Empty Closet, October 2011 Section A

The Empty Closet number 450 a publication of the gay alliance of the genesee valley

Section A New York State’s Oldest Lgbt Publication octoBER 2011

Partnerships The Gay Alliance appreciates the continuing partnership of businesses within our community who support our mission and vision.

Platinum:

Gold:

Jamey Rodemeyer

Silver:

Buffalo teenager kills himself after years of bullying

REMEMBERING THE LOST: The Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus sings at the 9/11 commemoration ceremony at MCC. More photos on page A 18. Photo: Jim Wilkins

Bronze:

Bruce E. Smail

MOCHA Center introduces new ED Bruce E. Smail

Champion:

Friend:

The MOCHA Center, a nonprofit organization providing health and wellness programs and services for communities of color with an emphasis on LGBTQ communities, introduced its new Executive Director, Board of Directors, and staff to the communities of Buffalo and Rochester in September.

With over 15 years of service, and operations in Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, and New York City, the MOCHA Center reaches local, regional, state, and national constituencies. The Center held a Welcome Event/Open House on Sept. 29 in Rochester at their 107 Liberty Pole Way office, and in Buffalo on Sept. 22.

Bruce E. Smail, the new Executive Director, joined the MOCHA Center team on July 1. He brings a wealth of experience in advocating for communities of color, LGBTQ, and HIV/ AIDS equality issues. Smail is excited to meet the community and reminds everyone that “last month’s release of new estimated HIV incidence rates in the United States for 2006-09 emphasized the importance of engaging all communities around HIV prevention and services for people living with HIV/AIDS.” He further stated, “The Open House is one of the many ways that the MOCHA Center is reaching out to local communities and creating opportunities for everyone to have a voice in the MOCHA Center. The improvement of health and wellness amongst people of color and LGBTQ communities is a collec-

tive responsibility. LGBTQ people of color, and people living with HIV/AIDS are active members of all organizations, businesses, places of worship, and our community. Collectively we must address the health disparities in this country as well as in this community.”

Dr. Edward Brockenbrough, President of the MOCHA Center’s Board of Directors and a faculty member at the University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education, where his research focuses on the educational experiences of LGBTQ youth of color, commented, “This is an exciting moment in MOCHA’s history. Most of our board members, myself included, are relatively new, as is our executive director. All of us are committed to building upon the strengths of MOCHA’s past while moving the organization forward in new and creative ways.”

Estimated HIV incidence rates On Aug. 3, the Centers of Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) released its new estimated HIV incidence rates in the United States for 2006-2009. The new estimates showed that the annual number of new HIV infections was stable but the following groups experienced increases: an estimated 21 percent increase in HIV incidence for people aged 13-29 (these groups saw a 34 percent increase in young MSM); within the 13-29 MSM group, Black/African American MSM (MOCHA continues page 3)

New transgender group forming at Gay Alliance

By Susan Jordan Pam Barres, Shauna O’Toole and Maur Delaney are co-facilitating the Rochester Trans Group, a new, all-inclusive, transgender social/educational group in Rochester for any gender variant individuals and allies ages 18 and over.

The Trans Group will run in affiliation with the Gay Alliance, using Gay Alliance space, having Gay Alliance staff support and using Gay Alliance resources.

This group has taken the place of the previously planned Rainbow SAGE Transgender Group.

The new transgender group will meet on the last Saturday of the month, from 3-5 p.m. in the Gay Alliance Youth Center, first floor, 875 E. Main St. An organizational meeting took place on Sept. 10, and the first meeting of the group was Sept. 24. This month the group will meet on Oct. 29.

The format will be part educational (scheduled speakers, films, etc.) and part social, giving members a chance to connect with each other.

Pam Barres told The Empty Closet, “I have thought it’s very important that a transgender group be in existence for when people need it, particularly when they’re first coming out. When I first came out, the group I (Transgender continues page 3)

Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-yearold gay teen from the Buffalo area, killed himself over the weekend of Sept. 18-19, after what his parents say was years of bullying.

Three other youth suicides have taken place in area school districts in the past year, according to The Buffalo News.

Amherst Police Chief John C. Askey said Sept. 22 that the Special Victims Unit has started a criminal investigation. Police say that three students in particular may have been involved in the bullying, which apparently started when Jamey was in Heim (Buffalo continues page 3)

Dine out on Oct. 25 and donate to GAGV The Gay Alliance and local restaurants are cooperating again this year on GAGV Dines Out. Enjoy a meal or drink at any of these fine establishments on Oct. 25 and a portion of your payment will benefit Gay Alliance programs, such as the Youth Program and the Anti Violence/Community Safety Program.

The restaurants, coffeehouses and bars include One Restaurant, Equal=Grounds, Balsam Bagels, Gusto, Jeremiah’s, Jines, The Cellar Door at the Green Lantern Inn, the Bachelor Forum, Boulder Coffee (all locations), Magnolias, Tapas 177, Gate House, Salena’s, Warfield’s High Point, Portofino and the Winfield Grill. For more information see the back cover of this section and check www.gayalliance.org for any updates. ■

Inside Section A Newsfronts..................................... 4 Interview: Candidates..................... 6 Halloween haunting...................... 6 Opinion..........................................17 Making The Scene.......................18

ImageOut Happens...

See page B1

Section B Entertainment: ImageOut .............. 1 Columnists..................................... 5 GAGV News:Domestic violence....10 Groups .........................................13 Ongoing Calendar.......................14 Calendar.......................................15 Classifieds....................................15

2 A the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 450 • octoBER 2011

Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley

Perspectives

California passes gender nondiscrimination; why can’t NYS? On Aug. 30, the California state senate approved the Gender Nondiscrimination Act in a vote of 25-13. The bill extends civil rights protections to workers, students and homebuyers of all genders and orientations, but especially provides civil rights to transgender citizens, who have not been specifically included in other statewide measures.

In June 2009 the New York State version of transgender anti-discrimination protections seemed about to pass – then came the extraordinary collapse of the Albany legislature. The business of the state didn’t get done for weeks and the moment passed.

Then in 2010 conservatives pushed their despicable “bathroom bill” propaganda to ensure that trans people would continue to be denied basic civil rights.

In June 2011, New York finally passed marriage equality. Unfortunately, it seems that one piece of pro-queer legislation per year is as much as Albany can manage. So far Governor Cuomo and the Republicans who supported marriage equality do not seem prepared to support GENDA. Even in 2012.

Where does transphobia come from and why is it so prevalent? We know that many heterosexuals are threatened by the idea that human love and intimacy are not found only

Many things

What the Gay Alliance Youth Program can do to prevent suicides The death of Buffalo area middle school student Jamey Rodemeyer on Sept. 18 jarred many LGBTQA Rochestarians, leaving many shocked not only by the proximity, but fearful of another adolescent suicide contagion like that of the highly publicized gay youth deaths just one year ago.

For some community members, it may also have triggered memories and thoughts of their own painful life experiences or non-fatal suicide attempts.

When a young person dies by his or her own hand, it can also leave many people with the thought “what could have been done to save them?”.

For Jamey, we may never know what, if anything, could have changed his life’s outcome.

Editor-in-Chief: Susan Jordan Staff Reporters: Ove Overmyer, Laur McSpadden Graphic Design: Jim Anderson Staff Photographer: Jim Wilkins

But for local LGBTQ youth, the support and resources are plentiful. The Gay Alliance youth program provides a variety of services including drop-in hours, a teen group, a trans youth group, health education, counseling, social events and leadership opportunities. Many area schools also have gay-straight alliance clubs and visible, safe adult allies.

As tragic as Jamey’s death was, I believe that focusing on the success of LGBTQ youth should headline in newspapers instead. So many teens are not just saying “it gets better,” but they are making it better. They are attending GSA clubs in their schools, coming out and reaching for the support that will help them reach their goals.

Some have hailed Jamey as a hero and Lady Gaga has even dedicated a song to him.

Despite good intentions, this media attention is what research says may contribute to suicide contagions. Teachers, administration, parents, counselors and friends need to provide attention to individual youth before things get to the point of suicide.

While I may not be a pop superstar, my inner song is dedicated to the brave LGBTQA youth who are overcoming barriers every day.

My heart sings to them and the multitudes of adults out there singing along with me.

(For more information on youth services, see the website at www.gayalliance.org) ■

Looking for an easy way to support the Gay Alliance?

Are you a New York State or Federal employee?

Do you know New York State or Federal employees? The New York State Federated Employee Appeal (SEFA) and the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) began in the middle of September.

The Gay Alliance is listed in their brochure.

The SEFA number is 68-00048.

The CFC number is 93910.

Thank you for your support!

Together we save lives!

SEFA•CFC

“between a man and a woman”.

Polls indicate that after around 30 years, society may now be starting to get over homophobia, but to many, transgender is still something alien. Trans visibility is just beginning to influence the mainstream.

Sadly, both trans- and biphobia exist within the queer community. For instance, some lesbians still maintain that transgender women are not “real” women – exactly what lesbians themselves have been told for centuries, i.e. “There is only one way for a woman to be – submissive, passive, ultra-femme, slim with big tits and no body hair.

And heterosexual.”

Queer people should know that there is more than one way to be male and more than one way to be female. Defining humans by their genitalia has always been heterosexist!

Trans women in turn need to respect that cisgendered women have experienced a significantly different kind of oppression in our woman-hating society.

Trans women are hated for being “males” who changed; cisgendered women are despised just for being born female, and have been denied human and civil rights for millennia.

Gender issues are not sexual orientation issues. Gender is about who we are, not who we love and desire. But similar attitudes may lie behind both homophobia and transphobia.

Conservatives – and others – seem threatened by the idea that gender identity can be fluid. If a person can change their gender, or remain happily somewhere in between genders, then what happens to the notion that males are always innately superior to females? If two people of the same gender can marry legally and have families, what happens to the notion that the only REAL family is one dominated by a heterosexual male?

Maybe heterosexist male supremacy is the Bad Daddy behind both the anti-marriage equality and the anti-transgender backlashes. ■

From the Youth Services Coordinator Jessica cohen

SEFA•CFC

From the Empty Closet Editor Susan Jordan

The Empty Closet is published by the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley 875 E. Main Street, Suite 500 Rochester, New York 14605 © 2011, All rights reserved.

Name Address City/State/Zip

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Phone c

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GARD

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

E-mail Membership levels: ❏ $30-99 Advocate ❏ $100-999 Champion ❏ $1,000-4,999 Triangle Club ❏ $5,000+ Stonewall ❏ Enclosed is my check in the amount of _________ (check #______) Please charge my credit card in the amount of: __________ To: ❏ American Express, ❏ Discover, ❏ MasterCard, ❏ Visa Credit card # _____________________________ Exp. Date: _______ ❏ I would be proud to have my donation publicly acknowledged.

Benefits include: a subscription to The Empty Closet mailed to home or work, plus privileges at each level. Phone: 585 244-8640 or mail to: Gay Alliance, 875 E. Main Street, Suite 500, Rochester, New York 14605. Home delivery of the Empty Closet is free with your annual membership in the Gay Alliance.

10/11

to Many people

Advertising policy: The Empty Closet does not print advertisements that contain nude drawings or photographs, nor does it print advertising that states that the person pictured in the ad is for sale, or that you will “get” that particular person if you patronize the establishment advertised. Advertisements that are explicitly racist, sexist, ageist, ableist or homophobic will be refused; advertisements from organizations that are sexist, racist, ageist, ableist or anti-gay will also be refused. All political advertisements must contain information about who placed them and a method of contact. Additionally, The Empty Closet does not print negative or “attack” advertisements, whether they relate to a product or politics and no matter in whose interest the ad is being produced. A negative advertisement is defined as one that focuses upon a rival product, or in the political area, a rival election candidate or party, in order to point out supposed flaws and to persuade the public not to buy it (or vote for him or her). The Empty Closet maintains, within legal boundaries, neutrality regarding products, political candidates and parties. However, “attack” ads that fail to provide undisputable evidence that the information in the ad is true do not further in any way the objectives and policies of the Gay Alliance or The Empty Closet, including the primary tenet that The Empty Closet’s purpose is to inform the Rochester gay community and to provide an impartial forum for ideas.

Submissions: For publication, submit news items, ads, photos, letters, stories, poetry, ads, photographs or art by mail or in person to The Empty Closet office by the 15th of the month.

