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River City Pride History
Publisher/Executive Editor: David Vandygriff dvandygriff@cityxtramagazine.com
By David Vandygriff
River City Pride Parade 2016
Editor In Chief: Harvey Carr editor@cityxtramagazine.com
By James Smith
River City Pride Festival 2016
Creative Designer: Jason Smith designer@cityxtramagazine.com
By Adam Plante
Sales Department: Adam Plante, Esq. aplante@cityxtramagazine.com
Dog Training By Jack Bobeck
Molecule Brain Cocaine Addiction By HIV Equal
Why Race Matters: Women & HIV By Trey Massengill
Embrace Your Partners Flaws By Dr. Harvey Carr
Gay Pride Beginnings By Michael Joshlin
cityXtra Magazine is published by cityXtra Inc . 2941 Plum Street Jacksonville, FL 32205 (904) 300-3320 www.cityxtramagazine.com Like us on Facebook/cityxtramag Twitter/cityxtra
Contributing Writers Laura Riggs, Dr. Harvey Carr, Meredith O’Malley Johnson, Tina Vaughn, Jake Moore, Tyler Curry Editor HIV Equal Online, Sebastian Fortino, David Vandygriff, Adam Plante, James Joshlin
WhiteAndWoke By Chevara Orrin
night life JACKSONVILLE Boot Rack: 4751 Lenox Blvd. (904) 384-7090 bootrack.com Bo’s Club: 201 5th Ave. N. (Jax Beach) (904) 246-9874 bosclub.com
ORLANDO Parliament House: 410 Orange Blossom Trail (407) 425-7571 parliamenthouse.com ST. PETERSBURG
Club Jax: 1939 Hendricks Ave. (904) 398-7451 clubjax.com
Flamingo Resort: 4601 34th St. S (727) 321-5000 flamingofla.com
Hamburger Mary’s: 3333-1 Beach Blvd. (904) 551-2048 hamburgermarys.com/jax
Sporters Bar: 187 Dr. MLK St. N (9th St.) (727) 821-1920
Incahoots: 711 Edison Ave. (904) 353-6316 Park Place: 931 King St. (904) 389-6616 Metro: 859 Willow Branch Ave. (904) 388-7192 metrojax.com Norm’s Alibi: 2952 Roosevelt (904) 384-0029
TAMPA (Ybor) Bradley’s on 7th: 1510 E 7th Ave (813) 241-2723 Liquid Tampa: 1502 E 7th (813) 248-6104 liquidtampa.com
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River City Pride History By David Vandygriff
The year was 1978, nine years after the Stonewall riots that gave birth to the gay rights movement and Jacksonville celebrated its’ first Gay Pride Festival with a large picnic at Willow Branch Park, thus becoming yet another city nationwide to be out and proud. The Lesbian & Gay Community Center of Jacksonville (LGCAJ) was subsequently established receiving its’ 501 (c) (3) status in community portal and Steppin Out Networking November of 1989. Socials. In the years that followed, LGCAJ became an umbrella organization for many community service projects and the stepping stone for other non-profit start ups in Jacksonville such as: Out & About, Jacksonville Gay Pride, Unity Leadership, Safe School Coalition, The Lesbian Breast Cancer Outreach Project and First Coast Chorus. In 1999, the future of LGCAJ began to look bleak as many of the board members had left to pursue other endeavors/careers and some had become victim of the AIDS epidemic. With the organization in limbo, attorney Kim Blankenship stepped forward to reinstate the organization along with the Jacksonville Gay Pride Committee. The organization was then renamed; Community Rainbows, Inc. Two years later at the end of 2001, the Jacksonville Gay Pride Committee became First Coast Pride, Inc. acquiring the umbrella organization and re-established the Out & About newspaper as Out In The City. After many years, 2001 also marked the last year the annual Pride Festival was held at the fairgrounds and in 2002 FCP moved the festival to the Sea Walk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach. In 2008 the name was once again changed from First Coast Pride, Inc. to Merge, Inc. with the festival moving to Riverside Park. At one time prior to 2008, the following organizations were housed under the 501 (c) (3) umbrella of Community Rainbows, Inc.: First Coast Pride, Out in the City, the NEFL Names Project, the FCP HIV Testing Project, the Ray Castro Foundation of the Arts, MyOITC.com www.cityxtramagazine.com 4
Despite the largest crowd in its’ 30 year history for the parade, block party and a successful scaled back festival, low revenue would mark 2008 as the final year in the long history of pride celebrations in Jacksonville. The year would also bring an end to the newspaper, Out in the City, due to dwindling ad revenue sources and the inability to secure an editor in chief.
