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LGBTQ People & Religion
Publisher/Executive Editor David Vandygriff dvandygriff@cityxtramagazine.com
By Drew Bishop
How Cats Could Help To Treat HIV
Editor In Chief Harvey Carr hcarr@cityxtramagazine.com
By Jake Daniels
How Families With 2 Dads Raise Kids
Director of Sales Adam Plante, Esq. aplante@cityxtramagazine.com
By David Vandygriff
O’Reilly - LGBT Trying To Get Rid Of White Men By David Vandygriff
Creative Designer Debbie Johnson djohnson@cityxtramagazine.com
Juanita Moore Walking In San Francisco By Juanita Moore
Planning Ahead By Roger Delaney
72nd Opening Of The Beaches By Jennifer Moore
Are Democrats Ready For A Gay Presidential Nominee? By Rebecca Jacobs
Review ‘Love, Simon By Michelle Sampson
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synagogues and other houses of worship around the country serve LGBT people of faith.*
18:19-23 and Leviticus 20:10-16) explicitly ban homosexual acts. These bans appear alongside a longer list of biblical injunctions against such things as eating raw meat and oysters, wearing garments made of blended LGBTQ People & Religion By Drew Bishop fibers, and planting two different Below we present a breakdown of a few of kinds of seed in the same field. Worldwide, fundamentalists of Tattoos, adultery, and sexual the arguments that religious every major religion promote intercourse during a woman’s people use against gays. discrimination, hatred and often menstrual period are similarly violence towards LGBTQ people. The following excerpt from When outlawed by this Holiness Code. Because of religion, families are Hate Groups Come to Town, a According to Gomes, three publication of the Center for torn apart when misguided references from St. Paul are Democratic Renewal, offers teachings conflict with the frequently cited as scriptural some specific insights into the biologically determined sexual evidence of the evils of Christian religious right wing’s orientation and/or gender identity homosexuality (Romans I:26-2, I view of homosexuality: of a child or parent. Countless Corinthians 6:9-11, and I LGBTQ people are raised in For most of human history, gay Timothy 1:10). “St. Paul was religious families and experience men and lesbians have been concerned with homosexuality a great deal of internal conflict viciously persecuted. Today, only because in Greco-Roman and pain as they try to reconcile homosexuals are a favorite culture it represented a secular their own learned beliefs with the target of the religious right, sensuality that was contrary to reality of who they are. whose members frequently his Jewish-Christian spiritual The hypocrisy of the anti-LGBTQ quote scripture to justify anti-gay idealism. He was against lust bias and even violence. There teachings of the major religions and sensuality in anyone, truly must be exposed. Religious are even those who claim that including heterosexuals. To say AIDS is God’s punishment on individuals should be critical of that homosexuality is bad homosexuals. these teachings, as they because homosexuals are perpetuate oppression, violence In an August 17, 1992 op-ed tempted to do morally doubtful and pain throughout the world. things is to say that piece in the New York Times, However, it is mostly the heterosexuality is bad because Peter J. Gomes, an American incendiary rhetoric of hateful anti Baptist Minister and professor of heterosexuals are likewise -gay, high profile religious tempted. For St. Paul, anyone Christian morals at Harvard leaders and organizations (Pat who puts his or her interest University, observed that nine Robertson, the Westboro Baptist Biblical citations Church, as well as groups like are customarily Focus on the Family, Family invoked to Research Council, Traditional condemn Values Coalition, and the homosexuality. Institute on Religion & Four Democracy) that promote the (Deuteronomy idea that religion and being 23:17, I Kings LGBTQ are incompatible. Many 14:24, I Kings religious organizations and 22:46, and II denominations work to promote Kings 23:7) inclusion and acceptance. The simply prohibit Metropolitan Community Church prostitution by is the worlds largest LGBTQ men and women. denomination, and churches, Two (Leviticus 06 www.cityxtramagazine.com
ahead of God’s is condemned, a verdict that falls equally upon everyone,” writes Gomes. Felicia Fontaine, says the religious right is misusing the Bible. “I don’t read the same Bible as other people,” she said. “I read John 3:16, ‘Whosoever believes in Jesus Christ shall have eternal life.’ That passage does not specify race, sex, or sexual orientation.” Fontaine believes the Biblical quotations cited against homosexuals are misinterpretations. For example, Ezekiel said the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was greed – not sex. “Even the use of the work sodomite in the King James version of the Bible refers to prostitution, not homosexuality,” Fontaine said. So, when St.Paul condemned a sin, he was referring to prostitution, not homosexuality. Gomes’ column offers a similar observation: “…the story [of Sodom and Gomorrah] is not about sexual perversion and homosexual practice. It is about inhospitality, according to Luke 10:10-13, and failure to care for the poor, according to Ezekiel 16:49-50:’Behold this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in
