Empty Closet, June 2018

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C L O S E T | June 2018 | 3

FEATURES 8

ROWAN COLLINS Editor rowanc@outalliance.org T_ 585-244-9030 DAVE KYLE Advertising davek@outalliance.org T_585-244-9030

RIDE FOR PRIDE

As the long-riding Out Alliance cycling fundraiser races towards its 9th year, learn about its history and what it takes to make the big day happen.

ALAN ALTMAN Graphic Design www.A3-Design.com

Issue printed by:

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AMBUSH ROCHESTER

The “hottest monthly LGBTQ+ women’s happy hour event in Rochester” keeps growing.

THE OUT ALLIANCE 100 College Avenue Rochester New York 14607 Monday & Friday 9am–5pm Tuesday–Thursday 9am­–8pm

620 South Ave. Rochester, NY 14620 (585)461-2556

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585. 244. 8640 585. 244. 8246 E_ info@outalliance.org www.outalliance.org F_

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TOMORROW WILL BE DIFFERENT

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ROC Pride 2018 is right around the corner – see how you can help make Pride week STAND OUT.

REGULARS

The Out Alliance works to be champions for LGBTQ+ life and culture. We strive to ensure that all members of the LGBTQ+ communities, at all stages of their lives, are free to be fully participating citizens, living lives in which they are safe, stable and fully respected.

ROC PRIDE NEEDS YOU

4 10 12 16 24 28 28 36 38

LGBTQ ADVOCACY DAY

Aidan Faiella reports on the newest iteration of May’s lobbying day in Albany, and what’s left to do for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers.

FROM THE EDITOR ALLIANCE NEWS COM M UNITY PROFILE SAGE NEWS CALENDAR GNAW ROCS OUT AND ABOUT THE SCENE KYLES B&B

LETTER FROM THE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

O

n Thursday, May 17 the Out Alliance celebrated International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia by holds their Annual Meeting at Three Heads Brewing to a crowd of 50 community members. May 17th is known around the world as International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. May 17th was chosen as it was the day back in 1990 that homosexuality was removed from International Classification of Diseases with the World Health Organization.

The Out Alliance had a stellar 2017 year that included Ride for Pride and RISE Brunch reaching record setting fundraising goals, SAGE and InQueery programming exploding with activity, and the launch of brand new Transgender program that now includes monthly dinners. Along with successful programming and events the Out Alliance traveled across the country through the LGBTQ Academy providing over 200 presentations and trainings at a wide range of places the include high schools, colleges, health centers, and even a particle accelerator laboratory.

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C L O S E T

The Out Alliance also honored three community members with the Vicki and Vinnie Cup Award. We honored Thomas Somerville, Bess Watts, and Anne Tischer for all the amazing things that they have done for the Out Alliance and Rochester LGBTQ+ community.

This was the second year that the two awards were combined into one out of respect for the full spectrum of gender identities within the LGBTQ+ community. The first Vinnie Cup was awarded in 1975 by the late Arnie Pegish to honor Vinnie Wheeler, who was always willing to help those in needs no matter how busy he was. Four years later the first Vicki Cup was awarded alongside the Vinnie Cup to honor Vicki Russo. Both awards are to recognize members of the community who have given outstanding service to the LGBTQ+ and general community.

Over the years these awards have gone to volunteers, politicians, business owners, and retired employees and the Out Alliance was honored this year to present the award to Tom, Bess, and Anne as recognition for all they do.

CONTRIBUTORS

ERIN HAYES is a content marketing writer with a penchant for speculative fiction.

When she isn’t trying to avoid stepping on her cat, she can be found turning news content into something worth pausing your favorite podcast for.

KERRIGAN J. MERZ is a non-binary trans woman and ex-Southerner with a penchant for punk rock, terrible jokes, and radical praxis. She spends her time petting cats, writing poetry, and working too much for her own good.

AIDAN FAIELLA is a 25-year-old community advocate who enjoys writing and reporting. He is the Vice President of FTM Magazine and owns his own photography company, all while being a father…to the cutest pup.

BESS WATTS is both President of the Rochester Finger Lakes Chapter of Pride at Work and CSEA Local 828 Monroe County and has been an activist for several years in Rochester. Bess has been with her wife, Anne Tischer, for over 24 years.

REILLY HIRST foodie from age 7 (when she sautéed zucchini in butter and dill), has lived in many good places to eat: Cape Cod, San Diego, the Bay Area, Portland.

Now in Rochester, she believes that what you taste now is the beginning of a renewed integrated Rochester revolution.

MERLE EXIT a long-time comedian, singer, and actress, writes for several publications as well as hosting an internet radio show, Whirl With Merle, on blogtalkradio.com.

Merle has traveled to more than ¾ of the United States focusing on entertainment and food.

– JOSH STAPF TO READ THE DIGITAL VERSION AND SO MUCH MORE, VISIT WWW.OUTALLIANCE.ORG/EMPTYCLOSET

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6 | June 2018 | E M P T Y

C L O S E T

EVER-GROWING BIKE FUNDRAISER ENTERS ITS 9TH YEAR THE

COLLEEN RAIMOND President CHLOE CORCORAN Vice President JEFF LAMBERT Secretary MARTIN MURPHY Treasurer JASON BARNECUT-KEARNS SADY FISCHER MILO PRIMEAUX LUIS ROSARIO-MCCABE DAVID ZONA

JEFFREY MYERS Interim Executive Director JOSHUA STAPF Development Director JEANNIE GAINSBURG Education Director ROWAN COLLINS Communications Director KAYDEN MILLER Education Coordinator OLIVIA PAGE LGBTQ Academy Educator LORI CRAMER Administrative Assistant ERIDAN MAEDER SAGE Program Coordinator ANNE TISCHER Outreach Coordinator EVELYN BAILEY Historian KAT WIGGALL Database Administrator

By: ROWAN COLLINS

R I D E

A F O R

P R I D E :

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C L O S E T

keen Empty Closet reader – or cycling enthusiast – may already be familiar with Ride For Pride. The annual bike fundraiser for the Out Alliance takes place Father’s Day weekend in June each year, with an increasing number of riders hitting the road for a beautiful 50–mile route through the rolling hills of Wayne County.

Each rider is encouraged to fundraise as much as they can from friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances. Since its inception in 2010, Ride For Pride has brought in over $204,000 to the Out Alliance, making it one of the agencies biggest fundraisers.

“Riders must bring in a minimum of $250 to ride, but thankfully, many go above and beyond that to help support the amazing work that we do at the Out Alliance,” says Out Alliance Education Director and long-time Ride For Pride Coordinator, Jeannie Gainsburg. In earlier years, riders were required to raise a minimum of $100.

“I picked up the management of the ride in year 2, and so I often get credited with its growth and success, but I do not run this ride alone.”

This year, Al Carver-Kubick and Jamie Allen – Ride For Pride riders and support crew and Gallery Q coordinators with the Out Alliance – have joined Gainsburg to help ensure the massive event continues to run smoothly and successfully.

The ride was created in by two friends and volleyball teammates of Gainsburg’s: Jason Croft and Pam Polashenski. Both Croft and Polashenski are allies to the community and were looking for a way to get in shape and give back. The solution -- a bike ride fundraiser for the (then) Gay Alliance. Of the 18 bikers who took part in the first Ride For Pride, 17 were straight, cisgender allies.

It’s not all pedal to the metal, however. Riders are greeted with food and drinks all along the route to help them stay energized and feeling good. The original route, when the ride was much smaller in numbers, included stops at friends’ houses where hospitality was on hand for riders as they made their way through the miles. The last three Rides, and this year’s, see scenic stops in Pultneyville, Williamson, and Macedon; allowing riders to rest their weary feet (and rears) at supportive businesses.

Those first 18 riders in 2010 raised about $4,000, which some riders now raise single-handedly! The 2011 ride brought in $10,000; 2012, $12,000; 2013, $22,000; 2014, $20,000; 2015, $30,000; 2016, $43,000; and 2017, $63,000.

Many riders were inspired by world and national events, like the Pulse Nightclub shooting and the Supreme Court’s Marriage Equality decision to continue their advocacy and fundraising for the Out Alliance.

