Empty Closet July 2011 Sec B

The Empty Closet

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Pride Guide Insert

Arts, Entertainment and Community

number 447

a publication of the gay alliance of the genesee valley

july 2011

Stills from “You Should Meet My Mother,” screening at The Cinema on July 14.

ImageOut screens two films for Pride 2011 ImageOut will once again sponsor Rochester Pride 2011.

ImageOut is not only Western New York’s largest LGBT film festival but also a consistent supporter of local LGBT events, including Rochester Pride.

ImageOut brings back two audience favorites from last October’s lineup for one night only during Pride Week, on Thursday, July 14 at The Cinema, 957 Clinton Ave. at Goodman St. Admission is $8 in advance, $12 at the door; tickets available at Equal=Grounds and Outlandish.

At 7 p.m., a loving mother finds unexpected allies in her quest to find happiness and true

love for her closeted gay son in “You Should Meet My Son!”.

Rochester audiences were treated to an entertaining Q&A with writer/director Keith Hartman when this film had its New York State Premiere at ImageOut last October. Popular among men and women of all ages, and with its broad theme of acceptance and its focus on the importance of family, “You Should Meet My Son!” is the perfect film to start an evening of celebrating LGBT pride.

At 9 p.m., ImageOut says, “Nothing can truly ever prepare you for the unique experience that is ‘Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives’. With its over-the-

top, ‘authentic’ ‘70s B-exploitation style (complete with grainy film-stock, missing scenes, and ‘please be patient while we switch reels’ inter titles), this film takes revenge to a different level as it tells the story of a sassy group of “tranny” entertainers who respond to a deadly hate crime by fighting back in grand style and high camp.”

This controversial film, which has both opponents and supporters within the gender variant community, was a major hit last October, ImageOut says, adding, “Just be warned that ‘Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives’ contains excessive, graphic violence.” ■

Nazareth College hosts 2011 Dance Festival July 8-16 The Nazareth College Arts Center will hold its 2011 Dance Festival July 8-16.

Tickets for the four main stage performances at the Callahan Theater, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, July 8-9, and Friday and Saturday, July 15-16, are on sale now. All other events during the Dance Festival are free and open to the public.

The Dance Festival will feature the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and its cofounder and artistic director, Bill T. Jones, who received the 2010 Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime contributions to the arts and American culture.

A very special evening is planned for Thursday, July 14, when Tony Award-winning choreographer Garth Fagan joins Bill T. Jones on stage for an enlightening discussion moderated by Deborah Ronnen, owner, Debo(Nazareth continues page 2)

“Body Against Body”

Mark Allen Davis and Stephen Cena. Photo: Susan Jordan

Mamet’s “Speed the Plow” opens at The Space July 14

By Susan Jordan David Mamet’s “Speed the Plow,” a scathing treatment of the relationship between two Hollywood movie executives, will be staged July 14-17 at The Space, a new performance venue in the Hungerford Building at 1115 E. Main St. The three-character play stars Mark Allen Davis and Stephen Cena, with the third role unfilled at EC press time.

Mark Allen Davis, a Rochester native, is a dancer, choreographer, actor, artist and teacher.

He has danced with the famed Jose Limon company and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane company, and was in the original production of “The Lion King”.

He has just been named Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Memphis, and will be moving to Tennessee shortly after the production of “Speed the Plow” ends.

Davis will be returning to Rochester after the school year is over and hopes to produce more plays at The Space.

Stephen Cena is originally from Massachusetts. He came to Rochester to study computer science at RIT and has never left. He says, “I did theatre with

Review: You Should Meet My Son!

By Robby Morris “You Should Meet My Son”, an audience favorite on the gay film festival circuit by writer/ director Keith Hartman, could easily be called “You Should See This Movie”! Fortunately, now you can, as the film was recently released on DVD -- and it will be screened by ImageOut on July 14 at 7 p.m. at The Cinema.

Conservative Southern belle Mae gets the shock of her life when she overhears that her only son is gay. She then discovers that the guy he has been living with wasn’t just his roommate,

the RIT drama club and after graduation stopped acting for a while. Then I felt that itch again. NTID was looking for a voice actor, so that’s how I got back into being on stage.” He has appeared at MuCCC and Geva in Michael Steck’s “Lipstick Massacre” and at MuCCC as the lead in “Boys In the Band” and in “Arsenic and Old Lace” and “Miss Mary Dugan”.

Mark plays a newly promoted Hollywood studio executive, Bobby Gould. He says, “Mamet wrote ‘Speed the Plow’ after his first experience in Hollywood, maybe as a way to exorcise that.

It’s about friendship – how nothing is sacred, but in the end Bobby’s best friend saves him from career suicide.”

Mark and “Speed the Plow “director Jerry Argetsinger did Facing East by Carolyn Pierson last year. “It’s about a couple whose son has committed suicide because he was gay. It was very successful and Jerry and I discussed doing another play.”

Stephen says, “I’m playing Charlie Fox, a production assistant in Gould’s office and his best friend of 20 years. I see Charlie as Bobby’s friend – but he really wants to make his career take off….”

Admission is $5. J The play runs July 14-July 17, Pride Weekend. The Space is on the second floor of the Hungerford building, and playgoers should use the building’s Entrance Two. ■

but his boyfriend, and they have recently broken up.

Rather than dig in her heels and refuse to accept the truth about her son, she and her spinster sister plunge in head first to embrace and educate themselves on gay culture, meet some new friends along the way and endeavor to find her son a new Mr. Right.

There is a reason this film has won several “Best in Festival” awards, including Best Feature at Ontario’s Reel Out Film Festival and Best Screenplay at the Festival Del Sol in Spain.

It’s smartly written, incredibly moving, hysterically funny, and features standout performances

by Joannie McGee as Mae and Carol Goans as her sister, Rose.

Unlike other films dealing with the issue of a parent’s acceptance of their offspring’s sexuality, “You Should Meet My Son” never wanders too far into preachy waters and the use of cultural clichés (Drag Queens, Go-Go Boys, and cruising on Manhunt) are purely intentional and played for laughs. One comical scene pays homage to an iconic scene in the classic film Auntie Mame and even references itself as such.

But before the plot has the chance to become too over the top, an exchange between Mae and her son quickly reminds us what the film is truly about: “If you think that this world won’t give you the things that you want, love, kids, a family, then I am gonna have to change the world, because I will not have it change you.”

Writer/Director Hartman has managed to do what few others have been able to. He has taken a topic familiar to all of us in the gay community and used countless times as a plot device in gay themed films, and put a fresh and endearing spin on it.

If you aren’t smiling at the end of this film, clearly, there is something wrong with you.

Image Out, Rochester’s Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, will be showing “You Should Meet My Son” as part of their Summer Mayhem – Special PRIDE Week Double Feature Thursday July 14 at the Cinema The(Review continues page 2)

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the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 447 • july 2011 out of submissions,” said Rivera-Ortiz, Foundation founder and president. “I believe it is safe to say at this juncture that the response to our call for applicants went very, very well and even better than we could have imagined.”

(Review continued from page 1) atre, where there will also be copies of the DVD available for purchase. For more information about this event, visit www.imageout.org. For more information about the film, visit www.YouShouldMeet MySon.com. ■

(Review continued from page 1) rah Ronnen Fine Art; council member, New York State Council on the Arts; and Chair, Visual Arts Committee of the New York State Council on the Arts; member of the Empire State Plaza Art Commission; past chair of Garth Fagan Dance.

“The prospect of bringing together these two dance luminaries is incredibly exciting,” said Susan Chekow Lusignan, director of the Nazareth College Arts Center. “It’s a rare opportunity for audience members to gain insight into the creative process and philosophy of each of these remarkable artists, and to hear them exchange ideas.”

The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company will perform two distinct programs during the Nazareth College Arts Center Dance Festival.

On Friday night, July 15, the company will perform selections of duets and solos from their groundbreaking work, “Body Against Body,” which redefined the dance landscape when it debuted in the 1980s.

These pieces remain some of the most significant examples of the postmodern aesthetic.

On Saturday night, July 16, the company will perform “Serenade/The Proposition,” a special evening of dance, theater, and live music, which approaches the legacy of Abraham Lincoln as a rumination on the nature of history.

Also featured on the main stage will be Rochester’s own internationally acclaimed Garth Fagan Dance, which will open the Festival with one evening’s performance of Classic Fagan Repertoire, on Friday, July 8 (Garth Fagan opening night performance sponsored by Deborah Ronnen and Sherman Levey).

On Saturday, July 9, Rochester City Ballet presents a distinctive evening of dance, bringing to the stage some of its recent works, and collaborating with special guest, FuturPointe Dance.

To order tickets for these four mainstage performances, or for more information on the Dance Festival, please visit go.naz.edu/dancefest. ■

RuPaul’s Drag U raises its GPA for season two

By Robby Morris When it was announced that there would be a second season of “RuPaul’s Drag U” in the summer of 2011, I was not completely sold. Though I am addicted to “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (12 Queens from across the country competing for the title

The Gallery @ Equal=Grounds seeks work by new artists

Select Drag Professors of “RuPaul’s Drag U”: (L-R): Ongina, Shannel, Mariah, Raven, Morgan McMichaels, Pandora Boxx (our heroine) and Bebe Zahara Benet. Photo: Aaron Young for Logo

of America’s Next Drag Superstar), the first season of “Drag U” was, for lack of a better word, soft.

The show’s premise was simple. In each episode, three beloved Queens from previous seasons of “Drag Race” would teach three biological women in various states of despair the art of unleashing their inner diva through the power of drag. At the end of each episode, each of the newly transformed students would perform for their family, friends, and celebrity judges.

One student would be selected to “draguate” with top honors. Smiles all around.

The show was cute.

But would cute sustain another season?

I am genuinely pleased to say that the second season of “RuPaul’s Drag U” far exceeded my expectations. Yes, it’s still light and sweet, but this edition has more oomph. Like the transition between the first and second seasons of Drag Race, the production values have increased with brighter sets and more outlandish props.

The women/students continue to come from diverse backgrounds (single ladies, butch lesbians, and virgins… oh my!) and are eager to start their journey to fabulousness. The Powers That Be have smartly reeled back on some of the more schmaltzy moments involving the down on their luck divas in training. This is RuPaul, not Oprah. Thankfully, humor is played up more than the overwrought emotional moment.

The highlight of “Drag U” continues to be the Queens who are on board as Drag Professors and mentors to the real ladies. Fans of Rochester’s very own Pandora Boxx will be delighted to know that she returns with her trademark bubbly personality for two episodes. Also on hand are previous Drag Race winners Bebe Zahara Benet and Tyra Sanchez.

Who better to teach these ladies to be winners than two winners themselves?

Less effective are Drag Race season three’s Runners-Up Manila Luzon and Carmen Carrera, who, unfortunately, fail

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to be as amusing or engaging as Season two favorites Raven and Jujubee, two of the sassiest Queens in “Drag Race/Drag U” history.

My only other complaint: that “Drag Race’s” newest (and most fabulous) judge Michelle Visage was not included in the “Drag U” mix is an unforgivable oversight. Her to the point demeanor and iconic status as a real girl in the drag community would have been a welcome addition and quite fitting in this series.

