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Trump Admin To Let Homeless Shelters Refuse Transgender By David Vandygriff Two Dads & A Little Lady Via Surrogacy By Brenda Davis HIV Meds Lower Risk Of COVID & Severe Coronavirus Symptoms By Dr. Daniel Johnson Drag Race's Mayhem Wants Police Reform and Queens to Confront Racism By Michael Crawford Discover Weimar Berlin By Robert Manning
At Least Four Black Trans Women Were Killed During Pride Month By Michael Cobb Businesses Pull Facebook Ads Over Homophobic & Racist Speech By David Vandygriff 400 Years of Racism In America, So White People Need To Wake Up By Drew Bennett Gay Candidate Torres Destroys Anti-LGBTQ Politician At The Election Polls By Debbie Morgan A Gay Love Story ‘See You Soon’ During COVID-19 By Kerry Maxwell
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Trump Administration Will Let Homeless Shelters Refuse Transgender People Based On Religion By David Vandygriff
The Trump administration announced that it is close to changing an Obama era rule so that homeless shelters can more easily refuse to take in transgender people.
the generally accepted vocabulary for discussing transgender issues – making their statements confusing and unclear – this sentence may mean that a The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shelter that only accepts announced in a release several people assigned female at birth would not be allowed to refuse changes to the Equal Access transgender men. Rule, which was updated in 2016 under President Barack The announcement says that Obama to require those shelters that refuse homeless shelters that receive transgender people must refer HUD funding to house people the person being refused to a according to their gender shelter that will accept them, identity. which may be a problem in small and conservative The Trump administration’s communities with few changes to the Equal Access alternatives. Rule will allow homeless shelters to accept people The release also says that according to either gender shelters that accept identity or “biological transgender people have to sex” (which, presumably, provide alternatives for means sex assigned at birth). cisgender “persons who have So a homeless shelter for concerns with being housed women, under the new rule, with persons of a different would be allowed to refuse biological sex,” because the transgender women and a HUD policy is based on the shelter for men would be idea that transgender equality allowed to refuse transgender harms cisgender people. men. HUD Secretary Ben Carson The announcement, though, has been pursuing the changes says that shelters “must not for at least a year, and it’s a discriminate based on sexual topic that he has been grilled orientation or transgender on several times when status.” While the Trump testifying before the House. He administration refuses to use has justified his position by calling LGBTQ protections
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“extra rights” that “impede the rights of one for the sake of the others” because, he said, cisgender women are “not comfortable with the idea of being in a shelter, being in a shower, with somebody who had very different anatomy.” The announcement says the rule change will allow shelters to set policies for “safeguarding victims of domestic violence or human trafficking,” implying that transgender women are a special threat to cisgender women who have been victimized. In the past, Secretary Carson has called transgender women “big, hairy men” intruding on women’s shelters and referred to “Biblical principles” to justify misgendering transgender women. The HUD release echoed Carson and said that the rule change would “better accommodate religious beliefs of shelter providers.” Transgender activists denounced the rule change, saying that transgender people have a greater need for homeless shelters and that the policy will lead to transgender and non-binary people being
denied access to those shelters.
threats from private individuals, as well as elevated rates of policing and violence within “One in three transgender Americans has been homeless police custody. When at some point in their lives, and combined with President this proposal would have them Trump’s recent policy sleep on the street rather than proposals to increase criminalization of get help,” wrote National homelessness, while cutting Center for Transgender HUD’s affordable housing Equality Executive Director budget and rolling back Mara Keisling in a statement. support for Housing First, it is “The difference between being clear that getting transgender sheltered and unsheltered is persons off the street and out especially dangerous for of harm’s way is a matter of life transgender homeless and death.” persons, particularly Keisling also said that the HUD transgender persons of color, rule change “flies in the face of who face harassment and
the Bostock Supreme Court ruling,” referring to last month’s Supreme Court decision that said that discrimination against LGBTQ people is a form of discrimination “because of sex.” The ACLU tweeted that the rule change is happening “in the midst of the highest unemployment rates our country has seen in decades.” According to The Advocate, the changes to the Equal Access Rule will go into effect after a 60-day public comment period.