Riders are given the option of shirt color when they sign on. Each rider wears a uniform shirt that thanks sponsors and slings a great slogan across the front: Ride For Pride, Shift Happens.

The aim is for an approximately even number of riders to wear each color so the rainbow is represented. One lone rider, previously designated, wears a white shirt. They represent the countless LGBTQ+ individuals across the country and around the world who cannot be out, proud, or openly authentic in their identity because of violence and oppression. This year’s rider in white will be Scott Fearing.

E M P T Y

C L O S E T | June 2018 | 9

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hough the ride has grown over the years, it is still a small, personal experience. The event starts and ends at a private home, that of Craig and Kellie Ronald – long-time Alliance supporters and avid volleyball players. The Ronalds have opened their house to a growing number of riders who show up early on a Saturday morning and return late in the afternoon gritty, grimy, and sweaty. The coordination of homebase is a Herculean feat, as tables full of delicious food is set up (often homemade by “support crew” like Todd Gordon and Walter Polashenski), coolers upon coolers of beer, cider, and non-alcoholic beverages are heaved down the driveway, flags are hung across trees and draped over garage roofs, tables and chairs set up throughout the yard, and copious towels and shower schedules set up for the riders upon their triumphant return.

The lead-up and day itself is astounding in its efficiency – from bringing in sponsors to coordinating rider sign-ups and donation deadlines to establishing the route to printing and marking every turn (a special crew of three dedicated riders – Ed Freedman, Maya Polashenski, and Owen Zacharias – get up at the crack of dawn to spray paint the route, meaning they ride it twice in one day!) to making sure every rider has full tires and safety gear before the start – it truly takes a village.

Should a rider pop a tire, find themselves out of steam, lost, or injured, Ride For Pride even has what are known as ‘sag wagons’; support vehicles that carry spare parts and will transport bicycles and riders as needed. Gainsburg and Anastasia Polashenski play sweep as the “Mother Hens” who stay behind all of the riders to make sure no one rides alone, regardless of speed.

At the end of the ride - a victorious 50 miles later, food, drinks, and relaxation await. The promises of a hot tub, massages, and being able to move without pedaling keeps many riders working towards the finish line.

That, and the knowledge that they’ve toured beautiful countryside with friends for a great cause.

All the money donated to Ride For Pride goes to the Out Alliance (minus a small percentage that Firstgiving charges to process credit cards, which they give you the option of covering.)

To donate to a rider, visit outalliance. org/ride-for-pride and click on a rider’s name and follow the instructions. Donating on the site is easy and secure. If you would rather not donate on-line, you can send the name of the rider you would like to support along with a check made out to the Out Alliance to: Out Alliance 100 College Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607

Your support at any level is appreciated by so many. Here’s to Ride For Pride 2018!

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C L O S E T

ALLIANCE NEWS

ConnieJo Bell

FIONA: I’m a current student at the University of Rochester majoring in computer science and studio art with a concentration in linguistics. I’m originally from China and an alum of an all-girls boarding school called Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut.

I’m excited about meeting the different kinds of people in the LGBTQA+ community as well as getting to know the staff better! I’m also looking forward to exploring the vast collection of queer literature (especially the art-based books!)

The super power I’m bringing is being able to find the best dog videos.

I always think that they brighten people’s days and bring positive vibes!

LORI: I was born in China and was adopted at 8 months old by my 2 moms, Eileen and Connie. I grew up in Henrietta, NY and recently just graduated from Nazareth College with a Bachelors in Business Administration and a minor in International Studies!

When I found out that I was offered a position at the Out Alliance I cried for 30 minutes straight. I was so overwhelmed with excitement and joy because I know just how big of an impact the Out Alliance has in the Rochester Community. I want to become an active member in the LGBTQ+ community in the fight for equal rights and acceptance. I’m most excited to help with the planning and execution of Rochester Pride!! I am honored to be able to work amongst such a dynamic and strong-willed group of people.

The superpower I will bring to the staff is a smiling face, always!

spend time with them. We dance, we laugh, we talk, and there have even been some tears. Getting a young person to trust and open up to you is an honor. I love hearing about what they’re doing in school, what their plans are for the future, their hopes and dreams. Hearing things like “You’re one of my favorite volunteers” or “I’m happy you’re here” are so meaningful and let me know that I’m doing a great job.”

When she’s not at the Alliance, ConnieJo works full time as a Supervisor in the Windstream Communications Fraud Department. She lives in Marketview Heights with her two sons and two dogs, is an active volunteer with Marketview Heights Collective Action Project, and in the midst of what she calls a 3-year weight loss journey. “Life keeps me VERY busy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

We would like to thank ConnieJo for her amazing work and commitment to the Out Alliance and the LGBTQ+ community!

T MINUS 35

For trans and gender expansive people seeking community and a space to discuss self-care, mental health, and coalition building, look no further than T-Minus 35. T-Minus 35 is a peer support group for transgender and gender expansive people between the ages of 21–35 that meet monthly on the third Saturday of every month at the LGBTQ Resource Center.

The group began after the initial success of Tangent, the Alliance’s social and support group for trans and gender expansive young people (13–20), when community members expressed an interest in programming for transgender people after high school.

Pat Collins

A VARIETY OF EXPRESSIONS

A Variety of Expressions opens First Friday June 1. The opening will be held from 6:00 to 9:00 pm at Gallery Q, located at 100 College Avenue. The artist will give a short talk in the gallery and be available that evening to discuss her work with patrons.

The work will be on display through Thursday, June 28.

Pat Collins’s work depicts both people and landscapes. An accomplished artist and long-time Rochester resident, Collins works with watercolor, drawing, and woodcut.

She has worked with clay for over forty years, and the exhibition will feature a number of her sculptural works that depict human emotions. While some of her sculptures are of imagined figures, others show historical people like Annie Oakley, Butch Cassidy, and Walt Whitman or popular celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg.

Collins’s landscape works present the mystery of nature, while her depictions of people showcase a range of emotions. Some of her sculptures double as planters, lending both a natural element and a whimsical feeling to her characters.

STRANGE HIDDEN SHADOWS

Our Volunteer of the Month for June is ConnieJo Bell! ConnieJo is an integral part of the Out Alliance Youth Program where she works on programs that encourage youth to be their authentic selves, where they can be “valued, supported, and accepted unconditionally.”

ConnieJo tells the EC that being an advocate has always been a passion of hers. “[Our youth] need all of the love, support, and nurturing that they can get. I just wanted them to have someone in their lives that truly understood them and could serve as a Role Model. We know all too well that not all of these young people have a reliable support system and are often ostracized by their friends and/or family after coming out. They all deserve a safe place where they can be their authentic selves, and to have a “safe person” in their lives.”

My favorite part of volunteering for the Alliance is, hands down, working with the youth. Whether it’s working on programming, and behind the scenes stuff, or just getting to

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT:

GALLERY Q:

JULY / AUGUST PREVIEW

C L O S E T | June 2018 | 11

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH

Out Alliance welcomes TWO NEW TEAM MEMBERS In May, the Out Alliance welcomed Lo r i C r a m e r a s Center Assistant and Fiona Jones as Communications Intern. Lori will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the LGBTQ Resource Center and Fiona will work closely on the Out Alliance’s social media presence and the Empty Closet.

Both Lori and Fiona took a few minutes to tell us a bit more about themselves:

E M P T Y

“T-Minus 35 came to us through a lot of discussion with community members,” says Eridan Maeder, Out Alliance SAGE Coordinator and Tangent and T-Minus 35 volunteer organizer. “It was clear that folks needed a space where they could be around people of a similar enough age, as well as identity. We developed T-Minus 35 and T35 Plus (which focuses on the 35 and up crowd) to help meet those needs.”

O P E N S F I R S T F R I D AY J U N E 1

An exhibition in collaboration with the Out Alliance Library highlighting the art of LGBT pulp novel covers.

First Friday opening: June 6, 6–9pm at Gallery Q

T-Minus 35 primarily has recent college graduates and young working adults joining the monthly meetings and Maedar says it’s been great to share resources and support.

“Being able to come in and say ‘hey, I’m just figuring out how to apply for jobs, let alone with my legal name’ and finding folks who just went through the same thing, or saying ‘how do I start off on my own for the first time?’ and seeing that camaraderie is really great.”

