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NUMBER 486
Bi/Pan poster… pages 18-19
A PUBLICATION OF THE GAY ALLIANCE
FEBRUARY 2015
Supreme Court will hear six marriage cases; ruling to come by June Freedom to Marry. “Freedom to Marry’s national strategy has been to build a critical mass of marriage states and critical mass of support for ending marriage discrimination, and after a long journey and much debate, America is ready for the freedom to marry. But couples are still discriminated against in 14 states, and the patchwork of discrimination harms families and businesses throughout the country. We will keep working hard to underscore the urgency of the Supreme Court’s bringing the country to national resolution, so that by June, all Americans share in the freedom to marry and our country stands on the right side of history.” Virtually every court up until this point, including the 4th, 7th, 9th, and 10th Circuits (Supreme continues page 6)
Tom Privitere.
Pride at Work awards dinner to honor Tom Privitere for activism, leadership The Rochester Finger Lakes Chapter of Pride at Work (P@W) will host their triennial True Colors Award dinner on March 24 at the Diplomat. They will be honoring the Federation of Social Workers (FSW IUE-CWA 81381) for their critical assistance in establishing the Rochester Finger Lakes P@W chapter in 2007 and ongoing support for P@W and the advancement of rights for LGBTQ workers and their families. The Pride at Work award will go to Thomas M. Privitere for 42 years of labor leadership and civil rights activism. 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 has served as Vice President since they were chartered in 2007. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.prideatworkrfl.org or contact Bess Watts at 585-426-0862. ■ THE GAY ALLIANCE APPRECIATES THE CONTINUING PARTNERSHIP OF BUSINESSES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY WHO SUPPORT OUR MISSION AND VISION. OUR PLATINUM LEVEL PARTNERS ARE:
PARTNERSHIPS CONTINUE ON PAGE 2
Steven Jarose, Anne Tischer, Sady Fischer, Christopher Goodwin. Photo: Susan Jordan
Intersections workshop series highlights diverse perspectives in LGBTQ community By Susan Jordan Recent studies of local poverty rates (Rochester is the most poverty-stricken city of its size in the country) and failures of education make it obvious that the “needs of the wider community” are urgent and members of the LGBTQ community have now begun work on programming to explore the intersections of oppression that diverse people face in Rochester. The Gay Alliance has championed social justice for over four decades. Its work has primarily focused on advancing equity and acceptance for the LGBTQ community, always factoring in that the needs of the wider Rochester community intersect with and directly impact the outcome of the Alliance’s efforts. Hence the new program of Intersection workshops, starting Feb. 21. The Intersection organizers, including Christopher Goodwin of The MOCHA Center, Sady Fischer, independent diversity consultant, activist Anne Tischer and Steven Jarose of the National Coalition Building Institute, hope to initiate conversations during the coming year about race, faith, LGBT identity, gender, family, poverty and privilege in an effort to mitigate the harm caused by racism, homophobia and poverty in our area. “LGBT voices are largely missing from the community collaborations addressing race and poverty… mainly because of a bias-driven lack of welcome. It is time this changed,” Anne Tischer said. “As a rising tide raises all boats, a mutual understanding of our neighbor’s struggles as well as our own improves the chance that support and collaboration will coalesce into a more hopeful and equitable future for all. “To do this work we are planning a year-long series of
