Empty Closet, October 2014

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NUMBER 483

A PUBLICATION OF THE GAY ALLIANCE

OCTOBER 2014

MOCHA on the move: agency re-locates to 189 N. Water St.

MOCHA staff at the farewell reception on Sept. 12: Front Row - Yaritza Pineiro, Jasán M. Ward. Back Row – Joshoan LaMourt, Kathryn Franco, Michael Wilson, Bruce E. Smail, Christopher C. Goodwin.

the building – the lower level.

It’s really nice.”

Bruce Smail said that MOCHA is planning new initiatives to go with the new space.

MOCHA Consulting Services will be doing speaking engagements and cultural competency trainings, using the largest room as a training center. He noted, “The center will be open to various populations; the goal is the health and wellness of LGBT communities of color.

We’re trying to help other health organizations and providers to

a fee for the services initiative.

Each training is at cost. It’s our effort at being creative. How do we build new funding streams for our organization?”

He went on, “We’re one of the few organizations in the country that were founded by black gay men to do work around HIV. We have to go beyond and also address some of the knowledge and service angles that we should be doing. Who better to do this training than an organization founded by black and Latino gay men of color?” ■

Gay Alliance Annual Meeting to highlight changes in bylaws

es in the not-for-profit world, including changes to New York non-profit law, have prompted the Board of Directors to direct our Governance Committee to review and recommend updates to the organization’s bylaws to bring them into line with current “best practices.”

The difference between being a “donor” and “member” of The Gay Alliance has long confused community supporters. Fearing said, “You may not be aware of it but our organizational bylaws require a distinction between a ‘donor’ and a ‘member.’ The bylaws are the policies and pro(Annual continues page 6)

For over 40 years, the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley has relied on generous donors to help fulfill its mission of improving the lives of LGBTQ people.

Executive Director Scott Fearing says, “Donors play an integral part in ensuring that our community members have an organization to champion LGBTQ life and culture. We thank you for your support over our many years.”

Fearing notes that chang-

PHOTO: BESS WATTS

offer more inclusive programs and services for LGBT people of color. Some are about diversity, some social justice, some are basics about LGBT people of color.”

MOCHA will employ a team of 10 consultants from different fields – education, mental health, health practitioners and more – who will do the trainings on site, and reach out to other organizations as well.

Bruce said, “There will be

PHOTO: SUSAN JORDAN

By Susan Jordan The MOCHA Center is moving from 107 Liberty Pole Way to 189 N. Water St. The opening reception is set for Oct. 15, from 4-7 p.m.

Executive Director Bruce Smail told The Empty Closet, “We have had a five year lease and renewed it once. But this space used to be a police station and isn’t the most user-friendly.

Water St. is a small street and we have the entire river side of

Over 60 attend Gay Alliance Community Forum; participants offer proposals for change

By Susan Jordan Over 60 people came out on a rainy Saturday, Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. to talk about the future for the Gay Alliance and the Rochester LGBTQ community’s current needs.

The forum took place in the big room at the Auditorium Center formerly used by the Youth Group. A summary of the results of the recent community survey was made available to everyone.

Gay Alliance Executive Director Scott Fearing started things off by saying, “We’re having a conversation about where the Gay Alliance is going.

There’s an idea the Alliance is a huge organization with a lot of money. That’s not true – but we do have a lot of people with big hearts.”

Fearing noted that the Alliance education program is 274 percent over budget as far as income. Its Safe Zone trainings are now nationally recognized and the Alliance will do trainings for many community colleges in California, as well as many other places. A local SafeZone training is set for November, and Fearing said, “People will be flying in from all over

ance relies on volunteers, allies, partner organizations and community resources like ImageOut and the Empire Justice Center. For instance, he said, “Big Brothers/Big Sisters is starting an LGBT youth program, and the Alliance will provide the structure to make that happen. It’s hearing from the community and seeing what we can bring to the table – we can’t do it alone.”

How has the Alliance’s role changed after 41 years? Scott Fearing said, “There’s a major shift in the work we do. Forty years ago our primary purpose was to help people survive in a hostile world. We need to move from mere survival to helping people thrive.”

He described the two major areas the Alliance will be working in. The first is “Reaching Out” – education and training in a campaign to address systems that may not yet be welcoming to LGBTQ people.

Second is “ROC Out” – enriching life for and empowering our community. The Red Ball and Pride are two examples of what Fearing called “Out and queer, working and celebrating (Community continues page 3)

the country.”

He traced the changes that have come about since he was appointed ED a year ago. “It’s been an incredible journey,” he said. “When I came on as ED the organization was financially very strapped… three weeks after I came on board we lost NYS funding – one third of our operating budget.

A lot of changes have happened: we had to shrink in order to grow…. Then we got a phone call saying a community member had passed away and left us $200,000. This was safely invested and is bringing in a yearly income. Our goal is to keep that investment growing.”

He described the evolution of the Gay Alliance over the past 40-plus years, concluding, “We won’t have the resources and funds to hire staff to do everything. We need the community. How can we work together to meet community needs? What can we do to take care of ourselves and help our own? How can we overcome the divisions within our own community and become stronger and move forward together? We deserve the best.”

Fearing said that the Alli-

Inside

THE GAY ALLIANCE APPRECIATES THE CONTINUING PARTNERSHIP OF BUSINESSES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY WHO SUPPORT OUR MISSION AND VISION.

ImageOut, Page 27 (PARTNERSHIPS CONTINUE ON PAGE 2)

FROM “BLACKBIRD”

OUR PLATINUM LEVEL PARTNERS ARE:

Editorials....................................... 2 Interview: Candidates.................. 7 Making the Scene......................10 Health: Breast Cancer.................16 LGBTQ Living: Food....................17 Shoulders To Stand On ...........21 Columnists ................................22 Community ................................25 Entertainment: ImageOut.........27 Gay Alliance: SpeakOut............30 Calendar.....................................34 Classifieds..................................34 Comics................................ 34, 35 The Gay Alliance is publisher of The Empty Closet, New York State’s oldest LGBTQ newspaper.

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

Perspectives The Empty Closet Editor SUSAN JORDAN

Workplace protections, marriage equality are connected Most national LGBTQ organizations have dropped their support for ENDA, the proposed law (long stuck in the House) which would give gay Americans protection from workplace discrimination, because it has been so watered down by religious exemptions as to be meaningless.

After the Supreme Court ruling on Hobby Lobby, which apparently gives employers the right to control their employees’ bodies and personal lives, based on the employers’ (not the employees’) “religious freedom,” many people feel it’s pointless to give churches and religious groups, or for that matter corporations and individuals, any religious exemption from anti-discrimination laws. Why exempt the very people who are doing the discriminating?

Even with all those exemptions, ENDA has been stuck in the House of Representatives, just because of the mindless, intransigent bigotry of House Republicans. If even the watered down version of ENDA is unacceptable to the Republicans in the House, why not try to replace it with the stronger Senate version?

Openly gay Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) is trying to do just that. He filed H.R. 678 to narrow the religious exemption in ENDA and on Sept. 17 he introduced a discharge peti-

tion on the Senate-passed version of ENDA, S 815. A discharge petition is a parliamentary procedure wherein if a majority of members of the House of Representatives sign the discharge petition, the measure may be “discharged” from committee and be brought directly to the floor for consideration.

Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund, said, “The new, fair version of ENDA that the Task Force and many others in the LGBT community have been calling for has now emerged in the US House with both strong protections for LGBT employees and a new reasonable religious exemption — treating LGBT people the same as other protected classes.

Thank you Leader Pelosi and US Representative Polis for your moral and political leadership in moving this forward. LGBT people need strong protections from discrimination and we have waited too long for anything less. Legal equality is legal equality. We urge law makers to seize this moment and support the discharge petition.”

Of course, House Republicans are not likely to sign the discharge; as of Sept. 26 none had done so, even though some had sponsored the original bill.

Marriage equality and workplace protections are equally important. Both are basic human rights – although the extremists say gays are not human – and human beings have families they need to support.

Today we stand on the cutting edge of research into human nature – the frontier of knowledge about sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Do we want to keep learning or do we listen to those who, out of prejudice, fear and the need to control, want to shut down scientific inquiry and social change?

Our right to be our authentic selves, to love the people we love and to create our own families, if we wish, is inextricably linked to our right to work in order to support those families. ■

Gay Alliance Board of Trustees David Zona, President, Jessica Muratore, Vice-President, W. Bruce Gorman, Secretary, Peter Mohr, Treasurer, Jason Barnecut, Chris Hilderbrant, Emily Jones, Jeff Lambert, William Schaefer

Gay Alliance Executive Director SCOTT FEARING

Changing the World It was in the fall of 1980, a time before many of you readers were born, that I first said, “I am gay.”

My coming out was kicked in the butt a few years later when HIV/AIDS arrived on the scene and I was drawn into community organizing as a way to keep my friends alive.

In that brief period between my coming out and the need to focus on what was then called “gay cancer,” I learned an important message about what it meant to be “gay.” At that point in American history, multiple civil rights, social justice, global peace, and environmental movements were going strong. Reagan had just arrived on the scene.

As I celebrated being gay, I celebrated the fact that I was part of a movement to overturn the misogynistic, sexist patriarchy that dominated society.

The women’s movement and its feminist ideals were sensible and appealing to me. We in the queer community celebrated that our gender was not a determinate to how we must act or make love.

We celebrated as we challenged the social norms. We advocated for equal pay for women to help free them from the stereotypes of “passive femininity”. For men we offered the possibility of life free from the rigors of “dominating masculinity” -- we stressed that it was OK to ask for men to ask for help, enjoy the arts and to be gentle.

LGBT people had much to teach about painful stereotypes and

Name

stifling expectations.

We longed to show America, actually the world, what we had discovered. A respectful way to have intimate relationships. We knew that rings, a license, and a baby did not make a family respectful and valuable. (This was a point when we were also concerned about global overpopulation.) We knew that we could help to redefine relationships and what it meant to be “family.”

Granted, HIV/AIDS sidetracked our desire to change the world. We had to focus on healing and caring for ourselves. The national fight for HIV research dollars played out in our families as we fought for health coverage. By the 1990s much of our movement was focused on getting health coverage and fair treatment for ourselves and our partners and we advocated for health care by stressing that “our families are just like yours.” A few years before we would have found such claims of “normalcy” repulsive.

Honestly there are times I worry that the LGBTQ communities have accepted the sexist social expectations that we once openly eschewed. Progress has been made, but the darkness of sexism still limits our vision. As a nation we are at long last enjoying open conversations about Trans* experiences and full inclusion for Trans* people. But I worry because I rarely hear talk of how our examination of sex and gender is working to undo the sexist binary expectations.

With few exceptions (thank you Genesee Valley Gender Variants and TAGR) even discussions of Trans* identity often devolve to discussion of the gender binary.

I believe that the LGBTQ communities have much to offer to our heterosexual, cisgender, gender conforming friends and neighbors. But first, we must all embrace the power that comes from the amazing gender identities, gender expressions, and family variations that our communities represent.

We should be proud to say, “We are NOT just like you. We are LGBTQ and we are proud to see and do things differently. May we offer you a suggestion?” ■ 10/14

Address City/State/Zip Phone E-mail Gay Alliance Membership Levels: ❏ $30-99 Advocate ❏ $100 Champion ❏ $1,000-4,999 Triangle Club ❏ $5,000+ Stonewall ❏ Check enclosed in the amount of _________ (check #______) Please charge my credit card in the amount of __________ To: ❏ American Express, ❏ Discover, ❏ MasterCard, ❏ Visa Credit card # ____________________________Exp. Date: _______ ❏ I would be proud to have my donation publicly acknowledged.

Benefits: Subscription to The Empty Closet mailed to home or work, plus privileges at each level. Phone: 585 244-8640 or mail to: Gay Alliance, 875 E. Main St., Suite 500, Rochester, NY 14605. Home delivery of The Empty Closet is free with your annual membership.

Gay Alliance partnerships continued from page 1

THANK YOU GOLD LEVEL

City of Rochester Absolut/Malibu

SILVER LEVEL 3 Olives Baccardi

Barefoot Wine Hedonist Artisan Chocolate John’s Tex Mex

BRONZE LEVEL Ameriprise Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Corning Inc. Equal Grounds Coffee House Harter Secrest and Emery LLP ImageOut Jaegermeister Kittleberger Florist and Gifts Labor Federation Macy’s New York Life Out and Equal NY Finger Lakes Outlandish Sky Vodka St. John Fisher Tompkins Enterprises Victory Alliance Wegmans Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP

CHAMPION LEVEL Mass Mutual of Buffalo Park Avenue Merchants Association Pride @Work Third Presbyterian Church The Woolbright Group HCR Home Care

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

PAGE ONE (Community from page 1) together.”

He listed five core values of the agency: Equity: Not exactly the same as equality – the level playing field – but going beyond changed laws to ensure that each person has what they need to be fully equal.

Authenticity: To live our lives out of the closet, free to define ourselves and express our self-identity.

Community: Factions have always existed but by coming together we form an ALLIANCE, which makes us a strong force to be reckoned with. (NOTE: Community Councils will be formed to advise the agency on the work they do. See the article by Anne Tischer, below.)

Collaboration: Partnerships with non-profits in the LGBTQ community and the greater Rochester community.

Stewardship: Being responsible, honest and upfront about how the agency works with the funds it is entrusted with.

Scott Fearing shared with the group that the new Gay Alliance mission statement is “Champions for LGBTQ Life and Culture.”

Audience members gave opinions about what is needed for the future, and then everyone was asked to post their “one big idea” for the Alliance on a large board.

Fearing asked the group, “What do you think the purpose of the Alliance is?” Suggestions made by the assembled group included the following: Provide inclusive services to make sure everyone can have access; represent low income and at-risk populations.

Respond to violence, especially against trans youth, and get the Anti Violence Program up and running again.

Outreach to communities of color. For example, Gay Alliance board and staff should actively support events and initiatives of communities of color – not wait for them to “come to” the Alliance.

Be community spokespeople to the media. (Several people mentioned the good job done with the Kimberly and Beck situation. Bess Watts commented, “I was never so proud of the Gay Alliance.”)

Collaborate with MOCHA Center and community groups to create a youth shelter.

Increase visibility of the Gay Alliance Board (only one board member attended the Forum).

More recognition of the volunteers and their dedicated service.

Create relationships within the greater Rochester community: Take our rightful placed at the table in community conversations.

Youth services: Expand services and reach all youth who need survival services, as in rural areas. Listen to what the youth say they need and base programming on that.

Community Center: Scott Fearing commented, “It’s not cheap or easy but it can happen. We know that people want a PLACE.” Senior program: Need a sound financial basis to hire

professionals and provide safe space, programming and services. Alliance bookkeeper Christopher Hennelly proposed a capital campaign with a fiveyear vision plan for both youth and seniors.

Get existing services to embrace the LGBTQ community and our needs. Evelyn Bailey said that prejudice is often built into the structure of agencies and other groups. Scott Fearing said, “We have an obligation to see that they include our community.”

Educate the LGBTQ community about our own homophobia and transphobia and continue our legacy.

Reach consensus on messaging and present a united front with a broad demographic voice.

Be visible throughout the greater Rochester community.

Utilize and welcome allies.

(Scott Fearing: “Ally participation has sky-rocketed.”)

Increase the diversity of the board.

Intersectionality and vision.

Analyze the points of intersection between different oppressions.

Educate schools: Help administrators stand up to antigay parents.

Work with same sex families.

Late bloomer services: Help people who are coming out late in life.■

Gay Alliance Community Councils workshop is set for Oct. 21

By Anne Tischer People stayed for an hour after the Gay Alliance Community Forum of Sept. 13, discussing ideas and future possibilities for the Gay Alliance. The notice from Executive Director Scott Fearing of a pending shift toward “community-inspired, community-engaged and communityempowered” programming left people wanting to know about next steps.

On Tuesday, Oct. 21, from 6:30-8 p.m., there will be a “Gay Alliance Community Councils Formation” workshop at Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St., 14605. Scott Fearing said, “It’s time for our communities to maximize their potential. The Gay Alliance needs involved community members to help us be Champions for LGBTQ Life and Culture.”

All are invited to participate in this fun and energizing “assets mapping and relationship building” workshop that will be the foundation for the new “community councils”. The approach is based on the well respected work of John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight, authors of Building Communities From the Inside Out. They point out that community building is poorly done when focused on needs, problems and deficiencies. Instead the Gay Alliance process will focus on finding and activating the assets, talents, skills and associations of our own members while developing the relationships that make success possible.

If you have an interest in being (Councils continues page 6)

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NewsFronts LOCAL AND STATE

action toward a more sustainable, just and fulfilling world, will be presented at Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St., on Oct. 11.

Registration is still open – call Open Arms at 585 271 8478. Suggested donation is $10 and includes a catered lunch. More information on Pachamama Alliance can be had at pachamama.org.

“Shoulders” film screens at Brockport, Oct. 1

At one of the LICK planning meetings: L-R - Anne Tischer, Ramona Santorelli, Marilyn Traver, Tracey Cartwright, Aisha Mills, Sue Cowell, Marta Maletzke, Valerie A. Hall, Barbara Turner, Laurie Migliore, Jeane Kennedy. Men are joining too! Photo: Bess Watts.

Get ready for fun: Introducing LICK Events’ Day Party Sundays Starting Oct. 26, some Sunday afternoons will be a lot more fun for Rochester’s 21 and over LGBTQ community.

The Gay Alliance, in response to many requests, has formed LICK Events, a member-organized social event planning team.

LICK planners hope to have at least one Sunday Day Party (some may think of these as “Tea Dances”) each month, with the kick-off event scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 26, noon to 6 p.m. at ONE Nightclub, 1 Ryan Place (off East Ave. by Alexander).

Look for $2 mimosas from 12-2 p.m. Kitchen opens at noon and features “meet up” food packages and drink specials, plus sports fans can watch widescreen football downstairs at 1 p.m. (Bills vs. Jets). DJ Reign plays dance music upstairs 2 – 6 p.m. There will also be a vodka tasting upstairs for the adventurous. RSVP to 546-1010 to reserve a table for brunch or to watch the game with your group downstairs. Everyone 21 and over is welcome. A $2 donation is requested to get in. The venue is wheelchair accessible.

Future LICK Day Party Sundays will feature varying venue locations and music styles including salsa, Motown, disco and more. Some demographic-celebrating dances like “Men & Friends” and “Women & Friends” have been requested by the community and are under consideration.

If you would like to be part of the LICK planning team shown above, contact Barbara Turner at BarbaraT@gayalliance.org or Anne Tischer at 244-8640 x13 AnneT@gayalliance.org.

Call for submissions: 2015 David A. Garfinkel Essay Scholarship This is an opportunity for CUNY and SUNY community college students to receive cash prizes, improve their research/ writing skills and highlight an academic achievement on their resumes.

The 2015 David A. Garfinkel Essay Scholarship For CUNY and SUNY Community College Students deadline for essay submission starts Dec. 1 and runs until through April 1, 2015.

Awards are as follows: $1,500 -- NYS Community College Grand Prize awarded to a student from either educational system; $1,000 -- CUNY Community College Prize; $1,000 -- SUNY Community College Prize.

The essay topic is “LGBT: THE ROAD TO EQUALITY. How have the New York Courts addressed equal human rights for the LGBT Community?”

More information: the Historical Society of the New York Courts has set up a website with useful links at www.nycourts. gov/history/garfinkel.

Queer & Ally Group offers LGBT history classes this month Come and learn about LGBT history and how it relates to Rochester during LGBT History Month.

Beginning on Thursday, Oct. 2, 7-8:30 p.m., and every consecutive Thursday through Oct. 30, Evelyn Bailey, executive producer of the “Shoulders to Stand On” film project, who was honored this year by The Empire State Pride Agenda with their Community Service Award, will be the instructor. It’s happening at First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. Refreshments will be served.

The cost for the whole series is $25. The course will include the pre-Stonewall era, Stonewall and gay liberation at the University of Rochester, birth of the Gay Alliance, gay politics in Rochester’s history and the AIDS crisis.

This class is open to everyone.

Pre-register at showclix (LGBT History Class) and for questions contact Brian Hurlburt at bigbhurl12@rochester.rr.com.

Registration is still open for “Awakening the Dreamer” “Awakening The Dreamer” Symposium presented by the Rochester Team of the Pachamama Alliance, an experience to inspire

For those who have missed it, another chance to see “Shoulders To Stand On” is coming up this month.

The College at Brockport screening of “Shoulders To Stand On,” the documentary by Kevin Indovino about the history of the Rochester LGBT community, will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Mainstage Theatre, Tower Fine Arts Center, Brockport Campus.

Brooklyn youth project urges parents not to reject gay kids Via press release: For many LGBT youth in Central Brooklyn, being rejected by parents or family members can lead to risky and dangerous behavior. Project Accept LGBT Youth (ALY), a CAMBA HIV prevention initiative, is working to change this by encouraging parents, guardians and families to accept these young people.

Funded by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene through Public Health Solutions, Project ALY is mounting a multi-pronged effort to change parents’ attitudes. The goal of this effort is to build awareness, overcome biases, strengthen families and help young people gain self-esteem and self-worth – lowering their risk of future health or mental health problems, including HIV infection and substance abuse.

The current initiative includes a recently launched social marketing campaign, which comprises bus and bus shelter ads, and Facebook and Twitter posts, combined with community outreach. Interested parents and family members are encouraged to attend small-group meetings to discuss their attitudes and concerns. In a novel approach, Project ALY enlists supportive parents of LGBT youth, who share their stories and become role models for others who are not yet as accepting.

“Parents and family members who struggle with acceptance will come to understand the harmful effects that disapproval and rejection can have on LGBT youth,” said Lisa Koffler, CAMBA Program Manager for Prevention Services. “This will help break the silence, remove stigma and motivate change throughout the community.”

(Local/State continue page 6)

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

NewsFronts NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL

Iowa lesbians, 90 & 91, marry after over seven decades together

By Jean Paul Zapata on gaystarnews. com Vivian Boyack, 91, and Alice “Nonie” Dubes, 90, exchanged vows over the weekend of Sept. 6.

After being in a relationship for 72 years, the couple was married… at First Christian Church in the city of Davenport.

“We’ve had a good time,” Dubes told the Quad City Times.

Throughout their time together, Boyack and Dubes have been avid travelers visiting all 50 states in the US, all Canada’s provinces and England twice.

The two women moved to Davenport in 1947, after meeting in Yale, Iowa where they grew up. …The couple was photographed holding hands as Reverend Linda Hunsaker officiated over their wedding attended by an intimate group of family and friends.

Though Iowa became the fourth state in the US to legalize same-sex marriage, in 2009, following Connecticut, California and Massachusetts, many churches in Iowa remain divided over whether or not to embrace same-sex marriages.

In January 2013, Gay Star News reported Iowa Baptist Church became the first of its denomination to conduct religious same-sex marriages.

See more at: http://www. gaystarnews.com/article/90-

year-old-lesbian-couple-marries-iowaafter-7-decades-together080914#sthash.

G2Wf6Us1.dpuf From the Quad City Times: Vivian Boyack and Alice “Nonie” Dubes say it is never too late for people to write new chapters in their lives. Boyack, 91, and Dubes, 90, began a new chapter in their 72-year relationship Saturday when they exchanged wedding vows at First Christian Church, Davenport. Surrounded by family and a small group of close friends, the two held hands as the Rev. Linda Hunsaker told the couple, “This is a celebration of something that should have happened a very long time ago.”

Boyack was a longtime teacher in Davenport, directing the lives of children at Lincoln and Grant elementary schools.

“I always wanted to be a teacher,” Boyack said… after the ceremony. “My plan at an early age was to teach in the school where I was then going, and my teacher would move on to another school.”

Swiss court recognizes two gay men as parents

By David Hudson on gaystarnews.com A court in Switzerland has made the historic decision to recognize two men as the legal parents of a child born to a surrogate mom in the United States – despite surrogacy being illegal in the country.

The two men, who live together in a registered partnership, are originally from

the St Gallen region of northeast Switzerland. They became fathers through the use of a surrogate mom in California, with the child being conceived through artificial insemination, a donor egg and the sperm of one of the men.

In California, where surrogacy is legal, the child’s birth certificate listed the men as the child’s fathers, recognizing that the surrogate mother and her husband did not wish to exercise their parental rights.

However, under Swiss law, the mom and her husband would still normally be considered the parents.

The two men petitioned authorities to be listed as the child’s fathers in the Swiss national registry and were supported by the St Gallen Department of Home Affairs.

However, the country’s Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) appealed against the petition to the St Gallen administrative court, prompting the court to make a ruling.

In doing so, the court decided to recognize the Californian birth certificate, ruling that the child’s welfare was the most important priority in the case.

“The administrative court recognized the American judgment,” said Karin Hochl, the lawyer who represented the men.

The court stated that a note of the child’s genetic parentage should be recorded on the Swiss birth certificate – partially upholding the FOJ’s complaint – but that the two men could be listed as fathers to the child. The FOJ may still appeal the decision by taking the matter to the Switzerland Federal Court but has not yet announced whether it plans to do so.

Switzerland has a good record for LGBT rights with regards to registered partnerships, an equal age of consent and anti-discrimination laws in relation to employment and the provision of goods and services. However, when it comes to family-building, there remains a ban on same-sex couples adopting, stepchildadoption, and on lesbians accessing IVF treatment.

- See more at: http://www. gaystarnews.com/article/switzerland-recognises-two-gay-men-legalfathers-child280814#sthash.xOXaisyX. dpuf

Appeals court upholds N.J. ban on “ex-gay” torture of youth The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld New Jersey’s ban on the “exgay” torture of LGBT youth. A similar ban was recently upheld in California.

This is yet another loss for NARTH, the Liberty Counsel, and Alliance Defending Freedom.