Monthly meetings at the LGBTQ Resource Center 5:30-6:30pm, each third Saturday. Join in on June 16!

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C L O S E T

COMMUNITY PROFILE:

Jun 2018

AMBUSH ROCHESTER

Ambush Rochester bills itself as a “monthly LGBTQ+ women’s happy hour that happens every 2nd Friday as a means to network and create space for women where there normally is none.”

Jen Doyle and Kate Sweeney, who many may know through HRC Second Thursdays, Lesbians Who Tech, North Winton Village Gay Happy Hour, Wedge Waddle, Sassy in the South Wedge, or dozens of other community initiatives they are involved in, cocoordinate the meetup, which changes location each month.

Started in 2014, Ambush Rochester is the sister program to Ambush Buffalo, which began in 2013. The initial idea: “ambush” a different “straight bar” every month by showing up as a large group of LGBTQ+ women. Sady Fischer and Susanna Speed brought the idea to Rochester and ran the first year+ of the event. Doyle and Sweeney stepped in summer of 2015 and have run it since.

“The idea is that we don’t have any [lesbian or women’s] bars in Rochester anymore and while we do have some gay bars, it’s great to create welcoming spaces across the city,” said Doyle.

To make this happen, Doyle and Sweeney reach out to local bar managers and owners to propose the evening - which often entails somewhere between 60-70 new bar patrons and usually a band or DJ [L Cat] (“We bring our own entertainment!”) Once the bar is on board, the duo gets to work sharing the event and marketing the evening to new and returning Ambush-ers.

“We greet you right at the door,” Doyle mentioned, emphasizing the desire to make each person feel welcome and safe when they arrive for the event. “I’ve gotten it wrong a few times and the person definitely wasn’t there for Ambush, but I’d rather that then let our folks walk in alone.”

They both noted that younger folks are the hardest market, theorizing that the need for a safe space in a bar isn’t what it used to be even 10 years ago.

“It’s great that lots of people in the younger generation don’t feel like they need that [safe space] but I think it’s still really important that it’s there because we’re not that far from where we used to be,” said Sweeney as Doyle added: “I still remember the first time I went to a gay bar when I was coming out and it was like seeing a different world. That you weren’t alone.”

Daily yoga keeps us young!

CATCH AMBUSH THIS SUMMER JUNE 8

Three Heads Brewing

JULY 13

Picnic, Genesee Valley Park, Hawthorne Lodge

AUG 10

Marge’s Lakeside Inn

Most importantly, we have designed communities to help you embrace living your way.

Call 585-760-1300 to schedule a tour or go to stjohnsliving.org/tec.

Our life. Our way.

SJ TEC 2018 - All.indd 3

As locations have switched each month for the last four years, reactions to and from each establishment can vary. With sights on places that aren’t packed on Friday evenings, the addition of 60+ new patrons can be a surprise to regulars. However, Ambush has always received great support from owners and managers.

“We get a lot of really good reactions when we go to bars that are in locations that have ties to the community, like Bug Jar [in the former location of Rosie’s], Side Bar [Riverview Bar] and Skylark [Muther’s],” said Doyle.

As Ambush grows in numbers and reputation, both organizers are excited for what lies ahead.

“It’s great to realize that we’ve become a standing date on people’s calendars. They know they’re coming out each month to hang with friends and meet new people. Whether it’s to find friends or a potential date, we want to make sure people feel comfortable wherever we go,” Sweeney said.

To get connected with Ambush, see upcoming event locations, check out photos from previous months, and learn more, following @AmbushRochester on Facebook.

As their group description reads: “We are not exclusive and welcome everyone - just remember to leave your baggage at the door!”

We offer a full spectrum of senior services from independent living to skilled nursing.

3/16/18 10:35 AM

REMEMBER OUR ROOTS + SEE HOW YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THIS YEARS ROC PRIDE EVENTS.

I

n the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a dingy, Mafia-run “private club” on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village with a predominantly gay clientele. The charge was illegal sale of alcohol. It was the second time that week the bar had been targeted by the police, and other gay bars had also been raided in prior weeks. Police officers lined up the Stonewall’s 200 patrons to check identification. Most were free to leave but the staff, as well as three drag queens and two trans women, were detained.

Eyewitnesses recalled that the scene outside the bar was at first campy and festive. Patrons were joined by tourists and passers-by, and everyone cheered when a gay person emerged from the bar, dismissed by the police. But when a paddy wagon arrived, and the police loaded the bar’s staff and the three drag queens inside, the crowd on the street grew surly. One person threw a rock through a window, and eventually garbage cans, bottles, and even a parking meter were used to assault the building. Someone set a fire with lighter fluid. By newspaper accounts, 13 people were arrested, and three police officers sustained minor injuries in the confrontation.

Later that night and into Sunday morning, a crowd again gathered in front of the ravaged bar. Many young gay men showed up to protest the flurry of raids, but they did so by handholding, kissing, and forming a chorus line. “We are the Stonewall girls,” they sang, kicking their legs in front of the police. “We wear our hair in curls/We have no underwear/We show our pubic hair.” Police cleared the street without incident this time, but another street altercation occurred a few days later.

Even more significant, though, was what happened later in the summer. At the end of July, gay activists circulated copies of a flyer calling for a mass “homosexual liberation meeting.” The headline of the flyer read, “Do you think homosexuals are revolting? You bet your sweet ass we are!” The alliance that formed from the meeting held on July 24 adopted the name Gay Liberation Front (GLF); among its demands were not only an end to police harassment, but job protection for gay employees, the repeal of sodomy laws, and local and national antidiscrimination laws.

A year later, October 7, 1970, The University of Rochester Gay Liberation Front began. Estimates suggest that, at the time of the riots, there were a few dozen gay organizations in the United States. Within a few years, the number had risen to more than 400. The University of Rochester Gay Liberation Front would become what is now known as the Out Alliance by 1973.

NEEDS YOU! Call for ASL Interpreters

ROC Pride exists within the values of diversity, accessibility and inclusion. We respect all individuals of all physical and mental abilities.

ROC Pride is issuing an open call for Sign Language Interpreters who have interest in taking part on this year’s events. All official ROC Pride events will be interpreter staffed.

For all Sign Language interpreters who would like submit an application to participate this year: please contact Christopher Coles, accessibility lead for ROC Pride at ChristopherC@gayalliance.org

Call for Miss Gay Rochester Pageant Recordings

The Out Alliance Shoulders to Stand On Program is looking for any and all Miss Gay Rochester Pageant recordings from 1972 – 2018. Shoulders is also looking for any memorabilia, dresses, performance accessories, programs, advertising, photos, etc. All donations will be catalogued and become a part of the Rochester Gay Culture Collection which we are in the process of archiving and preserving. If you have any Miss Gay Rochester Pageant material, please contact EvelynB@outlliance.org

Thank you – a community does not exist without a documented history!

El Beso By: Angelina Weld Grimké Twilight—and you Quiet—the stars; Snare of the shine of your teeth, Your provocative laughter, The gloom of your hair; Lure of you, eye and lip; Yearning, yearning, Languor, surrender; Your mouth, And madness, madness, Tremulous, breathless, flaming, The space of a sigh; Then awakening—remembrance, Pain, regret—your sobbing; And again, quiet—the stars, Twilight—and you. published through public domain

Call for Pride Volunteers

ROC Pride events are made possible by people like you! STAND OUT as one of our OUTstanding volunteers for ROC Pride 2018!

Our volunteers are vital to making Pride a success for our community.

ROC Pride is committed to recruiting dedicated, reliable volunteers to assist in the production and execution of Rochester’s annual Pride events. Though volunteers need not identify as LGBTQ, it is imperative that all volunteers be LGBTQ-affirming and support the ongoing struggle for full equality. We work to ensure any experience with ROC Pride is a positive one. Join us in making our 2018 events a huge success!

Sign up for a volunteer shift at rocpridefest.org/volunteer

16 | June 2018 | E M P T Y

SAGE PROFILE

C L O S E T

WEEKLY EVENT REMINDERS

Call to Connect

TUESDAYS

Do you love film? If so join SAGE at the Dryden Theater for Monday movies. That’s right – new movie every single Monday! The Dryden Theatre presents free film screenings to seniors (55+) on Monday afternoons at 1:30pm, March through October. These senior matinee screenings are now fully incorporated into The George Eastman film calendar.