differences… differences that we seldom talk about. “In planning for the event, Christopher, Sady and I are learning a lot about one another. We appreciate and respect the unique perspectives each of us brings to the table in terms of age, race, gender, sexual orientation and life experience. “I have found that the more people open to each other and learn from one another’s personal stories, the more effective we’ll be in creating a caring, diverse and thriving LGBTQA community. We’ll also be better informed as we partner with the broader Rochester community to tackle issues of poverty, housing, employment and health care because we see them in a larger context. “Opening up to people we don’t know well can be challenging. But we can guarantee that participants can have fun and speak truth to power at the same time. “I’ve been the director of the Rochester chapter of NCBI for the past 14 years. My work enables me to get to know diverse individuals and groups throughout the city and county and forge partnerships and relationships that endure. Leading an organization committed to ending oppression in all its forms, I learn something new (Intersections continues page 3)
Intersections workshops to generate community conversations which are fundamental to mutual understanding and commitment to address the urgent social problems we face in Rochester including concentrated poverty, inequitable education, racism and homophobia.” Steven Jarose of the National Coalition Building Institute commented, “Rochester’s gay community is rich in history and diversity. We’ve been very successful in celebrating the many aspects of our cultural identities that make up who we are. This workshop is important because it takes us deeper. Building upon a series of interactive exercises, we’ll be exploring the relationship between gender, sexual orientation and race. “Too often, the larger society sees us as one dimensional. We’re so much more than that. Our goal for the day is to build relationships across our many
Inside Kasha goes to Hollywood, page 27
PHOTO: RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE
Following its decision last fall to effectively green light samesex marriage in 11 states, the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 17 agreed to hear six consolidated marriage cases out of Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, and Kentucky this term, with a ruling potentially by June. The Court’s review will take place on a transformed legal landscape, with gay couples being able to marry in 36 states, covering two-thirds of the American people, and with nearly 60 federal and state courts having struck down discriminatory marriage bans in the past two years. “The Supreme Court’s decision today begins what we hope will be the last chapter in our campaign to win marriage nationwide - and it’s time,” said Evan Wolfson, president of
Editorials....................................... 2 Interview: Bruce Smail................. 7 Making the Scene......................10 Health: Anal cancer.....................16 LGBTQ Living: Winter sports.......17 Shoulders To Stand On ...........21 Columnists ................................22 Community ................................25 Entertainment: Kasha...............27 Gay Alliance: March trainings..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 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
Perspectives The Empty Closet Editor SUSAN JORDAN
Bisexuality and Pansexuality B for Bisexuality is sometimes called the invisible letter in “LGBTQ”. Although there is a strong bi community nationwide and many resources are available online, here in Rochester bi activism has not really been visible for years. Thus myths and misconceptions about bisexuality – i.e. that there is no such thing -- have gone unchallenged. Ironically, it is possible that most human beings are basically bi or pansexual, and that is socialized out of us at an early age. If bisexuality is indeed an innate aspect of human nature, LGBTQ people would actually be the majority and those who are exclusively heterosexual would be a minority! See pages 18-19 for a poster dealing with bi issues and myths. Here are a few quotes from the poster, including statements from some local people: “Myth: Bi/Pan people have multiple partners. “People often confuse bisexuality and pansexuality with polyamory. Just because someone is attracted to more than one gender doesn’t mean they are sexually active with more than one person at a time.” “Myth: Bi/Pan people are just confused. It’s a stop on the way to coming out as gay. “While some people do identify as bisexual or pansexual before coming out as gay or lesbian, for many people this is their real and valid identity!
