRESS Most politicians merely campaign. Rufus Gifford goes viral. “I really believe it’s about human connection and doing the work,” says Gifford, now campaigning in a crowded race to represent Massachusetts’ third congressional district in the U.S. House. “You go from living room to living room talking about what you stand for, and having that go viral.” A telegenic former Hollywood exec and out ambassador to Denmark under President Obama, Gifford is cupping a mug of coffee at Helen’s Restaurant, a cozy family-run joint in Concord, where Gifford and his husband, Stephen DeVincent, now live. Though raised in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gifford says the third district is the region where his Colonial-era

ancestors first settled—including one who, he discovered while exploring the branches of his family tree, wound up a 19th-century congressman. Now Gifford, a Democrat, is running for the open seat that a retiring Niki Tsongas will leave behind, and to do it, the “viral” campaigner combines the warm human charm of old-fashioned flesh-pressing with the media know-how of a modern politico. After all, this is the guy who, prior to his ambassadorship, left the entertainment industry to line coffers for John Kerry and Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. He wound up finance director for Obama’s 2012 reelection, an awing exercise in constituent communication that traded on its candidate’s practically

pop star-like persona and built a massive $700 million war chest. The Gifford campaign’s digital outreach is being run by 270 Strategies, the same firm that worked on Obama 2012. Gifford has significant social media star power: tens of thousands of followers on Instagram and Twitter. And he was even the subject of an award-winning Danish documentary series, “I Am the Ambassador,” now viewable stateside on Netflix. The show followed Gifford on his globe trotting diplomatic journey, captured him at Pride events and culminated with his wedding at Copenhagen City Hall. Wait a minute. Didn’t we already try electing a reality show star?

“I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” says Gifford about Trump’s TV background. That the only moment of generosity Gifford will grant to the current president, who he says has “given away all moral leadership.” “I Am the Ambassador” was certainly a far cry from “The Celebrity Apprentice.” Gifford

2017-2018

SEASON

It’s a new year full of unforgettable performances: see an old favorite or discover a new one in 2018! JANUARY

Tony Kushner and Sarah Vowell The Lincoln Legacy Jeremy Denk, piano / Stefan Jackiw, violin Complete Ives Violin Sonatas Grupo Corpo

FEBRUARY

Compagnie Accrorap- Kader Attou The Roots eighth blackbird Sergio & Odair Assad, guitar duo Avi Avital, mandolin Doric String Quartet Chucho Valdés & Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trance Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Rohan De Silva Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, Yo-Yo Ma

At the White House. says he did the show to pull aside the curtain of diplomacy and engage and excite audiences, especially younger ones, around politics. “You’ve got to give it to Trump for his ability to communicate. But what we’re trying to do is use some modern forms of communication for good—not to divide people or tear us down, but to educate and build us up.” Unfortunately, Gifford sees essentially everything about the Trump presidency as a destructive force that threatens to tear down progress made by Obama. He’s worried about the “normalization” of rhetoric and behavior once considered intolerable. He’s saddened that the positive transformation he saw in how the world perceives America is again being compromised. And on the LGBTQ front, he knows we need to be vigilant in the wake of Trump-era rollbacks: “The moment you stop fighting for equality you start losing it.” “I never dreamed I would put myself on a ballot,” adds Gifford, who had planned to get back to a post-ambassadorship “normal life” and was considering working for a green energy company. Then came the election. “It fired me up,” says Gifford, who adds that his interest in politics

was, poignantly enough, first stoked by the 1992 presidential campaign of the late Paul Tsongas, who preceded his wife in Congress. “I’d been going around the world telling people how they needed to participate, follow their heart and engage in society. This was not the time to sit on the sidelines.” So he’s standing up to fight. Gifford says that the third congressional district is a “microcosm” of America, and concerned with the same issues as anywhere— from jobs to climate change, from the opioid epidemic to North Korea. Hearteningly, he says he’s also witnessing some of the galvanized political spirit that is pervading the country. “I’m seeing a sort of resiliency on the part of Americans,” says Gifford. “Despite everything the president is saying, we are going to respond in a positive way.” This is the first in a series of profiles on LGBTQ candidates running for office in Massachusetts, including Steve Kerrigan and Alexandra Chandler, who are also running for the third congressional seat. Find the next installment in the March/April issue. [x]

MARCH

Circa, “S” Daniil Trifonov and Sergei Babayan, piano duo Benjamin Beilman violin / Orion Weiss piano What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow and Jessica Rivera The Songs of Leonard Bernstein Anat Cohen Tentet and Ben Wendel Seasons Group I’m With Her - Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan STAVE SESSIONS (160 MASS AVE., BOSTON) Jazzmeia Horn House of Waters Ensemble Mik Nawooj Claire Chase and My Brightest Diamond Bent Knee Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Takács Quartet Wu Man and the Huayin Shadow Puppet Band

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SPOTLIGHT Holiday STORY Scott Kearnan

Sweet Hearts

THESE VALENTINE GIFTS CREATED BY COUPLES ARE TRULY MADE WITH LOVE Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so you’ll want to get started on shopping for your sweetie. Need inspiration? Consider supporting New England LGBT couples who are in the business of making and selling some cool, creative goods—from custom bikes to chocolates, bath products to bow ties.

A Leather and lighting from Kmoe. Artist Karole Moe and her partner Karen Baker are behind Kmoe, a Provincetown-based creator of rustic-chic lighting fixtures, leather goods and other artistic accessories. Moe, alum of Crate & Barrel and Boston’s high-end furniture showroom Mohr & McPherson, fashions pendant lights, sconces and lamps made from traffic lights, skateboards and more. This Renaissance woman also designs some pretty stylish leather wrist cuffs adorned with handsome hardware in brass and nickel. Besides the P’town home base, Kmoe is opening a Somerville shop in March; you can also shop online. (kmoe-ptown.com)

B Build your own bike package at Bowdoin Bike School. Plenty of couples make New Year’s resolutions to get fit together—and biking is a great way to give that goal a kick-start. Visit married couple Noah and Jovanny De Amor, the twosome behind Bowdoin Bike School in Dorchester. Their full-service sales and repair shop has plenty of cycles to get you started, from English three-speeds to BMX bikes. But you can also take advantage of a build-your-own bike package. Under their expert tutelage, you’ll design your ride from the frame up, choosing your parts, defining your style and building a bicycle with your own hands. At just $30 per hour (builds average 10–15 hours), it’s a truly experiential exercise for couples. (bowdoinbikeschool.org)

D 22 | BOSTON SPIRIT

C Bath products from Frog Meadow Farm. If you’re looking for a romantic getaway, look to Frog Meadow Farm in Vermont, a charming, clothing-optional bed & breakfast owned by husbands Dave King and Scott Heller, who happens to be a Universal Life Minister — should you need an officiant to help you tie the knot. Want to smell like the great outdoors of the Green Mountain State all year round? Stock your shower with Frog Meadow’s bath and body products, including shampoos, soaps and shaving foam in scents like balsam & cedar and tea tree, lavender & lemongrass. (frogmeadow.com)

D Flowers from New Leaf Flores. Giving a bouquet never fails as a romantic gesture. But there’s a special, sentimental touch when you get them from New Leaf, owned by longtime partners Daniel Lopez-Ospina and Jeb Taylor. If you want predictable, paint-by-numbers rose bouquets, look elsewhere. This stylish operation, which just celebrated its 10th year, shows real flair and finesse, implementing everything from dahlias to amaryllis—and sure, maybe a few roses. (newleafjp.com) E Chocolates from Christopher Hastings Confections. Maine husbands Mark (the chocolatier) and Nate (the marketing guru) combined their respective middle names for this brand new business of sweet treats. Mark applies his professional background in laser crystal engineering to chocolate crystals, bringing uniquely satisfying snap to creative treats like the “Moxette,” a caramel bonbon infused with the essence of Moxie, Maine’s official state soda. (chconfections.com)

F Adorable edibles from 2 Dogs Treats. Besides Christmas, Valentine’s Day is probably the most common occasion for gifting a sweetie with a red bow-tied puppy. Add 2 Dogs Treats, healthy, home-delivered noshes by married Boston couple Christian and Mike Merfeld. The Dorchester duo hand makes each assortment—in flavors like turkey, fish skin and even organic sweet potato—using single-source, human-grade ingredients. No factory-processed pooch food here. (2dogstreats.com) G Brackish feather bow ties from Salt Supply. Earlier this year, husbands Kevin O’Shea and David Bowd opened Salt Supply, the retail store companion to their boutique Provincetown hotel, Salt House Inn. It’s filled with a curated collection of cool items—from wearable accessories to home décor pieces— designed by indie artisans. We love these one-of-a-kind, real feather bowties from South Carolina brand Brackish. Founder Ben Ross originally invented these handmade ties as gifts to his groomsmen. Aw! (saltsupplystore. com) [x]

JAN|FEB 2018 | 23

SPOTLIGHT News STORY Rob Phelps

From the Blogs

harassed and bullied staff members since 2013, Dr. Stephen Boswell, CEO of Fenway Health, resigned from the helm of the center renowned for its pioneering care and advocacy of LGBT patients.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS FROM BOSTONSPIRITMAGAZINE.COM

Former Mass. Senate President Stanley Rosenberg. PHOTO courtesy NPR reported that the incidents took place over the past few years, and the alleged victims include a policy advocate, a political aide, a lobbyist and another man at a fundraising event.

Attorney Mary Bonauto, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and GLAD executive director Janson Wu.

GLAD HONORS FORMER US ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER “Keep standing up, keep speaking out, keep resisting,” former US Attorney General told the crowd of 1,000 advocates for LGBTQ equality at the GLAD’s 2017 Spirit of Justice Award dinner. The event was held in Boston on October 27. Holder received the award “for his instrumental role in advancing LGBTQ justice, and his leadership on other civil rights matters including criminal justice reform, and voting rights,” according to a GLAD press release. Attendees also heard from Dylan Kohere, an 18-year-old freshman at University of New Haven who has been barred from enrolling in ROTC because of President Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military. Kohere is a plaintiff in GLAD’s lawsuit Doe v. Trump, which challenges the ban. On October 30, a federal district court ruled in favor of

the plaintiffs and enjoined the ban. The annual event this year raised $890,000 to support GLAD’s work fighting for LGBTQ equality through litigation, legislation and education.

BAY STATE SENATE PRESIDENT STEPS DOWN OVER HUSBAND’S SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS Massachusetts Senate President Stanley Rosenberg stepped down from his office after the Boston Globe reported four men alleged sexual misconduct by his husband Bryon Hefner. “I believe taking a leave of absence from the Senate Presidency during the investigation is in the best interest of the Senate,” Rosenberg said. “I want to ensure that the investigation is fully independent and credible, and that anyone who wishes to come forward will feel confident that there will be no retaliation.” The Globe story, based on interviews with 20 individuals,

24 | BOSTON SPIRIT

“All of the men said they felt powerless to report the incidents because they feared alienating Rosenberg, with whom they believe Hefner has tremendous influence,” the Globe reported. “Reporting Hefner’s behavior to Rosenberg or the authorities was a careerthreatening prospect, they said.” “Even though, based on what little I have been told, these allegations do not involve members or employees of the Senate and did not occur in the State House, I take them seriously,” Rosenberg stated. “To the best of my recollection I was not approached by anyone with complaints during or after the alleged incidents made in this article or I would have tried to intervene.”

The doctor, Harvey J. Makadon, had been in charge of Fenway Health’s education and training division until March 2017. According to the Globe, Fenway “paid an outside law firm twice in the last four years to investigate allegations made against the doctor. … The second time, in 2015, [Boswell] ignored the lawyers’ recommendation to fire Makadon, and failed to report the matter to the board of directors.” In a public statement, Boswell wrote: “With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear to me that more timely and direct action on this situation was warranted. If my actions in this matter sent an inadvertent message to the Fenway Health community that this behavior will be tolerated, I am sorry. I am confident that, working closely with the Board of Directors, we have taken the steps necessary to assure that this situation will not repeat itself.”

MCI Norfolk

Dr. Stephen Boswell, former CEO of Fenway Health

TRANSGENDER INMATE FILES SUIT IN MASSACHUSETTS

FENWAY CEO RESIGNS OVER HANDLING OF ALLEGED WORKPLACE HARASSMENT

A 52-year-old transgender woman inmate in the men’s facility at MCI-Norfolk filed a lawsuit the US District Court in Boston on November 15 requesting transfer to the women’s facility at MCI-Framingham.

After serving 20 years, and two days after the Boston Globe reported complaints that a doctor under his watch had sexually

The inmate, who has been receiving hormone therapy for 40 years, and is identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, says she

is routinely taunted, groped and otherwise harassed by male inmates and guards in the men’s facility because she identifies as a woman. According to a November 16 Boston Globe report, Doe, incarcerated for a drug crime in October 2016, is being “forced to live, sleep, shower and use the bathroom with male inmates at MCI-Norfolk, where male correctional officers strip-search her and refer to her and other transgender prisoners as ‘wannabe women.’” “In 2017, it is a total shame that this state—with so much broader policy recognizing the humanity of transgender people—doesn’t recognize that humanity in our correction system,” Jennifer L. Levi, director of the Transgender Rights Project at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, told the Boston Globe. “They’re serving time for underlying offenses, but they’re not supposed to be punished for being transgender. That’s wrong.”

LAST DANCE FOR DYKE NIGHT On Saturday, November 11, Dyke Night hosted its final Second Saturdays at Machine. But its founder Kristen Porter wants everyone to know that there will still be Dyke Night special events and other gatherings catering to and celebrating not only the lesbian crowd but also other portions of the greater queer community. According to a November 9 WBUR NPR radio report, “Porter has noticed a shift in the scene away from lesbianspecific events. When Dyke Night moved from [the Somerville club] Toast to Machine 10 years ago, Porter called it ‘Second Saturdays’ so that trans and gender-nonconforming people would feel welcome. At the same time, she noticed that younger members of the LGBT community were seeking out such spaces less and less—the success of the gay rights movement meant they could now

assimilate into mainstream society.”

BAY STATE TOPS 2018 CORPORATE EQUALITY INDEX A record-breaking 41 major companies and law firms in Massachusetts earned perfect “100 percent” scores in the 2018 Corporate Equality Index, released in early November 2017 by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The average score for Bay State-based companies and firms was 97 percent. Of the 48 companies evaluated in the state, 41 earned 100 points, six earned 90 and above and one earned 80 and above. For the index, HRC evaluates LGBT-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgenderinclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBT community.

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FIVE BAY STATE CITIES EARN PERFECT HRC EQUALITY SCORES Five Bay State municipalities earned top marks, with perfect 100s, on the Human Rights Campaign’s latest Municipal Equality Index, its sixth edition, released in mid-October 2017. Massachusetts’ average score came in at 87 out of 100 points. Its five perfect score earners are Boston, Cambridge, Salem, Worcester and Provincetown. Near-perfect earners include Arlington at 94 and Northampton at 89. The other New England states scored well too, with Connecticut and Rhode Island joining Massachusetts to come in above the national average at 75 and 60.25 respectively, Maine hitting the national average of 57, and Vermont and New Hampshire coming in very close at 53 and 49. [x]

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SPOTLIGHT News STORY Rob Phelps

Newsmakers | New Hampshire Headlines from the Granite State

of Hilltop Golf Course in Peterborough. “It doesn’t matter who you love. This festival is going to show the gay community there are quality vendors for your wedding, people you can trust, and people who will make your wedding day what you want it to be.”

ORAL HISTORIES BY THE DECADE AT RAINBOW SYMPOSIUM What was life like for LGBT people along the Granite State seacoast from the 1950s up to current times? That was the question posed to a panel comprised of folks with firsthand experience at the Rainbow Symposium, held on October 29 at Discovery Portsmouth. The NH LGBT History Project hosted the event.

Somersworth, New Hampshire school board member Gerri Cannon with Mayor Dana Hilliard at Jules Bisson Park. PHOTO courtesy of Gerri Cannon/Facebook

OPENLY TRANSGENDER CANDIDATE ELECTED IN SOMERSWORTH One of the seven transgender candidates across America voted into office on November 7, 2017 is Gerri Cannon, newly elected member of the Somersworth, New Hampshire school board. The Somersworth school board race was tight. “Five candidates were vying for the four seats,” Seacoast Online reported. “Based on [election night] unofficial results with all votes counted, Brennan received 611 votes, Austin 538, Richardson 527, Gerri Cannon 494 and Sean Peschel 488.” The race was in fact so tight that a recount was taken—and Cannon prevailed. A transgender woman, Cannon is PFLAG NH chairperson and board member, helping families and friends of LGBT people cope with social pressures and challenges. In 2009 and 2017 she served as a Freedom NH Steering Committee member, advocating for transgender equality rights legislation in Concord.

CHRIS PAPPAS FOR CONGRESS Looking toward November 2018, Chris Pappas, an openly gay executive councilor and restaurant owner in Manchester, threw his hat into the right for the the Democratic nomination in the First Congressional District, replacing Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, who announced she’s stepping down.

26 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Chris Pappas NPR New Hampshire considers Pappas a frontrunner in a field of at least five candidiates. Born and raised in Manchester, Pappas is a 2002 Harvard graduate who returned from college to help run his family’s buiness, the Puritan Backroom Restaurant. In 2002, he began his first of two terms as state representatitive after which he was elected treasurer of Hillsborough Country. Since 2013, he’s represented District 4 on the state’s executive council. He also is an active member of several nonprofit boards.