her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.’ To suggest that Sodom and Gomorrah is about homosexual sex is an analysis of about as much worth as suggesting that the story of Jonah and the whale is a treatise on fishing.” According to Gomes, there is no mention of homosexuality in the four Gospels of the New Testament. Biblical interpretations that are used to condemn gay men and lesbians are used in much the same way that other readings of scripture have been to justify the perceived inferior status of other minority groups. This is, in part, because the Bible itself contains many opportunities for potentially controversial interpretations. For example, after literally centuries of debate over the portrayal of the role of the Jews in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church and most Protestant denominations have officially renounced earlier interpretations which held the Jews responsible. Supporters of segregation and white supremacy have also often invoked the story of the Children of Ham as a way of explaining the existence (and inferior
status) of people of color. Today those interpretations are not regarded as either credible or morally just. Those who interpret scripture to justify the persecution of gay men and lesbians are misusing the Bible in exactly the same way that segregationists and anti -Semites manipulated scripture to justify the oppression and victimization of blacks and Jews. Some pro-LGBTQ religious organizations and leaders: The Metropolitan Community Church (the world’s largest LGBT denomination); Dignity/ USA (LGBT Catholics); Integrity (LGBT Episcopalians); Reconciling Ministries Network (LGBT Methodists) and More Light Presbyterians (represent affinity groups within some of the nation’s largest Christian denominations); Muslims for Progressive Values; The Episcopal Church; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; United Church of Christ; Unitarian Universalist Association; Unity Fellowship Church Movement; the Institute for Welcoming Resources; the National Black Justice Coalition, the Human Rights Campaign; the World Congress of GLBT Jews.
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healthy life thanks to antiretroviral drugs. HIV How Cats Could Help To Treat HIV These By Jake Daniels meds work by Cats are much more than just reducing levels of HIV in the our four-legged companions; blood, to the point where the new research now explains how virus can be undetectable. This our furry friends could also aid means that the virus does not the development of new drugs impact a person's health and it for HIV. cannot be passed on to other Scientists have now unraveled individuals. the 3-D structure of a specific protein in feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) that is also present in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Study authors Akram Alian and Dr. Meytal Galilee — who are from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa — believe that their findings could open the door to new drugs that could tackle drug-resistant HIV-1. HIV is a virus that attacks the body's T cells, which are immune cells that help us to stave off infection and disease. HIV-1 is the most common strain of HIV, accounting for around 95 percent of all cases. It is estimated that around 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV. In 2016, there were more than 39,000 new cases of the virus diagnosed in the country. When HIV first emerged in the 1980s, there was significant fear and stigma surrounding the virus; scientists knew very little about HIV, and there were no treatments for it. But now, it's a different story; a person with HIV can live a long,
However, not all people with HIV who receive antiretroviral drugs will achieve undetectable blood levels of the virus, and some individuals with HIV may develop resistance to these medications.
called "reverse transcriptase." In FIV and HIV, this protein can "copy" the RNA genome of the virus into DNA. This DNA will then be "implanted" into the genome of the host, which causes their cells to replicate the virus. In FIV, reverse transcriptase is resistant to reversetranscriptase inhibitors (RTIs), antiretroviral drugs that can block this protein in people with HIV. There is a concern that HIV could develop the same resistance to these drugs as FIV, but, should this happen, the new study findings may have already found an answer.