Design services for non-camera ready ads are available for a fee. (www.emptycloset@ gagv.us) Publication Information: The Empty Closet is published 11 times a year (December and January combined) by The Empty Closet Press for the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, Inc. Approximately 5000 copies of each issue are distributed during the first week of the month, some by mail in a plain sealed envelope. The publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles is not an indication of the sexual or affectional orientation of that person or the members of that organization. For further information, please write to The Empty Closet, 875 E. Main St., Rochester NY. 14605, call (585) 244-9030 or e-mail emptycloset@gagv.us.

The Empty Closet is the official publication of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, Inc., as stated in the bylaws of that organization. Its purpose is to inform the Rochester gay community about local and national gay-related news and events; to provide a forum for ideas and creative work from the local gay community; to help promote leadership within the community, and to be a part of a national network of lesbian and gay publications that exchange ideas and seek to educate.

Part of our purpose is to maintain a middle position with respect to the entire community. We must be careful to present all viewpoints in a way that takes into consideration the views of all – women, men, people of color, young and old, and those from various walks of life.

The opinions of columnists, editorial writers and other contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the collective attitude of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley or The Empty Closet. The Empty Closet shall not be liable for any loss or expense that results from the publication (whether correctly or incorrectly) or omission of an ad. In the event of non-payment, your account may be assigned to a collection agency or an attorney, and will be liable for the charges paid by us to such collection agency or attorney.

Letters to the editor: The opinions of columnists, editorial writers and other contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the collective attitude of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley or The Empty Closet. We will print letters at the editor’s discretion and on a space available basis. Only one letter by the same writer in a six-month period is allowed. We will not print personal attacks on individuals, nor will we be a forum for ongoing disputes between individuals. We reserve the right to edit for space and clarity. We will print anonymous letters if the name and phone number are provided to the Editor; confidentiality will be respected. Submissions are due by the 15th of the month at: The Empty Closet, 875 E. Main Street, Suite 500, Rochester, NY 14605; e-mail: emptycloset@gagv. us. Online edition of EC available at www. gayalliance.org.

octoBER 2011 • number 450 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet from page 0ne

(Buffalo from page 1) middle school, according to ABC News. There are no bullying laws in NYS, but aggravated harassment charges could be placed against youth 16 or older.

WIVB reports: Soon after coming home from a family camping trip, Jamey was found dead (on Sept. 19). His parents say he was always under pressure because of struggles with his sexuality. Jamey’s mother Tracy Rodemeyer said, “So he hung around with the girls a lot, so then the teasing started happening, like ‘Oh you’re such a girl or you’re gay or whatever’ and that bothered him for many years.”

Jamey’s father Tim Rodemeyer said, “To the kids who are bullying: they have to realize that words are very powerful and what you think is just fun and games isn’t to some people, and you are destroying a lot of lives.”

The Buffalo News adds: On Saturday night, he posted a lyric from Lady Gaga’s song “The Queen” on his Facebook page: “Don’t forget me when I come crying to heaven’s door.”

Then around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Jamey posted two final messages to his main public Tumblr blog. One said he really wanted to see his great-grandmother, who had recently died, and one offered thanks to Lady Gaga.

That was his last entry.

Jamey was very active online, with a Tumblr blog, and YouTube account. He “routinely blogged about school bullying and thoughts of suicide in between upbeat posts about his pop star idol Lady Gaga” and posted to his followers about National Suicide Prevention Week, the paper adds.

He also recorded an “It Gets Better” video. ■ ( Transgender from page 1) was hoping to be part of had gone out of existence. With this group, that shouldn’t happen, because we have the support of the Gay Alliance to help us maintain and grow leadership. I am particularly pleased that the Gay Alliance shows real support for the trans community, not just lip service, which in the past has been the norm for other gay and lesbian organizations.

“Please join us and share your thoughts and ideas on how we can make this group useful, fun, educational, supportive and inclusive of all gender variant people and their friends.” ■ (MOCHA from page 1) increased significantly (48 percent) from 2006-2009; African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos are the racial/ethnic groups most affected by HIV. African Americans represent approximately 14 percent of the US population, but accounted for 44 percent (21,200) of all new HIV infections in 2009. Hispanic/Latinos represent approximately 16 percent of the total US population, but accounted for 20 percent (9,400) of all new HIV infections in 2009.

Overall, in 2009, African American men had the highest rate of new HIV infections (103.9 new infections per 100,000 persons), followed by Hispanic/Latino men (39.9 per 100,000), and African American women (39.7 per 100,000). ■

NewsFronts LOCAL AND STATE

or in a lot behind 57 Ambrose St. Q&A and a reception will follow the lecture.

The churches and organization sponsoring this event are Calvary St. Andrews Presbyterian Parish, Lake Avenue Baptist Church, St. Luke and St. Simon Cyrene Episcopal Church, Third Presbyterian Church, and the Program on Women and Gender in Church and Society, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. Questions may be directed to GP DickersonHanks at GDickerson-Hanks@ crcds.edu.

Dr. Mark Brummit

Seminary professor speaks about reading the Bible

By Darrell Lance What does the Bible have to say to the LGBT community?

Despite the past several decades of research, writing, and discussion centered on this question, it remains a troublesome one for many LGBT Christians, especially those who grew up in the Catholic church or conservative Protestant traditions.

On Oct. 25 at Lake Avenue Baptist Church, Dr. Mark Brummitt, an openly gay professor of Old Testament at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, will take stock of the state of the debate and suggest some new directions for understanding the Bible from a queer perspective.

The series which presents Dr. Brummit, “Christian Faith and LGBT Experience,” is now entering its 14th season. From its beginning, the series has tried to present to the Rochester LGBT community a Christian word that represents Good News instead of the condemnation, exclusion, and spiritual violence exhibited by many in the churches.

The title of Dr. Brummitt’s presentation is “New Eyes... Old Texts; Wise Eyes... New Texts.”

He will revisit the biblical “clobber passages” that have traditionally been used against LGBT people, but from a perspective of new patterns of scriptural interpretation. First, however, he will be looking at sex, sexuality, and gender in the Bible in general.

Dr. Brummitt is a native of the United Kingdom, born and bred in London. He is professionally trained both as an actor and a Bible scholar. His doctorate is from the University of Glasgow, although he also holds a master’s degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. His particular interests are queer theory and literary approaches to scripture, with a focus on the prophet Jeremiah.

A major book on Jeremiah is scheduled to appear next year to be published by Oxford Press.

Lake Avenue Baptist Church will host the event at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25. The church is located at 72 Ambrose St., just off Lake Ave. at the first traffic light north of Lyell Ave., about a half mile north of Kodak Office.

Parking is available on the street

MENY’s Ron Zacchi resigns as ED Marriage Equality New York (MENY) Executive Director Ron Zacchi announced his departure from the organization on Aug. 30. He will pursue graduate school and a future career in non-profit management.

As a leader within MENY for over eight years, Ron has provided leadership for MENY and New York’s LGBT community during the struggle for legal marriage. Ron’s decision comes at a time when the organization is poised to move on to be a leader on the national front for marriage equality.

Brian Silva, MENY’s current Deputy Executive Director, will serve as Interim Executive Director as the organization begins a search for the next Executive Director. Brian organized New York City’s largest Wedding March in 2010 and was an integral part of New Yorkers United for Marriage’s coalition to win marriage equality in New York.

Ron Zacchi has been accepted to Baruch’s Executive Masters of Public Administration program and is currently exploring career opportunities in his graduate studies of the non-profit sector.

“Ron has provided remarkable leadership for MENY and New York’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community,” said Board President Cathy Marino-Thomas. “During Ron’s eight years with MENY, he has built an extraordinary record of accomplishment, by enhancing the organization’s reputation as a leader in the LGBT civil rights movement and ensuring the LGBT community is part of the political fabric of New York State in an unprecedented manner. Ron will be sorely missed at MENY, but he has left an organization and a community stronger than they were eight years ago and for that we are enormously grateful.

We are also incredibly excited for what lies ahead for Ron. On behalf of MENY’s Board Members, I wish Ron all the best in his future endeavors. I appreciate his friendship and respect his leadership. We all look forward to watching him succeed in all he takes on.”

Ron Zacchi said, “It has been an opportunity of a lifetime to work with and lead MENY over the past eight years. The amazing volunteer Boards, the tal-

ented volunteer staff and interns, our many dedicated supporters, the statewide community and all of our allies, in elected office and elsewhere, have been a tremendous inspiration. I will always treasure that MENY entrusted me with the responsibility to advance our community’s agenda in New York. I look forward to supporting MENY’s work in the coming years.”

Town clerk refuses to issue same sex license; lawsuit may follow People For the American Way Foundation and Proskauer Rose, LLP, a global law firm, sent a letter last month to the Ledyard, N.Y. Town Board, demanding that the town clerk fulfill her legal duty to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples.

The letter refers to Ledyard Town Clerk Rose Marie Belforti, who has publicly stated that she will not sign marriage licenses for same sex couples and refused to do so for Katie Carmichael and Deirdre DiBiaggio on Aug. 30. With the Ledyard Town Board’s permission, Ms. Belforti decided to stop issuing marriage licenses altogether due to her opposition to the Marriage Equality Act, instead delegating the responsibility to a subordinate officer. Upon appearing before Ms. Belforti for a marriage license on Aug. 30, Ms. Carmichael and Ms. DiBiaggio were told by the town clerk herself that they could not obtain a license that day and instead would need to return by appointment another day to meet with a subordinate official who would fulfill their request.

Faced with discrimination by an elected official who placed her personal prejudices above the law, Katie Carmichael and Deirdre DiBiaggio turned to People For the American Way Foundation for help.

“Public officials can’t pick and choose the laws they want to follow,” said Michael Keegan, President of People For the American Way Foundation. “If a public official simply decides to shirk the obligations of her office, then she should resign and be replaced by someone who will do the job and carry out state law. Enforcement of the Marriage Equality Act is not subject to the opinion of town clerks – it is the right of all New Yorkers.”

This matter was deliberately not discussed during the Sept.

12 meeting of the Ledyard Town Board. People For the American Way Foundation has turned to the New York City office of Proskauer Rose, which agreed to represent Ms. Carmichael and Ms. DiBiaggio and sent a letter to the Ledyard Town Supervisor and the Ledyard Town Clerk demanding that Ms. Belforti be directed to perform her duties faithfully, or step down immediately.

“This year the State of New York made the decision to recognize the fundamental rights of gay and lesbian New Yorkers by finally allowing all couples to have equal access to the protections only marriage provides,” said Keegan. “Unfortunately, there are some elected officials out there who wish to continue discriminating despite

A3 the law’s protections, rather than just do their jobs. Our trust in our elected officials to uphold the people’s laws has no room for such bias.”

With the assistance of Proskauer Rose, People For the American Way Foundation is exploring remedies to protect Katie Carmichael and Deirdre DiBiaggio’s rights under New York law, including possible legal action. ■

Highland offers free mammograms for the uninsured Highland Breast Imaging, in conjunction with the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester and the Cancer Services Program of Monroe County, are celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness month by offering free mammograms to women 40 and older who do not have health insurance or whose health insurance does not cover mammograms.

The date is Saturday, Oct. 8, from 8 a.m. to noon at Highland Breast Imaging, 500 Red Creek Drive, Suite 130, Rochester 14623.

Thanks to a generous donation from the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, a Nurse Practitioner will be available to perform clinical breast exams for women who have not had one during the past year. A Reiki Practitioner will be on hand to provide free 10-minute sessions after mammograms.

Parking is free and refreshments will be provided.

Call Highland Breast Imaging at 487-3300 to make an appointment in advance.

Women who cannot make the screening day can be scheduled for a different day.

Highland Breast Imaging Center is dedicated to helping women meet their healthcare needs. For more detailed information about the screening day or the services offered, contact Stacy Portella, Outreach Associate/Case Manager, at 487-3304.

O’Donnell, Alesi join Albany symposium on marriage law NYS Assemblymember Daniel J. O’Donnell and Senator James S. Alesi will be joined

by Katherine Grainger, assistant counsel to Governor Andrew Cuomo, for an oral history of the same-sex marriage law at “LGBT Rights: Toward a More Perfect Union,” a daylong symposium hosted by Albany Government Law Review on Oct. 13, at Albany Law School.

