COMING Saturday July 30, 2022
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LGBTQ+ People Threatened As SCOTUS Weakens Separation Of Church & State Monkeypox Vaccine Supply To Expand By Thousands
Publisher/Executive Editor David Vandygriff publisher@jaxgay.com
Editor In Chief
Mean Girls Star Daniel Franzese Opens Up About Conversion Therapy
Dr. Harvey Carr editor@jaxgay.com
Harry Styles' New Collection With Gucci: Here's What To Expect
Director of Sales
Former Bachelor Contestant Elizabeth Corrigan Comes Out As Bisexual Why It's Critical To Get Your LGBTQ+ Owned Business Certified Raif Derazzi On How Knowing His HIV Status Transformed His Life Lachlan Watson To Star As Glen/Glenda In Chucky Season 2 National Study Finds LGBT Seniors Face Tougher Old Age No, RuPaul Wasn't Green-Screened Onto Drag Race Down Under Season 1 Texas AG Willing To Spearhead Supreme Court Case To Criminalize Sodomy Again Want To Be The First Gay To Have Sex In Space?
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could feel pressure to join. “Kennedy consistently invited others to join his prayers and LGBTQ+ People Threatened As SCOTUS Weakens Separation Of Church & State for years By Brenda Davis led The ruling on abortion rights, student-athletes in prayer,” she which overturned Roe v. Wade, wrote. isn’t the only concerning one to Since the 1960s, the court has come out of the U.S. Supreme held that organized, mandatory Court recently. Several prayer in public schools is decisions are undermining the unconstitutional, as no separation of church and state, governmental entity should be and that has grave implications involved in promoting religion. for LGBTQ+ people. But this and other recent The court ruled Monday that rulings take a more expansive Joseph Kennedy, a public high view of religion’s role in school football coach in government-sponsored events Bremerton, Wash., was within and programs. his rights to pray at the 50-yard Last week, the court ruled that line after his team’s games, public funds could go to often with students joining him. religious schools under a tuition He had lost his job for doing so. assistance program in Maine. Justice Neil Gorsuch, who In May, it sided with a Christian wrote the 6-3 majority opinion, organization that sought to fly a characterized Kennedy’s flag bearing a cross at Boston’s prayers as a private, City Hall. In 2021, there was noncoercive activity. Kennedy the ruling that a Catholic “offered his prayers quietly agency could keep its contract while his students were with the city of Philadelphia to otherwise occupied,” Gorsuch provide foster care services wrote, adding, “Students were even though the group not required or expected to discriminates against LGBTQ+ participate.” Gorsuch, parents, in violation of city appointed by Donald Trump, ordinance, but that decision was joined in his opinion by was based primarily on an fellow Trump appointees Brett exemption in the Catholic Kavanaugh and Amy Coney agency’s contract. Barrett, along with the court’s This weakening of church-state three other conservatives. separation is worrisome, But Justice Sonia Sotomayor, LGBTQ+ and inclusive civil in her dissent, said students rights groups point out. 06 www.jaxgay.com
“Coach Kennedy’s assertion that his post-game prayers were private, and not coercive because players on his team were not required to join, ignores reality,” said a statement from Jennifer C. Pizer, acting chief legal officer at Lambda Legal, which had filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case. “There is hardly anything more public than kneeling and praying on the 50-yard line at the end of the game, nor more coercive than one’s coach leading the prayer. The timing and location of this conspicuous religious conduct would lead any objective and reasonable observer to conclude that the school district supports this worship activity and these particular Christian beliefs at the expense of those who hold other religious beliefs or who identify as nonreligious.” “The future impact of this decision on LGBTQ students will be especially fraught,” added Lambda Senior Counsel Greg Nevins. “For the court is forcing upon LGBTQ students — especially those who may have had to grapple with religious disapproval of their identity while developing their own personal relationships with religion and spirituality — an unconstitutional choice. They can conform to the religious practice of a public school authority figure who is the adult leader of their team or hold tightly to their own identities and values at the risk of marginalization. This is constitutionally wrong.”
“The Task Force strongly disagrees with this decision, which the right-wing justices support with a cherry-picked version interpretation of history,” Liz Seaton, policy director at the National LGBTQ Task Force, said of the Kennedy ruling. “Though nothing in the U.S. Constitution suggests this interpretation, their ruling appears to say that religious speech enjoys greater protection than other types of speech — a clear erosion of our nation’s church-state separation.” “Just last week, the court degraded the essential separation of church and state in another case where Maine tried to meet its mandate to provide every student with free access to public education by making funding available for secular private schools where no public high school existed,” Seaton continued. The six right -wingers ruled, again as a bloc, to force states to fund religious schools when many openly discriminate against LGBTQ students and families. It is profoundly wrong for taxpayer money to be used to discriminate against us in any context, including paying private actors to discriminate against LGBTQ people. Furthermore, conservative
justices outlined their intention to dismantle the right to privacy and marriage equality when the opportunity presents itself. Right-wing zealots are undoubtedly drafting legal challenges to further strip communities of hard-won rights.”
