Empty Closet Sept 2014

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NUMBER 482

A PUBLICATION OF THE GAY ALLIANCE

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Thank you. Page 2 SEPTEMBER 2014

Take control of your health: Trillium offers PrEP care, information

Gay Alliance Community Forum will envision the future on Sept. 13 The Gay Alliance Community Forum, “Visioning Our Future”, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, in the Rochester Room, first floor, Auditorium Center, 875 East Main St. The recent Community Survey results will be discussed.

Gay Alliance Executive Director Scott Fearing said, “Help to set the LGBTQ agenda in Rochester and Western New York!

“Our Community Forum will allow you an opportunity to give us feedback on what we are doing well and where we need to step up our game. We will also be sharing the results from our recent LGBT Community Survey.”

Every voice matters and all community members are encouraged to come. The forum will be ASL interpreted. More information is available at info@gayalliance.org.

A trans health forum is coming up in October. “Being Trans...

Being Healthy... Being Aware -- facing the elevated health risks of being Trans” will take place on Wednesday Oct. 1, from 7-9 p.m., at Open Arms MCC Community Center, 707 East Main St., featuring Dr. Sharon Glezen, MD, FACP, WPATH; Patrick Fisher of Us Too! International Prostate Cancer Education & Support Network and Lori Meath, Cancer Coalition of Rochester. The event is open to all and ASL interpreted. ■

Identifying LGBTQ-friendly campuses: how do U.R. and RIT rate?

By Tristan Wright, Gay Alliance Office Administrator Roughly 40 percent of Americans have a college degree, which means that just under half of us have experienced the arduous process of looking at and applying to colleges.

We all brought our own priorities to the process: did it have the program we wanted? Was it far away enough from our parents? Could we afford it? Prospective students have a host of measures of university quality to consider, provided by a number of publications which rank col-

leges and universities, like the Princeton Review and US News & World Report. In recent years, campuses have begun seeking status on a new type of ranking: LGBTQ friendliness.

There are two major rankings of campus GLBTQ friendliness, the Princeton Review, an annual survey of over 100,000 students across 300+ campuses nationwide, and the Campus Pride Index, a comprehensive institutional self-review. Where the Princeton Review surveys students about their campuses, (Campus continues page 3)

THE GAY ALLIANCE APPRECIATES THE CONTINUING PARTNERSHIP OF BUSINESSES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY WHO SUPPORT OUR MISSION AND VISION. OUR PLATINUM LEVEL PARTNERS ARE:

(PARTNERSHIPS CONTINUE ON PAGE 2)

By Susan Jordan Dr. Bill Valenti of Trillium Health says, “The big issue is to stop AIDS in New York State by 2020.”

PrEP stands for Pre-Exposure Prevention, which is a program about preventing HIV transmission. Truvada is the name of the drug used to prevent HIV transmission. It is not “a party drug” and must be taken daily, not just before a “party”. Trillium offers PrEP as a structured program to help people control their health and take care of themselves. Truvada needs to be taken daily so that it can build up in the bloodstream and be truly effective.

Dr. Valenti said, “People best-suited for PrEP are people who have sex without condoms or who have had an STD in the past year. It’s also important to note that someone who is HIV negative and in a relationship with an HIV positive person could benefit from Truvada.

This also applies to heterosexual couples.”

Within the gay community there has been a lot of slutshaming and stigmatizing of people who want to take Truvada. Dr. Valenti commented, “Over the past 30 years we have tried to de-stigmatize HIV in general. That kind of stigma and energy detract from the issue at hand – prevention and medical care.”

Jason Roberts of Trillium Health quoted a newly-single man who shared his experience with him: “I’m single now and dating – why should I put myself at risk?”

Dr. Valenti said, “We structure it so you have to come in every three months to renew the prescription and see the doctor and pharmacist. So you are committed to the structure and regular office visits.

“It is vital to reduce the pool

AFTY (Adult Families of Trans* Youth) is now forming at GAGV This support group for the parents of trans youth meets Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Gay Alliance Suite Nopper Room (Auditorium Center, 5th Floor, 875 E. Main St.) The group begins Sept. 9.

AFTY is a group for the adult family members of trans* adolescents and youth under 20 years old. Statement of Purpose: “To provide the families of trans* adolescents with a safe forum for self-expression, and a shared network of support, and to be a central hub of knowledge and resources.”

For more information call 244-8640. ■

of HIV positive people and that ties in with Governor Cuomo’s initiative to end HIV transmission in NYS by 2020. We like to think of ourselves as ahead of the curve on that. We have an in-house pharmacy, so we’ve got you covered.”

Trillium pharmacist Ashley Zuppelli’s job is not only to check insurance but also to find any other available subsidies and benefits available to reduce out of pocket expenses for patients. The Trillium pharmacy works with patients to obtain the drugs they need.

“Every situation is a little different,” Dr. Valenti says. “We don’t want cost to be a barrier for utilizing PrEP. We will do all we can to work with our patients.

“We believe that with the right tools and messages, the ( Trillium continues page 3)

Pride Agenda endorses Gov. Cuomo after his affirmation of support for GENDA The Empire State Pride Agenda on Aug. 21 announced its endorsement of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for reelection as Chief Executive of New York State, as well as additional endorsements for statewide offices.

Governor Cuomo reaffirmed in a letter to the Pride Agenda his “deep commitment” to protections for transgender New Yorkers, stating that, “the State Human Rights Law leaves some of New York’s most vulnerable citizens, including transgender New (ESPA continues page 3)

Inside

Editorials....................................... 2 Interview....................................... 7 Making the Scene......................10 Health...........................................16 LGBTQ..........................................17 Shoulders To Stand On ...........21 Columnists ................................22 Community ................................25 Entertainment: Fringe................27 Gay Alliance: Cyber Center........30 Calendar.....................................34 Classifieds..................................34 Comics................................ 34, 35

Harry Bronson Interview, Page 7

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 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014

Perspectives

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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

An Appreciation FROM THE GAY ALLIANCE BOARD AND STAFF

Changing the World

The editor of the Empty Closet, Susan Jordan, faced her first deadline on August 15, 1989. So today, it is our great honor to publicly acknowledge the passage of 275 deadlines, marking twenty-five years of service to the Rochester LGBTQ communities.

Susan has been a fixture in our community for more than thirty years – she has worked with the 1970’s paper, The New Women’s Times, and was a member of the 1980’s feminist organization, Rochester Women Against Violence before beginning her long and distinguished career with the Gay Alliance.

As she wrote in her first editorial published in the August 1989 Empty Closet: “I embark on my time as editor with an intense awareness of the potential for achievement and also the great challenges that face both the Empty Closet and the LGBT community as a whole.”

Susan has not only witnessed history, but has documented it for all of us. From the corporate progress of “the gay ’90s,” to the legislative challenges of the 2000’s, and the rise of marriage equality and discussions of Trans* identities in this decade, she has faithfully served as our community’s record-keeper.

“I cannot think of a more influential medium to share such knowledge than what has occurred through the various articles published in the Empty Closet over this many years,” said NYS Assembly member Harry Bronson. He added, “Susan has impacted our ability to learn about and share our LGBT culture.”

Ove Overmyer, longstanding Empty Closet staff writer and Photographer said, “Susan has been a stabilizing local force in a world where LGBT journalism has taken its rightful place in mainstream media. Through it all, Susan has shown remarkable resilience, strength, dignity and regard for the intelligence of our readers and for that matter, the entire community at large.”

Creating social change happens in countless ways; the most visible, however, aren’t necessarily the most foundational.

Susan Jordan’s work has been fundamental in the development

of our LGBTQ communities, keeping us informed and maintaining the record of our living history. The LGBTQ communities of Rochester will be forever improved because of Susan’s efforts. Overmyer added, “We are so lucky to have her tell our stories. Our community is just that much better off because of Susan Jordan and her talents.”

“In honor of Susan’s 25th anniversary with the Empty Closet, please know this: Susan has made a tremendous impact on moving our community forward toward full equality—and I can’t thank her enough for her dedication and service!” stressed Bronson.

We couldn’t have said it better; so on behalf of the entire Rochester LGBTQ and ally communities, Susan, thank you for sharing your passion and talents with us for so many decades, the Gay Alliance and Rochester community is stronger because of your work. ■

Empty Closet Editor SUSAN JORDAN

In this issue: What’s coming up in September Another summer has almost disappeared like faery gold, and fall 2014 is here. It was a good summer for the LGBTQ community, with a successful Pride and the Rochester City Council vote to add more trans-specific language to the nondiscrimination ordinance (see interview

with trans activist Laine DeLaney on page 3).

This month we can enjoy the Fringe Festival; see page 27 for information on three exciting dance performances. The new crop of college freshmen has arrived, and on page one Tristan Wright, an RIT alumnus, provides insight into the policies of RIT and UR, especially in regards to trans students. We also include the latest Campus Pride Index, showing the top 50 LGBT-friendly colleges in the country.

Trillium Health is part of the statewide effort to end HIV transmission by 2020, with the campaign to get the PrEP program to the people who need it most. Dr. Bill Valenti goes into detail about PrEP on page one. Primary elections are coming up this month. On page 7 Ove Overmyer interviews NYS Assembly member Harry Bronson.

The Gay Alliance’s Inqueery program resumes this fall. This month, however, the Alliance will host a Community Forum, at

which the vision for the future of the Alliance and the results of the recent Community Survey will be the topics under discussion.

(See page one.)

At some point over the winter, Inqueery will include a discussion of Intersectionality, or the intersection point between homophobia, sexism, racism and all forms of prejudice and inequality. With the recent horrible events in Ferguson, Mo. (and elsewhere), it is harder than ever for white Americans to deny what African Americans have always known -- that we live in a deeply racist society.

Also, the recent Supreme Court rulings that anti-choice activists may harass and abuse women at clinics at close quarters, and that employers may interfere with their employees’ reproductive decisions, emphasize the sexism that pervades our culture as well.

And as we know, most LGBTQ people experience some level of homophobic or transphobic discrimination and/or harassment, ranging from verbal abuse to physical attack to

Name

being fired because conservative extremists’ “religious freedom” to hate and discriminate supposedly trumps our freedom and our civil and human rights as American citizens.

Still, white American gays, endangered as we are, must recognize that we lead lives of immense privilege and safety compared to our brothers and sisters around the world, especially in Caribbean, African, Eastern European or Muslim countries, where homophobic hate and violence are part of every gay person’s experience.

(See Newsfronts) What are the connections between these different oppressions and how can we unite to create change? Please join in the discussion.

Finally this month, we can look forward to the ImageOut Fair, with its promise of the latest LGBTQ films coming to town in October. Rochester is so fortunate to have this well-regarded cultural event, one of the outstanding film festivals in the country. Go Rochester! ■ 09/14

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

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

PAGE ONE ( Trillium from page 1) Stop AIDS initiative goal of 2020 is within reach. The World Health Organization agenda is to end global HIV transmission by 2030. We take the lead in Rochester, but there are plenty of other clinics and programs in NYS getting on board. This is a statewide initiative.”

Achieving this goal, Dr. Valenti feels, “is a matter of bringing the right pieces together.

Treatment is also prevention because people whose viral loads are lower are less likely to transmit the virus to others.”

Trillium is doing research via a new survey, which seeks to understand some of the barriers to people’s understanding and acceptance of PrEP. The survey targets men who have sex with men (MSM) – this is one survey of many that Trillium Health rolls out in the community throughout the year.

The PrEP-related website page is: www.trilliumhealth. org/prep. And those interested in helping Trillium develop a stronger community picture of HIV risk, knowledge and thoughts on prevention are encouraged to participate in the PrEP Survey – their participation gets them a $20 Target gift card! To take that survey, go to www.trilliumhealth.org/ prepsurvey.

Jason Roberts said, “This is an exciting time – it’s gamechanging.”

Dr. Valenti concluded, “We’re still an HIV clinic but we are now also a health center supporting our community. We exported the community health concept to reach all people who need health care. Get more people tested, get others’ viral load reduced, get Truvada to people who need it. We’re on it!” ■

(ESPA from page 1) Yorkers, without some basic protections. To ensure that the Human Rights Law extends protections to some of those who need it most, we should amend the law to provide protections based on ‘gender identity or expression,’ which will prohibit ongoing discrimination and harassment.”

The letter goes on to acknowledge that transgender New Yorkers face “pervasive discrimination in all areas of life,” without such protections, and adds that Governor Cuomo is “reaffirming my commitment to the progressive ideals and sense of equality that we have advanced and continue to hold dear. In this regard, I look forward to continuing my pledge to have our laws and policies reflect the core values of New Yorkers; equality and fairness for all.”

The full letter from Governor Cuomo can be read at: prideagenda.org/sites/default/ files/PDFs/GovLetter.pdf Other statewide endorsements include: · K athy Hochul, Lieutenant Governor (D) · Eric Schneiderman, Attorney General (D) · Tom DiNapoli, Comptroller (D) ■

(Campus from page 1) the Campus Pride Index surveys campuses about themselves.

The Index analyzes eight different categories of LGBT friendliness: Policy Inclusion, Support & Institutional Commitment, Academic Life, Student Life, Housing & Residence Life, Campus Safety, Counseling & Health, and Recruitment & Retention Efforts. Participating campuses are asked to self-report by completing an in-depth questionnaire, which is then analyzed by a team of researchers at the Campus Pride Q Research Institute for Higher Education. Results are then returned to the campus with an accompanying set of recommendations. Although the Princeton Review’s “Top 20 Most LGBT Friendly” list holds brand recognition, the Campus Pride Index -- which was designed as a tool for institutional development, rather than institutional marketing -- offers more useful information. (See page 6 for the latest Campus Pride Index) Rochester’s two largest and best-known universities, RIT and U of R, have both been reviewed by the Campus Pride Index. The Index ranks campuses on a scale of one-tofive, providing an overall score and sub-scores for each of the eight areas described above. U of R surpassed RIT in overall LGBTQ friendliness with a score of 4 to RIT’s 3.5.

Within those scores, however, each campus demonstrates particular strengths and weaknesses: RIT demonstrates a strong commitment as a university to GLBTQ students, with a score of 4. The overall curriculum of the Institute fails to reflect that commitment, however, with few LGBTQ course offerings, and inadequate training programs for new faculty and staff; RIT’s GLBTQ Academic Life scored only a 2.

Interestingly, U of R was weakest in the category of institutional commitment, yet it received top marks in three out of the eight areas. The university met all criteria in LGBT Academic Life, with a broad array of LGBTQ studies courses and ample training for new staff and faculty, in addition to providing inclusive counseling and health services to GLBTQ students. The Pride Index’s ratings indicate that LGBTQ Student Life on both campuses is thriving; both received the top score in that area. Problematically, though, both campuses scored poorly in the area of Campus Safety, with a score of just 2.

It can be difficult to conceptualize the real meaning of any such ranking, but their manifestations are a part of the everyday experiences of GLBTQ students.

Policy Inclusion, for example, a seemingly dry and bureaucratic measure, is central to a campus’ trans* friendliness. A trans* student at RIT is not permitted to change the name on their transcript without proof of a legal name change, meaning that trans* students who go by a name other than that on their transcript and birth certificate are forced to decide each semester between either enduring being misgendered and called (Campus continues page 6)

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NewsFronts LOCAL AND STATE

Pachamama Alliance’s Rochester team members, Sue Strapoli, Nancy Kasper, and Tony Perri.

There is a suggested donation of $10 and a catered lunch will be provided. Registration and information can be had at www. awakeningthedreamer.org or by calling Open Arms MCC at 585-271-8478.

To learn more about this organization and its vision visit www.pachamama.org or contact Tony Perri at rtony13@aol. com.

Sept. 20 workshop addresses rising to our challenges

Laine DeLaney. Photo: Susan Jordan

Trans activist Laine DeLaney on the new language in the city nondiscrimination ordinance

By Susan Jordan Laine DeLaney is a member of the Genesee Valley Gender Variants and the Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester and writes the Trans*Missions column for The Empty Closet. She spoke with the EC about the effect the upgraded language approved

by City Council on July 22 will have on the Trans community here.

Laine appreciates the fact that the ordinance affects all Rochester, not just city employees and businesses that contract with the city. She said, “This affects everyone. It’s updating the current anti-discrimination ordinance.

“The city had previously implied that the original LGBT anti-discrimination ordinance did not have to include trans because that supposedly fell under ‘sex discrimination.’ I gather that because of the increased visibility of trans issues and discrimination, and because it’s no longer taboo to discuss these issues, the city felt it would be better to cover trans people explicitly.”

She explained that the ordinance, like the GENDA bill blocked in the state legislature

by Republicans, will also help cisgendered women and men, both gay and straight, who have been fired or harassed because they do not conform to conventional standards of “masculinity” or “femininity”.

Laine said, “The Rochester ordinance will increase our confidence and also our loyalty to the city government, because it wasn’t necessary to do this, but they did it anyway. And it’s a powerful statement. People can now have recourse if they are fired for being trans.”

The Time magazine cover featuring Laverne Cox (who will be performing at U.R.’s Meliora alumni event this fall), and other nationally visible trans people and issues have brought more

attention to trans people and their lives. And, ironically, the Kimberly and Beck controversy earlier this summer also did the trans community a favor in that is made trans issues very visible locally.

Laine said, “As unpleasant as the Kimberly and Beck segment was, in the long run I think it was a boon to us because of the outpouring of support and sympathy from the straight and cisgendered LGB community. For example, the petition for the firing of Kimberly and Beck, the thousands of calls, letters and emails to the station, and the support of sponsors like Marketview Liquor, which was the first to pull their ad.

“It was everyday citizens saying they aren’t going to tolerate bigotry. It made national news.

“The other important thing about the ordinance is that I hope that this will affect other municipalities in this state and around the country, so anti-discrimination laws like GENDA can be passed.”

“Awakening The Dreamer” program will be Oct. 11 at Open Arms

On Saturday, Oct. 11, The “Awakening the Dreamer” Symposium, a program of the Pachamama Alliance, will be presented at Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St., and facilitated by members of the Rochester chapter of Pachamama Alliance, a U.S. based not-for-profit organization whose mission to educate and inspire individuals everywhere to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on our planet.

(Pachamama is the Incan goddess of the Earth).

Organizers say, “Through dynamic group interactions, leading edge information and inspiring multimedia, we will explore the current state of our planet from a new perspective and connect with a powerful global movement to reclaim our future on the planet.”

The symposium starts at 9 a.m. and will be lead by

Gabrielle Hermosa will present “Rising to Your Greatness, Sharing Your Journey and Transforming the World” on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 6:30-8 p.m., at Open Arms, MCC, 707 E. Main St. Hermosa said, “We all have troubles, difficulties and hardships in life. These challenges offer growth opportunities that shape and strengthen us. Please join me for a discussion about rising to the challenge, realizing the beauty and talents we each have, and sharing them with the world. We’re all in this together.

By working together we have the power to build strong, supportive communities. Sharing our gifts, passions and journeys, we can transform the world and make it a better place for everyone. This event is free and open to the public.”

Register now for “Out of the Closet, Into the Exam Room” on Oct. 9 Registration for the panel discussion “Out of the Closet, Into the Exam Room” closes Sept. 25. Act now to join in this informative event on perspectives and analysis of LGBT heath care.

The event will take place Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Ave. #100. To register, go to dsoles@hcrhealth.com.

Participants can accrue up to 1.5 CME credits; those seeking credits will be charged $20 to attend.

Sponsors are the Rochester Academy of Medicine, HCR Cares, Trillium Health, the Gay Alliance, Monroe Medical Society and HCR Home Care.

MOCHA is moving; farewell week is Sept. 8-12 The MOCHA Center is moving! MOCHA Farewell Week is Sept. 8-12, and many events are planned.