The team found that reverse transcriptase protein within FIV generates a "closed pocket" that prevents RTIs from FIV is similar to HIV; it attacks a effectively binding to it, cat's immune system, making it rendering it resistant to the susceptible to infection. drugs. Although FIV and HIV belong to They say that their findings may the same group of viruses, FIV not only lead to new treatments cannot be transmitted to for FIV, but they could pave the humans. Still, because of the way for future HIV treatments, similarities between the two too. The researchers conclude: viruses, scientists have been "These insights can help in the studying FIV as a way to learn development of novel drugs more about HIV. against evolving HIV-1 RT For this latest study, Alian and resistance." Dr. Galilee focused on a protein
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they’re apt to step up. Many become involved as classroom parents, voluntarily assisting How Families With 2 Dads Raise Kids teachers, By David Vandygriff reading books How do parents in these families or leading singalongs. Some settle into specific roles? In take leadership roles by short, just like heterosexual becoming active PTA members parents do. or organizing events that go Research suggests that affluent, beyond their children’s classes. In some cases, gay fathers white, two-father households become PTA presidents or serve adhere to traditional parenting on school boards. roles. One is the primary
parents, suggested that gay fathers could be more likely to be involved in school-based activities than heterosexual dads.
Aside from the simple fact that they love their children just like all parents do, Abbie Goldberg, a Clark University researcher, and her colleagues have shown that increased presence may be due, in part, to fathers’ initiatives to counter bias and assert more same-sex visibility and inclusion in schools. My current study, indicates the same. Many of the men taking part have told me that being actively involved helps breadwinner, while the other Like all civically engaged them preemptively counteract earns either less income or none parents, gay fathers support their potential negative encounters at all and handles most of the local museums and libraries and with school personnel and other caregiving and chores. enroll their kids in camps and families. extracurricular activities. They However, two-dad households Gay dads prefer schools and can challenge the 1940s Norman sometimes do additional communities that are safe and volunteer work for social justice inclusive. Beyond that, they want Rockwell image of gendered parenting – just like heterosexual groups. judges like Nance and couples can. The largest-scale survey to date lawmakers bent on barring them was conducted in 2008 by the from fatherhood to see that twoHouseholds with two fathers Gay Lesbian Straight Education dad families are for the most part working full-time rely on daycare Network, an organization just like any other family. facilities, babysitters, focused on the safety of LGBT housekeepers and nearby students in schools. That study, relatives for support. Some of which included 588 LGBT these men even take on responsibilities based on skills and strengths, rather than who fits the socially and culturally constructed mold of being more “motherly” or “fatherly.”
Community and school engagement is where the parenting of gay dads may differ from a traditional heterosexual household, as my research and the work of other scholars suggests. While interviewing and spending time with 20 two-dad families living in the Northeast for my current study, I have learned that
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commonlyused stock image photos – which disproportionately feature Bill O-Reilly—LGBT Trying To white people in Get Rid of White Men professional By David Vandygriff roles – and Disgraced former Fox News alleged that the bias “promotes host Bill O’Reilly has claimed the hegemony of whiteness”. that “the LGBTs” are teaming The TV host continued: “You’re up with ethnic minorities to seeing this almost every day, bring about the end of white I’m telling you about this almost men in America. every day. That the white In a rant last night, O’Reilly people, whether they know it or claimed that “the LGBTs” were not are oppressing and working with ethnic minorities creating macroaggressions for to unseat white men from the minority community. “So positions of power. He claimed: the white people have to be “For a long time skin color swept out of power, got to get really wasn’t much of an issue them out, let the LGBTs and [in America]… but now the minorities, and they have to whiteness has become the run the show, that’s what it is issue, whiteness. “If you’re a all about, what this is all about white American you are part of and they’re making strides like a cabal that either consciously crazy.” or unconsciously keeps It is unsurprising that O’Reilly minorities down. Therefore that has beef with the Me Too has to end and whiteness has movement, given he was to be put aside. “That’s what forced out of Fox News a year the border is all about. The ago when it was revealed the open border people [in] CA