with religion, with all of our rights hanging in the balance.’” “The longer term consequences of the right-wing majority’s decision remain unclear,” Mincberg added. “Because Gorsuch’s opinion so plainly distorts the facts to portray Kennedy’s coercive prayer as ‘private’ activity, it The Kennedy ruling “aimed a may leave the door open for wrecking ball at church-state rulings against more obviously separation,” Elliot Mincberg wrote in a blog post for People coercive Establishment Clause violations. But it remains more for the American Way. “As likely that the ruling will further Sotomayor concluded, the embolden far right efforts to majority ruling improperly promote particular religious ‘elevates one individual’s views to public school students, interest in personal religious perhaps even undermining exercise’ over ‘society’s established precedents that interest in protecting the separation between church and protect against teacher-led state.’ It endangers the rights of prayer in public school classrooms. The case presents ‘particularly vulnerable’ public school students. And it ‘sets us yet another example of the down a perilous path in forcing harm to all of our rights that the States to entangle themselves Trump-manufactured Supreme Court majority causes to us all.”
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Monkeypox Vaccine Supply To Expand By Thousands By David Vandygriff
The federal government is rolling out thousands of additional doses of a vaccine to combat monkeypox, which has broken out across the U.S. with a concentration among men who have sex with men. The Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday that it’s distributing 296,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine, of which 56,000 doses will be made available immediately, with the remaining 240,000 doses to be made available in the next few weeks. HHS expects more than 750,000 additional JYNNEOS doses to be made available over the summer, and an additional 500,000 doses will undergo completion, inspection, and release throughout the fall, totaling 1.6 million doses available this year. The federal government is also expanding testing for the virus. The vaccine will also be offered not just to people who’ve been exposed to someone with a confirmed case of monkeypox, as it has been, but to those who believe they’ve been exposed. “This includes those who had close physical contact 08 www.jaxgay.com
with someone diagnosed with monkeypox, those who know their sexual partner was diagnosed with monkeypox, and men who have sex with men who have recently had multiple sex partners in a venue where there was known to be monkeypox or in an area where monkeypox is spreading,” says an HHS press release.
be unpleasant and painful, so that’s good reason to get vaccinated against it. The primary symptoms are fever, headache, exhaustion, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters, appearing on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or The outbreak, about 250 cases anus. across 25 states, has many It is spread primarily through people worried, but there is skin-to-skin contact, so it can some reassuring news. be transmitted between sexual Monkeypox virus, or MPV, isn’t partners, although not through a new, unknown virus like bodily fluids, such as semen or COVID-19, it’s seldom fatal vaginal secretions. So using a (there have been no deaths condom won’t help. due to the latest U.S. About 95 percent of the outbreak), and cases are documented cases in the U.S. usually self-limiting, although have been among gay and people with compromised bisexual men, Panjabi says, immune systems due to HIV or and mostly in large cities, other factors may develop including New York, Chicago, more serious symptoms. The Los Angeles, and San vaccine has been around for a Francisco. But he emphasizes while, and so has treatment. that MPV a disease of identity; “The U.S. has had monkeypox the most recent outbreak just outbreaks in the past 20 years, happened to take root in this and we’ve been able to population. “Infectious disease respond effectively,” said Raj knows no boundaries,” he Panjabi, senior director for says, and there should be no global health security at the stigma attached to the virus. White House. White House officials and But MPV, the name Panjabi others from the federal prefers to use for the virus, can
government have been meeting almost daily with LGBTQ+ community and health leaders across the nation, he noted. The JYNNEOS vaccine is administered in two doses four weeks apart. Two weeks after the second dose, there is maximum immunity, so recipients either won’t contract the virus or will have a milder case than if they didn’t receive the vaccine.
people with heart disease.
