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Pro-LGBTQ Church Breaks Away From The United Methodist Church By Susan Joshlin Federal Court Grants U.S. Citizenship To Gay Dads’ Two-Year-Old Daughter By Michael Crawford Two Men Found With A Completely DrugResistant Form Of HIV By Janice Waugh Jimbo: “I Was 100% Robbed” By Brenda Davis
How I Find The Money To Travel By Jennifer Davis
Main Street Bridge On-Ramp Will Be Demolished In Spring By Jessica Griffin How One Small Record Label Became a Lifeline for Black Trans Artists By William Massengill Karrissa T. Wade, Mouth of the South By Stephen Jones Cher Raises $2 Million for Joe Biden By David Vandygriff
“Star Trek” Beams Up Its First Trans and Non-Binary Characters By Elizabeth Hearn
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Pro-LGBTQ Church Breaks Away From The United Methodist Church By Susan Joshlin
The Asbury Memorial Church in Savannah has officially become the first church in Georgia to disaffiliate from the national United Methodist Church due to the growing rift between pro- and anti-LGBTQ people in the Protestant denomination. “It is believed that Asbury Memorial is the first church in the USA to leave the United Methodist denomination due to its unequal treatment of LGBTQ people,” the church said in a statement. Asbury Memorial had voted for this decision in light of the UMC’s controversial decision in February 2019 to reinforce its “Traditional Plan” in all churches. In part, the “Traditional Plan” includes denouncing same-sex relationships as “incompatible with Christian teaching,” which has been part of the church’s doctrine since 1972. Following the decision, Asbury Memorial voted overwhelmingly in favor of leaving the United Methodist Church – 309 congregants to 7 – last September, before the “reinforcement” went into effect this January. On August 15 of this year, the South Georgia Conference of 06 www.cityxtramagazine.com
the United Methodist Church met virtually and voted in favor of Asbury’s disaffiliation.
recognize unions certified at ceremonies outside of Asbury Memorial over the last 4 years “Asbury Memorial has always been a welcoming, all-inclusive – including Hester’s own daughter. congregation and we are excited about our future as an “Our LGBTQ community is vital independent nonto the thriving congregation we denominational church,” Senior have today,” Hester told NBC Minister Rev. Billy Hester has News, estimating that 35% of said. “Our worship and ethos their members identify as will continue to be based on LGBTQ. Wesleyan theology – which is Asbury Memorial’s high profile at the root of the Methodist disaffiliation is the latest in a church. However, we are now saga that has dragged on for freer to work closely with other years within the United spiritual leaders in Savannah Methodist Church. Despite and beyond, and lead the way several churches and their as the church we want to be.” members fighting for the UMC This wasn’t Asbury Memorial’s to become more LGBTQfirst trek into protesting the friendly, the Church’s antiUMC’s anti-LGBTQ policies. LGBTQ stance has been When the UMC ultimately reaffirmed repeatedly by refused to allow certification of leadership. same-sex marriages, Asbury This includes a Texas retired Memorial stopped doing Methodist pastor setting weddings between anyone in himself on fire in 2014 to February 2016. protest the Church’s history of Now that they no longer have discrimination, leading to his to adhere to United Methodist death. doctrine, Asbury Memorial is “The Traditional Plan’s success “looking forward to resuming was because of an alliance of these ceremonies, when it is conservatives from the U.S. safe to do so after the threat of and overseas,” Asbury says in COVID-19 has lessened.” They its press release. The also plan for an event to “Traditional Plan” vote was
passed by 54.5% of United Methodist’s clergy members. Approximately 43% of those members voted from abroad, especially from Africa, Asbury says. The United Methodist Church was expected to break into separate denominations, but the coronavirus pandemic has impeded such massive changes. Hester thanked the South Georgia Conference for “understanding our situation and allowing us to take this path.” The Conference did not answer questions from NBC, other than to state that Asbury Memorial is “not the first to [disaffiliate] in the United States.” It’s not known if any of the parishes that left following the reaffirmation of the “Traditional Plan” did so solely over LGBTQ issues. For now, Asbury plans “a series of new initiatives during September to celebrate this new era,” albeit virtually.
