CommUNITY Magazine June / July 2013 by Pride Center of the Capital Region

JUNE 4 – 9 FOR MORE INFORMATION • PROCTORS.ORG • 518.346.6204 2

Message

from the

President

By Ken Mortensen, President Board

to thank our volunteers when you attend the Festival and other Events. They work very hard to make Pride very successful.

Pride season is here! I look forward to the many events that will take place. June 9th is a very early day for the volunteers. Many are on site in Washington Park at 7am! The Parade line up begins at 10am. Please be sure

I remember my first Pride Event in NYC in 1994. Two Rivers Outdoor Club sponsored a bus to NYC. Chris Corlew and I were the bus captains. It was our job to make sure that everything ran smoothly. Two Rivers also marched in the Parade. We had our new banner that was crafted at the home of Ralph Penney and David Kass. It was a really exciting day for me. I had never been to anything this huge, which celebrated the LGBTQ Community. The streets were packed with people, I will never forget the great time that I had. The Albany Parade has gotten bigger and bigger over the years. We have so many

While we are a very diverse community, May 9th showed me there is something our community universally believes:

Our community is amazing! When we discovered how few LGBT people were reinvesting in our own community- supporting LGBT youth, seniors, and everyone in between- YOU GAVE OUT! As one of 400 organizations participating in the first ever LGBT Day of Giving, National Give OUT Day on May 9th, the Pride Center and the Capital Region stood out. At the end of the day, 200 people gave to the Pride Center- more than any other organization of our size in the country! Our collective efforts

From The Editor’s Desk

As a community, we believe in a better future for our youth. A future where youth can come out without fear of rejection, discrimination, bullying, violence or homelessness. A future where their identity is seen as a source of resilience and strength, and is just one of many facets of their being. What a powerful message to send our young people. They need our support every day, not just May 9th. Every day young people in the Capital Region experience harassment, isolation and fear of rejection. They need you

By Michael Weidrich,

commUNITY

Directors

groups marching with us. I am very honored and proud to march in it. The Community has come a long way since the founding of the Center in 1970. I encourage everyone to take part in the celebration. We need spectators, but marchers are always welcome. Many people attend the Festival from out of town. There are also members of the Community who only attend this Event. They do not come out for anything else. Please take time out and try to say hello to at least one person that you do not know. It may make their day, and you could make a new friend. We cannot have too many friends. I’ll be looking forward to seeing Debbie Gibson on stage, along with all of the other entertainers. I hope to see you there. Please come up and say hello. I’m 6’ 7” tall, so you can’t miss me! Happy Pride!!!

Director’s Note - Double Your Impact on Our Community that day raised the most money we have ever raised in one day: $29,600!!! That will go to directly support the youth in our community to create our first ever LGBT camp, train young leaders to join Pride Center staff at school trainings and provide support to the hundreds of youth who attend our program each year.

by Curran Streett, Executive Director

everyday and because of you, the Pride Center is able to support them. Want to take giving a step further? Consider supporting the Pride Center’s Youth Scholarship. Funded entirely by our community, this scholarship is awarded each year to four remarkable youth going on to college. If you are interested in meeting our award recipients and supporting the scholarship, join us on July 11th at the Riverside Reception for the Pride Center’s Youth Scholarship. Participating in Give OUT Day also made me realize something. Even though I work every day on behalf of the LGBT community, have volunteered in different capacities and donated some, I am not doing enough. Small organizations like the Pride Center make change happen, build community and provide a foundation for young people. I am committing to give what I can, when I can, from here on out, and never forget the importance of my donation. I hope you will join me in that commitment, because as we saw on May 9th- our collective strength is incredible!

Editor

Happy PRIDE! June is packed with so many Pride events across the Capital Region. Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga, Hudson. Pride is everywhere! Whether you like bowling, glow golf, Tea Dance, the Big Gay Cruise, professional networking, or just hanging out in Washington Park for the Parade and Festival, there is something for everyone. A special highlight of this issue is a spotlight on Schenectady Pride and Hudson

Pride. We will also not be publishing an issue of CommUNITY in July but will be returning in August. Have a great PRIDE and a super 4th of July! Always, I welcome your feedback and reflections! mweidrich@cpaitalpridecenter.org

PRIDE

at a

Glance

12 Days | 45 Events Upstate New York’s Largest Pride! There’s More on Facebook www.facebook.com/518CapitalPride

Celebrate With Your Community – CAPITAL PRIDE 2013 By Steven Minchin, Administrative Coordinator The biggest celebration of the year kicks Capital Pride week 2013 is a celebration off with the start of Pride Week 2013 for all, with over 21 teen friendly events on Wednesday, May 29th as Albany’s and a dozen family friendly events. As City Hall raises the Pride Flag and we always the fun spreads across the region join with In Our Own Voices for a spe- with events in Albany, Troy, Schenectacial panel discussion on inclusion in our dy, Guilderland, Colonie and elsewhere. community. Things begin to kick into It’s back in Albany, though, on Sunday high gear the following day, Thursday, June 9th, when our 43rd annual Capital May 30th, with our Kick-Off BBQ! Pride parade steps off on State Street, up This year, after a lot of hard work by an Lark Street and into Washington Park to amazing planning committee we have mark the beginning of our Capital Pride over forty-five events scheduled culmi- Festival. nating in our annual Parade and Festival in Washington Park. Some old favorites After the parade, don’t miss the largest are back, like Bowling, LesBoa and of Pride in upstate New York! Join thoucourse the Big Gay Cruise! Some tradi- sands as we celebrate in Washington tions have been re-imagined (Mini-Golf Park with the Capital Pride Festival. has been reborn at GlowGolf – an indoor The festivities on the stage kick-off imglow in the dark miniature golf course) mediately following the parade. Join us and we’re happy to bring exciting new for performances from The Accents and events as well, like our Trans* Night Out, their high energy show featuring the hotDrink ‘n Draw, Bi-Request and the sure test R&B, funk, pop and dance music, to be amazing Drag Race. We’re also ex- along with DJ Dave Barna, our Drag Recited to see events born in 2012 grow- be vue and this year’s special guest Aiden sure to catch the second year of Carmie Leslie will keep you moving with his and Frieda’s Cabaret for Kids, this year latest dance smash “Diamond Dreams” on stage at the NYS Museum, and the and his #1 hit, “Trying to Leave Now”. And don’t miss an extended perforenhanced return of Gaymer night. mance from this year’s headliner, the

“Original Pop Princess” Debbie Gibson. The 80’s icon closes out the festival with her smash hits and undeniable presence. From No. 1 hits and platinum albums to starring roles on Broadway, film and TV, Gibson is a true entertainer with timeless talent and charisma. With over 70 vendors, all types of food and drink, the Capital Pride Festival is a family-friendly celebration of the LGBT community! There’s always lots to do and see in the park! Each year Capital Pride has grown, and 2013 is going to be our biggest and most successful Pride yet. For more details, you can pick up a Pride Guide at the Pride Center, Waterworks Pub, ROCKS, OH Bar, and many of the places you pick up CommUNITY, as well as online at http:// issuu.com/capitalpridecenter/docs/prideguide2013. You can also get expanded event details, updates, and have some fun on our Capital Pride Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/518 Capital Pride as well as at www.capitalpridecenter.org.

The Fourth Annual Hudson Pride Parade! Four year ago, an intrepid drag queen decided that it was time to have a Gay Pride March down Warren Street in Hudson, six weeks before the event was going to start. (It was a little last minute...) The Village of Catskill in Greene County had a parade the year before, in 2009, and the City of Hudson and Columbia County did not want to be out-done. A facebook event invite went out and about a dozen people attended. No one had any experience planning a parade. It was decided at the first meeting that the group should be called “Hudson Pride”, and not an acronym. The City of Hudson, long known for being the center of vice in upstate New York with a history of prostitution and gambling up until the 1950s - was also known for it’s sexual openness and fluidity. “Hudson Pride” would not only encompass everyone (gay, straight, in-between, ‘gay-after-a-couple-ofdrinks’) but it also gave residents pride in a small city with a great historical past. (The City of Hudson was almost the capital of the state of New York, and lost by only one vote.) The first year, a small group of people knocked on doors, sold tickets, and raised over $12,000 within a few short weeks. The Hudson Pride Scholarship program was started that year and the recipients were two openly gay teens, who won Prom King and Queen at Hudson High School. In the past four years, the Hudson Pride Foundation has: • Set up the first LGBT-specific nonprofit organization in Columbia County. • Awarded over $10,000 in college scholarships to local teens. • Created ‘safe-spaces’ for our youth

with youth discussion groups and family bowling nights. • Sponsored several speaker series, a special movie screening of GEN SILENT, and community talks with other LGBT organizations. • Worked with local educators and community groups to help reduce bullying in our schools by conducting two Educational Symposiums. Hudson Pride Weekend is June 14-16 - the weekend following Capital Pride. Photo: Holly Northrop | www.hnorthrop.com We have two boat cruises on Friday night, June 14th, followed by a Parade on Saturday June 15th at 2pm, a Festival on the Waterfront from 3-6, and a FABULOUS Cabaret show and Dance Party starting at 8pm at Club Helsinki, Hudson - one of the finest cabaret spaces and restaurants in the Hudson Valley. All information and ticket sales can be found at HudsonPride.com Hope to see you there!

Photo: JRMac Photography | www.johnmcenerney.com

The History

Schenectady Pride The first official Schenectady Pride Event was the concept of Chad Putman, a resident of Schenectady, and partners Mike Casey and Lance Dzintars owners of Zaria & Bella’s Gift Shop on Jay Street in Schenectady. With limited time and resources, all three teamed up to bring the LGBT community out of the proverbial closet for a grand event. Because of Mike and Lance’s business involvement in the community they were able to reach out to other Jay St. merchants and LGBT & ally community members to gather an informal census as to what the community was looking for in a Schenectady Pride event. The feedback suggested a need for an event where the LGBT community could come together, be seen, and have fun right in the heart of downtown.

The history of Schenectady’s out and proud LGBT community started off in the 1950’s when the late Sue Henderson opened up Blythwood on Jay Street as one of the oldest gay bars in the entire northeast. Soon after, the Clinton Street Pub owned by the late Jimmy Miller opened its doors and has continued to serve the Schenectady area for the last three decades and is under the current operation of Ronald Dusharm. In the late 1970s, Schenectady’s first lesbian bar opened named The Falcon and was located in Rotterdam. At the same time, Jerry Short and Evelyn Johnson opened up Schenectady’s first “official” gay night club, CLUB 145. Club145 gave birth to Schenectady’s first and finest drag queens and benefit shows. Billed as the Ladies of 145 the original queens including SHEILA STARR, THE LATE BRENDA, NICHOLE DRAKE, THE LATE AGGIE JONES, CRYSTAL ROSE, APRIL LOVE AND SPECIAL HOLIDAY who entertained the community for years and hosted many benefit shows for HIV and AIDS..