Though still not a 4.0, the new season of “Drag U” gets high marks for making major improvements and will be a delight to fans who are looking for their Ru fix between seasons of “Drag Race”.

“RuPaul’s Drag U” airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. on Logo (Time Warner Cable channel 438) through the summer.

For more information about Logo and their programming, visit their website at www.logotv.com!

181 photographers apply for Rivera-Ortiz grant The Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation for International Photography initial grant program of $5,000 has attracted 181 applications from 45 countries.

The maiden grant was announced in March. Photographers from all over the world, of varied backgrounds and economic status, submitted an impressive number of applications for funding consideration. The grant proposal was for humanitarian photo reportage, with projects ranging in topic from “Street Children” in New Delhi, India, to human trafficking of women and girls on the streets of Nepal.

Judging for this year’s call for entries is already underway. Final judging of entries will take place in London in early July, at the offices of FOTO8 under the direction of FOTO8’s Founder and Director Jon Levy.

I am incredibly humbled by the turn-

The Gallery @ Equal=Grounds is actively seeking artists to submit their work for consideration. All 2-D mediums are welcome.

Please send an email to gallery@equalgrounds.com with the following information: Your name and a bit about yourself; the medium you work in; three jpegs of the work you would like to show. All digital images should be provided as jpgs only, 72 ppi, the image width not to exceed 1024 pixels on the longest side. Files should be titled as follows: LastName_ FirstName_1Title.jpg The Gallery @ Equal=Grounds is dedicated to showing the work of emerging artists, minority artists and LGBT artists, as well as all artists in the Rochester area.

Organizer Beth Bloom says, “Without your support, small galleries struggle.

Work up your courage and submit your work! Don’t worry that your work isn’t good enough, we don’t bite and we only give constructive criticism. And you may be surprised at how good your work really is.”

WXXI radio discusses marriage equality WXXI radio will air a discussion of the marriage equality issue, “States of Marriage: The Debate over Gay Rights” at 10 p.m. on AM 1370/FM-HD 91.5-2, on Sunday, July 10.

The program examines how several states have approached legal recognition for gay, lesbian and bi couples. Host Jane Lindholm looks at the divisive civil unions precedent in Vermont and how it set the stage for a marriage law in Massachusetts. Advocates on both sides of the issue explain their political and legal strategies to convince voters and courts of their cause, and we see the results of that debate in California, Iowa and Maine.

Ten years ago in December, the Vermont Supreme Court changed the landscape of legal rights for same-sex couples when it handed down its ruling in the case Baker v. State of Vermont. The three same-sex couples who were the Baker plaintiffs had argued that they deserve the rights of marriage, just as heterosexual couples do.

In the decade since, the country has debated the deeply personal and very public questions of what marriage means and how to legally recognize gay and lesbian couples, and how ideas of family and civil rights are challenged by these questions. ■

Martha M. Howden, CSW, CASAC Anxiety • Depression Alcohol • Stress • Grief Relationship • Family Plan Rectification Work Holotropic Breathwork • Specializing in work with individuals and families in the Coming Out process Martha M. Howden, csw, casac 945 E. Henrietta Road, Suite A6 Rochester, New York 14623 Phone: 585 272-1760 Fax: 585 272-8986 Most Insurances Accepted

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july 2011 • number 447 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet

What to do on your summer vacation:

Dance in the Berkshires; Family Fun in P-town; NYC Arts Fest Dance Festival with the National Medal of Arts, one of the highest awards given by the United States government. Other artists to receive the award since its creation in 1985 include Yo-Yo Ma, Clint Eastwood, Gene Kelly, Georgia O’Keefe and Jasper Johns.

Hansen’s choreography is now included in the festival archives and will be accessible through the online database.

Further information about Jacobs Pillow festival and performances is available at www.jacobspillow.org.

Families gather in P-town for Family Week

Jane Comfort and Company. Photo by Arthur Elgort

Jacob’s Pillow announces LGBT “Weekend Out” Aug. 5-7 Dance fans should consider a trip to Becket, Mass. next month.

Recently honored by President Barack Obama with a prestigious National Medal of Arts, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival will host its second annual “Weekend OUT” Aug. 5–7, a weekend full of free events, performances, and tours.

This packed schedule of events provides the opportunity for LGBT families, individuals, and couples to take advantage of all the Pillow has to offer.

Scheduled weekend events include the photography exhibit Annie Leibovitz: DANCE which honors the 30th anniversary of Mark Morris Dance Group; a free performance by the Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance students of The School at Jacob’s Pillow; a free film on the glamorous Paris Opera Ballet star Claude Bessy, and more.

“Weekend OUT” will also feature a special behind-the-scenes historic tour of Jacob’s Pillow on Sunday, Aug. 7 at noon, guided by Jacob’s Pillow Director of Preservation, Norton Owen, and focusing on iconic Pillow founder Ted Shawn, his company of Men Dancers, and his mission to represent strength and masculinity in dance.

Performance highlights include the U.S. debut of 3e Étage: Soloists and Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet, who showcase their versatility in varied program of witty contemporary ballet works, and the much-talked-about choreographer Jonah Bokaer, acclaimed as “contemporary dance’s renaissance man” (Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times), in multimedia dances that merge the visual arts and movement.

“Weekend OUT” is sponsored by

The Gay & Lesbian Review. Visit http:// www.jacobspillow.org/festival/2010/08/aweekend-out-at-the-pillow/index.php for additional details.

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival is located at 358 George Carter Road, Becket, Mass. 01223; Box Office: 413-243-0745.

Local choreographer was featured in June Rochester based choreographer James Hansen, Associate Professor at SUNY Brockport, presented a full program of his choreography at the prestigious Inside/ Out series at Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival.

Hansen’s choreography was performed on June 23 as part of the opening week of the festival’s 79th anniversary and consisted of a collection of Hansen’s most recent creative work, including the critically acclaimed “Lovely” which is performed to music by Cher and Frank Sinatra.

The piece also includes an original sound design by Hansen that blends text from the classic game show “The Newlywed Game” and 1950 American instructional videos for high school students on good grooming habits and how to be popular. The cast included eight dancers from across NYS and a male duet performed

by Hansen and Rochester dancer Eran Hanlon.

The Inside/Out series is an integral part of the international festival and launched Paul Taylor 2 and David Parson Dance companies. The stage recently underwent a $300,000 restoration funded partially by the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund.

Jacobs Pillow is America’s longest running Dance Festival and is the only dance institution to be awarded the title of National Historic Landmark. On March 2, 2011 in a White House ceremony, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama presented Jacob’s Pillow

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The Family Equality Council, America’s foremost advocate for LGBT families, has announced an expanded schedule of events at the 16th annual Family Week, July 30–Aug. 6, in Provincetown, Mass.

Brent Wright, Director of Programs at the Family Equality Council, said that as the LGBT family community continues to grow, so does the need for fun and engaging family activities.

“We know that there are one million LGBT parents raising two million kids in our country today, and that number is growing,” said Wright. “The new families who are coming to join our longtime Family Week friends have given us an opportunity to expand the number of programs we offer. So, we’ve added many new events to go along with some of old favorites that our families have come to expect.”

Highlights from the Week include daily adult workshops, reformatted this year as Parent Cafés; late afternoon “affinity gatherings” (such as a family-friendly happy hour for parents of tweens/teens);

whale and dolphin watching tour; several beach picnics and an evening bonfire; “Love Makes A Family” photography opening; an old-fashioned New England clambake, and a family parade through the heart of Provincetown.

Family Week will also feature a number of activities especially designed to appeal to families with children age eight and older – games, social gatherings, a scavenger hunt, leadership development, movie and dance parties and much more.

Wright added, “We’re encouraging our families to sign up early and ensure they reserve a spot to enjoy their favorite activities.”

Space for some events is limited. To learn more and register, visit www.familyequality.org/familyweek, or find Family Week on Facebook at www.facebook. com/lgbtfamilyweek.

Check out NYC’s Fresh Fruit Festival events Fresh Fruit, an International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Culture and Arts Festival, is held in NYC each summer. The mission of All Out Arts, the producers, is to “fight discrimination through the arts.”

Dozens of plays, readings, a jazz concert and an art show will take place at many venues this month.

The main venues are The Barrow Group Theatre, 312 West 36th St., third floor (off 8th Ave.); Nuyorican Poets Café, 236 East 3rd St. (between Aves. B & C); Leslie-Lohman Gallery, 26 Wooster St. (between Grand & Canal Sts.) and The CENTER, 208 West 13th St. (off 7th Ave.) For a full listing of events, go to www.FreshFruitFestival.com. ■

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the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 447 • july 2011

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By Merle Exit A trip to Washington D.C. allows you to view the names of U.S. military personnel who have fallen during the war in Vietnam. Many other memorials bear names inscribed in stone or marble but are not available until the conclusion of the war. In Irvine, California, there is the Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial, for U.S. military fallen in Afghanistan and Iraq, where the names of over 5,700 heroes are carved in granite from Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.

The engraved names cover a time period from October 1, 2001 to September 30, 2010. On this Memorial Day, the addition of those who have died from 10/1/10 to 4/11/11 were part of the dedication.

The Memorial, which is officially open to the public 24 hours a day, year round, had its official opening last year on November 14 and is the nation’s first memorial listing the names of all the fall-

en American service members in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Since 2003, a simple memorial for the country’s military fallen in Afghanistan and Iraq was set up in the southern California city by members of the community on the week before Memorial Day and then removed the week after Independence Day. For years, the community and visitors from all over the country came to share in the fellowship at the site of the Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial.

This expression of gratitude and honor, born from simple materials and community initiative, was approved on Dec. 8, 2009 by the Irvine City Council to become a permanent monument to the heroes that gave their all to the United States of America. The groundbreaking for the permanent Memorial took place on May 17, 2010.

For those friends and relatives who may be interested, it is worth the trip to Irvine, as the area provides further reason to spend several days. If you can’t travel to Irvine, you can still request that a rubbing (tracing) of your loved one’s name be sent to you. For further information go to www.northwoodmemorial.com ■

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Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial in Irvine, California

july 2011 • number 447 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet

Columnists Growing Up playing the age card

By Eric Bellmann Justin Bond, incarnated as Kiki of Kiki and Herb, famously snarled, “Everyone dies, that’s all you need to know!” Ah, the truth of that. However, it’s along the path to that destination that we grow duplicitous.

At 15 I looked 21 and that helped getting into bars underage. At 40 I passed myself off as 33. It was a great delight when I realized, at 45, I could tell preschoolers I was 17 and they didn’t question it; so dear, another reason to treasure the young.

Times have changed. It’s technology, the bane of everyone’s existence. The cable goes out. Who knows why? I’m addicted to television even though there’s nothing much to watch. I need it, that’s the bottom line.

I fumble for the manual under a pile of magazines next to the bed and dial the help line. I hardly let the anonymous voice that answers even begin to speak before I shriek, “You have to fix it, I can’t do it, I’m 75, I don’t understand any of this!”

Once again I am adding years after a half century of subtracting. Does everything come full circle? I don’t care. Fix it!

