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NUMBER 503
ROC Pride Games... p. 7
A PUBLICATION OF THE GAY ALLIANCE
AUGUST 2016
Magic happens at Roc Pride 2016
Cheering crowds lined Park Avenue. Photo: Susan Jordan
Five thousand attended the Roc Pride Festival on Saturday, July 16. Photo: Jill Frier
By Susan Jordan Magic happened on Park Avenue on July 16. One hundred units made Roc Pride 2016 the largest Pride Parade Rochester has ever seen. The weather was sunny but not humid and the avenue was lined with cheering parade-goers of all ages and identities. Emotions ran the gamut from tears for the Orlando victims to the traditional creative energy and fun of Pride celebrations. The Parade was led by the LGBT veterans’ color guard and
Send feedback on LGBTQ elders’ needs by Aug. 22 SAGE is a member of the Diverse Elders Coalition, a national group urging policymakers to hear the needs and perspectives of elders, including LGBTQ elders. The coalition wants the federal government’s Administration on Community Living (ACL) to increase resources for racially and ethnically diverse people, including Native American and Alaskan Natives and LGBT older adults. The coalition advocates for policies and programs that improve aging for these people. The ACL has released a plan to ensure that elders of greatest social need receive services – and the plan acknowledges that diverse elders may be among those who are eligible for increased resources. The coalition hopes that states will be required to describe actions they intend to take to address the needs of LGBT elders. The ACL asks for feedback – which must be received by Aug. 22, 2016. For more information, see www.diverseelders.org.
marchers carrying the photos of all 49 people who died in the Pulse nightclub – images created by Anne Tischer and her SAGE volunteers. Then came the groups and individuals representing the diverse LGBTQ communities and allies, including church groups, the bars and clubs, and politicians who support our civil and human rights. New this year: Moms Demanding Action on Gun Control (holding posters that read “Disarm Hate”) and Rescue Pit with its adorable dogs. Parade award winners were: Best float to incorporate Parade theme: SAGE (with a perfect score). Stonewall award for most imaginative depiction of Parade theme: Boys’ Night Out. Rainbow Award for best for-profit business float: a tie between Tilt and the Bachelor Forum. Community Award for not-for-profit exhibiting pride: We Are Orlando (perfect score). Ruby Slipper Award for most imaginative walking unit: 140 Alex. The Festival at Cobbs Hill Park followed the Parade and continued on Sunday July 17. The Rochester Police Department provided enhanced security for both Parade and Festival. Five thousand people attended the Festival on Saturday and 2,000 on Sunday. But the Parade and Festival were not the only events. Pride had begun July 8 with the Victory Alliance beach party at Ontario Beach Park, and continued with the Roc Pride Games, ImageOut films, Sassy in the Southwedge and the trans open mic “The Good, the Bad and the Funny”. Over 800 people attended these pre-Pride events. Opening ceremony The opening ceremony took place at Cobbs Hill Park on Friday, July 15. Co-chair Sam Brett was emcee. The event
Photo: Jill Frier
We Are Orlando, with photos of the 49 victims, won the Community award. Photo: Jill Frier
kicked off when over 50 Roc Pride Riders in their rainbow shirts biked onto the grounds to loud applause. Manuel Peña, the Rider in White, talked about the meaning of the white shirt, which stands for “those who live in silence, whose voices were silenced by hate and ignorance.” He said he wore the white shirt for everyone from Harvey Milk to June 12’s Orlando massacre victims.
The Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus sang the national anthem. Sam Brett commented, “There’s not one single piece of us that represents all of us. There was a lot to the Pride movement before Stonewall and we’re celebrating today for those who will be activists in the future.” He read from a poem, “All the Dead Boys Look Like Me,” by Christopher Soto: “Yesterday I saw myself die again…” Sam
Rosemary Rivera… page 6
ended, “Let’s celebrate our future and go on.” Dangerous Signs performed and signed to “What the World Needs Now (Is Love Sweet Love)” and Deaf poet Eddie Swayze performed his poem about love erasing evil: “Honey in Our Teacup”. Mayor Lovely Warren thanked the Gay Alliance for choosing Cobbs Hill Park for the Festival. She said, “The LGBT community represents the freedom to love… In our nation there is a lot of anger now… we will get through this. When we look back at this moment in time we will say love got us through it… Roc Pride is a great example of that love.” She read the City proclamation recognizing Pride Day, which includes the statement “Our area is most fortunate to be the home of the Gay Alliance.” Christopher Goodwin of The MOCHA Center/Trillium Health said, “I stand before you as an African American gay male… We are here to celebrate Pride and where we come from… Hate has often been met by hate – but what does hate do? It just festers… that’s not what the LGBT community stands for… This is about social justice… I would be remiss to ignore what’s happening in front of me… this traumatic experience causes scars… but I find hope in ancestors like James Baldwin, Harriet Tubman, Langston Hughes. I have pride in knowing I have what it takes to make a difference… to make (Magic continues page 3)
Inside
Editorials....................................... 2 Interview: Rosemary Rivera......... 7 Making the Scene.......................... 10 Opinion: Enemies of equality.......15 Health: Women’s issues ............16 NYC Pride, RGMC at GALA .....17 Shoulders To Stand On ...........21 Columnists ................................22 Community ................................25 Entertainment: ImageOut................27 Gay Alliance: Pride games ........30 Calendar.....................................34 Classifieds..................................34 Comics........................................35 The Gay Alliance is publisher of The Empty Closet, New York State’s oldest LGBTQ newspaper.
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016
Perspectives The Empty Closet Editor SUSAN JORDAN
What we can be proud of Last month the Rochester area LGBTQ community showed its pride. And we have a lot to be proud of. Think about it. We can be proud of the courageous and loving response that LGBTQ communities around the country have shown in the wake of the Orlando massacre and seemingly endless transphobic murders. We can be proud of our local heroes in the day-to-day work of the Gay Alliance – volunteers like Sam Brett, Lora Thody and all the Pride volunteers who did such a great job, and volunteers like Dawn Balsis and BJ Scanlon, who have kept the Gay Alliance Youth Group strong, and who deserve their Vicki and Vinnie awards, for the woman and man who have contributed the most during the year. We can be proud of today’s youth, who are meeting two challenges – first the challenge of growing up as decent people in a society full of confusion, violence, and racist and sexist hate, and second the challenge of growing up LGBTQ in a society full of homophobic and transphobic hate. Their courage inspires us. We can be proud of our elders, the strong survivors of an era more filled with mindless, unquestioned prejudice than we can imagine now, bad as things
still are. Here in Rochester, we can be proud of the SAGE yoga group, who recently collected money for a community member who had been robbed. We can be proud of the support our community received after Orlando from allies like Rep. Louise Slaughter, Monroe County Legislator James Shepard and Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, and from organizations including the George Eastman Museum, the Genesee Valley Labor Federation, the WNY Flash, Temple Sinai and Henrietta United Church of Christ. Their support was healing, given the Monroe County Republican administration’s refusal to fly the rainbow flag during Pride Week, despite Orlando. We can be proud of the connection we’ve forged between our diverse communities and allies. Whatever our age, gender, orientation, race or class background, we can meet at the point of intersection and work together for our common good. We are stronger together than apart. We can be proud of our national LGBTQ rights movement, which has achieved legal recognition for our families. We still have a long way to go, not only in defeating homophobia, racism and sexism in our culture, but also in taking responsibility for confronting the divisive, corrosive presence of racism, sexism and internalized homophobia within ourselves. Taking responsibility is also something to be proud of. We can be proud of the global activists who risk their lives every day in the struggle against dehumanizing hate and violence all over our beautiful, troubled world, whether in African countries, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and South America, Asia, the Middle East or here in the USA. We can be proud that the diverse LGBTQ community has love and justice on our side when we assert this basic truth: we are human beings. And we were born this way. ■
Gay Alliance Board of Trustees David Zona, President W. Bruce Gorman, Secretary Jason Barnecut-Kearns, Paul Birkby, Kim Braithwaite, Jeff Lambert, Jennifer Matthews, Colleen Raimond
Gay Alliance Executive Director SCOTT FEARING
Take Pride This issue of the newspaper is filled with images from ROC PrideFest 2016! As they say, “a good time was had by all.” While we have an entire page dedicated to saying “THANK YOU” to Pride volunteers, sponsors and vendors, no doubt someone will be missed. For that reason I want to apologize and express my gratitude here to everyone who worked on PrideFest 2016. This year was the third time in the seven years that the Alliance has produced Rochester Pride, that we have been to a new venue for the Saturday event, and it was the first time in nearly 40 years that Sunday event landed in a new location. Both days in new location, that took a lot of work and planning. Did everything work perfectly? Of course not. But the Pride Committee, as well as the staff and board of the Gay Alliance, were pleased with how well things did work. For those who want to make additional changes, or would like to see something different next year, I would like to encourage you to volunteer! We need help with the planning of PrideFest 2017. Initial community planning sessions will announced in the coming weeks. We are so lucky! In Rochester there are so
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many organizations of all sizes and types that want to partner with the Alliance and show support for the LGBTQ communities! From bars and restaurants to artists and venues, we are regularly invited to participate in events of all sorts. A current partnership is with the Dryden Theatre. Following the horrible massacre in Orlando we were contacted by the Dryden and invited to be one of their LGBTQ community partners with their film series “Summer of Solidarity,” Free LGBTQ themed movies on a summer Sunday evening... what is not to like about that? Films run through August 28. Years ago I learned of the 1961 British film “Victim”. For many reasons, this is a groundbreaking film. Most notably this film is credited with helping bring about the decriminalization of homosexuality in the United Kingdom. The film can be rented via a number of online services, but I feel very lucky to have seen this classic black and white film projected onto a large screen. It seems almost unfathomable that British law made it illegal to be a homosexual. The film depicts men living in terror that they would be outed, with police tracking them down and arresting them. Gay men preyed upon by police and blackmailers alike. Not a very happy picture. The film provides a critical reminder of how things were in Britain and the United States, not that long ago, and remain in many countries in the world today. On the heels of PrideFest, I can’t help but wonder, what would the men who had to live those double lives think of today’s world? Or how it must feel to live in a country that still makes homosexuality illegal. Pride celebrations, parades and marriage equality, oh my! ■ 08/16
Address City/State/Zip Phone E-mail Gay Alliance Membership Levels: ❏ $30-99 Advocate ❏ $100 Champion ❏ $1,000-4,999 Triangle Club ❏ $5,000+ Stonewall ❏ Check enclosed in the amount of _________ (check #______) Please charge my credit card in the amount of __________ To: ❏ American Express, ❏ Discover, ❏ MasterCard, ❏ Visa Credit card # ____________________________Exp. Date: _______ ❏ I would be proud to have my donation publicly acknowledged. Benefits: Subscription to The Empty Closet mailed to home or work, plus privileges at each level. Phone: 585 244-8640 or mail to: Gay Alliance, 100 College Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607. Home delivery of The Empty Closet is free with your annual membership.
THANK YOU THE GAY ALLIANCE APPRECIATES THE CONTINUING PARTNERSHIP OF BUSINESSES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY WHO SUPPORT OUR MISSION AND VISION.
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AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
PAGE ONE (Magic from page 1)
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NewsFronts LOCAL AND STATE
Kelly Baumgartner and EC2SS members march in the Pride Parade. Photo: Melora Miller
Two Spirit Society hosts closed gathering, open pow wow Sept. 22-25 at Allegany State Park near Salamanca
Mercedes Sulay, Miss Gay New York State. Photo: Jill Frier
magic… This magic is the love that can heal the traumatic experience. We have work to do, Rochester, and love to work on – let’s make magic.” Dr. Bill Valenti of Trillium told the crowd, “Trillium Health is proud once again to be lead sponsor of Roc Pride. Historically Community Health Network, AIDS Rochester and MOCHA together have over 80 years of building equality… we’ll be here for another 80 years.” Gay Alliance ED Scott Fearing and Pride organizers Sam Brett and Lora Thody sashed Grand Marshal Jason Robert Ballard. He said, “I will never forget how incredibly honored I am… only recently I’ve started giving myself the love I’ve deserved my whole life – from myself…. It is only through being vulnerable and honest that we can come together… I love Pride because it brings us together to celebrate love.” The Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus, just back from the GALA conference of choruses in Denver, (see page 17) performed a song they had done there – “Names”, Mark DeWaters’ response to the AIDS quilt. The names originally read during the song were those of people lost to AIDS. In Denver, RGMC had inserted the names of trans murder victims. On July 16 they inserted the names of the 49 Orlando victims, read by Sam Brett. NYS Assembly member Harry Bronson then said, “Pride has its roots in our brave LGBTQ brothers and sisters in a time when it was not acceptable… We are here because of those who went before us… We live in a time when there is hate and violence… such violence endangers what we stand for as Americans…Orlando reminds us that passing laws isn’t enough.” He quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” Finally, RBTL’s talented singers and dancers of the Broadway Summer School Stars performed “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “Luck Be A Lady” and “Bye Bye Mein Herr” (from Cabaret), ending with a dynamic performance of “Proud Mary”. The festival on Saturday and Sunday featured Diana King, Johnathan Celestin, the RGMC, RAPA’s Spring Awakening, Frankie and the Jewels, DJ dancing and several drag shows, finishing Pride Week with more music and fun. What brought thousands of diverse people together at Pride 2016 was indeed magical – and, it turns out, the magic is love. ■
Outlandish Videos & Gifts to close this month By Robert Smith Outlandish Videos & Gifts, a longtime staple of Rochester’s LGBT community, will close its doors for the final time on Sunday August 14. For almost three decades, the store has been a favorite of the community’s as a store they could call their own. It first came onto the scene in the Village Gate as Rochester Custom Leather in 1989, focusing on and selling custom made leather. In 2000, RCL employee Paul Pape took over ownership of the store, renamed it Outlandish and shifted the focus to more LGBT related films (both mainstream and adult) and gifts. Upon the passing of Mr. Pape in 2001 and after a brief time closed, Outlandish was reopened by Richard Schroedel and Russel Shaner, who transformed the store into a hybrid of all its previous incarnations (video, gifts, leather and more) and increased its presence in the LGBT community, actively involved with local LGBT allies, agencies and organizations such as AIDS Rochester (now Trillium Health), Planned Parenthood, Image Out and The Gay Alliance. Mr. Shaner retired in 2010. Mr. Schroedel passed away March 7 of this year. “In certain ways, it has been a difficult decision to make,” says current owner Michael Posato, of closing the store. “I know how much the store has meant to our customers and community, its history and the fact stores like this (LGBT themed stores) are so few and far between. But, ultimately, it is a business, and unfortunately, the changing times have dealt a significant blow to businesses like ours. Sadly, there is no competing with streaming media and online shopping when you are a specialty store.” Longtime employee Robby Morris agrees. “The writing has been on the wall for a little while now but we held on as long as we could especially considering the changes in our market. So rather than wait until our kind of store is completely irrelevant, we choose to leave the party on our own terms and not outstay our welcome. We want to leave with nothing but good memo-
ries and positivity, not just for ourselves, but in honor of the store’s legacy and of the people who had their hands in creating it and watching it grow over the last twenty seven years.” “It’s bittersweet, but we all move on to better things,” says employee Ed Sims. “The greater loss for us was losing Rich (Schroedel) so suddenly,” he continues. Indeed, it was under Schroedel’s proprietorship that Outlandish achieved its greatest and longest success (2001-2016). “He wasn’t just our employer, but a friend and father figure,” says Sims. “I joined the Outlandish family in June of 2010, having left another successful gift store to pursue my education. As a longtime customer, I was asked several times by Rich to work for him. I was only able to do that and continue school because of his support. His and the store’s presence in my life have not only given me a better outlook on life, but his gifts of knowledge, business and patience towards others is something that’s now embedded into my soul.” Posato was also affected by Schroedel’s generosity and working at Outlandish. “I first met Rich in 2005. I was working for the Sheriff’s department and expressed to him that I would love to work with him and at the store down the line when I retired. I retired six years later and he had a job waiting for me! He was a wonderful friend and I will always be very grateful for the opportunities he gave me.” “For nearly twelve years I got to be in the center of our community, work under the guidance of my best friend and be a part of a very special family,” adds Morris. “To work for a business that not only welcomed uniqueness, but embraced and celebrated it has been a privilege. I am extremely proud that even in our own little way we made a difference in people’s lives. We offered them a place where they could shop comfortably with the freedom to express themselves and explore their sexuality without shame.” “We would like to thank our customers for their patronage though the years and all of the good memories we’ve all had and shared,” says Posato. “It has been a dream job and a great way to get involved and meet people in our community. That is what we’ll miss the most.”
The East Coast Two Spirit Society provides information to the general public and support and services to Two Spirit Natives, formerly known as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or gender nonconforming. EC2SS works to increase the positive visibility of Two Spirit communities and to provide safe, supportive opportunities for social, traditional and recreational interactions that are culturally appropriate to them. Group members marched in the Roc Pride Parade in July. The main event of the year for EC2SS is the EC2SS Annual Two Spirit Gathering, held in the Allegany State Park outside of Salamanca every September. This year the Gathering will be held Sept. 22-25. This is a drug and alcohol-free, closed event meant to be a safe space for Two Spirit individuals and their families. The pow wow taking place on Saturday the 24th is open to the public however, and all who come with a good heart are welcome.
Outrage follows Parks police abuse of gay man at NYC Jacob Riis beach Joe Jervis posts on JoeMyGod.com: Mic reports: LGBTQ New Yorkers celebrating July 4 at Jacob Riis Beach — long a safe haven for the city’s LGBTQ community — witnessed U.S. Park Police carry a naked gay man by his towel as he screamed “Help me!” on Monday evening. In a video obtained by Mic, a group of police officers carried Brooklyn-based photographer Krys Fox off the beach, still naked, with only a towel to cover his genitals. Fox’s photography includes several snaps of men by the same chain link fence where he was arrested. Fox also told Mic that the beach was the site where he got married. “I got married in 2011 at the same spot that it happened,” Fox said to Mic in a phone interview. “And I will never be able to be there again without remembering what they did to me.” More from the Huffington Post: Fox had been photographing a friend at approximately 6:30 p.m. yesterday evening when the towel tied around his waist slipped off. He didn’t have anything on underneath. That’s when a gaggle of cops ran up to him, including at least three who were plain-clothed, and hoisted Fox into the air and
carried him off to the police car where we was arrested and taken to jail. He was held for several hours. They didn’t allow him to put his clothes or towel back on before they paraded him through the beach horizontally for all to see. “It was very quick and very scary,” Fox told me. A bystander, Mariel Reyes, captured the whole scene on video. She described the incident as, “Absurd, excessive, fucking ridiculous.” Openly gay New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman has issued a press release: “Jacob Riis Park has been a safe and peaceful haven for LGBT beachgoers for decades. I find any harassment of beachgoers at Jacob Riis and the overwhelming display of force demonstrated by the United States Park Police yesterday to be utterly repugnant. It also seems to be an enormous diversion of resources. I’d hazard a guess that our police have more pressing concerns in this day and age than arresting a nude sunbather at a gay beach. “The National Parks Police should be ashamed. Just last week we designated Stonewall as a National Monument. Based on news accounts, I hope the police apologize to Mr. Fox and any pending charges against him are dropped.” NOTE: Jacob Riis Beach is particularly popular with the bear community and several (Outrage continues page 6)
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016
NewsFronts NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL bia, and transphobia. We need to begin to notice how these dynamics are present and playing out in all of our environments, and then work to change them.” Empty Closet update: Dee Whigham of St. Martin, Miss. was killed July 23, making her the 15th known victim this year as of July 26.
GOP platform hates LGBTQ Americans
Deeniquia Dodds
D.C. trans woman is 14th known murder victim so far this year The devastating trend continues: On July 15, NBC News reported that Black trans woman Deeniquia Dodds was shot in Washington D.C. on the fourth of July. Deeniquia, known as “Dee Dee” to her friends, was taken to the hospital where she was kept alive on life support for ten days before passing away July 14. According to Dee Dee’s Facebook page, she attended Woodson High School in the greater D.C. area and graduated in 2012. She was 22 years old. LGBT rights activist and family spokesperson Earline Budd told NBC: “Her murder reminds us all of how often the transgender community is targeted for violence in our society.” -National Gay & Lesbian Task Force via Autostraddle The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) issued a statement. “Deeniquia was part of the Casa Ruby family, and she is gone, but not forgotten. Her death will not be in vain,” said Ruby Corado, founder and executive director of Casa Ruby. “Casa Ruby denounces the genocide of young trans women of color. People in leadership need to address the employment barriers that keep trans women of color from accessing the resources they need to grow healthy and thrive.” “We are saddened by the loss of Deeniquia Dodds, and send our condolences to her loved ones,” said Emily Waters, Senior Manager of National Research and Policy at the New York City Anti-Violence Project. “This violence is rooted in racism, misogyny, homopho-
Andy Towle posted on Towleroad. com on July 13: The Republican Party has done it again, taking a big step toward approval of its most staunchly anti-LGBT, hateful platform of all time. The platform includes provisions supporting state laws to restrict transgender rights on bathroom use, support of conversion therapy for gay people “by saying that parents should be free to make medical decisions about their children without interference,” according to the New York Times. It also says “that ‘natural marriage’ between a man and a woman is most likely to result in offspring who do not become drug-addicted or otherwise damaged.” The paper adds, “nearly every provision that expressed disapproval of homosexuality, same-sex marriage or transgender rights passed. The platform calls for overturning the Supreme Court marriage decision with a constitutional amendment and makes references to appointing judges ‘who respect traditional family values.’” When gay Republican delegate Rachel Hoff attempted to add language that specifically noted LGBT people as targets of the Islamic state it was shot down by conservative delegates “who said they felt there was no need to single out any one group.” CNN reported: Through hours of debate on topics ranging from federal lands to immigration to the economy to family values, a handful of delegates gathered for Platform Committee meetings ahead of next week’s Republican National Convention repeatedly challenged their peers to moderate provisions affecting gay and lesbian Americans. They were for the most part rebuffed by the 112-member panel, which approved a GOP platform that opposes same-sex marriage rights, supports efforts to restrict bathrooms to individuals’ birth gender and protects businesses who refuse services to individuals based on religious objections to gay marriage.
After failing repeatedly in their efforts, the group was buoyed by the number of delegates who voted in their favor, including about 20 delegates raising their hands in support of a proposal from D.C. delegate Rachel Hoff to revamp the party’s position on marriage to broaden the language to include “diverse” views on marriage and support the “strength of all families”. While raising the amendment, Hoff also emotionally made public to her peers that she was gay. New York delegate Annie Dickerson said the GOP Platform Committee has been resisting an obvious trend in the country toward gay rights, calling same-sex marriage “settled law,” saying it is only a matter of time before federal nondiscrimination statutes protecting LGBT rights are enacted. Other things in the platform approved by July 22 in Cleveland for a border wall along Mexico, support for teaching the Bible as a historical document in public schools, an order that lawmakers use religion as a guide when legislating, criticism of President Obama as weak, barring women from combat in the military, and a denunciation of pornography as a “public menace” which is harmful to children.