The panel, moderated by Professor Stephen Clark of Albany Law School, will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the school’s Dean Alexander Moot Court Room.

“LGBT Rights: Toward a More Perfect Union” will kick off with a keynote address by Jeh Johnson, general counsel for the U.S. Department of Defense, the highest-ranking attorney for the largest government agency in the world. The event is co-sponsored by the Albany-based Pride Center of the Capital District, the oldest continuously operating LGBT community center in the county. For more information about on the symposium, which is free and open to the (Law continues page 8)

4 A the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 450 • octoBER 2011

NewsFronts national and international

Lt. Josh Seefried

DADT is gone: Air Force officer comes out, naval officer marries “JD Smith”, the up-till-Sept. 20 anonymous co-founder of Outserve, the organization of actively serving LGBT servicemembers, came out of the closet on the day that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell became history.

The group’s new issue of their magazine, which has been serviced to military bases internationally, profiles 101 gay and lesbian service members.

Says “Smith”, now Josh Seefried, in an email received by Towleroad.com: “Friends, “My name is Josh Seefried and I am a finance officer in the United States Air Force currently stationed in New Jersey.

I am a First Lieutenant and I graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 2009 with a B.S. in Economics. I grew up in Longmont, Colorado.

“I personally felt it was important to come out of the closet on Day 1 to show that sexual orientation in the military will truly be a nonissue. Overseas we have seen that some militaries still do not have people that feel comfortable coming out with their sexual orientation, even years after the policy has changed. I hope that by coming out, along with the other military members who chose to come out publicly in the pages of our magazine, help to show our military was ready for this change.

“I feel privileged and honored to serve during this time in our nation’s history.

This change in policy has not only made our military stronger, but America stronger. I’m proud to serve in the United States Air Force and proud of the fact gay

servicemembers can now do their job with their integrity intact.”

The AP added: “Although he expects only a fraction of the 65,000 gay men and lesbians estimated to be serving in the armed forces to reveal themselves at first, Seefried will not be alone. On Tuesday, his organization’s magazine will publish an issue featuring photographs and biographies of him and 100 other gay service members. It will be available online and at Army and Air Force commissaries.”

OutServe, which has grown to 4,300 members in more than 40 chapters from Alaska to Iraq, has had an exceptionally aggressive rise since its February 2010 launch. From the start, Seefried and a tech-savvy civilian friend, Ty Walrod, saw its mission as two-fold: to ease the isolation of gay service members and to educate the public about the price of requiring them to serve in silence.

You can download the latest issue of Outserve, featuring the 101 faces of courage, on the group’s website. They write, of the issue: “The following 101 photos represent the approximately 70,000 currently serving LGBT military personnel.

We serve in every country, in every conflict, and in every career field. We serve because we are committed to our country. We serve to protect those we love.

We serve because we are dedicated to this self-evident truth — that all men are created equal.”

Said Seefried, “We could not be more proud of this magazine and the opportunity it gives us to educate and inform all service members – gay and straight – about who we really are. There is so much misinformation out there about the LGBT community and as we begin a new day for the American military, OutServe Magazine will be a vehicle to tell our stories and a way of helping all of us understand each other better. As of today, we can speak up for ourselves honestly, so the troops on either side of us can understand, we have more in common than you might imagine.”

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz1YW6rUiVq Naval officer marries partner Navy Lt. Gary Ross married his partner of 11 years, Dan Swezy, in Duxbury, Vermont at the stroke of midnight on Sept. 20, just as the military’s ban on gays in the military was officially repealed, the AP reports: Ross, 33, and Dan Swezy, a 49-yearold civilian, traveled from their home in Tucson, Ariz., so they could get married in Vermont, the first state to allow gays to

enter into civil unions and one of six that have legalized same-sex marriage.

Ross wore his dress uniform for the double-ring ceremony that began at 11:45 p.m. Sept. 19 at Duxbury’s Moose Meadow Lodge, a log cabin bed-and-breakfast perched on a hillside about 15 miles northwest of Montpelier. The lodge says it hosted the state’s first gay wedding in 2009.

Justice of the Peace Greg Trulson proclaimed the marriage at exactly midnight.

“This is Gary’s official coming out,” Trulson said.

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/2011/09/navy-lieutenant-marriespartner-at-midnight-as-dadt-is-repealed. html#ixzz1YW72qaMP

California Senate passes Gender Nondiscrimination On Aug. 30, the California State Senate passed the Gender Nondiscrimination Act (AB 887) in a vote of 25-13.

The bill is authored by Assemblymember Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and is sponsored by Equality California, Transgender Law Center and Gay-Straight Alliance Network. AB 887 will strengthen employment, housing, and other civil rights protections for all Californians, particularly those who face discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

“AB 887 protects all Californians. No matter your skin color, your age, where you come from or whether you’re gay, straight, or transgender, we are all protected by the same rights,” said Assemblymember Atkins. “We share equal protection in employment, housing, and education. This bill ensures that no one is left out.”

While California anti-discrimination laws already define “gender” to include a person’s gender identity and gender expression, AB 887 explicitly enumerates gender identity and expression as protected categories in a number of state codes to provide clarity to those who are victims of unlawful discrimination as well as for business owners, employers and other entities required to comply with the antidiscrimination protections.

“All hardworking people in California, including transgender people, should have an equal opportunity to earn a living and provide for their families,” said Roland Palencia, Executive Director for Equality California. “No one should have to live in fear of being fired from a job or denied housing simply because of who they are.

This bill reduces the harm from discrimination and the costs associated with litigation. We thank Assemblymember Atkins for authoring this important piece of legislation.”

In 2009, the Transgender Law Center released its “State of Transgender California” report. The report revealed overwhelmingly that Californians who experience discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression at work or elsewhere often times do not file com-

plaints because they are unaware that they are protected by non-discrimination laws.

“California has been fortunate to have laws protecting our workers and students from discrimination for several years,” said Masen Davis, Executive Director of the Transgender Law Center. “Unfortunately those rights have been hidden, making it hard for employees to know they are protected and for employers to know their responsibilities. The Gender Nondiscrimination Act brings our rights out of the closet and brings California one step closer to achieving its potential.”

More than 100 cities across America and hundreds of employers already provide clear non-discrimination protections based on gender identity and gender expression. California cities that list them as separate protected categories in nondiscrimination ordinances include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Oakland and West Hollywood.

“All students deserve to be safe and free of discrimination in their schools,” said Gay-Straight Alliance Network Executive Director Carolyn Laub. “The Gender Nondiscrimination Act ensures that confusing legal wording will no longer stand between California’s transgender and gender-nonconforming students and their right to a safe learning environment.”

GOP representatives used taxpayer funds for trainings by anti-gay Family Research Council The Human Rights Campaign on Sept. 13 condemned four U.S. Representatives for using taxpayer money to send staff to a political training run by the antiLGBT Indiana Family Institute.

According to the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, Indiana GOP Reps. Larry Bucshon, Dan Burton, Todd Young and Todd Rokita all paid from $500 to $1000 from their Congressional office accounts directly to the Indiana Family Institute, which is a state affiliate of the Family Research Council, the anti-LGBT organization classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“Typically advocacy groups provide policy advice to Congress for free, rather than shake down Members of Congress to pay for it with public funds. It’s a disgrace that public money would be put in the hands of an organization so fixated on discrimination,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “Instead of cooking up more anti-LGBT federal policies, these lawmakers should be working to create opportunities for all Americans.”

While the payments to the group appear to be a permissible use of the Representatives’ office accounts, they raise questions about the relationship between the Representatives and the extreme antiLGBT group. As payment for a “Congressional Policy Leadership Series,” $2,500 was given to the leading group fighting to pass a discriminatory amendment to ban

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octoBER 2011 • number 450 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet marriage equality in Indiana. In addition to sending staff to the training, Members have also donated their time speaking to the group.

“Taxpayer money should not be used to fund hate,” Solmonese added. “While these payments may be legal, they aren’t right. Representatives Bucshon, Burton, Young and Rokita need to explain their unusual relationships with the Indiana Family Institute and the Family Research Council.”

N.H. House panel: repeal marriage, but keep meaningless civil unions A New Hampshire House Judiciary panel voted 3-1 on Sept. 14 to amend and advance a bill that would have repealed same-sex marriage in the state, and barred civil unions, so it would allow for the latter, the Union Leader reports: “The original form of the bill would have banned both gay marriage and civil unions outright. The bill, HB 437, now allows both same-sex couples and heterosexual couples to form civil unions.

“New Hampshire law allowing gay couples to marry took effect in January 2010. The bill preserves marriage for gays who have married under the current law. From the time it takes effect, marriage would be available only to men and women.

“The bill allows a form of civil union that has never existed in the state, open to any two persons. It also contains language that allows any business, individual, school or association to refuse to recognize civil unions, exempting them from state laws that bar discrimination on housing, employment, contracts and grants.”

The full House will not be able to vote on the bill until 2012, the paper reports.

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz1Xx31TO2d

HHS sets new rules for hospital visitation, decision-making rights On Sept. 7, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new guidance to support enforcement of rules that protect hospital patients’ right to choose their own visitors during a hospital stay, including a visitor who is a same-sex domestic partner.

These rules, finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in November, apply to all hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid.

The guidance also supports enforcement of the right of patients to designate the person of their choice, including a samesex partner, to make medical decisions on their behalf should they become incapacitated.

“Couples take a vow to be with each other in sickness and in health and it is unacceptable that, in the past, some same-sex partners were denied the right to visit their loved ones in times of need,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

“We are releasing guidance for enforcing new rules that give all patients, including those with same-sex partners, the right to choose who can visit them in the hospital, as well as enhancing existing guidance regarding the right to choose who will help make medical decisions on their behalf.”

The rules updated the Conditions of Participation (CoPs), which are the health and safety standards all Medicare- and Medicaid-participating hospitals and critical access hospitals must meet, and apply to all patients of those hospitals even if they are not on Medicare or Medicaid.

Among other things, the CoPs require hospitals to explain to all patients their right to choose who may visit them during their inpatient stay, regardless of whether the visitor is a family member, a spouse, a domestic partner (including a same-sex domestic partner), or another type of visitor, as well as their right to withdraw such consent to visitation at any time.

Existing CoPs also protect the rights of hospital patients to have representatives who can act on their behalf. HHS has updated the guidance for these rules to emphasize that hospitals should give deference to patients’ wishes concerning their representatives, whether expressed in writing, orally, or through other evidence, unless prohibited by state law. The guidance is intended to make it easier for family members, including a same-sex domestic partner, to make informed care decisions for loved ones who have become incapacitated.

CMS on Sept. 7 sent a letter to State Survey Agencies, which conduct onsite inspections of hospitals on behalf of CMS. The letter highlights the equal visitation and representation rights requirements and directs SSAs to be aware of the guidance when evaluating hospitals’ compliance with CoPs. “This announcement is another step toward equal rights for all Americans, and it is another step toward putting the patient at the center of our health care system,” said CMS Administrator Donald M. Berwick, M.D. “All patients should be afforded the same rights and privileges when they enter our health care system, and that includes the same opportunity to see their significant other.”

Kenya youths murder gay man; police laugh Charles Omondi Racho, a gay activist in Kenya, was murdered in August, according to fellow gay activist Adams Lenox, of Kisumu Initiative for Positive Empowerment (KIPE), a local NGO which is also involved in the fight against HIV and AIDS within the regions of Western Kenya, LGBT Asylum reports: Lenox said Racho was attacked and killed by a group of “rowdy youth” who earlier identified him at a local nightclub and “threatened to discipline him for being a gay.

“Imagine -- this guy was attacked in the presence of his cousin who was also threatened by the same gang and all his belongings taken and when we reported the matter to the police, no action was taken, only for the police to laugh at us and accuse us of going against the local culture,” Lenox said.

The killing followed a series of threats and hostilities directed at members of the gay community in Kisumu, Lenox told the newspaper. In July an LGBT workshop in Kisumu was attacked and the meeting venue set on fire “by rowdy youths who accused them of going against the local culture”. Behind The Mask reported in July on the growth of the organized LGBT community in the Kisumu area.

Racho’s cousin, who was with him in the nightclub and also threatened, and says he is now in hiding, said that Racho had been attacked twice before.