Actually this doesn’t get traction with Time Warner. RG&E is a little more responsive. The people who answer their phones seem better trained. Maybe they worry about the negative publicity of some geezer freezing to death or getting blown up in his house.

I had a nice, well, several nice chats with my credit card company, all in accent-free English, over a double billing.

I implied that at my very advanced age (I may have been feigning 80 this go round), I was in serious danger of having a stroke.

Very compassionate gent, a good listener, patient.

Despite his compassion I still had to pay the double billing upfront, lest I end up on Suze Orman’s show with a wrecked credit score, but I was graciously assured it would be looked into. It was. I lose sight of the fact that technology marches onward even while I stand in the middle of a room not remembering what I was looking for or thinking of. My crabby nature likes instant fixes.

What the hell. I love playing the age card.

There is a wrinkle I opt to ignore. If you complain to someone younger, they look at you like you were diseased, a hideous harbinger of what lies ahead for them, a thing to shun. Complain to an older person and they want to kill you, you who are still comparatively young. It’s a no win situation, so don’t complain, just manipulate and enjoy.

Ever watch old people in Wegmans?

Never worry about them. Those bony elbows are lethal. Try to cut in front of them and they’ll either jab you or trip you with their cane. I’m pretty sure there is a corollary between diminished eyesight and rage.

At the gym the most humbling moments come when, sly puss that I remain, I manage some innocuous thoughtful gesture to a glorious hunk one-third my age and he grunts, “Thank you sir.”

Sir! That’s how one addressed Laurence Olivier, bitch. I smile sweetly and with an insouciant twinkle declare, “I prefer to be called ‘dude’”.

And he stops just a moment, just a brief moment and I know I have registered, contact has been made. At any age one can spin the web that may ensnare.

Eyesight may dim, the gait may falter, but lust never fades. Praise Allah.

Whatever my whimsical attitude towards playing the age card, I did not embrace the golden years with an eager, open heart. It kind of fell upon me. Years ago, when I was much, much younger, I plunked down money for a movie ticket in New York. As I turned away from the cashier I looked at my change. Oh, no, you’ve given me back too much money.

Uh, oh. Senior discount.

I looked at the cashier. She was pushing 90. She thought I was one of her own.

She had lousy eyesight! Nonetheless, a perk loomed on the horizon. A basic truth is that other people want your money. You can make them work for it. Want me to go to the movies? Charge me less. Even in Home Depot, I ask the adorable checker, “Where’s my senior discount?” Actually I only waste this kind of energy if he, yes, it’s always a he, is cute. I strive to make my days interesting.

I cringe around a fair number of my friends who seem obsessed with obituaries and long-term health care policies. It’s all they talk about. I don’t want to be like them. But I’m not young anymore.

I am, for your information, younger than Jane Fonda and Tina Turner. But just barely. Early on, I kind of liked the invisibility that being older provided. No one paid much attention. Now I miss it.

Basically what it seems to boil down to is, I want people to help me out, perhaps even care for me.

I really try to cultivate a be-here-now attitude, but the prospect of illness or infirmity scares me like it does everyone else; it’s the monster looming in the doorway, not the gentleman caller I was expecting. So I grab it by the neck, try to ride it, with nary a hope of taming it.

Email: elbcad@rit.edu

Cleaning My Closet public service announcements

By Meredith Elizabeth Reiniger Well, now I have a pair of clown shoes in my mouth.

Furthermore, I am pretty much tired of wearing the “Lesbian” Label.

Her? She’s a lesbian writer. A lesbian teacher. A lesbian voter.

A lesbian gardener.

Certainly I don’t mind being a lesbian; naturally it’s quite delightful. But the labels? Will I always have to be an adjective-dependent person? Probably. Because the label props open the closet door.

Yes, sometimes I do need to present myself as a lesbian, like when I call the offices of my elected senators. Or, when I want to share my reality with co-workers, I ask: “Did I already tell you that I’m a lesbian?” When I want others to understand that dd is more than a partner, much much more than a girlfriend, I borrow the heterosexual word, throw in an adjective, and call her my Lesbian Wife.

But sometimes I want what the men have… the men who are homosexual… a handy, one syllable label: gay. Yes, I want a funky word like theirs. “Lesbian” sounds so serious. I thought “fun” might work.

He’s gay; I’m fun. Nope, doesn’t work.

Okay, maybe we lesbians can adapt their word. We could try “Gayess”.

Too sexist. “Gayette?” Too demeaning.

“Gaye?” Ahha, a gender designation, so continental. Yes, I can settle on that one.

There you have it. It’s in black and white and must therefore be true: I am gaye.

No kidding, I’m gaye and olde. Oops, I had so hoped that I could talk about something without mentioning my aging body parts. But I do occasionally mention the status of my physical systems as a public service announcement for the younger gayes and gays. Basically, it’s an

advisory: some day you too will live in a Bossy Body.

Furthermore I am pretty much tired of hearing about Same-Sex Couples. What about No-Sex couples. Or Hetero-Sex Couples? What about Opposite-Sex Couples Plus The House Keeper. Unmarried with Children Couples? Twitter Couples?

What about this? Drop the Busybody Adjectives. It’s Couples. Plain and simple: Two. Well, back to the clown shoes. It was a regular day, a regular six-month visit with my regular dentist. I had the regular pickax tartar removal. Followed by the regular sandblasting. Then an irregular “Oh my, what is this?”

Furthermore, it occurs to me that, like other misunderstood minorities, we LGBTIQQ people must, continuously, prove that we are fully functional, productive citizens of these United States. And we are abundant. And everywhere. Perhaps it’s time for a TV ad campaign, like the Mormons’ infomercials.

Yes, it’s time to share information.

Time to use the serious word. Time to roll the camera… the camera crew follows me as I walk down an inner city street, my hammer and saw gripped in my hands: “Hello, I’m Meredith. I help build decent, affordable housing for our neighbors in need of a hand up, and I’m a lesbian.”

Another infomercial: squeaky clean and neatly dressed, I face the camera, smiling gaye-ly: “Hi, my name is Meredith. Every day I fill nine bird feeders, one suet cage, and four bird baths in my backyard, and I’m a lesbian.”

Well, returning to body talk… that regular day, when the hygienist peered into my oral cavity, she discovered a Bump Thing. “Did you bite the inside of your cheek?” Not that I remember, I answered.

Well, there’s a complication. Young as she is, the hygienist of course assumed that I would remember biting myself. Of course not.

I can never remember the origin of any Skin Spots… Purple-blue ones from smashing into What? Red bulges… perhaps from the jaws of Equal Opportunity Bug Demons that suck my gaye blood.

Alas, I am a rainbow. Pink scratches, crimson slices, burgundy holes, and those ubiquitous old-people Brown Dots. And now on the inside of my gaye cheek, a yellow Bump Thing I can neither see nor feel. From whence it came I know not.

Well, my regular dentist, gloved and cheerful, looked, searched, and hmmmed. “We’ll keep our eye on it, and I’ll ask your peridontist to look at it during your next appointment with her.” Sounded unemergency to me. So gaye-ly I went home.

Well, the next day, my peridontist called: “Maybe you don’t want to wait three months.” I was sure her words meant ‘Come NOW.’ So I did. Only to discover that I was experiencing another weirdness of my olde, gaye body, age 67 years, two months, and 15 days.

Apparently my molars, without permission, have been mashing my cheek flesh. The resulting Big Bump is either a traumatic fibroma or a lipoma. Neither of which sounds like a nice thing to have near one’s sweet, olde gaye lips.

Quickly my Dentist of the Irregular amended my horse-shoe shaped nightguard by adding giant gobs of acrylic on both ends. Unfortunately it then became an all-day guard. An all day annoyance.

Yes, I know that the dental appliance needed to be redesigned to hold my cheeks away from the Molar Munchers.

But seriously, it looks like a pair of clown shoes and feels like a pair of clown shoes.

And olde, gaye me? I look like a chipmunk, sound like Elmer Fudd, and drool like our nervous puppy. As my mother would have said, I look quite fetching.

b5 Fortunately, my mouth can still become my megaphone. Perhaps in the aisles of the grocery store. Maybe down every street. Certainly at our Pride Parade.

Our Pride Picnic. Rhythmically I will chant: LG BT, QQ… I AM ONE OF YOU! LG BT, QQ… I AM ONE OF YOU!!

And I’ll tie a really big, purple price tag around my gaye wrist. My tag will read: LGBTIQQ… I’M ONE OF THOSE and I PAY PROPERTY TAXES. And I’ll proudly wear a lavender shirt.

Printed on the front: MY JOB IN YOUR CITY. Across the back, in large purple letters: LGBTIQQ… I’m one of those AND I’m a teacher.

Of course I will have to wear my clown shoes.

MeredithElizabethReiniger@frontiernet.net

Gay and Transgender Issues in the Workplace Cross-Dressers are also “T”s

By Brian McNaught Cross-dressers are like bisexuals. They are allegedly in the majority of their minority communities (transgender and non-heterosexual, respectively) but no one knows who they are.

When average people use the acronym LGBT, they have little, if any, knowledge of cross-dressing beyond Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and RuPaul. But one of these cross-dressers is a make-believe person, and the other is an entertainer.

What about real people who cross-dress as part of their everyday lives? Who are they? Why don’t we know them? What do they need?

We point with pride, deservedly so, at the successes of transsexual women and men who serve in corporate executive positions, and in the Obama administration, but can we name one successful cross-dressing heterosexual or homosexual man in either of those places? And yet, cross-dressing heterosexual and homosexual men greatly outnumber transsexual men and women in both sites, and in the general population.

Many people generally assume that gay men make up the bulk of cross-dressers, which is probably true in the area of entertainment, but not in everyday life.

Heterosexual women who cross-dress are usually referred to as “stylish.” Many lesbians who cross-dress are often referred to as “butch.” These gay women also face workplace discrimination, but their numbers are fewer, and they get much less amused attention than their heterosexual male colleagues in female attire.

There’s a very nice, married, heterosexual father I know who I’m tempted to call a professional cross-dresser. I say “tempted” because I’ve always hated my moniker of being a professional homosexual. But, she, like me, makes her living educating others through presentations and writings about her unique life experiences.

Vanessa Sheridan is a handsome woman, unlike some of the cross-dressing men who come to Provincetown, Mass., each year in the fall for the Fantasia Fair.

I don’t know Vanessa’s male name. I don’t need to. What’s significant about her in my life is that she is one of the few crossdressing people I know, and I know and love lots of transsexual people.

It frustrates Vanessa, and some other cross-dressers, that too few people con-

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.

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the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 447 • july 2011

(Columnists continued from page 5) sider the unique needs of cross-dressing men when they talk about the “T.” All the attention of national gay groups to the “T,” it sometimes seems, has gone to ensuring that the medical costs of transitioning transsexuals are covered by their employers. This is a most worthy goal, but how about also focusing, she asks, on the need for some straight men to be able to occasionally come to work expressing the feminine side of their persona?

If we talk about the rights of transgender people to serve in the Armed Forces, our minds go to “Klinger,” the character in the television program M*A*S*H who cross-dressed so that he could be discharged. But what do real-life transgender soldiers want us to imagine when we think of them?

