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Chief Rabbi Supports LGBT+ Rights By Drew Wilson
Aging HIV Population By Bob Williams
Art Therapy Can Help LGBT Youth By Debi Dickson
India Courts Legalize Gay Sex By Michelle Davis
By David Vandygriff
Grindr IPO
By Jacob Joshlin
Cher’s ‘Here We Go Again’ Tour By David Vandygriff
Madonna’s Lisbon Portugal By Nick Adkins
Obama #TakeItBack By Adrian Stevenson
River City Pride 2018 Events By David Vandygriff
night life
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Metro: 859 Willow Branch Ave. (904) 388-7192 www.MetroJax.com
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The Art of Drag
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Chief Rabbi Supports LGBT+ Rights By Drew Wilson
to address it at all amounts to an abrogation of our responsibility to the Almighty and to our children.
“We are, of course, aware of the Torah’s issurim (prohibitions) here, including Vayikra/Leviticus 18:22, but when homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying is carried out with ‘justifications’ from Jewish texts, “The Wellbeing of LGBT+ Pupils: a major chilul Hashem is caused. A Guide for Orthodox Jewish “We must be ever-mindful of the Schools,” created by Chief Rabbi mitzva to “Love your neighbor as Ephraim Mirvis with the help of yourself.'” Jewish LGBT+ group KeshetUK, He added that “within our is an unprecedented step schools there are students towards LGBT+ equality in whose lives are in danger, both Orthodox Judaism. spiritually and physically. The Chief Rabbi urged Orthodox synagogues to welcome LGBT+ “As a community, we have a collective chiyuv (obligation) to people into their communities when he took on the prestigious address this issue together.” position in 2013, and reiterated The guide, which was created this stance in 2016, after the over the course of nine months, mass shooting at Orlando’s also explains to schools what the Pulse nightclub. current rules and regulations are and how to follow them and But he has now gone further than any other Chief Rabbi by co includes a glossary of LGBT+ -creating guidance for Orthodox terms. schools on how to use language Rabbi Mirvis hailed the responsibly, prevent bullying, document as “an extremely help children when they come significant milestone” which he out and educate parents and said “will have a real and lasting teachers on queer issues. impact on reducing harm to In his foreword to the document, LGBT+ Jews across the Orthodox Jewish community. the Chief Rabbi writes that ignoring queer issues in the “Our children need to know that Jewish community is a slight to at school, at home and in the God and your children, before community, they will be loved challenging the infamous Torah and protected regardless of their passage used to justify sexuality or gender identity.” homophobia. Dalia Fleming, executive director “As challenging as the task might of KeshetUK, said her be, and it is exceptionally organization was proud of the challenging, I believe that failure guidance, adding that “KeshetUK now looks forward to working 06 www.cityxtramagazine.com The UK’s Chief Rabbi has spoken out in support of LGBT+ Jews being accepted by Orthodox communities as part of a new guide for religious schools on how to help queer students.
with schools, rabbis and educators across Jewish communities, supporting them to implement this guide so they can ensure their LGBT+ students reach their potential, free from homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, discrimination and fear.” It is understood that a backlash is anticipated from some within the Orthodox community. But the guidance has already been introduced and explained to several major Jewish schools, including JFS, Kantor King Solomon High School (KKSHS), Hasmonean, Yavneh College and Immanuel College. Yavneh headteacher Spencer Lewis said that his school welcomed the document. “I was very happy to receive the guidance and will be discussing it with colleagues over the coming weeks; I think it will be really helpful,” he said. Rachel Fink, the headteacher of JFS, said her school “welcomes this guidance for schools and through staff training with KeshetUK we will be able to implement the recommendations fully. “The guide will contribute to supporting the way in which JFS is developing wellbeing for all students, including LGBT+ pupils.”