Cinematic classics from the George Eastman Museum collection are presented on film, the way they were originally screened and were meant to be seen.

The series is made possible in part by the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation and the Monroe County Office for the Aging.

Join SAGE at the Dryden each Monday for a trip down memory lane, or to see something for the very first time! SAGE organizes a weekly meet-up to ensure no one goes alone – and there’s always someone to discuss the film with!

Get to the theater at 1:00pm to sit together on the right side of the balcony by the stairs.

Contact Dave at RCFDJM@gmail.com to RSVP or with questions!

10:30–11:30am, $5

LUNCH & LEARN 11:30am–1:30pm, $3, catered lunch & speaker

THURSDAYS

SENIOR YOGA WITH TOM 10:30–11:30am, $5

1ST & 3RD THURSDAYS 11:30am–1:30pm, light lunch and volunteer activities

2 ND & 4 TH WEDNESDAYS

50+ MEN’S GROUP

JUNE 4 TH

JUNE 18 TH

JUNE 25 TH

6:30–8pm, Topical discussions

2 ND THURSDAYS

SOUTH PACIFIC

WUTHERIN HEIGHTS

THE LETTER

The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic in gorgeous, widescreen color. The film provides a veritable feast for the eyes and ears as Rossano Brazzi and Mitzi Gaynor find love, anguish, and eventual happiness amid the setting of a war-torn Pacific island.

In this memorable adaptation of Emily Brönte’s classic gothic tale of romance, deceit, and sibling rivalry, Oscarwinning cinematography bathes the doomed lovers in somber tones.

Written between October 1845 and June 1846.

William Wyler’s adaptation of a Somerset Maugham short story opens with a bang—six of them, to be exact, all from the gun Bette Davis has just used to kill the man she claims made an unwelcome advance.

BREAKFAST CLUB @Jefferson Rd. Denny’s, 9:00–10:30am, RSVP Gerry 585. 730. 8772

LGBTQ Resistance to Discrimination: Past, Present and Future

B

eing gay or trans has not always been a justification for discrimination among peoples of the world, nor people in our own country and state. Therefore, resistance to prejudicial treatment has not always been a way of life for members of the LGBTQ community.

The younger you are, the less of a resistant, protective lifestyle you have had to practice and live. However, there are still too many instances where members of the LGBTQ community are not safe!

In a series of articles focusing on “LGBTQ Resistance Movements” past, present and future I will briefly tell the story of how we arrive at the cataclysmic event of Stonewall on June 28, 1969.

Stonewall, identified as the catalyst that began the far-reaching Gay Liberation Movement, did not just happen. The unwillingness to be harassed, discriminated against, vilified, ostracized, and killed erupted out of the collective energy of thousands at Stonewall who finally had had enough; who spoke with one voice a loud resounding NO! This author would posit that Stonewall was the first visible event of resistance that would open the flood gates of social, political, religious and economic change for the LGBTQ community not only in New York but around the world.

Since the earliest recorded times, 8000 BC to the Dark Ages, Indian, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures accommodated homosexuality and crossdressing among a minority of citizenry. The castration of homosexual slaves and house servants became custom in the Middle East, and Jewish tribes criminalized homosexual behavior.

With the advent of Christianity, homosexuality and crossdressing were criminalized in the Roman Empire but remained widely accepted throughout much of the world.

During the Middle Ages, with the growth of Christianity and the advent of Islam, the criminalization of homosexuality and crossdressing spread across Eurasia and into Africa. Although driven underground, they remained widespread and, in most cases, silently tolerated within the shadows of society. The custom of castration became commonplace in the Byzantine Empire and was introduced

into northern China and India. Separated by oceans, American and South Sea Islanders maintained their traditional acceptance of homosexual behavior and crossdressing.

At the turn of the 16th century, Christian Europe waged its greatest assault upon homosexuality to date – burning at the stake and execution. During this period, colonial expeditions into sub-Saharan Africa, Americas, and South Seas revealed an astonishing acceptance of homosexuality and crossdressing among the indigenous people there. In 1791, France became the first Christian nation to repeal its sodomy laws through a revision of its penal code. In 1796, New York State replaced hanging for sodomy with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

In the 19th century, France, Holland, Spain and Portugal repealed their sodomy laws along with those of their colonies while Great Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia only reduced their penalties from death by hanging to long prison sentences.

Britain’s harsh sodomy laws were implanted into all its colonies around the world. The Islamic world maintained a mostly silent tolerance of homosexuality and the practice of male castration dissipated in unison with the global slave market.

In 1897, Magnus Hirschfeld, a German Jewish physician and sexologist, ushered in the world’s very first homosexual rights movement, the first organized resistance against social, political, religious and economic discrimination of homosexuality.

As you can see, most homosexual offenses were focused on sexual relations between persons of the same gender described as “sodomy”, “buggery” or “sins of carnal nature”. Even though sexual behavior is only a part of what defines a homosexual, it seems to be the primary focus of social, political, economic and religious rules, policy, and legislation.

Over the next few months, we will look at the “resistance movements” that worked and continue to work toward creating a society where justice and equality become a reality for all of us. “Until all of us are free, none of us are free!”

3 RD FRIDAYS

PRIDE IN AGING 2:30–4pm, speakers and resources to help you “age in place”

LAST FRIDAYS

FABULOUS FISH FRY! 5:30pm, location varies, RSVP: Audet 585. 287. 2958 or aprice002@aol.com

FIND OUT MORE

HT T PS:/ / EAST MAN.O R G / FI L M-S E R I E S/ S E N I O R-MAT I N E E S

By: EVELYN BAILEY

SENIOR YOGA WITH TOM

SENIORS IN SERVICE

J U N E ’ S D R Y D E N M O N D AY M O V I E S

HISTORY CORNER:

(events at Out Alliance LGBTQ Resource Center unless otherwise noted)

See June’s calendar on page 24 for this month’s special events!

Stonewall National Monument

/ Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, NYC

E M P T Y

OUT IN PRINT:

C L O S E T | June 2018 | 19

get creative

this summer

adult classes kids classes day camps SUMMER CLASSES BEGIN JUNE 25TH!

FEARLESS IS BEING PROUD

Registration for adult & kids summer classes starts May 15th.

Registration for day camps is ongoing.

CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION.

TOMORROW WILL BE DIFFERENT Reviewed by JENNIFER

MORGAN

By SARAH

We believe it is important for our workforce to reflect the communities we serve - it allows us to better serve our employees and members. Representation matters!

We are honored to join this year’s ROC Pride Parade.

MCBRIDE

Walk with PRIDE

Hot off the presses this past March is the inspiring autobiography by trans activist Sarah McBride. Perhaps best known for her appearance and heartfelt message from the podium of the 2016 Democratic National Convention; she is also the highly visible press secretary for the HRC and a frequent speaker at many LGBTQ+ national events.

Growing up in an affluent Delaware neighborhood Sarah is quick to acknowledge the ways in which that privilege has made some aspects of her life and transition much easier than the majority in the trans community experience and yet her story remains relatable on many levels. For someone who has yet to broach her 30’s she has amassed an impressive array of life achievement and experiences while retaining a warm and optimistic personality as I have witnessed firsthand. The book largely focuses on her years of discovering and eventually embracing her trans identity and takes us through her college years and “coming out” as trans, her work and volunteer efforts with several political figures and later on the White House diversity staff during President Obama’s tenure, and ends in the present day with her current efforts in advocacy. The trans readers, myself included, might find parts of her journey and her repeated statements endorsing trans people’s right to safety and equality to be so familiar as to not need saying, I would note that many in the general public have given this little, if any, thought. She paints not only a very human portrait of trans lives, but of the entire LGBTQ+ community that provides depth to the myopic glimpse that is too often cast our way.

There are a couple of chapters that all but the heartiest politicos might find a bit protracted but where the narrative excels is in those chapters that we find Sarah the most unguarded and vulnerable. She lays bare many of her initial fears, joys, victories, and heartbreaks. Especially powerful are the chapters encompassing her meeting, dating and then marrying the trans activist Andy Cray and the terrible journey through his cancer diagnosis and eventual death.

