Long Beach
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 1
Community
Inspiration
Lifestyle
Spring 2022
2/20/2022 5:40:24 PM
Membership is required to open an account or loan. Membership is subject to eligibility. All new accounts will be verified through ChexSystems and are subject to credit approval. Rates and offers are subject to change without notice. DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 2
2/20/2022 5:40:27 PM
CONTENTS LB INSIDER 5
Editor’s Note
6
Dig Your Style: Creating a Capsule Collection
8
Photo Story: The Rise of Film Photography
12
Hidden Figures: Comfort in a Time of Transformation
14
Mind Your Health: Treating Trauma with Therapy
32
Report Card: Record Shops
FEATURES 20
‘ Together, We’ve Kicked Some Ass’
BY LAUREN GALVAN
Kelly Wine and Joe Delaplaine have been fighting for equality and social justice for over two decades, and there is no sign of them stopping anytime soon.
24
Before You Knew
BY PETER VILLAFANE
A poem chronicling the journey of being trangender.
26
Renaissance of Readers BY BELLA ARNOLD
Books that were released years ago are now seeing a resurgence in popularity, all thanks to BookTok personalities, like Kendra Keeter-Gray and Selene Velez.
s
3
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 3
2/20/2022 5:40:29 PM
WHO WE ARE · MEET THE TEAM
DIG MAG is the insider’s guide to Long
Beach for the CSULB community, inspiring readers to immerse themselves in the Long Beach lifestyle through in-the-know stories about the latest in food, arts, entertainment and culture; in-depth features about people and trends on the campus and in the city; poetry, fiction and literary journalism written by students; and beautiful photography and design. Published by the Department of Journalism and Public Relations at CSULB, it is produced entirely by students.
Editor-In-Chief Bella Arnold
Senior Editor Kelsey Brown
Features Editors Sofie Parker Peter Villafañe
Art Director
Gabby Gobaton
Graphic Designers Gabby Gobaton Natalie Barr
Photo Editor Emily Chen
Photo Assistant Justin Castillo
Digital Director Vittina Ibañez
Online Editor Lauren Galvan
Assistant Online Editors Holly Alvarado Alicia Casey Laila Freeman
Multimedia Editor Reyn Ou
Videographer Abel Reyes
Social Media Editor Sabrina Gobaton
Assistant Social Media Editors Isabel Edmondson Niyah Maldonado
Faculty Advisers Robin Jones Gary Metzker Jennifer Newton
California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., LA-4 203, Long Beach, CA 90840-4601 © DIG and 49er Publications Board 2022 DIG MAG is a publication of the DIG and 49er Publications Board.
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 4
Online
digmaglb.com
IG | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok @digmaglb
Submissions:
digmagonline@gmail.com
Advertising:
advertising@daily49er.com 562-985-1740
2/20/2022 5:40:31 PM
INSIDER · EDITOR’S NOTE
SPRING 2022
DEAR READER, I’ve never seen a college freshman more pompous than I was. At the ripe age of 17, I thought I had it all figured out. One of my first college classes was Psychology 101. Though I lacked any knowledge or intertest in psychology, I made the bold decision to become a psychology major. That lasted about two weeks before I made the leap to journalism, but I remember sitting in the psychology building feeling perplexed by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualization seemed so simple. I thought I knew myself pretty well, so why was I feeling that I had yet to reach my full potential? Now, I know that my mindset was complete garbage. When discussing this issue, I remember having conversations about the growing pains of aging and the beauty of maturing. We love to look forward and dream about our futures, but in order to move forward we have to look back. The scariest and most thrilling parts of adulthood are discovering how little you know about yourself and challenging yourself to explore who you are.
Spring is often seen as nature’s rebirth. The cold fades away, flowers bloom and trees are vibrant. I think, no matter what calendars say, everyday can be spring. Resolutions and times of reflection should not be limited to January. Everyday is an opportunity for a renaissance of self. This beautiful, honest issue discovers the idea that growth and healing are not linear. Not all coming-of-age stories are tied up in a perfect bow. Your sense of self may ebb and flow. Spring isn’t a once in a lifetime event and neither is self-discovery. If I could go back to 17-year-old Bella and give her advice about the next few years, I don’t think I would. I might have told her to watch an eyeliner tutorial or two, but that’s beside the point. As hard and painful as self-discovery can be, I think depriving myself of that joy would have been a larger disservice. So, reader, I hope you enjoy this issue and take some time to thank your former self for bringing you here.
-
Bella Arnold (EDITOR-IN-CHIEF)
5
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 5
2/20/2022 5:40:32 PM
INSIDER · DIG YOUR STYLE
TRANSFORM YOUR TRENDY CLOSET INTO A CAPSULE COLLECTION STORY BY
MICHELLE DIAZ
Guneet Sandhu explains how to create a capsule collection on her fashion Instagram account, @guneetsandhuu.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY
GABBY GOBATON
Whether it’s Y2K, cottage-core, hipster, or indie-chic, trends come and go, and then come back again in a few years. Once a trend is finally old news, though, that green knit abstract print dress that you wore once or twice won’t see another outing. What to do? Consider turning your trendy closet into a “capsule collection.”