-JoeMyGod.com From Garden State Equality: The New Jersey law prohibits licensed therapists from subjecting minor patients to “sexual orientation change efforts” (SOCE), which the law defines as the practice of seeking to change a person’s sexual orientation, including, but not

limited to, efforts to change behaviors, gender identity, or gender expressions, or to reduce or eliminate sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward a person of the same gender.”

Writing for the court, Circuit Judge D. Brooks Smith held that “over the last few decades a number of well-known, reputable professional and scientific organizations have publicly condemned the practice of SOCE, expressing serious concerns about its potential to inflict harm,” and that “[m]any such organizations have also concluded that there is no credible evidence that SOCE counseling is effective.”

The constitutionality of the New Jersey law was challenged in August 2013 in a lawsuit filed by anti-LGBT groups primarily representing therapists who engage in the prohibited practices. The case was assigned to federal district judge Freda Wolfson, who held that the law was a valid exercise of the state’s authority to regulate medical professionals to protect public health and safety. That ruling was appealed and heard by a three-judge panel of the Third Circuit in July 2014.

While applying a higher standard of review, the Third Circuit upheld Judge Wolfson’s judgment that the law is constitutional, stating: “Legislatures are entitled to rely on the empirical judgments of independent professional organizations that possess specialized knowledge and experience concerning the professional practice under review, particularly when this community has spoken with such urgency and solidarity on the subject.”

In the fall of 2013, Garden State Equality filed a successful motion to intervene in the lawsuit to defend the law alongside New Jersey Acting Attorney General John Jay Hoffman, who represents the State of New Jersey defendants.

Garden State Equality is represented in the case by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and the law firms of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Gluck Walrath LLP. David Flugman of Kirkland & Ellis argued the case on behalf of Garden State Equality.

“The court’s decision today is a major victory for the thousands of young people who will now be protected from these dangerous and horrific practices,” said Andrea Bowen, Garden State Equality’s executive director. “No one should subject minors to conversion therapy—least of all state-licensed clinicians responsible for the care and well-being of their patients.”

Shannon Minter, NCLR’s Legal Director, said, “This decision means that New Jersey youth will continue being protected from cruel and damaging practices that have been rejected by all leading medical and mental health professional organizations. The court of appeals ruling makes clear that state-licensed therapists do not have a constitutional right to engage in discredited practices that offer no health benefits and put LGBT youth at risk of severe harm, including depression and suicide. We thank Acting Attor-

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET ney General John Jay Hoffman, Deputy Attorney General Susan Marie Scott, and the entire legal team at the Office of the Attorney General for their work defending this essential law.”

The New Jersey law, known as Assembly Bill A3371, had seventeen primary and co-sponsors in the Assembly and was signed into law by Governor Chris Christie on August 19, 2013. In the Governor’s Statement Upon Signing, Governor Christie noted the “critical health risks” posed by conversion therapy, including “depression, substance abuse, social withdrawal, decreased self-esteem and suicidal thoughts.”

synagogue.

Goldstein told The Times of Israel that he had wanted to become a rabbi to counter the hold of Ultra-Orthodox Judaism over Jewish culture.

“My motto is to give Judaism back to the people,” Goldstein said. “I feel that the Orthodox establishment in this country has hijacked Judaism and decided there is only one way to be Jewish … I realized that if someone is going to make a stand, it’s going to be me. So I got off my behind, and I went to study.

“I’m not interested in the ultra-Orthodox, who don’t think our way of Judaism is the right way… I’m interested in the millions of Israelis who are turned off completely from Judaism. I want to make sure they at least have the chance to feel at home inside a synagogue, be it in the shul or in the library. I don’t want people to feel threatened to cross that threshold, and right now many people do.”

Conservative Judaism has been slower to embrace LGBTI people than the liberal Reformed Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism movements who have both ordained openly gay rabbis and celebrate same-sex unions for many years.

- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews. com/article/conservative-judaism-ordainsfirst-openly-gay-rabbi-lead-synagogueisrael080914#sthash.BVLVMJv9.dpuf

Crimean leader, twice investigated for murder, says gays “have no chance” Martina Navratilova proposes to girlfriend at US Open During a break from her commentary for the men’s matches at the U.S. Open on Sept. 6, tennis star Martina Navratilova popped the question to girlfriend Julia Lemigova -- a moment that was telecast on the Jumbotron to the cheers of the crowd.

Speaking to the Associated Press later, Navratilova said, “”It came off. She said yes. It was kind of an out-of-body experience. You’ve seen people propose at sporting events before, in movies, in real life.

Here it was happening to me. It was like I was watching myself do it.”

Later that day, Navratilova also won a “Champions” double match with Jana Novotna against Tracy Austin and Gigi Fernandez. So, all in all, a good day for the tennis legend.

-Towleroad.com

Conservative Jewish denomination ordains openly gay Israeli rabbi

By Andrew Potts on gaystarnews.com Photo by Facebook The Conservative Judaism Jewish denomination has ordained its first openly gay rabbi two years after clearing the way for gay and lesbian Jews to serve as religious leaders.

British born Mikie Goldstein, 49, became the first openly gay man to become a Conservative Jewish rabbi after finishing his studies for the rabbinate earlier this year at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.

Last month he was installed as rabbi at the Adat Shalom Emanuel Synagogue in the city of Rehovot in Israel.

Rabbi Goldstein has been married to veteran Israeli diplomat Isi Yanouka for 20 years and his husband is currently Israel’s ambassador to the Ivory Coast.

Israel’s Schechter Rabbinical Seminary only began admitting openly gay and lesbian students in April of 2012 and Goldstein is the first openly gay person within the Conservative Judaism religious movement, also known as the Masorti Movement, to be ordained.

He served as a rabbinical intern at two New York synagogues before returning to Israel to lead the Adat Shalom Emanuel

Crimea’s top politician on Sept. 3 said that gay people “have no chance” now that Russia has taken over the region.

Via the Guardian: Speaking about gay people during a Crimean government session on Sept.

3, the region’s de facto leader Sergei Aksyonov said, “We in Crimea do not need such people.”

In comments reported by the Russian news agencies Interfax and Itar-Tass, Aksyonov said that if the LGBT community tried to hold public gatherings, “our police and self-defense forces will react immediately and in three minutes will explain to them what kind of sexual orientation they should stick to.”

He added that Crimean children should be brought up with a “positive attitude to family and traditional values.”

Russia annexed Crimea after a referendum that was deemed to be illegal by the United States and European Union.

Askyonov is believed to have ties to the Russian mafia. He has twice been investigated for murder (1997 and 2004) but has evaded prosecution.

-JoeMyGod.com

Gambia approves life sentences for “aggravated homosexuality” Via the Associated Press: Gambia’s National Assembly has passed a bill imposing life imprisonment for some homosexual acts, officials said on Sept. 8, potentially worsening the climate for sexual minorities in a country with one of Africa’s most vocal anti-gay leaders.

The bill amending the criminal code was passed last month and brings life sentences for “aggravated homosexuality,” minority leader Samba Jallow told The Associated Press. That is a charge leveled at repeat offenders and people living with HIV/AIDS. Jallow said that while his National Reconciliation Party did not condone homosexuality, he voted against the bill along with one other lawmaker.

“In our view, (homosexuals) did not commit a crime worthy of life imprisonment or any treasonable offense,” he said.

Homosexual acts were already punishable by up to 14 years in prison under a Gambian law that was amended in 2005 to apply to women in addition to men.

The bill now awaits approval by Presi(Gambia continues page 6)

5

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PAGE ONE (Councils from page 3) an active participant in the future of the Gay Alliance please join us.

For more information contact me at annet@gayalliance.org.

(Annual from page 1) cedures that govern how we operate as an organization and under the current bylaws our members are tasked with one primary responsibility -- electing our Board of Directors, a responsibility not granted to donors.

“This distinction is often unclear as we want to avoid any implication that the Gay Alliance’s services are linked to or contingent upon financial contributions.

Annual voting is an expensive undertaking requiring a great deal of staff time, printing, and mailing- not a wise use of your gifts. Further, experience shows that most members for a variety of reasons neither vote nor attend the Annual Meeting.

We are therefore seeking to modernize and clarify the agency’s bylaws by eliminating the provisions that provide for this membership voting structure.

“In order to change our bylaws to reflect a more up-to-date organizational structure, we are inviting members to attend our Annual Meeting to approve this change, 6-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19. This meeting will take place immediately prior to a regular meeting of the Board of Directors and will be held at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church at 707 East Main St. I encourage you to attend if you are interested, or at least to return your voting proxy.

“Please call me at 585-244-8640 or e-mail me at ScottF@GayAlliance.org if you have any questions or comments. You may also contact the Board Vice-President and Chair of the Governance Committee, Jessica Muratore, at JessicaM@ GayAlliance.org.” ■

LOCAL AND STATE (Newsfronts from page 3)

Gays demand more than one unit in NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Nathan M. Schaefer stated on Sept. 3, “The news that the organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade will allow one LGBT group – OUT at NBC Universal – to march under its own banner for the first time strikes us as disappointing and self-serving.

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014 “While this development is long overdue, inviting one group to march at the exclusion of all others and continuing to refer to our vibrant community as ‘gay’ when it is in fact lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, is a far stretch from the full inclusion we deserve.

“For more than 20 years, the LGBT and allied community have been calling for the organizers of New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade to allow LGBT people to celebrate both their Irish and LGBT pride by welcoming and including LGBT groups among its participants.

We commended Mayor de Blasio, the New York City Council and sponsors like Guinness for standing with our community by refusing to march or participate in this year’s parade, which set the stage for the organizers to rethink their discriminatory practices and to make this initial step in the right direction. The organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade stand alone in its continued exclusion of LGBT participants while business and political leaders stand on the side of LGBT equality and inclusion.

“As New York’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization, we call on all leaders, community members and allies to demand that the organizers go even further. We call on them to take a bolder stand for inclusion by welcoming other groups that truly represent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Irish Americans to march in 2015.

“New York is known for its diversity and inclusive spirit. Discrimination against LGBT people in New York City is illegal, and we’re proud to host the country’s largest LGBT pride parade down the very same street, in fact, on which we’re denied participation each March. We must continue the momentum from this small step in the right direction and call for full equality not tomorrow, but today.”

NOTE: Gay units have been welcome for some years now in the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade. NYC gay groups stated last month that they demand full inclusion in the 2015 parade, or the boycott will continue.

CeCe McDonald to keynote Trans Wellness Oct. 24 in Buffalo The Third Annual Transgender Wellness Conference takes place Oct. 24 in Buffalo. Keynote speaker is CeCe McDonald, trans rights activist imprisoned for fighting back after she was brutally attacked.

The conference takes place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Embassy Suites at The Avant, 200 Delaware Ave., Buffalo. The first workshop starts at 10:15 a.m.

Deadline for registration is Oct. 17.

For more information or to register, email sfitzgerald@pridecenterwny.org or call 716-852-7743 x 3412.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (Gambia from page 5) dent Yahya Jammeh, an autocratic ruler who in 2008 instructed gays and lesbians to leave the country or risk having their heads cut off.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Gambian president Yahya Jammeh declares that his nation “will fight homosexuality like we fight malaria.” Jammeh is named one of 2013’s worst anti-gay villains by Human Rights Watch. Jammeh compares himself to Mohammed because he has “cured” 68 AIDS patients with herbs. Jammeh says no amount of foreign aid will bring LGBT rights to Gambia. Jammeh threatens to decapitate “any homosexuals found in Gambia.”

-JoeMyGod.com

Man charged with first degree murder of Memphis trans woman

By David Hudson on gaystarnews.com A man has been arrested and charged with the murder of a transgender woman in Memphis, Tenn.

Alejandra Leos was shot dead just a few feet away from her north Memphis home on 5 September. Police initially misgendered Leos but friends and family later confirmed that Leos identified as a female.

On Sept. 6, local police arrested 21-year-old Marshall Pegues, with whom Leos was in a relationship, and charged him with first-degree murder.

A friend of Leos, Melisa Smith, described her as a generous and kind person who was often helping those in need: “You don’t have a jacket? I’ll give it to you.

It was to the point where if you didn’t have no place to sleep [Leos] would help you.

Here come and lay on my couch. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. You can stay here.”

It’s been well documented that trans people are at particular risk of violence and attack, and even more so for trans people of color. A police report seen by local news station WREG said that Leos had an argument with Pegues at their home, and when she attempted to leave, she was shot at least three times. Local police would not comment on whether they were treating the killing as a hate crime, but advocacy group Human Rights Campaign were among those who condemned Leos’ killing.

“As Alejandra’s family and friends mourn this incredible loss,” the group said in a statement, “other trans women of color across the country face the terrible reality that they are more likely than any other group within the LGBT community to be assaulted or killed because of who they are, and that our society provides them few resources or protections from poverty and violence.”

A funeral service for Leos took place on 10 September.

- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews. com/article/man-charged-first-degreemurder-transgender-woman-memphis090914#sthash.HSLepmVd.dpuf

Oregon grandmother faces harassment in trailer park A grandmother in Rainier, Oregon had a hateful gay slur painted on the side of her home and says it’s just the latest incident of targeted harassment she has faced since the park she lives in hired a new property manager.

KOIN reports that Melanie Powell has been living out and proud (with a rainbow flag outside her home) at the same trailer park for 25 years without any trouble but when a new property manager was hired she suddenly felt threatened.

Powell began receiving repair notices for her roof, porch, and paint, and was (Oregon continues page 11)

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

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Candidates to Watch PHOTO: SUSAN JORDAN

“(My wife and I) like to think we were among the first straight allies.

GENDA’s a no-brainer.”

Gary Pudup, candidate for State Assembly 134th District

By Susan Jordan Gary Pudup is running for State Assembly (134th District). He is a former police officer and director of the Rochester chapter of the NYCLU. Pudup, 59, lives in Greece, and is running for the seat formerly held by Republican Bill Reilich.

This is Pudup’s first attempt to run for public office – it is also the first attempt for his opponent, Republican Peter Lawrence, who was appointed as a federal marshal by the Bush-Cheney administration.

Pudup signed the League of Women Voters pledge to openly debate and conduct a fair campaign free of lies and slurs. When asked if he will debate his opponent, he replied, “You tell me. We had invited him to debate, personally and formally. I’ve spoken to him and to his campaign manager, and they have refused. According to the Democrat & Chronicle, Bill Reilich urged him not to sign the pledge. This is an open seat now, neither of us has been elected before, and how will people know what we stand for if we don’t debate? That’s what separates the two of us – I’m ready to talk to anyone, and can’t imagine why my opponent isn’t.”

Pudup has spoken about what he learned from his late father-in-law John McCrone. He told The Empty Closet, “He was a very empathetic person and he took people for who they were. When I was 21 and still growing up, I learned a lot from him. I never heard him say anything bad about anyone. He said everybody has struggles and has a story. I learned from him about forgiveness and second chances.”

Pudup says he is often asked about the contrast between his two careers, as law enforcement officer and defender of civil rights. “My entire time as a police officer I took an oath to defend the Constitution,” he said. “If you do that you have to defend civil rights. Policing is more than being part of the system – police have to work on both sides; they’re part of the community. I don’t see a contradiction – the two are complementary.”

When asked about his priorities if elected, Pudup said, “This is an open seat that was held by a Republican. By electing a Democrat you’re strengthening your chance of getting things done – like equality for women, passage of GENDA, etc. I’ve been an advocate for everyone. I don’t just fight for gay rights, black rights, the disabled, women’s rights, etc. – I believe in everyone’s rights as members of society.

“My biggest priority is getting the Women’s Equality Bill passed. Women are over 50 percent of New York citizens.

The idea that women still face discrimination in pay, housing, etc. is so wrong.

By putting a Democrat in the Assembly,

you increase the chances of getting the Bill passed.”

Pudup pointed out that Greece is no longer the bastion of conservative Republicanism that it used to be. “The demographics of my district have changed,” he said. “Women make up the majority of voters. Republicans make up less than 40 percent. They’re like surfers, riding on the assumption that they rule. A lot of Greece residents are middle/working class, and they are sliding back because of Republican economic policies.

“Every politician talks about lowering taxes, curbing spending – the question is, how? Republicans talk about cutting mandates, which would be just for the most needy. What happens to those who are needy but not ‘the most needy’? Who makes that judgment?”

He favors raising the minimum wage in New York. “A study of our economic history shows that when people are paid a living wage, the entire economy does better. Women tend to hold jobs that don‘t pay equal wages or have meaningful benefits. The state has all the power and authority to give everyone a living wage.”

In the area of education, Pudup feels that charter schools were never meant to be a permanent answer. “Charter schools should go back to being what they were intended to be – schools for new ideas where innovative concepts could be played out, and those ideas that work would be incorporated into public schools. They were never intended to be turned into private schools,” he said.

“People pay more for their student loans than for their mortgages. We can’t solve education problems by throwing money at them, but we can’t solve them without resources.”

He noted that his wife and daughter are employed in the educational system.

“We need to reduce class sizes and give teachers the resources to do their job.

Teaching is a vocation, and teachers are so maligned. That makes no sense.”

On the topic of LGBTQ rights, Pudup said he absolutely supports GENDA and marriage equality. “I was involved with fairness for LGBT people when I worked with the NYCLU,” he said. “I heard Todd Plank talk about marriage equality and how civil unions were not a viable option.

My wife Kathy and I decided that was something we wanted to be involved with.

We like to think we were among the first straight allies. GENDA’s a no-brainer.”

Pudup feels that New York sets an example of fairness and equality. He said, “One thing I like about running for the Assembly is that New York is becoming a beacon for equality. After marriage became legal in Massachusetts and Vermont, people saw that the sky didn’t fall and it was actually good for the economy.

When Republicans said that it would destroy the institution of marriage, I found that ridiculous.

“If people see that marriage equality, women’s equality, tax fairness, etc. succeed in New York, they’ll know that can work in their states. It’s important for Democrats to have more of a voice in Albany, to show the rest of the country. I think we can be a leader.”

Pudup defines himself as a progressive, but says, “Maybe we need to say there’s nothing wrong with being a liberal. Our most successful periods as a country were

because of progressives and liberals.”

He feels that conservatives have demonized liberals and divided Americans. “Hate is a powerful emotion and vote-getter,” he said. “But that’s no way to have a nation. You can’t build a nation on hate and fear. I want this to be a state where EVERYONE has a voice.

“Look at my history. I hit the jackpot – I was born a white guy in the suburbs….

I understand the privileges and opportunities I had, and I think everyone should have those opportunities. I’d be a strong advocate for the people because it’s the right thing to do. My public filings speak for themselves. Look at my contributors – people, not big corporations. I’m hoping to run for the people.”

Gary Pudup’s Republican opponent Peter Lawrence will be interviewed in the November Empty Closet.

of the WEA’s 10 points hostage because of their extreme anti-choice views. His opponent, Rich Funke, has publicly stated his opposition to Roe v. Wade and says his campaign is spreading misinformation about the WEA’s reproductive health provisions in an effort to scare voters.

O’Brien told the EC, “Let’s be clear: the Women’s Equality Act simply codifies Roe v. Wade in state law to protect New York’s women in the increasingly likely event that the conservative Supreme Court decides to roll back choice rights at the federal level. It’s time we stop playing politics with women’s rights and pass the full Women’s Equality Act now.”

When asked about his official endorsements, O’Brien said he was particularly proud of his Empire State Pride Agenda endorsement and his endorsements with almost every major labor union in New York State. He said, “I’m really proud of the ESPA endorsement. LGBT equality has been a personal and public priority since long before I was an elected official. I’ve participated in Pride events for

“It’s time we stop playing politics with women’s rights and pass the full Women’s Equality Act now.”

Ted O’Brien, NYS Senator 55th district

By Ove Overmyer Senator Ted O’Brien (D-55th) was first elected to the state legislature in 2012. The district includes parts of Monroe and Ontario Counties, and is one of the most culturally diverse districts in New York State. It stretches from Irondequoit on the shores of Lake Ontario to Naples in the heart of Finger Lakes country, and includes significant portions on the east side of the City of Rochester.

Since taking office, Ted says he has been a leading voice for upstate communities in Albany, delivering tax relief for hardworking families and small businesses, securing investments in job creation and workforce development and fighting to root out corruption. Ted O’Brien is the ranking Democratic member on the Senate’s Banks and Environmental Conservation committees.

Senator O’Brien has been a leading advocate for equal rights for women and minorities throughout his public service career. Ted continues to be a leader in the fight to pass all 10 points of the Women’s Equality Act. O’Brien told the EC, “The fight for women’s equality is at a crossroads in New York State. This year’s election will play a key role in determining whether we will be a state that treats all citizens equally regardless of gender or one that is content to let New York’s women continue living as second-class citizens. We must pass the entire, 10-point Women’s Equality Act so that women finally receive equal pay for equal work, are better protected against domestic violence and sexual harassment, and are guaranteed control over their own reproductive health care choices.”

O’Brien added that lawmakers and must oppose right-wing efforts to hold 9

decades, stood with advocates in the fight to secure same-sex domestic partnership benefits in Monroe County, and was an early supporter of marriage equality.”

He added, “While New York has made tremendous progress in recognizing the rights of the LGBT community in recent years, we have much more work to do.

I am a proud supporter of GENDA and legislation to ban so-called gay conversion therapy, among other important initiatives, and look forward to working with ESPA and my colleagues in the State Senate to pass these bills during my next term.”

When asked what he would like to say to the readers of the EC, O’Brien said “As a lifelong resident of Monroe County and the father of two young daughters, I want to live in a state that treats its citizens with respect and dignity while giving them the opportunity to succeed on the merits of their hard work. I am proud of my work in the State Senate to reduce the cost of living and doing business in Upstate New York, put more money in the pockets of working people, and stand up for the rights of minorities, women, and LGBT individuals. I will continue fighting to give New Yorkers a government that reflects the character and pride of the people it serves.”

According to the NYS Board of Elections, as of April 1, 2014, there are 195,251 registered voters in the 55th NYS Senate District. There are 74,048 Democrats, 60,056 Republicans and 47, 136 Blank voters. Additionally, there are 9,632 Independence Party voters, 2,955 Conservatives, 633 Green Party voters, 560 Working Families Party voters and 231 others. General Election Day is Tuesday, November 4.

Ted O’Brien’s Republican opponent Rich Funke did not respond to a request from The Empty Closet for an interview.

8

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

PFLAG MEETS

3RD SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH Meetings are at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church 707 E. Main St., Rochester, NY 14605 from 1 to 3pm.

Questions?

Call: 585-813-5081 RochesterPFLAG@gmail.com Join us!

(585) 880-1184

Located in Village Gate Square right next to Outlandish!

HOURS

Wednesday–Thursday 1-6pm Friday–Saturday 1-8pm Sunday 1-6pm

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

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10

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

Making the Scene Medal winners lining up at Closing Ceremonies: Jeremy from Scotland, Tom from Rochester and Randy from San Francisco.

Members of Team Rochester: Dr. Matt Fleig (half marathon) with Eric Schoen (10K and half marathon).

IMAGEOUT FAIR took place Sept. 11 at the Museum and Science Center. Tickets and the 2014 Film Festival program were available, and there was a free screening of “To Be Takei”. Photos: Lorraine Woerner McGowan

ImageOut’s Paul Allen, Doug Schacht and Michael Gamilla.

Kelly and Paulette at the South Wedge Mission, where Unity Fellowship Church has an office. Photo: Susan Jordan

My Own Private Rochester: Kelly Clark and Paulette Hall

By Susan Jordan Kelly Clark, former Gay Alliance Intergenerational Program Director, is now working toward her Ed.D. at St. John Fisher. Her partner Paulette Hall is working for an associate degree in human services and religious studies at MCC and has taken on a leadership role at the Damon City Campus.

Kelly is originally from Buffalo and has three grown children who are all in school. Paulette was born in Rochester (her older siblings were born while the family lived in Georgia).

The two live now in Corn Hill with their beautiful Italian greyhound Speedy and two female cats, Lily and Nicky. Lily plays with Speedy – Nicky doesn’t think

that’s such a good idea.

Kelly is busy doing research for her thesis, “Adolescent Masculinity and Homophobia,” while Paulette is finishing her last two courses and will be done in December; further study at Nazareth or Colgate may in the future. She is also busy with her commitments at the Damon campus and as deacon in the Rochester branch of Unity Fellowship Church, based in L.A. Paulette said, “The spiritual aspect is my life – an integral part of my being.” At one time she was deacon at Lake Avenue Baptist Church, supporting pastor Peter Carmen. Kelly said, “I’m involved with UFC as a supportive member. Right now we don’t have a pastor, so we are venturing into the city to do special events like community discussion with young adults at MOCHA, twice monthly. We talk about their lives and topics like forgiveness. We

GAY GAMES REVISITED: More from August’s Gay Games in Cleveland.

had a women of color retreat last month.

We’re focused right now on service to the community, rather than Sunday morning services.” They often attend services at the Unity Fellowship Church in Buffalo.

When not hard at work, they enjoy and appreciate many favorite people, places and things. Kelly said, “One of my favorite people in town is Dr. Peter Carpino of United Way. He’s a great mentor in terms of level-headed leadership and is very giving to the community. Now he’s also one of my professors.” She is also an admirer of Rev. Mickelson, head of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. “I heard him speak and thought he’s a person who’s able to take religious doctrine and turn it into something easily understandable to the general population. He’s very down to earth and a great community resource.”

Paulette is impressed with the local spiritual people and churches open to LGBT people. She said, “I’ve been inspired by Third Presbyterian Church’s Ralph Carter and Carol Qualick. We love Ralph and Carol was very influential to me when I was coming out. I also admire Downtown United Presbyterian Church and Spiritus Christi.”

Kelly and Paulette’s favorite places include Equal=Grounds, where they had their first date. “So that’s a special place for us,” Kelly said. They both spend most of their time in their respective campus libraries. When they have time off, Paulette, a film buff, loves the Cinema, while Kelly enjoys walking Speedy in Mt. Hope Cemetery, which is also an arboretum.

