Empty Closet, Feb 2016

PHOTO: SUSAN JORDAN

The Empty Closet

Jonathan Hoose of Q<40… page 17

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Former Pride Agenda ED Nathan Schaefer with Dontaee Williamson at the Pride Agenda’s 2015 fundraising dinner in Rochester.

Photo: Garnetta Ely

Controversy follows Pride Agenda’s vote to close doors; PAC to continue Many in trans community “dismayed”

By Susan Jordan After 25 years of advocacy and service to New York’s LGBT community resulting in over 100 state legislative and policy victories, The Empire State Pride Agenda, New York’s statewide LGBT civil rights organization, voted on Dec. 12 to conclude major operations, apparently due to financial problems, although the Boards have not yet released any information.

In the coming months, the Pride Agenda has said, it will identify aspects of its policy work to transition to partner LGBT organizations. The organization will maintain its Political Action Committee (PAC) in order to play a continuing role in electoral politics.

The announcement followed unanimous votes by the Boards of Directors of the Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation, Inc. and the Empire State Pride Agenda, Inc., to wind down their operations in first half of 2016. The Pride Agenda’s third corporate entity, the Empire State Pride Agenda Political Action Committee, will continue as part of this process.

Board member Norman C. Simon told The Empty Closet that the questions of how to move forward with the PAC and the transition of the Health and Human Services Network remain to be determined.

The Boards’ decision comes on the heels of securing the Pride Agenda’s top remaining policy priority – protecting transgender New Yorkers from discrimination in housing, employment, credit, education and public accommodations – in the form of new regulations announced in partnership with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo at the organization’s Fall Dinner on October 22, 2015. (See page 11.)

Upon learning of the Boards’ decision, Governor Cuomo said, “New York would not be the State it is today without the Empire State Pride Agenda. For decades, the Pride Agenda has been a premier champion of the LGBT community in New

York – fighting injustice, securing and protecting equal rights, and advancing the principles of dignity and acceptance for all.

Over the years this organization has made a difference in – and no doubt saved – countless lives.

Together we have restored New York’s status as a progressive beacon for the nation, from securing marriage equality to helping ban transgender discrimination and bringing the end of the AIDS epidemic within reach. I am honored beyond words to have fought alongside the Pride Agenda and watched its successes over the years. Its impact will be felt for generations to come.”

ESPA’s Dec. 12 press release continued, “The Pride Agenda has been central to over 100 legislative and policy victories for New York’s LGBT community, including adding sexual orientation protections to the state’s non-discrimination laws, protecting LGBT youth from bullying in schools, and winning marriage equality. The Boards have determined that the Pride Agenda has achieved its top policy goals, and are proud that the organization’s achievements in the last quarter century have profoundly changed the lives of more than 1.5 million LGBT New Yorkers and their families, and set an example for the entire nation. The PAC will persist as a tool to help maintain the organization’s policy achievements and continue to influence New York electoral politics.

“The coming months will be a time of transition. The Pride Agenda will carefully consider what elements of its policy programming should continue, and in what capacity, and seek to facilitate its transition to partner LGBT organizations. The next steps taken by the organization will be strategic, responsible and completed in a manner that honors and celebrates the many victories that the Pride Agenda has won for New York’s LGBT community. And the Pride Agenda’s PAC will remain.”

Trans activist Melissa Sklarz, Vice Chair of the Empire State

Pride Agenda, Inc. and Co-Chair of the Pride Agenda Foundation Board of Directors, added, “In 2009, the Empire State Pride Agenda made transgender civil rights its highest priority, alongside marriage equality. Governor Cuomo’s partnership with the Empire State Pride Agenda resulted in equal rights for transgender New Yorkers. As the Pride Agenda winds down, we will assist in the direction of time and financial resources to programs that directly work to create safe, secure, and stable lives for transgender New Yorkers and their families.”

Melissa Sklarz told The Empty Closet, “I am thrilled that Governor Cuomo has used his legal authority to add transgender legal and civil rights to the New York State Human Rights law that will be used to ban harassment and discrimination. I believe this legal platform will help make trans New Yorkers’ lives better and, in time, will change the culture in New York, and facilitate trans people having stable, safe lives.

“We have been meeting with both interested Board members and Pride Agenda staff and with LGBT health stakeholders and we believe the nascent PAC will sustain and help keep LGBT voices in Albany and within the political structure.”

The Pride Agenda press release listed “some of our major successes”: ■ The Pride Agenda worked with Governor Cuomo to direct the Division of Human Rights to implement new regulations (ESPA continues page 3)

FEBRUARY 2016

Billie Jean King to speak at Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon Feb 10 The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House has announced that the keynote speaker for the 2016 Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon is Billie Jean King, sports icon, humanitarian, and champion of equal rights. The annual luncheon will be held Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.

A native of Southern California, Billie Jean King has won thirty-nine Grand Slam singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles during her tennis career.

She famously defeated Bobby Riggs in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match. King is the founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, which seeks to address inclusion and diversity issues in the workplace, and the Women’s Sports Foundation. In 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor, and, in 2010, was appointed to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.

King’s accomplishments, both on and off the court, make her the perfect candidate to speak on the 2016 luncheon theme, Making History, a celebration of the many ways in which women leave their mark and inspire today’s women.

“When Billie Jean King entered the national tennis scene, it was commonly believed

Anne Tischer, NYS Assemblymember Harry Bronson and Brighton Town Supervisor Bill Moehle. Photo: Susan Jordan

Over 100 attend Open House at Gay Alliance’s LGBTQ Resource Center

By Susan Jordan Around 100 people attended the Gay Alliance’s Open House on Dec. 13 at the new LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. The party included festive holiday trees, champagne and an assortment of cookies, Hedonist Artisan chocolates and other goodies. The art gallery exhibited the Alliance Library and Archives history panels.

Brighton Town Supervisor Bill Moehle commented on Facebook, “At today’s grand opening of new offices of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley I was so pleased and proud to see that I had been included in a series of panels chronicling the history of the LGBT community in America and in the Rochester area. The new offices are beautiful, very accessible to the community with a first floor location in the Neighborhood of the Arts with a large library. Congratulations to Executive Director Scott Fearing and everyone that made the new office possible.”

More photos on page 10.

PHOTO: ANDREW COPPA

NUMBER 497

Billie Jean King.

that women were inferior as athletes and competitors,” noted Anthony Museum president and CEO Deborah L. Hughes. “She has been making history and fighting for equal rights for half a century. We are thrilled to bring her to Rochester, to honor her, and to challenge and inspire our audience.”

The Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon is held each year in mid-February to celebrate Susan B. Anthony’s Feb. 15 birthday, to honor contemporary women who continue her legacy, and to raise awareness of the educational and inspirational programs offered by the Museum.

Individual seats and group tables may be purchased online at www.susanbanthonyhouse. org or by calling 585/279-7490 x 10.

Corporate sponsorships are still available. Contact Lesia Telega at 585/279-7490 x 12 for more information. ■

Out at Geva… page 27

Inside

Editorials....................................... 2 Interview: Kelly Clark.................... 7 Making the Scene.......................... 10 Opinion: Gov. Cuomo..................15 Health: FDA blood ban................16 LGBTQ Living: Q>40 .................17 Shoulders To Stand On ...........21 Columnists ................................22 Community ................................25 Entertainment: Out at Geva.............27 Gay Alliance: Volunteers.............30 Calendar.....................................34 Classifieds..................................34 Comics................................ 34, 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 497 • FEBRUARY 2016

Perspectives The Empty Closet Editor SUSAN JORDAN

Do we have it all now?

Do we really have it all?

This is an election year, and the rhetoric is flying. After our victory in June, it’s tempting to ignore all the tiresome political attacks and counter-attacks and just focus on our personal lives.

Tempting, but dangerous.

The Republican Party has a history of using prejudice and divisiveness to win and keep power. Ever since the days of the “Southern Strategy,” when the GOP used white racism to win votes in the South, exploiting and inciting bias has been a winning strategy for them. And for the past 30 years, exploiting the ancient hatred of gay, lesbian, bi and gender variant people has been an important part of their strategy.

The Right has long courted evangelical extremists, who have now taken over the Republican Party and are demanding their “religious freedom” to take away our civil and human rights and destroy our families. To hear these bigoted fanatics preach, you’d think that hatred of gays is THE central tenet of Christianity. Never mind that Jesus never mentioned homosexuality, much less condemned it. Never mind that the extremists have to rely on the Old Testament’s tribal taboos from the Bronze Age to find the anti-gay pas-

sages they use to fan the flames of hate. Never mind Jesus’s “new commandment” to “love one another”.

The haters ignore their savior’s words in favor of their radical political agenda. The most extreme are demanding legal execution of non-heterosexuals. Rightwing terrorists, fueled by Republican attacks on gays, women and African Americans, wave their assault weapons, burn black churches, murder black people, shoot up and bomb women’s clinics, and bash or murder LGBT people.

Still, many gays feel that these foaming-at-the-mouth extremists are a minority, and now that we have the right to marry, and legal recognition of our families, nothing more needs to be done. In New York it’s especially easy to believe that, since LGBs have SONDA and trans New Yorkers now have Gov. Cuomo’s anti-discrimination regulations. There is also hope for the passage of GENDA, although probably not in an election year, when the Republicans will use transphobia to win votes.

If only it were true that we are regarded as full citizens and real human beings. But all queer New Yorkers have to do is drive across the Ohio or Pa. borders, or fly to most other states, and suddenly we don’t have full civil rights anymore. The national LGBT Equality Act is not likely to pass as long as both Houses of Congress are controlled by conservative extremists. We are only halfway home.

This is not the time to sit back and relax in an apolitical fantasyland, or to let divisive personal prejudices (biphobia, transphobia, etc.) distract us from the reality that “united we stand, divided we fall”.

Those who aren’t registered to vote in 2016 might want to get registered and prepare to vote for the candidates who support their civil rights. The haters will definitely be voting.

Gay Alliance Board of Trustees David Zona, President W. Bruce Gorman, Secretary Jason Barnecut-Kearns, Paul Birkby, Kim Braithwaite, Jeff Lambert, Jennifer Matthews, Shira May, Colleen Raimond

Guest Editorial JEFF MYERS, Volunteer Coordinator

Please think about volunteering for the Gay Alliance Hello, my name is Jeff Myers and I recently joined the Gay Alliance as their Volunteer Coordinator. (I am a volunteer too!)

I have been a very active volunteer in the Rochester LGBTQ community, working for the past eight years with a local LQBTQ organization in community outreach. I have been working with the Gay Alliance for the past year on the relocation and design committee for our new home on College Ave. I am passionate about our community. My philosophy is, by empowering people we open up tremendous opportunities for growth.

I am so excited about the Gay Alliance volunteer program for 2016. My goal is to implement structure and excellent communication for our volunteers. I can do all of the work of creating opportunities and building structure, but ultimately the success of our volunteer program depends on you. It’s not rocket science, all it takes is a simple yes and a commitment for making our community a better place.

Volunteering is not just about the warm fuzzy feeling you get when you help a cause. Life is busy, we might say; I don’t have

Name

time to volunteer. Sometimes we ask ourselves in regard to volunteering, what’s in it for me?

Volunteering can be far more than simply doing a good deed.

In fact, volunteering can be a great way to develop skills, learn more about career options, make friends, garner new professional contacts, get exercise, spend time outdoors or even just shake up your routine. Yet volunteers rarely speak of the benefits of volunteering to themselves — maybe it feels a bit too self-centered, or too far from the altruistic vision of the selfless volunteer. But who says that doing well and enjoying yourself while meeting your own personal/professional goals can’t happen at the same time?

Volunteering is about what you hope to learn and accomplish. If in the process of meeting your goals, you are also serving as an effective volunteer, helping to meet the goals of your particular volunteer project or role, and/or helping to move an organization’s mission forward, it’s a win-win situation. Our volunteers at the Gay Alliance are vital to health and wellbeing of our day to day operation.

Regardless of the task, we need and appreciate each and every one of our volunteers.

On page 30 of The Empty Closet you will find an article about our new volunteer program and volunteer opportunities at the Gay Alliance.

Highlighting some of the fantastic work done by our dedicated volunteer base. Take a few minutes and check these opportunities out. Imagine yourself working with the Gay Alliance in a volunteer capacity. We have a job for you!

I would encourage you to stop by the Gay Alliance to say hello or email me at jeffreym@ gayalliance.org. If you have a commitment for making a difference in our community, and learning more about our volunteer program, let’s have a conversation. I’m sure you’ll find your volunteer experience rewarding!

02/16

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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.

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FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

PAGE ONE (ESPA from page 1) that will interpret the State’s Human Rights Law to include protections based on gender identity and expression.

■ The Pride Agenda was instrumental in the passage of the Marriage Equality Act. ■ The Pride Agenda helped to pass the Dignity for All Students Act, which addresses bullying in New York schools and stops hate at its root.

■ Through the administration of the NYS LGBT Health and Human Services Network, a statewide coalition of 54 nonprofit organizations that provide a broad spectrum of services to more than one-and-a-half million LGBT New Yorkers each year, the Pride Agenda has secured over $67 million in state funding for our community’s health and human service needs.

■ The Pride Agenda helped generate landmark statewide educational guidance from the New York State Education Department to promote safe, respectful, and supportive schools for transgender students.

■ Long before passage of New York’s Marriage Equality Act, the Pride Agenda helped to pass legislation providing medical decision-making authority to samesex partners.

■ The Pride Agenda helped to pass legislation requiring that same-sex partners be treated the same as spouses for bereavement leave from their job.

■ The Pride Agenda helped to pass legislation allowing same-sex couples to adopt a child together.

■ The Pride Agenda helped to pass legislation that expands and increases access to services for LGBT seniors.

■ The Pride Agenda helped to pass a state law allowing samesex domestic partners access to Family Court and the domestic violence protections it provides.

■ The Pride Agenda helped to pass a state law guaranteeing domestic partners the ability to make decisions about the disposition of partner remains and about funeral arrangements.

■ The Pride Agenda helped to pass a state law that removes the last vestiges of New York’s history of stigmatizing homosexuality by eliminating terms like “sodomy” and “deviant sexual intercourse” used in the state’s penal code to describe forms of sexual assault.

■ The Pride Agenda was instrumental in the passage of the Sexual Orientation NonDiscrimination Act (SONDA) that outlaws anti-gay (but not anti-trans) discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodation, education and credit throughout the state.

■ The Pride Agenda was a leader in the passage of the New York State Hate Crimes law that imposes penalties for bias-motivated crimes, including crimes motivated by antigay bias.

Former leaders say ESPA failed to consult them Paul Schindler wrote in Gay City News on Dec. 24, “There is no precise roadmap going forward. In fact, in the view of several influential former ESPA leaders, the best path forward would for the group to reverse its December 12 decision. Four past top leaders of the group,

who convened on December 14, offered the quickest response to the Pride Agenda’s decision. The group included Dick Dadey, who was the founding executive director from 1991 through 1997; Matt Foreman, who led the group for nearly five years in two stints between late 1997 and mid-2003 and oversaw passage of the state hate crimes and gay rights laws; Alan Van Capelle, who succeeded Foreman and achieved victory on marriage equality in the State Assembly before being turned back in the first State Senate vote in late 2009; and Joe Tarver, a top lieutenant to both Foreman and Van Capelle, who briefly served as interim executive director when Van Capelle departed in early 2010.

“The conclusion the four came to — that the Pride Agenda must rethink its decision — is not surprising given the reaction each had to the announcement, which none of them was given advance word of. A statement Gay City News received from ESPA on December 23, however, appears to rule that option out.

“Foreman, who now heads up philanthropic giving in LGBT and immigrant rights for the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, said ESPA’s apparent failure to reach out to anyone beyond its own board members and senior staff ‘is an abrogation of a fundamental obligation that an organization has to its constituency… There was zero consultation with folks who spent their lives building the Pride Agenda.

If they are going to make a decision of that magnitude, there has to be a consultative function.’

“Dadey, who is executive director of Citizens Union, a New York non-profit good government group, echoed Foreman’s perspective. ‘I greeted that letter with complete shock and disappointment,’ he told Gay City News. ‘They were shutting down the organization that so many of us helped build into such a strong brand. You don’t do that without talking to some of the stakeholders who played that role.’

“According to Foreman, ‘Millions of dollars were spent on building up this brand, and now they are just throwing it away.’”

Many trans activists are “dismayed” Many in the New York trans community are angry that the Pride Agenda has closed before passage of GENDA, blocked by conservatives from a Senate vote for eight years now. Other trans activists disagree, saying that the Cuomo regulations will provide protections right now, and GENDA will probably not be passed in 2016. All agree that the struggle for trans rights in NYS is not over.

Juli Grey-Owens of the TransPAC and LITAC, and 32 other NYS transgender/gender variant individuals and groups, sent a letter in January to former ED Nathan Schaefer, stating their feeling that ESPA’s closure represented abandonment of the trans community, and that Gov. Cuomo’s protections are insufficient. Some of the points made in the letter include the following: “We, the undersigned members of the transgender and gender non-conforming community, allies, and advocacy

organizations, were greatly dismayed by the news of Empire State Pride Agenda’s closure.

“The closure, and especially the language of the press release, is reminiscent of the exclusion of transgender protection language in 2002 with the passage of SONDA and Pride Agenda’s failure of full commitment to the transgender community and our Human and Civil Rights.

“The message of ‘mission accomplished’ flies in the face of a Pride Agenda Press Release from one year ago where the release said, ‘The Pride Agenda’s top legislative priority is the long overdue passage of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA)’. (December 14, 2014).

“There is no question that Governor Cuomo’s proposed regulations will offer some much-needed protections to many transgender and gender non-conforming individuals immediately and that Pride Agenda’s role in advocating for these is much appreciated.

“However, the proposed regulations lack important elements: “The need to openly proclaim that transgender individuals are human beings deserving of equality in Human and Civil Rights. …; “A clear standard of enforcement for businesses, landlords, and individuals who continue to discriminate against transgender and gender non-conforming citizens;…

“Standardized interpretation of case law. …”

The letter continues, “As the Pride Agenda winds down its operations, it’s likely that the proposed new regulations will take years to implement. Training the judiciary, law enforcement and local municipal governments could take years. The mission is far from ‘accomplished.’

“Further, Pride Agenda’s sudden closure leaves the rest of the LGBT community scrambling to create organizations that can meet a myriad of needs left unmet in its wake.

“We would sincerely appreciate a public correction of the impression created by Pride Agenda’s press release that transgender equality has been achieved. Transgender equality has not been achieved and transgender advocates will continue to pursue protections under the NYS Human Rights Law. Public acknowledgment from Pride Agenda that New York State needs to pass GENDA would represent a meaningful step to empower the transgender movement, adding to a legacy of securing rights for all. It would be a shame to start the conversation with an explanation of why Pride Agenda declared game over before the second quarter even got started.”

Syracuse, Rochester trans activists react Syracuse activist Mallory Livingston commented, “I do think that there are misconceptions over the status of legal protections for trans people in the wake of the new regulations that I may be able to clear up.

“In short, the primary weakness of the new regulations are that they are vulnerable to appeal. By statute, all agency regulations are required to undergo a review process every five years. That process is actual(ESPA continues page 6)

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NewsFronts LOCAL AND STATE NY Supreme Court affirms same sex couples can’t be turned away The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court on Jan. 14 affirmed that it is illegal for businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation.

The New York Civil Liberties Union victory came in the case of Melisa and Jennifer McCarthy, who were turned away by the Albany wedding venue they chose after the venue owners found out that they were a samesex couple.

The McCarthys were thrilled to find what they thought was the wedding venue of their dreams when they discovered Liberty Ridge Farm, a “oneof-a-kind” wedding venue that boasts it is a “picturesque setting for weddings all year round!”

But the farm’s owners, Cynthia and Robert Gifford, rejected them, stating they do not allow same-sex couples to get married at their business because they oppose same-sex marriage.

But as the New York State Division of Human Rights ruled in 2014, under New York’s Human Rights Law, public businesses cannot discriminate on the basis of race, sexual orientation, national origin or other protected classes.

Together with a national anti-LGBT organization, Liberty Ridge appealed the decision to the Appellate Division, which vindicated the McCarthys and upheld the Human Rights Division’s decision. In its decision, the court noted that discrimination of the sort faced by the McCarthys hurts all New Yorkers, not just those who were directly harmed: “Discriminatory denial of equal access to goods, services and other advantages made available to the public not only ‘deprives persons of their individual dignity,’ but also ‘denies society the benefits of wide participation in political, economic, and cultural life.’”

“The McCarthys were denied the opportunity to celebrate their marriage at Liberty Ridge, but today we can join them in celebrating the court’s affirmation that all New Yorkers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman.

“New York chose to guarantee a society where lunch counters would serve Black and white customers and businesses would not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, and all of us benefit from these protections,” said Mariko Hirose, senior staff attorney at the NYCLU and lead counsel on the case. “We’re glad the court upheld longstanding laws against discrimination, and we’re proud of the McCarthys for standing up for equal treatment of all New Yorkers.”

Though they did not have a wedding at Liberty Ridge, in August of 2013, the McCarthys fulfilled their dream of marrying at a farm in Central Bridge.

Lawyers on the case were Mariko Hirose, Arthur Eisenberg and Robert Hodgson for the NYCLU and Rose Saxe, ACLU LGBT Project Senior Staff Attorney.

To read the decision, please visit: http://www.nyclu.org/ news/victory-wedding-venuecannot-discriminate-againstsame-sex-couples

Adrian Sealy

Rochester trans man will now get insurance coverage TLDEF (Transgender Legal Defense and Action Fund) has secured insurance coverage for a transgender man’s medically necessary care after his unionsponsored health insurance plan refused to cover it. Adrian Sealy works in a Rochester, NY hospital as a cleaning and sanitation specialist. He is a member of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the nation’s largest union for health care workers. The union is self-insured for its workers’ health care.

Two years ago, Adrian began transitioning to live openly as male, changing his name and correcting legal documents. He began medical treatment, which included hormone therapy and a prescription for a hysterectomy. Earlier this year, Adrian’s doctor filed a pre-authorization request for his hysterectomy.

Almost immediately, Adrian was informed that his health care would not be covered because “in the opinion of the 1199 SEIU National Benefit Fund… gender re-assignment surgery is not a covered benefit.”

But nowhere in the union’s health plan did it actually state that transition-related care would not be covered on the same terms as any other medically necessary care. On November 2, TLDEF challenged the union’s decision, demanding that 1199 SEIU overturn Adrian’s claim denial and ensure that “medically necessary treatments for gender dysphoria, including surgical interventions, will be covered for 1199 SEIU members in the future.”

Soon after, the union reversed course and informed TLDEF that Adrian’s care would be covered and that it is the union’s intention to cover health care related to gender transition. It is “not the policy of any our health funds to exclude coverage for gender reassignment,” a union (Trans continues page 7)

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016

NewsFronts

my own community.”

Biskupski is now the country’s only lesbian mayor of a large city, with Annise Parker having left office in Houston on Saturday after six years of service…..

John Wright posted on Towleroad. com: …Meanwhile, with his husband at his side, Utah same-sex marriage plaintiff Derek Kitchen was sworn as the city’s second sitting gay council member.

Utah, of course, is predominantly Mormon, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints condemns homosexuality. However, Salt Lake City is a liberal oasis that is home to the seventh-highest concentration of LGBT people in the nation, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Biskupski is Salt Lake’s second female mayor and the nation’s only lesbian mayor of a large city, with Annise Parker leaving office in Houston.

Kitchen, a 26-year-old small business owner, and his husband, Moudi, were one of three same-sex couples who successfully challenged Utah’s marriage ban in 2013.

“My involvement in this landmark litigation allowed me to become an advocate for equality and fairness in our city and state,” Kitchen said in announcing his council bid last year. “For that I am very grateful.”

Want to read the full articles? For links to these stories and other articles on these pages, go to the sites named or see Facebook/Empty Closet News.

State anti-trans “bathroom bills” threaten transgender people’s health, rights

Jackie Biskupski is sworn in. Photo: Kate Kendell.

Salt Lake City’s openly gay officials are sworn in The Associated Press reported on Jan. 6: Jackie Biskupski has been sworn in as Salt Lake City’s mayor, becoming the first openly gay person to hold the office. The 49-year-old former Utah lawmaker said (Jan. 4) she is humbled by her historymaking election but said more needs to be done for LGBT rights.

Biskupski is no stranger to making history in the state. In 1998, she became Utah’s first openly gay lawmaker. She served in the state House until 2011.

Since then, she has worked in the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Biskupski defeated two-term incumbent mayor Ralph Becker in November by winning 52 percent of the vote in the state’s liberal

capital city.

Photo by NCLR head Kate Kendell.

Darren Wee wrote on gaystarnews. com: ….(Biskupski said, ) “As your new mayor, I commit to building an inclusive and welcoming city worthy of the unique history and legacy of this place we call home,” she told a crowd of 500 supporters on the steps of the city-county building.