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Federal Court Grants U.S. Citizenship To Gay Dads’ Two-Year-Old Daughter By Michael Crawford
A federal court in Atlanta recently ruled that Simone Mize -Gregg, a two-year-old born through a surrogate in England to a gay couple, is in fact a U.S. citizen who deserves a U.S. passport despite a refusal by the Trump Administration’s State Department. Simone is the daughter of Derek Mize and Jonathan Gregg, two American-born citizens who got married in the U.S. in 2015. A friend in England served as the surrogate mother for their child, and Simone was born in 2018 in London. While preparing taxes in 2019, the couple needed a social security number to claim their daughter as a dependent. When they visited a U.S. embassy to get a consular record of her birth abroad, they watched about 20 heterosexual couples in similar situations get the same paperwork that they had. But after three hours of invasive questioning, their child was declared as a non-U.S. citizen. Her birth was considered “out of wedlock” because her biological parents weren’t 08 www.cityxtramagazine.com
married to each other, even though her actual fathers were. The State Department’s handling of the case was needlessly cruel and furthered no compelling government interest, according to Immigration Equality, one of the organizations that filed a lawsuit against the State Department on the fathers’ behalf. The State Department doesn’t put heterosexual parents through the same sort of questioning, even if they’ve used a surrogate nor does the department question a child’s genetic relationship or perform paternity tests either when the case involves heterosexual parents. “We are so relieved that the court has recognized our daughter, Simone, as the U.S. citizen she has been since the day she was born,” Derek Mize said in a statement about his court victory. “When we brought Simone into this world, as married, same-sex parents, we never anticipated our own government would disrespect our family and refuse to
recognize our daughter as a U.S. citizen.” Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, Senior Counsel and Health Care Strategist at Lambda Legal said, “It is time for the federal government to stop defending this unlawful and unconstitutional policy. No family should have to face the fear and uncertainty of having their child’s citizenship status be held in limbo.” Lambda Legal co-filed the men’s lawsuit against the State Department. It’s unclear whether the state Department will appeal the ruling, like it did in the somewhat similar case of Kessem Kiviti, the daughter of two Israeli-born men who became naturalized U.S. citizens.
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Two Men Found With A Completely Drug-Resistant Form Of HIV By Janice Waugh
Doctors in France have discovered two men with drug-resistant strains of HIV. One is a 23-year-old man who was diagnosed with HIV in September of 2019, the second is a 54-year-old man who has had HIV since 1995. Both men have sex with other men and they are from the same region in southern France. The men don’t know each other, but both have the same HIV-1 mutation that is resistant to all three main classes of antiretroviral medications. The 23-year-old man wasn’t taking pre-exposure prophylactics (PrEP), a medication protocol that prevents most transmissions of HIV. Usually resistant strains mutate within individuals who haven’t regularly taken their medication and are only resistant to one class of HIV drugs, which leaves treatment options open. Moreover, they are more difficult to transmit to others because the mutations make the virus heavier.
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French doctors, though, believe this current case is the first instance of a strain that was transmitted from one individual to another. And since the two men they found with the strain don’t know each other, they believe there could be others who passed the virus along. Such strains are rare for now, in France at least. French doctors say this and similar strains likely account for only 0.1% of all HIV cases in the country, and doctors would like to keep it that way.
drug-resistant strain of HIV was found in New York in 2004. In the past, doctors have found PrEP-resistant strains of HIV, though these strains weren’t resistant to all three main classes of HIV antiretroviral medications.
They have alerted clinics throughout the country and in Spain. Both men have said they would wear condoms for the rest of their lives. The men will be given aggressive drug regimens to try and keep the virus from replicating in their bodies.
In the first two cases — detected in February and October 2016 — both men contracted a strain of HIV that was resistant to tenofovir and emtricitabine, the two active medications used in Truvada, the most common medication used for PrEP. Scientists in those cases determined that people who regularly stick to their PrEP regiment can contract HIV when they’re exposed to a virus that’s resistant to both drugs used in Truvada.
According to Gay Nation, the first case of a completely
Such cases are very rare, doctors say.