First Coast Pride/Merge Inc. disassembled in 2009 as the majority of board members had resigned for various personal reasons and funding was non-existent due to lack of leadership in sponsorship efforts. While there were attempts to resuscitate the organization unsubstantiated rumors/claims/accusations of large indebtedness and funding issues took its’ toll on all who were trying to put the organization back together and all pride activities were canceled. In 2010, Jerry Rosenberg compiled a group of persons interested in bringing back a pride organization to Jacksonville and River City Pride was born. Starting with zero dollars, the LGBT community came together and re-established a Pride Parade and Pride Festival in October, 2010 to coincide with Coming Out Day. The River City Pride Organization not only raised enough dollars to finance the 2010 events but also made it possible to continue the events in 2011. As of November, 2015, River City Pride was approaching a revenue balance exceeding $30,000 to take the tradition into 2016 and beyond.
River City Pride Parade 2016 By James Smith
START TIME: 4:00 pm on October 1, 2016 START LOCATION: Boone Park From Boone Park, turn left onto St Johns Avenue Continue for one mile to McDuff Avenue Turn left onto McDuff Avenue and continue for half of a mile Turn right onto Park Street and continue for one mile Stay left at caution light to Riverside Park END: 5 Points Business District ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The parade will begin promptly at 4 pm. You can begin lining up at your assigned spot at Boone Park at 2:30 pm and must be in place by 3:30 pm. If you are late, you may lose your spot in the parade and your registration fee will not be refunded.
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PARADE ROUTE 2016
River City Pride Festival 2016 By Adam Plante
Sunday - October 2, 2016 Riverside Arts Market 715 Riverside Avenue Jacksonville, FL 32204 FREE ENTRY ($3 Donations Suggested – FREE Commemorative Bracelet with donations) River City Pride Festival 2016 Host/Hostess 11am-2pm Karrissa Wade & Diallo Mudd River City Pride Festival Host/Hostess 2pm—8pm Derrick Odum, Action News Jax Nikki Preede Kimbleton WJXT Over 100 vendors participating with entertainment from across the United States. Entertainment Line-Up 2016: First Coast Sisters & River City Pride National Anthem by Jordan Wrigth Amanda Ami Elaine Moncman Best of Jax Karaoke AJ Neaher AJ Menendez & Company Johnathan Celestin Beverly McClellan, The Voice Hamburger Mary’s Girls Rob Session AJ Neaher & BeBe Deluxe Well Strung Pepper Mashay Skye Strickle Dee Ranges Tee Conway Laser & Fire Show www.cityxtramagazine.com 8
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Dog Training By Jack Bobeck
Training takes time is one of the most misunderstood terms in the world of dogs. Because people get a dog and think that the dog comes to them trained……..yeah, let that one sink in for a bit…… as if when they popped out of their mother’s womb, they were expected to learn how to walk, talk, and in some cases chew gum at the same time……Really? Training takes time with your dog, but it is a worthwhile exercise for both you and your dog. The one thing that training your dog does…….drum roll…..is make you a better parent. Dogs want to please their owners. So the Fourth of July has come and gone an we received a number of dogs into our shop who were very sad dogs, because their owners do not take the time to work with their dogs on commands. It was amazing the number of dogs who do not know “THEIR NAME”! First rule of dog training, teach your dog their name. If I cannot get their attention with “FIDO!!!!!!” how in the world do I getTraining-takes-time their attention when I command them to Stop? After all, we as the managers of dog daycare are trying to socialize your dog a little bit each day. The problem when a dog does not know commands, or their name is that they act like crazy-out-of-control dogs, and the owners can pick their dogs out of a lineup when the staff asks….”Who owns this dog?” As owners of a training, daycare, grooming and boarding facility, we realize that dogs are, well, dogs, and while you know they will never speak your language, and you will never speak theirs “Why did my dog eat my shoe 15 minutes ago?”, you can work on trust. What is good and bad in your house, what is expected. When you say a command, does your dog listen? Does your dog know “Stop” or “Leave It”? The Leave It command is good around anything you do not want your dog to touch or smell or engage, followed by a loud and obnoxious “Good Dog, Good Dog”, positive reinforcement of good behavior. We speak sternly on commands followed by lavish praise. How hard is this for 5-10 minutes during the day? It will take www.cityxtramagazine.com 14
you less time than it takes you to run to Starbucks, order, drink and dispose of your coffee when training your dog. So why “JUST DO IT”? Who does not want a jumping dog? Who does not want a barking and snarling dog toward kids, other people or worse, other dogs? Who does not want the dog that does not listen to commands or know where the safe and happy parts of the house are located?…………………….um me. We want to work with your dogs to make them a better part of your family. This dog is a part of Training-takestimeyour family, and training takes time, so use your time to do some simple 2 second drills, “Look at Me”, where you get the dog to Look…at…you and reward with a treat. Its simple and easy and you can do this. You can have a much better dog,