KEENE HOSTS FIRST-EVER WEDDING FESTIVAL Along with more than 40 vendors including florists and other businesses like wedding cake bakers and tuxedo makers for men and women, the first-ever LGBT Wedding Festival of New England featured live music, food samples, raffles and educational breakout sessions led by nuptial experts. It was also a first for Keene, which hosted the event at Stonewall Farm. “One of the last weddings I did was for a lesbian couple that told me a lot of [vendors] did not want to speak to them at all after they found out they were gay,” said festival founding director Holly Long, who owns Keene’s Naturally Elegant Designs, a wedding and floral designer. “That’s ridiculous, I thought. We need to do something here.” “So many people in the gay community have come to me when thinking about getting married, and said, ‘We don’t know who to go to, who to trust,’ ” said Annie Card, festival committee member and the owner

Five panelists were picked to represent a period in history, including York High School Student Anna Wright, who brought the stories up to date. According to Seacoast Online, panelist Mike Boronsky got the ball rolling, talking about growing up in the ’50s and ’60s. “It was not the Portsmouth of today,” he said, recalling his job as a social worker. “I never said anything [about being gay] for fear of losing my job,” said Boronsky. “I had to have every member of a potential foster home sign a form saying they were not gay, or they were not licensed.” “I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s,” said Calvin Couch. “Portsmouth was just starting to change. The restaurant scene was beginning. More people were moving in and more companies coming here. That brought a shift in thinking.” “I was eight or nine in 1982 when I discovered Boy George and the Culture Club,” said J. Ruby Ryan of Newfields, a senior lecturer of women’s studies at the University of New Hampshire. “I couldn’t put a name to transgender but it set off a spark in me. As a child I was bullied terribly. I was called effeminate, a sissy and a mama’s boy, although what would be wrong with that?” Moving into the ’90s and aughties, Pip Clews, chair of the Seacoast Outright board, recalled, “When my wife gave birth to our first child, in order for me to have the same parental rights, she had to give up her rights to the child for about 10 minutes. Then we both adopted her. There have been a lot of changes, but we still have progress to make.” “I first came out as bisexual in the sixth or seventh grade,” said York High School sophomore Wright. “I saw some very pretty girls. I liked boys, too. I am non-binary. I don’t fit in either gender. So, I dress how I want and I am just me.” [x]

SPOTLIGHT News STORY Kim Harris Stowell

Newsmakers | Rhode Island This Just in from the Ocean State

Nika Lomazzo Elana Rosenberg

ELANA ROSENBERG NAMED AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF YOUTH PRIDE, INC. Elana Rosenberg will be the sixth executive director in the history of Youth Pride, Inc. (YPI) . Announcing the decision to hire her, YPI Board Chair Lisa Carcieri said, “Elana’s passion and demonstrated leadership serving the LGBTQ community will help the organization…meet the unique needs of LGBTQ youth and young adults of our State.” Rosenberg has accumulated significant experience in youth development, nonprofit management and social justice education through her work with United Way, and she was once a YPI staff member herself. She plans to advance YPI’s strategic plan as well as guide development initiatives to better support LGBTQ youth. “I am ecstatic to return to YPI as the executive director,” Rosenberg said, “and look forward to continuing to build on YPI’s 25-year history of services, supports and advocacy for LGBTQ youth throughout Rhode Island.”

PROVIDENCE TRANS WOMAN PLANS TO CHALLENGE STATE REP. LOMBARDI Inspired by the November elections, especially the victory of Virginia’s Danica Roem, Nika Lomazzo is aiming to defeat District 8 State Representative John Lombardi. If she is successful, the 22-year-old would be the first openly transgender person to serve in Rhode Island government. Her focus would be on advocating for legislation that would increase protections for transgender residents and immigrants, and create more affordable housing options. Her slogan? “Transitioning for change.”

practices, connect around activism and generally celebrate that which makes our community proud. Sessions will include board development, queer elders and safe spaces for trans people. There will also be plenty of time for fun, including tours of the city, a Free Play night, a drag brunch and more. For all the details or to register, visit nerpri.org.

QLIFE COMES TO RHODE ISLAND Qlife Media, a suite of media properties that aims to reimagine digital publishing in the new era of web and social media, has expanded to Rhode Island, launching QLife RI in November 2017. The aim, according to editor Russ White, is to provide communities access to news and information in cities where a local publication has folded. There is some disagreement here. Options Magazine, which published in the Ocean State for 35 years before suspending publication last summer, insists it will rise again to recapture the momentum it had previously enjoyed.

NORTH EAST REGIONAL PRIDE (NERP) COMES TO PROVIDENCE From March 1 through 4, leaders of the LGBTQ+ community from across the Northeast will come together to share best

White’s Las Vegas-based company is experimenting with the creation of business models that allow entrepreneurs to license the QLife brand and infrastructure and start their own local affiliate. Find the group’s fledgling Rhode Island edition at qlifemedia.com/rhodeisland. [x]

JAN|FEB 2018 | 27

SPOTLIGHT News STORY Rob Phelps

Newsmakers | Maine

News from the Pine Tree State training for teachers and staff, and more.

PORTLAND SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS BROAD TRANSGENDER PROTECTIONS

“Having grown up as a bisexual, transgender person and not having any support, I probably never thought there would be a place and a time where schools would be voting on a policy that would affirm my identity,” Gia Drew of Equality Maine told Maine Public Broadcasting.

Portland’s school board unanimously voted in a comprehensive new policy that protects transgender and gendernonconforming students at a meeting in late November. The policy includes protections for students to use restrooms and changing rooms that correspond with their gender identity, allows students to use pronouns of their choice, calls for gender-neutral dress codes and annual gender-issues

“And having been a teacher for 20 years and having to teach and hiding most of that time, I, of course, thought this would never happen. And so here we are, and I think this is going to be a great beacon to other schools across the state,” Drew said.

Portland School Board Chairwoman Anna Trevorrow [AT PODIUM] and Superintendent Xavier Botana [RIGHT]. PHOTO Susan Sharon/courtesy Maine Public Drew worked with a group of school board members, parents, teachers, students and other advocates for seven months to draft the policy.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH LOSES JOB OVER BULLY INCIDENT A high school football coach in Maine lost his job after instructing his players to tease an opposing player about his gay parents, according to an

Associated Press report, which the Boston Globe picked up on October 20. According to the parents, Lynn and Stephanie Eckersley-Ray of Yarmouth, Gray-New Gloucester High School Coach Duane Greaton told his players to taunt their son every time he was tackled by saying, “Who’s your daddy?” “The Eckersley-Rays say parents and players told them about the taunting order before the game began, but no

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taunting was overheard during the game,” the AP reported. “Superintendent Craig King said Thursday that Greaton no longer works for the district.”

place. Being nice counts. That’s what defines a community.”

MAINE MUNICIPALITIES SCORE WELL ON HRC EQUALITY INDEX

According to the Globe, the coach was “dismissed” after the incident, although an addition in the Globe noted, “It’s unclear if the coach resigned or was fired.”

HOW ‘BEING NICE’ DEFINES A COMMUNITY At the University of Maine, the UMaine LGBTQ Services and Wilde Stein Queer Straight Alliance’s Gay Thanksgiving Potluck dinner has become an annual tradition on campus— especially for students who don’t feel comfortable going home for the holidays. The campus newspaper described the event as such: “The North Pod was lined with tables covered with a plethora of food, and student volunteers

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UMaine’s Gay Thanksgiving. PHOTO Maggie Gautrau, courtesy Maine Campus helped serve the feast. Ten tables, as well as booths and side tables, were packed with students. Opening remarks were made by Dean Robert Dana, Mark Dube, a graduate assistant at the Rainbow Resource Center (RRC) and Jennifer Iwerks, the Staff Associate for Diversity and Inclusion.” “For many LGBT students, holidays can be very difficult times,” said Dube. “Some go back inside

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the closet. Some can’t go home. That is why we host events like this. It provides LGBT students a place to have a safe and supportive holiday.” In her opening remarks, Dean Dana said, “I know there are lots of things happening in the world that are sad, that make us mad, and upset us. This is a place we can come together, take each other’s hands, take a moment and make the world a better

Maine cities bested the national average for LGBTQ inclusion in law and policy on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2017 Municipal Equality Index. Topscoring municipalities included Portland earning 80 out of 100 points, Scarborough with 66, South Portland 60, Bangor 59 and Augusta 57. “This year’s MEI paints a vivid picture: cities big and small, in red and blue states alike, are continuing our progress toward full equality, regardless of the political drama unfolding in Washington, D.C., and in state legislatures across the country,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. [x]

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SPOTLIGHT News STORY Natalie Nonken

Newsmakers | Connecticut Articles from The Constitution State GROTON BOARD OF EDUCATION CONSIDERING NEW TRANS POLICY

After its early-December introduction board members moved the policy to a public reading at an upcoming meeting.

At an early December meeting, the Groton Board of Education proposed a new policy that would meet the needs of transgender and gender nonconforming students.

91-YEAR-OLD ACTIVIST OPTIMISTIC IN TRUMP TIMES

Regulations would include equal accessibility to athletic program, allowing students to use the restroom and locker room that corresponds to their gender identity, violations against harrassment and allowing students to use the names and pronouns of their choice.

Years after he’d achieved his Eagle Scout badge in 1944 because he was gay, David Knapp became an LGBT activist when he was kicked out of the Connecticut Boy Scouts, according to a Hartford Courant editorial by Susan Campbell, an instructor at the University of New Haven. Knapp’s ouster

Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus happened during Bill Clinton’s presidency. More recently, Campbell noted, President Trump has been making some moves that are alarming to the LGBT community like banning transgender troops from the military. Still Knapp, now 91, told Campbell that despite Trump’s discriminative policies he is optimistic because he’s seen things change for the better over the long haul. Knapp is a part of the Stonewall Speakers, whose members go to educational groups and civic groups to educate people and fight prejudice.

According to Campbell, Knapp also feels optimistic due to the fact that almost every high school in Connecticut has a gay-straight alliance group. He believes that sexual orientation is no longer an issue or concern to most people.

AUDITIONS FOR CONNECTICUT GAY MEN’S CHORUS The Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus is holding auditions this January for OH BOY! The Best of the Boy Bands. Auditions will be held in New Haven on January 9 and 16. Rehearsals will take place on Tuesday

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nights, and while choral experience is not a requirement, it is preferred. To audition, contenders can prepare a song of their choice, and a pianist will be provided. More information can be found on their ctgmc.org. The group is currently in its 32nd season and has a concert series every December and April. CGMC also host a Bingomania event each month in New Haven and regularly holds events benefiting other Connecticut LGBT organizations. CGMC was named “Best Vocal Group in Connecticut” in a recent Connecticut Magazine poll.

REGISTRATION FOR ANNUAL TRUE COLORS CONFERENCE True Colors, based in Hartford, Connecticut, hosts the largest

conference in the country focusing on LGBT youth topics. This year’s event marks its 25th anniversary and will include over 3,500 participants and feature upwards of 200 workshops. This year’s conference is on March 16 and 17 at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. “Early Bird” registration opens on January 26 followed by preregistration on February 16. The final day for preregistration is March 2. Scholarships are available and may be requested by no later than January 19.

Stonewall Speakers

True Colors is a nonprofit organization working to ensure that the needs of gender and sexual minority youth are met. More information about its mission, as well as the conference, can be found at ourtruecolors.org. [x]

True Colors Conference

JAN|FEB 2018 | 31

SPOTLIGHT News STORY Rob Phelps

Newsmakers | Vermont

Green Mountain State Update

A new historic-site marker honoring first-in-the-nation civil unions. PHOTO Stefan Hard/The Times Argus via AP

HISTORIC-SITE MARKER COMMEMORATES COUNTRY’S FIRST CIVIL UNION LAW A historic-site marker was raised on the Vermont State House lawn to commemorate the first civil union legislation in the country, which the state passed in 2000. “Since its founding, Vermont has been a leader in protecting and furthering civil rights, embracing diversity and promoting tolerance,” Republican Vermont Governor Phil Scott said. According to an Associated Press report, “Former state Representative Herb Russell, a Democrat who received a civil union and later got married in Vermont, sought the marker because he believed the historic event deserved to be commemorated.”

‘‘He was passionate and very progressive,’’ said Vermont state Representative Mary Sullivan of her long-time friend Ed Flanagan, the first openly gay, statewide-elected lawmaker in the United States. ‘‘He was guided by a moral compass.’’ Flanagan, who served as Vermont’s state auditor (1993–2001) and state senator (2005–2011) died on November 6 at a nursing home in New Hampshire. He was 66 years old.

32 | BOSTON SPIRIT

This year’s Summit was made possible with support from the Samara Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, Borealis Philanthropy’s Fund for Trans Generations, Funding Queerly and many individuals.

Ed Flanagan. PHOTO courtesy WCAX News According to an Associated Press report, “Mr. Flanagan suffered a traumatic brain injury in a 2005 car crash that left him in a coma for several weeks. Sullivan said Mr. Flanagan’s declining health in recent years was a result of those injuries.

A new Friday Night group for queer and transgender youth is starting up in Morrisville. PHOTO courtesy Outright

“Mr. Flanagan was first elected auditor in 1992. He was elected to three additional two-year terms, including two after he came out as gay in 1995.

A new social support group for queer and transgender youth is coming to Lamoille Country, starting January 5.

“In 2000, after leaving the auditor’s post, Mr. Flanagan ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate seat then held by Republican James Jeffords. He was elected to the state Senate in 2004. He was reelected in 2006, after he was injured in the car crash, and again in 2008.”

“We’re very proud of the fact that the first civil union law was in Vermont,” he said. “And I felt strongly that we needed to document that history and take great pride and claim our role in the historic path of equality in this country.”

FIRST OPENLY GAY, STATEWIDE-ELECTED LAWMAKER DIES AT 66

Crossroads. “It is a rare and powerful opportunity to gather with this many rural and small-town LGBTQ people who can nod in that knowing way when someone talks about their experience of being queer in the country.”

FRIDAY NIGHT YOUTH GROUP COMES TO MORRISVILLE

Friday Night Group will be held at River Arts in Morrisville on the first and third Friday every month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. LGBT teens ages 13 to 22 can meet up, share some pizza, talk about topics of their choosing or just make some new friends. “A group like this is definitely something I would have been interested in as a student,” Justin Marsh, Outright Vermont board member, told Stowe Today. Outside of the school walls, there weren’t—and aren’t— many supports for the LGBT community. Marsh joins Hannah Miller, Lisa Zinn and Zac Cota as the group’s facilitators, who modeled the group after successful programs in Burlington, Montpelier and Brattleboro.

Green Mountain Crossroads’ Out in the Open Summit

QUEER IN THE COUNTRY Green Mountain Crossroads of Brattleboro hosted its third annual Out in the Open Summit, where LGBTQ residents living in small towns and rural communities from all over the Northeast met up to socialize and network. “All too often, LGBTQ spaces have a focus on urban communities. Likewise, during rural gatherings LGBTQ topics are usually noticeably absent,” said H. B. Lozito, executive director of Green Mountain

According to Stowe Today, “All the facilitators have gone through a background check and a three-hour training course to make sure they are all on the same page about their role, and know what to do if someone shares something of concern. “Outright will work with school counselors and with local gender and sexuality alliances, such as GLOW—Gay, Lesbian or Whatever—at Lamoille Union High School or Harwood Union High School’s QueerStraight Alliance, to get the word out to youth in the area. There’s no need to sign up in advance.” [x]

FEATURE Business STORY Rob Phelps

Economics of Inclusion

Nancy Stager, Mike Nites, James Lopata, Grace Moreno, Chris Juliani , Karen Young and Sally Willard. PHOTO Joel Benjamin

[FROM LEFT]

Newly formed Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce is open for business and positioned to empower enterprises small and large Being inclusive is good for business. “Economies are strong and efficient when everyone is engaged and everyone can participate,” says Sam McClure, senior vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). McClure points to the impact of LGBTowned businesses on the U.S. economy as an example: 1.4 million LGBT-owned businesses across the country contribute more than 1.7 trillion dollars to the national economy, she says, citing a recent NGLCC report.

“That’s trillion with a ‘t,” she adds. “And those numbers are only growing stronger.” The NGLCC networks thousands of businesses with hundreds of corporate sponsors through 49 affiliated groups across the country. And, says McClure, the national organization has its eyes on Massachusetts. “There’s so much opportunity here,” McClure says following a recent sit down with the working group of the newly formed Massachusetts LBGT Chamber of Commerce, which filed its legal papers

last month and is now officially open for business. “The Northeast corridor is just humming with business opportunity, and we are really excited to have an emerging local partner that can help us reach all of its LGBT business owners. The entire LGBT community and all of Massachusetts need to know they now have a local organization ready to partner with the NGLCC to bring greater economic development and empowerment to the Commonwealth,” says McClure. “The economic potential here is enormous.”