MOCHA says, “As we say farewell to the history that has been made at 107 Liberty Pole Way for the last ten years, we want to embrace our history as we look forward to the future of The MOCHA Center. Events will be held throughout the week. In addition, we invite clients, friends, and family to come in and post your memories of The MOCHA Center at 107 Liberty Pole Way. Stay tuned for information about our upcoming open house at 189 North Water Street on Oct. 15!”

September 8 - MOCHA (MOCHA continues page 6)

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014

NewsFronts NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL

Ugandan activists hold invitation-only rally Pride after anti-homosexuality bill is overturned Via Agency Press France: Dancing and waving rainbow-colored flags, Ugandan activists held their first gay pride rally Aug. 9 after the overturning of a tough anti-homosexuality law, which authorities have appealed.

“This event is to bring us together. Everyone was in hiding before because of the anti-homosexuality law,” organizer Sandra Ntebi told AFP. “It is a happy day for all of us, getting together,” Ntebi said, noting that police had granted permission for the invitation-only “Uganda Pride” rally.

The overturned law, condemned as “abominable” by rights groups but popular among many Ugandans, called for proven homosexuals to be jailed for life. The constitutional court threw it out on a technicality on Aug. 1, six months after it took effect, and the government swiftly filed an appeal, while lawmakers have signed a petition for a new vote on the bill.

About 100 attended the event.

Seven Ugandans reportedly stoned beaten to death According to an as yet unconfirmed report, six LGBT persons have been stoned to death by a mob in rural Uganda. A seventh person was reportedly beaten to death. Via press release from the Safe Passage Fund: Over the past week, Ugandan activists have reported the horrific murders of six LGBT individuals in a rural zone of the country: three gay men, two lesbians and a transperson. They were killed by stoning.

“One who survived (still breathing after stoning) was burnt alive using kerosene/paraffin and a match box,” stated a witness and source to the Friends New Underground Railroad (FNUR), a Quaker solidarity initiative helping LGBT people in Uganda. A seventh gay man was reported to have been attacked by a mob and died a day later from head injuries.

According to the source, a rural vigilan-

te mob attacked the 28-year-old gay man in a different zone on Aug. 5. “I went to the scene,” wrote the eyewitness in an email. “I saved [____] when I lied to the mob that let me take him to the police.” The witness stated that he was able to convince the mob he would deliver the victim to the police, but instead put him on a boda boda (motorcycle) and rescued him. The victim was later denied medical care, he alleged, because he lacked funds to pay.

Documentary evidence of the attack was provided, including pictures of the young gay man who died of his injuries on Aug. 11 and was buried two days later.

Pictures provided from the scene show a young man sitting on the ground in a public street, his face and neck covered in blood. The sources have other details supporting the claim. The reports come from several Ugandan activists, including those who helped rescue the head trauma victim. The reports were shared with Olympia, Washington-based FNUR (referred to as the ‘Railroad’) and then the Safe Passage Fund, a fund set up to help LGBT victims of persecution.

Several Ugandan rights groups in Kampala and researchers are launching independent investigations of the allegations. Local sources for the stonings say local radio stations in the zone have been broadcasting information about anti-gay incidents. Further investigation is underway.

The Safe Passage Fund also reports that 65 people have been smuggled out of Uganda in recent days.

Ugandan archbishop tells people not to harm gays

By Joe Morgan on gaystarnews A Uganda archbishop has taken an unusual stance in his country, calling on people to not harm gay people.

John Baptist Odama, the bishop of the Church in Gulu, has reminded Ugandans that homosexuals are also human beings created in the image of God. “Let us learn to love God’s human creatures. It is not that I am advocating for homosexual practice in the country, but we should not take laws into our hands to harm and hate the homosexuals because we all have weaknesses,” he has said.

“The country has been struggling to have a law to criminalize homosexuality.

However, the struggle has been frustrated by the Constitutional Courts. People should not take the laws into their hands and harm homosexuals, since they are also human beings though with different sexual feelings.”

The bishop was making the remarks at Holy Rosary Catholic Church while presiding over an opposite-sex wedding ceremony.

Earlier last month, the Constitutional Court nullified the anti-gay law that criminalized homosexuality and the promotion of homosexuality and punished both “crimes” with a life sentence in jail.

- See more at: http://www. gaystarnews.com/article/uganda-archbishop-dont-harm-gays-theyregods-creatures180814#sthash.uxSMhiKG. dpuf

Federal judge rules Fla. marriage ban unconstitutional U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled on Aug. 21 that Florida’s discriminatory state ban excluding same-sex couples from the freedom to marry is unconstitutional.

The ruling has already been stayed, meaning that any decision won’t go into effect immediately.

Equality Florida said, “Today is the 5th consecutive victory in Florida and leaves no doubt that this ban serves no purpose but to harm gay couples and their children. We applaud Judge Hinkle for his decision and we call on Governor Scott to lead where Attorney General Pam Bondi has failed.

“Florida put this discriminatory ban in place and Florida should end it. Our families have waited too long already. We call on Governor Scott to join us in urging the Florida Supreme Court to take up this

issue immediately.”

In total, 38 rulings since last year’s decision in U.S. v. Windsor have found that state bans on marriage for same-sex couples are unconstitutional, including two rulings by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Colorado. Although the right claims the judges are “liberal activists,” many were appointed by Reagan or one of the Bushes.

American Bar Association: LGBT rights are human rights The American Bar Association resolved on Aug. 15 that LGBT rights are basic human rights.

Here’s the resolution in full: RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association recognizes that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people have a human right to be free from discrimination, threats and violence based on their LGBT status and condemns all laws, regulations and rules or practices that discriminate on the basis that an individual is a LGBT person; FURTHER RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association urges the governments of countries where such discriminatory laws, regulations, and practices exist to repeal them with all deliberate speed and ensure the safety and equal protection under the law of all LGBT people; FURTHER RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association urges other bar associations and attorneys in jurisdictions where there are such discriminatory laws or incidents of targeting of LGBT people to work to defend victims of anti-LGBT discrimination or conduct, and to recognize and support their colleagues who take these cases as human rights advocates; and FURTHER RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association urges the United States Government, through bilateral and multilateral channels, to work to end discrimination against LGBT people and to ensure that the rights of LGBT people receive equal protection under the law.

Beirut police arrest 27 on charges of seeking gay sex at bath house On Aug. 13, Lebanese NGOs called for the immediate release of 27 men detained in Beirut after police received a tip that the group were at a Turkish-style bath house looking for sex with other men.

Lebanon’s The Daily Star reports: On Aug. 9, a unit with the judicial police’s Moral Protection Bureau raided the Agha hammam after a detainee told police at the Hbeish police station in Hamra that gay men sought “sexual encounters with other men” there, the NGOs said in a joint statement.

Police arrested the owner of the hammam, the employees and several clients.

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET All clients remain in custody at the detention center, the statement said, quoting a colonel at the police station.

The NGOs -- Helem, Arab Foundation for Freedom and Equality, M-Coaltion, Marsa Sexual Health Clinic, and the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health -- released a joint statement saying in part: “We made contact with the detainees who expressed their discomfort and confusion regarding the process of the investigation and the charges. It has also come to our attention that at the time of the raid no public sexual act was taking place at the Agha hammam, and the investigation at the police station revolved mainly around the detainees’ alleged (homo)sexuality.

“We denounce this incident as a case of homophobic practice that aims to police the sexual rights and liberties of the individuals involved and we call on the General Prosecutor and Hbeish police station to respect the dignity of the detainees and their rights to their (sexual) bodies,” it added.

Lebanese officials informed the NGOs that none of the men were forced to undergo the widely-criticized ‘gay test’ forcible anal probing - that Towleroad. com reported last month was being carried out by Lebanese police.

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3ANkiaJjr

Supreme Court stays Virginia marriage ruling On Aug. 20 the U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay of the Fourth Circuit’s July 28 ruling, which held that Virginia’s denial of the freedom to marry to same-sex couples is unconstitutional.

The Fourth Circuit had declined to stay, or freeze, its decision, but the procedural action by the Supreme Court means that same-sex couples will continue, for now, to be denied the freedom to marry in Virginia as the case makes its way through the appeals process.

Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement: “This Supreme Court’s stay of yet another freedom to marry ruling underscores the urgency of the Court’s granting a full review and bringing the country to national resolution by next year. Americans across the country are being deprived of the freedom to marry and respect for their lawful marriages, as well as the tangible protections and precious dignity and happiness that marriage brings. It is time for the Supreme Court to affirm what more than thirty courts have held in the past year: marriage discrimination violates the Constitution, harms families, and is unworthy of America.”

Opponents have begun the process of seeking Supreme Court review of each of the three appellate rulings in favor of the freedom to marry so far, including the Virginia case in the Fourth Circuit and Utah and Oklahoma cases in the Tenth Circuit. Since the Supreme Court struck down the heart of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act in June 2013, 37 state and federal courts have upheld the freedom to marry, with only one ruling the other way.

Every appellate ruling has been in favor of the freedom to marry.

Pride at Work, LGBT groups call for action on Michael Brown killing A coalition of 17 national LGBT and civil rights groups has issued a joint letter in support of the family of Missouri teenager Michael Brown, whose killing by a police officer has inflamed racial tensions, caused violent, excessive police repression of protestors and prompted a national outcry.

From Pride at Work: “Four days ago, a young African-American man was shot and killed in a confrontation with police in Ferguson, Mo. His name was Michael Brown and he was only days away from beginning his first year in college. The details are murky and the

police still haven’t released the name of the officer who shot Brown, but one thing is abundantly clear: another unarmed, young black man has died at the barrel of a gun.”

The joint letter was penned by the Human Rights Campaign and joined by the nation’s leading LGBT equality organizations; it is copied below. Pride at Work says, “We join our brothers and sisters in the LGBT advocacy community standing in solidarity with Michael Brown’s family and calling for a speedy and transparent investigation into this tragedy.”

The letter: “When communities experience fear, harassment and brutality simply because of who they are or how they look, we are failing as a nation. In light of the recent events in Missouri, it is clearer than ever that there is something profoundly wrong in our country.

“The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community cannot be silent at this moment, because LGBT people come from all races, creeds, faiths and backgrounds, and because all movements of equality are deeply connected. We are all part of the fabric of this nation and the promise of liberty and justice for all is yet to be fulfilled.

“The LGBT community stands with the family of Michael Brown, who was gunned down in Ferguson, Missouri.

We stand with the mothers and fathers of young Black men and women who fear for the safety of their children each time they leave their homes. We call on the national and local media to be responsible and steadfast in their coverage of this story and others like it--racialized killings that have marred this nation since the beginning of its history.

We call on policy makers on all levels of American government not to shrink from action, and we are deeply grateful to Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice for their immediate commitment to a thorough investigation.

“At this moment, we are inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies … but the silence of our friends.”

ACLU AIDS United Center for Black Equity, Inc. Courage Campaign Equality Federation Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) GLAAD GMHC Human Rights Campaign National Black Justice Coalition National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) National Center for Transgender Equality National Gay and Lesbian Task Force National Minority AIDS Council National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) PFLAG National Pride at Work, AFL-CIO Soulforce Southerners on New Ground (SONG) Trans People of Color Coalition Transgender Law Center Trevor Project

Obama video message, Russian athletes are surprises at Gay Games Via the Cleveland Plain Dealer: Safe to say, not many sporting events would include a trio of drag singers lipsyncing “Proud Mary” as the opening number. Or an athlete from Mexico decked out in a sombrero -- and kneehigh, red platform boots and skimpy silver shorts.

Or the delegation from the Russian Federation earning substantial cheers and a standing ovation from spectators and participants alike at The Q. Gay Games 9 kicked off Aug. 9 with (Obama continues page 6)

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PAGE ONE (Obama from page 1) by the wrong name, or outing themselves to their professors, risking anything from lost assignments to outright discrimination.

That policy isn’t shared by U of R, where a trans* student need only fill out an official form requesting that their name be changed on their transcripts, without requiring evidence of a legal change. Given the notably poor scores both universities received in the area of Campus Safety, a policy that requires students to out themselves could have serious consequences, and the reality of alternative policy options illustrates concrete ways in which RIT could increase its score on the Pride Index.

The presence of these indices marks a dramatic shift in academia’s cultural priorities. Colleges and universities are realizing that millennials are concerned about more than just course offerings and campus attractiveness. Prospective students are also interested in LGBT friendliness and safety. Campuses where GLBTQ students are safe, visible, active, and supported are well positioned to provide a truly 21st century education and our largest local campuses seem to reflect that broader trend. Whether or not such cultural shifts will result in meaningful changes in institutional practice, however, remains to be seen.

Campus Pride releases list of top 50 LGBTfriendly colleges Campus Pride announced Aug. 15 the annual Campus Pride 2014 Top 50 LGBT-Friendly Colleges & Universities. The listing highlights the positive efforts to improve safety and academic life for LGBT students as well as the top institutions leading the way.

“More than ever colleges today want to be viewed as LGBT-friendly and a welcoming place for all students. LGBT students and their safety impacts the recruitment efforts of the entire campus,” said Shane Windmeyer. “Upper-level administrators are now understanding how LGBT-friendliness is key to future institutional success.

This Top 50 list is proof.”

This is the first year Campus Pride has released a list of the fifty “Best of the Best.” In years past, Campus Pride has only featured a “Top 25 List.” The listing is based on the final responses to the Campus Pride Index, a national benchmarking tool which self-assesses LGBT-friendly policies, programs and practices. The tool is free of charge and can be found online at www.CampusPrideIndex.org.

“For six years in a row, Campus Pride has seen an increase in the number of campuses coming out as LGBT-friendly and making notable improvements to LGBT academic life, so we decided to honor 50 campuses with our national distinction,” said Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride and the creator of the Campus Pride Index. “Today the Campus Pride Index has over 425 campuses featured online and for the first time ever we have 56 campuses who achieved the highest 5 stars overall rating, the largest number to date.”

Unlike the Princeton Review LGBT rankings, the Campus Pride Index is based in research on policy, program and practice and is conducted “for and by” LGBT experts in the field of higher education. Annually campuses update and use the Campus Pride benchmarking tool to improve LGBT life on campus. For the third year in a row, over 80 percent of participating colleges improved their ratings from the previous year. In addition, the number of campuses located in the South increased this year, as did the number

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014 of religiously-affiliated campuses and Minority Serving Institutions.

According to Windmeyer, “there is a lot to be learned” from the Top 50 campuses on this listing. Many of these campuses are specifically addressing recruitment and academic retention efforts for LGBT students as well as concerns for transgender student safety.

The Top 50 also geographically mirrors more progressive areas of the country where there has been a history of LGBT support and advocacy.

“While this Top 50 list demonstrates the positive progress to support LGBT students within higher education, we must also commit ourselves to the campuses not on the list — in rural areas, Southern states and other types of campuses like two year colleges, historically black colleges and universities and religious-affiliated campuses - where pioneering LGBT work to create a safe learning environment is still a real struggle,” Windmeyer said.

According to Campus Pride, a college had to achieve 5 stars overall in order to be in the Top 50 this year as well as have the highest percentages across the eight LGBT-friendly benchmarks for policy, program and practice.

The listing this year includes colleges with student populations from 1600 to over 50,000, public and private schools alike. Each college listed on the Top 50 has a profile page with more details about the campus ratings online. The Top 50 list is in alphabetical order, as follows: Amherst College Augsburg College Brown University Central Washington University Connecticut College Cornell University Dartmouth College Emory University Harvard University Indiana University Ithaca College Macalester College Northern Arizona University Oberlin College Oregon State University Pomona College Portland State University Princeton University Rutgers University San Diego State University Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Oregon University Stanford University Syracuse University The Ohio State University The Pennsylvania State University Tulane University University of California, Berkeley University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Riverside University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz University of Central Florida University of Chicago University of Illinois at Chicago University of Maryland, College Park University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Michigan University of Minnesota - Duluth University of Minnesota - Twin Cities University of Oregon University of Pennsylvania University of Rhode Island University of Southern California University of Vermont University of Washington University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Warren Wilson College Washington State University Washington University in St. Louis

Campus Pride is the leading national educational organization for LGBTQ and ally college students and campus groups building future leaders and safer, more LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities. The organization provides resources and services to thousands of college students and nearly 1400 campuses annually. Learn more online at CampusPride. org. ■

LOCAL AND STATE (MOCHA from page 3) Monday Mania Game Night: Are you ready to play? Spades, Wii, & Board Games will be available. HIV Trivia and Fun Safer Sex facts will be given throughout the night too. Snacks and beverages will be served.

FREE HIV TESTING! Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.. Location: 107 Liberty Pole Way. September 9 - MOCHA Movie Night: “The Skinny”. Come out to enjoy an entertaining yet educational movie followed by great discussion. Snacks and Beverages will be served. FREE HIV TESTING! Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Location: 107 Liberty Pole Way. September 11 – MOCHA dance, vogue, and ball out talent night: drop, pop, twist, & spin, do you have what it takes to win!

Bring it FIERCE & FRESH, we want to see your BEST! This is a friendly competition to “VOGUE” goodbye to Liberty Pole Way. Snacks & Beverages will be provided.

FREE HIV TESTING! Time: 6-8:30 p.m.

Location: 107 Liberty Pole Way. September 12 – MOCHA Farewell Reception: Our final day of fun to say goodbye as we prepare to move to189 North Water Street. Come share your memories and stories with new and old friends! Food and beverages will be served. FREE HIV TESTING! Time: 4-6 p.m. Location: 107 Liberty Pole Way.

NYS affirms Human Rights Law ban on discrimination against same sex couples The New York State Division of Human Rights has affirmed the state’s Human Rights Law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the case of Melisa and Jennifer McCarthy, a lesbian couple whose 2012 request to wed at an

Albany area farm and wedding venue was turned down after owners found out they were a same-sex couple.

New York Civil Liberties Union, who represented the couple, released the following statement: “Marriage should be a time of celebration, not discrimination,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman.

“This ruling sets an important precedent protecting the rights of LGBT New Yorkers, and will help ensure that businesses understand New York law and treat all patrons with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

Added Jennifer McCarthy: “No one should have the happiest time of their life marred by discrimination. We hope this decision will protect all New Yorkers from having to go through the hurt that we experienced.”

Liberty Ridge, the wedding venue in question, was told to “cease and desist from discriminatory practices in public accommodations” and was ordered to pay the McCarthys $1,500 each and a fine of $10,000 to the state. The owners must also prove to the Division on Human Rights that they’re conducting anti-discrimination training at their workplace.

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3ATsRDBEf ■

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (Obama from page 5) uniquely expressive Opening Ceremonies featuring performers such as Lance Bass and the Pointer Sisters, remarks from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and his wife and former Plain Dealer columnist and Pulitzer winner Connie Schultz, and even a surprise video message from President Barack Obama. It marked the start of a week-long celebration of the LGBT community through sport and entertainment.

(Obama continues page 11)

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

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Interview

Candidates to Watch: Harry Bronson, NYS 138th AD

By Ove Overmyer Harry Bronson’s passion for social justice, equality and fairness has defined his public service, legal and business careers for almost his entire adult life. He says it’s been a real privilege and honor to serve local citizens since he first got elected to public office back in 2005.

Service to community was instilled in Harry at a very early age. One of 12 children, Harry says he knows what it is like for working families to make sacrifices because he came from very humble beginnings. He also understands that working together is how a family and strong communities can grow.