Who are our role models for crossdressing? I don’t mean the likes of Dame Edna, Big Momma, or Mrs. Doubtfire. I mean people like Vanessa Sheridan who

work openly in corporations or government.

Many people in the gay and corporate communities don’t know this, but transsexual persons, especially those not in leadership positions, are not always great advocates for cross-dressing persons, and vice versa, despite them huddling together under the Transgender umbrella. But, when a company adds “gender identity” to its non-discrimination policy, it’s promising its cross-dressing employees, as much as its transsexual employees, that it will create for them a work environment in which they feel safe, valued, and included.

People often cross-dress because of their fluid gender identity, and are thus covered by the words “gender identity.”

This means that cross-dressing employees, including all those who exhibit any transgender behavior, have not only the right to use the bathroom that matches their gender expression at the time, (seemingly the most pressing issue of the

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day) but also, and more importantly, to protection from hostile colleagues and clients.

In order for corporate policies to be fully understood, and for behaviors to change, we all would benefit from having more cross-dressing people put a face on the issue for us. Cross-dressing heterosexual men, and cross-dressing homosexual men and women, need to tell us who they are, and specifically what they need in the workplace to feel safe and valued. If they don’t put faces on the issue, their needs will regrettably be unmet. www.brian-mcnaught.com

Faith Matters Why I love Pat Parker

By Rev. Irene Monroe Pat Parker was an African American lesbian poet who died in 1989.

While Pat and I never met, her poetry has been this powerful influence

in my life.

Like so many poets she wrote about the world around her. However, it was through her poetry that she found the place to give voice to her life and her realities as an African American lesbian feminist. She wrote about things that were personal and political. She wrote truth in her poems in a way that touched people’s lives and continues to touch people’s lives today. Perhaps the poem that has made the most significant impact on my life is called “For the white person who wants to know how to be my friend.”

While I can appreciate the entire poem, it is the first two lines that continue to resonate with me today and I can continue to use in my teaching. She wrote: “the first thing you do is to forget that i’m Black. Second, you must never forget that i’m Black.”

I say that about so many things. Forget that I am a same sex-loving woman and at the same time never forget. Forget that I use a wheelchair, but never forget. Forget that I am biracial, but never forget.

When we take the time to get to know each other as human beings, as creations of the Infinite, then we get to see the divine in each other. We see each other as human beings without all the labels, stereotypes, prejudices, and stuff that get attached once we begin to put people in categories. At the same time, in the process of knowing me, never forget that who I am includes me being a biracial same sex-loving woman with a disability. Don’t forget that my day to day realities are shaped by the systems of inequality that shape the realities of us all.

See, there is far more to each of us than what comes attached to the categories we are placed in. I am more than a 54 –yearold (at the time of this writing) same sex loving biracial woman with a disability. I am more than the roles I fill in life. I am more than a parent, a partner, a professor, a writer, and spiritual companion.

Sometimes we make bridging the cultural divides way too hard, because we allow our fears about what we think we know to separate us from one another. I remember sitting in a very painful meeting one day with people who I thought loved and respected me. As I sat there and listened, what I heard were words that pierced my spirit as they spoke about how they had challenges with me because I was white, rich and educated. In a matter of seconds, I went from thinking they saw me as a human being to realizing they had never really connected with me because they could never forget the categories they had put me in.

We are all more than the categories the world has created and that others put us in. We are human beings, reflections of the love of the Infinite Presence. As I seek to develop relationships with other creations of the Infinite in this world, I strive to take the advice of Pat Parker and forget and remember the categories and labels

attached to those I meet. So I forget that my friends are trans, gay, lesbian, heterosexual, black, Latina, Native American, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindi, Agnostic, Atheist and at the same time I never forget.

What would the world be like if we all worked at forgetting and remembering at the same time? What would the world be like if we all took the time to remember that we are creations of the Infinite? What would the world be like if we set aside our prejudices, stereotypes and fears and took the time to connect with each other as reflections of love and creations of the Infinite? If we did, would Pat Parker have ever needed to write her poem instructing white people on how to be her friend?

A Few Bricks Short spring has sprung

By David Hull Well, it was quite a spring in 2011, wasn’t it? I could barely keep up and my head is still spinning!

We learned that Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as being The Terminator, was also The Sperminator when he admitted that he had fathered a child with the family maid.

Politically, he claimed that he could not support gay marriage because he did not feel it reflected family values – and Arnold was really into family values – for goodness sake, he even had two families!

Then there was the magic of “Weiner Gate.” Anthony Weiner seems like a nice guy, but he was making every gay man’s television fantasy come true – I couldn’t turn on any TV news show, CNN, MSNBC or even Fox News (which I just watch for the laughs anyway) without seeing a photo of Anthony’s weiner sprouting a tent pole inside his shorts. If that is what TV news were like all the time, I’d be much more interested in American politics and wouldn’t waste so much time watching reruns of The Nanny on TVLand!

If all else failed, I could always depend on The Donald to keep me entertained.

Thank goodness he fought and fought and fought until we could be sure that President Obama had that long-form birth certificate. Donald Trump was like the Rosa Parks of Hawaiian birth certificates – he led the fight! I sleep better now at night knowing that he’s there for us any time we need him.

My gal Sarah Palin was keeping busy this past Memorial Day weekend as she traveled around the country on her bus tour like Paul Revere ringing those bells and warning the British about … well, actually, I’m not sure what Sarah was talking about – but that’s part of the beauty of Sarah Palin. For me, watching Sarah Palin is like cleaning out the cat’s litter box – you know it’s full of crap, but you’re never exactly sure where you’re going to find it.

I saw Sarah Palin and Donald Trump getting together for pizza in NYC. Now, when my husband and I went to NYC a couple years ago, we had real New York pizza and when I started eating my lunch with a knife and fork, some complete stranger sitting two tables away felt compelled to come over and tell me that I was eating my pizza the wrong way – I had to pick it up with my hands, fold it in half and eat it – no utensils were necessary.

I’ll admit I never got the hang of it, although my husband did great, and I had to fall back on the fork to finish my slice.

However, no one in that whole pizza place bothered to mention to Donald and Sarah that they were eating their slices incorrectly with those plastic forks. And they were doing it in front of national news cameras!

I’m sure that little dining fiasco damages the chance of ever seeing my GOP Presidential Dream Team of Trump and Palin campaigning for the White House.

Meanwhile, Charlie Sheen is out of Two and a Half Men and Ashton Kutcher is in. Katie Couric has resigned from the CBS Evening News. And Oprah is over

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july 2011 • number 447 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet

EC

Co O lum nl in ni e s

ts

– at least, on network TV. It was also the season of originality at the box office, with a remake of the Dudley Moore movie Arthur, followed by The Hangover: 2, The Fast and the Furious: 5, Hoodwinked: 2, Pirates of the Caribbean: 4, Kung-Fu Panda: 2, Scream: 4 and X-Men: 5. Needless to say, for someone with bad math skills like me, that many numbers can be very intimidating. All I know is that with the price of a movie theater ticket (not to mention the cost of popcorn!)

I’ll be staying home and waiting for a lot of DVD releases.

How does one keep his sanity amidst all this nonsense, you wonder? Well, I’ve been out in the garden most of the time.

There’s nothing like planting, weeding, and watering among the flowers and vegetables to calm the mind and soul.

However, the other night, as my husband and I enjoyed dinner out on the patio surrounded by all the greenery, Bernie sighed loudly.

“Admiring all our hard work in the garden?” I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. “No,” he replied. “I was just thinking how much nicer it would be out here if there was a television set.”

I have no idea how my iced tea ended up in his lap.

You can contact David at Davidhull59@aol.com

Read all the Empty Closet columnists online. Go to

www.gayalliance.org and click on Empty Closet News

Inspiritual never assume

By Rev. Dr. Sharon Jacobson Growing up, I remember hearing my parents and other adults say, “When you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME.” For the last 18 months, I have been working on no longer making assumptions in my life. I am not even sure that in the beginning I realized how often I made assumptions. I knew that I, like so many people, made assumptions. However, it was not until I consciously began to work on not making them that I realized how often I did.

I began to realize how many times I made assumptions about the little things in people’s lives.

It really hit me one day when I was having coffee with a few of my students and they began talking about a couple at a table near us and creating this whole life about them just by looking at them. I decided to make this a teachable moment for all of us.

I began asking them questions like, “What do you think they had in their coffee,” as that is what I ASSumed they were drinking. What newspaper do you think they read? What kind of music do they like? What sports do they play or watch? What is their favorite movie?

What political party do they support?

What is their favorite color? They had no trouble answering these questions with explanations as to why they thought what they did.

I have done a similar exercise with my online students. I give them a picture of me from when I had dreads and then ask them to tell me what they think they know about me based on the picture only.

The answers are quite interesting and

often times humorous. In the seven years I have been doing this exercise with my students, none of them ever thought to have a discussion with me about any of these things. The students who were at the table with me that day never realized how easy it was to make assumptions.

Each time I do this exercise with others, it is a humbling moment for us all.

It reminds me how easy it is to make assumptions about others and about situations without ever discussing anything.

We assume we know what someone likes, why something happened, and what will happen next, to name just a few things. I always find it interesting to ask my students and others why they thought that about me. What beliefs are those assumptions based on?

At the age of 54, soon to be 55, I have come to the realization that I have made many assumptions in my life and never thought about whether they were accurate. Making assumptions has made an ASS out of me and/or the others involved.

There was a point in my life when I would have tried to justify or defend my assumptions. It was easier to try to get off the hook and avoid responsibility for what I had assumed.

What I have come to realize is that the more time I spend seeking clarification about others and situations, the deeper my relationship with my self and others becomes. I no longer have to fill in the blanks without having a discussion. When I remove the ASS before U and ME, I open the possibility for deeper discussions between us, and a clarification I may not have had about a situation or person before. I no longer have to guess what you put in your coffee because you will have told me.

I have also come to realize that it is assumptions that separate us from one another as people, in a broader and more global sense. I remember having a conversation with my mother one day years ago. She assumed that all my female partner and I ever did was have sex. “Your

father and I, we have a real relationship.”

I had to giggle for a moment when she said that. It felt as if she was telling me I didn’t know what their relationship was like, having lived with them for 20 something years. Well maybe I didn’t. There I go making an assumption. It was after we had a conversation about how similar our lives really were that the wall between us came down. We were no longer making assumptions about what our relationships were like.

One of the things I have come to realize is that no longer making assumptions is a process that requires practice. It is not one of those things you can just stop doing cold turkey. It is a process of mastering the awareness of when we are doing it and then seeking clarification about it before we automatically fill in the blanks.

Sometimes removing the assumptions can be scary, because it challenges us to be aware of our own biases and prejudices. Sometimes having meaningful conversations with others can be challenging because we may have to not only be aware of when we are making assumptions; we may have to be aware of when others are making assumptions about us, or at least we assume they are.

What would our lives be like if we stopped making assumptions? How different would our lives be? Would we grow closer as friends, families, communities, states, countries, nations and the world?