and company had paid settlements in the Democratic precincts. Let to at least five women who had everybody in, everybody in, been sexually targeted by him. that would diminish whiteness The agreements are reported because minorities then would to have totalled about $13 take over as they have in many million. parts of CA. “That’s what that’s all about. Getting whiteness out He has been a long time opponent of LGBT rights, of power, particularly white previously having to apologize men. So then the Me Too movement, very closely aligned after he suggested there was a link between homosexuality with the progressive left. ‘Get and pedophilia. those white guys, get ‘em’.” O’Reilly then cited a Michigan O’Reilly insisted in 2012 that “there is a higher percentage of state university paper which gay pedophilia, homosexual looked at systemic bias in pedophilia, than heterosexual 12 www.cityxtramagazine.com
pedophilia” and attacked the gay community. He claimed: “I think the statistics are that the male-boy pedophilia problem is much more intense than the male-girl pedophilia problem.” The host was savaged for the untrue claim – and for appearing to suggest that people who sexually abuse male children are connected to the gay community. He also claimed same-sex marriage had only been introduced due to “intimidation” by LGBT people. He said: “One of the reasons gay marriage has come on so strong in the USA is intimidation.” “If you oppose [same-sex marriage], you may become a target.” “There’s a big difference in saying, ‘if you donate money to a traditional marriage cause, we’re going to hurt you, we’re going to find out where you live, we are going try to take your job. Maybe do vandalism to your home’ – big, big difference, is there not? “There have been websites who have put people’s names on there. There have been a lot of that stuff. “Now there are threats and demonization. And that, unfortunately, has put gay marriage over the top. That is the technique that turned the tide – intimidation and harm. That’s what won it.”
www.cityxtramagazine.com 13 1522 King St Jacksonville, FL (904) 738-7182 www.lolasburritojoint.com
was dating gave me one of his bikes, which I rode Juanita Moore Walking In San Francisco every By Juanita Moore now and then. I Last week, in Tempe, AZ, one was never really confident of Uber’s self-driving cars, about riding in the city and which you’ve no doubt seen seldom wore a helmet. Riding some version of being tested down Beaver Street headed on San Francisco’s busy down Market Street, I reached streets, crashed into a 49-year the intersection of Church and -old woman named Elaine 14th, my front tire got stuck in Herzberg, and killed her. one of the muni tracks and I Which has me wondering, got tossed off my bike like a among other things, who do salad. Not cute. we hold responsible when an For Christmas one year, I got autonomous robot kills a Huffy metallic-orange someone? Well, more on that banana seat bike. I loved that in a bit. thing and rode it around my My little dog companion neighborhood with great pride. Jackson and I love to go for I once out-biked an off-leash walks around our beautiful city Doberman Pinscher, who of San Francisco. Our long chased me for at least five journeys on foot and paw take blocks like I was fresh meat. us to far-flung destinations, He locked his teeth into my including Fort Mason Center, left ankle, and I peddled until Pacific Heights, North Beach, he let go. Embarcadero, South of Ok, maybe I’m Market, Hayes Valley, The getting off track. What I’m tryCastro, and the Mission ing to say is, I don’t know if I District. Whether I’m having can get back on a bike again my new shoes stretched or on these dangerous streets, scrounging for locally-sourced and videos of self-driving cars ingredients, I’m usually on killing poor women while they foot. By now, I’m an expert at cross the street aren’t helpseeing danger ahead: the ing… overlong intersection, the Back in 2012, Lynnee Breedautomobile speedways, the blind corners, the potholes just love created the nonbig enough for Jackson to get commercial 24/7, queer cab service called Homobiles. A stuck. godsend to the LGBTIQQ When I lived in the Castro community and its allies. I reduring the early 80’s this guy I member many late nights 16 www.cityxtramagazine.com
when Lynnee would sit parked outside some speakeasy in their chariot as though a queen was waiting to emerge. And emerge I did, in the wee hours of the morning with my wig sideways, missing a fingernail and some dude acting like he was holding me up. Lynnee and Homobiles always got me home safely. Every single time. They are now a 501c3 nonprofit and are still one of the most reliable ways to get around town safely. Hot on the take of an emerging industry, the demand to ride was big when they first started. Somewhere around this time, the demand for me was also getting big, and I needed more than one or two car services some nights. So, like most urban denizens with a smartphone, I added Uber to my list. Well, Uber had just started and its model looked like a rip-off of Homobiles. I learned rather quickly that they weren’t. There were three specific occasions when Uber drivers declined to take me as their passenger based on my appearance. I wasn’t happy when it happened the first time, the second time made me mad, and the third time sent me into action. I started off by deleting the app. Then I went to their offices and talked to them about setting up better training for their drivers. Finally, I asked them to make a donation to the nonprofit of my choice. They