After earning his undergraduate degree in Public Justice at SUNY Oswego, Harry went on to the University of Buffalo, where he earned his Juris Doctor. He is a former partner at the firm of Blitman and King, where he focused on anti-discrimination employment law, labor issues, employee benefits and litigation. Harry has also practiced law in the areas of commercial development, industrial revenue bonds and other complex business transactions. As a recognized authority throughout New York State, Harry is often a guest lecturer and keynote speaker on the topics of employment law and public justice issues.

Bronson told The Empty Closet that he is very honored and privileged to have served in the NYS Assembly for the past two terms, and wants to continue to build on what he has accomplished. In our interview, he stressed the importance of working across party lines to achieve the best possible results for our community — he said it’s the only path to create real progress. “It’s something I have always done throughout my career in public service, and it’s something I will continue to do,” said Bronson.

After serving as the Majority Leader for the Monroe County Legislature, serving two terms in the NYS Assembly, practicing law and running a small local business, Bronson says his past track record, formal education, training and life experience uniquely qualify him to continue his work representing the interests of people of who live in the 138th Assembly District.

He added, “I can’t continue to serve my community if residents don’t actively take a role in the process. And, if you don’t vote, you will lose your voice. It’s time to start investing in the long-term viability of our economy so that we can ensure a secure future for our families both now and for generations to come. Voter participation is a critical element to that equation.”

Bronson reports that the lack of job opportunities and inability to prepare our youth for successful careers have persisted for decades and our working families have paid the price. He calls this one of our biggest challenges that we face as a state and nation. Bronson has made job creation and economic development plus improving educational outcomes for our youth two of his top priorities entering the new legislative session beginning January 2015.

Harry Bronson speaking on the NYS Assembly floor during the GENDA debate, June 10, 2014. Photo courtesy NYS Assembly, ©2014.

He added, “There are many talented people in our community doing great work and yes, we have made some progress in these areas in past couple of years.

However, we need to do better to improve educational outcomes for our youth and provide opportunities for people who want to work.”

To highlight that point, Bronson mentioned that he was instrumental in securing funding for both RIT and the University of Rochester to help them create new advanced manufacturing opportunities to spur local economic growth.

“Both of these local universities, which are incidentally in my Assembly District, are critical partners to government when it comes to quality of life issues. We need strong, proven representation in Albany to continue our collaboration to create jobs and grow our economy.”

Bronson, who has already secured the Democratic and Working Families Party ballot lines for November, feels that the past four years have been very productive in Albany, with several significant advances for LGBT civil rights, as well as measures which have helped New Yorkers

from all walks of life. He says that transgender rights and GENDA are still a top priority for him, even though they have already passed the GENDA bill in the Assembly seven times. He said, “We need to get the Senate on board, to pass this effort once and for all.”

Another LGBT issue that was huge for the legislature this past budget year was maintaining funding for the LGBT Health and Human Services Network at $5.26 million. Bronson says this result was extremely impressive given the competitive fiscal demand for providing health services altogether. Bronson said, “I took a leadership role working with the Empire State Pride Agenda. We increased the funding for runaway and homeless youth up to $2.45 million. We not only avoided a huge cut, but we got a slight increase in a very difficult economic year.

I am also working to increase funding for some local health agencies, but it’s still too early to go public with any announcement at this time.”

Asked about his best memories working in the state legislature, Bronson didn’t need a moment to think about it. He quipped, “Back in 2011, one of my proudest moments in the legislature was when we passed the Marriage Equality legislation, which was so important to so many families across New York State. People say, as New York goes, so goes the rest of the nation. And now, the dominoes are starting to tumble.”

Asked what he would like to convey to the readers of The EC, Bronson said, “I am taking nothing for granted. I am working very hard to keep my seat. I would like the readers to know that this is a critical election for our community and

“I can’t continue to serve my community if residents don’t actively take a role in the process. And, if you don’t vote, you will lose your voice.

It’s time to start investing in the long-term viability of our economy so that we can ensure a secure future for our families both now and for generations to come. Voter participation is a critical element to that equation.” our state. I am asking you to stand with me and fight for a better future for all our families.”

Bronson’s major endorsements include the Victory Fund, Empire State Pride Agenda, Rochester Area Labor Federation and almost every major civil rights organization and labor union in New York State.

As of April 1, 2014, The 138th Assembly District has a total of 74,398 voters. Of them, there are 32,812 registered Democrats, 18,733 Republicans and 17,449 blank registered voters. Bronson is on the Independence Party Primary ballot Sept.

9 to see who wins the line for the General Election, Tuesday, Nov. 4. ■

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014

Making the Scene

The Gay Games took place in Cleveland, Ohio last month.

See page 5.

GAY GAMES: Dr. Tom Ophardt of Rochester won bronze and silver medals in bowling at the Gay Games in August. He is shown above with other winners.

ON THE GREENS: At the 140 Alex Golf Tournament, which took place Aug. 3 at Island Valley Golf Course in Fairport. A BBQ dinner followed at 140 Alex. Photos: Jill Frier

My Own Private Rochester: Jimmy Catalano

By Susan Jordan Jimmy Catalano was born and raised in Rochester. Formerly owner of Edgerton Florist on Park Ave., he now works for Kittelberger Florist in Webster.

He and his partner Bruce Trombley will celebrate their 23rd anniversary on Sept. 20, and have lived on Park Avenue for 20 years. They have a beautiful 1902 house and two ex-racing greyhounds, Cole and Tully.

Jimmy is secretary of the Park Avenue Merchants Association, and also of the Park Avenue Neighborhood Coalition and Park Avenue Revitalization Committee; Bruce is president of the two latter. Jimmy is very involved with organizing the annual Park Avenue Festival. In 2011 he was given a “Mayor of Park Avenue” award by the Park/Meigs Neighborhood Association.

It comes as no surprise, then, that the Park Avenue neighborhood is first on Jimmy’s list of favorite places. Jimmy said, “Bruce says that we live on vacation! We’re close to our favorite restaurants and pubs, and it’s a walk-able neighborhood. We can sit on our porch on summer evenings and end up with at least six or seven friends coming by and sitting on the porch with us.”

Jimmy’s favorite restaurants in the area include Jines, the

Park Avenue Pub and the Frog Pond, and as he says, “There really are no bad restaurants on Park Ave.! We go out our front door and walk in either direction and in two minutes you’re at a great place.”

Elsewhere in the city, Jimmy especially enjoys Antonetta’s on Jay St. and Mr. Dominick’s in Charlotte.

Jimmy and Cole and Tully all love the Ellison Park Dog Park. He said, “I really do enjoy that and am thrilled we have that. I wish we had more in the city. Greyhounds are sight hounds and if they spot anything like a squirrel they take off – they can go up to 45 mph!

The Dog Park is fenced in and we can let them off the leash.

They have a blast meeting the other dogs.”

Jimmy’s favorite people include City Council member Elaine Spaull, a neighbor.

“Elaine and I have a very close relationship on a social and I guess business basis,” he said, “since she is so committed to this neighborhood and her whole district. It’s nice having her close by because if I ever need help, I can give her a call – about something as simple as extra litter cans on the street.

“I also had a close relationship with former mayor and now Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy. Talk about someone I admire! He’s an amazing man.”

Jimmy loves the many Rochester festivals, especially of course the Park Avenue Festival,

GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP: Anne Law Wakeman conducted a highly valued workshop on Grant Writing. The Gay Alliance Inqueery class attracted a dozen new grant writers who have LGBTQ community projects in mind. L-R: Anne Wakeman, Jeane Kennedy, Darlene Russell, Deb Mohr, Barbara Turner, Pam Barres, Cathie Timian, Todd Plank, Anne Tischer, Terry Kelly.

Jimmy Catalano in his garden. Photo: Susan Jordan

closely followed by Corn Hill and the Clothesline Festival. He said, “We go to the Big Ribs Festival at Highland Park every July. And of course we love the Pride Parade – right in our front yard! I love having that in our neighborhood.”

On an ideal Saturday night, besides sitting on their beautiful porch and people-watching, Jimmy enjoys dinners out with friends. He would take out of town visitors to the Pittsford Wegmans, the George Eastman

House, the Strong Museum of Play and the Memorial Art Gallery. “I love touring neighborhoods like Corn Hill with out of town guests,” he said. “Or the East Avenue/Clover area, with all those grand old mansions.”

Outside the city Jimmy likes Sodus Point and Sodus Bay; members of the family that owns Kittelberger’s own The Heights, a restaurant at the Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club.

Bruce and Jimmy also like travelling; their highlight trip was

to Morocco a few years ago, and next year they plan to go to the Greek islands to mark Bruce’s 50th birthday.

Jimmy sums up, “I can tell you that I was born and raised here and couldn’t imagine living any place else. Any career I’ve had – whether waiting on tables, at Edgerton or now at Kittelberger’s – I‘ve always worked with the public, and people have always been so warm and loyal.

The friendships I’ve made have been so long-lasting.” ■

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (Obama from page 6) About 9,000 participants and 20,000 spectators, in all, were expected to make an economic impact on the ClevelandAkron region of about $40 million.

Before the ceremonies began, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson shared exactly what he told the Gay Games selection committee before event was awarded to Cleveland in 2009. “If you come to Cleveland, you will be the centerpiece, and we will do all we can to make these the most successful games yet,” Jackson said.

-JoeMyGod.com

Nepal Pride march resists proposed antigay legislation On Aug. 11, hundreds of LGBT Nepalese marched through the streets of Kathmandu to celebrate the country’s continuing progress on gay rights and to participate in Gaijatra - a colorful Hindu festival.

The AP reports: In this socially conservative Hindumajority nation, the festival was traditionally the only day people felt free to cross-dress. But social norms are changing fast as this fledgling Himalayan democracy emerges from centuries of religious monarchy.

A government committee is recommending same-sex marriage be guaranteed in a new constitution — an unprecedented move that would give gay and lesbian couples the right to adopt, buy joint property, open joint bank accounts and inherit from one another. All of the country’s political parties have already backed the idea, and many within the small gay community hope the new constitution can be passed this year. [...]

“We have come a long way, but it is time we finally legalize same-sex marriage,” said Monica Jha, who heads the Blue Diamond Society credited with organizing rallies and lobbying political parties for the change. The group’s founder became Nepal’s first openly gay legislator, while the group has also opened a travel agency for gay tourists advertising wedding and honeymoon packages on Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak.

In 2007, Nepal became the first South Asian nation to decriminalize homosexuality. Recently, however, Justice Minister Narahari Acharya announced he would seek to enact new anti-gay laws re-criminalizing homosexuality.

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3A75ZiNpV

More lies from the Right: GOP creates fake news websites Via the National Journal: The National Republican Congressional Committee, which came under fire earlier this year for a deceptive series of fake Democratic candidate websites that it later changed after public outcry, has launched a new set of deceptive websites, this time designed to look like local news sources.

The NRCC has created about two dozen of these new faux news sites targeting Democrats, both challengers and incumbents, and is promoting them across the country with localized Google search ads. The NRCC’s single-page sites are designed to appear to be a local news portal, with logos like “North County Update” or “Central Valley Update.”

The articles begin in the impartial voice of a political fact-checking site, hoping to lure in readers. “We’ll take a look at her record and let you decide,” starts one.

Then they gradually morph into more biting language. At the very bottom, in a box, is the disclaimer that the NRCC paid for the site. “This is a new and effective way to disseminate information to voters who are interested in learning the truth

about these Democratic candidates,” said Andrea Bozek, communications director for the NRCC. Bozek adds that Democrats “are just jealous that they didn’t think of it first.”

Another site targets openly gay House candidate Sean Eldridge, who is the husband of Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes. The sites do not appear to violate campaign laws.

Montana mayor blocks nondiscrimination ordinance for Billings Via the Billings Gazette: Saying he doesn’t believe Billings is ready for a nondiscrimination ordinance, Mayor Tom Hanel cast the decisive vote last month to defeat the long-debated measure.

Hanel said he applied a standard from Rotary International to help him reach his decision: “I needed to ask myself, is this fair to everyone, beneficial to everyone? Will it build goodwill and friendships? I can’t say for sure,” he said of the NDO. The vote was 6-5, with council members Shaun Brown, Rich McFadden, Denis Pitman, Angela Cimmino and Mike Yakwich joining Hanel against the ordinance, which would have amended city code to protect people from being discriminated against on the bases of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. In support of the proposal were council members Becky Bird, Jani McCall, Brent Cromley, Al Swanson and Ken Crouch.

Brown said he wasn’t against a majority of the ordinance, but did oppose a section that would have prohibited discrimination in public accommodations — namely, restrooms and locker rooms.

Two Iranian men reportedly hanged for “consensual sodomy”

By Sean Mandell on Towleroad.com The Daily Beast reports that two Iranian men, Abdullah Ghavami Chahzanjiru and Salman Ghanbari Chahzanjiri, were hanged on Aug. 6, according to at least one report, for “consensual sodomy.”

Another report is not as specific about the crimes committed by these men but names them as “immoral villains.” Should it be proved that Chahzanjiru and Chahzanjiri were killed for being gay, the tragic event would only further propel the existing narrative that Iran doles out draconian punishments for its gay citizenry.

In his piece in The Daily Beast, Jay Michaelson points out that this latest human rights infraction comes as the U.S. is seeking to “engage” Iran diplomatically as tensions continue to escalate in neighboring Iraq due to the emergence of I.S.I.S. and the subsequent unraveling of now ex-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government. Interesting, however, is who amongst this country’s political elite have taken up the mantle of activist humanitarians where the rights of LGBT Iranians are concerned. Michaelson writes: “In the topsy-turvy world that is international LGBT politics, Iran’s record on homosexuality is more a conservative cause than a liberal one…When Iran persecutes gay people, conservatives in the United States suddenly become enamored of gay rights — and bash the Obama administration for not doing enough to defend them.

Thus the administration is hit from all sides — at a moment in which it is trying to pursue its dicey diplomatic agenda.”

Vigil honors S.F. man killed in hate attack Friends and members of San Francisco’s Radical Faeries held a vigil in Duboce Park on Aug. 13 for Brian “Feather” Higgins, who was killed in an attack that is being investigated as a possible hate crime. Higgins was taken off of life support at 3:33 p.m. as balloons were released in the park.

Higgins was found unconscious the morning of Aug. 10 in San Francisco’s Duboce Triangle neighborhood. Police are investigating his death as a homicide.

“At this time the family would like to keep private yet we want to express our extreme gratitude for the kindness and support,” Higgin’s uncle Steve Horton said in a statement. “Bryan ‘Feather’ Lynn Higgins was a very spiritual, kind, caring, loving individual and we are all sad that he has been taken from this earth far too soon.”

Higgins’ family, including his husband since last year, Brian Haggerty, and friends held a vigil in his honor at 3:33 p.m.; the exact time family had said they would be removing him from life support.

Hundreds of mourners at Duboce Park, near Duboce Avenue and Noe Street stood in a massive circle that covered nearly half the park as Higgins was pronounced dead. They stood silently except for the sounds of occasional sobs, children playing at a nearby playground and the warm breeze filling the trees.

The grief of some mourners was so pronounced they were barely able to stand, and had to be supported by the arms of friends standing at each side. A tent was erected on top of a large rainbow flag lying in the center of the circle where mourners left flowers and other gifts. The smell of burning sage filled the air. Higgins described himself on his Facebook profile as a “starving artist” who worked at Rosenburg Delicatessen at 276 Noe St., only a few blocks from where he was found.

Police are seeking a suspect in the attack but only described him as a “white man in his 20s or 30s wearing a grey sweater.”

11

ACLU will sue if Chelsea Manning doesn’t get medical treatment ACLU lawyers for convicted Wikileaker Chelsea Manning have announced they will sue the military if the Army fails to provide Manning with appropriate medical treatment by Sept. 4.

Manning told NBC News that the military has failed to follow through on promises to give her “rudimentary treatment”.

Buzzfeed reports: “Our constitution requires that the government provide medically necessary care to the individuals it holds in its custody,” Chase Strangio, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project, said in a statement. “It is cruel and unusual punishment to withhold from Ms. Manning the care that the military’s own doctors have deemed medically necessary. The Army is withholding her care for political reasons, which is simply not permitted by our Constitution.”

In a letter dated Aug. 11, Manning’s lawyers note “[t]he Army’s continued indifference to Ms. Manning’s serious medical need for treatment, despite the recommendations of the Army’s own medical providers.”

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3ANl2Caec

Gay Azerbaijan teen escapes when parents try to burn him alive

By Sean Mandell on Towleroad.com An 18 year old boy from Azerbaijan has reportedly escaped alive after his parents tried to burn him to death upon

Design for DC LGBTI vets memorial unveiled

By Andrew Potts on gaystarnews.com Photo by National LGBT Veterans Memorial Project The US National LGBT Veterans Memorial Project has unveiled its design for a national monument to fallen LGBTI military personnel which they plan to have erected in Washington DC’s Congressional Cemetery.

The memorial will feature three 11-foot tall stone monoliths, arranged in a triangle, with each bearing two of the emblems of the United States’ six military forces – the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines.

People will be able to walk inside the triangle where there will be a flag pole and an inscription explaining the monument’s meaning.

The National LGBT Veterans Memorial Project has chosen a corner of the cemetery that has become known as its “gay corner” because there are six gay veterans already buried near the spot.

The first of those was Air Force veteran Leonard Matlovich, who came out as gay on the cover of Time magazine in 1975, and was subsequently discharged.

He was buried in the cemetery in 1988.

The National LGBT Veterans Memorial Project is a tax-exempt organization under paragraph 501(c)(3) of IRS Regulations and is raising funds to complete the project.

It expects to mostly raise the money from LGBTI veterans who will be able to buy pavers with their names and service information to be included in the monument.

The Congressional Cemetery is not a government cemetery despite its name, though many senior US officials are buried in it. That includes former FBI director J Edgar Hoover and his second in command Clyde Tolson, who were widely rumored to be lovers.

-See more at: http://w w w. gaystarnews.com/article/ design-washington-dc-lgbti-veteransmemorial-unveiled120814#sthash.

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learning that he is gay.

Though accounts of the horrendous attack have protected the identity of the victim, referring to him only as ‘Malik’, the boy reportedly still faces danger as do many LGBT individuals in Azerbaijan.

Gay Star News reports that Malik endured three months of blackmail from anonymous individuals on Facebook who threatened to send pictures of him at a Pride parade to his parents: “[Malik’s] parents attempted to burn him with gasoline,” the LGBT Azerbaijan Alliance reports, adding that they punched and kicked him.

“Even though [Malik] ran away from home, a lot of his personal belongings and documents were taken away by his family….meaning he has no chance to leave (Azerbaijan continues page 12)

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NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (Azerbaijan from page 11) the country.” “[Malik] is in a safe place right now.

However, a threat to his life continues.”

Earlier this year, Isa Shakmarli, an LGBT rights advocate and activist in Azerbaijan, hung himself with a rainbow flag, leaving behind a message on Facebook that only hinted at the harsh conditions gay people face in Azerbaijan: “This country and this world are not for me… You are all guilty for my death.

This world cannot handle my true colours.

Goodbye.”

L.A. man sues after medical records say he has “chronic problem of homosexuality” A Los Angeles gay man has filed a lawsuit after discovering that his medical records list him as having the “chronic problem” of homosexuality.

Matthew Moore, 46, who is openly gay, said he was shocked to see his sexual orientation still described as a chronic condition more than a year after he complained about the use of the archaic medical classification.

“It was infuriating. It was painful,” he said of his decision to sue. “It was another attempt by this doctor and this medical group to impose their agenda of discrimination and hate onto a gay patient.”