Cleveland unanimously repeals bathroom bill The National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund is welcomed the repeal by a unanimous vote of Cleveland’s ordinance designed to stop transgender and gender non-conforming people from using the restrooms associated with their gender identity. “Our partners at Equality Ohio and Cleveland is Ready have done an outstanding job in delivering this victory today for Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Clevelanders. For our part, at the request of Equality Ohio, the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund worked side-by-side with Cleveland is Ready to collaborate with communities, organizations, and people of faith in Ohio beginning in early 2014 to develop a grassroots campaign — a campaign led by trans and people of color volunteers. In the first six months, we stayed on the ground in Cleveland, talking face-toface with ordinary people at bus stops, in public parks, at coffee shops and in small businesses. These conversations opened hearts and minds to the possibility of lived freedom, justice and equality — which can sometimes be as simple as a person being able to use a restroom,” said Kathleen Campisano, National LGBTQ Task Force Organizing Manager. In addition to the on-the-ground organizing, the Task Force funded a full-time organizer, provided training and technical assistance to campaign leaders and provided two leadership exchange trainings for trans and gender non-conforming people and our allies. The repeal came barely a week before the Republican National Convention and the ratification of a strongly anti-LGBTQ GOP platform.
Law professor testifies before House that “Religious Liberty” laws harm religious liberty Columbia Law School Professor Katherine Franke, faculty director of Columbia’s Public Rights/ Private Conscience Project (PRPCP), testified July 12 before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform at a hearing titled “Religious Liberty and H.R. 2802, the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA).” Franke, a leading expert on LGBTQ issues and a prolific scholar writing on law, religion, and human rights, describes FADA as “both unnecessary and harmful to religious liberty.” In her testimony, Franke cited an analysis of FADA released July 11 by 20 prominent law professors arguing that, despite its supposed promise to defend the First Amendment, FADA in fact violates the First Amendment of the Constitution. Proponents of the bill, sponsored by Senator Mike Lee and Representative Raúl Labrador, claim that it protects individuals’ religious beliefs regarding marriage; the legal scholars say FADA would prevent the government from enforcing a wide range of laws and regulations against any person—including most for-profit companies—who discriminates because of religious views about sex and marriage. The legal scholars believe FADA would provide a license to discriminate against same-sex couples who marry, against lesbian and gay people more generally, and against anyone who has sex outside of marriage. The memo, which was spearheaded by PRPCP, concludes that the bill clearly violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Over the past year, the adoption or introduction of similar bills in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Missouri each provoked overwhelming public condemnation. In June, a federal court found that Mississippi’s law containing almost identical language to the federal FADA, HB 1523, violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and the Equal Protection rights of lesbians and gay men. “The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the freedom of religion does not entail a license to harm others. Rather than protect religious diversity, FADA is an attempt to put the imprimatur of the state on a particular set of religious views about sex and gender,” said Franke. The experts argue FADA violates the Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from accommodating religious practice in a way that imposes serious harms on other private citizens. Their analysis goes into great detail listing the ways in which FADA would create a safe harbor from responsibility under federal law. “LGBTQ couples and single parents would face substantial dignitary harm if the federal government passed a law specifically designed to protect discrimination against them,” said Elizabeth Reiner
AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET Platt, Director of the Project. “However FADA doesn’t only pose dignitary harms — it would also prevent the federal government from enforcing laws that, for example, provide pension and health insurance benefits to working families.” -Columbia Law School
Pride at Work: Police shootings of black men are a national crisis Following the recent police-involved shootings of two black men -- Alton Sterling and Philando Castile -- Pride at Work Executive Director, Jerame Davis, issued the following statement on July 8: “Alton Sterling was a father. Philando Castile was a union brother. Their lives mattered, but those lives were taken from them in the blink of an eye by the very people designated to protect and serve us all. The repeated and continuous violations of black bodies is appalling. “Silence is no longer an option. Shrugging our shoulders and waiting for the next tragedy is not the answer. No fewer than six bills have been introduced in this Congress to attempt to address the outrageous number of police-involved deaths and to curb racial profiling in law enforcement. None of those bills have gotten out of committee. “This is a national crisis and our federal government needs to act. We will never solve this problem piecemeal - we must tackle it head on and nationwide. There is no other way. “We call upon Congress to swiftly consider the multitude of options before them to curb these tragedies. The time to act has long past. Black Lives Matter.” Pride At Work organizes mutual support between the organized Labor Movement and the LGBTQ Community for social and economic justice. Organizers say, “We seek full equality for LGBTQ Workers in our workplaces and unions and we organize in the spirit of the union movement’s historic motto, An Injury to One is An Injury to All.” Learn more at www.prideatwork.org
With two black men killed by police, LGBT community finds common cause Lucas Grindley posted on The Advocate on July 7: That the struggle of minority communities is interlinked was underscored today in reaction by the Human Rights Campaign and others to police shootings that left two black men dead and their families mourning. The most well-known LGBT lobbying group is citing Orlando’s mass shooting while standing in solidarity with those outraged over the deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Minneapolis. HRC president Chad Griffin said… he’s “horrified and profoundly saddened
by the recent murders.” “In less than 48 hours, these two men became the latest victims of an epidemic of brutality that continues to plague our nation, joining a tragic list of 123 Black men fatally shot by police officers in 2016 alone,” he said in a statement. “These men leave behind families, children and friends who struggle to find justice and healing, but are too often met with indifference and inaction by those responsible for protecting them.” Black Lives Matter came to prominence two years ago after Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Mo. And the list of deaths and grainy cell phone videos have kept coming ever since. In the case of Sterling, he was selling CDs outside a convenience store when police appear to have assumed he matched the description of a man with a gun and tackled him to the ground, then shooting him dead even as he was pinned. For Castile, his fiancée recorded a Facebook video in the moment after a police officer shot four bullets into him while reaching for his drivers license during a routine traffic stop. Two of the founders of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors, are queer black women, and the HRC statement calls out an obvious fact often taken for granted, that the LGBT community includes queer people of color. “The LGBTQ community is as diverse as the fabric of our nation,” said Griffin. “We are African Americans, Latinx, women, Christians, Jews and Muslims — and so many more identities — and we must stand together against violence that targets any portion of our community. Today, as we grieve and mourn, we are also united in demanding solutions to stop the tragic epidemic of police-involved deaths.” Griffin noted the NAACP was there for LGBT people after Orlando. (See “Faith Matters” column, on page 22)
Pentagon finally ends ban on trans service On June 30 at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced a muchanticipated end to the ban on open service by transgender service members. The announcement came more than a year after Secretary Carter promised that the Department of Defense (DoD) would update the outdated regulations which prevent open service by transgender service members and launch a working group to assess the impact of the change and work out the details. “Words cannot express how much this announcement means to so many of our transgender service members and their families -- brave men and women who have proudly served our nation in silence for far too long,” said AMPA President Ashley Broadway-Mack. “We are incredibly grateful to Secretary Carter for bringing this promise to fruition. While we still have progress to make, today is truly historic and our military families will
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Canadian Anglican church finds voting miscount; same sex marriage is approved after all Joe Morgan posted on gaystarnews.com on July 13: Canada’s Anglican Church has discovered, after a voting mishap, that it actually voted to allow same-sex marriage. Members said their votes had not been recorded on Monday, July 10, when the passage of the resolution failed by a single vote. Delegates requested a detailed hard copy of the electronic voting records, and it turned out it had actually passed. Archbishop Fred Hiltz said, “That is our reality…the motion is in fact carried in all three orders.” This means clergy in the Anglican Church of Canada can now perform same-sex marriages. “Same-sex marriage. In the church. In my lifetime,” tweeted Lauren Bryant-Monk of Halifax. “I’m so proud to be Anglican today.” The resolution will need affirmation by the next synod in 2019 before it becomes church law. - Read more at: http://scl.io/icw1BILY#gs.Zu_gMOU
be stronger as a result of these critically important and long overdue changes.” “This historic change means that I can finally serve openly and proudly as who I am -- a soldier who loves my country and just happens to be transgender,” said AMPA member Nick Melvin, who is currently stationed in Hawaii. “A huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulder. I can continue serving my nation and support my family, which means the world!” Secretary Carter said, “This is the right thing to do for our people and for the force. We’re talking about talented Americans who are serving with distinction or who want the opportunity to serve. We can’t allow barriers unrelated to a person’s qualifications to prevent us from recruiting and retaining those who can best accomplish the mission.” In March of 2015, AMPA launched an unprecedented joint report with the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) highlighting the tremendous harm the outdated regulations inflict on military families. The report notes, “The outdated regulations serve no purpose and only dehumanize and prevent qualified and capable individuals from enlisting and serving. The ban perpetuates trauma
to all those involved, both the service member and their family.” There are an estimated 15,500 transgender service members currently serving. OutServe-SLDN Executive Director Matt Thorn stated, “OutServe-SLDN applauds and welcomes Secretary Carter’s announcement today. “Every day, an estimated 15,500 dedicated, proud and courageous transgender service members have been forced to live quietly and serve in righteous indignation, anticipating the end of the discriminatory ban on open trans service to be lifted in the Armed Forces. “Transgender service members have been awaiting this announcement for months and years: it has long been overdue. Secretary Carter, with his statement, has given a breath of relief and overdue respect to transgender service members who have been and are currently serving our country with undeniable professionalism, the utmost respect and illustrious courage, with the caveat to do so silently. Today, we mark history, once again, by ending the need to serve in silence. Today, we say (in the words of Attorney General Loretta Lynch) ‘we see you’ and regard(Pentagon continues page 6)
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Interview
LOCAL AND STATE (Outrage from page 3) friends of mine witnessed the arrest. All of them say no other beach-goers were nude and they support Fox’s account of having changed into a towel because his bathing trunks were wet.”
Upstate meetings to focus on LGBTQ parents Pride and Joy Families, based in Binghamton, wants to better understand the needs of LGBTQ parents and prospective parents in Upstate NY. There are two ways to participate: complete a 5-minute online survey, or attend a focus group meeting in your region and share your thoughts in person. PAJF will convene focus groups of LGBTQ parents and prospective parents in seven locations across the state. Let PAJF know if you would like to attend. All meetings take place at 5:30 p.m. and last for two hours. The focus group meetings include dinner and conversation with old friends and new, plus $20 Amazon gift card to each attendee. The Rochester meeting will be Thursday, Aug. 11 at the LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. For more information and to RSVP please contact Mayumi at prideandjoyfamilies@gmail.com or 607-777-3717. ■
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (Pentagon from page 5) less of your gender identity we welcome you to serve this country with honor, dignity, courage and above all openly and honestly. “It would not have been possible, today, without the many voices who have championed open Transgender service. We applaud their tenacity, strength and perseverance including OutServe-SLDN Hall of Heroes Inductee, Aaron Belkin. It was his (Aaron’s) effort as director of the Palm Center, which conducted several studies determining there was ‘no compelling medical reason’ to exclude transgender Americans from military service, that significantly brought us to this point. “While we read through all of the details, we do believe that this recommendation from the working group is and will be an inclusive policy for transgender service members to serve openly and authentically. “We know that this announcement isn’t an immediate relief. However, publicly announcing the timeline and official end date of the ban puts a light at the end, of what has been a very long and sometimes painful tunnel, for thousands of transgender service members. “OutServe-SLDN looks forward to working with the Pentagon on implementation and the official end of the ban. We also announce today that we will expand our legal service resources for transgender veterans who wish to update their DD214s with name changes and other record updating; in addition our legal services will work with transgender individuals who have been separated and wish to re-enter the military.”
Mass. governor signs bill allowing trans use of bathrooms, banning discrimination Mari Brighe posted on The Advocate. com: Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on July 8 signed landmark legislation allowing transgender people to use bathrooms and locker rooms in accordance with their gender identity and banning discrimination in public accommodations based on gender identity.
Gov. Charlie Baker
The House and Senate worked out differences between each chamber’s versions of the legislation this week, with both approving a final version (July 7), and sent it to Baker for his signature. Over the past several months, Baker, a moderate Republican, had been cagey about whether he would sign such a bill, but he eventually indicated he would approve it. The Senate version, Senate Bill 735, passed in May, contains a compromise of sorts to counter the objections frequently made by conservatives — that laws assuring trans people’s access to appropriate facilities could be be used fraudulently by men to enter to women’s restrooms and locker rooms, and that the concept of gender identity is too vague to be enshrined in law. The legislation directs the Massachusetts Commission on Discrimination to develop policies and recommendations on when and how a person’s gender identity would be established. It also directs the state attorney general to develop regulations for prosecuting individuals who “assert gender identity for an improper purpose.” The House legislation, House Bill 4343, which passed in June, did not contain this provision, which LGBT advocates said casts transgender people as predators and is unnecessary, because predatory or harassing conduct in restrooms is already a crime. Baker had said he would sign the Senate version, and this week the House OK’d the Senate language with minor alterations. The legislation provides, among other things: “Any public accommodation, including, without limitation, any entity that offers the provision of goods, services, or access to the public, that lawfully segregates or separates access to such public accommodation or other entity based on a person’s sex shall grant all persons admission to and the full enjoyment of such public accommodation or other entity consistent with the person’s gender identity.” The new law marks a major victory in the fight against discrimination and criminalization of trans people in public bathroom and locker rooms this year. It passed despite vigorous opposition from conservative groups such as the Massachusetts Family Institute and Baker’s own initial reluctance to support such a measure. LGBT rights groups, such as Freedom Massachusetts, built on the state’s 2011 law protecting trans people from employment discrimination by keying the bill to discrimination protection for trans people in all public accommodations, such as shopping malls, restaurants, and parks. Massachusetts LGBT groups praised the law’s enactment. “By passing legislation that will ensure that transgender men and women are protected against unwarranted discrimination in public, Massachusetts continues to make strides on LGBTQ issues,” said a statement issued by Sylvain Bruni, president of Boston Pride. Read the full story on TheAdvocate. com (Newsfronts continues page 12)
Rosemary Rivera of Citizen Action By Susan Jordan Rosemary Rivera is state organizing director for Citizen Action, a statewide group which is affiliated in Rochester with Metro Justice. When she spoke with The Empty Closet, she was about to leave for Albany for the annual Justice Works conference. The keynote speaker was to be Dr. Keeanaga Taylor, author of “From Black Lives Matter to Black Liberation”. Rosemary Rivera said that the question the conference attendees would grapple with is, what is the moment we’re in and how do we align ourselves with the moment to make things better? She said, “The underlying concept is, how do you push the revolutionary edge of reform? People are calling on many levels for revolution – what that means is different to different people. Bernie Sanders was talking about economic revolution. But you know we can’t have economic justice until we deal with racism in this country. “Intersections… my wife is black and gay… she is oppressed in many ways and you can’t separate your identities. Women’s equality and being a woman of color can’t be separated. People are throwing around the word ‘intersectionality’. I think that’s the right way to think about things. “This horrific thing that happened – 49 people killed. I asked myself, what in the world do you say? Whether any of the outrage about life being taken – and this is happening on a daily basis – can be used in a positive way for change. Today I haven’t heard of a mass killing, but I’m still angry. Because we are still being oppressed, incarcerated, entire communities wiped out. I want that outrage to motivate us on a daily basis. “Right here in Rochester we have a lot of oppression. We don’t have to look down south or to Orlando, Florida. We have enough happening right here.” Rosemary explained that Citizen Action is working on many issues. “In Rochester we’re working on Fight for $15 (the campaign to raise the minimum wage), working on leveling the playing
field, on ending the school-to-prison pipeline, working on criminal justice issues, education issues, economic justice, environmental issues and racial justice. We do a lot of different things around the state.” Having watched the final day of the Republican convention the day before she spoke with the EC, Rosemary had one word. “Scary. Scary is the word.” She agreed that Angry White Men With Guns are also calling for a revolution. “What I heard was fear mongering and dog whistle politics. Everything they said had a very different meaning. ‘Scary black people… scary gay people’… The dog whistle politics to me were about evoking stronger emotions of hatred and fear. “I just feel like I want the anger I saw when Orlando happened to be felt by white people at the atrocities that happen every day.” Rosemary summed up, “One thing I want to say is we’re at a crossroads now. We need to look at the history that has happened in this community already.” ■
TODAY I HAVEN’T HEARD OF A MASS KILLING, BUT I’M STILL ANGRY. BECAUSE WE ARE STILL BEING OPPRESSED, INCARCERATED, ENTIRE COMMUNITIES WIPED OUT. I WANT THAT OUTRAGE TO MOTIVATE US ON A DAILY BASIS… I WANT THE ANGER I SAW WHEN ORLANDO HAPPENED TO BE FELT BY WHITE PEOPLE AT THE ATROCITIES THAT HAPPEN EVERY DAY.
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RGMC sings at the opening ceremony. Photo: Jill Frier. See page 17 for RGMC at GALA Fest in Denver.
ROC PRIDE 5K: Above: winner Charles Collins with a time of 17 minutes 18 seconds; with 5K lead organizer Jo Meleca Voigt. He was also the winner last year! This photo is from last year’s race with a time of 16:45. The 2016 female winner was Kathleen Hayden with a time of 21:05. The non-gender specified winner was Adrian Bartholomeo. This is the first time the Gay Alliance is aware of that a non-gender specified category has been available in a local race and we hope to see more races become more inclusive of the spectrum of gender identity.
ROC PRIDE GAMES: The finish line at the 5K run. Photo: Jill Frier. More Pride Games photos page 30.
Todd G. at the tennis tournament. Photo: Bess Watts
Pride co-chair Sam Brett at the beach party. Photo: Susan Jordan
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OPENING CEREMONY: Mayor Lovely Warren speaks at the opening ceremony on July 15 at Cobbs Hill Park. Photo: Jill Frier
BEACH PARTY: ASL interpreter Tristan Wright at the Pride Beach Party hosted by URMC Victory Alliance at Ontario Beach Park on July 8. Photo: Susan Jordan
Dustin Hilton, Roc Pride Volleyball Tournament cochair, hits the ball. Photo: Bess Watts
Dangerous Signs performing at the opening ceremony. Photo: Jill Frier
Sam Brett and Lora Thody sash Grand Marshal Jason Robert Ballard on July 15. Photo: Jill Frier
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ROC PRIDE PARADE: Magic happened on Park Avenue on July 16. Photo: Jill Frier
All photos in this column by Jill Frier
Leading the Flower City Band. Photo: Jill Frier Ramona Santorelli cools off the marchers. Photo: Susan Jordan
Jeannie Gainsburg with the Gay Alliance’s Magic Markers. Photo: Jill Frier
Mrs. Kasha Davis. Photo: Jill Frier
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Moms Demand Action was a new addition to the Pride Parade this year. Photo: Jill Frier
Dee Licious.
We Are Orlando.
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The SAGE float won the Best float to incorporate the Parade theme award, with a perfect score. Photo: Jill Frier
The ImageOut float. Photo: Jill Frier
Jeffrey Davis and DJ Mighty Mic’s family float. Photo: Jill Frier
Aggy Dune and Camper Josh on the Jones Pond float.
The East Coast Two Spirit Society marched for the second year. Photo: Susan Jordan
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Volleyball champs: Jeannie, Sheldon, Heidi and Mike. Photo: Sam Brett
Carmella Monroe Monet. Photo: Melora Miler
PRIDE FESTIVAL: Jamaican recording artist Diana King performing at the Festival on July 16. Photo: Anthony George
Photo: Heather McKay
Recording artist Johnathan Celestin (center) with Pride co-chair Sam Brett and Gay Alliance Education Coordinator Jeannie Gainsburg at the Festival. Johnathan performed on July 17. Photo: Bill DeStevens
Photo: Jill Frier
Photo: Melora Miller
Melora Miller with friends.
Over 7,000 people attended the Pride Festival at Cobbs Hill Park, July 16 & 17. Photo: Jill Frier
Photo: Jill Frier
Aggy Dune in the We 3 Queens drag show on July 17. Photo: Jill Frier
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Grand Marshal Jason Robert Ballard and Samantha Ballard. Photo: Jill Frier
At the Festival. Photo: Jessika Whitehouse
Christopher Goodwin speaking at the opening ceremony. Photo: Jill Frier
Family fun at the Festival. Photo: Jessika Whitehouse
Festival friends. Photo: Jessika Whitehouse
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NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (Newsfronts continued from page 6)
House Republicans hold hearing on bill to allow anti-gay discrimination Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: The… congressional hearing on a federal “religious freedom” bill that would enable anti-LGBT discrimination is “disturbing,” a White House spokesperson said…. Jeff Tiller, a White House spokesperson, made the remarks in response to an email request from the Washington Blade to comment on the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform’s controversial hearing on the First Amendment Defense Act. “We strongly oppose attempts to roll back non-discrimination protections for LGBT Americans,” Tiller said. “It’s disturbing that congressional Republicans plan to hold a hearing tomorrow on discriminatory, anti-LGBT legislation. President Obama remains firmly committed to promoting and defending the equal rights of all Americans, including the rights of LGBT Americans.” A coalition of 70 groups has called on Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) to cancel the hearing, which took place on the onemonth anniversary of the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., claiming the lives of 49 people and wounding 53 others. The Human Rights Campaign offers a primer on the bill: 1. FADA is tantamount to state sanctioned discrimination. This bill would allow individuals, many businesses, and non-profit organizations — even those non-profit organizations and businesses contracting with the federal government — to circumvent critical federal protections designed to protect LGBTQ families from harmful discrimination. 2. Following the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in U.S. v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges, same-sex married couples are entitled to all federal spousal benefits regardless of where they live. Under FADA, however, individual businesses could run roughshod over the civil rights of these couples and deny them the spousal benefits they are entitled to under the law. 3. FADA could even allow any privately owned business to refuse to let an employee take time off to care for their same-sex spouse, in violation of family and medical leave laws – a particularly appalling aspect given the many families currently caring for those who were injured in the Orlando shooting. 4. Despite protections in the Fair Housing Act and strong administrative guidance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, commercial landlords could be empowered to violate fair housing laws by refusing housing to a single mother or same-sex couple based on religious belief that sexual relations are reserved to different-sex married couples.
N.H. governor bans antitrans discrimination for state employees New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan on June 30 signed an executive order banning the state from discriminating against its employees on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. The order also applies to the administration of state programs and state contracts. According to Hassan’s office, existing anti-discrimination policies protect the state’s transgender employees from being discriminated against on the basis of gender. Said Hassan in a statement, “Throughout our history, it has been
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016 clear time and again that we always grow stronger when we work to ensure the full inclusion of all citizens in our democracy, our economy and our communities. By making clear that gender identity and gender expression are protected in the State’s anti-discrimination policies, this Executive Order helps ensure that New Hampshire state government welcomes and incorporates the talents and contributions of all of our citizens. As we celebrate Pride Month, this Executive Order reinforces that New Hampshire is a welcoming state where everyone has the opportunity to share in our high quality of life and economic success.” Of the effect of Hassan’s order, her office said in a statement, In addition to making clear that gender identity and gender expression are included in the State’s anti-discrimination policies and provisions, the Governor’s Executive Order requires state agencies to review and revise their policies as necessary to ensure that they do not discriminate on the basis of gender identity or gender expression; the Department of Justice and the Department of Administrative Service to review and revise state contract language to include protections against discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression; and the Division of Personnel to provide guidance to state agencies in implementing the Executive Order by September 15, 2016, and propose rules changes as necessary.