didn’t have much of a choice, but I did. And I have never used Uber again or Lyft. Unfortunately, regulations that should have applied to these “car services” when they started were never put in place. That lack of regulation has allowed them to explode. Now, on any typical weekday, Uber and Lyft make an estimated 170,000 trips. At any given time, there are approximately 6,000 Uber and Lyft drivers on San Francisco’s streets. The estimated number of Uber and Lyft drivers in San Francisco totals over 45,000 – and my cab drivers tell me about it all the time. Some say taxis are too expensive. Well, there are some great reasons why. First of all, their drivers are actual employees, unlike the rat-race gig drivers of Uber and Lyft, some of whom make so little money that they are forced to sleep in Safeway parking lots instead of driving two hours home to their families. The union was created to make sure workers were paid a decent wage, and until their unregulated competitors rode in, they did. The drivers also have insurance, safety and maintenance checks, and are required to be accessible to people with disabilities, people of all races, genders, sexualities, ethnicities, and yes, even drag queens. The high-powered lobbyists and billionaire campaign financiers have not only bought policies at the state and local
level, they’ve poached public employees for those high-paid lobbyist gigs. The same people that helped let those regulations slide are still working the halls of City Hall and within the mayor’s office. I’ll just leave that right there. If I sound like I’m mad, it’s because I am. I’m mad that as a society we are forced to rely on private transportation to get around town. And I’m mad that the free market and its unrestrained profit motive is creating hazards for Jackson and me when all we’re trying to do is walk to the market. In June of 2016, Governor Jerry Brown, Senator Jerry Hill, Assemblymember Mike Gatto and then Senator Mark Leno announced a huge agreement to transfer oversight of ridesharing companies from the California Public Utilities Commission to the California State Transportation Agency which includes the Department
of Motor Vehicles. This could quite possibly even things up a bit more on our city streets. There is an overwhelming number of vehicles on our streets today. Just about every year in San Francisco over 200 people are seriously injured and about 2530 lose their lives while walking, biking, or driving around town. Leadership from our elected officials to adopt policy changes that will make our clogged city streets safer is so mportant. This is why I am also excited about Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s plans to place an initiative on the November ballot that would tax car haring companies in order to fund things such as public transportation. Chicago, Philadelphia, Massachusetts, and Seattle have passed similar taxes so it’s time for San Francisco to catch up.
ing life event of Your wishes will be adhered to. all – death? Naugle Schnauss Funeral There are Home and Cremation many benefits Services at 808 Margaret to Street is ready to help you with pre-arranging that pre arranging. Trained your funeral professionals who offer Planning Ahead or cremation compassion, understanding, By Roger Delaney plans. A few professionalism, patience, and of them are reasonable pricing meet with Death is, of course, unpleasant you in their office or in the to discuss and potentially more 1. It takes the burden off of comfort of your home to help your loved ones devastating than any other you plan , from Simple 2. Allows YOU to make the event and has the greatest Cremation to the most decisions about final impact on the most people. elaborate life celebration, or a Yet, we fail to plan for it, as we disposition and who can be very traditional funeral service. involved in those decisions. do other major events in our This eliminates many For 100 years the Naugle lives. squabbles and legal hassles Family has been serving the We usually do not handle major after the death occurs families of Jacksonville with events in our lives by doing 3. YOU can select every aspect funerals and cremations. nothing and leaving the of your funeral or cremation www.NaugleFuneral.com outcome to chance. Examples now, guard against inflation, would be ; health insurance and ensure that your wishes when we may or may not need are known. it; home owners insurance 4. YOU customize your plan against fire, when chances are and take advantage of the your house will never burn; and benefits of an insured plan. auto insurance, when you have 5. YOU plan together with been driving for 30 years and whom you choose, not waiting never filed a claim. for someone else to make Why do we fail to plan for what those decisions. is perhaps the most devastat6. No emotional spending.