not just saying that. Oh, thank you. What are your drag beginnings? So, I started sort Jimbo: “I Was 100% Robbed” By Brenda Davis of with a curiosity of drag as a realAll of the queens from the first ly young boy. When I was season of Canada’s Drag Race about 5, my mom put my were legendary picks—the makeup on, and I looked in the cream of the Canadian drag mirror and I said, “Wow, queen crop, if you will. But if Mommy, I’m so beautiful.” My there were one breakout star, it grandma had lots of beautiful would have to be Jimbo, whom clothes and fancy jewelry, and fans stanned from the moment so did my mom. So just seeing he started screaming atop that femininity and how much fun it mountain photoshoot in was to feel pretty—I always Episode 1. kind of gravitated towards that. Jimbo was hilarious, confident, My brother and I would hide in could read other girls for filth, the basement and steal their and even won tough clothes and their shoes and challenges like Snatch Game. play. My dad was really thre While it seemed like Jimbo had atened. And so, he called us what it takes to go all the way little fags, and we were gay and and snatch the crown, the it was so bad. He shamed us self-proclaimed “drag clown” out of it until we were much found herself in the bottom older. I became a clown and I after this week’s Snow Ball allowed myself to go there, to runway and sashayed away be beautiful and to be feminine. after lip-syncing to Tegan and So it was really through my Sara’s “Closer.” clown that I started to perform in drag. Jimbo spoke with CityXtra about her time on the show, Wow. Does your family including her meme-ified support your drag journey Episode 1 photoshoot, her now? reads of the other girls, and if Yeah, they are the absolute she ever apologized to Jeffrey biggest fans ever. My mom Bowyer-Chapman for saying he loves it. She sees a lot of needed to learn the “definition herself in my drag, and it of glamour.” makes her laugh. And my sisters—they see themselves Hey, Jimbo! and they see my mom and they Hello. Hey. see me and this beautiful I’m so excited to talk to you. combination of all of my past, You were my favorite of the and who they’ve seen me queens this season. And I’m become over the years. They’re huge supporters. 12 www.cityxtramagazine.com
Did you choose the name Jimbo because your name is James? Yeah. My birth name is James, and my dad would call me Jimbo or Jimbolina as a child. later when I moved to Victoria, my partner at the time started to call me Jimbo, and slowly everybody called me Jimbo. And then I just preferred it… I love making friends and, to me, by just introducing yourself as a nickname—it’s a familiarity and it’s a connection right away, which I really love. So I love going by Jimbo. What was it like when you got the call to be on Canada’s Drag Race? What were you doing? What was that moment like? I was at my office—I was designing a movie at the time, I’m a costume designer—so I was in the middle of a fitting, and I had to excuse myself and go and get the best news of my entire life. I freaked out. I was just so shocked and so excited. And was like, “Oh my God, I need to get started now! I need to start my open.” I went back and tried my hardest to care about the show I was doing, but I was just like, “Who cares? Put this on. I’ve got to go. I’ve got my own looks to make.” So, yeah. I was incredibly vain the start of Drag Race. The day after Canada aired here in America, everyone I talked to everyone was like, “I’m a Jimbo stan. I’m team Jimbo.” Were you surprise or overwhelmed by how much everyone loves you? Very much so. In my community, I have so much
love. And there’s so much recognition of me and my art and what I do in this community. It’s been really magical for me, but it’s also very magical for my friends and my community that has loved me, celebrated me, and supported me. Everyone is just ecstatic, including myself. The ability to connect and inspire and relate to people is my dream, and to have done it so successfully—I couldn’t have asked for anything better. That first challenge with the photoshoot on the mountain… Your scream has become a meme. Did that just come to you at the top of the mountain? Did you know the judges were living for it at the time? Not really. The key to clowning is to not be in your head. It’s to be in the moment. So everything, including my answers to the workroom, I just said, “I want to do whatever comes to me in that moment.” So they said, “What are you going to do?” I said, “I don’t know. I want to see what sound comes out of me.” And then I ended up going, “Oh wow.” As they do. I was kind of like, What do I do? When I saw that big ramp, I thought, “Oh, the challenge is going to be to climb this mountain. It’s going to be slippery or something, and they’ve got the heels and a rope.” So then I separated and was like, “Oh, well, this doesn’t feel bad at all.” And then I was like, “Oh, I kind of like this.” And when I got the top, I thought that it was over now, time to pose. And then the fan
comes on, and I was just screaming for my life. It was all just what happened in that moment. Looking back at it—I love it. And that so hard! It’s sort of like watching someone other than yourself, and it’s…. yeah, just so funny. I love it so much. I love it too. Speaking of your work, did you know any of the queens when you walked into the workroom? No, I didn’t at all. I was completely surprised by all of them—and also intimidated. You walk in and you see all these fierce people, these strangers, and they look so glamorous, and they are also sizing each other up. And then no one knew who I was, but they knew the designer I was wearing. I walked in wearing an Abraham Levy corset. Which is a legendary designer for drag and just in general. So they didn’t know me, but they knew my outfit and they were like, “Oh, is that Abraham Levy?” I was like, “Yeah, that’s right, girl.” And they’re like, “Oh, she’s not playing.” That’s funny—I would not describe you that way. I didn’t think you were intimidated. That’s surprising to me. It was very fleeting. Like, it probably lasted for one second. But it was there. I thought it was so funny when you would read the queens for filth, like when you were sitting backstage on the couches. Did the other queens know that you were reading them, or were they actually hurt?