They like to eat out at the Gate House on Goodman St., Pomodoro on University Ave. and the Tangie’s on Lake Ave. Paulette said, “When I first moved to Corn Hill I liked the Clarissa St. Reunion. I also like the George Eastman House – Kelly took me there for our anniversary. It’s a jewel! So beautiful and opulent. And the Jazz Fest! Two thumbs up for the Jazz Fest!”

Among their favorite Jazz Festival

musicians are singer Janelle Monae and pianist Bob James.

Kelly said, “We do ImageOut and Pride and the Gateway Festival, which is every other year, at the Eastman School or other venues. They bring in classical musicians of African descent from all over the country, and typically have a black conductor.”

About Rochester in general, Paulette said, “I love the fact that it’s holding its own in the arts and music department.”

Kelly commented, “For me, there’s always something cool and fun to do, and always something free.”

On an ideal Saturday night, they would go to the Little Theatre for a movie and then listen to the free jazz in the café.

Paulette would take out of town visitors to High Falls, the Gate House, George Eastman House, Pittsford Wegmans and the Strong Museum. Kelly would choose the Memorial Art Gallery and Highland Park, and as a former Buffalonian, a trip to Niagara Falls. Her only complaint about Rochester was, “They could do a better job of shoveling the snow off the sidewalk in the winter!” ■

Speedy.

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (Oregon from page 6) subjected to harassment from the new manager Maureena Schmaing, KOIN adds: “I’m tired of being yelled at, screamed at, vulgar language, being accused of doing stuff we are not doing,” said Powell.

Several of Powell’s neighbors, including William Pierce, said they haven’t had any problems with the new property manager and that all focus seems to be on Powell. Neighbors believe they may be targeting Powell because she is gay.

“I’ve watched it enough where I had to come down here myself and stop the manager from yelling at her the way she was,” said Pierce.

When confronted, the park’s manager... denied she was targeting Powell because of her sexual orientation. “I’m a landlord. I follow the Manufacturing Housing Oregon Law, and I follow all the Title 10 Law with any park site I manage,” said Schmaing.

It’s unclear who is behind the hateful graffiti.

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3CMbZPeAy

Court of Appeals strikes down Indiana, Wisconsin marriage bans On Sept. 4 the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled in favor of the freedom to marry, upholding lower-court decisions in Indiana and Wisconsin and rejecting marriage discrimination as a violation of the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection.

Judge Richard Posner, appointed by President Reagan, wrote the unanimous opinion for the three-judge panel. He ruled the bans derived from “hate…and savage discrimination” against gays. The 40-page ruling also condemned the states’ arguments against gay marriage, stating, “The only rationale that the states put forth with any conviction — that samesex couples and their children don’t need marriage because same-sex couples can’t produce children, intended or unintended — is so full of holes that it cannot be taken seriously.”

Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement: “Today’s sharp and scathing ruling demolishes the arguments and unsubstantiated claims made by opponents of the freedom to marry, repeated in the outlier decision out of Louisiana yesterday, and affirms what nearly 40 other federal and state courts have found: the denial of the freedom to marry inflicts real harms and is constitutionally indefensible. Judge Posner’s authoritative opinion points the way, and the Supreme Court should move swiftly now to end marriage discrimination nationwide, without prolonging the

harms and indignity that too many couples continue to endure in too much of the country.”

Same-sex couples can marry in 19 states and the District of Columbia, meaning 44 percent of Americans live in states where gay couples share in the freedom to marry. Recent polling by the Washington Post/ABC News shows 59 percent of Americans support marriage, including a majority of young evangelicals and Republicans under 45 in other polls.

In total, 39 federal and state rulings in recent months have struck down state bans on marriage for same-sex couples.

Only one judge has upheld a ban (in Louisiana).

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), a cochair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, issued the following statement: “Today’s decision puts Wisconsin back on track to ensuring full equality for every American. It is clear discriminatory laws that treat LGBT couples as second-class citizens will not stand in a court of law.

“I urge Governor Scott Walker and Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen to respect the Court’s ruling and the spirit of the U.S. Constitution. In ruling after ruling, it has become unmistakable that the promise of America is everyone should be treated equally and with dignity. Today’s ruling brings us one step closer to fulfilling that promise.”

A tireless advocate for the rights of the LGBT community, Pocan has been married to his husband Phil since 2006.

Wisconsin’s Attorney General has asked the Supreme Court to reverse this ruling.

performer. They recognize living artists for lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.

“From the days of her early television and theatrical appearances, Lily Tomlin has made us laugh and continues to amaze us with her acting talent and quick wit,” Kennedy Center chairman David M. Rubenstein said in a statement.

Tomlin rose to fame in the early 1970s on the comedy sketch show Laugh-In and has since gone on to conquer films and the Broadway stage. She was Oscar nominated for her performance in Nashville and has also starred in such films as All of Me, Nine to Five, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, Flirting With Disaster, A Prairie Home Companion, Short Cuts and Big Business, among many others.

Tomlin has won Tony Awards for her one-women Broadway shows Appearing Nitely and The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. The busy performer is also a five-time Emmy winner who is currently filming a new Netflix television series opposite Jane Fonda, called Grace and Frankie. They play two women whose husbands leave them for each other.

Tomlin, 75, is a newlywed after marrying longtime partner Jane Wagner last New Year’s Eve. At the time of their wedding, the couple had been together for 42 years.

While Tomlin is the first out lesbian to be selected for the Kennedy Center Honors, several openly gay men have been honored including Stephen Sondheim, Edward Albee and Elton John.

- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews. com/article/lily-tomlin-makes-historyfirst-out-lesbian-be-selected-kennedy-center-honor090914#sthash.geNS8eJx.dpuf

Denmark’s new trans law may be best in world

Lily Tomlin is first out lesbian to win Kennedy Center honor

By Greg Hernandez on gaystarnews.com Comedy icon Lily Tomlin has become the first out lesbian to be selected for the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.

It was announced on 9 September that Tomlin will be honored in December alongside singer Al Green, actor Tom Hanks, ballerina Patricia McBride, and singer-songwriter Sting.

Given annually since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have grown to become one of the most prestigious honors for any

By Joe Morgan on gaystarnews.com Denmark’s gender recognition law went into effect the first week in September, and is being described as one of the best trans laws in the world.

The first in Europe of its kind, it is based on the self-determination of the individual. It abolishes any requirements for medical interventions, such as psychiatric diagnosis, sterilization or hormonal treatment.

Simply, all trans people must do is fill out a few forms that allow applicants to receive a new social security number for their gender and matching personal documents such as a passport, driving license and birth certificate.

Margrethe Vestager, the Minister for Economics, said, “It will make life easier and more dignified for the individual, for example when you are asked for ID in shops.”

But some trans activists are not convinced.

With some non-gender conforming and gender fluid people criticizing the lack of “third gender”, others say there are other issues.

11 Transgender Europe said they were “concerned” about the waiting period of six months, as well as the minimum age requirement of 18 years.

According to Danish lawmakers, this measure was introduced to prevent persons from making hasty decisions they would later regret.

“However, this imposed delay in the procedure prevents trans people from changing their documents quickly when necessary, for example when applying for a job, travelling internationally or enrolling in education,” a spokesperson for TGEU said.

“Furthermore, TGEU is concerned that the waiting period may also perpetuate misconceptions of trans people as being ‘confused’ about their gender, instead of encouraging them to change their documents quickly so that they can participate fully and freely in all aspects of life.”

They refer to the findings of WPATH, the leading organization on transgender health care, that say there are no medical or legal reasons to insist on limiting legal gender recognition of 18 and older.

“As trans people come out at an increasingly young age, it is crucial for the social recognition and acceptance of their identities, as well as for their self-esteem and personal development, that they are not excluded from legal recognition and, as a consequence, from education and employment opportunities,” TGEU said.

“TGEU encourages the Danish government to closely monitor the implementation of the law and to remove all provisions that delay quick access to legal gender recognition.”

- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews. com/article/denmarks-new-trans-law-bestits-kind-world020914#sthash.VL8WyoAd.dpuf

Tom of Finland stamps break all sales records Finland’s postal service reports that sales of its Tom Of Finland stamps are breaking all their records.

Via Gay Star News: (Tom continues page 12)

12

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (Tom from page 11) Stamps commemorating Finnish gay erotic artist Touko Laaksonen, who published his drawings under the name Tom of Finland, have been the biggest sellers in the history of Finland’s Posti postal service, with people pre-ordering the stamps in 178 countries. The stamps went on sale on Sept. 8, with the biggest overseas orders coming from Sweden, Britain, the United States and France.

An exhibition of Tom of Finland’s drawings and letters is being held in Tampere’s new postal museum to coincide with the release of the stamps and there were long queues outside the museum when the stamps began being sold there yesterday. The demand for the stamps has taken the postal service by surprise.

“We haven’t seen this kind of interest before in Posti’s history and we probably won’t again soon,” Posti development chief Markku Penttinen told Finnish news service Yle Uutiset.

Op/Ed: Anti-gay witchhunt continues at Catholic schools

By John M. Becker on The Bilerico Project As regular Bilerico readers know all too well, Roman Catholic leaders in the United States are engaged in a massive, unholy crusade against LGBT civil rights.

One of the primary fronts in the bishops’ bigoted battle is the nation’s Catholic schools, where gay and lesbian teachers are losing their jobs left and right for horrible offenses like coming out of the closet, getting engaged, or marrying the person they love.

Sadly, three recent examples show that that pattern continues unabated.

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014 Cor Jesu Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school outside of St. Louis, Missouri, is facing a firestorm of criticism after administrators fired two lesbian faculty members, Olivia Reichert and Christina Gambaro. The couple married in New York this summer, and the school discovered their marriage after they say they received a copy of a mortgage application with both women’s names on it.

The school says the women violated the moral contract that faculty members are required to sign, pledging to live lives that are in compliance with Catholic teaching. But as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, the couple is rightfully calling shenanigans: “We understand that, as a Catholic institution, Cor Jesu has an obligation to ensure that its employees serve as Christian role models. However, because they do not enforce the witness statement in any other way, this is a blatant case of discrimination,” Reichert wrote in a statement to the Post-Dispatch.

The terminations have caused an outcry among school alumnae, who’ve created a private Facebook support group that asks members to call and write letters of protest to Cor Jesu administrators. Inconveniently for the school, the move also comes in the midst of a major fundraising campaign to raise money for a new chapel, gym, student commons, and parking, and to pad its endowment fund. As a result of the firing of Reichert and Gambaro, some alumnae are ending their financial support of the school and urging others to do the same.

Unfortunately, the couple has no legal recourse, as it’s perfectly legal in Missouri to fire an employee based on sexual orientation. They’re handling the situation with grace and aplomb, telling the PostDispatch that they’re grateful for the time they had and the memories they made at Cor Jesu, and that they hope the kerfuffle will “guide the Catholic school system towards greater tolerance and acknowledgment of LGBTQ issues.”

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET But Catholic leaders’ toxic anti-gay animus isn’t confined to gays and lesbians themselves -- it also extends to their children, born and unborn.

In the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a lesbian chemistry teacher was unceremoniously fired from her job at Marian High School last month after she notified administrators that she is pregnant.

The school refuses to comment on employee confidentiality grounds, and their termination letter to 33-year-old Barbara Webb did not include a reason for the firing, but Webb says she has no doubt it’s because of her “being pregnant and getting pregnant outside the Catholic way.”

CBS Detroit reports: Webb says she declined an offer to resign with health insurance, but without pay or other benefits, through the spring semester. “I really felt like resigning was a lie; to me, that was willingly leaving,” Webb told the newspaper. “I was kind of compelled to just let people know the truth.”

Webb hasn’t yet decided if she’ll pursue legal action against the school, but said she wanted to stand up for change in the face of injustice.

“My job can’t be saved but the torment that the poor LGBT students at Marian must be feeling (right let’s be real they exist too) the other LGBT staff (again let’s be real people) and those that are silenced by fear can be helped,” Webb wrote in her post. “Speak out against hate wherever you see it.”

Webb said she valued her time at the high school, but felt she had to come forward with what she sees as a human-rights issue. “This is definitely not a crusade against the school,” Webb said of her decision to go public. “This is so much more than me and Marian. It’s letting people know what type of social injustice is still happening.”

Throwing an unborn child under the bus in order to stick it to that child’s lesbian mother and her wife -- that’s exactly what Jesus would do, right? And this from a church that fancies itself “pro-life”... I guess they’re only “pro-life” if your parents are straight.

ID laws may disenfranchise many trans voters Strict voter ID laws in 10 states could create barriers to voting and lead to possible disenfranchisement for more than 24,000 transgender voters this November, reports LGBTQ Nation.

According to the study “The Potential Impact of Voter Identification Laws on Transgender Voters in the 2014 General Election,” about 84,000 transgender people across the ten strict photo ID states are estimated to be eligible to vote.

The 24,000 transgender voters who may face barriers to voting reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and

Wisconsin.

In order for these 24,000 voting-eligible transgender people to obtain the updated photo IDs required to vote in the November 2014 general election, they must comply with the requirements for updating their state-issued or federallyissued IDs. The study’s author Jody L. Herman, Ph.D, said, “Some voters may not have the means or the ability to present the required voter identification for a variety of reasons, such as poverty, disability, or religious objection.

“Transgender people have unique barriers to obtaining accurate IDs needed to vote.

“As these ten states begin planning for their fall elections, educating poll workers is crucial in order to ensure that transgender voters in their states have fair access to the ballot.”

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3D6dNJw8b

Neil Patrick Harris, partner David Burtka marry in Italy

By David Hudson on gaystarnews.com Twitter Actor Neil Patrick Harris has revealed via Twitter that he has married his longterm partner, David Burtka, in a ceremony in Italy on Sept. 6.

His tweet simply said, “Guess what? @ DavidBurtka and I got married over the weekend. In Italy. Yup, we put the ‘n’ and ‘d’ in ‘husband’.”

A spokesperson for the couple has since confirmed that the story is true: “We happily confirm that Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka were married in Italy in an intimate ceremony surrounded by their close friends and family.”

The ceremony was officiated by Pam Fryman, the director of “How I Met Your Mother,” in which Harris stars. The couple’s children – three-year-old twins Harper and Gideon – were present at the ceremony, while People magazine reports that Elton John performed at the evening reception. The grooms – who have been together for 10 years – wore custom-made Tom Ford tuxedos.

In August, National Enquirer magazine reported that Harris and Burtka had split up, prompting a defiant correction from Harris, who Tweeted, “I couldn’t be more in love with my family… Any reports to the contrary are woefully mistaken.”

- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews. com/article/neil-patrick-harris-marriespartner-david-burtka080914#sthash.

KDQbMCzK.dpuf

Bahamas’ first Pride canceled due to death threats to organizer The first gay pride event in the Bahamas was cut short after one of the event’s organizers received death threats on his Facebook page, reports the Nassau Guardian.

The Bahamas Pride Weekend, which started Aug. 28 and was set to run until Sept. 1, was “designed to inspire, educate and celebrate the diverse Bahamian LGBT community.”

However, organizer Victor Rollins said he received the threats after he posted pictures of attendees holding pride flags along with Bahamian flags.

Rollins also said that only 11 people other than the event organizers showed, all of whom were foreigners.

He also indicated that local talk shows were particularly vocal in their opposition to the event. Many claimed that God would judge the Bahamas for allowing a gay pride event to take place.

According to The Bahama Journal, Dr. Myles Munroe, President of The Bahamas Faith Ministries International, said the fact that the LGBT community was officially given permission to host the event was “nothing more than a ‘celebration of insanity.’”

Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal in the Bahamas.

-Towleroad.com

Hate overcomes rule of law as Jamaican withdraws challenge to anti-sodomy law The Associated Press reports: A young Jamaican gay rights activist who brought an unprecedented legal challenge to the Caribbean island’s antisodomy law has withdrawn the claim after growing fearful about violent backlashes, advocacy groups and colleagues said Aug. 29.

Last year, Javed Jaghai made headlines after initiating a constitutional court challenge to Jamaica’s 1864 law that bans sex between men. He argued that the antisodomy law fuels homophobia and violates a charter of human rights adopted in 2011 that guarantees people the right to privacy.

13 But in an affidavit, Jaghai said he has been “threatened enough times to know that I am vulnerable.” The 25-yearold man believes his “loved ones are under threat” by intolerant people and the drawn-out court challenge is causing too much stress and anxiety.

Jamaican activist Maurice Tomlinson provided some context for Jaghai’s decision, posting the following list of anti-gay attacks and protests since the challenge to the anti-sodomy law was filed in February 2013: JAMAICAN ANTI-GAY ATTACKS AND PROTESTS July 22, 2013: 16 year-old Dwayne Jones was stabbed, shot, run over by a car, and subsequently dumped in a nearby ditch for wearing a dress to a public street dance in Montego Bay. No one has been arrested for this murder.

Aug 1, 2013: A mob attacked a police officer in downtown Kingston because they accused him of being gay. He had to be rescued by other officers firing shots in the air and teargas into the crowd. No one was arrested.

Aug. 1, 2013: A mob attacked the home of two gay persons in St. Catherine.

They too had to be rescued by police. No one was arrested.

Aug. 10, 2013: A mob attacked a crossdresser in St. Catherine. The police again had to rescue the individual. No one was arrested.

Aug. 22, 2013: A mob attacked five allegedly gay men, who were trapped in their house in Green Mountain until police arrived and escorted them to safety.

No one was arrested.

Aug. 26, 2013: A mob surrounded two allegedly gay men who were involved in a minor traffic accident in Old Harbour, St. Catherine. A member of the mob said that homosexuality might be acceptable elsewhere, but not in Old Harbour. The men had to flee into a nearby police station to escape harm. No one was arrested.

Oct. 8, 2013: A mob firebombed the abandoned building in Montego Bay which was the former home of murdered teen, Dwayne Jones, and where his surviving friends continued to live. No one was arrested.

June 14, 2014: A mob attacked a young man at a shopping mall in May Pen, Clarendon because he was allegedly seen putting on lipstick.

June 29, 2014: There was a massive anti-gay protest in Kingston with allegedly 25,000 people in attendance.

-Erasing 76 Crimes

Ninth Circuit Court hears arguments in Idaho, Nevada and Hawaii marriage cases On Sept. 8 in San Francisco the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in marriage cases out of Nevada, Idaho, and Hawaii, seeking both the freedom to marry and legal respect of same(Ninth continues page 14)

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NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL

Halloween History: the cycle of the seasons

By Susan Jordan Halloween is coming up and once again the wheel of the seasons is turning. For millennia this has been the time when, people believed, the veil between this world and the Otherworld grew thin and ghosts of one’s ancestors could return as ghastly guests, for that one night. People left food offerings for them or decorated tombs with candles.

Halloween was also one of the special times during the year when LGBTQ people enjoyed the freedom to assume a forbidden sexual orientation or gender identity. Many traditional folk festivals of the Christian era involved cross-dressing, defiance of the binary and reversal of the “normal” order of things – for instance, servants would pretend to be masters and vice versa. After the sacred days had passed, the usual rigid gender roles, sexual orientations and class hierarchies would be restored.

Ancient peoples, whether hunter/gatherers, pastoralists or farmers, saw the seasons as an eternal cycle – a cosmic spiral of life that turns inward to death and then outward again. As the earth turned back toward the sun, herds came up to mountain summer pastures and farmers planted crops. There were four Quarterly fire feasts in the Iron Age Celtic religion (which according to scholar Anne Ross retained elements of pre-Indo European traditions). The Quarter feasts were the winter and summer solstices and the fall and spring equinoxes. There also were four Cross-Quarter fire feasts: Samhain/ Halloween, Feast of Death/Rebirth, on Oct. 31-Nov. 1; Beltain, the Feast of Spring and the Life Force, April 30-May 1; Lughnasad or Lammas, the Harvest feast (Aug. 1-2) and Candlemas, called Imbolc by the Celts, the feast of Light, on Feb. 1-2.

The cycles of the moon were also central to the religion of the Triple Goddess: Maiden (waxing crescent), Queen (full moon) and Hag/Crone (waning crescent).

The Halloween image of the witch flying her broomstick across the full moon comes from the ancient woman-centered, Earth-centered religion. Pre-Christian cultures and religions, like that of the Celtic Druids, were erased from His-Story. But we do know that ancient spiritual

traditions were local and polytheistic and profoundly connected to seasonal and lunar cycles.

The Hag or Hagge (Gaelic cailleach), a blue-skinned Giantess, represented Winter and the death of the year at Samhain and she ruled the burial mounds – but she was also the goddess of wisdom with a magical life-giving Cauldron; a midwife and healer, and protector of children, young animals and the wilderness (the deer were her “cattle”). She brought winter by striking the ground with her Staff, and in spring she either turned into a standing stone (that is, a megalith like those at Stonehenge) or into the beautiful young Maiden – the Life Force that brings rebirth to the world.

The Hagge’s connection with wilderness and wild animals suggests an origin in Paleolithic hunter/gatherer days, which could make the Hagge the earliest deity revered by human beings. Her reign was a long-lasting one: the Welsh tale of St. Samson of Dol describes three Hagges armed with tridents who inhabit a forest where they guard the purity of sacred wells and protect the wild animals. The saint, of course, regarded them as demons to be destroyed.

Samhain reflection: Considering the condition of our endangered planet, maybe we need to bring back those Hagges wielding their tridents to protect our water, earth and air. Like the wise women and men of many Nature traditions today, their priority was protecting the people and all living beings. Have a Blessed Halloween!

Suggested reading: The Language of the Goddess and other books by Marija Gimbutas The White Goddess by Robert Graves The Greek Myths by Robert Graves The Cult of the Black Virgin by Ean Begg Black Athena and Black Athena Writes Back by Paul Bernal Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler The Silbury Treasure by Michael Dames Themis by Jane Harrison Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her by Susan Griffin Pagan Celtic Myth by Anne Ross Witches, Druids and King Arthur by Ronald Hutton Lesbian Nation by Monique Wittig

(Ninth from page 13) sex couples’ lawful marriages.

This is the first time the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has heard a freedom to marry case since holding in SmithKline Beecham Corporation v. Abbott Laboratories that discrimination based on sexual orientation requires heightened scrutiny – a presumption of unconstitutionality – by the courts.

Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement: “The 9th Circuit should swiftly move to do what all three other federal appellate courts ruling on marriage this year have done: require equal treatment under the law and uphold the freedom to marry. We clearly have momentum, but until marriage discrimination ends nationwide, families in states like Nevada and Idaho will continue to endure unjustified harm, indignity, and deprivation of constitutional rights.”

The decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will have a direct effect on more than 12,400 same-sex couples estimated to be living in Nevada, Idaho, and Hawaii, including service member Rachael Robertson and her partner Amber Beierle. Robertson is a veteran and served in the Idaho National Guard, including a tour of duty in Kirkuk, Iraq.

Since the Supreme Court struck down the core of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act in June 2013, 39 state and federal courts have upheld the freedom to marry, with only two courts ruling the other way.

Every appellate ruling has been in favor of the freedom to marry, including the Utah and Oklahoma cases in the 10th Circuit, the Virginia case in the 4th Circuit, and the Wisconsin and Indiana cases in the 7th Circuit. -Freedom To MarryNinth

Circuit Panel eviscerates what’s left of anti-equality arguments

By Ari Ezra Waldman on towleroad.com A soft-spoken attorney representing Idaho started his state’s anti-marriage equality argument by suggesting that allowing gays to marry violates the “bonding right” of children that they will be raised by their biological mothers and fathers.

It took Judge Marsha Berzon just 15 seconds to ask her first question: “What is that word you’re using before ‘right’?”

Judge Berzon can hear just fine; it’s just that she had never heard anyone make such a ridiculous claim before. The rest of the hearing followed similarly.

Judge Stephen Reinhardt, a Carterappointee and liberal leader of the appellate courts, was joined by Judge Berzon, a sharp-minded progressive appointed

by President Clinton, and Judge Robert Gould, another Clinton appointee, in a nearly two-hour long interrogation of attorneys from Idaho and Nevada that may not have been as bombastic as Judge Posner’s treatment of attorneys from Wisconsin and Indiana in the Seventh Circuit, a hearing which resulted in a marvelous unanimous victory (“Go figure!”), but was every bit as damaging to the forces opposed to marriage equality.

It also brought marriage equality full circle. Judge Reinhardt was the judge that wrote the first decision from a federal appellate court on marriage equality, affirming District Judge Vaughn Walker’s pioneering rejection of California’s Prop 8. We all know how that case turned out.

And we know what’s happened since: a Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor striking down the Defense of Marriage Act and a long streak of pro-marriage equality decisions from the lower federal courts, including several appellate courts.

Yesterday’s hearing reminded us how far we have really come. Some of the arguments and much of the tone were

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET different this time around. The judges’ questioning was direct and they expressed a similar, though less visible, frustration with the misdirection and misleading statements from the anti-equality attorneys as Judge Posner. The tone of the hearing suggested that marriage equality supporters are finally out of the closet, following a tidal wave of an emerging consensus of the legitimacy and morality of marriage freedom for all.

This is not the first time marriage equality came before the Ninth Circuit.

In fact, it was Judge Reinhardt who, along with two other judges, heard the appeal of the Prop 8 decision and after a delay involving the Supreme Court of California, issued a narrow decision affirming Prop 8 unconstitutional.

The decision was limited to California because it argued that the reason why Prop 8 was unconstitutional was not because banning gays from marrying in general violated the Equal Protection or Due Process Clauses, but rather because the taking away of rights, as Prop 8 did after the California Supreme Court mandated equal marriage in In re Marriage Cases, violated the rights of gay Californians.

The decision’s narrowness was based on pretzel-like reasoning, but makes sense in context: as I argued before, Judge Reinhardt wanted to offer the Supreme Court a way to support marriage equality without going too far ahead of public opinion.