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Two Dads & A Little Lady Via Surrogacy By Brenda Davis
As gay men turn towards parenthood, many are choosing the route of using a surrogate. But where do you start? How do you choose a surrogate? Well, meet Dell Banks, Robert Thomas, and their beloved daughter Heiress Thomas-Banks, age 7. When Dell and Robert decided they wanted to be dads, they chose to use a surrogate and here is how it all happened. cityXtra Magazine (CX): How did you start the surrogacy process? Did you use a service? Dell Banks and Robert Thomas (Thomas-Banks): We pretty much handled the surrogacy on our own. We did all the research from how it works to where to locate a surrogate. We ultimately used an online site, which was setup much like an open forum or discussion board to find our surrogate. At the time, we were concerned about how an agency would perceive our relationship and how that would affect the process as a whole. We felt it would be best to do as much as we could without any obstacles. CX: How did you choose a surrogate? 08 www.cityxtramagazine.com
Thomas-Banks: She was a part of the discussion board site we were on and we approached her. We had several lunches and dinners, cookouts and meetups, and we finally agreed on proceeding with the process of surrogacy. Angela became our best friend, or even more like a sister, during and after the pregnancy and birth of Heiress. We had always agreed that we would be open about the process with Heiress when she was old enough to understand. We knew from the beginning that we would want Angela and Heiress to have the opportunity to get to know each other. We are firm believers that being open and honest about life’s happenings with our child will make room for open communication, and remove the element of fear and misunderstanding as much as possible. Heiress and Angela have bonded. Angela has 3 other children and Heiress affectionately knows them as her brother and sisters.
Recently, we took a trip up north to Michigan. Angela made brunch for us and Heiress got a chance to play with her siblings and take photos. To us all, it’s like an extended family. CX: You mentioned that it was “taboo” in your community to pursue surrogacy in 2007. Can you explain more about that? Thomas-Banks: At the very beginning of our surrogacy journey, we were contacted by an African-American woman who was having a tumultuous time with the father of her unborn child. The father of the child told her to have an abortion and she didn’t want to go through with it. She reached out to us based on our ad on a website for surrogacy interests and we got truly excited, to say the least. We felt it was a blessing not only for us, but also for the child whom may not have had a chance at life in any other case. Long story short, the mother told the father what she planned to do and he
was totally against it and stated he would rather terminate the pregnancy than have his child raised by two gay, black dudes. We were in talks with several other surrogates of other ethnic communities and we never experienced any kind of backlash or discrimination. It was only from our own African-American community that we experienced negativity. We finally realized, the hard way; this sort of thing just doesn’t happen in our own community. To this day, we still get “looks” and “questions.” However, the good always out-weighs the bad. CX: Tell us about your family and what it is like having two dads and one little girl. Thomas-Banks: Our family is certainly not the usual “makeup” but we’ve managed to make what we have great! Robert aka “Poppo” works from home for a large health insurance provider. He enjoys cooking, eating, traveling, bowling and anything else that involves family quality time. Dell aka “Daddy” is a self-published author and playwright who is the epitome of a DREAMER! [Dell Banks has published “Shady: A Novel” in 2011 which was then transformed into a stage play and just recently published “Shady 2:Pitch Black” with a release date of October 31, 2015. After seeing her daddy write a book, Heiress wrote her own book “The Adventures of Milo” which her daddies had illustrated by Aja Butler to be released December of 2015.]
Heiress is our 7 year old cheerleader with tons of energy…tons. She’s a second grader who reads on an advanced level and loves Elsa from Frozen. In a nutshell, this is the make-up of our multi-racial, sexually diverse, unusually normal family. Like most families, we have homework time, dinnertime and bedtime. On weekends and during times when there is no work and/or school, we play board games and have bowling competitions on XBOX. Heiress often tries to out-dance her Poppo on the dance video games…and she’s usually successful. We have moments of fun and laughter and also moments of teaching and discipline. The fact that there are two dads and one little girl never becomes a factor. When we have questions specific to raising a little girl such as proper hygiene techniques, what to expect and when, we look to our supportive families. Heiress affectionately calls Robert’s mother Nana. Dell’s mother is her Grammy. Robert’s grandmother is her GiGi. Dell’s grandmother is her Granny. With their support, we’re quite all right.
outpouring from our souls. That feeling of first holding her is something that can never be forgotten. It was the start of the greatest gifts of our lives. CX: You mentioned that your parenting style could be considered “Honest Rules”. What does that mean to you? Thomas-Banks: Being honest and upfront is the key to a successful parenting journey. There are so many children being born into situations based and built upon lies and deceit, which makes room for a lot of pain and grief. We could have created some grandiose story for Heiress about how she got here and how she has two dads. We chose not to because when she gets older and wants answers, our credibility would already have been shot because we parented her based on lies; it’s selfish, heartless and flat out wrong. So when our daughter asks questions about anything, we tell the truth. CX: Is there any advice you would give to other gay couples or single men wishing to pursue surrogacy as a route to becoming parents?