Calling someone confused for identifying as bi or pan only perpetuates hurtful stereotypes.” Quotes: “I identify as pansexual because I am capable of being attracted to people of all genders, regardless of gender identity or expression. I used to call myself bisexual, but since coming out as transgender and being exposed to the broad spectrum of gender, I realize that my sexual orientation is not defined by an arbitrary cultural binary.” “I remember my brother telling me ‘you don’t fit my definition of a bisexual.’ Well what is your definition of a bisexual and is it more important than how I identify my experiences as a bisexual man of color? I am comfortable being intimate with a person and if it happens to be a man or a woman I am okay with that. Love is Love.” “I identify as a caucasian, Irish, cis-gendered, pansexual, polyamorous female. I identified as bisexual until I learned there was a term for someone who was not attracted to just men and women, but people on all points of the gender spectrum. Pansexual does not mean I’m attracted to ALL people, it means I’m attracted to people based on things other than what’s in their pants.” Unfortunately, there is ignorance about and prejudice against bi and pansexual people even within the LGT communities. Horizontal hostility weakens us. Maybe the old labels are too limited and inflexible; maybe people can’t always fit in convenient traditional niches. We stand on the frontier of exciting new revelations about the complexity of sexual orientation and gender identity, and as science learns more, the human race can only be enriched. We all have too much experience with being misunderstood and judged by religious bigots and conservative extremists. Let’s not misunderstand and judge each other. ■
Gay Alliance Board of Trustees David Zona, President, Jessica Muratore, Vice-President, W. Bruce Gorman, Secretary, Peter Mohr, Treasurer, Jason Barnecut, Chris Hilderbrant, Emily Jones, Jeff Lambert, William Schaefer
Gay Alliance Executive Director SCOTT FEARING
Doin’ It For Themselves In 1985, the waning days of disco, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, better known as the Eurythmics, released the song “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves”. The song celebrated “the conscious liberation of the female state.” Aretha Franklin joined Lennox to create a powerful vocal track that celebrates the independent woman, no longer quietly in the background, but instead making her own way in the world. I’m thinking that I would like to create my own version of the song and call it, “LGBTQs Are Doin’ It For Themselves.” Granted, it does not roll smoothly off the tongue, but here in Rochester I am pleased to say that the LGBTQ community is indeed doin’ it for themselves. Not that long ago, more than half of the Gay Alliance annual operating budget came from state and federal government sources. You may recall in this very column, less than two years ago, I told the community that we had lost a grant from New York State for $130,000. I was nervous and scared as I made an appeal to you for help! I will not lie, the loss of those State funds hurt. The staff, working with our Board of Directors, began to look very carefully for ways to lower our expenses and to raise our income. As a charitable non-profit, one of the most
Name
important lines of income is our donors. So as I and the Board went through all of our expenses with a fine tooth comb, we also reached out to you, the LGBTQ and allied communities, and asked for your support. Together these efforts were effective. Working diligently we were able to reduce our expenses on everything from our office security and telephone systems to our copier costs and our rent. Best of all, you responded to our plea for support. The LGBTQ and allied communities acknowledged the importance of having a powerful, stable LGBTQ organization in Rochester. You stepped up with your dollars in hand. You told us that our 42 year history as Rochester’s champion for LGBTQ life and culture was important and worth preserving. This past December (and January), as the Gay Alliance staff and Board were developing and approving the 2015 operating budget, I suddenly realized that we are doin’ it on our own. Our budget is again about the same size as it was when we were getting monies from New York State. Cutting expenses, combined with the support of business partners, private foundations and our donors, have allowed us to survive. Doin’ it for ourselves is powerful. We are proud to be an organization in Rochester. We raise our funds here just as we spend our funds here. When you consider making a donation, be certain that your donations bring LGBTQ inclusion to your workplace, to your schools, to your neighborhood. Thank you for helping your own community. I can almost hear Lennox singing that the Rochester LGBTQ community are “standin’ on their own two feet and ringin’ on their own bells.” ■
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Address City/State/Zip Phone E-mail Gay Alliance Membership Levels: ❏ $30-99 Advocate ❏ $100 Champion ❏ $1,000-4,999 Triangle Club ❏ $5,000+ Stonewall ❏ Check enclosed in the amount of _________ (check #______) Please charge my credit card in the amount of __________ To: ❏ American Express, ❏ Discover, ❏ MasterCard, ❏ Visa Credit card # ____________________________Exp. Date: _______ ❏ I would be proud to have my donation publicly acknowledged. Benefits: Subscription to The Empty Closet mailed to home or work, plus privileges at each level. Phone: 585 244-8640 or mail to: Gay Alliance, 875 E. Main St., Suite 500, Rochester, NY 14605. Home delivery of The Empty Closet is free with your annual membership.