In one attack at the Kisumu bus station his clothes were torn and other personal effects including documents lost as “angry youths descended on him with blows and kicks just because he was a known gay”.

The Truth newspaper, which reported the story, details much more about the dangerous atmosphere for gays in Kenya.

Racho’s body was dumped by the side of the road.

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz1XkTf3V7h

Mistrial in King case: victory for “gay panic” A mistrial was declared on Sept. 1 in the trial against Brandon McInerney, who was 14 when he murdered 15-yearold Lawrence “Larry” King at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, Calif., on Feb. 12, 2008.

The jury could not reach an agreement on whether to find McInerney guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter. The prosecution and defense could reach a plea deal, or the prosecution could pursue a new trial.

“The mistrial declared today is hardly

a surprise,” GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard said. “This was always destined to be a case with little resolution and no winners, whatever the verdict. The central facts remain the same: homophobia killed Larry King and destroyed Brandon McInerney’s life, and adults failed both young men because of their own inability to deal forthrightly and compassionately with the multiple challenges they each faced. The jury’s indecision is a sad reflection of our collective inability to find common ground and invest in a better future for all youth and a culture of respect for all.”

Pam Spaulding commented on pamshouseblend.com on Sept. 1, “My FDL colleague Teddy Partridge has already blogged about this horrifying news, but I wanted to register my own level of despair (but not surprise) about the mistrial declared in the murder case of Brandon McInerney, who shot classmate 15-yearold Lawrence King in the back of the head at point-blank range with a .22-caliber gun.

“The defense’s case rested on a naked claim of gay panic — that McInerney was somehow so traumatized by King’s dressing in makeup and girl’s boots and teasing him that McInerney had to resort to homicide to alleviate his discomfort.

“Defense attorney Scott Wippert and co-counsel Robyn Bramson didn’t dispute that McInerney killed King. But they argued he was pushed to an emotional breaking point by King’s attentions toward him and the school’s failure to rein in King’s conduct.

“They also appeared to reach out for jury sympathy by calling several of McInerney’s relatives to the stand to testify to the abuse the young boy suffered at the hands of his drug-abuser father. “‘Rein in King’s conduct.’ Exactly what was the boy doing? Just think if every teen girl or woman who receives ‘unwanted attention’ chose homicide as a way to solve the problem. Teen angst, an abusive home life, even getting teased or ‘hit on’ as McInerney’s lawyers allege, don’t excuse the premeditated act of bringing a deadly weapon to school and assassinating a schoolmate…. Score a win for gay panic.”

Teddy Partridge commented, “Our criminal justice system is entirely broken if the unsettling behavior of homicide victims is allowed as a justification for their murder, in middle school. This jury needs to do its job, not moan about how hard this decision is. It wasn’t hard for Brandon McInerney to get a gun and kill Larry King. It shouldn’t be hard to convict him of that murder.”

N.C. passes unpopular constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage On Sept. 13, the North Carolina legislature approved an amendment to the state’s constitution that would deny samesex couples the freedom to marry.

Marc Solomon, National Campaign Director of Freedom to Marry, issued a statement on the vote: “This nasty attack amendment is a tremendous blow to loving, committed same-sex couples across North Carolina who want to make a lifetime commitment to the person they love and to protect their families. To try to preempt the conversations taking place across North Carolina about same-sex couples and why marriage matters by cementing discrimination into the constitution is unfair and wrong. And politically scheming to put such a cruel and discriminatory measure on a low-turnout Republican presidential primary ballot is a sham designed to circumvent the majority of North Carolina voters, who polls say, oppose this amendment and the injury it will inflict not just on families, but the state.”

The NAACP of North Carolina published an open letter to North Carolinians opposing the constitutional amendment.

The letter included the following statements: ““A vote on the same sex marriage

A5 amendment has nothing to do with your personal and religious opinion on same sex marriage but everything to do with whether or not you believe discrimination should be codified and legalized constitutionally. We should never seek to codify discrimination into the very heart and framework of our Constitution…. The NAACP strongly urges you to reject the so-called same sex amendment and any other present or future proposals of constitutional amendments that would permanently deprive any person in our great state of his or her inalienable rights.”

The letter is signed by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the North Carolina Chapter of the NAACP. The North Carolina amendment was planned with the help of an attorney for the hate group Alliance Defense Fund.

“During the Rules Committee debate, (Majority Leader Paul) Stam acknowledged that he worked with lawyer Austin Nimocks in developing the language of the amendment. Nimocks works for the Alliance Defense Fund, an anti-gay Christian group, and he recently testified before Congress in defense of the Defense of Marriage Act,” wrote Alvin McEwen on Sept. 13 on pamshouseblend.com.

“According to Think Progress, the Allied Defense Fund has been known to spread falsehoods about marriage equality, including how it supposedly harms children and will lead to religious persecution.

“But that doesn’t matter, does it? All that matters is that the Alliance Defense Fund was able to work with NC legislators on this awful amendment in spite of its propensity to lie.

“That’s why it’s necessary that the gay community work to expose the lies of religious right groups every chance we get.

We need to make this exposure public and not assume that the public won’t care.

Sunlight is always the best disinfectant,” Mcewen wrote.

“We need to start making the argument about them rather than us. The question should never be, is the gay community deserving of equality. The question should be, why are these supposed Christian groups engaging in lies and deception to keep that equality from becoming a reality.”

Polis attacker gets five years in prison The five-year prison sentence Baltimore County Circuit Judge John Turnbull II imposed on the 19-year-old who savagely beat a transgender woman in a Rosedale, Md. McDonald’s was both appropriate to the crime and necessary for the peace of mind of the community, according to the Baltimore Sun: “The attack on Crissy Lee Polis by Teona Marie Brown and a girl whose case was handled in juvenile court was vicious and unprovoked. That alone merited a serious response from the criminal justice system.

“But the fact that the beating, caught on video and viewed around the world, was clearly motivated by Ms. Polis’ gender identity makes the need for significant punishment all the greater. Ms. Polis captured the lingering effects of the attack in a statement she presented to the court at the sentencing today, in which she said she wants ‘to go in a hole and hide’ after losing her job and her privacy, and that she can no longer go anywhere without fear of physical harm. Victims of assault may commonly feel that kind of fear, but what made this crime so terrible is that it extends to the entire transgender community, a group that is marginalized already.

“Ms. Brown apologized in court, but that doesn’t erase what happened or give transgender Marylanders any confidence that someone else might not do the same thing. The only thing that can give them some confidence is for the state to send a message that such crimes are taken seriously, and that’s what State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger accomplished by prosecuting the attack as a hate crime, (NewsFronts continues page 8)

6 A the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 450 • octoBER 2011

Sandra Frankel, Monroe County Executive

By Ove Overmyer Town of Brighton Supervisor Sandra Frankel gave up her chance to seek reelection for that office and is instead running for Monroe County Executive as the endorsed Democratic candidate.

Frankel was re-elected to her tenth term of office as Brighton Town Supervisor in 2009. She has consistently received support from Democrats as well as scores of Republicans, Independents and Working Families Party voters, who all enjoy a high standard of living in Brighton and clearly appreciate her administration’s style of open government.

Frankel is running against incumbent Republican County Executive Maggie Brooks. This is a match up that the Democratic challenger knows she can win.

In an interview with The Empty Closet, Frankel said, “I am constantly reminded

by Monroe County voters that we need to restore integrity to the office of the County Executive. We also must improve the way we deliver County government services, especially when it comes to our most vulnerable citizens.”

Without hesitation, Frankel expanded on that thought. “I’m very proud to have received the endorsement of so many people from all walks of life. This includes the business and local labor communities, and more specifically the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA). CSEA is the union that represents valued Monroe County public employees who provide the essential services and programs that our residents depend on in their everyday lives. I really look forward to working with a large, diverse coalition of partners to build a bright future for all the residents of Monroe County.”

During a press conference on May 4, Frankel began her campaign by aggressively attacking Brooks over a series of county government scandals that have happened during her time in office.

Frankel mentioned scandal after scandal, including the Robutrad workers, GOP operatives who did work on the homes and properties of elected officials and Republican supporters on the taxpayers’ dime; the Airport “cigar” scandal; the ESL Sports Authority debacle and the Navitech Communications deal, plus many other actions that objective observers have called “highly unethical, if not downright illegal.”

Frankel also discussed the need for

two probes presently investigating County government to be released publicly as soon as possible. These two investigations could take up to several months to complete and probably won’t be released to the public before Election Day, according to the Frankel campaign.

The two probes include one from the New York State Attorney General’s Office and one from the New York State Comptroller’s Office. Frankel said, “We must restore the public trust and confidence in county government.” Frankel also said she would establish an Office of Integrity that has independent oversight of all government functions -- which she says isn’t the case right now.

Rochester area resident Tom Privitere, a long-time labor leader and political activist, said that in his opinion, voters need to take immediate notice of Frankel’s impressive credentials. He said, “There is nobody in this community who has been more steadfast in advocating for and providing basic rights to working LGBT men and women in the public and private sectors. Sandy walks the walk -- and has done so in every one of our struggles for equality in health, employment and yes, Marriage Equality.”

When asked by The Empty Closet about her personal commitment to equality and the role government can play when improving the lives of its citizens, Frankel said her belief system developed at a very early age, growing up in the South.

“I remember segregation very well. It instilled in me a determination to fight for social justice. Although the Civil Rights Law of 1964 prohibited discrimination on many fronts, sexual orientation still remained an unprotected class and I knew people who were suffering,” she said.

As Supervisor, Frankel added sexual orientation language to the Town of Brighton’s non-discrimination employment policy years before the Sexual Orientation Nondiscrimination Act (SONDA) became the law of New York State back in 2002.

By enacting this change, the Town of Brighton became the first town government in Monroe County to provide domestic partner benefits for its employees. The Republican county administration, by contrast, has tried to block equality for LGBT workers like Pat Martinez, who sued the county and won.

Frankel also chaired the New York State Democratic Party’s Task Force on Domestic Partnership and Civil Unions over a decade ago, which recommended that SONDA and marriage equality should be platform positions for the Party. Frankel said, “When the Marriage Equality bill finally passed this year, I was overjoyed. I am very proud to be part of affecting positive change for all New Yorkers -- and especially LGBT New Yorkers who just wanted the same rights and benefits as their other co-workers.”

Frankel spoke at the marriage vigil on June 24 and the celebration rally on June 25 in Washington Square Park.

According to the New York State Board of Elections, as of April 1, there are approximately 188, 724 registered Democrats and 141,956 Republicans registered to vote in Monroe County. There are also 109, 380 Blank voters who do not belong to a specific political party.

Additionally, there are 8,183 registered Conservative Party voters, 19,820 Independence Party voters, 1,526 registered Working Families Party voters, 1,137 Green Party voters and 275 others.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Elaine Spaull, Rochester City Council, East District

By Ove Overmyer City Council member Elaine Spaull is, in no uncertain terms, one of the busiest people on the planet. A Rochester native who returned to her hometown to raise her family and support her community, Dr. Spaull is the sitting Vice President of City Council, a wife and a mother, an educator, a lawyer, a consultant, a Fulbright scholar, a speaker and a writer -but most of all, she has been out there fighting the good fight as an advocate for Rochester’s disenfranchised youth.

Dr. Spaull has lived a remarkable life, both personally and professionally. She served as Associate Vice President at RIT, practiced corporate and tax law at Nixon Peabody law firm, teaches for both SUNY Buffalo and RIT, and currently serves as the Executive Director at The Center for Youth.

As the Executive Director, which she describes as the most important work she has ever done, Elaine is responsible for the administration of a youth-centered organization founded more than 30 years ago by a group of teenagers. The legacy of those original youth and their dreams of having a place for kids to go where they would be free to express their opinions and share their dreams, continue to drive the mission and philosophy of The Center for Youth.

In an interview with The Empty Closet, Dr. Spaull says her issues platform really hasn’t changed that much since her first election win back in 2007. Her primary focus will be a continuation of what she has already built upon— primarily being a good partner with Mayor Richards on economic development initiatives to bring good-paying, stable jobs to area residents.

She knows that her vast experience and solid relationships with key stakeholders in the business community, Rochester City School District and the nonprofit world concerning youth issues will continue to spur collaboration to create better outcomes and measurable results for children.