No. We’re all fans of the show. We all know what it takes to be on that show. And we all have this insane drive to be seen and to win. All of that blends like pressure cooker, and in that moment where you’re feeling your fantasy and you’re this heightened sense of self, the claws do come out. But at the end of the day, we all know that it’s just the show and just the challenge. The drag comes off and we are all friends. We are all sisters. … This goes with the judges as well. You know, there is no heartbreak between any of us. It was all from a place of love, from a place of celebrating drag, reading queer art, and about being visible. So I think that’s what everyone should really focus on: the connections and the ability, that we’re in the day and age where we can be on mainstream media and be proud and be wild and be gay and make people laugh. I was wondering, have you heard from Jeffery BowyerChapman after your read of his… well, ability to read? www.cityxtramagazine.com 13
the dictionary? I wrote to him right after to apologize and just say of course I love him. I was exhausted. And, you know, it didn’t really come out… My frustration doesn’t come out in the best way. So I wrote that, and I just wanted to let him know that I love him, I respect him, and I was sorry for being a little bitch. But sometimes you just gotta be a bitch, so like, what can you say? And did he accept the apology? Oh yeah. He wrote back and said, “James, I’m the biggest Jimbo fan. I love you so much. You are so inspiring. You were a joy to watch.” And he sent only love. And he said, “Of course I know the pressures you were under, and I don’t take any of it too serious or too personally.” We all just laughed about it. The week’s episode was the first time you were in the bottom. When I’ve talked to other eliminated queens, some of them said they knew they were going home before they lip-synced. Did you have that sense at all? No. I thought I had served legendary looks, legendary performances…. with my track record and the dream and fantasy I had in my head, I really did see myself winning the whole competition and representing Canada’s Drag Race as the queen. But you know, now I get to represent as one at the queens and as a winner in many other ways. 14 www.cityxtramagazine.com
When Jeffrey brought out the picture of you as a child, is that what you were talking about, how you used to dress up in your mother’s clothing when you were a kid? Is that why you started tearing up right away? Yeah. Growing up in Ontario in that time where there weren’t a lot of gay role models or a very open culture around sexuality and self-expression, there was a lot of fear. There was a lot of judgment, and I really did feel like I didn’t belong. In many ways, I didn’t. And so that was a bad time—as much as there was lots of beauty and lots joy and so much business in my childhood, it was also a very confusing time. And my family life at that time was very tumultuous. There was alcoholism. … It was a very painful journey. So that kind of all came at the same time. I was speaking to myself, but I also knew that I was speaking to people around the world that may have a similar story or experience. It was just a really powerful moment to reference my childhood when I was in such a vulnerable place. During the lip-sync, I felt like the giant crown you were wearing was a hindrance. Why didn’t you just throw it off? Was the wig attached or something? Yes. The the wig and the crown are one piece. So I was not anticipating lip-syncing, and my dress was too long. I had run out of time to hem it. My boots were sticking to the dress, and my crown was too heavy. It was probably the most on
un-ideal, cumbersome thing, during the most important moment of my life. I really wish that I could throw it off. … I know I don’t like as a viewer and as a drag queen watching the queen fall apart on stage, so shoes was coming off or the hair coming up and, you know, they can be moments where it’s powerful, but in the end it looks very sloppy to me. So it was really important for me to keep my dignity and keep my hair on and the illusion alive, even though I may have been able to move better with no hair on. One thing I keep seeing online is that fans being like, “Jimbo was robbed on this, robbed on that.” Is there a specific challenge that you think that you’re like, “Yeah, I was robbed”? The denim challenge. I was 100% robbed, and the makeover challenge, I was 100% robbed. But I mean… What can you say? Everyone has their own opinion, and I went there to win. And so all of the looks I brought, all the intention that I had brought, the way I conducted myself—that was all with the intention to win. In not winning, I, as you know, that’s not part of my fantasy, that wasn’t part of my intention. For the denim challenge, I had come up with that concept. I brought the costume that basically wrote the whole thing and directed the whole thing. And then I presented in the most denim, the most legendary look, and to not be seen was disappointing, especially given [the judges’]
How I Find The Money To Travel By Jennifer Davis
I’ve been traveling the world for over a decade now, spending more time on the road than in any single place. While I’ve spent a lot of time in New York and Austin, and while I’m about to spend an extended period of time living in Paris, I’m still a nomad at heart. I’m a regular at airports. I familiar with getting lost in foreign lands where the language is a mystery to me. I’m constantly searching for cheap flights and collecting as many air miles as I can. After visiting some 100 countries, there’s a familiar line of questioning I get that usually leads to this: How do you afford to travel so often? Am I rich? Do I travel for work? Am I a male gigolo? Sell drugs or run guns? Sadly, it is none of those. (Ok, I’m glad I don’t have to sell drugs or run guns! As I said in a previous post about how I find money to travel, desire is what motivates and keeps me going. I want to travel — so I do. And while privilege plays its part, it doesn’t completely solve the practical issue: money. No matter how cheap you can 16 www.cityxtramagazine.com
travel, you do need some money. So how do I afford to travel so much? I work a lot.