Gay Alliance partnerships continued from page 1
THANK YOU GOLD LEVEL
City of Rochester Absolut/Malibu
SILVER LEVEL 3 Olives Baccardi
Barefoot Wine Hedonist Artisan Chocolate John’s Tex Mex
BRONZE LEVEL Ameriprise Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Corning Inc. Equal Grounds Coffee House Harter Secrest and Emery LLP ImageOut Jaegermeister Kittleberger Florist and Gifts Labor Federation LGBT Giving Circle of RACF Macy’s New York Life Out and Equal NY Finger Lakes Outlandish Sky Vodka St. John Fisher Tompkins Enterprises Victory Alliance Wegmans Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP
CHAMPION LEVEL Mass Mutual of Buffalo Park Avenue Merchants Association Pride @Work Third Presbyterian Church The Woolbright Group HCR Home Care
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
PAGE ONE (Intersections from page 1) every day. This is very exciting work, and part of my commitment to life-long learning.” Workshops start Feb. 21 Christopher Goodwin, Steve Jarose, Anne Tischer and Sady Fisher are working to create a half day workshop on race, sexuality and gender identity that can be adapted to varying demographic audiences and is titled “Strengthening our LGBTQ and Ally Communities through the Lens of DIFFERENCE -Race, Sexual Orientation, Gender and Gender Expression.” The first workshop offering is Saturday, Feb. 21, 8:45 a.m.–12 p.m., at the MOCHA Center, 189 N. Water St. In March organizers will start outreach to the Latino community with a series of socially based educational programs planned in collaboration with local Latino activists. Intersection is also working with the Human Rights Campaign to bring in a special team to present “A La Familia,” which addresses the challenging dynamics of being LGBT and Latino in a strongly religious culture. In April Intersection will be partnering with Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School to present an exploration of the divergent views among African Americans about same-sex marriage, utilizing the film “The New Black”. The group is also collaborating with the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Pride at Work AFL-CIO and The MOCHA Center to develop a program around race, sexual identity and privilege in unions and the workplace. Directly addressing the lack of LGBT inclusion as collaborators on community race, poverty and education task forces, organizers are planning an event aimed at community leaders in order to increase consciousness of the LGBT community as concerned citizens and willing contributors. About the Feb. 21 workshop Sady Fischer said, “This workshop can be adapted for different audiences and used multiple times. “The reason it’s important – speaking as a woman of color, often people think we have to pick one identity, but many of us belong to various communities. The Feb. 21 workshop will look at the various identities we have, such as sexual orientation, gender identity and race, and look for our similarities, rather than our differences.” Chris Goodwin said, “It’s imperative, if you care about the community, that you be involved. It’s imperative that we deal with our issues. We often focus on only one thing, so that we haven’t come together. We will discuss how we perceive things. It’s difficult to see how we are part of the problem.” Sady Fischer added, “How can we be part of the solution? The workshop is to help people realize how we can be allies of others within our community. How can a cisgender female be an ally to a trans person? How can our gay brothers be allies to me as a gay woman?” Anne Tischer noted that
the LGBTQ community is not thought of as potential collaborators in community task forces on poverty and other issues. She sees this as due both to anti-gay bias and to gays of all backgrounds not being visible on non-gay issues. “When we reached out on marriage equality, we were rejected by community task forces,” she said. “And when groups like MOCHA reach out, they too are met by a brick wall. So people have stopped reaching. We are just breaking through to where part of our Intersection program is working with black trade unions. It has taken years to break down the barriers. “In Rochester we are more segregated now than in the ‘70s. The perception is that LGBT people are not interested in working on poverty. We need people to work together to solve the problems. We’re approaching it from the heart first and then in future doing specific education. It’s important now for people to understand what poverty feels like, or what discrimination feels like.” Sady commented on the diversity among the facilitators of the Feb. 21 workshop. “It’s a way to represent the diversity within the gay community. I’d say this is about our commonalities. There’s no right or wrong – we want to hear peoples’ honest perceptions and feelings. It’s very different from a lecture or education program. “People will have an opportunity to learn – and also to have fun. I’ve enjoyed working on this project and hearing different perceptions. My hope is that we can create something people will be excited about. “People often feel like they have to pick one identity but it’s important to embrace all of our identities. “This workshop is about looking through a different lens; about recognizing our various identities and working to appreciate both our similarities and our differences. As Audre Lorde said ‘It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences.’ “Part of having these conversations is to build allies within the LGBTQ community; contrary to most people’s perceptions, we’re not all the same. We come from different racial and ethnic backgrounds; have various levels of income and education; have various gender identities and expressions; and as a result we have differing levels of power and privilege. For example, cisgender members of our communities can be allies to our transgender members and speak out against transphobia. Male members of our community can be allies to females and speak out against sexism. White members of our community can become allies to LGBTQ people of color and speak out against racial injustice. “There is a richness of diversity within the community that we don’t always celebrate. “This workshop is focused on members of the LGBTQ community and our allies. “This is an opportunity for people to be heard, to learn and to have fun. “Building relationships takes time, takes commitment and takes desire.” (Intersections continues page 6)