As reported in September 2013 by NBC4, Moore discovered the description in his medical records after undergoing a routine physical in April 2013 by Dr. Elaine Jones of the Torrance Health Association. Moore wrote a letter complaining about the designation to the Torrance Memorial Health Association and received a prompt apology: “We would like to unequivocally state that the Torrance Memorial Physician Network does not view homosexuality as a disease or a chronic condition, and we do not endorse or approve of the use of Code 302.0 as a diagnosis for homosexuality,” Torrance Health Association Senior Director Heidi Assigal wrote to Moore.

The association also issued a media statement saying the designation had been used as a result of “human error” and claiming that “upon notification by the patient the record was corrected.” Moore said he let the issue go, thinking the problem had been solved. But when he obtained a copy of his medical records in May, he said he was stunned to see that while the 302.0 code had been removed, “homosexual behavior” was still listed under “chronic problems.”

Moore is suing both his former physician and Torrence Memorial. Referring to the incidence of suicide among LGBT youth, Moore told the local NBC affiliate, “I don’t want any gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual ever to hear from a doctor that their normal and healthy sexuality is anything other than that.”

-JoeMyGod.com

Georgia hate crime victim gets 10 years in prison for self defense Luke O’Donovan, survivor of a homophobic attack in Atlanta, Ga., was sentenced on Aug. 12 to 10 years in prison on charges that he assaulted those who attacked him.

On December 31, 2012, O’Donovan was attacked, beaten and stabbed by at least five men shouting homophobic slurs at a New Year’s Eve party. O’Donavan defended himself with a pocketknife and left the scene, receiving treatment for stab wounds and injuries to his head and body at the Atlanta Medical Center.

Hours later, police arrested O’Donovan as he was receiving treatment, charging him five counts of felony aggravated

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014 assault with a deadly weapon. A superseding charge of attempted murder was handed down to O’Donovan at a later date.

On August 12, 2014, O’Donavan was sentenced to prison for 10 years through a negotiated plea deal.

In response, The Luke O’Donovan Support Committee issued the following statement: “This is the epitome of a hate crime.

Witnesses report seeing between five and 12 men attacking O’Donovan, stomping on his head and body, and stabbing him in the back while calling him a ‘faggot.’

“The facts of this case were clearly biased due to the group nature of the attack and the complicity of some onlookers. The demonization of O’Donovan’s actions is apart of a growing trend: criminalizing those who successfully defend themselves from hate crimes.

“O’Donovan’s defense team was only able to negotiate the 10-year sentence after video footage surfaced of one of O’Donovan’s assailants participating in an attack of a transgender woman on July 3.

“These arduous court proceedings have illustrate that the court and the presiding judge are homophobic. During O’Donovan’s July 1 immunity hearing, Judge Markle allowed the prosecution to use bigoted language in open court, asking every witness if the term “faggot” was offensive or just a synonym for other “non-offensive” terms like “pussies,” “bitches,” or “nigger.”

Before sentencing O’Donovan, Judge Markle stated that the 10-year sentence is much too lenient, and despite agreeing to the plea negotiated by the Defense and the Prosecution, Judge Markle added an arcane, punitive stipulation effectively “banishing” O’Donovan from the state of Georgia during the eight years of his probation.

“Homophobic and transphobic attacks in Atlanta are becoming more prevalent.

For example, earlier this summer, a group of men accosted, beat, and stripped two transgender women nude on a MARTA train.

“O’Donovan’s case has received little media coverage in Atlanta or nationally.

During the ‘victim impact statements’ yesterday, Cheryl Mainor, mother of one of O’Donovan’s attackers, admitted to using her professional connections to suppress media stories about the case.”

The Luke O’Donovan Support Committee is asking Judge Markle to remove the criminal banishment from Luke’s probationary conditions. Supporters are encouraged to contact Judge Markle directly and to send letters and books to Luke O’Donovan throughout his sentence. For more information, visit: http:// letlukego.wordpress.com

Son of gay dads wins national diving title at age 15 ESPN reports: Jordan Windle is a national champion diver before he’s old enough to be a licensed driver. Windle, who doesn’t turn 16 until November, convincingly won the men’s 10-meter title with 527.8 points Aug. 10 to cap the final day of the U.S. national diving championships.

Windle exceeded 90 points on each of his first three dives. He started his day by earning 103.6 points on a forward 4½-somersault tuck. That was the only 100-point dive by anyone in the six-day

event.

“It definitely boosted my confidence,” Windle said. “From there on, my coach was really excited for me and just told me to have fun and stuff. That’s what I did through the whole event.”

This is the latest chapter in Windle’s compelling rise. Windle was born in Cambodia and was placed in an orphanage as a baby after his parents died. He was adopted as an 18-month-old and moved to the United States. He now lives in Morrisville, North Carolina.

Windle, who posted an It Gets Better video in 2011, was the grand marshal of an Indiana gay pride event in 2012 when he was just 13 years old. His website catalogs his life with his dads and his ambition to dive for the United States at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. And if that’s not enough, he’s authored a children’s book about adoption. Titled An Orphan No More, the foreword is by Greg Louganis.

-JoeMyGod.com

Institute for Public Opinion in New York, which conducted the survey. “You’d be hard-pressed to find an issue that has had a bigger shift in public opinion.”

The poll found that those who know someone who’s gay support same-sex marriage by 61-31 percent. Those who say they don’t know anyone who’s gay oppose same-sex marriage by 57-36 percent.

It also found that Republicans oppose same-sex marriage by better than 2-1 while tea party supporters oppose it by nearly 3-1.

- See more at: http://www. gaystarnews.com/article/americans-who-know-gay-person-twice-likely-support-same-sex-marriage-pollfinds160814#sthash.4iBRgWh0.dpuf

Laverne Cox talks about suicide attempt as a bullied trans child

By Joe Morgan on gaystarnews.com Trans star, advocate and actress Laverne Cox has said she is so thankful she survived her suicide attempt in the sixth grade.

The “Orange Is The New Black” actress opened up about when she was being heavily bullied at school.

She speaking on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos to discuss the state of trans rights in America, and the impact discrimination had on her childhood.

“I was bullied and I internalized a lot of shame about who I was as a child,” Cox said.

“Bullied because I didn’t act the way someone assigned male at birth was supposed to act.

“And so I was called sissy, I was called the f-word. I was chased home from school practically every day. There was always a kid or groups of kids who wanted to beat me up.”

When discussing her role on the hit Netflix series “Orange Is The New Black,” Cox said many trans people see themselves reflected in her character Sophia.

“Having your story told validates your experience,” she said. “It’s like, ‘I’m not alone anymore, and maybe I’ll be OK’.”

- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews. com/article/laverne-cox-so-thankful-shesurvived-suicide-attempt190814#sthash. cIXDJk0V.dpuf

Poll: Americans who know gay person are more likely to back marriage equality The attitudes of Americans towards gay men and lesbians are changing at a rapid pace with a solid majority supporting same-sex marriage. A majority say they wouldn’t be upset if their child were gay, and an “overwhelming majority” say that the orientation of a Congressional candidate wouldn’t matter, according to a new McClatchy-Marist Poll.

It found that the sea change in attitudes is being propelled by two major forces. One, people aged 18-29 overwhelmingly favor same-sex marriage.

Two, the ranks of Americans who say they know someone who’s gay has skyrocketed over the last decade and a half.

And those who know someone who’s gay are almost twice as likely to support samesex marriage.

Of the over 1,035 adults interviewed via telephone for the poll, those 18-29 were overwhelmingly in favor of gay marriage, the number who actually know a gay person has surpassed 70 percent, and those who know someone gay are almost twice as likely to support same-sex marriage.

“It is a sea change in attitude,” said Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist

Islan Nettles

Islan Nettles was killed a year ago; no one ever charged with crime

By James Withers on gaystarnews.com A year ago, 17 August 2013, Islan Nettles was walking the streets of New York City with her transgender friends.

The group encountered another.

Words were exchanged, including transphobic epithets, and a suspect allegedly punched Nettles.

The trans woman fell to the ground, and the suspect continued the attack.

Four days later, the 21-year-old was removed from life support and died.

There was a quick arrest, the crime happened in front of a police station. The suspect was initially charged with misdemeanor assault. That was eventually dropped and, a year later, no one faces punishment for the death of the intern assistant designer.

On Aug. 17 the New York City AntiViolence Project published a remembrance of Nettles. The activist organization noted her death is part of larger trend of crimes committed against trans women of color.

“Islan’s death was not an isolated incident. In 2013, twelve transgender women of color were killed throughout the United States,” AVP wrote. ‘Since June 1st of 2014, we have lost five more.

“This is an epidemic and it’s one that hits close to home: in New York City, transgender and gender non-conforming people reported violence at increasing levels (up 21 percent from 2012). This violence has a specific impact of transgender people of color: 74 percent of all reports of hate violence came from people of color.”

The group notes one way to honor Nettles, and other victims of anti-LGBTI crimes, is to remember, and work with, communities impacted by violence.

- See more at: http://www. gaystarnews.com/article/yearago-islan-nettles-was-killed-new-yorkcity170814#sthash.8bNE9enI.dpuf

Hate group leader’s wife left him for a woman Via Lone Star Q: Mere months before Jonathan Saenz became president of the anti-gay group Texas Values, his wife left him for another woman, according to Hays County district court records obtained by Lone Star Q. The revelation could help explain Saenz’s seemingly abrupt transforma-

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET tion from socially conservative lobbyist to homophobic firebrand. Saenz, a devout Catholic, has been a right-wing operative in Texas for many years — working on abortion and religious liberty cases as a staff attorney for the Plano-based Liberty Legal Institute as far back as 2005. However, it wasn’t until recently that Saenz emerged as one of the state’s best-known — and most extreme — anti-LGBT voices.

Court records indicate that Saenz’s exwife, Corrine Morris Rodriguez Saenz, is a member of the LGBT community who was dating another woman when she filed for divorce from Saenz in August 2011. In early 2012, with their divorce still pending, Saenz would take the helm of Texas Values after the organization spun off from the Liberty Legal Institute, where he’d risen to chief lobbyist.

According to the above-linked report, Saenz successfully petitioned a court to bar his ex-wife’s girlfriend from being in the presence of his children. That order was apparently dropped when the divorce was finalized over a year later. He also reportedly tried to have his ex-wife jailed for refusing to undergo a psychological evaluation by a doctor who also evaluates sex offenders for the state of Texas.

–JoeMyGod.com PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: In addition to spearheading the drive to repeal Houston’s LGBT rights ordinance, Saenz has declared that gay activists want Christians thrown into concentration camps. In June, Tony Perkins praised Saenz for his work on the Texas GOP party plank with endorses ex-gay torture. His Twitter feed is nonstop Christianist bloviation about gay people.

Federal judge: Indiana must recognize legal gay marriages outside state

By Sunnivie Brydum on The Advocate A federal judge ruled Aug. 19 that Indiana must recognize the legal marriages of same-sex couples who wed in other states, marking the 36th pro-equality ruling from federal or state courts since last summer’s landmark LGBT victories at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The order was accompanied by a stay until the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decides the case — or any of the four other cases seeking marriage equality in Indiana — meaning same-sex couples cannot yet legally marry in Indiana, and the state does not yet have to extend ben-

efits usually offered to married couples to same-sex spouses.

The decision, in a case known as Bowling v. Pence, was handed down by U.S. District Judge Richard Young — the same judge who found Indiana’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional in June. The Bowling case was the final legal challenge to Indiana’s marriage laws awaiting a ruling, reports Bilerico.

The case was filed by private attorneys on behalf of two same-sex couples who were legally married in states that performed such unions, but who could not access benefits, including the ability to file joint tax returns, once they returned home to Indiana.

Although the decision does not address a fundamental right to the freedom to marry, Judge Young did take the opportunity to lambast Indiana Gov. Mike Pence for his attempt to be dismissed as a defendant in the lawsuit, notes Zack Ford at ThinkProgress.

The Republican governor had asked the court to dismiss him as a defendant, claiming he did not have the legal authority to enforce existing marriage laws or direct state agencies on how to interpret such laws. However, in the wake of Young’s June ruling — which did not include a stay, resulting in hundreds of same-sex couples legally marrying in Indiana before the Seventh Circuit eventually granted a stay — Pence issued a memo advising state agencies not to extend benefits to same-sex couples legally married in the state’s brief equality window. The governor’s chief counsel authored that memo, distributed to all state agencies, advising them that the state’s anti-equality law was still in full force, and to “function as though [Young’s] Court Order of June 25 had not been issued.”

By doing so, Young said in his ruling, the governor indicated that he has misrepresented his duties when he told the court that he couldn’t regulate the implementation of state marriage laws.

Since Pence made those claims, “the Governor issued memoranda, through his attorney, and did what he claimed he could not do by directing executive agencies on how to proceed in enforcing the law,” Young writes.

That memo, Young writes, “clearly contradict[s] [Pence’s] prior representations to the court.” As ThinkProgress notes, Young points to the governor’s “specific ability to command the executive branch regarding the law,” noting that he “can and does” enforce the marriage ban.

(Indiana continues page 14)

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NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (Indiana from page 13) As such, Young determined that Pence was indeed the appropriate defendant to be listed in the suit, reversing an earlier decision where Young had removed the governor as a formal party to the lawsuit.

“The court wishes to reiterate,” Young continued, “that it finds the Governor’s prior representations contradicting such authority to be, at a minimum, troubling.”

A spokesperson for Pence’s office indicated that the governor intends to appeal the ruling to the Seventh Circuit, which is set to hear oral arguments in Baskin v.

Zoeller, the combined case where Young initially found Indiana’s marriage ban unconstitutional, notes advocacy group Freedom to Marry.

New Jersey school reverses course on trans teen’s supension

By John M. Becker on The Bilerico Project Thorne Middle School -- the New Jersey school that allegedly told Rachel Pepe, a transgender girl, that she couldn’t return to school unless she presented as male -- has reversed course, will allow Pepe to attend as herself, and will work with LGBT groups to ensure a safe and welcoming learning environment for all students, regardless of gender identity.

Garden State Equality reports: GSE Executive Director Andrea Bowen just spoke with Middletown Township Public Schools Superintendent William O. George III, Ed. D. The two agreed that GSE will take the lead in training administration and staff members of Middletown Township Public Schools in LGBT sensitivity. GSE will work with partners Lambda Legal and the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Central New Jersey chapter.

“We applaud Superintendent George for taking the right steps to affirm the health and safety of students,” says Bowen.

“This is a victory for transgender students everywhere. This Middletown student and students like her are heroes for standing up for their needs. We’re excited that the community came together in dialogue to bring this situation to a happy resolution.”

Kudos to Rachel Pepe and her mom, Angela Peters, for standing strong in the face of discrimination.

Read more at http://www.bilerico.com/2014/08/new_jersey_school_ reverses_course_on_trans_teen. php#CvF0xubuB7p3mmRi.99

Trans, non-binary students change UK’s biased university admission rules

By Jane Fae on gaystarnews.com Non-binary and trans students are victorious after protesting biased new United Kingdom (British) university admission rules.

UCAS, the UK’s official provider of university admissions services, sought to

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014 immediately review their procedures following a petition on change.org.

The Nonbinary Inclusion Project spotted UCAS had amended their application form for 2015 university admissions, asking students to state their ‘legal sex’ of either male or female. The question was not optional.

On Twitter, a UCAS spokesperson claimed this had been done in order to bring their data into line with requests from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). However, HESA denied this was the case, explaining their system already allowed for a third option.

In the petition, the Nonbinary Inclusion Project then demanded UCAS ‘change your application form to ask about gender rather than legal sex and offer more than two options.’

Over the space of one weekend, over 2,000 people signed their name including organizations such as Scottish Transgender Alliance, UK Trans Info and MxActivist.

‘Binary-gendered trans men and trans women should not have to wait two years for a gender recognition certificate before they can apply to university in their correct gender,’ the petition said.

‘Meanwhile, those who have nonbinary gender identities are currently denied any opportunity of legal recognition of their gender in the UK. ‘We want them [UCAS] to make the application process inclusive of people who are transgender by asking for gender rather than “legal sex on your birth certificate” and offering options for people with nonbinary gender identities.’

Cassian Lodge, of MxActivist, said: ‘It’s important that UCAS ask for gender instead of legal sex because there are a lot of nonbinary and intersex people who don’t fit into the limited two-box system of legally male/female, and because there are a lot of trans higher-education applicants who simply don’t have access to a gender recognition certificate.

‘Even if you’re binary trans it needlessly forces you to out yourself to universities before you’ve even been accepted. Asking for legal sex is unnecessary and invasive.’

Mermaids UK said the new rules would negatively affect transgender applicants – given the majority of those students would be around the age of 18.

It would be highly unlikely anyone of this age would have been able to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate in time to apply to UCAS. Therefore those who have transitioned, or intend to transition as they start their course will be asked to disclose not just their legal gender but also their medical condition of gender dysphoria, which is not necessary.

A Mermaids UK spokesperson told GSN: ‘This is likely to have serious effects on their mental and emotional health as starting University can be stressful in itself - it is such a big change, even though it will be one that is wanted.

‘Having to state their legal gender will add to that stress significantly and may put some people off from continuing with their application.

‘This proposed change may in itself be illegal according to the Equality Act 2010.

‘Being “outed” in this way may also cause trans students to suffer abuse, as they may not be able to keep their legal gender confidential - which would again impact negatively on their health and well-being, and may mean that they would not do so well at their studies.

‘If someone has transitioned and is living in their true gender role they should not be asked to disclose their legal gender’.

UCAS has responded promptly, saying they are intending to put it right.

A spokesman told Gay Star News: ‘UCAS wants everyone applying to university to be able to self-identify clearly, as they wish.

‘In addition to sex, our application form gives students the option of telling us whether the gender they identify with at the time of applying is different.

‘For example, if an applicant would at that point describe themselves as transgender, then they can select “yes”.

‘We take the inclusivity of our definitions very seriously and have listened to the concerns raised. We are looking at how we can make the options broader and clearer, as quickly as possible, by engaging with representative groups.

‘The information is used by universities and colleges so they can better understand the composition of their student population and are able to identify and remove any barriers to an inclusive environment for all students.

‘All data disclosed is stored in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998.’

- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews. com/article/trans-non-binary-studentsprotest-biased-new-uk-university-admission-rules190814#sthash.sWEXqUvh. dpuf ■

Smithsonian adds hundreds of artifacts to LGBT history collection On Aug. 19, the Smithsonian Institution added hundreds of artifacts (including photographs and papers) to document LGBT history. This is could be a big step for many who consider LGBT an underrepresented area of history.

The New Zealand Herald reports that included among the objects will be props from Will and Grace. Show creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick and NBC will submit scripts, drafts, and props to the Museum of American History.

Will and Grace was selected because it “used comedy to familiarize a mainstream audience with gay culture,” said Curator Dwight Blocker Bowers. “It was daring and broke ground in the same way ‘All in the Family’ did in the 1970s around issues of bigotry and tolerance.”

Also included among the submissions to the Smithsonian will be the original transgender flag. Monica Helms, the creator of the flag, has donated to the same collection as Will and Grace.

Via GA Voice, said Helms: “I’m totally amazed. This is an honor for the entire trans community... I’m not going to take all the honor. All I did was create the idea, but if the trans community didn’t embrace it, it wouldn’t have become as popular.”

Also included in the Smithsonian additions will be trans sports pioneer Renee Richards’ tennis racket and the diplomatic passports of U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa David Huebner and his husband, Duane McWaine.

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3AwE1KK8G NOTE: The Smithsonian LGBT collection includes the archives of The Empty Closet and Rochester’s Helping People with AIDS.

Dept. of Labor will enforce trans antidiscrimination laws From Patricia Shiu, director of the Office Of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, on Aug. 20: The federal government holds contracts with about 200,000 establishments, and these contractors and subcontractors play an important role in making our country work. They provide food, clothing, energy, transportation, medical treatment and thousands of essential services all around the country. As the director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, I oversee the agency that enforces laws that prohibit these employers from discriminating in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran or sex.