Biskupski, who became Utah’s first openly gay lawmaker in 1998, recalled how LGBTI rights got her into politics in the first place.

“It was the courage of a group of East High School students who started the first Gay Straight Alliance and stood up to leaders who worked to ban a club intended to create a safe and welcoming space for kids.” she said.

“That sparked in me a responsibility to

A policy brief released Jan. 5 by The Fenway Institute and the Center for American Progress examines controversial state and local legislation that would prevent transgender people from using gendered public facilities, such as restrooms or locker rooms, that align with their gender identity.

The brief debunks myths about safety concerns regarding the use of these spaces by people who are transgender, and describes the many negative outcomes that these discriminatory bills could cause. Lastly, it calls on states to pass laws that protect the rights of all Americans to access public accommodations regardless of gender identity.

“A Texas bill would make it a felony for transgender people to use public restrooms consistent with their gender identity, and would place responsibility for enforcement with those who operate the public restroom,” said Tim Wang, LGBT Health Policy Analyst at the Fenway Institute and lead author of the report. “Preventing people who are transgender from accessing public restrooms consistent with their gender identity could promote abuse and discrimination.”

In 2015, the state legislatures of Texas, Kentucky, Florida, Minnesota, and Mis-

souri all considered bills restricting access of transgender people to public bathrooms and locker rooms. More recently, Houston repealed an equal rights ordinance which banned discrimination on the basis of gender identity, among other protected categories. This new wave of anti-transgender legislation follows historical precedents of using legislation to preempt or invalidate laws or ordinances that provide equal rights and protection from discrimination to gay, lesbian, and bisexual people.

Proponents of the anti-transgender bathroom bills argue that they are common sense policy measures to prevent transgender people from sexually harassing other people in public bathrooms.

However, there are no data showing that allowing people who are transgender to use public restrooms that align with their gender identity will lead to an increase in sexual harassment or abuse of the other people using the facilities. In fact, research has shown that transgender people are often the ones who experience discrimination and harassment in public accommodations, and this discrimination is associated with a variety of negative physical and mental health outcomes. Discrimination in public restrooms and other public spaces also has a negative impact on transgender people’s access to equal opportunities for employment, education, and socialization.

“Denying transgender people access to facilities that are necessary for all of us to go about our daily lives, like restrooms, contributes to minority stress and can exacerbate negative health outcomes already affecting transgender people,” said Laura E. Durso, Director of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress. “These efforts significantly limit the ability of transgender people to fully and equally participate in civic and public life.”

Alabama Chief Justice defies SCOTUS, blocks marriage equality Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore issued an administrative order on Jan. 8 attempting to block the implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic marriage equality decision in Obergefell v.

Hodges.

The order was issued by Moore in his capacity as Administrative Head of the Unified Judicial System of Alabama and purports to clarify that state probate court judges must continue to enforce Alabama’s obsolete bans and stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The American Civil Liberties Union and several other advocacy groups had challenged these laws in multiple lawsuits filed in 2014 and 2015, including Strawser v. Strange, a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of Alabama.

After nationwide marriage equality was established, the Southern District of Alabama Federal Court issued an order on July 1, 2015 clarifying that an earlier

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET injunction striking down Alabama’s marriage bans prevents a probate judge from denying a license to same-sex couples based upon Alabama’s laws.

The following comment can be attributed to Susan Watson, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama: “The law is clear and well-settled in Alabama as it is across the country. Bans on marriage for same-sex couples are unconstitutional. Moore’s directive doesn’t hold water because there’s a valid federal court injunction issued July 1, 2015 that we expect probate judges across the state to comply with, overriding anything issued by the Alabama Supreme Court. We hope that this page in our history of singling out gay and lesbian couples and families for discrimination and humiliation will soon be behind us.”

-ACLU UPDATE: Federal prosecutors in Alabama say the state’s probate judges must obey the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage regardless of an administrative order issued by Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore.

-Associated Press, Jan. 8

Oklahoma City Council bans anti-gay housing discrimination On Jan. 5, the Oklahoma City Council voted 5-4 to ban anti-LGBT discrimination in housing, after what John Wright on JoeMyGod.com described as a “heated” debate.

Wright posted a quote from an Oklahoma mother of a gay son: “I just feel this incredible relief and happiness and joy that our kids are going to turn on the TV tonight and think: Oklahoma is standing with you,” said Cindy Cason, whose son is gay. She lives in Norman but made the trip to Oklahoma City to address the council. “A government organization that’s willing to stand up for the rights of all of the children and all of the families in the community is fantastic.”

Freedom Oklahoma stated that they are now looking forward to adding employment and public accommodation protections. Oklahoma City already protects city workers from sexual orientation discrimination. Wright said that no statewide LGBT protections in any category exist in Oklahoma.

Sean Mandell wrote on Towleroad. com that KFOR 4 reported: By a 5-4 vote, the council included sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected classes in the housing market.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mike Cornett came out in favor of adding the protections for LGBT individuals, saying, “I just think discrimination is wrong and to a certain extent this has to do with the image of the city. Are we a city that’s accepting, a city that’s open-minded? I believe we are.”

The Oklahoman adds: Existing Oklahoma City personnel policies prohibit discrimination in city

5

hiring and employment based on sexual orientation but ordinances otherwise are silent with regard to housing, employment and public accommodations, such as hotels and restaurants.

Six speakers supported the measure in comments to the council. No public opposition was expressed in the hour-long debate.

The new protections will take effect Feb. 4.

To read the full articles, go to towleroad.com and JoeMyGod.com or see links on Facebook/EmptyClosetNews.

Military Partners mourns lesbian service member killed in Afghanistan Ariana Bostian-Kentes, president and co-founder, Military Partners and Families Coalition (MPFC), issued the following statement on Dec. 22 about the death of Major Adrianna Vorderburggen: “We lost a member of our military family yesterday. Our friend, Air Force Major Adrianna Vorderbruggen, was killed while serving in Afghanistan. All military families understand that part of serving means the potential of sending their loved one into harms way, but no amount of understanding can reduce the pain of loss when they do not return.

Major Vorderbruggen leaves behind her wife, Heather, and four year-old son, Jacob. As we try to find comfort in our community during this time we also extend our love and compassion to the five other U.S. military families who lost a loved one yesterday.

“Major Vorderbruggen was a person who lived for her family and for her country. She was one of the most friendly and laid-back people you could ever hope to meet and was an accomplished airman, a great athlete, and most of all, a wonderful mom. She leaves an indelible legacy of strength and selflessness to all those touched by her life.

“As today marks five years since the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was signed, we honor the anniversary with somber hearts and the knowledge that families like Major Vorderbruggen’s no longer serve in the shadows. We can take small comfort in the fact that they will be extended the same rights and protections due any American military family as they move through this incredibly difficult period in their lives.

“Adrianna, Heather, and Jacob were part of our MPFC family nearly from the start and took great pride in being members of the military community. When their marriage was finally legally recognized, they celebrated by signing up Heather and Jacob as Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) dependents, taking a shopping trip to the commissary with the dependent ID card, and scheduling their first doctor’s appointment on base for Jacob.

“This family is the reason that the anniversary of repeal matters. The upswell in support and prayers offered by

Study: Bisexuality on rise, especially among women Darren Wee posted Jan. 9 on gaystarnews.com: Bisexuality is on the rise in the US – especially among women, according to a new survey by the Centers for Disease Control.

Of the 9,175 adults ages 18-44 interviewed for the 2011-2013 National Survey of Family Growth, almost three times as many women (17.4%) reported any same-sex contact in their lifetime compared with men (6.2%).

Similarly, women (5.5%) were three times more likely than men (2%) to say they were bisexual – up from 3.9% and 1.2% respectively in a 2006-2008 survey.

Eight percent of women under 25 identified as bisexual, and were the most likely among age and gender groups to be LGB overall.

However, women (1.3%) were less likely to identify as gay or lesbian, and the percentage of gay men (1.9%) did not change significantly.

-To read the full story, go to GayStarNews.com or see Facebook/EmptyClosetNews

military families everywhere to Major Vorderbruggen’s is unique to those who know what it means to serve. This is what community is about and this is why your MPFC family is unfailingly here for you.”

There are 59 state antiLGBT bills pending nationwide Joe Jervis posted on JoeMyGod.com on Jan. 13: According to the legislation tracker Protect Thy Neighbor, there are presently 59 anti-LGBT bills active nationwide in state legislatures.

The site is tracking this post-Obergefell avalanche in multiple categories including same-sex marriage, adoption, healthcare, public accommodations, and religious liberty. Hit the link, check out your home state, and bookmark the site, which is a project of Americans United For Separation of Church and State.

For the link, go to JoeMyGod.com or see Facebook/EmptyClosetNews

Montana governor: Protect LGBT rights Via press release: In a press conference last month Governor Bullock celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. day by noting that it is time to “recommit to King’s values of compassion and equity” by expanding protections for LGBT people in Montana. He also spoke to Montana’s private business owners, stating “while an executive order applies to state government only I encourage private businesses to examine their policies as well.”

“Discrimination in any form is wrong, and through his actions today, Governor Bullock has taken a bold step to expand equality and fairness for all,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “We commend him for doing everything in his administrative power to fight for the rights of LGBT Montanans, and hope his actions encourage other government officials to make safeguarding protections for all residents and visitors a priority.”

Currently there is no federal law or regulation that explicitly bans workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and Montana is one of 31 states where people are at risk of being fired or refused employment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The order took effect immediately.

To read the full article, go to JoeMyGod.com (Newsfronts continues page 14)

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PAGE ONE (ESPA from page 3) ly quite similar to what is happening now to get the new regs adopted in the first place. Every five years these regs will be reviewed and at that time each involved agency will have the opportunity to either repeal, renew or modify the regulations.

That means that every five years we will need to defend these regulations to insure they are renewed. We will need to do this in perpetuity.

“In addition to the required five year review process, there is an emergency process whereby an agency could seek to change its regulations irrespective of the five year reviews.

“I think that politically, it is unlikely that these regulations will be repealed. For that to happen you would need a Republican governor elected who then appoints agency heads at DHR and DOH who are willing to upset the apple cart by trying to repeal these regulations. This possibility is even more remote when you consider that the clear trend of the case law, both on the state and federal level is to define prohibitions against sex discrimination to include trans people. Thus, even if these regulations are repealed, as long as the Human Rights Law still prohibits sex discrimination, courts are likely to find that we are protected nonetheless. “‘Unlikely’ does not mean ‘impossible’.

It is certainly conceivable that the political winds of the state could shift dramatically enough to endanger these regulations. But that is also true of GENDA. If GENDA were to pass this year, there is no guaranty that some future legislature and governor might decide to repeal GENDA. Passing GENDA would clearly give us more security than these regulations. However, these regulations are just about the biggest win our community in this state has ever had.

“For my part, I certainly support a continued drive to pass GENDA but first things first. Let’s get these regulations enacted before we launch a campaign centered on their shortcomings. In other words, let’s get out of the casino with our winnings before we start placing more bets.

“As for the letter to ESPA, I understand the motivation but I understand less the goal that would be achieved. But because I recognize that the majority of our community supports this action, for the sake of unity, I support it too.”

Rochester trans activist Pamela Barres, a former ESPA board member and Gay Alliance Interim Executive Director, replied to Juli Grey-Owens, declining to sign.

She wrote, “As a trans-woman who has worked since the 1990s to secure my rights, I am … confused as to why you want to undermine the Division of Human Rights Regulations that will give us what we’ve all been working for, which is equality under the law. The proposed Regulations give us what we want, the wording may be somewhat different, but gender expression and identity will now be protected by these new Regulations. What seems to be happening is we’ve been so fixated on GENDA that we forgot what GENDA was meant to do and that was just to amend the Human Rights Law, and yes the Hate Crimes Law as well, but the Hate Crimes Law is certainly problematic with many trans people of color.

“Protections for gender expression and identity, though now by definition, rather than explicitly stated in the Human Rights Law, have now been accomplished.

That is what GENDA’s passage would also accomplish. The key difference in my opinion is that the Regulations will do it in 2016, and if you or anyone else believes that the New York State Senate is going to pass GENDA in 2016, you must be living in a parallel political universe…. “…. One of the concerns I had with the draft letter you shared was that it seemed to take no real notice that much of the severe discrimination that our community, and particularly people of color

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016 in our trans communities have had to endure, will be mitigated by the introduction of the Regulations.

“I know these Regulations, when their final form is announced, hopefully soon, will be challenged in Court by our enemies. One of their arguments is sure to be that the Governor had no authority to order the Division of Human Rights to change their definition of the word sex.

If we are saying at the same time that we don’t think these Regulations are sufficient; that they really don’t give us the legal protections we require, therefore we must have GENDA, it seems at least to me, that it gives strength to the arguments that the Governor really can’t do this and only the Legislature can take such action.

“Doing that then means we are willing to take a chance we will not have protections from discrimination in 2016, which the Regulations promise. I am not willing to do that. I prefer to take the stance that they give us the protections that we need.

The wording is not elegant but they give us the protections. Then wait to see what the legal landscape turns out to be. If that landscape is not favorable for us, then we go back to an all out demand for GENDA ASAP. Waiting I do not think would have any impact on GENDA finally being passed. …There is no chance, in my opinion, that the Senate will take up GENDA in 2016.

“Instead of saying that we still don’t have sufficient civil right protections I would rather we would spend our time and energy promoting the fact that the Regulations are outlawing discrimination against trans people and promoting that loudly and widely among the trans community and the non-trans communities. People need to be aware that it is not OK to discriminate, and that there are legal ramifications where discrimination occurs…. “… I am precluded by the confidentiality of the board meetings that I attended from going into the details around the decision to start closing down Pride Agenda operations, suffice it to say it was not an easy decision nor was it one that anyone was eager to make and yet circumstances required it….

“I agree that it is important to openly proclaim the transgender community’s presence as human beings, etc. but I doubt if that was the purpose behind GENDA. GENDA is about equality before the law. What you’re talking about is justice; that is not necessarily the work of the law. That is the job that we as the trans community need to do together with our allies. And I’m glad to see that there are organizations forming to continue to work in that area…. It is time to stop beating up on each other and get on with the job of winning justice.”

Assembly GENDA sponsor Richard Gottfried supports Cuomo’s trans regulations On Dec. 21, NYS Assembly member Richard Gottfried, sponsor of GENDA, the transgender anti-discrimination bill blocked by Republicans from a Senate vote for eight years, wrote to Caroline J. Downey, General Counsel for the Division of Human Rights, about his support for Gov. Cuomo’s regulations to protect trans New Yorkers from discrimination.

Some excerpts from his letter: I strongly support adoption of the regulations proposed by the Division of Human Rights to extend the scope of New York State’s prohibition of discrimination based on sex under the Human Rights Law to include discrimination based on gender identity or expression.

However, I also urge that the Division amend the regulations to conform to the current language of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA, A.4558-A/S.61-A) that has passed the Assembly and is pending in the Senate.

As the long-time sponsor of GENDA, I heartily welcome the Division’s initiative. I will not lengthen these comments

to reiterate the compelling need for protecting transgender New Yorkers under the State’s Human Rights Law. That need is well documented in the record.

The legislative findings and intent section of the GENDA bill states: The legislature . . . finds that, as court decisions have properly held, New York’s sex discrimination laws prohibit discrimination based on gender stereotypes or because an individual has transitioned or intends to transition from one gender to another. This legislation is intended to codify this principle and to ensure that the public understands that discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression is prohibited.

New York State courts, other state courts, federal courts, and numerous federal agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have, for some time, held that sex discrimination, under various anti-discrimination laws, includes discrimination based on gender identity or expression.

As the legislative author of GENDA, I welcome the Division’s decision to codify this interpretation under New York’s Human Rights Law. The Division’s proposed regulations are legally sound and will provide important and appropriate protection to transgender New Yorkers, in keeping with the long-standing fundamental principles of the Human Rights Law. Before GENDA was reported from committee in the Assembly this year, it was amended to modify the definition of “gender identity or expression.” That definition previously was: The term “gender identity or expression” means having or being perceived as having a gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior or expression whether or not that gender identity, selfimage, appearance, behavior or expression is different from that traditionally associated with the sex assigned to that person at birth.

It was amended to read: The term “gender identity or expression” means a person’s actual or perceived gender-related identity, appearance, behavior, expression, or other genderrelated characteristic regardless of the sex assigned to that person at birth, including, but not limited to, the status of being transgender.

The change was made on the recommendation of the New York State Trans Rights Coalition. It had formed a committee made up of thoughtful, experienced legal advocates from the New York Civil Liberties Union, Housing Works, Empire State Pride Agenda, Empire Justice Center, Fordham Law School and members of the Trans Rights Coalition, including some of the initial drafters of GENDA. The committee reviewed the definition to determine whether it could be improved to be most protective and clear in light of the passage and interpretation of similar protections in locales across New York State and the country.

Based on the committee’s findings and recommendation, Senator Squadron and I, the sponsors of GENDA, amended the definition of “gender identity or expression” in the bill.

The following, provided by the group, highlights and explains the changes: Adding “gender-related” Adding the modifier “related” avoids a circular definition Removing “self-image” Self-image is legally unnecessary. Further, questions have been raised in the past as to the meaning of self-image.

Removing self-image makes the definition more clear.

Adding “or other gender-related characteristic” This makes the legislation more protective and durable over the course of time to protect physical as well as social genderrelated characteristics.

Substituting “regardless of the sex assigned to that person at birth” for “whether or not that gender identi-

NYS Assembly member Dick Gottfried (left) at a Pride March.

ty, self-image, appearance, behavior, or expression is different from that traditionally associated with the sex assigned to that person at birth” This substitution does not change the breadth of protection or its meaning. Instead, it 1) makes the definition less cumbersome and 2) removes the unnecessary hurdle of showing what gender-related characteristics are traditionally associated with a person’s assigned birth sex. This language is also found in protections across the country such as Washington DC, Nevada, Iowa, and Vermont.

Adding “including, but not limited to, the status of being transgender” Adding explicit specificity about the population protected by the definition clarifies who is protected. The “but not limited to” language ensures that individuals who do not identify as transgender, such as gender non-conforming individuals, continue to benefit from the protection of the definition.

Based on the work of the Transgender Rights Coalition’s committee, I urge the Division to amend the proposed regulations to incorporate those changes, as we did in the Legislature.

The proposed regulations do not, of course, amend the provisions of the Civil Rights Law or the Education Law relating to discrimination, or the Penal Law and the Criminal Procedure Law relating to so-called hate crimes. However, I believe the courts should recognize the Division’s authoritative interpretation of sex discrimination as including gender identity or expression discrimination, and apply that inclusive interpretation to those other statutes as well.

It is still important for GENDA to be enacted. The rights of transgender New Yorkers are important and should be explicitly identified in statute. Enacting the bill would also prevent possible judicial undermining of the Division’s regulations or repeal by a future administration.

However, that is not an argument against the Division’s proposal.

Therefore, I thank the Division for this initiative and urge that the proposed regulations be amended as described above and approved.

(See page 11.)

LOCAL AND STATE (Trans from page 3) representative stated.

“We are thrilled by this tremendous victory for Adrian and the 400,000 workers affiliated with 1199 SEIU and thank the union for its prompt and positive response,” said TLDEF Staff Attorney Ethan Rice. “Adrian’s story exemplifies the struggles that transgender people continue to face when trying to access basic medically necessary health care for gender transition, even in a health care union’s plan that purports to have removed exclusions for transgender health care,” he said. “Old habits around excluding transgender health care are slow to change.”

As TLDEF recently told The New York Times editorial board, “entrenched attitudes and misconceptions continue to prevail. Many people still don’t think of this as medically necessary care, so they reflexively deny claims because that’s what they’ve always done.”

“I am happy and relieved that my union will cover this care,” said Mr.

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET Sealy. “This medical procedure will greatly improve my health and wellbeing. No one should be denied health care coverage just because of who they are.”

Interview

Did you know Rochester is America’s 11th queerest city?

The Advocate, which describes itself as the world’s leading LGBT news source, on Jan. 11 unveiled its 7th annual “Queerest Cities in America” list.

The Advocate said, “While locales such as New York and West Hollywood are widely known to be LGBT-friendly, this list spotlights some unexpected cities not afraid to fly their LGBT-friendly flags.”

“There are only a few true LGBT megalopolises in America — and that’s often by virtue of their sheer size,” says Matthew Breen, editor-in-chief of The Advocate. “What’s more fun, and more illuminating, is to look at the queer quotient of some less-expected locales, using criteria that don’t focus on more expected factors. The results are always unanticipated, and this year’s list delivers some absolutely surprising cities. We love sparking conversation in those places about what makes a city LGBT-friendly—and whether that city’s spot on the list is honestly earned.”

Using its own unique and irreverent criteria, The Advocate found a surprisingly diverse group of cities. While the criteria does include important elements such as non-discrimination protections and LGBT sites on the National Register, it also includes more light-hearted factors such as LGBT film festivals and tours of Janet Jackson, Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepson, and Madonna that have passed through the city. The full list of criteria can be found at Advocate.com.

The raw score is then divided by the population to provide a ranking based on a per capita LGBT quotient.

The 2016 “Queerest Cities in America” are: 15. Berkeley, CA 14. Manchester, NH 13. Waterbury, CT 12. Eugene, OR 11. Rochester, NY 10. Boulder, CO 9. Edison, NJ 8. Salt Lake City, UT 7. San Francisco, CA 6. Washington, D.C. 5. New Haven, CT 4. St. Louis, MO 3. Cambridge, MA 2. Inglewood, CA 1. HARTFORD, CT Find out more about why these cities are The Advocate’s top “Queerest Cities in America” this year at: http://www. advocate.com/current-issue/2016/1/11/ queerest-cities-america-2016 (Local & State continues page 11)

Kelly Clark at the Dec. 13 Gay Alliance open house. Photo: Susan Jordan

Kelly Clark

By Susan Jordan Kelly Clark, former Gay Alliance staff member, has now received her PhD. from St. John Fisher. She will give an InQueery class at the Gay Alliance LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave., on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m.

Kelly’s thesis is about changing attitudes toward masculinity among male high school students. She interviewed eight young men from a suburban Buffalo school, one of whom identified himself as gay. She has no idea of the orientation of the others.

Kelly told The Empty Closet, “I’m going to present my thesis to the community (at the InQueery class). A lot of people have been asking me what I’m doing now, and this will be a capstone experience for me, to go back to the community and say ‘this is what I’ve been doing all this time.’

“My working title for my thesis is ‘Sometimes the jocks are the nerds’. It’s documenting inclusive masculinity in a high school setting, and is based on ‘Inclusive Masculinity Theory’. The theory posits that, as LGBT acceptance grows in our society, boys and men lose their fear of being perceived as gay. So what happens is, they’re able to adopt a wider variety of behaviors that are still considered masculine.

“Some boys in my study for instance had their eyebrows waxed, on the basis that ‘it’s not bad to be gay and I don’t have to worry about looking gay’. The point is, boys are beginning to behave in ways that

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people would consider more feminine.

I interviewed white, African American and Asian boys – a real variety who don’t think it’s bad to wax your eyebrows, wear pink, etc.”

What is “Inclusive Masculinity”?

Kelly explained, “The reason they call it inclusive is because it includes gay boys as ‘one of the guys’. My title comes from my asking a young man to tell me about the different groups or subcultures in high school. Now some of the jocks are ‘nerds’ – not just waxing their brows but also being very smart, knowing a lot about computers, liking art and music – now the jocks are doing this too.

“The jocks, or athletes, used to be at the top of the pecking order and enforced strict rules of masculinity, i.e. a real male has to be handsome, has to date the head cheerleader and bully gay boys – all to prove he isn’t gay. There was a clear split between the esteemed athletes the boys look up to as ‘nice guys’ and the other athletes who can be mean – but are also not looked up to any more. “‘Nice guys’ go to church, volunteer in their community, and don’t bully.

They are the respected ones now. Unfortunately I didn’t have any ‘mean jocks’ in my sample! I had some football players lined up to talk to, but they backed out on me, so I don’t know if they’d have given me stereotypical answers – or if they’re aware that kids don’t respect them as much as the ‘nice guy’ jocks.”

Kelly said that the young men she talked to were “a little softer” in their masculinity. She acknowledged that bullying still goes on all over the country,

7 but, she noted, in the school she studied, “the mean guys still bully EACH OTHER – and put each other down for being ‘faggots’ – but they never say that to a gay kid.”

Is this because they know the school authorities would come down on them?

“It’s partly because the culture of the school has shifted enough for them to know not to bully the gay kids – but they still use homophobic putdowns for each other,” Kelly said. “Now, once it’s known that a boy is gay, they can’t be bullying anymore – and it’s also partly because society is now less homophobic.”

Kelly did not look at trans youth in her study, but one of her thesis recommendations is that studies should be repeated that do include trans students, and also should include rural and inner city schools in areas where the general cultural acceptance of gays hasn’t gotten as high, and issues of race and class exacerbate hyper masculine behavior.