JAN|FEB 2018 | 33

Another first for Massachusetts One of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s first executive orders after he took office in 2015 was to make the state the first in the country to include LGBT-owned businesses in its supplier diversity program. This means that LGBTowned businesses can join a program that already ensured participation in government contracting and procurement opportunities for businesses owned by people of color, women, veterans, and people with disabilities. To bring LGBT businesses into the program, the state took advantage of the NGLCC’s fully accredited, industry-standard certification process. So with NGLCC certification, LGBT business owners greater access to do business with the government and private companies under government contracts; in fact, all agencies of the state and state-contracted business must do at least 20 percent of their business with statecertified companies. The state even pays the NGLCC’s $300 certification fee on behalf of each LGBT business owner. What’s more, because of the state’s partnership with the NGLCC, owners of certified LGBT enterprises can also access all the opportunities the national organization provides. This includes being routinely sought after by the NGLCC’s corporate partners looking for LGBT-owned suppliers; scholarship, mentorship and leadership training; and networking events like the annual NGLCC International

Business and Leadership Conference where thousands of certified businesses come to meet each other, as well as representatives from over 170 corporate partners. (This year’s conference will be in Philadelphia, August 14–17. Visit nglcc.org for details.) Until now, however, there’s still been one missing link for LGBT businesses to really thrive with the state’s supplier diversity program. Many LGBT business owners don’t know about the program, or don’t know how to access the program, or don’t really understand what the program can do for them. Other groups in the program—like minority, women, veteran and disabled business owners—have advocacy groups in place to help them connect with the state program. This is where the newly formed Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce comes in.

A little history Back in early 2016, when the state supplier diversity program opened its doors to the LGBT community, the region’s oldest and largest LGBT business organization had just closed theirs. Times had changed since the Greater Boston Business Council (GBBC) was founded 25 years earlier, and the business landscape had changed too. For many years, the GBBC was the only gay business organization around. Over time, many LGBT groups covered much of the same territory as the GBBC—like Pride in Our Workplace, which caters mostly to Fortune 500 companies; The Boston Gay

34 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Open for business Now that the legal documents have been signed and corporate sponsorships are coming in, the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce is open for business. “We want to help grow the economy with other LGBT business professionals. We want people to come on board now,” says Board Chair James Lopata. “We need people to come serve on our board, join our steering committee and we’re ready to welcome new members and help them get certified through the state and national program.” To get involved, send an email to info@malgbtcc. org or visit the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce Facebook page: facebook.com/malgbtcc.

“ The Northeast corridor is just humming with business opportunity, and we are really excited to have an emerging local partner that can help us reach all of its LGBT business owners. The entire LGBT community and all of Massachusetts need to know they now have a local organization ready to partner with the NGLCC to bring greater economic development and empowerment to the Commonwealth. The economic potential here is enormous.” Sam McClure, senior vice president, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce

Professionals Meetup Group; Lesbians Who Tech; StartOut for LGBT entrepreneurs; Boston Spirit’s own Executive Networking Night; and OutBio for LGBT life science professionals—you name it. Many are geared to specific professions, others more for networking. “But since the GBBC closed its doors, there’s been no group that forms a hub for building all businesses from an LGBT perspective,” says James Lopata, board chair of the new Chamber, co-owner of executive coaching firm innerOvation, and executive director of Boston Spirit [Editor’s Note: Full disclosure: Yes, that’s me]. “That’s why we formed the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce,” Lopata says. “To fill that gap—connecting small businesses with large corporations and the state supplier diversity program and the national organization: offering a locus for the LGBT community to grow the economy in the Commonwealth and beyond. We see ourselves as a great companion organization to the other groups in the area.”

Moving ahead The Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce may be newly formed, opening for business in 2018, but it’s been a steady work-in-progress since Governor Baker signed that executive order back in 2015. Even before then actually, since quite a few members of its working group of small business owners, corporate leaders and community advocates have had their eyes on the changing business landscape around them since the days of the GBBC.

To get their nonprofit paperwork and organizational structure in order, the team brought on Grace Moreno as their executive director. Moreno has an impressive track record of establishing both nonprofit and business start-ups. Most recently, she managed the creation of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, where she led all aspects of this project from construction of its facility in Dorchester next to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library to hiring its staff. “I’m very excited about all that the Chamber’s aiming to do— the goals, the vision and mostly who’s at the table. They are a very powerful group of representatives from Massachusetts businesses,” Moreno says. “Our first priority is to focus on our strategic plan,” she says. “We need to establish how our programs will operate. Luckily, we’re not starting from scratch. There are a lot of LGBT-owned chambers throughout the country. I’ve done a lot of research into how they do things. The beauty of it is that everyone does things differently, which means there are so many examples of how to custom create our programs to fit our community.” Over the past year, the working group has also invited other consultants to the table—like McClure, who says she’ll join them on a regular basis from D.C. to maintain a strong connection with the national organization, and representatives from the state government like Deputy Assistant Secretary William McAvoy, who tells Boston Spirit, “The Baker-Polito Administration is proud of our efforts to increase diversity in the Commonwealth’s

JAN|FEB 2018 | 35

procurement process, which includes establishing the first-in-the-nation LGBTowned business certification. The administration’s supplier diversity office looks forward to working with the new chamber and assisting [its] members who are interested in doing business with the Commonwealth.”

Toward economic viability for all Moreno sees the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce as a “genuine opportunity for the LGBT community to really step up to a different space in business. A lot of us are excited to throw our time and effort behind it because we think it’s a really cool and necessary endeavor. As a community, we have historically spent so much time fighting just to get equal space in the world; it’s really nice to sit down with other gay and lesbian and transgender folks and look beyond basic needs to do something positive that is centered around business and financial growth. After all, if you can’t meet the financial needs of a community, you really can’t take care of the basic needs.” “I’m personally committed to making this happen,” says Nancy Stager, executive vice president at Eastern Bank and a consultant for the working group. “My whole company wants to see this happen.” A strong ally of the LGBT community, Eastern Bank is also the number one small business lender in New England. “We want to make

“ As a community, we have historically spent so much time fighting just to get equal space in the world; it’s really nice to sit down with other gay and lesbian and transgender folks and look beyond basic needs to do something positive that is centered around business and financial growth. After all, if you can’t meet the financial needs of a community, you really can’t take care of the basic needs.” Grace Moreno, executive director, Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce

Mission Statement The Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce works to create an economic growth inclusive state by promoting opportunities among LGBTowned and allied businesses, corporations and professionals. Representing its members, the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce serves as a business advocate and a link between business and government in an effort to promote equality. We do this through advocacy, education and partnerships with the Massachusetts business community.

sure that small businesses are promoted, are assisted and helped to grow,” Stager says. “And we see the Chamber as a clear opportunity to do that— to partner with other companies on contracts, to sell to one another and to band together to sell in greater numbers to larger businesses that need what we are selling.” Karen Young, vice president and chief inclusion officer at Harvard-Pilgrim Health Care, agrees.

36 | BOSTON SPIRIT

“In terms of Harvard-Pilgrim’s involvement with the Chamber, we have an inclusion business strategy and we value differences in everything we do and everyone we work with, including our suppliers,” says Young, who also consults for the Chamber. “In many ways the goals of the Chamber are already in alignment with H-P’s strategic initiatives. We want to make sure that women-owned, minorityowned, veteran-owned and

now LGBT-owned businesses share and help build the economic viability of our community.” Small business owner and board member Matt Veteto was one of the first to get state certification. He went through the process for his Chestnut Hill-based company New Coat Painting. Veteto found the process somewhat challenging, especially the training sessions at the State House. “It was almost like learning a different language,” he says. “In the business world, if you need some construction and painting done, you call me, I give you a price and we make it happen. With the government, it’s a little different.” Veteto got his certification and says that with the help of the Chamber other business owners will find the process less challenging. Approaching small jobs or looking for big contracts, Veteto says the certification is always a plus. “I can show potential customers I’ve been vetted and say to anyone looking to hire me for a job, I have an LGBT-owned painting company that’s been state and nationally certified. “I’m not one to hold up a giant rainbow flag and say hire me just because I’m gay. But from my core values as a business owner, as a father, and as a human being, the way I run my business, how the Chamber and the NGLCC vet and certify businesses—with respect and dignity for all—that’s what it’s all about. Trying to do the right thing, every step of the way. [x]

FEATURE Community STORY Rob Phelps

Diversity Matters

GLAD Spirit of Justice Award with 2017 honoree former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. PHOTO Infinity Portrait Design

Taste of the South End. PHOTO Marilyn Humphries

How can we make LGBT events more inclusive to reflect, connect and celebrate our entire community? When Corey Yarbrough and his partner Quincey J. Roberts founded the Bostonbased Hispanic Black Gay Coalition (HBGC) in 2009, Yarbrough said their goal was to create an environment where LGBTQ people of color could “connect without feeling excluded.” Before they created the HBGC, Yarbrough and Roberts would go to LGBTQ events around Boston, but they always felt a disconnect from the scene. And they were not alone. Under Yarbrough’s executive direction, the group established their own events that include networking and social activities, forums and popular discussion groups like My Brother’s Keeper for men of color and even an alternative to Boston Pride with BASK, a pride picnic for people of color. By the time Yarbrough passed along the leadership baton in 2015, the group had hosted hundreds of events encouraging activism, civic engagement and youth empowerment in Black and Latinx communities. But times change, and this group—ironically, given its origins—found itself on the verge of excluding groups of people within the LGBT communities of color it set out to include. So now in 2018, under new leadership and with a fresh approach,

they’re changing their name to the Queer and Trans Coalition for Racial Gender Equity to address and better connect with those who feel left out. (See related story on page 47). “We’re concerned about the needs of all folks,” says Bethany Allen, a co-chair with the group’s new leadership. “Our name to date has been the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition, and some people have had a hard time locating themselves in that. We’ve come to a point where there’s too much of a need for solidarity for us to in any way ostracize folks that want to be part.” Allen and the rest of her group’s leadership are grappling with the same issue as organizers of those LGBTQ events around Boston where Yarborough felt excluded. “Over the course of the last year or so, I came to realize a real lack of diversity at many of the large-scale LGBT events in the area,” says David Zimmerman, publisher of Boston Spirit. “Events such as the Fenway dinners, the GLAD Spirit of Justice Award Dinner, HRC fundraisers and Boston Spirit’s own Executive Networking Night. There just haven’t been many people of color attending these events and I started to get curious as to the ‘why,’ especially in regards to Boston

Spirit’s event as that one is, obviously very close to my heart. “Are we, as LGBT businesses and organizations, sending out the wrong message to people of color within the community?” he asks. “What is the disconnect, and can we fix it? That’s what we are hoping to find out and hopefully, through this process, find a fix to the issue.”

Defining divisions Of course not all people of color feel excluded at large-scale LGBT events in the Boston area. Gary Daffin is the executive director of the Multicultural AIDS Coalition, which he founded in 1988. “Boston, the whole region, is very white, there’s no getting around that,” he says. “But I’m completely at ease in Boston. I’ve been very involved in the LGBT scene here for a very long time so I know a lot of people. I get to work in all communities, so I sort of have the best of all worlds in a way. And I’m from Mobile, Alabama, so I even have that dynamic going on.” Daffin attended Fenway Health’s first Men’s Event gala fundraiser in 1992; in fact, he’s been to all 25 of them. “There are certainly more people of color now than there were at that first one back on Berkeley Street, but you see more of everyone there. Now there’s 13,000 people at the event and the vast majority are white so that’s who you’re going to see,” he says.

JAN|FEB 2018 | 37

The Dinner Party, formerly known as the Fenway Health Women’s Dinner. PHOTO Marilyn Humphries

Babson College students at Bayard Rustin Community Breakfast. PHOTO courtesy of Isatta Coomber

Speaking to why there isn’t more diversity at Fenway’s fundraising dinners and other large-scale community soirées, Daffin points out that people go to these events for a variety of reasons—to socialize, network, support the host organization and, yes, feel connected with the greater LGBT community; but primarily, he says, they go to most of these events to raise funds for the host organization. “Many of these organizations are past the point where they’re having these events to simply raise awareness,” Daffin says. “So the goal is to find people who can afford to make contributions well beyond what it costs to have dinner. If you’re asking people to give you 250 bucks to put on a tuxedo and come have dinner, you’re already talking about a small portion of the community.” Daffin calls out the stereotype that gay white men in particular are wealthier than other people, citing studies that show all LGBT people make less money than their straight counterparts. Still, he adds, the LGBT population reflects the broader U.S. population. “So if you go to these events, you see a particular portion

38 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Boston Spirit Executive Networking Night. PHOTO Jessica Kirshner

Boston Living Center’s Celebration of Life. PHOTO Steve Lord

of the community that’s going to be more economically advantaged—and just like the country overall, that portion is going to be more white and more male.” Cultural differences also keep some people away from the more mainstream events, he says. As GLAD’s development director Brianna Boggs puts it, “You can invite me to the party, but if I don’t like the food, and I don’t like the music, and I don’t want to dance, what does it matter?” “So there’s economic and cultural differences,” Daffin says. “And then there’s racism and discrimination. I think there are more people in the LGBT community who are committed to addressing racism and trying to have a better and more inclusive community, but they’re still reflective of the wider community. It’s not as if gay people grew up on some small island and have their own culture. They grew up in the dominant culture, where there is racism. We’re going to be working on this until we’re all 110 years old. Especially with this president—Lord, help us—who is not helping at all.” Many people of color, and transgender and gender nonconforming people and

Fenway Health Men’s Event. PHOTO Marilyn Humphries

older people just don’t feel welcome in places that are primarily white, young or middle age and cisgender, Daffin says. Sometimes that’s because of previous personal experiences; often, for people of color, these experiences occurred within their own communities as well as in within broader, whiter settings. “I mean, the worse thing is to be rejected by your family, then rejected by your community, then rejected by the LGBT community—which is supposed to be a place where you can seek support and comfort, not open the wound deeper.” Even if the LGBT community isn’t going to reject you, when you’ve already been twice rejected, it’s hard to put yourself out there to face even the possibility of a third major rejection. “That’s the bind many people find themselves in,” Daffin says. “And that’s a lot for anyone to have to deal with.”

Overcoming obstacles One large-scale event in Boston that manages to both raise major funds and attract people from all spectrums of the

LGBT community is the Celebration of Life Holiday Party, put on each year by Victory Programs’ Boston Living Center (BLC). Over 700 people came out to the 30th annual Celebration in 2017—an event that brought in more than $130,000 to Living Center programs for the HIV/AIDS community. Admission is free for all guests. Volunteers and corporate sponsors raise the funds. And everyone feels comfortable at the event because all of the guests are members of BLC and Victory Programs community, family and friends. The event always has the atmosphere of a great, big family reunion that’s full of love. “I think it goes back to the roots of the Living Center,” says Marc Davino, vice president of development and communications, who’s hosted the event for the past 10 years. “Since the Living Center opened in 1989, the mission has always been to provide services and programs to the community free of stigma, free of judgment, to anyone who needs the services.” This ethos of judgment-free respect carries right into the event, and you can feel it at every table. A similar spirit is strong at other largescale events too, like the Bayard Rustin Community Breakfast, which honors the life and work of the unsung hero of the Civil Rights Movement. Created by the AIDS Action Committee, the annual event recognizes the roles of LGBT people from communities of color in the fight against AIDS. If you’re interested in attracting people of color—or anyone—to an event, it just makes sense that that event focuses on something that engages them; so programming the event, and outreach to

let everyone know what’s on the program, is key. Organizers of big fundrasing events like the Fenway dinners and GLAD’s big events strive for programming that reflects all aspects of the LGBT community, reaching out to the communities of color—and everyone—that they serve. GLAD’s most recent Spirit of Justice Award Dinner in Boston, which honored former U.S. Attorney Justice Eric Holder, raised more than $890,000. Fifty percent of GLAD’s sponsorship dollars goes to organizations and events that serve and are led by people of color, says GLAD’s executive director Janson Wu. And Wu and other GLAD advocates don’t just donate to these groups; they frequently get right out in the community and participate in community group events as speakers and panelists. “When people see you show up not just with dollars but with your presence, they’re much more likely to feel welcome at your own events too. It’s reciprocal,” says Wu. Wu points to the previous year’s Spirit of Justice event, honoring Phil Wilson, president of the Black AIDS Institute, as an example of their commitment to inclusivity. “We really focused on making the programming reflective of the honoree’s work and how it impacts communities of color. “The question we ask ourselves is who do we actually want to have in the room— who will most benefit by being there?— and how do we make it possible for them to be in the room?” Wu says. “Some guest will be able to pay for the tickets, some can come for free as guests of board members, and others we may be able to provide a

sliding scale to help them afford tickets to attend.” Similarly, when Javier Barrientos, then a diversity and inclusion exec at Biogen who’s since moved to Amazon, served on the host committee for the most recent New England Human Rights Campaign gala, he created a committee to hook up LGBTQ young economically challenged people with free tickets. Barrientos wanted to ensure these youths who, in this case, wanted to pursue careers in science, had a seat at the table next to established scientists in the community. GLAD also asks all Spirit of Justice honorees to speak at a second GLADsponsored event a day or so later so people who didn’t attend the fundraiser can participate. These events are not held in gala ballrooms, but right in the neighborhood: GLAD brought Phil Wilson to the Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury, for example. “A gala’s not for everyone,” Wu acknowledges. “Not everybody wants to put on a black suit and tie. But everyone should at least have an opportunity to interact with and hear from our honoree.” The Fenway’s Men’s Event and The Dinner Party fundraisers are another great example. “We’ve done quite a few things over the past few years that I’m really proud of to make the events more inclusive,” says Bren Cole, co-organizer of The Dinner Party and Fenway public relations officer. Over the past couple years, Cole and the Fenway team have taken a few simple, extra steps to make both events more inclusive. They changed the name of the women’s event to The Dinner Party to better reflect

Fenway Health Men’s Event. PHOTO Marilyn Humphries

JAN|FEB 2018 | 39

Fenway Health Young Leadership Council Anniversary. PHOTO Colin Patrick Photography

Volunteers at Boston Living Center’s Celebration of Life. PHOTO Steve Lord

GLAD Spirit of Justice Award with 2017 honoree former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. PHOTO Infinity Portrait Design

Boston Living Center’s Celebration of Life. PHOTO Steve Lord

the gender diversity of Fenway’s patient base. “A high percentage of people who attend, volunteer or donate don’t identify as women,” Cole points out. “Some are gender nonconforming, gender queer or nonbinary. It’s important to make sure everyone feels included and represented.” Organizers take a little extra time to make all of the bathrooms at the events gender neutral, at least for the evening. “It’s such an easy thing to do,” she says. “We just put signage up. This takes a lot of pressure off people right from the start. As a person who’s gender nonconforming myself, I know exactly the anxiety around restrooms. Having that one fewer thing to worry about really makes the night better.” Changing something as simple as messaging also makes a difference. Instead of “Ladies and gentlemen,” you’ll hear “everyone” or “folks” coming from the podium. “Once again, it’s easy, it doesn’t cost anything, it’s just a matter of being aware of your community and what they need,” says Cole. Like GLAD, Fenway also has many ways for everyone to participate who wants to even if they can’t afford the big ticket price. Fenway also offers sponsorships and encourages volunteering (which includes free tickets) and participation on their advisory boards (which also gets

40 | BOSTON SPIRIT

“ It takes time and effort to build sincere community relationships. You have to show up for each other. Yes, we should start with making more efforts for genuine outreach, increasing accessibility— eliminating physical and financial barriers—but I think we also need to do more to foster community. Binh Le Steering committee member, Queer Asian Pacific-Islanders Association

you free tickets) to help their events better address the needs of all parts of the community the serve. “We’re working hard on active recruitment of people of color for not just event co-chairs but for other leadership positions and decision-making positions too. We want our event to be created by and for the wide range of people that we serve,” Cole says.