Perhaps, though, the most powerful element that her book offers is a message and tone of immense optimism and the reassurance, even amidst the current political climate, that there are many voices of advocacy, boots on the ground, and political movements working to retain and advance LGBTQ+ equality. Sarah projects a buoyant determinism that I find quite contagious and I doubt many will turn the final page without feeling the same.

500 UNIVERSITY AVE., ROCHESTER, NY | 585.276.8959 | MAG.ROCHESTER.EDU

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KavodRecovery.com | 585.546.5180

E M P T Y

Cleaning Out the Closet By: KERRIGAN J. MERZ

We talk about mental health in this country as it relates to guns. We don’t talk about how mental illness disproportionately affects the oppressed.

C L O S E T | June 2018 | 21

T

he further we get away from the Stonewall riots, the further we move toward this hypothetical homogeneous future where we have all the rights everybody else does, in some new gay Great Society.

Gay Liberation has become Pride, and with new sociopolitical progress, we seek further normalcy in the hopes of straight acceptance. We address our mental health, the real skeleton in our closets, only when we have to. We seem content to forget that years of abuse, of prejudice and discrimination, have harmed many of our souls, and are content to not talk about it. This is a call to my community and the culture at large: we have to talk about mental health and we have to talk about who it actually affects.

I cannot pretend this is not personal. I suffer from mental illness, as do most of the people I love. In the wake of another mass shooting – and because no laws have changed, I recognize there will likely be another in the few weeks between the writing and printing of this piece – mass media and public opinion turn against the mentally ill, and I continue to be horrified and insulted. Even the Parkland survivors, brave and poised as they are, have fallen back on the ease of stigma, and urge lawmakers to expand privacy laws to ensure that the mentally ill can have their confidence betrayed to the police, who are trained to shoot and kill “dangerous” people.

We are not dangerous, we are in danger.

The odds of suffering violence are multiplied for those who are mentally ill – and multiplied again by each additional minority status. However, the odds of violent crime are next to zero with a cause directly attributable to mental health, yet we talk about mass shooters – near-universally straight white men – as if their problem is some vaguely defined brain sickness and not entitlement, whiteness, misogyny, or unhindered male rage.

Do you want to solve the problem that is mental health? Universalize healthcare. Treat mental illness with the same gravitas and kindness that any physical illness is granted, and not just depression, the most easily understood of these conditions. Stop being afraid of us and befriend us. No one should have to be ashamed or afraid to admit they are suffering from an illness.

To all of you:

LET’S CLEAN OUT OUR CLOSETS, SHALL WE?

22 | June 2018 | E M P T Y

QUEER TERRITORIES:

C L O S E T

By: ROWAN COLLINS

Staking a Claim

April 18, 2018 saw the culmination of a semester-long project for University of Rochester’s GSW 210: LGBTQ Experiences in US History class. The installed exhibit, titled “Queer Territories: Staking a Claim in US History”, had its opening reception in the lobby of the Rush Rhees library, amidst a whirl of pre-finals studying. The exhibit will remain through the summer.

“Rochester’s rich past includes forums about transgender issues at the University of Rochester in the 1970s, black lesbian organizing in the 1990s, and the commitment of local youth to demand social transformation. These events were transformative, but they we marked with internal struggles. Which voices were neglected in the fight for gay liberation? How did questions of race and class shape LGBTQ+

organizing in cities like Rochester? What ideas fuel LGBTQ+ activism today? By documenting issues that not only build but also fracture communities, this project aims to share stories about the people who create and sustain queer territories.”

The students spoke with the Empty Closet about their pieces, the exhibit’s conception, and what they learned from the process.

Each member of class was encouraged at the beginning of class by their professor, Dr. Lina Žigelyte̊, to explore topics and sections of the LGBTQ+ communities that are not often given space or amplified.

Working with a list of archived collections and objects in the River Campus Libraries Rare Books Collection, each student honed in on their area of focus:

AARON

Disagreements within the queer community

MAL

AALANA (African American, Latinx American, Native American) representation within the queer community

RAUL

HIV and PrEP

MORGAN

Representation of queer community in art + Nan Goldin’s work

REID

Transmasculine experience in the 1970s

BRIANA

Lesbians of color organizing in Rochester

STEVEN

Transgender oppression in capitalism and the prisonindustrial complex

MADELINE

HANNAH

Lesbian happiness

GREY

Transmasculine history

Implicit bias in the queer community

CAROLINA

CAMERON

RACHEL

Development of heterosexism at UofR

Lesbian feminism in the 1970s

Trans voices at U of R comparison

E M P T Y

C L O S E T | June 2018 | 23

“I chose my topic because AALANA representation is often not spoken about and I wanted it to be my mission to have that voice there [in the exhibit]. I wanted a more holistic representation,” said Mal, who also said the representation was important as a member of the Latinx community.

Grey expressed a similar desire to uncover representation: “There is so rarely transmasculine representation in history, when we look back to the earlier days of the movement. I wanted to dig for that.”

“I found an article that referenced another article that mentioned a “tendency to speak in black and white” when we talk about langu-age. But there’s no universal experience of identity -- especially when we think about the US in the 70s -- and language is so complex.

We need to muddy the waters of history,” Reid added.

The actual work of developing each project involved many of the students pouring over archived issues of the Empty Closet, many of them using articles, photos, and event coverage to inform their work. As a visitor moves through the posters and display cases, the familiar typeset and layout of the newspaper, and by-lines, will be found at every turn. In fact, some of the students said that it was

food, music, and day-of logistics.

In addition to the unveiling of their creation, the students also engaged in an open dialogue with three panelist guests during the opening reception: Ramona Santorelli, Diane Conway, and Cindy Smith (Skyped in from NYC). Santorelli is best known as the force behind Rochester’s Topfree Seven, a 1986 protest in Cobbs Hill Park which advocated for the right of people with breasts to be topless in public. Conway founded the Rochester Lesbians of Color Organization at the age of 21 in 1991. Smith was the curator of a 1991 UR exhibit entitled “From Perversity to Diversity” that helped inspire the current project. The three women spoke on identities, labels, language, the evolving nature of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, and their own personal stories of involvement in Rochester’s movement.

“We were really thrilled by the turnout,” said Morgan, with many of her classmates nodding in agreement. “It was great to see it all come together after so much work.”

Another positive reaction from the opening of the exhibit has been from many of the students friends who are studying at U of R from different countries. A sticky note on a wall next to the exhibit

through reading the EC that their focus topic came to them.

“I saw an article on lesbian happiness in Rochester and it hadn’t occurred to me before that that would be something to quantify,” said Hannah.

Indeed, digging into such Rochester-specific resources allowed the class to learn more about the city that is new for most.

Only one student is from the area.

“It was such an eye-opening experience to the resources that are available here in Rochester, even on campus,” said Rachel.

Madeline and Morgan agreed, adding that it was clear the LGBTQ Center on campus needed more publicity, as none of the class had been made explicitly aware of it during their campus tours as prospective students.

The actual creation of the exhibit took two teams to ready.

While printing and installation was handled mostly by campus exhibit designers, the students worked busily on social media, print marketing,

said, simply, “Hope to see a rainbow in my country someday.”

The students seemed emboldened by this project and the unique opportunity to share their work not only with their own student body but the Rochester community at large. They asserted their belief that the exhibition speaks to the school as a place that cares and is invested in its community, contrary to recent attention, and another example of young people doing the hard work of repairing institutional reputations.

“We hope this exhibit encourages people to grow.”

Madeline offered one last thought on the creative process: “I’m from rural North Carolina and this experience has just brought me more information and confidence. I’ve learned that it’s okay to make other people uncomfortable in the pursuit of these conversations. Lots of people don’t want to talk about them and they’re hard but they’re necessary. It’s okay if people are uncomfortable. It’s not a reflection on you.”

24 | June 2018 | E M P T Y

JUNE EVENTS Friday, June 1

C L O S E T

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Tuesday, June 19

GALLERY Q “PAT COLLINS: A Variety of Expressions” opening reception and artist talk, 6–9 pm, drinks and snacks provided

ALL-AGES TRANSGENDER SOCIAL GATHERING AND DINNER, 7–8:30pm, free catered social dinner, all are welcome!