WHAT IS A CAPSULE COLLECTION? On TikTok and Instagram, the concept of a “capsule collection” or “capsule wardrobe” is becoming increasingly popular and inspiring many to share their collections of timeless staples that, when combined in different ways, offer more outfit options than trendy statement pieces. The term “capsule wardrobe” was coined by Susie Faux, owner of the London boutique Wardrobe in the 1970s. According to Faux, a capsule wardrobe consists of just a few essential fashion pieces that do not go out of style and can be paired with other seasonal pieces. With the growing popularity of shopping secondhand and the desire to shop more sustainably, many fashionforward folks believe that a capsule wardrobe promotes sustainable consumerism because it is made up of versatile pieces that last for more than one season. Guneet Sandhu, a fashion blogger, can be seen on TikTok sharing her own capsule collection along with tips on how her viewers can create their own most effective and personalized collection. Sandhu was inspired to have a capsule wardrobe after reading “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant and advocate for minimalism. “As I learned more about fashion styling and history, I gained a deeper appreciation for each individual piece that I bought or owned and chose to be very mindful with what I added to my wardrobe,” Sandhu said.
" As I learned more about fashion styling and history, I gained a deeper appreciation for each individual piece that I bought or owned,” GUNEET SANDHU
6
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 6
2/20/2022 5:40:32 PM
SPRING 2022
TO TREND OR NOT TO TREND? As social media has evolved, so has the relationship between consumer behavior and influencers. Before social media, shoppers had to read through a magazine or head to the mall to stay up to date on fashion trends. Now, influencers, ads and shopping features give consumers information about the latest trends and products as soon as they hit. And the more information a consumer has about a product, price or brand, the more likely they are purchase it. “During the pandemic I realized how fast trends pass by because I was buying clothes and not really wearing them and noticed the trend would change in two months,” said Daniella Nuño, a fashion influencer known as @Daniella.Style on her social platforms. After the realization that the trendy pieces she was buying had a short closet life, Nuño decided to make purchases that were timeless rather than trendy. Choosing a neutral color palette to follow when putting together her clothing collection allows her to mix and match all the pieces she owns in a more seamless and cohesive way.
FINDING YOUR PERSONAL SENSE OF STYLE It can be hard to find out what style best suits you, especially if you constantly find yourself shopping to keep up with trends that will soon be abandoned. Yoshivel Chirinos, a fashion enthusiast, has changed her shopping habits to better fit the concept of a capsule collection. Chirinos believes that this switch to a capsule collection has allowed her to develop a better sense of her own personal style. “It also helped me understand better what sort of styles of dressing, silhouettes and colors I’m interested in,” Chirinos said. “I’ve used that to help guide my purchases and the way I dress myself.” Recognizing your personal style and what colors and silhouettes make you feel the most confident is a crucial part of creating an effective capsule collection. After all, the goal is to get maximum wearability with less waste.
HOW TO CURATE YOUR OWN CAPSULE COLLECTION In her capsule wardrobe videos on TikTok, Sandhu shares that Pinterest is the most helpful tool to help you decide what pieces should go into your collection. “The specific pieces don’t matter that much because they are specific to my style,” Sandhu said in a TikTok. “As long as you can identify the pieces that would look best on you, that’s where you start from.” In other words: There is no wrong or right way to create your own capsule collection, as long as it offers you a more versatile, economic, and helpful fashion experience. RIGHT: Daniella Nuño (@ Daniella.style) purchases clothes in a neutral palette so it’s easy to mix and match.
TIPS FOR CREATING YOUR OWN CAPSULE COLLECTION GO on Pinterest and pin and save your style inspiration. You will use outfits that you’ve seen and loved as a blueprint when you’re out shopping.
NCE you believe you have a clear idea of what O works best for you style-wise, you can get rid of what you don’t wear anymore to clear up some space for your staple items and get yourself out of that rut of saying you have nothing to wear while also having a dresser full of clothes.
TART collecting the pieces that will make up your S new and improved wardrobe. The good thing about timeless and staple pieces is that they’re available to any type of budget. If you’re in the position to splurge on a good quality white t-shirt, great! And if you prefer to find that t-shirt at Target, then that works, too, because a staple piece in general will get lots of use.
7
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 7
2/20/2022 5:40:33 PM
INSIDER · PHOTO STORY
THE RISE, AND FALL, AND RISE OF FILM PHOTOGRAPHY Film photography has gone through ebbs and flows through the decades, but even as the early 2000s and 2010s ushered in the digital age, film has remained a fixture in today’s photographic landscape. Just a few years ago, artists were declaring that “film was dead,” said CSULB photography professor Rebecca Sittler. In some ways, it seemed plausible — Polaroid and Kodak, both staples in the film world, had declared bankruptcy. Digital cameras were becoming the norm. Today, both Polaroid and Kodak are alive and well. Film photography has seen a resurgence in popularity. More portrait and wedding photographers are offering film as part of their packages. An endless array of Instagram filters and photo-editing apps have been designed to give a vintage filmesque appearance to digital photos. “There’s also something kind of amazing about some of the aesthetics living on through Instagram,” Sittler said. “They can be revived again by new generations of folks who probably had their first access toward thinking about film photography or the look of film photography through a filter.” Either way, film isn’t going anywhere — even as a digital world offers convenience and cost-effectiveness (and the ability to somewhat emulate the look), there’s nothing quite like the quality achieved in a film photo. For some, it could be the nostalgia factor, and for others, it’s just a difference in authenticity in the end product. According to Sittler, there is something to be said about the process involved. “I think artists are also very drawn to the making; we have to find pleasure in the making of a photograph,” Sittler said. “I think many artists really love this sort of sensebased experience of being in the darkroom, smelling the chemistry, watching that print magically come up in the developer...