Fenway Health Young Leadership Council Anniversary. PHOTO Colin Patrick Photography

“Diversity isn’t something you can check off a list when you’re planning an event,” she says. “Inclusivity is an ongoing commitment.” “It’s a journey and a process that really has no end,” Wu agrees. “What’s most important are your intentions each step of the way. For all the work we’ve done to try to ensure that our events are diverse and inclusive to the entire community, we know there is so much more progress we can make.” “I think it’s always hard because diversity can be such a trope. Sometimes organizations or persons can be invited to an event and it feels more tokenized than genuine,” says Binh Le, a steering committee member for the Queer Asian Pacific-Islanders Association. “It takes time and effort to build sincere community relationships. You have to show up for each other. Yes, we should start with making more efforts for genuine outreach, increasing accessibility—eliminating physical and financial barriers—but I think we also need to do more to foster community. The true spirit of the LGBTQIA community is that we break free from the margins and molds of who we are told to be, and that we support each other for who we are. [x]

SEASONAL Leadership STORY Scott Kearnan ART DIRECTION AND PHOTOGRAPHY Joel Benjamin

Celebrate our many hues of intersectionality with these leading, local advocates and activists Every individual has an identity. Every identity stands at an intersection. Sex, gender, race, class, religion, economic and immigration status—we think of them, and many other markers, as roads that shape the direction of our experiences in the world. These roads converge in endless combinations. We are gay white men. We are black trans women. We are nonbinary queers. We worship or we do not, we have more money or less. Keep going. There are so many spaces we occupy. Such broad diversity is what makes our LGBTQ community so beautiful, but it is also why it is so important that our approaches to social organizing, activism and other forms of advocacy are equally varied. With so many multifaceted identities, ours is not a one-size-fits-all community. We also face different challenges and enjoy different opportunities, so our methods for bettering experiences must reflect that. Thankfully, the Boston area is full of amazing organizations that explore and address LGBTQ people at various intersections. In these pages, you’ll find a few, hear their histories and meet some of the faces that power their vital work. There are so many more. The traditional LGBTQ Pride rainbow only shows seven colors. But within every color, there are always many hues. And to paint the brightest picture, we must celebrate them all.

MAD FEMME PRIDE 42 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Always advocating for radical inclusion. Intersections, by definition, do not occupy a single space. And it can be easy to get lost in the in-between. “I knew I was femme before I knew I was a lesbian,” says Madeleine Blum, one of the main organizers behind Mad Femme Pride. The Boston organization, launched in 2004, boasts over 5,000 members of varying levels of engagement, and many of them have joined for the same reason as Blum:—finding support when forms of exclusion exist on all sides. As a queer femme lesbian, Blum knows what it is like to have to “come out over and over again”—even to doctors, whose assumptions may prevent them from asking the appropriate questions about important issues like sexual health. She knows what it is like to be harassed by drunken straight bros at a bar who tell her she’s “too pretty to be a lesbian.” She knows what it is like to attend lesbian-focused events only to have her identity questioned by members of her own community. She knows what it is like to be othered over and over again. That takes a toll. “It makes you feel like a lesser queer,” says Blum, who is also a member of the Hub-based rock band Unstraight. Mad Femme Pride provides a space for femme-identified folks to gather, celebrate and advocate. The group’s events range from regular monthly book club meet-ups to the community picnics and the yearly Big Queer Show, a live music-filled soiree held during Pride month. Last year, Boston Pride included Mad Femme Pride among the annual recipients of

its new Community Fund monetary grants. Blum says Mad Femme Pride used some of its award to ensure it could book event space that is accessible to all. Indeed, while the organization was founded to center the femme experience, it also describes itself as “radically inclusive.” Mad Femme Pride takes, well, pride in embracing open-minded folks of all kinds. The organization places great emphasis on the style and formats of its social meet-ups, stressing methods like a “Step Up, Step Back” approach that encourages balanced conversations. Mad Femme Pride has also collaborated with many other groups, ranging from the Bisexual Resource Center to Queer Women of Color, and just finished revising its mission statement and group guidelines to more accurately reflect its allencompassing worldview.

“ I think the whole community is grappling with how to simultaneously be inclusive and focused. We’re certainly still a work in progress, but I hope we’ve provided an example of leadership.” MADELEINE BLUM, MAD FEMME PRIDE ORGANIZER

“We are open and welcoming to anyone on the queer, questioning, LGBTQIA spectrum,” says the new statement. From an organizational standpoint, it’s not always easy to balance the need for identity-specific resources with inviting all others who also seek space—but femmes know too well how it feels to be shut out, says Blum. And that fuels Mad Femme Pride’s sense of greater purpose. “I think the whole community is grappling with how to simultaneously be inclusive and focused,” says Blum. “We’re certainly still a work in progress, but I hope we’ve provided an example of leadership.”

Mad Femme Pride www.meetup.com/madfemmepride

Biblio, Janie, Sarah, Ebonie and Madeleine.

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KESHET 44 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Keeping the faith for inclusion. Too often, LGBTQ people of faith are forced to choose between communities. When Jonathan Krasner and Jared Goldfarb, two gay Jewish Bostonians, founded Keshet in 1996, they wanted to respond to, and ameliorate, an environment in which many queer Jews felt forced to choose between communities—or to hide an important part of themselves in order to remain involved in Jewish life. Founding executive director Idit Klein took the helm in 2001, and since then she has successfully transformed the Jamaica Plain-based organization from a one-person operation to a fully staffed outfit with national clout, a $2 million budget and a track record of mobilizing Jewish leaders, schools and other social spheres to embrace and advocate for their LGBTQ brothers and sisters. “Growing up as the daughter of Holocaust survivors on both sides, from an early age my identity as a Jew was completely fused with that of someone who was going to work for social justice,” says Klein. Under her leadership, Keshet has implemented nationwide programs, workshops, professional development curriculums and leadership summits that that help parents, educators and Rabbis educate local communities on LGBTQ issues and fully affirm the dignity of queer Jews. Keshet, which means “rainbow” in Hebrew, employs methods across a wide spectrum of advocacy approaches. Among its most major successes, the organization produced an acclaimed 2005 documentary, “Hineini: Coming Out in a Jewish High School,” about a lesbian

student in Waltham’s hard-fought efforts to establish the first GSA at a Jewish high school. Besides serving Boston out of its Jamaica Plain home base, Keshet is active in New York City and San Francisco, everywhere curating a wide array of educational, cultural and social events—everything from speed dating to challah baking workshops—that bring queer Jews together mobilize pro-equality movements within various Jewish communities. More recently, in response to Trumpera attempts to roll back transgender student protections in public schools, Keshet rolled out a public service campaign—Kavod Achshav (“Dignity Now”)—dedicated to reaffirming support for trans youth in Jewish communities. Klein says Keshet is in the midst of a strategic planning process to ramp up similar efforts.

“ Growing up as the daughter of Holocaust survivors on both sides, from an early age my identity as a Jew was completely fused with that of someone who was going to work for social justice.” IDIT KLEIN, FOUNDER OF KESHET

But the work goes both ways. Keshet is also concerned with ensuring space for proud Jewish identification in LGBTQ circles, which are not always affirming of people of faith in general. For instance, in June, marchers carrying a Star of David flag were banned from Chicago’s Dyke March. The incident, which highlights an increasingly thorny issue facing progressives, concerns leaders like Klein, who say it presumptuously conflates pride in Jewish identity with pro-Israel, anti-Palestinian politicking. “We can’t glide over complex, nuanced issues in favor of hostility,” says Klein. Thankfully, Keshet is here to keep building bridges—and continue vital conversations.

Keshet Keshetonline.org

Lenny Goldstein, Idit Klein, James Cohen and Catherine Bell.

JAN|FEB 2018 | 45

QTCRGE 46 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Changing its name and stepping up its game. Founded in 2009, the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition (HBGC) has been one of Boston’s most important organizations focused on the issues of LGBTQ people of color. But our communities and conversations have evolved since then. Now, so will HBGC. “We tried so hard to hold on to what we’ve always been,” says co-chair Bethany Allen. “We wanted to go back to where we started from. What we realized is that we need to go forward.” In 2018, HBGC will formally change its name to the Queer and Trans Coalition for Racial Gender Equity. The moniker is intended to be more inclusive, better recognizing the myriad ways community members identify. The Coalition is also working with a consultant to ensure its future sustainability as an organization, and planning to assemble a steering committee that offers “broad representation” to help refine elements of its mission going forward, says Allen. There are a few mandatory maxims: The Coalition “wants to be explicit that we are working against the forces of anti-Blackness,” says Allen. She adds that the organization will “move forward from a feminist framework,” inspired by pioneers like the Combahee River Collective, an influential Black feminist organization active in Boston in the late ‘70s. The Coalition will also work to center queer and trans people, in particular.

Allen emphasizes that the HBGC era will always be remembered for its immense contributions, including programs like My Brother’s Keeper, a monthly discussion group for LGBTQ men of color, and events like its annual Youth Empowerment Conference and BASK, a yearly “people of color Pride picnic,” that filled a void for many. Some, including BASK, will continue under the Coalition. But Allen says that a confluence of circumstances also caused HBGC to rethink its approach: Among them, the departure of the organization’s founders in 2015, state and federal budget cuts that impacted programming, and of course, the increasingly dire state of the political landscape.

“ We’re concerned about the needs of all folks. Our name to date has been the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition, and some people have had a hard time locating themselves in that. We’ve come to a point where there’s too much of a need for solidarity for us to in any way ostracize folks that want to be part.” BETHANY ALLEN, CO-CHAIR, QUEER AND TRANS COALITION FOR RACIAL GENDER EQUALITY

She recalls the message of two black queer feminist women who spoke at HBGC’s Rooted in Resistance Gala last year, and how their message helped illuminate the future for the organization. “It was a call to action, to respond to the moment,” says Allen. “But responding to the moment doesn’t just mean being reactionary. It means being revolutionary. It can’t be business as usual.” 2018 will be a major planning year to outline the future of the Coalition, she says. But the name change is an important first state.

Queer and Trans Coalition for Racial Gender Equity www.hbgc-boston.org/

Bethany Allen, Shawn McGuffey and Zuleny Gonzalez.

JAN|FEB 2018 | 47

QAPA 48 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Still paving ways as a pioneer. Founded by Malaysian native SiongHuat Chua in 1979 as Boston Asian Gay Men and Lesbians (BAGMAL), the organization now known as QAPA is considered the oldest pan-Asian LGBTQ association in the country. It has since grown to over 300 members, and even helped launch a now-separate entity—Massachusetts Asian + Pacific Islanders for Health (formerly the Massachusetts Asian AIDS Prevention Project) along the way. Today, QAPA continues to offer a sense of community for those who don’t always feel incorporated into even the most inclusivity-minded circles. “I think Asians can get lost in conversations about diversity,” says Binh Le, a member of the QAPA steering committee. She says the organization offers a place for those whose racial or ethnic identities are often left out of larger conversations about issues affecting queer people of color. “Sometimes you can feel so isolated from your own community,” says Le. “QAPA is a place where you don’t just feel like a token, or on the margins. It’s a family.” QAPA exists to ensure a voice for Asian and Pacific Islanders in dialogues about queer issues, and to provide culturally specific support—whether that means resources available in Cantonese and Mandarin, family acceptance workshops or community care during the coming-out process. “There is such a vast cultural difference in how we come out,” says Le. “I come from a Vietnamese Catholic family.

For me, it’s not coming out once—it’s coming out forever.” QAPA typically hosts some kind of event monthly, says Le. Among its more recent successes, the organization collaborated on a “#RedefineSecurity” event that addressed LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander’s experiences with racial profiling and deportation. It also worked with the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance to host the Community Catalyst Awards, a celebration that raised over $7,000, brought together 240 guests, and delivered as many postcards in support of Massachusetts’ transgender public accommodations bill.

“ I think Asians can get lost in conversations about diversity. Sometimes you can feel so isolated from your own community. QAPA is a place where you don’t just feel like a token, or on the margins. It’s a family.” BINH LEE, QAPA STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

And in 2016, befitting its first-in-thenation status, QAPA was also selected by Boston Pride to be among the inaugural recipients of its Community Fund, monetary grants now awarded to local LGBTQ organizations doing important work in the community. QAPA’s inclusion in that first round of awardees is a testament to the organization’s legacy—and the promise of its still-unfolding future. The need for the connection and community it offers isn’t going anywhere. “After moving to Boston, I had gone to queer events with organizations that were not ethnically based. It wasn’t quite the same,” says Le. She moved to the Hub about six years ago, and eventually came across QAPA during a trivia night at Club Café. “You’re always looking for that common ground.” How precious it is when found.

Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance www.qapa.org/

Chih-Wei Liang, Binh Le, Hang Ngo, Kevin Lam, Pi Fong and Jenny Le.

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SAVE THE DATE

WEDNESDAY MAY 9, 2018 Boston Marriott Copley Place, 6–9:00 p.m.

In April 2017 nearly 1,200 area LGBT professionals attended Boston Spirit’s LGBT Executive Networking Night, along with 54 companies exhibiting at the event. Whether you are looking to grow your business, network with other in your industry, or looking for a new career, this is the event for you. Look for RSVP details in the March|April issue of Boston Spirit and visit us online at bostonspiritmagazine.com.

Corporate Sponsorships In April 2017 more than 50 businesses exhibited at Boston Spirit's Executive Event. The event is the perfect place to brand your company as open and welcoming and to market your goods and services to a very qualified audience. If you are interested in learning more about exhibiting at the event, please contact Boston Spirit by emailing us at publisher@bostonspiritmagazine.com.

FEATURED SPEAKER

KRISTIN BECK

Kristin Beck served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEALs before her transition, taking part in 13 deployments, including seven combat deployments. She was a member of the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (also known as DEVGRU), a special counterterrorism unit popularly called SEAL Team Six, and received multiple military awards and decorations, including a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. In 2009, Kristin was requested by name to be the Advisor to SOCOM’s Science Director, Mr. William Shepherd (SEAL/ Astronaut). She became an integral part of SOF technology

and advancements while serving in this capacity. She has prepared and briefed position papers on SOF-unique technology for State Department and White House approvals. As a result of these outstanding achievements, Kristin Beck received the coveted NDIA 2010 Special Operations Award. Now a civil rights activist, she gives speeches and lectures at various events around the country. Kristin was a key voice in the Congressional Bill to end discrimination toward the LGBT community. She continues her “new mission” fighting for equality for all Americans.

BOSTON BLACK PRIDE 52 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Marching onward and moving forward. Casey Dooley is a hairstylist. So it’s appropriate that she’s poised to help Pride get back to its roots. “With everything that was happening with the parade, it was really important for me to take on this position to build the community together more,” says Dooley, the new co-chair of Boston Black Pride, which programs events for Black LGBTQ folks during a distinct Black Pride week in February and throughout the larger series of Boston Pride events in June. Although the modern Pride movement was born out of the spirit of the 1969 Stonewall riots, which saw LGBTQ people across racial, ethnic and gender lines strike back at systemic forms of oppression, contemporary celebrations have become increasingly criticized for lack of inclusiveness and not addressing issues and experiences affecting the community’s most marginalized— particularly queer and trans people of color. In 2015, activists using the slogan #WickedPissed staged a sit-in during the Boston Pride parade that was intended to “refocus attention on those most marginalized in the LGBTQ community, honor the lives of trans women of color and raise awareness to the lack of representation and resources available to LGBTQ people of Color in Boston,” according to a statement the group released at the time. In 2016, amid outrage, Boston Pride withdrew the marshalship of a gay police officer after it was found that he had posted inflammatory

comments about Black Lives Matter protestors on Facebook. And last year, activists from grassroots groups like the Stonewall Warriors staged a disruption at the parade challenging its inclusiveness. Boston Black Pride is a longestablished organization that came under the umbrella of Boston Pride in 2015, according to Boston Pride vicepresident Linda DeMarco. “I want to figure out a way to better communicate, to get more conversations going and to realize that we’re all on the same page,” says Dooley. “That’s my agenda.”