Saturday, June 2

Wednesday, June 20

BIG QUEER PROM 2018: The Queerest Show on Earth, 7–10pm, MLK Square Park. Free entrance, dress to express yourself!

This year’s theme is Circus! Register ahead: http://bit.ly/ BQP2018

Tuesday, June 5 TANGENT: 5:30–6:30pm, ages 13–20. Come join us while we write letters to our future selves! How do we want to change this summer? What do we hope to achieve? (Letters sent mid-August)

Wednesday, June 6 INQUEERY PRESENTS: “A Guide to Strategically Selling Your Home”, 7–8pm. A home seller’s workshop with Gary Norselli.

Get all your questions answered from a community licensed real estate broker. Free and open to all interested.

INQUEERY PRESENTS: SEX & AGING: 7–8pm. Contrary to what the media would show us, our sex lives don’t stop when we age.

Talk with Megan and Jess about the realities of staying safer during sex as we grow older (and more experienced!) Free and open to all.

Friday, June 22 SAGE FABULOUS FISH FRY: 5:30pm. Come join members of SAGE at the Bay Front Restaurant on 1075 Empire Blvd,14609. R.S.V.P. to Audet at 585-287-2958 or aprice002@aol.com by 6/18 ROC YOUTH U DJ DANCE: 7–10pm, free and open to youth 13–20, you bring the music!

Monday, June 25

OUT IN THE STICKS: Batavia Meetup at GoArt! 6–8pm, 201 E Main St Batavia 14020. Pizza Party! Table topics, film shorts & tall tales. annet@outalliance.org

INQUEERY PRESENTS ‘Bingo at the Brewery’ Drag Queen Bingo with Vivian Darling, Ms. Figgy Pudding, and Ortensia de Loren, Doors 6:30pm, games begin 7pm, Record Three Heads Brewing, 21+ event, $5 donation at the door

Thursday, June 7

Thursday, June 28

LORA WOMEN’S LUNCH & HERSTORY HIGHLIGHTS: 11:30am– 1:30pm. All ages welcome. Programs focused on women’s issues and interests. $3.

INQUEERY MOVIE NIGHT OUT: “Stonewall”, 7–9pm, $2 admission, drinks and snacks available. Join us on the 49th anniversary of the start of the Stonewall Rebellion.

Friday, June 8

Wednesday, June 13 INQUEERY MOVIE NIGHT OUT: “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”, 7–9pm, free admission, drinks and snacks available.

Tuesday, June 19

Got an event next month? Submit it to rowanc@outalliance.org before July10th for inclusion in July’s calendar.

Friday, June 1 – Sunday, June 3:

Tuesday, June 19:

ROCHESTER GAY MEN’S CHORUS GAYRAGE SALE: 121 N Fitzhugh St, Ste 315, Rochester, New York 14614, find some great items and shop for a bargain.

TRANSPARENT ROCHESTER MEETING: 6:30–8pm, Out Alliance LGBTQ Resource Center. TransParent provides connection and support to parents raising a gender independent or transgender child of any age. Contact rochester.ny@ transparentusa.org with questions

Saturday, June 2: ROCHESTER WOMEN’S COMMUNITY CHORUS 40TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT: How Can I Keep from Singing? – 7:30–10:30pm, The Harley School, celebrating 40 years of the RWCC with hits spanning four decades. ASL interpreted and wheelchair accessible. Tickets at rwcc.ticketleap.com

Tuesday, June 5: AFTY (Adult Families of Trans Youth) 5:30–6:30pm, Open Arms MCC, 707 E Main St, Rochester NY 14605. Facilitated discussion and social group to provide the families of trans* adolescents with a safe forum, shared network of support, and central hub of knowledge and resources.

NEW GROUND POETRY NIGHT: – 7:30pm, Equal Grounds Coffee Shop. Bring a friend or four! Drink coffee and be surrounded by amazing people. The lineup is first come, first on stage.

Each poet has five minutes (or three poems, whichever comes first.)

Friday, June 8:

Sunday, June 24: DRAG BRUNCH: seatings at 11:30am and 2pm, Edibles Restaurant, 704 University Ave, Rochester NY 14607, featuring Aggy Dune, Mrs. Kasha Davis, Darienne Lake, and Wednesday Westwood. $27 includes brunch & show, call 585271-4910 or ediblesrochester.com to reserve your seat.

EVERY SATURDAY THE REPAIR SHOP 5:30–6:30pm, Out Alliance LGBTQ Resource Center. An open AA meeting in a safe space for all, meeting has an evolving weekly format. Open to all - LGBTQ and allies.

SERVICES DIGNITY/INTEGRITY Sundays, 5pm, 17 South Fitzhugh Street JUNE 3: Episcopal Eucharist with healing service JUNE 10 & 17: Catholic Liturgy JUNE 24: No Service. Memorial Day Picnic at Powder Mill Park

AMBUSH ROCHESTER: (“the hottest event for LGBTQ+ women in Rochester”) Takeover #53 – 6–9pm, Three Heads Brewing, 186 Atlantic Ave, Rochester, NY 14607. @AmbushRochester for details.

OPEN ARMS METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH Sundays, 10:30am, 707 E Main St JUNE 3: Teen/Tween Sunday School, concurrent to service

Saturday, June 9:

THIRD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Sundays, 8:30am & 10:45am, 4 Meigs Street

Saturday, June 16:

LGBTQ+ CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP: 5–7pm. Taking care of a friend, partner, or family member living with a chronic illness and/or memory loss? Please join us for our monthly group.

Contact Mara at (585) 244-8400 x239 or mkouides@ lifespan-roch.org Keep up to date with new events follow us on Facebook @OutAllianceRoc

(all events at LGBTQ Resource Center unless otherwise noted)

C L O S E T | June 2018 | 25

5TH ANNUAL MR. & MISS VICTORY ALLIANCE PAGEANT: 10pm– 12:30am, 140 Alex Bar and Grill. Hosted by Kyla Minx, 21+ only, $5 at door. 100% of proceeds donated to the community program(s) of the winners’ choice. Drag, drag, and more drag! Drink specials, giveaways, spotlight numbers and pageant categories downstairs. Full drag show upstairs after the pageant. Contestant info: rochestervictoryalliance.org/ pageant2018

LAUGH OUT LOUD COMEDY: 6–8pm. Join us for a night of laughs.

Sign up at the door or with host Pat Collins for a slot

For weekly, monthly, and ongoing events, see our ongoing calendar!

E M P T Y

|

See our online community calendar at: bit.ly/RocLGBTQCal

See page 16 for ongoing SAGE event information

TRILLIUM HEALTH’S THE WHITE PARTY 2018: 7pm–11pm, Anthology, 336 East Avenue. This year, our exciting annual party has moved to Anthology, a chic downtown music venue in the East End district. Over 450 guests dressed in white will enjoy a full bar and tasting dinner by first-class restaurant, AVVINO, before dancing the night away. Tickets available at: http://bit. ly/THWP2018 All events listed are provided by groups and organizations outside of the Out Alliance and are accurate to the best of our ability.

26 | June 2018 | E M P T Y

C L O S E T

OUTLOOK: JANUS vs AFSCME E M P T Y

C L O S E T | June 2018 | 27

K C A T T A R E D N U S R E K R WO

Any day now the Supreme Court will rule on a case most people haven’t heard of, Janus versus AFSCME, but this ruling will have lasting implications for LGBTQ people, women, minorities and all workers around the country and right here in New York.

The case will decide whether states are allowed to have public sector labor laws that require public sector workers to reimburse unions for work the unions by law must do on the workers’ behalf.

The plaintiff who filed the case wants to work in a union shop, get all the union benefits and protections without paying any union dues. He doesn’t want to pay his fair share to the union for negotiating that contract. That’s unfair.

Driven by union busting corporate bankrollers and a right-leaning court, this case was fast tracked and could be decided any day. They could potentially turn all public sector jobs across the country into ‘right-to-work’ jobs or as we like to say ‘right to work for less’ jobs. When unions are in a workplace workers make 27% more in wages, are more likely to have health insurance and retire with a pension.

