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Religion Can Make Youth More Suicidal By Drew Bishop
Publisher/Executive Editor David Vandygriff dvandygriff@cityxtramagazine.com
How To Take A Home HIV Test By Jake Daniels
Oklahoma Legal To Ban Legal Adoptions By David Vandygriff
FL Jurors Can Be Asked About Anti-LGBT Bias By David Vandygriff
Drag Queens How Much You Should Tip & How By Juanita Moore
Chemicals Giant Dow Appoints Out CEO By Robert Bennett
ABBA New Songs & Reunion By Michelle Sampson
LGBTQ Spend $1B Yearly In U.S. On Travel By Jennifer Moore
AG Sessions Deletes ‘Need For Free Press’ DOJ Manuel By Rebecca Jacobs
Editor In Chief Harvey Carr hcarr@cityxtramagazine.com Director of Sales Adam Plante, Esq. aplante@cityxtramagazine.com Creative Designer Debbie Johnson djohnson@cityxtramagazine.com cityXtra Magazine is published by cityXtra Organization Inc . 2941 Plum Street Jacksonville, FL 32205 (904) 300-3320 www.cityxtramagazine.com Facebook/Twitter: cityxtra
National Advertising Sales Rivendell Media Monique Burton (908) 232-2021 Ext 200 monique@rivendellmedia.com
Rainbow Award Winners 2018 By David Vandygriff
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if they were religious.
Religiosity was not correlated with suicidal thoughts Religion Can Make Gay Youth among bi youth, who More Suicidal By Drew Bishop reported high rates of suicidal A study published in the thoughts no matter their religiosiAmerican Journal of Preventive ty. Medicine last month found a link For straight people, the between religiosity and suicide correlation was the opposite: among gay and questioning they were less likely to report participants. suicidal thoughts if they were The study used data from the religious. 2011 University of Texas at “Religion has typically been seen Austin’s Research Consortium, which surveyed 21,247 18- to 30 as something that would protect somebody from thoughts of -year-olds. 2.3% identified as suicide or trying to kill gay or lesbian, 3.3% as bi, and themselves, and in our study our 1.1% were questioning. evidence suggests that may not LGBQ youth reported that they be the case for everyone, had attempted suicide at least particularly for those we refer to once in their lives at a higher as sexual minority people,” said rate than straight people. 5% of John Blosnich of West Virginia straight people said that they University, one of the study’s had attempted suicide, while the authors. rates for LGBQ youth ranged “It can be very scary to be from 14% to 20%. caught in a space where your While studies have already religion tells you that you are a shown that queer youth are more ‘sinner’ just for being who you likely to have attempted suicide, are,” he said. “Sexual minority this study went a step further and asked participants to rate the importance of religion in their lives. Gay and lesbian youth who said that religion was important to them were 38% more likely to report recent suicidal thoughts compared to gays and lesbians who said that religion wasn’t important to them. The difference was more stark for questioning youth – they were three times more likely to report recent suicidal thoughts 06 www.cityxtramagazine.com
people may feel abandoned, they may experience deep sadness and anger, and they may worry what this means for their families ― especially if their families are very religious too.” The study did not ask participants what their religion was, so there isn’t any data to show whether more supportive religions were less correlated with suicidal thoughts. The authors conclude that faith-based suicide prevention services “should be willing and equipped to assist all people who seek their services, regardless of sexual orientation.” The problem is that the “gay condemning” parts of a religion cannot be separated from the “suicide preventing” parts. Religious conservatives often say that they are appalled by suicide and want to help queer people, and they imagine that they can be supportive of LGBQ people while still condemning homosexuality. That’s not how it works, but a lot of religious people aren’t willing to change their opinions, even when people’s lives literally depend on it.
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in sexualhealth centers across the country, homeHow To Take A Home HIV Test By Jake Daniels testing and Checking for HIV couldn’t be home-sampling kits are easily easier with home-testing and accessible. home-sampling kits that are Unlike some sexually easily available, quick and transmitted infections that can accurate. be tested from a urine sample,
Although advancements in testing and the introduction of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has led to a drop in recent years in the number of gay and bisexual men becoming infected with HIV, the virus is still a huge concern for the gay community.