“ I want to figure out a way to better communicate, to get more conversations going and to realize that we’re all on the same page. That’s my agenda.” CASEY DOOLEY, BOSTON BLACK PRIDE CO-CHAIR

Of course, Boston Black Pride is also building an exciting line-up of events. February’s Black Pride week will feature a comedy show and a short film showcasing stories about people of color at the Museum of Fine Arts; in June, expect Black Pride to work with the Museum of African American History on a walking tour of Beacon Hill. There are also plans to hold panel discussions on mental health. Discussion is at the core of Boston Black Pride’s refreshed approach. “With the protesting, I felt like everyone was kind of standing on their own side and no one wanted to come to the table, sit there and have a dialogue,” says Dooley. “I want move the conversation forward.”

Boston Black Pride Bostonpride.org/BlackPride

[BACK ROW] Angelz Haynes, Val Bee, Michael Anthony Fowler, Luke Connors, Henry Paquin; [FRONT ROW] Mark Leonardo III and Casey Arline Dooley.

JAN|FEB 2018 | 53

BOSTON LATINX PRIDE 54 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Opening doors and embracing all. Marco Torres has been to a lot of Boston Pride celebrations. After all, as the designated citywide liaison to both the Latino and LGBT communities under former Boston Mayor Tom Menino, Torres had plenty of experience working with Boston Pride even before he became a board member in 2011. But it was the 2012 parade, attended with the oldest of his four brothers, which will always be among his most memorable. “I’m the only person in my family who happens to be gay, and it was a great memory to be able to share that with my oldest brother—to know he was proud of that part of who I am.” That experience still sticks with Torres in his current role as chair of Boston Latinx Pride, which holds its programming during a distinct Boston Latinx Pride week in April and during the larger Boston Pride series in June. Many Latinx people, he says, have need for community events and resources that understand and respect some of their unique cultural issues. “Growing up as a Latino person, you have aspects of the community that are not as accepting of LGBT folks,” says Marco Torres. “We call it the machismo factor.” Before it came under the umbrella of Boston Pride, Boston Latino Pride was a program of the nonprofit Somos Latinos/Latinas. Last year the name was changed to Boston Latinx Pride, acknowledging the increasingly popular gender-neutral term that is more inclusive of transgender, nonbinary and gender fluid folks.

Building an even larger tent will be pivotal to the work of the organization going forward, says Torres. Following last year’s Hurricane Maria, he anticipates Boston could see a “large migration” of Latinx survivors from devastated islands, particularly Puerto Rico. “We will try to be that resource for LGBT Latinx folks,” promises Torres. In December, Boston Latinx Pride hosted a drag brunch fundraiser for Puerto Rico relief at Club Café. The ticket price was $28, the cost of a one-month case of water for a family.

“ Growing up as a Latino person, you have aspects of the community that are not as accepting of LGBT folks. We call it the machismo factor.” MARCO TORRES, CHAIR OF BOSTON LATINX PRIDE

Looking to the distant future, Torres says he would “love to see Boston Latinx Pride flourish and grow and become its own entity.” But he says that goal will require support and participation from the Latinx community. Feedback from the sidelines is always invited, but “bodies in the room” are even better, he says. “Our doors are always open to people in the community.” That’s the only way to build an even stronger, more inclusive organization for future generations. Torres thinks back to another favorite Boston Pride parade, one he attended with his young niece. It says a lot that we have reached a point where he can celebrate the day with family members on both sides of the generational spectrum, but he knows Boston Latinx Pride still has more work to do, and more doors to open, for those who can and will come out to the community. “It’s always someone’s first Pride.”

Boston Latinx Pride Bostonpride.org/LatinxPride

Malcolm J. Carey IV, Tina Rosado, Tammy Plaza, Sylvain Bruni Fowler, Martha Plaza, Ziggy Pijweski and Marco A. Torres. JAN|FEB 2018 | 55

ASYLUM TASK FORCE 56 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Offering shelter and saving lives. Jane is from Uganda. When she was 16 years old, her stepmother discovered love letters she wrote to another girl. Jane’s father beat her and brought her to a local “healer” to be raped and branded with hot steel. She was tied naked to a tree and left to die in the woods. Jean is from Cameroon. When his relationship with his boyfriend was discovered, they were jailed and mutilated. His boyfriend died. For several more years, Jean lived in fear. His successful business was burned down. The police beat him and broke his spine. Both eventually made it to America and sought help from the LGBT Asylum Task Force in Worcester, where it operates out of the Hadwen Park Congregational Church. The Task Force was founded in 2008 by Linford Cunningham, a gay asylum-seeker from Jamaica, and Pastor Judy Hanlon, a straight married grandmother—and devoted LGBTQ advocate. Today Cunningham is an American citizen and the Task Force works tirelessly to support terrified, traumatized LGBTQ people seeking asylum from the nearly 80 countries where homosexuality is illegal. Besides official punishments, which range from imprisonment to the death penalty, LGBTQ people in these places are routinely harassed, and tortured— all while authorities look the other way. Rather than spread too thin, the organization is currently helping 25 people at one time, up from eight just 18 months ago, says Hanlon. The Task

Force, which has one employee paid for out of a grant and otherwise relies entirely on volunteers and donations, spends $25,000 each month to provide housing and food for asylum seekers, who are not eligible for federal assistance and face many obstacles in obtaining work permits. The Task Force also offers love and compassion, working to soothe physical, emotional and spiritual wounds while linking individuals to the resources that will, hopefully, bring them closer to a sense of permanent home and safety.

“ We work smart; we don’t need to re-create the wheel. We connect with hospitals; we do not offer medical care. We connect with lawyers; we do not do legal help. We find counselors; we do not do counseling.” PASTOR JUDY HANLON, COFOUNDER, LGBT ASYLUM SEEKERS TASK FORCE

“We work smart; we don’t need to re-create the wheel,” says Hanlon. “We connect with hospitals; we do not offer medical care. We connect with lawyers; we do not do legal help. We find counselors; we do not do counseling.” It’s an arduous process to help even those with the most dire cases find asylum. And given the current political landscape, it is unlikely to get easier any time soon. “The current situation has exacerbated an already difficult journey,” says Hanlon. “Since Trump was elected, neighbors who have lived next to our asylum houses for years suddenly feel they have license to scream at our friends, ‘go back to Africa!’ Workplaces have become hostile for some, to the point of mental anguish.” The Task Force pushes on, currently fundraising $200,000 for a down payment for a triple-decker home, which Hanlon says would save the organization $2,000 per month.

Asylum Seekers Task Force LGBTasylum.org

Joel, Hamasi, Pastor Judy, Maya, Al Green and Clive Williams.

JAN|FEB 2018 | 57

MAC 58 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Ending the epidemic. For everyone. From prevention to treatment to outcomes, we’ve come a very long way in the fight against HIV/AIDS. That being said, progress has benefited some communities more than others. Despite the strides, there are shortcomings. Just ask Gary Daffin, executive director of the Multicultural AIDS Coalition (MAC), founded in 1988 and the oldest AIDS service organization in New England focused primarily on communities of color, which continue to be disproportionately impacted by the disease. Daffin points to recent findings by the Centers for Disease Control that one in two black men who have sex with men (MSM) and one in four Latino MSM will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime. For comparison, one in eleven white MSM will be diagnosed. Experts say everything from cultural stigmas to correlated socioeconomic factors, like rates of poverty, can contribute to such disproportionateness. And yet, despite this disparity, there is also a marked difference in how readily communities of color are able to access the increasingly prevalent HIV-prevention medication Truvada (PrEP). According to recent research from Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of Truvada, 73 percent of those starting on PrEP between 2012 and 2016 were white; only 13 percent were Latino, 10 percent were black and 4 percent were Asian. These are the types of discrepancies that MAC is working to overcome through programs like CONNECTED Boston, an initiative directly aimed at helping LGBTQ people of color receive health resources like HIV/STI testing, PrEP guidance and support

systems—including an annual summit that brings together community leaders, activists, health providers and more to discuss the myriad issues contributing to prevention and care disparities. “Gay and bisexual men of color, particularly young men, haven’t always been as successfully connected to the health care system,” says Daffin, who also cofounded the Black Men’s Health Alliance and co-chaired the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus. “They’re not as fully knowledgeable about treatment as we’d like them to be, maybe because they’re already facing other challenges. They may not have work or a place to live. They may be engaged in survival sex. They may not be talking about what they’re doing sexually because there’s so much shame and guilt in being gay in society for everyone, especially those already marginalized.” Besides MAC’s many own programs related to everything from prevention to public policy and advocacy, the organization also knows when it’s important to collaborate. In 2003, MAC merged with Men of Color Against AIDS (MOCAA). In 2015, the CDC awarded $3.78 million to Fenway Health, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts and MAC to work on a five-year prevention partnership that focuses on culturally appropriate messaging and outreach approaches to reduce new HIV infections in high-risk populations. MAC is also among the 35 community-based organizations in the statewide Getting to Zero Coalition, which has released a comprehensive plan for ending the epidemic in Massachusetts.

“ Gay and bisexual men of color, particularly young men, haven’t always been as successfully connected to the health care system. They’re not as fully knowledgeable about treatment as we’d like them to be, maybe because they’re already facing other challenges.” GARY DUFFIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MULTICULTURAL AIDS COALITION

Multicultural AIDS Coalition www.mac-Boston.org

Keith, Malkia, Jesse, Gary, Chioma, Frederick and Siede.

JAN|FEB 2018 | 59

THEATER OFFENSIVE

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Amplifying art in every community Great art is painted in every color. In 2009, artistic director Abe Rybeck realized The Theater Offensive (TTO) needed to evolve. He’d founded the edgy arts organization in 1989, expanding on the mission of United Fruit Company, a gay men’s guerilla theatre troupe that celebrated and magnified the fringes of queer art and activism center in New England. Twenty years later, LGBTQ-oriented productions could be found on Boston stages during every arts season. But Rybeck realized that the sea change was not reaching every corner of the city, or reflecting every LGBTQ voice. He recalls a conversation with a young woman from Mattapan, a member of the TTO program True Colors: Out Youth Theater. “She asked, ‘Why do I have to take two trains and a bus just to be who I am? I want to be out in my own neighborhood.’” Thus was born a new programming philosophy: Out in Your Neighborhood, or OUT’hood. Now TTO focuses on bringing theater directly to communities underserved by most large arts organizations, and centering voices from communities of color, transgender folks and other LGBTQ identities underrepresented by other arts initiatives. This has only enhanced TTO’s reputation as a national arts leader. In 2016, True Colors became the first LGBTQ arts organization to receive a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from the White House. This year TTO produced its inaugural weeklong OUT’hood FEST, the culmination of

an artists-in-residence program that presented works from five queer artists of color exploring themes of race, gender and sexuality. They ranged from spoken word performances to a Latin-Baroque fusion musical. In January, TTO partners with the South End’s Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion to present the Puerto Rican Festival of Saint Sebastian, and in May its annual ClimACTS! gala will honor past collaborator Rebecca Taichman, 2017 Tony Award-winning director of “Indecent.”

“ When your work is centered on the politics of belonging, marginalized identities and story sharing, in a climate like this that work is needed more than ever. It needs to be amplified.” HAROLD STEWARD, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE THEATER OFFENSIVE

Most importantly, and unlike other arts orgs where homogeneous (read: mostly-white) leadership curates even the purportedly diversity-minded programming, TTO is cognizant the voices guiding its conversations. For instance, the artists of OUT’hood FEST were selected directly by members of the communities in which TTO works, and people of color comprise two-thirds of management staff. That includes TTO’s new managing director, Harold Steward, who joined the organization in June. Steward previously founded Dallas’s Fahari Arts Institute, dedicated to producing works by LGBTQ artists from the African diaspora. In a political era when bigots are emboldened and artists are under siege, Steward will only pump up the volume of TTO’s vital work. “When your work is centered on the politics of belonging, marginalized identities and story sharing, in a climate like this that work is needed more than ever,” says Steward. “It needs to be amplified.”

The Theater Offensive www.thetheateroffensive.org/

Herald Steward, Big, Nick, JerDore Willams and Matt, Vic; [MIDDLE ROW] Maya, Abe Rybeck, Alex, Evelyn Frances; and [FRONT] Sarah.

[BACK ROW]

JAN|FEB 2018 | 61

QMOB 62 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Changing attitudes in more ways than one. Imagine being nervous to tell people about a huge part of who you are. When you make a revealing comment in conversation, people pause and raise an eyebrow. After all, there are many misconceptions about the group to which you belong. People harbor prejudices, and they judge you based on fear-mongering propaganda spread by conservative media. Every time you tell someone what you are, you wonder what the response will be. Sound familiar? That certainly describes the experience of coming-out for LGBTQ people— and in an American culture dealing with major issues of Islamophobia, many Muslims say it describes their experiences too. LGBTQ Muslims, meanwhile, must deal with it double. And that’s one of the reasons why Queer Muslims of Boston (QMOB) exists. The group was founded in 2013 by a group of people who met at a supportive retreat hosted by several national organizations, including the Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD). Among them was Kaamila Mohamed, a young Somalian refugee who also founded BlackOUT Boston, a collective of queer Black artists. Mohamed eventually became a member of the MASGD steering committee. Today Queer Muslims of Boston, comprised of LGBTQ and ally volunteers, meets monthly and has over 150 members, says QMOB member KJ, who prefers not to use his full name. It’s not an unusual choice. “We are committed to increasing the visibility of Queer Muslims as a group, while respecting the need for privacy of individual members,” says QMOB in its mission statement.

While the group clearly wants to carve out space for LGBTQ Muslims— hosting movie nights and concerts, lively discussions and observances of holidays like Ramadan—it also wants to dispel sweeping stereotypes about the relationship between Islam and LGBTQ issues. “Just like there are spectrums of masculinity, spectrums of femininity and spectrums of sexuality, there are religious spectrums,” says KJ. “When people think of gay Muslims, they think of places that punish people for being gay.” The reality is more nuanced. Take Pakistan, he says, a Muslim-majority country that legally acknowledges a third-gender identity, khawaja sira, on its passports. Khawaja sira people are part of a long tradition, and their experiences are complex. Their families frequently ostracize them, yet they receive legal protections and are often called on to dance and provide blessings at weddings and other events.

“ Just like there are spectrums of masculinity, spectrums of femininity and spectrums of sexuality, there are religious spectrums. When people think of gay Muslims, they think of places that punish people for being gay. The reality is more nuanced.” KJ, MEMBER OF QUEER MUSLIMS OF BOSTON

Though mainstream media tends to focus on extremism, painting Muslim attitudes toward LGBTQ issues with a broad brush, here in America, according to a study released in August by the Pew Research Centre, Muslims are actually significantly more accepting of homosexuality (52 percent) than white evangelical Protestants (34 percent). Yet queer Muslims also must contend with anti-religious sentiment from the LGBTQ community. “Beyond Islamophobia, in the LGBTQ community there’s just a lot of resistance to people of faith,” says KJ. It may take more work to open more minds, but more LGBTQ folks would do well to adopt an inclusive QMOB mentality.

Queer Muslims of Boston qmob.wordpress.com/

Obaid Musazada and KJ.

JAN|FEB 2018 | 63

MASALA 64 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Getting bigger, growing stronger. On November 8, 2016, as Donald Trump rode a wave of intolerance and xenophobia into the Oval Office, the last thing that Kamal Jethwani and Saket Mishra wanted to do was celebrate. But Mela, the annual Bollywood dance party they’d organized for the LGBTQ South Asian organization MASALA, was only four days away. Only a small number of tickets had been sold. They were resigned. Surely folks would be too depressed to come out? Wrong. In the few days between the election and event, ticket sales surged. Ultimately, about 200 people came to Machine nightclub for an evening of South Asian food, dancing and live entertainment, from Bollywoodinspired burlesque to stand-up comedy, a drag act to an anti-Trump spoken word performance. Rather than keep folks at home, the election results galvanized the MASALA community. “People told us they were depressed and didn’t know what to do,” recalls Mishra. “But something came over them. They said this event is now even more necessary in a country like America, creating a safe space in such hard times.” Building space for LGBTQ South Asians has been the goal of MASALA ever since its 1994 founding. Jethwani and Mishra, both originally from India, discovered the organization at its 20th anniversary party, where they were excited to find others who understood some of the issues faced by brown people in Boston: from western culture’s emasculation of Asian male sexuality (two words: Grindr racism) to the difficulty in establishing social connections when you don’t necessarily share the same reference points as American pop culture.

At the time, they say, MASALA leadership had become a bit diffuse. So the couple worked to inject some new energy into the org. Over the last three years, MASALA has consistently organized monthly meet-ups that are growing in attendance and gone from one to three regular large-scale events annually. MASALA members come from many places and backgrounds— Afghanistan to Iran, Bhutan to Nepal— but the gatherings, from literary nights to family acceptance workshops, emphasize shared experiences and shared cultural ground.