The newly formed Schenectady Pride group started marketing this concept. While Chad worked on the logistics and identified entertainment, Mike worked on the official Logo and marketing materials including setting up Schenectady Pride’s Facebook page. Lance took to gathering businesses on Jay Street and in the heart of downtown to participate in the event planned for June 23, 2012. With great enthusiasm, most Jay Street businesses got on board and the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation (DSIC) offered to help with marketing and related resources. Overall, after two and a half months of planning, the event pulled together over 250 participants and was herald to be a great first time event. Headline performances included a Drag Extravaganza with the Empress of Schenectady - Champagne, Anistasia Lovless, Rachel Corey, Sabryna Chanel along with performances by the Schenectady Light Opera Company – Cabaret, and rock band-Radio Rattle.

An after party was held at Bombers on State Street along with a Drag Spectacular at Clinton Street Pub which closed out the night. The 2013 Schenectady Pride planning committee went into full planning mode in the months to come gaining new committee members and talent. This year we are grateful to those who have stepped up to fulfill leadership roles including David Rustin – Budget Director, Champagne (aka Robbie) - Entertainment Director, Jason RourkeSecretary and Jonathan Hammer for creating the 2013 Schenectady Pride poster. We also want to acknowledge Proctors for becoming our fiscal agent, Jim Salango with the DSIC, Anthology Studio, the Pride Center of the Capital Region and GayAlbanyOnline.com for their support. As we gear up for the second annual Schenectady Pride event we are also having a blast. Some of the highlights so far include, a Schenectady Pride float in the holiday parade, dinner meetings at the Van Dyck and Bel Cibo, and in February a group of us attended the Broadway smash, Priscilla Queen of the Desert at Proctors! In closing, the Schenectady Pride 2013 planning committee invites you to join us on Saturday, June 22, 2013 on Jay Street in Schenectady from 3 pm – 10 pm for family fun events like the Family Pet Pride Parade, DJ’s, tabling groups, shopping and an evening of good food and drink, along with live entertainment including cabaret, rock and a drag spectacular.

Schenectady is also the home of more than a dozen well-established LGB owned businesses located in and around downtown Schenectady including Ambition Coffee House & Eatery which just celebrated its 13 anniversary. Owner Marc Renson is also a published author who wrote about his experiences running the café in his book entitled “Is the coffee fresh?” With all these ingredients at the ready, Schenectady Pride was just waiting to be discovered.

Inside Pride

By Drew Cordes, Kate Peterson, Frieda Munchon and Audrey Seidman We are pleased to highlight the work BDSM Share your Pride! our Capital Pride 2013 Planning Com- I love that Pride draws so many famimittee have done by giving a bit of lies and churches nowadays but our We’re loving all of your favorite mema personal point of view on a few of community has subversive counter- ories from Pride. the specific events they have arranged culture roots. Leather and BDSM has for us. We hope you enjoy this small been a big part of our history in terms Got a favorite moment from Pride insiders view from a few of our event of community building. It’s important past? to perpetuate that culture and those leads. traditions. In addition, most people’s Send a paragraph describing one of Curious for more, ask for it on facebook understanding of BDSM and leather is your funniest, moving, exciting, or – www.facebook.com/518CapitalPride misinformed, and sex education has al- special memories of Capital Pride (or ways been crucial for LGBT folks. I’m any Pride that you have a particular all in favor of queers getting kinky, memory from) and how you’d like us Drink & Draw The inspiration for the Drink & Draw but let’s do it the right way -- safely! to share your name by sending Capital comes from a very successful event al- -Drew Pride a message on Facebook – www. ready taking place in Troy called Pasfacebook.com/518CapitalPride or to ties, Pencils, & Pints (https://www. Activism sminchin@capitalpridecenter.org facebook.com/PastiesPencilsPints). The LGBT justice movement has come The Drink & Draw is a bit different in a long way, but still has far to go -- This is your celebration and we want that everyone involved in the event is there are so many pressing issues be- to share our communitiy’s Pride with donating their time and talents towards sides marriage equality. Lots of people all! Oh, and don’t stop with Pride’s Pride so all money raised through the want to help fight and want to give past, send us your memories as they cost of entry goes straight to the Pride back, but don’t exactly know where to happen during Capital Pride 2013! Center. I wanted to showcase models turn or what they have to offer. I wantthat are diverse in sexual orientation, ed to assemble an all-star cast of local For now, enjoy these recollections: gender identity, and personal inter- LGBT activists to give everyone some ests! Our models are involved in the tools and ideas on how to get involved. For me the memories of planning pride local kink communities, the burlesque - Drew far outweight the memories of pride scene, and have a passion for role playweek itself. All those Thursdays bouncing games! This event will be quite an Trans* Night Out ing ideas off each other; some good, eclectic and wonderful mix of artists. Transgender Advocates of the Capital some crazy ( the gay card and Saturgay I think it is important to represent all Region throws a Trans* Night Out ev- in the park... need i say more!!!) and types of individuals at pride and have ery month. There are a lot of obstacles laughing: laughing wholeheartedly bean event dedicated to people who in many trans* people’s lives, but we cause I knew I was accepted and could would like to explore their creative can’t forget to have fun! Our region has be who I was and didn’t have to hide! side and socialize in a smaller, more a wonderful growing trans* communi- I could laugh out loud . It was and is intimate setting. If you are interested ty and social events out in the world feeling a part of something special and in attending this event, please RSVP: can be just as empowering as political worthwhile . Meeting new friends and advocacy. Because we’re such a mi- sometimes just being silly. PrideDrinkDraw@gmail.com – Kate nority, even in the LGBT world, trans* - Corey interests often get overlooked -- poConcert For Kids The event I am most excited about is litically and socially. That has to stop. Carmie and Frieda’s Concert For Kids (Also, I wanted this event just because My happiest moment of pride was at The State Museum. I would have I love trans* people.) -Drew walking with the people of the church never thought as a teenager in the 70’s in the parade the first year I was out that it would be possible for something Interfaith at the church. Got much love from the like this. Also, to show kids it’s ok to AWC’s Interfaith Pride Celebration allies, and I felt wonderful. –Wendy be different is amazing. Yes, we are brings together LGBT people and al- Moore the cheesy family friendly queens!!!! lies to celebrate both our differences and our commonalities, helping us to - Frieda know that indeed we are One. -Audrey

Reconciling

with

Religion: Finding Acceptance

By Jennifer Rivera-Landers When I was young, my parents began attending a Fundamentalist Baptist church in Missouri. It was their wish to raise me in that church and dedicate my life to God. I went to Christian school and attended at least four church services a week. Once I realized I was a lesbian, it became clear to me that I was immersed in a religion that practiced intolerance. In that world, there was no reconciling God and Gay.

My sister is also a lesbian and she came out to my parents when I was around 10 years old. I learned then about their intolerance, when they stopped speaking to her for over two years. They talked about her a lot at church, though. They all “prayed” for her. Prayed that God would “change her heart and her ways”. Finally, my parents decided to (and I quote a fundamentalist favorite here): “Hate the Sin, but Love the Sinner.” After witnessing that process and the pain it had caused my sister, I knew I could never reveal myself to be a lesbian and still hope to be accepted within my family. So, I stuffed it for many years. Finally, when I could no longer deny who I was, I left Kansas City and moved across the country so I could be gay in private and my parents wouldn’t have to know. When, on a trip to visit me, my mom finally found out, she was felt predictably furious and betrayed. She yelled and spouted Bible verses at me. She questioned if I believed the Bible when it says that homosexuality is a sin. Every negative thing I feared with regard to coming out to my parents came true and remained so for many years. My mom’s anger would resurface, she would guilt trip me and write me letters chalk full of Bible verses. At least four separate times, my mom stopped speaking to me for six months to a year. I had always been my parents’ “perfect kid”; so to provide this level of disappointment and pain to them was devastating to me as well. As the result of all these years of rejection, I began to despise religion. How could a religion teach parents to shun their own children? The people from

Last

the church would pick and choose verses from the Bible that they could twist to support their arguments, using this book to tear families apart. If you are raised in an intolerant religion, and have carry the secret of being gay, the fear of anyone finding out can be paralyzing. Can’t God and Gay co-exist? Many young people raised in religion end up tragically taking their own lives because they don’t yet have the strength to stand up for who they are especially when the “infallible Word of God” is literally being thrown at them. So many of us spend years living inauthentic lives out of the fear of rejection in this world - just for being who we are - the people we have always been. For years, I was finished with religion. Once I was able to break through some of my resentment, I proclaimed myself to be spiritual, but NOT religious. Then, to our surprise, our kids wanted to join a church! My partner Michelle began attending a local Christian MegaChurch - a church with all the fanfare - a big band, movie screens, and a café. She didn’t love what was being taught there, but the kids liked it. In June of 2011, we were at the capitol lobbying for marriage equality, when we ran into the ministers from the MegaChurch and they were demonstrating AGAINST marriage equality. The ministers recognized Michelle and asked her not to come back. Once they realized that Michelle’s partner was a woman, we were not welcome in their church any longer. So, we started church shopping. Imagine our elation when we drove into the parking lot of the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady later that summer and saw the rainbow sticker on the sign out front - and then, a huge rainbow flag greeted us when we walked into the building! I felt like I could breathe and I hadn’t even spoken to anyone at the church or heard even one sermon yet! That’s when I realized that it wasn’t religion that held nothing for me - it was the particular religious institutions that do not practice love, that support judgment

and even hate. Those are the places that offer nothing to me. It is amazing to worship in a place where Michelle and I could be married last August, and where we are able, as lesbian parents, to raise our children in love and acceptance. The Unitarian Society is a place where Michelle is welcome to teach Religious Education and where I have been invited to serve as a Worship Associate. Flash forward to the present day with my family in Missouri: Miraculously, my parents and I now have the best, most honest relationship we have ever had. I love it! I no longer apologize for who I am and I believe my mom has finally come to accept me as I am, too. She loves my wife and daughters. My parents even had a wedding celebration for us in Kansas City! The success of our relationship today has overcome all of the fears I ever had about revealing who I really am. So, there is hope - even for reconciling God and Gay. That is why I feel that the movie for the BIBLE tells me so is so important. Having grown up in an intolerant Christian church, this film resonated so deeply with me. I first watched this film during one of the most difficult crises I went through with my mother. It actually helped me to discover a new kind of strength about a subject that had caused me so much pain for so many years. This is why I brought the film to our Welcoming Congregation Committee, and why we are showing it as our third annual Pride Festival event for 2013! This film provokes honest and compassionate discussion around the difficult intersection of LGBTQ issues and religion, so along with the screening; we are hosting a post-film panel with some wonderful academic and religious scholars. Please join us on Friday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m. at First Unitarian Society of Schenectady for this landmark film. Full details in the Pride Guide. Hope to see you there!