Spaull emphasizes that she relishes the opportunity to represent the residents of the East District to make sure that the City’s development programs and services improve the quality of life for all Rochester residents. One other area of great concern to the City Council incumbent is providing oversight on the City’s public safety efforts to decrease street violence and property crime.

When asked what she would like to say to the readers of The Empty Closet, Spaull said she would like everyone to know that her personal and professional life has been dedicated to facilitating social change to increase opportunities and create equality for all citizens.

Spaull told The Empty Closet, “My deep commitment for equality comes from several places, all of them soundly embedded in my beliefs and values. First, as a lawyer who studied civil rights, the constitution and our history of a nation founded on justice for all, I believe that until we promise equality for all people, we will never have fulfilled our pledge.”

She added, “Secondly, my life has been blessed by an enormous number of close friends who are members of the LGBTQ community, and their happiness and their access to full equality are important to me. I owe them my advocacy and strong voice in support of their destiny and their dreams.

“Finally, I have the privilege and sometimes the challenge of serving many young people whose lives have been turned around upside down because of the lifestyle they are living. These young people often end up in homeless shelters, on the street or abandoned by their own families. This tragic result of discrimination has propelled my advocacy and furthers my resolve.”

Spaull, who is seeking her second fouryear term on City Council, East District, is endorsed on the Democratic, Independence and Working Families Party ballot lines. She will face Republican Richard Tyson in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

PHOTO: SUSAN JORDAN

Candidates to Watch 2011

Editor’s note: The Monroe County Republican Party did not return calls from The Empty Closet requesting interviews with County Executive Maggie Brooks and Richard Beebe’s Republican opponent Fred Ancello.

Richard Beebe, Monroe County Legislature 6th District

By Susan Jordan Richard Beebe, a Democrat, has represented areas of Greece and Charlotte since 2007 and is a member of the County Legislature’s Public Safety and Environment and Public Works Committees. He is currently running for re-election and he spoke with The Empty Closet about his priorities and achievements as a legislator. On the day of the interview he was involved in helping with the flood-related problems in the Southern Tier, but he took time out to stop by the Gay Alliance office.

Empty Closet: I see you are from Homer and were Fire Chief there. Has this helped you as a member of the Legis-

octoBER 2011 • number 450 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet lature’s Public Safety Committee?

Richard Beebe: Yes, I spent 30 years as a firefighter. I think that helped an awful lot as I grew up, learning how to work with a community and form relationships with people. You learn to be a good listener.

I also had a relationship with our police department back home, and also with other agencies, as well as trying to build relationships with state and federal agencies, because there are funding issues related to education and training so we can better serve the community.

EC: What do you feel are the most pressing issues facing Monroe County today? Would they mostly be financial issues?

RB: Yes, I think with any small government now there’s a lot more scrutiny of what’s happening with taxpayers’ money.

I’d like more scrutiny of the county budget.

EC: Are you troubled by the scandals that have surfaced around the current administration, such as the Water Authority, the airport, Robutrad and so on?

RB: My main concern is the openness of the government here in Monroe County; problems stem from having one party in authority. There seems to be a lack of accountability. I think we need to open up more conversation between both parties in running the government and having better scrutiny of the authorities.

I’m on the board of the Sports Center for MCC, which oversees the running of the ice arena at MCC. The people on the board are appointed by the County Executive, with the exception of two County legislators, one from each party.

EC: So you are the only Democrat on the board?

RB: Yes. We’ve been working very hard to resolve the $22 million deficit of the arena – that’s the deficit for the Sports Center alone. We are currently trying to look at a couple of options presented to us to resolve the deficit and keep the place open.

EC: What would be your first priorities if re-elected?

RB: In my tenure on the Public Safety Committee I’ve built some great relationships with our police and fire agencies and I understand their need for more equipment, etc., in order to best serve the public.

Also I’d like better openness and bipartisan control of the budget. We get the budget and ask questions and offer amendments, but the budget is really set in stone and our amendments fall by the wayside. I think more and more people now are thinking independently and are looking at the candidates who would best represent them, not at parties.

EC: People were so impressed by your remarks at the June 25 marriage equality celebration downtown. What in your opinion made it possible to get the law passed?

RB: I think marriage equality would have been established here in New York State sooner or later – the state has always taken the first step in civil rights issues since the 1960s, with the cooperation of churches and politicians. Of course we weren’t the first state to pass marriage equality.

EC: Some churches of course are very much against marriage equality, and they get a lot of media attention, as compared to the denominations and congregations that support gay rights.

RB: It seems the organizations that are the most vocal are the ones saying “no.”

Our daughter told us she was gay a long time ago, and we’ve felt it was her choice and her life, and we just wanted it to not interfere with her career or her happiness.

We’ve had a chance to talk to and work with other parents of gay children.

Living in a small village of 3,000 people, it was tough, but we took our stand and defended our daughter and her rights, and many others as well.

When we moved up here from Homer in 2003, we became active in various organizations such as PFLAG. Jo Meleca

Voigt of Marriage Equality New York (MENY) got me involved in running for the Legislature. My first political experience was back in Homer, where I was elected as Village Trustee. In 2007 I ran for Monroe County Legislature.

EC: Jo has told me that Greece is no longer the Republican stronghold it used to be, as many people have moved there from the city.

RB: There have been a lot of demographic changes in Greece over the years.

There’s a culture mix there and the people I work with, I find, are very concerned about their communities and want representatives who will work for them.

You have to be a good listener and react in a positive direction – and then sometimes you do have to follow your independent thinking.

EC: Is there anything you would like to add – any message for Empty Closet readers?

RB: One of my accomplishments this year was a law protecting all funerals from protestors and restricting the distance they can be from the funerals. This was in relation to the Westboro, Kansas church.

(ED: This ultra-rightwing church notoriously protests at funerals, especially those of veterans, rejoicing in the deaths of soldiers in Afghanistan and elsewhere because they claim “God is punishing the U.S. for tolerating homosexuality.”)

There have been other counties and states that have restricted protestors at military funerals, but I wanted to go one step further and restrict their ability to protest at all funerals. I reached across the aisle to another legislator who is also a veteran, and we reached out to several other vets as well to get the law passed.

I wanted to make sure, at least here in Monroe County, that we had something to protect citizens and make sure families were respected during funerals. Seneca County and other counties have asked for copies of the law so they can have a boilerplate law and can adjust it if they want to fit their needs. The other focal point is the recent funeral for the sergeant in Cohocton. The village government made a resolution and took part of it from our Monroe County law.

Drew Beeman, MC Legislature

By Susan Jordan Drew Beeman is running for Monroe Co. Legislature as a Libertarian. As a third party candidate, his camapign has been ignored by the media.

Empty Closet: As a Libertarian, why did you decide to run for Monroe County Legislature?

Drew Beeman: I researched the beliefs of many third parties before I could vote in my first presidential election in the year 2000, and realized that I am a Libertarian. I have been active in the Libertarian Party ever since. I believe that the political system needs true change. Our county is in desperate need of change, and there are some very important issues that need to be addressed that are not addressed by the political establishment. To them it is all about business as usual and maintain-

ing the status quo.

I believe in a citizen legislature and would like to see more people involved in our political system. You do not need to be a lawyer or career politician in order to run for office. Our system was designed to include a representative of the People and their interests in the legislature. The People are not all lawyers and politicians, but laborers, teachers, business people etc..

So the person representing them should be the same.

EC: Why do you want to send a message to Empty Closet readers, and what would that message be?

DB: I want to send the message of Freedom and Equality to all of the people in my legislative district and in the entire county. The LGBT community have been denied freedom and equality for far too long. Thank goodness that NY state now has Marriage Equality!

This past winter I became involved with MENY-ROC and worked with some very wonderful people like Anne Tischer, Jo-Meleca-Voigt, Denise Finnerty, and Courtney Michie to name a few. We gathered signatures and letters to help Jim Alesi make the right decision in the vote.

Ultimately I would like to see government completely out of the marriage business. I do not think that consenting adults need the government’s permission (license) to be married! The first laws regulating marriage were racist, forbidding mixing of certain ethnicities. We have had inequality when it comes to marriage ever since.

As a County Legislator I would go even further. Since Marriage is a religious institution, and the first amendment states, “...make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” I think government should not be involved.

Since it is involved, and it will be almost impossible to change that fact, we need to make sure that all people are equal. Now that we have Marriage Equality in NY, we are respecting the rights of same-sex couples to engage in a religious institution with state benefits.

What about the freedom and equality of those that do not believe in the religious institution? If we are going to respect the designation of spouses as receivers of certain benefits, then for equality’s sake we need to respect others as well. I would propose that county employees can designate any one person to receive the same benefits that are currently given to spouses. I have not hashed out all of the details yet, but I will work to make it happen.

This would strip the social conservatives of their arguments over the word “Marriage” and take it out of the realm of “Same-sex, different sex” and bring it into the realm of simple equality.

EC: Which issues do you agree with Republicans and Conservatives on, and which parts of their agenda do you disagree with, and why? Is the Republican Party supporting your campaign and do you feel the Republican majority would

At Washingtom Square 585 232-7140 www.stmarysrochester.org LITURGIES Sat: 4pm - Sun: 10:30am

A7 support you consistently if you should be elected?

DB: I have met a couple of decent city Republicans, so it is hard to speak to this as there is diversity in the Republican Party. I am a fiscal conservative so I may agree with them on some of those issues.

I am a social libertarian and have more in common with progressives and liberals on social issues. The Republicans are not supporting me at all and I doubt that they would. I will not seek support or an endorsement from the Republicans.

EC: What would be your top priorities if you do become a County legislator?

Which issues are most important to you?

DB: Monroe County needs to stop wasting money! I will seek and destroy government waste and work to cut spending. The first thing I would do is cut the bloated salaries of the elected officials and their staff. As servants of the People I am sure that they won’t mind!

The average income of Monroe county residents is around $23,000 a year. Why is the County Executive making almost five times that amount? There is a great divide between the People and those elected to represent them and that needs to change.

Another thing I would like to do is help encourage businesses to stay in our county and provide jobs. I would like to especially help conscientious businesses that are going “Green” and are good to their employees.

I will try to make Cannabis law enforcement the lowest priority for the Sheriffs department. I do not think that they should be enforcing the ridiculous state cannabis laws in order to raise revenue for their department through asset forfeiture (what I call theft). The county budget this year states that they expect to raise $620,000 through forfeiture (theft) this year and that is wrong!

I support privacy rights and would work to ban the red light cameras and challenge the use of blue surveillance cameras. If the police don’t like to be filmed (as we have seen with the Emily Good fiasco), then what makes them think it is all right to film us walking down our streets? If there is a dangerous area that needs more policing, then let’s get officers on the ground there, that may help their public relations and keep us safer from violent criminals.

In addition to the marriage equality issue and those just stated, I support the second amendment in county parks, and I want to end the scandals and make transparency in government a priority.

We need to keep government accountable to the People!

EC: What is your profession and are you a native of the Rochester area? Where did you grow up and attend school/college?

DB: I am a Preschool Teacher and have lived all around western NY and for the last three years in the city of Rochester. I have attended three different community colleges here in western NY and graduated from Corning Community (Candidates continues page 8)

8 A the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 450 • octoBER 2011 (Candidates from page 7) College with an Associates of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education.

EC: Which life experiences have prepared you for a career in politics, and who or what has influenced you most?

DB: I currently teach a class of older toddlers (almost three) and I like to say that if I can handle a classroom full of ego-centric toddlers, I can handle the county legislature. I am not going to go on and on about what qualifies me for public office because what qualifies me is the fact that I care about my community and am a concerned citizen. That should be enough! Our political system needs to get back to that mindset to give the power to the People. I am mostly influenced by the grassroots activists that I see in the streets every day.

EC: What are your thoughts on the County’s deficit and the current economic situation in general?

DB: We need help! We need to cut spending and allow businesses to flourish here in Monroe County. But we need to stop seeing the People as machines that churn out revenue for our bloated bureaucracy, be it taxation, forfeiture, or trolls under bridges collecting tolls to meet quotas. Let’s reduce the bureaucracy and the wasting of our money, and increase freedom and economic development.

EC: Anything you’d like to add?

DB: I would like to encourage the voters to vote outside the box and vote for third party candidates. Year after year we elect the same two parties and nothing ever seems to change much. We are all disappointed and fed up with government inefficiency and the status quo.