Today, we issued guidance clarifying that sex discrimination extends to gender identity and transgender status.

This follows an announcement Secretary Perez made in June that the department is updating enforcement protocols and anti-discrimination guidance to clarify that we provide the full protection of the federal non-discrimination laws that we enforce to transgender individuals. And it follows President Obama’s signing of Executive Order 13672 adding sexual orientation and gender identity as independent categories protected by Executive Order 11246, which OFCCP enforces.

So what does this mean? It means honoring our commitment to upholding equality in America’s workforce. Being entrusted with taxpayer dollars is a privilege, and with that privilege comes a promise to open doors to all of America’s workers. I believe that success for OFCCP and for federal contractors isn’t simply about compliance. It’s about creating a workplace culture that actively embraces diversity. Inclusiveness isn’t just good for workers; it’s smart for business. When employees can work without fear, when they can comfortably bring their whole selves to the job, companies benefit from the diverse perspectives and enthusiasm those workers bring to the job. ■ -JoeMyGod.com

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

From our readers

The Empty Closet is #1 To the Editor: I lived (worked and retired) in Rochester for most of my life.

Presently I live in California… I do miss Rochester very much but still have friends there and do keep up with events and happenings in the gay community.

The Empty Closet has been and always will be the #1 gay publication in the country.

It has always been on top of the news relating to the community. Thanks to my friends I still get the “Closet” each month, and it is better than ever! (Like fine wine it has gotten better with age!)...

Regards, Mike Sciortino

The Good the Bad and the Funny…

Trans* people speak out at Equal=Grounds open mic

By Eileen Fay On July 16, patrons of Equal Grounds Coffee House were treated to an open mic night starring transgender, gender variant, and intersex people from all walks of life.

Host was Shauna Marie O’Toole, founder of the Good, the Bad, and the Funny, a Facebook group “where we can share stories about being Trans* and Intersex... [and as] a place where Allies, Family, and Friends can show their support.” Established in May 2014, this was their second major event.

The twenty-odd participants were each given five minutes to speak and ranged in age from teens to seniors. Shauna opened with her own story of coming out as a middle-aged schoolteacher and the exhilarating experience of wearing women’s clothing and makeup for the first time at a Halloween party.

Masks and acting popular themes throughout the evening, as others described the struggle to conform to the gender assigned to them at birth. “I learned to act, learned to play the role of a little boy,” recalled Pam Barres, trans woman. “I like to joke a lot and mask my pain,” explained Yovi, a trans man who went on to emphasize the importance of therapy and complete medical care as part of the physical transition process.

The psychological chasm between public façade and inner truth, combined with heavy social and institutional marginalization, has led some 41 percent of the American trans* community to attempt suicide, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

In one of the evening’s most poignant moments, Gabrielle remembered her own attempt as “the day I made God cry.”

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Furthermore, some 16 percent of trans* people in the United States are driven into the “underground economy” at some point in their lives.

Dee, a trans woman from the Philippines, estimates that some 85 percent of transgender Filipinas enter sex work, sharing her own experiences publically for the first time. “We are amusement parks for cisgendered men to get some form of release,” she said, vowing to fight this form of oppression.

Intersectionality played a role in other stories as well. The first time Genesis successfully passed was when he was mistaken for a wanted criminal. “I had to learn a different kind of masculinity,” he explained, stressing the difference between transitioning into Justin Bieber and transitioning into Trayvon Martin.

Another common thread was the strength of Rochester’s LGBT community. Simon came out late in life after moving here and interacting with local LGBT groups. He had previously identified as a lesbian and possibly genderqueer. “Yeah, you’ve always been male, as far as I’m concerned,” his friend Joe confirmed. Simon praises the staff at Unity Health for their sensitivity to trans* issues.

Laine also came out with the help of Rochester’s trans* organizations and urges people, “Don’t hate, educate!” Ben remembers being escorted by police through throngs of hateful protestors to reach the park where the tiny Lancaster, Pa. Pride celebration was being held. Attending Rochester’s spectacular, well-attended, institutionally-backed Pride Parade for the first time was an “incredible experience.”

Ben then announced that he is going to be starting an oral history project documenting Rochester’s trans* community.

Non-binary voices were represented as well. Maur was starting testosterone the following Monday and spoke of his love for the words “genderqueer” and “transmasculine.” As founder of the Genesee Valley Gender Variants, he proudly declared that “I can overflow every single box they put on every single damn form.”

Anya was influenced by Carl Jung’s bigender theory, but now “[struggles] each day between how much am I male and how much am I female,” especially given the economic advantages of presenting as a man.

One of the most original performances of the night was KT Schwartz’s piece, “Bathroom Dynamics: A Genderqueer Janitor’s Perspective,” which included props from KT’s line of work as an elementary school custodian. KT takes low-dose testosterone and identifies as a genderqueer person who leans male. As a biological female, however, he is prohibited from cleaning the restroom while a boy is present, thereby highlighting the at times Kafkaesque complications faced by non-binary people living in a binary world.

Other presentations included Thomas Adams, who performed his original poem “The Peculiar Tale of One Psychedelic Human Person,” which ended with the

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Ben, remembers being escorted by police through throngs of hateful protestors to reach the park where the tiny Lancaster, Pa. Pride celebration was being held. Attending Rochester’s spectacular, well-attended, institutionally-backed Pride Parade for the first time was an “incredible experience.” proclamation “Hi, I’m Thomas and I’m a boy!”

JC described how she successfully sued her school and won after a professor – in a class called Sex and Society, no less – defended a fellow student’s use of transphobic slurs as “coming from a place of learning.”

Chloe Prince and April Wilkes talked about their upcoming film project Trans Across America – Heroes and Survivors, based on the stories they collected from trans* people all over the country. Currently, they are working with physicians, therapists, and other healthcare professionals to provided free and reducedcosts services to trans* people in need.

(Chloe was also creator of PinkEssence, an online support site predating Facebook and MySpace.)

Also present were Noah Wagoner and Jason Robert Ballard, co-founders of the Self-Made Men group for trans men.

Jason is also founder of FTM Magazine, while Noah has done TEDx talks on trans* issues. “Every time I hear a trans woman speak I wish there was a parts exchange program,” Jason joked.

A blend of heartbreak, humor, art, testimony, and conscious-raising, the Good, the Bad, and the Funny provided a muchneeded platform for voices not often heard in our society. Shauna O’Toole plans on publishing a compilation of trans*, gender variant, and intersex people’s stories. ■

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Health

Patrick Fisher

Local “Us Too” Chapter seeks to spread the word on Prostate Cancer recovery

By Adam Young When Patrick Fisher was diagnosed with prostate cancer in July 2010, he felt he could handle the diagnosis on his own.

But as the side effects from the treatment began to impact his life, he realized connecting with men in a similar situation might have helped ease his recovery. The problem was the slim presence of cancer support groups for men in the Rochester area.

Fisher co-founded the Rochester chapter of Us Too International, a non-profit organization dedicated to support, education, and advocacy for men dealing with prostate cancer. According to Fisher, over 13,000 men in Monroe County and the Finger Lakes region are living with prostate cancer. The main message of Us Too

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014 is, “No man should have to go through prostate cancer alone.” With the support of local urologists, the first meeting of the Rochester chapter was held in November 2012. “We sent word out, set a date for the meeting, and lo and behold, the room filled up,” Fisher said.

Fisher reports many local hospitals and organizations are “on board” with providing educational meetings on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. Each meeting is hosted by an urologist or other subject matter expert, followed by a Q&A portion. Support group meetings are also held at Camp Good Days and Special Times in Mendon, which also helps sponsor an annual retreat at Keuka Lake. As Chapter Leader, Fisher encourages men to attend education and support group meetings with their spouse or partner, highlighted by the fact that his own partner Roger was instrumental in his recovery.

Many men find it difficult to open up at their first meeting, particularly about sensitive side effects such as erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence that may occur following surgery or treatment.

However, men begin to open up soon after, Fisher said.

Fisher’s ultimate goal is to have awareness of prostate cancer reach the pinnacle that breast cancer awareness has reached for women. “Women have it right… they put their heads, and minds, and hearts together and created awareness,” Fisher said.

The U.S. Preventative Services Taskforce does not recommend PSA blood tests to screen men for prostate cancer.

However, Fisher encourages men to take control of their health care and act as their own advocate in discussing testing with their doctor. The Rochester chapter of Us Too now has approximately 200 members, with 15 urologists participating in educational meetings with the organization. “Even though 200 is a lot of growth for me, it doesn’t even begin to touch the surface of the number of men who could benefit from occasional meetings given by

urologists,” Fisher said.

For more information about the regional chapter of Us Too International, including information about the location of support and educational meetings, visit https://www.sites.google.com/ site/ustoorochesterny/.

About prostate cancer

According to the New York State Department of Health, it is estimated that one in six men will develop prostate cancer during their lifetime. Although any man is at risk for developing prostate cancer, men further at risk include men from age 50, African American men from age 45 and men who have a father, brother, or son diagnosed with prostate cancer.

According to Fisher’s research, additional risk factors may include veterans exposed to Agent Orange and men taking testosterone supplements, including transgender women who still have a prostate.

For more information about prostate cancer, visit http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/cancer/prostate/.

Darryl Mitteldorf

Malecare’s “Out with Cancer” program offers online support for all

By Adam Young Malecare was initially founded in 1998 as a non-profit organization dedicated to providing psycho-social support to gay men diagnosed with cancer.

The New York City based international volunteer organization grew so much that in 2005, a program was spun off to offer in-person and online support to all LGBT people.

The LGBT Cancer Project: Out with Cancer was established to provide resources and support to diagnosed individuals. Another objective is to foster cultural awareness among medical pro-

fessionals who treat LGBT people. “One of the things we do is work with doctors to bring them up to speed with who we are,” said Darryl Mitteldorf, LCSW, Executive Director of Malecare.

According to Mitteldorf, anal cancer is 17 times more common in gay men than straight men. An increased rate of smoking may also lead to certain cancers being more prevalent in the LGBT community, Mitteldorf said. However, there is no data to suggest that prostate cancer is more prevalent in gay men than straight men.

Mitteldorf stresses that medical providers have to ask pertinent questions in order to understand what lifestyle factors may play a role in cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. “By doing benign and kind intervention with these doctors, we help them to understand that cancer survivors within our community do in fact present in a slightly different way in terms of needs,” Mitteldorf said.

On the Out with Cancer website at www.outwithcancer.com, people can register with the site to begin posting questions and take part in discussions with other members. Members feel comfortable there because they can post and discuss anonymously across economic and geographic boundaries, Mitteldorf said. Website users have also exchanged contact information to talk over the phone. “It shows each individual that they’re really not alone,” Mitteldorf said.

The Out with Cancer website also offers a database of clinical trials, organized by type of cancer. Out with Cancer’s parent organization, Malecare, also offers other programs, such as Twice as Many, a national advocacy program for African American men diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Malecare plans to offer a more personalized approach to care by emailing a tailored “flash” newsletter to members with specific diagnoses beginning in the fall. According to Mitteldorf, the malecare.org and outwithcancer.com websites are also due for an upgrade by the end of the year. Mitteldorf, a social worker himself, is proud of the variety of medical professionals who volunteer their time with Malecare and Out with Cancer, including doctors, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists.

For more information about the different programs offered by Malecare, visit http://www.malecare.org. For more information about support through the LGBT Cancer Project: Out with Cancer, visit http://www.outwithcancer.com/. ■

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

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LGBTQ Living

Jo with Kennedy.

Chris with Lincoln.

Pets and their gays

By Susan Jordan Brian O’Neill and James Hansen adopted Eleanor, an English Springer Spaniel, when she was nine weeks old. She will be nine years old in November.

Brian, an artist, and James, a choreographer, recently moved to Corn Hill, and Eleanor has adapted well to her new house.

Brian says, “She is such a wellbehaved dog, with a well-developed sense of boundaries.”

He feels that Eleanor is extremely intuitive, since she knows a day ahead of time when guests are expected. She starts watching the door four or five hours before they are to arrive.

When Brian has been away and is coming back, she will get up about four hours before he is scheduled to arrive and wait at the door.

What Eleanor really doesn’t like is when both Brian and Jim go away for a while; she has a caretaker who stays with her, whom she likes, but still this is not her favorite thing. Brian said, “She doesn’t need to see suitcases to know we’re going away – she’ll hear us talking about leaving and she hides her head under the sofa to indicate she is not pleased.”

Her humans do take her on car trips. Brian said, “We visit Jim’s mom in Iowa and drive out there for Christmas and Fourth of July. We tell her she’s going to see Grandma and she gets excit-

ed! We’ve taken her to Maine and Florida in the car—she’s very good.”

The other thing Eleanor dislikes is her Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz costume, which Brian no longer dresses her in. He said, “She tolerates dog drag but isn’t crazy about it. So now I just do that in Photoshop!” Eleanor has featured online as Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind and as Kate Middleton, or rather the Duchess of Cambridge, whose long brown hair uncannily resembles Eleanor’s long ears.

Eleanor’s very favorite thing is running off her leash in Mt. Hope Cemetery; she gets two long walks a day. “She loves it

Eleanor.

and chases chipmunks but can’t get within five feet of them,” Brian said. “She loves being around Jim and me, and loves it when we have people over.”

Springer spaniels were bred as hunting dogs, which flush out the game so hunters can get a shot.

Her favorite food treat is, strangely enough, carrots. Brian and Jim like carrots with hummus, and when she hears the hummus container opening, she comes running. As for her usual fare, she insists that Brian prepare her morning kibble because she feels he puts in the right amount of hot water to make gravy, and the right sprinkle of Asiago cheese on top. If James is up first in the morning, Eleanor won’t get up until she knows Brian is in the kitchen.

Eleanor likes other dogs and has two special canine friends: Trevor, a Yorkie who lives across the street, and a Malti-poo named Tulip. She gets along with dogs her size or larger, but prefers smaller ones. Brian claims that she also loves cats – but if one jumps into their backyard, she doesn’t hesitate to give chase.

Brian says, “She’s a kind, gentle soul and a member of the family – very smart, very wellbehaved, and a good watch dog.”

Now if only he and Jim would stop going away on vacation!

Lincoln and Kennedy Jo and Chris Meleca-Voigt live in Greece with their two beautiful Maine Coon Cats, Lincoln and Kennedy. Jo says, “They’re nicknamed the gentle giants – they can get very large, especially the boys. People used to think they were a cross between cats and raccoons.

Norwegian forest cats are very similar; they both have very big paws.”

Chris added, “They have two coats – the undercoat and the top fluffy coat. So we have to brush them weekly.”

Kennedy and Lincoln.

Lincoln is a five-year-old tom and Kennedy is a nine-year-old female. Lincoln seems to have the more serene personality.

Jo says, “He’s a sweetheart.”

Chris says, “He’s attention-seeking and inquisitive.” Jo adds, “Mischievous but docile. He has juvenile gingivitis—got all his front teeth when he was a year old. So we have to brush his teeth every night. When it gets dark he hides, but then he resigns himself.”

Chris said, “He loves pencils and pens, spoons – anything he can bat around, he will bat around.”

Jo added, “His favorite toy is those little plastic balls with bells inside, which he likes playing with at 11 p.m. And he likes heights – he likes to be up high.”

Lincoln’s favorite food is “anything off the floor,” Chris said. “Anything carb. Bread has to stay in the microwave.”

Jo agreed, “He has been known to open a package of rolls. But he won’t turn his back on any food. We think he just likes bread because we don’t want him to eat it.”

Jo and Chris live in a hightraffic area. Jo said, “They are both strictly indoors cats. We sometimes take them outside

and hold them in the gazebo on the deck.”

Kennedy is the alpha cat of the household. Jo comments, “Kennedy is very high-maintenance. She wants things the way she wants them. She has anxiety issues – she wears a mother-cat pheromone collar now, which has made a world of difference.

She’s a different cat with it.

When she’s anxious she can be aggressive with Chris – but not me.” (Lincoln prefers Chris and Kennedy prefers Jo.) Although Kennedy can be “difficult,” she loves Lincoln and they get along well. Chris notes, “They play together – him mostly chasing her and her tolerating it for a while. She likes to be near you and may put a paw on you, but it’s on HER terms. Unlike Lincoln (a garbage can), she is a picky eater.

One day she’ll love something and the next day she won’t touch it!”

Taking Kennedy to the vet is a two-person job. But as Chris said, “She’s the alpha cat – the alpha everything!”

Jo said, “The two represent to me that animals have feelings, personalities and souls – these two are so different from each other.” ■

Brian and Jim with Eleanor on their wedding day. They were the first gay couple to marry at City Hall on the day when same sex marriage became legal.

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014

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SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

Shoulders to Stand On TM

19th century Trans* history continued This month Shoulders to Stand On continues the history of Transgender men and women as they come to the fore in the 19th century.

Joseph Lobdell was born Lucy Ann Lobdell in Westerlo, Albany County, NY in 1829. Lured by cheap land, Lucy’s family moved to Delaware County when Lucy was young. Her father was unable to do much work. Lucy took up hunting to provide food for her family. She felt sorry for a man by the name of George Washington Slater and married him. He mentally abused her and deserted her when their infant child was a few weeks old. Lucy again took up hunting and lived as a man for 60 years. Joseph was arrested and incarcerated in an insane

asylum. He was, however, able to marry a woman.

In 1850, the Crow nation woman chief Barcheeampe was spotted by appalled white travelers in Wyoming and Montana; she was renowned for her war exploits and for having several wives.

In 1860, Herculine Barbin who lived in Europe was studied by her doctor, who discovered that the intersexed woman had a small penis, with testicles inside her body. It was not until 1930 that genital reconstructive surgery became an option for intersexed men and women.

Barbin was declared legally male against her wishes, became the subject of much scandal for having previously taught in a girl’s school, moved to Paris but continued to live in poverty, and ultimately commited suicide in 1868. Suicide is often seen by those who are gender variant as the only choice they have During the American Civil War (1861– 1865) at least 240 biological women are known to have worn men’s clothing and fought as soldiers. Some of them were transgender and continued to live as men throughout their lives. One such notable soldier was Albert Cashier. Born Jennie Irene Hodgers, Albert D. J. Cashier (1843 – 1915) was an Irish-born immigrant who served as a male soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Cashier was female assigned at birth, but lived as a man. In 1914 Albert developed severe dementia and was institutionalized at the Illinois state hospital for the insane. It was then that Albert’s secret was revealed. Officials at the Illinois state hospital forced him to wear skirts for the first time in over 50 years; he found the garb restrictive and humiliating and perhaps more dangerous than the sniper fire he had outwitted so

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many years before. Unused to walking in the long, cumbersome garments deemed appropriate for females, he tripped and fell, breaking a hip that never properly healed.

Bedridden and depressed, his health continued to decline, and he died on Oct. 11, 1915, less than two years before women gained the right to serve openly – if minimally – in the Armed Forces.

Franklin Thompson, born Sarah Emma Edmonds, also fought for the Union Army in the Civil War. During the war, Franklin served as a spy, nurse and dispatch carrier and later was the only woman mustered into the Grand Army of the Republic. Dr. James Barry dies in 1865, and is discovered to have female sexual characteristics. He had been a surgeon with the British Army, and had been passing as male since at least 1809.

In the United States, the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified in 1868. The equal protection and due process clauses in Section 1 would implicitly include transgender and transsexual persons, as well as any other identifiable group. While the Supreme Court has not fully embraced the Amendment’s implications for transgender rights, these clauses will presumably form the basis of future rulings.