Cancer & The LGBT Community: Barriers to Quality Care, Risk Factors, Finding Support & Advocacy

By: Duncan Savage, MD and Lauren Ford, LMSW The diagnosis of cancer is a life altering provider and patient developing a trustevent. The associated anxiety, depres- ing, open, and honest dialogue to tackle sion, and uncertainty can be devastating health problems. for any individual facing this diagnosis. It can be difficult to navigate the medical Obtaining health insurance for same-sex system to understand and make the best partners can limit access to health care choices for treatment. Cancer can place greatly, and the intensity of this problem a large financial burden on patients with varies by geographic location and by the loss of wages, and out of pocket expens- insurer. Health Insurance exclusions es not covered by insurance. These is- for trans identified individuals seeking sues can be even more overwhelming for medical transition is another huge barpeople who do not have insurance. And rier to care, with only a limited number once treatment is completed, there can of insurance agencies currently covering be long lasting side effects of treatment transition-related care. that impact the quality of a patient’s life. There are unique challenges in dealing Cancer Risk Factors for LGBT indiwith cancer in the LGBT community. viduals: The American Cancer Society has begun to recognize some of the unique chal- Research pertaining to cancer incidence lenges in our population. and outcomes in the LGBT community is very limited. It is well known that Barriers to Care: research in LGBT communities is hampered by professionals not knowing how While the social stigma of being Les- to appropriately ask questions regarding bian, Gay, Bisexual and/or Transgender sexual orientation and gender identity, is certainly less than it was 30 years ago, and many individuals who are relucdiscrimination among LGBT individu- tant to disclose their sexual orientation als remains a very real issue. When an and/or sexual orientation due to fear of LGBT individual seeks medical care, discrimination and harassment, further there can be reluctance for that indi- hampering progress and understanding vidual to disclose their sexual orienta- in this field. tion and/or gender identity. Moreover, the medical system is entrenched in not What we do know is that health dispariconsidering or acknowledging same sex ties regarding cancer and risk exist in orientation, same-sex relationships and the LGBT community. American Lung diverse gender identities. Assumptions Association reports that smoking prevaare made that individuals are heterosex- lence among LGBT individuals is 2 – 2.5 ual and gender normative, thus medical x greater than the non-LGBT population. forms and histories are seldom inclusive Tobacco use is a well known risk factor to take into account the circumstances of for at least a dozen different cancers. an LGBT individual. There is growing evidence that obesity impacts the development of cancer as The New York City Hospital system rec- well, especially for uterus and esophaognized this issue several years ago by geal cancer. For breast cancer, never initiating an intensive program for health giving birth increases the risk of develcare providers to sensitize them to rec- opment of breast cancer by 2x. Cerognize the needs of the LGBT commu- tain viruses such as HPV, which can be nity. They developed a program entitled, sexually transmitted, have been shown “You can’t treat me if you don’t know to cause tonsillar cancer and anal cancer me.” We know this is true - good health in men who have sex with men. Horcare is dependent upon the health care monal therapy taken by transgendered

individuals may also increase the risk of developing certain cancers typically associated with the sex one is transitioning into. Reducing Cancer Risk & Finding Support - Steps you can take now to support your health and well being: Seek care with a health care provider who encourages an open dialogue to discuss sexuality and gender identity, so you can work together to manage and reduce your risk of developing cancer. If uninsured, participate in free cancer screenings. Find Support - Social support for cancer patients greatly affects their well being and can make a difficult situation easier. The Hope Club is associated with the American Cancer Society and based in Latham, NY. This organization is free to its “members” and welcomes the LGBT community to participate in its activities including support groups and social events. More information can be obtained by calling 518.220.6960. Reach out to the Pride Center of the Capital Region for more information about finding an LGBT friendly medical provider, where to access free cancer screenings, and applying for health insurance by calling 518.462.6138 or emailing casemanagement@capitalpridecenter.org.

The Pride Center Presents

Special Screening

The 3rd Sunday of each month is MOVIE NIGHT in the Rainbow Café at the Pride Center of the Capital Region – a fun, casual space to enjoy a film and meet new folks. This spring we’ve shown a great run of films including Milk, Paris is Burning, Philadelphia, Saving Face, Southern Comfort and for June we will be showing the documentary – Bully. This summer mark’s the Youth Program at the Pride Center’s 30th anniversary. In that time, resources for and inclusion of LGBT youth in schools and communities have come a long way, but there is still much work to be done. We hope you’ll join us on Sunday, June 16th from 6:30-9pm for free popcorn, a great film and the chance to win two tickets to a featured event at Proctors!

been victims, perpetrators or stood silent witness. The world we inhabit as adults begins on the playground. Bully opens on the first day of school. For the more than 13 million kids who’ll be bullied this year in the United States, it’s a day filled with more anxiety and foreboding than excitement. As the sun rises and school busses across the country overflow with backpacks, brass instruments and the rambunctious sounds of raging hormones, this is a ride into the unknown.

Bully For a lot of kids, the only thing that’s certain is that this year, like every other, bullying will be a big part of whatever meets them at their school’s front doors. Every school in the U.S. is grappling with bullying-each day more than 160,000 kids across the country are absent because they’re afraid of being bullied-but for many districts it’s just one more problem that gets swept under the rug. Bully is a character-driven film. At its heart are those with the most at stake and whose stories each represent a different facet of this crisis. From the first day of school through the last, Bully will intimately explore the lives of a few of the many courageous people bullying will touch this year. Join us on Sunday, May 19th from 6:30-9pm for a free showing of Bully. Soda and snacks will be available for purchase, popcorn will be offered for free to attendees. This film is not rated. Youth under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian while visiting the Pride Center’s Rainbow Café, located on the 1st floor of our building at 332 Hudson Avenue in Albany.

This year, over 13 million American kids will be bullied at school, online, on the bus, at home, through their cell phones and on the streets of their towns, making it the most common form of violence young people in this country experience. Bully is the first feature documentary film to show how we’ve all been affected by bullying, whether we’ve

Pride Center Receives $3,000

from

OBKF

The Pride Center of the Capital Region was the proud recipient of a grant for $3,000 from Our Brothers Keeper Foundation. These funds will help support our Center Youth Program that has been a vital support to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth ages 13-18 in the Capital Region for 30 years. To expand upon the supportive services that are currently offered within this program, the Pride Center of the Capital Region has created the Center Youth Action Team, an exceptional group of young people who have committed their time and energy to create a more vibrant, healthy and supported LGBT community of young people and more welcoming schools in the Capital Region. The Pride Center plans to expand this successful program to include HIV prevention education tailored to the younger LGBT community. The Center for Disease Control has indicated this as a high priority community, and because of our extensive work in GSAs and school groups, we are uniquely positioned to address this need for LGBT affirming HIV education. As a new HIV testing provider targeting young LGBT people, we have the infrastructure to follow up with young people we engage in our Youth Program and in trainings with an HIV test counselor on site. Since youth are most trusting of their peers, the expansion of the Center Youth Action team to focus on HIV prevention messages will strengthen our ability to reach high risk youth in the Pride Center’s HIV prevention, testing and early intervention efforts

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GENDA

and manufactured controversy By Drew Cordes

The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act would extend protections to trans* and gender-nonconforming people in New York state. Just about everyone agrees, even across the aisle of the Legislature, that it’s wrong that trans* people can be fired, kicked out of their homes, denied medical care, and more. GENDA is not a controversial bill. A Global Strategy Group poll of 600 New York voters found 78 percent supported its passage. Support was strong regardless of region, and party -- Republicans and independents supported the bill at 67 percent and 78 percent, respectively. However, some lawmakers still won’t vote for it, and they are univocal in their (terribly misinformed) reasoning. Bathrooms. It’s all about bathrooms. A small number of extremely conservative, fear-mongering groups have caught hold of legislators’ ears, mischaracterizing the bill as granting potentially ill-intentioned men license to access women’s bathrooms and locker rooms. Whether this position indicates willful or incidental ignorance of what “gender identity or expression” means is uncertain. What is certain is that this is a straw-man argument, made with intent of sidelining civil equality, vilifying trans* people, and creating controversy where there is none.

Sixteen states, Washington, D.C., and many of New York state’s largest cities have passed trans* anti-discrimination laws. Minnesota way back in 1993. There has yet to be a single incident like the one conservative groups are suggesting. If there was any threat, would scores of women’s and anti-violence organizations support the bill? Would Albany’s own Police Chief Krokoff support the bill, along with other police chiefs across the state? This argument is not about bathrooms, personal safety, or children. It’s about bigotry: the institutionalized bigotry that convinces people that the freedom and equality of a marginalized group will cost them a piece of their own. We’ve seen it over and over. We’ve even seen these same manifestations. During Jim Crow, it was people of color who posed a threat in public bathrooms. During the movement for the Equal Rights Amendment, the opposition aggrandized about genderless bathrooms requirements. Under “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” the establishment perpetuated fears of shared locker rooms with gays and lesbians. Now it’s us. This scare tactic is used repeatedly. It has been proven falsely prejudiced repeatedly. And those who promote it will be seen in the

Here’s Guffman “A Relationship For Review” Upon hearing that Michael Eck would no longer be reviewing theater for the Times Union I was alarmed, saddened and a little bit anxious of what’s to come. Although the knock on him in the theater circle was that he was a musician, what did he know? He had been reviewing for the paper for over two decades and had reviewed me in more theatres more often than anyone else. Actors and reviewers (Sondheim’s term for them since they can’t, due to time constraints and space, have the depth or perspective necessary to be properly called critics) have a necessarily fraught relationship. Recently I’ve taken to replying to anyone who asks what I thought of a recent review of a show I’m in, “I could have written better.” Diana Rigg edited a treasury of bad reviews called “No Turn Unstoned.” Part of the impetus to write this column is to empower ourselves to champion locally produced theatre. Personally, a great review won’t make me money or get me another job. Hopefully, it will be another piece of marketing that could inspire someone to take a chance on a locally produced worthy play and perhaps whatever organization I’m working with will bring in

eyes of history as equally ignorant and hateful as those holding pro-segregation signs in those old photos. There’s more bad news for anti-GENDA lawmakers: Trans* people already use public bathrooms and locker rooms; and even if the bill is shot down again, we’ll continue to do so. Because we hate the cisgender conspiracy? Because we want to make everyone uncomfortable? Because we want to force our beliefs on people? Well, no. We use public bathrooms because we have to pee. That’s about it. Odds are that anyone who’s scared of sharing a bathroom with a trans* person has unknowingly done so already. It is actually trans* people who are more likely to be scared of using public bathrooms: None of us wants to be physically attacked, harassed, or ridiculed. Cruelly, many trans* people have these rights before they transition, but once we begin to live as our authentic selves, those rights disappear. Time to end that. Trans* equality in New York NOW. Albany resident Drew Cordes is part of the trans* social justice group Transgender Advocates of the Capital Region. Reprinted with permission of The Bilerico Project: www.bilerico.com.