HIV is a blood-borne virus and needs a small blood sample to be accurate. Both home-testing and home-sampling kits require this to check for the infection.
whether there is a HIV infection. Mark Lawson explains: “Their accuracy is very good, providing the risk happened three months ago or more… it’s not accurate for a more recent risk”. This relates to the ‘windowperiod’ of testing for HIV, the time between potential exposure to the infection and the time it takes for the potential infection to show up on the test. An individual could be infected with the virus, but still test negative if testing within the initial three month period.
Lawson added: “The window Home-sampling kits require an period of the self-test kits that individual to return their sample are available is more like the old fashioned three months to a laboratory for testing, whereas home-testing kits allow because it takes time for those Gay and bisexual men are the you to see a result within fifteen antibodies to develop.” most at risk of catching HIV. minutes of giving a sample. So home HIV tests are not as accurate for more recent sexual Valerie Delpech, head of HIV The home-testing kits are encounters. surveillance for Public Health similar to a Diabetic’s England, told the Guardian: blood-glucose device. Unlike visiting a sexual-health “Gay, bisexual and other men It pricks the finger for a sample clinic or ordering a who have sex with men account of blood and then shows either self-sampling test, self-testing for half of all people living with kits do cost money. one or two red lines fifteen HIV in England.” minutes later to indicate And they raise a wider problem: that in 2016, 42% of HIV diagnoses happened at a late stage of infection. Home tests could help diagnose those living with HIV earlier and help them get the treatment and support they need. Sexual health consultant Mark Lawson said: “The main challenge is getting people diagnosed… anything that encourages people to test [for HIV] that otherwise wouldn’t is a good thing”. As well as the numerous walk-
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available parents to take children in, supporters say that religious agencies will take their ball and go home Oklahoma Legal To Ban instead of LGBT Adoptions placing kids in By David Vandygriff decent homes The Oklahoma House passed a that violate the agencies’ bill yesterday that would allow “sincerely held adoption and foster care religious beliefs.” agencies to discriminate against Opponents said that the bill parents whose lives violate the would allow discrimination based “sincerely held religious beliefs” on anti-LGBTQ hatred. of the agency. The bill is “discriminatory, The “Adoption Protection Act” harmful to youth and completely passed the GOP-controlled unnecessary,” said Troy house in a 60-26 vote. A similar Stevenson, executive director of bill has already passed the Freedom Oklahoma. Oklahoma Senate. “We will continue to fight against Supporters of the bill stressed it becoming law, we will fight it in that the state’s foster care the court of public opinion, and system is “overloaded.” we will fight it in court if While most people would think necessary.” this is an argument in favor of maximizing the number of
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Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin (R) is expected to sign the bill, which would make it the only anti-LGBTQ state law passed in 2018. South Dakota, Michigan, Alabama, and Texas already have similar legislation. Editor’s note: A quote from Father Brian Schieber advocating for passage under the guise of “religious freedom” was originally included in this article. Schieber actually gave his prayer in the Kansas statehouse as that state considers similar legislation; he did not give the prayer in Oklahoma. We regret the mistake.
Berthiaume convinced the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit that the case Florida Court Rules Jurors Can merited a new Be Asked About Anti-LGBT Bias trial, setting a By David Vandygriff precedent that A landmark legal win in Florida will allow lawyers representing has set a precedent allowing LGBT clients to question jurors attorneys to question jurors about anti-gay bias. about potential anti-LGBT bias. The ruling comes more than Raymond Berthiaume, a gay four years after an appeals man, sued Key West police court ruled that gays and lieutenant David Smith, alleging lesbians can’t be barred from Smith used excessive force juries based on their and falsely arrested and sexual orientation imprisoned him during a 2013 alone. domestic dispute. The jury “Refusing to allow ruled in Smith’s favor, but in his questioning of potential appeal, Berthiaume claimed jurors regarding sexual that homophobic jurors may orientation bias in have “denied a fair trial by an cases such as impartial jury.” Berthiaume’s, where In October attorneys for orientation is
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inextricably bound up with the evidence presented at trial, violates the constitutional guarantee to a fair trial,” wrote representatives from Lambda Legal. Whitney Untiedt, a partner at the firm representing Berthiaume pro bono, said the case was an “obvious yes” to take on: “We wanted to stand up and say out loud that you can’t treat LGBT people any differently from anyone else,” she told The National Law Journal.