Aging HIV Population By Bob Williams The aging population of people living with HIV is growing for two main reasons: 1) powerful HIV drugs are allowing many people living with HIV to live into their 50s and beyond; and 2) while most new HIV cases occur in younger people, people 50 and older are acquiring HIV at increasing rates. The CDC reports that more than two in five adults living with HIV were 50 and older in the US in 2014 Many of the medical problems facing people living with HIV now have more to do with diseases of aging than HIVrelated illnesses. More middle-age and older people living with HIV are experiencing medical problems related to aging. Research shows that almost two-thirds of deaths among people living with HIV are currently the result of nonAIDS-related causes. While many health and social concerns faced by HIV long-term survivors (those who have been living with HIV for more than ten years) relate to common effects of aging, others have to do with the unique realities of surviving with HIV for many years, often during the most devastating years of the epidemic. 08 www.cityxtramagazine.com
Recent advancements in HIV drugs have been successful at keeping people's immune systems healthy with fewer side effects and fewer pills. Despite the tremendous improvements in HIV drugs that now enable most people living with HIV to live long and healthy lives, there are several ways in which living and aging with HIV are different compared to aging while HIVnegative. Some of the health problems of older people appear to happen earlier and faster in people living with HIV (this is sometimes referred to as "accelerated aging"). Scientists are not sure why this happens. It may be that simply having the virus in one's body leads to many of the chronic medical conditions associated with aging. HIV decreases the ability of the immune system to fight off infections; this is often referred to as the immune system being suppressed. However, because the immune system of a person living with HIV is always struggling to get rid of the virus, the immune system of people living with HIV is always activated, or "turned on." After many years of being constantly activated, the immune system of people
living with HIV may show signs of premature aging. In addition, an activated immune system produces inflammation. Ongoing inflammation appears to be related to many conditions, including heart disease and cancer. Scientists are still exploring whether people living with HIV experience 'accelerated aging' as a result of living with HIV. The drugs used to treat HIV may also contribute to the aging-related health conditions seen in people living with HIV. Although the HIV drugs used now are more effective and less toxic than in previous years, they still may have long-term effects that we do not yet fully understand.
Art Therapy Can Help LGBT Youth By Debi Dickson
Providing the appropriate level and type of mental healthcare for LGBT youth has been one of the greatest challenging facing youth therapists, psychologists, and counselors in the 21st Century. The issue is still somewhat controversial owing to the use of so-called conversion therapy to try and ‘cure’ youths of their sexual orientation. These therapies have largely been considered failures; not only do they do nothing to address the issues facing teenagers confused about their gender or sexuality, they are in fact actively harmful. A number of states have now banned the practice of sending children to such camps, but determined parents either take them out of state or ignore the rules altogether. The history of our society’s treatment of LGBT people has made many wary of seeking out help for their own issues surrounding their sexuality, and many of the youth who could benefit from such counseling have little to no confidence in the ability of private institutions to deliver it properly. It is therefore important to make LGBT youth aware of the therapy options that are 12 www.cityxtramagazine.com
available and how they can help them. In this article, we will focus on art therapy, which is gaining popularity as an effective and popular treatment. A Relaxed Atmosphere One of the big advantages that art therapy has over other forms of therapy is that the atmosphere in art therapy is unlike that of conventional therapy; usually the patient will be talking to the counselor one on one and it is natural for patients to need some time to build rapport before they can effectively open up under such circumstances. Art therapy on the other hand is designed to help the patient to feel at ease and the counselor will initially focus on the art aspect in order to help bring the patient out of their comfort zone. Identify Problematic Thoughts and Actions Art therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in helping young people to overcome bullying, discrimination, and oppression. Art therapy is a good way of helping patients to identify and begin to deal with emotions that are difficult to process. When the patient can’t put their
feelings into words, it is hard for them to talk about those feelings and to work through them. Art provides a new ‘language’ with which the patient can convey how they are feeling. Learning to Live with Discrimination Amanda Meeks, a woman with decades of experience in treating LGBT youth, believes that it is the small acts of aggression or dismissal that accumulate and impact most LGBT people’s emotional state rather than more significant individual acts of discrimination. If you think that working with LGBT youth to provide emotional support and improve their quality of life is something that appeals to you then you should look at online counseling degrees. An online masters in counseling is something you can study while working a job. Art therapy is already making a big difference to many LGBT youth and looks set to continue to form an important part of future treatment protocols.