Orlando Boy Scouts collect flags and items for Pulse victims memorial From the Orlando Sentinel: Michelangelo Dominguez’s mother watched with pride … as the 13-year-old and other Boy Scouts picked hundreds of weathered American flags from the lawn outside the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando. He helped collect mini-flagpoles stuck in the dirt around wet teddy bears and melted candles left for the 49 victims killed more than a month ago in the Pulse nightclub shooting. Officials from the Orange County Regional History Center oversaw the Scouts, who were asked to collect the flags so the American Legion can give them a proper retirement ceremony. Michelangelo’s mother said tears filled her eyes when her son led the Pledge of Allegiance before the group. After his pledge, three Scouts put on white gloves, carefully stepped past smeared signs scrawled with words of love and hope, and properly folded a flag that had been laid on the grass. All of the non-perishable tribute items left at memorial sites around Orlando are being collected by the History Center for inclusion in a permanent memorial. -See video on JoeMyGod.com
Can Airbnb do more to fight gay hate? Samantha Allen posted on The Daily Beast on July 20: Buddy Fisher wanted a place to stay during Austin’s Pride Festival. Then he got a message from his potential Airbnb host: “No LGBT people, please. I do not support people who are
France approves major rights for trans people Jane Fae posted on gaystarnews.com on July 13: Transgender people won a major victory last night (12 July), with France about to join a growing number of countries that allow people to legally change their gender without surgery. This means no more psychiatrist certificates, no more proofs of sex reassignment surgery: above all, an end to the demand for sterilization. The National Assembly voted in favor in the second reading… but it still needs to go to the Senate and to be approved. After the National Assembly voted to adopt the amendment, the changes will allow anyone to change their gender status if they are able to demonstrate “by an adequate combination of facts that their legal gender status does not match their lived gender.” As examples of the evidence now required, the amendment suggests simply that the individual can show that they are living according to their claimed gender identity socially, at work and within their family environment. This would apply not only to adults, but also to “emancipated minors”: young people held competent to take important decisions on their own behalf. …This isn’t the win many trans people in France were hoping for, as campaigners were pressing for self-certification of gender. In a statement, Inter-LGBT welcomed this as the beginning of recognition of the fundamental rights of trans persons. While regretting the failure of the Assembly to remove judges entirely from the process, or to open gender recognition out to all young persons, Inter-LGBT expressed the hope that these amendments, too, could be added when the Senate discusses the matter in September. Read more at: http://scl.io/p_f-R1r9#gs.=fC3Ppg
against humanity. Sorry.” Fisher’s experience, first reported by KHOU, was brought to the attention of the online housing rental marketplace, and the homophobic host was quickly terminated. “We identified this case and immediately removed this host from Airbnb,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Beast. “Discrimination has no place in the Airbnb community.” But as it is currently written, Airbnb’s anti-discrimination policy does not explicitly bar hosts from banning guests based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Instead, it defers to “local laws and regulations” and instructs hosts to “be familiar with the laws that apply to you and your listing.” Airbnb appears to act swiftly after incidents of anti-LGBT discrimination are brought to its attention, but the policy could apparently do much more to prevent them before they occur. -Read the full story on The Daily Beast
LGBT groups blast Pence for anti-gay hate Nick Duffy posts on pinknews.co.uk: Many of the leading LGBT rights groups in the US have condemned Donald Trump’s choice of Vice President. Indiana’s Governor Mike Pence stirred up international outrage last year when he signed the controversial ‘Religious Freedom Restoration Act’, which gives businesses the right to discriminate against gay people on the grounds of religion. Earlier this year Mr. Pence still appeared unable to answer when asked whether it should be legal to fire people because of their sexuality – and has previously suggested that HIV Prevention funding be drained in order to fund statesponsored ‘gay cure’ therapy. In a 60 Minutes interview… Trump defended his choice for Vice President. But LGBT groups have already slammed Trump’s decision.
The Los Angeles LGBT Center said, “Donald Trump’s selection of Mike Pence as his candidate for Vice President sends a loud and clear message that should anger and frighten the LGBT community, our allies, and anyone who believes in the promise of a free and equal nation. “Pence’s long history of opposing equal rights for LGBT people includes signing Indiana’s so-called religious liberty bill last year to legalize wide-scale discrimination against LGBT people.” Read the full article on pinknews. co.uk
Gay Secretary of Army rides in San Diego Pride with boyfriend Greg Hernandez posted on gaystarnews.com on July 19: The first openly gay US Secretary of the Army, Eric Fanning, rode in the San Diego Pride parade on Sunday in an open car with boyfriend Ben Masri-Cohen. Fanning spent the weekend in the sunny California city and also appeared at a rally and at a San Diego Padres baseball game. His appearance came just weeks after the US military announced it would begin to allow transgender military personnel to serve openly for the first time. “For many in our military, Pride in San Diego has special meaning,” Fanning told an audience at the Spirit of Stonewall rally Friday evening at Balboa Park. ‘With their actions, they sent a clear message to our country: That it’s possible to take deep pride in being part of two great families, the U.S. military and the LGBT community.’ He also addressed critics who are against allowing transgender people to serve openly. ‘Today, when our critics say that the military is not a place for social experimentation, they may be right. But equality and inclusivity are not experiments. (Army continues on page 14)
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Business Spotlight
Eliza Sullivan and Ashley Cellura. Photos: Susan Jordan
Evenodd By Susan Jordan Eliza Sullivan and Ashley Cellura are Evenodd – a “handcrafted, upcycled fashion accessory” business, located in Suite 321 on the third floor of the Hungerford Building on E. Main St. Ashley told The Empty Closet, “We’ve been here in the Hungerford Building for three years; we started in our house. The collection took over the designated area -so we moved here.” Evenodd offers bags, wallets and back-
packs made from canvas and recycled bicycle inner tubes, which Eliza and Ashley get from local bike stores. Eliza said, “We wanted to do something creative. Ashley went to FIT – Fashion Institute of Technology – in NYC. So we decided to focus on fashion.” Ashley added, “At FIT I took all the design courses – where to source materials, etc. So that gave us confidence to move forward with a focus on accessories.” She continued, “Everything is made here.” While Ashley and Eliza talked, two women worked diligently at sewing
machines and their French bulldog Benton cavorted about. Eliza said, “We use bike inner tubes – they’re rubber. Our entire stock is bags, wallets and backpacks.” What is the hardest part of starting your own business? Eliza said, “Basically the hardest part is catching up to what you know you can achieve and revving up your skill set so you can achieve it. You have to put in the work and once you know your material and style, it becomes easier and more fluid – it comes more naturally.” Ashley said, “We used found objects to start.” Eliza continued, “We found a vinyl banner, around 80x20 – and we made bags out of that. We took it very slowly…. Once a season we come out with one or two new things. Like a dop kit. They originated as shaving kit bags for men. We turned it into a tote.” Eliza and Ashley are a couple. Eliza said, “We have been together for eight years. We navigate being a business partner and a life partner. You learn what you’re good at and what the other person’s skills are, and you let each
other do your thing.” Evenodd is running a promo to benefit the Gay Alliance this summer. Eliza said, “Ten percent of everything we sell will be going to the GAGV. We have stickers saying ‘Make Pride’.” ■
Benton the French bulldog.
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NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (Army continued from page 12) They are American values.’ Manning later told the San Diego Union-Tribune: ‘I want to be able to recruit from the broadest base of people possible who meet the requirements. So why shouldn’t we open up service to those people who meet those requirements that are all about the job and the mission? … People who just want to serve.’ Fanning, 47, also spoke at the rally of the 12 June shooting massacre at the Orlando nightclub Pulse that killed 49 people and injured 53 others. “We should come together, even as we grieve and mourn,’ Fanning told the crowd. ‘Because we must respond to acts of cowardice with acts of confidence, with acts of pride in who we are and what we believe.” - Read more at: http://scl. io/8oACoEdY#gs.pLdtZy8
Court blocks Miss. law permitting anti-gay discrimination On July 1, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) lauded U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves’ decision to block the implementation of Mississippi’s discriminatory and harmful H.B. 1523, right before it was set to go into effect. H.B. 1523, deceptively titled “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act,” enables almost any individual or organization to discriminate against LGBTQ Mississippians at work, at school and in their communities. This legal victory will block the immediate implementation of the law, and HRC will continue to push for the full repeal of this unconstitutional bill. The injunction comes from a case litigated by Roberta Kaplan, the civil rights lawyer who argued in front of the Supreme Court of the United States in the landmark case United States v. Windsor. “This legislation was rooted in hate, it targeted the LGBTQ community and it was a deliberate attempt to undermine marriage equality and the dignity of LGBTQ Mississippians who lawmakers have sworn to serve and protect,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “We will continue our fight to ensure that H.B. 1523 is repealed in its entirety.” “We are glad to see that Judge Carlton Reeves has made clear what we already knew: H.B. 1523 is indefensible, both morally and legally,” said Rob Hill, Mississippi state director for HRC. “For months, Mississippians, the business community, faith leaders and countless others have made clear their opposition to this harmful bill, and we are pleased to see it will not go into effect this week. We will continue to look toward a full repeal of the law, and pursue comprehensive legal protections for all LGBTQ Mississippians.” Earlier this year, hundreds of Mississippians -- including representatives from faith communities and civil rights organizations -- rallied against the bill outside Gov. Phil Bryant’s residence alongside HRC and its allies. Gov. Bryant has, to this day, refused meetings with members of the LGBTQ community throughout the lifespan of the bill. ACLU of Mississippi Executive Director Jennifer Riley-Collins said, “We are thrilled that Judge Reeves ruled on the right side of history in striking down House Bill 1523 and congratulate our allies who brought these cases. This is a huge victory for the state of Mississippi and the nation. The federal ruling clearly states that HB 1523 is unconstitutional, and now this discriminatory law that unfairly targeted LGBT people will not go into effect. One religious view of marriage should not preclude all others or federal law. “The Supreme Court made it clear one year ago that same-sex couples ought not be treated any differently than different-sex couples. HB 1523, on
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016 its face, created a separate system for our clients, Nykolas and Stephen, and for all LGBT Mississippians. That is discrimination, plain and simple. “While we celebrate this win in the short term, the battle continues to secure full equal rights for LGBT people. The ACLU of Mississippi will continue to stand firmly against discrimination and in solidarity with the LGBT community. We remain vigilant in the fight for equality and justice for all.” The two cases that were considered were Barber v. Bryant and Campaign for Southern Equality v. Bryant, brought by the Campaign for Southern Equality and the Mississippi Center for Justice. The ACLU and ACLU of Mississippi filed one of the other lawsuits brought to defeat HB1523, Alford v. Moulder. The suit targets the Registrar of Vital Records and was filed on behalf of ACLU of Mississippi members and Nykolas Alford and Stephen Thomas, a gay couple who are engaged to be married and face discrimination as a result of this law.
Dan Savage blasts Log Cabin Republicans for sticking with homophobic GOP Log Cabin Republican President Gregory T. Angelo sat down with LZ Granderson on July 18 to denounce his own party’s platform, which Angelo agrees is the “most anti-LGBT in history.” Why Angelo continues to remain in a party that hates him is a mystery. Dan Savage goes off: Log Cabin Republicans have been working to “transform the GOP from the inside” for forty years and not only hasn’t it gotten better, it has gotten worse. The 2016 Republican Platform, adopted today without a peep of protest from Log Cabin Republicans, is worse on LGBT issues than any Republican Party Platform in history. Worse than the GOP platform in 1980, when the religious right was ascendent; worse than the GOP platform in 1984, when AIDS hysteria was at its peak; worse than the GOP platform in 1992, when delegates to the RNC were waving “Family Values Forever! Gay Rights Never!” signs on the floor of the convention in Houston. Worst. Platform. Ever. Log Cabin Republicans spent months wriggling their tongues up Donald Trump’s ass and this is the thanks they get. Whatever the Log Cabin Republicans think they’re doing “inside” the Republican Party, it isn’t working, it has never worked, and they need to stop pretending it’ll ever work. Today’s Republican Party, as Andy Towle pointed out, is an antiLGBT hate group. Period. And the sanity and/or motives of any queer person who belongs to today’s GOP are suspect — same goes for yesterday’s GOP and most likely tomorrow’s GOP. -See video on Towleroad.com
Father sues school for ignoring bullying that prompted 13-year old son’s suicide Joe Morgan posts on gaystarnews.com: A father is suing a school after his 13-yearold son committed suicide because he could no longer face kids bullying him for being a “gay freak”. Todd Seehus is taking Duluth School District to court because he believes they did not do enough to protect his son, Tristan, from the bullying that prompted the suicide. Filed last week in Minneapolis, Seehus says the district’s lack of care amounted to discrimination because of his perceived sexual orientation or gender expression. “Tristan’s suicide was a foreseeable result of Defendants’ failure to provide him a safe educational environment,” the lawsuit said. Tristan did not identify as gay, but he was perceived to be by other children in the school. He was thrown into lockers, told he “looks like a girl,” was called names, and students knocked books out of his hand. The lawsuit claims the district ignored and diminished the abuse, and did not adequately carry out policies that ban harassment related to sexual orientation. In a statement, school district officials said: “While we can’t comment specifically on the litigation, it’s important to know that our schools endeavor to create an environment where all students are treated with respect and to validate the rights of all students to a safe and welcoming environment.” “This should never happen, let alone to kids who are forced to interact with their tormentors in school every day,” Lori Peterson, attorney for Seehus, told the Star Tribune. - Read more at: http://scl.io/IGL_H0Xc#gs.nKVwuMQ
Haters win in Romania; marriage equality to be out of constitution From the Associated Press: Romania’s Constitutional Court has ruled that a request from an anti-gay group to change the constitution to state that marriage is a union between a man and a woman is constitutional. The court’s ruling on July 20 paves the way for Romania’s Parliament to vote to change the constitution, last revised in 2003, which now says marriage is between “partners” without specifying gender. Any change would need to be approved by two-thirds of lawmakers. Gay rights groups protested the ruling and planned a march. Joe Jervis posts on JoeMyGod.com: I reported back in May that over three million petition signatures in support of the ban had been collected by groups affiliated with the Eastern Orthodox Church. About 80 percent of Romania’s 20 million residents are members. Romania’s Parliament overwhelmingly rejected civil unions in December 2015. ■
Gay Puerto Rican fighter wins match dedicated to Orlando massacre victims Joseph Patrick McCormick posted on pinknews.co.uk: Gay Puerto Rican boxer Orlando Cruz has won a fight he dedicated to the victims of the Orlando Pulse massacre. Orlando Cruz, the first out gay boxer, dedicated the fight to the victims of the 12 June shooting in Orlando which left 49 dead and 53 injured. During his fight in Kissimmee, Florida, Cruz rang 10 bells to honour the victims and their families and wore an outfit that will pay homage to the lives lost. He knocked out Alejandro “Alex” Valdez in the seventh round of the main event of the fight card at the Kissimmee Civic Center. “It was a great opportunity to get the win and represent my people,” said Cruz after the fight. “I’m proud to give them an equal opportunity to compete. It meant a lot to get this win tonight, because it provides the opportunity for a world title.” Cruz, who is currently ranked fourth in the world and lives in Puerto Rico with his partner, was friends with four of the shooting’s victims. “At first, I was sad,” Cruz said to the Orlando Sentinel. “Second, angry. I am very angry because people are homophobic, so they attacked my community. They attacked me.” -Read the full story on pinknews.co.uk
AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
Opinion
The enemies of equality for LGBT Americans: it’s a conspiracy By Jonathan Capehart in The Washington Post, via Southern Poverty Law Project Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans know in their bones there is a “vast right-wing conspiracy” out to deny them their humanity and dignity. A conservative cabal actively working the levers of power to block their rights. Well, now we have the evidence that one actually exists. Freedom for All Americans (FFAA) is a “bipartisan campaign seeking nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people nationwide” that was created last year in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage. FFAA executive director Matt McTighe told me that the immediate backlash against that historic decision, such as Indiana’s socalled religious freedom law, was expected. But he said that it was the emerging coordination of the resistance that pushed his organization to sift through public filings to unearth the ties that bind antiLGBT efforts around the country. “We started seeing bills that looked 80 to 90 percent identical in language start to pop up around the country,” McTighe said. “The language was so clearly being coordinated.” In a report to released last month called “Enemies of Equality,” FFAA shows that 17 bills in 14 states that target transgender Americans “used almost identical language and it’s based off of a model policy ADF started pushing four or five months ago.” All told, there are more than 200 anti-LGBT bills pending in 34 states. The chart from FFAA shows the organizations doing the coordinating and the people leading or bankrolling those efforts. According to FFAA’s research, one of the hubs of this coordination is Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a 22-year-old group that “advocates for your right to freely live out your faith.” Another is the National Christian Foundation (NCF), which funds a lot of the groups aggressively working to chip away at the equal rights of LGBT Americans. One of them is Family Research Council (FRC), which is listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an “extremist group.” Another is Liberty Council. Listed as an “extremist group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the group is notable because chairman and founder Mat Staver represented Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who caused a national stir when she refused to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple in defiance of the Supreme Court last year. But the National Christian Foundation also received funding, notably from the owners of Hobby Lobby. That’s the company at the center of the 2014 Supreme Court case that ruled the sincerely held religious beliefs of corporation owners are protected by the Constitution.
And the interconnectedness revealed by FFAA is several layers deep. For instance, James Dobson is founder of the Family Research Council, the Alliance Defending Freedom and Focus on the Family. Tom Minnery is a board member at ADF and senior vice president of policy at Focus on the Family, which gets money from NCF and the family of Forbes 400 billionaire Richard DeVos, founder of Amway. He and his family have given money to all of the organizations founded by Dobson. “We’re not just kind of cataloguing this for retroactive historical purposes to look back at this legislative session,” McTighe of FFAA said of his group’s effort to expose the intricate web of antiLGBT interests. “We expect that this will be even more pronounced in the coming legislative session and that the ADF and the groups that it has sway over will continue to get more engaged and will continue to file more and more anti-LGBT bills that are being coordinated…by… national organization[s] with a clear antiLGBT agenda.” Back in January, I warned in an op-ed about anti-LGBT legislation in Florida, “Just because there’s been surprisingly little thunder against the gays of late doesn’t mean no one has been busy conjuring up the lightning that precedes it.” The FFAA report shows that we are in the middle of a raging storm. More importantly, it shows just how big and ominous it is. Follow Jonathan on Twitter: @Capehartj
The problem is fear: gun control and the LGBT community in the wake of Orlando By Nadine Smith, Equality Florida I am a pretty good shot with a rifle. I won a turkey shoot as a teenager. I have destroyed clay pigeons and discs skeet shooting with a double-barreled shotgun. I trained on an M-16, an adaptation of the AR-15.So when I talk about guns, I understand the allure - and the repulsion. I wore a uniform when I fired that M16. Civilians should not be walking about with that kind of firepower. The Senate’s failure to impose the bare minimum gun safety measures is unconscionable. I will do my best to remove these cowards from office for dereliction of duty. But we make a mistake if we simply believe the NRA’s dollars have purchased the conscience of legislators. It isn’t simply the money; it is the ideology of fear. It is their central story that the world is doomed to become a terrifying place of scarcity: that when the oil is gone and the water is scarce we will all go feral and only the strong will survive…. Will it be roving bands of “urban” home invaders that come for our families? Activated terrorist cells? A tyrannical government that will turn on the docile, weapon-less masses it is supposed to serve?