She said, “In future it would be good to have studies of rural and urban schools, and also all-boys’ schools with an all-masculine environment. Several studies from England, including a religious school and what the British call public schools – what we think of as private schools for the wealthy and upper class -- show boys whose behavior looks like that of adolescent girls, with close emotional support of friends, holding hands or hugging – and they don’t get called faggots.

“One study of a school with 100 boys and 100 girls had 500 hours of observation and never showed anything homophobic. And they didn’t have one fight all year. My study looks at schools in the U.S. to see if our boys are dong the same thing.

What I’ll report on in my InQueery class is how close our culture is getting to the one reported in at least these schools in England. My belief is our boys are moving closer to that – behaving more like girls.

In cultures where boys are in boarding schools, or in college, they’re away from home and can build less hyper masculine cultures.

“Based on some data, I guess there’s a class component. That’s why I studied a suburban high school, because I assumed the class component would allow those boys to be more inclusive. That’s why we need to study urban schools to see where class might make a difference. People assume that hyper masculinity in black male culture is based on race, but it’s really much more a class thing. If you look at working class rural culture, there’s as much emphasis on hyper masculinity as with inner city culture.

“Another recommendation in my study is for a longitudinal study: take one school and watch it for 10 years to see if changes occur and stay. Just because something changes doesn’t mean it will stay changed.”

Kelly added, “A recent study revealed that black people seem more optimistic about the future, while white people are more angry – ‘my privilege is threatened so the American Dream is dead’.”

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Making the Scene SAGE JINGLE MINGLE: SAGE held their holiday party on Dec. 12.

L-R: Bess Watts, Jessie Gibson, Anne Tischer and Audet Price.

Kim Braithwaite

Jeannie Gainsburg and Jean Thibodeau.

Karen Monast, winner of the ugly sweater contest, with Santa (Audet Price). Photo: Bess Watts

LGBTQ RESOURCE CENTER OPEN HOUSE: The Open House took place on Dec. 13.

Chris Wilson

Bob Day

Bill DeStevens and Colleen Raymond

L-R: Jennifer Matthews, Scott Fearing, Bill Moehle, Deb Oppenheimer and Paul Birkby. All Open House photos by Susan Jordan

YOUTH PARTY: Around 25 Gay Alliance Youth Group members and friends partied at the new Center on Dec. 11. In January 39 youth attended a Lock In. The youth have chosen to have monthly special events. Photos: Scott Fearing

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET (Local & State from page 7)

Gov. Cuomo’s transgender protection regulations have been adopted, and here’s what they actually say Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Jan. 20 announced that the New York State Division of Human Rights has adopted new regulations that ban discrimination and harassment against transgender people. The regulations are effective today, and affirm that transgender individuals are protected under the state’s Human Rights Law. All public and private employers, housing providers, businesses, creditors and others should know that discrimination against transgender persons is unlawful and will not be tolerated anywhere in the state of New York.

These regulations were first introduced by Governor Cuomo in October – marking the first time that any Governor has issued statewide regulations to prohibit harassment and discrimination on the basis of gender identity, transgender status or gender dysphoria.

“Today we are sending the message loud and clear that New York will not stand for discrimination against transgender people,” said Governor Cuomo.

“It is intolerable to allow harassment or discrimination against anyone, and the transgender community has been subjected to a second-class status for far too long. This is an issue of basic justice and I am proud that New York is continuing to lead the way forward.”

The state of New York has had a long history of protecting the rights of transgender persons under the provisions of the Human Rights Law. New York was the first state in the nation to enact an anti-discrimination Human Rights Law. The Law, enacted in 1945, affords every citizen “an equal opportunity to enjoy a full and productive life.” Individuals who feel they have been harassed or discriminated against can file complaints in state court, or with the New York State Division of Human Rights, without charge.

Those complaints are promptly investigated at regional offices throughout the state.

Under state law, the Division has the statutory authority to promulgate regulations interpreting the Human Rights Law. The regulations confirm that the Division of Human Rights will accept and process Human Rights Law complaints alleging discrimination because of gender identity, on the basis of the protected categories of both sex and disability, and provide important information to all New Yorkers regarding unlawful discrimination against transgender individuals.

If the Division determines there is probable cause to believe harassment or discrimination has occurred, the Commissioner of Human Rights will decide the case after a public hearing, and may award job, housing or other benefits, back

and front pay, compensatory damages for mental anguish, civil fines and penalties, and may also require policy changes and training as appropriate. Civil fines and penalties can be up to $50,000 or up to $100,000 if the discrimination is found be “willful, wanton or malicious” and, unlike under federal law, compensatory damages to individuals are not capped.

Division of Human Rights NOTICE OF ADOPTION Gender Identity Discrimination I.D. No. HRT-44-15-00033-A Filing No. 6 Filing Date: 2016-01-05 Effective Date: 2016-01-20 PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE State Administrative Procedure Act, NOTICE is hereby given of the following action: Action taken: Addition of section 466.13 to Title 9 NYCRR. Statutory authority: Executive Law, section 295.5 Subject: Gender Identity Discrimination.

Purpose: To clarify how gender identity discrimination may constitute either sex or disability discrimination under the Human Rights Law. Text of final rule: A new Section 466.13 is added to read as follows: 466.13 Discrimination on the basis of gender identity. (a) Statutory Authority. Pursuant to N.Y. Executive Law § 295.5, it is a power and a duty of the Division to adopt, promulgate, amend and rescind suitable rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of the N.Y. Executive Law, article 15 (Human Rights Law). (b) Definitions.

(1) Gender identity means having or being perceived as having a gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior or expression whether or not that gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior or expression is different from that traditionally associated with the sex assigned to that person at birth.

(2) A transgender person is an individual who has a gender identity different from the sex assigned to that individual at birth.

(3) Gender dysphoria is a recognized medical condition related to an individual having a gender identity different from the sex assigned at birth. (c) Discrimination on the basis of gender identity is sex discrimination.

(1) The term “sex” when used in the Human Rights Law includes gender identity and the status of being transgender.

(2) The prohibitions contained in the Human Rights Law against discrimination on the basis of sex, in all areas of jurisdiction where sex is 2 a protected category, also prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or the status of being transgender.

(3) Harassment on the basis of a person’s gender identity or the status of being transgender is sexual harassment. (d) Discrimination on the basis of gender dysphoria or other condition meeting

the definition of disability in the Human Rights Law set out below is disability discrimination.

(1) The term “disability” as defined in Human Rights Law § 292.21, means (a) a physical, mental or medical impairment resulting from anatomical, physiological, genetic or neurological conditions which prevents the exercise of a normal bodily function or is demonstrable by medically accepted clinical or laboratory diagnostic techniques or (b) a record of such an impairment or (c) a condition regarded by others as such an impairment, provided, however, that in all provisions of this article dealing with employment, the term shall be limited to disabilities which, upon the provision of reasonable accommodations, do not prevent the complainant from performing in a reasonable manner the activities involved in the job or occupation sought or held.

(2) The term “disability” when used in the Human Rights Law includes gender dysphoria or other condition meeting the definition of disability in the Human Rights Law set out above.

(3) The prohibitions contained in the Human Rights Law against discrimination on the basis of disability, in all areas of jurisdiction where disability is a protected category, also prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender dysphoria or other condition meeting the definition of disability in the Human Rights Law set out above.

(4) Refusal to provide reasonable accommodation for persons with gender dysphoria or other condition meeting the definition of disability in the Human Rights Law set out above, where requested and necessary, and in accordance with the Divisions regulations on reasonable accommodation found at 9 NYCRR § 466.11, is disability discrimination.

(5) Harassment on the basis of a person’s gender dysphoria or other condition meeting the definition of disability in the Human Rights Law set out above is harassment on the basis of disability.

Final rule as compared with last published rule: Nonsubstantive changes were made in sections 466.13(b)(2), (3), (d), (d) (2), (3), (4) and (5).

Text of rule and any required statements and analyses may be obtained from: Edith Allen, Administrative Aide, Division of Human Rights, One Fordham Plaza, 4th Floor, Bronx, New York 10458, (718) 741-8398, email: eallen@ dhr.ny.gov Revised Regulatory Impact Statement Nonsubstantial changes were made to the text of the adopted rule. Gender neutral language replaced the pronouns “him” and “her.” In addition, it was clarified that any gender related condition meeting the definition of disability in the Human Rights Law necessarily would be covered under the disability provisions of the Human Rights Law. A revised RIS is not required because the nonsubstantial changes merely state the requirements under the disability provisions of the

11 Human Rights Law. Revised Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Nonsubstantial changes were made to the text of the adopted rule. Gender neutral language replaced the pronouns “him” and “her.” In addition, it was clarified that any gender related condition meeting the definition of disability in the Human Rights Law necessarily would be covered under the disability provisions of the Human Rights Law. A revised RFA is not required because the changes have no impact on the previously published RFA. The adoption of this rule, and these nonsubstantial changes, clarify the Division’s practice and policy with regard to complaints of transgender individuals and do not impose any new requirements.

Revised Rural Area Flexibility Analysis Nonsubstantial changes were made to the text of the adopted rule. Gender neutral language replaced the pronouns “him” and “her.” In addition, it was clarified that any gender related condition meeting the definition of disability in the Human Rights Law necessarily would be covered under the disability provisions of the Human Rights Law. A revised RAFA is not required because the changes have no impact on the previously published RAFA. The adoption of this rule, and these nonsubstantial changes, clarify the Division’s practice and policy with regard to complaints of transgender individuals and do not impose any new requirements.

Revised Job Impact Statement Nonsubstantial changes were made to the text of the adopted rule. Gender neutral language replaced the pronouns “him” and “her.” In addition, it was clarified that any gender related condition meeting the definition of disability in the Human Rights Law necessarily would be covered under the disability provisions of the Human Rights Law. A revised JIS is not required because the changes have no impact on the previously published JIS. The adoption of this rule, and these nonsubstantial changes, will not have any adverse impact on jobs and employment opportunities.

Initial Review of Rule As a rule that requires a RFA, RAFA or JIS, this rule will be initially reviewed in the calendar year 2019, which is no later than the 3rd year after the year in which this rule is being adopted.

Assessment of Public Comment A Notice of Rule Making was published in the State Register on November 4, 2015. The Division of Human Rights (DHR or Division) received comments associated with the rule making during the public comment period. Many comments were supportive of the proposal, some were supportive but suggested various changes, and many were opposed. The major issues and concerns raised in the comments are summarized below. DHR’s response is provided for each issue or concern.

Comment: The regulation should avoid the use of gendered pronouns.

(Regulations continues page 12)

12 (Regulations from page 11) Response: The final regulation as adopted has removed gendered ronouns.

Comment: The regulation should explicitly include other diagnoses in addition to gender dysphoria, including transsexualism, gender identity disorder, intersex conditions or any other medical diagnosis stemming from having a gender identity different than that typically associated with one’s sex assigned at birth.

Response: The final regulation as adopted has been amended to clarify that any individual who has a medical diagnosis or condition that meets the current statutory definition of disability set out in the HRL is protected from discrimination on that basis by the various disability provisions of the HRL, including employment, housing and places of public accommodation.

Comment: The definition of gender identity should be amended to ensure that individuals who do not identify as transgender, such as gender non-conforming individuals, continue to benefit from the protections under the Human Rights Law. Response: It is unnecessary to include a specific reference to gender non-conforming individuals. Issues involving gender non-conforming individuals is addressed by the existing law on sex stereotyping, which is a well-established aspect of sex discrimination law. See the Division’s Regulatory Impact Statement for further detail on sex stereotyping.

Comment: The regulation should provide more specific guidance onwhat types of actions would be considered sex or disability discrimination as they pertain to gender identity, gender expression, or gender dysphoria.

Response: Whether conduct constitutes discrimination or harassment is a fact-intensive inquiry that depends on the circumstances of a case and the applicable legal standards. Pursuant to the statutory language of the 5 HRL, in the area of employment, individuals are entitled to equal treatment with regard to hiring, fir-

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016 ing, compensation, or in terms, conditions or privileges of employment. Exec. L. § 296.1. In the area of housing, individuals are entitled to equal access to buy, rent, lease, or otherwise access housing, and to equal terms, conditions or privileges of the sale, rental or lease of housing. Exec. L. § 296.2-a and § 296.5. In the area of public accommodations, individuals may not be denied an accommodation, or the advantages, facilities or privileges thereof, or be subject to statements or other behavior indicating that any protected characteristic of an individual is unwelcome, objectionable or not acceptable, desired or solicited.

Exec. L. § 296.2. In addition, the HRL provides that reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities is specifically required in all of these areas. Exec. L. §§ 296.2(c)-(e), 296.2-a (d); 296.3, 296.18.

Comment: The regulation should provide specific guidance on what types of accommodations are needed by persons with gender dysphoria.

Response: As noted above, whether a particular accommodation is reasonable is a fact-intensive inquiry that depends on the circumstances in a case, including the medical needs of the individual as documented by the person’s medical professional(s), and applicable legal standards. In addition, guidance on determining reasonable accommodation in the employment context is provided by 9 NYCRR 466.11.

Comment: The regulation should make explicit reference to “sex stereotyping.”

Response: It is unnecessary to include a specific reference to sex stereotyping, which is a well-established aspect of sex discrimination law. See the Division’s Regulatory Impact Statement for further detail on sex stereotyping.

Comment: The regulation should explicitly state that “actual or perceived” and/or “past or present” gender dysphoria is included.

Response: The definition of gender identity includes reference to “perceived”

gender identity. With regard to gender dysphoria, or other condition meeting the statutory definition of disability set out in the HRL, the definition of “disability” under the HRL includes “a condition regarded by others as” a disability.

Thus, all perceived disabilities, including perceived gender dysphoria, entitle the individual to the protection of the disability provisions. Also, the definition of disability under the HRL includes having “a record of” a disability, thus including those with a history of gender dysphoria (or other disability) regardless of whether the individual currently has a disability.

Comment: The regulation should explicitly include “gender expression” in addition to “gender identity.”

Response: The regulation’s definition of gender identity includes “expression.”

Variations in gender expression are an issue that is addressed by the existing law on sex stereotyping.

Comment: Various commenters suggested changes to the definition of gender identity (at (b)(1)), and to the explanations of the meaning of “sex” 6 (at (c)(1)) and “disability” (at (d)(2)).

Response: Some suggested changes were stylistic rather than substantive.

Some were substantive and advocated broader definitions and more inclusive language. The regulation has been written to state the protections afforded by current discrimination law. Some of the suggested changes may be encompassed in current law, and some of these have been specifically addressed elsewhere in this document. Others may go beyond current law, and should be addressed only on a case-bycase basis under current law, and/or should be determined by the legislature.

Comment: Some commenters suggested the addition of specific language relative to the purpose of the regulation.

Response: The purpose of the regulation, as explained fully in the accompanying Regulatory Impact Statement, is to clarify, consistent with interpretation by New York Courts and the Division’s practice and policy, that the Human Rights Law’s prohibition against sex discrimination includes discrimination based on gender identity and the status of being transgender, and the prohibition against disability discrimination includes discrimination based on gender dysphoria.

Comment: This regulation is ambiguous and unclear; imposes burdensome new costs and mandates upon employers; misinterprets existing law; and exceeds the Division’s authority.

Response: The rule clarifies the Division’s practice and policy with regard to complaints of transgender individuals. As set out in the Division’s Regulatory Impact Statement, the Division’s practice and policy are entirely consonant with the case law that has developed in this area with regard to the statutory prohibitions against sex and disability discrimination set out in the HRL. As these requirements already exist, there are no new costs or mandates. Pursuant to Executive Law § 295.5, it is a power and a duty of the Division to adopt, promulgate, amend and rescind suitable rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of the HRL. Comment: The proposed regulation would force New York employers to change their workplaces to accommodate cross-dressing employees and would make businesses liable for supposed transgressions upon a civil right to “gender identity or expression.”

Response: As noted above, the implementation of this rule clarifies the Division’s practice and policy with regard to complaints of transgender individuals on the bases of sex and/or disability provisions of the HRL and imposes no new liabilities on employers or businesses.

Comment: The Division of Human Rights lacks the authority to revise the definitions of “sex” and “disability” set forth in the HRL. Response: As noted above, this rule clarifies the Division’s practice and policy with regard to complaints of transgender individuals, in accordance with the

interpretation by New York courts of the sex and disability provisions of the HRL. There are no revisions to the definitions of “sex” and “disability.”

Comment: The proposed rule will compromise the privacy and safety of females, undermine the rights of females to have space free from males and permit intact biological males to have access to women’s restrooms and locker rooms.

Response: As noted above, the HRL prohibits sex and disability discrimination in employment, housing and places of public accommodation, and this rule clarifies how persons falling within those bases are protected by the Law. Only persons who meet the standards of the HRL are protected. General conjecture or speculation that the provisions might be misused cannot trump this legitimate need for protection from unlawful discrimination.

No examples were given of such misuse in any jurisdiction in the United States where gender identity protection has been adopted.

Comment: The proposed rule would adopt a definition of “gender identity” that is entirely subjective. The proposed definition of “gender identity” does not require any objective proof. Gender identity should be defined as “a person’s identification with the sex opposite her or his physiology or assigned sex at birth, which can be shown by providing evidence including, but not limited to, medical history, care or treatment of a transsexual medical condition, gender dysphoria, or related condition, as deemed medically necessary by the American Medical Association or American Psychiatric Association.”

Response: The HRL defines disability broadly. It includes, but is not limited to, impairments or conditions that are “demonstrable by medically accepted clinical or laboratory diagnostic techniques.”

The definition also includes any condition that is “regarded by others as such an impairment” or “a record of such an impairment.” Requiring objective proof, as part of the definition of disability, would place an additional burden on persons with gender dysphoria in establishing the status of having a disability that is not required under the HRL for other kinds of disabilities. The existence of the disability claimed in any particular case (or its perception or record) may be part of evidence required to prove a discrimination claim when a case is filed under the HRL, but requiring a different standard to meet the definition of disability would alter the legislatively imposed definition of disability, and would be beyond the Division’s regulatory authority.

Comment: The proposed rule is inconsistent with the holding in State Div. of Human Rights ex rel. Johnson v Oneida County Sheriff’s Department, which recognized a right to privacy on the basis of sex. Also, the HRL provides an exception that rooming houses may be limited to only one sex, and that the Division may grant exemptions for single sex public accommodations based on public policy considerations. Response: The resolution of issues involving sex-based privacy, in the narrow circumstances in which it may be available, would be considered as part of the legal analysis of a sex discrimination claim and will be determined on a case-by-case basis. All existing law on this subject will be relevant to such resolutions, which will also involve the recognition that gender-identity discrimination is sex and/or disability discrimination.

Comment: Gender identity should not be included in the definition of “sex,” as “gender identity” is wholly different from sex and, instead, is more analogous to sex stereotypes.

Response: Consistent with the case law cited in the accompanying Regulatory Impact Statement, the Division has interpreted the term “sex” as encompassing “gender identity.”

Comment: Protections for the disabled under the HRL are aimed at seeking modifications of policies and was created specifically to address the legitimate needs of persons with disabilities. The disability (Regulations continues page 14)

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

Introducing a new feature:

Conversations in the Community

Daniel Rosen hunts wild mushrooms.

A talk with Rochester’s only practicing and certified sex therapist, Daniel Rosen

By Stephanie Nawrocki There are many humble Rochesterians who work behind the glorifying attention of the spotlight. There is no standing ovation for their work, nor is there fame or fortune to be found. Instead, altruism fuels their motivation to educate themselves in order to truly help others. Daniel Rosen, Rochester’s only certified and practicing sex therapist, is one of these individuals.

In 2008, Daniel began his journey to become a certified sex therapist with AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Education Counselors and Therapists). He had already been working as a licensed clinical social worker for nearly twenty years. Throughout his career, he had noticed that Rochester did not offer the same post-graduate continuing education programs for mental health professionals that many larger cities had. After voicing his concerns to his good friend William Kelly, Dan decided to pursue the education required to become Rochester’s voice in the community — our very own certified sex therapist.

Dan’s desire to have a specialty in his field was one that came with a greater purpose and calling. The topic was fresh in the sense that nobody else in the area had any desire to stamp an emphasis upon it. Dan’s intensive studies consisted of 150 hours of human sexuality, 90 hours of sex therapy, and 50 hours of direct supervi-

sion — the supervisor being Dan’s longtime friend, William Kelly (Mr. Kelly is certified in sex therapy, but is no longer practicing in the area). The training under William Kelly solidified the friendship between the two, and they are still close friends to this day.

Specializing in sex therapy doesn’t come without challenges. Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders was fired for admitting that “masturbation is normal” under the Clinton administration. In 2002, Surgeon General David Satcher was fired for promoting sex education in public schools.

Unfortunately, politics manages to play a role in the controversial topic of sex in America. Fundamentalist conservative beliefs have restricted society with obtrusive taboos: misogyny, homophobia and transphobia — just to name a few.

Despite these societal barriers, Mr. Rosen has helped dozens of people understand and cope with topics such as arousal, physical sexual pain, gender identity, sexual orientation, polyamory, and even understanding kink. Dan frequently asks the question “if sexuality is part of your identity, how can you treat the whole person without a deep understanding of the nuances of sex and sexuality?”

The years he spent working as a licensed clinical social worker taught him that sex and sexuality are integral to who a person is. As a licensed sex therapist, Mr. Rosen is able to extend his ability to help his patients and witness personal growth, an accomplishment in which he takes immense pride.

Mr. Rosen points to the Gay Liberation Movement as the most influential force that has helped a conservative heteronormative society question what is “normal” or “ethical.” The movement provides comfort through empathy, and promotes the idea of knowing yourself. Daniel notes that when it comes to sex and sexuality, individuals often need help “coming out” with who they are — whether it be discussing their kinks and fetishes, or understanding the fluidity of gender. Daniel Rosen is available to work with members of the LGBTQAI+ community in Rochester, and is available for consultation, supervision, and training.

Daniel Rosen is dedicated to our community, and he welcomes hearing from local individuals who are interested in seeing an improvement in training (sex, sexuality, LGBTQAI+ issues for mental health professionals). “An important component of good counseling services comes from a united community.” ■

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

13

Business Spotlight

Mike Kelly and Jeannie Gainsburg. Photo: Susan Jordan

MiKelly Massage & Bodywork “Mike Kelly is the best!” reports Jeanne Gainsburg, Gay Alliance Education Director. Nominated for Best Massage Therapist in City Newspaper’s Best of Rochester 2015, Michael Kelly is also the official massage therapist of Ride For Pride, the popular annual Gay Alliance bike ride fundraiser organized by Jeanne.

Michael is a volleyball player and met Jeanne at Hot Shots Volleyball Club, where they often play together as teammates. He and his sister rode in Ride For Pride several years ago, and for the past three years he has been one of the official sponsors. Sponsors are asked to donate $250 or more in cash or services to become official sponsors and get their business names on the riders’ shirts.

“Not only does Mike donate free gift certificates to the riders,” says Jeanne, “but he also gives chair massages to the bikers at the after party.”

When working with the riders after their 50-mile ride, Michael says, “They need a different type of massage than what I would do if they were warming up. A post-event massage is about flushing the muscles of toxins, which reduces downtime and improves muscle recovery.”

Jeanne says, “Mike is currently working with the AVP professional beach doubles volleyball players. These are Olympic level athletes! Several of them won gold medals in 2012 in London. It’s very

impressive.”

“I consider my work more functional than traditional. I like to fix problems, not just put a bandage on them,” says Michael. “My style is slower, deeper and more uncomfortable!”

“In that awesome way!” says Jeanne To Michael, the hardest part of running a small massage business is scheduling. “Since bodywork is physically challenging, I am limited as to how much I can do in a day,” he says. “Working 40 hours a week is actually impossible.”

The best part of his job he says is working with his friends, helping with back pain, shoulder pain and foot pain (typically caused by plantar fasciitis).

“Stop by Hot Shots any night of the week and you’re likely to find Mike either on the court playing or on the side helping a friend with some ache or pain,” says Jeanne.

A final word from Michael: massage benefits everyone, regardless of age. The only limits would be for those with active, aggressive cancer or who have a fever.

Otherwise, he says, “Massage is good for anyone. It improves flexibility and circulation.”

MiKelly Massage and Bodywork is located at 871 Monroe Ave., near Cobbs Hill. Michael can be reached at 720-9406218 or at MiKellyMassageandBodywork@gmail.com. Check out what people are saying about Michael’s work on his Facebook page at MiKelly Massage & Bodywork. ■

14 (Regulations continued from page 12) basis should not be misused by those seeking legal protections for non-disability situations.

Response: Not all persons claiming gender identity discrimination allege that they are disabled within the meaning of the HRL. However, those who do, and who meet the HRL definition, are protected by the Law’s disability provision.