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NewsFronts LOCAL AND STATE and a cash bar. MOCHA says, “An evening to remember and a new tradition for the MOCHA Center. Mark your calendar and join us for this classy evening affair on March 19.”
NYC Council passes Birth Certificate Modernization bill
Ove Overmyer
Rochester Labor Council, AFLCIO honors Ove Overmyer On Dec. 18, the Rochester Labor Council, AFL-CIO held its annual Delegates Awards Dinner at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. The evening honored several labor activists, including Empty Closet reporter and photographer Ove Overmyer. More than 300 people attended the event. The keynote speaker at the gala was Rep. Louise Slaughter. Overmyer 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” given to him by the Rochester Chapter of Pride At Work, AFL-CIO. Ove was honored by the Rochester Labor Council with a special recognition award titled, “Capturing the Labor Movement,” for his outstanding documentation and media contributions on behalf of working people. In October 2014, Overmyer was also honored in New York City with CSEA’s statewide Mission Achievement Award. CSEA, New York State’s leading union, represents more than 300,000 municipal and private sector workers in the Empire State. Overmyer has been a staff reporter and photographer for the Empty Closet News since 2000.
MOCHA Center to host Soiree on March 19 The MOCHA Center will sponsor the first MOCHA SOIRÉE on Thursday, March 19, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. This fundraiser is a benefit for the MOCHA Center and will be held at Ballroom 384, 384 East Ave. Tickets are $50 and will be on sale on Feb. 1. They are available at the MOCHA Center offices in Rochester (189 N. Water St.) and Buffalo, online, and from staff and board members. The evening will include music, a silent auction, passed hors d’oeuvres, passed champagne
New York’s LGBT community celebrated the New York City Council’s Dec. 8 overwhelmingly affirmative vote to pass legislation that removes the surgical requirements for transgender people born in New York City to correct the gender markers on their birth certificates. The law went into effect on Jan. 12. The bill passed 39-4 with three abstentions. The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund applauded the bill’s passage: “The new policy will require that a licensed health care provider state that an individual’s true sex is not accurately recorded on their current birth certificate. Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the bill into law. The Board of Health has adopted regulations that mirror this legislation.” The action makes it easier for transgender people to correct the sex designation on their birth certificates. This new legislation comes after TLDEF clients Joann Prinzivalli, Patricia Harrington, Marco Wylie, and Naz Seenauth sued the City in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit challenging the requirement that transgender people undergo surgery in order to correct their birth certificates. “We are thrilled by the passage of this legislation,” said TLDEF Executive Director Michael Silverman. “Today’s action will dramatically improve the lives of transgender people born in New York City. We thank Councilmember Corey Johnson, the City Council and the Board of Health for taking action. The city’s policy served only to harm transgender people and they moved to change it. We also thank the many activists and advocates who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the city’s harmful policy will be changed.” The NYCLU also praised the Council’s actions. Said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman: “This change comes as welcome news to the many New Yorkers struggling with harassment, discrimination, and endless bureaucratic nightmares all because they lack identification documents that match who they are. We applaud the City Council and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for their efforts to promote equal opportunity for transgender New Yorkers.” Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/#ixzz3LL8nwOsz Coalition hails landmark legislation A coalition of partners,
Lewis Vallone passes at 76 Lewis A. Vallone passed away on Dec. 17 at age 76. Lou was a former Assistant District Attorney and member of the Monroe County Bar Association for over 50 years. Lou also volunteered for Camp Good Days and Special Times, and was a member of Gay Fathers, Empire Bears, ROMANS and the Men’s Cooking Club. His friends say he enjoyed Jones Pond, parties and Christmas trees. A memorial mass will be held on March 7 at 10 a.m. at Spiritus Christi Church, followed by a reception in the church hall. Donations in Lou’s memory may be sent to Camp Good Days and Special Times.