risk for more serious cases of The JYNNEOS vaccine will be MPV. People who have a severe case or are likely to allocated using a four-tier develop one, due to a distribution strategy that weakened immune system, prioritizes areas with the may be treated with TPOXX highest case rates of MPV. (generic name tecovirimat). Within each tier, doses of The drug was developed to JYNNEOS will be allocated based on the number of people treat smallpox, but that disease at risk for MPV who also have and MPV are similar. a contraindication to ACAFor testing, last week the M2000. To find out if you Centers for Disease Control should be tested for MPV or and Prevention began shipping can get the vaccine, Panjabi tests to test to five major There is another vaccine suggests commercial laboratory against MPV, ACAM2000, contacting a clinic that focuses companies to increase testing which is actually a smallpox on LGBTQ+ people, if your arcapacity. There are already 78 vaccine. States and territories ea has one, or your primary testing sites in 48 states, can request it to supplement care physician. Panjabi notes. the supply of JYNNEOS, but ACAM2000 has a risk of If a person does contract MPV, To learn more about MPV, visit serious side effects. It therefore it usually goes away within two the CDC’s informational page. can’t be administered to people to four weeks and can be The White House also has a who have compromised managed with pain fact sheet on its response. immune systems, including medications. Those who are those with HIV or cancer, or immunocompromised are at
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Mean Girls Star Daniel Franzese Opens Up About Conversion Therapy By Drew Manning
Former Mean Girls star Daniel Franzese has opened up to Page Six about an experience when he was in his early twenties that led him to enter conversion therapy, trying to “convert” from being gay to straight. Franzese was raised in a Catholic and Pentecostal family who he said “lovingly tolerated” homosexuality, and accepting parents, but he still felt like the world around him was saying that being gay “was not okay.” This led the actor to meet with a conversion therapist recommended to his grandmother by her pastor when he was 21. “I went to one-on-one therapy sessions with a person who was trying to change me
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straight and make me pray the gay away and alienate all my allies,” Franzese said. “And it was like a brainwashing thing.” “They told me to tell my mom that my mom was the reason that I was leaning toward bisexual thoughts or whatever because she was so open. They made me come out to my mom, who was literally like my best ally, and say, ‘It’s your fault.’” That confrontation led to a falling out with his mom that lasted for two months, in which the two didn’t speak at all. Eventually, Franzese realized that the therapy was nonsense. “I was, like, scared. And [my therapist] was like, ‘What are you afraid of?’ And I was like,
‘I’m afraid I’m gonna go to hell.’ And he was like, ‘You can be s-ing a d, and the second coming of Christ could happen, and you’re not gonna go to hell if you love God. That’s not what it is.’” That’s when his therapist revealed that he “used to be gay” and was now married to woman. That’s when Franzese thought “you can’t ‘used to be gay’ and walked out the door. Since then, Franzese says his relationship with his mother has only gotten stronger. Franzese currently co-hosts the podcast Yass, Jesus!, which is described as “a faith and sexuality affirming comedy podcast that believes you don’t have to pick between gay and God.”
Will’s sexuality and explained how the ambiguity is just as important as if he were to come out. “I feel like they never really address it or blatantly say how Will is,” Schnapp said. “I think that’s the beauty of it, that it’s just up to the audience’s interpretation, if it’s Will kind of just refusing to grow up and growing up slower than his friends, or if he is really gay.” Brown added, “Can I just say, it’s 2022 and we don’t have to label things. I think what’s really nice about Will’s character is that he’s just a human being going through his own personal demons and issues. So many kids out there don’t know, and that’s OK. That’s OK to not know. And that’s OK not to label things.” Schnapp added that the ambiguity resonates with kids still figuring out who they are. “I find that people do reach to put a label on him and just want to know, so badly, like, ‘Oh, and this is it,’” he said. “He’s just confused and growing up. And that’s what it is to be a kid.” Stranger Things season four, volume one is out now on Netflix. The second volume drops on the streaming service July 1.
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Harry Styles' New Collection With Gucci: Here's What To Expect By Isabelle Mathison
Harry Styles is taking his style to Gucci! On June 20, during Milan Fashion Week, Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, announced that the former One Directioner is releasing a new collection with the luxury brand called "HA HA HA."
Michele shared one of the things he admires most about the singer, reflecting on his
“ability to combine items of clothing in a way that is out of the ordinary compared to the required standards of taste and common sense and the homogenization of The pair has joined forces to appearance.” create 25 unique looks, which The two began creating their Michele referred to as their collection, rather casually, “dream wardrobe.” through the international texting Styles, of course, is no stranger application, WhatsApp. to Gucci; he has been wearing Michele told GQ, “It started just the brand, publicly, for years and has also been featured in like two kids playing, you know, multiple campaigns. Styles met in a very easy way.” Michele at the start of his solo A dream of having a collection career, following his separation with vintage aesthetic and a from One Direction.
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theme of gender fluidity, eventually led into the marriage of their ideas that are now seen in the 70s-inspired array of shirts, pants, outerwear, and accessories, set to be released in the collection. The collection is, overall, an homage to their friendship, even the name, HA HA HA, is an embodiment of it. ‘HA’ is derived from the first initials of Harry’s name, and it is also how the two sign off their messages to each other. The luxury brand collection showcases some of its looks on Gucci’s Instagram and will also be available for purchase in October 2022.
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Former Bachelor Contestant Elizabeth Corrigan Comes Out As Bisexual By Rachel Thomas
Another member of the Bachelor Nation has come out loud and proud! Elizabeth Corrigan was hoping to be a match for Clayton Echard during The Bachelor’s 26th season earlier this year. Unfortunately, she only made it a few weeks in before being sent back home, but that hasn’t stopped her from seeking out new adventures — including attending her first Pride in New York City. “It’s hard to know the right way to say these things, or the right time. Today seems like both and neither,” she wrote on Instagram Tuesday. “Am I ready? No. Am I scared? Yes. Will the ‘right time’ come? Qualify it.
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“It’s important to me today to share with you all that I am queer. More specifically I am, always have been, and always will be—bisexual.” According to Corrigan, this is something many in her personal life have known for some time, but as we all know, coming out again and again is almost always part of the queer experience. And that’s even more true for people who are out in their personal lives but not “publicly,” something the former Bachelor contestant admitted had been an ongoing source of anxiety for her. “What’s more important to me at the end of the day is to be me. Authentic. Genuine. Raw. So maybe one person will feel
less alone,” she continued. “Hoping that one day the fear will turn to what it should be … PRIDE. Only love. All love. Today and each day to come. Moments matter.” Corrigan's honesty comes a month after fellow Bachelor Nation alum Becca Tilley finally confirmed her long-rumored relationship with Hayley Kiyoko. These certainly aren't the only queer contestants who have found themselves looking for love on the painfully heteronormative show, once again begging the question, when is the US franchise finally going to branch out and start making the show itself a little more queer?