How different would our lives be if we removed the ASS before U and ME? For more information about Inspiritual. visit http:Inspiritual.biz. Online Offerings which run the entire month can be found at http://www.inspiritual.biz/online-spiritualevolution-gro/ ■

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the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 447 • july 2011

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the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 447 • july 2011

Gay Alliance News

Gay Alliance Youth The Gay Alliance offers Youth Services for Rochester area LGBTQ and allied youth ages 13-25 Check out what’s happening at: www.gayalliance.org or contact JessC@gagv.us Monday and Wednesday Drop-in: 2-6pm Sunday Support Groups: ages 13-23: 2-4pm; ages 18-25: 4:30-6pm Special Interest: Transgender Youth, Arts/Crafts, Movies, Writing Special Events: Youth Dances, Day of Silence, Big Gay Prom, Pool Table, LGBTQ Youth Library, Internet Access Fun, friendly, safe adults are needed to volunteer their time and talents, providing positive role models, maybe sharing a talent or skill. Contact Jeanne Gainsburg, Outreach Coordinator for an application: jeanneg@gagv.us or 585-244-8640, ext. 14.

Youth & Adult Sunday group meetings and drop-ins are on hiatus for the summer!

Ashley Shaffer. Photo: Susan Jordan

Meet Ashley Shaffer, new Gay Alliance intern

By Susan Jordan Ashley Shaffer of NTID/ RIT has joined the Gay Alliance staff as an intern this summer to create graphics and help with deaf access. To schedule an ASL interpreter for a Pride event, email DeafAccess@gayalliance.org.

What are you studying at NTID and do you have a good idea of what you want to do?

I have been enjoying studying my major -- graphic design -- since three years. Being a graphic designer is not the only idea I want to do professionally. There are so many things I love to do, like interior decorator, paint, fashion decorator, craft, and countless others. Art is something I want to do for the rest of my life. Creativity is my passion.

What will you be focusing on at the Gay Alliance this summer?

I am planning to focus on making graphic design things; advertisement, brochure, logo and others for any kind of awesome event and include Rochester Pride 2011.

I am also planning to helping to improve deaf access for the deaf community at Rochester Pride 2011.

Everything I have to work at as much as I can to reach my goal to make the Gay Alliance

community bigger.

Where is your hometown?

Baltimore, Maryland Do you think non-profits, and other groups and agencies, can do more to make their services accessible to the deaf community?

Yes, they should do that because the deaf community is more than ready to enjoy themselves anywhere that would provide better deaf access. If instead there is no deaf access, then it would make the deaf community step back.

That is not what I want to see in the deaf community. All I want to see the deaf community do is to get recognized, with more motivation and be more involved around non-profits, other groups, and also agencies with hearing people. All of us are not different people.

Do you think that ASL should be taught in elementary and/or high schools as a regular part of the curriculum? Would that make hearing people more sensitive and aware, and able to communicate more effectively?

Yes, I absolutely think hearing people should do that if they are interested to learn how to do American Sign Language. It’s cool for them to learn their second or tenth language to communicate with deaf people.

There are a lot more deaf people around the world than hearing people ever imagine.

American Sign Language is such a beautiful language. ■

We ask the Gay Alliance youth

How are you celebrating PRIDE?

Dontaee, 18 “Being Peter Pan. Doing the flash mob.”

Quang, 20 “Gonna go with GAGV and be happy.”

Nereida, 21 “I am going to march with GAGV and going to be in the [youth] drag show!”

Courtney, 16 “Wearing a lot of rainbows!”

Carmella, 16 “Being proud of being gay!”

Gabe, 23 “With respect and dignity and happiness.”

on

Many things on

he

id

ro

c

e

GARD r ster p

The Empty Closet • Youth Program • InQueery • SafeZone • CampusOUT Rochester Pride Education Program & Speakers Bureau • Rainbow SAGE Community Safety Program & Anti-Violence Project • Library & Archives Shoulders to Stand On • Gay Alliance Resource Directory

The Gay Alliance plays a central role in advocating for the fair and equal treatment of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. www.GayAlliance.org

to Many people

GARD

The Gay Alliance On-line Resource Directory (GARD) The on-line community tool providing local, statewide and national resources 24/7 at www.GayAlliance.org.

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july 2011 • number 447 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet

Program Notes LGBT people in re-entry

There are 2,500 people each year who return to Monroe County from New York’s jails and prisons. That’s a lot of people and some of them are bound to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex.

LGBTI people in re-entry can have special needs, like finding support when coming out to a parole officer or helping parole understand why opposite gender clothes are hanging in the closet. Some needs are much more dire.

Gay and bisexual men and transgender women are at a much higher risk for rape and sexual assault while incarcerated.

One study found that up to 40 percent of male prisoners who identified as gay were sexually abused by other prisoners and even prison employees. Some LGBTI people in re-entry need significant mental health support upon returning to the community.

In June, Community Safety Program Director Kelly Clark presented a training session to SMART -- the Safer Monroe Area Reentry Team. SMART is a coalition of 30 individuals and agencies working with people in re-entry from jail and prison. In addition to providing basic LGBTI training, Ms. Clark was also able to go into detail about the special needs LGBTI people in re-entry may have. Ms. Clark regularly attends SMART meetings and fields calls to the Gay Alliance from people in re-entry needing support.

SAGE to gather at Pride Picnic for hot dogs

On Sunday, July 17 we will once again have our monthly potluck at the Pride Picnic in Genesee Valley Park. We will have a shelter, same location as last year, and we will be cooking hot dogs.

Mealtime is 3 p.m. Please bring a dish to pass. To come to the potluck, you must have a Picnic ticket. Current SAGE members are able to get a discounted ticket, for ticket information and directions contact us by email at rainbowsage@gayalliance. org or phone at 585-244-8640 X15.

SAGE’s Summertime Euchre is July 10

The SAGE euchre club will continue to meet over the summer. Because of the 4th of July holiday, euchre will occur on Sunday, July 10. The location is South Wedge Planning Committee Building,

224 Mt. Hope at the corner of Hamilton.

For more information, or to sign up to come and learn how to play euchre, contact Ginny by email at rudinandreaxx@ aol.com. Be sure to watch for information on our annual euchre tournament coming on Sept. 25.

SAGE Annual Picnic

August brings our Rainbow Sage Picnic. Everyone is welcome to join us.

The location and date are new this year so mark it down. It will be on Saturday, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. and the location is Kings Bend Park, 170 West Jefferson Road in Pittsford.

SAGE will supply the hot dogs and hamburgers, rolls and beverage. The rest is potluck style, so start thinking now about what you want to bring. We will have games to play plus the return of our infamous BROWN BAG AUCTION to benefit Rainbow SAGE.

Driver Safety Class

Rainbow SAGE is partnering with the Gay Alliance to host a session of the AARP Driver Safety Course. This New York State approved training is a total of six hours long and will run from 9 a.m.noon on Aug. 9 and 11 and will be held at the AIDS Care offices at 259 Monroe Ave. # 100 Rochester 14607-3632. The driver safety class is an opportunity to refresh your skills and perhaps qualify for lower insurance rates. Most importantly, the class is open to any driver of any age, and best of all most insurance companies provide a discount to drivers who complete the course. You can expect to learn current rules of the road, defensive driving techniques, and how to operate your vehicle more safely in today’s increasingly challenging driving environment.

The course will be taught by Scott Fearing from the Gay Alliance who is also a certified AARP Safe Driving Instructor. The classroom course costs only $12 for AARP members and $14 for nonmembers, pre-registration is required. To register, please contact Rainbow Sage at 585-244-8640 ext. 15 or rainbowsage@ gayalliance.org. Registration will close on Wednesday, Aug. 3. ■

Youth at Pride

The Youth Program is looking forward to a fun-filled summer. With Pride just around the corner, the Youth have already begun preparations for the parade. Having chosen to collaborate with the Ride for Pride cyclists, the theme of “Peter Pan” was chosen to go along with “It’s a Gay World After All.” Their presence in the

Educational Outreachby the Speaking engagements/presentations Gay Alliance staff and2011 volunteers June Speaking Engagements 6/2: 6/3: 6/7: 6/8: 6/10: 6/13: 6/14: 6/24:

6/27: 6/28:

LGBT 101 for Safer Monroe Area Re-Entry Team LGBT Issues and DV at Wilson Commencement Park SpeakOUT Training at Hobart and William Smith Colleges SpeakOUT Training at Hobart and William Smith Colleges Transitioning Employee Training at Docu-source LGBT Youth Issues at Metro Council for Teen Potential LGBT Youth Issues at Excellus BCBS LGBT Youth Issues in Schools at Indian River Central School District (PA) SafeZone Training at Hillside AIY Program 411 on 911:Emergency Assistance at Gay Alliance (Legal Issues Workshop)

The Great Fro-Down Ride for Pride rider Steve has been growing his hair out since Halloween in order to raise money for the Gay Alliance. He has been offending people all over the greater Rochester area with this mop and, despite many attempts to tame it, it remained intact until Friday, June 17 at Hot Shots Volleyball Club (1046 University Ave.), where, at 9 p.m., Steve sold raffle tickets for $5 each or 5 for $15. The lucky raffle winner got to shave the head, tame the untamable and stand tall amongst the fallen shavings!

Photo of the end result in the August EC – if the authorities don’t censor it in the interest of public health and sanity. parade is sure to impress as they take the lead on creating a Neverland, complete with the Ride for Pride Pirates!

The Youth Program also plans on making an assortment of crafts to sell at their Youth booth at the picnic. Along with the annual temporary tattoo sales, there will be fairy crowns and wands.

The Youth also plan on having their own barbeque at the picnic to celebrate. If anyone is interested in donating food for the youth BBQ, please contact Jess. Also, the annual Youth Pride Pageant & Dance is scheduled for 5-9 p.m. on July 11 at Tilt. It would be wonderful to have board members present to watch the drag show, volunteer, or simply stop by. Contact Jess for more info. ■

Shortly after DASA passed the Gay Alliance staff started to examine the legislation to see what the implications were for districts, school buildings and LGBT students. While DASA is broader in scope than LGBT issues, it is clear that LGBT needs are an area that most schools and districts are the least prepared to deal with.

“School Districts interested in our DASA assistance should simply give us a call or email us at DASA@gayalliance.org, we would be glad to help them in anyway possible,” added Sue Cowell, Executive Director of the Gay Alliance. ■

Gay Alliance provides Dignity for all Students assistance to schools

“Mom and Dad want you to eat a healthy lunch before you go OUT to play,” is the tag line from the Rochester PFLAG Pride Pre-Parade Lunch.

Members of PFLAG will be selling lunches as a fundraiser before the Pride Parade on Saturday, July 16 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. PFLAG is hosting the lunch sale at Asbury First United Methodist Church at 1050 East Ave., about one block from the Pride Parade lineup.

“PFLAG has been in Rochester for nearly 25 years,” said PFLAG member Teri Boerner. “It was an important source of support for my family when my son came out. Today we provide support, education and advocacy and Pride is a favorite time of the year for our members.

So we thought, what better than to provide a good lunch before the Pride Parade starts.”