Sandy Maddicks passes at 74 Sandra “Sandy” Maddicks died suddenly on Dec. 14. She was a longtime member of Rainbow SAGE, formerly Rainbow Seniors. The funeral and calling hours were held on Dec. 22 at Miller Funeral and Cremation Services. Friends are asked to send donations to Lollipop Farm in Sandy’s memory. To leave an online condolence, visit www.miller1889.com.
including the New York Civil Liberties Union, Empire State Pride Agenda, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF), Sylvia Rivera Law Project, New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, The Audre Lorde Project, the Ali Forney Center, the New York Legal Assistance Group, Brooklyn Legal Services LGBT & HIV Project and community leaders commend the New York City Council, and Councilmember Corey Johnson, the bill sponsor in particular, for passing legislation that will help to shed some of the stigma that transgender New Yorkers face on a daily basis when trying to access basic services that many of us take for granted. A birth certificate is a foundational document upon which most other identifying documents are based. Additionally, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is implementing its parallel policy change and Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to sign the bill into law soon. “Having such a critical document that correctly reflects your gender identity is a basic human right that too many transgender people have been denied for far too long,” said Council Member Corey Johnson, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Health. “These measures will transform the lives of transgender individuals in so many ways that other people take for grant(NYC Council continues page 6)
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
NewsFronts NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
right away. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has vigorously defended Florida’s gaymarriage ban, appealing Zabel’s ruling, a similar one in Monroe County and others. (Bondi, who has been married three times, has now decided to stop appealing gay Floridians’ right to marry.) Equality Florida (@equalityfl)
Texas GOP wants to trash protections for 7.5 million citizens
At the mass wedding in Palm Beach.
Hundreds of couples marry legally in Florida On Jan. 5, Miami-Dade Co. Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel held a hearing where she lifted the stay on her marriage ruling (Pareto v. Ruvin). On Jan. 6, hundreds of couples married legally all over Florida after the statewide stay imposed by Judge Robert Hinkle expired just after midnight on Jan. 6. Hundreds of couples lined up across Florida at the county clerks’ offices that opened their doors on Jan. 6 after the stay expired. Weddings started one minute after midnight and continued until the wee hours of the morning. A midnight mass wedding ceremony took place in Palm Beach. Unswayed by the lawsuit from Liberty Counsel and the Florida Family Policy Council, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer hosted a mass same-sex wedding at city hall at 9 a.m. on Jan. 6. Some crackpot tried to disrupt the ceremony by screaming anti-gay slogans from the audience. The speakers managed to largely ignore him. -JoeMyGod.com Miami-Dade background Equality Florida Institute and six-same sex couples seeking the right to marry had asked Judge Zabel earlier in the week to immediately lift the stay on her ruling that declared the anti-gay marriage ban unconstitutional.