STORY AND PHOTOS BY
TESS KAZENOFF
the process of being on one’s feet in the darkroom instead of on a computer through a screen.” For those who are interested in diving into the world of film photography, Sittler suggested finding a place to develop the film in-house, such as Relics on Fourth Street in Long Beach or Fromex in Signal Hill. “But it’s also just really rich to learn how to do it yourself,” Sittler said. “Anyone who’s seen a really well-made darkroom print knows that the digital print cannot compare to its ability to really hold on to a sense of light, and a sense of depth, in the image. There are just so many things that you can do with a well-crafted darkroom print that digital prints can’t quite emulate just yet.” After first being introduced briefly to film photography in high school, Sittler took it upon herself to build her own makeshift darkroom inside her dorm. She says this was “not a good idea” due to the lack of ventilation in her dorm. She developed asthma during this time. Learning film photography techniques and how to process and develop film is a great education for students first understanding how photography works, she says. For aspiring film photographers, Sittler suggests taking a photography minor or even just a class at CSULB. Photo education was built at a time when film photography was the primary medium, Sittler said, and although programs have certainly expanded to offer digital courses, film remains an important component of photography education. Instead of using a memory card that can hold 1,000+ images, using a film camera requires mindful choices — with only 24 or 36 frames per roll, each frame counts. “For students it’s pretty fascinating, it’s kind of magical to watch an image appear on a piece of paper that is treated with chemistry, that is light reactive,” Sittler said.
“Just to watch those images come up in the developer, students just really typically love that, as frustrating as it can be sometimes.” Whether or not digital or film is your medium of choice, film photography isn’t just a thing of the past — it’s timeless, and here to stay. “Some people are really drawn to the nostalgic aspects, but some are also just really drawn to the kind of intensity of seeing and perceiving that film provides,” said Sittler. “And in some ways, that’s strangely contemporary.”
8
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 8
2/20/2022 5:40:34 PM
SPRING 2022
01 My grandma at my grandparents’ home in Maryland. I spent so much time there growing up, and this photo brings me back to that.
02 I took this photo at Princeton University near where I used to live in New Jersey.
" I find we w mom excit was is oft misc
03 This is my favorite film photo I’ve taken, from a park in New Jersey.
9
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 9
2/20/2022 5:40:35 PM
04 This is my little sister at my grandparents’ home in Maryland.
10
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 10
2/20/2022 5:40:35 PM
SPRING 2022
06 This photo of an old friend in Princeton is one of the first film photos I took that I was happy with. I think I exposed my first film to light accidentally, which ruined the whole thing.
07 This is another view from Princeton, New Jersey. I lived near here when I first started studying film photography, so it became the perfect location for all my photo assignments.
08 A view from a park in New Jersey.
11
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 11
2/20/2022 5:40:37 PM
INSIDER · HIDDEN FIGURES
COMFORT IN A TIME OF TRANSFORMATION STORY & PHOTOS BY
ABEL REYES
Beginning something new is daunting, especially when it involves a physical transformation that can be painful to get through. Liz Garcia-McLean’s pillows make the change a little bit more comfortable. Two days before Laura Garcia-McLean went into breast removal surgery to reduce her high risk of breast cancer, her partner Liz Garcia-McLean gifted her a pillow. As Laura was facing her harsh reality of surgery, this simple gift brought her to tears. Liz was there every step of the way for Laura, quitting all her part-time jobs to be with her, and the pillow she handmade for her meant a lot. Through every thread Liz stitches she helps someone who is about to go through a transformative time in their life. Her recovery pillows are created to provide postoperative healing that is meant to comfort people. These pillows take less than an hour to make, she says. “I wasn't the first person to ever make a recovery pillow for chest surgery,” Liz said. “But I realized why this pillow was so important, and I realized people with breast cancer aren't the only people who need this pillow.” The pillows are designed to give comfort for those recovering from mastectomies, lumpectomies, hysterectomies, cesarean sections, open-heart surgery or top surgery, all which can cause immense discomfort during recovery that can last more than a month. Throughout the recovery stage, depending on the type and severity of the surgery, patients aren’t able to work. At times, patients cannot even drive because wearing a seatbelt can cause a lot of pain. Liz’s pillows offered a sense of support, relief and physical comfort for those in recovery. Liz knows the physical limits of surgery to be challenging, but says the emotional labor that weighs on people who have to wait until they get better can be more hurtful.
“This changes the experience during recovery,” Liz said. “ I saw my mom in particular, she didn't have coping tools. She's very body conscious, like losing a breast is the worst thing in the world to her.” In 2018, Liz’s mom was recovering from breast cancer surgery. Soon after that, doctors found a lump near her grandma’s chest and performed a lumpectomy. Not long after that, Liz met her partner, Laura, on the online dating app HER. Six months after they met, Laura discovered she would have a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Laura, who was 24 at the time, had tested positive for the BRCA gene, a mutation in one of the breast cancer genes. These results confirmed that she was at a higher risk of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer. Both types of cancer ran in Laura’s family. Her mom had breast cancer and Laura’s aunt had ovarian cancer. Doctors had told Laura that she needed to have a double mastectomy by age 30 to lower her risk of having breast cancer. For six years, Laura had to live knowing she was probably going to get cancer at one point. “It changed my life,” Laura said. “I think of things differently because of it.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in eight women will get breast cancer during their life. Breast cancer in young women is more likely to be hereditary and more likely to be found at a later stage, making it more difficult to treat. For two years, Laura had to get mammograms every six months. Eventually, she switched to doing MRI scans because the mammograms were causing her discomfort and pain.