The term “homosexuality” appears in print for the first time in 1869 in a German-Hungarian pamphlet written

by Karl-Maria Kertbeny (1824–1882).

Also in 1869, Karl Friedrich Otto Westphal publishes the first medical paper on transsexuality, describing two cases of what he termed “die contraire Sexualempfindung” (“contrary sexual feeling”), one being a male transvestite (the other was a lesbian).

In 1895 a group of self-described androgynes in New York organized a club called the Cercle Hermaphroditos, based on their wish “to unite for defense against the world’s bitter persecution”.

The year 1897 saw Henry Havelock

Ellis of the Fabian Society, a supporter of sexual liberation. write his six volume “Studies in the Psychology of Sex”.

The books, published between 1897 and 1910, caused tremendous controversy and were banned for several years. In this same year Magnus Hirschfeld starts the mostly homosexual Scientific Humanitarian Committee in Germany.

The history of the Transgender and Gender Variant community is steeped in the history of the world. Shoulders To Stand On applauds the many men and women who lived secret lives in order to be free to be who they were. This incredible history of courage overcoming fear will continue next month into the 20th century.

2014 Pride Picnic thanks Sonny’s and A & G Meats for their support The 2014 Pride Picnic committee recognizes the contributions made by Andrew Sundberg of Sonny’s, landing Rd. N and John of A & G Meats.

A little history is in order. In the beginning, the very first gay community picnic was held at Genesee Valley Park and the Gay Alliance grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, and Jim’s donated a keg of beer. After that the bars really took over providing food and beer. A few years ago when Nasty D’s was the bar at 140 Alexander, John of A & G Meats said they donated quite a bit of food to Pride through Nasty D’s.

This year A & G Meats made a donation of $250 to the Picnic, and their own refrigerated truck to Sonny’s, who prepared the Picnic food, and who also made a donation of $250 to offset food cost. THANK YOU to both Sonny’s and A & G Meats for their support of the 2014 Pride Picnic. ■

Library & Archives Hours: Every Monday & Wednesday: 6-8pm 875 E. Main St. ,1st Floor (off Prince St. lobby) Phone: 585 244-8640

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 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 THE GOOD GERMAN

By Eric Bellmann Psychologists tell us that the German homemaker possesses an unconscious understanding that her domain extends twelve feet beyond the front door of her home. That is why pots of outdoor plants are well tended, why sidewalks are swept clean and also why she is more than likely to be watching whatever is transpiring in the neighborhood.

This is the direct opposite of the Turkish homemaker whose world comes to a halt at her front door. Outside can be a mess, not her concern. Indoors everything is in order, immaculate.

I considered myself worldly when on a passport application I listed myself as artist/writer. Teacher seemed too ordinary.

Now that I’m retired and people ask me what I do I say, “homemaker”. I think that’s funny. Not that it’s relevant here but eons ago my friend Norm, who was very hot, when asked “what do you do?” by some guy trying to discern if he was a top or bottom, would reply, “dust and hum”.

Good old Norm.

For years I used to seethe when in the morning I’d open the drapes and see food wrappers and beer cans that renters across the street had dumped late at night when they returned home from carousing. More than once I’d go outside, scoop up the offensive junk and fling it toward their yard. And there it would remain. So eventually it occurred to me, slow learner that I am, to pick the damn stuff up and put it in the trash can. I am a good German homemaker.

Often before people tackle the recommended twelve steps in recovery programs they focus on slogans or adages that are bandied about. My favorite was “clean up your own side of the street”. It meant that though one might be inclined to gripe about perceived injustices and take another person’s inventory, not much could be accomplished by that. Better to consider your own missteps and work on your own growth.

I took that advice quite literally early on as I tackled the goal of building positive self esteem. How to establish self esteem nowadays is almost a cliché topic, but at the beginning of recovery it looms large. So what I did to prove that I was a good and worthwhile person was to pick up the trash in the parking lot of the supermarket as I walked from my car to the building. Is that adorable or pathetic?

You decide. For me, for a while it worked.

It’s a beginners step.

A life long friend recently visited Germany for the first time. The lace curtains in my windows and my well-tended garden reminded her of homes she walked past during her trip. I joke about my house when people see it for the first time. “You’d imagine a sweet old lady lived there busily baking cookies for the neighborhood children.” I once grabbed a kid who had dared to pick some tulips near my front steps and dragged him two blocks to his home to confront his mother.

So much for sweetness. And, like Hillary, I don’t bake cookies.

Actually neighbors with children love my house. I have attached various odd toys to my fence. Kids love that. Now and then I find a gift toy some kid has added to the display. I’ve also had periods

of minor vandalism. That house across the street is a row house of four rental units. It’s had its share of rowdy college kids. I’m pretty sure they’re the culprits when things get smashed or disappeared.

I’ve lived here so long I’ve seen neighbors come and go, an endless parade. There have been low-key pot smokers, hardly a problem, but also a major drug dealer who fled in minutes, apparently warned somehow of an imminent drug bust.

And once, alas only for a few months, two hot policemen had the end unit which I could clearly see from my kitchen window and I would watch each morning as one, bare-chested and barefoot, would come out to rummage in his car for clean laundry. No doubt some of my neighbors have had their own curiosity about the comings and goings at my house. For the last several years the neighborhood has been drama free, a blessing.

So I assume, maybe hope, that as the years march along, I will continue to tend my garden and watch the joggers and dog walkers who pass by and maybe there will be another bare-chested guy who will lift my spirits. Hope springs eternal.

Email: ericlbellmann@gmail.com

Cleaning My Closet GOOGLE-SCHOOLED

By Meredith Elizabeth Reiniger Speaking of slugs, a Banana Slug has small teeth on its tongue, used like a saw so it can eat. Just saying.

I recently spotted an enormous, common everyday slug at the foot of my basement stairs. A repulsive terrestrial gastropod. After I proclaimed “oh yuck,” Claudia wondered what had precipitated my yucky-ing. I answered: A gelatinous demon of the dark and dank. Then there were two yucky-ers.

Once I had slammed the door on that dilemma and safely returned to the funky green tufted chair in my cozy garden room, we two morning tea-sippers revealed our information gaps: Where do slugs come from? What good are slugs?

Were it my old days, the conversation would have ended with two answers: I don’t know and I don’t know. But in the twenty-first century, many people have an internalized impetus to search the Web. Starting at Wikipedia, then following the electronic yellow brick road to on-thespot answers and astonishing hitherto unknown particulars.

Of course I knew the answer to the first question: two slugs make baby slugs.

(Oh, yes, my father had given pre-puberty me the Sex Talk . . . quite advanced for a parent in the fifties. He summoned me into the living room where Mommy sat silent and still while Daddy, with a pad and pencil, drew a picture of the parts.

Explained the mechanics. I was startled.

Who knew? Who could have imagined.

At the end of the lesson, he told me to go to my room and think about it. THINK about it? Pass out from shock maybe, but think about it. Too yucky.)

Anyway, back to slugs. I had studied earthworms in school, so I knew about Any Two Will Do. Yes, Wiki verified, slugs are also hermaphrodites. But the details were way above my knowledge reservoir. For example, the penis of many varieties is a curled hook. Well, this is certainly a new twist on the facts of life.

When two such slugs are reproducing,

the male end of one slug corkscrews into the female end of the other slug. When they are done, if they cannot separate, one slug or both slugs bite off the corkscrewed penis. That is called Apophallation. Do not try this at home.

Just in case you are wondering, the slug that no longer has its external organ of copulation carries on, slugging and such as a female.

So this tale is actually about tripping down that yellow brick road, an armchair exploration of my great big, fascinating world with its every day miracles and endless mysteries.

Our second question was basically “on what particular day did god create slugs and for heaven’s sakes why.” Well, children, gather ‘round. One benefit for humans is that slugs consume dead matter. Slugs are a part of the ecosystem.

Which is very nice to know because my compost bin is inhabited by gigantic, icky slugs. Now perhaps I can celebrate when I see them eating my garbage, rather than put on my “oh big yuck” face. Hey, I might even name my busy slugs. (And then friends can play the mind game called “I wonder if and why she would name a slug after me.”)

Well now. Is it because I am retired that I take time to delve into the inconceivable? Wouldn’t our mango passionfruit tea have been better with a buttered crumpet than with a reading about mucous-secreting creatures? Or is it that I, elderly, can do any strange thing I want to do at any old time I decide to do it and who gives a hoot what any of them think.

Oh that. It is sure more interesting than listening to someone complain about the weather, or discuss, on and on, how it compares to other years or summers or back whens. (I digress.)

So as I was saying, if their sex life wasn’t enough beyond belief-ness, there are more Slug Specifics. They are, apparently, (and I will never be able to relate first hand and fork experiences)... they are

edible. The North Coast Yurok Indians ate slugs. In the 19th and 20th century, German immigrants ate slugs. (I’m not surprised… I saw my German father-inlaw eat head cheese. Google that delicacy.)

In this 21st century, some California folks still go bananas over slugs. (Please note that the following two events happen in California. I mean really, could it be any other state? I do try very hard not to perpetuate stereotypes, but Google made me do it.)

In the afore-mentioned California, the Russian River annual festival features a recipe competition… recipes for Banana Slugs. (Dig into a dish of deep-fried banana slugs with green cherry tomatoes or tempt your taste buds with a toasted slug and blackberry salad.) Live wild! Dine wild. (Banana Slugs move at 6.5 inches a minute so it is easy, even for beginners, to hunt them down.)

Perhaps adopt a slug. (In fact I know people who have married one or even given birth to one. References upon request.) But I digress again... another characteristic of my old-lady story-telling technique.

At the U of California at Santa Cruz, the Banana Slug is their un-official mascot. (Consider the variations: an adorable fuzzy, yellow, stuffed Ariolimax californicus for soothing, sleep-inducing slug snuggling; a cavorting, bright-yellow-slugcostumed person; a cute fat slug on a t-shirt… yes, worn by John Travolta in Pulp Fiction.)

Why would an academic community select a slug? In fact, there is a reasonable explanation. That shell-less mollusk is commonly found around campus on the floor of the redwood forest. (When I went to school at Santa Cruz, I had no idea that those magnificent trees were slug-friendly. I have to ask myself: if I had seen a Banana Slug working under those miraculous forest giants, would I have admired the beauty of bright yellow nestled among brown leaves?)

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET In addition, there is a commendable motive behind intelligent students adopting a slug: satire. Since the early years of UC Santa Cruz coed teams, students have sported their slugs to criticize the fierce and divisive competition embraced by most universities in our country.

Great idea UCSC… Slug Power. I think more of us should proudly wear Slug Statements. Maybe we could all wear shirts embossed with a plump slug. Some of our slugs might be purple. Some black.

Some brown. Some white.

But wait, perhaps not just on shirts.

The time has come for all of us to flaunt rainbowed slugs embossed on our hoodies.

MeredithElizabethReiniger@gmail.com

Faith Matters AFRICAN AMERICAN SISTERS AGING WITH HIV AND CO-MORBIDITIES

By Rev. Irene Monroe Imani (not her real name) was thirty-two when she contracted HIV. Surrounded by sister-friends who died from the virus, Imani did not expect to reach middle age.

Now in her fifth decade of life, Imani has new and multiple challenges. She selfmanages her HIV — along with her diabetes, hypertension — while searching for employment. The result of these stressors is depression. All of this has gravely impacted her ability to sustain medication adherence and her will to live.

But Imani’s not alone. African American women’s struggle with HIV — from the black community’s stigmatization to the dominant culture’s condemnation of them — has both unduly burdened their daily lives and compromised their quality of care.

While numerous datum have surfaced about African American women living with HIV in their younger years, very little has surfaced about how they age with the disease — until recently. The journal AIDS Patient Care and STDs last month published the qualitative study “Taking It One Day at a Time: African American Women Aging with HIV and CoMorbidities.”

As a welcoming and needed study, its narrative gives voice, validation, and strength to Imani and other sisters of African descent reality.

“I’m taking it one day at a time. First, since my kids are grown, I gotta put me number one first. And, sometimes it’s still hard for me... taking my medicine, I help somebody along my way.... Long as I can help somebody, then I can help myself, you know. I know this journey that I’m going on, it’s not gon’ be in vain… That’s what it means to me, taking it one day at a time ‘cause I don’t know what the day gone bring. Just one minute at a

time, one second at a time,” Elana told the interviewer in the study who asked, “What does HIV self-management mean to you?”

In interviewing women like Elana the study examined HIV-positive and comorbidity self-management, social support needs, medication adherence, and future plans for old age.

However, its promotion, in my opinion, is dubious: “Older African-American women living with HIV find chronic illnesses more difficult to self-manage... The majority were managing between one and five comorbidities including arthritis, cancer, depression, diabetes, heart disease, hepatitis, high blood pressure and tuberculosis. This difficulty was not attributed to aging but to daily struggles such as lack of income and/or health insurance, an inflexible work schedule, and loneliness.”

There is the African American adage about aging that states “Black don’t crack.” While on the surface — our skin and public countenance — we might not “crack,” our psyche and our bodies do.

The above-mentioned stressors — social determinants and co-morbidities—the African American community has lived longer with than HIV. And while these social determinants and co-morbidities are diseases difficult to self-manage in African American communities, HIV is no cakewalk either.

I wondered what was being promoted via the study. And why? As I continued to read the study I think I might have found my answer.

With five focus groups conducted in Washington, D.C., comprising 23 HIV-positive women of African descent between the ages of 52-65, researchers Lari Warren-Jeanpiere, Heather Dillaway, Pilar Hamilton, Mary Young and Lakshmi Goparaju reported “that, over time, HIV has become easier to manage in comparison to their other illnesses based on advancements they have experienced in their HIV treatment regimens.”

On the one hand this is great news.

It paints an almost sanguine picture that there are optimal and patient user-friendly HIV cocktails out there for African American women.

But, the study skews, if not creates, a fallacious narrative. It implies that selfmanaging HIV as a sole chronic stressor (as if that’s possible in any HIV-positive person’s life, especially people of color) isn’t as unmanageable, as are the co-morbidities most African American women acquire with the disease as they age. And the reason is because of new meds and technological advancement in the field.

The report recognizes that HIV selfmanagement and co-morbidity selfmanagement must go hand-in-hand as a future medical protocol to provide optimal care for this demographic group.

And, hopefully, with this new future protocol more African American women will have access to it.

But in now recognizing that HIV care is not a single-disease for African

American women, why would researchers think, for a moment, that HIV selfmanagement — even with its new meds and technology — is less difficult in sisters’ lives than everything else they must constantly juggle — and especially as they age?

“Just help me to manage like I do the rest of my ailments and carrying on to, you know, to have a balance in everything,” Beth told interviewer in the study.

Trans*missions MY PRIDE

By Laine DeLaney I’ve attended Pride events, watching from the sidelines, wandering quietly through them for years. I’ve always identified as bi- or pan-sexual, but never felt the pull of community strongly. I’d go to watch the pageantry and show my support, adding one more flag-waving body to the mass, reminding people that they were not alone.

The first time I actively participated in Pride was Buffalo in 2012. Having made the decision to come out as transgender, I agreed to get up on the Spectrum (Buffalo’s trans* group) float. I was wearing boy clothes and had massive sunglasses that covered half of my face. I half-hid behind the banner and meekly held up a sign.

People screamed and jumped and cheered as we passed – I barely noticed, I was too afraid of coworkers or family seeing me.

Looking back, I’d like to think that it was pretty brave of me, but if future-me had come back and told past-me about Rochester Pride 2014 I never would have believed her.

My Pride this year involved actual pride. I was proud of how the trans* community of Rochester, as well as that of Syracuse and Buffalo, came together here (as we traveled to both of those cities) to add to our numbers, our visibility, our presence, and our diversity. My Pride was a beautiful float with professionally made banners (thank you, Emily Henninger, and all those who contributed)!

My Pride was a vibrant community that joined us on the float and marched with us, trans* and ally alike. My Pride was being on the float that represented an organization whose work I am proud of (Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester) and a group that has created a muchneeded sense of community and forged many relationships (Genesee Valley Gender Variants).

My Pride was participating in a parade with the Gay Alliance, Empire State Pride Agenda, and other organizations that have supported the rights and culture of TBLG people. My Pride was seeing seemingly endless crowds along the parade route cheer as we came up to them. Even though some faces fell and even turned to expressions of disgust when our float

23 approached, my Pride was being able to look into their eyes with confidence, a big smile, a touch of defiance, and call out, “Happy Pride”! My Pride swelled when a few of those faces ended up returning the smile. My Pride was my community reaching out and making themselves known and showing how very human we are to the people of Rochester.

My Pride was actually having a booth for TAGR this year. JoAnne Metzler’s information about trans* rights and GENDA that lined our booth was also part of my Pride. My Pride was talking to people who walked up, letting them know that we exist, why we exist, and what we do. My Pride was in our volunteers that sat through the chill rain as we got sodden but still stood by and greeted anyone who needed information or just wanted to talk. My Pride was seeing trans* people all through the festival grounds. My Pride was seeing that fully half of the Gay Alliance’s historical exhibit was devoted to trans* issues. My Pride was learning things about trans* history that I’d never known before from that excellent and informative display.

Our community and its organizations have taken vast leaps and bounds forward this year, due to the diligence of our members and increasing public awareness of trans* issues that will only improve as time goes on. There are still a lot of frowns to turn upside-down and a lot of people with disgusted expressions to educate. There are laws to change and social norms to challenge. We have a long way to go, but it’s important for us to pause and bask in the Pride of what we’ve accomplished so far and remind ourselves of what we have done and what we can do.

What’s Bothering Brandon?

THE POLITICS OF BEING OFFENDED

By Brandon W. Brooks I sometimes think back to when I was a child, growing up in the hamlet of Macedon, and wonder where all the humor in being gay went.

Even in this seemingly LGBT impoverished town, and being young and unable to acquire the information or exposure of a gay 20-something, I was able to find the needed archetypes of gay men. Humor seemed to be a large part of being gay from my point of view at this time.

Whether it was through television shows I would watch clandestinely out of my watchful parents’ eyes, books, or later the internet, my exposure to images of gay men all contained an element of humor. Both humor used as a defense in response to the self-awareness of our position as gay men in a straight society, and

24 humor used as a means of celebrating our identities, was something I found by looking out through my little porthole. Being gay appeared quite fun indeed.

Nowadays, even with the LGBT population being ever so widely present in the media, in politics and as household names, I see something missing; the humor. Everyone, including the humorsteeped LGBT population, is now on the lookout for any language, portrayals or representations of countless demographics that could be seen as in any way as offensive. There are now entire corporations, agencies and identities that specialize in the monitoring and correcting of offensive representations of their respective demographics (such as GLAAD), which have certainly come in handy.

For instance, despite finding Jack McFarland of Will & Grace humorous as a child, I still see why some would find his portrayal as offensive, or at least subtractive from our efforts.

These groups, with their tireless endeavor of monitoring, largely target those who are attempting to portray a demographic of which they are usually not a part (i.e. straight people writing for gay characters). This is all part of what we commonly refer to as being politically correct. This is also where I begin to become bothered.

What does it mean exactly to be politically correct? Political correctness refers to the enforced language, consideration, constructs and policies that concentrate on perceived discrimination against what is known as “protected classes.” This term is one of disputation, as political parties have commandeered the term in regard to their own agendas, political orientation, and views of the opposing party. Here, most conservatives find these practices and labels as pejorative, while most liberals find this to be a positive self-descriptor. Political correctness commands those who may be less considerate to be, theoretically, more considerate.

So where does this become a problem, and why?