I save my money. I’m frugal. (I still stay in hostels when I travel!) A lot of people have this misconception that travel is expensive, that whenever and wherever you go, you are going to spending a lot of money. In some places like Europe, that may be true. In some people’s cases, that is always true. But for most of us that isn’t true. Travel can be cheap and cheap doesn’t mean bad. I tell my former co-workers all the time that I just travel cheap and images of awful service and rundown hotels pop into their mind. Backpacking isn’t for them and they want their comfort. I want my comfort too. I eat out and do nice things while I’m away. It’s not all 12person dorms and instant noodle meals. So maybe frugal is a better word to use. I don’t travel cheap. I travel frugally. When I am home, I work and I save. I don’t go out every night and am careful about how I spend my money. I make travel my monetary priority. That’s the most important part of the puzzle. Don’t waste your money. If you are always spending on something else, travel will always seem out of your reach. You need to make travel a
priority too. Once it becomes important, you begin to find ways to save. Cut out the Starbucks and the fancy lunches. Every dollar count. Before I went away in 2006, I saved for over a year. I acted like a pauper so I could make sure I had enough money to travel. When I was on the road and ran out of money, I taught English in Bangkok. There are tons of other ways to make money while traveling, too. Working at a hostel, seasonal farm or restaurant work, remote freelancing, travel writing — the list goes on! Once you get creative, travel becomes an endless possibility. It won’t be easy or glamorous, but it is 100% possible if you’re willing to make some changes to how you view travel. People, especially Americans, have this image of travel and hotels, of fancy things and shopping, and luxury. All they see is dollar signs but you can have a comfortable vacation without comfortably spending your life savings. The sharing economy has changed the game, with platforms like Airbnb and Couchsurfing make travel more affordable while also making it more cultural immersive. Flying might be more expensive than it was in the past but there are certainly good deals out there and those flight tickets don’t have to cost a fortune. I always seem to manage to find prices that don’t
kill my wallet and that’s because I look hard and just don’t jump on the first flight I find on Expedia! Find an alternative to flying if you can. Trains and buses may take longer but are a lot cheaper. Most people don’t take a trip because flight costs scare them but, if you do your homework, you’ll find a cheap deal. Step out of your guidebook and find those little tiny local restaurants with great food and little tiny price tags. Eat where the locals eat, not where Frommer’s or Lonely Planet tells you. The locals aren’t spending a fortune living in their neighborhood and you shouldn’t either. You travel to see new places not new hotels. Living locally and traveling differently will save you money and give you a richer travel experience.
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks Book Your Flight
favorite companies that offer the best service and value are: World Nomads (for everyone below 70) Find a cheap flight by using Insure My Trip (for those over Skyscanner or Momondo. They 70) are my two favorite search Looking for the best engines because they search companies to save money websites and airlines around with? You don’t need a lot of money the globe so you always know to travel — you just need to Check out my resource page no stone is left unturned. think differently. Forget for the best companies to use packaged tours and expensive Book Your Accommodation when you travel! I list all the hotels and overpriced You can book your hostel with ones I use to save money restaurants and souvenirs. You Hostelworld. If you want to stay when I travel – and I think will can still have a luxury vacation elsewhere, use Booking.com help you too! without a luxury price. as they consistently return the If you want to travel more, it all cheapest rates for guesthouses starts with a change in mindset. and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. After that, it’s just a matter of knowing where to find the deals Don’t Forget Travel and putting in the work to track Insurance them down. Just booking that Travel insurance will protect package deal on Orbitz isn’t going to save you money. You you against illness, injury, theft, need to be smart if you want to and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in become a savvy traveler. case anything goes wrong. I So that’s how I find the money never go on a trip without it as to travel. And that’s how you I’ve had to use it many times in can too! the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My www.cityxtramagazine.com 17