The two major parties are sold out to special interests and their own interests, and they only want to maintain the status quo, while trying to appear that they have our interests at heart. Let’s take the power back, vote for grassroots, independent, and third party candidates. Thank you. ■

To hear why RCS advocates volunteer, watch the YouTube video at: http://tiny. cc/RCSVideo.

“Do not accept these marriage affidavit documents issued to same-sex couples as evidence of a name change.” ■ national and international

Rape Crisis seeks volunteer advocates

Social Security issues rules on name change after same sex marriage

Rape Crisis Service (RCS), a program of Planned Parenthood of Rochester/Syracuse Region, is currently recruiting volunteer advocates.

RCS offers survivors of sexual assault referrals, short-term counseling, assistance to loved ones and support during medical exams, police investigations and court proceedings.

Community members are encouraged to come together and volunteer for RCS in one of the follow counties: Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Orleans and Wyoming.

Without the important individuals who volunteer their time, this 24-hour, seven days a week service would not be available. Volunteers are the first layer of response.

Interested applicants must go through a screening and interview process. There is also mandatory training, which educates volunteers how to provide support to survivors of sexual assault and their families, assist in the legal process and work with RCS counselors.

This month there will be a 32-hour training program taking place over several days. Those interested in volunteering for RCS must be at least 20 years of age, have reliable transportation and be comfortable working with people in a crisis situation. RCS asks that anyone interested be able to make a one-year commitment to the service and be available nights and/or weekend hours.

Further information can be found at www.pprsr.org or by contacting Kathy Pexton, Regional Manager of Volunteers/ Special Events, at (585) 546-2771 ext. 338 or kpexton@pprsr.org.

The Social Security Administration has issued a resource document on the requirements for a name change after marriage between two persons of the same gender. It is clear that documents issued after same sex marriage became legal, on July 24, 2011, are acceptable evidence for a name change.

Documents issued before 2011, such as those issued by the mayor of New Paltz, N.Y. in 2004, are invalid. Below are the rules for New York State.

The SSA document is titled RM 10212.035 Evidence of Name Change based on a US Same-Sex Marriage. It orders acceptance of same-sex marriage documents validly issued by a U.S. State, which permits ceremonial same-sex marriage as evidence of a name change.

“For SSA purposes, applicant’s State of residence is not a factor in determining whether the same-sex marriage document is acceptable evidence for a name change.

“New York “Accept marriage documents issued to same-sex couples for marriages that took place on 07/24/2011 or later by jurisdictions (town, county or State) in New York as evidence of a name change.

“2. New York “a. Marriage documents issued in New Paltz, New York “Do not accept marriage affidavit documents issued to same-sex couples on 02/27/04. The mayor of the Village of New Paltz, New York, and some clergy in the area issued affidavits for marriages performed for same-sex couples.

“Marriage licenses were not issued to these same-sex couples; therefore, the affidavits are not valid.

local & state

(Law from page 3) public, visit www.albanylaw.edu/lgbt.

(Polis continued from page 5) and what Judge Turnbull confirmed by imposing a prison term…

“Brown actually received a 10-year sentence, but five of the years were suspended.”

Transgender writer Autumn Sandeen commented on pamshouseblend.com, “The editorial board of the Sun highlighted why there are hate crime laws.

When people are attacked in part or whole because of their membership in a minority community, often the community members of that minority group are terrorized into fear for their own safety.

Hate crime enhancements acknowledge that there is a second crime to community in hate crime attacks.

“My thoughts and prayers today are with Crissy Lee Polis, in hope that one day her fear won’t forever rule her life.”

Teonna Monae Brown, 19, who pleaded guilty in August to first-degree assault and a hate crime in the beating of Chrissy Lee Polis, 22, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Sept. 12, with five years suspended, plus three years of supervised probation. The maximum sentence for Brown’s crimes is 35 years.

Polis advocates were upset by the ruling, the Baltimore Sun reports: “The whole incident is unfortunate and demonstrates the lack of knowledge and understanding, and discrimination against transgender people,” said Patrick Wojahn, board president of the Equality Maryland Foundation. “If anything, five years may have been too short of an amount of time for the attack and the amount of hatred that was shown in the incident.”

Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz1Xw5lj6js ■

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octoBER 2011 • number 450 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet

Shoulders to Stand On MacDonald and Saland

By Evelyn Bailey This month Shoulders To Stand On focuses on the last two of the four Republican Senators who turned the tide on passing Marriage Equality here in New York State.

They were not the only Senators who voted for Marriage Equality. They are however the only Republican Senators and those with the most to lose. Those opposed to Marriage Equality are committed to defeating these men when they run for re-election. Their courage in standing and speaking out for what they believed was right needs to be acknowledged by publicly standing with them.

Sen. Roy J. McDonald was born and raised in the Lansingburgh section of Troy, N.Y. He currently resides with his family in Saratoga County. Roy graduated from the Lansingburgh Public School System and received his Associate Degree from Hudson Valley Community College. He earned his Bachelors and Masters degrees from the State University of New York at Oneonta. Both schools have honored Roy with Distinguished Alumni Awards. Roy is a banker by profession, and is proud of his career journey, which began as a laborer in the same local steel mill that employed his father and many other relatives who also worked as laborers.

A decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, Roy served as an Artillery Forward Observer with the U. S. Army’s First Cavalry Division. He participated in numerous combat assaults on the South Vietnamese-Cambodian border, as well as in Cambodia itself. Roy is a member of the Saratoga VFW, Saratoga American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America and the Lansingburgh Veterans Association.

Roy, a Republican politician, was elected to the 43rd Senate District in 2008. Before being elected to the Senate in 2008, he had served in the New York State Assembly since 2002, representing the 112th District. For 23 years, Roy was Town and County Supervisor for the Town of Wilton, New York, playing a major role in the extremely successful economic development of Wilton. As a member of the Board of Supervisors, he proposed the County Budget, which led to Saratoga County being the lowest taxed county in the State.

During his campaign in 2010, when asked, “Do you support the legalization of same-sex marriage?” Roy McDonald answered, “Although I did not vote for same-sex marriage I am very supportive of protecting individual rights and am in favor of civil unions, similar to the view of President Obama. I look forward to

working on new approaches on this issue to come to a resolution that will be acceptable to all those involved.”

On Tuesday, June 14, 2011, Sen. Roy McDonald said he would support the legalization of gay marriage should it come to the floor that week, bringing passage of the bill to within a single vote.

“I think I’m doing the right thing, it’s the appropriate thing, and if the public respects that, I’m grateful,” Mr. McDonald said as reporters pressed him in the Capitol for his decision. “If they don’t, then I move on.”

Mr. McDonald’s announcement followed a declaration by a Republican colleague, James S. Alesi of Monroe County, that he would also support the bill. Three Senate Democrats who had voted against the measure two years ago also said they would vote for it this year.

On Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo introduced his bill to both houses of the Legislature, a step he said earlier this year he would not take unless he were confident of a victory. His measure would allow same-sex couples from anywhere in the nation to marry in New York beginning 30 days from passage.

On June 16, 2011, McDonald spoke to the press on his intended support for New York State’s upcoming vote on samesex marriage. In response to the pressure he was receiving from other Republicans to vote against the measure, and from the Conservative Party, anti-gay marriage groups, and religious leaders, McDonald gave a statement to the press which included a remarkable quote.

“You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn’t black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing,” McDonald, 64, told reporters. “You might not like that. You

might be very cynical about that. Well, fuck it; I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing. I’m tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I’m trying to do the right thing, and that’s where I’m going with this.”

On that same day, June 16, 2011 Senator Andrew J. Lanza of Staten Island, along with Senators Kemp Hannon of Long Island and Stephen M. Saland of Poughkeepsie, met with the governor.

Lanza said, “The concern that I have expressed, and others have expressed, is that we don’t want to create a vehicle that will allow anyone to make a challenge, to erode, what I think is a fundamental American freedom, and that is the freedom of expression when it comes to religion.” Mr. Saland said that he was undecided.

Stephen M. Saland was born Nov. 12, 1943. A native of Poughkeepsie, Saland earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University at Buffalo in 1965 and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School in 1968.

He maintains a law practice in Poughkeepsie, where he is of counsel to Gellert & Klein, P.C. He is also a member of the (Shoulders continue on page 14)

Are you as Queer as a 3 dollar bill?

Shoulders to Stand On Launches Fundraising Campaign In October, Shoulders To Stand On, Rochester’s LGBT History Project, will be launching its public fundraising campaign to raise $120,000.

Are You as Queer as a $3 Bill? Your $3 contribution will help to celebrate and safeguard Rochester’s LGBT history. If every lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or straight ally in the Rochester region donates just $3, we will reach our goal to produce a new local documentary celebrating our history during next year’s 20th Anniversary ImageOut Festival.

Make a donation today online: http://www.gayalliance.org/shoulders-support.html or send your donation to: Shoulders To Stand On, 875 E. Main St., Suite 500, Rochester, NY 14605 Attn. Evelyn Bailey.

How much is your history worth to you? Give today! Thank you.

History Corner October, 1971 Rochester From the University of Rochester, Campus Times October, 1971 October 13 - Letters to the Editor.

“UR Gay Lib Front Finds Movie Dated”.

Criticizes 1950s film “Boys in the Band,” shown by UR Cinema Group, as archaic and stereotypical. Mentions Gay Weekend Festival Oct. 22-24. Written by Marshall Goldman.

October 20 - Page 2 article. “GLF Plans Anniversary” October 22 –Friday - UR Gay Lib Festival presents Chamber Concert and reading, 8:30pm and Coffee House ‘til 2am, Todd West.

October 23 –Saturday 1pm: sponsored teach-in in upper Strong. Outside Speakers: Barbara Gittings, Chairman, ALA Task Force on Gay Liberation; Reverend Mr. Bob Gragy, associate pastor, Brighton Presbyterian Church; Joann Zuffett, instructor of soci-

ology at RIT and UR; Tina Mandel of Daughters of Bilitis in New York; Isabelle Miller, author A Place for Us, 1st winner ALA Task Force’s Gay Book Award, Strong psychiatrist. 4:30pm: Jill Johnston, dance editor, Village Voice, author Marmalade Me, Anthony Lounge; 9pm: Dance in the Frederick Douglass Building October 24 – Sunday - UR Gay Lib will sponsor a Street Fair from 10am to 6pm in Todd West.

New York/Nation/World October 12 - “Jesus Christ Superstar” opens at Mark Hellinger NYC for 711 perfs October 26 - UN votes to replace Taiwan with China October 19 - Last issue of “Look” magazine is published October 1 – Connecticut is second state to abolish its laws prohibiting homosexual acts by consenting adults.

October 8 - The first gay rights demonstration in Syndney, Australia. ■

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another unnamed Republican would cast a yes vote, meaning that neither Mr. Grisanti nor Mr. Saland would technically be No. 32. In the case of Mr. Grisanti, the other Republican was Mr. Saland; in the case of Mr. Saland, it was Mr. Grisanti, though Gov. Cuomo did not tell them this, respecting their wishes for confidentiality.

At the last minute, however, Mr. Grisanti wavered, fearing the bill did not have enough exemptions for religious organizations, and told Gov. Cuomo he was rethinking his position. “Without those exemptions, I’m having a hard time supporting this measure,” he told the governor.

The governor summoned Mr. Saland and delivered the news: he might be the 32nd vote after all. Could he live with that?

Reluctantly, Gov. Cuomo said he would understand if Mr. Saland backed out of his commitment to vote yes. Mr. Saland said he needed to think it over. After hours of anxious waiting, Gov. Cuomo heard back.

If the governor needed him to be the 32nd vote, Mr. Saland told Gov. Cuomo, he would be the 32nd vote. “I will be there for you,” Mr. Saland said.

Supporters of gay marriage finally felt confident of how Stephen Saland would vote when his wife showed up Thursday, June 23 to watch a vote that didn’t happen. Linda Saland was spotted in the Senate chamber to watch her husband, Sen. Stephen Saland (R-Poughkeepsie) cast the deciding 32nd vote.

“She wasn’t coming to watch her husband vote ‘no,’” said a source familiar with the Salands. After the vote didn’t happen, Linda Saland stuck around Albany. And on Friday, advocates of gay marriage took her to meet with Gov. Cuomo.