Here in New York there are approximately 800,000 LGBTQ people. Even though we are in one of the few states in the country that has made it illegal to discriminate against LGB workers, a union contract provides protections against discrimination above and beyond the state law. Transgender workers are not protected by State law so a union contract is even more valuable. Without a union, a LGBTQ person (or person of color, or woman) would have to wait months if not years for an EEOC claim to make its way through the system. In the meantime, their position has already been filled. With a union, there is an internal grievance system in place that can rectify the situation in a matter of days.

Studies show that gay and bisexual men earn less than similarly qualified straight men. The wage gap is even greater for LGBTQ women and trans workers, and more so for people of color and immigrants.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about public-sector workers, either. This is part of a decades-long attack to dismantle the power of unions and take away the voice of the worker. Too often, we don’t think of unions as vehicles of power for LGBTQ people, but a union contract helps offer security, benefits and pay equity too often denied to working people of all genders, sexual orientations, and races. Unions are a lifeline for so many queer people. If the Supreme Court decides to turn the nation “right to work”, part of their legacy will be undermining equity and stability for LGBTQ people and all workers across the US.

BESS WATTS

President Pride Work AFL-CIO / Rochester

KENDALL BELL

President Coalition Labor Union of Women / Rochester

DEBBIE LEE

President Coalition of Black Trade Unionists / Rochester

28 | June 2018 | E M P T Y

GNAW ROCS: OUTSIDE? WE’RE ALLOWED TO GO OUTSIDE?

By MERLE EXIT FOOD ON THE MOVE: So now that the weather has turned, sort of…

We can go outside and PLAY! Which makes us hungry. With food truck season a month late, here are some of my favs in ROC. This would be much harder in Portland, the land of food trucks, which has roughly 3x the urban population of ROC, but 20x the number of food trucks.

I’M JUST GOING TO GIVE A FEW HIGHLIGHTS.

The winner -- drum roll please -- is still Le Petite Poutine.

Doing simple things well and adding bonuses like Lemon Lavender soda, this damn Canadian food truck has the best “most consistent” product around.

Besides the traditional with gravy and curds over french fries in 2 sizes are options for vegans/vegetarians, bacon additional, or interesting specials that feature breakfast or Thanksgiving inspired toppings. My only comment less than positive: the s’more dessert is good but not as good as Spot’s on East Ave.

My next favorite is the Daily Refresher truck, most often parked out back of their patio.

There are many things to love about the Daily Refresher food truck. Originally, I fell for the chicken and waffles combination, which involves 2 drumsticks dipped in waffle batter and served with maple bourbon sauce. Over time, the drumsticks got larger, but I liked them less. Slowly, the satisfying (and good for drinking) garlic parsley fries won my heart. In addition, the $7 burger has house-ground meat and is served with brioche buns and arugula.

A few other highlights include Heritage Taco Truck, which may be operating sporadically this season. The main chef has a slightly better opinion of himself than his food, but it is still good.

They are hand-making the tortillas, and favorites for me include the Al Pastor, Barbacoa and Rajas Poblanas. I would probably skip the street corn which, in being gourmet, is not quite as good as the traditional variety, but not many make it in ROC so if you need a fix, it’s here.

That said -- we all need dessert and during summer, I Scream… you get the point.

EatMe Ice Cream is the last on the list. This lovely local manufacturer of both dairy and vegan ice cream doesn’t just come to your grocery store but to you via a small cart at various events.

Everyone has favorites; mine include the Crystallized Ginger and Cashew Curry Coconut and the Lavender Goat Cheese. The source of the ingredients, the palates of the makers, the pedal power, all make this feel like a Portland ice cream maker and are a lovely discovery whenever I find them at an event unexpectedly.

It’s summer, let the warmth lead you outside to food and happiness.

C L O S E T

OUT AND ABOUT: Eating My Way Through Bellingham,

PART TWO

By MERLE

EXIT

Continuing with my food tour of Bellingham, Washington and its suburbs, we are off for more indulgence. Located in the Nooksack River Valley, less than 15 minutes from Cloud Mountain Farm, Samson Estate Winery is a small family-owned operation noted for the raspberry and blackberry wines produced by their winemaker Rob Dhaliwal. We were led to the raspberry field and let go to pick and sample. You’d think that I was deprived of food on the entire trip the way I just couldn’t stop eating these absolutely most delicious and largest raspberries I’ve ever indulged in.

Not only were they sweet but also lacked those tiny little seeds that get stuck between your teeth. Having been joined by representatives of the Washington Red Raspberry Commission, we got the low down that 65% of all US raspberries are grown in Whatcom County. The fresh ones that you tend to buy from Driscoll may be fresh but not picked when they are fully ripened. Thus those annoying seeds are embedded.

The raspberries from Washington are either sent to companies to juice or frozen. It means that you have to read the package to be sure that it did come from Washington.

As far as the wine tasting, we were provided with lunch (I know that you’re laughing) to pair with their various wines, including one regular raspberry and sweeter dessert version. www.samsonestates.com.

It’s off to Lynden for the Raspberry Festival. I love this town, Washington’s largest Dutch settlement with 30% of its residents still embracing their Dutch ancestry. I know that we’re there specifically for the festival, but I just needed to sample some of the Dutch fare -specifically the sweets. They were making something called Poffertjes (little pillows). There was the Dutch bakery and Dutch chocolate shop.

Oh yeah, the raspberries. We had a freshly made vanilla ice cream with a chunky raspberry sauce.

Back to Bellingham and Chocolate Necessities, where owners Kevin Buck and Mark Pantly use the finest grade of Callebaut Chocolates for most of his creations. Aside from tasting the various cocoa percentages of both dark and milk chocolate, we went to the kitchen where he was preparing chocolates with fruit. We just had to sample those. This was the first chocolate store where I was able to taste Amarena cherries dipped in chocolate. www.chocolatenecessities.com.

We later headed for the Silver Reef Hotel, Casino, Spa, located in Ferndale, where we were also bedding for the night. As if we hadn’t indulged in enough sweets…Amongst the dessert offers were: chocolate rockettes, a pastry topped with chocolate feet; a peanut butter cookie creation, and both flaming bananas Foster and cherries jubilee prepared tableside.

The Lummi Nation is responsible for the acreage used for this resort and operates the casino. I didn’t partake in the casino due to lack of want to lose my money, nor the spa due to my time constraint as I was hosting my radio show there. I did get a great night’s sleep in a most comfortable king bed…that had a chocolate on the pillow. Oy! www.silverreefcasino.com.

For further information on Bellingham and Whatcom County visit www.bellingham.org.

E M P T Y

4 TIPS TO STAY SAFE THIS PRIDE MONTH

Pride Month is more than a month celebrating our queerness.

It’s also a time to celebrate self-love, community involvement, and being ourselves.

That’s why Pride is so important in the aftermath of tragedies like Orlando and the terrible reality of hate crimes. It reinforces that

C L O S E T | June 2018 | 29

By: ERIN HAYES Photo by: BESS WATTS

love and positivity are alive and well.

Unfortunately, prejudice and violence against the LGBTQ community won’t disappear during Pride. That’s why it’s important to make sure you and those around you prepare to stay safe while you’re “out” and about celebrating Pride Month.

Here are a few ways you can CELEBRATE PRIDE MONTH while STAYING SAFE.

1 2 3 4 GO OUT WITH FRIENDS.

LET PEOPLE KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING.

HAVE AN EXIT STRATEGY.

KEEP YOUR PHONE ON HAND.

Whether you’re celebrating at the festival, picnic, or at Tilt, it’s a good idea to go out with friends. There’s safety in numbers and you’ll have someone to watch your back.

What’s more, Pride is more fun when you’re surrounded by the people you love.

Try to let two or three people know where you’re going and when they can expect you back.

This is a good idea whether you’re going to a Pride event or out for a night on the town because it ensures someone will come looking for you if something were to happen or you were to get lost.

There’s a reason why buildings have ‘EXIT’ signs above their doors in neon red lights. When you’re at an event (be it outdoors or indoors) be sure to pinpoint where the exits are in case something happens or you feel uncomfortable and need to leave.

It may be a common joke that we always have our eyes on our phones, but your phone is your primary source of communication. When you’re out at Pride, keep your phone charged and on hand to make sure you’re able to contact people or call 911 in the case of an emergency.

In light of recent hate crimes and the Orlando massacre, it’s important to keep ourselves and each other safe.

Be sure to have each others’ backs this Pride Month. Remember, we’re as strong as our community.