These are the fears, spoken by the survival cultists but whispered by an inner voice even to those who aren’t huddled in camo gear as part of their make-believe militias. They wish it were not so. They cannot accept the story that they are the bad guys, because they believe, when push inevitably comes to shove, we will be begging to join them as the boogeymen come for “decent people.” They believe they have faced up to an inconvenient truth the rest of us want desperately to avoid. They have a story that is as logical and powerful to them as it is cynical and dangerous to us: “I’m a good person. I’m not looking for trouble, but I will protect mine.” We may mock the “good guy with a gun” rhetoric, but the idea that a good heart and a weapon, real or imaginary, will save us inundates us daily. The simplicity of this ideology is as attractive as it is self-fulfilling. Their xenophobia, racism, and fear of all difference are what is eroding our social contract. Guns are not making us safer, as mass shootings and the normalization of daily carnage attest. In difficult times, we need each other. We are not islands. It is why we don’t permit hoarding or price gouging in the wake of a hurricane. Our lives depend on cooperation. These blaze of glory fantasies cannot be indulged. Weapons capable of mowing us down in our schools, theaters, places of worship, nightclubs do not make anyone safer. These are weapons of mass slaughter, and their flow must be stopped. But we delude ourselves if we think this is simply a matter of money. The problem is much deeper than money. The problem is fear. Nadine Smith is the co-founder and CEO of Equality Florida, the state’s largest organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Conversion lies By Laila Ibrahim But I’m a Cheerleader was my introduction to conversion therapy. It’s a ridiculous comedy that satirizes the movement to “cure” people with same-sex attractions. I thought it was an extreme exaggeration, and it left me believing conversion therapy is a joke. Now I know that there is nothing funny about it. Conversion therapy destroys lives: emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It’s an industry based on a lie that profits off of people’s deepest held convictions and their deepest held hopes for their children. Before I learned more about conversion therapy I believed it was something that was done to teens and young adults by their parents. In my mind, the teens were the victims of ignorant and bigoted parents. As a Unitarian Universalist, a faith tradition that embraced LGBT equality for decades, I had a smug sense of superiority towards those parents. I hadn’t considered the emotional and spiritual damage that was being done to
15 parents by their very own churches, the institution they rely on for moral leadership. Since then I’ve learned: -Many of the leaders of the conversion therapy movement were and are LGBT people pretending they had been cured because they were so desperate for that to be true. -In some religions parents are being told by their ministers -- trusted authorities in their lives -- that it’s their fault their children have same sex attractions. -Many of the teens go to conversion therapy voluntarily, desperately believing in and praying for a cure. The faulty premise of conversion therapy can be summarized: The LGBT person has an insecure attachment with their same-gender parents; the LGBT person has been sexually abused; and the LGBT person has a weak spiritual connection to Jesus and God. Prior to my research, I couldn’t understand how a parent could possibly send their child to conversion therapy, but now I see that the faulty premise of conversion therapy preyed on parental insecurities. The parents feel guilty. They are being told it’s their fault. They’re being promised a cure, so they invest in the snake oil being promised by their religion. And the pay-off? Salvation. Who wouldn’t invest time and money for their child’s eternal well-being? Smug superiority is not a good look for anyone, but most especially for someone who aspires to plant seeds of love and justice in the world. I’ve learned this lesson many times in my life. When I look deeply at people I disagree with, I most often find a shared human impulse. The parents who desperately want their children to be straight are scared for their kids. That I can relate to. I remind myself that my liberal parents had a less than stellar reaction to my coming out. They tried. Really they did. But as I look back at the time so long ago I realize they were afraid for me. They didn’t believe I would have a good life if I partnered with a woman. They were sure I’d have to live in secrecy or face rejection by society. Their fear was reasonable at the time. They couldn’t know that I would get married, have children, and be respected in the world. I’ve watched many documentaries about Conversion Therapy. One of the most heartbreaking interviews was with a mother whose child had succeeded in committing suicide. The despair in her eyes as she spoke about the choices she made that had added to her child’s depression haunts me to this day. I’m grateful to her for sharing her painful story. I pray that it, and so many other stories, will help parents to move past fear for and rejection of their LGBT children to a place of acceptance and support, secure in the knowledge that God’s love is that big. Laila Ibrahim is the critically acclaimed author of Yellow Crocus and Living Right, available now on Amazon and all major booksellers. Connect with Laila Ibrahim on Facebook, and at www. LailaIbrahim.com. ■
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016
Health
Abortion clinics don’t just serve straight women Julianna S. Gonen posted on The Advocate on June 29: On June 27, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, struck down two onerous and medically unwarranted restrictions on abortion. The 5-3 ruling came in a legal challenge to the Texas legislature’s harmful anti-abortion law, House Bill 2, passed in 2013. HB 2 was enacted to make safe abortion care more difficult to provide and obtain and has resulted in the closure of nearly 75 percent of the clinics in the state of Texas, forcing some women to drive up to 300 miles one-way to obtain safe and legal abortion care. While this case was one of the most important to address abortion rights in recent years, it also has implications well beyond women’s access to constitutionally protected reproductive health care. Reproductive health centers and abortion clinics have come to occupy an important space in the provision of health care to the LGBT community. The movements for LGBT equality and reproductive freedom share profoundly similar goals — to protect the fundamental right to bodily autonomy, challenge traditional gender norms, and secure the freedom of individuals to form families on their own terms. The two movements share a core belief that our most personal decisions should be free from government interference. But the intersection between the movements does not occur only at the level of principle and policy. Reproductive health clinics are embracing the LGBT community and creating welcoming spaces and health care services designed to serve those who have not always found the health care system hospitable. For example, the Allentown Women’s Center, an abortion clinic in Bethlehem, Pa., has developed and actively promotes a Trans* Health Initiative, including hormone replacement therapy and counseling referrals. The clinic is actively seeking to transform the way transgender people receive care, to eliminate barriers to achieving maximum health and well-being, and to provide a safe, comfortable and respectful clinic for all transgender and gender-nonconforming people. The program grew organically in response to community needs, and the staff saw it as “dovetailing beautifully with abortion care” because of the
stigma surrounding both abortion care and LGBT people. They are now serving over 100 transgender patients in the Lehigh Valley. Cedar River Clinics, an abortion provider in Washington State, offers LGBTQ health care, from a range of wellness services (annual pelvic and breast exams, cancer screenings, HIV and STD testing, safer sex education) to transgender services (hormone therapy, surgical referrals, postsurgical follow-up, and clerical services for gender marker changes). While many LGBT patients came initially for hormone therapy and gender-affirming services, they end up getting much more – it has served as
an entry point into the health care system for many who had avoided seeking health care due to harmful and discriminatory experiences, and the clinics have frequently diagnosed chronic conditions previously undetected and untreated. The clinics’ Transgender Health Care Toolkit, released in March, has been accessed by over 200 health care providers in the U.S. and abroad. Cedar River also offers insemination services, which it views as fundamentally part of its mission to facilitate full choices around family formation. Because “members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) community face greater obstacles to obtaining and benefiting from sexual and reproductive health services than non-LGBTQ people,” Planned Parenthood clinics provide “high-quality, sensitive, and appropriate reproductive health, general health, and sexual health services to all of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients,” as the organization states online. At the end of last year, Planned Parenthood started offering HIV prevention drugs at its West Hollywood location, with plans to expand the service to all 20 of its Los Angeles–area facilities. In addition to providing essential reproductive health care services, providers of abortion care affirm women’s dignity to make the most essentially personal and private decisions about themselves and their families. The notion of individual dignity is what propelled us to marriage equality — and these clinics are affirming the dignity of LGBT people by providing welcoming and nonjudgmental health care. When the ability to access safe and legal abortion is threatened, those of us in the LGBT community must not view it as someone else’s fight. Beyond the obvious fact that we need reproductive health care services, including abortion care, ourselves, attacks on abortion rights and on the equal rights of LGBT people often emanate from the same places. The political agenda to control the gender roles, sexuality, and the family formation choices of others drives the
Lesbian comic Tig Notaro, breast cancer survivor, posts a photo with her twins American stand-up comic and podcaster Tig Notaro prompted hundreds of comments with a photo that she posted to her Facebook page last month. Already a respected figure in the world of comedy, in 2012 Notaro made headlines when she talked openly in her show about being diagnosed with breast cancer in both her breasts. She subsequently had a double mastectomy. She has since performed on stage topless to raise awareness around breast cancer and its treatment. Her 2015 HBO comedy special, Boyish Girl Interrupted, was recently nominated for an Emmy award. In October 2015, Notaro, now 45, married partner Stephanie Allynne, 31, and announced in January this year that they were expecting twins. The twins were born via a surrogate on 26 June. In July, Notaro shared a photo of them for the first time on her Facebook page. She was widely applauded for not hiding the fact she has had a mastectomy. - Read more at: http://scl.io/NHNiKIM_#gs.k14HUHM
opposition to safe and legal abortion and to full LGBT equal dignity. And when community-based reproductive health care clinics close their doors, more than just abortion access is lost. With its decision in Whole Woman’s Health the Supreme Court has affirmed that women seeking abortion care deserve compassion, respect, and dignity when making their own personal health decisions. The decision was also an important repudiation of the misuse of bogus health and safety arguments to undermine fundamental rights, flatly rejecting the lower court’s extreme deference to the Texas legislature’s unsupported pronouncements about HB 2’s supposed health benefits. This is an important victory for LGBT people, who have also been harmed by disingenuous medical arguments used to support curtailing our civil rights, and who often depend on abortion providers for access to health care with dignity and respect. But we must not be complacent; the unrelenting attacks on abortion will continue. And in Texas the clinics that were forced to close by these sham laws will not be able to reopen overnight; some might not come back online at all. All of us who care about protecting the dignity of all people in their decisions around sexuality and family formation must engage in the fight to ensure that our laws keep those protections secure. We must speak up and show up so each of us can get the health care we need with dignity and respect. JULIANNA S. GONEN is the policy director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
STIs, STDs jump in UK, USA for gay men By Advocate.com Editors There are new scary findings about sexually transmitted infections and diseases from the United Kingdom, where cases of syphilis and gonorrhea have jumped 73 percent and 53 percent, respectively, between 2012 and 2015. Officials cite “very high rates of STIs among gay men and young adults” as a factor in the rise, according to The Guardian. The troubling report follows a similar one last year from the U.S.’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which showed 2014 syphilis and gonorrhea cases outnumbering those from 2013, the first rise since 2006. Again, MSM (men who have sex with men) were specifically referenced in the findings, which repeated a shocking, underreported fact — potentially fatal syphilis among MSM has been increasing since the year 2000. The CDC numbers also showed that over half the men diagnosed with syphilis two years ago also had HIV; the genital sores that can develop from syphilis can increase the likelihood of HIV transmission. An official from Public Health England, which published the recent British report, noted a trend of “condomless sex” that’s contributing to the STI/STD increase there. Public Health England is calling for more free condoms as well as increased testing — a drop in chlamydia is viewed as less of a victory and more of a result of fewer young people being tested for the disease. CDC officials think they know why gay and bisexual men may be more susceptible to STIs and STDs. “Higher prevalence of infection within sexual networks” increases the likelihood of cases, according to a CDC statement from last year, in addition to “barriers to receiving STD services such as lack of access to quality health care, homophobia, or stigma.” The CDC is looking into ways to meet the challenges gay and bi men face and reaching them so testing and safe sex are as routine in the PrEP days of the 2010s as they were in the heady days of the 1980s and ‘90s. ■
AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
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LGBTQ Living NYC PRIDE FESTIVAL: The NYC Pride Parade and Festival took place June 26, on the traditional Pride date of the last weekend in June. Photos: Eric Bellmann
RGMC feels the power of music at Denver GALA Fest “I feel inspired to improve myself and my chorus!” “I loved how loving and supportive the audiences were!” “I loved finding ideas to bring back!” These are just some of the thoughts that the twenty-one members of the Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus (RGMC) had during the tenth Gay and Lesbian Association of (GALA) Choruses Festival in Denver, Colorado early this July. In addition to performing at the festival, the group had the opportunity to network with gay and lesbian choruses from around the country -- large and small, new and seasoned -- swapping stories and best practices to help each other grow. It was a week of community building and deeply rooted support, much appreciated by all those in attendance. RGMC singer Tony Jagla was moved by the feeling of “being surrounded by 6,000 people who all had the same goal -- to sing and enjoy each other’s company, free from anything or anyone who tried to keep us down.” The chorus was thrilled to collaborate this time around with Lindsey Deaton, the Artistic Director of the Trans* Chorus of Los Angeles, who read the names of transgender people whose lives were taken by violence over the last twelve months, during a performance of “Names” by Rochester composer Mark Alan DeWaters. Lindsey, a trans woman herself, described the group as “the definition of true allies” to the transgender community for using their voices to give voice to her community. The RGMC came back with a strong sense of purpose from all the performances they saw, the workshops they attended, and the friends they made from across the country and beyond. The trip to the GALA Choruses Festival reminded our chorus members and their fellow attendees of the shared power of music -- to transform, to heal, to reaffirm, to unite.
Top left: After tech rehearsal in Denver. Top right: The RGMC performing at GALA Festival in Denver, with Lindsey Deaton on the right. Bottom: The Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus gathered for their group photograph.
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016
AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED TO MAKE PRIDEFEST 2016 FANTASTIC THANK YOU CITY OF ROCHESTER, SPECIAL EVENTS, PARKS & RECREATION • THANK YOU ROCHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT • THANK YOU VISIT ROCHESTER • THANK YOU THE UPPER MONROE, PARK AVENUE AND COBBS HILL NEIGHBORHOODS • THANK YOU MAYOR LOVELY WARREN • THANK YOU KIM RASBECK • THANK YOU JOHN CULLEN • THANK YOU UOFR SHUTTLE BUSES • THANK YOU LINQ • THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA • THANK YOU 384 INN • THANK YOU BUCKINGHAM PROPERTIES • THANK YOU FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH • THANK YOU SARA COUSINS • THANK YOU BRIAN ANDREW • THANK YOU MOM AND DAD • THANK YOU JOSH STAPF • THANK YOU ANTHONY GEORGE • THANK YOU MCKAY’S PHOTOGRAPHY • THANK YOU DUSTIN HILTON • THANK YOU HOMEDEPOT • THANK YOU WEGMANS • THANK YOU ANNE WAKEMAN • THANK YOU KRISTY & ROBIN ANGEVINE-FUNDERBURK • THANK YOU CODY GARDNER • THANK YOU KELLIE & CRAIG RONALD • THANK YOU JOE MURPHY • THANK YOU SERENA THODY • THANK YOU SEAN THODY • THANK YOU LAURIE PRIZEL • THANK YOU JO & CHRISTINE MELECA-VOIGT • THANK YOU OUT AND EQUAL • THANK YOU RON SCHUTTS • THANK YOU BRIAN ANDREW • THANK YOU MATT WAKEMAN • THANK YOU KAREN MORRIS • THANK YOU WANDA & DAWN MARTINEZ-JOHNCOX • THANK YOU LACEY LASKOWSKI • THANK YOU DEBBIE TRUBATCH • THANK YOU KAAREN ANDERSON • THANK YOU TRACEY JO & ELIJAH FLANSBURG • THANK YOU GEENA CRUZ-ALBARRAN • THANK YOU SHAWN DANIELS • THANK YOU MARTY ROLLINS • THANK YOU SHAUNA O’TOOLE • THANK YOU BRIAN BARTLETT • THANK YOU MARK FUHRY • THANK YOU 140 ALEX • THANK YOU SPICE OF LIFE PRODUCTIONS • THANK YOU NOLANS • THANK YOU SHEA’S OUTHOUSES • THANK YOU FLEET FEET SPORTS • THANK YOU COP SECURITY • THANK YOU PRINTROC • THANK YOU JEFF WHITE • THANK YOU JILLIAN WILTON • THANK YOU JAMES SMITH • THANK YOU KARA OSIPOVITCH • THANK YOU KATE SWEENEY • THANK YOU BACHELOR FORUM • THANK YOU AVENUE PUB • THANK YOU FRANKIE AND JEWELS • THANK YOU STEAMROLLER • THANK YOU STONEWALL • THANK YOU GEMS OF THE NILE • THANK YOU ROCHESTER GAY MEN’S CHORUS • THANK YOU DANGEROUS SIGNS • THANK YOU R.A.P.A. • THANK YOU DOWNSTAIRS CABARET THEATRE • THANK YOU RBTL SUMMER STARS • THANK YOU DJ HECTOR • THANK YOU DJ SCOTTFREE • THANK YOU DJ SOLID BEAR • THANK YOU DJ HENRY • THANK YOU NEILL MACLEOD • THANK YOU PETER MOHR • THANK YOU TRISTAN WRIGHT • THANK YOU JAMES MORAN • THANK YOU DEEDEE DUBOIS • THANK YOU KASHA DAVIS • THANK YOU DARIENNE LAKE • THANK YOU AGGY DUNE • THANK YOU MERCEDES SULAY • THANK YOU ALFRED KINSEY • THANK YOU DEE LICIOUS • THANK YOU RAMADANA • THANK YOU JUSTIN STYLEZ • THANK YOU SHAWN FLY GUY • THANK YOU PAIGE SULAY • THANK YOU SAMANTHA VEGA • THANK YOU JENNA VIXXEN • THANK YOU GINGER KAIKAI • THANK YOU NOTORIOUS LEZ • THANK YOU ALEC D’LADIES • THANK YOU DESTINY SPICE • THANK YOU VANITY FAIRE • THANK YOU VIVIAN DARLIN’ • THANK YOU CLAIRE WOODS • THANK YOU TAYLER MAYDE • THANK YOU HUNTER DOWN • THANK YOU MJ THRILLHERNIGHTLY • THANK YOU MADISON WAYNE • THANK YOU ANTONIO DANBAREASS • THANK YOU DANNY MAFFIA • THANK YOU LINNEL BROOKS • THANK YOU JOY EBEL • THANK YOU MEGAN BOURNE • THANK YOU AYSIA MYERS • THANK YOU DENISE HERRARA • THANK YOU KRIS SPENCER • THANK YOU HEATHER ABRAMS • THANK YOU KAT WOMACK • THANK YOU NICOLE LUPINETTI • THANK YOU ANNA MARIE LEE • THANK YOU HUNTER EKBERG • THANK YOU KARI TODESCO • THANK YOU CHRIS KELLEY • THANK YOU ALEX WRIGHT • THANK YOU DANI COHEN • THANK YOU NICOLE KESSLER
AND SINCERE APOLOGIES TO ANYONE WE MISSED
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016
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AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
Shoulders to Stand On AIDS and American schools By Evelyn Bailey This month Shoulders to Stand On will look at the impact of AIDS on students in American schools beginning with perhaps the most well known and publicized story of one such individual student, Ryan White. This author does not recall any student in Rochester, NY who was HIV positive being denied the right to attend school. If that is not the case this author would appreciate hearing from you at evelynb@ gayalliance.org. Overwhelming fear and a lack of knowledge are the birthplace for many actions which prove in time to be unfounded and unnecessary. On June 30, 1985, the Western School Corporation, a public school district which serves Russiaville, Alto, New London, West Middleton, and southwestern Kokomo in Howard County, Indiana, via Superintendent James O. Smith, banned Ryan White from re-admittance to school. Ryan, a hemophiliac patient, had been diagnosed with HIV in December, 1984 due to a blood transfusion received earlier in his illness. The White family filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban. The Whites initially filed suit in the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis. The court, however, declined to hear the case until administrative appeals had been resolved. On November 25, an Indiana Department of Education officer ruled that the school must follow the Indiana Board of Health guidelines and that White must be allowed to attend school. The Indiana state health commissioner, Dr. Woodrow Myers, who had extensive experience treating AIDS patients in San Francisco, and the Centers for Disease Control both notified the board that White posed no risk to other students, but the school board and many parents ignored their statements. When White was finally readmitted in April, a group of families withdrew their children and started an alternative school. Threats of violence and lawsuits persisted. According to White’s mother, people on the street would often yell, “we know you’re queer” at Ryan. The editors and publishers of the Kokomo Tribune, which supported White both editorially and financially, were also ridiculed by members of the community and threatened with death for their actions. White attended Western Middle School for eighth grade for the entire 1986–87 school year, but was deeply unhappy and had few friends. The school required him to eat with disposable utensils and use separate bathrooms, and waived his requirement to enroll in a gym class. Threats continued. When a bullet was fired through the Whites’ living room window (no one was home at the time), the family decided to leave Kokomo. After finishing the school year, his family moved to Cicero, Indiana, where White enrolled at Hamilton Heights High School, located in Arcadia, Indiana. On August 31, 1987, a “very nervous” White was greeted by school principal Tony Cook, school system superintendent Bob G. Carnal, and a handful of students who had been educated about AIDS and were unafraid to shake White’s hand. On March 29, 1990, White entered Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis with a respiratory infection. As his condition deteriorated, he was placed on a ventilator and sedated. He was visited by Elton John and the hospital was deluged with calls from well-wishers. Ryan died on April 8, 1990. In August 1990, four months after White’s death, Congress enacted The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS
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rights and AIDS activist Larry Kramer said, “I think little Ryan White probably did more to change the face of this illness and to move people than anyone. And he continues to be a presence through his mom, Jeanne White. She has an incredibly moving presence as she speaks around the world.” Shoulders to Stand On is proud to recognize the children like Ryan White who have shown us how to be courageous, open, and steadfast in the face of fear, oppression, anger and death. Today, perhaps more than ever before, we need to be patient, vigilant, courageous and proud as we continue the struggle for equality and justice in peaceful non-violent action. Next month we will continue looking at the impact of AIDS on students in America.
History Corner
Resources Emergency (CARE) Act (often known simply as the Ryan White CARE Act), in his honor. The act is the United States’ largest federally funded program for people living with HIV/AIDS. The Ryan White CARE Act funds programs to improve availability of care for lowincome, uninsured and under-insured victims of AIDS and their families. Ryan White was one of a handful of highly visible people with AIDS in the 1980s and early 1990s who helped change the public perception of the disease. White, along with actor Rock Hudson, was one of the earliest public faces of AIDS. Along with later public figures who became associated with HIV/AIDS, such as the Ray brothers, Magic Johnson, Arthur Ashe, The Brady Bunch’s Robert Reed, Tim Richmond, Kimberly Bergalis, Elizabeth Glaser, Liberace and Freddie Mercury, White helped to increase public awareness that HIV/AIDS was a significant epidemic. In 1992, Ryan’s mother founded the national nonprofit Ryan White Foundation. The foundation worked to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS-related issues, with a focus on hemophiliacs like Ryan White, and on families caring for relatives with the disease. The foundation was active throughout the 1990s, with donations reaching $300,000 a year in 1997. Between 1997 and 2000, however, AIDS donations declined nationwide by 21 percent, and the Ryan White Foundation saw its donation level drop to $100,000 a year. In 2000, White’s mother closed the foundation, and merged its remaining assets with AIDS Action, a larger charity. She became a spokeswoman for AIDS activism and continues to arrange speaking events through the site devoted to her son, ryanwhite.com. White’s high school, Hamilton Heights, has had a student-government sponsored annual AIDS Walk, with proceeds going to a Ryan White Scholarship Fund. Ryan White’s death inspired Elton John to create the Elton John AIDS Foundation. White also became the inspiration for a handful of popular songs. Elton John donated proceeds from “The Last Song,” which appears on his album The One, to a Ryan White fund at Riley Hospital. Michael Jackson dedicated the song “Gone Too Soon” from his Dangerous album to White, as did 1980s pop star Tiffany with the song “Here in My Heart” on her New Inside album. In November 2007, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis opened an exhibit called “The Power of Children: Making a Difference,” which remains a sobering, featured exhibit and continues to develop, while it features White’s bedroom and belongings alongside similar tributes to Anne Frank and Ruby Bridges. In a 1993 interview, prominent gay
Empty Closet: A Monthly Publication By and For the Gay Community of Rochester; July - August, 1977 ISSUE NO 74 Focus: The feature section of the issue has been devoted to the arts, a form of expression that too many people are not comfortable with. Even artists (i.e. anyone that creates) are ill at ease with their creations. A few months ago people at the Lesbian Resource Center requested material for a literary magazine. Unfortunately not very many people came forth with their works and that idea fizzled. The selections in
this issue represent the talented women who did contribute and we thank them for making the effort. With a little support from lesbians and gay men we can have poetry, drawings, and stories every month; we can give unrecognized writers and artists a chance to share their talent with others. Perhaps we can all feel more comfortable with our own creativity regardless of what form it takes. Dates to Remember: —Gay Brotherhood Sunday Meetings 8 pm: August 14—The Dutchman August 21—Rap Subject August 28—Movement HappeningDignity —Lesbian Resource Center—meetings the 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 8 pm: August 17—Talk on N.O.W. (possibly film) August 20—Coalition for Lesbian/ Gay Rights Demonstration —NYC August 20th —Empty Closet Newspaper—deadline for all copy August 25-28—Integrity National Convention in Philadelphia September 2nd to September 5th. — Dignity National Convention, Chicago AUGUST 14 from 4 to 7 TEA DANCE at JIM’S Do you want to read this issue of the Empty Closet? Here is Link: http://www. library.rochester.edu/rbscp/EmptyCloset On that page click on: Browse the Empty Closet issues. Go to 1977 – JulyAugust
Learn the history of the LGBT community in Rochester from the people who made that history. The Gay Alliance invites you to celebrate 40 years of LGBT history in Rochester with your very own DVD/BluRay of this powerful film. Shoulders To Stand On Evelyn Bailey, Executive Producer Kevin Indovino, Producer/Director/Writer Standard DVD $25 / BluRay DVD $30 Order at: www.GayAlliance.org
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016
Columnists The opinions of columnists, editorial writers and other contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the collective attitude of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley or The Empty Closet.