Today, there is no such concern. It makes sense that the argument -- and the decision -- would sound different.

Judge Berzon asked the most direct questions, sifting through the muck of Idaho’s nonsensical argument about children needing to be raised by their biological parents.

“But heterosexual men and women aren’t going to enter into same-sex marriages. So, what’s the issue?” she asked.

Indeed. Idaho was trying to avoid the reality that what the state wants to do is not really create a situation where kids are raised by their biological moms and dads,

but just ban gays from marrying. These are two very different and clearly unrelated things.

But the message of the man-woman marriage is that we need to create a stable bond that is in the best interests of the child, argued the Idaho attorney. Huh, Judge Berzon wondered. How is it, she asked, supportive of stable marriages and a benefit to children to have them raised outside of supportive same-sex marriages rather than inside supportive same-sex marriages?

After several agonizing stutters: The worst thing the state can do to undermine the message of stability is to create something new--namely, “genderless marriage.”

With that, Judge Berzon had had it.

She called out Idaho on its argument that man-woman marriages provide the added benefit of complementary parenting styles and skills, an argument that is not only sexist and based on traditional notions that women nurture and men discipline, but also a completely unconstitutional basis for discrimination.

Federal Judge: Arizona must list widower on death certificate On Sept. 12 a federal judge ruled that the state of Arizona must respect the marriage of military veterans Fred McQuire and George Martinez, for the purposes of being listed as married on a death certificate.

McQuire and Martinez were together for 45 years and married in California in July. Martinez passed away shortly after being diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, and Arizona state officials refused to list McQuire, the surviving partner, on the death certificate. McQuire, who is also battling a life-threatening illness, is barred from receiving Social Security survivor’s benefits or veterans benefits, and is also at risk of losing his home, as a result of not being listed on Martinez’s death certificate.

Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom

to Marry, released the following statement: “Couples in America should not have to play ‘now you’re married, now you’re not’ depending on which state they are in when a tragedy strikes, and states should not pick and choose which marriages they will respect and which they won’t as if we did not have one Constitution protecting all of us. It is good that the court has told Arizona it may not withhold an accurate death certificate from the surviving spouse in this compelling case, but Americans should not have to fight case by case, state by state, year by year for the freedom to marry and equal protection that the Constitution guarantees. It is time for the Supreme Court to take up one or more marriage cases and affirm the freedom to marry nationwide once and for all.”

Since the Supreme Court struck down the core of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act in June 2013, 39 state and federal courts have upheld the freedom to marry, with only two courts ruling the other way. Every appellate ruling has been in favor of the freedom to marry, including the Utah and Oklahoma cases in the 10th Circuit, the Virginia case in the 4th Circuit, and the Wisconsin and Indiana cases in the 7th Circuit.

Another older couple seeks marriage From the editorial board of the Arizona Republic: Marriage equality can sound like a political cause. It’s been the subject of intense courtroom drama. But to Beverly Sevcik and Mary Baranovich, it’s personal. It’s about whether the Constitution protects their individual rights. That’s why it is welcome news that the U.S. Supreme Court may be preparing to bring down the gavel on discriminatory laws.

It’s time the Supreme Court provided justice and clarity. Sevcik and Baranovich have been together for 42 years, and they told reporters they’d like a set of matching rings and official recognition of their commitment to each other.

Their wish to have the state give their love the same respect, dignity and legal recognition it gives “traditional” married couples is, as Ninth Circuit Judge Marsha S. Berzon said this week, a train that “has left the station.” Eventually laws that define marriage as purely a heterosexual privilege will be swept away. It is wrong to write discrimination into law.

But timing matters. Sevcik is 76 and Baranovich is 78. To them — and many, many other couples like them — this is more than a legal or philosophical argument. It’s central to their lives. They need the Supreme Court to speak up for their individual constitutional rights.

Daniel Pierce

Abused teenager donates to Atlanta youth shelter Lost N’ Found Daniel Pierce, the Georgia teen whose ugly confrontation with his family became a viral video sensation, has directed future donations to Atlanta’s Lost N’ Found organization, which is preparing to open a shelter for homeless LGBT youth.

“People need to know this is an epidemic in the southeast, and it’s not going away any time soon,” said Executive Director Rick Westbrook. “Until we get all the queer youths in Atlanta situated, I’m not going anywhere.”

He said they acquired the turn of the 20th century era Victorian home on Juniper Street from St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. The church agreed to lease the long-abandoned building to Lost N’ Found for 20 years, at $1 a year.

“I’ve already paid the rent, yes,” said

15 Westbrook, with a smile. His organization is seeing huge donations through diverted funds for Daniel Pierce, the Georgia teen who secretly recorded his parents’ abusive and violent reaction to his announcement he is gay. After the video went viral, Pierce saw nearly $100,000 come in to support his fund for living expenses, his parents having forced him to leave the house.

Westbrook said Pierce made contact with Lost N’ Found, and offered to give some of that money.

“I would say we’re right at $10,000 (through Pierce donations), said Westbrook. “Daniel is an incredibly bright and courageous young man. He is the epitome of who Lost n’ Found is here to serve.”

The shelter is expected to open in the spring of 2015.

-JoeMyGod.com Via Project Q Atlanta: On Sept. 5, Pierce was on hand for Lost N Found’s open house and thanked supporters during an event on the steps of a Midtown building the group is working to turn into an expanded shelter for gay teens.

“This has been a crazy ride,” Pierce said. “I just want to thank everyone for the kind comments. It’s just helping me get through a lot of this.”

Volunteers helped clean up the 7,000-square-foot structure earlier this year in the early steps of a $400,000 renovation.

Chase Culpepper

Lawsuit defends trans teen told to remove make-up for driver’s license photo In March, 16 year-old South Carolina resident Chase Culpepper was told by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to remove the make-up he wears on a daily basis, otherwise he would not be allowed to take his driver’s license photo.

The DMV employees claimed that he did not “look the way a boy should” and was not allowed to wear a “disguise” in his photo as he needed to “look male”.

Chase removed as much makeup as he could so he could get his license but reported feeling humiliated after the incident.

In June, the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) stepped in and sent a request to the DMV, asking that Chase be allowed to re-take his photo with the make-up he wears every day. That request went unanswered. Now, the organization has filed a federal suit on Chase’s behalf: The suit – brought by Chase’s mother Teresa Culpepper on his behalf as a minor – asks the court to rule that denying Chase the freedom to wear his everyday makeup in his license photo constitutes sex discrimination and violates his right to free speech and expression under the United States Constitution. It also seeks a ruling under the U.S. and South Carolina Constitutions that the DMV’s photo policy is unconstitutionally vague, too broad, and lets DMV employees arbitrarily decide how a driver’s license applicant should look, without regard for the rights of the people they are supposed to serve. [...]

“My clothing and makeup reflect who I am,” Chase said. “The Department of Motor Vehicles should not have forced me to remove my makeup simply because my appearance does not match what they think a boy should look like.

I just want the freedom to be who I am without the DMV telling me that I’m somehow not good enough.”

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3CG15E2nr ■

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

Health Resources on breast cancer are available for LBT women here

By Susan Jordan Melanie Guid-May has had two bouts with breast cancer. Recently she and her partner Debs, and Prof. Nan Vandenburg of the University of Miami and Rochester’s Breast Cancer Coalition, spoke with The Empty Closet about resources for women and about the top risk factors for most lesbians, bi women, trans men and women and genderqueer individuals.

Melanie said, “I had two different breast cancers: the first when I was 25 in Chicago. I hadn’t had a mammogram, and I found a sore spot in my breast. I then got a mammogram. It was in a very early stage. I had a lumpectomy and radiation.

“There were groups of women in the clinic asking, ‘Why me?’ I felt uncomfortable because I thought, ‘Why not me?’ I got involved with a lesbian group in Chicago, Lesbian Community Cancer Project (LCCP). I started making connections between lifestyle and environmental issues. Sandra Steingraber, author of Living Downstream, about environmental risk factors for cancer, was part of the LCCP group.

“Twenty years later in Rochester I was diagnosed with breast cancer, also in an early stage. I chose to have a mastectomy but no chemo or radiation.”

Debs Guid-May added, “Three months before the breast cancer diagnosis she had been diagnosed with renal cell (kidney cancer). You can’t have radiation treatment for that. The minute she was diagnosed we started doing research. ” Melanie said, “I’m healthier now than

Debs and Melanie Guid-May with (right) Prof. Nan Vandenburg. Photo: Susan Jordan

I’ve ever been. We became vegan. I had green juice every morning, had a special diet, and exercised. I took out all our cleaning products and replaced them with all-organic products. At first the doctors were, ‘That’s nice’ – and NOW they’re asking ‘What exactly did you do?’”

Melanie added, “I take a very strong infusion of aerobic oxygen, 15 drops morning and evening. It’s well-documented that cancer cells can’t survive in an oxygenated environment. That’s another reason why exercise is helpful.

“It’s been four years now and I’ve never been in better health. Five years is a big marker – so then you can breathe a little easier.”

Prof. Vandenburg said, “One important thing about this story is the social support. Lesbians with cancer are likely to get more support from friends than from

their biological families, for a variety of reasons, such as their families disowning them. Lesbians need to find support from other lesbians. Bi women tend to have worse outcomes than lesbians or heterosexual women, since they may be ostracized by both groups.”

She identified the basic risk factors.

“The most important thing to focus on is that lesbians have more risk factors for breast cancer than heterosexual women, so it’s very important that they know the factors and are mindful of ways to keep themselves from being at risk.

“The first factor is null parity – not having children. This is a risk because 70 percent of all breast cancer is fed by estrogen. Women who have given birth and who have breast fed have less exposure to estrogen. Women who get their periods early in life or who go through menopause later, are at greater risk.

“FTM trans men still have risk for breast cancer, and so do MTF trans women who take estrogen. FTM people may take too much testosterone, and it mutates into estrogen.

“Another risk factor is body mass.

Lesbians have a higher body mass than heterosexuals, and fat, or adipose tissue, produces estrogen.

“The third factor is alcohol. For those who drink, drinking high quantities of

alcohol not only increases fat, but also a biochemical phenomenon causes alcohol, when metabolized, to increase estrogen.

Tobacco is also high risk for cervical cancer – and lesbians smoke more.

“The fifth factor is not getting screened.

No mammograms, no clinical breast exams. This is a problem because lesbians and women with non-traditional gender presentation may feel uncomfortable or afraid in typical ‘pink’ environments at breast clinics. Other issues include not having financial resources for health care – hopefully that has changed with Obamacare – and the fear of coming out to caregivers. That’s one of the main barricades to LBT women getting health care.”

Melanie said she got most support, after leaving Chicago and LCCP, from her church, Lake Avenue Baptist, and Debs added that they had received support from the Episcopal church as well.

And they both emphasized the importance of the help they had received from the Breast Cancer Coalition. “The one on one counseling was very helpful,” Melanie said.

Prof. Vandenburg said she would be willing to facilitate a lesbian/bi/trans cancer support group here in Rochester. She noted, “We want women to know they have a resource that can provide peer support on things like how to deal with radiation side effects.

“The primary message is, be aware of your risks and take action. Exercise, eat more fruits and vegetables, be moderate in drinking and get screened.”

Melanie said, “There are healthy choices we can make, but we also live in a toxic environment. Educate yourself about environmental factors! Until we start talking about them, cancer will be just a personal problem – but it is a POLITICAL ISSUE. We as lesbians need to be aware of that. What’s happening to the earth is happening to US.” Local resources Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester.

840 University Ave. 585-473-8177. www. bccr.org; email info@bccr.org. Programs, support services free.

Highland Hospital Breast Imaging Center. 500 Red Creek Drive, Rochester 14623. 585-487-3341.

Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic. 170 Sawgrass Drive. 442-8432.

Center for Community Health.

224-3050. Comprehensive breast cancer screening services for uninsured and under-insured women. ■

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

17

LGBTQ Living

Paul Hoffman.

In the kitchen

By Susan Jordan Paul Hoffman knows a lot about cooking and about food. He told The Empty Closet, “My family was in the restaurant business. I was the third of four generations in the business. The restaurant was north of Albany and had a very imaginative name – Hoffman’s!

“My dad assumed I’d take over but I said no thanks. Dealing with personnel issues seemed overwhelming. I was interested in dentistry and have been a dentist since 1977, when I graduated from dental school.”

Paul loves to cook though, and is in the Men’s Cooking Group. He said, “It’s in my blood! I knew what it was all about – a lot of people get into the business without knowing what they’re getting into. Cooking is a passion that has never left me. It’s relaxing – I find it extremely creative. Cooking for friends is great.”

One enjoyable aspect of cooking as a hobby is all the shopping. “I enjoy going grocery shopping and to specialty stores,” Paul said. “I think Wegman’s is wonderful; there are a lot of choices. It’s also safe in that Wegman’s presents good quality. I have this other peculiarity: when I was in the business, I’d have to accept or refuse stock. I got used to inspecting food very closely.”

Paul enjoys different cuisines from around the world, but doesn’t always try to replicate them, although he enjoys experimenting. “The first time I went to an Indian restaurant I was in awe,” he said. “I find there are great Chinese and Indian restaurants locally, so I think I’m better off going there than trying to cook their food.

“I like to cook short-order things, looking in the cupboard and seeing what I should use up. Being creative and finding ways to use the ingredients.”

Paul does a lot of traveling with his partner, and has had close encounters with tigers (chained) and scorpions (crawling on his shoulders; they didn’t sting). He said, “We go almost every year to Thailand and branch out from there. I’ve traveled through Asia and Europe and a little bit in South and Central America. I do like to check out the local foods. I have a Vietnamese partner, so I’m familiar with Southeast Asian food – although he usually leaves the cooking to me! Vietnamese and Thai cooks deal a little more with fresh herbs than Chinese cooks, although they use herbs too.”

Locally Paul seeks out innovative restaurants. He notes, “I love Rocco’s, which is authentic northern Italian. And for my birthday I went to Good Luck. I like Canton Market (used to be Cantonese House) on Commerce Blvd. near Marketplace Mall. Also The King and I in Henrietta

and a Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Duong Dong, at 182 Otis St.” Paul’s Eggplant Stew This is a variation on French Ratatouille or Italian Caponata. It’s a versatile side dish, main dish, a topping for pasta, or even a filling for an omelet. It takes advantage of wonderfully fresh vegetables and always seems more delicious than just a sum of its parts.

1 Large Onion, diced 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced 1-2 Stalks Celery, diced 3 Cloves Garlic, minced 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 Medium Eggplants, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes 1 - 28 ounce can Chopped Tomatoes 1-2 Bay Leaves Few sprigs Fresh Thyme or ½ tsp dried Thyme ½ tsp Cinnamon 3 Whole Cloves 1 tsp grated Orange or Tangerine Rind 2 tsp Capers ½-1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes 2 tsp Salt +/- to taste Few grinds of Fresh Black Pepper Place the first five ingredients in a large frying pan on the stovetop over medium low heat, stirring from time to time until the vegetables are soft and wilted but not brown. Add the eggplant to the mixture and cook it until it’s soft. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the stew to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and correct to taste.

This dish is open to countless variations. It is vegan and delicious as is, but can become a hearty main dish with the addition of browned ground beef, pork or sausage. It’s even better the next day.

Organic vegetables and mint from Kelly’s garden. Photo: Susan Jordan

uine organic produce – not all supermarket food labeled “organic” really is. Kelly said, “We’ve gone all organic because number one, it’s good for our health.

Mom and I have immune system disorders that are complicated by the chemicals we ingest from the world around us.

We can’t control the quality of the air we breathe or the chemicals in food at the grocery store. I can’t grow organic meat on my property, but I can grow organic fruits and vegetables – and that’s much less expensive than buying them even at a farmers’ market. I know 100 percent what goes into my food because I put it there!”

Kelly grows the following vegetables: corn, green beans, five types of tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, purslane, two kinds of winter squash, summer squash, herbs, cucumbers, celery, red and white potatoes, asparagus, cauliflower, two kinds of peas, beets, tomatillos, carrots, sweet potatoes and seven kinds of leafy greens.

She also grows amaranth, a type of grain, but hasn’t tried eating it yet.

As for fruit, her garden includes an apple tree, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries.

She freezes as much as possible so as to have organic vegetables all winter; she

has yet to experiment with canning. She noted, “I make sun dried tomatoes in my oven and then freeze them. And I freeze mass quantities of tomato and tomatillo sauce. We make basil pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays.”

Right now a big project is learning to grow vegetables in alternative ways, i.e. on the patio or windowsill or in the house under a grow light. Kelly explains, “In my Two Spirit community, more and more people I know have found out they have cancer. In the past couple of years we’ve lost two of our Two Spirit medicine people. Another elder dear to us nationwide is now struggling with cancer.

“Native people are losing their elders faster than we can learn what they have to teach us. In the Two Spirit community, our elders are even more valuable to us because our community is so small.

People in the cities live in food deserts – if they don’t have a car they have to depend on fast food, the corner quickie-mart or the bodega. They would love to grow their own food but don’t have space. So I want to experiment – will try to use small, inexpensive grow lights in my house this winter. If I can figure this out, I can share the information with other folks.” ■

Lick

EVENTS

Kelly Baumgartner. Photo: Susan Jordan

In the organic garden: Kelly Baumgartner Kelly Baumgartner is an organic urban farmer and artist. She is partly of Cherokee descent and is a member of the NE Two Spirit Society, a group for LGBTQ Native Americans, which will have its annual meeting in Salamanca this month.

Kelly lives in the 19th Ward with her mother and started her organic garden when she moved there nine years ago. She said, “I had an organic garden growing up – for some years we were vegetarians and so we grew our own vegetables and fruit.”

She deals with pests organically and feels it’s better to have slightly lower yield than high yield full of chemicals. “I fertilize with organic compost that I buy or make myself, from kitchen and yard scraps. I don’t buy compost from farms but from an organic plant and soil dude,” she said.

Increasingly people are turning away from processed foods and seeking out gen-

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

Shoulders to Stand On 20th century trans* history

By Evelyn Bailey This month Shoulders to Stand On continues with the history of Transgender men and women as they come to the fore in the 20th century.

From 1900–1914, a cross-dressing Carnival Crewe in the North of England was recorded by filmmakers Mitchell and Kenyon, in which all the men dressed as women and judging by the crowd’s reaction, it was found perfectly acceptable.

In 1910 Magnus Hirschfeld coined the term “transvestite” which referred to the sexual interest in cross-dressing.

Hirschfeld’s group of transvestites consisted of both males and females, with heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and asexual orientations. Freud, Benjamin and Hirschfeld had begun to observe gender variant behaviours that gave birth to a variety of psychological theories to explain what they saw and were told. (A topic for another column!)

In England, the British Parliament passed the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act in which four “classes” of mental deficiency were defined. The fourth of these classes was named Moral Defectives. Criminal or vicious personalities, unmarried mothers, homosexuals and transgender people were all absorbed into this category!

In a dictionary of criminal slang published in Portland, Oregon, in 1914, the word “faggot” is first seen as applied to the GLBT community, with the usage example, “All the fagots (sissies) will be dressed in drag at the ball tonight.” A shortened version, “fag,” is adopted as a British colloquialism for cigarette, and is later (1923) also adopted in print as an epithet for gay and transgender practices, which at that time were all thought to be interlinked. Also during the first World War, which began in 1914, transvestites were being regularly shot or charged as spies or cowards.

Rare first-person testimony about the early-20th-century life of a transgender person was written by Jennie June (born in 1874 as Earl Lind). Jennie wrote The Autobiography of an Androgyne (1918) and The Female Impersonators (1922), memoirs that provide a realistic picture of the world

of a transgender person. June described herself as a “fairie” or “androgyne”, an individual, she said, “with male genitals”, but whose “physical constitution” and sexual life “approach the female type”.

Norman Haire, an Australian medical practitioner and sexologist who has been called “the most prominent sexologist in Britain” between the wars, reported that in 1921, Dora R. of Germany, under the care of Magnus Hirschfeld, began surgical transition from 1921, ending in 1930 with a successful genital reassignment surgery.

In 1930, Magnus Hirschfeld supervised the second genital reassignment surgery MTF to be reported in detail in a peerreviewed journal on Lili Elbe of Denmark.

The German term “Transsexualismus” was introduced by Hirschfeld in 1923. In 1949, the neo-Latin term “psychopathia transexualis” and English “transexual” were introduced by D. O. Cauldwell who subsequently also used the term “trans-sexual” in 1950 to refer to those who desired a change of physiological sex. Transexual was included for the first time in the DSM-III in 1980 where it was located under Disorders Usually First Evident in Infancy, Childhood or Adolescence.

Today in the latest version, DSM-5, it is included under the diagnosis Gender Dysphoria, a condition in which someone is intensely uncomfortable with their biological gender and strongly identifies with, and wants to be, the opposite gender.

Pre World War II, Aversion Therapy is first used to eliminate homosexuality and later is used on transgender people. Nazis abuse, murder and sterilize transgender people. Electroshock treatment was commonly used on transgender patients. Nazi Germany continued the inhumane treatment of homosexuals and gender variant individuals. The pink triangle was one of the Nazi concentration camp badges, used to identify male homosexual prisoners and other sex offenders.

From the 1940s until his death, Billy Tipton (born in 1914 as Dorothy Lucille Tipton) was a notable American jazz musician and bandleader who lived as a man in all aspects of his life. His own son did not know of his past until Tipton’s

Learn the history of the LGBT community in Rochester... ...from the people who made that history.

The Gay Alliance invites you to celebrate 40 years of LGBT history in Rochester with your very own DVD/BluRay of this powerful film.

Shoulders To Stand On Evelyn Bailey, Executive Producer Kevin Indovino, Producer/Director/Writer Standard DVD $25 / BluRay DVD $30 Order at: www.GayAlliance.org

death. In 1945, in England, Sir Harold Gillies and his colleague Ralph Millard carry out the world’s first sex change of a woman into a man on the young aristocrat Michael Dillon. Gillies later performed surgery on the United Kingdom’s first male-to-female transsexual – Roberta Cowell in 1951.

Virginia Prince, a transgender person who began living full-time as a woman in San Francisco in the 1940s, worked closely with Alfred Kinsey to bring the needs of transgender people to the attention of social scientists and sex reformers.

In 1952 a handful of other transgender people in Southern California launched Transvestia: The Journal of the American Society for Equality in Dress, which published two issues. In 1960 Virginia Prince began another publication, also called Transvestia, that discussed transgender concerns. In 1962, she founded the Hose and Heels Club for cross-dressers, which soon changed its name to Phi Pi Epsilon, a name designed to evoke Greek-letter sororities and to play on the initials FPE, the acronym for Prince’s philosophy of “Full Personality Expression”.

Christine Jorgensen, a World War IIera GI, created an international sensation when in 1952 she was the first widely known person to have sex reassignment surgery — in this case, male to female.

She had not sought publicity, but publicity gave her an opening to light a small candle on behalf of those who shared her entrapment in the wrong gender. She was denied a marriage license in 1959 when she attempted to marry a man, and her fiance lost his job when his engagement to Christine became public knowledge.

From 1960 on, we see the transgender and gender variant community begin their own civil rights movement. As always it began small and grew. Today the trans* movement is increasingly visible and thriving.

Over the past several months I, as a cisgendered woman, have learned a great deal about gender variant history. The

21 history of oppression for anyone or any group is consistently based on fear and an unwillingness to tolerate differences.

As we look at the next half century plus of transgender and gender variant history, we see the same negative reactions to people who are different over and over again.

Shoulders To Stand On affirms and is proud of the men and women of the gender variant community who have chosen to be visible, in order for all to be free to be who they are. ■

History Corner: October 1974 A Monthly Newspaper of The Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, 713 Monroe Avenue, Room 4.

OCTOBER 1974 No. 43 IN THIS ISSUE: Ithaca passes gay rights pg.1; Gays demand removal of inflammatory episode pg.1; Welby outrage still imminent, WORK Balks pg.1; There’s still time to register to vote pg.1; Tom Frey talks to the GAGV pg.1; Massachusetts politicians courting gay voters pg.1; NYSCGO to meet in Buffalo pg.1; WDKX Airs anti gay ad pg.1; RIT offers gay studies pg.2; Transsexual gets mercy pg. 2; GAGV VP Resigns pg.2.

Do you want to read this issue of the Empty Closet?

Here is the link: http://www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?page=4800.

On that page click on: Browse the Empty Closet issues. Go to 1974 – July.

Calendar of Events: SUN 13 OCT: Potluck dinner. For all area gay groups and the gay community.

6 p.m. At The Regular Restaurant, Genesee Coop. Call 244-8640 to sign up for the dish you bring.

SUN 20 OCT: Gays and the law.

SUN 27 OCT: Lesbian/feminism Raising our gay male consciousness on women’s issues.

TUES 29 OCT: Coordinating Council meeting All welcome. 8 p.m. ■

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

Columnists The opinions of columnists, editorial writers and other contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the collective attitude of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley or The Empty Closet.

Growing Up SCREECHING HALT

By Eric Bellmann What will we do without “Fashion Police”? There are only a few surefire go-to programs for the folks who veg out in front of the TV: endless reruns of “Law and Order”, “Project Runway” or whatever is on HGTV. You can be venturesome and consider “Dating Naked” or “Botched” but they wear thin and in my sad world there is always “Family Feud”. But nothing matched “Fashion Police”.

And there she was, her plumpness obscured by mostly black clothes highlighted by a swath of fur and clunky jewels. Visuals were beside the point. It was the stream of hilarious, cringe worthy comments that fascinated viewers.

Me, yes. Sally, that paragon of well bred Southern gentility, yep. And you? Most folks my age found her distasteful. But as Joan would say, “Oh, grow up!”

It’s been a hard season. First Robin Williams. I had to shut my mouth and avert my eyes. I loathed him. His neediness creeped me out. I avoided his movies like the plague.

Yes, he was adorable as Mork and a few early movies were good: “Moscow on the Hudson” and “Good Morning Vietnam”. Eventually his work became a blur.