during a recent meeting of the City Council’s Finance Committee. “It is truly a site Main Street Bridge On-Ramp Will Be that we’ve got to take our Demolished In Spring time with, and By Jessica Griffin let’s not mess When bulldozers knocked it up because it is the crown down the Jacksonville Landing, jewel of our city right now, and the nearby on-ramp to the Main we can do something very Street bridge gave motorists, special with this,” Moody said. joggers, walkers and cyclists Downtown Dwellers an up-close view of the Association board member demolition as they passed by it Howard Taylor, who regularly on daily commutes and uses the ramp when walking workouts. and driving through downtown, In the spring of 2021, that ramp wants the ramp to stay. He will go the way of the Landing said he doesn’t think when crews take down the demolishing it will make a ramp in a $1.3 million difference in having a demolition job, creating more successful redevelopment. “I space for as yet undetermined don’t think that’s going to new private development on encourage people to invest in the property where the Landing it,” he said. “It’s not a whole lot used to stand. of space, and there are lots and lots of people who depend The Landing was designed to avoid conflict with the on-ramp on it.” from Independent Drive to the JTA Running board member Main Street bridge, but city Doug Tillett said the Main leaders have been talking Street bridge ramp “will be since 2014 about taking out the missed” by runners when it’s ramp in tandem with taken down. The running club demolishing the Landing. designates a downtown route that goes by the Landing site The current redevelopment concept envisions most of 6.8 and over the bridge as one of the best in the city. acres site being green park space with two new buildings “It’s a beautiful site and the set back from the river. idea of adding some significant open space really sounds like a “It’s a beautiful site and the idea of adding some significant great idea to me.” “It’s a open space really sounds like a beautiful site and the idea of adding some significant open great idea to me,” Downtown space really sounds like a Investment Authority board great idea to me.”- Ron Moody, Chairman Ron Moody said Downtown Investment
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Authority board chairman City spokeswoman Nikki Kimbleton said that after the state tears down the on-ramp, the city will build a new connection for people on foot and bicycle at that spot for access to the Main Street bridge. The city has not designed how that access ramp will look or estimated what it will cost. At the city’s request, the state Department of Transportation put $1.3 million in its budget for demolishing the current ramp. The state plans to start the project in February and complete it in September, according to the schedule on its website. The city has poured its own money into getting the Landing site ready for redevelopment by paying $15 million to buy out the the Sleiman family’s ground lease for the mall, which was built on city-owned land, plus $1.5 million to relocate tenants. The demolition of the mall cost $1 million. Removing the Main Street bridge on-ramp will add some extra time for motorists who use it when leaving the North-bank side of downtown by heading south over the Main Street bridge. When the ramp is gone, those drivers will continue on Independent Drive past the JAX Chamber headquarters where they will hang a left and take a road to Bay Street, where they will then continue to Main Street and head to the
bridge. That route adds three blocks and less than a minute of drive time.
the Main Street and Acosta bridges and riverfront while The traffic flow on the bridge minimizing will be smoother because when having to cross the ramp is gone, the bridge busy roads. The won’t need the traffic light that state is adding stops traffic heading another southbound on the bridge in pedestrian path order to let drivers enter from for the Fuller Independent Drive. Warren Bridge State transportation officials that will further enhance the for the winning vision of how to said at a September 2014 options for walking and running reuse the Landing site. public hearing about removing routes. The current concept calls for the ramp that rerouting those Taylor, the downtown resident, most of the site to be public drivers would not have any said that while he’d rather see park space with two new significant impact on traffic flow the current on-ramp remain in buildings set back from the St. through that area. place, the city definitely needs Johns River. The maximum The state conducted that public to fill the void left from height of those building would hearing after Alvin Brown, who demolition by building a be mid-rise structures, was mayor at the time, and the pedestrian ramp. A Downtown Investment Sleiman family jointly decided it self-described “river rat” who Authority CEO Lori Boyer has was time to tear down the mall grew up in St. Louis and served said. and wanted to maximize the in the U.S. Coast Guard, he The two buildings would be at land area for redevelopment. said being able to soak up the back corners of the Landing Brown lost his reelection bid in view from the Main Street site, separated far enough 2015 and plans for the Landing bridge is part of what attracted apart that there would be a him to downtown living. site went on the back burner broad opening between them until Mayor Lenny Curry He said a pedestrian from Laura Street all the way negotiated a buy-out of the connection also will help down to the river. Boyer said in Sleiman family’s lease. whatever development comes order to maximize the amount to the Landing site, which he of public park space, the most The state’s public hearing in hopes will have some nighttime likely buildings would be two 2014 brought a lot of entertainment such as office buildings or an office comments from people who restaurants. building an a hotel. use the on-ramp to get around downtown on foot and bicycle. “If they want people to live The DIA plans to contract with downtown and stay downtown, three design firms that would If anything, more people are they’ve got to have a walkway get city stipends paying them to using the ramp now than in for cyclists and walkers,” he flesh out their plans beyond the 2014, said Gretchen Ehlinger, said. “It just makes common conceptual stage. Then DIA who works on the Southbank sense to me if they want would select a winning design. and spoke up at the public downtown to be viable.” “Iconic is an overused term, but hearing. we want them to be meaningful “That’s a really popular running While the state gears up for and special buildings because demolition of the ramp, the route,” she said. it’s a special location in the Downtown Investment She said it allows people to Authority is moving to bring in center of downtown,” Boyer. loop through downtown using design teams who will compete www.cityxtramagazine.com 19