Growing Up AN APOLOGY IS A PORTAL By Eric Bellmann I figured the long holiday weekend was an ideal time to go to the health club. It would not be crowded. I can do a swirl through the circuit training machines and loll in the wet sauna. A young guy is manning the front desk. Poor soul. The most recent hires, usually trainer wanna-bes, get stuck with the lousy shifts. I’ve seen this kid before. And, as I have done previously, when he says hello, I snap back, “Stand up straight!” I’m joking, of course. Yet, how would he know? He smiles brightly. What else can he do? No one in the weight room. I increase my weights and that feels good. As I sit and pant, I reflect: oops, I did a wrong thing again. I return to the front desk and motion the kid to come over. “I apologize for my smart ass comment when I came in.” He laughs it off. “No, no, let me explain.” I tell him that as a teacher for ages and ages I horsed around with my students thinking I was being cute. I continue: “ ...some years ago I bought an electric clock. I couldn’t get it to work and returned to the store the next day just as it was opening. A young man started to help me and I said to him, eyeing his wrinkled sweater, “Huh, did you sleep in that thing?” He looked back at me and replied, “Are you that rude with everybody?” I split in a huff, stood next to my car and took a deep breath. This guy was not dependent on me for a grade. So, I went back inside and told him I was sorry. I told the kid at the front desk that in that moment I realized I had let myself get away with rude, borderline verbally abusive comments all under the guise of being clever and friendly.... for years! And while I had not overcome the capacity to still impulsively blurt out questionable comments, now at least I could reconsider them and make amends. Hence, my apology to him. He liked the story. He’s very cute. I am not one to turn away, never have been one to leave well enough alone. I see an opening, I take it. “Are you planning to be a personal trainer?” “No, I’m going to be a policeman.” The world opened wide in front of me. I flipped open my phone and showed him a photo of my very, very muscular buddy who is similarly employed. I explained that this good friend shovels my driveway when I’m out of town. (Could it hurt the current interaction for him to realize that the queen he is chatting with has a buffed cop as a pal? No way, Jose.) Why, I asked, do you want this profession? It’s the benefits. Same consideration my friend has. Ah, but the downside of this field, it seems to me, is psychological. My cop pal is from a small town where even the dogs and cats are Republicans and on the job he has become even more right wing, such a pity. Does your schooling give you any training in cultural diversity? He says, “Some, not much.” God bless it being a slow morning at the club. No one is interrupting us. I have more cards to play. I continue in my obsessive Scheherazade storytelling, quite intent on bewitching this lad. I love talking to strangers. They rarely appreciate
that I am flirting. Or, maybe they enjoy it, who’s to know? To endear myself I tell him about my recent work tutoring inner city second graders who read below grade level. I show him adorable pictures on my cell phone. Most of the kids are Hispanic. Does he know the North Clinton neighborhood with the wonderful murals. Yes. I tell him about my wonderful Puerto Rican barber, Bebo, and spew out several minutes of charming anecdotes about Bebo’s idiosyncrasies including how one day he told me he had finally got his learners’ permit (and owned two cars). I share pics of Bebo. Since Mr. Policeman-to-be will be dealing with all sorts of ethnic types, it seems clever of me to present myself as cool with cultural differences. Maybe I should have mentioned that my health club is deep in the land of the bland. It is the domain of the Sanibel Island T-shirt. Going downtown for these folks is a nervous visit to Pittsford Plaza. “Oh,” he says, “My grandfather was Puerto Rican, so I’m ¼ PR.” This kid is pale! He looks like a suburban preppy! “Bingo, you’re in the game, you’ll do fine!” I ask if he knows of El Pinon, the nifty, fairly new Puerto Rican restaurant on Clinton Ave. He does not. His grandfather used to take him to lunch in a PR restaurant. I stop short of inviting him to lunch. This is, after all, just the first go round. Part of the game, so to speak, is to ask lots of questions. People like to talk about themselves. Everyone likes attention. Sharing bits of my own story that mesh with his is the next step. He can regard me as interesting as well as concerned. He tells me what’s next: a couple of final interviews, unannounced home visits, a lie detector test and how that works. It’s not so much the answers as the body language. They can’t reject you on something like drug use as long as it’s in the distant past. And who hasn’t used drugs in this day and age? In fact, I tell him, there are lots of things they cannot reject you for. I am close to outing myself, perhaps even mentioning that I know a cop or two who is gay and Lord knows there are loads of lesbians in law enforcement. Anyway, what fun we’ve had. He shakes my hand. We thank one another for the time, the conversation. I have a new friend. And all because I’ve learned that when I behave like a jerk, I can apologize. Email: EricLBellmann@gmail.com
Cleaning My Closet A TO Z By Meredith Elizabeth Reiniger Once upon a time, not so long ago, there were two dinner guests. One with a zebra napkinring. Another with an orange-enameled fish napkinring. They engaged in table-talk. Orange Fish: “My friend just adopted a rescue pet. A dachshund.” Zebra: “A dolphin?” Orange Fish: “What? No, a dog, a dachshund.” Zebra: “Oh, well yes, I was wondering how to rescue a dolphin.” L is for laughter. If I were to vet people before I agreed to invite them into my circle of friends, I would verify their sense of humor. Not to judge it, say, on a ten point scale; not even to label it; no, I would
want to witness its existence. S is for silly. It’s jolly good to have a wide spectrum of merriment readily available. There’s First-Place YouTubeCuteness Kittens, or droll dog Henry Las Vegas, or plain homegrown absurdity. Fortunately there is a long continuum of fun-friends from which to pick playful-pals: my sister who also giggles, Word-Wrenching Magician Glitter B, Snappy-Tongued Left-Fielder, Irish, Autobiographical-Story-Weaver Sit-down Comedian, and others, too numerous to expose at this time. P is for playful. Recently, eight friends played Grab-a-Ring, a chance to select a Unique Napkin-Ring from my big sister’s collection. And don’t I just wonder WhatWere-They-Thinking: I am charmed by this rhinoceros. Deep inside I am a white rooster. I want to rescue this brown elephant. Should my totem be a green watering-can or a metal garden-chair? (Of course, I do know folks who have no use for napkin-rings. Or napkins. Or nonpaper napkins. None of those types were at table this particular day.) In the beginning of my wanderthrough-life, my family used paper. My mother’s wifely chores, during her entire adult life, included folding napkins into triangles, placing one next to everyone’s plate and, for 12 years, nestling one into my brown-paper-bagged lunch. Tidiness was valued, so after using our paper mouth-wipers, we all refolded our napkins, dirtied-side in (neat and/or anal, such a wonder). Some guests crumpled and bunched (“You’re kidding, fold it for the waste basket!? Who in her right mind would do that?”) C is for cloth. Such a time, my mother, always working-on moving-up from her childhood poverty, provided only cloth napkins. After a 1970s steak house visit, she adopted their idea: fingertip towels as sturdy, super-wipers. (Who among us knows not the era of towels assigned to only fingers.) H is for history. According to Researchers of Ancient Napkins, table napkins existed in China, 2 B.C. Later on, Greek feasters (breakfast, lunch, and dinner had not yet been invented) and Greek feasterettes (feminism had not yet been invented) used bread to wipe their littered lips. Then, by swallowing their much-kneaded and baked “napkin,” they, kind to the environment, were able to eliminate river and tide waste. Plus, not once were they wheedled into buying a Memorial-DaySALE Memorial-Washing-Machine to agitate their dirty, memorial table linens. There is a story, apocryphal and/or reputed, that Germans were neat eaters who seldom used and/or required a napkin. Which proves that I . . . dribble, drool, and condiment-covered I must be a multi-napkined Slobbovian, not German, no matter what my last names suggest. Not releasing any names, I have heard that there were anti-napkin eras; that there are self-contained persons who did/ do use the handy back of their hands, their more absorbent sleeves, their more moist tongue, or, mayhaps, (waiting under the table) their eager dogs. All of this might be archaic and inane to current youngsters who McEat while McDriving. A is for alphabet. It had to happen… some person created a Gay Alphabet Coloring Book. The illustrations are simple drawings clearly inviting color-ers to go crazy-wild. l am psyched. (Do millennials experience that phenomenon?) I rush to my studio. Attention pencils and pens: all purples and pinks, silver, gold, certainly all glitters, report for duty. Ready, set, amend: insert ribbons and bows, a universe of stars, feathers and flamingoes, zillions of my signature dots. Oh my yes, I very much want to fancify the whole page of “G is for glitter.” Consequently, all else in my life seems to drop out of sight as I add, add, add. Soon, done! F is for fun. I flip to another page. N is for narwhals. It is? I am baffled. Narwhals are ‘Unicorns of the Seas’ only in myths, not in Arctic waters where each 3500 pounds
of male-whale swims and cavorts, sporting his single, 5-10 foot-long canine tooth. I stare at the coloring book drawing… two narwhals, floating above a beach, tusks crossed. Ah ha, I opine, perhaps they are gay narwhals, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Actually, real, male Monodo monoceres rub their tusks together to maintain social-dominance hierarchies. It’s called “tusking”. Oh, well yes, I was wondering if those dancers at The Bachelor Forum were Gay Tusking. Exhausted from all that pondering and coloring, I take to my bed. Nightmares join me. Pages ripped-out of a dreadful coloring-book smother me. A is for assault rifles. B is for bullies, armed with bombs, bullets, and rage. Guns. Hate. Killing. M is for massacre, the slaughter of 4 or more. Prejudice. S is for semi-automatic weapons of mass destruction. Violence. Frantically, I throw my colored-pencils across the floor, searching, hoping to find just the right tones. But what, I ask my friends, what color is a broken heart. Early next morning, I watch dawn’s colors rise from night’s darkness. And then I know. Sisters. Brothers. Family. L is for love. L is for laughter. MeredithReiniger@gmail.com
Faith Matters WHITE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, I NEED YOUR HELP AGAINST POLICE HARASSMENT! By Rev. Irene Monroe I am always worried to the point of nail-biting when my spouse leaves in the morning for Boston Medical Center if she’ll return home to me, because she’s always stopped by the Cambridge or Boston police. They don’t see Dr. Thea James. Her gender non-conforming appearance and driving a brand new BMW, that many cops derisively dub as a “Black Man’s Wagon,” make her a constant target of suspicion. When gender identity and sexual orientation come into play, the treatment by police can be harsher. And when the police realize my spouse is a woman, and a lesbian one at that, their unbridled homophobia surfaces. Always nagging my spouse about being safe, she told me - - with the recent killings of Alton Sterling, Philander Castile and five Dallas police officers -that she worries about me, too. She flatly stated she sees Sandra Bland in me, the African American women pulled over for a minor traffic violation on July 10, 2015 by a state trooper and three days later found hung in her jail cell. African American women combating police harassment is an ongoing struggle, too. A gay Washington Post columnist asked me what is it that white LGBT people don’t get about the Black Lives Matter movement as well as racism within the community. I told him, “This is a time when we need the community front and center in this struggle for both our survival and change, because your AfricanAmerican LGBTQ brothers and sisters stood by you with marriage equality and other issues. We need you now front and center because we are hurting.” But the queer politics of discussing race in the LGBTQ community is as unresolved among us as in the dominant culture. However, unlike the larger dominant culture, white LGBTQs can suggest and give advice to communities of color from their own experiences of abuse by law enforcement officers, including discrimination, harassment, profiling, entrapment and victimization that were often ignored -- and all based on our actual or perceived sexual orientations and gender identities. The treatment African Americans are experiencing at the hands of some
AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET police officers who swore to protect (yet some have become both verbal and physical assailants) is neither news nor new to LGBTQ communities. Long before the Stonewall Riots of 1969 liquor licensing laws were used to raid establishments and bars patronized by LGBTQ people. Bar raids continue to target LGBTQ people, especially in the South where many of the southern states still vehemently oppose “Obergefell v. Hodges,” the historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Boston, which is internationally known as one of the most LGBTQfriendly spots on the globe, continues to have its own police problem with our community. In 2013, the Boston Police Department settled a case against them with a transgender woman. The woman was arrested for using the women’s lavatory at the homeless shelter she was staying. When taken to the police station the woman proved her legal grievance “that the officers forced her to remove her shirt and bra and jump up and down to humiliate and laugh at her.” Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is our present day Stonewall. It’s a nationwide network of local state chapters that operate independently. As an ideology and movement to cease state sanctioned killing of African American males, BLM started as a call to action after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin’s killer was acquitted of all charges based on Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. Founded by three African American straight and queer sisters, BLM’s ideals -- to address poverty, homelessness, unemployment, gentrification and community policing that intersect with systemic racism -- are now a global cause, with solidarity protests in places like Canada, Germany, Britain and the Netherlands, to name a few. But BLM continues to receive harsh criticism whenever riots break out or killings occur like the recent one with the lone and deranged Dallas sniper. These incidents exploit motives which are not only antithetical to the movement, but also undermine BLM’s intent to exercise their First Amendment right to peacefully assemble. Of all people to speak out on race and the recent racial violence between African American community and law enforcement officers in this country, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) has. “It took me a long time, and a number of people talking to me through the years, to get a sense of this: If you are a normal, white American, the truth is you don’t understand being black in America and you instinctively under-estimate the level of discrimination and the level of additional risk,” Gingrich stated during a CNN interview. When the dominant white culture doesn’t see and hear African-American voices concerning our pains, fears, and vulnerabilities, our humanity is distorted and made invisible through a prism of racist, LGBTQ and sexist stereotypes. So, too, is our suffering. I’m calling on my white LGBTQ brothers and sisters for help because my spouse and I don’t know where our Black bodies are safe in America.
A Few Bricks Short I WANT TO GO BACK TO MAYBERRY! By David Hull OK – I’m writing this column in mid-July, 2016, so who knows what is happening by the time you read it, but I just googled the Republican Party’s new proposed 2016 platform. Unbelievable! Reading what the GOP is suggesting makes me feel more like I’m living in mid-July, 1966, except that there are no new episodes of The
Andy Griffith Show on TV to distract me like there were in 1966. I love The Andy Griffith Show – my favorite episode is the one where Aunt Bee makes awful tasting pickles and Barney calls them “kerosene cucumbers”. First of all, the GOP has unveiled that they want to go to war against an immense public health crisis that is ravaging American -- internet porn. Yes, Republicans have decided that internet porn is a public health crisis that is destroying the life of millions of people. Isn’t it amazing that this ‘porn crisis’ announcement is coming from the party that can’t even get it together on taking a vote to make it illegal for terrorists to buy guns? So, are they saying that porn is more dangerous that guns? I don’t know about you, but I think deranged psychos being able to purchase automatic weapons is much more of a health crisis to American citizens than some lonely gay guy downloading Harry Squatter and the Sorcerer’s Bone on his laptop. When comparing guns and internet porn, I understand that both situations can end up with someone shooting, but one just seems a lot more dangerous than the other. Secondly, keeping with their theme of the 1960s, the GOP will oppose same-sex marriage. What a shocking surprise! The Republicans will only support traditional marriage – you know, the good, old fashioned kind of marriage – the kind that are so good that Donald Trump has had three of them! Another important point of the GOP’s proposed platform is to make a law that limits bathroom access of a person to the gender that person was assigned at birth. It sounds confusing, but what it means is that only males will use the men’s room, only females will use the women’s room and transgender people will pee their pants. Yes, the GOP is apparently very concerned about the overwhelming social problem of transgender people possibly taking a leak in what the Republicans dictate as the “wrong” restroom at a public facility. What concerns me is that Republicans have that much time to analyze who’s using which restroom. I hate using public bathrooms and if I use one, then it’s absolutely necessary that I be there. So, honestly, when I get to that point, I truly have no concern about the birth sex assignment of the person using the stall next to me; I just want to get done what is necessary and get out of there. I hesitate to admit this; it may make me a wanted criminal with the GOP, but one time I was in this hamburger joint having lunch and I had to use the restroom. Unfortunately, the guy occupying the one-toilet men’s room was apparently sitting and reading Tolstoy’s War & Peace. I waited impatiently, repeatedly jiggled the door handle and sighed loudly, but the guy didn’t come out. My situation reached the emergency stage. I stepped across the hall and used the unoccupied ladies’ room. I thought everything worked out fine, but if the GOP has their way – a move like that could land me in jail! It doesn’t matter that my husband calls me “the biggest girl in the world” – I was born male, so I should only use the men’s room. Finally, and I think this is the best one, the GOP has decided to support teaching the Bible in public school as American History. You read that right; the Bible as American History. So, how would this class work exactly? George Washington built the ark? Benjamin Franklin baptized people in the Potomac River? John F. Kennedy was born in a manger? I mean, Moses and Abe Lincoln did both free slaves, but they’re hardly American historical contemporaries. Anyway, with political issues like these being brought to the attention of the American voting public, you can understand why I’d much rather focus on The Andy Griffith Show and what life was like in Mayberry 60 years ago. After all, I doubt Sherriff Andy would care about internet porn – what else were Floyd
and Goober supposed to do on a Saturday night? Aunt Bee and Clara Edwards would never oppose gay marriage – they were practically married to each other anyway. Barney Fife would never arrest someone just for using the public restroom of their choice. And Helen Crump would never try to teach Opie the Bible as American history. Yes, Election 2016 makes me want to go back to Mayberry. You can contact me at Davidhull59@ aol.com
Safer Computing PASSWORDS By David Frier Passwords. What can you say? Maybe I should write that, p@5SW0rdz? It doesn’t matter. We all use passwords. It’s the simplest and most popular method systems and sites have to authenticate us. But let’s face it, passwords stink. There are lots of problems with how we use passwords, and my aim with this column is to help sort some of those out. The main thing you need to know about passwords is that they are typically not used well enough to secure much of anything, because humans have certain mental patterns that are difficult to break out of. One is that we will tend to choose, as “secret words” that we know we need to remember, things that have a particular meaning to us. A child’s name, a wedding anniversary, a favorite sports team. The advantage is that these things don’t change, so we can reliably remember them. But that is also a huge disadvantage, especially since we make it easy for anyone to learn these things about us, via social media. A common strategy used to attack password security is brute force: just guess all the possible passwords until you get a match. Once an attacker knows your kids’ names, your milestone dates, your favorite teams or bands, the range of things they have to guess just got a lot smaller, so getting that match just got a lot easier. Almost as easy for an attacker, is when your passwords are not based on your life, but still are real words. Now we have a refinement to brute-force guessing: the “dictionary attack”. This can reduce finding a password using modern computing equipment to only seconds, instead of hours or days. And it’s usable even if you take your favorite fruit, say, “pineapple”, and cleverly change it to “p1N3Appl3”. Dictionary-attack software takes all those transformations into account, and it’s only slowed down by a few heartbeats. There’s another habit we have as humans that makes life easier for criminals; we reuse passwords. Having more occasions to type in a given password makes sure we are likelier to remember it, doesn’t it? Well, all this means to a criminal is that once they figure it out for one site, they have it for everywhere we go. Now, even as hard as it is to remember a single good password, here’s that mean old safer computing guy telling you to make up a new and different one for every site. This is ridiculous! You can’t do this! Heck, Safer Computing guy can’t! Nobody can…. Nor should they. No, the human brain is not up to making or remembering good passwords. Because p@5SW0rd is a pretty lousy one, and so is p1N3Appl3. A good password is actually something like
23 Kg52k$hm^YG@yuR%WD. But I don’t want to type that, and I don’t want to have to remember it. Lucky for me, I don’t have to. There are a number of good password managers out there, which are systems that create, set and use good complex passwords for you, without giving you the headache of dealing with strings like Kg52k$hm^YG@ yuR%WD. The one I would recommend from my current tool kit is LastPass (https://www.lastpass.com/). It integrates into your browser so you can let it automatically log into sites for you. When you’re signing up for a new service, it (usually) detects that and offers to generate a gnarly unguessable password for you. And if you load your current set of passwords into its database, it will offer to fix problems like weaker passwords and duplication. All in all I have been happy enough with it to upgrade to the paid version for a couple of years now. But start with the free version, it’s got more than enough power for most folks. I’m departing from my usual position of not recommending products because I think it’s that important that everyone start using password managers. If you specifically want something else, try taking a look at 1Password (https://1password. com/) or for a stand-alone program instead of a web-based database, try KeePass2 (http://keepass.info/). I have no affiliation to any of these products. Finally, let’s talk about ways to make passwords less important (they stink, remember?). The best way to do this is to add a second factor to your authentication on anything important If the password is the only thing you need to get into a service, then having that password compromised is a disaster. But if getting in to, say, your GMail requires both a password and the code for GMail on the Authenticator app in your phone, then losing only one of those is much closer to annoying than disastrous. Any important website (email, social media, banking, stock trading, etc.) that offers two-factor authentication, you should absolutely accept that offer and set it up. The second factor will often be tied to your phone, but that’s actually just about ideal. You already have it, and it’s something you have that a crook who just guessed a password does not have. This makes everyone safer (crooks excepted). If an important site you use does not offer two-factor authentication, ask them some questions: Why not? When WILL they offer it? and of course, How do I transfer my account to a competitor who DOES offer it? I had fun doing a bunch of your letters last month, but you guys need to refill my inbox now! Please send your awesome questions to questions@safer-computing. com and I will try to answer at least one every month. No question is silly!
Both Sides Now CLOUDS By Cora Treoir Duncan To many of a certain age I need not explain the choice of my column title. Joni Mitchell’s 1967 song ‘Both Sides, Now’ (a/k/a ‘Clouds’) written when she was 24 was a Top Ten hit in 1967 by Judy Collins and was an anthem for millions of us girls. For me it was a closely kept talisman (Columnists continue on page 24)
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016
(Columnists continued from page 23) song that I sang secretly. I soon buried my infatuation with the song under an avalanche of manly musical dissertations on love as I struggled into early adulthood, surging into a clumsy hyper-masculine parody while pretending to be the male I outwardly appeared to be. I quietly continued to favor female singers (Joni, Judy, Linda, Sandy Denny and soon Dolly and Emmylou) but in my musical world women were second class citizens, like me. I inhabited the closet musically, as I did with my gender identity. The song faded from my consciousness until thirty years later when I heard Joni’s 2000 re-recording in which she re-framed the song from the vantage point of age, performed slowly and half spoken. The reconstruction was trans-formative and hit me harder than I would have imagined. It opened up a floodgate of emotion, brimming with recognition and sorrow. Where I had superficially related as a youth, not really able to comprehend the connection to my life, now in my sixties the song cut to my core and documented my life in three verses. Every word was pregnant with meaning; every metaphor on target and I wept as I listened to it on repeat for forty miles. That first verse about clouds never touched me when I was young. It seemed too girly and a clue I could not embrace. Now I clearly see those clouds as the excuses I manufactured to avoid my own truth and delay the day of reckoning. Verse two speaks of love in terms of fantasy, alludes to the sadness of loss in love and how the naive heart can turn to leather and laugh at its own innocence in retrospect. I have become that person, ironically seeking to be resolute and self-contained while my Soul cries for a partner. The last verse surrounds life in change and rejection but again finds the hidden gift in the final summing of what remains The refrain, the last line of each verse, states the inevitable sweet hard truth.
It has all been illusion and as deeply as I’ve dug, as intensely as I have pursued answers I still fall short of my ice cream castles. I really don’t understand clouds, love or life at all. I must put a bookmark in place at the end of a day so I will not have to start from the beginning again. In my recent past I have gained new respect for Sorrow and now welcome it as Joy’s fraternal twin. It completes each change naturally, for there is always pain and loss in transit. Yes, I missed opportunities with lame excuses. Idealized love to the point of caricature and suffered loss and bittersweet triumph in my life. I am here now, between lives, straddling the past and future at once. But now, it’s just another show. You leave them laughing when you go... and if you care, don’t let them know. Don’t give yourself away Time stops and space expands. I don’t care; it doesn’t matter. I am crying and smiling at the same time. I have lived, Both Sides, NOW.