Patrick White

a few clams and they’ll be encouraged to produce another Martin McDonagh. Lovers of theater in the Capital Region have benefitted greatly by the coverage of Michael Eck. He covered more groups than anyone else and never conveyed the attitude that he was above the proceedings and wished he was somewhere else. He wrote with great equanimity and on the flip side could madden me with his reserve but he struck me as most often fair and I don’t remember him being mean. Someone who has been stung by his words (as I have as well) I’m sure would disagree with me. He said many, many nice things but actors remember the slights. But I was especially pleased that he covered Confetti Stage, Classic Theatre Guild, Class Act, TIS and smaller groups frequently. Will we be as lucky with his successor? Because this is the Times Union, it matters. It is the single most influential and widely read source in the area. Perhaps we’ll learn the impact of a good or bad review…or any review at all because whoever takes his place will be challenged to cover as much as he did. Change is coming. I’m afraid we didn’t

know how good we had it. My hopes for the new reviewer are that they will recognize and appreciate how exciting, vital and widespread theater is in the Capital Region right now with its unique mix of schools, pros and over 30 amateur producing groups unequalled anywhere else in the country. I hope that they celebrate and advocate theater by pushing for more coverage and more comprehensive listings in their paper. In short, I hope that whoever reviews theater for the Times Union actually likes theater (not just their opinion on theater) and spends their days thinking that things are pretty good because they’ve got a comp waiting at the box office for them this evening and they can’t wait to see what happens next. Patrick is a Capital Region actor who will next be appearing in “Buddy” at Cortland Repertory Theatre 6/19-7/6

My Big Gay Ears - “Billy Elliot,” If asked to name the ideal musical for a celebration of gay culture, I’d probably call it a toss up between “La Cage Aux Folles” and “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” Both have got stories of struggle, persecution and triumph, and plenty of drag queens from start to finish. At opening night of “Priscilla” at Proctors in February, by the way, the surprisingly mixed audience illustrated how that show has been embraced by all types. I never saw so many middle-aged women coming in off the streets sporting feathered boas. (At least I think those were women.) But as for a celebration of pride in all its forms, “Billy Elliot” seems about ideal. How perfect that amidst our Capital Pride celebration comes the national touring production of “Billy Elliot” for eight performances, June 4-9, at Proctors. With a string of Tony Awards and an original score by Elton John, “Billy Elliot, The Musical,” is, of course, based on “Billy Elliot,” the hit movie from 2000. It’s about an 11 year-old boy who discovers his flair for ballet. The conflict in the story starts with the

The Fashionable

and the

setting, a working class British family struggling amidst the recession economy of the mid-80s. When young Billy bombs in boxing class, he starts secretly taking ballet lessons. At first that’s viewed by his family as a way too sissified pursuit. But they eventually come round and support his auditioning for the Royal Ballet. What makes the show about pride, not sexuality, is that Billy doesn’t appear to be gay, though his mate Michael surely is. The challenge or hurdle in Billy’s personal journey of discovery and self acceptance is his passion for a hugely stigmatized art form. Ballet is dominated by women, and male dancers have to wear tights. Ballet also requires an incredible degree of discipline. The story of Billy works so beautifully because of the identification factor. Whether they realize it or not, audience members can view ballet as a metaphor for whatever transgressive side of themselves they’ve had to struggle with and ultimately learn to embrace. But “Billy Elliot” is not purely a work of fiction. Writer Lee Hall grew up in the same era and milieu as Billy. In a

Frivolous - What I Wore

By Alan Bennett Ilagan It was one of the first questions I was asked after I told people I was getting married: what are you going to wear? Granted, it’s a question I get asked a lot, and one I usually refuse to answer beyond a few infuriating hints. But for the marriage question it was simple: a pair of old, ripped jeans. Yes, I wore jeans to my wedding ceremony. It’s slightly at odds with the guesses some made as to my “suit” of choice - Prada, Gucci, Tom Ford - surely I would splurge on one of these for my wedding day.

Nope. I knew fairly early on that what I wanted to wear to my wedding was the pair of jeans I was wearing when I met Andy. (Back at the time – ten years before our wedding - he said my ass looked good in them – and by some miracle

the perfect pride musical

from above, they still fit.) I paired them with a striped Burberry shirt, to match Andy’s lime green polo. He wore jeans too - happily. The point of this admittedly-self-indulgent article is that sometimes sentiment trumps high-fashion. One person’s favorite pair of ripped jeans may be hopelessly out-of-date, but still be the most perfect choice for a certain event. My wedding outfit would not have worked in a church or a banquet hall in front of hundreds of people expecting a grand show, but for my most cherished friends and family in the Boston Public Garden, it was the ideal bit of rustic elegance – befitting the easy-going relationship that Andy and I have always shared. I didn’t need a splendiferous suit of armor to bar-

Joseph Dalton

wonderful essay available www.BillyElliotTheMusical.com, Hall shares that though his gift was in writing, not dance, “the basic premise of a young boy discovering a new world of creativity against the harsh realities of the 1980s was a world I felt very familiar with.” It’s also no fantasy that straight guys dance ballet. A few years ago I interviewed five professional ballet dancers, all members of the Capital Region’s Northeast Ballet, for a book (not yet published) about the training of male dancers. These fellows were all in their 20s and four out of the five were straight! And they knew who they were, comfortable in their own skin. It got me thinking that sometimes it’s almost too easy to be gay these days. So forget about camp and flamboyance. You want to see pride? Visit the world of men in dance and go see “Billy Elliot.” Call the Proctors box office at 346-6204 or go to www.Proctors.org. Joseph Dalton writes about the arts in the Times Union and sells houses across the Capital Region. Find out more about all his endeavors at: www.JosephDalton.net.

My Wedding

ricade myself against him or a wardrobe of feathers and sequins designed to sparkle and distract – I could let down my sartorial guard, don an old pair of jeans, and be the man I was underneath all the finery. There would be time enough to get dolled up and fancy, and for other dinners and events that wedding weekend I got into a pink linen suit jacket from Brooks Brothers (pre-Gatsby craze) for the rehearsal dinner, a pair of white Dolce & Gabbana pants and frilly white coat for the wedding lunch, and a Burberry trench coat for departing in the rain. But for the ceremony – the moment Andy and I were joined in matrimony – I had on a pair of old jeans, and I never felt more fashionable.

Trans View #113 - GENDA Bender.... As I sit to write this column, I am, once again, caught up in the difficulties of writing about currents events which may or may not happen in the ensuing weeks between penning this column and the end of the legislative session here in Albany. GENDA (Gender Non Discrimination Act) is once again languishing in the Senate waiting to move. So, will they, or won’t they? Kinda like betting on the horses...the 30-1 choice (they will vote on it) may just come across the finish line, but it’s usually, the sure bet, the 5-1 option that takes the day. Sad to say, but I’m not confident despite all the efforts of advocates, activists and allies that the Republican conference in the State Senate will move the GENDA bill to the floor for a vote; nor am I confident we’ll find the few Republican votes we need to pass it either. Sad, too, because an overwhelming majority of people (78%) support GENDA across party lines. There is good news, however. GENDA passed the Assembly for the 6th time on April 30, 2013 by a vote of 91-51 (8 members not voting), coincidentally Equality and Justice Day, a lobby day, for LGBT rights and concerns sponsored by the Pride Agenda. Continuing on the positive side, there is a lot of advocacy activity being directed toward the passage of GENDA. The Trans Rights Coalition is bigger, better and stronger than ever. We have developing some very fine strategies for organizing around the bill and have deeply engaged allies. We have formed a Steering Committee which meets regularly to keep up the momentum.

ing with several of us activists and with staff of the Pride Agenda including executive director, Nathan Schaefer. The result was an editorial on the front page of the Sunday, May 5, 2013 Perspective page which challenged the Republicans to move it along to a positive vote. This was wonderful support for us! We’re hoping to replicate that editorial support across the state. The column comes to you in June, Pride Month. Over the decades, transgender people have become increasingly integrated and welcome within the LGB umbrella, and we, too, have a lot to celebrate during June, though there is still an enormous way to go before we have anything near full equality. Transgender people are ever increasingly diverse! These days we are literally thriving upon all the magnificent ways in which sex and gender can be expressed. Vanishing quickly are the older ways of speaking about transgender. Our emerging language and terms and ways of seeing ourselves has become ever more descriptive, and diverse. These changes are happening almost daily, and bring an excitement to how quickly the world can change in these times of social media. The internet and the availability of the interconnectedness it brings allow us to develop new, wonderful ways to understand ourselves, and subsequently bring new possibilities to a world stuck in the gender binary.

We understand that Governor Cuomo supports passage of GENDA, but as is obvious, he continues to do so very quietly, almost invisibly.

There is a difference, to be sure, about how a diverse people develop their own language of describing themselves, defining themselves and bringing a new paradigm of how to see the gender binary as just the tails of very large distribution curve, where the middle place is large, unimaginably diverse and fluid. The tails of the binary now just anchor the diversity!