Why It's Critical To Get Your LGBTQ+ Owned Business Certified By David Barbee
In 2022, the opportunities for LGBT+-owned businesses have never been more plentiful. Thanks to changing consumer preferences, supportive business networks and dedicated investment funds, being a LGBT+-owned business today can be a competitive advantage. But this fact is not widely understood in the greater LGBT+ community, and many businesses are unaware of the significant resources available to them. And among those who are aware, many are unclear how to access them. To help businesses capitalize on this opportunity, I encourage all LGBT+-owned businesses in the U.S. to become a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE) with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). This designation is open to any business that is at least 51 percent owned, operated, managed or controlled by a person identifying as LGBT+. It’s one of our best resources in the country and joining helps expand our networks, increase our public visibility and ensure equitable access to financial resources for our community. 18 www.jaxgay.com
Why Getting Certified Matters With the countless day-to-day tasks of running a business, it’s understandable that certification may not be a top priority for a business owner. But the process is worth the payoff. Getting certified provides unique, potentially transformational opportunities for LGBT+-owned businesses. It opens the door to networking with over 400 enterprises — corporations, NGOs and governmental bodies — that are all looking to form strategic partnerships or do business with the LGBT+ community. It provides a safe and welcoming environment to build strategic relationships with banks or peer businesses, most of whom have capital specifically set aside for investing in LGBT+ businesses. It offers major customer acquisition opportunities, including the significant population in the U.S. looking to spend more of their money with LGBT+-owned businesses. And lastly, it allows for powerful opportunities to improve your skills as a business owner, including mentorships and continuing education.
By becoming certified, you’re helping ensure a more equitable environment for all LGBT+ businesses. It not only advances your enterprise, but also increases the visibility, power and political clout of our entire community. Making the LGBT+ Network Better for Everyone
The NGLCC helps address key pain points that LGBT+ businesses experience every day, including access to capital, strategic guidance, and a lack of partnership opportunities, by engaging the wider business community to help solve pressing challenges. As American businesses start to better understand the needs of the LGBT+ community, they’ll engage more, offer more tailored products and come to understand the unique opportunities that working with LGBT+ businesses presents. And as the size of the NGLCC network grows, so does the opportunity. So far, the NGLCC has certified nearly 2,000 LGBTBEs, a tiny fraction of the estimated 1.4 million eligible candidates. But just how large our community of open LGBT+owned businesses could
become is still an open question. Despite our growing power and prominence, there’s little comprehensive data on how many business owners identify as LGBT+. The NGLCC is hoping to fill some of those gaps by conducting surveys this year.
How to Become Certified The best part is that certification is simple. Step one is completing a business profile with the NGLCC. Once the necessary documents are submitted, a team member will reach out to you. The whole process could be accomplished What is clear is that the in a month. business potential — This is a major opportunity to particularly for smaller join a community of thriving enterprises in early growth entrepreneurs, find major stages — is huge. Consider investment opportunities and this: LGBT+-owned small businesses in the U.S. account open your business to new potential customers. for over $1.7 trillion in economic impact. And yet, less JPMorgan Chase is a than 1 percent of venture co-founder of the NGLCC and capital funding goes to LGBT+- committed to supporting owned companies, according diverse enterprises. We are to the NGLCC. working with local chambers of
commerce to help LGBT+ business owners grow and we plan to assist hundreds of businesses with certification and business coaching this year. In June, America acknowledges and uplifts the LGBT+ community. While Pride Month is in full swing, mark your accomplishments by certifying your business with NGLCC. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the community than by strengthening the network of LBGTQ+ business owners nationwide. David Barbee is Managing Director of JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking.
Raif Derazzi On How Knowing His HIV Status Transformed His Life By Jacob Sullivan
Raif Derrazi has been living with HIV for more than a decade now, and he has responded to his diagnosis in a remarkable way: by remaking not just his body but his emotional life. He hit the gym, hard. So hard, in fact, that he became a competitive bodybuilder. And he worked daily on developing a positive attitude about his diagnosis and living each day to the fullest. The results of Raif’s transformation have made him, in the words of writer Mark King, “an Instagay hottie with a purpose.” The purpose is to use his platform to educate people about HIV treatment and prevention, physical fitness, mental health, and what it means to be undetectable (U=U).
Hi Raif! What are you up to these days?