What’s Bothering Brandon? CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO HAPPINESS By Brandon W. Brooks The city of Rochester, NY. Some may say this place is a quaint, small-town city, green with flora, and rich in historical tradition. Others may say Rochester, NY is a cesspool of post-industrial decline, a dingy city replete with frequent murders and crime, poverty, and almost entirely devoid of culture or any high-brow intrigue. My personal opinion on this particular matter
tends to vacillate according to my mood. Walking through the city provides quite a wide range of people to see. From men in business suits, health-care workers, and college students (hunting for Pokémon in sweet oblivion), to the bag ladies roaming around with their wares and collections, one can see it all. I often wonder how far off I am from either of these extremes as I try to stretch my paycheck between bills, groceries, rent, and other monetary vices. At times it seems our city is full of promise. Still there are times when Rochester presents us with a slew of greyness, speckled by black clouds and cold, rainy days. We always seem to be on the edge of either end of the spectrum, and rarely in between. With all of these worldly and domestic atrocities taking place, one would like to suppose that we would all work to cherish and maintain the good we have left within us and around us. But I see something else emerging: the desire to destroy. Some people, I’ve learned, simply want to see the world fall apart, to see the work of others’ demolished and ruined, to lay waste to everything around them that they deem “wrong.” I find it bothersome to wake up and see a once beautiful neighborhood now in filth, garbage flying through the wind like harbingers of still darker times to come. I see people waiting for the bus, throwing their used drive-through cups onto the ground. I’ve witnessed businessmen in their luxury cars, with HD televisions installed into the back seats, playing pornography, with no one watching. I see waste all around me, and I am bothered. Now, I do not think those participating in these activities are actively aware of or plotting these acts of destructive wastefulness. On the contrary, I think what makes this so dangerous and perhaps why this wastefulness is so prevalent is that we no longer care. We no longer see the need
to present the best version of ourselves to the world. We feel that curbing our own behaviors and desires is an act of self-denial, an offensive act of oppression. We’ve grown spoilt and selfish. I think it would do us all well to look more critically at our own actions, especially when we witness something of which we do not approve. We need to take a moment and examine why we care or do not care. We need to see if we are contributing to the things that greatly bother us, instead of dismissing a resolution onto someone else. I’ll be looking in my own internal mirror examining my own flaws, and trying to correct them. If you need me I’m the guy on your street, picking up the garbage. Questions, comment, or critique? Feel free to e-mail the author at: brandonbrooks@mail.adelphi.edu ■
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AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
Find the friends, fun, and common interests you’re looking for through the various groups listed here.
DIGNITY-INTEGRITY Since March 1975, Dignity-Integrity Rochester has been welcoming all who come through our doors, worshiping every week at 5 p.m. at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St., at the corner of Broad St. We have the following services and activities for the month of August, 2016: 1st Sunday: Episcopal Mass/Healing Service, with music 2nd Sunday: Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Word, with music 3rd Sunday: Episcopal Mass, quiet 4th Sunday: Prayers to start the Week, followed by a Potluck. The theme for the August potluck is “Campfire Cuisine”. Bring your favorite camp food and enjoy a cool and refreshing potluck supper. There is always plenty to share, so don’t worry if you’ve no time to shop or cook. After each service during the remainder of the month we’ll be gathering for fellowship around a tasty coffee hour and going out to a local restaurant for dinner. Join us anytime! We’re here every Sunday. Join us us for a quiet Episcopal service and a yummy coffee hour. All are welcome! SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, Sept. 3… Our annual Labor Day Picnic will be held on Saturday, Sept. 3 in Lima. All are welcome. Bring a dish to pass and whatever you may want to grill. We’ll provide paper goods and beverages. Call the Hotline or check our website for directions and further details. Remember that you can always call the Hotline at 585-234-5092 or check our website at www.di-rochester.org/ for updates on services and activities.
EMPIRE BEARS Are you older, bigger, hairier, than the other guys you meet? Feeling out of place? Meet the Empire Bears. You’ll fit in. You can find us at the movies (The Cinema is a fave), out for supper on Wednesdays, or camping at Jones Pond. You can dance all night at the Pond, where young, old, big and small all fit in comfortably. Come fall, members will be singing with RGMC, attending ImageOut. bowling, and looking for new friends. Suppers this month will be: Aug 3 at 6 p.m., look for us at Olive Garden in Greece, 8/10 at Famous Dave’s in Greece, 8/17 at JB Quimby’s, 8/ 24 the Winfield Grill, and 8/31 Jay’s Diner. See you there!
OPEN ARMS MCC Please join us on Sundays at 10:30 am for an exciting and vibrant worship experience! We blend contemporary and traditional hymns, inclusive language, for a timely and useful message that engages the living word of God as it speaks to us as citizens of the modern world. We celebrate an open communion table - that means you don’t have to be a part of our church, or any church at all to participate. When the service ends, you can join us for coffee, fellowship and a snack in the Community Center. Open Arms - We are beyond open, beyond affirming, beyond welcoming here is where you will find acceptance and the love of Christ in everything we do! Here’s what’s happening at Open Arms for the month of August: Sunday School for Teens & Tweens is on the first of each the month at 9:15 am and refreshments are served.
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Community On Friday, August 19th from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm we’ll be at the Pop ‘N’ Hots stand (and you must be at least 21 to volunteer at this concession stand). We do need lots of volunteers so contact Open Arms if you’d like to participate in this FUNdraiser and come join us for fun at the ballgame! Thirty-five years have passed since John White and Bert Balt answered an ad in the Empty Closet to start an MCC Metropolitan Community Church here in greater Rochester. In those thirty five years we have occupied locations throughout the city and have welcomed hundreds of LGBT people and their allies in affirming God’s love for all people. On Saturday, August 20th and Sunday, August 21st, we will be celebrating God’s provision and grace. Open Arms – Beyond Open, Beyond Affirming, Beyond Welcoming; Open Arms – A place for all! On Saturday you are invited to join us as we celebrate our 35th Anniversary from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the First United Asbury Methodist Church, located at 1050 East Ave. At 10:30 Sunday morning our special guest, the Reverend Elder Pat Bumgardner who is currently the Senior Pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of New York, will join us for a celebration worship service. The Wednesday morning Bible study is on hiatus until the first week of September. Our TR ANSformative Ministry Team is also on hiatus for the Summer. We host a number of community groups in our Community Center: AFTY (Adult Families with Trans Youth) meets the first Tuesday of each month from 5:30-6:30 pm. PFLAG (Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians, Gays, Trans, and Questioning) meets on the third Sunday of each month at 1:00 pm. TAGR, Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester meets on the third Saturday of each month from 3:00 - 5:30 pm. We have a bin in the Community Center for recycling items like empty ink cartridges, empty toner cartridges, cell phones, chargers, batteries, cords. You can also drop off your scrap metal to be recycled at Metalico Rochester and you will earn money for Open Arms. Days will be arranged for drop off at church as well. Let your neighbors and friends know they can drop off recyclable metal, too. Just mention that it is for the Open Arms MCC account and the proceeds of the recyclables will come to us. We have a supply of non-perishable items in stock for when our neighbors stop in looking for emergency supplies. If you are out shopping and can pick up one or two items it would be greatly appreciated. Some ideas for contributions are toiletries, including toothpaste, soap, paper towels, toilet paper, tampons, sanitary pads, and baby wipes. Non-perishable food items that require little preparation including pasta meals, canned meat/tuna, vegetables, and beans, also dry food items such as cereal, pasta and mixes. Pop-top cans are also appreciated as many homeless persons do not have access to can openers. Pet food is also needed. We also have some clothing available - socks, shoes, sneakers and shirts. Our facilities are also available for rental by any community groups or individuals needing a safe and flexible meeting space. You can see our ad with pictures and rental fees on Craigslist. At Open Arms MCC we are committed to Building Bridges and Changing Lives. You are welcome, regardless of your sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, or your reli-
gious beliefs. We are located at 707 East Main St., across from the Delta Sonic Car Wash. There is plenty of free parking in front and to the side of our building. For updated information on coming events and to view our facilities, check our website: HYPERLINK “http://openarmsmcc.org/” \t “_blank” openarmsmcc.org. Our provisional pastoral leader, Brae Adams, has office hours on Wednesdays, from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm and by appointment. (please call first to make sure she’s available) We are also open Thursdays and Fridays from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Our phone number is HYPERLINK “tel:%28585%29%20 271-8478” \t “_blank” (585) 271-8478. JoAnne Metzler, Office Coordinator
national’s annual Gathering with 500+ naked men at a picturesque and beautifully maintained camp resort in the Pocono mountains. Our website at www.wnyromans. com has a lot more information about the club and our activities. If you are interested in becoming a member, contact us via email at wnyromans@yahoo. com, or by regular mail at PO Box 92293, Rochester, NY 14692 or call us at our message line 585-281-4964. ROMANS is a social club for gay and gay-friendly male naturists over 21. ■
ROMANS ROMANS (Rochester Male Naturists) is a Rochester based all male nude social club established to promote nudism as a healthy lifestyle. Members meet every month to network and exchange nude experiences. Our members live as far as Buffalo in the west, Seneca Falls in the east, and furthest south in Bath. In July, we met at a member’s home that had an outdoor swimming pool for skinny dipping. Members also got together to celebrate Rochester Pride in some clothed events. In August, we support the Northeast Naturist Festival at Empire Haven Campground in Moravia. Towards the end of the month, many of us will attend the Gay Naturists Inter-
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Sunday worship, 11:00 am (10:00 am from Memorial Day to Labor Day) Child care, Free parking, Wheelchair access www.rochesterquakers.org • 325-7260
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016
Legal name change? Birth certificate amendment? You’ll need those forms notarized! Our Notary can help! Schedule a free appointment today! Call 585 244-8640 or email: info@gayalliance.org
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AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
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Arts & Entertainment
Cardiff’s Iris Prize adds ImageOut to list of 25 top film fests The Iris Prize Festival, based in Cardiff, Wales, has invited ImageOut to join their exclusive list of 25 LGBTQ international film festivals. ImageOut’s Paul Allen told The Empty Closet, “We think this is a big deal, they are basically endorsing us as one of the top 25 LGBTQ film fests in the world.” The Iris Prize Festival, Cardiff’s International LGBT Short Film Prize, has welcomed five more international partner festivals to its roster. The annual event, which is taking place on October 12-16, brings the total up to 25 Partner Festivals representing 17 countries in its landmark 10th anniversary year. The new festivals are MIX Copenhagen LGBT Film Festival, Denmark; ImageOut Rochester LGBT Film and Video Festival, USA; Cheries Cheries, LGBT Film Festival Paris, France; Mezipatra, Prague, Czech Republic; and Sicilia Queer, Palermo, Italy. Festival Director Berwyn Rowlands says, “The Iris Prize
has been able to rely on our partner festivals to make sure the very best short films are considered for the Iris Prize. The five new partners announced today strengthen our global network, we now have partners in 17 countries. “These festivals all play a significant role in sharing LGBT films with their audiences”, he adds. “They are the eyes and ears of Iris making sure we can be confident that only the best of the best make it through to the annual final in Cardiff.” Michael Gamilla, Programming Director for ImageOut, says, “In my 14 years in the film festival circuit, I have always believed that what we do is beyond entertaining and educating people. We’re also here to transform lives. This mission is how a volunteer-run organization like ImageOut gets our energy and inspiration to produce our film festival year after year. “What I love about the Iris Prize is it shifts the typical focus from the audiences to the filmmakers, as it awards the richest
prize for LGBT short films. So for ImageOut to now be part of this incredible process is such a great honor,” Michael Gamilla told The Empty Closet, “Being chosen to be a partner festival for the Iris Prize is like being invited to an elite group of LGBT film festivals. Imagine that out of hundreds of LGBT film festivals from all over the world, Ima-
geOut is one of only 25 that could potentially help change a filmmaker’s life by giving someone’s film an automatic nomination in one of the richest shorts film prizes around. Many filmmakers start out by making short films and for Iris Prize to make it possible for their winners to be able to make their next film is a big boost of support. It means they can continue honing their
craft and encourage them to keep making LGBT films. “It is important for ImageOut to continue being a major and relevant player in the LGBT film festival circuit. Being part of the Iris Prize family certainly helps in that regard. It brings prestige and respect for our little festival here in Rochester. It also means that we can attract more filmmakers to submit their works to us with the hope of clinching our lone nomination spot. Iris Prize certainly raises our profile not just nationally but most importantly, around the world. We can leverage this for many things including booking films and guests, securing grants and funding, and hopefully getting more volunteers, donors, and advertisers. It’s definitely a win-win situation. “Iris Prize happens in October so their deadline to receive the nominations from partner festivals is right about now. And yes, I have already submitted our first ever nominated film for Iris Prize. So I hope it does well among the jury panel this year.” http://www.irisprize.org/ news/new-international-filmfestival-partners-iris-prize-10thanniversary/
Image by Nigel Maister
Diptych by Nigel Maister will be at Gallery Q, Lumiere Gallery Sept. 2-30
Sankofa Fest to feature African American playwrights and jazz at MuCCC Sankofa Evening of Theatre & Jazz Fest 2016, which will feature a full-length play the last weekend in August, followed by one-act plays and jazz the first weekend in September, showcases original works by African American playwrights All performances for this 9th annual festival are 7:30 p.m. at the Multi-use Community Cultural Center (MuCCC), 142 Atlantic Ave., in Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts. The Thursday, Aug. 25,
Opening Night Performance & Reception admission is $18 in advance and $20 at the door; the full-length play run continues on Friday, Aug. 26 and Saturday, Aug. 27 with shows at $16 in advance and $20 at the door. The festival’s second weekend kicks off Thursday, Sept. 1 with an evening of jazz music. The remaining nights feature one-act plays on Friday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 3. Admission is $12 in advance and $16 at the door. A theatre package is also available, which includes all access to both weekends of the festival. For information on tickets or more details about this event, call Mood Makers Books at (585) 271-7010 or go to www. muccc.org.
Artist and photography collector Nigel Maister brings Diptych — a two-part exhibition — to two galleries, Gallery Q and Lumiere Gallery, and the passageway linking them. The exhibition opens Friday, Sept. 2 and runs through Sept. 30 at 100 College St. From his extensive collection of vernacular and fine-art photography, Maister has chosen a series of images dating from 1850s to the 1980s that largely explore same-sex affection, idealized views of the body, gay notions of beauty, and intimacy. The majority of these are drawn from Maister’s extensive collection of snapshot and popular photographic forms, but work by historical and established photographers, including Duane Michals and Wilhelm von Gloeden, is also included. Maister’s original photographic work forms the second part of the exhibition (which begins in Gallery Q and concludes in Lumiere Gallery, continuing through the passageway linking the two spaces). Building on his love of snapshot photography, Maister’s series tight.
word. lit. uses appropriated color snapshots from the ‘80s and ‘90s (the last gasp of popular, analog photography) to create large scale diptychs where juxtaposed images evoke speculative conjunctions and possible narratives. This work, rather than assert the primacy of the individual image as an artifact valuable in and of itself, places startling combinations of photographic artifacts in dialogue with each other. These dialogues invite the viewer to take an imaginative leap in order to understand the coupling, making the viewer an active participant in the work by forcing him/ her to forge connections and create narratives that are compelling, mysterious and durable. As Maister writes: “I am drawn, in many instances, to images that would have been discarded by the picture-taker: those that are out of focus, inexpertly composed, blanched by a too-close flash, etc. It is in these “mistakes” that the concrete nature of the snapshot — the object that serves as an aidememoire, a commemorative artifact that has a distinct function in the world — is left behind and the image transforms itself into an abstract field of color, shadow and light, or evokes a potential narrative event far from the intent of the original maker.”
Summer of Solidarity continues with free LGBTQ films at Dryden, Sundays at 7 p.m. In solidarity with the victims of the atrocity in Orlando and with the entire LGBTQ community, the Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum has been presenting landmark films dealing with LGBTQ themes. The Dryden Theatre screened films in June and July and this month will continue with LGBTQ films on Sundays at 7 p.m.; the screenings are Aug. 7, 14, 21 and 28 at The Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum. Sunday, Aug. 7, 7 p.m. Death in Venice (Morte a Venezia, Luchino Visconti, Italy/France 1971, 130 min., 35mm, in English) Visconti’s screen adaptation of Thomas Mann’s novella is a triumph of visual style and a haunting story of contemplation. Dirk Bogarde plays an aging German composer (i.e., Gustav Mahler) convalescing after a breakdown. His ensuing obsession with a blond boy stirs within him feelings long believed lost, the splendor of Venice and the androgynous perfection of
(Dryden continues page 28)
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the boy penetrating the composer’s reserve and leading to an epiphany of emotion and creativity. Visconti achieved the seemingly impossible by adapting Mann’s intensely interiorized novella into one of the most beautifully visual and visceral sound-era motion pictures. Sunday, Aug. 14, 7 p.m. Maurice (James Ivory, UK 1987, 140 min., 35mm) Following his successful adaptation of E. M. Forster’s novel A Room with a View, James Ivory adapted this curiously minor Forster work and created something major. Maurice, while studying in Cambridge, finds himself falling in love with his classmate Clive. Succumbing to the pressures of British society, they are forced to keep their relationship a secret — taking a toll on both their lives. Ivory’s beautiful direction, Pierre Lhomme’s unmistakable cinematography, and the talented cast breathe new life into Forster’s
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016 novel on the perils of being an outsider in a culture of conformity. Sunday, August 21, 7 p.m. The Crying Game (Neil Jordan, UK/Japan 1992, 112 min., 35mm). Sunday, August 28, 7 p.m. Farewell My Concubine (Ba wang bie ji, Chen Kaige, China/Hong Kong 1993, 157 min., 35mm, Mandarin w/subtitles) Life imitates art for a handful of characters in the Peking Opera who perform the title tragedy. Hong Kong pop star Leslie Cheung turns in an amazing performance as the concubine, a pained and jealous man unable to distinguish between male or female, reality or dream, and doomed never to achieve his one desire: his king’s love. The makeup, costuming, and production design are immensely detailed in a film that spans fifty years of modern Chinese history. This astonishingly beautiful epic is one of the greatest films produced in China. For more information, visit eastman. org/solidarity.
Restaurant Review Where to find great Dim Sum in Rochester: Canton House By Lawrence Lam When it comes to Cantonese Dim Sum, trust me! I was raised in Hong Kong where there is a large concentration of Cantonese people, so I know what good Cantonese food tastes like. For the 25 years I lived in New York City, my family gathered together every Saturday morning to enjoy Dim Sum; at first in Manhattan Chinatown and later in some pretty authentic Dim Sum restaurants in Brooklyn Chinatown. I know good Dim Sum and I am lucky to have found a good Dim Sum restaurant in the Greater Rochester neighborhood. “Dim Sum” literally means “touch heart” and sometimes people like to explain it as “a delicacy made from the heart.” Typical Dim Sum dishes are small and delicately prepared. The old Dim Sum restaurants in China were morning gathering places for men and their caged song birds. The birds sang and learned from one another while their owners sipped tea, socialized with one another
and ate Dim Sum. Nowadays, Dim Sum is for networking with friends and relatives while sampling some well-prepared delicacies. At some well-known Dim Sum restaurants in Hong Kong, it is no surprise to have to wait more than an hour for a table on Sundays and holidays. When I first moved to the Finger Lakes area I was surprised that Rochester, being the third largest city in New York, had no Chinatown. Further, no one could tell me where to find good Chinese food. My online search came up with a few not very enthusiastic reviews of some local Chinese restaurants. Eventually I came across one review that said, “If you want good Dim Sum, don’t come here…. go to Canton House.” This discovery started my weekly ritual to Canton House in Rochester for Dim Sum. I have since recruited four of my friends as regulars. I feel I am one lucky guy who can still enjoy relatively genuine Dim Sum away from Hong Kong and New York City. Canton House is located on Commerce Drive, a dead end road in Henrietta. There is no eye-catching signage outside the restaurant and no elaborate decoration inside. There is a small Chinese supermarket in the back where there are also extra parking spaces. The restaurant has a local feel; it is definitely not meant to attract tourists or for extravagant banquets. It is a family run restaurant. The two most famous Dim Sum dishes are Har Gau and Siu Mai, i.e. shrimp and pork steamed dumplings. Both require skill and patience to prepare. Canton House serves a variety of Dim Sum dishes and my favorites are bean curd skin rolls, salt and pepper squid, roast pork buns, steamed beef balls, fried taro dumplings,
fried spring rolls, fried tofu, steamed pork ribs, turnip cakes, custard tarts, and shrimp rolled rice noodle. Despite some inaccurate reviews, Canton House’s Dim Sum is made by the restaurant’s chef. For example, their turnip cake tastes homemade with real strips of turnip inside (as opposed to making it with turnip powder). Besides Dim Sum, Canton House also has a menu for a full Cantonese dinner plus various noodle and fried rice dishes. For dinner, I like to order diced steak and sweet peas with XO sauce and mixed seafood casserole For lunch or take out, I love the chicken strips with pan fried noodles (sprinkle some red vinegar on the noodles and I feel like I am eating at “home” in Hong Kong) and the salty fish with chicken fried rice (salty fish is preserved and needs an acquired taste to appreciate it). Dim Sum is traditionally served in small bamboo baskets or plates that are pushed around in carts. In a large restaurant, the ladies pushing the carts will shout out the variety of Dim Sum they have in the carts. Some restaurants updated the system and place signs on the carts listing the Dim Sum they are carrying. At Canton House on Saturdays and Sundays, there are usually two carts going among the tables serving Dim Sum. If you don’t know what to order, you can ask the lady to show you what is in the baskets. A few waiters at Canton House can speak good English and most of the others can understand enough to get by. I never have any problem with the service there. Canton House can be very busy on Saturday and Sunday mornings. There is always a line waiting for a table on holiday weekends. If you have more than five people in your party, be sure to get to the restaurant early as there are only a few bigger tables in the dining room. No one can cook something to please
everyone and not everything served at Canton House is of gourmet standard. Keep an open mind and try as many dishes as you can; there will definitely be something you like. After being a regular customer of Canton House for a couple of years, I got to know the family that runs the restaurant. Grandma is of course the boss. She has been in the food business for many years. She often talks about how that restaurant was moved from another location to the current address. Her son and daughterin-law are Grandma’s main help. There are also two trainees, a grandson and a grand-daughter. In a family business, it is never too early to start training the younger generation. Further, the two young children are educated in the U.S. so they often act as interpreters for Grandma! One day I caught Grandma wrapping sticky rice dumplings in bamboo leaves. She quietly put two bamboo leaves together, made that into a cup with her palm, put into it some sticky rice, a piece of meat, a dried salted egg yolk, then covered the mixture with another bamboo leaf and tied the leaves together with some string to form a dumpling. As she was making them, she told me nobody in the family had learned the skill from her and after she passed, there would be no more sticky rice dumplings for sale in the store. Trust me, if you like good Cantonese food, you will return to eat at Canton House again and again and be a regular like me. Canton House: 85 Commerce Drive, Rochester, New York. (585) 334-6262 For more photos and reviews, please visit Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/canton-house-rochester Lawrence Lam likes to eat, especially ethnic foods. He can be reached at yellowch@yahoo.com. ■
Travel Catching Concert at Caramoor in Katonah By Merle Exit On a recent road trip Laurie Katz and I attended an evening outdoor concert at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, NY. The Akropolis Reed Quintet was performing in one of the areas known as the Spanish Courtyard. Quintet was comprised of Tim Gocklin, oboe; Matt Landry, saxophone; Andrew Loeppe, bass clarinet; Ryan Reynolds, bassoon and substituting for Kari Dion was Bixby Kennedy on the clarinet. I did observe one of the group playing the English horn. The oboe would be considered as a “soprano” instrument whereas the English horn is a tenor. One of the pieces, “Sorrow and Celebration,” involved the audience. For instance, they would play a few bars and the audience would respond by humming the bars. There were points when the audience would “shhhhh” and some members were provided with a toy that made a bird sound. Everything was cued. Caramoor features music ranging from classical to jazz with concerts both afternoons and evenings. The Spanish Courtyard is one of three venues. Venetian Theater is a fully covered outdoor performance space ringed on three sides, which is also available for rental. Two gardens are the scene for concerts as well, that include the Sunken Garden and Friends Field. Then there is the historic Music Room located in the Rosen House. It is here that we took the house tour and delighted in Afternoon Tea, at 1:30 p.m. the next day. I stayed downstairs learning about
the Music Room while Laurie joined the group checking out the rest of the house. A docent took me around while providing information on the history of the Rosen family as I got familiar with the antiques as well as Asian and Renaissance art and paintings. One of the highlights is a musical instrument called a Theremin, played without physical contact. It’s all about electric signals. You are using one hand placed close to one side that controls the volume as you move your hand above it. The other hand is for the pitch sensed by an antenna. The closer you are to the unit, the lower the pitch. Think of the music theme from the original Star Trek TV episodes. One older Theremin is located on the stage, while a newer one is nearby and visitors are encouraged to try it out. Tea is held in the Summer Dining Room of the Rosen House overlooking the Spanish Courtyard. We had a choice of three different fragrant teas. Out came the three tier server. The bottom and middle tier afforded the taste buds with sandwiches including smoked salmon and cream cheese on pumpernickel bread, one on a croissant, and your typical tea sandwiches of cucumber and egg salad. There was another sandwich and a third sandwich as well. Each sandwich is served on a different bread and obviously savory once you taste it. Kudos to the chef. The top layer is reserved for the scones, clotted cream and preserves. Let’s add large strawberries dipped in chocolate and muffins for the more dessert items. You won’t go hungry with this “meal”. Keep in mind that this is a more “social” experience of which each of the items should be deservingly savored. www.caramoor. org ■
AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
PFLAG MEETS 3RD SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH
Meetings are held from 1 to 3pm at the Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church 707 E. Main Street, Rochester, NY 14605 Questions? 585-993-3297 or rochesterpflag@gmail.com Join us!