They are represented by the law firm Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, Elizabeth F. Schwartz, Mary B. Meeks, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR). During the hearing, the attorneys stated, “Another day the plaintiffs are denied their right to marry is a day that shames our county.” Once Judge Zabel lifted the stay, Miami-Dade County Clerk Harvey Ruvin stated marriages could begin immediately in the county. Couples immediately began receiving their marriage licenses. Judge Zabel agreed to marry the plaintiff couples who wished to marry. Karla Arguello and Cathy Pareto are the first same-sex couple to receive a marriage license in Florida. “This is a monumental day in Florida’s history. Loving same-sex couples have been waiting months, years, decades for the right to marry the person they love,” said Nadine Smith, CEO of Equality Florida. “And we’re excited to be able to share this moment with the brave plaintiff couples who plan on getting married today.” Ten hours later, marriage equality opened up to the rest of Florida with the end-of-day expiration of a similar ruling from Judge Robert Hinkle. Miami’s Local 10 reports: Judge Sarah Zabel’s words -- “I’m lifting the stay” -brought immediate cheers in the courtroom Monday morning. With those words, marriage licenses can be issued to same-sex couples in Miami-Dade County
Texas GOP lawmakers plan to introduce a bill that would nullify LGBT nondiscrimination protections covering 7.5 million people. The bill is being drafted in response to the Plano City Council’s passage of an LGBT inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance in December. It’s expected to be introduced by four Republican Plano-area lawmakers, including Rep. Matt Shaheen. The Texas Observer reports: Texas Pastor Council Executive Director David Welch, whose group is leading efforts to repeal equal rights ordinances in Plano and Houston, told the Observer the legislation would prohibit political subdivisions of the state from adding classes to nondiscrimination ordinances that aren’t protected under Texas or federal law — neither of which covers LGBT people. “It should be a uniform standard statewide, and cities can’t just arbitrarily create new classes that criminalize a whole segment of the majority of the population,” Welch said. “It’s just self-evident that they’re going to try to do it city by city. We’re dealing with a broad public policy that creates criminal punishments. That’s a pretty serious issue, and when it’s based on a special agenda by a small, tiny fragment of the population… that’s a legitimate need and reason for the state Legislature to act.” The bill reportedly will be modeled after a law that passed in Tennessee in 2011. In the landmark 1996 case Romer v. Evans, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Colorado law that banned nondiscrimination protections based on sexual orientation. However, the Tennessee bill attempted to get around Romer v. Evans by simply prohibiting any protected classes that aren’t included in state law, rather than specifically targeting the LGBT community. The National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a lawsuit challenging the Tennessee law, but it was dismissed for lack of standing. Now, NCLR reportedly plans to file a federal lawsuit challenging the Tennessee law. NCLR leader Shannon Minter said the Tennessee bill passed in part because the business community was too slow in voicing its opposition to the measure. From The Texas Observer: “Hopefully this time in Texas the response will be more immediate, and I hope the legislators listen to the business community and do not do something that’s going to really hurt the Texas econ-
omy,” Minter said. It’s been widely speculated that Plano passed its equal rights ordinance in response to Toyota’s decision to relocate a major facility to the city, after the company’s employees expressed concern about the lack of LGBT protections in Texas. Plano-based Frito-Lay also sent a letter to the City Council in support of the equal rights ordinance. But Welch dismissed the argument that efforts to undo local nondiscrimination ordinances will hurt business, calling it “a red herring.” He said one of the engines of Texas’ strong economy is its “family-friendly” climate. “We’re not going to let corporations, Toyota or anybody else, come in and dictate to the community what our standards are going to be on a moral level and religious level,” Welch said. “Companies like Frito-Lay had better take thought of who their customers are before they start trying to step up and ramrod these things though, because we will remember.” The Texas legislative session didn’t begin until Jan. 13, but three other antiLGBT bills have already been filed — two “license to discriminate” measures, as well one that aims to reban same-sex marriage in the event it becomes legal. Representatives from Equality Texas say they’re expecting even more attacks fueled by backlash against the spread of same-sex marriage. Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3Oo25dbcD