I’m busier than I have been in my life. I joke that if 2019 Raif was in 2022 Raif’s shoes, he’d have a nervous breakdown from all the stress. So it’s a testament to how much I’ve grown and how much more I’m capable of dealing with today. Things are really picking up now that COVID restrictions are easing and I’m so excited about all the opportunities. I host a fitness segment for Plus Life on Localish’s digital cable channel, I am an official trainer for Vitruvian’s fitness app, and I am on the board of an NIH-funded organization that aims to link members of the community with leading researchers/scientists in the field of HIV cure. I’m so stoked to take everything I’m learning We chatted with Raif during and share it with my audience Pride month about sexual health, HIV testing, and hitting online. I also co-created a non-profit with Miss the gym after the pandemic. Peppermint and Bob The Drag Raif generously allowed Queen called Black Queer photographer Ron Katagiri to Town Hall. It serves to uplift follow him around for an and celebrates black queer afternoon as he worked–and voices, artists, performers, and worked out–at his home in downtown Los Angeles that he thought leaders and also make sure they are paid, Henny. shares with his boyfriend and puppy. We love Black Queer Town Hall! How are things with you at home during the COVID 20 www.jaxgay.com
pandemic? Between Beau and Duke (boyfriend and dog, respectively) I couldn’t be happier. It’s a nice change of pace from having felt so lonely and heartbroken and misunderstood for most of my life. I’m really thankful to have that as a foundation and source of stability in my life; I don’t take that for granted one bit. What are your plans for the Pride season? I’ve been so engulfed in my HIV advocacy work I honestly forgot to prepare for Pride. If I didn’t already have my gay card taken away so many times I would begrudgingly hand it over. You can keep your card for sure. What’s on your bedside table? Prying eyes want to know. Haha, nothing terribly exciting. My silver rings and silver necklace that I take off every night. My iPhone and charger, a coaster, and hopefully a full glass of water if I haven’t swiped it off the table while reaching for my phone.
Where do you like to hang out when you are not working? I’m a serious introvert at heart. Some people are surprised by that as I can turn on the social charm in small bursts but then I have to hide away and recharge. I love hanging out at home with Beau and Duke by the pool or at the gym. How did you take charge of your emotional physical and sexual health after testing HIV positive? I worked hard on reclaiming my body after my AIDS diagnosis; I’m now a pro-competitive natural physique bodybuilder. I take my meds daily of course. I focus on being kinder to myself. I’m incredibly hard on myself and put a lot of pressure on myself to accomplish a lot; I’m working on just loving myself and being okay with ‘failure’ and letting my inner voice be a source of encouragement instead of criticism. Embracing my sexuality has been a struggle. I used to hook up quite a bit when I was single but I have hang-ups about my attractiveness and my body when in a relationship because I have to be so much more vulnerable. Sex and emotions are very interlinked for me so if I’m not doing well mentally/ emotionally then it manifests in poor sexual health. It’s a process and Beau is very patient with me. We have all enjoyed your pics from previous Prides LOL. What will you do this year to top that?
Unfortunately, I have no and others will too. intention of being able to ‘top’ previous years of Raif showing up and showing out. I gained over 35 pounds during the pandemic and I am still working to lose that weight. I have never weighed this much in my life and it has been the source of a lot of distress I must admit. People love you, big or small. Since your diagnosis with HIV, you have made a point of reclaiming your body through exercise and becoming an articulate HIV advocate. How did you find the emotional strength to do this? Any tips you can share? Honestly, I’ve always been pretty outspoken about things I’m passionate about. I’m a generally nice, kind, soft-spoken person, but when I’m fired up about something I find my voice and my presence to stand up for what I believe in. It’s an innate quality I’ve had since I was young. I’ve also always been very open and heart-on-my-sleeve so sharing my journey with HIV was a natural extension of me just being who I am. My main advice is to just be true to yourself. There is no right way to deal with a diagnosis and you should never feel obligated to be or do anything that isn’t right for you. My natural traits lent themselves to doing what I do today; find what makes you unique and special and double down on that. Everyone has their own special niche and place in life and you just can’t compare. No one’s better than anyone else. Love who you are
Testing positive is difficult but can you share a message or word of encouragement for that young gay man who is afraid to get an HIV test? Someone who may think hearing the word positive may be too much to deal with? We often focus on the fear of a diagnosis and ignore the constant state of dread and anxiety we live within not knowing. That too does a ton of damage to our psyche and sense of self-worth. It’s like having small drops of water plunk down on your forehead for minutes, hours, days, and months on end. It seems small but eventually, it will drive you insane. Also, if you get tested and find out you don’t have HIV, well, you’ve just saved yourself so much unnecessary grief. If you get tested and you are positive, well guess what, you were positive whether you tested or not. The benefit now is that you can treat it, becoming undetectable and being unable to transmit the virus. You can get to a place where HIV no longer has any negative physical www.jaxgay.com 21
repercussions. Knowing is always better than not knowing. Ignorance isn’t bliss; it’s a world of stress and anxiety that could manifest itself in some serious real-life disease. You have said that you are being fully yourself. Can you talk about why that’s important all of the time but particularly important and freeing during Pride season? I certainly try to be fully myself; I fail a lot. But it’s the intention and focus that matters most. It’s especially important during Pride season because the rest of the year it’s so easy for us all to get caught up in the day-today of life. This is a time when we can all, collectively set an intention to focus on our community, our health and well -being, and our vibrant presence in this world as a source of comfort within the community, and as a source of visibility and education to those surrounding us.