Thomas-Banks: The advice we would give is to make sure that you’re ready financially, CX: What was it like when you physically, emotionally and first realized that you were socially. Surrogacy can be a going to be dads? great and rewarding Thomas-Banks: We were experience if it’s well planned. ecstatic and over the moon. There are so many kids being For Robert, it took a while for it brought into this world without to really sink in. It was unreal! people considering the Holding her for the first time aforementioned elements. It was beyond what words could takes a lot to raise a child. explain, there was a joyous
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HIV Medications May Lower The Risk Of COVID & Getting Severe Coronavirus Symptoms By Dr. Daniel Johnson
A new study of nearly 78,000 HIV-positive people with COVID-19 has shown that antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications can lower a person’s risk of getting coronavirus. If they get it, the medications may lower the chance that they’ll have severe symptoms or die. Researchers suspect it may be because ART meds – prescribed to manage HIV – generally prevent viruses from replicating within the body. Researchers found that only 0.3 percent of the people they studied had contracted a confirmed case of coronavirus. Among these 236 individuals, 151 needed hospitalization, 15 needed admission into an intensive care unit (ICU) care, and 20 died.
compared to other HIV-positive people taking different ART medications.
Researchers think this might be because the small molecular size of tenofovir diphosphate, an active chemical in TDF, “fits better in the active site” of cells where coronavirus would usually attach and begin to replicate itself. The drugs essentially block off this cellular pathway, leaving the coronavirus unable to proliferate in the body. “Compared with the general population, this risk for COVID19 diagnosis was lower among persons with HIV: 30.0 vs 41.7 per 10,000 persons,” the study’s authors’ wrote. All the same, everyone should still When adjusted for factors like take precautions, like face masks and social distancing, to age and gender, this showed that people living with HIV who avoid spreading COVID-19. were taking ART meds had While people with “the lowest risk for a COVID-19 compromised immune systems –related hospitalization.” are generally more susceptible Overall, researchers found that to contracting and dying from COVID-19, on April 23, 2020, people with HIV who were Monica Gandhi — medical taking tenofovir disoproxil director of Ward 86, the HIV fumarate (TDF) and clinic at Zuckerberg San emtricitabine (FTC) were far less likely to be hospitalized or Francisco General Hospital — said that people living with HIV placed in the ICU when don’t seem more likely than the 10 www.cityxtramagazine.com
general population to contract coronavirus or to become seriously ill from it. Gandhi said however that the compromised immune systems of people living with HIV may inhibit their bodies from creating COVID-19 antibodies for a while after they contract the disease. Scientists are still studying how well coronavirus antibodies can prevent people from becoming re-infected. The study, which was led by Plan Nacional sobre el Sida (the Spanish National AIDS Plan) and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, examined 77,590 people with HIV living in Spain for a 75-day period from February 1 to April 15.
Drag Race's Mayhem Wants Police Reform and Queens to Confront Racism By Michael Crawford
Mayhem Miller sashayed away last week on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, which saw the queens imitating celebrities-behaving-badly on a TMZ spoof, SheMZ. She did so, in a twist of fate, after her longtime friend Morgan McMichaels appeared as the surprise lip-synch assassin and tied with challenge winner Miz Cracker. In both possible scenarios, Miller was booted, saving the other bottom-two contestant, India Ferrah, from elimination. But in her final episode, Miller also opened up for the first time, sharing with the other queens and the audience her history of substance abuse and a horrific encounter with the police. Below, Miller spoke more about the elimination and how Drag Race and the world can address racism. How are you feeling about the elimination? You seemed to have taken on a different attitude this episode toward its possibility. I feel good about it! Sometimes you have to be at peace with things in order to move on in life. And I am at peace with this. India told the other queens 14 www.cityxtramagazine.com
that you had did not bring enough in your performance together. What is your response to that? I mean, this is a competition. If India needs to do what she needs to do to advance in it then more to power to her. But I honor my word to support her as my scene partner. I have her back in this and I am not going to campaign against her. What was your reaction to your longtime friend (and lipsynch assassin) Morgan McMichaels’ role in your fate? My reaction is, I'm ready to see my sister tear it up on this stage! In light of how events unfolded, do you have any regrets about voting for Shea to be eliminated last week? I do not have any regrets. My character is what is most important to me. And my word is my bond. I would never vote off one of my best friends in life, Mariah, and I would never vote someone off who I had promised I would have their back, India. I love Shea and I think she is a great drag queen but she was the only one left to vote for.