The $5 lunch features either a turkey or hummus sandwich, pasta salad, chips, cookie and water or soda. A child’s version is available for $3.

“It’s a great opportunity to support a valuable community organization while heading towards the parade route. Stop by and get lunch from a mom and dad, a brother, a sister, a friend or spouse,” added Boerner. ■

With the passage of the New York State “Dignity for All Students Act” (DASA), school districts around the state are working at updating policies, and implementing new systems to come into full compliance.

However, schools do not need to do this work alone, the Gay Alliance is here to help!

“Assisting with the implementation of DASA is a natural for our organization,” explained Scott Fearing, Program Director for the Gay Alliance. “If you look at our existing programs, we already have the expertise necessary to assist with successful district wide DASA implementation.”

“Our Youth Program understands young people and schools. Our Community Safety Program works not only with victims of crimes, assault and bullying, but with the systems that serve the survivors of these bias incidents.

“Finally, our Training and Education Programs are nationally recognized for the quality of the curriculum and the delivery of the training,” explained Fearing.

PFLAG serves lunch before Pride Parade

The Gay Alliance 875 E. Main St., Suite 500 Rochester, NY 14605 • Hours Mon.-Fri., 9 am-5 pm • Phone (585) 244-8640 • Fax (585) 244-8246 • Web www.gayalliance.org Empty Closet Phone (585) 244-9030 • Empty Closet Fax (585) 244-8246 • Empty Closet Advertising (585) 244-9030 • Empty Closet E-mail emptycloset@gagv.us Board President John Altieri • Executive Director Sue Cowell • Administrative Assistant Laur McSpadden • Program Director Scott Fearing Empty Closet Editor Susan Jordan • Design Jim Anderson • Community Safety Kelly Clark • Youth Services Coordinator Jessica Cohen • Outreach Coordinator Jeanne Gainsburg Youth Group Youth Center, 1st floor - Ages 13-23 Sundays 2-4 pm; Ages 18-25 Sundays 4:30-6pm • http://youth.gayalliance.org for after school schedule and special events.

The Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley is a non-profit agency, dedicated to cultivating a healthy, inclusive environment where lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender (LGBT) people are safe, thriving and enjoying equal rights. We are a coalition of individuals and groups working to empower LGBT people, to affirm their identities, and to create an atmosphere where the diversity of our community can thrive both collectively and separately. We educate and advocate for civil rights for all and for the eradication of homophobia.

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Resources 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 for pay phones or calls outside Rochester. Deaf or hearing impaired people should call (585)423-8120 (TDD.) New Rapid HIV Testing now available — test results in 30-40 minutes! Statewide information can be obtained by calling 1-800-541-AIDS. Other organizations which provide AIDS-related services are as follows: AIDS Care AIDS Care is the leading provider of HIV/AIDS services in Rochester and the Finger Lakes. Onsite services include: HIV testing and limited STD screenings, Primary and HIV Specialty Medical Care, Pharmacy, Behavioral Wellness, Case Management, Prevention and Education, Clinical Trials, Dental Screenings, Hepatitis C/HIV Co-Infection Clinic, General Support Groups, Positive Divas Women’s Support Group, Positively Alive Support Group, AC Men’s Support Group, Treatment Education Group, Meals on Wheels Congregate Program, Latino Support Group, AIDS Care satellite offices in Geneva and Bath, as well as many ad hoc groups. AIDS Care is also a leader in providing services and education to members of the LGBT community. Contact Information: Website: www.acRochester.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: 585-244-6456.

Finger Lakes Office: 605 W. Washington St., Geneva, NY 14456, 315-781-6303. Southern Tier Office: 122 Liberty St. P O 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 provides 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) in the attempt to discover a vaccine that may one day prevent HIV infection or AIDS. Imagine a world without AIDS, learn how you can help create it. 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. 9a.m.-5p.m.; Tues., Thurs., 9a.m.7p.m.; Sat. 10a.m.-2p.m. www.ThresholdCenter.org Center for Health and Behavioral Training of Monroe County 853 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.

MOCHA Center of Rochester Our mission is to improve health and wellness in communities of color through intervention and service, with emphasis on LGBTQ programming.

Youth drop-in center, HIV testing, peer education,

the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 447 • july 2011 support groups, computer lab, referral services and more. Stop by 107 Liberty Pole Way (corner of Pleasant) or call (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.

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 Alleghany, Livingston, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne or Yates Counties, call 1-800-962-5063.

Action Front Center (Action for a Better Community.) Provides HIV prevention education and case management services. Training and technical assistance to service providers. Resource library open to public. All services free and confidential. Multicultural and bilingual staff. Jearald Noble, program manager.

33 Chestnut St., second floor. Hours 8:30-5 pm, Monday-Friday. 262-4330; fax 262-4572. Free anonymous HIV testing on walk-in basis, Tuesdays, Wednesdays 1-4 pm, provided through NYSDOH. Thursdays 1-4 pm at Aenon Baptist Church, 175 Genesee St. Anthony L. Jordan Health Center Prevention & Primary Care Program Provides Medical Case Management, Mental Health, Primary Care, HIV Counseling and Testing using the Orasure Rapid Test, Education presentations, and access to other Jordan services. Prevention & Primary Care is a walk-in program; no appointments necessary. Office hours: Mon.– Fri., 8:30am– 5 pm: extended hours on Monday until 8 pm. (585) 423-2879; fax (585) 423-2876.

Website: www.jordanhealth.org. For more information, call Program Director Patrick M. Trevor, (585) 423-2879.

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 80 St. Paul St., Suite 701. 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.

Evergreen Health Services, Buffalo Primary care, HIV and family care, HIV testing and counseling. (716) 847-0328 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) 368-3200. 89 Genesee St., Bishop Kearney Bldg., 3rd floor. Full range of servcies, regardless of ability to pay. Caring, confidential and convenient.

Catholic Charities AIDS Services A multicultural and bi-lingual staff providing services to a diversity of people infected and affected with HIV.Intensive home-based case management for all ages; a clinical crisis manager; a child/ adolescent case worker; transitional case management for children and family members going through bereavement; recreational and support groups for children and teens, and camping experiences including Camp SOAR. We coordinate HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS) short term emergency assistance with rent/ mortgage/utility payments and limited subsidized housing. 1945 E. Ridge Rd., Suite 24, Rochester NY 14622. (585) 339-9800.

Huther Doyle 360 East Ave., Rochester 14604. Offers drug, alcohol prevention, education, treatment. Risk

Reduction Plus Team offers servcies to HIV positive and those at risk through substance use.

Programs include outreach, transitional case management, free cconfidential testing (OraQuick Rapid Testing). NYS Dep't. of Health offers free on-site confidential and anonymous testing.

(585)325-5100, M-F 8 am-9 pm, www.hutherdoyle.com.

Geneva Community Health 601 W. Washington St., Geneva. Provides HIV testing, HIV specialty and primary care for residents of Ontario and surrounding counties.

Mon.-Thurs. 9 am-5 pm; Fridays 9 am-noon.

315-781-8448.

family 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. We do this by providing support, advocacy, information, and access to community and sensitive healthcare and other services. Our network of Pride and Joy Families offers social and educational opportunities to LGBTQ parents, their children and prospective parents. Claudia Stallman, Project Director, 124 Front St., Binghamton, NY 13905; 607-724-4308; e-mail: LesGayFamBldg@ aol.com. Web: www.PrideAndJoyFamilies.org.

Families Joined by Love Books and resources for LGBT families. www.familiesjoinedebylove.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. Regular meetings: Third Sunday of the month, Open Arms MCC, 740 Marshall Rd. 14624. 1-3 pm. PFLAG@ gagv.us; 585-244-8640 x27.

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.

lgbt health

For a list of LGBT-friendly and competent health and human service providers in the Rochester and Finger Lakes area, visit the resource directory page(s) at www.everybodysgood.com. These pages are compiled and managed by AIDS Care.

If you are a provider, or know of one, who would like to be included, contact them through the website or contact Erik Libey directly at (585) 210-4192.

Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley See www.gayalliance.org Resource Directory under “Health” for GAGV referrals to physicians and service agencies.

Women HEALTH:

Highland Hospital Breast Imaging Center 500 Red Creek Drive, Rochester 14623; 585487-3300. 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 Brown Bag Fridays: an informal discussion group that meets weekly from 12:00-1:30; Breast Cancer 101 and 201: programs designed to help those coping with a recent breast cancer diagnosis and those coping with an advanced breast cancer diagnosis; Sister Sak: a program that addresses the issues facing young women with breast cancer; and the Advanced Breast Cancer Support Group to support women living with metastatic breast cancer. The Breast Cancer Coalition also provides information about breast cancer, a lend-

ing library, and a monthly educational program.

All BCCR programs and support services are free.

Monroe County Women’s Health Partnership 111 Westfall Rd., Rochester NY 14692; (585)274-6978. 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.

SHARE: Self Help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer NYS Hotline: 1-866-53SHARE or 1-866-5374273.

Alternatives for Battered Women 232-7353; TTY 232-1741. Shelter (women only), counseling. Lesbians, gay men welcome.

GAGV Anti Violence Project 585-244-8640 ext 17. For women and men.

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. 6:30-9:30 pm 458-5728.

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. Our experienced and compassionate medical staff will listen to your concerns and answer your questions in a warm, welcoming atmosphere. All our services are confidential.

We accept most insurances; including Medicaid. You may even qualify for low- to no-cost family planning services. 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.

POLITICAL:

National Organization for Women (Greater Rochester NOW) PO Box 93196; (585)234-7019. E-mail: info@rochesternow.org Web page: http:// www.rochesternow.org.

CULTURAL:

Rochester Women’s Community Chorus 234-4441. (See Ongoing calendar).

ONLINE: WOWcny: e-mail: WOWcny@aol.com Rochester NY Lesbians; groups.aol.com/rochstrlesbians

GENERAL:

Women’s Resource Center YWCA, 175 N. Clinton Ave. 546-7740.

SOCIAL:

Color Outside the Line Crew Contact Jackie Williams, 482-4945.

Butch Femme Connection: 288-7208; DressyFemme@aol.com Check our monthly and ongoing Calendars and the Gay Groups section for more groups and events. For more information, call the GAGV at 244-8640 or see www.gayalliance. org. And send us your information! ■

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july 2011 • number 447 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet

Groups Find the friends and fun you need in your neighborhood of the LGBT community.

Butch Femme Connection The Rochester Butch-Femme Connection will have two dinner events in July 2011. On July 9, we will meet at East Ridge Diner on East Ridge Road in Irondequoit (near Hudson Avenue intersection) at 7 p.m.

On July 23, we will meet at Grand Super Buffet on East Henrietta Road (Route 15A) at 7 p.m.

For more information, contact Kerry/ Max at (585) 288-7208, e-mail DressyFemme@aol.com or visit our Facebook page under The Rochester Butch-Femme Connection.

Dignity-Integrity D-I Rochester continues to meet weekly 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 July. Please note that all services start at 5 p.m.