Harry G’s recently expanded area can accommodate parties, luncheons and other gatherings for all occasions. Our bar is now open and we are in a New York state of mind... featuring New York craft beers and wines! Be sure to check out our website or Facebook page! 678 South Avenue Rochester, NY 14620
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016
THE RAINBOW RIDERS biked through town to the opening ceremony on July 15.
Karen James
Volunteer of the Month: Karen James Volunteering at the Gay Alliance is about building community as well as building relationships. By giving of your time you will find that you are making a difference and building a network of new friends in your life. Our volunteer of the month is Karen James. Karen is a relatively new volunteer to the Gay Alliance, she has stepped up and proven to be an incredible asset to our team of volunteers. Karen said: I have spent my entire adult life as a mother; and much of that time working in the community as a social worker serving adults with mental illness. For the past 12 years of my career I have been
(Continues on page 31)
ROC PRIDE GAMES took place on July 10 at Cobbs Hill Park. Photo: Bess Watts
Player from Team Avenue Pub digging the ball. Photo: Bess Watts
Jennifer Gorankoff’s selfie with team mates.
At the tennis tournament on July 10. Photo: Bess Watts
5K winner Charles Collins (see page 7).
The Gay Alliance is a non-profit agency, dedicated to cultivating a healthy, inclusive environment where Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) people are safe, thriving, and enjoying equal rights. We are a coalition of individuals and groups working to empower LGBTQ people to affirm their identities and create an atmosphere where the diversity can thrive both collectively and separately. We educate and advocate for civil rights for all and for the eradication of homophobia. Board President: David Zona • Executive Director: Scott Fearing • Education Director: Jeanne Gainsburg Education Coordinator: Rowan Collins • Office Administrator Julia Acosta • Database: Kat Wiggall Bookkeeper: Christopher Hennelly The Empty Closet: Editor: Susan Jordan, E-mail: susanj@gayalliance.org Phone: (585) 244-9030 Designer: Jim Anderson Fax: (585) 244-8246 Advertising: (585) 244-9030; jennieb@gayalliance.org. The Gay Alliance, 100 College Avenue, Rochester, New York 14607 • Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm Phone: (585) 244-8640 • Fax: (585) 244-8246 • Website: www.gayalliance.org • E-mail: Info@gayalliance.org
AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
GAY ALLIANCE NEWS – AUGUST 2016
(Continued from page 30) a Civil Servant with the NYS Office of Mental Health. I work at the Rochester Psychiatric Center outpatient mental health center where I am a Rehabilitation Counselor II. My role at the clinic is to support adults diagnosed with a mental illness to pursue their vocational dreams. I am also considered an expert in Work Incentives and Benefits Advisement. This simply means that I empower people to make informed choices about working and how work will impact public benefits such as SSDI / SSI, Medicare and Medicaid. I am passionate about this work as financial instability greatly impacts wellness. This year I decided that I am now entitled to focus on my own needs. This meant changing my lifestyle by eating healthier, exercising, and building a social life beyond my comfort zones of work and home. Volunteering at the Gay Alliance reconnected me as a Lesbian woman to my community. I am meeting awesome people and making social connections. At The Gay Alliance I participated in SAGE’s Health Quest Program. At Health Quest I learned more about food that makes me feel better and will ultimately allow me to live stronger. While participating in Health Quest I was given the opportunity to do basic Yoga stretching with Thomas Somerville. This led me to join the gym where Tom teaches Yoga and I do Yoga twice a week as well as other exercise groups.
At the Gay Alliance, I work closely with Jeff Myers who is the Volunteer Coordinator. Jeff trusted me to help him with volunteers for 2016 Roc Pride Festival. This was my first Pride celebration in many years. I am also assisting Jeff in revamping the InQueery community education program. Volunteering at Gay Alliance has given me experiences such as Health Quest, InQueery, Fist Full Of Stories and now the behind the scenes work that goes into making Pride a wonderful experience for our LGBTQ community and our allies. Pride is hugely supported by a multitude of talented and gifted volunteers. I can honestly say that the Gay Alliance is giving me much more than I am giving them.
Educator Rowan Collins is quoted in HRC Pharmacy Guide The Gay Alliance works with St. John Fisher College School of Pharmacy, educating the students about the needs of the LGBTQ community. Education Coordinator Rowan Collins is quoted in the Human Rights Campaign’s Pharmacy Guide, issued July 1. Rowan said, “I think pharmacists play an incredibly vital role in my healthcare. They help me manage my health, offer a wealth of information, and are key to my overall well-being. Walking into a pharmacy and having the people behind the counter validate my identity as a transgender man, and walk me through my testosterone prescription as easily as they would penicillin, makes the entire experience truly positive. Knowing my pharmacist is educated about my community and is invested in my care is invaluable.” ■
Trainings & Presentations offered by the LGBTQ Academy in June 2016 • SafeZone Train-the-Trainer Certification Program at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts • LGBTQ Basics at RochesterWorks! • LGBTQ 101 at Twelve Corners Middle School • Meeting the Health Needs of LGBTQ Clients Panel for Cracking the Code on Healthcare • Meeting the Health Needs of LGBTQ Clients Workshop for the Cracking the Code on Healthcare • Shoulders To Stand On Film and Discussion at The Highlands at Pittsford • Working With LGBTQ Youth at Villa of Hope • Creating An LGBTQ Inclusive Agency at 2-1-1/Lifeline • Trans 101 and Legal Updates at Thomson Reuters • Meeting the Mental Health Needs of the LGBTQ Client at Warner Graduate School • LGBTQ Panel Presentation at Hillside • Creating LGBTQ Inclusive Schools/SafeZone - Part 3 at Bay Trail Middle School • SafeZone Train-the-Trainer Certification Program at the LGBTQ Academy • LGBTQ Book Discussion at the Macedon Public Library • Meeting the Needs of LGBTQ Older Adults at Western NY and Finger Lakes HIV/STD Viral Hepatitis Public Health Training Consortia • Trans 101 and Communicating Respectfully at Corning, Inc. Feedback from our June presentations • “Best workshop/conference I have ever attended. This was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a long time.” • “This is in many ways the crème de la crème of workshops. Cannot think of any areas for improvement. The trainers were clearly very comfortable with one another and their rapport showed. Excellent work for both! I would recommend this training without hesitation. This was, again, perhaps the best diversity training I ever experienced.” • “The trainer was able to keep teachers actively engaged for two hours. He is a miracle worker! He is so open and authentic! Super job – thanks for helping us move forward.”
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SAGE AUGUST
The award-winning SAGE float in the Pride Parade. Photo: Jill Frier
Tuesday August 2 10:30-11:30 Yoga with Tom; 11:30am-2:00pm, “Cake Day”: Celebrate August birthdays with catered lunch and cake, $3.00 donation, euchre/games/hand crafts. Hosted by Jessie. Thursday August 4 10:30am-11:30am Yoga with Tom in LGBTQ Resource Center, 5:30pm: SAGE Leadership Council meets at the Center. Friday August 5 7:00pm – 9:00pm, SAGE Coffee Hour: Pick up a Cup! Equal Grounds Coffee House, 750 South Ave, 14620 Hosted by: Roza Monday August 8 1:00pm – Monday Movie Meet Up at the Dryden. “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. Free to seniors. Film begins at 1:30pm. Arrive by 1:00pm to sit together. Contact Roger & Dave by email: rcfdjm@gmail.com Schedule: https://eastman.org/film-series/senior-matinees Tuesday August 9 10:30-11:30 Yoga with Tom; 11:30am-2:00pm, Catered lunch $3.00 donation, Games & hand crafts, member program planning. Thursday August 11 10:30am-11:30am Yoga with Tom in LGBTQ Resource Center; 10:00am-noon Breakfast Club at Denny’s (911 Jefferson Rd, Henrietta). RSVP to Gerry at (585) 730- 8772 gkraus@rochester.rr.com no later than August 8 Sunday August 14 2:00pm – 5:00pm Euchre Social at the Center. All players welcome. We’ll teach beginners the game! $3.00 donation. Monday August 15 1:00pm – Monday Movie Meet Up at the Dryden. “Easy Rider”. Free to seniors. Film begins at 1:30pm. Contact Roger & Dave by email: rcfdjm@gmail.com Tuesday August 16 10:30am-11:30am Yoga with Tom; 12:00noon – 3:00pm Picnic Potluck at Ontario Beach Park, bring a dish to pass – we’ll have hot dogs & beverages. $3.00 donation. Thursday August 18 10:30am-11:30am Yoga with Tom, LGBTQ Resource Center; 5:00pm – 7:00pm SAGE Happy Hour at Avenue Pub, 522 Monroe Avenue 14607. Food & drink specials. 5:30pm-7:00pm LGBTQ Veterans Group with Wanda Martinez-Johncox, SAGEVets & CompeerCORPS, Equal Grounds Coffee Shop 750 South Ave, 14620. Information: Mike 585-5468280 x 207 mbuckpitt@compeerrochester.org Monday August 22 1:00pm – Monday Movie Meet Up at the Dryden. “Much Ado About Nothing”. Free to seniors. Film begins at 1:30pm. Contact Roger & Dave by email: rcfdjm@gmail.com Tuesday August 23 10:30am-11:30am Yoga with Tom; 11:30pm – 2:00pm: Catered lunch, Games & hand crafts $3.00 donation. LGBTQ Resource Center Thursday August 25 10:30am-11:30am Yoga with Tom, LGBTQ Resource Center Friday August 26 5:00pm – 7:00pm - Fabulous Fish Fry at Golden Fox, 1115 Culver Road 14609. Please RSVP to Jim at 585-354-8009 or by email at Jimz7875@aol.com by August 22. Sunday August 28 5:00pm – 9:30pm SAGE Annual Picnic, Buckland Park Lodge, 1341 Westfall Road between Winton & S.Clinton (not the Brighton Town Park) Bring a lawn chair, we’ll bring the food & fun. Karaoke & black jack. $10.00, RSVP to 244-8640 x23 by 8/26/16. Monday August 29 1:00pm – Monday Movie Meet Up at the Dryden. “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein”. Free to seniors. Film begins at 1:30pm. Contact Roger & Dave by email: rcfdjm@gmail.com Tuesday August 30 10:30am-11:30am Yoga with Tom; 11:30pm – 2:00pm: Catered lunch, LGBTQ “Hidden History” discussion $3.00 donation. LGBTQ Resource Center SAGE Rochester is a program of the Gay Alliance designed for LGBTQI people over 50. SAGE operates out of the Gay Alliance LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Avenue 14607. All programs are open to the public and all are welcome. Yoga is $5.00 per person and is offered every Tuesday and Thursday unless specified in calendar. All programs are subject to change and all members are responsible for their own transportation and meals. Become a SAGE member or get information at sage@gayalliance.org or 585-244-8640 x23. We are also on Facebook as “SAGE Rochester a program of the Gay Alliance”. ■
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Resources Check our monthly and ongoing calendar and community section for more groups and events. For further information, call the Gay Alliance, 2448640 or visit: www.gayalliance.org. More SAGE and Gay Alliance Youth Group info: pages 30-31.
BISEXUALITY RESOURCES AMBI Los Angeles; American Institute of Bisexuality (Journal of Bisexuality); Bay Area Bisexual Network; ; BiNet USA; Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP); Biversity Boston; Boston Bisexual Women’s Network; ComBIne - Columbus, Ohio; Fenway Health’s Bi Health Program; Los Angeles Bi Task Force; New York Area Bisexual Network; Robyn Ochs’s site; The Bi Writers Association; The Bisexual Resource Center (email brc@biresource.net)
CULTURAL Rochester Women’s Community Chorus 234-4441. (See Ongoing calendar). Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus www.thergmc.org Open Arms Community Center Available for parties, events, meetings. 707 E. Main St. Parking. Accepting and welcoming of all. 271-8478.
DEAF SERVICES Deaf Rainbow Network of Rochester See Facebook. Spectrum LGBTIQ & Straight Alliance RIT/NTID student group. <SpectrumComment@ groups.facebook.com
ELDERS Gay Alliance SAGE Rochester Many monthly get togethers, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. 244-8640; SAGE@gayalliance.org. See page 31.
FAMILY Open Arms Community Center Open Arms Community Center available for parties, events and meetings; 707 East Main St. Plenty of parking. We are inclusive, actively accepting, welcoming of all people. 271-8478 openarmsmcc.org CNY Fertility Center Integrative Fertility Care. Support meetings, webinars, workshops. Information: cbriel@cnyfertility. com; www.cnyhealingarts.com Rochester Gay Moms’ Group Support group for lesbian mommies and wannabe mommies in Rochester and surrounding areas. Subscribe: RochesterGayMoms-subscribe@ yahoogroups.com. Catholic Charities Community Services 1099 Jay Street, Building J (585) 339-9800, www.ccsrochester.org . Offers: Families in Transition services for HIV positive parents with small children, short term/long term housing assistance, employment services, supportive case management, health education and behavioral health education and peer navigation for substance abuse linkages. Lesbian & Gay Family Building Project Headquartered in Binghamton and with a presence throughout Upstate NY, the Project is dedicated to helping LGBTQ people achieve their goals of building and sustaining healthy families. Claudia Stallman, Project Director, 124 Front St., Binghamton, NY 13905; 607-724-4308; e-mail: LesGayFamBldg@aol.com. Web: www.PrideAndJoyFamilies.org. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) PFLAG’s threefold mission: supporting parents and family members in coming out process; educating the community; advocating on behalf of LGBT family members. rochesterepflag@gmail. com; 585-993-3297. Adoptive Parent Support Group Monthly potluck lunches. For information, location, call Shari, 350-2529. Angel Food Ministry Box of fresh/frozen food for $30 in advance. Menu changes monthly. For information and distribution sites, call 585 861-4815.
HIV/AIDS Free testing for HIV exposure is available from New York State Department of Health: call Rochester Area Regional Hotline at (585) 423-8081, or 1 800 962-5063. Deaf or hearing impaired people should call (585) 4238021 (TDD.) Available from NY Dept. of Health: HIV and STD resource testing site. Rapid testing in only 10 minutes. STD testing provided by Bullshead Clinic, 855 W. Main St., Rochester. Contact: Narissa @ Rochester hotline.
Volunteer Legal Services Project (585) 232-3051; www.vlsprochester.org. 1 West Main St., Suite 500 Rochester, NY 14614. Free legal services for low-income HIV positive clients. No criminal cases. Appointments are scheduled at area medical provider locations or by calling 295-5708. Trillium Health Trillium Health is the leading provider of HIV/ AIDS services in Rochester and the Finger Lakes. On-site services include HIV testing and limited STD screenings, Primary and HIV Specialty Medical Care, Pharmacy, and many more. Satellite offices in Geneva and Bath. Trillium Health is also a leader in providing services and education to members of the LGBT community. Contact Information: Website: www.trilliumhealthny.org. Main Office: 259 Monroe Ave., Rochester, NY 14607; Main Phone: 585-545-7200, Health Services After Hours: 585-258-3363; Case Management After Hours (Lifeline): 585-275-5151; Fax: 585244-6456. Finger Lakes Office: 605 W. Washington St., Geneva, NY 14456, 315-781-6303. Southern Tier Office: Buell St. Box 624, Bath, NY 14810 607-776-9166. The Health Outreach Project: 416 Central Ave., Rochester, NY 14605; 585454-5556. Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley Referrals to physicians and service agencies. (585) 244-8640; www.gayalliance.org. Victory Alliance University of Rochester Medical Center. One of several research sites worldwide that comprise the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Rochester site conducts research vaccine studies sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH). 585-7562329; www.vaccineunit.org. Threshold At The Community Place, 145 Parsells Ave., third floor, 585-454-7530. Provides confidential HIV, STD testing and General Health Care, ages 12-25. Sliding fee scale, no one denied, most insurances accepted. Mon., Wed., Fri. 9am-5pm; Tues., Thurs., 9am-7pm; Sat. 10am-2pm. www.ThresholdCenter.org Center for Health and Behavioral Training of Monroe County 853 W. Main St., Rochester 14611. Collaboration of Monroe County Health Department and U.R. Provides year-round training in prevention and management of STDs, HIV, TB and related issues, such as domestic violence and case management. (585)753-5382 v/tty. Planned Parenthood of the Rochester/Syracuse Region 114 University Ave., Rochester, NY 14605; Tollfree Helpline: 1 866 600-6886. Offers confidential HIV testing and information. When you make your appointment, be sure to ask about our sliding scale fees. No one is turned away for lack of ability to pay. Rochester Area Task Force on AIDS A collection of agencies providing a multiplicity of resources and services to the upstate New York community. Their offices are located through the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, which also provides medical literature and newspaper clippings, as well as demographic and statistical data for use in developing health care services. (585) 461-3520. The MOCHA Center of Rochester Our mission is to improve health and wellness in communities of color. Youth drop-in center, HIV testing, peer education, support groups, computer lab, referral services and more. 189 N. Water St., lower level. (585) 420-1400. Monroe County Health Department at 855 W. Main St., offers testing and counseling for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. (585) 753-5481. Hours: M-W 8:30-5:30; R: 8:30-11 am; F 7:30-2:30. Strong Memorial Hospital provides a complete range of HIV medical care, including access to experimental treatment protocols, and HIV testing. Also provides individual and group psychotherapy. Training of health care professionals also available. Infectious Disease Clinic, (585) 275-0526. Department of Psychiatry, (585) 275-3379. AIDS Training Project, (585) 275-5693. Planned Parenthood of Rochester and Genesee Valley Offers testing and information (585) 546 2595. Rural HIV testing Anonymous and confidential, in Allegany, Livingston, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne or Yates Counties, call 1 800 962-5063. Action Front Center (Action for a Better Community.) Provides HIV, STD, viral hepatitis prevention counseling, risk reduction counseling. Tailored programs available to incarcerated, ex-offender individuals. Services for people living with HIV; case management, peer support groups, United Colors support group for MSM of color, educational groups, peer educator training and leadership development, multi-
cultural, bilingual staff. 33 Chestnut St., 2nd floor, Rochester 14604. Office hours M-F 8:30 am-5 pm. 585-262-4330. Anthony Jordan Health Center Jordan Health’s Prevention & Primary Care Department provides personalized care designed to address and treat the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C; and services focusing on the prevention of those diseases. Bilingual staff serves both English and Spanishspeaking patients. HIV and hepatitis C virus (HVC) rapid testing as well as HIV and HCV education and counseling. Walk-in testing at all Jordan Health Sites. Prevention & Primary Care Department hours are Mon – Fri 830a – 500p. HIV Clinic hours are Tuesday and Friday 830a – 400p. HCV Clinic hours are Wednesday and Friday 100p – 500p. The Prevention & Primary Care Department has two sites: Anthony L. Jordan Health Center 82 Holland Street, Rochester 14605 585.423.2879, fax 585.423.2876 and Woodward Health Center, 480 Genesee Street, Rochester 14611, fax 585.295.6009 Jordan Health’s Prevention and Primary Care Department is now providing PrEP services. For more information please call 585.436.PREP (7737). We are accepting new PrEP patients at the following sites: Anthony L. Jordan Health Center, Woodward Health Center and Jordan Health at Community Place, 145 Parsells Ave. 585.436.3040 x1764 - 585.454.7530 CDC National STD and AIDS Hotline 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) 24 hours a day. TTY service: 1-888-232-6348. E-mail address: cdcinfo@cdc.gov. Fair Housing Enforcement Project of Monroe County 585-325-2500; 1-800-669-9777. Deals with housing discrimination on basis of race, orientation, HIV status, etc. Public Interest Law Office of Rochester 1 W. Main St., Suites 200 & 300. Free legal services to HIV positive persons, families. Spanish bilingual advocates available. All civil cases except divorce; no criminal cases. Ask to speak to someone in PILOR. 454-4060. Westside Health Services Brown Square Health Center, 175 Lyell Ave. (2546480); Woodward Health Center, 480 Genesee St. (436-3040). HIV/AIDS services, support, more. McCree McCuller Wellness Center at Unity Health’s Connection Clinic (585) 368-3506, 89 Genesee St., Bishop Kearney Bldg., 3rd floor. Full range of services, regardless of ability to pay. Caring, confidential and convenient. Geneva Community Health 601 W. Washington St., Geneva. Provides HIV testing, HIV specialty and primary care for residents of Ontario and surrounding counties. M, W, R, F 8am-8pm. 315-781-8448.
LGBT HEALTH Huther Doyle Healthcare, chemical dependency treatment. 585-325-5100; www.hutherdoyle.com Trillium Health See www.trilliumhealthny.org, www.everybodysgood.com LGBT Healthy Living: Veterans Canandaigua VA, second and fourth Tuesdays, 10-11am, Building One, 2nd floor, room 245. Matt Cokely 585-393-7115. HCR Home Care We provide a full multidisciplinary team consisting of nursing, social work, physical, occupational, and speech therapies as well as home health aides who have completed the eight-hour cultural competency program provided by the Gay Alliance. For more information, contact us at 585272-1930 or visit us online at HCRhealth.com. Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley See www.gayalliance.org Resource Directory under “Health” for Gay Alliance referrals to physicians and service agencies. CNY Youth Group Bi-Polar Support. Second Monday of every month. 315-428-9366.