I loved the “straight drag” you all adapted for the SheMZ newsroom. Who was your inspiration for that character? What character?! Haha You really opened up about this season about your issues with substance abuse. How are you coping today? I am doing great! I have been drug-free for quite some time. I am working with my issues with alcohol but everything is under control and I am in a much happier place in life. I am continuing to work on myself and thrive. What impact do you hope telling your story will have? My hope is for anyone out there struggling who feels like they may be alone to see my story and relate and say, "Hey, if this person can be brave enough to tell the world then maybe I can face my demons too." The story about how the police treated you — shaming you, stripping you, taking your photo — was heartbreaking. In light of
your own experience, and the recent Black Lives Matter demonstrations, what do you think needs to be done to address abusive law enforcement? With responsibility, there needs to be accountability. I just hope that with what's happening in the world today and with how things are being spoken about, I hope actual reform happens. Drag Race is reckoning with its own racism in its fan base. What steps would you like to see done to address this? I think more people need to speak out. It's not just telling people that their behavior is unacceptable. I understand people are passionate about this show and they feel like they can say and do what they want but at some point, we have to take our power back as well. People need to start calling out racism in the fanbase. The queens need to speak to their fan base and let them know they can not be a part of the fanbase if you are going to use racial derogatory comments in my name. The fans want to stand up for their queen and tear down another for them. It is our responsibility as queens to call them out and let them know that this behavior will not be tolerated. What is next for you? To continue doing what I do! Which is work! Hopefully, the world gets back to a better place with some normalcy. The party can’t stop! RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars airs Fridays 8PM ESTon VH1.
Discover Weimar Berlin By Robert Manning
Life Is A Cabaret, Old Chum The Weimar period lasted from 1918 to 1933. Following Germany’s defeat in WW1, the Kaiser abdicated and Germany was forced to take full responsibility for the war. The financial burden led to hyperinflation, as you’ll no doubt recall from school. In spite of political and economic chaos, German culture flourished during the Roaring Twenties. The culture of the Weimar calls to mind smoke-filled cabarets, Bauhaus architecture, groundbreaking movies and the world’s first fully-fledged, visible gay scene. Berlin was, quite simple, awash with gay bars during the Weimar era. It was a decadent time in which social and sexual experimentation were the order of the day. Goodbye To Berlin by Christopher Isherwood, later adapted for the screen as Cabaret, captures the kinetic energy of Weimar Berlin. Berlin was the most liberal city in the world. Sadly, life was not a cabaret – the song is supposed to be ironic, you see. The rise of Hitler in 1933 brought the Weimar era to an end, and Germany’s darkest chapter began. 16 www.cityxtramagazine.com
Today Berlin is considered to be the most liberal city in Europe and probably the world. It’s certainly the queerest of cities. The spirit of the Weimar era survived beyond the Nazi era and it flourishes to this day. If there was no Weimar there’d be no Berghain. Think of Marlene Dietrich in the Blue Angel singing Falling In Love Again, or Liza belting out Money Money Money. That’s Weimar culture. Smart, ironic, fatalistic and almost impossibly chic. It’s that spirit that draws many of us to Berlin. That combination of high culture and wild hedonism. So, can you still see traces of the Weimar era in Berlin today? You most certainly can, Mein Herr. Here’s our guide to Weimar Realness in Berlin. Babylon Cinema Cinema flourished in the Weimar era. Think of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Das Cabinet des Dr Caligari and Marlene Dietrich’s collaborations with Josef Von Sternberg. Greta Garbo even decamped to Weimar Berlin to make German films before moving to Hollywood. German cinema was, for a brief period, the most culturally significant, before it
was eclipsed by American cinema. Visit the Babylon Cinema near Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. It opened in 1929 at the height of the Weimar era. The neon sign above the entrance transports you back to 1920s Berlin. Gay Bars In Weimar Berlin It’s estimated that there were over 100 gay bars and clubs in Weimar Berlin. There were many drag queens – maybe more than you’ll find in New York today. With so many cabarets, it was a great time for the performing arts. Drag queens had countless venues in which to hone their craft. Gay and lesbian media also flourished. There were many journals dedicated to the gay scene. The Jewish physician Magnus Hirschfeld led one of the first gay civil rights movements. No city would have such a dynamic gay scene until San Francisco in the 1970s. The Weimar gay scene is a reminder that civil rights can be won and lost. All of the Weimar gay clubs were closed during the Nazi period. You can catch a