sodomy ban. “Any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation India Courts Legalize Gay Sex violates By Michelle Davis fundamental rights,” wrote In a historic ruling, India’s Chief Justice Dipak Misra. Supreme Court ruled that “Social morality cannot be used homosexuality is no longer a to violate the fundamental criminal offense. rights of even a single A colonial law, section 377, individual,” he continued. banned “carnal intercourse “Constitutional morality cannot against the order of nature,” be martyred at the altar of and has been interpreted to social morality.” include sex between two One judge on the five-judge people of the same sex. It panel, Indu Malhotra, said that carried a maximum penalty of “history owes an apology” to ten years in prison. LGBTQ people. In 2009, the Delhi High Court “I’m absolutely elated,” activist declared section 377 unconstitutional, and the ruling Harish Iyer said. “It’s like a applied to the entirety of India. second freedom struggle where In 2013, however, the Supreme finally we have thrown a British law out of this country…. I think Court overturned the Delhi the next step would be to get court’s ruling. anti-discrimination laws in Yesterday’s unanimous place, or anti-bullying laws.” Supreme Court decision went “We become equal citizens beyond ending the country’s
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with the removal of Section 377,” said Ashok Row Kavi, one of the plaintiffs in the case. “Equal rights are accessible for us with this decriminalization.” But there is still much work to be done. “You can’t break the fortress in one go,” Kavi added. “Open the door. If the door gets opened, you are inside. Be inside and fight it out.” The court said that only the parts of Section 377 that concern relations between consenting adults were overturned. The law also bans bestiality, and the court said that the ruling does not necessarily extend to matters like marriage.
and live venues to mainstream media but drags sights are set higher than that. With a deep history leading back to Shakespeare, drag (stemming from Dressing As a Girl) has taken many forms, from being a necessity in theatre to a part-time hobby for gay men to express themselves through the confines of modern society to the hyper-theatrical pop personality competition it’s become. Through social media, music, and television, drag has extended beyond simply dressing up as a woman and putting on a show. Thanks in no small part to Drag Race, drag has become a competition of vocal performance, dance, fashion design and construction, make-up, improv, and all-around congeniality. Your fav could never. Honestly, it’s exhausting to see drag stars perform, because the great ones effortlessly perform as a one-woman pop star production, and there’s a stark underappreciation of the queens who do it well while no one’s noticing. This leads to a drive to stand out in other ways, like in comedy, drama, or mythology. Drag is reality TV with a sugar rush. It’s astounding simply how much work is left to the queens themselves and the amount of understanding of
TheByArt of Drag David Vandygriff Drag feels everywhere now, but we still haven’t reached the saturation point. Alongside hip-hop culture, which carries its own wealth of history and struggles for mainstream acceptance, both it and drag tell a narrative through-line that parallels American culture as a whole. In perhaps the most uncertain time in history, it’s stabilizing, motivating even, to see minority communities band together to express themselves in the most authentic way possible. This can only be done through art. Hip-Hop music and culture have had a stronghold in mainstream media for decades now, but drag particularly has hit a stride in recent years. The rise of the current presidential administration in America alongside RuPaul’s Drag Race’s move made from minor-league channel LOGO to VH1 has created this perfect storm of perhaps hyper-awareness of drag culture in the public eye. Straight people are being exposed to and gobbling up RPDR, and more power to it! There’s no doubting the significance RuPaul has personally had in lifting the artform from metropolitan clubs 16 www.cityxtramagazine.com
celebrity, self-awareness, and performance necessary to pull it off. Perhaps one of the greatest criticisms of Drag Race is how little the focus is on simply pulling off such feats week-by-week, instead focusing on catty manufactured drama and semi-predictable reality TV beats, often exasperated by RuPaul’s intentionally repetitive brand-awareness. More importantly, and more noticeably, is the unpacking of personal struggle and adversity every drag queen is faced with, which leads to a weird dynamic between the contestants and mama Ru. Oftentimes, he tasks herself with the role of Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell, and Oprah. RuPaul plays host, therapist, and judge oftentimes in the same breath and it leads to a very strange dynamic between him and the contestants. Is Ru a mentor, a fan, or an icon to impress? The contestants are confused, and the constructed nature of reality TV and competition shows clouds all the hats (or in this case, wigs) RuPaul puts on every episode. After 10 seasons, I’m personally hopeful some of these roles are rectified in the near future because there’s so much good that can come from intimately and honestly unpacking some of the adversities in the queen. The themes are universal to all genders, races, and sexualities, but under the guise of congeniality and competition, one has to wonder if the setting is appropriate.