Q UNDER 40 Q<40 Special Events for LGBTQ people and friends over 20 and under 40. Info at GayAlliance.org
TRANSGENDER Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester (TAGR) Support/educational group for gender variant people and allies. Last Saturday, 3-5:30pm, Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St. Adult Families of Trans Youth (AFTY) First Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30pm, Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St. Trans Lifeline Hotline for transgender people experiencing crisis. Staffed by transgender people for transgender people. Trans Lifeline volunteers are ready to respond to whatever support needs callers might have. The Trans Lifeline number is (877) 5658860. Additional info is available at www.translifeline.org.
Empire Justice Center Milo Primeaux, Esq., Hanna S. Cohn Equal Justice Fellow, Empire Justice Center, LGBT Rights Project, Telesca Center for Justice, 1 West Main Street, Suite 200, Rochester, NY 14614. (585) 295-5721 Fax (585) 454-2518, mprimeaux@ empirejustice.org, www.empirejustice.org. Volunteer Legal Services Project (585) 232-3051; www.vlsprochester.org.1 West Main St. Suite 500, Rochester, NY 14614. Free legal services for low-income clients seeking a name change. Other legal services for lowincome clients include family law issues, bankruptcy, unemployment insurance hearings, wills and advance directive documents for clients with serious illnesses. Gay Alliance Youth Gender Identity Support Group First Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 100 College Ave. Ages 13-18. 244-8640 Genesee Valley Gender Variants Thurs. 7-9pm, Equal Grounds, 750 South Ave. GVGenderVariants@yahoogroups.com Guys’ Night Out Trans* group, 1pm second Saturdays at Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. Transmen and those identifying with trans-masculine experience (including questioning individuals) welcome. Conversations range from topics regarding family life, personal experiences with regard to medically/ socially transitioning and how life is going in general. Contact Adrian at abartholomeo@gmail.com.
WOMEN L.O.R.A Late Bloomers Group E-mail info@loragroup.org Website: www.loragroup.org; L.O.R.A (Lesbians of Rochester & Highland Hospital Breast Imaging Center 500 Red Creek Drive, Rochester 14623; 585487-3341. Specializing in breast health, diagnostic breast imaging and treatment and mammography outreach and education. Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester 1048 University Ave., Rochester NY 14607 585-473-8177; www.bccr.org; info@bccr.org Programs and services for those diagnosed with breast or GYN cancer. Programs include support and networking groups, Healing Arts classes, book club, writing workshop, monthly evening seminars and a group for those living with metastatic breast cancer. Comprehensive lending library at our office. Community speakers available! All programs and services FREE. Center for Community Health (585) 224-3050. Comprehensive breast cancer screening services for uninsured and underinsured women. Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic 170 Sawgrass Drive. 442-8432. Mammograms. Self Help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer (SHARE) Breast: 866-891-2392; Ovarian: 866-537-4273. Willow Domestic Violence Center 232-7353; TTY 232-1741. Shelter (women only), counseling. Lesbians, gay men welcome. Victim Resource Center of Wayne County Newark N.Y. Hotline 800-456-1172; office (315)331-1171; fax (315)331-1189. Mary Magdalene House Women’s outreach center for HIV positive women and women at risk. 291 Lyell Ave. Open Mon-Fri. 6:30-9:30pm. Planned Parenthood of the Rochester/ Syracuse Region 114 University Ave., Rochester, NY 14605; Toll-free Helpline: 1-866-600-6886. Planned Parenthood has led the way in providing high quality, affordable reproductive health care since 1916. All services are confidential. Accept most insurances; including Medicaid. You may qualify for low- to no-cost family planning services. When you make your appointment, ask about our sliding scale fees. No one turned away for lack of ability to pay. Women’s Shelter YWCA, 175 N. Clinton Ave. 546-5820.
YOUTH Gay Alliance Youth Group Monthly Special Events 100 College Ave. 2448640; Ages 13-20. www.gayalliance.org. Check Facebook.com/GayAllianceYouth Gay Alliance Youth Gender Identity Social/Support Group First Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave., Ages 13-18. 244-8640 Trevor Project The Trevor Project offers 24/7 Lifeline with trained counselors, 1-866-488-7386; Trevor Chat, instant messaging; TrevorSpace online where youth can talk to each other, and Trevor Text, now in development, with text trained counselors for support and crisis intervention. CNY Youth Group Bi-Polar Support. Second Monday of every month. 315-428-9366. ■
AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
Ongoing Calendar DAILY Free confidential walk-in HIV testing M/W 9am-5pm, T/Th 9am-7pm, F 9am-12:30pm Trillium Health 259 Monroe Ave. 585-545-7200 Gay Alliance Library & Archives 9am -5pm. Wed. 6-8pm 100 College Ave. Walk-in HIV testing At all Anthony Jordan health center sites including 82 Holland St. (See Resources)
MONDAYS Women’s Coffee Social Equal Grounds Coffee House 750 South Ave. Monday evenings. 7 pm. Contact: Regina Altizer: reginaaltizer@gmail.com Crystal Meth Anonymous Meeting Every Monday 12-1pm. Huther Doyle, 360 East Ave., Rochester. Starting Monday Oct. 5. Rochester Historical Bowling Society 7pm. Empire Lanes Born That Way Formerly 3rd Presbyterian LGBT Support Group. First, 3rd Mondays, 7:30-9:30pm, 34 Meigs St. Carol, 482-3832 or Kaara, 654-7516. Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Mondays, 6pm, George Eastman House parking lot. www.rochesterfrontrunners.org. Steps Beyond Stems Crack Support Group, Mondays, 7-8pm, 289 Monroe Ave.
TUESDAYS The Social Grind 10am-12noon and again 7:30-9pm at Equal Grounds, 750 South Ave. Email: DHutch457@aol. com for information Adult Families of Trans Youth (AFTY) First Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30, Open Arms MCC Community Center, 707 E. Main St. LGBT Healthy Living Veterans support. 2nd, 4th Tuesdays, 10-11am Canandaigua VA, bldg. 9, room 8, Library conference room. 585 463-2731, 585 205-3360. Testing Tuesdays at Trillium Health FREE HIV Testing for everyone, STI/STD testing FREE for women and MSM. Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave, 5-8 pm. 585-545-7200 Women’s Community Chorus Rehearsals each Tuesday, 6:30-9pm, Downtown United Pres. Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh Street. 2344441, www.therwcc.org Gay Alliance Youth Gender Identity Support Group 5:30-6:30pm, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. Ages 13-20. 244-8640. SAGE Rochester 50+ Tuesdays and Thursdays, usually 10:30am at venues including LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. 244-8640. (See page 31)
WEDNESDAYS Identity Group The Identity Group is for LGBT identified individuals who have a developmental disability diagnosis. The group meets Wednesdays 3-4 pm at ARC Health Services (2060 Brighton-Henrietta Townline Rd. 14623). The goal of the group is to provide a safe space to discuss identity issues, share personal experiences and increase selfesteem. The group is facilitated by Delaina Fico. LMSW. For more information, please contact Delaina Fico at dfico@arcmonroe.org or 585271-0661 ext. 1552. LORA Knitting Group 6:00pm, Equal Grounds Coffee House, 750 South Ave. L.O.R.A. Knitting group meets the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month from Equal Grounds Coffee House. Join Us! Bring your supplies and a sense of adventure! For more info visit www.loragroup.org or Contact Kerry Cater: dressyfemme@ aol.com or email us at info@loragroup.org Lifetime Care LGBT Bereavement Support Group For loss associated with any type of relationship. Meets 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month from 5:30-7pm at Center for Compassion and Healing (3111 Winton Rd S). No fee. Please call 475-8800 for more details. Gay Alliance Board of Directors Meets Third Wednesdays, 6pm, 100 College Ave., 244-8640
New Freedom New Happiness AA Gay meeting, 7pm, Unitarian Church, 220 Winton Rd. Men and women. Open. COAP Come Out and Play Wednesday game nights. 7-10pm. Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. coap.rochester@ gmail.com Rochester Rams General Meeting 2nd Wednesdays, 7:30pm, Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave. www.rochesterrams.com Positive Warriors Wednesdays, 11:30am-12:30pm. Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave. Positive Divas Wednesdays, 11:30am-12:30pm. Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave. Frontrunners/Frontwalkers 6pm, Eastman House parking lot. www.rochesterfrontrunners.org. Gay Alliance Library & Archives 100 College Ave. 6-8pm. Empire Bears Every Wednesday. 6pm dinner at various venues. www.empirebears.com
THURSDAYS Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns 6:30pm, first Thursday. Ralph, 271-7649 Pride at Work & AFL CIO First Thursdays, 5:30pm. 1354 Buffalo Road, Rochester 14624, 426-0862. Depression Bipolar Support Alliance Youth and young adults. LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. dbsa.monroecounty@gmail.com GLOB&L (Gays & Lesbians of Bausch & Lomb) Meets every third Thursday in Area 67 conference room at the Optic Center. Voice mail: 338-8977 Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh St. 6:30-9pm, 423-0650 NLIST Transgenger Support Group 5-6:15pm, Trillium Health. Must pre-register. LORA Late Bloomers Group 4th/Last Thursday of the month. Coming out group for lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women of all ages and backgrounds! Last Thursday of each month in a safe private location. For more info visit: www.loragroup.org or contact Jessica Cohen at LGBTHealth@trilliumhealth.org or email us at info@loragroup.org Out & Equal Second Thursdays Social/business networking, 5:30-7:30pm. Changing venues. E-mail: fingerlakes@outandequal.org Genesee Valley Gender Variants 7-9pm, Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. GV GenderVariants@yahoogroups.com SAGE Rochester 50+ Tuesdays and Thursdays, usually 10:30am at venues including LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave, 244-8640. (See page 31)
FRIDAYS Gay Men’s AA meeting Fridays, 7:30-8:30pm, Closed meeting. Emmanuel Baptist Church, 815 Park Ave.
Gay Alliance Youth Monthly Special Event, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave., 244-8640; Ages 13-20. youth@gayalliance.org. Check Facebook.com/ GayAllianceYouth GLBTQI Motorcycle Group Second Fridays, 5:30pm, Various locations. RochesterGLBTIQbikers@yahoo.com; 467-6456; bmdaniels@frontiernet.net. Boyz Night Out Drag king revue. First Fridays, The Firehouse Saloon, 814 S. Clinton Ave. LORA GaYmes Night Meets 4th Friday of the Month, 7-10pm, Equal Grounds Coffee House, 750 South Ave. Rochester. Contact Person: Christine O’Reilly. Email: irishfemmerochester@yahoo.com. Phone: 585.943.1320. More Info: www.loragroup.org. Events: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ L.O.R.A.14464/ Monthly LBTQ Womyns Bingo Night Third Fridays, 7 pm, at Empire Bingo. Contact: Christine, IrishFemmeRochester@yahoo.com; 585-943-1320 text/talk.
SATURDAYS Rochester Rams Bar Night Third Saturdays, 8pm-2am, Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave. 271-6930 Sapphic Singles – Professional Women’s Group http://www.meetup.com/Sapphic-Singles-Rochester/. Contact: Patty: Email: pattyrdn11@gmail. com. Phone: 585.223.6743. 3rd Saturday of each month. Monthly Dinner Socials for single professional women at various locations in and around Rochester NY area! Join us! Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester Support/educational group for gender-variant people, allies. Last Saturdays, 3-5:30pm, Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St. Frontrunners/Frontwalkers 9am, George Eastman House parking lot.www. rochesterfrontrunners.org. Guys Night Out GNO, social group for transmen, now meets on the second Saturday of the month, @ 1pm @ Equal Grounds, 750 South Ave. Saturday Night Special Gay AA 7pm, Unitarian Church, 220 Winton Rd., S. Men and women. Open meeting. Sophia’s Supper Club First, third Saturdays, 25 Bernie Lane, 6:30 pm. Men’s Cooking Group Third, fourth Saturdays. 585-355-7664; mcgofrochester@aol.com.
SUNDAYS PFLAG (Parents Families & Friends of Lesbians And Gays) 585 993-3297; rochesterpflag@gmail.com. Dignity-Integrity 1st Sunday: 5pm Episcopal Eucharist with music; 2nd Sunday: 5pm Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Word with music; 3rd Sunday: 5pm Episcopal Eucharist (quiet); 4th Sunday: 5pm Prayers to start the week, followed by potluck supper. Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church 707 E. Main St. Rochester, Services at: 10:30am. 271-8478. Gay Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous St. Luke’s/St. Simon Cyrene Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. 8pm, 232-6720, Weekly. Closed meeting ■
33
ROCHESTER AA/NA MEETINGS
Every week there are three regularly scheduled GLBTI AA and two inclusive NA meetings in Rochester.
TUESDAYS Narcotics Anonymous 6-7:30pm. AIDS and Recovery 1124 Culver Road (Covenant United Methodist Church) This is an NA meeting that is open to all addicts who have a desire to stop using. Although it is not specifically a gay-oriented meeting, it is welcoming to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as to anyone who is affected by HIV and AIDS.
FRIDAYS LGBT 7:30pm. Immanuel Baptist Church, 815 Park Ave. • Open meeting • Handicapped accessible This is a round-robin discussion meeting. If you are shy about meeting people or speaking up in a group, you will find this meeting particularly warm and inviting because everyone gets their turn to speak (or pass). As a result, this meeting often runs long, so plan on more than the usual hour.
SATURDAYS Saturday Night Special 7pm. First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. Bus riders: The #18 University Ave. bus does not go by the church on weekend evenings. Take the #1 Park Ave. bus to the corner of East and Winton, then walk five minutes south (uphill) on Winton. • Open meeting, all are welcome, “straight friendly” • Mixed men and women • Handicapped accessible, take elevator to basement Meeting begins with a speaker, followed by open discussion.
SUNDAYS Step in the Right Direction 7:30-9pm. 1275 Spencerport Road (Trinity Alliance Church) This is an NA meeting that is open to all addicts who have a desire to stop using. Although it is not specifically a gay-oriented meeting, it is welcoming to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Each week features a reading from NA literature, followed by discussion. Rochester Gay Men 8pm. St. Luke/St. Simon’s Episcopal Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh Street. Bus riders use the Fitzhugh Street stop on Main Street at the County Office Building and walk south one block. • Closed meeting, restricted to alcoholics and addicts • Men’s meeting • NOT handicapped accessible Meeting begins with a speaker, followed by open discussion. ■
GAY ALLIANCE LIBRARY & ARCHIVES Now open at its new location at 100 College Avenue, 9am-5pm and on Wednesday evenings, 6-8pm. Check out our ten thousand-volume library, along with the Bohnett Cyber Center. Contact us: library@gayalliance.org or at 585-244-8640.
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August 2016
MONDAY 1
Lughnasad, Lammas. Ancient Celtic fire feast of harvest. Sacred tree: hazel, tree of wisdom.
WEDNESDAY 3
Empire Bears dinner, Olive Garden in Greece, 6 pm.
SUNDAY 7
Ganondagan “Breaking Bread, Building Bridges”. from 2-4 pm at the Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan Historic Site in Victor. Speakers include Gabrielle Hermosa of Gay Alliance Speakers Bureau. Dignity Integrity. Episcopal Mass/ Healing Service, with music. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. Summer of Solidarity free LGBT films at Dryden Theatre. 7 pm. “Death in Venice” by Lucino Visconti.
WEDNESDAY 10
Empire Bears dinner at Famous Dave’s in Greece. 6 pm.
THURSDAY 11
Out & Equal Second Thursday Networking. Information at oenyfl via Googlegroups.com Pride & Joy Families’ Rochester focus on families meeting. 5:30 pm, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. Dinner and conversation, plus $20 Amazon gift card to each attendee. For more information and to RSVP contact Mayumi at prideandjoyfamilies@gmail. com or 607-777-3717.
SUNDAY 14
Dignity Integrity. Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Word, with music. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016
Summer of Solidarity free LGBT films at Dryden. 7 pm. “Maurice” by James Ivory. SAGE euchre social. 2-5 pm, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. $3 donation. Will teach beginners the game.
TUESDAY 16
SAGE Seniors Picnic Potluck at Ontario Beach Park, bring a dish to pass – we’ll have hot dogs & beverages. $3 donation. Noon- 3 pm.
WEDNESDAY 17
Empire Bears dinner, JB Quimby’s. 6 pm.
THURSDAY 18
LGBTQ Veterans Group with Wanda Martinez-Johncox, SAGEVets & CompeerCORPS, Equal Grounds Coffee Shop 750 South Ave, 14620. 5:30-7 pm. Information: Mike 585-546-8280 x 207 mbuckpitt@compeerrochester.org
SUNDAY 21
Dignity Integrity. Episcopal Mass, quiet. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. Summer of Solidarity free LGBT films at Dryden. 7 pm. “The Crying Game” by Neil Jordan.
WEDNESDAY 24
Empire Bears dinner, Winfield Grill on Winton Rd. 6 pm.
FRIDAY 26
NYS Fair, Syracuse. State Fair Pride Day. “The only official day honoring LGBTQ people at any state fair in the US.” Tickets available at nysfair.ny.gov Sankofa Fest. Weekend of plays by African American playwrights, jazz. All performances for 9th annual festival 7:30 p.m. at the Multi-use Community Cultural Center (MuCCC), 142 Atlantic Ave.
Classifieds Classified ads are $5 for the first 30 words; each additional 10 words is another $1. We do not bill for classifieds, so please send or bring ad and payment to: The Empty Closet, 100 College Ave., Rochester, New York 14607. Paying by check: checks must be made out to Gay Alliance. The deadline is the 15th of the month, for the following month’s issue. We cannot accept ads over the phone. Pay when you place your ad. We will accept only ads accompanied by name and phone number. Neither will be published, but we must be able to confirm placement. The Empty Closet is not responsible for financial loss or physical injury that may result from any contact with an advertiser. Advertisers must use their own box number, voice mail, e-mail or phone number. No personal home addresses or names allowed. Classified ads are not published on The Empty Closet page of our website. However, each issue of the paper is reproduced online in its entirety.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Children’s Ministry thriving at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church for toddlers to ‘tweens. Join us for vibrant, inclusive, progressive worship on Sundays at 10:30 am, 707 E. Main St. info@openarmsmcc.org; (585) 271-8478.
HELP WANTED
Sell ads for The Empty Closet. Must be energetic and reliable. 30 percent commission. 244-9030.
SERVICES
Lakefront Wedding? Lakefront site available in a beautiful area of Lake Ontario. Five-bedroom house available to rent, large grounds. Non-denominational officiate available. Reasonable. Contact rtony13@aol.com or cell, 703-3894. Rochester’s Best Man to Man Rubdown. Unwind with this degreed, employed, fit, friendly, healthy, Italian GWM. Middle aged, 5’8”, 165 lbs., 32” waist, nonsmoker, d & d free, HIV negative. My 10-plus years experience guar-
antees your relaxation and satisfaction. Hotel visit, in call in my home or out call in your residence. Reasonable rates. Discretion appreciated and practiced. Don’t delay, call me today at 585-773-2410 (cell) or 585-235-6688 (home). Handyman: Simple repairs or full renovations, no job is too large or small. Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical, Interior & Exterior. 35 years experience. Call Alan & Bill 585-204-0632 or cell 304517-6832. Martin Ippolito master electrician. Electrical work, telephone jacks, cable TV, burglar alarm systems, paddle fans. 585-266-6337. TL’s Home Repair Service. Electric, plumbing, home remodeling. Cell: 585224-6279; office: 585-473-7205. Wedding Space and clergy services available. Celebrate your special day at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church, 707 E. Main St. info@ openarmsmcc.org (585) 271-8478. ■
Aug. 25, Opening Night Performance & Reception admission is $18 in advance and $20 at door; full-length play run continues on Friday, Aug. 26 and Saturday, Aug. 27 with shows at $16 in advance and $20 at the door. Second weekend kicks off Thursday, Sept. 1 with evening of jazz. Remaining nights feature one-act plays on Friday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 3. For information on tickets or event, call Mood Makers Books at (585) 271-7010 or go to www.muccc.org.
SUNDAY 28
SAGE picnic. 4:30-9 pm, Buckland Park on Westfall Rd. Bring your own chair. Karaoke & black jack. $10.00, RSVP to 244-8640 x23 by 8/26/16. Dignity Integrity. Prayers to start the Week, followed by a Potluck -- “Campfire Cuisine”. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. Summer of Solidarity free LGBT films at Dryden. 7 pm. “Farewell My Concubine” by Chen Kaige.
WEDNESDAY 31
Empire Bears dinner, Jay’s Diner. 6 pm.
SEPTEMBER FRIDAY 2
First Friday opening at Gallery Q. Artist and photography collector Nigel Maister brings Diptych — a two-part exhibition — to two galleries, Gallery Q and Lumiere Gallery, and the passageway linking them. The exhibition opens Friday, Sept. 2 and runs through Sept. 30 at the LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave.
SATURDAY 3
Dignity Integrity Labor Day picnic. Lima. Bring dish to pass or something to grill. All are welcome. Hotline at 585234-5092 or check our website at www. di-rochester.org/ for updates on services and activities. ■
AUGUST 2016 • NUMBER 503 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
The Empty Closet is published by the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley 100 College Avenue Rochester, New York 14607 © 2016, All rights reserved. Editor-in-Chief: Susan Jordan Graphic Design: Jim Anderson Ad Sales: Jennie Bowker (jennieb@gayalliance.org) Advertising policy: The Empty Closet does not print advertisements that contain nude drawings or photographs, nor does it print advertising that states that the person pictured in the ad is for sale, or that you will “get” that particular person if you patronize the establishment advertised. Advertisements that are explicitly racist, sexist, ageist, ableist or homophobic will be refused; advertisements from organizations that are sexist, racist, ageist, ableist or anti-gay will also be refused. All political advertisements must contain information about who placed them and a method of contact. Additionally, The Empty Closet does not print negative or “attack” advertisements, whether they relate to a product or politics and no matter in whose interest the ad is being produced. A negative advertisement is defined as one that focuses upon a rival product, or in the political area, a rival election candidate or party, in order to point out supposed flaws and to persuade the public not to buy it (or vote for him or her). The Empty Closet maintains, within legal boundaries, neutrality regarding products, political candidates and parties. However, “attack” ads that fail to provide undisputable evidence that the information in the ad is true do not further in any way the objectives and policies of the Gay Alliance or The Empty Closet, including the primary tenet that The Empty Closet’s purpose is to inform the Rochester gay community and to provide an impartial forum for ideas. Submissions: For publication, submit news items, ads, photos, letters, stories, poetry, ads, photographs or art by mail or in person to The Empty Closet office by the 15th of the month. Design services for non-camera ready ads are available for a fee. 244-9030, susanj@gayalliance.org Publication Information: The Empty Closet is published 11 times a year (December and January combined) by The Empty Closet Press for the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, Inc. Approximately 5000 copies of each issue are distributed during the first week of the month, some by mail in a plain sealed envelope. The publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles is not an indication of the sexual or affectional orientation of that person or the members of that organization. For further information, please write to The Empty Closet, 100 College Avenue, 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, 100 College Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607; e-mail: susanj@gayalliance.org. The online edition of EC is available at www. gayalliance.org.
Bed & Breakfast
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 503 • AUGUST 2016