Drag Queens How Much Should You Tip & How By Juanita Moore
My fertile mind was awakened when a publicist for Miss Gay America asked for my personal advice as to tipping drag queens. I said to be generous, but don’t make yourself the show. People paid to see a hard-working performer, not someone act out their dreams of largesse by plying them with dollars. 1 - Don’t automatically stick the money somewhere indecent.—If the performer is coming into the crowd and shimmying and encouraging that sort of thing, maybe do a tasteful plop into the cleavage, but that’s it. Don’t stick it where the sun don’t shine for a cheap laugh. Just because the drag queen is acting naughty, it doesn’t allow you to become the next Harvey Weinstein. 2 - Whatever your approach, try to wait until there’s the proper moment.— Don’t interrupt a heartfelt moment, a strong moment, any moment. Hold on until it seems like the time is right for you to usurp some spotlight and give back some green. The performer will give you some clues. 14 www.cityxtramagazine.com
3 - It’s dramatic to give five ones, but maybe just give a five.
That would be more concise and meaningful, for sure. But however you break it down, the bigger the amount, the better. These queens are not beggars, but most of them aren’t millionaires either. Show them your love! 4 - Tip them when they’re soaring, not when they’re doing a tired Mommie Dearest bit for the millionth time. - Don’t reward bad behavior! 5 - Don’t take a bow after you tipped.—Just go back to your seat and wait for all the awards that will surely come your way. Maybe. Drag Kings Will be Kings Again I was also stimulated when asked by a reporter why drag kings aren’t as prevalent as drag queens these days. I replied that I feel they surely will be. Let me expand: Drag kings—women assuming the roles of men—are destined to be huger than ever, especially since the climate is just right for them in 2018. A lot of them back in the day of New York’s Club Casanova—the 1995 drag king bash founded and hosted by the swaggering Mo B. Dick—assumed male privilege as a way of
puncturing machismo and objectifying crass behavior.
Some drag queens are spoofing womanhood, but I find that most of them enjoy the glamour and sparkle of their assumed roles, whereas on the other hand, the drag kings often liked to pretend to be men in order to show you what utter bombastic fools dudes can be. They’re turning the tables, turning over carts, and pushing buttons that are on way too tight around the tummy. And in the midst of the #MeToo movement, what would be a more perfect art form than spoofing male pigginess? I feel there will inevitably be a RuPaul’s Drag King Race, and it’ll be bigly. Ladies, start your shellacking. Says Dick, “I think drag kings should be more well known, regardless of what current movement is happening. Women are largely ignored, no matter what the circumstance. And yes, drag kings make fun of machismo recognizing that masculinity is an artifice. My motto as a drag king is ‘instead of being an angry woman, I became a funny man.'”
investors, more innovative and collaborative solutions for our customers, and more world-class Chemicals Giant opportunities DOW Appoints Out CEO for our By Robert Bennett employees. Chemicals giant Dow has “I am committed to working become one of the only major with [the] rest of the Dow team, industrial corporations with an to further this momentum. Our openly gay CEO. goal is to continue to exceed The company, which is set to the expectations of our be broken off from customers and shareholders by conglomerate DowDuPont this leveraging our year, announced this week that integration-backed and Jim Fitterling would become its innovation-led business model new Chief Executive Officer. to provide solutions to world-scale challenges.” It makes him one of just a handful of out businesspeople A bio of the new exec states: at the top of an industrial “Fitterling has played a key role company, and one of few to in developing and executing lead a major Fortune 500 Dow’s strategy to invest in a company – alongside Tim Cook market-driven portfolio of of Apple. advantaged and technologyenabled businesses that create Other out CEOs of major companies include Alan Joyce value for Dow shareholders and customers. of Qantas Airlines and Inga Beales of Lloyd’s of London. “He joined Dow in 1984 and served in a variety of Sales, But many LGBT business Marketing and Supply Chain execs still opt to keep their positions before being named sexuality private, for either Commercial Director for Liquid personal or professional Separations, Dow Pacific in the reasons. mid-1990s. He later was Mr. Fitterling, 56, replaces the named to lead the Liquid company’s retiring CEO Separations business unit and Andrew Liveris. served as President and CEO The incoming CEO said: “I am of FilmTec Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of very excited and humbled to lead Dow into its next phase of Dow based in the U.S. growth. “Then, he returned to Asia Pacific where he led the whole “Today Dow delivers higher and more stable returns for our of Dow’s operations in Thailand and the SCG-Dow Group of 16 www.cityxtramagazine.com
joint venture companies, and subsequently was named CEO of The OPTIMAL Group, affiliate of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), Malaysia’s state-owned oil corporation and The Dow Chemical Company. “For the past 10 years, Fitterling has managed significant portions of the Company and has led a number of strategic and transformative actions. He has served as president of Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics business; and as senior vice president of Corporate Development. In this role, he led the carve out of Dow’s styrenics and chlorine businesses, as well as $6 billion of growth projects on the U.S. Gulf Coast. In 2015, he was named vice chairman and chief operating officer, adding executive oversight for all of Dow’s businesses and operations, and led the merger of equals with DuPont. “He was named to his current role in 2016. At the same time, he has been driving a strategy to deploy digitalization to improve the way the company innovates, serves customers, inspires employees and delivers on its sustainability goals and objectives. “Fitterling is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufacturers, a member of the Board of Directors of the Chemical Financial Corporation, and a member of the Board of Directors of Sadara Chemical Company.