Comment: Including gender identity under the category of “disability”is a serious threat to the religious liberty of religious organizations.

Response: The HRL contains exemptions for religious institutions at Executive Law § 296(11) and § 292(9).

Moreover, enforcement of the HRL’s prohibition against employment discrimination is circumscribed by the “ministerial exception” that the Supreme Court articulated inn Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical-Lutheran Church and School v.

EEOC (U.S. 2012).

Register now for March Pride & Joy Families conference, Binghamton The 2016 Pride and Joy Families Weekend Conference will be held March 18-20, at the Holiday Inn-Downtown Binghamton.

Vince Sgambati, Syracuse-based writer, retired teacher and gay dad, will present the keynote address on “LGBTQ Families in Transition.”

Adult workshops will be held on legal issues, schools, adoption and foster care, kids with special needs, transgender experience, LGBT mental health, gay dads, and talking to teens about sex.

Childcare and Camp Highlight programs will be provided for children three years and older. A teen panel will give youth with LGBTQ parents a chance to speak out. Inter-generational activities, a family dance party and a resource/vendor fair will also be provided.

A Pre-Conference Professional Development Workshop, “Providing Welcoming and Affirming Care for Transgender People,” will be offered Friday, March 18.

These programs are cosponsored by the Lesbian and Gay Family Building Project, the Binghamton University Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies Program, Camp Highlight, and others.

Register by Friday, Feb. 19.

Scholarships available. For more information, go to http://www.binghamton.edu/prideandjoyfamilies/ or on Facebook at LGBTFamCon.

Registration opens for Gay Alliance’s Feb. 19 SafeZone Training The LGBTQ Academy SafeZone Training is a four hour, dynamic, interactive workshop that includes activities and discussion concerning LGBTQ inclusive and respectful language, the process of coming out, understanding sexual and gender identity, taking action on our campuses and in our workplaces, where to go for help and much more.

This session will give participants the skills they need to provide support and to create environments that are safe and inclusive so that all people are empowered to reach their full potential.

Location: The LGBTQ Academy’s Education Center (100 College Avenue.

Rochester, NY 14607). There is free parking in the lot next to our building.

Date and Time: Friday, Feb. 19 from noon-4 p.m. (check in at 3:45 p.m.)

Registration: Go to www.gayalliance. org and click on the SafeZone slide Feedback from our most recent SafeZone Training (November 2015): “The best in-service I have been to!”

“The wealth of information, the activities, the ideas to be able to support our students. I wanted more time! Awesome! Thank you so much!”

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016 “Approachable, friendly, funny, safe, true stories, sharing self, honesty. Wish is was longer! Thank you!”

“The trainer was an amazing presenter. He kept us interested and involved the whole time. This was an awesome experience. Thank you!!”

“The presenter was dynamic and so knowledgeable and engaging. Time has never gone so quickly in an after school session!”

100% of the participants from this training rated both the training and the presenter “excellent.”

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NOLA Pride names Mardi Gras Grand Marshals The New Orleans Pride Organization has named Grand Marshals for Mardi Gras 2016 (Feb. 9).

Businesswoman, outspoken advocate, party maven: all are ways people could and have described Sandy Sachs. Her savvy for making things happen has given her a reputation as a shrewd businesswoman. She’s perhaps most famous for co-founding Girl Bar Los Angeles and Dinah Shore Weekend Palm Springs over 25 years ago, which became the world’s biggest lesbian gathering before evolving into Dinah Vegas, now in its 5th year.

Not to mention she’s the former owner of The Factory, West Hollywood’s largest gay nightclub and current owner of the Fitness Factory Gym. Sandy has also been credited as the inspiration for the beloved Dawn Denbo on Showtime’s The L Word. She also starred in the 2013 Canadian OUT-TV reality show, Golden Gays. Her latest endeavor brings her back to one of her favorite places in the world, New Orleans, where she currently owns the world famous Bourbon Pub, located in the heart of the French Quarter. It also happens to be the first gay bar she ever visited after coming out while at Tulane University.

Proving that it is possible to have it all, Sandy and her wife have two children.

Robert Camina is the director/producer/writer of the award winning film, Upstairs Inferno, the first full length documentary about the devastating 1973 New Orleans arson which is often referred to as the largest gay mass murder in U.S. History. Upstairs Inferno is Camina’s second feature film. Camina wrote, directed and produced several short films before premiering his first full length documentary, Raid Of The Rainbow Lounge (2012) to sold out audiences, rave reviews and a media frenzy.

Raid Of The Rainbow Lounge recounts the widely publicized and controversial June 28, 2009 police raid of a Fort Worth, Texas gay bar that resulted in multiple arrests and serious injuries.

The raid occurred on the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Inn raid. The film, narrated by Emmy nominated actress and TV icon, Meredith Baxter, screened during 33 mainstream and LGBT film festivals across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The film won several awards including five “Best” Film and three “Audience Choice” Awards. The film also received attention from the Office of the White House, Department of Justice and a division of the U.S. State Department. The Library of Congress hosted a screening in September 2014. (www.RaidoftheRainbowLounge.com) Reigning as Celebrity Grand Marshal is International singer/songwriter Debby Holiday. Ms. Holiday has 15 Billboard Top 20 Dance Club Hits. The Big Easy Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Breakout Organizations have been named Grand Marshals 2016. ■

From our readers Remembering The Empty Closet in 1978 To The Editor: In the fall of 1978 I had just come out. I had a job that took me to Rochester from Buffalo. I discovered the Empty Closet newspaper office. It was located at the Genesee Valley Co-Op on Monroe Ave. The Co-Op restaurant was located on the first floor. I walked up the old stairs slowly, with the stairs creaking and squeaking with each step. I was trying to walk up unnoticed, without drawing attention to myself, only to have everyone look up to see me ascending.

Upon arriving at the top of the stairs, I found a small office. The door was open so I walked in. A man who happened to be the editor asked if he could do something to help me. I mentioned just coming out and that I was exploring. He said, “You have come to the right place.” He sat down with me and asked me about myself. I told him I produced multi-media productions for world peace and had a degree in psychology MFT. He said The Empty Closet needed writers to write progay articles on a volunteer basis. I joined, wanting to make a difference.

My first article, “Hazards of Being Male,” was published in a 1978 issue. It launched my participation and volunteer commitment to the newspaper. What I found most wonderful about the editors in 1978 was that they were willing to put their time aside to help a very young man, scared, insecure in the new lifestyle, to come out in a healthy way. The personal time was a gift that provided unconditional emotional support.

Once I became more secure in my new identity, it was suggested that I start a gay support group, being that I had a degree in psychology. A gay support group was born that day. The first support group met at the Closet’s office. The newspaper and the support group were grass roots efforts with little to NO financial support.

We lived. We grew. We loved. We supported each other. We, in essence, built a strong foundation for our house, which we hoped would stand forever… and I see that it has.

I am now 59 years old. A friend of mine sent me a current issue of The Empty Closet. A wonderful feeling came over me seeing the newspaper once again.

Many happy memories and moments came to mind, as I was catapulted back into the past, putting me briefly into the emotional place where I was then. Our little paper in 1978, although little in size, was monumental in conveying needed information to support our budding selfidentities. I see it has blossomed into a multi-paged publication, along with color photos, and articles in many more categories, reaching a large readership.

I feel blessed having some part in the longevity of The Empty Closet. I see the newspaper continues to benefit readers by providing information that supports all of our lives.

Keep up the good work. I see the baton was passed on since 1978, as it will continue to be passed to others in years to come. Thank you for all you do and have done.

Keith Mineo, MS, CRC, NCC, CPDM ■

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FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

Opinion Gov. Cuomo defends trans civil rights regulations Governor Andrew Cuomo wrote on Jan. 12: I believe that one of government’s most important responsibilities is to fulfill the promise of fairness, equality and opportunity for the people we serve. When I became governor of New York in 2011, I vowed to uphold that legacy — and the passage of marriage equality that year is still one of my proudest moments. I watched as other states followed our lead, and the message gathered steam until the Supreme Court joined us on the right side of history and ruled last June that marriage for all Americans, including samesex couples, is a constitutional right.

Time and time again, New York has been a progressive leader. We have been a launching point for social movements that have reverberated across the nation and beyond. We started the women’s rights movement in Seneca Falls in 1848. The NAACP was founded here in 1909. We championed the fight for human rights when we became the first state in the nation to enact a human rights law in 1945. And we sparked the gay rights and LGBT movements at Stonewall in 1969.

But for years one segment of the LGBT population was shamefully left behind.

Despite all we’ve accomplished, for too long transgender New Yorkers lacked basic protections under New York’s human rights law that other New Yorkers have enjoyed.

In the absence of statewide protection, two-thirds of transgender New Yorkers have experienced harassment, mistreatment or discrimination at work.

Nearly 30 percent have faced a serious physical or sexual assault. And one out of three has been homeless at least once in their lives.

It’s time to finally put the T back in LGBT. The next civil rights crusade must be for transgender Americans.

Efforts to protect the rights of transgender New Yorkers through legislation have so far been blocked in the state legislature. The Gender Expression NonDiscrimination Act, or GENDA, was passed by the state Assembly eight years in a row, but failed to come to a vote in the state Senate.

Meanwhile, about 60 percent of New York’s municipalities enacted nondis-

ON GARD

crimination laws to protect transgender residents, leaving transgender New Yorkers in 40 percent of the state vulnerable to harassment and discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression.

I believe these protections should be in effect across our entire state, and they should be consistent.

That’s why I took the unprecedented step of using my executive authority to put an end to discrimination against transgender New Yorkers. In October I directed the New York State Division of Human Rights to issue regulations that unequivocally prohibit harassment and discrimination against transgender people in every corner of this state.

I simply could not stand by any longer and wait for the state legislature to do the right thing. I refused to accept that transgender people in New York State were still without the protections afforded by our human rights law.

This regulatory action puts all public and private employers, housing providers, businesses, and creditors on notice that discrimination on the basis of a person’s gender identity, transgender status, or gender dysphoria is unlawful and will not be tolerated anywhere in the state of New York.

We now have the strongest and most comprehensive protections from discrimination for transgender people in the country.

By issuing these new regulations in the absence of legislation, we are setting an example and sending a powerful message to the rest of the nation, just as we did when we enacted the Marriage Equality Act. New York moved the good fight forward then, and I am proud to say that we have raised the bar once again.

In the words of my father: “There are only two rules for being successful; one, figure out exactly what you want to do, and two, do it.” After leading the fight for equality we saw what needed to be done and we corrected an injustice that

The Gay Alliance on-line Resource Directory The online community tool – providing local, state and national resources... twenty-four, seven! www.gayalliance.org

had gone on for far too long. We refused to allow the fear and ignorance of some to justify the discrimination of many.

While it is unfathomable that we still have to fight this battle, I want to assure every New Yorker and every American that New York State will always be there to stand for what is right and just. On the issue of transgender rights, New York will not look away the way many Americans tried to ignore AIDS a generation ago. We will not rest until every New Yorker enjoys the same rights given to us as part of our American heritage.

I hope that other governors and lawmakers in this nation take a look at what we did here in New York and implement similar changes across the nation. New York put the T back in LGBT; now it’s time for the rest of the United States to do the same.

ANDREW CUOMO is governor of New York. Follow him on Twitter @ NYGovCuomo

A call to execute Americans goes unheard

By Wintrose & Reda “There are instances in which both the Old and New Testament speak to the matter with unbelievable clarity. You know what that sin is – it’s the sin of homosexuality. In fact, in Romans 1 Paul affirms that this particular sin is worthy of death. The Old and New Testament, I believe both speak with authority and we outta receive it.”

And that, was the word according to Kevin Swanson, an anti-gay Colorado-based pastor who spearheaded the

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misguidedly named National Religious Liberties Conference in Des Moines, Iowa just three months ago. Sitting on the same stage were GOP presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, and Bobby Jindal. Their presence, a tacit agreement to Swanson’s hate.

Using a literal interpretation of the bible as a shield of divine right, Swanson went on to describe what he’d do if invited to a gay wedding. “Here is what I would do: sackcloth and ashes at the entrance to the church and I’d sit in cow manure and I’d spread it all over my body. That is what I would do and I’m not kidding, I’m not laughing.”

And if a Christian attends a gay wedding? Carry a sign telling the newlyweds that they should be “put to death.”

While most media remained silent, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow did not.

“This is a political event. This is a Republican presidential candidates’ event. It really was a ‘kill-the-gays’ call to arms.

This was a conference about the necessity of the death penalty as a punishment for homosexuality.” Maddow also noted that conference speaker Phillip Kayser distributed his booklet advancing the argument that LGBT people should be killed by the government, using biblical type justice including hanging, stoning and “being thrown off a cliff or dashed on rocks.”

So there we have it. An open call to murder gays backed by three GOP presidential candidates and ignored by most of the media. Had Swanson, Cruz and company advanced the notion to mass murder African Americans, Jews or any other group, it would have been FRONT PAGE NEWS and the talking heads would still be talking -- and rightfully so. Are LGBT Americans not worth an equal measure of care and compassion?

To every candidate, to every politician, to every cable news outlet, to every newspaper and radio station, please know this -- Gay Lives Matter too. ■

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Health Gay Alliance, Task Force call FDA’s new blood ban policy flawed, discriminatory On December 21, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it had finalized their new policy that will allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood only if they haven’t had sex or sexual contact with other men in a year. In June, the National LGBTQ Task Force sent a letter to the FDA calling for a complete lift on the ban of all blood donations by gay and bisexual men.

“The FDA has decided not to bring their policy in line with science and instead continues its longstanding discrimination against gay and bisexual men, people who inject drugs, and people who engage in sex work. The new policy further fuels negative LGBTQ stereotypes and stigma associated with HIV and AIDS as it stops short of fully lifting an antiquated and scientifically unsound ban established in the height of the epidemic—when not enough was known about the virus. The decision is not based on science, but on fear and ignorance. Modern science has developed tremendously in the last thirty years and important safeguards are now in place that accurately screen blood for HIV. We are disappointed and angry that millions of gay and bisexual men, including myself, are still denied the opportunity to donate blood to save another person’s life,” said Russell Roybal, National LGBTQ Task Force’s Deputy Executive Director.

For years, the National LGBTQ Task Force has been calling on the FDA to lift the discriminatory ban that prohibits gay and bisexual men from donating lifesaving blood as well as lifting the lifetime bans on survival sex workers and people who inject drugs. Current policy also prohibits many transgender people, of which 11 percent report engaging in survival sex work, from donating blood.

Here in Rochester, Gay Alliance Executive Director Scott Fearing was interviewed in December on Time Warner Channel 9 News and by the D&C about the blood ban. Fearing said that the updated policy still places limits on gay identity, which both discriminates against gay men and reduces the potential blood supply for the Red Cross. He said that the restriction is pointless, since blood can be screened and there is no need to require gay men to prove a year of sexual abstinence – something that heterosexuals are not required to do, although they may have had unsafe sex or used intravenous drugs within the past year.

Fearing stated, “So we’re telling married couples that they must remain celibate

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016 for an entire year before they give blood.

If we’re going to say that, we should say that to all married couples, then.” He also commented, “It’s a pretty feeble half-step into bringing policies in line with current scientific understanding,” and called the new guidelines “insufficient and discriminatory.”

Free mammograms will be available Feb. 13 Women over 35 who do not have health insurance or cannot afford their insurance deductible can get free mammograms on Feb. 13 at UR Medicine Breast Imaging, 500 Red Creek Rd., Ste. 130, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Light refreshments will be provided, and a Reiki practitioner will provide a free 10-minute session.

UR Medicine partners with the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester and the Cancer Services Program of Monroe County to provide this service. Free mammograms are also available daily at UR Medicine Breast Imaging.

To make an appointment, call UR Medicine Breast Imaging at 585-4873304.

After taking pills every day for decades, company says, HIVpositive people can possibly take a break “Essentially, if PRO 140 is FDA approved, the infected person could finally take a break and go on a vacation without having to remember their pills, and the exact times to take them each day.

All they need is a reminder to inject a weekly dose of PRO 140 every seven days.

We believe large numbers of HIVers are very much in need of PRO 140. They would be delighted to take a break from the stress of all those pills,” states Nader Pourhassan, President and CEO of CytoDyn Inc., clinical developer of PRO 140, an anti-body under development for HIV and GvHD. Additionally, the company recently announced that eleven HIV patients receiving PRO 140 monotherapy in an extension study have now successfully reached one year of maximal virologic suppression. These patients substituted their daily Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) regimen with weekly painless subcutaneous injections of PRO 140. These eleven patients have experienced successful monotherapy with PRO 140 for a period ranging from 12 to 15 months to date.

Jacob P. Lalezari, M.D., the principal investigator of the PRO 140 Phase 2b trial and extension study from Quest Clinical Research, commented, “We are very pleased to report maximal virologic suppression with PRO 140 monotherapy in 11 out of 14 HIV-1 patients who are participating in this treatment-substitu-

tion study. The durability of the response to PRO 140 monotherapy over at least a one year period is remarkable. In addition, PRO 140 appears well tolerated in all patients treated to date.”

CytoDyn is currently conducting a pivotal 25-week Phase 3 FDA trial. Final results are expected in the fourth quarter of 2016. The company plans to bring the product to market in early 2017.

About PRO 140 PRO 140 belongs to a new class of HIV/AIDS therapeutics -- viral-entry inhibitors -- that are intended to protect healthy cells from viral infection. PRO 140 is a fully humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody directed against CCR5, a molecular portal that HIV uses to enter T-cells. PRO 140 blocks the predominant HIV (R5) subtype entry into T-cells by masking this required co-receptor, CCR5.

Importantly PRO 140 does not appear to interfere with the normal function of CCR5 in mediating immune responses.

PRO 140 does not have agonist activity towards CCR5 but does have antagonist activity to CCL5 which is a central mediator in inflammatory diseases.

PRO 140 has been the subject of seven clinical trials, each demonstrating efficacy by significantly reducing or controlling HIV viral load in human test subjects. PRO 140 has been designated a “fast track” product candidate by the FDA. The PRO 140 antibody appears to be a powerful antiviral agent leading to potentially fewer side effects and less frequent dosing requirements as compared to daily drug therapies currently in use. www.cytodyn.com

LGBTQ Senior Health Quest coming in March

By Anne Tischer March 7 will mark the launch of a new Gay Alliance community wellness initiative: “LGBTQ Senior Health Quest”.

The program of supervised, peer-support-

ed, health improvement is made possible in part by a grant from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation.

The goal is to provide LGBTQ seniors over 50 with tools, resources and incentives to help them achieve a healthier lifestyle using a multi-tiered approach addressing fitness, nutrition and lifestyle components. The program strives to create a willingness in participants to try a multitude of new health-enhancing behaviors.

Each week for eight weeks, participants will meet to support each other, using a professionally reviewed curriculum based on the latest health research addressing the benefits of healthy eating and increased exercise. Guest presenters will augment the lessons with “prepare and taste” demonstrations of Mediterranean, Asian and plant-based cooking and prompt group engagement in a variety of physical activities at each individual’s comfort level -- yoga, resistance bands, line dance and more.

The program model avoids “deprivation” thinking and organizers tout that it includes “no diets and no guilt”. Instead the emphasis will be on adding positives to one’s daily routine until they become a habit… add “5” each day: fruits and veggies, glasses of water, minutes of planning etc.

The program requires an eight week commitment with the ability to attend Mondays 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Gay Alliance LGBTQ Resource Center, beginning March 7. Reserved spots are limited, and a second series will be offered in May/June.

There is no cost to the program but donations would be welcomed.

You can find more information on the Facebook page: LGBTQ Senior Health Quest and please RSVP to (585) 2448640 x23 or sage@gayalliance.org Learn more in The Empty Closet’s March Health issue. ■

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

LGBTQ Living

PHOTO: SUSAN JORDAN

Registration Now Open for SafeZone Training

Jonathan Hoose of Q< 40

By Susan Jordan Jonathan Hoose is the organizer for the new group Queer Under 40, or Q<40, which aims to provide social gatherings, support, education and more for the LGBTQ generation(s) between 18 and 40.

The group had its first event on Jan. 18 and plans to have quarterly get-togethers, some with speakers, films, etc., all dealing with what it’s like today to live as a young LGBTQ adult – no longer a youth but not yet middle-aged.

Jonathan, 28, is a native of Fairport and now lives with his partner and their Akita, Jersey, in the Upper Monroe neighborhood. He works in the field of philanthropy and development and is interested in organic farming.

He first became involved with the Gay Alliance when he went to some Youth Group meetings years ago. Later, he said, “I was working as a grant writer and I thought I’d like to get more involved with the LGBT community. Scott Fearing came to me with the idea of Gay Alliance programming that would appeal to the 18-to-40 demographic. He wanted more outreach to and events for that segment of the community. We’re hoping to do events of various kinds – we don’t want to just be ‘Happy Hour’. So on Jan. 18 we had an Open House and made Valentines – there’s a Valentine’s Dance on Feb. 13 and hopefully group members will send the Valentines as invitations to friends.

“At this point, we have 10 members.

We had focus group meetings to see what

people wanted. The mix so far is early 20s to 35.”

Is there a generational gap between people in college and those approaching 40? “That’s true,” Jonathan said, “but in Rochester at least a number of people are coming out later, in their 30s, although many are also coming out in their teens as well. I’ve been out since 9th grade.” He feels the older and younger groups have a lot in common.

Jonathan also finds that it’s hard to generalize about people between 20 and 40. He said, “A lot of people think younger people are just glued to their phones and don’t want to get involved, but a lot are looking for an opportunity to connect with causes they care about. People can give money, but they also want to be more involved, as well as being supported by being in a group of their peers and feeling connected – especially LGBTQ individuals. We need a space where people can feel encouraged and supported.”

Q<40 will provide that, mixing socializing, support and learning. “We’re hoping to have speakers,” Jonathan said, “maybe starting with Gay Alliance Board members. A lot of them are successful on the top levels and can talk about how they got where they are as LGBT.” The next Q<40 get together may take place in March. To get information, go to Facebook/queerunder40, see the March Empty Closet or the Facebook/EmptyClosetNews, or follow Empty Closet News on Twitter. ■

The LGBTQ Academy SafeZone Training is a 4-hour, dynamic, interactive workshop that includes activities and discussion around LGBTQ inclusive and respectful language, the process of coming out, understanding sexual and gender identity, taking action on our campuses and in our workplaces, where to go for help and much more. This session will give participants the skills they need to provide support and to create environments that are safe and inclusive so that all people are empowered to reach their full potential. Participants will receive a SafeZone manual, SafeZone sticker and a SafeZone lapel pin. Light snacks will be served.

Location: The LGBTQ Academy’s Education Center, 100 College Avenue, Rochester, New York 14607 There is free parking in the lot next to our building.

Date and Time: Friday, February 19 12 noon-4 pm (check in at 3:45pm) Registration: Go to www.gayalliance.org and click on the SafeZone slide Feedback from our most recent SafeZone Training (November 2015) • “The best in-service I have been to!”

• “The wealth of information, the activities, the ideas to be able to support our students. I wanted more time! Awesome! Thank you so much!”

• “Approachable, friendly, funny, safe, true stories, sharing self, honesty. Wish it was longer! Thank you!”

• “The trainer was an amazing presenter. He kept us interested and involved the whole time. This was an awesome experience. Thank you!!”

• “The presenter was dynamic and so knowledgeable and engaging. Time has never gone so quickly in an after school session!”

• 100% of the participants from this training rated both the training and the presenter “excellent.”

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016

PFLAG MEETS 3RD SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH Meetings are at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church 707 E. Main Street, Rochester, New York 14605 from 1 to 3pm. Questions? Call: 585-993-3297 or Email: RochesterPFLAG@gmail.com Join us!

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016

Q-YOUTH OVERNIGHT LOCK-IN SUNDAY JANUARY 17 THANK YOU DAWN, BJ, KERRY, JONATHAN, DALTON, TODD, NICK, SHY, VALERIE, ALEX, MAEVE, TODD, JANINE, ERIN, NINA, EQUAL=GROUNDS, CENTER FOR YOUTH, EXCELLUS, AMERICORPS, & WEGMANS

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

Shoulders to Stand On

A Community’s Response To AIDS – The Year AIDS Hit Home – 1985

By Evelyn Bailey In January 1985, the CDC reports provisional Public Health Service interagency recommendations for the screening of donated blood for antibodies to HTLV-II/LAV, and warnings are given to the heterosexual community in the belief that AIDS poses a threat because of the continued unabated transmission of HIV. In February the Pasteur Institute researcher Dr. Jean Claude Cherman reports a new compound drug, HPA-23, appears for first time to have inhibited reproduction of the AIDS virus. During this time groups of Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish leaders issue joint statements calling on the public “not to stand in judgment” of PWAs, but to show compassion.

During February, AIDS Rochester applied for grants to fund the ARIES Project, AIDS Rochester Expanded Services Project from New York State Dept. of Health, and other local and national funders. AIDS Rochester received a $30,000 NYS Dept. Of Health and AIDS Institute Grant for a Risk Reduction Program.