First Sunday: Episcopal Mass, with music (includes healing service); Second Sunday: Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Word, with music; Third Sunday: Episcopal Mass in the Chapel; no music this week; Fourth Sunday: Evening Prayer, followed by a Potluck Supper; Fifth Sunday: Short Prayer Service, followed by a presentation on the Holy Land by one of our members.

July Pot Luck Theme: “Summer Salads”. At last, it time to indulge in your

favorite cool salads. D-I cooks are very creative! Bring along a favorite to share, or if you prefer, just come and join us for great fun and great food!

News from the Pews: What a great GARAGE SALE we had in June! I’d like to say we sold everything… but we’ve got something left for those who missed it.

We can still accept your donations for the ”follow-up” sale, not yet scheduled but usually held in late August. Check the website for details.

Pride? We’ve got it! We’ll have a display booth at both the festival and the picnic. Stop by and say hello!

One of our members went to the Holy Land not long ago He took lots of pictures and has arranged them into a slide show to share with us. Join us on the fifth Sunday this month to learn more.

As always, you can check for any additions or changes to the schedule by looking at our website… here’s the address… http://www.di-rochester.org/. We hope to see you there!

EMPIRE BEARS Well, it’s finally, really, summer, even in Rochester. School’s out, and many of the Empire Bears go camping.

Some of us go every weekend to Jones Pond or Hillside. Some visit a little less often, bur we all love to get away.

The Bears don’t plan many weekend events in the summer. The best place to find us is Wednesday nights at the Wintonaire at 6, having supper and laughs with our favorite straight lady waitress, Becky.

We also are planning to do mini golf, a ball game, and a visit to Seabreeze this summer. It looks like they’ll all happen on a Wednesday night after supper, so join us at the Wintonaire, and come along.

The Bears had a great time at the Forum on the first Saturday in June, and hope you’ll join us for some fun on July 2.

Members usually gather to pass out some popcorn, and maybe do a raffle for a charity. Hope to see you there.

JUST US GUYS Our members gathered on June 14 at AIDS Care for an ever-popular Potluck Dinner. The topics of discussion included Marriage Equality and the importance of being heard at a time when there has been so much said regarding the pros and cons.

The bottom line is that Marriage Equality is a basic issue of civil rights.

Members were urged to express their opinion to their respective representatives.

As in the past, members of Just Us Guys are being encouraged to attend and support Rochester Pride 2011 Parade-Festival-Picnic, July 8-17. Specifically, since our normal meeting date falls on July 12, a goal will be to attend the Third Presbyterian Movie Night, which is scheduled on that date. More information about this event will be available at www.GayAlliance.org and in the Pride Guide in this issue.

For more information about the group and the July 12 function, contact Ron at 223-2629 or email rmatter1@rochester. rr.com.

Mary Magdalene Church Mary Magdalene Church is an inclusive Church in the Catholic tradition.

Join us for Mass followed by the Blessing of the Pets on July 31 at 4 p.m. at Edmond Lyon Park Gazebo, Main St., East Rochester.

For more info contact Tammy Drollette, 585-362-1155.

Out & Equal The PRIDE edition of the Second Thursdays Networking Event will be held Thursday July 14, 5-7 p.m., in the Horizons Lounge at the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa, 199 Woodcliff Drive, Fairport. This is an OFFICIAL PRIDE 2011 EVENT! Located atop wooded hills in Fairport, just off I-490 and Route 96, Woodcliff

Hotel and Spa is only 20 minutes from downtown Rochester, and offers spectacular views of the Rochester skyline, Rochester Bristol Hills and Finger Lakes region. The evening will include a 50/50 raffle for GAGV and PRIDE 2011 and fun door prizes!

No Cover/No Dues/Just Conversation. RSVP not necessary, but would be helpful to the chef preparing the appetizers. Mark your calendar and invite your friends!

Rochester Rams M.C.

May brought us Can-Am weekend, which we must say was a blast.

The Ottawa Knights came to co-host the event. Over 60 men in leather congregated from New Mexico to Quebec in this annual celebration of international brotherhood. The turnout for the weekend was the largest in years! We had a great time at the ranch for our private party on Sunday.

Thank you to everyone who made this a big success!

The weekend of Aug. 26-28 marks our Leather Liberation Run. Applications are now being accepted, so visit our website! Space is limited on the campgrounds.

With your fee of 150 dollars, all food and beverages will be provided. Bring your own tent and enjoy the company of men in a private outdoor setting!

The Rochester Rams M.C. is Rochester New York’s foremost gay motorcycle and leather club as well as being one of the oldest clubs of its type in the country. All who are interested in the leather club scene are invited to check us out.

Our general meeting is open to the public and we meet the Wednesday before bar night at 7:30 p.m. Meetings are held at our home bar, the Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave. For more info, visit our website: www. rochesterrams.com. ■

Give them the most selfless gift of all, a more secure future

Peter S. Kluge Agent New York Life Insurance Company 375 Woodcliff Dr., Fairport, NY 14450 P. 585.248.6759 pskluge@ft.newyorklife.com

New York Life. The Company you keep c 2011 New York Life Insurance Company, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010 SMRU 00409010CV (Exp. 06/11)

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the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 447 • july 2011

Ongoing Calendar Monday LGBT Support Group New Life Presbyterian Church, 243 Rosedale. First, 3rd Mondays, 7:30-9:30pm. Carol, 482-3832.

Lilac Squares Gay Square Dance Group Mondays, 7pm, Open Arms MCC, 740 Marshall Rd. 467-6456; bdaniels@ frontiernet.net.

Free syphilis testing AIDS Care, 259 Monroe Ave., 5-8pm.

442-2220.

Rochester Historical Bowling Society 7:15pm, Mondays. Clover Lanes, 2750 Monroe Ave. (Group is full.)

HIV Positive Gay Men Support group Every Monday, 5pm, AIDS Care, 259 Monroe Ave. Gay Alliance Youth Drop-In Hours Mondays, Wednesdays, 2-6pm, Gay Alliance Youth Center, 875 E. Main St. Prince St. entrance, first floor. 244-8640, x 13.

Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Mondays, 6pm, George Eastman House parking lot. www.rochesterfrontrunners.org.

Steps Beyond Stems Crack Support Group Mondays, 7-8pm, 289 Monroe Ave.

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. Business meeting last Wednesday. Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. 7pm, John S., 261-7263.

Empire Bears First Wednesdays, 7:45pm, Gay Alliance Community Center, 875 E. Main St., 5th floor. info@empirebears.org Rochester Rams General Meeting 2nd Wednesdays, 7:30pm, Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave. www.rochesterrams.com Brothers Keeper Support group for men over 30. Third Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30pm, MOCHA Center, 107 Liberty Pole Way. 420-1400

Gay Alliance Library & Archives, David Bohnett Cyber Center Every Monday. 6-8pm. First floor, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640.

Gay Alliance Youth Drop-In Hours Mondays, Wednesdays, 3-7pm, Gay Alliance Youth Center, 875 E. Main St. Prince St. entrance, first floor. 244-8640 x 13. On hiatus for summer.

Equality Rochester 6:30-8:30pm, Metro Justice, 167 Flanders St. 426-0862; annetischer1@gmail.com

Frontrunners/Frontwalkers 6pm, Eastman House parking lot. www.rochesterfrontrunners.org.

Tuesday

Gay Alliance Library & Archives, David Bohnett Cyber Center Every Wednesday. 6-8pm. First floor, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640.

Just Us Guys Gay men of all ages. Second Tuesdays, 6:30pm, AIDS Care, 259 Monroe Ave. 223-2629 Out for Justice Workshop series Fourth Tuesdays through Nov. 2011.

Kelly Clark, 244-8640.

CampusOut Coffee Night First Tuesdays, 7-10pm, Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. MOCHA Youth Drop-In Tues.-Fri., 1-9pm, MOCHA Center, 107 Liberty Pole Way, 420-1400; 244-8640

Thursday Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns 6:30pm, first Thursday. Ralph, 271-7649 Queer Radical Reading Group First and third Thursdays, 7pm, Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. Pride at Work First Thursdays, 5:30pm. 167 Flanders St. off Thurston Rd. 426-0862.

MOCHA Hepatitis Clinic Free Hepatitis A & B vaccinations, third Tuesdays, 5:30-7pm, 107 Liberty Pole Way, 420-1400

Trans Action Group (TAG) Information: Peter Vaillancourt, sk8forether@gmail; list serve at transactiongroup@googlegroups.com

Rainbow SAGE Yoga 6-7pm Open Arms MCC, 125 Norris Drive, 442-6369.

GLOB&L (Gays and Lesbians of Bausch & Lomb).

Meets every third Thursday in Area 67 conference room at the Optic Center.

Voice mail: 338-8977

Women’s Community Chorus Rehearsals each Tuesday, 6:30-9pm, Downtown United Pres. Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh Street. 234-4441, www.therwcc.org

Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh St. 6:30-9pm, 423-0650

Free HIV Testing Every Tuesday, 9am-7pm. AIDS Care, 259 Monroe Ave.

Free confidential walk-in HIV testing Every Thursday night, 5-8pm, AIDS Care, 259 Monroe Ave. 442-2220

Wednesday

Partner Bereavement Group First and third Thursdays, 5:30-7pm.

Open drop-in session; professionally led.

Freewill donation to hospice requested.

Lifetime Care, 3111 Winton Road, 214-1414

Charlie’s Group Third Wednesdays. Monthly peerfacilitated support group for married men who have sex with men. Confidential, free. 6:30pm. For info: Scott, 244-8640 x 20; ScottF@Gay Alliance.us.

Country Line Dancing/Two Stepping Every Wednesday, 140 Alex, 7pm. Lessons followed by dancing until 10pm, Beginners to advanced.

U.R. Pride Network 7:30pm, Gamble Room in Rush Rhees Library. urpride@gmail.com

MOCHA/Gay Alliance Youth Trans Group First Thursdays, 5-7pm, Gay Alliance Youth Center, 875 E. Main St., first floor (Prince St. entrance). 244-8640 ext 13.

Second Thursdays Social and business networking, 5:307:30pm. Changing venues. E-mail fingerlakes@outandequal.org

FRIDAY Gay Men's AA meeting Fridays, 7:30-8:30pm, Closed meeting.

Emmanuel Baptist Church, 815 Park Ave. GLBTQI Motorcycle Group Second Fridays, 5:30pm, Various locations. RochesterGLBTIQbikers@ yahoo.com; 467-6456; bmdaniels@frontiernet.net.

SATURDAY Rochester Rams Bar Night Third Saturdays, 8pm-2am, Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave. 271-6930 Empire Bears Bar Night First Saturdays. Bachelor Forum, 470 University Ave. www.empirebears.org.

Frontrunners/Frontwalkers 9am, George Eastman House parking lot.www.rochesterfrontrunners.org.

Empire Bears Potluck 2nd Saturdays, Gay Alliance Youth Center, 875 E. Main, first floor, Prince St. entrance. 6:30pm greet; 7pm dinner.

Bring dish to pass. www.empirebears.org.

Cross Dresser Support Group First Saturdays, 6-9pm, call for location: 251-2132; RCDNET@hotmail.com Guys Night Out Third Saturdays. Social group for transguys. 1pm, Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. tguysnightout@gmail.com.