Weimar gay club at the Eldorado Berlin. The Eldorado is now a supermarket. However, the spirit of the E ldorado lives on. It’s located on Schoneberg, the heart of today’s gay scene in Berlin. Das Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung Bauhaus is the architectural style that dominated in the Weimar era. The Das Bauhaus -Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung is the largest collection of Bauhaus art and design. The Bauhaus school of the 1920s was the most influential college of art and design in the 20th-century. You can join a Bauhaus tour and learn more about the style that helped to shape Berlin in the Weimar era and today. Prinzipal Kreuzberg The Prinzipal Kreuzberg is a bar and cabaret that recreates the spirit of the Weimar era. You can see a Burlesque show in the city that invented the
aesthetic. Dita Von Teese and the Dresden Dolls are contemporary tribute acts to the kinky cabaret style that emerged in Weimar Berlin. Prinzipal Kreuzberg is a little pricey but worth it for a night of Berlin Noir. Bröhan-Museum The Bröhan-Museum houses some of Berlin’s finest Weimar artworks. When the Nazis came to power, they banned and ritually destroyed art they considered to be deviant. Much of it was created in the deviant Weimar era. The museum has an excellent collection of Art Deco and Functionalism paintings from the 20s and 30s. Berlinische Galerie Arguably the most celebrated art gallery in Berlin, the Berlinische Galerie is well worth a visit. It has a vast selection of modern artworks. The ‘Art in Berlin 1880-1980’ exhibition covers the Weimar era.
Weimar Books And Music To whet your appetite before your trip, check our Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin stories. The novels and short stories he wrote about Weimar Berlin are collected in a single volume. They include Goodbye to Berlin and Mr. Norris Changes Trains. These novels offer the insights of a gay English novelist who made Berlin his home in the Weimar era. He chronicles the amazing club scene and anticipates the rise of the Nazis. Ute Lemper is a contemporary German singer with a scholarly understanding of Weimar music and culture. She gathered the best Weimar songs on her album, Berlin Cabaret Songs. She recorded two versions of the album, one in German and one in English. Listen to her stunning voice and take a trip back in time to the cabaret bars of Weimar Berlin.
At Least Four Black Trans Women Were Killed During Pride Month By Michael Cobb
As people across the country continue to protest systemic racism and police brutality, two more Black trans women have lost their lives in quick succession. Merci Mack of Dallas, Texas, and Brayla Stone of Sherwood, Arkansas, both died before the end of June, meaning at least four Black trans women were killed this Pride Month alone. Mack, 22, was found unconscious after being shot in the head on Monday, June 30, Out magazine reports. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and her death is being investigated as a homicide. Mack was also dead-named by a local news outlet. Her state leads the nation in transgender homicides, according to The Dallas Morning News. Stone was found dead last week after a man allegedly bragged about “killing [her] for $5,000 on Snapchat,” according to the Atlanta Tribune. She was just 17 years old. Like Mack, Stone was dead-named by local media. Her death is being treated as a homicide. A Change.org petition has been created demanding jus18 www.cityxtramagazine.com
tice for the apparent hit against a Black trans teenager. “This is not making major news even when her killer boasted about the murder on social media saying that he was payed $5,000 dollars for the crime,” the petition reads. “ALL Black lives matter, let’s get justice for Brayla!” In his most recent media statement, David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, mourned the losses of Mack and Stone: What do you do when you don’t have the capacity to wrap your head around the pain and trauma a community of people continues to experience and you know that your feelings aren’t half of what’s required to show up as a member of that community? You continue the work and insist that others, who purport to believe that #BlackLivesMatter, also get engaged. What pains me most about the continued loss of Black trans life is that nearly everyone who is identified as Black knows the sting of stigma and the trauma of discrimination. We know the horror of being the victim of
violence simply because of socially constructed ideas of “Blackness.” This shared experience alone should be enough for each of us, everyone who is Black, regardless of cis or trans experience, to collectively call for and do the work to end the violence that trans and nonbinary members of our community experience—too often in silence. Merci Mack deserves better, as a community we failed her and so many of our trans siblings and this is beyond unacceptable. The tragic deaths of Mack and Stone come shortly after the murders of Riah Milton and Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, two Black trans women who were killed in early June. In late May, Tony McDade, a Black trans man from Tallahassee, Florida, was also fatally shot by police. Rest in power, Merci and Brayla.