I first became acquainted with the perils of political correctness while earning my undergraduate degree in New York City. There I befriended many different peoples, of different backgrounds, some of red blood, others of blue, most straight, others LGBT. Amongst my ever-widening breadth of friendships, I saw something troubling brewing; the fear of discussion when it came to socalled “taboo subjects.” And by “taboo subjects” I mean anything not concerning white, straight, upper-middle class males.

Now, my gender display could generally be classified as that of someone who is “obviously” gay. Most people I met and befriended knew that I was gay from the start, and this was certainly not a problem (hence, friends). What troubled me, however, was that in an attempt to be politically correct or inclusive, these friends would sometimes tip-toe around certain subjects or topics, especially if they were LGBT-related. When I would address their timid “un-surefootedness”, I was told that they did not wish to offend me, not because I was known to be easily offended, but because they felt that since I was gay, any challenge to LGBT-topics would be politically incorrect. And there’s that term again.

How could something that was meant to promote inclusivity actually work against its proposed purpose? It seems to me that many people are hesitant, indeed afraid even, to disclose their point of view or remain open to discussion when it comes to issues that we are bade to address in a politically correct matter. It has come to the point where we sometimes feel that the very act of broaching certain issues works as an agent of offense in and of itself.

We have become verbally paralyzed; we don’t want to offend anyone, or worse, be offended ourselves.

But is the latter end of this statement completely true? I certainly feel

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014 that modernity has not only brought us a more varied sense of individuality, but also the willingness, and indeed the desire, to be offended. Many people (to be fair, many young people) are eager and looking for something to offend them personally, so they can voice their point of view. Call it a valid indignation, trolling, or simply whining, it seems everyone is upset about something these days (including my bothered self) and ready to shout it from the rooftops of their online profiles (or newspaper columns). Everyone is either waiting to be offended, or has already been offended.

We live more in the age of feelings, than the age of principle or tradition, it would seem.

We no longer live in a political or social environment that provides for or facilitates in-depth, analytical or honest rhetoric amongst demographics, let alone from within them. Everything is polemical where personal opinion is King. Take this past season of RuPaul’s Drag Race for example. The opening mail segment, which always included the phrase “You’ve got she-mail”, has now been deemed offensive, an act of betrayal directed towards the Trans community, and has since been banned from appearing on future episodes as well as being erased from all past episodes. So you’re telling me a man who celebrates gender fluidity, indeed broadcasts it nationally, is carelessly using the term “she-mail” in an attempt to alienate, demonize, and pathologize the Trans community?

Child pah-lease.

How could the gay community turn against itself in this way? How could we have lost all of our humor, our self-awareness and self-appreciation and ended up in this battle of who-can-be-moreoffended, who-takes-themselves-moreseriously? Are we really accomplishing anything other than creating schisms within our extended LGBT family?

We have paralyzed others and ourselves by focusing so sharply on the exact words we choose, rather than the overall message being said. Nothing that needs to be said is said any longer, at least not without a large coating of sugar applied first. We have learned to mince our words and remain silent for fear of punishment or backlash if we do not agree with what is supposedly “correct” politically. Others choose to hide behind a computer screen or smart phone to voice their dis-ease. At least I leave my contact information with each column for critique to be sent to me directly.

The last question with which I leave you is my most ardent; are we politically correct, or politically paralyzed?

Questions, comments or critique?

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

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

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

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

BUTCH FEMME CONNECTION & LORA KNITTING GROUP Butch Femme: The Rochester Butch Femme Connection supper club will have two dinner outings in September 2014.

On Saturday, September 13 we will meet at Double J Diner in Winton Place in Brighton at 7 p.m. (formerly Mike’s/ Mykonos).

On Saturday September 27 we will meet at Jay’s Diner on West Henrietta Road (Rte 15) in Henrietta at 7 p.m.

For further information call Kerry/ Max at 585-957-6627 or email DressyFemme@aol.com.

L.O.R.A Knitting Group is cancelled for September but will resume in October. Contact Kerry at 585 224 6601 for details.

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 September 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 September is “Do It to Me One More Time”. Translation? “Do…some kind of summer dish…One More (last) Time (before fall)”. So, find those recipes that you’ll miss until next summer and whip up a batch. 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 celebrating 39 years of Dignity-Integrity this year and we welcome you to join us. Save Sunday, Oct. 12 for a service and dinner at a local restaurant.

We’re also hoping to have host a Fall Cabin Party, possibly in early November, presumably before the snow starts flying again! Details for both events will be posted on the website.

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 & COMMUNITY CENTER To let you all know starting in September we are adding an additional weekly Sunday worship service. On Sunday, Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m. we will have a praise and worship service with a more contemporary worship style: a live band! Come and enjoy this praise and worship service helping people experience the unconditional love of God changing lives.

Also starting in September we will be having a monthly themed potluck on the third Saturday of every month. The theme for this potluck on Saturday, Sept.

20 at 5:30 p.m. is “The Name Game Pot-

luck” and Karaoke Night....please bring a dish to pass that begins with the first letter of your last name. After the meal we will entertain each other Karaoke Style....

Our regular Sunday Services begin at 10:30 a.m. and are followed by coffee time and some good conversation! And starting in September we welcome our choir back to lead us in some joyous (on key!) singing!

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings Rainbow SAGE does Yoga with instructor Tom Somerville from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 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.

On Tuesday evenings we sponsor Coffee Chat and Game Night. Catch up with the week’s happenings and enjoy some games and good conversations! This starts at 6:30 p.m. and goes to 8 p.m. and meets at Equal Grounds, 750 South Ave. Then on Saturday, Oct. 11 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.

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. Our phone number is 271-8478.

ROCHESTER GAY MEN’S CHORUS SEEKS BOARD MEMBER The Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus, or RGMC, is in need of a replacement board member to replace an outgoing representative. We are primarily searching for a new member who would representative of the L B or T in LBGT and have a great interest in choral music or the arts.

The position would require meeting once monthly on the fourth Monday for our regular board meetings. They take about two hours usually. The representative would also have to have passion for advancing and moving forward the mission of the RGMC. More information about board positions and the organization can be found on our website at www.thergmc.org. I am

also happy to take your calls or questions at dgtardy@yahoo.com or 585-978-1314.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Darryl G. Tardy RGMC Board Chair

ROCHESTER HISTORICAL BOWLING SOCIETY Like to bowl?

Maybe you should consider joining the Rochester Historical Bowling Society as we begin our 29th season on Monday, Sept. 8.

We are a mixed league of men and women with four people to a team. Our scores are handicapped so that all abilities are welcome. As usual, we will be bowling every Monday evening, September through April, at 7 p.m. at Clover Lanes on Monroe Ave. in Brighton. We are a proud member of IGBO, the International Gay Bowling Organization.

At this point, we do anticipate some openings this season. So if you or your team didn’t make it to the registration party in August, you might want to drop

by Clover Lanes at 6:30 on Monday Sept.

8. Better yet, check us out and register at www.RHBS.org for what promises to be another great season!

Not a bowler? Join is anyway for a drink, to connect with friends or just to watch. Clover Lanes is the place to be on Monday night!

ROCHESTER WOMEN’S COMMUNITY CHORUS Fall is right around the corner, and so is the beginning of The Rochester Women’s Community Chorus’ new season! We are looking for singers and nonsinging volunteers for our winter concert on December 6, 2014.

Our theme this season is Simple Gifts. We will be singing songs about sharing love, music, friendship and of course, gifts. We will also be singing some holiday music – it IS a holiday concert after all.

Our first rehearsal of the new season is Tuesday, Sept. 9. Rehearsals are from 6:30 p.m.-8:45 p.m. with a short break for refreshments and announcements.

New singers are encouraged to arrive at their first rehearsal between 6 and 6:15 for voice placement with the music director. We will be accepting new singers for the first three weeks of the season.

We rehearse at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church at 121 N. Fitzhugh St., Rochester 14614. Please remember that you are welcomed and encouraged to sing with us regardless of any prior musical training or experience. We also have numerous opportunities for people of all genders to join us with non-singing tasks such as concert production, publicity, etc.

Our telephone number is (585) 2344441, our email is RWCCSings@gmail. com, and our website link is www.therwcc.org. We can also be found on Facebook.

ROMANS Some ROMANS members were busy in August attending weeklong nude camps with IMEN (International Men Enjoying Naturism), GNI (Gay Naturists International) and also at the local gay campground Jones Pond.

September is a month to “get back to normal” when ROMANS members meet every month at a member’s home and go to Naturist Rochester’s monthly nude swim at Harro East. The meeting and swim dates will be listed on our website at www.wnyromans.com.

If you are interested in joining us at any of our events, the easiest way is to

25 email the ROMANS at wnyromans@ yahoo.com to get connected with a member. If you don’t do emails, you can either call us at our message line 585281-4964 or write to us via regular mail at P.O. Box 92293, Rochester, New York 14692 and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

ROMANS is a private membership group that respects everyone’s needs and accommodates everyone’s situation. We are an all male nude group that welcomes gay or gay friendly men who enjoy being naked with other men.

TRANS ALLIANCE OF GREATER ROCHESTER Our regularly scheduled Planning Group meeting is on Saturday, September 13. Come to the meeting to hear what’s going on and being planned and please come with your ideas and suggestions. We need all of our members’ support for all these things we are doing and want to do!

Our Saturday, September 27 meeting from 3-5:30 p.m. is an open discussion support group. Everyone is encouraged to talk about their transrelated personal issues while the rest of the group can offer sympathetic ears and possibly advice on their situation. So come to a meeting and find out you are not the only one and you are NOT alone!

We meet at the Open Arms Community Center at 707 East Main St., almost right across the street from Delta Sonic.

Then on Wednesday, October 1, we will have: “Being Trans...Being Healthy...Being Aware -- know the elevated health & cancer risks of being Trans” -- from 7-9 p.m. The presenter will be 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 non-conforming 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 learning 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 St., almost across the street from Delta Sonic. There is plenty of parking in front and to the side of the building.

Also start making plans now for “Meeting of the Groups IV: Return to Rochester” on Saturday, October 25, which will be the fourth time that all the Upstate and beyond trans groups will gather to reconnect with each other and hear about what’s been going on with all of us. Then after the meeting we will party with a Halloween themed first-ever Trans dance at Open Arms Community Center!

“Trans... invisible and silent no longer... invisible and silent no more!”

Follow us at rnytg.org facebook.com/ rnytg; info@rnytg.org; twitter: @rochestertrans. Our phone number is 585432-0456. ■

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

27

Arts & Entertainment Dance on the Fringe

James Hansen dancing in his choreography “Ophelia’s Reclamation” which will be in the “Merged II” show.

“Merged II” returns at Fringe Festival 2014

Garth Fagan Dance in “Easter Freeway”.

Catch Garth Fagan Dance at Fringe Festival Rochester’s Fringe Festival takes place this month. Worldacclaimed Garth Fagan Dance, now commemorating its 44th season, will perform at the company’s downtown Rochester studios.

“These marvelous dancers are Fagan’s lightning rods, pulling down inspiration into the rich soil of his work.— D. Jowitt, Dancebeat.

Enjoy the unbridled energy, depth, precision and grace of Tony and Olivier award-winning Garth Fagan’s choreography, deemed “unfailingly original” (NY Times), and featuring a range of music from Brahms, Dvorak, Wynton Marsalis, Monty Alexander and more.

Show Length: 75 minutes; Ticket Price: $16. Garth Fagan Dance Studio, 33 Chestnut St. Performances: Thursday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m.; Friday, Sept.

19, 9 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 20, 7 p.m.; Thursday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.

PUSH Physical Theatre performs at Fringe; reality TV coming up Award-winning PUSH Physical Theatre has had a very busy touring schedule for the past year, and, if plans unfold as expected, the future will find them on the road even more frequently. Local audiences will have a chance to catch up with this homegrown favorite during the 2014 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival (Sept. 18-27).

PUSH’s hour-long Fringe show will feature the world premiere of “Strangers,” a new piece that explores chance encounters and the effects of busy lives on important relationships, created with support from the Rochester Area Community Foundation.

Fan favorites from 14 years of PUSH’s masterful physical storytelling will round out the four all-ages performances at Eastman

School of Music’s Kilbourn Hall on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 3 and 7 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 27 at 3 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $16 and available at rochesterfringe. com, as well as at the door (if any remain) one hour before curtain.

“We’re very excited to be performing at home again,” says Darren Stevenson, co-founder and artistic director of PUSH, which has been traveling for much of the time since the company’s Arc of Ages production at JCC’s Hart Theatre in June of 2013, with a brief return for last year’s Fringe performances.

The group has been teaching, performing and showcasing in Guatemala, South Carolina, Texas, California, Massachusetts, New York, Tennessee and more. Additionally, PUSH was honored to create original choreography for Comala, for which composer Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon was named a 2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist. The musicians and PUSH toured the piece to Rochester, Atlanta and various cities in Mexico, and participated in a documentary video.

Perhaps most exciting is their already-taped, yet-to-beannounced season on a new reality show that will air on a major cable network this fall. The competition show features teams of performers who — like PUSH — use theatre, acrobatics, illusion and more to re-imagine moments and manipulate audiences’ perceptions.

PUSH Physical Theatre.

“We are sworn to secrecy until the show has been officially announced, hopefully in early September,” explains Stevenson.

“At this point, we believe it will air sometime in October.”

About PUSH Physical Theatre: This talented group of performers inspires awe and ignites emotion with physical illusions and gravity-defying, danceinfused, acrobatic high-jinx.

Founded in Rochester, NY in 2000 by husband-and-wife team Darren and Heather Stevenson, PUSH represents the couple’s desire to “push” the boundaries of conventional theatre. In 2009, they received both the Anton Germano Dance Award and the Performing Artist of the Year Award from the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester.

The current company also features veteran PUSHer Jonathan Lowery, former Cirque du Soleil performer Avi PryntzNadworthy and new company member Troy Mercier, who will make his PUSH debut at Fringe.

In addition to a busy touring schedule that has taken them all over the U.S. and the world, these masters of physical storytelling are also very involved in arts-in-education programs, and are regularly awarded grants to create new work. PUSH has been profiled on PBS and NPR, and is represented by Robin Klinger Entertainment. More information is available at www. pushtheatre.org.

“Merged” returns to Geva Theatre Center after last year’s critically acclaimed “Critic’s Picks” performances. This year, international choreographers Heather Roffe and James Hansen join forces with Buffalo’s Melanie Aceto for “Merged II”.

City Newspaper wrote of MERGED 2013: It “seemed new and fresh, yet it was still accessible and, at times, even poignant:” “I was flat out amazed;” and “I was captivated by... some very exciting dancing.”

“Merged II” blends physically exciting dance, live music, and theatrical lighting to produce a concert that is simultaneously thought provoking to seasoned dance viewers and accessible to first time audience members.

The cutting edge choreography will be performed by Rochester’s most celebrated dancers and national guest artists from Arizona and Washington.

Heather Roffe has performed nationally and internationally with Garth Fagan Dance Company and nationally in her own work and with Bill Evans Dance.

She is also a collaborating director, performer, and choreographer with Rochester’s critically acclaimed FuturePointe Dance Company which regularly tours and performs across the country. Roffe has been described as “One of the most dramatic and exciting dancers in our region.”

(Democrat and Chronicle), “Cutting Edge” (City Newspaper) and “Striking” (npr.org).

James Hansen had a 15-year career in New York City dancing with the Eglevsky Ballet and Sean Curran Dance Company.

His choreography has received

rave reviews including “A wonderful example of how much the human body can communicate.”

(Backstage NY), “A thoughtful meditation on group dynamics” (NY Times) “Breathtaking” (Richmond Times Dispatch) and “mesmerizing” (Norfolk’s Portfolio Weekly). He has been commissioned to create dances for companies throughout North and South America and has been produced by some of the most prestigious dance festivals including two years at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.

Art Voice/Buffalo recently wrote, “Melanie Aceto… has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the most innovative creators and interpreters of modern dance in Western New York.” Her work has work has been performed internationally in Toronto, Guatemala and Germany, at the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, in Buffalo’s renowned Albright-Knox Art Gallery and Burchfield Penney Arts Center, and regularly in New York City in venues including the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Ailey CitigroupTheater.

Performances are Saturday Sept. 20, 9 p.m., Sunday Sept.

21, 7:30 p.m., and Wednesday Sept. 24, 6 p.m., at GEVA’s Next Stage Theater. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online at rochesterfringe.com/ shows/show/merged-ii, by phone at 585-371-5017, or at Geva Theater Center one hour before show time.

ImageOut offers free screenings of “To Be Takei” at Fair, “Gayby” at Fringe Festival Image Out Festival Fair takes place Thursday, Sept. 11.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at the Eisenhart Auditorium, Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Ave. The evening will feature hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, and a continuous loop of festival film trailers. At 8:20 p.m. there will be a free screening of “To Be Takei,” documentary about George Takei, gay activist and former “Sulu” on Star Trek.

Tickets for the Festival in October will be offered at a discount. ImageOut will also screen “Gayby” (free) as part of the Fringe Festival on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. in the Spiegelgarden across from the Eastman Theatre.

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Travel

Lance Horne

Go further west on 42nd Street

By Merle Exit There was a time when very little legal recreation existed west of 42nd Street and 8th Avenue. With the clean-up of the Times Square area, Off-Broadway venues were popping up along with restaurants and apartment buildings. Hell’s Kitchen aka Midtown West became trendy.

Add The Out Hotel, an “Urban Resort,” and you’re now between 10th and 11th Avenue, just a block away from the Hudson River.

I entered the hotel at 510 W. 42nd to view a most artistic lobby. I am told that the exhibit, which extends down a long hall, changes every three weeks. It was as if I were at an art gallery. Ktchn is the name of the restaurant located in the hotel. That was my destination.

Ktchn has two restaurant areas. One is the more low light “romantic dining” room toward the back. The other is a totally relaxed modern white furniture-glass tabletop atmosphere whose huge windows look upon the street. You get to view not only the foot traffic but the police cars of the abutting precinct. Located here is the bar as well, where you can see two huge glass containers. One is filled with a red sangria, the other with a white or rose one; fruit depending upon the wine.

Arriving early, I meet Chiara Quinones at the host stand as my friend Judy and I enjoy an American fusion dinner.

In the meantime, there were two guys sitting behind me singing as if no one was around. Although not “loud”, I thought it odd to be doing this at a restaurant. Were they rehearsing, trying out a new song? I alerted them to the volume as I was not sure they realized. As it turned out it was Lance Horne.

42West is a nightclub that abuts the hotel, although I am told is not part of the hotel itself and has the address of 514 W. 42nd. I had received an email about an event here. It said, “July 28-Broadway the Hardway. This concert has EVERYTHING. Tony Winner Lean Hall’s The Deafening, Courtney Act, Lance Horne, Aerialists, Tony Vincent, Constantine Maroulis, Andrew Andrew, Billy Magnussen’s Reserved for Rondee, and Rock N Roll Debauchery featuring Cast Members from Rock of Ages, Kinky Boots and a Night With Janis.”

Scheduled for 8 p.m. First half hour was rehearsing of a piano player and drummer along with a half hour of earsplitting dj music. I mean, this is a ROOM! Piano was in the middle of the floor and there was a stage. Also, material hanging down in a few places. Reserved for the aerialists.

The show started at 9. Entertainment was great! Excellent talent! Didn’t realize that it would be all rock-n-roll sounding and at least loud enough to have been held at an outdoor concert! I wasn’t even sitting in the front and my hearing was being abused. I had to leave when one of the vocalists sang with volume so high that the bones in my head were hurting.