Always, always interrupting interviewers, forever shoving into schtick. He sucked the air out of the room. In his passing, when I learned of his Parkinson’s I admitted to a twinge of compassion. It passed.

Then Lauren Bacall. Entirely a different matter. She wasn’t much of an actress but that was beside the point. She was progressive, a true old school Liberal, outspoken, brave and by most accounts from friends, quite a handful.

She knew how to dress. My absolute favorite moment was when, during an interview with the incomparably self-satisfied, unctuous bore Charlie Rose, she cut him dead after he asked a way too intimate question, with a withering glare and snapped, “Oh, really, Charlie!” He went blank, a rarity. I had seen her on Broadway in “Applause”. She won a couple of Tonys. She was the quintessential New Yorker, kind to taxi drivers, pleasant to clerks, untroubled by tourists when she walked her dog outside the Dakota.

Bacall made it to 89. Williams was 63.

I cannot imagine Bacall giving up under any circumstances. That’s something I think about. I am closer to her age than to Williams’.

Some days I toy with leaving early, other days I am determined to weather whatever. Bacall gives me inspiration.

What I think about, as any gay man might, is how looks fade. Bacall had a handsomeness always but it wasn’t anything like her youthful glory. Williams aged badly. And then there’s Joan. Did she age well? Your call.

What propelled me into this reverie was surfing TV and coming across the “Stand Up To Cancer” telethon. There with the Who was a bloated, frizzy haired frontman swinging his microphone by the cord. Ye Gods, Roger Daltry! That man, that gorgeous, golden god who electrified the world in the concert film “Woodstock,” now an old man, thick in the middle, but singing his heart out. I was dumbfounded.

Film is a funny medium. We will always have Judy in her prime and we can perhaps forget the ravaged woman slurring her words towards the end. I can find Bacall on Turner Classic Movies fairly regularly. And then I look in the mirror and the kid I was ain’t no more. And that’s a fact. Mercifully there remains inside me a 24-year-old. We chat often.

Garbo was the smart one (I know none of you under 60 have a clue who she was.)

She quit early and ran from the cameras for the last half of her life. Dietrich, when Maximilian Schell made a film about her, refused to appear on camera, only gave voice over comments to her old film clips.

“Why do you need to see me?” she asked.

Smart move.

The obits refer to Joan Rivers as a gay icon. What is a gay icon? The writers say we rally around women who are survivors (Judy, Cher, Liza). Guess that rings true at least for dinosaurs like myself. God alone knows what the under 35 set values. What appreciation do they have for resilience, perseverance?

At a Thanksgiving party several years ago in New York a cluster of people, family and friends, gathered in the crowded kitchen over drinks. One couple, on their way to another party, dropped by to show off their six-week-old daughter. She had a wrinkled, scrunched up reddish face. I whispered to the person next to me, “Let’s hope Jane Goodall doesn’t see that one.”

(In case you don’t know, Jane Goodall is the anthropologist who spent years on end recording life among chimpanzees.) My neighbor, no doubt horrified, was speechless. I couldn’t resist. I still think it was funny. Joan would have laughed.

Speaking of holidays, Halloween is shortly upon us. Except for that damn hurricane Sandy, I haven’t missed a Halloween in NYC in 30-plus years. There always is a hot look. One year it was “Mad Men” mania and I encountered four people including one man dressed flawlessly as Joan, red hair and big boobs. Lord knows there have been legions of Madonnas in her various incarnations. You got to know that this year there’s going to be a river of Joans. “Can we talk?”

Email: ericlbellmann@gmail.com

Cleaning My Closet BACK WHEN, HERE NOW

By Meredith Elizabeth Reiniger My 1998 plans for retirement were simple. Daily I would read. Smoke pot and eat cupcakes. Cheese doodles, popcorn, milk-chocolate truffles, thickly-buttered crackers, cashews, peanut-butter sandwiches, whole pies, potato chips with or without dip. I did none of that. OK, maybe the pies.

When I was a kid I tried, unsuccessfully, to empty my head. Said I to my Self… ‘OK, now I am not going to think.’

Amended it: ‘OK, NOW I will start my stop-thinking test-run.’ Rather quickly I realized that my awake-time mind was stuck in on-position.

So I have lived with this dizzy-busy brain these seventy years while it strategizes and schedules, reviews and regrets, monitors and marvels. Ah, my dear, old, wrinkly, gray thing. It is constantly sloshing through a stream of babble.

From that flow, monthly, I scoop-up about a thousand words and dump them

into an empty closet. I know for sure that nine people wade through. Absolutely, writing has been one of my major in-myretirement chair-exercises.

When I turned 70 (turned? arrived at? rolled over into? clambered up to?), my past began percolating to the surface.

I figured I should grab those anecdotes while I could. I started culling fascinating recollections, penning them into my ever-present journal, and then stacking selected words into poem-shaped stories.

Knowing that I always need an audience, I emailed my poems to my pen-pals. (byte buddies?)This led to a new project, ‘Letters to My Sister.’ I am creating a collection of 70 poems (Initially I had figured, hey, I’ll whip-off seventy poemed chronicles and have them ready for Leslie’s February birthday. Reality-altered date is 2016.)

I have plenty of material from days gone by. I saved bundles of letters. I have Grandma Olive’s’ Day Books. Grandpa Carlisle’s annotated, handmade cookbook. Boxes of slides and photos. My journals, 1962 through yesterday. I am also gathering poetry seeds using my current events (less action-packed than days of yore).

And from my elder-ness point of view, I take pleasure in philosophizing about busyness in my bird-yard and bustle in my brain.

Such a time. Ready? Set. Compose.

Must be loads of ideas in my cranial files, I reasoned. So I settled in my cozy rocker.

I waited for Topics. Lingered. Evidently inspiration does not necessarily respond to ‘Come, COME here now.’

I could write about our family’s Backwhen Sunday Rides. My father drove us through Upstate New York’s rural hithers and thithers. Daddy narrated, identifying crops and trees; good diners as evidenced by the many trucks parked in the lot; admirable farmers, so judged because they had freshly-painted barns and fences and all farm vehicles were parallel-parked.

Daddy, always my teacher, liked to share little-known farm facts. Like all cows have two, short, right legs so they can graze on hills.

(As a For-Sure-Senior, I want to celebrate our old-timey free entertainment and its educational component. I value the gift of my two-parent-family togetherness.

And my father’s humor.)

I have never-ever said ‘Oh good, today I will do nothing.’ In my family of origin, ‘do nothing’ was virtually illegal. On weekends, 1952, while we watched evening shows on our first-ever TV, my father off-and-on studied The Readers’ Digest, my mother made braided and hooked rugs, I counted and bundled Raleigh cigarette coupons. Together, gathered in one small room, facing the huge box with its giant tube, we watched its tiny screen until midnight when it turned to snow.

Other travel memories. No maps or passports required. To Elmira and Castile and Keuka Lake to visit relatives. Elmiraaunt Thelma’s house offered a firehouse across the street. The uniformed, friendly fireMEN (that’s all we had, back when) sold us popsicles for five precious cents.

My special cousins’ small-town house was the site of fun-time picnics. We had just-picked corn and s’mores. I can still see Aunt Ruth at her full-steam-ahead run back to the house, bringing out more abundances. (I clearly remember the unusual picnic table, cinderblock legs holding a huge slab of bluestone, the kind that Uncle Irving hauled from quarry to Florida, then back with a load of oranges).

The grown-ups told incredibly long, detailed and digressed, stories. And they laughed a lot. We kids hiked along a creek, in wonder-filled acres, down paths, through woods, across back-forty fields.

(As an adult I learned that our trickling stream of the good old days was actually Castile’s open sewer. But two good things: we kids didn’t know it and it nourished spectacular daylilies.)

At The Shack (a tobacco-drying barn converted to Lynch’s cottage), eight of us always had a book nearby. We read after breakfast, down on the beach; after lunch,

in the cottage because the sun was too hot; after dinner to relax from our busy day. And anytime it rained. We had no television, kindles, or smart-ass phones.

We had hard-cover books. (I am so very thankful that reading was a value learned from my family.)

Actually, we did travel to interesting train locations. My father was a train enthusiast so the whole family took Fan Trips. Daddy and I worshipped steam engines. I got to climb up into the cab to see the giant, unbelievably red fire. Loved riding behind the stately locomotive down click-clack rails. Open-boxcars were filled with scads of camera-toting fans. One trip I stood on the back ‘porch’ of the caboose and waved to Aunt Ruth and Uncle Irving and the cousin-kids who had hurried to the crossing near their town so we could wave at each other.

But best of all Mommy and I went to the library. At home, in the fifties, we had Sunday quiet reading. All four of us sat in the living room with quiet breathing and page turning.

Recalling those gentle hours, I have, of late, given myself slow-down permission.

More frequently, I am delighted to have full days of reading. I also take the time, when I reach The End, to go back to page one for a second reading. My inner-English-teacher is elated.

Which reminds me. Circa 1952-1957.

Sunday naps. Such a time I was directed to go to my room and stay, until released, while my parents took a nap. Naïve for decades, I could not have fathomed that my mother, willingly, and my father, gladly, were in fact doing Some Things. Every Sunday. (I digress.)

I just need to announce: preparation for a mammogram disallows deodorant and scented body amendments. OK, that’s what we did back when. But here now: do not wear glitter lotion.

MeredithElizabethReiniger@gmail.com

Faith Matters A GAY ICON GONE

By Rev. Irene Monroe You either loved Joan Rivers or you hated her.

Her stand-up red carpet catcalls, and colorful overthe-top humor — insult comedy, shock humor, ribaldry, just to name a few of her hallmark styles — was as lethal as it was legend.

For example, in commenting on a 2013 celebrity event about the German model Heidi Klum, Rivers —unfiltered and uninhibited—stated the following: “The last time a German looked this hot was when they were pushing Jews into the ovens.”

Yes, you read that correctly.

“When some groups complained the comment was anti-Semitic, she retorted that the only people who had a right to complain were Nazis,” the New York Times reported.

Only someone with a good heart can be as beloved as Rivers was while managing to include everyone as a target of her style.

“Rivers not only used the word ‘tranny,’ which many transgender people find offensive, but she used it (in 2014) to describe Michelle Obama, and then doubled down, defending herself with her usual gusto and attacking political correctness itself. Some in the LGBT community grumbled, but many more resonated with her brash feminine bravado,” Jay Michaelson wrote in” “The Very Jewish Reasons Why Gay Men Loved Joan Rivers.”

Sadly, Rivers’ schtick came to an unexpected end on September 4 when, going in for a procedure on her vocal cords, she went into cardiac arrest at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC. The LGBT community took Rivers’ death hard, especially coming on the heels of Robin Williams’.

Her style of humor and feminism

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET made her an icon. Rivers’ time, energy, contribution, action and love for the LGBTQ community made her a hero.

The self-proclaimed “Queen of the Gays” thanked us every chance she got.

“My gay fans have been wonderful from day one,” Rivers told The Advocate just this past May. “I remember when I was working at the Duplex in Greenwich Village in New York at the beginning of my career and the only ones who would laugh at my jokes were the gay guys.

I think if I had started out in straight clubs and bars I never would’ve gotten anywhere.” Her embrace of us goes back decades.

In the 1990s Rivers used her talk show “The Joan Rivers Show,” as a vehicle to promote both unabashedly and unapologetically LGBTQ visibility in the arts.

In the fight to legalize marriage equality in New York State Rivers offered her celebrity endorsement, stating, “All New Yorkers believe in fairness, that’s why we should support marriage equality. For goodness sakes, come on guys.” And when New York State legalized same-sex nuptials, Rivers, as an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church, officiated a gay couples wedding atop the Empire State Building in 2013.

And when CNN’s Anderson Cooper finally came out of his glass closet Rivers applauded his courage.

“I am thrilled that Anderson Cooper finally came out, because this explains why he never tried to date me. I saw him as the perfect package,” Rivers told Huffington Post. “I would have loved Gloria Vanderbilt as a mother-in-law. This explains everything.”

In the third season of their reality show “Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best?” the septuagenarian Rivers explored her bi-curiosity when she disclosed she kissed a woman romantically for the first time.

“Lily Tomlin, who is my very good friend, she and Jane Lynch had a dinner party, and I met this lovely woman,” Joan explained. “At this point, all the men I go out with remind me of my father -dead.… I figured I might as well try it at this point. Maybe I’ve been missing something.”

But this isn’t Rivers’ first time kissing a woman. Playing opposite the then unknown Barbra Streisand in the 1959 play “Driftwood” in New York, Rivers excitedly offered to play the role — that was originally cast for a male only -- if the characters she and Streisand played were made lesbians.

“The first play I did was in Greenwich Village in the early ’60s. Barbra Streisand and I played lovers and we kissed,” Rivers recalled in 2010. “This was before she was singing, before anything. I knew she was talented, but you never know what someone will be. She was a fabulous kisser, that’s what I knew.”

Rivers influenced a younger community of female comedians, like Kathy Griffin, Sarah Silverman, Roseanne Barr, and Whoopi Goldberg, to name a few. She feminized comedy by not don-

ning frumpy attire like her predecessors Phyllis Diller or Moms Mabley. She always dressed glamorously. Also, Rivers brought controversial women’s issues of each decade to the fore making audiences think as much as laugh.

“Women should look good. Work on yourselves. Education? I spit on education.

No man is ever going to put his hand up your dress looking for a library card,” Rivers told Time Magazine.

Rivers was a loud, brash, irreverent Phi Beta Kappa Barnard College grad who mastered her comedic craft well.

This 81-year-old nipped-and-tucked caustic comedian was a cause célèbre that will be greatly missed by many.

RIP

A Few Bricks Short AND ANOTHER YEAR BITES THE DUST!

By David Hull Okay, so I had another birthday.

Yep, add one more candle on the cake.

It was carrot cake, by the way – I love carrot cake. And it’s got to be healthy because it’s made with carrots and carrots are a vegetable, you know.

I won’t tell you how old I am, but my husband, Bernie, is certainly enjoying my aging process. He keeps making annoying “you’re so old” jokes.

“You’re so old you sat behind Jesus in first grade!”

“You’re so old you cut Wilma Flintstone’s hair!”

First of all, I’m not old – I’m mature.

Very mature. But it honestly seems that just months ago, I was 35. Good Heavens – about now I’d settle for 45! If I figured my age in dog years, I’d be …dead.

In gay years I’m a troll. But I’m not the hairy, dirty, cranky kind of troll. I’m a neat, happy, overweight troll. The kind of troll you’d like to find under a bridge. You wouldn’t call me an “old troll”, you’d refer to me as a “mature troll” instead.

“You’re so old you babysat for Cain & Abel!”

“You’re so old you fart dust!”

But here’s the cool thing, troll or not – growing old doesn’t necessarily have to suck. Especially if you try to focus on the positive things. It’s positive that I can get discount meals any time of day at Denny’s and IHOP and free refills on coffee at McDonald’s. It’s positive that on Monday the garden center in town gives me 20 percent off and on Tuesday I can get the discount ticket price at the movie theater, just for being old …oops, I mean, mature.

“You’re so old they lost your luggage on Noah’s Ark!” “You’re so old you studied for your SATs at the Library of Alexandria!”

Do you know what the thesaurus says about being mature? It says that being mature also means you’re estab-

lished, experienced, developed, complete, responsible and stable. Now that’s not too shabby for a troll, is it? And I think the thesaurus is correct – I didn’t really start to get my life figured out (established) or my relationships in good working order (developed) or find what really made me happy (complete) until I was about 40. So, I guess being the age I am now makes me that much more stable.

“You’re so old you were a waiter at the Last Supper!”

“You’re so old there are Roman numerals on your birth certificate!”

I guess I’ll just have to accept it. I’m not getting any younger. And neither are my husband’s “you’re so old” jokes. The only difference is that I think I improve with age while those jokes just keep getting worse!

“You’re so old your first childhood pet was a T-Rex!” “You’re so old you took your drivers’ test in a chariot!”

You can contact David at davidhull59@ aol.com

Trans*missions TRANSITION IS BORING

By Laine DeLaney During a conversation with some cisgender friends recently, Laverne Cox and her role in Orange is the New Black became a topic. I realized that all of the discussions about her character were revolving around her transition.

I suggested that it would be nice to see a trans* character whose identity and story didn’t revolve around their transition. This was met with surprise as the friends that I was talking to thought that to any mainstream audience, nothing about her character could be more interesting than that.

While this might be true, it’s problematic. Having the transition narrative be the most prominent aspect of a character in media portrayals of trans* individuals leads to a focus on it when we interact with cisgender people and society. People ask us uncomfortable, probing questions about our medical history and history and feel that that is appropriate because that is the focus of any trans* character that they see on film or on stage. It can be jarring to them when we respond with shock at highly personal questions, as they’ve come to expect that these things are a public part of a person’s life.

When you spend a couple of years rearranging your identity so as to match and be in tune with your gender, it does occupy a lot of your attention and time, even more so if there are medical factors such as hormone therapy and surgery involved. Given that a trans* person’s entire life is shifting around them in this period, it’s easy to understand why they might feel inclined to discuss it with oth-

23 ers. It’s safe to assume that if they want to discuss it they will bring it up.

However, it’s never polite to assume that someone wants to share intimate details – whether they’re medical history, private family interaction, or sexual partners and behaviors. All of these things tend to go through intense change during the period of time that many trans* people label as “transitioning”. Whether their transition is very visible or casual and subtle, you can be assured that there are vast changes going on in their internal landscape.

Trans* people are also used to negative reactions from cisgender culture to their shifts in perceived identity and expression.

Intense scrutiny of the private aspects of a person’s life can leave one feeling as though the questioner is preparing for some form of personal attack. Probing into highly personal matters often leaves people feeling vulnerable, especially if they don’t know who else is listening, or have no control over who will learn the details.

Also, it’s not the most interesting thing about most transgender people. One thing that I’ve learned is that every person that you pass on the street has a fascinating tale to tell of their lives. For trans* people, while their transition may influence and be a part of that story, it is rarely the central focus of their life for very long. Many trans* people, once they have reached a comfortable place in presentation and expression, would prefer to leave the intense discomfort that this “second puberty” can cause behind. They want to pursue their interests and live their lives like any other human being.

It is possible to be supportive or responsive while observing and encouraging the same etiquette that would be expected for any highly personal situation.

For cisgender readers, please take this into account when interacting with transgender friends or relatives – if they don’t bring up aspects of their transition, it’s safest to assume that it’s because they don’t feel like discussing it. For transgender readers, please be firm with those who push and want to know more than you are willing to provide – enabling them in this pursuit encourages the idea that the public is entitled to know the most intimate details of our lives.

What’s Bothering Brandon?

CATACOMBS, SKULLS AND SECRET TUNNELS

By Brandon W. Brooks Being a native of Rochester, I have come to know, like many of you, that we inhabit a city steeped in history.

We are not the countryside cultural void that most people believe us to

24 be. We are the “Burnt-Over District” of New York State. We are that part of the state that New York City dwellers don’t understand; the part that is (thankfully) abstracted from all the commotion of our downstate neighbors. We have the Fox sisters, and we talk to dead people. We understand the difference between the words “woods” and “forest”, the difference between “overcast” and “light pollution.” We have hard hearts, and even harder winters. One might even say one causes the other.

As most of my readers are already aware, I am a huge fan of Mt. Hope Cemetery; that sprawling 196-acre stretch of rare High Victorian architecture, beautifully undisturbed eskers, kettles and grottos in the south east of our fair city. Over my years of walking its paths, speaking with friends, and scouring the Internet, I have come across many accumulated rumors, ghost stories, and accounts of strange happenings taking place within Mt. Hope’s stone walls. A history written in stone and zinc I truly could not resist!

Being that it is now officially October, and therefore Halloween Time, I found it apropos to share with you, dear readers, what I have discovered and have had verified by the current president of The Friends of Mt. Hope Cemetery, Marilyn Nolte.

For those of you who do not know, The Friends of Mt. Hope Cemetery is a wonderful organization founded in 1980, dedicated to preserving the history and cultural potency that is Mt. Hope Cemetery, for all of Rochester. It remains a staunch defender of the cemetery’s resting residents, meticulous historical archives, and gorgeously exceptional High Victorian structural design – an organization after my own heart. They have successfully restored the Moorish-style Gazebo, the cast-iron Florentine fountain, and countless other monuments and memorials throughout the cemetery. The list (which can be found in their detailed archives) goes on…

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014 When I met with Nolte I had several questions, stories, rumors and reports to be answered and verified. I chose the most interesting to report in this column, namely information concerning The Fandango tower, and whether or not Mt. Hope possessed catacombs or any sort of tunnel system. I also asked after the reported satanic activities that have taken place at Mt. Hope, specifically concerning the missing skull of Civil War General Elisha G. Marshall.

Calling and leaving a message for President Nolte concerning these rather unsavory inquiries, I assumed would not result in the interview for which I longed. However, I was quite pleased and excited to receive a phone call from President Nolte confirming a meeting time, only the next day. I was welcome in my query, and was made to feel that I could ask almost anything.

I met with President Nolte on a rainy Tuesday evening, although there was sadly neither thunder nor lightening involved. Entering the northern gatehouse, our meeting began in earnest. I related to President Nolte the numerous stories I have heard over the years about the cemetery, its history and more recent rumors concerning vandalism, and even grave robberies.

My first question concerned an edifice that once stood tall over Mt. Hope’s highest summit; The Fandango. The Fandango was an observation tower that allowed its visitors a clear view of the city of Rochester, as well as the Genesee River emptying into Lake Ontario. This tower, removed in the late 19th century, has a strange history involving what is now known as The Rochester Mirage.

Early one April morning, visitors to the tower were shocked by the sight afforded to them. It appeared as if the landscape of Rochester had been dramatically altered beyond immediate recognition. It was soon determined that what was being witnessed was not Rochester at all, but in fact the shore of Canada over

50 miles away. Witnesses described being able to see trees, buildings and other minute details of Canada in vivid detail, as if Canada’s shore were a mere hundred feet away.

Most chalk up this strange, day-long phenomenon to Fata Morgana: a condition where extreme atmospheric temperature inversions can result in optical illusions. President Nolte confirmed not only that The Fandango tower actually existed (and was wooden in composition), but that the so-called Rochester Mirage truly took place as well. Further Internet research also confirmed this happening.

Unfortunately I was unable to discover any images of The Fandango tower; however President Nolte assured me that Mt. Hope’s extensive archives possessed such a thing. How delightful indeed!

My next inquiry, I must admit, was my most pressing; were there truly catacombs or some sort of tunnel system running through Mt. Hope Cemetery? Now I must say, with America being so young, I did not presume that catacombs existed at Mt. Hope, being that we have never run out of burial space. However I did not entirely quell this hope, and asked after this burning question nonetheless. President Nolte smiled, and denied that Mt. Hope possessed such a gem as catacombs.

The many crypts and mausoleums, she was sure to add, do sometimes run deeply underground, as well as into hillsides and eskers.

Possibly sensing my disappointment (I do love a good subterranean intrigue), President Nolte did confirm the existence of an underground tunnel system that runs under the northern portion of Mt. Hope, near the original chapel and Florentine fountain. I was at the edge of my seat at this point. But alas, this tunnel system works as a method of continually draining water from the land, which would soon turn back into swampland without the tunnels. These tunnels run underneath Mt. Hope, due west for the Genesee River, where they empty.

One of my last questions concerned a report of an event that took place in June of 2000; the desecration of the tomb of Civil War General Elisha G. Marshall.

General Marshall, entombed alongside his first wife, served in the American Civil War for the union, of course. His burial site, an aboveground tomb adorned with a bushel of wheat, was broken into and his body scattered in a strange, reportedly satanic ritual of sorts. Most likely due to a group of college-aged dilettantes with a bone to pick (no pun intended), this act resulted sadly in General Marshall’s skull never being recovered, which remains missing to this day. President Nolte did confirm these happenings, the still-missing skull of General Marshall, and the vandalism that took place to both his person and tomb. She did not, however, confirm that this act was in any way satanic in nature.

Before we parted ways, I asked President Nolte one last question: had she ever seen anything out of the ordinary, specifically ghosts. She smiled politely, and satisfied my curiosity by stating that she had never experienced anything odd or unnerving during her work with Mt. Hope Cemetery. Darn.

Overall, I found President Nolte to be a vault of information (a willing one at that) and such a good sport. I left with many of my questions answered, but with so many more to investigate. I hope my readers can find the time to explore Mt. Hope Cemetery (also a beautiful arboretum) this autumn season, before the snows of winter encumber your easy passage from the world of living to that of the dead. Who knows, perhaps you may find more than just stones waiting for you there!

Questions, comments or critique?

Please feel free to e-mail the author at: brandonb@gayalliance.org ■

Inspiritual LOVE LETTERS

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

Community Find the friends, fun, and common interests you’re looking for through the various groups listed here.

CNY LGBTQ CHILD WELFARE COALITION The Central New York LGBTQ* Child Welfare Coalition presents Fostering Families: A Mini-Conference for Building and Celebrating LGBTQ Families and Allies, on Nov. 1, from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., at Park Central Presbyterian Church, 504 E. Fayette St., Syracuse 13204.

LGBTQ youth are disproportionately represented in foster care, and many LGBTQ adults and couples are parenting or have a desire to parent. All community members have a role to play in supporting children and families in the child welfare system.

Please join us to learn more: workshops, keynote address, networking, resource fair, and lunch ($7 registration fee includes lunch).

This conference is open to prospective foster/adoptive families, current foster/ adoptive families, child welfare professionals, interested faith and all community members, and anyone interested in supporting LGBTQ families and youth.

The CNY LGBTQ Child Welfare Coalition is a community-wide, multidimensional group promoting education, advocacy and recruitment that supports the unique and diverse needs of both foster/adoptive families and youth involved with the child welfare system. Established in November 2012, the Coalition has 20 active members, and meets bi-monthly in Syracuse.