12
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 12
2/20/2022 5:40:38 PM
SPRING 2022
Laura attended every chemotherapy session that her mom and her aunt had. This experience reinforced Laura’s urge to preemptively deal with cancer by getting a mastectomy. Laura says she remembers not being able to see their veins during chemotherapy. “So I'd rather deal with it now than have cancer in the future and have to go through chemo,” Laura said. “I would see how much pain [my mom] was in when they were doing chemo stuff to her.” Every bump in the road caused Laura’s mom discomfort when driving home after a chemotherapy session. So, having the recovery pillow Liz made for her after her surgery was significant. Liz discovered that the use for these pillows spanned far beyond what she once believed. Kindra Woo was the chiropractor at the gym where Liz used to teach yoga. At this studio, Woo had a lot of patients preparing for or recovering from top surgery. Much like double mastectomies, top surgery recovery can cause an immense amount of discomfort, resulting in an inability to work or drive. “I do a lot of pain management, and finding ways to do things differently so that it is comfortable is helpful,” Woo said. “The pillow was just this great lightbulb idea, and I was like, this is genius.”
Woo did not have a recovery pillow after her top surgery. Their recovery took over a month. According to Woo, if she had to experience a recovery like that again, she wouldn’t do it without the pillow. "Everybody who has had top surgery without the pillow has obviously survived and went through it OK, but choosing to go through a surgery like that again would be difficult if I didn't have the pillow," Woo said. Liz has since donated over 300 recovery pillows to the City of Hope National Medical Center, a cancer treatment center, as well as the Trans Wellness Center in Los Angeles. Each pillow is meant to lessen the discomfort for someone who might experience a bumpy car ride home. “I'm really big on boundaries, and I'm really big on telling people no,” Liz said. “A lot of my power or my transformation comes from realizing that I can say no. I don't have to do anything and yoga, and even the pillow, teaches that, when you are a huge part of humanity and society. So it starts with you first, it starts with you feeling good.”
“ The pillow was just this great lightbulb idea, and I was like, this is genius.”
13
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 13
2/20/2022 5:40:40 PM
INSIDER · MIND YOUR HEALTH
TREATING TRAUMA WITH THERAPY STORY BY
SOPHIA JOHNSON
ILLUSTRATIONS BY
NATALIE BARR
When I was first diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, I was shocked. I had always felt generally “healthy.” Though there has been an increase in discussions about mental health, there are still huge misconceptions with mental health and the different ways it can manifest. People like Dr. Bita Ghafoori help dispel those misconceptions and find new ways to help people like me. Dr. Ghafoori is a professor of counseling psychology at CSULB, director of the Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center and a licensed clinical psychologist. Her research centers on trauma-exposed groups and mental health equity. She had initially planned on going to dental school, but a job in a Head Start program showed her how impactful clinical psychology can be. She then moved into a one-year position at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Fresno, working with individuals who had chronic PTSD. “I felt like I wasn’t very qualified for that position because I only worked at college counseling centers and community-based clinics,” Dr. Ghafoori said. “But once I started, it was so extremely rewarding to see how the implementation of evidence-based therapy could be beneficial to individuals.” At this job, Dr. Ghafoori became invested in helping trauma-exposed individuals. She decided to pursue this career further and help gather more evidence to change how to treat PTSD. Now, her own research is being implemented in her work. Of course, working with traumaexposed individuals can be heavy, even for professionals. Dr. Ghafoori makes sure to prioritize her own mental health by doing pilates and spending time with her two children, husband and dog. “Clinicians sometimes are fearful of doing this type of work, but once they realize that there are ways to care for themselves and do this really amazing work, they stay with us and they want to come and train with us at the trauma center,” Dr. Ghafoori said.
14
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 14
2/20/2022 5:40:40 PM
SPRING 2022
“ Engaging in therapy for trauma is really focused on gaining control over that memory so that you can push it back when you need to. It doesn’t mean it’s going to go away, it means you gain more control over the memory.” DR. BITA GHAFOORI Currently, Dr. Ghafoori’s main interest is making mental health services widely accessible. In 2018, the Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center received a $2 million grant to help pay for staffing, supplies and a facility. The center would be obsolete had it not been for this grant, but there’s still a nearly 80-person waitlist, she says. “We’ve never had a wait as long as we have now,” Dr. Ghafoori said. “That’s problematic because part of our mission is to remove barriers to seeking care, and a waitlist is a barrier.” This is especially true since a lot of individuals and families are working through trauma and loss right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conversations about mental health are raising awareness that almost everyone has dealt with their fair share of poor mental health. However, according to Dr. Ghafoori, the most difficult task for people struggling with their mental health is to actually seek out the care that they need. Dr. Ghafoori said to think of your memories like files in a cabinet. “Some of them are really good memories. For example, one may be a birthday party when you were 8 years old. You can pull open that file and remember a thing or two about it, then push it back. “But a trauma is a file that just stays open. When you don’t want it to, the memory comes back. It disturbs you, and you can’t push it back. So engaging in therapy for trauma is really focused on gaining control over that memory so that you can push it back when you need to. It doesn’t mean it’s going to go away, it means you gain more control over the memory.”
15
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 15
2/20/2022 5:40:41 PM
INSIDER · MIND YOUR HEALTH
FIRST STEPS FOR A HEALTHY MIND
IT’S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. Here are some ways to start your journey to better mental health:
SEEK HELP.