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Molecule Brain Cocaine Addiction By HIV Equal
A new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), funded by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), suggests that increased levels of a molecule in the brain, called hypocretin, may contribute to cocaine addiction. The research, published recently online ahead of print in the journal Biological Psychiatry, shows that blocking hypocretin may reduce compulsive drug-seeking behavior in rat models of cocaine addiction. “Cocaine addiction is a disorder that affects millions of people worldwide,” said Marisa Roberto, professor in TSRI’s Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders (CNAD) and co-author of the study with Brooke Schmeichel, a former TSRI researcher now at NIDA, George Koob, the CNAD chairman currently on a leave of absence to direct the NIAAA, and Melissa Herman, a senior research associate at TSRI. “Understanding the mechanisms underlying cocaine addiction is important for identifying potential new targets for therapeutic use.” “The results of this study would suggest that the hypocretin system could be considered a pharmacological target, with the hopes that such a medication could be used in combination with cognitive behavioral therapies,” added Schmeichel. Addiction seems like a simple concept—taking a drug motivates a person to continue to take that drug. But the molecular mechanisms in the brain that drive addiction are more complex. To design treatments for addiction and relapse, scientists need to understand what motivates a person to transition from occasional drug use to compulsive drug use. In the new study, the researchers, led by Schmeichel, focused on changes in the central amygdala, a brain region associated with stress and negative emotions during drug withdrawal. www.cityxtramagazine.com 16
Their goal was to better understand the role of a neurotransmitter called hypocretin in the central amygdala. Hypocretin is a main player in the brain’s hypothalamic hypocretin/orexin (HCRT) system, a network that sends signals between brain regions and has been shown to influence the brain’s reactions to cocaine, nicotine, alcohol and opioids and the desire to relapse. Until now, however, scientists did not fully understand the HCRT’s role in cocaine addiction. For the study, one group of rats was given the option to self-administer cocaine for one hour a day, mimicking conditions of short-term, occasional drug use. A second group had the option to self-administer cocaine for six hours a day, which mimicked the conditions that lead to compulsive drug use and addiction. The researchers found that compulsive cocaine use triggers a dangerous cycle in the brain, with cocaine sensitizing the HCRT system, which motivates further drug-seeking. Specifically, compulsive cocaine use leads to increased hypocretin, which contributes to overactivity in the central amygdala. This overactivity corresponds with an anxiety-like state in rat models that appears to help maintain the motivation to continue to seek the drug. “The rats escalate their daily intake as many human users would,” said Roberto. Interestingly, giving the rats an “antagonist” to block HCRT activity at one of the two HCRT receptors in the central amygdala helped reduce their drug-seeking behavior, suggesting a potential role for these compounds in treatments for addiction and relapse.
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Why Race Matters: Women & HIV By Trey Massengill
Race matters when it comes to HIV -- and not just for women of color. Around the world, the "female face of HIV" is, overwhelmingly, the face of a Black or Brown woman. This is the case worldwide, where roughly half of all people living with HIV are women. The vast majority of these women live in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, where the percentage of women with HIV is rising. Further, transgender women around the globe are nearly 50 times more likely to be living with HIV than the general adult population. In the U.S. (where this fact sheet will mainly focus), about one in four people living with HIV (HIV+) is a woman. However, African-American women and Latinas make up nearly 80 percent of these women, even though they account for less than 30 percent of the U.S. female population. (For more information, view our fact sheet, Women and HIV.) One study also showed that the HIV rate is more than three times higher among Black transgender women than among white or Latina transwomen.
health condition that affects different races differently due to social factors -- as we've seen with diabetes and heart disease among communities of color -- as opposed to inheritance (passing a health condition down through a family over generations through genes). However, the root of why these differences exist is often misrepresented (and steeped in bias and myths), rarely well explained, and even less often addressed.