DIGNITY-INTEGRITY D-I Rochester meets weekly at 5 p.m. at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St., corner of Broad St. We have the following services and activities for the month of October, 2014: 1st Sunday: Episcopal Mass/Healing Service 2nd Sunday: Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Word, with music 3rd Sunday: Episcopal Mass.

4th Sunday: Evening Prayer, followed by a Potluck Dinner!

Our fourth Sunday Potluck theme for October is “Anything BUT Pumpkin”.

Pumpkins are prolific around this time but we’re not ready to start making dishes with them! So find your favorite fall recipes that do NOT contain pumpkin as an ingredient and bring one along for dinner. No time to cook? Don’t worry, there is always plenty to share so get a friend or two and join us for a great meal!

We are getting ready to celebrate our 39th anniversary on October 12. We’ll start with a Second Sunday Liturgy of the Word and then it is off to dinner at a local restaurant. Reservations are needed

by Oct. 7 and all are welcome to join us, so contact us through the website/email or call the Hotline to get further details.

You can call the Hotline at 585-2345092 or check our website at www.dirochester.org/ for updates on services and activities.

OPEN ARMS MCC Open Arms MCC is Beyond Open and Affirming…Beyond Welcoming….

Our Contemporary Praise and Worship Service is held each Sunday at 5:30 p.m.

Be assured that you will be accepted, honored and loved.

This contemporary service features our Open Arms Praise Band. Sara Campbell will be leading your worship experience in this electrifying service.

Our Sunday Morning Celebration Services begin at 10:30 a.m., offering

a vibrant, inclusive progressive worship experience, blending elements of traditional and contemporary worship styles.

Depending on the Sunday, worship may include hymns, prayer, scripture, audio visual, special music and our own Open Arms ensemble. Communion is served each Sunday in both of our services.

Brae Adams always delivers a message that is both scriptural and socially relevant. During our Celebration Service, children are invited to participate in our Children’s Moment before heading off to our Rainbow Rangers (ages 5-12) and Rainbow Sprouts (newborn-5) Sunday School Program. Following the service join us in the Community Center for our coffee social time.

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings Rainbow SAGE gathers for Yoga with instructor Tom Somerville from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; there is a $5 fee to participate. Thursday at 6 p.m. there is also Yoga with Tom Somerville. This is a mixed level class that welcomes all people including beginners. BTW BYO mat (if possible). Cost is $15 per class.

There is a LOT happening in October, first on Oct. 1 is “Being Trans... Being Healthy... Being Aware: Facing the elevated health risks of being Trans” with presenters Dr. Sharon J. Glezen, MD, FACP, WPATH - World Professional Association for Transgender Health, from the University of Rochester; Patrick Fisher of Us Too!; a prostate survivors support and advocacy group, and Lori Meath of the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, explaining the unique heath challenges trans face when they start the transition process.

Then on Saturday, Oct. 11 starting at 9 a.m. we are excited and inspired to be hosting the Pachamama Alliance Symposium: “Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream,” which asks us all to answer two questions -- Where on Earth are we going? And what can we do about it?

This symposium will be a profound inquiry of a bold vision: “to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just human presence on Earth.” If you’re ready to explore what this vision could mean for you and your community and explore the opportunity to create a sustainable and just future, please register at: www.AwakeningtheDreamer.org and join us in designing what our future can and will be.

Also on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m., in observance of National Coming Out Day, we will be screening the movie “In and Out” starring Kevin Kline. There will be a “Debutante and Camo Tea” reception to follow.

Our themed potlucks continue on the third Saturday of every month. The theme for this month’s potluck on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 5:30 p.m. will be “Happy Harvest Potluck and Games.”

On Nov. 15, we will host a Community Thanksgiving Potluck with members of Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester, SAGE, PFLAG and the Gay Alliance Youth, AFTY and MOCHA. On Dec. 6 we will start our celebration of the holiday with Cocoa, Cookies and Carols. We will be singing Christmas Carols around the piano while exchanging cookies and enjoying some hot cocoa.

Open Arms is, as our name says, inclusive, actively accepting and welcoming of all people. We are located at 707 East Main St. almost right across from Delta Sonic. There is plenty of free parking in front and to the side of our building. For updated information on these and other exciting upcoming events check out our website at: openarmsmcc.org. Or give us a call at (585) 271-8478.

ROMANS The summer is unofficially over.... so what’s next?

The ROMANS (Rochester Male Naturists) will move all naked fun indoors, that’s what we’ll do. Our September meeting happened on the last weekend of the month to give our members time to “recover” from their exciting summer activities and Labor Day weekend madness.

From October on, over the winter months and in addition to our regular monthly meetings, we will join Naturist Rochester at their monthly nude swims at a gymnasium and the occasional Men Only swims in a private home. Details will be posted in the nude swim page of our website.

If you are interested in social nudity in the Rochester and Twin Tiers area and would like to get together with likeminded nudists in an all male environment, the ROMANS may be the right group for you. ROMANS is a social club for gay and gay-friendly male nudists (or naturists) over 21. For more information, please check out our website at www.wnyromans.com. You can also contact the ROMANS at message line 585-281-4964,

by E-mail wnyromans@yahoo.com or via regular mail at PO Box 92293, Rochester, NY 14692.

SAPPHIC SINGLES ROCHESTER

Sapphic Singles – a meet-up group for professional lesbian women in and around the Rochester area -- meets the third Saturday of each month at an upscale restaurant for a singles social dinner.

This group is for single professional LBT women who reside in and around the Rochester area. Sapphic Singles hosts monthly social events and dinners at various upscale restaurants around the Rochester area so that women can meet other professional like-minded women. This group is open to all LBT women, including deaf and hoh lesbians.

The cost is $5 per year (this helps with meet-up fees). The first month is free. For more information, event dates and times, please check out our meet-up group here: http://www.meetup.com/Sapphic-SinglesRochester/ Email: sapphicsinglesroc@gmail.com Phone: 585.313.3037 LIKE us on Facebook: https:// www.facebook.com/pages/Sapphic-Singles/312378312272755

TRANS ALLIANCE OF GREATER ROCHESTER Our regularly scheduled Planning Group meeting is on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Come to the meeting to hear what’s going on and being planned! Please come with your ideas and suggestions. We need all of our members’ support for all these things we want to do!

Then on Wednesday, Oct. 1 we will

25 have “Being Trans... Being Healthy... Being Aware: know the elevated health and cancer risks of being Trans” from 7-9 p.m. The presenters will include Dr. Sharon Glezen, FACP from the U of R, who is a member of WPATH World Professional Association for Transgender Health (we’re told that her presentation is amazing – it brings a wider perspective including information on long-term hormone use and other Trans health issues).

Our other presenters are Patrick Fisher of Us Too, a prostate survivors support and advocacy group and Lori Meath of the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester.

They will have information on the local community resources and support groups for prostate and breast cancer.

According to a survey of over 6,450 transgender and gender non-conforming study participants done by the National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task force participants reported that when they were sick or injured, many postponed medical care due to discrimination (28 percent) or inability to afford it (48 percent). 19 percent reported being refused medical care due to their transgender or gender nonconforming status, with even higher numbers among people of color in the survey and 50 percent of the sample reported having to teach their medical providers about transgender care.

Plan on coming and learn what you can do to keep yourself from being one of these statistics. This event will be at the Open Arms Community Center 707 East Main Street almost across the street from Delta Sonic There is plenty of parking in front and to the side of the building.

On Saturday, Oct. 25 from 1-5 p.m. we will have the “Meeting of the Groups IV: Return to Rochester” when a number of the upstate and beyond trans groups get together to reconnect, talk about what is going on in their communities and plan for the future for us in New York state.

This meeting will actually be in the same place where the first “Meeting of the Groups” happened way back in 2012, which is now known as Trillium Health on Monroe Ave. near Alexander St. We will have people talking about several firsts happening for the Trans community in Rochester.

Then after a break for some dinner we will all converge at the Open Arms Community Center (at 7 p.m.) for the first ever TAGR Trans Halloween dance party, “The Eerie Promenade”! Admission will be $5 at the door ($4 if you are wearing a costume) and $4 for presale tickets at: http://rnytg.org/eerie-promenade/. A free raffle ticket will be provided for those who purchase presale tickets and come in costume. There will a DJ, refreshments, a raffle, a costume contest and DANCING! “Trans... invisible and silent no longer... invisible and silent no more!” rnytg.org facebook.com/rnytg info@ rnytg.org twitter: @rochestertrans. Our phone number is 585-432-0456. ■

26

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

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OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

Arts & Entertainment

“Tru Love”

ImageOut brings sophisticated international films to Rochester

By Adam Young When Michael Gamilla, Chair of the Programming Committee for ImageOut, began working with the festival 12 years ago, the terrain was much different. For the most part, the festival was the only place where many LGBT films could be seen. But with changes in the industry and newer streaming services like Netflix, viewing LGBT films has become more mainstream, particularly for younger audiences.

The current challenge is to offer something unique to attract people to attend the festival. “At ImageOut, we try very hard to keep it relevant,” Gamilla said.

The mission of ImageOut is to bring high quality arts and culture to Rochester. Part of that formula is offering more limited, foreign films that are not easily accessible anywhere else. While the line-up does include some feel good “rom-coms,” Gamilla also strives to bring in many European and Asian titles for a unique viewing and learning experience. Other programs like the Next Generation Series, offer free film screenings to young people under 21.

“As a festival we try not to just play along with what people like… I really want to educate people and really elevate their taste in film,” Gamilla said.

This year’s line-up, held Oct. 10-19 at both the Little and the Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman House, includes 39 films from 24 different countries. Film selections that Gamilla is especially excited about include the opening night selection and New York state premiere of BFFs, a story about two best girlfriends who pretend to be a couple in order to jet set to a lavish couples therapy retreat, only to be forced to deconstruct problems in their “relationship.”

Rounding out the festival is The Way He Looks, an award winning film from Brazil about a blind teenager’s feelings of attraction to the new boy in school. Gamilla is also excited about this year’s documentary centerpiece, Alex and Ali, a love

story developed across 45 years when two men develop feelings for each other in Iran in 1967.

However the two are soon separated due to political discrimination. Reunit- Michael Gamilla. Photo: Lorraine Woerner McGowan ed years later in Istanbul, Rochester to the world… but the couple struggles to pick up ImageOut brings the rest of where they left off. the world to Rochester as well, Gamilla says part of the through movies,” Gamilla said. appeal of attending ImageOut is Advance tickets for all of the watching the films with friends ImageOut screenings are availwhile becoming immersed in able for sale online at a disother cultures. Part of the learncounted price through Oct. 9. ing experience is seeing how A Full Festival Pass is also availLGBT people are treated in able for purchase for $205, which other countries. “It’s the most includes admission to the Festival sophisticated line-up I’ve ever Eve Party at 140 Alex, all screenput together in my 12 years,” ings, and the Closing Night Party Gamilla said. at the George Eastman House.

ImageOut has grown sigFor information on purchasnificantly in 22 years, with a ing tickets, visit www.imageout. quality that rivals other interorg/2014/tickets.php. For more national film festivals in larginformation about requesting er cities. Within the Rochester sign language interpreting sercommunity, the audience has vices and the young adult Next grown beyond LGBT people to Generation Series, visit www. film lovers of any sexual oriimageout.org/outreach.php. entation. “ImageOut introduces

“The Circle”

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Rainbow Theatre Festival tackles God in 3 plays Bread & Water Theatre tackles many challenging topics in its theatre productions and its annual Rainbow Theater Festival is no exception. Over the course of one month, the theatre will be exploring themes of sexuality and religion through three plays of outstanding merit.

These plays are The Jeweler’s Shop by Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II), God of Vengeance

by Sholom Asch and Confessions of a Nightingale written

by Charlotte Chandler and Ray Stricklyn, based on actual conversations with Tennessee Williams.

Rainbow Theater Festival 2014 will be presented at 172 West Main St., beginning October 24 and running through November 24. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday performances at 2 p.m. Single tickets range from $8-$14 and may be purchased at BreadandWaterTheatre.org. No patron will be turned away for an inability to pay. For more information, call (585) 2715523.

Love is “one of the greatest dramas of human existence” writes Karol Wojtyla, the man better known as Pope John Paul II. In this illuminating three-act play he explores the joys — and the pain — of love and marriage.

The action unfolds in two settings at once: a street in a small town, outside the local jeweler’s shop, and the mysterious inner landscape of personal hopes and fears, loves and longings. Karol Wojtyla — Pope John Paul II — had long been involved with the theater. As a student of literature, then priest, bishop and archbishop, he acted, directed, wrote dramatic criticism, made a Polish translation of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, and authored six plays. Bread & Water’s production will augment the original intentions of the text to include gay, lesbian, and gender nonconforming characters. Performances: Oct. 24, 25 at 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.

Sholom Asch’s 1906 play has been reinvented and in the process was transformed from a classic morality tale into a drama of fierce power. Rivkele is the daughter of a brothel owner promised in marriage to a respected scholar. Manke is the father’s most desired prostitute. Against all odds they fall in love threatening to destroy her father’s dreams of a prosperous future. Controversial at the time for featuring a romantic relationship between two women, everyone involved with the original production was arrested and charged with obscenity. Performances: Oct. 31, Nov. 1, 7, and 8 at 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 2 and 9 at 2 p.m.

He was one of the great twentieth century American playwrights, and Tennessee Williams’ private gay persona is shown to have been just as fascinating as his plays in this delightful, moving, and incisive 90-minute drama. The play is structured as an interview with a reporter, to whose unheard questions Williams responds directly to the audience as if they are doing the asking. We learn of the struggles of his early years,

(Rainbow continues page 28)

Christopher Shyer

“The Book of Mormon” is here: cast member Christopher Shyer tells all

By Susan Jordan What happens when Mormon missionaries try to convert Africans? A lot of laughter ensues, as audiences of the Tonywinning musical have discovered.

The producers of the national tour of The Book Of Mormon, winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, and the Rochester Broadway Theatre League have announced that tickets for the Oct. 7-19 engagement at Rochester’s Auditorium Theatre are on sale now, at the Auditorium Theatre box office (885 East Main St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, by visiting Ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Group orders of 15 or more may be placed by calling 585-277-3304.

The Book Of Mormon features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Awardwinning creators of the landmark animated series “South Park.”

Tony Award-winner Lopez is co-creator of the long-running hit musical comedy, Avenue Q. The musical is choreographed

by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw (Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone) and is directed by Nicholaw and Parker.

Christopher Shyer plays “Father of Elder Price” and others. His career includes, on Broadway: Mamma Mia!; Off Broadway: Going Down Swingin’ (NYMF), Regional: Lend Me a Tenor (Hangar Theatre), LA premiere: The Good Life (NOHO Arts Center), Canadian Premieres of Night of the Iguana (Playwrights Theatre Center), El Salvador (Jessie Nom), Assassins (CanStage), Les Miserables, Miss Saigon (Mirvish Productions), Phantom of the Opera, and Sunset Blvd (LIVE ENT) Television: “V,” “The Practice,” “Phenomenon II,” “The Good Wife,” “NCIS,” “Lights Out,” Ken Finkleman’s “Good God”, Film: Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar”, “Fierce People”, and “Maybe Tomorrow” (Winner-Best Feature-Golden Door International Film Festivals).

Christopher talked to The Empty Closet about this production of the musical and his own experiences in show business.

What can audiences expect from this production? Some people haven’t heard about the musical and do not know what to expect.

This show is highly irreverent. The creators Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez hold no punches. If an audience member has had a chance to see

(Mormon continues page 28)

28 ( Rainbow continued from page 27) his first successes, the price of his fame and his later years of dissolution and decline, all in Williams’ delightfully witty style. Performances: Nov. 14, 15, 21, and 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 16 and 23 at 2 p.m.

Founded in 2000, Bread & Water Theatre is committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience and acting as a positive agent of change in its community. Under the artistic direction of J.R. Teeter, BWT develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dramatically changing world through new works of drama, and aspires to be a major force in American theatre, providing audiences with challenging contemporary drama and innovative community outreach programs.

Gay Alliance co-hosts “Out at Geva” affinity nights this season New for the 2014-2015 season, Geva has inaugurated “affinity” performances – designated performances that allow members of the community to see a show, share their experience and meet other likeminded arts enthusiasts.

These evenings or matinees include a pre- or post- show reception in the price of a ticket. Besides being a fun way to network and meet people with similar interests, community performances give the theatre an opportunity to engage and connect to segments of the Rochester audience in a way that it has never had before.

One of these special events, “Out at Geva,” in association with the Gay Alliance, is the LGBTQ community’s perfect way to make new friends or catch up with old ones while enjoying Rochester’s finest theatre! A free, pre-show reception gives patrons the chance to visit before the show. “Out at Geva” will be held on the second Thursday of each Mainstage show.

The performances are Good People: Oct. 30; Little Shop of Horrors: Jan. 22; Women in Jeopardy: Mar. 5; The Mountaintop: Apr. 9; Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike: May 14.

Patrons will need to mention “Out at Geva” when reserving tickets for these performances. Their name will then be included on a guest list for the free receptions. Subscriptions are available as well for these performances. ■

( Mormon continued from page 27) an episode of “South Park” they would get a pretty good idea of the sense of humor.

It’s also topical and thought provoking and may even strike an emotional chord.

You may not agree with some of the language but you will find yourself laughing and caring about the characters.

Where is your hometown and how did you start your career?

I’m originally from Toronto, Canada. I was born on the Air Force Base in Downsview, Ontario. The youngest of six, I started performing in musicals in high school and then made my professional stage debut in something called Suds, a ‘50s jukebox musical.

I went on to playing leads in summer stock theater before working for the Mirvishs and Garth Drabinsky in a lot of the mainstream theater that was going on at that time, when Toronto was known as Broadway North. In 1998 I drove from Toronto to Vancouver, BC to pursue a film and television career before moving to LA in 2004 to work predominantly in that field before making my Broadway debut in Mamma Mia! as Sam Carmichael in 2008. After that I continued to work in film and television and then in November 2012, I booked this character track in The Book of Mormon.

Do you think of yourself as an actor first, or a singer?

I think of myself as an actor now.

When I first started out I wanted to be Baryshnikov, to be painfully honest. I

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014 could always dance and picked up choreography quickly, but the effort, time and strength to make that happen just wasn’t in the cards for me.

I could always sing as well, so I started auditioning for musicals and then after playing opposite Diahann Carroll in Sunset Blvd, I made a move West and buckled down and focused on the craft of acting.

These days I would describe myself as a character actor, with a leading man face:) -- I’m quoting an ex-manager of mine -- who sings and moves well:-) Who are the performers who have inspired you the most, and why?

Earlier on in my career I was a big fan of Mandy Patinkin (Evita, Sunday in the Park With George) and a huge fan of the work of Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins.

I also revere Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Amazing character actors. Their work ethic and total emersion in what they do/ did is/was brilliant. Their work as artists inspires me to work smarter.

What do you think makes this show so successful?

I think at the core of it, it’s about acceptance of self -- warts and all -and what works for you in terms of belief in yourself and faith. What drives these characters is to make a positive change, whether it is for selfish reasons or because it has been thrust upon them.

If you could do any role, or any play or film, etc., what would that be?

Wow, this is a challenging question only in that it bears to ask. Something that has not been written yet or something that has stood the test of time? I’m a huge fan of the classics. Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller to name a few.

In film, I would love to play Warren Beatty in a bio pic or a film about brothers and family with Dennis Quaid, Peter Gallagher and Robert Wise. Be a part of a strong ensemble in an HBO series like “Six Feet Under.” Work opposite Judi Dench, Jarod Leto, or Jeremy Renner, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Be a part of something from the ground up, whether it is a musical, play or film.

Flesh something out with a great writer and put my authentic spin on a piece.

What are the greatest challenges and the greatest rewards of being in “The Book of Mormon”?

Challenges? Keeping it fresh after 700 or so shows. Rewards? Getting the chance to help tell this story and perform these moments over 700 shows and counting.

This show is a huge success and I keep going back to gratitude for the opportunity to work with fun and savvy people and there is nothing like experiencing an audience guffawing and truly enjoying themselves. We have also played in some gorgeous venues while on tour.

Gay Alliance gives talkbacks at “The Penguin Tango” The Gay Alliance Speakers Bureau has been invited to offer “Talkback” sessions following three performances of “The Penguin Tango” by Stephen Svoboda at the Red House Arts Center in Syracuse.

In this side-splitting screwball comedy, inspired by actual events at the Bremerhaven, Brooklyn, and Central Park Zoos, a community of penguins is hilariously turned upside down by sex, stereotypes, and soggy sardines. Broadway World called “The Penguin Tango” “… sweet, charming, winsome and utterly enjoyable.” Backstage Magazine called it “…a parachute ride into an anthropomorphic amusement park.”

Red House Arts Center is located at 201 S. West St., Syracuse. Tickets: theredhouse.org. Info: 315-362-2785. Performances Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. Talkback provided by Matt Krueger and Jonathan Wetherbee; Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. Talkback provided by Jeanne Gainsburg and Gabrielle Hermosa.

his (her) Welsh mum split up with his (her) American dad. Tim Price has seized on this to create a fact-inspired fictional play, looking at the forces that radicalized Manning. Price’s piece raises acute moral and aesthetic questions.

The play does not deal with the further developments in Manning’s life. Chelsea Manning, sentenced to a lengthy prison term, has now come out as a trans woman.

Book review: There Goes the Gayborhood?

Danny Hoskins to head Blackfriars Theatre Blackfriars Theatre (Blackfriars) welcomes Danny Hoskins as Artistic and Managing Director of the organization.

Mr. Hoskins inherits the position from Blackfriars current Artistic and Managing Director, John Haldoupis, who will step down as artistic leader of the organization after the close of the 2014-2015 Season. Mr. Hoskins will serve as Associate Artistic Director through the current season, working closely with Blackfriars’ Board and staff, and take the reigns of the company on July 1, 2015, when Mr. Haldoupis takes his final bow after 35 years.

John Haldoupis said, “It is a great pride and relief to have my good friend Danny Hoskins follow in my footsteps to guide an organization I dearly love and respect into its new and exciting chapter.

A wonderful and innovative director and actor, he will bring a fresh new perspective and I am confident he is the best choice; I am looking forward to his vision of what a ‘new’ Blackfriars can be while upholding the high standards for which we are known. Bravo!”

Mr. Hoskins has been an actor and director at Blackfriars Theatre since 2007.

He has also served on the Board, as President of the Board and was a part of the most recent move to Blackfriars’ Main Street Theatre. Mr. Hoskins has directed numerous productions at Blackfriars.

“I have a very personal investment and connection to Blackfriars Theatre,” Mr. Hoskins says. “When I returned to Rochester eight years ago, Jack gave me my first opportunity and he believed in me and championed my work in a healthy, supportive, and artistically vibrant environment. I’ve seen numerous artists thrive and grow in the passionate and rich world Blackfriars has come to be known for and I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to further Blackfriars’ status as a distinguished, vital, and admired organization in the lives of our artists and our community.”

Reading features play about Bradley (Chelsea) Manning on Oct. 25 On Oct. 25, the Hourglass Play Reading series will present a premiere reading of The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning, by Tim Price, directed by Maria Scipione.

The reading will take place at Blackfriars Theatre, 795 E. Main St., at 3 p.m.

The cast includes Russell Allen, Isabelle Bartter, Rob Kellogg, Kiyomi Oliver, Crescenzo Scipione, Semone Scurry, Narrator: Jay O’Leary. Information: www. hourglassplays.org.

Bradley (Chelsea) Manning, as most people know, is a 24-year-old US soldier accused of releasing 250,000 secret cables and logs about the Iraq and Afghan wars to WikiLeaks.

What is less well known is that he (she) spent over two of his (her) early teenage years at school in Haverfordwest after

By Tristan Wright “Gayborhoods,” like the Castro in San Francisco or Greenwich Village in New York, are typically defined by their statistically high concentration of lesbian and gay residents. They’ve long existed as a significant aspect of LGBT life, serving as cultural and historical cornerstones simultaneously advocating for GLBTQ rights while marking their progress over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Amin Ghanziani’s There Goes the Gayborhood?, published this August by Princeton University Press, analyzes the way these areas have evolved over time, and considers their role within 21st century American society. While a topic worthy of considerable study, Ghanziani’s analysis fails to meaningfully situate gay districts into the broader narrative of housing in the US, and is ultimately unable to fully substantiate its own central thesis.

Ghanziani’s main explanation for the origins of areas with high concentrations of gay and lesbian people is social: “moral refugees” seeking to avoid discrimination, find safe spaces, and create community.

According to the author and his sources, interviews with residents of two Chicago “gayborhoods” and journalism on the subject, these neighborhoods are less necessary for today’s LGBT people in light of increased social acceptance and decreased discrimination.

Undoubtedly, discrimination and a desire for community have been important aspects of the evolution of “gayborhoods” over time, but Ghanziani overlooks two significant components that underpin the location of these areas as well as their racial composition: economics and policy.

Ghanziani asserts that today’s lesbians and gays, facing less bias and discrimination than in the past, have an expanded “residential imagination” when it comes to looking for new places to live. He fails to discuss how this imagination is constrained, however, by economic factors: for example, transgender people have disproportionately high levels of unemployment, meaning that their options for housing are limited to what they can afford. Young people are also less financially stable and also limited to low-cost housing options; the high percentage of young homeless people who are LGBT -and who presumably have extremely narrow “residential imaginations” -- remains unconsidered by Ghanziani.

A limited income necessarily closes off residential options, and the history of employment discrimination encountered

by GLBT people means that housing options will in turn be limited; “gayborhoods”, therefore, are a function of economics as much as -- perhaps even more than -- social preferences. Prospective tenants or homebuyers are making social choices within the bounds of their financial options, meaning that areas with lower cost housing will draw lower-income people, including LGBT individuals.