REACH OUT.
LOOK IN.
Ghafoori is a big advocate for everyone going to therapy. Whether that means talking to a therapist once a month or getting a personalized care plan, a professional will help you take steps to a healthier mind.
It can be difficult to talk to the people in your life about issues you are struggling with. Find people who make you feel safe and let them know you are going through something. You aren’t alone.
Becoming attuned to your body and mind’s signals is the best way to know what you need. Practice healthy habits like journaling and going on walks. Taking care of yourself is not easy, but take the time to put in the work.
Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center PHONE: 562-985-1366 EMAIL: LBTRC@csulb.edu INSTAGRAM: @lbtrc 16
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 16
2/20/2022 5:40:42 PM
SPRING 2022
Visit www.digmaglb.com to browse our selection of totes, stickers, buttons, and tumblers! 17
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 17
2/20/2022 5:40:42 PM
18
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 18
2/20/2022 5:40:43 PM
MODEL: SELENE VELEZ PHOTO BY: EMILY CHEN ASSISTED BY: BELLA ARNOLD JUSTIN CASTILLO LAUREN GALVAN GABRIELLA GOBATON
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 19
2/20/2022 5:40:44 PM
FEATURE · TOGETHER, WE’VE KICKED SOME ASS
‘ Together, We’ve Kicked Some Ass’
ONE SAME-SEX COUPLE’S 23-YEAR-LONG ACTIVISM JOURNEY STORY BY
LAUREN GALVAN
PHOTOS COURTESY OF
KELLY WINE
Kelly Wine and Joe Delaplaine have been fighting for equality and social justice for over two decades, and there is no sign of them stopping anytime soon.
Joe and Kelly posing in the burned out stump of a redwood tree during a hike in Mammoth.
20
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 20
2/20/2022 5:40:44 PM
SPRING 2022
Joe and Kelly posing in front of the Stonewall Inn. This is where the Stonewall riots took place in New York in the summer of 1969 in response to police raiding the gay bar.
1999
" It was a dangerous time to be different, from the color of your skin to who you loved."
A 23-year-long marriage filled with constant sarcastic banter, unconditional love, overall support, and involvement in numerous protests to help win the fight for equality, social justice, and basic human rights is exactly what this couple signed up for. For Kelly Wine and Joe Delaplaine, it all started in the age of dial-up, when online dating was a new and exciting way of meeting people. However, being a gay man in the ’90s was not exactly safe, and with the territory of trying to meet strangers online came risk. “It was super terrifying,” Wine said. “My mom and dad were like, ‘You’re going to get murdered’ every time I would go on a date. But it worked out, we just had to date outside of our area codes and it worked out fine.” One of their first “dates” was a vigil honoring Matthew Shepherd, a young gay man in Wyoming who was killed by two men who offered him a ride home after a night at the bar. The two men ended up brutally attacking him and leaving him tied to a fence, bleeding and unconscious. He was put in a coma and later succumbed to his injuries. According to Delaplaine, this event was a galvanizing moment for the LGBT community. Together, Wine and Delaplaine organized the vigil, and that was just the beginning of the numerous protests and gatherings that the two would put together. During the late ’90s, two other tragedies occurred, including the murder of James Byrd Jr., a Black man who was killed by white supremacists in Texas, and the Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting. Wine and Delaplaine decided to bring awareness to those stories as well. “We combined all those and had people come from the Jewish community, the Black community, and the LGBT community,”
Delaplaine said. “It brought a lot of different people together to say that this was all one struggle.” It was a dangerous time to be different, from the color of your skin to who you loved. However, Delaplaine has seen a dramatic change after living in a time where it was basically illegal to be a part of the LGBTQ community. Now, there is more awareness because people are continuing to push, Delaplaine said. When Wine and Delaplaine were involved in a protest, people could count on it being huge and being louder than the airport that was across the street. They also made sure to involve as many oppressed communities as possible and ensure that they would have a platform to help raise their voices and bring awareness. It was no different when Prop. 8, a ballot proposition in California that was intended to ban same-sex marriage, was being discussed and highly debated in 2008. On the night that Prop. 8 passed, a protest that started in front of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints resulted in traffic halting and streets closing. They wanted change, and it wasn’t coming from those who had power. They couldn’t wait around for the politicians to do something after being told by people in charge to “just wait,” so they took matters into their own hands. According to Wine, they were told not to make a ruckus. The protest, which took place during rush hour, consisted of so many people that they ended up marching from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints through Westwood and back down Santa Monica Boulevard. 21
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 21
2/20/2022 5:40:45 PM
FEATURE · TOGETHER, WE’VE KICKED SOME ASS
Joe, Kelly and their friend Paula Arnett in San Francisco. at a march against racism and anti-LGBTQ hate speech.
2002 “People were stopped in their cars, and we were walking between the lanes of cars,” Wine said. “They couldn’t move because there were so many people. It was fucking exciting.” Not too long after, Prop. 8 was overturned after a ruling that it violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution. Although Wine and Delaplaine did not want to get married and were content with that, they decided it was something bigger than the two of them. The reality was, either one of them could have been denied medical care or been unable to make decisions for each other, according to Delaplaine. When the opportunity came, after years of fighting for marriage equality, they took it. With a small window of time when they could get married in California, they decided to do it. Wine’s mom drove in from Orange County, picked them up in her Cadillac, and drove them to the courthouse by the Los Angeles International Airport. They were married by a “little Russian justice of the peace,” Wine said. “We got married, my mom put us back in her Cadillac,” Wine said. “We drove to P.F. Chang’s and had lettuce wraps.” That day, after years of bickering, fighting side by side, losing friends, planning protests that shut down streets, and inspiring the younger generations, they were married. Surrounded by a poorly painted wooden arch covered in fake flowers. “Not being abandoned by somebody because you’re not perfect was a huge eyeopener for me,” Delaplaine said. “Especially when you’re told that you’re not anything your whole life.”