“ People told us they were depressed and didn’t know what to do [after the 2016 Presidential election]. But something came over them. They said this event is now even more necessary in a country like America, creating a safe space in such hard times.” SAKET MISHRA, MASALA MEMBER

Things are only getting bigger and better. In September, MASALA co-hosted the Mela gala with QAPA (Queer Asian Pacific-Islander Alliance) to benefit the National Queer Asian and Pacific Islanders Association (NQAPIA). The event brought together over 250 attendees and raised $10,000. Moving forward, the organization says it will work even harder to recognize the diverse identities of members. For instance, MASALA directed its portion of September’s Mela haul to support its noncisgender leaders in building more opportunities that reflect their issues and experiences. And Jethwani is doing great diversityminded work outside MASALA too. He is a senior director at Partners Healthcare, which just awarded Jethwani its first annual Diversity and Inclusion Unity Award. Over eight years, Jethwani has grown his department’s team from two to 51 employees; 38 percent of the team is racially and ethnically diverse—including half of management—and over 20 percent are LGBTQ. With leaders like this at its helm, MASALA may have some of its best and biggest days ahead.

MASALA www.Facebook.com/masala-boston

Rakesh Sambamurthy, Saket Mishra, Anindya Sen, Kamal Jethwani and Shiva Prasad. JAN|FEB 2018 | 65

CULTURE Visual Arts STORY Loren King [AT LEFT] Art historian Andrew Lear conducts a tour at the MFA.

Self-portrait, by Ellen Day Hale

Every Picture Tells a Story

Homage to “La Baker,” by Lois Maïlou Jones

Gay historian’s popular museum tours reveal LGBT themes in art spanning centuries For historian Andrew Lear, art museums are among the gayest places on earth. Lear, a Boston native and Harvard University graduate, fused his knowledge of art and LGBT history into a unique enterprise. Since 2013, his Oscar Wilde Tours offer guided strolls through some of the world’s most prestigious art museums in the U.S. and Europe, providing a deeper understanding and appreciation of art within an LGBT/transgressive gender role context. Lear regularly conducts three different guided art tours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York: “Gay Secrets” shines a light on homoerotic content, overt or covert; “Shady Ladies” highlights an assembly of courtesans, mistresses and sex-role-defying and genderbusting women throughout the ages; and the newest tour, “Nasty Women,” which

66 | BOSTON SPIRIT

he developed during the 2016 presidential election, showcases images of women who “shattered glass ceilings in ancient Egypt, imperial Rome and revolutionary France.” The tours proved so popular that he recently launched a “Shady Ladies” tour at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. The MFA “is a very gay museum,” he says. For now, Lear conducts his tours on alternating Wednesday and Friday evenings (or by appointment for private groups). He’s hoping to add a “Gay Secrets” tour to his MFA schedule in the spring. He describes the MFA edition as a mix of “Shady Ladies” and “Nasty Women,” with art that runs the gamut from Greek depictions of female mythology to works that take on the “war between the sexes.”

Bust of Cleopatra, by Pier Jacopo Bonacolsi. PHOTOS Andrew Lear One of Lear’s favorite examples of powerful women rendered as frightening or monstrous is the Egyptian life-size bust of Cleopatra, easily identifiable by her crown and by the small serpent that decorates the base, by Italian sculptor Pier Jacopo Bonacolsi (known simply as

Portrait of Mercy Otis Warren, by John Singleton Copley “Antico”) who lived from about 1460 to 1528. Lear explains that the bust likely belonged to Isabella d’Este, Marchioness of Mantua, an influential arts patron of the Renaissance, which adds another layer of intrigue—a powerful woman owning the likeness of the ancient queen of Egypt. Ancient Greece is Lear’s specialty, with particular expertise in gender and sexuality and male-male love in poetry and art. So it makes sense that his appreciation and knowledge, delivered in a down-toearth accessible manner and sprinkled with wit, is often more illuminating than the art itself. Once he provides historical and cultural context, or points out a subtle object or facial expression hiding in plain sight, one can never look at the work in the same way.

Lear, who divides his time between New York City and Watertown, earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard as has taught at Columbia, Pomona College and New York University. But when his academic career met a crossroads, he decided to do what he loved and launched Oscar Wilde Tours. “I had done tours for 15 summers during college and grad school, so I knew the tour industry pretty well, and I decided to try to put together tours focused on the kind of gay history issues I work on as a scholar,” he says. In the MFA’s European collection, “so much art was made to be sexually titillating,” says Lear, a practice that was no longer necessary once photography was invented. There’s a Dutch painting set in a bordello that depicts the kinds of overt

and subtle sexuality common to 18th century works. This was also the era when the modern version of marriage was invented, he notes. There is overlap between “Shady Ladies” and “Gay Secrets.” One example is 19th-century American sculptor Harriet Hosmer’s most acclaimed work, “Sleeping Faun,” a marble statue of an inebriated, naked faun sprawled against a tree stump and a sensual rendering of an adolescent’s unselfconscious beauty. There’s a local connection, too; Hosmer, one of the 19th century’s most accomplished female artists, attended a progressive boarding school in Lenox, Massachusetts. After studying sculpture in the United States, she moved to Rome in 1852 to advance her education, becoming the first American woman sculptor to do so. Another notable “shady lady” with Massachusetts ties is revealed in Ellen Day Hale’s gender-ambiguous self-portrait. Lear explains that Hale enjoyed a “Boston marriage” with fellow artist Gabrielle de Veauz Lements, whom she met in 1883. After they traveled and studied in Europe together, the women settled in Gloucester in a house that they named “The Thickets.” Lear’s MFA tour also includes works by well-known women artists such as Mary Cassatt, Georgia O’Keefe and Frieda Kahlo. But what most fascinates Lear are the under-the-radar artists whose works reveals new discoveries. He points to Lois Maïlou Jones, a pioneering, Boston-born African American artist who was part of the Harlem Renaissance and who taught in Haiti. The influence of Haitian and African art can be seen in her vibrant, sensual painting “La Baker,” an homage to world-renowned entertainer Josephine Baker. An important part of the art tours, for Lear, is just allowing people to experience art in a different way that might make it more accessible. “People don’t know what to do in an art museum, and [museums] fail at helping them. It can be kind of intimidating. Art isn’t just meant to be beautiful. A vivid sense of context gives people a lot to hold onto so they can look at the work with a different understanding. It brings it to life.” [x]

www.oscarwildetours.com

JAN|FEB 2018 | 67

CULTURE Performance STORY Loren King

The Gospel According to Lady Bunny Legendary drag performer’s ‘Trans-Jester’ mixes comedy and commentary Drag artist Lady Bunny, founder of the legendary Wigstock festival, which ran for 20 years in New York City, is an old-school drag queen whose live shows are a mix of her signature towering hair, song parodies, risqué humor and, yes, fart jokes. So it

68 | BOSTON SPIRIT

might come as a bit of a surprise that a section of her new show “Trans-Jester” is called the “lecture”: a 20-minute riff on political correctness and gender politics. There are some jokes. It’s not preachy. But people are telling me, ‘Honey, the

lecture is the best part,’” says Lady Bunny who brings “Trans-Jester” to the ART’s Oberon for two shows on January 25 and 26 at 8 p.m. as part of “Glowberon” series. At 55, Lady Bunny admits she’s “from a different generation.” Still, it surprises her that so many young people are filled with “righteous indignation” and have become “word police,” making life tough for irreverent comics who are equal opportunity offenders. As an example of LGBT correctness run amok, she says a college student told her that on a recent bus tour some students had assembled a playlist that included Lou Reed’s classic, “Walk on the Wild Side.” Bunny was incredulous to learn that some students objected to the verse: “Holly came from Miami F.L.A. Hitch-hiked her way across the U.S.A. Plucked her eyebrows on the way Shaved her legs and then he was a she...” “Holly Woodlawn was a trans pioneer! She used that song as her entrance when she performed,” says Bunny. “How are you going to jump back in time 40 years and bully a song from the ‘70s?!” For Bunny, who also works as a nightclub DJ and appeared on longtime friend RuPaul’s “Drag U”—drag has always been about inclusivity among gender outlaws. “I don’t jump out of Lady Bunny drag and become an alpha male body builder. I am one of those non-binary gender queers,” she says. “I’ve worn women’s clothes to work for 30 years; I’ve experimented with hormones; I’ve had the beard burnt out of my face over the course of one and onehalf very painful years.” She speaks from a lifetime of living out loud from the margins. Born Jon Ingle in Chattanooga, Tennessee (“It’s not a bad as it sounds. They do have gay marriage there, but only if you’re first cousins”), Bunny came of age after moving to New York in the early ‘80s. “My experience as a young drag queen was in the ‘80s when we were devastated by AIDS. Despite our differences, we banded together. The clubs were tied to ACT UP and most gays were involved to some degree. “I didn’t go to ACT UP meetings; I felt my role was as a jester. I was 22 years old; I knew nothing about politics. I was mainly interested in getting drunk and getting laid. But I knew how to put on a show. And

[Wigstock] ran for over 20 years,” she says. “We’ve gone from fighting for our lives and having die-ins to fussing about words and how many letters can we add to LGBTQIA?” One thing that “blows my mind,” she says, is that young trans people want to distance themselves from drag queens, when both marginalized groups have been traditional allies going back to the Stonewall rebellion. “It was started by street queens and they were not precious over words as long as you were not beating them up and arresting them,” she says. Lady Bunny launched the annual drag festival Wigstock in 1985 as an alternative to the increasing mainstreaming of gay pride events. “Wigstock sprang from the underground scene in the East Village and the crazier, the better,” she says. “We had demented, gothic [drag] with blood squirting; offensive humor; nudity; insane wigs; loud colors—that was all welcome. Back then, it was about letting our freak flag fly. Try

“ We’ve gone from fighting for our lives and having die-ins to fussing about words and how many letters can we add to LGBTQIA. ” Lady Bunny

calling someone a freak today; you’ll lose your job! We were not mainstream.” Wigstock ended in 2005, but Bunny has heard from many fans over the years who think it’s time to revive it. “It was a lot of work. It possessed me for 20 years and then my own career took off a bit more. But the headlines are so depressing; if I can grab a gaggle of queens together and

bright ideas begin at lucía

put on a show that brings joy … you have to make conscious choice to reconnect with joy. Otherwise, you’re going to be surrounded by despair. So maybe it’s time to bring it back so there’s another celebration, even though Trump is in the White House,” she says. But more than politics have changed; New York also isn’t the playground it was during Wigstock’s heyday in the 1980s. “It’s no longer a city broke artists can afford to live in. Do real estate agents and Wall Street workers want to see a crazy drag queen? Maybe they do, but the city has changed. It’s more slick and corporate; mom and pop industries are all closing down in New York.” There’s also been the steady decline of the LGBT club scene that spawned Wigstock performers and its audiences. “Monster [where Lady Bunny DJs] is the only full-time club left. But there are five Disney shows,” she says. “New York is hopping—if you’re five years old.” [x]

americanrepertorytheater.org/oberon

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JAN|FEB 2018 | 69

CULTURE History STORY Scott Kearnan

Validating History Connecticut Landmarks to open first LGBTQ historic site in state From the outside, the wood-framed house at 307 Town Street in East Haddam, Connecticut doesn’t look much different from other quaint Colonial-era homes that line leafy streets in the Constitution State. But nearly 300 years after its original construction, this house is about to make history. Connecticut Landmarks, a statewide network of a dozen important properties, is planning to open East Haddam’s Palmer-Warner House as the state’s first historic site focused primarily on presenting LGBTQ history. “We’re always asking, ‘what are the core assets of the buildings and objects in our collection, and what are the important stories our properties can tell?’” says Sheryl Hack, executive director of Connecticut Landmarks. In answering these questions, it became clear that the Palmer-Warner House,

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home to preservation architect Frederic Palmer and his longtime partner Howard Metzger from 1945 to 1971, offered illuminating insight to the lived experiences of a gay couple in the mid-20th century, when life—and love—was so often shrouded in shadow. Centering the gay history of the site was too important—and rare—an opportunity to pass up. “Sometimes properties have known LGBT stories associated, but they often don’t have the documentation and information necessary to tell those stories in a deep way,” explains Hack. “The materials may have been expunged.” Not so at the Palmer-Warner House. Go beyond the unassuming exterior, and you’ll find a two-and-a-half-story home filled with furniture, porcelains, paintings and decorative objects reflecting

Palmer-Warner House. PHOTOS Diane Pontious/Pontious Photography

preservationist Palmer’s wide collection of American Colonial, Victorian and Colonial Revival antiques. There are also archives of Palmer’s papers: architectural renderings, drawings and more. All the men’s possessions remain untouched since Metzger’s death in 2005. But for LGBTQ visitors, the most insightful items will probably be the diaries, love letters and other correspondence between Palmer and Metzger, much of them written before they lived together, that capture the reality of same-sex love in an era of secrecy and scrutiny—for instance, the contrast between affectionate notes Warner sent Metzger in America, and the stoic, carefully worded (perhaps coded) missives he mailed when Metzger was serving in the Merchant Marines during World War II, which he knew would be opened under the watchful eyes of authorities. Frederic Palmer’s contributions to the preservationist movement are many. In fact, he was a trustee and chairman of the

Palmer_Warner House interiors PHOTOS Diane Pontious, Pontious Photography Howard Metzger, circa World War II [LEFT] and Frederic and Howard [RIGHT]

[ABOVE AND BOTTOM] [BELOW]

Structures committee for the Antiquarian & Landmarks Society, the organization that would eventually become Connecticut Landmarks. Palmer bought his East Haddam home in 1936. When he passed away in 1971, he bequeathed the property to Connecticut Landmarks with the condition that Metzger could continue to live there until he died. The house was originally built in 1738 by the Warner family of blacksmiths and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 50-acre site is also home to one of the oldest barns in the state, and Connecticut Landmarks is currently working to raise $1 million to preserve it and renovate it into a “visitor welcome, event and exhibit center,” says Hack. The sooner that happens, the sooner the Palmer-Warner House can open to the public and fully share its history; Hack adds that a LGBTQ advisory board will help the organization frame these conversations. And though she admits that the organization has received a few dissenting remarks about its decision to emphasize the Palmer-Warner House’s gay ties, Connecticut Landmarks is committed to the importance of this firstin-the-state designation. Hack reflects on lessons gleaned from historian Susan Ferentinos in her book “Interpreting LGBT History at Museums and Historic Sites.” “It’s easy for people who are not within a community whose history has dramatically and systemically been denied to not fully appreciate or understand the importance of acknowledging and giving space and voice to those histories,” says Hack. “But there’s great importance in validating those histories. And it is crucial to provide space for the broader community to understand histories that are not their own.” From May through November 2018, Connecticut Landmarks will offer limited small group tours by advance reservation only, held first Saturdays of the month (11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m.) and first and third Tuesdays of the month (10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m.). Tours are $35/person, $25/person for Connecticut Landmarks members. For more information on the Palmer-Warner House, to support its preservation or book a tour, visit ctlandmarks.org. [x]

JAN|FEB 2018 | 71

CULTURE Theater STORY Loren King

Making his Mark Eddie Shields is at home on the Boston stage Eddie Shields, one of the fastest-rising young actors on Boston’s theater scene, knew he wanted to work with director Scott Edmiston ever since Shields was earning his MFA at Brandeis University, where Edmiston teaches dramatic literature. “He’d come in and my jaw would be on the floor because he has so much knowledge,” says Shields. “Sometimes [professors] don’t know how to talk to artists, but Scott’s endless knowledge helped me understand theater history and acting history. He inspires me to love the theater.” Shields got his opportunity to work with Edmiston in 2015. A year out of grad school, he joined the celebrated cast of SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of Harvey Fierstein’s “Casa Valentina,” about transvestites who gather at a

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Catskills resort in the 1960s. Shields, who ended up with an IRNE nomination for his portrayal of Gloria, says he was awed by the stellar cast. “I was freaking out because I was working with everyone I admired,” he says, citing in particular “the late, great Tom Derrah,” the legendary actor who starred as Casa Valentina’s title character and who died in October 2017. Shields returned to SpeakEasy the following year (2016) for Josh Harmon’s “Significant Other,” about a gay man’s crisis over being single as all his best female friends get married. This time, Shields won an IRNE award as supporting actor for showcasing his versatility by shouldering three different roles. Shortly after “Significant Other,” Shields says he heard that SpeakEasy was mounting the Boston premiere production

Eddie Shields. PHOTO courtesy SpeakEasy Stage Company

of “Shakespeare in Love,” directed by Edmiston. “I wanted to work with Scott again so I auditioned. There was stiff competition; a lot of actors were vying for the part,” he says. Shields won the role of Kit Marlow, Shakespeare’s friend and rival (it’s the part Rupert Everett played in the film version). Running January 12 to February 10, “Shakespeare in Love,” like the 1998 film it’s based on, is a raucous romantic comedy about young Will Shakespeare (George Olesky), a broke writer and actor struggling to finish his new play, “Romeo and Ethel, The Pirate’s Daughter.” He meets the beautiful Viola de Lesseps (Jennifer Ellis), a headstrong noblewoman who wants to work on the stage but is forbidden from doing so as only men can be actors. So Viola disguises herself as a boy. When the playwright and his muse fall in love, his play undergoes some surprising rewrites and emerges as Shakespeare’s masterpiece, “Romeo and Juliet.”