E M P T Y

LGBTQI ADVOCACY DAY

Photos and Text by: AIDAN J. FAIELLA

The Fight Continues

M

ay 8th, 2018 was LGBTQI Advocacy Day on the hill in Albany, NY. Rochester’s’ own Out Alliance was only one of many groups of advocates from across NY state who came together to talk with NYS elected officials about policies and issues that our communities are facing in this country. Attendees of all ages – middle school to older adults – came together to discuss the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), Bathroom Bills, banning conversion therapy, and other issues.

HARRY BRONSON AT PRESS CONFERENCE

The event opened with fiery and inspiring speeches from powerhouses within the community who make a career out of fighting for the rights of their fellow human beings. From Alphonso David counsel to the Governor - standing in front of the crowd ensuring he does all he can in his power for the community, to Juli GrewOwens, Executive Director of GENY (Gender Equality of New York), who travels across NYS educating individuals on acceptance and embracing individuality. Juli got the crowd chanting and roaring about their rights.

The day was highlighted by honoring the memory of a special soul who was widely known as one of the most important advocates in the history of the New York State LGBTQI Rights movement: Edie Windsor. From the Stonewall Riots of 1969, to being the plaintiff in United States v. Windsor, which overturned Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage act, Edie fought for the community. In attendance and awarded a citation by Alphonso David in honor of Edie’s fight and legacy was her widow, Judith Kasen-Windsor. KasenWindsor spoke on behalf of her departed love’s legacy, and her own personal mission to continue the fight for what is right and what her widow started.

High noon brought a press conference on the steps of the beautifully illuminated Million Dollar Staircase, on the crest of the hill in the heart of the NY State Capitol. The sun was beating warm rays through the thick glass on the ceiling of the capitol. For a moment, even though there were easily 150 plus people in that staircase, I had a moment of solace. We were all there that day to talk about the fight we had to do together, but that’s just it -- we were together. It was in that moment I felt a nearly indescribably sense of comfort. Our future is going to be okay because of every soul in that room. We have incredible people fighting for us. People who identify all across the spectrum - even allies. I was standing across from the actual press conference in the Press section, taking photos and video when a fellow photographer leaned over to me and said, “look up.” I looked up and saw a gorgeous glass ceiling with light coming through at nearly every angle, reflecting subtle colors across the ornate walls.

He proceeded to tell me that the ceiling that was recently redone, after years of being painted black during the years of the war. That moment seemed to have lasted forever; I was overcome with a warmth and a peace.

Concentrating back down to the press conference, I reflected on the words of community gladiators like Senator Brad Hoylman, Assembly Member Deborah Glick, and Rochester’s’ own Harry Bronson.

Once the press conference was over, I was personally invited to the gallery overseeing the senate floor for the reading the

C L O S E T | June 2018 | 31

Resolution in honor of Edie Windsor. I was taken down a long hall where I received clearance to photograph the event. I was immediately overwhelmed by easily 100 emotions. Urgency, honor, nervousness, gratitude, love, compassion, and many more. To look down at the senate floor at the standing ovation Judith Kasen-Windsor received in honor of her wife sent chills up my spine. Photographing that moment in history was extremely special - I knew it wouldn’t be the last moment like this. Equality is a battle that continues, but we have strength in numbers.

While the day was filled of networking and workshops, there was still business to be done. Meetings with all regions on important legislations and issues occurred. I attended the one for the Rochester region. Trever Bender, Deputy Legislative Director for Rich Funke, was the moderator for our round table. He was receptive to our concerns and thoughts and listened intently to our experiences and insights. There was expression of facts, stories of loss, and innovative ideas that flew around the room. No matter who you glanced at, you could see passion in their eyes. Bender followed up in an email after our session stating that he intends on following up with Senator Funke about our meetings and discuss GENDA predominately. He [Bender] understands the importance of that bill from our meeting and extended his accessibility to the group if we had any questions.

Miss Rickey Snowden is a member of the Speakers Bureau at the Out Alliance and has been a member of the community for decades. She is always seen around town [Rochester] at community events supporting others. She was at the capitol on the 8th for a more personal reason. “I’m here to fight not only for trans people of color, but for trans people of color to be able to adopt. Where are the people to help trans people of color to get ahead, I’m here for someone to open doors and listen.” Miss Rickey has been trying to get approved to foster or adopt babies of her own.

Kayden Miller was also present on the hill that day for his own reasons as well. Miller is the Education Coordinator for the Out Alliance. “As the Education Coordinator, I go into schools, businesses, talk to teachers, parents, humans about ways to interact with the community. I’m here to talk guidelines, not only policy. I want to hold people accountable and give kids, especially, actual rights.”

Overall, Advocacy Day showed hope, but it also shone light on a path with many shadows still to overcome. A path of work that still needs to be done. In the interim between now and the silver lining, we have each other, and we must enjoy life and the freedom that those who fought tooth and nail before us have given. I leave you with the words of the beloved Edie Windsor: “Don’t postpone joy. Keep it hot!”

OUT ALLIANCE GROUP SPEAKING

32 | June 2018 | E M P T Y

C L O S E T

Tickets on Sale Now for Roc Pride Fest!

Join in on the celebration at Roc Pride as we Stand Out: (Live) in Color.

This year we encourage the community to find inspiration from icons in the LGBTQ+ community, be true to yourself, and utilize every color of the spectrum to highlight individuality and diversity.

Through special events from July 14‑21, Roc Pride Parade, and Roc Pride Fest we will find that through difference and diversity there is strength in uniting and standing together.

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Opening Ceremonies: (KICKOFF) in Color NEW Fabulous Lives: (DRAG) in Color Gayme Night

Tuesday, July 17

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Euchre Tournament: (dealt) in Color Gayme Night

Friday, July 20th

Pride Party: (Celebrate) in Color

Saturday, July 21st Roc Pride Parade

Wednesday, July 18th

Euchre Tournament: (dealt) in Color NEW Stand Out on The Town

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ROC PRIDE FEST Pre-sale Ticket Info: Weekend Pass $9.99 Day Pass/Saturday $7.50 Day Pass/Sunday $5 Student Weekend Pass $5 Veterans/Under 16: FREE

Thursday, July 19th

Monday, July 16th

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Premium (VIP) Weekend Pass $100

4 drink tickets per day, Tasty light fare, Premium lounge seating, Preferred entertainment seating Limited Quantity Premium Weekend Passes Available!

First 10,000 through the gate will receive a free Stand Out: (Live) in Color tote bag!

First 10,000 through the gate will receive a free Stand Out: (Live) in Color tote bag!

rochesterpride.com An Out Alliance Celebration

#RocPride2018

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34 | June 2018 | E M P T Y

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36 | May 2018 | E M P T Y

THE SCENE : A

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G

C L O S E T | May 2018 | 37

F

E

G

A

D

H

D

I

H

H

B

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A Shoulders to Stand On U of R Collab Live Launch @ Out Alliance, May 2 (credit: Emily Sherwood) B Ambush at Comedy @ the Carlson, May 11 C TYouth Group Day of Silence @ Out Alliance, April 20 D LGBTQI Advocacy Day @ Albany Capitol Building, May 8 (credit: Bess Watts & Eridan Maeder) E Type High Letterpress Fundraiser for Out Alliance, May 4 (credit: Tony Zanni)

J

F Eric Bellman Artist Talk @ Gallery Q, May 4 (credit: Dan Larkin) G Drag Bingo @ Three Heads, April 30 (credit: Erin MorrisonFortunato) H Ride for Pride Drag Fundraiser @ Out Alliance, April 28 (credit: Eridan Maeder) I Drag Story Hour @ Blackfriars Theatre, April 21 J Drag Brunch @ Edibles, April 22

38 | June 2018 | E M P T Y

C L O S E T

E M P T Y

THE CIRCUS IS COMING BIG QUEER PROM JUNE 2 / 7-10PM MLK SQUARE PARK

CONGRATULATIONS! TO THE 2018 VICKI AND VINNIE CUP AWARD WINNERS ANNE TISCHER, THOMAS SOMERVILLE & BESS WATTS

C L O S E T | June 2018 | 39

THANKs TO OUR 2018 SPONSORS! *Registered riders train for FREE at M/Body leading up to the Ride!

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