22
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 22
Immigrants Rights March on May 1, 2006, in downtown Los Angeles. One million people attended, marching against HR 4437.
2006 2/20/2022 5:40:49 PM
SPRING 2022
2021 “ Not being abandoned by somebody because you’re not perfect was a huge eye-opener for me. Especially when you’re told that you’re not anything your whole life.”
Joe and Kelly on their front step in Santa Monica after they were vaccinated against COVID-19 in summer 2021.
Joe and Kelly on their way to march in the Pride Parade in West Hollywood.
2014 23
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 23
2/20/2022 5:40:52 PM
FEATURE · BEFORE YOU KNEW
Before you finished third grade, you told your friends that you didn’t like girly things--that you did everything in your own way. They said, “But you are a girl.” And you didn’t know what to say Because at the time you could not articulate That being a girl didn’t seem like fate. You Googled “how to be a tomboy” And wondered if your Barbie was okay to destroy.
POEM BY
PETER VILLAFAÑE
PHOTO BY
MY PHAM
Before you knew what transgender meant you hated the color pink And hissed at skirts, unaware that you were on the brink Of learning that everything you tried to avoid Was leading you to a path of rainbows and parades and joy-That every detail was not due to choice That loathing your clothing would create an identity you anoint. Before you could buy a binder, you were mortified when your chest began to grow. You cowered your shoulders and slouched your back so no one had to know. Strangers would “take” you for a boy You did not care because they were “miss”ing a “mis.” A teacher called you a he/she to his class, and now you simply think this: Well, he was kind of right. Back then, your biggest fear was your skinny jeans being too tight Or if the poetry you wrote was being written in vain. Now you fear being buried under the wrong name. Before you had a blog, you began developing your own style; Suddenly you wore skirts and dresses that replaced your smile. You loved fashion and let the art of self-expression take over but Did not know your hyper-femininity was inner transphobia. Before you could admit that your gender was set, you told your boyfriend not to fret. You said you felt like a woman around him, and your gender could be decided on a whim. You tried for as long as you could stand to go by your birth name Before deciding on Peter like the Pan who gained fame As someone you now realize you have always wanted to be: A boy who stayed one forever--from whose own battles he never fleed.
24
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 24
Now you know you are trans, and you are me. I wish I could tell you that the now is easy. I wish you didn’t know that I use our old name with family like a used prop. But feeling like a foreign object in your own body one day stops. And whenever we are scared to go into the men’s restroom we think of Marsha and Sylvia. We continue to march on the road paved by bricks they threw for you. We protect us, for ourselves we make space Until the streets, the cars The clubs, the bars The offices, the schools The bathrooms, the pools Are safe for folks with Our face.
2/20/2022 5:40:52 PM
SPRING 2022
25
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 25
2/20/2022 5:40:52 PM
FEATURE · RENAISSANCE OF READERS
Selene Velez, @moongirlreads_ on TikTok. Photo by Emily Chen.
26
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 26
2/20/2022 5:40:53 PM
SPRING 2022
RENAISSANCE
OF READERS
“ I NEVER IMAGINED IT WOULD BLOW UP.” - KENDRA KEETER-GRAY
STORY BY
BELLA ARNOLD
BookTok viewers are composed of avid readers, lapsed book lovers, casual readers and those looking to fall back in love with reading. However, the true BookTok tastemakers are those making the recommendations: the BookTokers. The app TikTok features a wide array of content. From dancing videos to movie reviews to comedic trends, there’s something for everyone. One side of TikTok, called BookTok, has resurrected a mass of people’s love for reading and even put old books back on the New York Times Bestsellers list. The BookTok hashtag has over 37 billion views on TikTok and is continuing to grow. The growth of BookTok has also ushered in the creation of BookTok influencers, many of whom get deals with relevant brands, like Book of the Month, a monthly subscription service for readers. Kendra Keeter-Gray, who is known as @kendra.reads on TikTok, joined the app in 2019 because her friend was constantly sending her videos. It wasn’t until over a year later that she would begin making her own TikToks and become a prominent BookTok creator. Keeter-Gray’s introduction to BookTok did not even take place on the app. In the summer of 2020, she was scrolling through Pinterest and discovered her first BookTok video about a fantasy book. Though she
had not actively been searching for book recommendations through Pinterest or TikTok, she recalls that summer being full of reading. After she viewed this Pinterest video, TikToks about books began to show up on Keeter-Gray’s “For You Page.” By October 2020, she was fully immersed in BookTok. She decided to start posting her own videos the following March. At this time, Keeter-Gray was living alone and working from home. Though she was often communicating with fellow book lovers and BookTokers on TikTok through comment sections, she felt like reading without anyone to talk to about her favorite books was very isolating. “I’m reading all the time, but I’m not talking to people,” Keeter-Gray said. “I was in comment sections, but when you’re just a profile without any content, it’s kind of hard to actively be a part of these conversations. I was also not seeing a lot of the books that I was reading and wanted to talk about.” On March 3, 2021, Keeter-Gray posted her own TikTok about her trip to Barnes and Noble. In this TikTok, she highlighted books by authors that are thoroughly discussed on her page, like Colleen Hoover and Katie Cotugno. Within that same month, she made a TikTok about love stories with Black women as main characters that reached over 374,000 views. 27
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 27
2/20/2022 5:40:54 PM
FEATURE · RENAISSANCE OF READERS
RIGHT Kendra Keeter-Gray, @kendra.reads on TikTok.