The Times Union paper in Albany conducted a very powerful editorial meet-

So treat yourself to how gender is bending and flowing this Pride Month: gender

variant, gender non conforming, trans, transmasculine, boi, bois, aggressives or AGs, playas, studs, G3 (gender gifted guys) , boys like us, transfeminine, genderqueer, genderbender, transgender, androgynous, , nongendered, gender neutral, neutrois, bigendered, assigned female at birth (AFAB), assigned male at birth (AMAB), a transgender, transsexual, crossdresser, dresser, FTM/F2M, MTF/M2F, t-girl, trans*, transgendered, transman, trans man, trans woman, transwoman, pangender, third gender, gender fluid. And for younger folks: trans guys/ boys, trans girls, men or women of trans experience, affirmed males, affirmed females. And so it goes on as we continue to define ourselves. And in honor once again to my friend and colleague, Dr. Ken Dollarhide, a Lakota Sioux and Jew, who has told this story countless times: “In the Lakota Sioux, one is not defined by the tribe, but one defines oneself to the tribe so that they may know you. And your self definition may change over time.” And so it is, in the glorious Pride Month, transgender people of all gender diversities define themselves first to themselves, and then to the world. How beautifully fabulous! Until next time...T NOTE: I have deliberately omitted a discussion about the toxic practice of a society’s decision to label people (define them) pejoratively because this column is about Pride and Celebrating who we are as transgender folks! Rev. Moonhawk River Stone of RiverStone Consulting is an Interfaith Minister, transgender activist, writer, educator, consultant, keynote speaker and psychotherapist in private practice for over 25 years experience and with extensive expertise in all aspects of transgender policy and heatlh.

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Garden - Generous Landings

By Judith Fetterley

along it may be made to feel tipsy or anxious. Therefore be generous in the spaces you create for people to move through and rest in your garden.

I went to Longâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lumber last week and bought a small table and four benches to place under the Heptacodium tree. Sara approved; she said the benches were just the right height for the table. Yesterday I went back and bought two new rocking chairs and a coffee table for the patio as well as a bench for underneath the crabapple tree. Over the weekend I chatted with my neighbor who was in her backyard spray painting her outdoor furniture. We were both hopeful that this season we might actually spend more time sitting down. The furniture I bought looks solid and glows. It is made from cedar and after I applied a light stain it looks alive. It invites one to sit down and rest. I think of my purchases as an investment in rest. This season I am determined to spend more time in the garden resting and observing. My purchases were also inspired by Design Principle # 5 of Walter Cudnohofsky, one of my favorite landscape architects: separate movement and landing. My deck and patio and the new furniture provide a clear landing space for anyone who arrives in my garden, whether they follow the path around the garage or come through the house and out the sliding door. More important still, they provide landing spaces that are generous, proportioned to the size of house and garden. A common problem I observe when called in for a garden consultation involves landing spaces that are too small. For example, a deck or patio off the back of a house needs to be large enough so that those sitting on it do not feel they are about to fall off the edge of the deck or be crushed by the house. People often skimp on the size of a deck or patio because of the expense of construction but no better investment can be made than in creating landing spaces that are sufficiently sized. The same can be said for movement spaces. If a path is too narrow those walking

While decks and patios with chairs and tables constitute one obvious source of landing, there are many ways to create the rhythm of movement and rest throughout a garden. When I built the path to my front door (and luckily I have a sufficiently generous front porch, rare for new construction these days) I created a series of small landings where the path turns and widens to allow one to stop and observe the view from that angle. Any path can be constructed to provide places to rest while you move towards. Remember that landing spaces can be where the eyes alight as well as where the feet pause. So, for example, if you have a specimen tree at any point in your garden you can make it into a landing simply by figuring out how to direct the eyes toward it. My path turns and widens to allow my visitors a view of the large doublefile viburnum in my front yard, a pleasure to observe in spring, summer or fall.

Still, benches are best, and this year I have placed benches and chairs throughout the garden to allow views from many angles. When visitors come to the garden, I now invite them to sit as well as to walk, to rest as well as to move. The rhythm is fundamental, it is the pattern of our heartbeat. Driven by angels as well as demons, I have never sufficiently rested. This season I am determined to do it differently. As a start, I am going to try to set aside some part of every week free from work and for observing what may be going on in the garden at that moment. Today is a good day for me to make this vow as I have finished spring cleanup in my own and clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; gardens and am poised to begin the season of planting. It is good to create generous landings in the work of the garden as well as in the viewing of the garden. We shall see how far I get before I jump up from my bench, pick up my tools and fall to work trying to fix that wee problem I just noticed over there by the pear tree! Judith Fetterley lives and gardens in Glenmont, New York. She also runs Perennial Wisdom, a garden design business for new and existing gardens. She can be reached at fetterleyj@gmail.com.

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The Gabyboomer Diaries Where Do I Go from Here? The Terrifying Conclusion By Dr. Raymond H. Werking, Jr.

school. (It doesn’t matter. I’m never going back to that Godforsaken place anyway.) “As far as we can tell, Brian broke into the nurse’s office and took an overdose of Billy Jasper’s medication,” Mrs. Barnard answered. (Apparently she felt my question deserved a response in spite of the emotional shape I was in.) “The revelation of his journal must have been a terrible shock.” Mrs. Barnard meant well, but her analysis of what happened was cold and clinical. How could anyone pretend to know what Brian felt? This month’s column of The Gabyboomer Diaries features the 30th and final installment of my 1985 young adult novel, Where Do I Go from Here? In the dramatic conclusion, Michael Evans arrives at school late on his bicycle only to find the entire student body assembled on the front lawn, complete with faculty to supervise. Fire engines and ambulances are parked everywhere. While trying to figure out what has happened, Mike catches sight of Martha at the forefront of the crowd. She is sobbing uncontrollably. Mr. Cassidy stands beside her with his head in his hands. Before he is able to reach either of them, two members of the rescue squad emerge from the building carrying a body on a stretcher. The lifeless form is entirely covered with a sheet. The jagged pieces of a terrible puzzle fall suddenly into place. June 12 Mrs. Barnard was the first to approach me. “Brian’s dead,” Michael,” she said, putting her arm around me. “I’m so sorry.” “How did it happen?” were the only words I managed to get out before the tears began to flow. THAT’S RIGHT! I started bawling in front of the whole

“It’s my fault,” I screamed at the top of my lungs, as anger outweighed my grief. “If it hadn’t been for the wallet . . .” Annoyed by the disturbance I was creating, Pomeroy took hold of my arm and ushered me to the guidance office. I sat there like a zombie until my father arrived to take me home. The tears in his eyes told me that he understood. I ran to him. For the first time since I was a child, he held me in his arms. Mr. Pringle looked on, but dad didn’t care. As we walked down the empty corridor, I noticed how everything was once again neat and orderly. Barely an hour had gone by since the discovery of Brian’s body, and yet everything was BUSINESS AS USUAL. THE SHOW MUST GO ON! How dare they continue to function as if nothing happened! Why wasn’t anyone sent home for the remainder of the day? Doesn’t anyone care?

winter jacket. (Mom’s been after me to bring the heavy coat home for months.) Attached to the pin was a note scrawled on a piece of loose-leaf paper torn from a notebook: Dear Mike and Martha, Please don’t hate me for what I’ve done. The pain’s been building up for years. I just couldn’t stand hurting any longer. Mechanically, I crumpled the note with my left hand and dropped it in a nearby trash can. Wild Child had finally struck the one place Brian couldn’t protect, his heart. I experienced every emotion all at once: anger - love - fear - hate . . . Only one question remains to be answered: WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE? Dr. Raymond H. Werking, Jr. is a lifelong educator and published novelist who is in the midst of writing his new tell-all autobiography, “Unapologetically Alive.” He has a doctoral degree in English from the State University of New York at Albany. The Pride Center presented Dr. Werking with their Community Service Award in 2009. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Capital Region Chapter of GLSEN, the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network. He also volunteers as Executive Producer of HomoRadio which is now in its twenty-second year of service to our community. Don’t miss this award-winning LGBT news and public affairs program’s live broadcasts every Sunday from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm on WRPI 91.5 FM, on www.wrpi.org, or via iTunes. Ray would love to hear your comments, questions, and feedback at DrRayWerking@ yahoo.com.

My father asked me if I wanted to stop at the locker and pick up Brian’s things. I wasn’t sure if it would be okay. Sensing my reluctance, dad said reassuringly, “I’m sure nobody will mind.” To my surprise, Brian’s books and belongings were nowhere to be found. The top shelf was empty. As I was about to close the locker, I caught sight of Brian’s Albany Hall pin fastened to the lapel of my

Michael Cooks and You Can Too By Michael Meade I went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends. A chance to share old memories and play our old songs again. People came from miles around. Everyone was there. Yoko brought her walrus. There was magic in the air. - Rick Nelson, “Garden Party” (1972) Did anybody else out there have an adolescent crush on Rick Nelson? Not the Brylcreemed teen-idol Ricky Nelson of the Fifties (hey, I’m not that old!), but the grown-up version; the long-haired, laid-back Rick Nelson of the Seventies. By that point in his career, he’d lived through fame and fortune and come out the other side. Relaxed and self-confident, doing the best work of his life and not caring what anybody else thought of him, he represented everything that’s cool and sexy about being middle-aged. I don’t have any particular memory of the deaths of Elvis or John Lennon, but I will always remember the sadness I felt when Rick Nelson died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve, 1985. Where was I? Oh, yeah, “Garden Party”. That’s our theme for this month. A garden party is a casual, easy but elegant style of entertaining that seems especially well-suited to a June afternoon or evening. You’ve worked hard to get your patio, porch or back yard ready for summer; it’s time to show it off! It’s also a fun way to gather some people together for your own Pride celebration. Guests particularly enjoy the unstructured feeling that such an event creates. You can serve an elaborate smorgasbord of dishes or build the menu around a central dish supported by complementary dishes that don’t overwhelm it. Choose foods that will not suffer if eaten warm rather than hot or slightly chilled rather than cold. If you’re not planning to have your guests sit down at tables, don’t serve foods that need to be cut with a knife. Instead, choose finger food or precut bite-sized food. Remember your guests will already have a full plate of food, a napkin and a wineglass to juggle. Make a prep sheet for the meal, including all the shopping information, which day you will prepare the dish and what it will be served on. Check everything off as you go. An important point to keep in mind is that there is no “right” way for the table to look. It is a matter of your own personal taste and what feels right to you. Mixing and matching old and new, complementary -- not matching -- napkins and tablecloths, dishes and

serving pieces will create a warm and informal atmosphere. And there’s nothing wrong with mixing china and plastic or linen and paper to achieve a harmonious whole. A basket of simply arranged flowers is always welcome, but make sure it is not too tall. You may want to have small vases of flowering herbs placed next to a dish that features the same herb. Imagine what the colors of the various dishes will be and what type of arrangement would best complement them. Baskets of bright vegetables, such as red and golden peppers, orange and red tomatoes and different shapes of green and yellow squashes make a striking presentation. Shallow bowls of freshly picked flowers floating in water along with floating candles are also very attractive. As far as the menu is concerned, make it as easy on yourself as you can. Everything doesn’t have to be made from scratch. You can find a wide variety of breads, cheeses, salads, dips, pates and hors d’oeuvres at local stores. You can tie them all together and make the menu memorable with one really good casserole and a spectacular dessert. Ratatouille is a traditional French provincial dish of stewed vegetables that’s especially good at this time of year when fresh tomatoes, peppers, squash and eggplant are readily available. It can be served hot, warm or cold, as an entrée or as an accompaniment. The crowning glory of your garden party table will be a Summer Pudding, a classic English dessert that’s almost unknown here in America. A Summer Pudding is a dome-shaped mold (you can use a mixing bowl) lined with slices of bread and filled with seasonal fruits, including raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. The juices from the fruit seep into the bread, turning the pudding a lovely deep red-and-purple color. It’s beautiful, festive and very impressive. And since very few of your guests will have seen one before, it’ll be a conversation piece as well. Have fun and Happy Pride Week to one and all! Ratatouille 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, sliced 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 cups combined red, yellow and green peppers, sliced 2 zucchini, sliced 4 fresh tomatoes, cubed or one 28-ounce can tomatoes, drained 1 bay leaf 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped 1 small eggplant, cubed and steamed Salt and pepper (to taste)