still and we had only been away on a short holiday. An extremely joyful experience!” they continued.
four members: Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. During their eleven-year career, the group sold almost 400 million singles and albums around the world. ABBA New Songs & Reunion Dancing Queen and Fernando By Michelle Sampson are their biggest-selling songs worldwide. Swedish pop sensations ABBA In the statement, the band have announced that they will shared that they will not only be The band decided to call it be making a musical comeback releasing two new songs, but quits in 1983. and will be releasing two new they will be taking the definition They had a tumultuous time songs. of the digital age to an entirely personally while they were an new level. The super troupers, who active group. celebrated nine number one The hitmakers won’t be Both Agnetha and Bjorn and hits in the UK during their returning to the stage as their Anni-Frid and Benny married spellbinding career, announced older and wiser selves – but as and divorced each other during on Instagram that they decided holograms. the lifespan of the group’s to “join forces again and return It resulted in two new songs success. to the recording studio.” and one of them, I Still Have “The decision to go ahead with Faith In You, will be performed the exciting ABBA avatar tour by our digital selves in a TV project had an exciting special produced by NBC and consequence. We four felt that, the BBC aimed for after some 35 years, it would broadcasting in December. be fun to join forces again and “We may have come of age, go inside the recording studio. but the song feels new. And it So we did,” the band wrote on feels good,” the statement the social media platform. concludes. “And it was like time had stood The band ABBA is made up of
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And, according to Grindr users, the top 10 destinations are: Italy, France, LGBT Spend $100 Billon Annually Hawaii, New On Travel In The U.S. Alone York City, By Jennifer Moore Australia, the UK, Greece, We now know that LGBTQ Spain, Japan, and Las Vegas. travelers spend almost $100 52% prefer using mobile apps billion on travel in the US to guide them on holiday, 51% alone, thanks to Grindr. use travel site apps, and 31% An official survey carried out by of gay men use dating apps the dating app has found that while they’re on vacay. LGBTQ consumers spend Elsewhere, 49% of LGBTQ more than $5 trillion globally, travelers enjoy nightlife, with and $965 billion in the US, with 46% listing culture and cuisine $100 billion of that going on as their interest, and 39% travel. opting for museums and Meanwhile, 40% of Grindr’s sightseeing. 30% are after LGBTQ millennials travel every nature and the great outdoors, quarter for fun, while 24% travel monthly. 39% plan their trips 1-3 months in advance, and 35% plan their trips 3-6 months in advance. Approximately 36 million overnight international travelers in 2017 were LGBTQ. 61% said that gay-friendly destinations and airlines etc. are important. 75% said that locations with an LGBTQ website makes them more likely to visit.
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while 18% want wineries and breweries. 35% are keen on quirky, off the beaten track holidays. Weirdly, 76% of gay millennials want to go on a cruise. In terms of hotels, 71% stay in big-name places, 26% in boutique hotels, and 29% in home-shares. 50% of LGBT travelers want hip and fun hotels, while 52% and 55% of people want hotels and home shares in the center of the action and nightlife, respectively. If you’re looking for somewhere to go on holidays, check out our roundup of the 11 very best US destinations for LGBT travelers from all across the country – and where you can stay while you’re there.