In April, she made a TikTok about books that she believes will be classics in a few years. That video has been viewed over a million times. Though most of her videos continue to garner high engagement, that remains her most-viewed TikTok. “I never imagined it would blow up,” Keeter-Gray said. Keeter-Gray’s original goal was to get 100 followers. By the end of 2021, she had reached 100,000 followers. As of February 2022, she has received 112,000 followers and almost 3 million likes on her account. Part of what has made her BookTok experience so enjoyable is the community, Keeter-Gray says. She became an avid reader during college and found that romance and young adult books were her favorite genres. While she never has felt embarrassed about her likes and dislikes when it comes to reading, she admits that some book covers are off-putting. “I’d go to the romance section and see all the mass market paperbacks with the ‘Fabio’ covers,” Keeter-Gray said. Yet she finds solace in the knowledge that there is an entire web of viewers on BookTok who will relish in the beauty of these books, regardless of what the cover looks like. She will often get messages from people who have taken book recommendations from her videos and say they have fallen back in love with reading as a result, she says.
Whether BookTok creators realize it or not, their viral videos are having a real impact on the lives of readers, as well as authors and the landscape for marketing. Most of the books currently on the bestsellers list have been heavily recommended through TikTok. Keeter-Gray is one of the most vocal fans of Colleen Hoover, author of “It Ends with Us,” “Verity” and many more books. Both of these books have lived on the bestsellers list for months. As of February 2022, “It Ends with Us” was sitting at the top of the bestsellers list for combined print and E-book fiction. It had been on that list for 33 weeks despite being released in August 2016. Selene Velez, 19, is no stranger to creating viral book TikToks that give books a second life. The Lakewood resident and secondyear English student at UCSB posted her first BookTok video on May 1, 2020. She was a senior in high school during an extremely isolating time of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She remembers having to miss out on milestone events, like prom. “I was really looking for community and people liking the same things as me,” Velez said. As a child, Velez was an avid reader, but had not habitually read for fun throughout high school. She estimates that, during high school, she read only about three books per year. Time at home during quarantine gave her an opportunity to pick up the hobby she loved as a child.
Velez suspects that her habit of consistently pressing “accept all cookies,” when prompted, brought her the first BookTok on her TikTok feed. Her first video posted on her account, @moongirlreads_, was titled “books I would sell my soul to read again for the first time.” She began to post consistently, with most of her content centered on videos that described a book’s aesthetic or provided book recommendations. On August 8, 2020, she posted a video recommending sobworthy books. Over 6 million people viewed that video, and it remains one of her most viewed videos. It’s pinned at the top of her profile. One of the books she deemed a perfect book to sob to was “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller. This Iliadinspired book was published in 2011. Velez says that she does not think she is the sole reason why books like “The Song of Achilles” have had a renaissance in popularity years after their initial release, but thinks that BookTok has had a large impact on the market in general. Miller has spoken frequently of the labor that writing “The Song of Achilles” took. In many interviews, she shared how writing that book took a decade. So her gratitude for the book’s newfound virality, almost 10 years after its initial release, was monumental. On June 3, 2021, Miller posted a celebratory post on Instagram, commemorating her book selling 1 million copies.
28
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 28
2/20/2022 5:40:54 PM
SPRING 2022
29
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 29
2/20/2022 5:40:54 PM
FEATURE · RENAISSANCE OF READERS
Kendra Keeter-Gray @kendra.reads on TikTok
30
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 30
2/20/2022 5:40:55 PM
SPRING 2022
“The Song of Achilles” was generally well received at the time of its release and awarded the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012. In the same year, the book was named a New York Times Bestseller. But, because of BookTok, it’s popularity has reached new heights. Not only do these authors acknowledge the positive impact that TikTok has had on the circulation of their books, but they also celebrate it. In Velez’s famous TikTok about sobworthy books, she also recommended “They Both Die at the End,” by Adam Silvera. In the collector’s edition of “They Both Die at the End,” Silvera, who initially released this book in 2017, speaks on this phenomenon of books that were published years earlier experiencing a new life, thanks to TikTok. “No one thought TikTok could be used to market books,” Silvera wrote in the 2021 collector’s edition of “They Both Die at the End.” “I found a TikTok video by @moongirlreads_ where the user, Selene (who is lovely!), had recommended “They Both Die at the End” in her list for ‘Books that will make you sob.’” Velez has also had her review of “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo appear in print. Velez says it wasn’t until she had the opportunity to moderate a panel hosted by the Astoria Bookshop with Adam Silvera, Madeline Miller, Chloe Gong and Tahereh Mafi that she realized what an impact her TikTok had on the popularity of these books. “Having them say thank you was so crazy incredible,” Velez said. “It’s so cool to have that.” She remembers hitting 3,000 followers a few months after starting her account. She hosted a giveaway because she felt like she was “poppin’” and wanted to celebrate the milestone. After she posted her viral video, she went from 3,000 followers to about 30,000 followers in a week. Because of that video, Velez has been featured in numerous publications, like PopSugar and the New York Times, and revered for her BookTok content. Though many other BookTokers recommend “The Song of Achilles” and “They Both Die at the End,” Velez is cited as the TikToker who made those books TikTok staples. It’s impossible to deny the presence that BookTok has. The question then becomes, does BookTok have lasting power, or will it become a fleeting trend? Velez and Keeter-Gray believe, and hope, that BookTok is here to stay. However, both admit that BookTok has its flaws.