Sauté garlic and onion in olive oil in a medium to large pan. Add peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, salt, bay leaf, and basil. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 15 to 20 minutes). Add steamed eggplant and cook for 5 minutes more. Transfer to a heatproof casserole or serving dish. If it’s made the day before and reheated in the oven, the flavors will only improve. Summer Pudding 10 - 15 thin slices of firm-textured white bread, crusts removed 1/2 cup thawed frozen apple juice concentrate 2 cups raspberries 1&1/2 cups red currants (or 1/4 cup red current jelly) 2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered 2 cups blueberries 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin 1/8 cup cold water 1 cup heavy cream, whipped The day before you plan to serve the pudding, line a 2 quart mixing bowl with plastic wrap. Line the plastic wrap with the white bread slices, trimming them so that the pieces fit together neatly, like a jigsaw puzzle. You can overlap them slightly; just make sure that there are no gaps. Save enough bread to cover the top of the pudding. In a saucepan, combine the apple juice concentrate and all the berries. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the strawberries begin to soften, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat immediately. In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin into the water, then add the mixture to the berries and stir to combine. Spoon into the bread-lined bowl and cover completely with the remaining bread slices. Cover the top with plastic wrap and a round plate that fits snugly inside the bowl. Place a heavy can on the plate to weigh it down. Set the bowl on a plate to catch any juice that overflows and refrigerate it overnight. To serve, remove the pudding from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Carefully turn the pudding out onto a platter, remove the bowl and the plastic wrap. Serve in slices with whipped cream on top. Note: There’s always a chance that the dammed thing will fall apart when you try to unmold it. If that happens, don’t feel bad; just serve it in small bowls with the whipped cream. It’ll still be delicious. Michael Meade studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, worked at Jack’s Oyster House in Albany and is currently sous-chef for Thunder Mountain Curry in Troy. Send questions or comments to Mmeade1215@aol.com

We’re Proud to Support These Businesses as They Support the LGBT Community Latimer/Stroud, LLP Tri-City Rentals Crisafulli Bros. Plumbing & Heating Contractors, Inc. Skylands Services, INC Joseph Dalton / Prudential Manor Homes Security Plumbing & Heating Supply Customericity, LLC Geri Pomerantz, Esq

Ronnie Mangione / Merrill Lynch Interim HealthCare Grappa '72 Ristorante Buenau's Opticians Joseph Roche Journey United Church of Christ Connections Psychotherapy James W. Leone, State Farm Agent The Point Restaurant Mark D. Witecki, CPA CFP CFE Thomas J. Walling/Tower Square Securities, Inc. Broughton Properties / Keller Williams Consumer Optical GayAlbanyOnline Bomber’s Burrito Bar—Schenectady Athos Restaurant Steve Cook / State Farm Insurance For More Information or To Join Visit: www.capitalpridecenter.org/resources/ business-alliance/

These Presbyterian Churches Welcome You Where you can find a place ~ come as you are! Albany First Presbyterian 362 State Street (at Willett) www.firstpresalbany.org Sunday Worship 8:30 am & 10:45 am

Hudson Falls First Presbyterian Church 5 River Street www.hudsonfallspresbychurch.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Scotia Trinity Presbyterian Church 185 Swaggertown Rd. www.scotiatrinity.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Albany West End Presbyterian 585 Central Avenue westendpc@nycap.rr.com Sunday Worship 11:00 am

Lansingburgh (Troy) Cornerstone Community Church 570 3rd Avenue www.cornerstoneccl.org Sunday Worship 10:30 am

Spencertown St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church 5219 County Route 7 spencertown.wix.com /stpeterspresbyterianchurch Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Albany Westminster Presbyterian 262 State Street / 85 Chestnut Street www.WPCalbany.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Putnam Station Putnam United Presbyterian Church 365 County Route 2, PO Box 8 518-547-8378 Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Stillwater Stillwater United Church 747 Hudson Avenue www.stillwaterunitedchurch.org Sunday Worship 9:15 & 10:30 am

Colonie Roessleville Presbyterian Church Elmhurst and Central Avenue 518-459-2816 Sunday Worship 9:30 am

Rensselaerville The Presbyterian Church of Rensselaerville Main Street at Methodist Hill Road 518-797-9303 (June 24 - Sept 2) Sunday Worship 11:00 am (Summer only)

Troy First United 1915 Fifth Avenue (downtown) www.unitedprestroy.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Glens Falls First Presbyterian Church 400 Glen Street www.fpcgf.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Saratoga Springs Presbyterian-New England Congregational 24 Circular Street www.pnecc.org Sunday Worship 10:45 am

West Charlton West Charlton United Presbyterian 1331 Sacandaga Road www.westcharltonUPC.org Sunday Worship 10:30 am

Guilderland Hamilton Union Presbyterian Church 2291 Western Avenue www.HamiltonUnionPresbyterianChurch.org Sunday Worship 8:30 am & 10:00 am

Schenectady Union Presbyterian Church 1068 Park Avenue www.unionpres.org Sunday Worship 10:30 am

More information at www.presrainbow.org

ASK THE LAWYER

By Geri Pomerantz

As we celebrate LGBTQ pride, the significant role that the law plays in framing the debate about important matters of public policy to the LGBTQ community is evident. June 2013 may very well mark an historical time for civil rights for LGBTQ people, and those committed to equality and justice. Two years after the historic passage of the Marriage Equality Act in New York State, we now are waiting to see what the United States Supreme Court will do in a pair of cases involving the right to marry, DOMA, and recognition of same sex marriages. In the February issue of Community, I reported in detail on the cases of Windsor v. US. (challenging the constitutionality of DOMA section 3, which deprives same sex married couples of federal benefits and entitlements, like social security, tax and immigration benefits, that are given to opposite sex couples) and Hollingsworth v. Perry, (which concerns the constitutional right to marry, and/or the constitutionality of California Proposition 8 which took away the right to marry). I refer readers to that article for background information. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments from attorneys in these cases at the end of March, and decisions are expected in mid to late June. As I write this article on May 4th, I resist the urge to make predictions as to what the US Supreme Court is going to do. There is far too much dust on my crystal ball. Will the Court dismiss these cases without reaching a decision on the merits? If they do reach the merits, will they be on the right side of history? If there is a favorable ruling in the Proposition 8 case, will it apply beyond California? How narrow or broad will a favorable ruling in Windsor be? Please be sure that I will write more about these cases after the decisions are issued. Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules in Hollingworth and Perry, we have reason to rejoice because the sea change has already occurred. On May 2nd , Rhode Island became the 10th state, and final New England state, to approve gay marriage. The RI house of representatives voted in favor 5615, and then broke out singing “my country tis of thee”. As of this writing, Delaware is scheduled to vote on marriage equality next week, and there will likely be legislative action in10 more states within the next year or two. A majority of the US Senate has en-

dorsed same sex marriage. In the 2012 elections, marriage equality was on the ballot in four states, and all voted favorably. While I am not a fan of polls on issues of civil rights, it is undeniable that a majority of Americans support marriage equality now. And in April, New Zealand became the 13th country to legalize same sex marriage, by an overwhelming majority vote. The sea change is perhaps best reflected in the statements of Justice Alito during oral argument in Windsor, referring to same sex couples as being in “equally committed and loving relationships”. Or the concerns of Justice Kennedy, expressed during the Hollingsworth argument, for the approximately 40,000 children of same sex couples in California who want their parents to have full recognition and status. This all is a far cry from the language used to described LGBTQ people and same sex relationships by members of Congress in support of passing DOMA in 1996. While I do not believe that same sex marriage is the be all, end all for justice and equality for LGBTQ people or anyone else,

it has certainly opened the dialogue beyond anything I could have imagined in my lifetime. For LGBTQ pride month, I leave you with this quote from Attorney Olsen’s oral argument in Perry, citing Justice Ginsberg from another case, “ a prime part of the history of our constitution is the story of the extension of constitutional rights to people once ignored or excluded.” The legal rights of LGBTQ families are an ever-changing landscape, to be addressed monthly in this column. The material in this article is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to give legal advice, and should not substitute for the independent advice of counsel. Geri Pomerantz is an attorney in the capital district with a practice focused on family and matrimonial law, specifically including LGBTQ issues. Geri also conducts continuing legal education training for other lawyers on issues of importance to the LGBTQ community. Amongst other things, Geri is a member of the Collaborative Divorce Association of the Capital district. Geri can be reached at pomerantzlaw@albany.twcbc.com The views expressed in this column are solely those of Ms. Pomerantz and do not reflect the opinion of the Pride Center.