reached out to us,” Cxsper recalls. “They were like, ’We’ll offer our facilities to How One Small Record Label Became a record your artists.’ And Lifeline for Black Trans Artists when they By William Massengill said that, I It all began, as many things do, was like, ’Okay, but I don’t want on social media. In June 2020, to send artists there who don’t Blxck Cxsper, founder of Trans have a team behind them.’ … Trenderz, a trans-focused indie So I was like, let me just sign record label, took to Facebook [these Black trans artists] onto and Instagram to offer free the label.” instrumentals to Black The Ghostly Beats Project transgender hip-hop artists. provides marginalized The Montréal-based recording musicians with free artist and Black trans migrant instrumentals, studio sessions, has always sought to empower mixing and mastering services other Black trans people, but from acclaimed sound the recent resurgence of the engineers, graphic design Black Lives Matter movement services, and access to The compelled them to give back Ghostly Beats Project artists’ more directly. forum. For any newbie record“I was like, ’If you need to beat, ing artist, an initiative like this— hit me up. You’re a Black trans and the creative community artist, you need to beat, hit me that comes in tandem—is helpup. I’ll give it to you for free,'” ful. But for Black trans they tell cityXtra. “’Get a free musicians, it’s a total gamelicense that way you can put it changer, an entry point into an on Spotify and you can make industry infamous for its money with it. I don’t need gatekeepers. nothing in return.'” Trans Trenderz began in 2016 Cxsper expected a few responses, maybe some reposts. Instead, they received inquiries from about 30 Black trans artists without access to beats. Those initial posts soon evolved into The Ghostly Beats Project, a Trans Trenderz initiative designed to set Black trans recording artists up for success. “It kind of became bigger when Studio G Brooklyn 20 www.cityxtramagazine.com
Londyn, a self-professed “hiphop goddess.”
Signing with Trans Trenderz via The Ghostly Beats Project was “a dream come true,” Londyn tells cityXtra. Prior to working with Cxsper, the Los Angeles-based solo artist made and promoted her music completely on her own. Now, she has a team of other trans people providing financial, technical, and emotional support every step of the way. “We recognize that we’re women in this industry. So of course, walking into the studio, there are certain places where we’re going to be in the same thick of it as most women trying to break into the industry,” Londyn says. “It’s just even worse because we are trans.” The support Londyn receives from Trans Trenderz is also quite literal: The team has a rule that no matter what, nobody physically goes anywhere alone. “So this experience is not only helping me better my music, but it’s also adding light to my life where it wasn’t really there before,” she adds. with Cxsper’s eponymous At first, The Ghostly Beats hip-hop mixtape featuring 14 trans or nonbinary artists. (Yes, Project was funded out-ofpocket by Cxsper and their the name is reclamation of friend Myla, a Black trans “transtrenders,” a derogatory woman living in Dallas, Texas; term used by some now, it’s also crowd-funded via transphobes to invalidate GoFundMe. The first four transgender people.) Today, singles to come out of the it’s a team of seven with initiative—including songs from Cxsper steering the ship. Flowerchild, Hills, and Cxsper Artists on their roster include Apollo Flowerchild, an indie folk themself—have already been singer; Heather Hills, a house/ recorded. The team is aiming for a September release for the electronic artist; and Lady
song. Moving forward, Cxsper hopes to expand The Ghostly Beats Project outside of New York City by partnering with recording studios in other cities around the world. “It’s beyond the artistry,” they explain. “It goes way beyond that, because now it’s like we’re a family.” Londyn echoes that sentiment. She’s currently gearing up for an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City for a recording session at Studio G Brooklyn. She’ll be joined by other artists from the Trans Trenderz family too. “With the moves that we’re making, it’s starting a trend for [the world] to see trans people as human beings,” she says. “That’s what the real trend is. In being our authentic and expressing ourselves that way, people then learn how to respect us. They learn how to see us and value what we bring to society.” What’s most amazing to Londyn, though, is how the Trans Trenderz team—all trans people of color who “don’t have much”—are making their own dreams come true. “It shows that for higher ups, there’s no excuse,” she adds. “If we’re a team of seven, and we can make all this happen… the community is our secret.”