This year’s pride will felt different, we are slowly emerging from the COVID pandemic and we are hearing more and more that it might be possible to finally end the HIV epidemic in terms of new transmission–and also an eventual cure. How does it feel this year for you? It certainly feels like there’s an electric something conjured in the air, and that the epidemic may be in its final stages as we are getting to zero new infections. There’s a lot of great work being done. But as I tell a lot of people who are so hung up on when the cure will arrive, I don’t focus on it. I’m not waiting for it. I’m undetectable and I take a daily pill that grants me full health with no side effects. As far as I’m concerned, I’m cured. When the day comes that I no longer am dependent on the medicine, amazing, but in the meantime, the rest of my life is waiting. It seems like we have a lot to celebrate – how are you feeling and what do you plan to do to make this year very special?
out there and we need to stick together. I’m looking forward to expanding this network of amazing humans so we can all uplift each other and celebrate our successes. Are there days that seem to be too much for you? Days that your Pride is a little dimmer than normal? Are you kidding? My light and energy bounce around like the stock market. As recently as mid-year 2021 I had suicidal ideation for the first time in years. Depression/anxiety is something I’ve struggled with most of my life; that tendency is always sort of there watching from the wings. I’ve learned to live with it though, comfort myself, go easy on myself, lessen the lows, and support the highs. I take the suicidal ideation as a clear indicator that something needs to change rather than an ominous signal that I’m about to literally go off the deep end. It’s a part of who I am and I’m learning to allow it to guide me rather than cripple me.
As Peter Staley writes in his new book, Never Silent: ACT I am committed to working UP and My Life in Activism, harder than I have ever we were standing on the worked, more consistently and shoulders of thousands of unapologetically. There is so brave warriors who came much inside of me that I want before us. As gay men we are to express and activate to standing at what will become make good use of my limited the end of HIV, many gave time on Earth. I’m keenly aware their blood, sweat, tears, and of how short life is and I want to lives so that we could have leave this place better than I that honor. How will you pay found it. I firmly believe that you it forward? What can or will can be good and honest and you do today that will benefit kind and be extremely a gay man 30 years from successful. Good people are now?
I think the most impactful way any of us can pay it forward is just to live out our individual lives in the most fulfilling, purposeful, grateful way possible. If we can honor the gift of life by living it well, it will naturally have a profound, positive impact on those around us. Each of us has a unique lived experience, and by embracing and dealing with that experience we impart wisdom and love to those around us. As a gay man living with HIV, dealing with and healing from the trauma of stigma, homophobia, and emotional abuse, I can learn to be grateful for my community and my health. In my process to heal and grow, I become an example for others. It’s what I do on social media and in person. But everyone has a
different lived experience, so everyone has the potential for a slightly unique pearl of wisdom to impart to others. Tell me more about letting go of fear and judgment and allowing freedom to take its place. Fear is a big one for me. I’ve struggled with anxiety my whole life. I have been a victim of it for far too long. Being able to identify anxiety has been a huge win thus far. It often masks itself as boredom, procrastination, and escapism. When you have lived with chronic anxiety for so long, it’s very subtle and insidious. But being able to identify at the moment that I am experiencing fear is a great starting point from which I can then comfort myself. It’s okay to feel fear. Sometimes fear fills the places
that are empty of anything else. When we fill the empty places with love, particularly self-love, there’s not much for fear anymore and it tends to dissipate.
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Lachlan Watson To Star As Glen/Glenda In Chucky Season 2 By Maggie Wilson
Rumors have been circulating that nonbinary actor Lachlan Watson would be starring as Glen/Glenda in season two of the Chucky TV series ever since star Jennifer Tilly posted photos of the cast grabbing a meal together in June, on her social media. Amongst the group was Watson sporting a very familiar hairstyle, that raised eyebrows for long-time fans of the Child’s Play franchise. Today PRIDE can exclusively confirm that the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star will be portraying the beloved gender-nonconforming character in the upcoming season. “Glen” and “Glenda” first made their appearance in the franchise’s fifth film Seed of Chucky. Like their parents, Chucky and Tiffany, Glen/ Glenda was a doll with homicidal tendencies. Well, actually it’s a bit more complicated than that. Glen was born alongside a twin sister Glenda, who lives inside their body. There are some voodoo curses and body-swapping involved as well, natch. 24 www.jaxgay.com
Last we saw of the Glen/ Glenda they had become human and were attacked by their killer doll father, with their ultimate fate unknown. With Watson on board, fans’ speculation is finally going to be answered. the first season of Chucky centered around the sweet queer love story between Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur) and Devon Evans (Bjorgvin Arnarson). It was equally important to series creator, Don Mancini that the second season continued to expand the LGBTQ+ storylines that reflect his personal experiences as a gay man, as well as to spotlight the queer community. The return of Glen/ Glenda in season two offered him the perfect opportunity to do just that, by adding a gender -nonconforming character, played by a nonbinary actor. It’s an ethos that the SYFY network which airs the show (along with the USA network) shares. The news of Watson’s casting is a part of the network’s Pride initiatives for June, including their Chucky season 1 marathon which airs today, running from 4 pm EST
until midnight EST. USA/SYFY partnered with the online content platform TONGAL to showcase some truly amazing fan-made Chucky-inspired art that amplifies the queer community.