Advocates for Welcoming Congregations & Room for All Invite the Community to

An Interfaith Gathering Celebrating in Pride & Praise

Worship, Music, Storytelling and Reflection Sunday, June 2, 2013 / 3:00- 4:15 PM St. John’s Lutheran Church / 160 Central Avenue, Albany Dessert Reception / Parking Available All Welcome- Family, Friends, and Community! Free Will Offering For further information, please contact Joe Doolittle (518) 384-1700 or aldenjoe@nycap.rr.com Advocates for Welcoming Congregations is a Capital Region group that encourages the welcoming of LGBT persons into the full life and leadership of communities of faith. The group also works to make visible for members of the LGBT community opportunities for practicing their faith traditions. Room for All is a not-for-profit organization supporting, advocating and educating for full inclusion of GLBTQ persons in the Reformed Church in America

Celebrating in Pride and Praise

Advocates for Welcoming Congregations will host an interfaith gathering Celebrating in Pride and Praise on Sunday, June 2 at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 160 Central Avenue, Albany. The program is part of this group’s continuing effort to engage communities of faith in adopting more open, welcoming environments for GLBT persons.The free event will include interfaith worship, music and dialogue. A dessert reception will follow. Participating in worship will be Pastor Paul D. Rees-Rohbacher of St. John’s Lutheran Church; Rev. Moonhawk River Stone, an interfaith minister and transgender activist; Rev. Ken Walsh of First Congregational Church of Albany; and Alden Joe Doolittle, Storyteller and Deacon at First Reformed Church of Schenectady. “The theme “Celebrating in Pride and Praise,” recognizes the significance of Pride Month and the progress made in the State legislature,” according to Doolittle. “It also seeks in affirming ways to listen and build understanding of the methods that create and deepen more open communities of faith. The gathering seeks to support and share among those interested how a gracious engagement on the principles of including GLBT persons can be created and maintained.Our time together will provide encouragement for continuing to educate and advocate for inclusion, even with unsettled ’white water‘ affecting our journey,” All are welcome. Advocates for Welcoming Congregations is a local group that encourages the welcome of LGBT persons into the full life and leadership of communities of faith. The group also works to make visible for members of the LGBT community opportunities for practicing their faith traditions. For additional information, contact Alden (Joe) Doolittle aldenjoe@nycap.rr.com, phone (518)588-2801.

Welcoming Congregations

Join Us In Exploring Your Spiritual Side At One Of The Welcoming Congregations Below: Community Congregational Church (UCC) 221 Columbia Tpke, Rensselaer, NY www.clintonheightsucc.org Community Reformed Church of Colonie 701 Sand Creek Road, Colonie, NY www.coloniereformed.org (518)869-5589 Congregation Agudat Achim (Conservative) 2117 Union Street, Schenectady, NY www.agudatachim.org (518) 393-9211 Congregation B’nai Shalom (Reform) 420 Whitehall Road, Albany, NY www.bnaishalom.albany.ny.us (518) 482-5283 Congregation Berith Shalom (Reform) 167 Third Street, Troy, NY www.berithshalom.com (518)272-8872 Congregation Beth Emeth (Reform) 100 Academy Road, Albany, NY www.bethemethalbany.org (518)436-9761 Congregation Gates of Heaven (Reform) 842 Ashmore Avenue, Schenectady, NY www.cgoh.org (518)374-8173 Congregation Ohav Shalom (Conservative) 113 New Krumkill Road, Albany, NY www.ohavshalom.org Congregation Temple Sinai (Reform) 509 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY www.templesinai-saratogasprings.org (518) 584-8730 Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church 943 Palmer Avenue, Schenectady, NY www.easternparkway.weebly.com (518)374-4306 St George’s Episcopal Church 30 North Ferry St., Schenectady www.stgeorgesschenectady.org

Emmanuel Baptist Church 275 State Street, Albany, NY www.emmanuelalbany.net (518)465-5161 First Church in Albany 110 North Pearl Street, Albany, NY www.firstchurchinalbany.org (518)463-4449 First Congregational Church of Albany UCC & NACCC 405 Quail Street, Albany, NY www.firstcongregationalalbany.org / (518)482-4580 First Lutheran Church 181 Western Avenue, Albany, NY www.FirstLutheranAlbany.org (518)463-1326 First Presbyterian Church 362 State Street, Albany, NY www.firstpresalbany.org (518)449-7332 First Reformed Church 8 North Church Street, Schenectady, NY www.1streformed.com First Unitarian Society of Schenectady 1221 Wendell Avenue, Schenectady, NY www.fussonline.org (518)374-4446

Friends Meeting (Quaker) 727 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY (518) 436-8812 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 501 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville, NY www.goodshepherdchurchloudonville.org (518)458-1562 Holy Trinity National Catholic Church 405 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY www.NCCofA.org/holytrin.html (518)434-8861 Journey United Church of Christ 500 Kenwood Blvd, Delmar , NY www.journeyucc.com Saratoga Springs United Methodist Church 175 Fifth Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY www.saratogaspringsumc.org / (518)5843720 St. Andrews Episcopal Church Main at Madison Avenue, Albany, NY www.standrewsalbany.org / (518)489-4747 St. John’s Lutheran Church 160 Central Avenue, Albany, NY www.stjohnsalbany.org (518)465-7545

First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany 405 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY www.albanyuu.org (518)463-7135

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga 624 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY www.saratoga-uu.org (518)584-1555

First United Methodist Church 603 State Street, Schenectady, NY www.gbgm-umc.org/schenectady (518)374-4403

Unity Church in Albany 21 King Avenue, Albany, NY www.unitychurchinalbany.org (518)4533603

First United Presbyterian Church 1915 Fifth Avenue, Troy, NY www.unitedprestroy.org (518)272-2771

Woodstock Jewish Congregation (Reconstructionist) 1682 Glasco Turnpike, Woodstock, NY www.wjcshul.org (845)246-1671

Proud To Be Open! Affirming! Welcoming! Joyous! 30

LAW OFFICE OF ANNE REYNOLDS COPPS Casey Copps DiPaola, Associate Kate Siobhan Howard, Associate

126 State Street, 6th Flr. Albany, New York 12207 518.436.4170

arcopps@nycap.rr.com kdipaola@nycap.rr.com katesiobhanhoward@nycap.rr.com

Adoption Business Formation Education Law Employment Law Estate Planning Family Law Matrimonial Law Medicaid Planning Name Changes Real Estate

www.arcopps.net

June 2013

Pride Center Events Sunday, June 2: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Carmie & Freida Present “Cabaret for Kids,” 1 – 3 pm. Huxley Theater, NYS Museum, 260 Madison Ave, Albany. Songs, games, prizes, and sing-alongs for kids of all ages. Bring the entire family! Sunday, June 2: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Reaching Across the Table: A Vintage Pride Community Building Event, 1 – 3 pm. Unitarian Universalist Congregation’s Emerson Hall, 405 Washington Ave, Albany. Building our community of LGBT older adults 55+! Sunday, June 2: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Men’s Group BBQ, 2 – 6 pm. BBQ of members past & present and any men who may be considering attending Men’s Peer Support Group! Sunday, June 2: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Interfaith Pride Service, 3 pm. St. John’s Lutheran Church, 160 Central Ave, Albany. Join Advocates for a Welcoming Congregations for an annual Interfaith Pride Celebration. Sunday, June 2: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: ROCKS Tea Dance, 4 – 7 pm. St. ROCKS, 77 Central Ave, Albany. Back Deck BBQ featuring Happy Hour drink prices and DJ spinning hits. Sunday, June 2: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: BDSM Basics—Leather Culture & Practice, 6:30 – 9 pm. ROCKS, 77 Central Ave, Albany. With International Mr. Bootblack 2011. Sunday, June 2: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Over the Rainbow, 9 – 11 pm. The Hollow Bar & Kitchen, 79 N. Pearl St, Albany. With International Mr. Bootblack 2011. $5. Your favorite pride songs of yesteryear with Chardonnay LeTease and The Ladies of the Terrace. Monday, June 3: transspace, 3 – 4 pm. Music practice room, Albany High School, 700 Washington Ave, Albany. A social group for transgender and gender non-conforming high school students. Monday, June 3: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Rainbow Skate w/ All-Stars & Drag Stars , 5 – 9 pm. Rollerama, 2710 Hamburg St., Schenectady. $10 includes skates. Monday, June 3: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: How to be an Activist , 6 – 8 pm. Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Ave, Albany. Panelists discuss how to make a difference! Monday, June 3: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Bi Request: the Bi/Pan/Queer Social, 7 – 9 pm. Oh Bar, 304 Lark St, Albany. $5 suggested donation. LBGT isn't the same without the B! Tuesday, June 4: LGBT Professionals Networking Mixer at The Charles F. Lucas Confectionery & Wine Bar , 6 – 8 pm. 12 Second St, Troy. Networking, appetizers & cash bar. $5 suggested donation. Presented by the Pride Center Business Alliance. Tuesday, June 4: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Gaymer Night, 6 – 9 pm. Pastime Legends Video Games, 73 4th St, Troy. $5 suggested donation. Calling all gamers—beginners and experts! Tuesday, June 4: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Out Loud — Youth Open Mic, 6 – 8 pm. Professor Java’s, 217 Wolf Rd, Colonie. LGBTQA youth ages 13-24 share stories, poetry, music.

All events take place at the Pride Center (332 Hudson Avenue, Albany) unless otherwise noted. Questions call (518) 462-6138

June 2013

Pride Center Events Tuesday, June 4: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Pride Trivia with Theo, 8 – 10 pm. ROCKS, 77 Central Ave, Albany. $5 suggested donation. Exercise your knowledge of Pride trivia! Tuesday, June 4: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: OUT! In Troy, 8 pm – 1 am. Footsy Magoo’s, 17 First St, Troy. The Pride edition of this monthly event for LGBT community and friends. Wednesday, June 5: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Wine and Cheese Tasting Tour, 5 – 8 pm. Oh Bar, ROCKS, and Waterworks, Albany. Three locations — great wine, cheese, and friends. Wednesday, June 5: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Golf, 6 – 9 pm. GlowGolf, Crossgates Mall, Albany. Indoor mini-golf in a glow-in-the-dark setting. Wednesday, June 5: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: We Intend to Survive – History of Capital Pride, 7 – 9 pm. Short film & discussion about the Capital Region’s LGBT history. Wednesday, June 5: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: CODEBREAKER, 7:15 – 9 pm. Spectrum 8 Theatres, 290 Delaware Ave, Albany. $9.25. Tix at http://tickets.todpix.com/codebreaker/ Thursday, June 6: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: 3rd Annual LGBT Educator Appreciation Reception, 6 – 8 pm. Midtown Tap and Tea Room, 289 New Scotland Ave, Albany. $5 suggested donation. Appreciating LGBT educators for all they do! Sponsored by NYSUT. Thursday, June 6: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Trans* Night Out, 7 – 10 pm. ROCKS, 77 Central Ave, Albany. $5 suggested donation. Connect w/ the Region's growing trans* community. Thursday, June 6: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Pride Bowling, 6 – 9 pm. Playdium Bowling Center, 363 Ontario St, Albany. $15 includes shoes and bowling. A Pride Favorite! Thursday, June 6: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Therapy Thursday Pride Ball, 11 pm – 4 am. Waterworks Pub, 76 Central Ave, Albany. With DJ Shawn Gillie, contests, and drag! Friday, June 7: 1st Friday at the Romaine Brooks Gallery, 5-9 pm. Come to the Romaine Brooks Gallery, the Pride Center’s very own art gallery! Friday, June 7: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Alternative Prom, 7 pm – 11 pm. Campus Center Ballroom, UAlbany, 1400 Washington Ave, Albany. LGBTQ youth and allies aged 13–19. Friday, June 7: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: The First Unitarian Society of Schenectady presents For the Bible Tells Me So, 7 pm – 11 pm. 1221 Wendell Ave, Schenectady. Screening of the film For the Bible Tells Me So, followed by a panel discussion. Friday, June 7: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Pre-Cruise Party, 8 pm – 11 pm. ROCKS, 77 Central Ave, Albany. Organize your group and relax before you head over to the Big Gay Cruise. Friday, June 7: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Lesboa, 8 pm – 4 am. ROCKS, 77 Central Ave, Albany. $10. Join Total Entertainment of Albany and the crew for a girl party!