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Karrissa T. Wade, Mouth of the South By Stephen Jones
Mouth of the South’s cabaret comedy queen and community activist Karrissa Wade gives the lowdown on PrEp and the antiviral drug, Truvada. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is an HIV-prevention strategy based on Truvada’s daily usage. The pill, which has been FDA-approved since 2012, is intended to protect the user from contracting HIV if exposed to the virus. With her penchant for cut-to-the-point humor, Karrissa weighs the pros and cons of getting on PrEP and reminds viewers the importance of being knowledgeable of and responsible for their sexual history and habits. Karrissa Wade is one of the most accomplished and well known drag performers in Jville. Active in politics, theatre, art and the performance and pageant circuit, she has been the host of countless charity events and benefits, and was a correspondent for MetroJacksonville. You can catch her regular performances at Hamburger Mary’s or connect with her on 22 www.cityxtramagazine.com
Facebook. https:// www.facebook.com/ karrissa.wade On top of bingo, Wade works full-time at a nonprofit clinic. She has also been a Grand Marshal for the Pride Parade, a guest host on The Chat, a show director and a host for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” However, Wade says she will probably continue to have fun with bingo for the next 1,000 years. “I get to entertain myself while making other people laugh too,” Wade said. “If I can make people forget about their pain for just a short moment, then it’s all worth it.” Along with the fun, Wade has met a lot of people through her profession. She has met Honey Boo Boo, an original Playboy Bunny and Barack Obama. Although, sometimes the ordinary people can leave more
of an impression, Wade said. As a naive college student, Wade started doing drag in 1993. There was a local bar contest every week, and the winner would get $350, she said. About seven years ago she combined her interest in drag with her love for charity work and created her unique show “Not Ya Grandma’s Comedy and Bingo” gig. “Nobody actually wants to see a grandma call out Bingo numbers though,” Wade said. “A drag queen and some exotic toys make things a bit more naughty and fun.” Each week, Wade travels to different locations to host her bingo events: St. Augustine, Jacksonville and Fernandina Beach. It is one of the 100 Things to do in Northeast Florida before you die, according to FOLIO Magazine.
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Cher Raises $2 Million for Joe Biden By David Vandygriff
The Biden campaign doesn’t need to worry about when the money’s gone as long as Cher’s around.
questions and unlike most politicians, Joe actually listened to me and cared [about] what I had to say,” she recalled. “He was honest and kind and smart.”
beliefs. She campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and she The iconic singer-actress most recently tried to volunteer headlined a virtual LGBTQ at her local post offices. fundraiser for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden High-profile out politicians like The beloved diva originally this Monday, August 31, and Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), endorsed Biden back in her appearance helped Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), February. organizers rake in $2 million for and former presidential “Joe is smart enough, he’s kind the campaign. Tickets started candidate Pete Buttigieg also enough, he’s strong enough,” at $500. Some 500 people made appearances at Monday she said during Monday’s reportedly joined the Zoom call. night’s event. Biden himself fundraiser, referencing one of spoke, too, shouting-out gay According to The Washington her classic Believe tracks. “I Blade, Cher told a story about Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D- also know that the person, N.Y.), who was in visiting Biden’s office back in woman, man, camera, TV, in 2006: “He thinks he invited me, attendance, and the White House is an idiot. I but really I invited myself. I saw committing once again to sign- mean it. No, the guy is really an a speech Joe had given and it ing the Equality Act within his idiot.” first 100 days in office. was love at first speech.” As she told the fundraiser Anyone who follows Cher on “So I went to his office to grill attendees, “So ask yourself, do him. I asked him really pointed social media knows she is you believe in life after Trump?” never silent about her political
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“Star Trek” Beams Up Its First Trans and Non-Binary Characters By Elizabeth Hearn
Star Trek: Discovery is boldly going where no Star Trek series has gone before.
character. Mainly because of this duality The sci-fi franchise’s first non- they have within binary and first trans characters them: they’re astonishingly intelligent and yet they’re still a are being beamed up to the Discovery for the third season kid. They experience their emotions at a heightened level, of the CBS All Access series. like most teenagers. That’s Non-binary newcomer Blu del what makes them so fun to Barrio will play the non-binary play. I like to describe them as character, Adira, and The OA cerebrally brilliant and breakout star Ian Alexander will emotionally a puppy. Adira is portray Gray, a trans Trill an introvert, but they keep a character. few people close to the chest, which I definitely resonate with. Star Trek has kept its casting I don’t want to say too much under wraps, and not much is and get in trouble, but all in all, known about Adira and Gray, Adira is a uniquely strange and but del Barrio did speak with GLAAD’s Nick Adams to shed beautiful character. some light on what fans can This isn’t the first time Star expect from Star Trek’s first Trek has made queer TV non-binary character: history. As cityXtra reported in Adira is a wonderfully complex 2017, the CBS space drama
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introduced Anthony Rapp’s character, Lt. Stamets, as the first openly gay character in the franchise’s television history. The series eventually showed a same-sex kiss between Stamets and his partner, Dr. Hugh Culber, played by fellow out actor Wilson Cruz. The franchise has been known for pushing boundaries since it first aired in 1966. It even came under fire in the late ’60s for featuring an interracial kiss between the characters Kirk and Uhura. The third season of Star Trek: Discovery premieres Thursday, October 15 on CBS All Access.