On Friday, June 24 it was reported that Sen. Stephen Saland of Poughkeepsie was also undecided, saying, “I’m getting there,” according to New York Times Albany Bureau Chief Danny Hakim via Twitter. Then at 10:30 pm on June 24, Sen. Saland became the critical 32nd vote, telling his colleagues in an emotional address that he believed the issue came down to a question of equality.

“I know my vote is a vote of conscience,” he told a hushed chamber. “I am at peace with my vote. It was a struggle. It was an extraordinary deliberation.”

And so on Friday, June 24, 2011, Stephen Saland wa s there for Governor Andrew Cuomo. Both Mr. Saland and Mr. Grisanti voted for the marriage bill — neither of them officially being the 32nd.

These two Republican Senators, Roy J. McDonald and Stephen M. Saland, made the passage of the Marriage Equality Bill a reality. Now it is time to help make their continued support a reality. Shoulders To Stand On asks all New Yorkers TO BE THERE for Senators Jim Alesi, Mark Grisanti, Roy McDonald, and Stephen Saland.

Shoulders To Stand On is proud to stand with these four courageous Republican Senators who DID THE RIGHT THING -and asks YOU to do the same. ■

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F re e Est im at e s

(Shoulders from page 13) Dutchess County Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association.

Saland worked as a legislative aide to a New Jersey Assemblyman, and later as an executive assistant to New York Assemblyman Emeel Betros, with whom Saland later became law partners. He began his own career in public service as a town councilman in Wappinger. In April 1980, Saland was elected to the New York State Assembly from the 99th District in a special election following the death of Assemblyman Betros.

His first action as a state legislator was to introduce a bill requiring the state to reimburse school districts for interest debts they incurred from borrowing money because of New York’s budget crisis. He was elected in his own right in November 1980, and served in the State Assembly until 1990, when he was elected to the New York State Senate to represent the 41st District.

On Tuesday, June 22, 2011, the Huffington Post printed an Open Letter to Senator Saland. Excerpts follow: “Dear Senator Saland, “I am hoping that in the last hours of your deliberative process I have a chance to speak with you on the issue that fate (or heaven if you will) has put in your hands. I am an Orthodox rabbi, ordained at Yeshiva University. I am also the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi in the U.S. and have written a book on the topic, “Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition,” which won the Koret Award for Philosophy and Thought. I share this with you so that my personal stake is made clear from the start. My partner and I cannot marry in New York state and the consequences are significant for us and our seven-monthold daughter, Amalia. I would be very happy to speak with you about this anytime. … It is time for New York State to do what is right on this matter. The unfair distribution of these legal goods is already a violation of principles that we hold dear.

“Senator Saland, you are a direct descendant of Rabbi Shmuel Salant who was known for his good sense and, for the times, his liberal sense of goodness and fairness. Unlike others, he honored all the Jews in Jerusalem, not only the powerful.

He intentionally built his leadership on an inclusive vision of the community. I do hope that you make a similar choice, one that opens the way for my family and families like it to share in the goods of liberty and justice for all.

(Signed) “Rabbi Steven Greenberg, Director of CLAL Diversity Project and Director of Orthodox Programs at Nehirim: GLBT Jewish Culture & Spirituality.”

By Tuesday, June 22, Gov. Cuomo had received separate assurances of support from two crucial Republicans, Mark Grisanti of Buffalo and Stephen M. Saland of Poughkeepsie, either of whose endorsements could secure passage of the historic legislation. But neither man wanted to be the decisive 32nd vote. The governor settled on a strategy: he informed both that

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octoBER 2011 • number 450 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet

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Halloween Hauntings: The Phantom of the Auditorium Theatre

By Susan Jordan Rochester’s Auditorium Theatre was built in 1928-29 by Freemasons, and stage crew members still sometimes find Masonic literature in the building. The theatre is owned by the Rochester Broadway Theatre League, while the rest of the huge, fortress-like Art Deco building is owned by the Sauke brothers and is used for special events and for offices inhabited by various entities, including the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley.

The building’s entities are also rumored to include at least one ghost!

“The Ghost Hunter’s Field Guide,”

by Rich Newman (Woodbury MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2011), states, “Paranormal activity at the theatre includes shadowy apparitions that dart across the stage and the spirit of an old man who has been seen and heard in various parts of the building.”

According to the book, the old man is called “Tommy” – the name of an elderly man who used to spend most of his time in the security booth in the lobby before his death a few years ago. He was still alive when the GAGV moved into the building in 2004, and unsubstantiated rumor at the time had it that he was gay and a great lover of theatre.

Ghost stories about the theatre probably go back for years. The Empty Closet spoke with a young man who spent a lot of time in the building as a child, and who says he saw mysterious shadows.

Certainly Rochester Broadway Theatre League employees have stories to tell.

Gary Zaccharia, RBTL steward (head of the stage crew) told The Empty Closet that he has seen many unexplained things, but he is hesitant to claim that they are paranormal phenomena. “I have seen some shadows,” he admitted. “Maybe eight years ago I was here alone one night and out of the corner of my eye I saw shadows

darting around.

“My daughter is a dancer and once she wanted to practice before a competition, so we came down to the theatre and she was onstage dancing. I was in the audience and I saw several shadows milling around. I didn’t mention that to her.

When she stopped dancing, she asked if I had seen what she had just seen – and I said I had! It could have been car lights or something, but there was no one in the theatre but us.”

The theatre has no windows except up in the balcony area, where there are a few windows not visible from the first floor.

Gary went on, “Another time my daughter and I were in the theatre when a group of ghost hunters was investigating. We were all standing on the stage and all of a sudden they said, ‘Did you see that?’ And we did! A shadow was walking in the back of the theatre and went back and forth at least seven times. My daughter and I saw it at the same time, but we hadn’t said anything to the ghost hunter group. This was about four years ago.”

Gary said, “I’ve seen a lot of stuff, shadows and images. Around ’06 or ’07 I saw a man wearing a blue jacket. Once when my son was here he saw a blue form that darted off down the hallway.

That’s where I had seen a blue image before.”

“The Ghost Hunters’ Field Guide” calls the ghost “Tommy.” This was the name of the elderly man who spent much of his time at the theatre, but the ghost hunters had heard the name “Tom” from Gary. He says, “The ghost hunters claim they saw and talked to an old man. They were in a different part of the building at that time, and I wasn’t there when they had this experience.

They said the ghost told them his name was ‘Todd’ but it wasn’t clear – and when I mentioned ‘Tom’ they said that

The metal ramp onstage. A loud noise like a footstep was heard by the stage crew -- but no one was there. Photo: Susan Jordan

must have been the name they heard. So I didn’t buy that.”

He added, “There was a time we came in to work several years ago and it was when the organ was being repaired.

I came in one morning and all the lights were turned on. Then I got a call from the guy who had been working alone on the organ the night before. He said he thought he had seen a bearded man and he was so scared he ran out of the theatre, leaving all the lights on!

“Once we had a different bunch of ghost hunters, around 2009. They didn’t get anything on video but did get some audio. On the tape you can hear us all talking, but then there’s this voice on the tape that we didn’t hear at the time. The voice said ‘Hello.’ I recognized the voice on the audio as the voice of Tony, a man who had worked here but who had died several

months before, although not in the theatre.

I was sure it was Tony, it was so clear. I got a tear in my eye when I heard it. Some people who work here thought it was the voice of Bob, another employee who had passed on. But I said, ‘No, that’s Tony.’ I still have the tape around somewhere.”

The mysterious events continue. Gary said, “About three or four months ago, a caterer was setting up early one morning, and was in the hallway when she said she felt someone brushing by her, quite strongly. But she couldn’t see anyone.

“A year ago a bunch of us were in the hallway during the day when we heard a loud noise like a footstep slamming down on the metal ramp onstage. One of us ran onto the stage to catch whoever it was – and no one was there. Not a soul.”

Gary can only shrug and say, “Who knows?” ■

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Opinion Let’s face it, homophobia is so gay

By Wayne Besen In early September, we learned that virulently anti-gay Puerto Rican Senator Robert Arango was on a diet. Like any straight man wanting to show off his sculpted new body, he posted pictures of his anus on the gay men’s cruising software Grindr.

The week before, a homophobic Indiana lawmaker, Rep. Phillip Hinkle (R), answered a Craig’s List ad for an $80 male prostitute looking for a Sugar Daddy.

After he was exposed by the escort, Hinkle said that he isn’t gay and declared, “I don’t know what was going through my mind.” And, of course, we all know about Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) who sought sex in a Minneapolis airport men’s room by tapping his foot.

These tawdry tales of deception and deceit are tailor-made for the tabloids.

They provide vindication for the LGBT community and punish villains who deserve their fate. However, it is time to look beyond the headlines and have the psychiatric community examine the heads of closet cases who inflict enormous damage on their own people. These disgusting betrayals are much greater than hypocrisy. They represent full-fledged pathology that has devastating consequences for the LGBT community.

To protect their “dirty” secret, these scoundrels are inciting persecution and passing discriminatory laws that lead to many forms of suicide: career, social, financial, emotional, spiritual, and actual.

Gay couples with limited rights must pay higher taxes and hire expensive lawyers to draw up contracts. These couples must also endure the emotionally devastating prospect of not having hospital visitation rights when emergencies strike. Careers are irreversibly harmed when homosexuals hit glass ceilings or they are fired in states that offer no legal protections. And we lose young people every day who hear homophobic rhetoric coming from closeted politicians or those influenced by them.

Enough is enough.

Society needs to stop being squeamish and treating these vulgar events as personal tragedies or sordid anomalies.

Such phenomenon are neither episodic nor mere coincidence, but part of a pervasive pattern that strongly suggests that the most rabid homophobes are usually gay.

Indeed, solid research backs up this hypothesis: In 1986, a University of Georgia study by Dr. Henry Adams proved that men who are most outspokenly antigay were the ones most likely to be turned on by gay porn.

Given the research and empirical evidence, activist and sex columnist Dan Savage is on the money when he asks, “Have we reached a tipping point yet? Shouldn’t homophobic politicians and anti-gay bullies be presumed to be gay until they get caught up in a straight sex scandal?”

My opinion is not mere speculation, but comes from my own behavior while living in the closet. During my freshman year in high school, I confronted a fellow student in my debate class with an antigay epithet. He looked me in the eyes and presciently replied, “Those who call other people fags are usually the real homosexuals.”

A similar situation happened in Puerto Rico when Sen. Arango once gay-baited a political opponent and even used a rubber duck to convey that this man was gay.

(Apparently, the word for duck is an antigay slur in Puerto Rico.) The difference was that I was 13 and trying to grapple with my sexual orientation and Arango never grew up and progressed to passing anti-gay laws.

“I am discovering that same-sex couples need the opposite advice from their heterosexual counterparts. My advice to them has become “Don’t become so focused on the legal status that a marriage license confers upon you that you miss the joy of having a wedding”.

The teenage homophobia that I employed took two distinct forms. The first was deflecting suspicion by laughing at anti-gay jokes. The second was actually telling the jokes to gauge my social group’s reaction, hoping I could find someone who was also a closeted homosexual. The ideal situation for such individuals is to find fellow closet cases that create safe conditions to maintain the heterosexual façade, while enjoying the sexual benefits of someone who is open and honest about their sexual orientation.

Of course, I’m not suggesting that the majority of people with anti-gay attitudes are actually gay. Most hostility still comes from heterosexuals brought up in families where religion-based bigotry is preached. But I strongly believe that those who are most visibly animated and unusually motivated by homosexuality probably have a strong desire to enter that arena. If every anti-gay activist and politician came out today it would not end opposition to LGBT equality, but it would take the heart out of this insidious movement.

We have to stop laughing (not completely) at these sex scandals and start learning more about the psychological dynamics that drive closet cases into conservative politics and anti-gay activism. It is an underdeveloped field of study that deserves scholarly attention from the top research institutions and universities in America.

A minister reflects on weddings

By Peter House The evening of June 24 was an historic one for our community. After many long years and some painful setbacks, we finally achieved marriage equality in New York. In the giddy days that followed, I received many calls from couples anxious to exercise this long denied civil right as soon as possible.

I have been performing weddings since 1997 and I have taken hundreds of calls over the years from couples looking to get married. I immediately noticed that the calls I was receiving from same-sex couples were different than the ones I get from heterosexual couples. Heterosexual couples are looking for weddings when they call me. The same sex couples I have worked with so far, seem only interested in being married.