In March the first blood test for identifying antibodies to HIV developed by Abbott Laboratories was licensed and began to be used in blood banks to protect the blood supply. NYS established an “alternative testing program” later known as the anonymous HIV Counseling and Testing program. Official statements discouraged test of persons at high risk because it offered “no definitive medical information”. The Rochester Area Task Force on AIDS released information on testing. The following month several Task Force members traveled to Atlanta for the First International Conference on AIDS. Less than 10 agencies participated. In June the AIDS test method of detecting antibodies in blood samples is patented for the Dept. of Health and Human Services by Drs. Robert Gallo, Mikulus Popovic, and M G Sarngadharan, and scientists have discovered the gene in virus that causes AIDS. In May, the New England Journal of Medicine reports that the AIDS virus may persist without symptoms for more than four years. It is confirmed the AIDS virus is caused by virus LAV or HTLV-III and that even close contact with AIDS patients in hospitals by doctors, nurses, health care workers is unlikely to spread the disease.

In July, fourteen-year-old Ryan White becomes the first youth to be barred from attending his middle school in Koko-

mo, Indiana because he contracted AIDS while being treated for hemophilia. Indiana hearing officer rules that Ryan can return to school in November. Los Angeles follows suit by barring a three-year-old boy from class for handicapped children.

In response the CDC issues guidelines indicating school-aged children infected with the AIDS virus should be allowed to attend school, and school officials should do their best to protect the pupils’ privacy. However the guidelines recommended that preschoolers and handicapped children be kept out of school until more is known about how the disease is transmitted. The CDC also recommended that adoption and foster care agencies administer AIDS antibody tests to children whose parents are in high risk groups, or whose parent’s histories are not known. In August, parents in two school districts in Queens, NY organized a boycott to protest city’s decision to allow second-grader with AIDS to attend regular classes.

11,000 students stay home from school the first day, 9,000 the second day. At the same time a five-year-old with AIDS is barred from attending school in Orange County, Florida. In December a school district in Hazelwood, Missouri drops training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation because of fear of exposure to AIDS. In August, Rock Hudson announced that he had AIDS. He had been diagnosed with it on June 5, 1984. On September 17, 1985 President Ronald Reagan publicly mentioned AIDS for the first time, when he was asked about AIDS funding at a press conference. “I have been supporting it for more than four years now. It’s been one of the top priorities with us, and over the last four years, and including what we have in the budget for ‘86, it will amount to over a half a billion dollars that we have provided for research on AIDS in addition to what I’m sure other medical groups are doing”. A House appropriations subcommittee was told that $70 million more was needed for AIDS research and treatment, twice what the Reagan administration had originally requested.

Critics were quick to ask why, if AIDS had been a “top priority” among the government, the president had not mentioned it in public before. President Reagan refused to advocate safer sex and condom use, choosing instead to press for a ban on HIV-positive immigrants entering the country, then later sexual abstinence, as the keys to preventing the epidemic.

Simultaneously the insurance industry feared large claims by PWAs. The industry tried to find ways of detecting if applicants had AIDS. In October, Lincoln National Life insurance Co. instructed their underwriters to examine applicant’s personal lives and use marital status, age, and residence in an attempt to screen out possible PWAs. Company policy was that marital status is a possible indicator of homosexuality. Underwriters were told to flag applicants if “Lifestyle, habits, or medical history suggest a person is in one of the AIDS risk groups.” Company spokesman Al Parsons defended suggestions noting high medical costs were often incurred in AIDS treatment.

In September, the “Night of 1000 Stars”, an AIDS benefit in Hollywood raised $1.3 million for AIDS Research.

Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Dr. Michael Gottlieb, and Dr. Mathilde Krim announce the creation of the American Foundation for AIDS Research in September 1985.

Dr. Michael Gottlieb, the doctor who first identified the AIDS virus, was Rock Hudson’s doctor. Dr. Gottlieb tells the story that Rock agreed to go public with his diagnosis if it would help get the word out and save lives. On October 2, 1985, the actor Rock Hudson died of AIDS. He

is the first major public figure known to have died from an AIDS-related illness.

His death creates a national swell of support for AIDS research.

In November, here in Rochester, requests for education and testing increase with intense media focus on AIDS. The anonymous testing program is testing 10 people a week and five of 93 tests done in 1986 were positive. Early in November, the film An Early Frost, the first film to cover the topic of HIV/AIDS, is broadcast in United States on prime time TV on NBC. For the AIDS crisis, the 12 months of 1985 demonstrate the fear of the disease and the beginning glimmers of hope for the medical community to get a handle on this continuing epidemic. Shoulders to Stand On shares its pride with you our readers for the courageous efforts of AIDS Rochester, the Rochester Area Task Force On AIDS, and Rock Hudson, Liz Taylor and many others to intervene to stop the epidemic. Please pay special attention to NYS current inititiative to End the Epidemic by 2020. For more information go to: https://www.trilliumhealth. org/en/257/2020 We are not finished fighting this epidemic. It will take all of us working together to identify those not in treatment and to end the epidemic.

Shoulders to Stand On honors the 2015 Shoulders Heroes

By Evelyn Bailey Shoulders To stand On honors the ten 2015 Rochester Shoulders Heroes for their contributions to our struggle for equality, justice and health for the Greater Rochester community inclusive of our lgbt brothers and sisters and our allies.

First: Shoulders To Stand On recognizes and honors – YOU! Your Shoulders carry the Rochester community to greater awareness, integrity, visibility and pride! Because of YOU, our LGBT brothers, sisters, and allies, the Closet is not as full! So take a moment to look at yourself and be PROUD! Tom Privitere - On March 24, 2015 Tom received the Pride At Work Award for 42 years of labor leadership and civil rights activism at the True Colors Award dinner of the Rochester Finger Lakes Chapter of Pride at Work. Tom has retired from the Public Employees Federation after 38 years as an organizer.

Tom was part of the 1993 Gay March on Washington where then SEIU President John Sweeney and AFSCME President Gerald McEntee hosted gay labor activists from the march to convene Pride at Work, now an AFL-CIO constituency group and a nationally respected LGBTQ and labor rights voice. Tom is a founding member of the Rochester chapter and served as Vice President since they were chartered in 2007.

Ove Overmyer – On December 18, 2014 the Rochester Labor CouncilAFLCIO honored Ove with a special recognition award “Capturing the Labor Movement” for his outstanding documentation and media contributions on behalf of working people. Ove is President of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) City of Rochester Library Workers, Vice President of Monroe County Local 828 and a past recipient of the “True Colors Award” presented to him by the Rochester Chapter of Pride at Work AFL- CIO. Dignity-Integrity Rochester – On Easter Sunday evening, March 30, 1975, the newly-formed local chapters of Dignity (Catholic) and Integrity (Episcopal) met together at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Downtown Rochester to celebrate in a joint worship service. In a spirit of true ecumenism Dignity-Integrity/Rochester or “D-I”, continues to meet and worship 40+ years later at the same church, now the Church of St. Luke and St. Simon of Cyrene. Several hundred people have passed through the doors to find the D-I community for many differ-

21 ent reasons. D-I has withstood the test of time, and will continue to be an open and welcoming community.

Finger Lakes Pride At Work Chapter – On January 18, 2015 the Rochester Chapter of Pride at Work AFL-CIO was recognized nationally by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) in Atlanta Georgia at the AFL-CIO’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference. The quote that embodies Dr. King’s legacy is “What are you doing for others?” At the awards banquet, an opportunity to honor labor, community, religious and faith leaders who have had a profound impact on the lives of others, The Finger Lakes Pride At Work Chapter was honored for “Keeping the Dream Alive” by supporting all workers rights and advancing LGBTQ civil rights in particular.

Trillium Health – Trillium Health is a member of the statewide End the Epidemic Task Force. Dr. Valenti, the Senior Vice President for Organizational Advancement and Staff Physician at Trillium Health is the Task Force point person at Trillium. Dr. Valenti said, “We are trying to break the back of HIV with a coordinated effort.” Trillium and others are combating the number of infections in three ways: to open doors to allow sexually active people to get tested, to link HIV positive people to proper treatment and reduce their viral load, and to provide high risk HIV negative people access to PrEP, a prescription medication that greatly reduces an individual’s likelihood of contracting HIV when combined with other safe sex practices.

Sue Cowell – On Saturday, May 2, 2015 Sue Cowell was presented with the Shoulders To Stand On Triangle Award in recognition of 38 years of political, economic, and social activism in support of the Rochester LGBTQ Community. Sue spends her time, energy and talent making the legacy of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas a reality. Politically Sue managed Tim Main’s first campaign, worked on Louise Slaughter’s campaign, was an LD leader and cofounded ESPA in Upstate NY. As a nurse and health care professional Sue began the first AIDS Clinic with Tom Rush, cofounded MOCHA and AIDS Rochester, now Trillium Health. Often in the forefront of the Rochester community’s struggle for equality and justice, Sue is truly a “giant” in our midst.

Dr. Michael Keefer – On Thursday, April 30, 2015 Dr. Michael Keefer received the 6th Annual Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Award which recognizes an individual on the faculty or staff of the University of Rochester Medical Center for their significant contributions to the health of the community through research, teaching, practice and/or outreach programs.

Dr. Keefer, affectionately called Mike by friends and colleagues, has been a pillar in the fight against AIDS since 1987 when he received a Fellowship in Infectious Disease at Univ. of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Mike has become the face of HIV/AIDS research in Rochester, NY. Currently, Dr. Keefer is one of the doctors leading the first study in Rochester of a potential oral HIV vaccine.

Stan Byrd –On August 28, 2015 the Board of Directors of the MOCHA Center, with Stan Byrd as President, and Trillium Health merged. Stan Byrd, Diversity Director at the University of Rochester was services co-coordinator and program director of MOCHA between 1999 – 2003. The merger comes at a crucial time as HIV infection rates continue to disproportionately affect communities of color, especially young men of color. Stan Byrd identified cultural competency as a priority in the merger as well as the benefits of better access to testing and the health care system, and more one on one wholistic service.

Lauren LaRoche – On Sunday, September 27, 2015 Lauren LaRoche received the first Pride In High School Leadership (Heroes continued on page 26)

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 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 HOUSE CLEANING

By Eric Bellmann The week before Christmas I start an annual ritual and pretty much keep it going through New Year’s. I clean house.

And when friends grumble about what they have to do to get ready for the holidays, I lord it over them with my detachment. It’s mean spirited on my part, but hey, it’s the season. My friends, mostly women, hate to clean. I know exactly where my compulsion comes from. I grew up in a house full of cats. Hair everywhere.

Ugh. And if they say, “Come clean my house,” I reply, “Get real.”

I’m fairly orderly and meticulous but this end-of-the year routine is over the top.

I clean behind things, inside and under things. Nothing escapes. (Joan said to her maid, “It isn’t you I hate, it’s the dirt.”)

My cleaning ritual takes days. When surfaces are finished, I dive inside drawers and cupboards. I sort through socks and fill bags for Goodwill. It’s Goodwill now that Volunteers of America has folded. Why did that happen? The store was near me, an easy jaunt. All that crap.

What did they do with it? And all those people unemployed. Yet another mystery.

The Goodwill folks at Southtown are pleasant. I kind of observe the rule that if you haven’t worn it in a year, out it goes. I make an effort to wear stuff I’ve ignored.

Another rule I like, one of my own making, is that for everything that comes into the house, one thing has to leave. That can be painful.

Anyway, back to cleaning. I probably reek of ammonia the last two weeks of the year. I have special rags, soft T shirts and ripped up towels. And a deep cupboard filled with polishes, cleansers, even old toothbrushes to get into those hard to reach places.

A mentor once observed that chaotic minds required orderly, controlled environments and that bland people could handle clutter fairly well. No questions which category I’m in.

And there is comfort, pleasure as I handle and arrange various objects, remembering where I got them and when: this is from a village in Turkey, this I found in Mexico, that came from my Grandmother, everything has a story. I want someone to know the stories behind my treasures, an old person’s concern. No one really is interested. I’ve tried.

I whittle things down. 10 coffee mugs?

Who needs them? Make a box full of excess crockery and take it to a potluck and let folks have at it. What about all the vinyl records? Never will play them again.

Off, with a major sigh, to the evil, cheap bastards who buy used records. Was that even worth it. And then the porn collection, oy vey. My executor will have either a treat or a shock, maybe both. Or maybe next year I’ll dump that collection, lol.

A wise woman once commented about the things in her house: “I’m only using this stuff while I’m passing through.” A crisp, true comment. I know in the end everything ends up in a garage sale. Not quite yet. I’ve cleaned out two households: my mother’s and my sisters and now I hate browsing in second hand stores. I know that cloisonné box I’m admiring used to be someone’s treasure. Besides second hand shops smell.

I’m also big on giving stuff away, mainly Art. I donated a pile of drawings to a museum. If there’s a fundraiser or auction, I’m ready. I pity whoever has to sort through whatever is left. I spent half a year trying donate a painting I bought from one of my undergraduate professors. I wrote the college. They never even answered. I tried hospitals, museums.

Nada. It went into a local rummage sale.

Gone was good enough. One less thing.

I’m ambivalent about making more Art and I am both perplexed by and filled with admiration for friends who continue to paint, print, draw. I know for sure I don’t want to spend any more time in my basement studio. I want to sit in the sun and read. Basement time is hours subtracted from life. Fran Leibowitz wrote two books and hasn’t published anything in a quarter of a century yet she is still a writer. I’m still an artist even if I never make another drawing.

I play a lot of solitaire on the computer. About two and a half years ago I went on Facebook. I love it! Especially when it reminds me of someone’s birthday. When it’s my turn, which comes, oddly enough, during those last two weeks of the year when I’m in power cleaning mode, I get a piece of paper and tally up who remembers. Friends from France, Spain, Turkey and a few former students, some people I see frequently and others I rarely see.

And then it came to me; everyone on my “friends” list gets the reminder. Why do some ignore that? So I house-cleaned my friends list. I only have 108 [now whittled down to 98].

Some people have hundreds of “friends;” some go into four digits. Holy cow. I mean what is Facebook for anyway? So I figure if you haven’t written a comment to one of my postings or are too damn lazy to even hit “like”, to hell with you. Or more precisely, you’ve been deleted.

New Year, fresh start.

Email: EricLBellmann@gmail.com

Cleaning My Closet POPPYCOCK

By Meredith Elizabeth Reiniger In my family of origin, one flamingo-pink bathroom served all five of us.

Speaking of toilets… because the media made me do it. As a result of Indiscriminate Dissemination of Details, the internet has added to my alreadycrowded-Cerebral-Library some additional, worthless claptrap: a *movie star* bought a modest eight bedroom house with 17 bathrooms. Really, how many does a person need?

Well, actually, not speaking of toilets.

That word, a name of a porcelain fixture for disposing body wastes, is too base to utter or write. I wonder, is it latent Puritanism or Chronic Euphemism-ness that flushes that word out of our national vocabulary?

Oh yes, we have an endless supply of avoiding-the-truth words… water Closet, restroom, washroom, powder room, throne room, bathroom, shower room, (sink room?), the Elton and Olivia Newton, the Necessary.

(I need to disabuse a few readers of the notion that Thomas Crapper invented the toilet. A plumber, he invented the ballcock. It was John Harrington who invent-

ed the flush toilet.)

It could be worse: a hole in the ground with two planks on both sides, a handy bush, the right-rear tire of my father’s Chevy, the blue-flowered Chamber Pot tucked under my bed, an outhouse (unflinchingly and blatantly defined as “an outdoor building with facilities for defecation and urination.”)

Long long ago, like last century, I was unfortunately familiar with outhouses.

Using the deep hole in an outhouse was a frightful, breath-holding occasion. Having to use the outhouse at Uncle Bill’s cottage was particularly onerous to eight-year-old me because it was out, very out in the dastardly, deep dark where big bad bogeymen, lurking lions, and oh my hungry tigers awaited a tasty midnight snackette.

Having escaped becoming a ghastly gastro-intestinal event, I was certain that progress would save me from ever again having to perch on the edge of a beyondyucky open-faced can. Well, so much for assumptions.

My volunteer workdays at our Flower City Habitat for Humanity building-sites required my entering, etc. a porta-potty.

Which offered strong lessons in dexterity and humility.

Potty? That baby-talk word gave me the urge to explore Make Believe Land where tiny gender-fluid elves hand-sew and sow euphemisms. Wordsmith Elves design bath rooms, never toilet rooms. Obfuscating Elves create powder rooms that never, ever supply powder for a proper lady to powder her euphemistic nose. Duplicitous Elves upgrade outhouses into perfumed porta-johns and, I suppose, perfumed porta-janes, all supplied with Recommendedby-talking-bears Rolls of Puffiness, never a Sears and Roebuck catalogue.

I must admit that during a gesture of environmental concern, I had purchased “bath tissue” made from post-consumer paper. I felt noble giving up Puff n’ Fluff.

Until the day I unfurled a handful of t-p that had words . . . sentences still printed on the documents that had escaped the repurposing shredder-smoosher. Never mind. Too suggestive of those glossy Sears’ pages.

The significance of public toilet/sink rooms cannot be underestimated. For example, back in the eighteen and nineteen hundreds, all public school administrators were male. I taught in a high school building where the Men’s Control Center included a toilet/urinal/sink room, private and tucked away in an equally private hallway next to the principal’s office.

At the far end of the building, the Faculty Room provided a Ladies Lounge, a fainting couch/sink/porcelain fixture/fulllength-mirror room.

Such a time, women became administrators. When Vice-principal Dr. H was assigned to my building, she raised some issues of sexism built into bricks and mortar. Whenever the principal and the four vice-principals took a break during their meetings, the males easily slipped into their private “lavatory.” But Ms. Dr. H had to take the long hike down and back the full length of the building to the Big Girls’ Lav, speaking, perhaps, with teachers. But basically she was isolated. Meanwhile, the four administrators in the Big Boys’ Club could and would continue discussing and deciding education questions still on the table. Dr. H referred to those four as “the powers that pee.”

As far as I know, our national self-consciousness has not allowed People-Only bathrooms with floor to ceiling, private stalls in one public room. Recently, I did read about a Unisex bathroom. A North Carolina business owner posted a note (that was quickly Twittered and Tweeted), a note of explanation and expectation.

Realizing that “gender specific toilets put others into uncomfortable positions,” the owner wanted “to provide a safe environment” for all Homo sapiens (people of the LGBTQ community; single moms and dads; parents and their children with disabilities; adults with aging parents).

Understanding the challenges of change, the owner concluded with a powerful request: “please find compassion not ani-

mosity.”

Well, enough already. I could rave on about the new fangled, dual toilet handles . . . the pull-up for #1 and the pull-down for #2. Never mind. Off I go to find a restroom. Now really. Did you ever, ever rest in there?

MeredithReiniger@gmail.com

Faith Matters BATHROOM LAWS POLICING OUR GENITALS

By Rev. Irene Monroe Conservatives have always been a demographic group obsessed with policing this nation’s genitals.

They feel comfortable with ordinances that mandate what they do, how we use them, what body orifices they enter, and—now with transgender bathroom bills up for debate across the country—where we take them to go relieve ourselves.

If the state of Virginia wasn’t serious I could laugh off their Republican lawmakers’ suggestion that “Adults must check children’s private parts before entering restroom.” And, if a transgender child should violate the state’s bathroom ordinance he or she will be slapped with a $50.00 fine. House Bill 663, which was filed this week, states a students’ gender is “the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person’s anatomy.” The bill, however, didn’t state what action it would take for repeated offenders.

HB 663 is receiving an avalanche of outcry from the state’s progressive and LGBTQ populations. “This is what the conservative movement has devolved into,” LGBTQ activist Tim Peacock wrote on his blog, “forcing children to allow adults to examine their genitals out of misplaced fear that transgender kids and adults might commit a hypothetical never-before-seen act of violence or sexual aggression (that would still be against the law with or without transgender protections).”

Across the country, however, this sort of amped-up fear-mongering of the “predatory heterosexual male pervert” or “Peeping Tom” has either halted or canned movement forward in getting needed transgender public accommodations bills passed. And the obstructionist claims against the bill, purporting to have nothing against transgender people, goes something like this one published in “The Federalist” by Kaeley Triller, a Christian mother of two: “Let me be clear: I am not saying that transgender people are predators. Not by a long shot. What I am saying is that there are countless deviant men in this world who will pretend to be transgender as a means of gaining access to the people they want to exploit, namely women and children.”

To date there is no evidence to corroborate Triller’s fear. As a matter-of-fact, Media Matters, a progressive news watchdog, report no incident from the seventeen largest school districts in the country that have adopted policies for transgender students to have access to “gender-appropriate facilities. ” And according to a study put out by the UCLA’s Williams Institute, an LGBTQ think tank, approximately 80 percent of transgender students where no policy is in place to protect them have reported either harassment or physical assault in their attempt to use “gender segregated bathrooms.”

Data, however, has shown that access to “gender-appropriate facilities” greatly assists transgender students in feeling accepted by their peers and community, and to live more fully as their identified gender.

If we’re looking for a federal nondiscrimination law passed on this issue

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET should any of the Republican presidential hopefuls take office we need not hold ourselves waiting. According to Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie giving transgender K-12 students the right to choose their bathroom is a confusing matter.

“Men go to men’s rooms, women go to women’s rooms and there really shouldn’t be a whole lot of confusion about that -- public accommodations. And I don’t think we should be making life more confusing for our children.”

And according to former renowned neurosurgeon Ben Carson transgender students should have a “separate,” and I surmise “equal” bathroom because Carson feels “it is not fair for them to make everybody else uncomfortable.” One would think that Carson would know better than to utter such a statement, living the African American experience in this country.

Transgender Americans being denied access to public lavatories is eerily reminiscent of the country’s last century Jim Crow era denying African Americans access to lunch counters, water fountains, and restrooms in restaurants, libraries, gas stations, theaters, to name a few.

With Massachusetts lauded as one of the most pro-LGBTQ states in the country my lawmakers have disappointed me with their political foot dragging and staling on our “Bathroom Bill” ( HB1577).

Senate President Stanley Rosenberg and Attorney General Maura Healey fully support the bill. Governor Charlie Baker, however, has declined to take a stance on it.

This sort of inaction by lawmakers makes it increasingly unsafe and difficult for our transgender denizens to engage in the simple activity of simply going out to grab something to eat, that cisgendered people can take for granted, without the angst, anguish and fear of navigating their bathroom restrictions.

But the fear-mongering, policing, and transphobia concerning transgender peo-

ple using public bathrooms gravely impact gender non-conforming people, too.

Without such bills passed, perceived too “butch women” or too “effeminate men” confront similar harassment and danger as our transgender sisters and brothers.

It is my hope for 2016 that state lawmakers pass their “Bathroom Bills.” Then they could focus their political gaze and energy on more important issues than on our genitals.

A Few Bricks Short ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL

By David Hull The other night I was randomly channel surfing on TV when I flipped from the cartoon channel showing an old rerun of Super Friends, the 1970s animated show about the heroic adventures of Superman, Wonder Women and other extraordinarily-powered people, and turned to a cable news show that was covering a Donald Trump Rally.

Now, at first, I immediately thought that any rally featuring Donald Trump should actually be on the cartoon channel (or at least Comedy Central).

Then I realized that if Donald were ever elected President, the Super Friends, and many other superheroes, would be in a lot of trouble. If Donald thinks Mexican are all rapists and Muslims are all terrorists – what would he think about a strange visitor from another planet? How would the comic book companies ever handle that situation?

Let’s face it, Superman arrived on Earth in a rocket ship from the far-flung planet of Krypton without a passport, birth certificate or even a “certificate of live birth,” which as we all know Don-

23

ald is convinced is not as good as a birth certificate anyway. Would Mr. Trump deport Superman? He couldn’t send the Man of Steel back home -- Krypton was destroyed years ago! Maybe he’d just send Superman to live on some other planet in our solar system. I know I would love to find a comic book with the headlines on the cover exclaiming: Superman on Uranus!

I don’t think Donald would be any happier to find Aquaman, the King of the Seven Seas in our country. Aquaman is from Atlantis – a lost continent somewhere on the bottom of the ocean inhabited by thousands of Atlanteans! Donald would warn that we can’t risk having those water-breathing, fish-communing aliens climbing out of the sea, illegally entering our country and tracking their wet feet all over our nice, clean streets.

I can hear Donald pontificating already; “I’ll build a wall along all our continental seashores and I’ll make Atlantis pay for it!”