To discuss drag culture in 2018 necessitates such lengthy discussion of RuPaul’s Drag Race, but hopefully, that won’t be the case for long. There are so many, potentially unlimited facets of Drag and gender expression. We haven’t reached a saturation point in the slightest. Locally, there’s an exploration of that saturation point with many bars establishing their own shows, all in competition for THE drag show in Atlanta, but there simply isn’t one yet. And maybe there won’t be just one. Drag is for everyone, and as long as we maintain the themes and purposes of the art and sport, we may be in for the first truly and authentically queer space in mainstream media. All of this begins though when you hand that dollar to the local queen performing their padded ass off. Model: Sania DeLa Cruize TheDragPhotographer.com
gaming company buying the remaining 38.5% for $152million given it overall By Jacob Joshlin ownership. Popular gay dating app Grindr Now, according to the Finanmay soon be going public, cial Times, the board of Kunaccording to a filing with the lun have unanimously agreed Shenzhen Stock Exchange. an initial public offering (IPO). Tech entrepreneur Joel According to a filing with the Simkhai launched Grindr in Shenzhen Stock Exchange, 2009. One of the first Grindr accounted for 4% of geosocial networking sites on Kunlun’s overall profits last the market, it benefited from year, and the app has been the explosion in smartphone ‘continuously profitable’ for use and quickly became one three years. of the most popular dating Money raised from the IPO apps for gay and bisexual will go towards further men. It says it has over 2 expansion and development. million daily users. Although primarily used by In 2016, it sold a majority gay and bisexual men to 61.5% shareholding to China’s Beijing Kunlun Tech meet, hook-up and date, the app has expanded in the last for $93million. This was two years to also offer articles followed last year by the
Grindr IPO
and video content via its online magazine, Into. Next month, it’s due to debut new initiative, Kindr. This is believed to be a response to users experiencing racism and other forms of discrimination on the site. At the moment, the company has only teased the campaign, with the tagline, ‘It’s time to play nice’. The project will be rolled out from 19 September. An expected date for the IPO has not yet been revealed.
STD & Oral HIV Testing Every Second Tuesday of Each Month By The AIDS Healthcare Foundation
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Cher’s ‘Here We Go Again’ Tour By David Vandygriff
Center Feb. 10 -- Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena Feb. 12 -- Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena Feb. 14 -- Indianapolis, IN @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse Apr. 18 -- Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena Apr. 20 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center Apr. 22 -- Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena If you thought Cher’s May 14, Apr. 24 -- Ottawa, ON @ 2014 Dressed to Kill concert at Richcraft Live at Canadian Tire Veterans Memorial Arena was Centre her last in Jacksonville, think Apr. 26 -- Buffalo, NY @ again. KeyBank Center Apr. 28 -- Boston, MA @ TD On Friday, the pop music icon Jan. 17 -- Ft. Myers, FL @ Garden announced a new tour — The Germain Arena Here We Go Again Tour — and Jan. 19 -- Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Apr. 30 -- MA @ MassMutual Center Jacksonville is the fourth stop, BB&T Center Jan. 21 -Orlando, FL @ Amway May 2 -- Brooklyn, NY @ scheduled for January 23, Center Barclays Center 2019. Jan. 23 -- Jacksonville, FL @ May 3 -- Newark, NJ @ Tickets for the show go on sale Veterans Memorial Arena Prudential Center at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 14 Jan. 25 -- Atlanta, GA @ Infinite May 8 -- Grand Rapids, MI @ at LiveNation.com and at the Energy Arena Van Andel Arena box office at Jacksonville Jan. 27 -- Raleigh, NC @ PNC May 10 -- St. Louis, MO @ Veterans Memorial Arena. Arena Enterprise Center Jan. 29 -Charlotte, NC @ May 12 -- Milwaukee, WI @ The tour will follow the Spectrum Center Fiserv Forum upcoming release of “Dancing Jan. 31 -- Nashville, TN @ May 14 -- Omaha, NE @ CHI Queen,” Cher’s first album Bridgestone Arena Health Center Omaha release since 2013′s “Closer to Feb. 2 -- Biloxi, MS @ May 16 -- Sioux Falls, SD @ the Truth,” which debuted at Mississippi Coast Coliseum Denny Sanford Premier Center No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 Feb. 4 -- Louisville, KY @ KFC May 18 -- St. Paul, MN @ and went on to sell more than Yum! Center Xcel Energy Center 585,000 copies worldwide. Feb. 6 -- Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena “Dancing Queen,” set for Feb. 8 -- Chicago, IL @ United 24 www.cityxtramagazine.com
On Friday, the pop music icon announced a new tour — The Here We Go Again Tour — and Jacksonville is the fourth stop, scheduled for January 23, 2019. If you thought Cher’s Valentine’s Day 2003 Farewell Tour concert at Veterans Memorial Arena was her last in Jacksonville, think again.