Part of my pre-wedding counseling sessions with heterosexual couples has always been to remind them that, while weddings are momentous and meaningful occasions, the point of a wedding is to start a marriage. I point this out because the couples I work with are often so focused on the details of the wedding day itself, that they seem to lose sight of the fact that weddings last a day and marriages last a lifetime. They fixate on music and florists and caterers as if the wedding were an end in itself.

The more elaborate the wedding, the more potential there is for some detail to be missed. I have seen brides have full blown panic attacks because the florist put the wrong shade of roses in the bouquet or the caterer ran out of scallops wrapped in bacon before the cocktail hour ended. In an attempt to avoid having couples become unglued over minutia on their wedding day, I always remind them numerous times during the planning process that the point of the day is that they will be married at the end of it. In this way I hope to keep them focused on the real reason for all of the fuss and expense – to become married for life.

So far, the same sex couples I have been working with are at the opposite end of the spectrum. They have been so concerned with simply being married as soon

as possible that they don’t even seem interested in having weddings at all. They have simply wanted me to say as few words as possible and sign the license so that they can BE married – no fuss, no frills, and no sentiment.

To an extent, I understand this. The couples I have worked with thus far have all been together many years and already “feel” married. Their haste in obtaining the license as soon as possible stems from a “this is too good to be true” attitude and a fear that marriage equality will be abruptly taken away. But I think it also comes, understandably, from the fact that marriage has never been part of LGBT culture before. It will take some time before we truly grasp its depth and meaning.

I am discovering that same-sex couples need the opposite advice from their heterosexual counterparts. My advice to them has become “Don’t become so focused on the legal status that a marriage license confers upon you that you miss the joy of having a wedding”. Weddings are truly transformational events. Until you experience it for yourself, it’s hard to appreciate that fact. Even couples that have been together decades have told me that they felt closer and more connected after they got married. And a few couples I have worked with so far, after experiencing this emotional shift, are regretful that they didn’t make more of an occasion of their wedding.

“We never realized we’d feel any different” a few same-sex couples have told me.

“I just thought of it as a legal formality until you pronounced us married and it felt like magic had happened. I never expected that” one man said. “And then I regretted not having done a little planning and at least inviting our friends and family”.

Weddings are sacred occasions and the start of a marriage is perhaps the most important right of passage life has to offer.

It seems especially sad for people who have been denied this experience for so long to miss out on making a memory because they fail to grasp the significance of what they are doing until it is too late.

Once the vows have been said and the

license has been signed, a couple can never truly go-back. The wedding is over. And even if a celebration is planned later, it is never the same. The opportunity to have a real wedding has been missed.

If you don’t put some thought and effort into making it an occasion, you are subtly communicating to yourselves, each other, and your family and friends that your relationship is “nothing special” and that you view your marriage as simply a legal technicality. I doubt that anyone really feels this way. They just haven’t appreciated what the wedding means until after it has taken place.

A meaningful wedding need not be elaborate or expensive. A few simple elements are all that is required to make them sacred occasions. Choose a meaningful location. Dress-up in nice clothes.

Spend some time choosing the words that the officiant will use and the vows you will say. Have someone read your favorite poem. Buy a few flowers. Light a candle.

Play some music on a stereo system. Invite the people closest to you. Have someone take a few pictures. Exchange inexpensive rings- their sentimental value will exceed anything money could buy. And have a celebration afterward, no matter how modest – dinner or brunch in your favorite restaurant, cake and coffee at your home, or tea and cookies in the church hall. When the day is over, you will be forever glad that you made the effort.

We have worked too hard for marriage equality not to savor this important ritual.

I urge any couple who is planning to tiethe-knot to put a little thought into planning the wedding ceremony.

Peter House is the Summer Minister at the First Universalist Church. ■

Are you as Queer as a 3 dollar bill?

See page A13

271-4040

18 A the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 450 • octoBER 2011

Making the Scene

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION: Jamie and Sally Whitbeck with Marisol Solis and KaeLyn Rich at the Marriage Equality Volunteer Appreciation Party on Aug. 31 at Shea’s. Photos: Bess Watts

Mary Ann Sanford and Judith Johnson, on right, with Anne Tischer and fellow volunteers at Shea’s on Aug. 31.

Scenemakers of the month: a group shot of volunteers who have worked for years to make marriage equality a fact in New York State.

Sheila Sable of the Empire State Pride Agenda, Anne Tischer of Equality Rochester, Pam Barres of the ESPA Foundation Board, Alden Bashaw of ESPA and MENY’s Jo and Chris Meleca Voigt celebrate at Shea’s.

KEEPING PACE WITH AIDS: The bicycle race was Sept.

19. L-R: Dan Abbott, Lloyd Theiss, Stuart Mitchell.

The event raised around $115,000 for AIDS Care.

9/11 COMMEMORATION: RGMC with ASL interpreter Cat Hardesty, left, at MCC.

Riders approach the finish line at Genesee Valley Park. Photos: Jeff Mills Photography

Photos: Jim Wilkins

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks is front right; her Democratic opponent Sandra Frankel is front row, third from right.

octoBER 2011 • number 450 • gay alliance of the genesee valley • the empty closet

PHOTOS: SUSAN JORDAN

My Own Private Rochester

Michael Gamilla

By Susan Jordan Michael Gamilla is co-chair (with Jessica Wilkie) of the ImageOut Programming Committee. On Oct. 3 he will be presented with the Little Theatre’s “Friend of Film Award”.

On Oct. 7, the 19th ImageOut festival opens, running through Oct. 16. (See page B 1) A native of Manila, Michael has always loved film. “In the Philippines, movies are huge,” he says. “In most Third World countries, movies are a form of escape, both from reality and from tropical heat. You can stay in there all day – and theatres have A.C.”

Michael has always been fascinated by film, art and theatre. He has lived in Chicago and NYC and originally came to upstate New York (Seneca Falls) to do IT work (he works with computer systems). As a city boy, he experienced culture shock when living in a small town. “I was really very scared until I started going to Syracuse and Rochester on weekends,” he said. “Then I got a good job offer in Rochester and they also sent me to RIT for my master’s, and I have family in Toronto, so I stayed here.

“I made friends and got to know Rochester. Having lived in big cities, I kind of liked not having to spend a lot of time in traffic or on the subway. Right after their 10th anniversary, in 2003, I got involved with ImageOut. I volunteered to be on the selection committee and a year later I became co-chair.”

Michael likes Rochester’s lively theatre scene (he enjoys Blackfriars, Geva, etc.); the Dryden at the George Eastman House, with its access to historic films, and Rochester’s varied

neighborhoods. His own neighborhood is Corn Hill, which has the elegant 19th century architecture that Michael appreciates.

“I love living in Corn Hill,” he says. “It’s a neighborhood, but once outside it you’re downtown.

You get the fabulous mansions and also the new stuff. I volunteer for the Corn Hill Neighborhood Association and do historic house tours in the holidays, as a guide.”

Michael has also done Landmark Society tours in the Browncroft neighborhood and

last month he did the downtown tour. “Here in Rochester you get the old homes and the elegance – it’s unique to Rochester,” he says.

“There’s architecture and history in the neighborhoods.

“Before I got involved with ImageOut, I didn’t do anything much,” he explained. “I wanted to get involved and not just go to bars. Little did I know it would take up my whole life! So in recent years I’ve been getting involved with the Gay Alliance, and volunteering for the Pride Festival and Picnic. It gets me out of the ImageOut mode.”

For relaxation, Michael likes to lunch at Orange Glory, next to the Little Theatre, and dine at 2 Vine and Good Luck. “When I have time,” he said, “I like cooking and going to theatres and shows. ImageOut takes up so much of my time that everything is ‘when I can.’”

One benefit of being so involved with ImageOut is that Michael, who loves to travel, often flies to cities like Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and San Francisco to check out film festivals.

A 19

The Rochester airport is another of his favorite places. “Rochester airport is one of the easiest to deal with,” he commented.

“There’s less hassle. It’s convenient and comfortable.”

An unexpected benefit of his ImageOut work in the small city of Rochester is that it has enabled Michael to travel to big cities as a film festival insider.

He says, “I never thought that moving to a smaller city like Rochester would actually open up a much bigger world. I realize that opportunities come my way that would not have even been possible or, at least, not have been available to me easily, had I not moved here. Working with ImageOut has given me an international profile. It makes the stress and working the long hours all worth it.” ■

The wedding was performed by Justice of the Peace Hazel Washington. Above left: Richard’s brother Steve Young was best man; his mother June Young is at right. Photos. Jeff Mills Photography

NEWLYWEDS: Richard & Russell Schafer-Young.

The wedding was on Aug. 26 at City Hall. The couple was surrounded by friends and family.

Wedding announcement: Kenneth Davis and David O’Brien Kenneth Marshall Davis and David Joseph O’Brien were married Saturday, Aug. 27 in a private service which took place in rural Schuyler County. The couple had a spiritual ceremony before friends and family, led by Rev. Janet Shortall, of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of nearby Ithaca.

Mr. Davis, 37, will change his surname to O’Brien-Davis.

He is an assistant manager in the retail industry with a background in graphic design and costuming. In high school Kenneth was an avid fan of horror and science fiction films. His interests would inspire him to venture into makeup and costuming, with several film industry admirers. He is the son of Bonnie Marshall Davis, and the late Albert Christopher Davis, both of Rochester.

Mr. O’Brien, 34, will also change his surname to O’BrienDavis. He is an experienced employee in the telecommu-

nications industry and has represented services from satellite television, to broadband internet, and phone. He graduated high school from Campbell-Savona Central School with ambitions to pursue a degree in Journalism. His travels have taken him throughout the west and he has lived in places such as Texas, California, and Colorado. He is the son of Lois Jean O’Brien, and the late Robert John O’Brien, both formerly of Elmira.

O’Brien and Davis have been together over two years and reside in the suburbs of Rochester with their three cats, Oliver, Nala and Goldie.

20 A the empty closet • the gay alliance of the genesee valley • number 450 • octoBER 2011

You can find an updated list of restaurants online at www.GayAlliance.org

On October 25, 2011, local restaurants will be participating in the Gay Alliance Dines OUT fundraiser. These restaurants have agreed to donate a portion of their sales on October 25 to the Gay Alliance in an expression of support for our mission, which is to “cultivate a healthy, inclusive environment where individuals of all sexual orientations and gender expressions are safe, thriving, and can enjoy full civil rights.”

Some restaurants are participating for the entire day, others for only one meal.

Each restaurant has committed to donate a percentage of their sales for those meals to the Gay Alliance: some are giving 15 percent, while others have committed an impressive 50 percent of the day’s sales.

According to “The Gay Index Ranking,” which is extrapolated from data from the 2000 U.S. Census, Rochester has an approximately 60% higher proportion of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) households than the national average, and has the 13th largest per capita population of LGBT people in the nation. This event will be sure to bring new faces through the doors of the participating restaurants, while also helping to move towards full LGBT equality.

Participating Restaurants (so far) Bachelor Forum Donating 25% of all beverage sales, all day.

Balsam Bagels Donating 15% of all food, coffee and tea sales for breakfast and lunch.

Boulder Coffee Company All locations, 15% of all food and beverage sales all day.

Edibles Check our website www.gayalliance.org Equal Grounds Coffee House 15% of all food sales all day.

The Gate House 15% of all food and beverage sales at dinner.

The Cellar Door Restaurant at the Green Lantern Inn. 25% of all food sales at dinner.

Gusto Restaurant 25% of all food and beverage sales at lunch and dinner.

Jeremiah’s Tavern 25% of all food sales at lunch and dinner.

Jine’s Restaurant 15% of all food and beverage sales all day.

Magnolia’s Deli and Café 15% of all food and beverage sales all day.

One 15% of all food sales at dinner.

Portofino 25% of all food and beverages sales at lunch and dinner.

(Groupon coupons not accepted.)

Salena’s Mexican Restaurant Hosting Pride Event in April 2012 Sheas 15% of all food and beverages all day.

Tapas 177 15% of all food and beverages all day.

Warfield’s High Point 15% of all food and beverage sales at dinner.

Winfield Grill 50% of all food sales at lunch and dinner.