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These LGBT-owned businesses are also powerful job creators: 900 LGBTowned companies we studied created an estimated 33,000 jobs. LGBT entrepreneurs are committed to hiring greater numbers of LGBT employees and ensuring their own supply chains are as diverse as possible. Business leaders in our community continually redefine industries and shatter stereotypes. From techonology firms to local restaurants and retail shops, we are proving every day that if you buy it, an LGBT-owned business can supply it. When you look at a price tag, look for an indication that the company is an LGBT-inclusive corporation or an NGLCC Certified Business Enterprise. It has never been easier to go online or check with your local LGBT chamber of commerce to make sure you support the brands that have our community’s back. If you are an LGBT business owner and not yet certified as one, you’re leaving opportunities on the table to help your business and be counted as part of our LGBT global economy. You could join our ranks as a role model, job creator, and future LGBT business success story. When it comes to diverse communities — LGBT people, women, people of color, people with disabilities, and more — we must stand in solidarity as a business force. We have never seen greater cooperation and solidarity than we have in recent months. And a great deal of that is due to the recognition that LGBT people are also part of every other community. Use the LGBT community’s trillion dollar clout to make a difference. Support your community when you shop, seek out LGBT-owned businesses when you invest, and stand by those who stand with us. The LGBT community is an economic force to be reckoned with — and every one of us plays a part in it.
and 2nd Streets is home to numerous bars, pubs, nightclubs, and lounges 72nd Opening Of The Beaches sitting in one By Jennifer Moore perfectlyThe City of Jacksonville Beach named bubble: "the beach welcomes you to our 72nd bars." All offer a decent amount Annual Beaches Parade! April of both indoor and outdoor 29, 2018 - 2:00pm Downtown seating/standing space. Bar Jacksonville Beach patrons can be seen all hours of the day, into the wee 2 a.m. Jacksonville's Atlantic coastal city is a sun-beaming hideaway last-call time. Traffic in the area picks up significantly on the for visitors and a transitweekends, but the bars stay friendly, all-inclusive community to its residents. An busy Tuesday-Sunday nights from about 9 p.m. until close. 8-square-mile mix of housing, The amount of room, variety, hotels, retail, dining, nightlife, and appeal of open-air patios, and outdoor recreation is paired with nightly drink enough reason for those who specials and the absence of live there to "never cross the ditch" - and enough for guests uber-competitiveness or difference among to follow. establishments, attracts people The boardwalk between the to the small, compact beach and the backside of setting. There is a little buildings and residences on 1st something for everyone, street draws large crowds of all from relaxing grotto The ages, from all around town, as Wine Bar, to your standard well as tourists. Infused with Irish pubs, to the reggaetypical beachwear shops, bars, themed Jamrock. There are restaurants, beach rentals, and family-friendly restaurants, hotels, the long stretch stays dance clubs, beach hangout occupied by beach-goers and bars, and Duval County's vacation-stayers. first gay bar Bo's Coral Reef. A 10-block stretch along 1st
Like the bars, almost all of the restaurants in the area have outdoor seating that is just as popular as its enclosed counterpart. Access to views of beachfront and pedestrian activity is a large reason why. The extreme walkability and layout of Jacksonville Beach makes for a very noticeable scenery. Call it a pattern, deja vu, or the scary fakeness of a summer postcard - if you come to the beach be ready for the oncoming speedy sea of bicycles, skateboards, rollerblades, joggers, and dogs. Moving aside for an inanimate object may seem bothersome, but the curb appeal of bike racks is unparalleled for those who live at the beach. The beach access walkways and the pier are perfect for sightseeing, lounging, and fishing.