Though not often talked about, in part due to their small numbers in the population overall, American Indian/Alaskan Native communities experience the third-highest HIV rate of any racial group in the U.S. And while Asian/Pacific Islander communities may not be as heavily impacted by HIV, cultural factors may leave women in these communities vulnerable to becoming HIV+, or make it harder for them to connect to HIV care. While the number of women being diagnosed with HIV each year in the U.S. overall has gone down by 40 percent in the last decade or so, that number is still high among women of color. Differences in HIV rates by race get talked about a lot in the HIV community. HIV is not the only www.cityxtramagazine.com 19
Embrace Your Partners Flaws By Dr. Harvey Carr
Let’s face it even Prince Charming has a flaw or two that drives Cinderella bonkers! Falling in love with someone means accepting their pros and cons. The flaws, of a person, are part of that individual’s makeup – so we should look for ways to make the most of someone’s attributes. So before you begin nagging or making a case, for something that a person cannot control, you should find a way to welcome those flaws with open arms. Think about the flaws that you bring to the table and the characteristics that your partner possesses that complement your flaws. Now think about the characteristics that you have that complement your partner’s flaws. Finding the right person means you’re able to balance each other and help the other be a better person. You have to remember there is no person who has every attribute that is on your perfect mate checklist; however, every attribute makes a person unique and the reason why you fell for them in the first place. It’s easy to get hung up on the negative things in life but try your best to focus on the positive attributes your partner has. Maybe they’re compassionate, good-willed, honest, funny or perhaps all of the above – regardless, think about the great things your partner brings to the table, and focus on being thankful that God has blessed you with someone who possesses such admirable characteristics.
be way worse. So what your partner snores at night, or perhaps has a tick in their throat – truth be told, it could be way worse. Some couples have to combat dishonesty, affairs or other horrible issues but all you have to do is handle a little bit of snoring or coughing – think about it, things could be way worse. Just tell your partner what bothers you. Odds are they won’t be able to completely stop, cold turkey, the issue that is annoying you and causing you frustration however they will make an inclined decision to avoid doing whatever it may be. Communication is the key to many problems and if you’re willing to be open and honest about everything, your partner will feel more inclined to make an effort to resolve an issue or annoyance. Communicating will also provide your partner with a platform to voice his/her concerns and give you an opportunity to work on issues that you may be committing inadvertently that are frustrating your partner.
Vocalize your partner’s positive points to him/her and let them know how blessed you are to have them in your life. Not only will your partner feel appreciated but they’ll also be more inclined to be positive and bring forth more blessings into your life together. You’ve probably been told a time or two that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Well, look at the other side. Think about it, things could www.cityxtramagazine.com 23
Gay Pride Beginnings By Michael Joshlin
Gay pride or LGBT pride is the positive stance against discrimination and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people to promote their self-affirmation, dignity, equality rights, increase their visibility as a social group, build community, and celebrate sexual diversity and gender variance. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements throughout the world. Pride has lent its name to LGBT-themed organizations, institutes, foundations, book titles, periodicals and even a cable TV station and the Pride Library.
Philadelphia.
Brenda Howard is known as the "Mother of Pride", for her work in coordinating the march. Howard also originated the idea for a week-long series of events around Pride Day which became the genesis of the annual LGBT Pride celebrations Ranging from solemn to carnivalesque, pride that are now held around the world every June. events are typically held during LGBT Pride Month Additionally, Howard along with fellow LGBT or some other period that commemorates a Activists Robert A. Martin (aka Donny the Punk) turning point in a country’s LGBT history, for and L. Craig Schoonmaker are credited with example Moscow Pride in May for the anniversary popularizing the word "Pride" to describe these of Russia's 1993 decriminalization of festivities. As LGBT rights activist Tom Limoncelli homosexuality. Some pride events include LGBT put it, "The next time someone asks you why pride parades and marches, rallies, LGBT Pride marches exist or why [LGBT] Pride commemorations, community days, dance parties, Month is June tell them 'A bisexual woman named and large festivals, such as Sydney Mardi Gras, Brenda Howard thought it should be.'" which spans several weeks. Common symbols of pride are the rainbow or pride flag, the lowercase Greek letter lambda, the pink triangle and the black triangle, these latter two reclaimed from use as badges of shame in Nazi concentration camps. The 1950s and 1960s in the United States was an extremely repressive legal and social period for LGBT people. In this context American homophile organizations such as the Daughters of Bilitis and the Mattachine Society coordinated some of the earliest demonstrations of the modern LGBT rights movement. These two organizations in particular carried out pickets called “Annual Reminders” to inform and remind Americans that LGBT people did not receive basic civil rights protections. Annual Reminders began in 1965 and took place each 4 July at Independence Hall in www.cityxtramagazine.com 28