The history of housing policy in the US provides a fairly clear explanation for the overwhelming whiteness of gay and lesbian areas, a subject left wholly ignored by Ghanziani. African Americans have always faced greater and often more explicit prohibitions in residential mobility: from the race restrictive covenants and sun down towns of Jim Crow, to contemporary red-lining and sub-prime mortgages, the African American “residential imagination” has always been far more limited than whites’.

Given the ways African Americans

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET have been institutionally forced to live in specific regions, unlike whites whose options have largely been limited more by economics and social preference, the racial composition of gay areas should come as no surprise. Ghanziani’s focus on Chicago could have been a particularly meaningful illustration of this: the two main “gayborhoods” of Chicago, where he conducted his in-depth interviews, Andersonville (in Edgewater, in the northern part of the city) and Boystown (in Lakeview, south of Edgewater but still in the northern part) are both more than 80 percent white. There are clear policybased reasons for why African American Chicagoans live in the southern part of the city, left unaccounted for in Ghanziani’s text.

The lack of policy considerations in the text also leaves out the role of antidiscrimination laws and marriage equality in shifting what areas are available to LGBT tenants and homebuyers, as well as what recourse those individuals have against discrimination. Areas without such protections dramatically limit housing options, especially when juxtaposed with economic constraints, leaving GLBT residents with fewer options and more likely to cluster together; as those protections have come into being in some places, the “gayborhoods” in areas with these more progressive policies seem to have faded, while areas with fewer protections have growing gay districts.

Ghanziani, a professor of sociology, emphasizes the social component of gay and lesbian neighborhoods, but by leaving out the role of economic constraints and policy changes over time, he presupposes a level of residential mobility that is reflective of only a particular subset of the GLBTQ community: specifically, middle-to-upper middle class and predominantly white gays and lesbians. His analysis is applicable to that group: for those individuals, “residential imagination” truly has expanded.

But his sources and their perspectives

are limited, and as a consequence, can’t fully explain the unique phenomenon of “gayborhoods”. Although the book is an interesting read, and provides unique first-person perspectives of contemporary gay and lesbian life, it leaves out critical aspects of housing mobility and neighborhood composition. As a consequence, it fails to provide the in-depth analysis the subject so clearly deserves.

Travel Gay Vermont has its own tourism

ImageArt’s Personal Pronouns show challenges the binary Personal Pronouns is the ImageArt exhibit for 2014, now at Visual Studies Workshop, 31 Prince St. The exhibition addresses gender identity and challenges to the binary and will run through Oct. 19, Tuesdays-Fridays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and during the ImageOut Film Festival, Oct. 11-12 and Oct. 18-19 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Pictured: Gender Cards by Scott McCarney. ■

By Merle Exit Willie Docto runs the Vermont Gay Tourism Association (VGTA). He is also the co-owner of Moose-Meadow Lodge in Waterbury. Having written about that area, this trip took me to Southern Vermont, namely the area centering on Manchester.

A road trip with Laurie Katz had us staying at three different places, as our first night was spent at the Reluctant Panther, a luxury boutique hotel. The lobby and hallways have great works of photographic art, many of which focused on the Brooklyn Bridge back when it was built.

We had adjoining rooms, one of which was a junior suite called Three Sisters with a separate sitting room and TV. The other, Snowflake, was a deluxe room. Aside from a door to each room there was a door to lock out the two rooms for privacy. Marble tub and shower in a large bathroom.

There is a deck outside the dining room, equipped with a bar. Sit along the banks of the pond, watching the fountain.

Dinner is one of elegance. I had Grilled Mediterranean Shrimp, Watermelon Salad with goat cheese and microgreens, Seafood Risotto and dessert of “donuts and cappuccino”.

29 Most motels are a series of connecting rooms. Casablanca Motel, in Manchester Center, was the most unusual as they were modern efficiency cabins (10 individually themed cozy cottages). How can you get a better night’s sleep! There is no food plan here. What really stands out is the premises with lots of open land, two screened gazebos and a fire pit. Each cabin has a porch with some chairs. Free wireless internet, charcoal grills. Pets are welcome. Linda Benway and Diane Pouliot are the owners. www.casablancamotel.com Of the three (and two visited), The Ira Allen House was the only gay owned/ operated accommodation. Kevin Marvelli and his partner Michael Garvey live in the B&B. This old house, located in the town of Arlington, is the oldest country inn in Vermont. Enter an over 200-year-old tavern that has been converted into a living room. A small area in front of the kitchen is set up as “the bar”. Through a door and past the piano to where the breakfast (included) room is located. Expect to have fresh local grub like yogurt made by a woman in the area. Corn beef hash seems to be a staple as the corn beef is cooked up in the kitchen. All of the bedrooms are suites and located upstairs. www.iraallenhouse.com Although we did not stay overnight, we visited two other hotels including the Equinox Resort and Spa for lunch and dinner.

Let’s just say that this resort hotel could be compared to staying at a place such as the Plaza Hotel in New York, but located in Manchester Village and with 200 years of history. Much more to write but in the meantime, check it out at www.equinoxresort.com.

One other lunch was at the Arlington Inn, an 1847 Village Estate where I had lobster bisque and Mixed Grill of filet mignon, duck breast and loin lamb chop. Most unusual was the accompanying “Eggroll Potato”. I brought out my rubber chickens and owner Elizabeth Berger brought out her real pet hen. www.arlingtoninn.com ■

GAY ALLIANCE NEWS FOR OCTOBER 2014

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

Gay Alliance Volunteer-of-theMonth: BJ Scanlon

Congratulations to BJ Scanlon for being chosen as the Gay Alliance Volunteer-of-theMonth for October!

This handsome, single young chap came to Rochester six years ago to work with the runaway and homeless youth

program at the Center for Youth Services (CYS), as a part of the Rochester AmeriCorps Program.

He knew right away that Rochester was for him, and decided to start making it home.

The Street Outreach team at CYS made weekly stops at the Gay Alliance’s Youth Program. BJ was delighted with the young people at the Gay Alliance and soon found himself learning and using hip new lingo.

In 2009, he began volunteering with the Gay Alliance Youth Program, chaperoning dances and special events. He soon became a regular facilitator for the Friday night Youth Group.

In March of 2012, BJ became a member of the Gay Alliance Speakers Bureau, a merry band of travelers who provide educational workshops and discuss LGBTQ issues in classrooms, corporate settings, and non-profits. BJ has also volunteered in the Gay Alliance offices, at Roc Pride and for the Red Ball.

BJ currently works for the City of Rochester City Council as their Senior Legislative Analyst, and is an avid participant and advocate in local politics.

He also likes to have fun in the local comedy scene, with improv teams The Broken Couch (Loser for City Newspaper’s Best Improv Team in 2009), the Monstrossssity; and his current sketch comedy team Canary In A Coal Mine. BJ has also dabbled in stand-up comedy. Most recently he was approached by an old woman from the audience who smiled and politely said, “Nice job;” she paused momentarily and as he was turning around she added, “keep working at it,” and he will, you bet he will.

BJ is an indispensable member of the Gay Alliance Youth Program and the Speakers Bureau. We are so thrilled to have him as a part of our team.

Thank you so much BJ! We wouldn’t know what to do without you! ■

PHOTO: SUSAN JORDAN

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CYBER CENTER: Keith Miller of the LGBT Wellness and Outreach Center was the first person to use a computer in the Gay Alliance’s David Bohnett Cyber Center. Hours for the Center in the Gay Alliance lounge on the fifth floor, 875 E. Main St., are Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Fri. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. For the Center in the Gay Alliance Library on the first floor: Mon. and Weds. 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Lick

DAY PARTY SUNDAYS

EVENTS SUNDAY OCTOBER 26 NOON-6PM SEE AD PAGE 17

Fall SpeakOUT Training The Gay Alliance would like to invite you to participate in our Fall SpeakOUT Training: Providing Successful LGBTQ Education The Gay Alliance SpeakOUT Training prepares participants to educate others on LGBTQ issues in a respectful way, to successfully advocate for LGBTQ individuals and to address challenges to full LGBTQ inclusion. SpeakOUT participants become more confident and articulate while talking with others about LGBTQ issues. This is a great experience for someone new to LGBTQ issues or someone who has lived or worked with the issues for years. Think of it as professional development for your life. This training is also the first step in becoming trained as a Gay Alliance Speakers Bureau member.

Facilitators: Jeanne Gainsburg, Gay Alliance Education Director and Rowan Collins, social justice activist and educator, join forces to bring you this fast-paced, dynamic and interactive workshop.

A dynamic mix of interactive exercises and lecture make for a fastpaced, intense and valuable learning experience.

The SpeakOUT Training will run on Friday, November 7 from 6-9pm and on Saturday, November 8, from 8:30am-5pm and is $75 per person. It will be held at Asbury First United Methodist Church at 1050 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14607. To register, go to the Gay Alliance website: www.gayalliance.org and click on the SpeakOUT slide. Please direct all questions to jeanneg@gayalliance.org or 585-244-8640 ext. 14. *ASL interpretation available if requested by October 30.

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

GAY ALLIANCE NEWS FOR OCTOBER 2014

Gay Alliance Speaking Engagements August 2014 • InQueery Grant Writing Seminar, twice • Inclusive Schools at the Pittsford Central School District • Gender Spectrum at Corning Inc. • SafeZone Train-the-Trainer Certification Course at Lehigh University • Communicating Respectfully at Enterprise Holdings • SafeZone Training for the RAs at SUNY Brockport • SafeZone Training for the RAs at Eastman School of Music • SafeZone Training for the RAs at Hobart and William Smith Colleges Quotes from Evaluations in August: “Most beautiful workshop I have attended in a while.

Theory to Practice.”

“Fabulous! She is one of, if not the most, effective educators I’ve encountered in a training.”

“Honest. Articulate. Open. Humorous in moments.

Great confidence! Reflective, careful listeners. This workshop should be required for all staff, teachers, parents and students.”

“Nothing could make this presentation better! Need part 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. Left me wanting more!! Loved every second! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

OCTOBER SAGE CALENDAR

Youth

Gay Alliance Youth Program Our program empowers today’s teens to meet today’s challenges!

It provides a safe space to explore their identity, make friends, build community, gain life skills, become a leader and have fun!

Gay Alliance Youth (Ages 13-20) Fabulous Fridays: 7-9pm The Gay Alliance 875 E. Main Street, 5th floor Rochester, New York 14605 Gay Alliance Youth Gender Identity Support Group (Ages 13-18) Tuesdays: 5:30-6:30pm The Gay Alliance 875 E. Main Street, 5th floor For more information: dawnb@gayalliance.org The Gay Alliance 875 E. Main Street, 5th Floor, Auditorium Center Rochester, New York 14605 Phone: 585 244-8640 Web: gayalliance.org

PHOTO: BESS WATTS

“I had full faith in the presenter’s expertise. She modeled great communication skills and empathy.

I have had many trainings/diversity courses and this was among the very best.”

PHOTO: BESS WATTS

PHOTO: SUSAN JORDAN

Christopher Hennelly, Gay Alliance bookkeeper.

Scott Fearing speaking at the Community Forum on Sept. 13.

Library & Archives Hours: Every Monday & Wednesday: 6-8pm 875 E. Main St. ,1st Floor (off Prince St. lobby) Phone: 585 244-8640

Anne Tischer.

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Tuesday 10/7 11:30am - 12:30pm Brown bag lunch at OAMCC. 12:30pm - 1:30pm We will finalize our housing series with a presentation from Lisa Wholley from Lifespan; she will touch on many housing needs for seniors and answer questions from Sage members. Whether you are staying in your home or want a senior facility, she will find you an answer, as she is a senior housing specialist.

Thursday 10/9 10:30am - 12:30pm - NO YOGA at OAMCC, Meet your host Audet at Friendly’s for the Rainbow Sage breakfast club. (Friendly’s Restaurant 2425 West Henrietta Rd. 14623). Cost of Breakfast is $3 plus tip.

Friday 10/10-10/19 IMAGE OUT Film Festival. Come support IMAGE OUT by checking out a movie or two. Many to choose from and for seniors age 65 +, receive a discount of $2 off the ticket. Also deaf and hard of hearing services are provided by calling 585-271-2640.

Thursday 10/16 Noon - 1:15pm Ciao, sage, meet at Antonetta’s for lunch with Audet as your host. Who is looking for big meatballs with homemade sauce made by grandma?

Meal cost average $10-15 per sage member plus tip.

(1160 Jay St., Rochester, NY 14611) Thursday 10/23 11:30 - 2pm Potluck lunch hosted by Audet. Bring a dish to pass and serving utensil. Please feel free to bring a game or cards this day.

Rainbow SAGE, for LGBTQ people 50 and over, meets at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Center of Western New York (707 East Main St., Rochester NY 14605). We have chair yoga with Tom for $5.00 per session from 10:30am -11:30am every Tuesday and Thursday. All programs are subject to change and Rainbow Sage members are responsible for setting up their own transportation to and from any program.

All programs are open to the community and the Gay Alliance welcomes all to participate to enhance the quality of diverse, member-driven programming.

Coming in November: Understanding the Challenges: Cultural Competence Training for providers of services to older adults

By Jeanne Gainsburg Please join us for this fastpaced, dynamic, informational cultural competency training geared towards senior service providers.

We will focus on understanding the unique barriers to care faced by LGBTQ older adults, how to create an environment at senior service agencies that is inclusive and welcoming for all people, and how to ensure that LGBTQ older adults at your agency are able to acknowledge their life experiences and age with dignity and respect.

Understanding the Challeng-

es: LGBTQ Cultural Competence Training for Providers of Services to Older Adults will take place on Friday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (check in at 8:30 a.m. in the Canteen Room at the Rochester Red Cross (50 Prince St. Rochester 14607).

The cost is $125 per person, which includes a light breakfast, a full lunch and our LGBTQ Cultural Competence Training Manual. Register three or more individuals from your agency and receive a discounted registration fee of $100 per person. To register, go to www.gayalliance.org and click on the yellow slide. ■

The Gay Alliance is a non-profit agency, dedicated to cultivating a healthy, inclusive environment where Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) people are safe, thriving, and enjoying equal rights. We are a coalition of individuals and groups working to empower LGBTQ people to affirm their identities and create an atmosphere where the diversity can thrive both collectively and separately. We educate and advocate for civil rights for all and for the eradication of homophobia.

The Gay Alliance, 875 East Main Street, Rochester, New York 14605 • Phone: (585) 244-8640 Fax: (585) 244-8246 Website: www.gayalliance.org E-mail: Info@gayalliance.org Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm • Board President: David Zona Board Vice President: Jessica Muratore Executive Director: Scott Fearing Education Director: Jeanne Gainsburg Database: Kat Wiggall Bookkeeper: Christopher Hennelly Office Administrator: Tristan Wright The Empty Closet: Editor: Susan Jordan E-mail: susanj@gayalliance.org Phone: (585) 244-9030 Designer: Jim Anderson Fax: (585) 244-8246 Advertising: (585) 244-9030 Ad Sales: Brandon W. Brooks E-mail: brandonb@gayalliance.org

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Resources BISEXUALITY RESOURCES AMBI Los Angeles; American Institute of Bisexuality (Journal of Bisexuality); Bay Area Bisexual Network; ; BiNet USA; Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP); Biversity Boston; Boston Bisexual Women’s Network; ComBIne - Columbus, Ohio; Fenway Health’s Bi Health Program; Los Angeles Bi Task Force; New York Area Bisexual Network; Robyn Ochs’s site; The Bi Writers Association; The Bisexual Resource Center (email brc@biresource.net)

CULTURAL Rochester Women’s Community Chorus 234-4441. (See Ongoing calendar).

Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus www.thergmc.org Open Arms Community Center Availabel for parties, events, meetings. 707 E. Main St. Parking. Accepting and welcoming of all.

271-8478.

DEAF SERVICES Advocacy for Abused Deaf Victims Mailing address: c/o ASADV, P.O. Box 20023, Rochester, NY 14602. 24-Hour Hotline: ASADVhope@gmail.com; VP: 866-936-8976; TTY/FAX : 585-232-2854.

Lilac Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf (LRAD) Meets second Saturdays, 6-9pm. For location, information: rcoaster@rochester.rr.com Spectrum LGBTIQ & Straight Alliance RIT/NTID student group. <SpectrumComment@ groups.facebook.com

ELDERS Gay Alliance Rainbow Sage Many monthly get togethers, some at Open Arms MCC 707 E. Main St. 244-8640; SAGE@gayalliance.org

FAMILY Open Arms Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church Community Center available for parties, events and meetings; 707 East Main St. Plenty of parking. Inclusive and actively affirming, welcoming all people.

CNY Fertility Center Integrative Fertility Care. Support meetings, webinars, workshops. Information: cbriel@cnyfertility. com; www.cnyhealingarts.com Rochester Gay Moms’ Group Support group for lesbian mommies and wannabe mommies in Rochester and surrounding areas.

Subscribe: RochesterGayMoms-subscribe@ yahoogroups.com.

Lesbian & Gay Family Building Project Headquartered in Binghamton and with a presence throughout Upstate NY, the Project is dedicated to helping LGBTQ people achieve their goals of building and sustaining healthy families.

Claudia Stallman, Project Director, 124 Front St., Binghamton, NY 13905; 607-724-4308; e-mail: LesGayFamBldg@aol.com. Web: www.PrideAndJoyFamilies.org.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) PFLAG’s threefold mission: supporting parents and family members in coming out process; educating the community; advocating on behalf of LGBT family members. rochesterepflag@gmail. com; 585-813-5081.

Adoptive Parent Support Group Monthly potluck lunches. For information, location, call Shari, 350-2529.

Angel Food Ministry Box of fresh/frozen food for $30 in advance.

Menu changes monthly. For information and distribution sites, call 585 861-4815.

HIV/AIDS Free testing for HIV exposure is available from New York State Department of Health: call Rochester Area Regional Hotline at (585) 423-8081, or 1 800 962-5063. Deaf or hearing impaired people should call (585) 4238021 (TDD.) Available from NY Dept. of Health: HIV and STD resource testing site. Rapid testing in only 10 minutes. STD testing provided by Bullshead Clinic, 855 W. Main St., Rochester. Contact: Narissa @ Rochester hotline.

Volunteer Legal Services Project (585) 232-3051; www.vlsprochester.org. 1 West Main St., Suite 500 Rochester, NY 14614. Free legal services for low-income HIV positive clients.

No criminal cases. Appointments are scheduled at area medical provider locations or by calling 295-5708.

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

Trillium Health Trillium Health is the leading provider of HIV/ AIDS services in Rochester and the Finger Lakes.

On-site services include HIV testing and limited STD screenings, Primary and HIV Specialty Medical Care, Pharmacy, and many more. Satellite offices in Geneva and Bath. Trillium Health is also a leader in providing services and education to members of the LGBT community. Contact Information: Website: www.trilliumhealthny.org. Main Office: 259 Monroe Ave., Rochester, NY 14607; Main Phone: 585-545-7200, Health Services After Hours: 585-258-3363; Case Management After Hours (Lifeline): 585-275-5151; Fax: 585244-6456. Finger Lakes Office: 605 W. Washington St., Geneva, NY 14456, 315-781-6303.

Southern Tier Office: 122 Liberty St. Box 624, Bath, NY 14810 607-776-9166. The Health Outreach Project: 416 Central Ave., Rochester, NY 14605; 585-454-5556.

Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley Referrals to physicians and service agencies.

(585) 244-8640; www.gayalliance.org.

Victory Alliance University of Rochester Medical Center. One of several research sites worldwide that comprise the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Rochester site conducts research vaccine studies sponsored

by National Institutes of Health (NIH). 585-7562329; www.vaccineunit.org.

Threshold At The Community Place, 145 Parsells Ave., third floor, 585-454-7530. Provides confidential HIV, STD testing and General Health Care, ages 12-25.

Sliding fee scale, no one denied, most insurances accepted. Mon., Wed., Fri. 9am-5pm; Tues., Thurs., 9am-7pm; Sat. 10am-2pm. www.ThresholdCenter.org Center for Health and Behavioral Training of Monroe County 853 W. Main St., Rochester 14611. Collaboration of Monroe County Health Department and U.R. Provides year-round training in prevention and management of STDs, HIV, TB and related issues, such as domestic violence and case management. (585)753-5382 v/tty.

Planned Parenthood of the Rochester/Syracuse Region 114 University Ave., Rochester, NY 14605; Tollfree Helpline: 1 866 600-6886. Offers confidential HIV testing and information. When you make your appointment, be sure to ask about our sliding scale fees. No one is turned away for lack of ability to pay.

Rochester Area Task Force on AIDS A collection of agencies providing a multiplicity of resources and services to the upstate New York community. Their offices are located through the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, which also provides medical literature and newspaper clippings, as well as demographic and statistical data for use in developing health care services. (585) 461-3520.

The MOCHA Center of Rochester Our mission is to improve health and wellness in communities of color. Youth drop-in center, HIV testing, peer education, support groups, computer lab, referral services and more. 107 Liberty Pole Way (corner of Pleasant). (585) 420-1400.

Monroe County Health Department at 855 W. Main St., offers testing and counseling for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

(585) 753-5481. Hours: M-W 8:30-5:30; R: 8:30-11 am; F 7:30-2:30.

Strong Memorial Hospital provides a complete range of HIV medical care, including access to experimental treatment protocols, and HIV testing. Also provides individual and group psychotherapy. Training of health care professionals also available. Infectious Disease Clinic, (585) 275-0526. Department of Psychiatry, (585) 275-3379. AIDS Training Project, (585) 275-5693.

Planned Parenthood of Rochester and Genesee Valley Offers testing and information (585) 546 2595.

Rural HIV testing Anonymous and confidential, in Allegany, Livingston, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne or Yates Counties, call 1 800 962-5063.

Action Front Center (Action for a Better Community.) Provides HIV, STD, viral hepatitis prevention counseling, risk reduction counseling. Tailored programs available to incarcerated, ex-offender individuals. Services for people living with HIV; case management, peer support groups, United Colors support group for MSM of color, educational groups, peer educator training and leadership development, multicultural, bilingual staff. 33 Chestnut St., 2nd floor, Rochester 14604. Office hours M-F 8:30 am-5 pm. 585-262-4330.

Check our monthly and ongoing calendar as well as the community section for more groups and events.

For further information, call the Gay Alliance at 2448640 or visit: www.gayalliance.org. Gay Alliance Youth Group info: pages 30-31.

Anthony L. Jordan Health Center, Prevention and Primary Care.

HIV walk-in testing Tues. & Fri.; Hep C walk-inn treating Weds. & Fri; Meet clinician by appointment. 82 Holland St., Rochester 14605. 585-4232879; fax 585-423-2876. www,jordanhealth.org CDC National STD and AIDS Hotline 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) 24 hours a day. TTY service: 1-888-232-6348. E-mail address: cdcinfo@cdc.gov.

Fair Housing Enforcement Project of Monroe County 585-325-2500; 1-800-669-9777. Deals with housing discrimination on basis of race, orientation, HIV status, etc.

Public Interest Law Office of Rochester 1 W. Main St., Suites 200 & 300. Free legal services to HIV positive persons, families. Spanish bilingual advocates available. All civil cases except divorce; no criminal cases. Ask to speak to someone in PILOR. 454-4060.

Westside Health Services Brown Square Health Center, 175 Lyell Ave. (2546480); Woodward health Center, 480 Genesee St. (436-3040). HIV/AIDS services, support, more.

McCree McCuller Wellness Center at Unity Health’s Connection Clinic (585) 368-3506, 89 Genesee St., Bishop Kearney Bldg., 3rd floor. Full range of services, regardless of ability to pay. Caring, confidential and convenient.

Geneva Community Health 601 W. Washington St., Geneva. Provides HIV testing, HIV specialty and primary care for residents of Ontario and surrounding counties. M, W, R, F 8am-8pm. 315-781-8448.

LGBT HEALTH Trillium Health See www.trilliumhealthny.org, www.everybodysgood.com LGBT Healthy Living Veterans support. Second, fourth Tuesdays, 10-11am Canandaigua VA, bldg. 9 room 8. 585 463-2731, 585 205-3360.

HCR Home Care We provide a full multidisciplinary team consisting of nursing, social work, physical, occupational, and speech therapies as well as home health aides who have completed the eight-hour cultural competency program provided by the Gay Alliance. For more information, contact us at 585272-1930 or visit us online at HCRhealth.com.

Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley See www.gayalliance.org Resource Directory under “Health” for Gay Alliance referrals to physicians and service agencies.

CNY Youth Group Bi-Polar Support.

Second Monday of every month. 315-428-9366.

TRANSGENDER Trans*Alliance of Greater Rochester Support/educational group for gender variant people and allies. Last Saturday, 3-5:30pm, Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St. Empire Justice Center Julia A. Sáenz, Esq. Hanna S. Cohn Equal Justice Fellow, Empire Justice Center, LGBT Rights Project, Telesca Center for Justice, 1 West Main Street, Suite 200, Rochester, NY 14614. (585) 295-5721 Fax (585) 454-2518, jsaenz@empirejustice.org, www.empirejustice.org.

Volunteer Legal Services Project (585) 232-3051; www.vlsprochester.org.1 West Main St. Suite 500, Rochester, NY 14614. Free legal services for low-income clients seeking a name change. Other legal services for lowincome clients include family law issues, bankruptcy, unemployment insurance hearings, wills and advance directive documents for clients with serious illnesses.

Gay Alliance Youth Gender Identity Support Group Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 Gay Alliance office, 5th floor.

875 E. Main St., Ages 13-18. 244-8640 Genesee Valley Gender Variants Thurs. 7-9pm, Equal Grounds, 750 South Ave. GVGenderVariants@yahoogroups.com Guys Night Out Social group for transmen. Second Saturdays, 1pm, Equal Grounds, 750 South Ave. tguysnightout@gmail.com

WOMEN Highland Hospital Breast Imaging Center 500 Red Creek Drive, Rochester 14623; 585487-3341. Specializing in breast health, diagnostic breast imaging and treatment and mammography outreach and education.

Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester 840 University Ave.; 585-473-8177; www.bccr. org; email: info@bccr.org. Breast Cancer Coalition provides support services that include programs designed to help those coping with a recent breast cancer diagnosis and those coping with an advanced breast cancer diagnosis, such as the Advanced Breast Cancer Support Group to support women living with metastatic breast cancer. Information about breast cancer, lending library, a monthly educational program. All BCCR programs, support services free.

Center for Community Health (585) 224-3050. Comprehensive breast cancer screening services for uninsured and underinsured women.

Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic 170 Sawgrass Drive. 442-8432. Dr. Wende Logan-Young and an all-woman staff provide mammograms.

Self Help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer (SHARE) Breast: 866-891-2392; Ovarian: 866-537-4273.

Alternatives for Battered Women 232-7353; TTY 232-1741. Shelter (women only), counseling. Lesbians, gay men welcome.

Victim Resource Center of Wayne County Newark N.Y. Hotline 800-456-1172; office (315)331-1171; fax (315)331-1189.

Mary Magdalene House Women’s outreach center for HIV positive women and women at risk. 291 Lyell Ave. Open Mon-Fri. 6:30-9:30pm.

Planned Parenthood of the Rochester/ Syracuse Region 114 University Ave., Rochester, NY 14605; Toll-free Helpline: 1-866-600-6886. Planned Parenthood has led the way in providing high quality, affordable reproductive health care since 1916. All services are confidential. Accept most insurances; including Medicaid. You may qualify for low- to no-cost family planning services. When you make your appointment, ask about our sliding scale fees. No one turned away for lack of ability to pay.

Women’s Shelter YWCA, 175 N. Clinton Ave. 546-5820. ■

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

Ongoing Calendar DAILY Free HIV Testing 9am-7pm. Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave. David Bohnett Cyber Center Gay Alliance 5th floor lounge, Mon.-Thurs. 11am3pm, Fri. 11am-1pm, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640; www.gayalliance.org

Crossroads Coffee House, 752 S. Goodman St. Rochester. Contact Person: Kerry Cater Email: dressyfemme@aol.com. More Info: www.loragroup.org Events: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/L.O.R.A.14464/ Gay Alliance Trans* Youth Support Group 5:30-6:30 pm, GAGV office, 5th floor, 875 E. Main St. Ages 13-18. 244-8640.

MONDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

L.O.R.A. Coffee Social Weekly on Monday Nights, 7 pm. Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. Rochester. Family, Friends & Allies Welcome! Contact Person: Cathie Timian. More info: www.loragroup.org. Events: https://www. facebook.com/groups/L.O.R.A.14464/. Email: info@loragroup.org LORA Late Bloomers Coming Out Group for Women 2nd & 4th Mondays of the Month. 7 pm, Private Location. Call for info! Contact Person: Wanda Martinez. Email: sanlorenzena@yahoo.com.

Phone: 585.414.9164. More info: www.loragroup. org. Events: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ L.O.R.A.14464/ Rochester Historical Bowling Society 7pm. Clover Lanes Gay Alliance Library & Archives, Every Mon./Wed. 6-8pm. David Bohnett Cyber Center, 5:30-7:30pm, First floor, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640 Born That Way Formerly 3rd Presbyterian LGBT Support Group.

First, 3rd Mondays, 7:30-9:30pm, 34 Meigs St. Carol, 482-3832 or Kaara, 654-7516.

HIV Positive Men’s Support group Every Monday, 5pm, Trillium Health Center for Positive Living, 259 Monroe Ave. Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Mondays, 6pm, George Eastman House parking lot. www.rochesterfrontrunners.org.

Steps Beyond Stems Crack Support Group, Mondays, 7-8pm, 289 Monroe Ave.

TUESDAYS The Social Grind 10am-12noon and again 7:30-9pm at Equal Grounds, 750 South Ave. Email: DHutch457@aol. com for information Adult Families of Trans Youth (AFTY) Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30, Open Arms MCC Community Center, 707 E. Main St. Coffee Chat and Game Night Catch up with the week’s happenings and enjoy some games and good conversations! 6:30pm -8:00pm Equal Grounds 750 South Ave. Sponsored by Open Arms MCC & Community Center.

271-8478 LGBT Healthy Living Veterans support. Second, fourth Tuesdays, 10-11am Canandaigua VA, bldg. 9, room 8, Library conference room. 585 463-2731, 585 205-3360.

Free syphilis testing Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave., 5-8pm.

442-2220.

Women’s Community Chorus Rehearsals each Tuesday, 6:30-9pm, Downtown United Pres. Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh Street. 2344441, www.therwcc.org LORA Knitters Group 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the Month. 7pm-9:30pm,

Identity Group The Identity Group is for LGBT identified individuals who have a developmental disability diagnosis. The group meets Wednesdays 3-4 pm at ARC Health Services (2060 Brighton-Henrietta Townline Rd. 14623). The goal of the group is to provide a safe space to discuss identity issues, share personal experiences and increase selfesteem. The group is facilitated by Delaina Fico.

LMSW. For more information, please contact Delaina Fico at dfico@arcmonroe.org or 585271-0661 ext. 1552.

Gay Alliance Board of Directors Meets Third Wednesdays, 6pm, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640 New Freedom New Happiness AA Gay meeting, 7pm, Unitarian Church, 220 Winton Rd. Men and women. Open.

Support Group for Parents who have lost Children First, 3rd Wednesdays, 11am-12:30pm, Third Presbyterian Church, 4 Meigs St. Genesee Region Home Care. Free. 325-1880 COAP Come Out and Play. Wednesday game nights.

8-11 pm. Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. 7pm, woody14619@yahoo.com.

Rochester Rams General Meeting 2nd Wednesdays, 7:30pm, Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave. www.rochesterrams.com HIV+ Mixed Men’s Group Wednesdays, 11:30 am-12:30 pm.

Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave. Frontrunners/Frontwalkers 6pm, Eastman House parking lot. www.rochesterfrontrunners.org.

Gay Alliance Library & Archives, Every Mon./Wed. 6-8pm. David Bohnett Cyber Center, 5:30-7:30pm, First floor, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640 Empire Bears Every Wednesday. 6pm dinner at The Wintonaire. www.empirebears.com

THURSDAYS Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns 6:30pm, first Thursday. Ralph, 271-7649 Pride at Work & AFL CIO First Thursdays, 5:30pm. 1354 Buffalo Road, Rochester 14624, 426-0862.

GLOB&L (Gays & Lesbians of Bausch & Lomb) Meets every third Thursday in Area 67 conference room at the Optic Center. Voice mail: 338-8977 Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh St. 6:30-9pm, 423-0650 Free confidential walk-in HIV testing M, W, R, F 9 am-7 pm; T 9a,-5pm., Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave. 442-2220 Out & Equal Second Thursdays Social/business networking, 5:30-7:30pm.

Changing venues. E-mail: fingerlakes@outand-

equal.org Genesee Valley Gender Variants 7-9pm, Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. GV GenderVariants@yahoogroups.com LORA - Buffalo Women’s Coffee Social Weekly on Thursday Nights, 6pm. Spot Coffee, 765 Elmwood, Buffalo. Contact Person: Barb Henderson Email: Morningstar5588@yahoo.com More Info: www.loragroup.org. Events: https:// www.facebook.com/groups/buffaloles/

FRIDAYS Gay Men’s AA meeting Fridays, 7:30-8:30pm, Closed meeting. Emmanuel Baptist Church, 815 Park Ave. Gay Alliance Youth Fridays, 7-9pm, Gay Alliance, 5th floor, 875 E. Main St., 244-8640 GLBTQI Motorcycle Group Second Fridays, 5:30pm, Various locations.

RochesterGLBTIQbikers@yahoo.com; 467-6456; bmdaniels@frontiernet.net.

LORA GaYmes Night Meets 4th Friday of the Month, 7-10pm, Equal Grounds Coffee House, 750 South Ave. Rochester. Contact Person: Christine O’Reilly. Email: irishfemmerochester@yahoo.com. Phone: 585.943.1320. More Info: www.loragroup.org.

Events: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ L.O.R.A.14464/ Monthly LBTQ Womyns Bingo Night Third Fridays, 7 pm, at Empire Bingo. Contact: Christine, IrishFemmeRochester@yahoo.com; 585-943-1320 text/talk.

SATURDAYS Rochester Rams Bar Night Third Saturdays, 8pm-2am, Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave. 271-6930 Trans*Alliance of Greater Rochester Support/educational group for gender-variant people, allies. Last Saturdays, 3-5:30pm, Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St. Frontrunners/Frontwalkers 9am, George Eastman House parking lot.www. rochesterfrontrunners.org.

Rochesternygrrlz Girls’ night out and social time at the Gay Alliance, 875 E. Main St., third Saturday of the month, 4-6 p.m., 5th floor conference room.

Guys Night Out GNO, social group for transmen, now meets on the second Saturday of the month, @ 1pm @ Equal Grounds, 750 South Ave. Saturday Night Special Gay AA 7pm, Unitarian Church, 220 Winton Rd., S. Men and women. Open meeting.

Lilac Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf (LRAD) 2nd Saturdays, 6-9pm. rcoaster@rochester.rr.com Sophia’s Supper Club First, third Saturdays, 25 Bernie Lane, 6:30 pm.

Men’s Cooking Group Third, fourth Saturdays. 585-355-7664; mcgofrochester@aol.com.

SUNDAYS PFLAG (Parents Families & Friends of Lesbians And Gays) 585 813-5081; rochesterpflag@gmail.com.

Unity Fellowship Church Sundays, 1:30 pm, Second, 4th Sundays 12;30pm.

S. Wedge Mission, 1125 Caroline St. 520-6188

33 Dignity-Integrity 1st Sunday: 5pm Episcopal Eucharist with music; 2nd Sunday: 5pm Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Word with music; 3rd Sunday: 5pm Episcopal Eucharist (quiet); 4th Sunday: 5pm Prayers to start the week, followed by potluck supper.

Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church 707 E. Main St. Rochester, 10:30am, 271-8478 Gay Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous St. Luke’s/St. Simon Cyrene Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. 8pm, 232-6720, Weekly.

Closed meeting LORA Sunday Brunch 1st & 3rd Sunday of the Month, 11:30am 1:30pm. Jays Diner, 2612 W. Henrietta Rd., Rochester. Contact Person: Cathie Timian. More info: www.loragroup.org. Events: https://www.facebook.com/groups/L.O.R.A.14464/. Email: info@ loragroup.org Gutter Gals - Bowling 2nd & 4th Sundays, 6:30pm - 9:30pm. Bowl A Roll, 1560 Jefferson Rd. $5.70 for 2 games & $2.50 for shoes. For more info: http://www. facebook.com/groups/guttergals/Contact Person: Cathie: Email: ctimian@l-o-r-a.com; Phone: 585.313.3037 ■

ROCHESTER AA/NA MEETINGS

Every week there are four regularly scheduled GLBTI AA and two inclusive NA meetings in Rochester.

TUESDAYS Narcotics Anonymous 6-7:30pm. AIDS and Recovery 1124 Culver Road (Covenant United Methodist Church) This is an NA meeting that is open to all addicts who have a desire to stop using. Although it is not specifically a gay-oriented meeting, it is welcoming to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as to anyone who is affected by HIV and AIDS.

WEDNESDAYS New Freedom/New Happiness Group 7pm. First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. Bus riders: Take the last #18 University bus to 12 Corners. Use the stop just past the top of the hill at Hillside Ave. and before Highland Ave. Or take the #1 Park Ave. to the corner of East and Winton, then walk five minutes south (uphill) on Winton. This is an open discussion meeting. All issues – as they relate to our alcoholism/addiction and recovery – are fair game.

FRIDAYS Gay Men’s 7:30pm. Immanuel Baptist Church, 815 Park Ave. • Closed meeting, restricted to alcoholics and addicts • Men’s meeting • Handicapped accessible This is a round-robin discussion meeting. If you are shy about meeting people or speaking up in a group, you will find this meeting particularly warm and inviting because everyone gets their turn to speak (or pass). As a result, this meeting often runs long, so plan on more than the usual hour.

SATURDAYS Saturday Night Special 7pm. First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. Bus riders: The #18 University Ave. bus does not go by the church on weekend evenings. Take the #1 Park Ave. bus to the corner of East and Winton, then walk five minutes south (uphill) on Winton.

• Open meeting, all are welcome, “straight friendly” • Mixed men and women • Handicapped accessible, take elevator to basement Meeting begins with a speaker, followed by open discussion.

SUNDAYS

GET YOUR HALLOWEEN COSTUMES AND DECORATIONS AT

THE HODGE PODGE LODGE 571 STONE ROAD (NEAR THE CORNER OF DEWEY AVE.) OPEN WEDNESDAY THRU SATURDAY NOON TIL 8PM. SUNDAY NOON TIL 6PM CLOSED MONDAY AND TUESDAY CALL 621-5111 FOR INFO. OR QUESTIONS

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE

Step in the Right Direction 7:30-9pm. 1275 Spencerport Road (Trinity Alliance Church) This is an NA meeting that is open to all addicts who have a desire to stop using.

Although it is not specifically a gay-oriented meeting, it is welcoming to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Each week features a reading from NA literature, followed by discussion.

Rochester Gay Men 8pm. St. Luke/St. Simon’s Episcopal Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh Street. Bus riders use the Fitzhugh Street stop on Main Street at the County Office Building and walk south one block.

• Closed meeting, restricted to alcoholics and addicts • Men’s meeting • NOT handicapped accessible Meeting begins with a speaker, followed by open discussion.

34

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014

October WEDNESDAY 1

Being trans… being healthy… being aware: Facing the elevated health risks of being trans. 7-9 pm, Open Arms MCC Community Center, 707 E. Main St. Shoulders To Stand On, documentary on Rochester’s LGBTQ history, screens at The College at Brockport, 7 pm in the Mainstage Theatre, Tower Fine Arts Center, Brockport Campus.

THURSDAY 2

Queer & Ally Group course on LGBT history. 7-8:30 pm and every consecutive Thursday through Oct. 30. First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. Evelyn Bailey, instructor. Refreshments will be served. Cost for the whole series is $25. Pre-register at showclix (LGBT History Class) and for questions contact Brian Hurlburt at bigbhurl12@rochester. rr.com.

SUNDAY 5

Dignity Integrity. Episcopal Mass/ Healing Service. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.

THURSDAY 9

Out of the Closet and Into the Exam Room: Perspectives and Analysis of LGBT Health Care. 7 pm, Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Ave. #100. Registration closed Sept. 25.

ImageOut Festival Eve Party. 7-9:30 pm, 140 Alex Bar & Grill, 140 Alexander St.

FRIDAY 10

ImageOut opening night. NYS premiere of “BFF”. Little Theatre 1, 6:30 pm. “The Circle”, docudrama, at Little Theatre 1, 9:30 pm. Festival runs through Oct. 19.

SATURDAY 11

Awakening the Dreamer. Symposium presented by the Rochester Team of the Pachamama Alliance, Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St. Call Open Arms at 585 271 8478 to see if space remains.

Suggested donation $10; includes catered lunch. More information on Pachamama Alliance at pachamama.org National Coming Out Day event.

Open Arms Community Center screening of “In and Out” with Kevin Kline. 6 pm. “Debutante and Camo Tea” reception to follow. 707 E. Main St.

SUNDAY 12

Dignity Integrity. DI 39th anniversary. Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Word, with music. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. Dinner at a local restaurant. Reservations needed by Oct. 7. Hotline at 585-2345092 or website at www.di-rochester.org/.

Pub Crawl to benefit Gay Alliance. $25/person includes bus transportation, t-shirts. Buses board 1 pm at 140 Alexander St.; leaving 1:45 pm. 1 ½ hour at each bar: Bachelor Forum, Lux Lounge, Avenue Pub, 140 Alex Bar & Grill. 8 pm, 140 Drag Show.

THURSDAY 15

Empty Closet deadline for November issue. 244-9030; susanj@gayalliance. org.

The MOCHA Center opening reception at new location, 189 N. Water St., 4-7 pm.

SATURDAY 17

NE Two Spirit Society annual gathering. Salamanca, NY. For LGBTQ Native Americans.

SUNDAY 18

Open Arms Community Center Third Saturday potluck. 5:30 pm.

“Happy Harvest Potluck and Games”.

707 E. Main St. ImageOut closing night party.

George Eastman House, following “The Way He Looks” at Dryden Theatre.

Dignity Integrity. Episcopal Mass. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.

Classifieds TUESDAY 21

Gay Alliance Community Councils Formation workshop. 6:30-8 pm, Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St. All are welcome to actively participate in the formation of the new Community Councils, which will address programming initiatives. More information: annet@gayalliance.org

FRIDAY 24

Opening night, Rainbow Theatre Festival, presented by Bread & Water Theatre. “The Jeweler’s Shop” by Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II). 7:30 pm.

Three plays run through Nov. 24. 172 W. Main St. Single tickets $8-$14 and may be purchased at BreadandWaterTheatre.org Transgender Wellness Conference.

Keynote speaker CeCe McDonald. 9 am-4 pm, Embassy Suites at The Avant, 200 Delaware Ave., Buffalo. Register by Oct. 17 at sfitzgerald@pridecenterwny.org or call 716-852-7743 x 3412.

SATURDAY 25

“Meeting of the Groups IV: Return to Rochester”. Trans groups from all over NYS meet and talk, 1-5 pm, Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave. At 7 pm: TAGR Trans Halloween dance party, “The Eerie Promenade.” Open Arms Community Center, 707 E. Main St. $5 at the door ($4 if you are wearing a costume); $4 for presale tickets at: http://rnytg.org/eeriepromenade/. DJ, refreshments, raffle, costume contest and dancing.

The Penguin Tango, Red House Arts Center, 201 S. West St., Syracuse. Tickets: theredhouse.org. Info: 315-362-2785.

Performances: Oct. 25, 8 pm: Talkback provided by Matt Krueger and Jonathan Wetherbee; Nov. 1, 2 pm: Talkback provided by Jeanne Gainsburg and Gabrielle Hermosa.

The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning, by Tim Price, directed by Maria Scipione. Play reading by Hourglass Play Reading series, Blackfriars Theatre, 795 E. Main St., 3 pm. Information: www. hourglassplays.org.

SUNDAY 26

LICK Sunday Day Party, noon to 6 pm at ONE Nightclub, 1 Ryan Place (off East Ave. by Alexander). DJ Reign 2-6 pm. $2 mimosas from 12-2 pm. Kitchen opens at noon. Widescreen football downstairs at 1 pm (Bills vs. Jets). $2 donation requested. RSVP to 546-1010 to reserve a table for brunch or watch the game with your group downstairs. Everyone 21 and over welcome. Wheelchair accessible.

Dignity Integrity. Evening Prayer, followed by a Potluck Dinner (“Anything BUT Pumpkin”). 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus 4th annual Spa-Gay-tti dinner 4:30 to 8:30 pm at Asbury First United Methodist Church, 1050 East Ave. Bring family, friends, their family to enjoy a hot plate of authentic Italian food to support the Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus.

FRIDAY 31 Halloween.

NOVEMBER SATURDAY 1

Central New York LGBTQ* Child Welfare Coalition presents Fostering Families: A Mini-Conference for Building and Celebrating LGBTQ Families and Allies, 8:30 am-2 pm, Park Central Presbyterian Church, 504 E. Fayette St., Syracuse 13204. Workshops, keynote address, networking, resource fair. $7 registration fee includes lunch.

TUESDAY 4

Election Day Get OUT and vote.

Classified ads are $5 for the first 30 words; each additional 10 words is another $1. We do not bill for classifieds, so please send or bring ad and payment to: The Empty Closet, 875 E. Main Street, Suite 500, Rochester, New York 14605.

Paying by check: checks must be made out to Gay Alliance. The deadline is the 15th of the month, for the following month’s issue. We cannot accept ads over the phone. Pay when you place your ad. We will accept only ads accompanied by name and phone number. Neither will be published, but we must be able to confirm placement.

The Empty Closet is not responsible for financial loss or physical injury that may result from any contact with an advertiser. Advertisers must use their own box number, voice mail, e-mail or phone number. No personal home addresses or names allowed. Classified ads are not published on The Empty Closet page of our website. However, each issue of the paper is reproduced online in its entirety.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Children’s Ministry thriving at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church for toddlers to ‘tweens. Join us for vibrant, inclusive, progressive worship on Sundays at 10:30 am, 707 E. Main St. info@ openarmsmcc.org; (585) 271-8478.

SERVICES

Rochester’s Best Man to Man Rubdown. Unwind with this degreed, employed, fit, friendly, healthy, Italian GWM. Middle aged, 5’8”, 165 lbs., 32” waist, nonsmoker, d & d free, HIV negative. My 10-plus years experience guarantees your relaxation and satisfaction.

Hotel visit, in call in my home or out call in your residence. Reasonable rates. Discretion appreciated and practiced. Don’t delay, call me today at 585-773-2410 (cell) or 585-235-6688 (home).

Handyman: Simple repairs or full renovations, no job is too large or small.

Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical, Interi-

or & Exterior. 35 years experience. Call Alan & Bill 585-204-0632 or cell 304517-6832.

Martin Ippolito master electrician.

Electrical work, telephone jacks, cable TV, burglar alarm systems, paddle fans.

585-266-6337.

Hate to paint or clean gutters? I have tall ladders! Dale’s Pleasure Painting and Gutter Cleaning has very reasonable rates for painting year round and gutter cleaning in spring or fall. 585-576-5042. Email dale.furlong@yahoo.com.

Wedding Space and clergy services available. Celebrate your special day at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church, 707 E. Main St. info@ openarmsmcc.org (585) 271-8478.

FOR RENT

19th Ward house for rent Oct. 1st.

Three bedrooms, 1 ½ baths, C/A, W/D, fenced yard, off street parking. $900 year lease/security. 461-9184.

OCTOBER 2014 • NUMBER 483 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

The Empty Closet is published by the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley 875 E. Main Street, Suite 500 Rochester, New York 14605 © 2014, All rights reserved.

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Bed & Breakfast

Editor-in-Chief: Susan Jordan Staff Reporter: Ove Overmyer Graphic Design: Jim Anderson Ad Sales: Brandon Brooks (brandonb@gayalliance.org Advertising policy: The Empty Closet does not print advertisements that contain nude drawings or photographs, nor does it print advertising that states that the person pictured in the ad is for sale, or that you will “get” that particular person if you patronize the establishment advertised. Advertisements that are explicitly racist, sexist, ageist, ableist or homophobic will be refused; advertisements from organizations that are sexist, racist, ageist, ableist or anti-gay will also be refused. All political advertisements must contain information about who placed them and a method of contact.

Additionally, The Empty Closet does not print negative or “attack” advertisements, whether they relate to a product or politics and no matter in whose interest the ad is being produced. A negative advertisement is defined as one that focuses upon a rival product, or in the political area, a rival election candidate or party, in order to point out supposed flaws and to persuade the public not to buy it (or vote for him or her). The Empty Closet maintains, within legal boundaries, neutrality regarding products, political candidates and parties. However, “attack” ads that fail to provide undisputable evidence that the information in the ad is true do not further in any way the objectives and policies of the Gay Alliance or The Empty Closet, including the primary tenet that The Empty Closet’s purpose is to inform the Rochester gay community and to provide an impartial forum for ideas.

Submissions: For publication, submit news items, ads, photos, letters, stories, poetry, ads, photographs or art by mail or in person to The Empty Closet office by the 15th of the month.

Design services for non-camera ready ads are available for a fee. 244-9030, susanj@gayalliance.org Publication Information: The Empty Closet is published 11 times a year (December and January combined) by The Empty Closet Press for the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, Inc. Approximately 5000 copies of each issue are distributed during the first week of the month, some by mail in a plain sealed envelope. The publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles is not an indication of the sexual or affectional orientation of that person or the members of that organization. For further information, please write to The Empty Closet, 875 E. Main St., Rochester NY. 14605, call (585) 244-9030 or e-mail emptycloset@gagv.us.

The Empty Closet is the official publication of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, Inc., as stated in the bylaws of that organization. Its purpose is to inform the Rochester gay community about local and national gayrelated news and events; to provide a forum for ideas and creative work from the local gay community; to help promote leadership within the community, and to be a part of a national network of lesbian and gay publications that exchange ideas and seek to educate.

Part of our purpose is to maintain a middle position with respect to the entire community. We must be careful to present all viewpoints in a way that takes into consideration the views of all – women, men, people of color, young and old, and those from various walks of life.

The opinions of columnists, editorial writers and other contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the collective attitude of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley or The Empty Closet. The Empty Closet shall not be liable for any loss or expense that results from the publication (whether correctly or incorrectly) or omission of an ad. In the event of non-payment, your account may be assigned to a collection agency or an attorney, and will be liable for the charges paid by us to such collection agency or attorney.

Letters to the editor: The opinions of columnists, editorial writers and other contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the collective attitude of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley or The Empty Closet. We will print letters at the editor’s discretion and on a space available basis. Only one letter by the same writer in a six-month period is allowed.

We will not print personal attacks on individuals, nor will we be a forum for ongoing disputes between individuals. We reserve the right to edit for space and clarity. We will print anonymous letters if the name and phone number are provided to the Editor; confidentiality will be respected.

Submissions are due by the 15th of the month at: The Empty Closet, 875 E. Main Street, Suite 500, Rochester, NY 14605; e-mail: emptycloset@gagv.us. The online edition of EC is available at www.gayalliance.org.

JASON KLAUM, STYLIST 585.732.7676 90 Canal Street, Suite 308 Rochester 14608

Legal name change?

Birth certificate amendment?

You’ll need those forms notarized!

Our Notary can help!

Schedule a free appointment today!

Call 585 244-8640 or email: info@gayalliance.org

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 483 • OCTOBER 2014