Now Wonder Woman may be a princess, and we Americans love visiting royalty, but she’s from a place called Paradise Island; probably in the same chain of islands amid Fantasy Island, Gilligan’s Island and Piggy Island (where the Angry Birds live). However, Paradise Island is a little different, in that it is occupied solely by (gasp) women. I’m sorry, but Donald would never allow some female from a foreign, lesbian-tolerant government to get landing clearance for her invisible jet at any airport in the US. Thor, the god of thunder may be hot, handsome and helpful to the Avengers, but let’s be honest, he’s not from around here. Thor travels to Earth from Asgard, the home of the gods – and they’re not Christian gods either – they are the ancient mythological Norse gods. So the next time Thor wants to traverse the rainbow bridge from Asgard, he’s likely to find a customs border crossing station at the American end of the bridge and I’m sorry, but that mystic hammer the thunder god carries around with him is never going to get through any metal detector.

I can’t imagine any of this going over well with Donald.

It’s not just the superhero characters who will be in trouble either.

What about Casper, the friendly ghost?

OK, he is friendly (and white), but he and the Ghostly Trio and his cousin Spooky, the tuff little ghost, don’t live in America – they all reside in some spectral astral plane. We have no idea exactly where this supposed astral plane is located and for all Donald and his supporters know, Casper’s ethereal residence could be somewhere in (yikes) the Middle East!

And don’t even get me started on characters like Swamp Thing (he’s a plant, for goodness sake; a vegetable-American) or Richie Rich (Richie’s family is even wealthier than Donald, so they’re going to have to release those tax returns) or Popeye, the Sailor Man (what language is he really speaking anyway)! They’d all be in trouble with a President named Trump.

So, next time you’re watching the news and see Donald Trump (and you always see Donald Trump), just think about the possibilities of a whole new comic book series to replace those tales of illegal aliens, like Superman and Thor.

It could be called either The Amazing Captain Trump, An All-American Hero with the Paperwork to Prove It or perhaps The Adventures of Super Donald; Making America Great Again (like back when women couldn’t vote and gays couldn’t marry).

Whichever, thoughts like that will help you keep this whole 2016 political race in the proper context.

Contact David at davidhull59@aol.com

What’s Bothering Brandon?

NEW YEAR, NEW QUEER

By Brandon W. Brooks New Year’s Eve has come and gone, leaving us with a new 366 days to experience. February is the time for broken promises and rejected resolutions. It is the time when we say to ourselves, “Oh hell, it’s just not worth the trouble.”

Money is wasted on gym memberships, while we continue to pack on the pounds. Smokers secretly relish in their continued inhalations, reassuring themselves that they have one more year before the big change truly begins.

Last year I made the resolution to lose twenty pounds, which I achieved, albeit over the course of an entire year and not within the first few months of 2015. Achieving a goal, especially one that affects our lives drastically, tends to open our minds to other possibilities. We see possibilities where we once saw only dead ends. Of course, this enthusiasm is usually short-lived when faced with the actual effort required to make a change.

This year I would like to make more of an inward change. I personally tend to gravitate more towards the darker side of things. I find comfort in the negative, adverse or bleak, and this has not gone unnoticed by my friends, family and coworkers. I am often seen as too judgmental, too much of a purist, too traditional for modernity, and sometimes even a classist.

Why do I gravitate to these things if they bring about negative feedback from others? Why do I find them comfortable? I think the answer to that, as for many of us, is because these things are both familiar and consistent in our lives.

For example, if I were given the chance to decide between spending time with an old, maybe not-so-agreeable friend, or meeting someone new, I would choose the old annoying friend. Why? Because this old annoying friend is familiar to me, and his tendency to annoy me is consistent with our past shared experience.

I want to break the habit of following the consistent and familiar. I want to find ways to create the healthier habit of seeking out positivity rather than deigning to do so. What’s more, I want to enjoy it.

Even writing this sentence I am daunted and annoyed by the very idea of doing so.

That feeling of dread and agitation is also consistent and familiar to me, and part of my exceedingly successful talent of seeking out negativity. This, in turn, is part of what I like to call The Shadow Brandon.

The Shadow Brandon enjoys annoyance and discomfort, and is ill at ease.

He enjoys wasting energy by focusing on the undesirable aspects of day-to-day life, instead of surmounting them. The Shadow Brandon takes his time wallowing before accepting the positive, and retreating once more. The Shadow Brandon has been spoilt with a constant supply of selfdoubt, self-pity and pessimism. The Shadow Brandon kind of sucks.

But I also see the benefit or advantage

Joe Russo, Psy.D., CGP

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Licensed Psychologist Certified Group Psychotherapist 25 Canterbury Road, Suite 313 Rochester, New York 14607 Phone: (585) 506-6096 E-mail: joerussopsyd@gmail.com

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24 of having this shadow self. I have the ability to radically accept unfortunate events that might leave others on the floor. My shadow self can adapt to the most uncomfortable of situations, and excel in them.

My shadow’s ability to practice this acceptance and adaption, however, depends entirely on the presence and prevalence of negativity in my environment. I should be able to easily adapt and accept the more unsavory aspects of life without a perpetual frown (although they do cause significantly less wrinkles than smiles).

I would like to utilize the year 2016 in order to diminish my shadow self, letting most of it go away, and combining the rest with the light that is already there. I will turn a shadow into a shade, which will then fade to a mere tint. I will practice active positivity, even if I grimace at the thought of it. Perhaps part of my change will be rebranding what I think positivity is.

As far as my readers go, you need not worry that The Empty Closet is losing a cynic. God knows I’ll find a way to hold onto some shard of darkness. After all, “… who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” The Shadow Brandon knows!

Questions, comment or critique? Feel free to e-mail the author at: brandonbrooks@mail.adelphi.edu

Being Well SELF CARE

By John M. Aceto, LMHC Picture it: You had a bad day. Your boss was riding you like a prize pony.

Your partner yelled at you for leaving dishes in the sink.

Some one cut you off on 490. You actually went to the East Ave. Wegmans and experienced the gauntlet that is the parking lot. That day sucked. So what do you do? How do you care for yourself?

This may not be something you think about on a regular basis. Life gets in the way. Demands on your time take away from caring for yourself. You may experience frustration, sadness, and irritation.

All of these responses are pretty normal, so don’t ding yourself. But how do you care for yourself?

It’s very important to take time to reflect, to recoup, and to find a quiet space. This may not be easy with all of the demands life places on us. But it is crucial to your mental health. Ask yourself, when was the last time you spent time with yourself, with no one else present?

With your phone off, without you updating your status on Facebook every hour?

My alone time is very important. It allows me to be alone with my thoughts.

It allows me to decompress from life’s stressors. There is nothing more I look forward to than spending an evening with a pint of ice cream and The Golden Girls.

It’s all about you, and what you do to keep yourself sane.

Other things, like exercising, talking to a friend, spending time with your pet, are all part of self care. Volunteering your time at a local charity can be a very rewarding experience. Giving back to the community that raised you can give you a sense of purpose you might not even know you needed.

In the end it should be all about you.

Not in a selfish way, but in a giving way.

RuPaul said it best: “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you going to

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016 love some one else?”

Amen. And call your mother, she worries about you.

Both Sides Now TAKING OUT THE TRASH & FINDING BALANCE

By Cora Treoir Duncan Where I live in Naples, you have the option of securing a trash collecting company to pick up your garbage and recyclables on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. It’s not cheap, but the truck comes and takes it if you get it ready and put it out. It just disappears.

I’ve heard that they don’t differentiate between the trash and recyclables at their plant and have seen both go into the same packer without separating. That bothers me as I have religiously separated my outright garbage and recyclable glass, cardboard, paper and plastic since Earth Day started back in 1973 and as soon as my locality began to separate what they collected. I take that process seriously; just ask my co-workers who have seen me fish out recyclables from the trash at work every shift.

I choose to take care of my own refuse, separate it myself and drag it to the town dump when the pile gets big enough to fill that back of my wagon. Because then I own my refuse, deal with it and take care of eliminating it from my life in a responsible manner.

I drive up to the facility, into the large shed, empty out the glass, plastic and metal into one dumpster, cardboard into a crusher, paper into another bin and the garbage gets weighed and dumped into the fourth dumpster. I pay by the weight.

Except when I last moved, my visits every two to three months rarely go above $10, as opposed to $24 per month for curbside pickup. It saves me money and reassures me what I get rid of is not clogging the system or damaging the environment. I may be naïve in the end but I am satisfied I have done my part.

This also impacts my personal life. It has to; “as above, so below” is an absolute for me. I am responsible for what I carry around and what I choose to leave behind.

When my last partner and I split, they removed what they wanted from our common pile and left the rest for me to dispose of or move. Since this was a fairly quick break with each other (as breakups often are) there were things they missed that I separated out while I packed my own.

There were also many things we shared in common that were left to me to carry away, since time did not allow culling and disposing of them all before I moved. I had a rude awakening of the amount I had accumulated since my last life-purge twenty years earlier.

So what I am faced with is a lot of baggage I don’t really need anymore. There are things in my storage area on the second floor of the carriage house behind my apartment that I have not seen for two years since my move. Clearly, there are things I treasure and wish to save; but the vast bulk of items that sit up there are no longer important. Some, like my collection of books, vinyl records, cassettes and CDs, offer financial rewards for their disposal (after I sort out my last “special collection”). Much can be donated, like clothing

from my previous incarnation and furniture that I have no room for in my tiny apartment. What a wonderful metaphor for my life in general and a HUGE opportunity to simplify and streamline my existence! Last time it took me one month to completely move. I am shooting for being able to do it in a weekend with some help.

One of my cherished movies is the first Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan vehicle, “Joe Vs. The Volcano”, which parallels my situation in a film-long parable of (modern) life. Perhaps my favorite moment comes when post-climax, their custom luggage pops up out of the ocean to offer a life raft to the protagonists. In gratitude, Hanks’ character says, “Wherever we go, we’re going to take this baggage with us!” It brings tears of recognition every time I see it (and I’m overdue to watch it again soon).

It reminds me that I can choose what and how much to carry on into my future.

The more weight I choose to maintain, the slower I move. It is and has been my intention to trim all my unnecessary physical, mental, emotional and spiritual baggage to the point where I can be swift in my movements and un-hobbled by my choices. It is a huge undertaking with the physical objects in my life, as I am reminded every time I sneak upstairs to raid the carriage house loft. It is no less a task, indeed it can be heart-stopping, to do the internal Soul Work as I proceed in my Transition.

I made a conscious decision when I began my Transition that I did NOT want to grandfather in personal behaviors I no longer needed for coping, that had ceased to be of value in my life.

I’ve seen many of my Trans Sisters and Brothers post their intention to excise all reminders of their prior physical configuration, including any historical photos and personal items that could trigger their Dysphoria. While I understand and cannot pass judgment on their decision, I have come to understand that for me, it would eliminate such a large percentage of my life that it would leave me trembling like a leaf on the edge of a branch which has no more connection to the vast trunk and roots of its existence.

Wishing my past to disappear would in effect leave me without any resources to carry on my future life. In fact, this knowledge fueled my decision to keep my first name as my new surname. I had invested 40 years of hard work developing a “brand name” in the music community, to the point where just my first name identified me to thousands of people. Why would I choose to relinquish that? I learned in 12 Step programs that some people chose to be so anonymous that you couldn’t even find them! No, that is not for me. I have no intention of fading away to just a memory.

So I choose to integrate the best of the old with the promise of the new. As I’ve come to understand through therapy and deep reflection, Cora has always been there in my life even as Duncan was ascendant. There is much to cherish that I will carry. My search for Self and Authenticity was a Seeker’s journey that encountered

light and darkness during my passage.

There is Gold hidden everywhere! I spent much sorrow, tears and blood for this precious cargo.

For every day I am delighted to emerge in the NOW to full capacity, I am no less excited to discover my present presence shake off the toxic shadows that disguised her in my past. As the Moon waxes and wanes and the Sun rises and sets, I also must strike a healthy balance between the masculine and feminine elements in my life today. We each carry both within us; no one is 100 percent male or female. We are all a mix of both. It serves none of us to disparage one side or the other; in fact it works to the detriment of our true nature.

If you recall the Ying-Yang symbol, each side contains a piece of the other at its heart. What is at work in MY life is a restoration of that balance as I reclaim that which has been taken for so long.

Some parts of my past I can see as soon as I “go upstairs” and know if they still matter and can make a quick decision to save or purge. Much that I own will require delicate dedicated digging, brushing off the dust of years and unreleased tears of neglect and releasing the sentimentality that can often overcome anyone’s new-found resolve. Already I find I am forgetting some items as my life’s direction, sense of creative purpose and essential needs change.

In contrast, other components of my life still hide in plain sight. There is an inner crusade I attend, a progressive and burning compulsion I feel to expose, excise and expunge each newly discovered and no longer necessary behavior. I continue to uncover what I least want to find and dread most to face. It never ends, no matter what peace I HAVE achieved. I will always aspire to fine-tune my world to a justified pitch and am resigned to being friends with chaos. I have little choice; it is always present. It provides job security for my better nature.

All static and garbage that pollute communication of our truth have to be carried outside and be appropriately disposed to the correct source, to become a RE-Source for others. This year as I move forward, my intent is that if I don’t need it anymore, give, sell or share whatever it is, so I can live as simply, honestly and clearly as I can. It’s an aspiration, I know. I’ll still have to take out the garbage. ■

SAVE THE DATES for ROC PRIDE 2016 It’s the third weekend in July.

July 15, 16, 17

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

Community 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 Street, at the corner of Broad St. We have the following services and activities for the month of February, 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: Roman Catholic Prayers to start the week, followed by pot luck The theme for the potluck in February is “Souper Supper” — soup, bread, salad… a simple supper for the Lenten season that began earlier this month. There will surely be some yummy offerings that night, so consider joining us! In fact, tradition has it that when we aren’t cooking up a Potluck supper on the fourth Sunday, we’re gathering for fellowship around a tasty coffee hour and going out to a local restaurant for dinner each Sunday. Join us anytime!

Join us on Saturday, Feb. 20 for our Annual Cabin Party! We’re celebrating winter with an indoor picnic full of warm comfort foods. Gather near the roaring fireplace and play games or just visit with friends old and new. You’re welcome to add to the evening with a dish to pass or perhaps a favorite game. The event is from 4:30-9:30 p.m. Check the website for location and directions to the site.

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 Jeez, it’s cold out there. The BEARS are staying in a lot. Playing cards and board games with friends.

Out for dinner, a movie, bowling.

We’re partial to the Cinema, but those comfortable recliners in Webster do call to us.

Every Wednesday night we have supper at 6 p.m. Feb. 3 it’ll be Duff’s on W. Hen; 2/10 we’ll meet at the food court at Marketplace; 2/17 is Carrabba’s and 2/24 is the Winfield Grill.

Our potluck for Feb is canceled, as the GAGV will be having the Valentine’s Dance in the space that night. It’s a beautiful new space, and we’re glad the GAGV has room for all our groups to meet. Hope we’ll see you at the dance.

OPEN ARMS MCC Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church is Beyond Open and Affirming...

Beyond Welcoming. We ARE a place for ALL! We are unabashedly Christian and accepting of everyone, whatever your beliefs may be. Our worship service style is blended, with contemporary Christian music and traditional hymns throughout. We celebrate an open communion table weekly, as well and all are invited to partake. During our services we collect the change from our pockets for the DUO fund (Do Unto Others). We use this fund to assist people in our neighborhood with urgent housing, medical, food or transportation needs. Following the service, we gather in the Community Center for fellowship.

Over the holidays we were able to provide baskets that had a complete thanksgiving meal with all the fixings and dessert to 33 families in the Rochester community and our Angel Tree was able to surprise 48 children, from eight months to 13 years old, with unexpected gifts that they got to open on Christmas morning!

Here’s what’s happening at Open Arms in February: Our Adult Sunday School meets weekly at 9 a.m., exploring what a meaningful faith can look like in today’s world by studying “Living the Questions.” Each week offers a different individual lesson and new members and visitors are always welcome.

Our quarterly Agape Supper Services are at 5:30 p.m. and the next one will be Feb. 7. Please bring a dish to pass in this

25

unique and intimate worship experience while you share a meal in championship with others.

On Sunday, Feb. 14 at 12:15 p.m. we will have a Valentine’s Day Potluck so plan to bring your valentine and a dish to pass!

The TRANSformative Ministry Team has been learning what it means to be transgender and we’ve developed our vision statement, which is: “We are a faith community that supports and respects people of all gender identities and gender expressions.”

We will accomplish this through worship, prayer, education, outreach, in-reach and activism. All are welcome to join us on our journey toward a fuller understanding, support and inclusion of our trans friends and family members in the life of our church. Please check our Facebook for dates and times of the upcoming meetings also check our Facebook page for our newly crafted mission statement!

We continue hosting 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 p.m. PFLAG (Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians, Gays, Trans, and Questioning) meets on the third Sunday of each month at 1 p.m.

TAGR, Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester meets on the third Saturday of each month from 3-5:30 p.m. The Cobbs Hill Drumming Circle meets at 6:30 p.m. in the sanctuary on the first Mondays each month.

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.

The cold weather is here and we have a supply of non-perishable items in stock for when our neighbors stop in looking for emergency supplies. For example, a meal or some personal care items. 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 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.

Open Arms MCC is committed to Building Bridges and Changing Lives. You are welcome, regardless of your sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, or religious beliefs. We are located at 707 East Main St., across from the Delta Sonic. 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: openarmsmcc.org. Our lay pastoral leader, Brae Adams, has office hours on Wednesdays, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and by appointment. (please call first to make sure she’s available) We are also open Thursdays and Fridays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Our phone number is (585) 271-8478.

ROMANS

Happy Nude Year! 2015 came and went but our friendship with like-minded nudists in the greater Rochester area will continue and grow. ROMANS (Rochester Male Naturists) remains active throughout the winter months with regular nude gatherings at member’s homes.

A warm December meant we could enjoy our outdoor hot tubs longer than usual. Our December meeting broke a record with 26 members filling every corner of the house to celebrate the holiday season. Warm bodies, fine food, great conversations; it was a wonderful evening to bring in the season of festivity and goodwill.

2016 starts with a new management team for the ROMANS. The club is now run by a group of members sharing leadership responsibilities. We are looking for new creative ideas to add nude activities and nude networking opportunities. It will be an exciting nude year with a lot of fun. You can find out more about the ROMANS on our website at www.wnyromans.com. If you are interested in becoming a member, you can contact us via email at wnyromans@yahoo.com or call us at our message line 585-281-4964. ROMANS is a social club for gay and gay-friendly male nudists over 21. ■

r o f e t a n g i Des lf and your e s r u yo ! y t i n u m m co e c n a i l l A y a G e h T y a W d e t i 5 n 3 U 1 1 : s i r e b num yees: SEFA : #93910 plo ees: CGC m e e t For sta eral employ For fed

26 ( Heroes continued from page 21) Award at the Rise Brunch held last September at the Rochester Yacht club. Lauren, who considers herself gender fluid, is independent, strong, and resourceful.

Lauren is a leader in the Rush Henrietta GSA, and is a member of eight clubs, three of which Lauren leads. It is important to Lauren to give back to the community. Lauren wants to attend MCC to become a human resources professional to work at Trillium Health to do outreach with the LGBT community. Lauren’s heart is enormous. Her energy to do work for the community is boundless. Her interests are endless.

Governor Andrew Cuomo – On October 22, 2015, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced at the Empire State Pride Agenda Dinner that he would direct the State Division of Human Rights to issue regulations that extend protections against discrimination found in a 1945 law to cover gender identity, transgender status and gender dysphoria. At the time, Gov. Cuomo said the move was overdue, noting that transgender people had been left out of previous antidiscrimination laws protecting gay and bisexual men and women.

“The law left out the T, so to speak,” he said, adding, “That was not right, it was not fair, and it was not legal. Transgendered individuals deserve the same civil right that protects them from discrimination.” The regulations were adopted last month.

These Shoulders have given the LGBT community and the Greater Rochester community a reason to be OUT and PROUD! Their activism and lives bear witness to the ever opening door of our closets! Shoulders to Stand On congratulates with gratitude its 2015 Shoulders Heroes!

History Corner The Empty Closet, A Monthly Newspaper of The Gay Brotherhood of Rochester, NY, 713 Monroe Avenue, Room 4, Rochester, N Y l4607 (716) 244-8640 December, 1976 NO 58 Focus: As a follow up to last month’s look at single lifestyles, we turn our attention to relationships. Our feature spread (pages 8-9) is again the sort of personal sharing we at the CLOSET like to encour-

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016 age. Other viewpoints bolster the spread and can be found on pages 6 and 7. Our issue focus is sharpened by a book review of Love and Addiction (page 11) and Walt Dulaney’s new column, “The Open i’ (page 4). We are pleased to announce the beginning of three new columns: Walt’s (mentioned above), Renee Hughson’s “Frankenstein in Drag,” will speak out for transexuals. The third department is an attempt to cite gay coverage in the straight press. The column’s title is Periodically and it may be found on page 13.

Bringing you the CLOSET each month is one way we have of sharing our love.

Collectively we are a growing newspaper and welcome others to the family who have a zest for our effort (and a high frustration tolerance). As the paper grows, so too do our work load and our costs.

Our relationship to the gay community is changing. We have expanded our format and are struggling to reach the gay community in all its diversity. We welcome your feedback. Next month we turn our attention to gays and religion. If you have a contribution please contact us. With love, ed.

Contents: FEATURES - RELATIONSHIPS: ROMANTIC BURNOUT -pg. 6; LONELINESS AND LOVE pg7; TO MY LOVES(POEM) pg.

7; FROM BUFFALO pg. 8; BOSOM BUDDIES pg. 8; IDEAS ON RELATIONSHIPS pg. 9.

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 1976 – February Gay Brotherhood Meetings Meets eyery Sunday at 7:30 PM. 713 Monroe Ave Call 244-8640.

2/1 “Speaking Out Gay Speakers Bureau 2/8 Folk Dance Coffee House 2/15 “Transexuals” are we comfortable with It? 2/22 “Speaker: David Thorstad.NYC. “The Homosexual Rights Movement” See story col, 3 2/29 Business meeting & Mixer, games.

3/7 “The Catholic Church and Homosexuality” GAY ALLIANCE 2/10 Board meeting

585 244-9030

SELL SOME ADS MAKE SOME MONEY

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

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

Arts & Entertainment

Come to “Out at Geva” reception on Feb. 25; see “To Kill A Mockingbird” Geva continues its very popular “Out at Geva” night -- a performance that allows members of the LGBTQ community to see a show, share their experience and meet other like-minded arts enthusiasts.

The evening includes a pre-show reception in the price of a ticket.

Besides being a way to network, have fun and meet people with similar interests, “Out at Geva” gives the theatre an opportunity to engage and connect to the Rochester LGBTQ audience in a way that it has never had before.

In association with the Gay Alliance, “Out at Geva” is the LGBTQ community’s perfect way to make new friends or catch up with old ones while enjoying Rochester’s finest theatre. The free, pre-show reception gives patrons a chance to socialize before the show. “Out at Geva” is held on the second Thursday of each Mainstage show.

The winter/spring schedule is as follows: To Kill a Mockingbird: Feb. 25; A Moon for the Misbegotten: April 7; The May Queen: May 12.

Patrons will need to mention Out at Geva when reserving tickets for these performances. Their name will then be included on a guest list for the free receptions. Subscriptions are available as well for these performances.

Romance will be in the air at the Community Valentines Dance, Feb. 13 at the Resource Center Can’t make it to Paris for Valentine’s Day? Take your sweetheart or just a bunch of friends to the City of Light, Rochester version.

The Paris J’Adore Community Valentines Dance takes place Feb. 13 at the Gay Alliance LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. It’s not quite Paris, but it will be fabulous!

The dance runs from 7-11 p.m., with DJ Chuck Argento providing both romantic and hot music. The dance is for those 21 and over. Advance tickets are $15, available at Equal=Grounds, Outlandish, and the Bachelor Forum, or online at www.gayalliance.org. At the door, admission will be $20.

PUSH offers “Jekyll and Hyde” at Blackfriars The five members of Rochester’s award-winning PUSH Physical Theatre are hard at work in their South Wedge studio preparing for the world premiere of PUSH Physical Theatre’s Jekyll & Hyde, running at Blackfriars Theatre (795 E. Main St.) through Sunday, Feb. 14.

“Yeah, we’re throwing each other around at an alarming rate,” jokes PUSH Co-Founder/ Co-Director Darren Stevenson, referring to the company’s creative process, which is rooted in long hours of physical improvisation – in this case, of perhaps a more violent nature than usual.

“We’re also rehearsing actual speaking lines for the first time ever, which is almost as painful.”

Based on Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella, (The) Strange Case

of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, PUSH’s third and latest longform work examines the struggle between good and evil within one man while exploring the dark side within each of us. That seems to be a recurring theme for PUSH, given its 2009 production of Dracula at Geva Theatre Center.

“Darren grew up as a pastor’s kid in England, and church was a big part of my upbringing here in America. Good and evil were clearly defined and life issues were mostly presented as black or white. Maybe for that reason, we’ve become interested in the gray area, and what that even means,” theorizes wife and PUSH Co-Founder/Co-Director Heather Stevenson. “Most of PUSH’s work asks important questions to which there are no easy answers, and this is no exception.”