Businesses Pull Facebook Ads Over Homophobic & Racist Speech By David Vandygriff
After years of anti-queer, anti-trans, and racist rhetoric, companies are placing billions of their ad dollars elsewhere. But will it last? As a form of protest over Facebook’s handling of hate speech and misinformation, a slew of big budget advertisers — including Starbucks, Ford, Coca-Cola, Honda, and Verizon — are pulling their ads from the platform throughout the month of July. The Stop Hate for Profit campaign was organized earlier this month by several civil rights groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, Free Press, and Color of Change. It asks businesses to “stand in solidarity with our most deeply held American values of freedom, equality, and justice." However, it should be noted that not all businesses who’ve pulled their ad dollars have signed on to the campaign officially. According to the campaign’s website, 99 percent of Facebook’s $70 billion revenue is made through advertising. Organizers justify the boycott by acknowledging that the social media platform incited 20 www.cityxtramagazine.com
violence against protestors in the wake of George Floyd’s death as well as “turned a blind eye” to voter suppression throughout the 2016 and 2018 elections. Not to mention, there is virtually no regulation when it comes to misinformation or identitytargeted hate speech. “Could they protect and support Black users? Could they call out Holocaust denial as hate? Could they help get out the vote? They absolutely could. But they are actively choosing not to do so,” the organizers state. On Monday, Facebook lost nearly $60 billion in stock market value in only 48 hours, according to the Daily Mail, though it saw a 1.2 percent rise later in the day. Last week, the company’s founder Mark Zuckerberg appeared to cave into the pressure by announcing a handful of changes Facebook would be making to combat misinformation and identitybased hate. Zuckerberg stated in a Facebook post that the company is “prohibiting a wider category of hateful content in ads. Specifically, we're expanding our ads policy to
prohibit claims that people from a specific race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, gender identity or immigration status are a threat to the physical safety, health or survival of others. We're also expanding our policies to better protect immigrants, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers from ads suggesting these groups are inferior or expressing contempt, dismissal or disgust directed at them.” Furthermore, the company claims they will put “warning labels” on posts from political candidates or officeholders who are known to convey inappropriate behavior. “We'll allow people to share this content to condemn it, just like we do with other problematic content, because this is an important part of how we discuss what's acceptable in our society,” he wrote, “but we'll add a prompt to tell people that the content they're sharing may violate our policies.” Still, while Facebook says they’re going to apply these policies to ads, the changes will hardly do much to combat hate speech within groups or posts,
where it is a “far more significant and systemic issues,” the Stop Hate For Profit campaign points out. “Facebook says it is prepared to work with the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and the Media Ratings Council to identify appropriate brand safety audit requirements, but the company has provided no details whatsoever to understand what that actually entails,” the campaign stated. “Sadly, none of these initial steps will make a significant dent in the persistent hate and racism so prevalent on the largest social media platform on the planet. That’s why we need to keep up the pressure.” While Facebook’s adjustments, however small they may be, cannot erase the past, it’s evident that corporations are trying to at least send a message by placing advertising dollars directly in the hands of those who need it most. AT&T, for example, is working with Pod Digital Media to find sponsorship placements for its Cricket Wireless network to help Black-owned podcasts. “AT&T wants to support Black
voices by identifying a mix of podcasts that not only align to their audience but also have the scope for them to make long-term media commitments,” Gary Coichy, CEO of Pod Digital Media, told Digiday. Digiday notes that other advertisers are figuring out how to move away from classic demographics so they can target people based on their behavior, personal interests, and life stage. Many point out, however, that some segmentation practices “incentivize segregation” among audiences and society. One thing is clear: digital censorship has directly impacted LGBTQ+ media companies that cater to marginalized communities — including people of color, religious minorities, LGBTQ+ people, and HIV-impacted communities. In fact, digital censorship has inadvertently redirected necessary revenue away from these communities. Companies aiming to protect their brands from appearing in the wrong environments online have utilized brand safety
technology that flags hundreds of keywords to ensure their brands appear on websites that reflect their values. While its intention was pure, an unfortunate consequence was that words like “bisexual,” “transgender,” “lesbian,” “queer,” and “gay” were all flagged as pornographic by this type of technology, despite the context in which it was used. As a result, advertising dollars have been diverted away — invisibly — from LGBTQ+ media companies and our allies that serve queer communities. Some companies like Mindshare, a global media agency network, have responded by developing a LGBTQ+ private marketplace (a.k.a. PMP) that will aggregate publishers into one negotiated inclusion list so that brands support LGBTQ-specific publications as well as queer content at broader outlets. Next month will undoubtedly welcome several debates across platforms, but a larger question looms: Will these companies still carry the courage of their convictions after July?