All events take place at the Pride Center (332 Hudson Avenue, Albany) unless otherwise noted. Questions call (518) 462-6138

June 2013

Pride Center Events Friday, June 7: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Land Ho, 10 pm – 3 am. Oh Bar, 304 Lark St, Albany. If boats aren’t your thing, this DJed event is for those who prefer to stay on land. Friday, June 7: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Land Ho, 10 pm – 3 am. Oh Bar, 304 Lark St, Albany. If boats aren’t your thing, this DJed event is for those who prefer to stay on land. Friday, June 7: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: $8 Party Bus, 11 pm sharp. ROCKS, 77 Central Ave, Albany. Safe way to get a “round trip” ride to the Big Gay Cruise for only an $8 donation. Friday, June 7: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Big Gay Cruise, boards 11:30pm and cruises midnight–3am. Captain JP Cruise Lines, State St & Front St, Troy. Saturday, June 8: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Walgreens’ Rainbow 5k & Fun Run, 7 am – 11 am. Washington Park, Albany. $15 in advance, $20 day of race. Prizes and giveaways! Saturday, June 8: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Drag Race, 12 pm – 2 pm. Washington Park, Albany. $5 entry. Bras will fly and heels will spin, all to be one of the top three Queens. Saturday, June 8: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Sing Out Louise- Diva Night, 9 pm – 11 pm. Waterworks Pub, 76 Central Ave, Albany. $10. An outrageous drag extravaganza. Saturday, June 8: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Chris Wallace & Aiden Leslie Live, 11 pm – 1 am. Waterworks Pub, 76 Central Ave, Albany. $10. Pop stars take the stage! Sunday, June 9: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Capital Pride Parade, Noon. Sprague & State St to Lark St to Madison Ave to Washington Park, Albany. Music, floats, and lots of fun. Sunday, June 9: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Capital Pride Festival, 1 pm – 5 pm. Washington Park, Albany. After the parade, don’t miss the largest Pride Festival in upstate New York. Sunday, June 9: CAPITAL PRIDE PRESENTS: Capital Pride After Parties, 5 pm. Elda’s, Oh Bar, ROCKS, Waterworks Pub and a sober alternative at the Pride Center (332 Hudson Ave). Monday, June 10: transspace, 3 – 4 pm. Music practice room, Albany High School, 700 Washington Ave, Albany. A social group for transgender and gender non-conforming high school students. Wednesday, June 12: Pride Center Board Meeting, 6 pm. Open to the public. 3rd Floor. Wednesday, June 12: “Live from the Living Room” Poetry Open Mic Night, 7-9 pm. Sunday, June 16: Movie Night, 6:30-9 pm. Screening of “Bully” in the Rainbow Café! Monday, June 17: transspace, 3 – 4 pm. Music practice room, Albany High School, 700 Washington Ave, Albany. A social group for transgender and gender non-conforming high school students. Wednesday, June 19: LGBT Book Club, 7-9 pm. Meets in the Rainbow Café. Tuesday, June 25: College Night in Rainbow Café, 6—9 pm. Join your fellow local LGBTQ students for a night of socializing and networking! Free. Refreshments provided. Sunday, June 30: Supper Sunday in the Rainbow Café, 5—8 pm. Come and enjoy a delicious meal provided by one of our stellar volunteers. Happens every last Sunday of the month.

All events take place at the Pride Center (332 Hudson Avenue, Albany) unless otherwise noted. Questions call (518) 462-6138

June 2013

Pride Center Affiliate Events

Saturday, June 1: Say it Loud! Black & Latino Gay Pride, 12 — 5 pm. Albany Waterfront. June 14-16: Hudson Pride. Cruises, parade, festival, dances, and more! www.hudsonpride.com Saturday, June 15: Albany Gay Men’s Chorus: Musical Journey, 7:30 pm. Massry Center for the Arts, College of St. Rose. For tix, contact albanyGMC@yahoo.com

Saturday, June 22: Schenectady Pride, 3 — 10 pm. On Jay Street www.schenectadypride.org

July 2013

Pride Center Featured Events Tuesday, July 9: Pride Center Info Session and Volunteer Orientation, 6-7 pm. Want to learn more about the Pride Center or consider volunteering with the Pride Center? Come to our Volunteer Orientation to learn about our programs and ways to get involved! Thursday, July 11: Pride Center Youth Scholarship Fundraiser and Awards Reception, 5:30 pm. Hosted by Tom and Lisa Evans, Selkirk, NY. To RSVP and get directions, visit www.capitalpridecenter.org or call 462-6138. Thursday, July 11: Game Night, 6 — 9 pm. Kick off our new Game Night series by dropping in

Pride Center Calendar Friday, July 5: 1st Friday at the Romaine Brooks Gallery, 5-9 pm. Come to the Romaine Brooks Gallery, the Pride Center’s very own art gallery! Wednesday, July 10: “Live from the Living Room” Poetry Open Mic Night, 7-9 pm. Wednesday, July 17: LGBT Book Club, 7-9 pm. Meets in the Rainbow Café. Sunday, July 21: Movie Night, 6:30-9 pm. Movie TBA! Sunday, July 21: Vintage Pride Potluck, 1-3 pm. First Presbyterian Church, 362 State Street, Albany. A social opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people 55+. Sunday, July 28: Volunteer Appreciation BBQ & Party, 1—4 pm. Thank our volunteers! Sunday, July 28: Supper Sunday in the Rainbow Café, 5—8 pm. Come and enjoy a delicious meal provided by one of our stellar volunteers. Happens every last Sunday of the month.

All events take place at the Pride Center (332 Hudson Avenue, Albany) unless otherwise noted. Questions call (518) 462-6138

Pride Center Affiliate Events Wednesday, July 3: Saratoga Pride Men's Group, 6 — 8 pm. Spot Coffee, 55 Railroad Place, Saratoga. Meets the 1st Wednesday of each month. Thursday, July 18: Saratoga Pride Lesbian Breakfast, 7:30am. Latecomers welcome. Country Café, 165 High Rock Ave, Saratoga. Meets the 3rd Thursday of each month.

June/July 2013

Pride Center ongoing events Sundays

Wednesdays

Rainbow Café Drop in, 6—9 pm

LGBT Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous Garden level meeting room, 6:30 pm

Bisexual Potluck Brunch Every 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month 1st Floor, 11 am—1 pm Supper Sunday Meets every last Sunday of the month 1st Floor, 5 pm—8 pm LGBT Alcoholics Anonymous Garden level meeting room, 7—8:30 pm Mondays Men's Peer Support Group 1st Floor, 7—8:30 pm Gay Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous Garden level meeting room, 7:30—8:30 pm Free Confidential HIV Testing 1st & 3rd Monday, 4—7 pm Tuesdays Women's Peer Support Group Garden level meeting room, 7—8:30 pm Trans Pride Meet and Greet 1st Tuesday of the Month 1st Floor, 7—9 pm Trans Pride Discussion Group 3rd Tuesday of the month 1st Floor, 7—9 pm Capital Region Support Group for Family and Friends of LGBT People 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7 pm 1221 Wendell Avenue, Schenectady For more info, call Julia Helfman 372-9911

Board of Directors Meeting 1st Wednesday of the month, 3rd Floor, 6 pm Living Soulfully 1st Wednesday of the month, 1st Floor, 7 pm Open Mic Night 2nd Wednesday of the month, 1st Floor, 7 pm LGBT Book Club 3rd Wednesday of the month, 1st Floor, 7 pm Thursdays Rainbow Café Drop in, 6—9 pm Thrive LGBT Youth Group - Ages 16—24 3rd Floor, 6—7:30 pm Rainbow Nights Schenectady LGBTQA Youth Peer Support Group - Ages 13—18 1st & 3rd Thursday of the month, 6—7:30 pm Proctors Theater, Underground Space, 432 State Street, Schenectady

LGBT Narcotics Anonymous Garden level meeting room, 7:30—8:30 pm Friday Free Confidential HIV Testing 2nd & 4th Friday, 4—7 pm 1stFriday @ Romaine Brooks Gallery 1st Friday of every Month 3rd Floor, 5—9 pm LGBTQA Youth Peer Support Group Ages 13 – 18 Garden level, 7—8:30 pm

All events take place at the Pride Center of the Capital Region (332 Hudson Avenue) unless otherwise noted.

Pride Center Administrative Office Hours Monday—Friday 10AM-5PM Saturday—Closed Sunday—Closed To reach someone at the Pride Center during office hours, please call (518) 462-6138

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Volunteer Appreciation BBQ & Party! Sunday, July 28th, 1-4PM Pride Center of the Capital Region 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany We invite ALL Pride Center volunteers, past and present, to join us for free food, great times, and good company all to say THANK YOU for everything you do for the Pride Center! RSVP to Lyndon Cudlitz at 462-6138 x16 or lcudlitz@capitalpridecenter.org by Monday, July 22

RSVP (518) 462-6138 or cstreett@capitalpridecenter.org

GET THE VIP EXPERIENCE! VIPs gain exclusive access to Our Private VIP Tent, with Brilliant Views of the Stage Exclusive Restroom Facilities 2 Free Drinks A Special Capital Pride 2013 Gift Bundle Access all of the special perks with your $50 VIP pass Be a VIP and enjoy Pride like you never have before!

PURCHASE YOUR VIP PASS TODAY! Reserve online â&#x20AC;&#x201D; capitalpridecenter.org/capital-pride or scan the QR Code

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