WhiteAndWoke We are a community of white people who understand that the structural racism buried in the fabric of our nation was created by us. We believe that our white privilege perpetuates the systemic problem. We take responsibility and stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of color. Our purpose is to raise awareness among white people and create action to dismantle institutional racism and its corresponding white privilege. This is not a movement that impulsive and momentary outburst of empathy are expressed because of the intensity of a one-time debate. This is a movement about streaming CONSCIOUSNESS. This is not a movement in which animated discussions about race are whispered in the boss’ office after hours or by the corner water cooler because of a weekend news broadcast. This movement is about cyclic EXPOSURE. This is not a movement about a fleeting outrage that cast a dim light on injustices within the safety of ones’ curtain drawn home, with like -minded friends, over a glass of wine. This is a movement about self-motivated COURAGE. It is not the protected approval with an appeasing click of the almighty “like” button and 140 character rebuttals. This is a movement about selfless ACTION. Action, to disassemble the doctrine of ignorance and foster agents of change against the intrinsic mode of operation of injustice and
racism. To bring light to the places in which leadership is needed and service is required. This is the movement that effectively affects one’s world view through the eyes of others. In order to support and empower our collective humanity, one must first challenge them-self to arise from sleeping. Selfactualization, is a personal evolution. It is one that requires a continuous process of awareness. This is a movement about CHANGE. It is time for a collective change that does not fear the light of truth; but looks into the darkness with a loud shout and shakes loose the most challenging convictions and stereotypes. And although the push forward may be unfamiliar territory, we refuse to sleep and rise to a higher level of consciousness. We are white, we are woke and we speak out because the half of our whole collective is filled with black lives that really do matter. #WHITEANDWOKE MOVEMENT TO INCLUDE: Print ad/video campaigns to highlight those citizens who are helping to dismantle structural racism Quarterly anti-racism/bias trainings by nationally recognized diversity practitioner to increase awareness which moves to action Toolkits for how white people can take ownership and stand in solidarity with people of
color Research to examine the ethnic makeup of key leadership roles and to analyze organizational policies on diversity, equity and inclusion THE #WHITEANDWOKE TEAM We are a community of white people who understand that the structural racism buried in the fabric of our nation was created by us. We believe that our white privilege perpetuates the systemic problem. We take responsibility and stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of color. Our purpose is to raise awareness among white people and create action to dismantle institutional racism and its corresponding white privilege. It is our pleasure to introduce to you the #WHITEANDWOKE team! CHIEF CREATIVE CATALYST Chevara Orrin has worked in the profit and higher education sectors for more than 15 years and has served as a community advocate for more than 30 years. Her earliest memory of activism was as a threeyear old, sleeping in concrete building tubes across the street from the White House in support of the Bangladesh Liberation War and protesting famine in Pakistan. She is a creative consultant, writer and public speaker whose topics range from Networking & Personal Brand Development to Social Justice to Personal Empowerment. CO-CREATOR/CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kiley Carter is the Founder, CEO & Creative Director of her own creative agency located in the Urban Core of Jacksonville. Kiley founded the Crux Collective back in 2014 with the goal of helping to shape Jacksonville’s creative and social scenes by working with local creative talent, non-profits and small businesses. Crux Collective was voted “Best of Jacksonville” in
2015 after just 1 year in business. Kiley specializes in branding, design, film production, photography & print. PHOTOGRAPHER/FILMMAKER Jay Palmer a native of Long Island, New York, Jay Palmer has been an active filmmaker, photographer and musician throughout his life. Jay’s passion for film began in the early 80’s after being introduced to Stephen Speilberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Since that film, Jay has writen, directed and edited his own work, one of which was accepted and showcased in the NYC Film and Video Festival in 2001. Jay is also a photographer/filmmaker at the Crux Collective. SENIOR ADVISOR Bobbie O’Connor has almost 50 years of personal and professional experience as a social justice activist. She was born in south Alabama and came of age during the days of George Wallace, Bull Connor, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. From the depths of this struggle emerged a strong voice and a commitment to live a life of service which fosters equality for all. Bobbie uses her voice, her time, her energy and life’s blood to meet this commitment – one step at a time. Now that you've met the team, join us as we continue to wake up, show up and take action. We are #WHITEANDWOKE. For more information contact us below or at contact@whiteandwoke.org
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