“Marlow is an iconic writer and a contemporary of Shakespeare’s. Everyone has an idea of who he is, so it’s intimidating but I’m ready to take it on,” says Shields, noting how pleased he is to be among an ensemble of notable Boston actors and SpeakEasy veterans. Besides Ellis, who starred recently in SpeakEasy’s “The Bridges of Madison County,” there’s Kerry Dowling, whom Shields worked with in “Casa Valentina,” and Nancy Carroll, who plays Queen Elizabeth I. Shields grew up in Philadelphia and, after graduating from Adelphi University on Long Island, was ready to take the plunge into acting right away. But several teachers encouraged him to look at grad schools, he says, and, to his surprise, he got into a number of them. He chose Brandeis not only for its strong program but because he was excited by the Boston theater scene. Just after graduating in 2014, he was cast in the Actors Shakespeare Project (ASP) production “The Comedy of Errors,” directed by David Gammons. Even though he was out in college, Shields says he initially shied from gay roles, concerned that it might limit his

“ In the theater community, we’re all minorities. We hold each other up. How can you know others if you don’t know yourself?” Eddie Shields opportunities. “I want to play Hamlet, Richard III and Stanley in ‘Streetcar,’” he says. But his experiences in Boston have already proved that opportunities are limitless when roles are so rich that “gay is the least interesting thing about the characters.” He’s also been influenced by the numerous out gay actors he’s worked alongside who move between gay and straight roles with ease. Shields cites Maurice Emmanuel Parent who commanded the stage as the

title character in Christopher Marlowe’s “Edward II” in the recent, acclaimed ASP production, also directed by Gammons. Parent inspired Shields, who was Pierce Gaveston in the play, “to step up my game,” he says, adding that Parent “is so kind and warm and giving. We built something really special in that show.” This spring, he again joins Parent in the Nora Theater Company’s all-male production of Christopher Hampton’s “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” directed Lee Mikeska Gardner (who helmed the play in Washington D.C. with an all-male cast) at the Central Square Theater. Shields plays Madame de Tourvel (the Michelle Pfeiffer role in the film version). Instead of feeling limited, Shields is finding freedom on the Boston stage. “In the theater community, we’re all minorities. We hold each other up,” he says. “How can you know others if you don’t know yourself?” As he went deeper into his art while at Brandeis, he says, “I became more aware of who I was and less afraid to travel to places emotionally.” [x]

www.speakeasystage.com

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CULTURE Music STORY Loren King

Man of the People

Like Leonard Bernstein, Rob Kapilow is on a musical mission Rob Kapilow grew up idolizing Leonard Bernstein. That was long before Kaplilow—a conductor, composer, author and host of the “What Makes It Great?” concert series—would take up Bernstein’s mantle of bringing a better understanding and enjoyment of music—classical, Broadway, jazz, opera—to the masses. “I don’t want to just preach to the choir. I want to go where [audiences think they] hate classical music. I want to engage outside the bubble,” says Kapilow, whose busy calendar includes giving lectures and performances to corporate groups around the world. “Threre’s no better example of someone who did that than Bernstein. My mother had a picture of him in every room.” It’s hard to overstate Bernstein’s popularity—unheard of for a symphony conductor and composer—as he rose to cultural prominence in the 1960s. Besides his prodigious musical gifts, “he was young, he was very good-looking and he was an American conductor. That was unprecedented.” Just as Bernstein demystified classical music through his series of 53 televised “Young People’s Concerts” for CBS,

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Kapilow for 20 years has hosted and performed his “What Makes It Great?” concerts for the Celebrity Series of Boston among other forums including regular gigs for National Public Radio. He gives his audiences an unpretentious and enjoyable music lesson as he breaks down the famous compositions of music legends from Bach to Irving Berlin. Kapilow will appear with Jessica Rivera, a classical and opera singer he’s performed with in Los Angeles, for a Bostononly show, “What Makes It Great? The songs of Leonard Bernstein” in honor of the centennial of Bernstein’s birth. Show time is 8 p.m. on March 9 at Sanders Theater as part of the Celebrity Series. With a career that famously spanned the worlds of Broadway, opera and classical, it would be impossible to condense Bernstein’s work into one tribute show. Instead, Kapilow and Rivera will perform five songs and provide context for their greatness in the American musical canon. Bernstein’s most famous work, “West Side Story,” which took Broadway by storm in 1957, will be represented by two of its

“ I don’t want to just preach to the choir. I want to go where [audiences think they] hate classical music. I want to engage outside the bubble. ” Rob Kapilow

best-known numbers, “Somewhere” and “Tonight.” “People forget that it was ‘The Music Man’ that won the Tony that year,” says Kapilow. “We’ll do that show’s ballad, ’Till There Was You,’ and compare it with ‘Somewhere.’” A song from “My Fair Lady,” another smash musical from the same period, will be offered up against “Tonight.” There will also be selections from Bernstein’s 1953 musical “On the Town.” Kapilow says Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Serge Koussevitzky, a Bernstein mentor, implored Bernstein to “stop wasting his time on trivial musicals. He also told him to change his name to Burns. He was castigated in the press for not being serious about classical music because he also composed jazz and Broadway [songs]. In the ‘60s, ‘70s and even ‘80s there was resistance to his attempts

Rob Kapilow. Jessica Rivera. [AT LEFT, RIGHT] Leonard Bernstein. PHOTOS courtesy Celebrity Series [OPPOSITE]

[AT LEFT, LEFT]

to cross over. Now [American symphony conductor] Michael Tilson Thomas does it with ease.” Not only did the Lawrence-born, Harvard-educated Bernstein not change his name, he embraced his Jewishness, incorporating Hebrew text into his compostions such as his 1944 “Jeremiah Symphony” and enjoyed a long association with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. That wasn’t quite the case with his gayness. Nearly all in Bernstein’s inner circle knew he was gay, but in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s, coming out was unthinkable

for people in the public eye. Bernstein married actress Felicia Cohn Montealegre in 1951and they had three children. In her 2013 book “The Leonard Bernstein Letters,” Montealegre quoted from a letter she wrote to Bernstein: “You are a homosexual and may never change—you don’t admit to the possibility of a double life, but if your peace of mind, your health, your whole nervous system depend on a certain sexual pattern what can you do?” “He struggled with being gay. So did ‘On the Town’ choreographer Jerome

Robbins; it was a tough issue for them,” says Kapilow. Bernstein may have “found a balance where he could be both” gay and seemingly happily married and “not be [out] publicly.” Kapilow met Bernstein, who died in 1990 at age 72, briefly when the maestro visited Yale University, where Kapilow taught and conducted the symphony orchestra. Their paths crossed again in 1989 when Kapilow was Sarah Caldwell’s assistant conductor at the Opera Company of Boston, which was undertaking a performance of Bernstein’s “Mass.” But mostly Kapilow knew Bernstein from attending hundreds of his concert performances. “No one was more of an inspiration for me,” says Kapilow. “Making music accessible to everyone is my Bernsteinian impulse; to ‘only connect,’ as [author E. M.] Forster says, in whatever form.” [x]

www.celebrityseries.org

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CULTURE Cinema STORY Loren King

Stories of Art and Courage

[LEFT] Niklas Hogner as Kake in “Tom of Finland.” PHOTO Josef Persson courtesy of Kino Lorber. [MIDDLE] Josh O’Connor and Alec Secareanu in “God’s Own Country” [RIGHT] Lorraine Hansberry

Three new films offer moving portraits of LGBT lives The scope and breadth of the LGBT experience, past and present, distinguishes three stellar films that are available to Boston audiences in January. Boston documentary filmmaker Tracy Heather Strain worked for many years to bring her thoughtful and rich chronicle of the life and work of trailblazing playwright Lorraine Hansberry to the screen. Hansberry was the first black woman to write a play produced on Broadway with her landmark “A Raisin in the Sun.” The drama changed American theater in its unflinchingly honest depiction of the limitations of the American dream through the lives of the Youngers, a black family on Chicago’s South Side (the play and subsequent film starred Sidney Poitier, who is among the many luminaries interviewed in the documentary). She won the New York’s Drama Critic’s Circle Award, the first black dramatist and the youngest playwright to do so. The attention and accolades made Hansberry, not yet 30, a literary star. She continued to write prodigiously and used her celebrity status to champion civil rights, but died of cancer in 1965 at age 34.

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Lorraine Hansberry “Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/ Feeling Heart,” which premieres locally on WGBH on January 19, is the first indepth film about Hansberry, and the first to offer a detailed account of her life as a lesbian. Through rare photographs, home movies, documents and interviews, the film recounts the writer’s close network of friends and romantic partners; her many visits to Provincetown; and even her writings, under the initials “LHN,” in the seminal lesbian publication “The Ladder.” Although Hansberry married Robert Nemiroff early in life, it appears she understood her sexual orientation early on and lived as openly as she could given the times. Strain’s absorbing documentary is an important contribution to the understanding of who Hansberry was and to making sure that her legacy isn’t forgotten.

Tom of Finland There are probably very few LGBT people who have not seen those ubiquitous Tom of Finland drawings of muscled bikers, shapely soldiers and leathermen. Tom was artist Touko Laaksonen who signed

his explicit sketches simply “Tom” to avoid censorship in anti-gay, post-World War II Finland. Turns out Tom’s story is even more interesting than his impressive artistic output. The fascinating, touching biopic “Tom of Finland” has already reaped a host of festival awards. It opened in late December at the Kendall Square Cinema and is Finland’s official selection for Best Foreign Language Film consideration. Directed by Dome Karukoski, one of Finland’s most acclaimed directors, the film follows Touko (Pekka Strang) from his years as young military officer on the front lines as Helsinki is bombed by Russian aircraft. He seeks comfort and respite by cruising the woods with other soldiers. After the war, Touko works as a commercial illustrator and struggles to find a place in the repressive, anti-gay climate. He channels his longings into playful, erotic drawings of uninhibited men, particular his character of Kake, the leather-clad biker stud who, in fantasy sequences, comes alive in Touko’s imagination. After falling in love with a young dancer, Veli (Lauri Tiklanen), Touko begins to successfully distribute his art throughout Europe and eventually Tom of Finland sketches finds their way to the United

States. Touko is championed by a group of leathermen who bring him to Los Angeles in the ‘70s where, to Touko’s disbelief, he witnesses the burgeoning gay sexual revolution. Although Touko died of emphysema in 1991, the film ends on the high note: this man who once fled private parties that were raided and who was interrogated by police for possessing his own artwork, is celebrated by a gathering of International Mr. Leather.

God’s Own Country If you missed the terrific “God’s Own Country,” it will be be released January 30 on DVD from Samuel Goldwyn Films. This is an assured, visually stunning, semi-autobiographical debut from writerdirector Francis Lee, who grew up on a Yorkshire farm before turning to acting. It’s about Johnny Saxby (Josh O’Connor), who works long hours in brutal isolation on his family’s remote dairy farm in the

north of England. Escaping his ill, gruff father (Ian Hart) and his burdened grandmother (Gemma Jones), Johnny numbs the frustration of his lonely existence by binge-drinking at the local pub and casual, clandestine sex with local lads. When a Romanian migrant worker (Alec Secareanu) arrives on the farm for temporary work, there is a magnetic attraction that frightens both men. With echoes of “Brokeback Mountain,” the film juxtaposes its stark, sweeping setting with taciturn characters who are suddenly confronted with emotions they’ve never imagined they had. “God’s Own Country” was a hit on the festival circuit in 2017, winning a Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival and earning acclaim at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Provincetown International Film Festival and Outfest Los Angeles, where it was the openingnight selection. [x]

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CULTURE Poetry/Theater STORY Loren King

‘Heartache’ and Healing Kit Yan’s personal journey is a poetic powerhouse While a student at Babson College and struggling with issues of gender and sexual identity, Kit Yan found a welcoming home in the poetry slam scene at Boston venues such as the Cantab and Lizard Lounge. “I was just a kid sneaking in. The nerdiest thing is using a fake ID not to drink but to go to poetry slams,” says Yan. “I just wanted to be where people were alive and telling stories and being angry. I was angry at that time and I needed to know it was okay.” Soon, Yan was regularly participating in slams as well as the Queer Asian Cabaret nights at Jacques, where Yan performed with best friend Melissa Li. Yan recalls that the pair, who are now collaborating on a trans musical called “Interstate,” back then “dreamed

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of going on a tour.” They actually drove cross-country in Yan’s Toyota Corolla, performing everywhere and anywhere, from bars and museums to parties and street corners. Yan’s still traveling and still performing their (Yan’s preferred pronoun) personal, powerful poetry. After a sold-out Boston premiere at Oberon’s I.D. Festival in early 2017, Yan returns to Oberon on February 9 and 10 at 1:30 p.m. with “Queer Heartache,” Yan’s acclaimed, award-winning, one-hour solo performance piece about growing up Asian-American in Hawaii, attending Babson College and not fitting in at the conservative business school and, finally, coming to terms with “the heartache of trying to be someone you are

not” and understanding what it means to be nonbinary in sexuality and identity. Some of the pieces in the play were written nearly a decades ago while others are new; all have been honed in performances over the past year. One exhilaratingly expressive passage roars through a litany of every boundary-blurring term for people as they wait in a bathroom line. There’s plenty of poignancy and plenty of humor; after talking about how society rigidly packages gender for easy consumption, Yan declares: “Most of the time, my gender is ‘fuck-you-mind-your-own- business!’” Newer poems reconcile a more mature, more reflective view of trans identity. In the chapter called “She,” Yan says, “I don’t cringe at ‘she’ anymore…this pronoun is not an attack but a nod to a place where gender is wide open.” The poem “Speed dating” is a funny and moving recollection of a time when Yan “gave up on being queer” and went to a speed dating event

[AT RIGHT AND OPPOSITE]

Kit Yan

on Valentine’s Day only to feel adrift in a “big, queer sea waiting for me to find my compass.” In performing “Queer Heartache” around the country, Yan has connected with audiences of all stripes. The solo show and the poetry collection “Queer Heartache” won the Spirit of Fringe, Artists’ Pick and Audience Choice awards at the Chicago Fringe Festival and is published by TransGenre Press (2016). Now based in Brooklyn, Yan is working on a second solo performance piece as well as many other projects. Besides “Interstate,” Yan is developing “(T) estosterone,” a documentary play with Simone Wolff that investigates the effect of testosterone on transgender bodies. “(T)estosterone follows two trans and gender nonconforming friends on a trip to Planned Parenthood as one gets on and the other gets off testosterone,” Yan explains. “It’s an investigation into real trans lives and an intervention into oversimplified narratives that surround

testosterone as hormone replacement therapy.” As their interview with Boston Spirit took place, Yan was headed to a “(T) estosterone” table read with an all-star cast that included pioneering trans author Kate Bornstein (“Gender Outlaw”). “I’ve been for 12 years on testosterone and I’m experiencing ups and downs…I hope it’s a play that will help nonbinary and trans people. We need more information,” Yan says. Yan has no interest in being a role model; “Queer Heartache” is an expression of a

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personal journey that is meant to tell only Yan’s story and, hopefully, connect with others. “My poetry is rooted in community work. That’s most important to me,” says Yan. “The energy of a live experience creates a portal for people to find points of connection within themselves. Live theater is hard to look away from. You can click away from a TV show but a live, human face and body holds a lot of power and magic. “Heartache is queer. Healing can be, too.” [x]

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CALENDAR ‘Torrey Pines’

WHEN

This quirky, curious stop-motion animated film won the grand jury prize at last year’s Seattle Queer Film Festival. “Torrey Pines” is billed as a “trans-queer-punk coming-of-age story” set in Southern California in the 1990s. Filmmaker Clyde Peterson taps his own biography for the hallucinogenic story about a 12-year-old kid’s cross-country trip with his schizophrenic mother, and he tapped his coolest music industry connections to create original indie rock-inflected music for the trippy “Torrey.” For this ArtsEmerson engagement, the film will be scored live by Seattle “queercore” band Your Heart Breaks.