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things are kind of wide open in a way that hasn’t been true in a long time. I think it shows that there is an Are Democrats Ready For A Gay interest in the Presidential Nominee? middle of the By Rebecca Jacobs country,” Pete Buttigieg is a rising star in Buttigieg says in a Politico the Democratic party. A podcast. Harvard grad, Rhodes scholar “I think it shows that there’s at and Afghanistan war veteran, least curiosity, if not appetite, he has a sterling resume. As for what a newer generation of the mayor of South Bend, leaders is going to look like. IN, Buttigieg also brings the And I think it reflects the fact heartland touch that the that we’re really living in a Democrats frequently lack. season for cities and for Buttigieg also happens to be mayors.” gay and engaged to be Buttigieg is certainly ambitious. married. Last year, he made a credible Put all of his qualities and run at being chosen as head of experience together, and you the Democratic National have a ready-made candidate Committee. Along with the for higher office. Apparently, potential presidential Buttigieg agrees. He’s eyeing a campaign, he’s raising his run for president in 2020. visibility as a power player According to Politico, Buttigieg within the party. has assembled a PAC that’s Buttigieg’s path to the White investing in early primary/ House is all uphill. He lacks caucus states, including federal government all-important Iowa. He’s experience. Successful courting key Democratic presidential candidates usually political operatives and national have at least a reporters. He’s popping up in governorship other states to campaign for under their fellow Democrats. All in all, belt; no mayor Buttigieg is closely following has been the playbook for a presidential nominated by campaign. a major party Buttigieg believes that the time in modern times. Even is ripe for a candidate like Buttigieg himself. acknowledges “I think it’s maybe a sign of the that it’s a leap times. I think it’s telling you that from running a 28 www.cityxtramagazine.com
city of 101,000 to the entire country. Of course, stranger things have been known to happen. See: Trump, Donald. The other major question is whether even the Democrats are open to an out gay nominee. The only other out candidate for president was Fred Karger, who ran a quixotic campaign for the Republican nomination in 2012. It may be that Buttigieg is positioning himself for a high-level job (such as a Cabinet position) in the event that a different Democrat wins the White House in 2020. At 36, he’s young enough to be able to play a long game. Whatever the case, Buttigieg is pointing to a new direction for the Democrats. “There’s no going back. There’s no ‘again’ to be had. Things are going to be different,” Buttigieg says. “There was a liberal era in American politics that lasted 30 or 40 years, followed by a conservative era that lasted 30 or 40 years. And now, we’re on the doorstep of a new era.” It’s an era that Buttigieg wants to help shape.
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enjoys on vinyl, of course. The reason for the anonymity is that the high schooler Simon is, like Review ‘Love, Simon’ his correBy Michelle Sampson spondent, For the most part, “Love, gay. He hasn’t come out largely Simon” is an amiable, slick, because he’s not sure how to silver-tongued teen romantic go about doing so, and his comedy. Set in a particularly continuing reluctance gets him idyllic Atlanta suburb, replete enmeshed with a thoroughly with lifestyle wish-fulfillment obnoxious weasel of a production design, it’s the kind blackmailer. The blackmailer’s of movie in which the aim is simple: He wants to gain filmmakers signal their a romantic advantage with one exquisite taste by proxy. (Said of Simon’s female friends, and filmmakers are the director Greg Berlanti and the screenwriters Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker, adapting a novel by Becky Albertalli.) For instance, when Simon, the lead character, needs to choose an email address from which to send a series of love letters to an anonymous subject, he adapts a lyric from the Kinks’ classic album “Something Else by the Kinks.” Which Simon
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while Simon is in a sense too smart for this nonsense, he reluctantly complies. In the movie’s last third it gains a lot of guts. Simon has to contend with the fallout from what he considered a necessary hypocrisy and the personal betrayals it entailed. The emotional resonance may be surprising given the movie’s relentless gloss, but it’s real. The spectacularly charming cast, led by the young Nick Robinson in the title role (who brings a knowing touch of 1980s Matthew Broderick to some of his line readings), puts it all across, including a genuinely crowd-pleasing ending.