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 and third Saturdays. http://www. inspiritual.biz/online-spiritual-evolutiongro/

Sunday Parents Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Third Sundays, 1-3 pm. Open Arms MCC, 740 Marshall Rd. 244-8640 ext 27; PFLAG@gayalliance.org.

Gay Alliance Library & Archives, David Bohnett Cyber Center Every Sunday. 6-8pm. First floor, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640.

Come Out Dancin’ Second, fourth Sundays. 3-5pm.

Friends Meeting House, 84 Scio St., entry on Charlotte St. $5.

Adult Discussion Group Ages 21+. Sundays, 4:40-6 pm, Auditorium Center, Gay Alliance Youth Center, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640. On hiatus for summer.

Unity Fellowship Church Sundays, 1:30 pm, Lutheran Church of Peace, 125 Caroline St., 14620. 520-6188.

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 740 Marshall Rd., Chili, 10:30am, 271-8478 Gay Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous St. Luke’s/St. Simon Cyrene Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. 8:30pm, 232-6720, Weekly. Closed meeting

Gay Alliance Youth Group Ages 13-23. Every Sunday, 2-4pm, Gay Alliance Youth Center, 875 E. Main St. or satellite location. For weekly location check Youth Calendar, www.gayalliance.org or e-mail Jess at JessC@Gay Alliance.us. On hiatus for summer.

Rainbow SAGE First Sundays: Euchre Club, 3-6pm.

Third Sundays, Potluck at First

Universalist Church, 150 S. Clinton Ave., 4pm.

Men’s Cooking Group Third or fourth Sundays, 355-7664.

Civil Rights Front Every Tuesday, 5pm, Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. http://www.civilrightsfront. wordpress.com ■

Rochester AA / NA Meetings Every week there are four regularly scheduled GLBTI AA and two 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 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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july 2011 • number 447 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet

July SATURDAY 2

Empire Bears Bar Night. Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave.

SUNDAY 3

Dignity Integrity Episcopal Mass, with music (includes healing service). 5 pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. http://www.di-rochester.org/.

FRIDAY 8

Flag Raising – City Hall, 4-5 pm.

Presentation of Grand Marshals. Pride 2011 event. ASL interpreters provided.

Sassy in the South Wedge, 5-9 pm.

South Wedge merchants offer Pride Specials; dance at Boulder Coffee. Pride 2011 event. For all Pride events: ASL interpreting can be requested at Deafaccess@GayAlliance.org (before July 8).

SATURDAY 9

Gay Day at Seabreeze 11 am-6 pm.

Advance tickets at Gay Alliance, www.

GayAlliance.org -- $22.50, children 2 and under free. Rides 11 am-10 pm; unlimited waterslides 11 am-10 pm. Pride Pavilion 11 am-4 pm for picnics. Pride 2011 event.

Butch Femme Connection Dinner Night. East Ridge Diner on East Ridge Road in Irondequoit (near Hudson Ave. intersection) at 7 pm. Kerry/Max at (585) 288-7208, e-mail DressyFemme@aol. com.

SUNDAY 10

Dignity Integrity Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Word, with music. 5 pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. http://www.di-rochester.org/.

Pride Drag Brunch. Edibles. Shows noon & 2 pm. Kasha Davis, Aggy Dune, Poison Waters, Darienne Lake. Reservations: www.ediblesrochester.com; 585271-4910.

Pride Open Golf Tournament, Tee time 1 pm, Brockport Country Club. $90/person, proceeds benefit AIDS Care, GAGV Youth Group. Info, to register: jerry@igbomy2011.org; www.igbomy2011.org. Pride 2011 event.

Rainbow SAGE euchre. South Wedge Planning Committee Building, 224 Mt. Hope at Hamilton. For information, or to sign up to learn how to play, contact Ginny at rudinandreaxx@aol.com.

Absolut Pride Tea Party ONE Restaurant, 1 Ryan Alley. Pride 2011 event.

5 pm. $15. Must be 21 or over. Cash bar, food, DJs Henry and Jon Herbert, Featuring Miss Gay Pride Keke Velasquez

Lord and Samantha Vega. Advance tickets: Equal=Grounds, Outlandish, Bachelor Forum, www.osnik.com/gayalliance.

WXXI Radio: States of Marriage: The Debate over Gay Rights airs 10 pm on AM 1370/FM-HD 91.5-2 Program examines how several states have approached legal recognition for gay, lesbian and bi couples.

TUESDAY 12

or soda. Child’s version available for $3.

Family Day at Memorial Art Gallery, noon-3 pm. Fun activities for kids; free admission to art gallery. Pride 2011 event.

PRIDE PARADE & FESTIVAL. Celebrate our great victory for marriage equality! Parade line up: 2-3 pm, Park Ave. at Brunswick/Argyle. March down Park and Goodman St. to Festival site, Auditorium Center parking lot on College St. Food vendors. DJs Jon Herbert, Hector. Headliners: Pepper Mashay, Melissa Ferrick; opening act: Pawan. At 6:15: Flash mob dance (“Born This Way”).

Fabulous appearances by Your Favorite Rochester Queens. 4:30-9:30 p.m. Pride 2011 event.

THURSDAY 14

Dignity Integrity Episcopal Mass in the Chapel; no music this week. 5 pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. http://www.di-rochester.org/.

PRIDE PICNIC, Genesee Valley Park. $15 at gate; $10 in advance; $5 students. 1–7 pm. Vendors, DJ dancing, sports, dog show, antique car show, bounce house, etc. Pride 2011 event.

MONDAY 11

Youth Dance and Pageant, Tilt Nightclub & Ultralounge, Ages 13-23, drug & alcohol-free event. Crowning of Youth Pride Drag King & Queen. $5 at door. Pizza, soda, dancing to DJ Chuck Argento. Pride 2011 event.

Pride Movie Night and refreshments, 7 pm, Third Presbyterian Church, 4 Meigs St (at East Ave). “Patrik, Age 1.5” in Swedish with English subtitles. Pride 2011 event.

Just Us Guys. Group members will attend Movie Night at Third Presbyterian. Info: Ron at 223-2629 or email rmatter1@rochester.rr.com Summer Mayhem: ImageOut Movie Night. 7 pm: “You Should Meet My Son!” 9 pm; “Ticked Off Trannies with Knives”. The Cinema, 957 Clinton Ave. at Goodman St. Pride 2011 event.

Garth Fagan and Bill T. Jones onstage discussion at Nazareth College dance Festival. Nazareth Arts Center. go.naz.edu/dancefest.

PRIDE edition of Out & Equal Second Thursdays Networking Event.

5-7 pm, Horizons Lounge at the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa, 199 Woodcliff Drive, Fairport, just off I-490 and Route 96.

50/50 raffle for GAGV and PRIDE 2011; fun door prizes! No Cover/No Dues/Just Conversation. Pride 2011 event.

Speed the Plow. Opening night; runs through July 17. 7:30 pm, The Scene, Hungerford Bldg., 1115 E. Main St. $5.

FRIDAY 15

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

Pride Shabbat, Temple Sinai, 363 Penfield Rd. 5:30 pm: pre service Oneg. 6 pm: Erev Shabbat service.

Pride Weekend Kick Off Party. Holiday Inn Airport, 911 Brooks Ave., 7-10 pm. DJ, show, brief announcements, sashing of Grand Marshals. No entry fee; cash bar, food and prizes. Pride 2011 event.

Honda 1988gl1500 motorbike for free. If interested contact Robertsmith1936@hotmail.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”

SATURDAY 23

Butch Femme Connection Dinner Night. Grand Super Buffet on East Henrietta Road (Route 15A) at 7 pm. For more information, contact Kerry/Max at (585)288-7208, e-mail DressyFemme@ aol.com or visit Facebook page under The Rochester Butch-Femme Connection.

SUNDAY 24

Dignity Integrity Evening Prayer, followed by a Potluck Supper. 5 pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. http://www.di-rochester.org/.

SUNDAY 31

Dignity Integrity Short Prayer Service, followed by a presentation on the Holy Land by DI member. 5 pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. http://www.di-rochester.org/.

Mary Magdalene Church Mass followed by Blessing of Pets, 4 pm at Edmond Lyon Park Gazebo, Main St., East Rochester. Tammy Drollette, 585362-1155.

SATURDAY 16

PFLAG lunch. PFLAG will sell lunches as a fundraiser before Parade from 11:30 am-2 pm at Asbury First United Methodist Church, 1050 East Ave. $5 lunch features either turkey or hummus sandwich, pasta salad, chips, cookie, water

Classifieds ANNOUNCEMENTS

SUNDAY 17

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, NY 14605.

Paying by check: checks must be made out to Gay Alliance or GAGV. 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.

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.

Martin Ippolito master electrician.

Electrical work, telephone jacks, cable TV, burglar alarm systems, paddle fans.

585-266-6337.

PERSONALS

Beginning lesbian, hiker, seeks other women to hike and explore Monroe County parks. Call Terrie R. at 831-6040.

Let’s enjoy the nice weather!

FOR SALE

Midsummer Night’s Dream. Light up your path or garden this summer! Malibu outdoor lights, 50-foot string of four.

Brand new, never unboxed. $79 value for $59. Offer about to expire: act now! 3857931, evenings only.

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Get Yours

the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 447 • july 2011

grab The Empty Closet at this area’s finest Aaron’s Alley • Abilene • Abundance Natural Food Store • Action for a Better Community • 140 Alex Bar & Grill • AMF Terrace Garden Lanes • Anthony Jordan Health Center • A Step Apart • Avenue Pub • Bachelor Forum • Borders Books & Music (Henrietta) • Boulder Coffee • Canaltown Coffee Roasters • catholic family center • center for disability rights • Cinema Theatre • Clover Lanes • corn hill wine & liquor • Daniel Ward Salon • depaul • east house corp • Eastman School • Empire State College • Equal=Grounds • Excellus • Family Medicine (on S. Clinton Ave.) • First Unitarian Church • the Genesee Co-op • Genesee Federal Credit Union • Hudson Video/News • HIV/STD Clinic (855 West Main street) • ImageOut Film Festival office • Industrial Video • Java’s • Jeremiah’s • Little Theatre • lollipop farm • Mercury Posters • metro justice • Mex • the MOCHA center • Mystic Moon • Open Arms MCC • Outlandish • Park Avenue Laundromat • Planned Parenthood • Pleasant Bunz Café • Rochester Public Library (central) • Rochester Spa and Body Club • Record Archive (East Avenue) • 159 salon • show world brighton/henrietta • Show world mt. read • south wedge barber shop • St. Mary’s Clinic • Starry Nights • State Street video • tapas 177 lounge • Unity Fellowship Church • UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH • Unity behavioral health • Utter Clutter • Ventures IRPT • Village Gate entrances • visitrochester • World Wide News • Writers & Books • some therapists’ offices • most area colleges during school year • in buffalo: Q • underground • lavender inkwell • buffalo pride center in syracuse: sparky town restaurant • hairanoia • sugar pearl • syracuse cultural workers and of course at the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley 875 East main street, suite 500, rochester, new york 14605 www.gayalliance.org • emptycloset@gagv.us

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