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400 Years of Racism In America, So White People Need To Wake Up By Drew Bennett
It’s the end of Pride month and we are experiencing a full circle moment. It’s been 51 years since the Stonewall riots birthed the LGBTQIA movement. Every year since then has been a reflection and celebration of our liberation and empowerment. But just like 51 years ago this year is not a celebration, it’s an uprising. The truth is the United States of America is drowning right now. We have Black trans men and women being beaten and killed in the streets with no consequences. We are in the mist of a pandemic that is claiming Black lives and putting a new spotlight on racial health disparities. And we are simultaneously mourning the death of several Black people at the hands of the police. We are at a tipping point which has found Black people once again leading a movement in the fight for our lives and humanity. This nation is at a precipice. A moment of realization. A reality that many of us have always known. This is not the land of the free and it never has been. Black people are worn out and 22 www.cityxtramagazine.com
tired. Tired of living in a country that doesn’t value us. Tired of only getting a portion of the American Dream. Tired of seeing our people mistreated. Tired of watching our people be killed. Tired of listening to white people try to rationalize it. What you are witnessing is 400 years of oppression imploding on America. The pain, trauma, and rage of injustice is spilling into the streets and we are drowning in it. White supremacy has drowned us. Your hate has drowned us. Your privilege has drowned us. Your apathy has drowned us. Your complacency has drowned us. Your indifference has drowned us. Your silence has drowned us. It has sent us flailing and grasping for air for centuries. When we say we can’t breathe we don’t just mean right now. We mean every minute of every day for the last 400 years. So the question now is, White people, what are you going to do about it? How are
you going to reconcile with your part in maintaining white supremacy, whether complicit or otherwise? The easy out is to apologize, cry, and sit with the shame and guilt. You feel bad for a few days and then it passes. Understand that is not enough. Understand that is bullshit. We don’t need your apologies, your tears, or your guilt. What we need right now is for you to show up and put in work. Now is the time for white people to listen, learn, and act. Listen to the Black people in your life. Hear their experiences and understand they are not isolated incidents, but part of a widespread epidemic in this country and beyond. Listen to why they are hurting and listen to what they may need from you. Don’t argue, don’t do logic exercises to explain your point of view. It doesn’t matter right now. Every Black experience deserves attention and space. Just listen. Learn about the oppressive history in this country. Read Black authors and do a deep dive into true American history.
Learn and understand that systemic racism is a needle that is thread through every single aspect of American life since this nation was founded. With that, understand that Black people have had to learn from those same authors because America doesn’t want to give the full story of its disgusting reality. The U.S. would much rather teach a white-washed version of history then reconcile with its dark past and present. Also, in doing your learning don’t expect Black people to educate you on their pain. We are oppressed in every aspect of life and many don’t have the energy to also explain to you why that is. If you do have Black people in your life who are willing to engage with you and educate
you, know that’s their choice and not something you are entitled to. Please behave accordingly. When I say act I don’t mean just expressing your sadness and displeasure of the death of yet another Black person. I mean do work. Leave the MLK quotes alone and do some real work. Publicly denounce racism and white supremacy. Find your lane. Protest, organize, donate. Do a self-reflection. Hold yourself accountable for past actions or inactions. Sit in your discomfort and work to be actively anti-racist. It is important to see color and raise your kids in a manner that confronts race and discusses the role it plays in our society. Engage with and call out the other white people in your life.
Be willing to have that uncomfortable conversation and risk losing that relationship. Show up. Black people have been listening, learning, and acting for 400 years. We have never been complacent in our oppression. We learned to read and write when we weren’t supposed to. We organized and rebelled against slavery and Jim Crow. We were the first to fight back at Stonewall. And now we’ve started a movement across the world. Black people are brilliant, amazing, strong, and resilient. We are also tired. We will always show up but we can’t dismantle systemic racism and oppression alone. White people it’s your turn now. Listen, learn, act — your move.