I hope to return for a different experience. Drinks and a small menu are coming from KTCHN. ■

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014

Play about Oscar Wilde is coming up at MuCCC October 2-5 “Diversions & Delights,” by Academy Award Nominee John Gay, starring Fairport’s Peter J. Doyle and directed by Michael H. Arve, will take the stage at MuCCC Oct. 2, 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m., and October 5 at 2 p.m.

“Diversions and Delights” is a oneman play about Oscar Wilde, famous 19th century British wit and playwright who was convicted of homosexuality in one of the most notorious trials of the Victorian era.

This will be the first production of the play in a community theatre in this country. It has not been performed since Vincent Price’s highly acclaimed tour back in 1977. Mr. Gay has given his permission for the production.

Peter J. Doyle has been involved in theater, film, radio and television for over 40 years. He has worked with Blackfriars, Geva, Method Machine, Shipping Dock Theater, JCC-Center Stage, Rochester Children’s Theater and more. His most recent appearance was at Blackfriars in “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play”.

His favorite roles have included “Grapes of Wrath” (Jim Casey), “Talking Heads” (Graham), “Wizards of Quiz” (Charles Van Doran), “Chess” (Walter), “Glengarry Glen Ross” (John Williamson), Roy Cohn in “Angels in America, Parts 1 & 2”, “August: Osage County” (Charlie Aiken), “Franklin” (FDR), and most recently “Normal Heart” (Hiram Keebler).

In film he has appeared in feature productions with Robert Guillaume, Gavin McLeod, Diahann Carroll and Tom Wopat, and in over 30 short and industrial films. As a voice actor he has worked in animated films, TV commercials, Internet training Programs, and the occasional arcade game. On television he

Oscar Wilde

portrayed serial killer Arthur Shawcross in the Discovery Channel Series “Serial Killers”, and is currently in production for a sitcom from ColorStudios entitled “The Church”. He is a member of SAGAFTRA and is a graduate of Nazareth College.

“Diversions & Delights” is set in a Parisian concert hall on the Rue de la Pepinier in 1899 – after his release from prison and about a year before Wilde’s death, at the age of 46. In an attempt to earn some much-needed money, Wilde is speaking to the audience about his life, his works and his love for Lord Alfred Douglas.

John Gay (born April 1, 1924) is an American screenwriter born in Whittier, Calif. Gay began his career writing episodes for television anthology series and made

his film screenwriting debut in 1956 with “Run Silent Run Deep”. For television, Gay has adapted numerous literary classics, and has written television biopics, small screen remakes and adaptations of bestsellers, as well as the television movie “A Piano for Mrs. Cimino” starring Bette Davis.

Gay was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Separate Tables. He has been nominated once for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special and three times for the Edgar Award for Best Television Feature or Miniseries.

Advance tickets are $12, and at the door $20; $15 for seniors/students. Phone reservations: 585-234-1254 or online at www.muccc.org. ■

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

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GAY ALLIANCE NEWS FOR SEPTEMBER 2014

Gay Alliance Volunteer-of-theMonth: Lora Thody Congratulations to Lora Thody for being chosen as the Gay Alliance Volunteer-of-theMonth for September!

Lora has been involved with Roc Pride for four years. The first year she was a parade volunteer. In 2012 and 2013, she stepped up to the plate and became a member of the Pride Committee, co-chairing the Pride Parade. This year, Lora took on the organization and management of the Pride Parade on her own!

Her whole family was involved as part of the Pride Parade planning team and her wife and son served as parade judges. Lora is the main reason the 2014 Roc Pride Parade was such a huge success!

Lora has also helped the Gay

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014

Alliance by volunteering to write for The Empty Closet and assisting with the Pride Festival and the Big Gay Prom. She has also participated in several of the Gay Alliance’s Educational Programs and Trainings.

Lora finds that her work at the Gay Alliance carries over into her workplace at Thomson Reuters, where she participates in their Pride at Work group and volunteers for similar tasks.

She is currently in the process of working with others to translate “Safe Space” into something the company can use to benefit its 60,000 employees in more than 160 countries.

We are so grateful to have Lora as a part of our Roc Pride Committee and our Gay Alliance volunteer team. On behalf of the Gay Alliance staff and board and the Pride Committee, we thank you for all of your hours, your commitment, your hard work and your support.

Thank you, Lora!

Pub Crawl coming up on Oct. 12 The Gay Alliance Pub Crawl, a benefit for the Gay Alliance, will take place Sunday, Oct. 12.

Advance registration is required; $25. Register at www. gayalliance.org.

The evening includes a free t-shirt, a place on the bus and drink specials at each stop. It starts at 1 p.m. at 140 Alex and ends at 8 p.m. at 140 Alex for a Drag Show. Other stops include The Bachelor Forum, The Avenue Pub and Lux Lounge.

All proceeds will support the community building work of the Gay Alliance.

Register for Gay Alliance SafeZone Train-the-Trainer Certification Program There are still a few slots available for registrants for the Gay Alliance SafeZone Trainthe-Trainer Certification Program that will take place on Friday, Oct. 10.

This full day, interactive workshop will run from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Rochester Red Cross.

The purpose of this training is to develop confident, knowledgeable and effective SafeZone trainers, who can then run SafeZone trainings at their school, faith community or workplace.

Each participant will receive a SafeZone Training manual that provides a complete course guide for running SafeZone Trainings, a review of material from the course, handouts to use in future SafeZone Trainings, suggestions for keeping your training fresh and updated and ongoing support from the Gay Alliance.

Registration is $125 per person, which includes breakfast, lunch and a SafeZone Training manual. To register click on the SafeZone Train-the-Trainer slide on our website at: www.gayalliance.org.

Please contact Jeanne at JeanneG@GayAlliance.org or 585244-8640 with questions. ■

TRANS* HISTORY AT CITY HALL: The Trans history exhibit from the Stonewall Museum in Ft. Lauderdale, which was shown during Pride, was also on display at City Hall last month.

July Presentations Safe and Inclusive Schools at Pittsford Central School District Communicating Respectfully with LGBTQ People at Coordinated Care Services, Inc. Shoulders To Stand On Film and Discussion at the Third Presbyterian Church Roc Pride Conversation on WXXI Connections with Evan Dawson The Good, The Bad and the Funny at Equal Grounds Communicating Respectfully with LGBTQ People at Bryant and Stratton College LGBTQ 101 for Center For Dispute Settlement LGBTQ Workplace Issues at Innovative Solutions LGBTQ 101 at Warner School of Education at the U. of R. LGBTQ Pride at the Puerto Rican Pride Peace and Prayer Vigil Grant Writing Seminar as part of the Gay Alliance InQueery Program Working with LGBTQ Clients at the Greater Rochester Collaborative MSW Program

PHOTO: OVE OVERMYER

PHOTO: OVE OVERMYER

CYBER CENTER: The David Bohnett Cyber Center re-opening reception took place Aug. 18 at the Gay Alliance office. L-R: Jeanne Gainsburg, Kat Wiggal, Jen Schwab, Scott Fearing, Jessie Lee Gibson, Andy Rau (LGBT liaison with City Hall). For info on computer use, call 244-8640. Photo: Susan Jordan

Quotes from Evaluations in July “I learned plenty. I like the clear definitions provided concerning gender identity, sex, behaviors, etc. Please continue to let our community and our district’s administration know that you care about what happens in our schools.”

“Dynamic, knowledgeable. I learned how to incorporate small things into my lessons that would make a huge difference for students.”

“We could ask, share without worrying about judgment and stuff. It was awesome.”

“The candid and non-judgmental tone made it easier to ask honest questions. It was great! This was really eye-opening and thought provoking!”

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 Youth Intern: Dawn Balsis 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

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

GAY ALLIANCE NEWS FOR SEPTEMBER 2014

Youth Update: Goodbye and thank you!

By Dawn Balsis My internship with the Gay Alliance will be coming to an end on September 29, 2014.

This has been one of the most wonderful years I have ever had.

I’ve learned so much in my time at the Gay Alliance and will bring the skills I learned into my career as a social worker.

First and foremost I want to express my gratitude to Scott Fearing. He has been a great mentor in my journey at the Gay Alliance. I have always felt supported by Scott and knew that I could reach out when I needed help or had a question.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about the rest of the staff and volunteers at the Gay Alliance. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. I know that everyone who works for the Gay Alliance, and volunteers, have a great passion for what they do. A big thank you to Jeannie, Susan, Kat, Tristan and Christopher for welcoming me and helping me out along the way.

I also want to thank our Wednesday office volunteers, Kerry and Jenna, for taking on any task that I asked of them. I also want to thank Kevin Coffey, who supervised my internship and was a great sounding board. His guidance was insightful and has helped me grow as a social worker. Kelly Clark has also been an amazing resource to me and a great help in getting me acclimated to the youth program.

Most importantly, I want to thank the youth. Spending

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every Friday with them has been an immense pleasure. The Gay Alliance Youth are a great group of fun, smart and caring people.

They are some of the most loving and accepting people I have ever met. There has not been a new kid in the group that has not been welcomed unconditionally by the regular crew.

I will continue to volunteer my time with the youth program and support my replacement in any way I can. Lastly I want to thank BJ Scanlon, Adrianne Chesser, and Keri Meagher who are the three best volunteers anyone could ask for. I have learned so much from them and greatly appreciate all of the time they have devoted to the youth and the program.

Again thank you to everyone for making me feel welcome and a part of the LGBTQA communities. ■

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, Gay Alliance, 5th floor, 875 E. Main St. Rochester, NY 14605 Gay Alliance Youth Gender Identity Support Group (Ages 13-18) Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30pm Gay Alliance, 5th floor 875 E. Main Street For more information: dawnb@gayalliance.org The Gay Alliance 875 E. Main St. 5th Floor (Auditorium Center) Rochester, NY 14605 Phone: 585 244-8640

SAGE members cruise on the Canandaigua Lady on Aug. 7.

SAGE SEPTEMBER CALENDAR Tuesday 9/2 Tuesday 9/9

Thursday 9/11 Saturday 9/13 Saturday 9/13 Tuesday 9/16

Thursday 9/18 Saturday 9/20 Tuesday 9/23

Thursday 9/25 Tuesday 9/30

Gay Alliance youth marched to Take Back the Night on Aug. 16.

Photos: Tristan Wright

Finger Lakes Gaming Racetrack, Meet at OAMCC at 11:45am to carpool to Ractrack for a fun day at the track and Lunch.

Legacy At Clover Blossom (100 Mcauly Drive, Rochester 14610), we will be touring the senior living facility from 1pm-2pm. Meet at OAMCC to car pool no later than 12:15pm. Call 585-218-9000 with driving instructions to facility.

Friendly’s senior breakfast at 10:30am on West Henrietta Rd. Audet will be your Host.

Come on out to the WXXI ( 280 State St., Rochester 14614) open house from 10am-2pm. They will have all kinds of fun activities for all.

Equal Grounds coffee with Roza and Jessie or do you prefer some cocoa with whipped cream? The Grounds has it all, so come at 6:30-8pm and chat it up or play a game.

(Noon-2pm) Cherry Ridge housing tour with lunch at noon at the Cherry Ridge dining facility. (Plan on 2 hours for tour with lunch included, maybe a little bit longer.) Address for Cherry Ridge is: 900 Cherry Ridge Blvd, Webster, NY 14580. Please call 585-697-6700 for driving instructions to facility. Carpooling from OAMCC and leaving church at 11:30am (Noon-1:30pm) Who enjoys the taste of smooth coffee and the aroma of “fresh”? If that is you then hop, skip and jump over with Rainbow Sage to coffee connection (681 South Ave., Rochester 14520) (1-6pm) Sage picnic hosted by Audet, stay posted for more details.

Check the GAGV website and Facebook page for upcoming details.

Dish to pass and bring your own lawn chair.

Housing tour and lunch at the Legacy At Erie Station Road. We are on the move to another stop in our housing series. Have lunch with Roxanne of the Legacy staff to discuss Legacy living and amenities at this Legacy location. Address of Facility: Legacy At Erie Station Road, Henrietta, NY 14467. Please call 585-334-5006 for facility instructions.

Brown bag lunch at 11:30am-12:30pm and 12:30-2pm: fried green tomatoes cooked up by our own chef Audet. Birthday Party for July and August birthdays.

(Noon-2pm) Chapel Oaks a senior living community of St. Anns. We will have lunch at noon in the dining room at Chapel Oaks and tour to follow; we will discuss assisted living and independent living facilities.

Facility address:1550 Portland Ave., Rochester 14621.

Rainbow Sage, for LGBTQ people 50 and over, meets at Open Arms Metropolitan Community center of Western New York (707 East Main St., Rochester 14605). We have chair yoga with Tom for $5 per session from 10:30-11:30 a.m. 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. Please update member information or like FACEBOOK page for updates, cancellations, program changes and informative information. This month we will be visiting several senior living facilities to follow up with our housing program, please feel free to join us and gain valuable information. We will also have several presentations in October as well. ■

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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 482 • SEPTEMBER 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. ■

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • 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

MONDAYS 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 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, Crossroads Coffee House, 752 S. Goodman St. Rochester. Contact Person: Kerry Cater Email: dressyfemme@aol.com. More Info: www.lor-

agroup.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.

WEDNESDAYS 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@outandequal.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.

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 Parents Families & Friends of Lesbians And Gays (PFLAG) For location: 585 813-5081; rochesterpflag@ gmail.com.

Unity Fellowship Church Sundays, 1:30 pm, Second, fourth Sundays 12;30 pm. South Wedge Mission, 1125 Caroline St. 14620. 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 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.

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014

September FRIDAY 5

Personal Pronouns. ImageArt 2014 opening reception. 6-10 pm, Visual Studies Workshop, 31 Prince St. Exhibition addresses gender identity and challenges to the binary. Through Oct. 19. TuesdaysFridays 10 am-4 pm. During ImageOut festival, Oct. 11-12 and Oct. 18-19 from 10 am-4 pm.

SUNDAY 7

Dignity Integrity. Episcopal Mass/ Healing Service. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. Hotline at 585-234-5092; website at www.di-rochester.org/

MONDAY 8

MOCHA Monday Mania Games Night. Spades, Wii, Board Games, HIV Trivia and Fun Safer Sex facts. Snacks and beverages. Free HIV Testing! 5:30-7:30 p.m. 107 Liberty Pole Way. Rochester Historical Bowling Society. 7 pm at Clover Lanes on Monroe Ave. in Brighton. Come at 6:30 to register. www.RHBS.org

TUESDAY 9

Primary election day.

Rochester Women’s Community Chorus first rehearsal of new season.

6:30-8:45 pm, Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh St. New singers asked to arrive at 6:15 for voice placement. (585)234-4441, email RWCCSings@gmail.com, website link www.therwcc.org.

Adult Families of Trans Youth. New support group forming. 5:30-6:30 pm, Gay Alliance Nopper Room, fifth floor, 875 E. Main St. MOCHA Movie Night: “The Skinny”. An entertaining yet educational movie followed by discussion. Snacks and beverage. Free HIV testing! 5:30-7:30 p.m. 107 Liberty Pole Way.

THURSDAY 11

MOCHA Dance, Vogue & Ball Out Talent Night. A friendly competition to “vogue” goodbye to Liberty Pole Way. Snacks and beverages will be provided.

Free HIV testing! 6-8:30 pm. 107 Liberty Pole Way. Out & Equal Second Thursdays.

ImageOut Festival Fair.

Image Out Festival Fair. Doors open 6:30 pm. Eisenhart Auditorium, Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Ave. Hors d’oeuvres, cash bar. Continuous loop of festival film trailers. 8:20 pm: Free screening of “To Be Takei,” documentary about George Takei (gay activist and formerly Sulu on Star Trek.

FRIDAY 12

MOCHA Farewell Reception: Final day of fun to say goodbye as MOCHA Center prepares to move to 189 North Water St. Food and beverages. Free HIV Testing! 4-6 pm. 107 Liberty Pole Way.

SATURDAY 13

Gay Alliance Community Forum, “Visioning Our Future”, 10 am to 12 noon,

Rochester Room, first floor, Auditorium Center, 875 East Main St. The recent Community Survey results will be discussed.

ASL interpreted. info@gayalliance.org.

Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester (TAGR). Planning meeting 3-5:30 pm, Open Arms MCC Community Center, 707 E. Main St. Butch Femme Connection. Dinner at Double J Diner in Winton Place in Brighton at 7 pm. Kerry/Max at 585 957 6627 or email DressyFemme@aol.com.

SUNDAY 14

Dignity Integrity. Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Word, with music. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. Hotline at 585-234-5092; website at www.di-rochester.org/

MONDAY 15

Empty Closet deadline for October issue. susanj@gayalliance.org; 244-9030.

TUESDAY 16

Gay Alliance tabling at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School walkathon. 6 pm. Registration forms for walkathon available by mail, e-mail and online. For questions, please email: walkathon@crcds.edu

THURSDAY 18

Out at GEVA with the Gay Alliance.

“Wait Until Dark,” 7:30pm, For discount mention “Out at GEVA” when buying tickets. 232-4382.

SATURDAY 20

Open Arms MCC “Name Game” potluck and karaoke night. 5:30 pm.

Bring dish to pass that starts with the first letter of your name. 707 E. Main St. “Rising to Your Greatness, Sharing Your Journey and Transforming the World” workshop, facilitated by Gabrielle Hermosa. 6:30-8 pm, Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St.

SUNDAY 21

Classifieds 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 personal address/phone number. 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.

Free 2008 Honda CBR1000RR. Wonderful bike. Runs Perfectly. I hate that I have to part with it but it’s time for me to do other things. Oil has been changed Regularly. Paint is in excellent condition. If interested email (ds7557@ gmail.com)

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) or e-mail me at: magichands@rochester.rr.com.

Handyman: Simple repairs or full renovations, no job is too large or small.

Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical, Interior & 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.

PERSONALS

Male partner wanted. 35-year-old male, clean-shaven, handsome, good health. Likes rock music, zombie movies, science fiction. Assertive, with good business knowledge. Serious replies only.

Write: 2052 E. Main St., Apt. 610, Rochester NY 14609. ■

Open Arms MCC. Praise and worship service with live band. 6:30 pm, 707 E. Main St.

Dignity Integrity. Episcopal Mass. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. Hotline at 585-2345092; website at www.di-rochester.org/

MONDAY 22

ImageOut at Fringe Fest. Free screening of “Gayby”, 7:30 pm at Spiegelgarden, next to Magic Crystal Spiegeltent, Main St. opposite Eastman Theatre.

THURSDAY 25

Registration deadline for “Out of the Closet and Into the Exam Room”. Oct. 9, 7 pm, Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Ave. Registration at dsoles@ hcrhealth.com

SATURDAY 27

Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester (TAGR). 3-5:30 pm, Open Arms Community Center, 707 E. Main St.

SUNDAY 28

Dignity Integrity. Evening Prayer, followed by a Potluck Dinner: “Do It to Me One More Time”. Translation? “Do some kind of summer dish One More (last) Time (before fall)”. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. Hotline at 585-234-5092; website at www.di-rochester.org/

OCTOBER WEDNESDAY 1

“Being Trans… Being Healthy…

Being Aware”. Discussion of trans health issues. 7-9 pm, Open Arms Community Center, 707 E. Main St. Presenters: Sharon Glezen, Patrick Fisher, Lori Meath.

THURSDAY 2

“Diversions and Delights”. Play about Oscar Wilde, starring Peter J. Doyle. MuCCC, 7:30 pm. Through Oct. 5 (see page 27).

Diversity Conference at the college at Brockport. Keynote speaker Wade Davis.

9am, Seymour College Union. www. brockport.edu/diversity ■

SEPTEMBER 2014 • NUMBER 482 • 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.

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.

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

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 482 • SEPTEMBER 2014