“ If you click on the BookTok hashtag, the most trending videos will be white people holding up books.” KEETER-GRAY “If you click on the BookTok hashtag, the most trending videos will be white people holding up books,” Keeter-Gray said. “When they do hold up books that feature people of color, they’re staple books, like ‘Legendborn’ or ‘Get a Life, Chloe Brown.’” This leads her to wonder if the white creators are actively searching for books by diverse authors, she says. She feels obligated to give book recommendations featuring people of color and written by authors of color because other TikTokers do not. Her recommendation for people looking for diverse reads is to explore BookTok hashtags like #BlackBookTok and #LatinxBookTok. Keeter-Gray believes that BookTokers need to become more comfortable with discussing a character’s race, especially when the book features people of color. Solely highlighting the fact that the book features a person of color can be extremely meaningful to readers of color, she says. A great way to diversify your bookshelf is by reading books by independent authors, she says. Many independent authors publish through Kindle Unlimited. “White people don’t know what it’s like to not see themselves represented in books,” Keeter-Gray said. Though she admits that, like all aspects of the internet, BookTok has a lot of work to do, the community of BookTok has made her experience worthwhile. As much as she loves to see her fellow BookToker’s recommendations, Keeter-Gray emphasizes the importance of reading based on personal preference. “When it comes to reading, read what you want to read,” Keeter-Gray said. “Focus on the genre you like and find a bookish community to be a part of.”
31
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 31
2/20/2022 5:40:55 PM
INSIDER · REPORT CARD
LOCAL SHOPS TO FIND VINTAGE RECORDS STORY AND PHOTOS BY
CHRISTINA MERINO
Vinyl records have made a strong comeback as a favorite way to listen to music. Sure, you can buy the latest release by current artists on the old-school discs. But nothing beats finding a classic secondhand album that’s been gracing the turntable since the ’70s or ’80s. Here are three spots in Long Beach where you can find a great assortment of vintage records.
TWELVES:
A+
Twelves is a bright and lively record store with plenty of space for shoppers to distance from each other while enjoying their search through the wide selection. In the corner, there is a seating area for those who want to browse through Twelves’ many boxes of records. The detail that I really appreciated about Twelves is their organization. Every record is separated by genre. Within each genre, records are sorted in alphabetical order. One of the unique ways that Twelves organizes their records is by designating certain sections for popular artists and bands, like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. The thorough organization and reasonable prices make Twelves an enticing spot for vinyl lovers. Address: 746 E. Seventh Street, Long Beach Hours: Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday to Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.
RECORD BOX:
A
When walking into Record Box, you are sure to be warmly greeted by owner Jose Jurado and his friendly dog. The record shop lives up to its name, as the small space is covered with records from the walls to bins with a wide music selection, making for an intimate experience for record lovers. The vibe of the shop helps you zone in on the music playing in the background and search through all the records without feeling time pass. The shop also features a playing station where customers can play the record before purchasing it. The selection is organized by genre. This can make your pursuit of a specific artist more time consuming, but Jurado is willing to help customers search through the entire store to find the right record. Each vinyl comes with a great quality sleeve to protect it from any damage. According to Jurado, the Record Box’s most popular genres are rock, hip-hop and R&B. Record Box is a great place to go and browse music and see lots of familiar names from the ‘80s and ‘90s.
BAGATELLE RECORDS:
B+
From the ceiling to the floor, Bagatelle Records has every vintage vinyl one could imagine. Bagatelle Records opened in 1977, making it the oldest record store in Long Beach. Walking in can be an overwhelming experience because of how many records there are. Personally, I had to walk around the whole store once before I got the hang of how everything was organized. Everything is separated by genre and then labeled alphabetically, but sometimes letters will be above or below where you’d expect. When planning a trip to Bagatelle, make sure to allot more time to go through everything and find the vinyl you want. Something helpful Bagatelle does is separate popular artists, like Cher and Elton John, to make the search more convenient. Bagatelle employees are very kind and willing to help you navigate their large selection. Address: 260 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach
Address: 930 Pacific Ave., Long Beach
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Hours: Monday and Tuesday, noon to 5 p.m. Thursday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
32
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 32
2/20/2022 5:40:57 PM
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 33
2/20/2022 5:40:57 PM
Engaging and entertaining—just for you! MOMIX - Alice Apr 30, ’22 at 8pm MOMIX conjures the magical world of the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts in this stunning reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s novel.
Carpenter center
Igudesman & Joo Play it Again May 15, ’22 at 2pm The comedic classical duo bring their inspired zaniness and musical virtuosity to a show where every song is an encore!
Follow us
Richard & Karen
performing arts
@carpentercenter CSULB campus (off the 405 fwy at Palo Verde)
Buy BuyOnline OnlineCarpenterArts.org CarpenterArts.org DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 34
2/20/2022 5:40:58 PM
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 35
2/20/2022 5:40:58 PM
36
DIG_Spring22_BA_GG edits.indd 36
2/20/2022 5:41:00 PM