In order to bring the classic story to stage in PUSH’s own unique way, the company once more collaborated with Dracula script writer, Danny Hoskins, now Artistic & Managing Director of Blackfriars Theatre.

Blackfriars is presenting the show as part of its 2015/16 regular season, with additional support by Nocon & Associates, an Ameriprise Private Wealth Advisory Practice.

“PUSH performers consistently challenge themselves, their collaborators and their audiences to expect more from traditional theatre experiences, and with Jekyll & Hyde, they’ve raised the bar yet again,” says Hoskins.

“I’m thrilled to share PUSH’s dynamic storytelling and artistry with Blackfriars’ audiences and the Rochester community.”

Jekyll & Hyde will also incorporate the illusion-creating skills of longtime PUSH Lighting Designer Toni Elderkin and Sound and Video Designer Dan Roach. Three-dimensional video projection especially plays a large part in the production, for which a national tour is also in the works.

PUSH Physical Theatre’s Jekyll & Hyde, which opened in January, runs this month on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 14 (sold out) at 2 p.m. Tickets begin at $31.50 ($15 students/$3 off for seniors) at blackfriars.org or (585) 454-1260.

Book Review: “And Then I Danced: Traveling the Road to LGBT Equality” by Mark Segal

By C. Todd White And Then I Danced: Traveling the Road to LGBT Equality is more than a memoir. It is a handbook for grass-roots activism written by one of the grand masters in the field, Mark Segal, who just celebrated 40 years as publisher of Philadelphia Gay News.

27 Segal’s life history exemplifies the power of the supportive family in the nurturance of social activism. His parents, Marty and Shirley, remained confident in their son’s north-pointing moral compass, providing a solid home base, support for his activistic antics, and wide latitude for character building. He learned the political ropes from his grandmother, Fannie Weinstein, an active suffragette and ardent defender of civil rights. Through her guidance and his parents’ unwavering support, one can say that Segal has been a civil rights activist for his entire life.

The book reads like a series of delightful vignettes, every one of which is engaging in its own right. For instance, the “scene” where Segal hangs a giant sheet reading “Gay Power” from the towers of Philadelphia City Hall is hilarious: “For some reason it took the powers-that-be about an hour to hoist the banner back inside. In the meantime I was across the street watching and kicking myself for not taking into consideration the wind.”

Segal was first known for his staging of pickets and “zaps,” acts

of consciousness raising on a public scale, in the early 1970s. He first “zapped” the Liberty Bell, where he handcuffed himself to a railing and shouted “Independence for Gay People!” Of course he had been sure to have media friends on hand to ensure the event was covered. The zaps were only effective to the extent of their audience, thus his famous raid of CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, on December 11, 1973, where he interrupted the news to flash a sign stating “Gays Protest CBS Prejudice.”

The prank was seen by millions, making Segal the first openly gay man on primetime television.

The strength of this book is its many entertaining backstories that demonstrate the forethought and planning that went into the zaps and other increasingly grand events. “Success depended on planning, execution, and security.” Pushing ever onward, Segal often pauses to reflect on the way, amazed at his own success. It felt as if he and his cohort in the Gay Liberation Front, and then the Gay Activist Alliance and The Gay Raiders,

(Review continues page 28)

Brian Hurlburt

Rainbow ROC radio program on WAYO 104.3 FM focuses on LGBT music, talk

By Susan Jordan There’s a new LGBT radio show in town.

Brian Hurlburt now hosts his LGBT music/discussion program Rainbow ROC on WAYO 104.3 FM from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays. The station can be listened to online through the website wayofm.org, or through the app plug TuneIn, or, if in the city, on 104.3FM. WAYO calls itself “a free form, low power station providing diverse and idiosyncratic arts and cultural programming”.

A non-profit, it began in 2012.

It is an affiliate of MuCCC, with the same board of directors. It broadcasts many different kinds of shows, such as cooking, books, the blues, etc.

Brian Hurlburt told The Empty Closet, “There are two aspects to Rainbow ROC: the first is the music. Some of the music is by LGBT artists, some by bands with one or more LGBT members, some are from bands that are supportive of the LGBT community, and some are songs I just like!

“The second aspect is the talk part. We have an interview every month; Michael Lill was the first person I had on to talk, on Jan. 4. In February Gay Alliance Executive Director Scott Fearing will be interviewed on Feb. 8 in the 1 p.m. hour, and I hope during 2016 to feature Thomas Warfield, Scotty Ginett

Michael Lill

and trans musician Cora Treoir Duncan.

“The main focus is on music and interviews on LGBT issues here in Rochester and around the world. We’ll go into comedy too. Like maybe Christopher Hennelly doing something on taxes – that would be humorous coming from him! Sometimes I do something special – recently I did tributes to the late Natalie Cole and David Bowie, and I did a tribute to Broadway.”

As far as Brian knows, his is the only LGBT radio show in the Rochester area. “I feel like it’s very important,” he said.

“There is a lot of music out there

by LGBT artists that isn’t being played or heard. Sam Smith is a gay singer who is well known now, but others like Steve Grand aren’t being heard so much. I’m getting that music out there!”

28 ( Review from page 27) had pushed the world—and it moved.

Segal triumphed through many of his early legal and political ordeals because he stayed on point, was clear about his message, and remained a nice, articulate man despite his youth and shaggy looks. It is interesting to read of the transition from hippie protester to consummate (and well suited) political insider—there are generational insights here as Segal exemplifies the upward mobility of many baby boomers.

While the personal is indeed political, as the feminists say, Segal’s story suggests that with perseverance and planning, politics can become personal as well. Outsiders who become insiders can effect powerful change provided they remain personable, focused, informed, and articulate. Few remain untarnished in the political fray, yet Segal makes the impossible seem easy. His moral compass remains spot on.

And Then I Danced is an invaluable first-hand account of the history of LGBT activism that belongs on the shelves of every public or academic library and in every LGBT community center across the nation. Segal should be congratulated for writing this honest, engaging, and actioninspiring memoir. His story is highly readable and loaded with common-sense advice for how to raise social consciousness while continuing the fight for the rights of LGBT individuals and our growing community.

Bread & Water presents play about Tennessee Williams this month He was one of the great twentieth century American playwrights, and Tennessee Williams’ private persona is shown to have been just as fascinating as his plays in this delightful, moving, and incisive 90-minute drama.

“Confessions of a Nightingale” is structured as an interview with a reporter, to whose unheard questions Williams responds directly to the audience as if they are doing the asking. We learn of the struggles of his early years, his first successes, the price of his fame and his later years of dissolution and decline, all in Williams’ delightfully witty style.

Brilliant and prolific, Tennessee Williams achieved acclaim with The Glass Menagerie and a Streetcar Named Desire. Plays that focused on down and

Tennessee Williams

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016 out southern characters often crafted from people in Williams’ own life. His mother became the model for the foolish but strong Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, while his father represented the aggressive, driving Big Daddy in the now classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Met early on with a great deal of success, his later years were difficult for Williams. His work received poor reviews and increasingly the playwright would turn to alcohol and drugs as coping mechanisms.

In 1969 his brother hospitalized him. Williams continued to write plays as well as an autobiography entitled Memoirs in 1975, but he could never fully escape his demons. Surrounded by bottles of wine and pills he died in a New York City hotel room in 1983.

The cast consists of Louie Podlaski (Tennessee Williams). Mr. Podlaski is making his BWT debut most recently appearing in A Few Good Men for Blackfriar’s Theatre. Mr. Podlaski is an active writer, director and actor in the Rochester area.

The crew includes Darrell Killingsworth (Director) and J.R. Teeter (Lighting Design). Mr. Killingsworth previously appeared in Orestes 2.0 and worked behind the scenes of The Jeweler’s Shop. Mr. Teeter is the founding artistic director of BWT and previously designed lights for Nijinsky’s Last Dance, The Witnesses of Kitty Genovese and God of Vengeance.

Founded in 2000, Bread & Water Theatre is committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience and acting as a positive agent of change in its community. Under the artistic direction of J.R. Teeter, BWT develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dramatically changing world through new works of drama, and aspires to be a major force in American theatre, providing audiences with challenging contemporary drama and innovative community outreach programs.

Confessions of a Nightingale by Charlotte Chandler and Ray Stricklyn will be presented at 172 West Main Street through February 7. Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 p.m; performance on Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. Single tickets range from $8-$14 and may be purchased at BreadandWaterTheatre.org. No patron will be turned away for an inability to pay. For more information, call (585) 538-9684.

From the “Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo.”

Not to be missed: “The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo”

“Designated Mourner” runs at MuCCC Feb. 18-21 only

By Brandon W. Brooks Well-known YouTube comedian, personality, performer and storyteller Brian Jordan Alvarez has recently released his newest installment of laughter: The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo.

Alvarez and his troupe of performers deliver a comedy that is believable, likable and hilarious. You are no doubt already familiar with Alvarez’s comedic vignettes about the modern-day life of young LGBTers, available through his channel on YouTube. If not, it’s time you familiarize yourself, and with haste.

In early January 2016, episode 1 of The Gay and Wondrous Life was released for public consumption. Web series are often frightfully under-produced, lacking in quality discourse and full of actors who may be better suited as perpetual baristas or restaurant servers. This series defies that expectation in full force with its clever, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it dialogue, and characters that draw in the show’s audience from the very beginning.

Alvarez stars as Caleb Gallo, a young gay man looking for a genuine connection in a hilarious world of rapid matchmaking, shirtless parties, sexually curious business opportunists, and gorgeous gender-fluid fur wearers. We are taken into the heart of Caleb’s circle of friends and acquaintances, and come to know their rather amusing idiosyncrasies. In just under twenty minutes, we are provided with storylines and relationships that feel relevant and authentic.

Alvarez’s players, especially Freckle (Greene), intrigue and delight with their fast-paced conversation, honest internal motivations, and pursuit of real love. By the end of the first episode, The Gay and Wondrous Life will have you crying out to your screen in romantic anticipation, and laughing at its brilliant ability to combine both irreverence and sincerity.

Unlike more recent gay-themed productions, The Gay and Wondrous Life gives us a cast that we can really care about, believe in, and support. What’s more, it’s a show that encourages the viewer to continue watching. I want to see how Caleb will manage his now confirmed long-distance lover Benicio (Marziale), and whether or not Billy (Ebeling) will make his move. I want to see Lenjamin (Kirby) have his first, fumbling bisexual experience. I want to see Freckle.

All in all, The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo presents a well-written, well-produced narrative that finally seems to transcend the difficulty most other shows exhibit when covering gay themes or gay lives. It is fresh and amusing, smart and even heartwarming, and all in the first episode! I am only left with one question: is it a nip-slip?

To begin your newest addiction please visit: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=YYXQzlKXzpk Questions, comment, or critique?

Feel free to e-mail the author at: brandonbrooks@mail.adelphi.edu

Wallace Shawn’s brilliant play “Designated Mourner” will be presented for one weekend only at MuCCC (142 Atlantic Ave.) -- on Feb. 18, 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. and on Feb. 21 at 2 p.m.

Under the direction of Roger Gans (Rush, NY), the play stars Peter J. Doyle (Rochester), Vicki Casarett (Brighton) and Michael H. Arve (Rochester). “ I am the designated mourner. I have to tell you that a very special little world has died, and I am the designated mourner,” Jack says to start this show. Jack and Judy and Howard tell the stories of the lives of Jack and Judy and Howard, and the unnamed country in which they try to live.

Says Arve, “The tales cover decades.

Jack and Judy and Howard change (and stay the same), and the country changes (and stays the same). It is a country of unstable stability, of precarious lives, and the narratives reflect this. You will be drawn into this world and these lives; take what you will from them.”

He told The Empty Closet, “I have directed Vicki Casarett , Peter J. Doyle and Roger F. Gans numerous times. I directed Vicki in The Belle of Amherst and The Glass Menagerie at The Cobblestone Arts Center, Victor. Peter played Oscar Wilde in Diversions and Delights and Ernst Janning in Judgment at Nuremberg for me at MuCCC for John W. Borek Presents. This production fulfills my bucket list wishes, to be able to act on the same side of the footlights with these illustrious Rochester actors. And to have Roger directing will be a joy, I am sure. I am so looking forward to it.”

The New York Times said: “In his exquisitely written dramatic lament for the decline of high culture… [Shawn] offers a definition of the self that should rattle the defenses of intellectual snobs everywhere.”

Ticket prices are $12 in advance; at the door they are $15. Phone reservations may be made by calling 585-234-1254 or by going to www.muccc.org. No fee for making online reservations.

Book Review: “Fire Shut Up In My Bones; A Memoir by Charles M. Blow”

By Jeanne and John Strazzabosco Our oldest grandson came out just before his junior year of college. Always sharp, creative, observant, and fun to be around, an even deeper sense of confidence and humor now appeared in him.

But what might he have endured internally during his previous nineteen years?

Fire Shut Up In My Bones delivers answers to that question. In this memoir, New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow retrieves for us the complexities of his own young life and his search for sexual identity.

Blow’s introduction hurries us away in his car with a pistol at his side, to find a man named Chester and kill him. But a quieter ride of reflection begins, and we

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET don’t see Chester for another sixty pages.

To author Blow’s credit we ride along in silent satisfaction. He’s black, grew up in poverty, and his small Louisiana town, Gibsland, was “...a place with whites and blacks mostly separated by a shallow ditch and a deep understanding.”

One danger for any Gibsland male was to be pegged as Quiet. Male loudness was drummed in to discourage risky interpretation as “punk,” or gay, well before follow-up questions might be asked or conclusions inferred. One likeable and harmless Gibsland gay male was found murdered in his bed, an unsolved crime answered to only by local whisper and innuendo. Even Blow’s natural environs posed subtle complications, as Blow writes of playing in the yard as a kid while the adults drank and visited: “...the air always charged with a hint of danger and the possibility of disaster.”

Cover-up of one’s potential giveaway glances and subtle gestures demands total focus. Blow captures the consequential fear, caution, and danger with his wonderful prose and imagery. He explores the steep price of pretense, even when the child is not yet aware of what the pretension is or just why it’s necessary. Adults with sufficient financial means caught in this kind of dilemma might seek a few sessions with a good counselor to help reckon with it all, but of course children often cannot express mental conundrums and are often forced to live with the message that they should hide it and dare not reveal a clue. The results can be tragic.

Blow attempted suicide at age eight.

Even his devoted mom dumped further confusion into the mix. She snapped at the talented, athletic Blow after a basketball game, “Don’t run like that.” You know, like that. After she discovered his letter to a girl, his mother chastised his written confession to the young woman, that he simply liked being quiet. Mom reminded him of an art he already practiced, that boys should be loud or suffer the risk of interpretations and whispers.

Along the mystery ride in search of Chester and beyond we examine the rich backdrop for Blow’s life, the poverty, sexual excitement, education and pitfalls.

One night a cattle truck crashed on nearby I-20 and the hungry family took off in the dark to find beef for meals. Blow’s mental boggle of questions of misunderstood and squelched desires continued to reign. Even the Central Intelligence Agency got involved. After college, subjected to a lie detector test in order to pursue a potential CIA job, Blow was asked, “Did you ever have sex with a man?” He shares, “It took a machine designed to catch liars to help me see that I didn’t yet know my own truth.”

Blow adeptly brings these painful quandaries before us with a balance of love and fear, betrayal and acceptance,

and a final triumphant resolution, “No one could strip me of my value and dignity, because no one had bestowed them — these things came into the world with me.”

What would Mom later think about it all? Good question. Blow finds out and so do we.

Charles Blow will speak on March 14 at Rush Rhees Library on the UR campus (Hawkins-Carlson Room) at 5 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Book review: “Captive Genders”

By Tristan Wright Seldom does mainstream LGBTQ conversation focus on the lives of transgender people behind bars and the systems of oppression that led them there.

“Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex”, in its recently released expanded second edition, endeavors to address this dearth of discourse.

“Captive Genders” both highlights the lives of trans prisoners while simultaneously challenging the oversight of trans prisoners by the mainstream LGBTQ movement, and criticizing the tendency of today’s major LGBTQ organizations to collaborate with the criminal justice system. Published by the anarchist publishing collective AK Press, “Captive Genders” offers a vital and unflinching critique of contemporary LGBTQ politics and establishes a concrete connection between LGBTQ liberation and prison abolition.

The second edition of “Captive Genders” begins with several essays articulating the need for an abolitionist trans and queer movemen, using historical analyses of LGBTQ radicalism both before and since Stonewall. Several authors ask how the movement for queer rights could have been born, in part, out of a response to police harassment, and yet today be so willing to work with law enforcement.

The book then shifts to documenting the lived experiences of contemporary trans prisoners and the environment in which they are forced to live. Several of the book’s contributors are transgender prisoners and former prisoners themselves, including Chelsea Manning and CeCe McDonald. The contributors describe the violence transgender people in prison face from fellow inmates and staff alike, how they are frequently isolated from one another, and how their health needs are neglected, often fatally.

The collection then turns to critiques of contemporary LGBTQ organizations that are actively collaborating with the police and who champion hate crime legislation that simply expands the prison industrial complex and fails to prevent violence against transgender people. The

G A L L ERY Q Art exhibit on relationships runs at Resource Center’s Gallery Q Feb. 5- Mar. 15 Gallery Q, the art gallery at the Gay Alliance’s LGBTQ Resource Center, will feature the exhibit “Together/Apart”.

Whether friends, family or lovers, our relationships define who we are as individuals as much as our individuality defines the types of relationships we maintain. This exhibition looks at works by five artists who address searching for companionship, loss, and being in and out of relationships.

The artists are Gretchen Arnold, Randall Cook, Meredith Davenport, Dan Larkin and Scott McCarney, and the exhibit is curated by Alice Carver-Kubik.

This is the first exhibition held in the Gay Alliance’s new Gallery Q (formerly Spectrum Gallery), located at 100 College Ave. Exhibition dates: February 5-March 15.

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authors question the notion that training police to use the right pronouns and preferred names will meaningfully change the reality of trans people involved with the criminal justice system.

The book concludes by reiterating the value of a prison abolitionist perspective of LGBTQ liberation by articulating the connection between the prison industrial complex and some of the broader systems of oppression -- racism, sexism, cis-sexism, and heterosexism -- in which it exists.

The writers featured in the second edition of “Captive Genders” underscore

the way the prison industrial complex is a manifestation of these systems of oppression. In sum, the book contends that the elimination of violence against trans people necessarily includes prison abolition.

As CeCe McDonald writes in her foreword to the second edition: “Like slavery, there is no way around the violence of the [prison industrial complex], so we have to destroy it.”

The publisher’s web address is www. akpress.org. Their mailing address is: AK Press, 647-A 23rd St., Oakland, CA 94612. ■

Janis Joplin returns to the cinema: a talk with her sister Laura

opener because the Janis that I knew was the Janis that her friends knew; an intelligent person who lived at home.”

What better place to have the play produced than at the Village Gate, in the “blues” area of Greenwich Village. The 2001 show depicted Janis Joplin’s singing career through her songs and letters. They cast two Janis Joplins. One did the singing and the other spoke from the heart and emotions, citing many of the letters. Songs included “Piece of my Heart”, “What Good Can Drinking Do”, “Summertime”, “Mercedes Benz”, “Ball and Chain” and “Me and Bobby McGee”.

Janis Joplin is back on screen with “Janis: Little Girl Blue”. The film, produced by Alex Gibney and written and directed by Amy Berg, focuses on Joplin’s life through her words in correspondence, interviews and the memories of her family and friends… and yes, the letters.

Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power) narrates this excellent documentary showing how Joplin fought to be herself, an adventurous and rowdy woman who belted out her sorrow, rage and happiness on the stage.

Those interviewed include members of Big Brother and the Holding Company, Country Joe McDonald, Dick Cavett and Kris Kristofferson, who relates his feelings about hearing Janis perform his song “Me and Bobby McGee.” Laura Joplin is also featured. Feedback also comes from Bette Midler and Melissa Etheridge.

I must say that the film includes some incredible performance footage.

Janis shares about her relationships with her family, friends and lovers, some of whom in their present day are part of the documentary. In the end she comes to the realization that everyone in the band has someone to go home to… she is alone. She had promised not to do heroin that October 4, 1970. ■

By Merle Exit Janis Joplin was without a doubt the female voice of the ‘60s Rock Revolution.

You can still hear that scratchy and yelling voice in your mind, singing “Piece of My Heart” and “Me and Bobbie McGee”.

She left an indelible impression while alive and even further when she overdosed on heroin and died in October of 1970 at the age of 27.

Her life was told to us through various media. Documentaries such as “Monterrey Pop”, “Woodstock”, and “Janis” allowed us to relive her moments on stage. “The Rose”, a movie starring Bette Midler, had Joplin’s name written all over it, so to speak. It is described as “the tragic life of a self-destructive female rock star who struggles to deal with the constant pressures of her career and the demands of her ruthless business manager”. They got the destructive part correct, but Joplin’s death was due to her own upsets and demons.

In 1992 Laura Joplin, her younger sister, published a book entitled “Love, Janis”. The core of the writing focused on letters that Janis would send to her family in Texas. I hadn’t read the book until another form of the book came out. It was the off-Broadway show entitled “Love, Janis” which was a big hit.

I had the opportunity to meet Laura and asked why these letters suddenly appeared. “Mother kept the letters in a drawer. It wasn’t until 1988 that the letters were shared with Michael and me. It was an incredible emotional experience for us. Some of the letters were 18 pages long and depicted what Janis really went through. These letters were a true eye-

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GAY ALLIANCE NEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2016

THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016

Volunteer of the Month: Jeff Fowler Jeff Fowler has volunteered with the Gay Alliance Library & Archives since moving to Rochester in 2005, one night a week for two hours, since the days of the Community Center at the corner of Atlantic and Elton.

Like all the library volunteers, he has helped patrons find materials, check out books and DVDs, and use the Bohnett Cyber Center computers. Also like every library volunteer, he’s added new acquisitions to the online catalog and helped keep the shelves in order.

A mechanical engineer at Xerox, Jeff has specific skills that have proven helpful for the library. He helped plan moves from the Community Center to the Auditorium Center fifth floor, from the fifth floor to the first floor, and from the Auditorium Center to the new LGBT Resource Center. He oversaw the creation of the library’s online catalog and implemented a new system for finding items on the shelf.

Jeff applied for a grant by which the Xerox Foundation funded most of the shelves that house the collection. He then organized a work day where about thirty volunteers, many from Xerox or Out & Equal NY Finger Lakes, took down some six thousand books, replaced the old broken shelves with the beautiful sturdy new ones, added four thousand spine labels each to the right book, and got everything back on the shelves – in the right order!

As part of a team from the Library & Archives that created Forging Alliances, a museumstyle exhibit about the history of the LGBT community in Rochester, Jeff planned and oversaw its installation at Pride. Since then the exhibit has been displayed around Rochester.

The move to the LGBT Resource Center on College Avenue is transformational for all of the programs at the Gay Alliance. For the Library & Archives, a big part of the excite-

ment comes from the expanded hours, since the front desk volunteer can now help patrons check out books and DVDs during regular business hours. To make that process easier, Jeff is currently in the process of developing a library card system.

Jeff lives in Brighton with his husband Nigel Flear, who followed Jeff to Rochester from Canada in 2013. Jeff sings with the RGMC. He also volunteers through Xerox in its Science Consultant program, on a team of technical professionals teaching hands-on science lessons about once a month to fourth and fifth graders at Rochester School 28. ■

We love our volunteers!

By Jeff Myers We love our volunteers! As the Gay Alliance opens our new LGBT Resource Center, we have found a need to expand our volunteer program for 2016.

We certainly have some big shoes to fill with the past leadership of our volunteer program.

We will be utilizing some of the tried and true systems established in the past while implementing new systems to carry us into the future.

Like most nonprofit organizations, we rely heavily on our volunteers. We have found in the past that some volunteers donate their time and energy one year and do not donate their time the next year. To remedy this situation, we at the Gay Alliance realized that we need a more strategic approach to manage this sometimes overlooked and undervalued talent of volunteers. Our 2016 volunteer program is committed to expanding the vision of volunteering by creating an experience that is meaningful, developing skills, and tapping into the abilities and interests of our volunteers.

We realize that more people will make time to volunteer if they are stimulated and engaged.

To create compelling opportunities for our volunteers, we will be Rethinking Work Roles,

assigning jobs that make the most of our volunteers’ skills and talents. Assigning Appropriate Tasks by assigning jobs that make the most of these skills and talents. We will be Creating Bonding Experiences that will develop a strong attachment between our volunteers and the Gay Alliance. Our volunteers will be able to see and experience how the giving of their time has made an impact on our community. Supporting and Training Volunteers by demonstrating our gratitude for our volunteers with more recognition and personal one on one and group training.

Our volunteers are one of our most valuable resources.