It’s this spirit of inclusion and dedication to the LGBTQ+ community, which filters down from the very top, that makes Chucky such an authentic celebration of queerness on screen. It’s also why we can’t wait to see what Watson brings to the franchise when they step into the role of Glen/Glenda. Chucky season 2 will premiere on SYFY this Fall.
National Study Finds LGBT Seniors Face Tougher Old Age By Jorge Saenz
Aging and health issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender baby boomers have often been ignored by services, policies and research. However, these seniors face higher rates of disability, physical and mental distress and a lack of access to services, according to a new study on aging and health in these communities.
LGBTQ adults face unique circumstances, such as fear of discrimination. Many do not have children to help them in older age. Senior housing, transportation, legal services, support groups and social events were the most commonly cited services needed in the LGBT community, according to the study. LGBTQ older adults are generally an underserved and An analysis by a University of understudied population, yet, Washington researcher concluded that prevention and by 2060 their numbers will intervention strategies must be exceed five million, and will account for more than 20 developed to address the unique needs of these seniors, million older adults, including whose numbers are expected those who do not publicly self-identify but have engaged to double to more than four in same-sex sexual behavior, million by 2030. or romantic relationships, and/ “The higher rates of aging and or are attracted to members of health disparities among the same sex. Much of this lesbian, gay, bisexual, and increase is fueled by transgender older adults is a millennials, according to this major concern for public Gallup poll. health,” according to author Fredriksen-Goldsen and her Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, team surveyed 2,560 lesbian, professor at the University of Washington’s School of Social gay, bisexual and transgender adults aged 50-95 across the Work. “The health disparities reflect the historical and social United States. They found participants had greater rates context of their lives, and the of disability, depression and serious adversity they have loneliness and increased encountered can jeopardize their health and willingness to likeliness to smoke and seek services in old age,” she binge-drink compared with heterosexuals of similar ages. said in a statement. The Williams Institute on 26 www.jaxgay.com
sexual orientation at UCLA has a helpful interactive map of LGBTQ data and demographics. LGBTQ seniors are also at greater risk for social isolation, putting them at greater risk of mental and physical health problems, chronic conditions and even premature death, as this CityLab story details. Histories of victimization and discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity also contribute to poor health, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief. Adults in the study were more likely to live alone and less likely to be partnered or married than heterosexuals, which may result in less social support and financial security as they age. Eighty percent of participants had been victimized at least once during their lifetimes, including verbal and physical assaults, threats of physical violence and being “outed,” and damaged property. Twenty-one percent of respondents said they were fired from a job because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Nearly four out of 10 had considered suicide at some point.
Twenty-one percent of those surveyed did not tell their doctors about their sexual orientation or gender identity out of fear of receiving inferior health care or being turned away for services, which 13 percent of respondents had endured. Lack of openness about sexuality “prevents discussions about sexual health, risk of breast or prostate cancer, hepatitis, HIV risk, hormone therapy or other risk factors,” FredriksenGoldsen said. The good news? LGBT older
adults are building their communities, like this new residential housing project under construction in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Others are committed to participating in community diversity events, as the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported. And rural LGBT elders are taking action with potlucks and discussion groups to reduce the sense of isolation, as this Next Avenue story describes. Even nursing homes are becoming more LGBT friendly, reports The New York Times.
Social connections are key, the study noted because, unlike their heterosexual counterparts, most lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors rely heavily on partners and friends of similar age to provide assistance as they age. While social ties are critical, there may be limits to the ability of those older adults to provide care over the long-term, especially if decision-making is required for the older adult receiving care, according to Fredriksen-Goldsen.
No, RuPaul Wasn't Green-Screened Onto Drag Race Down Under Season 1 By Lim Wang
RuPaul isn’t the elusive chanteuse some fans thought she was.
international editions of Drag Race that RuPaul has chosen to host outside of the U.S. series: Drag Race UK and In 2021, several theories Drag Race Down Under. popped up on social media Therefore, it is pretty special speculating that RuPaul was Back in 2021, the Down Under that Mama Ru has chosen to never physically present for the finalist had already squashed appear as a host on Down filming of RuPaul’s Drag Race this rumor. However, some Under. Down Under season one. fans thought that Simone These viewers claimed that The choice to host Down might’ve been contractually perhaps the host had been Under comes from the fact that obligated to “defend” Mama Ru RuPaul has a very personal entirely added to the series at the time. through the use of a green connection to this region of the screen instead of being there in The queen wrote in a tweet world. Ru’s partner of over 20 person. from May 2021: years, Georges LeBar, was born in Perth, Australia and Now, Drag Race Down Under “Just here to quash the has exposed the Drag Race contestant Art Simone and rumours that RuPaul was host to his culture several judge Rhys Nicholson have green-screened onto set. squashed this rumor for good There’s no way we would have times over the years. during an interview with Daily the budget after we splurged RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Mail Australia. on those beautiful cement Under season two premieres cherubs.” July 30 on WOW Presents Nicholson explained while standing right next to Simone: For context, there are only two Plus.
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“The most annoying thing to have come out where the show should be filmed is people thinking that RuPaul wasn’t there. Ru was there!”