Gay Candidate Torres Destroys AntiLGBTQ Politician At The Election Polls By Debbie Morgan
In what is looking to be a landslide victory, gay congressional candidate Ritchie Torres is on his way to defeating his notoriously antiLGBTQ opponent—a man he was told he could never beat. The final tally of Tuesday’s Democratic primary in the South Bronx won’t be ready for a week, but as long as the numbers hold, Torres will declare a 2-1 victory over fellow City Council member Ruben Diaz Sr., a man Torres called “a Trump Republican masquerading as a Democrat.” “The triumph of an openly LGBTQ congressional candidate over the leading homophobe in New York state politics represents poetic justice,” Torres tells LGBTQ Nation. Torres, 32, is currently leading the pool of twelve primary candidates with 30.5% of the vote. And in what is considered the most Democratic district in the nation, a primary victory is pretty much a direct road to Washington D.C. On top of defeating a man who voted against marriage equality and has made multiple 24 www.cityxtramagazine.com
disparaging comments against the LGBTQ community, Torres will also make history as the first out LGBTQ Afro-Latino Congressperson in the nation. A victory over Diaz, let alone a massive one, wasn’t a given when Torres launched his campaign. He once told the New Yorker that Diaz, who has held elected office in the borough for eighteen years, has “the most powerful name in the Bronx.” His son of the same name has also spent the past decade as the Bronx borough president. While Ruben Diaz Jr. does not hold the same conservative views as his father, the Torres campaign feared the two men could be conflated at the polls. Diaz Jr. supports LGBTQ rights. “Many said this race could not be won,” Torres said. “That Ruben Diaz Sr., who is a larger than life figure in Bronx politics, could not be beat, and that an openly LGBTQ candidate like myself had no business running and no chance of winning.” And yet, Diaz, 77, currently holds only 14.8% of the vote, a
number that clearly displeased him when he refused to speak to a reporter on election night and instead stormed out of the room. Torres feels vindicated, he said. A victory over Diaz “represents as strong a repudiation of the politics of pain and fear as I could have imagined.” Besides, an LGBTQ Congressman from the South Bronx is something in and of itself to celebrate, Torres added. “It’s one thing to have LGBTQ representation in the traditional gayborhoods of New York City. It’s something else to have it in the South Bronx, in the place you would least expect. That to me represents a new kind of victory for representation in politics.” Torres believes this victory also shows that voters saw themselves in him. “I have a personal story and record that speaks directly to the lived experiences of residents in the South Bronx. I was raised by a single mother who had to raise three children
on minimum wage…I grew up in public housing living in conditions of mold and mildew…So the struggles of the South Bronx are not an abstraction to me. These are struggles I’ve lived in my own life, and many voters in the South Bronx see themselves and their own struggles and their own lived experiences in my candidacy.” Torres’ district is not only one of the bluest districts in the nation, but it is also one of the poorest. He has said he is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty through first and foremost working toward affordable housing, a fight he has already taken on in his role on the New York City Council. As the results of the primary came in, Torres choked back tears and thought of his mother. “This victory belongs as much to her as it belongs to me,” he said. As for what’s next, Torres said he plans to hit the ground running in fighting for his community. “I’m not a miracle worker,” he said. “I cannot wave a magic wand over the city and solve every problem affecting the South Bronx. But I’m a worker. No one is going to fight and work harder for the South Bronx than I will.”
A Gay Love Story ‘See You Soon’ During COVID-19 By Kerry Maxwell
The new short film shows how meaningful queer connections can be formed in digital spaces.
after meeting on a dating app. The short was created before stay-at-home orders, but it A new short film explores the resonates in a time when queer impact of dating and distance people are increasingly on gay love. meeting, conversing, and See You Soon, a film by Tyler falling in love through digital Rabinowitz, stars James Cusati spaces. -Moyer (Slave Play) and Jonny The film was inspired by a Beauchamp (Kate Keene) as "pivotal moment" in the life of Vincent and Anthony, men on Rabinowitz, who fell for a the opposite sides of the person on a dating app in his country who fall for one another mid-20s and discovered "the
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palpable connection we formed despite the distance, time, and reality separating us." "My hope is that audiences will come away from the film feeling like they’ve known Vincent and Anthony forever, the same way they felt when they first started talking online," he said in a statement. See You Soon premiered this week on Short of the Week.