said that "careful weight must be given in each case to the constitutional requirements of a free press AJ Sessions Deletes ‘Need For Free and public Press’ DOJ Manuel trials as well By Rebecca Jacobs as the right of The Dept. of Justice has the people in a constitutional revamped a key and critical democracy to have access to manual for federal prosecutors, information about the conduct remaking it to reflect the vision of law enforcement officers, of Attorney General Jeff prosecutors and courts, Sessions' priorities and goals. consistent with the individual rights of the accused." "In: Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ tough-on-crime In short, Sessions is opting to policies. Out: A section titled change the DOJ's First 'Need for Free Press and Amendment focus to Public Trial.' References to the preserving and expanding department’s work on racial "religious liberty," and gutting gerrymandering are gone. freedom of the press Language about limits on protections. prosecutorial power has been The racial gerrymandering edited down," Buzzfeed section, in part, had read: reports. "The changes include new sections that underscore Sessions’ focus on religious liberty and the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on government leaks — there is new language admonishing prosecutors not to share classified information and directing them to report contacts with the media." Buzzfeed notes that the manual, technically titled the United States Attorneys Manual, is actually used by federal prosecutors and throughout the Justice Dept. Part of the section of freedom of the press that was deleted 22 www.cityxtramagazine.com
“The Voting Section defends from unjustified attack redistricting plans designed to provide minority voters fair opportunities to elect candidates of their choice and endeavors to achieve racially fair results where courts find...that redistricting plans constitute unconstitutional racial gerrymanders.” Under Attorney General Eric Holder the manual was changed to advocate for charging decisions that “fairly reflect the defendant’s criminal conduct.” It now reflects Attorney General Sessions' memo that orders federal prosecutors to "charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offenses. By definition, the most serious offenses are those that carry the most substantial guidelines sentence, including mandatory minimum sentences."
STD & Oral HIV Testing Every Second Tuesday of Each Month By The AIDS Healthcare Foundation
east Florida AIDS Network 27. Best Local Bartender Princess Rob - Metro Entertainment Complex 28. Best Performer: Drag Queen / Female Entertainer Kat Kelly 29. Best Performer: Drag King / Male Entertainer - Judas Elliot 30. Best Performer: Musician AJ Neaher
1. Humanitarian Award - Justin Bell
13. Best Local Lawyer - Troy Frauqhar - Integrity Law
2. Local Most Influential Person - 14. Best Local Community Dan Merkan Theater Group - The 5 & Dime 3. Best Local Corporation for Equality - Florida Blue
15. Best Local Tattoo Studio Mystic Koi Tattoo
31. Best Performer: Stage Actor - David Thomas 32. Best Performer: Stage Actress - Harriett Sorenson 33. Best Performer: DJ - DJ Rob Sessions
16. Best Local Pub or Brew Pub - Mary's Pub House Jax
34. Best Local Bar/Nightclub Owner - Staci Ybarra InCahoots Nightclub
5. Best Local LGBT Charity or Organization - Equality Florida
17. Best Local LGBT Happy Hour - Park Place
35. Best Local Music Venue Raindogs
6. Best LGBT Local Business Owner - Gary Motes Hamburger Mary's
18. Best Local LGBT Annual Event - River City Pride
36. Best Local Play/Production Coming OUT Monologues
7. Best LGBT Nightclub/Dance Club - Metro Entertainment Complex
19. Best Local Hair Stylist - Lee Jensen - Shampoo Salon
37. Best Local Politician - Tracie Davis
20. Best Local Hair Salon Shampoo
38. Best Local Gym - New Jax Gym
21. Best Local Realtor - Joseph Poletto - Watson Realty
39. Best Local Pizza Place Carmine's - Riverside
22. Best Local Florist Deerwood Florist
40. Best Local Mental Health Provider - John Pimental - LSS
4. Best Local Equality Organization - JASMYN
8. Best Local LGBT Bar - Park Place 9. Best Local Straight Ally - CJ Osbourne 10. Best Local Clergy Leader Pastor Vincent Brown - Outlet Church of Jacksonville 11. Best Local LGBT Group Bank of American LGBT Network Jax
23. Best Local Artist - Chip Southworth
41. Best Local Spa - Seventh Wonder Spa
24. Best Local Restaurant Bread & Board Co - 5 Points
42. Best Local Plastic Surgery Dr. Clayman's Plastic Surgery
25. Best Local Hotel/B&B 12. Best Local Writer/Journalist - Richard Ceriello's General Store Claire Goforth - Folio Weekly 26. Best Local HIV/AIDS Resource Center - NFAN - North24 www.cityxtramagazine.com
43. Best Local HIV/AIDS Clinic CAN Community Health - LSS Jax