So what does all of this mean? It’s simple…we at the Gay Alliance are committed to our volunteers! We have broken down our volunteer program into five easy steps.

Know the reasoning for volunteering: We want to keep our volunteer motivated so we will have a need to know the reasons behind why you have a desire to volunteer. Whether it is to make you feel good about yourself, acquire new skills or just make a difference. Share this information with us so we can apply it, creating a volunteer program that fosters long term commitment.

Communicate: Good communication is key to managing the expectations and responsibilities of our volunteers. We promise to be good listeners. We welcome your suggestions and feedback. Your opinion matters! We will continue with our monthly volunteer newsletter and will establish a monthly volunteer column in The Empty Closet.

Show Appreciation: We realize that you become a volunteer out of real passion for our community. We want to recognize this. THANK YOU is never enough, but it is a start.

We had our first volunteer appreciation day in January. This is our opportunity to say thank you in person and to share with you volunteer opportunities. It is also a forum where our volunteers can see with their help how the Gay Alliance is making an impact. We will be having more in the months to come.

Show how you have made a difference: There is no better method of keeping up motivation than by letting us seeing the results of our hard work. We will be setting up a volunteer blog so that we as volunteers can share our experiences and see the impact that we have made on our community.

Provide social recognition: We not only want to recognize the work that our volunteer do internally, we want our community to see the excellence in our volunteers too. We will continue honoring our volunteers with the volunteer of the

month program in The Empty Closet as well on the Gay Alliance social media. We will be starting our own Gay Alliance volunteer public Facebook page.

This will be a way to see the work of all of our volunteers and to know about other volunteer opportunities.

Our 2016 volunteer program will show our volunteers the bigger picture, giving all of us the perspective on what we are doing and the impact that it will have on our community. We not only want to keep you in the loop of what we are doing but why we are doing it. We will have volunteer team leaders that will be checking in with our volunteers regularly.

We have had so many successful volunteer opportunities in the past years, ROC Pride is our biggest annual volunteer opportunity. Our move into our new home on College Ave was a huge volunteer event for 2015. We could not have made

this move without each and every one of you. Going forward our programing is growing expeditiously. Our Youth program will have many volunteer opportunities as well as our SAGE program which is exploding with programming and social events. Our Education Department continues to grow with our LGBT education and Safe Zone training. Our library is now located in our LGBT Resource Center providing new volunteer opportunities. There are so many wonderful programs within the Gay Alliance, all we need is YOU to make them grow.

As a volunteer with the Gay Alliance you are shaping history for the next generation. It’s not rocket science… it is easy. Call or email me and let’s get your journey as a Gay Alliance volunteer lift off. You can reach me at jeffreym@gayalliance.org or call me at 585-244-8640. I can’t wait to hear from you. ■

Meet the Board: Jennifer Matthews Jennifer Matthews received her Ph.D. from the University of Rochester (pharmacology) and that is also where she met her husband, who has a Ph.D. in biophysics!

She told The Empty Closet, “I moved back to NY from Colorado to be closer to my family, including four nieces and nephews. My husband and I live in Webster with our golden retriever (Otis), yellow lab (Zeus), and cat (Luna). Our two dogs are rescues from Alabama and have learned to love NY winters and all the snow-shoeing we do in Webster Park. We found Luna on the side of the road when she was about three weeks old and only weighed half a pound. She now runs the house and has her brothers well under her control.”

Jennifer is a professor in the Wegmans School of Pharmacy at St. John Fisher College. “In my second year of teaching,” she said, “I had the opportunity to co-teach in the required Introduction to Diversity course which gives the first year pharmacy students exposure to the healthcare needs of different populations of patients. For eight years the GAGV has been providing two classes for my students, one on LGBT basics and one with the transgender panel.

I have been fortunate enough to see all the work and expertise the GAGV has to offer with its education program.”

Jennifer joined the Board in the fall of 2015 and says, “I am one of the newest members! I have been so impressed by all the work the GAGV does and know how fortunate the Rochester community is to have such an amazing group of passionate advocates and educators. I

knew I wanted to be a part of continuing the legacy of excellence of the GAGV and to offer any expertise I might have. I am currently the Board representative to the Pride committee. I am so excited to be a part of this amazing group and look forward to meeting everyone at different functions of the Alliance.

“The future is bright for the GAGV. The new space gives the community a new sense of ‘home’ and the expanded services offered by Jeanne and Rowan with the educational outreach are phenomenal. I have had colleagues from all over the country express how much they wish they had a community organization like the Alliance near their schools.”

As with many people, Jennifer’s first experience volunteering with the Gay Alliance came at Pride. She notes, “For the last several years the school of pharmacy, faculty and students, could be found working at the main gate of the festival, or at health education tables, or just enjoying the day. My advice to those thinking of volunteering in any capacity is to get involved in one of the many different volunteer opportunities the GAGV has to offer. Be a part of the community, get to know all the amazing people, and embrace the chance to give back in a positive way. You won’t regret it!” ■

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 • 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

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET

GAY ALLIANCE NEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2016

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SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS November & December • Tabling at the Inclusion Conference at Temple Bethel • GSA Talk at Webster Schroeder High School • LGBTQ 101 at The Harley School • Creating Inclusive Workplaces: Part 2 at HR Works • Creating LGBTQ Inclusive Schools at the NYSSSWA Conference • A Historical Perspective of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic at Alfred University • SafeZone Training at Penfield Public Library • Meeting the Mental Health Needs of LGBTQ Clients at SUNY Brockport • Understanding LGBTQ Identities at Brighton High School LINK Program (19 sessions) • SafeZone Training at Monroe Community College • Creating LGBTQ Inclusive Workplaces at Time Warner Cable Offices - Mt Hope • Shaping Inclusive Faith Communities at Fairport United Methodist Church • Transgender Panel Presentation at Nazareth College • SafeZone Training at Fairport Central School District • Gay/Lesbian Identities at Nazareth College • Creating LGBTQ Inclusive Workplaces at the Society of Human Resources • Management/Diversity Advisory Council • LGBTQ Issues in Social Work at the Greater Rochester Collaborative MSW Program • Trans Awareness at Penfield High School GSA • Creating LGBTQ Inclusive Schools at BOCES Regional Mental-Health School Conference • An Introduction to Creating LGBTQ Inclusive Schools at Greece Athena High School • LGBTQ Panel Presentation at Bloomfield High School • Creating LGBTQ Inclusive Schools for School Social Workers at the LGBTQ Academy at the Gay Alliance • The Gender Spectrum at St. John Fisher College • The Future of the LGBTQ Community on WXXI Connections • An Introduction to Creating LGBTQ Inclusive Curriculum at Webster Central School District • SafeZone Training at Eastman School of Music • An Introduction to Creating LGBTQ Inclusive Schools for the Monroe County School Boards Association • Creating Transgender Inclusive Schools at Brighton High Feedback from November and December Presentations: • “The presenter was dynamic and so knowledgeable and engaging. Time has never gone so quickly in an after school session!”

• “Reaffirmation of the role/difference teachers can make in the lives of transgender students. Keep up this work – all schools, all students need to hear it.”

• “I learned that I could be as important in someone else’s coming out process as people were in mine. Positive and philosophical outlook on life, plus great LGBT+ info and crowd participation. You’re awesome!”

• “The best inservice I have been to!”

GSA advisors: please contact the GSA Consortium at The Gay Alliance Attention all advisors of GSA clubs! We need your contact information for the upcoming GSA Summit!

The Gay Alliance announces the creation of the GSA Consortium at the Gay Alliance LGBTQ Resource Center. The primary goal of the GSA Consortium is to offer support, resources, training and opportunities to network for GSA advisors.

The first GSA Summit will be held at the Center on April 7, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. and the Alliance hopes all GSA advisors will attend. Participants will engage in SafeZone learning activities, have time to network and take a tour of the new space on College Avenue.

If you are an advisor of a GSA, please send your name and email address to the GSA Consortium co-facilitators: Paul Birkby at paulb@gayalliance.org or Jeanne Strazzabosco at jeannes@gayalliance.org -- or register online at https://goo.gl/E6YFBr ■ß

Jeannie Gainsburg helps out with the move to the new LGBTQ Resource Center on Dec. 1. Photo: JoAnne Metzler

View the Gay Alliance LGBT archives at Cornell online Want to check out the past 40-plus years of the Gay Alliance and Rochester’s LGBTQ history? You now have access to the materials on file at the Cornell University collection on human sexuality.

Here is the url for the Gay Alliance records at Cornell University : http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/ RMM07560.html#s1ss4

Panelists and service providers after the screening of the documentary “Camouflage Closet” on Jan. 9 at the Resource Center. The event was co-hosted by SAGEVets, CompeerCORPS and Monroe County Veterans Services. L-R: Mike Buckpitt, Julia Acosta, Scott Fearing, James Shadid, Anne Tischer, Alicia Lannon, Wanda Martinez, Mike Pecka, Audet Price, Kim Schmidt. Photo: Bess Watts

SAGE FEBRUARY

Tuesday, February 2 - 10:30-11:30 Yoga with Tom; 11:30am-2pm “Cake Day”: Celebrate February birthdays with catered lunch and cake, $3 donation, games & conversation. Hosted by Jessie, Gay Alliance LGBTQ Resource Center.

Thursday, February 4 - 10:30-11:30am Yoga with Tom in LGBTQ Resource Center.

11:30am-2pm: brown bag lunch & crafts with Saundra - Valentines Card making for veterans and your sweetie. 5pm: SAGE Leadership Council meets.

Tuesday, February 9 - 10:30-11:30am Yoga with Tom; 11:30am-2pm, catered lunch & discussion: Hidden LGBTQ history: Eleanor Roosevelt & friends. Games to follow. $3 donation. Hosted by Anne, LGBTQ Resource Center.

Thursday, February 11 - No Yoga. 10am-noon, Breakfast Club at Denny’s (911 Jefferson Rd, Henrietta). RSVP to Audet at (585) 287-2958 no later than February 9.

Friday, February 12 - 7-9pm, SAGE Coffee Hour: Pick up a Cup! Gilda’s Club Comedy Show starts at 8pm. Equal Grounds Coffee House, 750 South Ave, 14620.

Hosted by Roza Saturday, February 13 - 7-11pm, Community Valentines Dance, “Paris j’adore”. All 21+ adults are invited to walk the streets of Paris, dance to DJ Chuck Argento, and enjoy appetizers, a variety of beverages and a 50/50 raffle in the LGBTQ Resource Center. Advance tickets are $15. ($20 at the door) and are available online at www. gayalliance.org or at the Center, Equal Grounds, Outlandish & Bachelor Forum.

Sunday, February 14 - 2-5:00pm, Euchre Sunday Social at the Center. Come play cards Euchre is easy to learn, fun to play and a great way to meet new people. All are welcome – new players especially! TV for sports fans. $3 donation towards snacks & beverages. Donations of munchies & baked goods are appreciated!

Tuesday, February 16 - 10:30-11:30am Yoga with Tom; 11:30am– 2pm: Catered lunch, $3 donation. Health Topic: Medication Management. Games to follow.

LGBTQ Resource Center.

Thursday, February 18 - 10:30-11:30am Yoga with Tom, LGBTQ Resource Center.

Saturday, February 20 - 5pm-8pm Saturday Night Bingo Bash - a community potluck and BINGO, Bring your friends, neighbors and family to this fun, friendly event. $3 with token prizes. All potluck dishes welcome - salads, dessert, main dishes and appetizers! LGBTQ Resource Center.

Monday, February 22 - 5-7pm Trivial Pursuits Happy Hour at the Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave. “3 4 2” drink special, trivia & pizza. All 21+ are welcome.

Tuesday, February 23 - 10:30-11:30am Yoga with Tom; 11:30am-2pm, Chili Cookoff – give us your best pot of chili for prizes in 3 categories: “Good as Mom’s”, “Some like it Spicy” “Veggie Chili Goodness” Games to follow. $3 donation for noncompetitors. LGBTQ Resource Center.

Thursday, February 25 - 10:30-11:30am Yoga with Tom, LGBTQ Resource Center.

Friday, February 26 - 5-6:30pm SAGE Fabulous Fish Fry, 5pm at the Golden Fox Restaurant 1115 Culver Rd,14609. Please RSVP to Jim at 585-354-8009 or by email at Jimz7875@aol.com by February 22.

Sunday, February 28 - 2-5pm, Euchre Sunday Social. Come play cards - Euchre is easy to learn, easy to play and a fun way to meet new people. All are welcome – beginners especially! TV for sports fans. $3 donation towards snacks & beverages.

Donations of munchies & baked goods are appreciated!

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 Ave. 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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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016

Resources BISEXUALITY RESOURCES AMBI Los Angeles; American Institute of Bisexuality (Journal of Bisexuality); Bay Area Bisexual Network; ; BiNet USA; Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP); Biversity Boston; Boston Bisexual Women’s Network; ComBIne - Columbus, Ohio; Fenway Health’s Bi Health Program; Los Angeles Bi Task Force; New York Area Bisexual Network; Robyn Ochs’s site; The Bi Writers Association; The Bisexual Resource Center (email brc@biresource.net)

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

Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus www.thergmc.org Open Arms Community Center 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

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, multicultural, bilingual staff. 33 Chestnut St., 2nd floor, Rochester 14604. Office hours M-F 8:30 am-5 pm. 585-262-4330.

Check our monthly and ongoing calendar as well as the community section for more groups and events. For further information, call the Gay Alliance at 244-8640 or visit: www.gayalliance.org. More SAGE and Gay Alliance Youth Group info: pages 30-31.

Anthony L. Jordan Health Center, Prevention and Primary Care.

HIV walk-in testing Tues. & Fri.; Hep C walk-inn treating Weds. & Fri; Meet clinician by appointment. 82 Holland St., Rochester 14605. 585-4232879; fax 585-423-2876. www,jordanhealth.org CDC National STD and AIDS Hotline 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) 24 hours a day. TTY service: 1-888-232-6348. E-mail address: cdcinfo@cdc.gov.

Fair Housing Enforcement Project of Monroe County 585-325-2500; 1-800-669-9777. Deals with housing discrimination on basis of race, orientation, HIV status, etc.

Public Interest Law Office of Rochester 1 W. Main St., Suites 200 & 300. Free legal services to HIV positive persons, families. Spanish bilingual advocates available. All civil cases except divorce; no criminal cases. Ask to speak to someone in PILOR. 454-4060.

Westside Health Services Brown Square Health Center, 175 Lyell Ave. (2546480); Woodward health Center, 480 Genesee St. (436-3040). HIV/AIDS services, support, more.

McCree McCuller Wellness Center at Unity Health’s Connection Clinic (585) 368-3506, 89 Genesee St., Bishop Kearney Bldg., 3rd floor. Full range of services, regardless of ability to pay. Caring, confidential and convenient.

Geneva Community Health 601 W. Washington St., Geneva. Provides HIV testing, HIV specialty and primary care for residents of Ontario and surrounding counties. M, W, R, F 8am-8pm. 315-781-8448.

LGBT HEALTH 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; Wanda Martinez 585-3938265 or 585-205-3360.

HCR Home Care We provide a full multidisciplinary team consisting of nursing, social work, physical, occupational, and speech therapies as well as home health aides who have completed the eight-hour cultural competency program provided by the Gay Alliance. For more information, contact us at 585272-1930 or visit us online at HCRhealth.com.

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

CNY Youth Group Bi-Polar Support.

Second Monday of every month. 315-428-9366.

Q UNDER 40 Q<40 Special Events for LGBTQ people and friends over 20 and under 40. jonathanh@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 840 University Ave.; 585-473-8177; www.bccr. org; email: info@bccr.org. Breast Cancer Coalition provides support services that include programs designed to help those coping with a recent breast cancer diagnosis and those coping with an advanced breast cancer diagnosis, such as the Advanced Breast Cancer Support Group to support women living with metastatic breast cancer. Information about breast cancer, lending library, a monthly educational program. All BCCR programs, support services free.

Center for Community Health (585) 224-3050. Comprehensive breast cancer screening services for uninsured and underinsured women.

Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic 170 Sawgrass Drive. 442-8432. 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 Support Group First Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 Center for Youth, 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. ■

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • 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 Mondays/Wednesdays, 9-5pm, 100 College Ave.

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. Clover 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) LORA Coffee Social Equal=Grounds Coffee House, 750 South Ave., Tuesdays 6:30 pm. The LORA Women’s Group is open to everyone, all races, sexualities, and genders. For more info visit www.loragroup.org

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 Reopens after move.

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.

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.

ROCHESTER AA/NA MEETINGS

Every week there are four regularly scheduled GLBTI AA and two inclusive NA meetings in Rochester.

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: 10:30 am and 5:30 pm. 271-8478.

Gay Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous St. Luke’s/St. Simon Cyrene Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. 8pm, 232-6720, Weekly.

Closed meeting ■

Gay Alliance Library is Open Daily!

The Library & Archives of the Gay Alliance is now open at its new location at 100 College Avenue, 9am-5pm Check out our ten thousand-volume library, along with the Bohnett Cyber Center.

Please contact the Library with questions at library@ gayalliance.org or at 585-244-8640.

GAY ALLIANCE LIBRARY & ARCHIVES

33

585 244-8640 • GayAlliance.org

TUESDAYS Narcotics Anonymous 6-7:30pm. AIDS and Recovery 1124 Culver Road (Covenant United Methodist Church) This is an NA meeting that is open to all addicts who have a desire to stop using. Although it is not specifically a gay-oriented meeting, it is welcoming to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as to anyone who is affected by HIV and AIDS.

WEDNESDAYS New Freedom/New Happiness Group 7pm. First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. Bus riders: Take the last #18 University bus to 12 Corners. Use the stop just past the top of the hill at Hillside Ave. and before Highland Ave. Or take the #1 Park Ave. to the corner of East and Winton, then walk five minutes south (uphill) on Winton. This is an open discussion meeting. All issues – as they relate to our alcoholism/addiction and recovery – are fair game.

FRIDAYS Gay Men’s 7:30pm. Immanuel Baptist Church, 815 Park Ave. • Closed meeting, restricted to alcoholics and addicts • Men’s meeting • Handicapped accessible This is a round-robin discussion meeting. If you are shy about meeting people or speaking up in a group, you will find this meeting particularly warm and inviting because everyone gets their turn to speak (or pass). As a result, this meeting often runs long, so plan on more than the usual hour.

SATURDAYS Saturday Night Special 7pm. First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. Bus riders: The #18 University Ave. bus does not go by the church on weekend evenings. Take the #1 Park Ave. bus to the corner of East and Winton, then walk five minutes south (uphill) on Winton.

• Open meeting, all are welcome, “straight friendly” • Mixed men and women • Handicapped accessible, take elevator to basement Meeting begins with a speaker, followed by open discussion.

SUNDAYS Step in the Right Direction 7:30-9pm. 1275 Spencerport Road (Trinity Alliance Church) This is an NA meeting that is open to all addicts who have a desire to stop using.

Although it is not specifically a gay-oriented meeting, it is welcoming to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Each week features a reading from NA literature, followed by discussion.

Rochester Gay Men 8pm. St. Luke/St. Simon’s Episcopal Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh Street. Bus riders use the Fitzhugh Street stop on Main Street at the County Office Building and walk south one block.

• Closed meeting, restricted to alcoholics and addicts • Men’s meeting • NOT handicapped accessible Meeting begins with a speaker, followed by open discussion. ■

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016

February 2016 MONDAY 1

Imbolc, Candlemas. Ancient Celtic fire festival of light. Sacred tree: Rowan.

Through Feb. 2.

TUESDAY 2

Roc LGBTQ Roundtable, Trillium Health 5:30-7 pm. Topic: “The P-Word: Addressing Privilege and Building Allyship Across Communities”. Facilitated by Sady Fischer.

FRIDAY 5

Together/Apart. Art show on relationships featuring five local artists opens at LGBTQ Resource Center’s Gallery Q, 100 College Ave. Through March 15.

SATURDAY 6

Financial Literacy workshop. With Tina Rohring, NY Life. Noon-2 pm, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave., RSVP: 314-1040.

SUNDAY 7

Dignity Integrity. Episcopal Mass/ Healing Service, with music. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.

WEDNESDAY 3

Empire Bears dine out, 6 pm, Duff’s on W. Henrietta.

TUESDAY 9

Mardi Gras Roc LGBTQ Roundtable (Lower Conference Room at Trillium Health) 5:30-7 pm.

WEDNESDAY 10

Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon, at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.

Speaker: Billie Jean King. Individual seats

and group tables may be purchased online at www.susanbanthonyhouse.org or by calling 585/279-7490 x 10.

Empire Bears dine out, 6 pm, food court at Marketplace Mall.

THURSDAY 11

Out & Equal Second Thursday Networking. 5:30-7 pm, Memorial Art Gallery.

Drag Bingo for LGBTQ Youth @ Trillium Health 6-7:30 pm.

FRIDAY 12

Partnering with Ambush Rochester for “50 Ways to Play: Valentine’s Day Style” 5:30-10 pm. Trillium Health.

SATURDAY 13

Free mammograms for women over 35 who don’t have health insurance or can’t afford deductible. 8 am-noon, UR Breast Imaging, 500 Red Creek Dr., Suite 130. Light refreshments, Reiki. Call for appointment at 487-3304.

Paris J’Adore Community Valentines Dance. 7-11 pm, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. 21 and over only.

Advance tickets $15 at Equal=Grounds, Outlandish, Bachelor Forum or online at www.gayalliance,org. At door: $20.

Music by DJ Chuck Argento.

SUNDAY 14

Valentines Day potluck, Open Arms MCC, 107 E. Main St. 12:15 pm. Bring dish to pass.

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.

WEDNESDAY 17

Empire Bears dine out, 6 pm, Carabba’s.

Classified Ads 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.

SERVICES

Rochester’s Best Man to Man Rubdown. Unwind with this degreed, employed, fit, friendly, healthy, Italian GWM. Middle aged, 5’8”, 165 lbs., 32” waist, nonsmoker, d & d free, HIV negative. My 10-plus years experience guarantees your relaxation and satisfaction. Hotel visit, in call in my home or out call in your residence. Reasonable rates.

Discretion appreciated and practiced. Don’t delay, call me today at 585-773-2410 (cell) or 585-235-6688 (home).

Handyman: Simple repairs or full renovations, no job is too large or small. Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical, Interior & Exterior. 35 years experience. Call Alan & Bill 585-2040632 or cell 304-517-6832.

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: 585-224-6279; office: 585-4737205.

Wedding Space and clergy services available. Celebrate your special day at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church, 707 E. Main St. info@openarmsmcc.org (585) 2718478.

FOR RENT

Room for rent. Private house in excellent neighborhood. Seeking female tenant/housemate (NOT playmate!) for gentleman. $750 includes utilities, TV, internet, full kitchen, washer/dryer, indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi and sauna. Non-smoker. Will exchange part of rent for help with household chores. 585-244-1219; rochesterrich@rochester.rr.com

FRIDAY 19

LGBTQ Academy SafeZone Training. Noon-4 pm (check in time 3;45).

LGBTQ Academy Education Center, 100 College Avenue. Free parking in the lot next to building. Registration: Go to www.gayalliance.org and click on the SafeZone slide.

SATURDAY 20

SAGE Bingo Bash & Potluck held monthly on the third Saturday, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave., 5-9 pm. Bring dish to pass & $3 toward token prizes. All are welcome!

Dignity Integrity Annual Cabin Party. 4:30-9:30 pm. Check the website for location and directions to the site, at www.di-rochester.org/

SUNDAY 21

InQueery class with Kelly Clark.

Kelly will talk about her thesis on “Inclusive Masculinity” among Buffalo area high school boys. Are concepts of masculinity becoming less rigid? 6 pm, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. 2448640.

THURSDAY 25

Out at Geva. Free reception for LGBTQ community before performance of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Mention Out at Geva when buying tickets: 232-4382.

SATURDAY 27

Trans & Gender Expansive Young Teen Group & Parent Support (call for time and location: 585-210-4178). Trillium Health.

SUNDAY 28

MONDAY 22

Dignity Integrity. Roman Catholic Prayers to start the week, followed by potluck “Souper Supper”. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.

WEDNESDAY 24

LGBTQ Senior Health Quest. Eightweek program, free. Register at sage@gayalliance.org

Dignity Integrity. Episcopal Mass, quiet. 5 pm at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. SAGE Trivial Pursuits Happy Hour at the Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave., 5-7pm. 21+ adults only. Bring a friend!

Trillium Youth Open Mic @ SpOT Coffee on East Avenue. 5-6 pm.

Empire Bears dine out, 6 pm, Winfield Grill.

MARCH MONDAY 7

For Gay Alliance Youth Gender Identity Support Group, see Ongoing Calendar, p. 33, under TUESDAY.

FEBRUARY 2016– • NUMBER 497 • 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.

35

Bed & Breakfast

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: emptycloset@gagv.us. The online edition of EC is available at www. gayalliance.org.

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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 497 • FEBRUARY 2016