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Texas AG Willing To Spearhead Supreme Court Case To Criminalize Sodomy Again By David Vandygriff
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said that he would be willing to defend a state law that would challenge Lawrence v. Texas, the Supreme Court decision that said that states couldn’t ban people from having gay sex. In the early 2000’s, Paxton was a vocal supporter of putting gay people in jail for what was then the crime of having sex, something he believed was necessary for “public health” and to “discourage sexual activity outside of marriage.” “Would you, as attorney general, be comfortable defending a law that once again outlawed sodomy?” NewsNation host Leland Vittert asked Paxton this past weekend.
In his concurring opinion, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas even suggested that the Court should “correct the error” made in decisions like Lawrence and allow the states more power to control people’s lives. And Paxton said he was willing to go along with that plan. “Yeah, I mean, there’s all kinds of issues here, but certainly the Supreme Court has stepped into issues that I don’t think there was any constitutional provision dealing with,” Paxton responded. “They were legislative issues, and this is one of those issues and there may be more.” Paxton started to ramble, so Vittert asked: “Just for the sake of time here, you wouldn’t rule The host brought up the out that if the state legislature possibility of overturning the passed the exact same law that 2003 Supreme Court decision Lawrence overturned on – and allowing states to throw sodomy, you wouldn’t have any gay people in jail for private, problem then defending that consensual sex between adults and taking that case back to – because of the Court’s the Supreme Court?” decision this past Friday to “Yeah look, my job is to defend overturn Roe v. Wade, which the state law and I’ll continue to throws other decisions based do that,” Paxton responded on the right to privacy and substantive due process into “Would you support the question. legislature in bringing that test?” the Vittert asked. 32 www.jaxgay.com
“I don’t know, I’d have to take a look at it,” Paxton said. Paxton, back when he was a Texas state representative, was one of several lawmakers who signed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to decide in favor of Texas’s sodomy ban in Lawrence v. Texas. In the brief, Paxton and his colleagues argued that sodomy bans were required for “protecting public health.” “One of the rational bases for enacting [the ban] was to protect public health from the very real danger of same-sex sodomy,” the brief states. “Legislators are especially concerned for the health safety and well-being of those who may seek to engage in same-sex sodomy.” The brief brings up statistics that show that HIV hit gay and bi men particularly hard but does not show how sodomy laws – which make prevention and treatment measures for HIV more difficult – are related to this, unless one were to assume that people actually decided not to be gay because of this law. The brief also argued that states have a right to
“encourage marriage and discourage sexual activity outside of marriage” and that the law is “one part of a larger network of laws designed to further the legitimate State interest of promoting traditional marriage of one man and one woman.” Paxton’s statement comes after years of attacking LGBTQ rights. Earlier this year he issued a non-binding legal opinion that parents who allow their transgender children to access gender-affirming care are violating their children’s constitutional rights and therefore “legally constitute child abuse.” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) then issued an order calling for the state to investigate parents of transgender children as child abusers. His order cited Paxton’s opinion and has already led to a lawsuit against the state. In 2019, Paxton opened an investigation into possible “religious discrimination” against Chick-fil-A as the fast food chain’s donations to anti-LGBTQ causes got media attention again. In 2015, Paxton issued an opinion advising local officials that they could refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds, a stance that led to an ethics complaint against him signed by over 200 lawyers who argued that his opinion could encourage those officials to violate the constitutional rights of LGBTQ people. www.jaxgay.com 34
Want To Be The First Gay To Have Sex In Space? By Gabriel Lopez
Pack up the condoms, lube, and that one special rocket man outfit (you know the one we’re talking about), and then get ready to blast off into the final frontier of sex in space because a hotel in orbit might be opening as early as 2025. Orbital Assembly Corporation recently announced plans for the first habitable and privately-owned space facilities in orbit around the Earth, and the California-based company says its revolutionary design will ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for visitors. Their giant rotating ring design will even produce gravity, meaning no need for zero-gravity harnesses to aid in coupling with your partner while onboard. The new Pioneer Station will
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house up to 28 people in five customizable pods configured on the ring of the station. The ring rotates around its center, in theory producing gravity. OAC claims their trademarked Gravity Ring architecture will produce a hybrid gravity environment from microgravity (Zero-G) to as much as 0.57-G.
In a 2019 interview with CNN Travel, Alatorre used the concept of a spinning bucket of water to explain how the basic ring design can, in theory, produce gravity. “The station rotates, pushing the contents of the station out to the perimeter of the station, much in the way that you can “For the average person, being spin a bucket of water -- the water pushes out into the in space will be a sci-fi dream bucket and stays in place,” he experience,” OAC’s Chief Operating Officer Tim Alatorre said. said in a press release, later Of course, space travel for adding that “Pioneer’s gravity tourists will be expensive. A experience will enable visitors three-night stay in the to move around in weightless out-of-this-world property will environments while eating or set you back a cool $5 million. drinking out of a cup normally Let’s hope the world’s first and sleeping without having to space hotel will rent rooms by be attached to a bed. This is the hour for Pride. not possible in current space stations.”
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