Wednesday, February 14– Saturday, February 17 WHERE

Emerson Paramount Center, Boston HOW

artsemerson.org

Out in the Archives: ‘Hanky Panky’ Would a blue handkerchief go in your left or right pocket? What’s the difference between a purple hanky and a pink one? The “Hanky Code,” a gay signaling system for sexual preferences, isn’t much in fashion anymore—but it’s still a fascinating part of LGBTQ history. Learn more at “Hanky Panky: The History and Cultural Impact of the Hanky Code,” the latest installment of “Out in the Archives,” a live discussion series hosted by the History Project, the largest organization dedicated to archiving the materials of New England’s LGBTQ history. WHEN

WHERE

HOW

Thursday, January 18

The History Project, 29 Stanhope Street, Boston

eventbrite.com, RSVP required

‘Lonely Planet’ When it premiered in the 1990s, “Lonely Planet” was among the many vital, vibrant works emerging from the devastation of the AIDS epidemic. Today, revived for its 25th anniversary, it feels as powerful as ever. The plot is simple and surreal: Two friends, both gay men, meet in a map shop. There, one man seeks safety and order from the horrifying havoc outside. The other urges his friend to leave denial behind and confront the real world, scary as it may be. “Lonely Planet” is an insightful meditation on casualties and community. WHEN

WHERE

HOW

Saturday, February 3– Sunday March 4

Moresian Center for the Arts, Watertown

newrep.org

Sip Here’s the tea: “Sip” is hot. DJ Brian Halligan is the disco-dropping creator of this new monthly tea dance series, a refreshing revival of the camaraderie-fueled spirit that characterized gay bars in the preGrindr era—when the music really mattered and cruising started over stolen glances, not swipe-rights. (No shade!) From deep cuts to more familiar faves, Halligan spins a shaman-like spell over his floor, and guest appearances from drag performers like Sham Payne and Dusty Moorehead get this tea party popping. WHEN

WHERE

HOW

Sunday, January 14 and Sunday, February 11

Jacques Cabaret, Boston

Tea served 6–10 PM

Tony Kushner and Sarah Vowell: The Lincoln Legacy A conversation between razor-sharp minds is like watching a tennis match—fast, furious and adrenalin pumping. (Okay, it helps if you have a nerdy side.) We expect Wimbledonlevel spectating at this meeting between Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright behind the gay fantasia “Angels in America,” and Sarah Vowell, a star social commentator and author of multiple books on American history and culture. Together they’ll unpack the work and legacy of Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president—and, we imagine, have a hard time not opining on how he stacks up to 45. WHEN

Saturday, January 20 WHERE

Sanders Theatre, Cambridge HOW

celebrityseries.org

White Out Weekend Need an excuse to get out of the city and into the fresh New England air for a long weekend? Grab your poles and chill out with other LGBT skiers at White Out Weekend (WOW), an annual gay ski outing that’ll burn up the snowy slopes of Maine with downhill fun, plus plenty of off-trail activities too: a Mad Hatterthemed tea party, fireworks, après ski socials and more. The event is presented in association with OutRyders, New England’s largest LGBT ski and snowboard club, and it’s the perfect opportunity to meet up with some likeminded snow bunnies for a wowing time. WHEN

WHERE

HOW

Thursday, February 8– Sunday, February 11

Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine

sundayriver.com or outryders.org

Dragapalooza Paint Party and Drag Show

Snowbound Leather Weekend

Ready to unleash your inner Rembrandt? Prepared to embody Basquiat? Or want to just get good and drunk and Lace up those boots and beat it to Provincetown for this annual event that unites leather-loving men in a wintry blast of fun. From the opening paint pretty pictures? You’re in luck. This recurring paint party lets guests try their hand at creating their own artnight’s fireside “Beer Blast” at Watership Inn to a closing night dance party at A-House, the parties will be plentiful. And you can also hop in to work while enjoying drag performances from Boston’s best educational workshops hosted by P’town’s famous Full Kit Gear. But the performers, including emcee Kris Knievil. The whole shebiggest attraction, besides the yearly awarding of Mr. Snowbound honors, bang is presented by the Imperial Court of Massachusetts and raises monies for the organization’s supported charities. will be the friendly guys whose friendships you’ll keep all year round. So grab a brush, and get to stroking. WHEN

WHERE

HOW

Friday, February 23– Sunday, February 25

throughout Provincetown

matesleatherweekend.com

‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ It’s a camp classic, a film favorite for those who color outside the lines and an undeniably queer romp. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is also one of the most famously interactive B-movies. Get into the Goth-glam flick that introduced us to the gender-effing icon of Dr. Frank-N-Furter performed tonight by the RKO Army: a troupe that specializes in “shadowcasting,” a midnight movie tradition that sees actors pantomime alongside the screen. Bring some toilet paper for tossing—and your sense of humor. WHEN

Friday, January 12

WHERE

Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Center, Woonsocket, RI

HOW

stadiumtheatre.com

WHEN

WHERE

HOW

Sunday, January 14

Jacques Cabaret, Boston

$30 ($10 show only)

North Shore Pride LGBTQ Professional Networking Event 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, whose slaying at the hands of homophobes galvanized attention for hate crime legislation, among other issues. With our nation’s leaders seemingly inflaming and emboldening bigotry, it seems like an important time to hear from Judy Shepard, mother and founder of the Matthew Shepard Campaign. She will be the keynote speaker at tonight’s annual networking event for LGBTQ people and businesses on the North Shore, which will include hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and live entertainment too. WHEN

WHERE

HOW

Thursday, February 1

Peabody Essex Museum, Salem MA

northshorepride.org, regstration required

SCENE Gala PHOTOS infinityportraitdesign.com

Spirit of Justice Award Dinner Marriot Copley Place | Boston | October 27, 2017

The Honorable Eric H. Holder Jr, 82nd Attorney General of United States, accepted GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders’ Spirit of Justice Award at GLAD’s annual fundraising gala in Boston, where Holder urged the crowd of 1,000 advocates to “keep standing up, keep speaking out, keep resisting.” The annual event this year raised $890,000 to support GLAD’s work fighting for LGBTQ equality through litigation, legislation and education. Attendees also heard from Dylan Kohere, an 18-year-old freshman at University of New Haven who has been barred from enrolling in ROTC because of President Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military. Kohere is a plaintiff in GLAD’s lawsuit, Doe v. Trump, that challenges the ban. In early November, a federal district court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and enjoined the ban.

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SCENE Bake Sale PHOTOS Courtesy Community Servings

Pie in the Sky Boston | November 2017

Community Servings’ 25th annual Pie in the Sky Thanksgiving bake sale brought together more than 150 Boston-area chefs, bakers and caterers to create and donate some 22,000 pies, raising $800,000 and counting. The funds support Community Servings’ mission to provide made-from-scratch, medically tailored meals to the critically ill throughout the Commonwealth. This year, more than 650 volunteers participated in distributing, packaging and selling pies at 100 pick-up locations.

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SCENE Volunteering PHOTOS Courtesy Gay for Good Boston

Toys 4 Joys Wagon Build 2017 Arlington Street Church | Boston | December 4, 2015

An intrepid crew of Gay for Good Boston volunteers helped get the Toys for Joys annual toy drive off to a great start by building 60 red wagons to deliver the toys at the drive’s annual gift gala. Volunteers brought their own tools and transformed the Arlington Street Church space into Santa’s workshop. Each month, Gay For Good Boston selects different nonprofit and local community groups, projects and organizations to donate time to community service projects. Find out more at gayforgood.org/chapters/boston.

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SCENE Volunteering PHOTOS Dennis Rainville

GLAD to Help

Greater Boston Food Bank | Boston | December 6, 2017

GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders and friends rolled up their sleeves and worked in the Greater Boston Food Bank warehouse sorting and packing food to help those struggling with hunger. GLAD also provided dinner and GLAD t-shirts for everyone who came together to support Greater Boston Food Bank—another organization that helps so many LGBTQ individuals and families.

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SCENE Category PHOTOS Mike Basu, Steve Dunwall, Steve Lord and VPI staff

Celebration of Life Dinner Hynes Convention Center | Boston | December 14, 2017

The Victory Programs’ Boston Living Center’s annual Celebration of Life Holiday Party for the HIV/AIDS community returned to the Hynes Convention Center for the 30th year of the event. This year’s Peter Daniel Clark award will be presented to Daniel Faucher in recognition of his years of HIV/AIDS activism. The Brenda Bellizeare “BIG” (Better It Gets) Award went to Rob Quinn, a member of Boston Living Center, for his inspirational leadership across the State. The event attracted more than 700 guests who enjoyed live entertainment by the Back Bay Ringers, Verna Turbulence and Friends, Woza Moya and dance hits spun by DJ Ollie, a resource fair featuring more than 30 local organizations, a traditional sit down holiday meal at tables decorated with unique centerpieces designed and donated specifically for the event, family pictures with Boston Santa and winter readiness kits provided by Bank of America and Temple Beth Avodah. The event serves as the largest fundraiser of the year for vital services at the Boston Living Center and is projected to raise more than $130,000.

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SCENE Fundraiser PHOTOS CRI Staff

Dining Out for Life Eight Restaurants | Boston | November 8, 2017

Community Research Initiative hosted hundreds of diners for the second annual Dining Out For Life Boston event, during which several local restaurants donated 25 percent of diners’ checks to CRI’s lifesaving research and services. The participating restaurants included Ashmont Grill in Dorchester, Bin 26 Enotect on Beacon Hill, The Chubby Chickpea in Boxborough, Club Café in Back Bay, Double Chin in Chinatown, The Friendly Toast in Back Bay, Lala Rokh on Beacon Hill and SideBar in Downtown Crossing. Dining Out For Life is an annual fundraising event that generates more than $4 million each year for local AIDS service organizations in more than 60 cities across the United States and Canada.

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SCENE Community PHOTOS Courtesy of Green Mountain Crossroads

Out in the Open Summit

Hilltop Montessori School | Brattleboro, VT | October 27–29, 2017

For year number three, Green Mountain Crossroads of Brattleboro, Vermont hosted its annual Out in the Open Summit, where upwards of 75 LGBTQ people living in small towns and rural communities from all over the Northeast met up to socialize, network, share and learn. Through discussion-based and hands-on sessions, participants explored three themes: Living on the Land, Art and Expression and Organizing for Justice. “It is a rare and powerful opportunity to gather with this many rural and small-town LGBTQ people who can nod in that knowing way when someone talks about their experience of being queer in the country,” said H. B. Lozito, executive director of GMC.

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SCENE Gala PHOTOS Courtesy of OUT MetroWest

OUT MetroWest Gala Hilton | Dedham | September 23, 2017

OUT MetroWest’s fourth annual Come Out and Celebrate event honored Dr. Asa Sevelius and his pioneering work as an out transgender school leader. In addition to an inspiring speech from Dr. Sevelius, nearly 250 guests were treated to remarks from a recent WAGLY alum, the parent of a Nexus youth participant and honorary committee chair Mass. State Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis. The evening raised funds to benefit OUT MetroWest programs for LGBTQ youth.

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SCENE Fundraiser PHOTOS Courtesy of Landry & Arcari

‘Design. Dine. Do Good.’ Davio’s | Boston | December 6, 2117

Landry & Arcari hosted “Design. Dine. Do Good.” to help raise funds for Victory Programs. Designers from around Boston created special holiday place settings as they competed for prizes that included a weekend getaway to Provincetown. The winners were Ken Dietz in first place and Dennis Duffy in second place. Victory Programs sends big thanks to all participating designers—Eric Rosoff, Ryan Tirrell, Molly Pidgeon and Eric Haydel; event host Landry & Arcari; and Davio’s Boston for the amazing food.

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SCENE Gift Gala PHOTOS Lea St. Germain and Arlan Fonseca

Toys for Joys

Revere Hotel | Boston | December 8, 2017

One of our favorite holiday traditions, the Toys for Joys Gift Gala is Boston’s premier Boston toy drive, where friends meet to celebrate and give generously to the children most in need. Now in its 16th year, the event once again transformed Revere Hotel’s Space 57 into a beautiful, festive holiday wonderland filled with cheer and thousands of generously donated toys piled high under the holiday tree. Revelers enjoyed holiday passed hors d’oeuvres, signature seasonal spirits and dancing to DJ Adilson under a state-of-the-art light show.

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SCENE Workshop PHOTOS Courtesy Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

‘D-I-Wine’

LET’S DANCE!

Showroom | Boston | November 20, 2017

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Boston hosted “D-I-Wine,” a floral holiday centerpiece workshop and seasonal wine tasting. Florist Shawna Havenga of The Wild Dahlia led guests in a step-by-step workshop to create beautiful one-of-a-kind centerpieces that they could take home for their holiday tables. Guests were treated to a seasonal selection of fine wines and hors-d’oeuvres as they worked.

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Shawna Havenga of The Wild Dahlia leading the workshop. All guests had their own stations, which included a centerpiece, wine and a preview of holiday gifts from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. Mary Sarafin Stephanie O’Brien [LEFT] and Karen Smith

www.mochadj.com INFO@MOCHADJ.COM

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SCENE Forum PHOTOS BCBS Staff

‘Out in the Workplace’ Blue Cross Blue Shield | Boston | November 15, 2017

“Diversity Dialogue: “Being Out in the Workplace” was the focus of a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts forum hosted by the its Talent Acquisition, Diversity and Inclusion team. The forum provided a great platform to discuss the current state of the LGBTQ community at large and the challenges of being out in the workplace.

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SCENE Pride PHOTOS Michele Blanchflower

Worcester Pride Launch Events All over town | Worcester, MA | September 7–9, 2018

A trio of special events launched the 42nd annual Worcester Pride festivities: the lighting of the Burns Bridge in rainbow colors, the Pride flagraising ceremony at City Hall and the Worcester Pride Pageant, hosted by Miss Crystal (Christian Rea) and Miss Gay Worcester 2016 at Fiddler’s Green. And the crowds came out along with the sun for PrideFest 2017, with Pulse Orlando nightclub survivor Tommy Connelly and popular local TV personality Dale LePage serving as Co-Grand Marshals. LePage is host of New England’s first LGBTQ television show “New England Pride TV.”

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CODA Song STORY Scott Kearnan LeAnn Rimes. PHOTO Stephen Sebring

Ally for Equality With rousing, ‘LovE is LovE is LovE,’ HRC honoree and country star LeAnn Rimes tributes late, beloved uncle

extend our hands in love, we could break down these walls of separation and judgment.

honored with an award such as this—it was so personal, and truly such an honor.

[SPIRIT] In an interview with “Billboard,” you said that equality was important to you because you’ve felt “picked on” throughout your life. The LGBT community can certainly relate. When have you most felt like an “outsider” in life or in the industry?

[SPIRIT] Let’s be real: “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” is a modern gay bar anthem. Are you interested in doing an album of gay-friendly dance songs?

[RIMES] I have battled severe psoriasis my entire life, diagnosed when I was two years old, and I always felt very different. I was always wanting to stay hidden or hide most of my body so that no one would think they would catch this disease if they were to interact with me. I was constantly bullied, whether it was because of my psoriasis or because of my career. And as I have shared before, once you start hiding a part of you, you hide all of you—and that isn’t how anyone should have to live. I will continue to do what I can to help others to live an authentic life.

[RIMES] Well, I did do a dance record and have had three number-one hits on the dance chart over the course of my career! Ha-ha! Those are definitely gayfriendly and universally fun songs for anyone, that everyone can dance too. [SPIRIT] “Billboard” recently designated “How Do I Live” the all-time #1 Hot 100 hit by a female artist. (Editor’s note: Rimes’ song charted for 69 weeks, a record for a woman.) 2017 was also the 20th anniversary of the song’s release. Looking back on your life and career since then, let’s answer the titular question: What have you found to be the secret to a happy life?

[RIMES] Gosh — balance, meditation, love. I am still figuring out the answer to that question, but right now I Maybe it’s an honest assessthe star about her l-o-v-e for [SPIRIT] Can you recall any instances am in a great place and I have ment of culture, or maybe it’s equality. where someone reached out to found for me personally those Yankees stereotyping—but you to show appreciation for [SPIRIT] What do you remember are things that help me on a historically speaking, the counyour support of LGBT people? about your uncle’s death, and daily basis. I think everyone is try music genre hasn’t been how did it inspire your song [RIMES] Gosh, there have been different, but I really encourage considered especially inclusive “LovE is LovE is LovE”? so many. Truly so many people to surround yourself with good of LGBTQ artists and fans. have shared their enthusiasm [RIMES] I was young, I was people around you, give love LeAnn Rimes is an exception. or joined me in supporting 11, but I remember being to everyone you come into Since the she burst onto the the LGBTQ community. I heartbroken and confused contact with, and find that scene with “Blue” as a 13-yearam so proud of how far we that my dad was the only one personal something that you old with prodigious pipes, who showed up to his funeral. I have come but I know we can do for yourself, whether Rimes has been an ardent ally came from the South where at still have a long way to go. it’s yoga, fitness, meditation. within her industry. Last year the time homosexuality wasn’t Whatever works for you. [x] the Human Rights Campaign accepted. I couldn’t understand [SPIRIT] What was your reaction honored her with its Ally For LeAnn Rimes’ “LovE is LovE Tour—Acoustic” to receiving the “Ally for Equality how people could be so cold. I Equality Award. And Rimes’ plays New Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Award” by the HRC? vowed then that I will use my latest album, “Remnants,” Hampshire on Thursday, February 1, and voice whenever possible to [RIMES] The HRC’s Ally for includes an anthemic social Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Center in speak out on equality, and that Equality Award means so Woonsocket, Rhode Island on Friday, February justice-oriented song—“LovE is what I have and will continue much to me. It is one of the 2. For tickets, visit leannrimesworld.com. is LovE is LovE”—inspired in to do. My stance on equality most meaningful awards I part by the loss of her gay uncle was my inspiration behind have ever received. I was in to AIDS. the song “LovE is LovE is awe and humbled when I was As Rimes takes her “LovE is LovE.” I truly believe if we can presented with it. While I am LovE Tour—Acoustic” to New just have conversations with thankful that my music has England, we checked in with each other, communicate and been able to touch people, to be

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Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a community of many communities.

Together we celebrate that being yourself is just being human.

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ON VIEW THROUGH APRIL 1, 2018 For the first time, paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe are shown with photographs and selections from her carefully curated wardrobe, revealing her entire life as a work of art. Saturday, January 20 | 10 am–5 pm Join us for a full day of programs to celebrate one of the giants of modern American art.

#PEMOKeeffe Just five stops from Boston’s North Station!

161 Essex St. | Salem, MA pem.org

This exhibition is organized by the Brooklyn Museum with guest curator Wanda M. Corn, Robert and Ruth Halperin Professor Emerita in Art History, Stanford University, and made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts. Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch and The Lynch Foundation, Leslie and Angus Littlejohn, Fay, Susan and Appy Chandler, and Mr. and Mrs. J. Taylor Crandall provided generous support. The East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum provided valuable support. Tony Vaccaro, Georgia O’Keeffe with “Pelvis Series, Red with Yellow” and the desert (detail), 1960. Chromogenic print. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Courtesy of Tony Vaccaro studio.

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