release on Friday, Sept. 28, is Cher’s 26th studio album and features cover versions of songs recorded and made famous by ABBA, including the self-titled “Dancing Queen” as well as “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight),” “SOS,” “Mamma Mia,” and others. This summer, Cher starred as Ruby Sheridan in “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” a follow-up to 2008′s “Mamma Mia!” Tour Dates:
Madonna’s Lisbon Portugal By Nick Adkins
Madonna left the United States for Lisbon, Portugal and everyone was left with one question: why? Did Donald Trump drive her out? Is she moving closer to son Rocco in the UK? Well, the star admitted it was all for her son David, who wants to play professional soccer. According to the Queen of Pop, the US just isn’t that good at the sport. Whereas the homeland of demi-god Cristiano Ronaldo is. But it turns out that the move to the Portuguese capital definitely wasn’t a downgrade for one of the most glamorous women in the media. In fact, she loves it – and it even influenced her new record. Talking to Vogue Italia, she said: ‘So I went to Lisbon, and it seemed the best all around choice. [Portugal is] steeped
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in history, and the Portuguese empire has made its dent in the world. ‘The architecture is amazing. It’s also the birthplace of slavery, and so there are musical influences which come from Angola and Cape Verde, and also from Spain.’ She also says that the city’s culture has influenced the music on her new record: ‘You’ll always hear lots of fado and lots of kuduro music from Angola. ‘A lot of jazz also – old school jazz, which is pretty cool.’ She added: ‘I don’t see how I could have gone through that year without being informed by all this input of culture.’ Of course, the star lives in the luxurious Lapa district, also known as the aristocratic istrict. (She is one of our queens, after all). Madonna
announced she moved from the USA to Portugal in September 2017. What’s near Madonna’s home? Lisbon is impressive – trust us, we know – but just moments from her house are some of the country’s most important buildings. The Portuguese parliament is a must-visit for anyone who holds the country close to their heart. The iconic church, Basilica da Estrela, was the first church in the world dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the most popular devotion in the Roman Catholic Church. If she misses her second home (the UK), she can head over to the Jardim da Estrela, which is modeled on English parks.
Obama #TakeItBack By Adrian Stevenson
Former President Barack Obama delivered a hard-hitting speech Friday afternoon attacking President Donald Trump by name, and chastising those who enable him, on both sides, including, especially, those who do not bother to vote. “This is not normal. These are extraordinary times, and they’re dangerous times,” President Obama said. “But here’s the good news. In two months we have the chance, not the certainty, but the chance to restore some semblance of sanity to our politics.” The two-term Democrat who took America from the brink of financial catastrophe to a well-running economy while improving the civil rights of many Americans received
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cheers and a rousing ovation after speaking to students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was at the school to receive an award in ethics in government, but took the opportunity to reveal his midterm strategies for the Democrats. And departing from his usual deference to tradition, the former president mentioned his successor by name, as he attacked him.
"It did not start with Donald Trump. He is a symptom, not the cause," Obama told students, noting Trump counts on fear and anger. President Obama tried to build bridges while also reminding listeners that the Trump administration is responsible for the deaths of nearly 3000
Americans in Puerto Rico. And he attacked bullies, discrimination, and neo-Nazi supporters. "We are Americans, we're supposed to stand up to bullies, not follow them. We're supposed to stand up to discrimination. And we're sure as heck supposed to stand up clearly and unequivocally to Nazi sympathizers," President Obama said, to applause. "How hard can that be, saying that Nazis are bad?" And he urged students to vote for actual gun reform. He also did not shy away from scolding millennials for not voting – many, he said, out of apathy. The biggest threat to democracy, Obama told students, is cynicism.
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Join us in celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Pride in Jacksonville!! Saturday October 6-7, 2018 www.RiverCityPride.org #PRIDE40RCP FB/Twitter: RiverCityPride Presenting Sponsor
River City Pride Parade 2018 Saturday October 6, 2018 Starts At 4:00p.m. Ends In 5 Points Block Party After Parade www.RiverCityPride.org
RIVER CITY PRIDE FESTIVAL 2018
This is the 40th Anniversary of Pride in Jacksonville and we are working hard to make this the biggest and best year yet. The festival includes live entertainment and dozens of local vendors including artists, businesses, and other non-profits as well as multiple food vendors. It also includes a Family Fun Zone with face painting, a rock wall and inflatables. All of this attracts thousands of attendees each year and it’s grown every year.
RIVERSIDE ARTS MARKET 715 Riverside Ave Jacksonville, FL www.RiverCityPride.org