Outlook seems good after first day of 5th Circuit marriage hearings Om Jan. 9 the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard oral arguments in marriage cases out of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi seeking both the freedom to marry and legal respect of same-sex couples’ lawful marriages. Promising signs for the pro-equality side came in from reporters covering the 5th Circuit oral arguments. As Towleroad legal editor Ari Ezra Waldman wrote, the three judge panel is comprised of Obama appointee Judge James Graves, right-wing Reagan appointee Judge Jerry Smith, and wild card Reagan appointee Judge Patrick Higgenbotham. Early reports now point to Higgenbotham lining up on the pro gay side of the arguments in both the Louisiana and Mississippi cases. Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3OLseRR9o Chris Geidner of Buzzfeed tweeted, “Mississippi and Texas arguments remain, but after the La. arguments, the 5th Circuit appears poised to strike down state same-sex marriage bans.” Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement: “Once again an appellate court was presented with the lopsided case in favor
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET of the freedom to marry, the opponents having no evidence and no significant legal justification to outweigh the powerful arguments for ending the exclusion of gay couples from marriage. Couples in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi have the same aspirations for love and commitment, the same needs for the legal protections and responsibilities marriage brings, and the same rights under the Constitution as couples in the vast majority of the country where marriage discrimination has been discarded. Freedom to Marry joins these couples and their advocates in calling on the 5th Circuit to do what nearly 60 state and federal courts, including four federal circuit courts, have now done: affirm the freedom to marry and end the discrimination that harms families and helps no one.”
President Obama declares marriage equality a civil right In his sixth State of the Union address, President Barack Obama extolled progress toward same-sex couples’ freedom to marry in America, calling marriage for same-sex couples “a story of freedom across our country, a civil right now legal in states that seven in ten Americans call home.” President Obama sounded a victorious note, declaring “the shadow of crisis has passed,” referring chiefly to economic challenges that have been center-stage since he was elected to the Presidency in 2008. The President also proclaimed gay marriage to be a civil right, celebrating the sea change in how Americans by and large perceive same-sex marriage: “I’ve seen something like gay marriage go from a wedge issue used to drive us apart to a story of freedom across our country, a civil right now legal in states that seven in ten Americans call home.” Speaking of the moral and security imperative at heart in respecting human dignity, the President mentioned the words “lesbian,” “bisexual,” and “transgender” in his speech, marking the first time those words have been used in a state of the union address: “That’s why we defend free speech, and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. We do these things not only because they’re right, but because they make us safer.” The President also urged Americans to view difference as a source of strength that should be embraced rather than feared: “I want future generations to know that we are a people who see our differences as a great gift, that we are a people who value the dignity and worth of every citizen – man and woman, young and old, black and white, Latino and Asian, immigrant and Native American, gay and straight, Americans with mental illness or physical disability.” Gay groups, Congressman comment Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom
to Marry, released the following statement: “Once again, President Obama showed his commitment to the civil rights movement that has led to the freedom to marry now in 37 states representing 70 percent of the American people. President Obama’s leadership in helping bring the freedom to marry to all Americans will be a shining part of this president’s legacy, and now it is time for the Supreme Court to put the country on the right side of history by ending marriage discrimination throughout the United States, leaving no family and no state behind.” Center for American Progress Executive Vice President for External Affairs Winnie Stachelberg said, “The president’s historic inclusion of bisexual and transgender Americans in tonight’s speech is a reminder of how far we have come as a community and a country. We are ready to build on the progress that the president spoke of and to work to make the vision of a more just and equal America a reality.” U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) released the following statement on President Obama’s State of the Union Address. Pocan’s guest for the speech was Arianna Goodwin, a constituent from Madison, WI, who has worked numerous minimum wage jobs to support her two young children and is a participant in the Operation Fresh Start program. “I applaud President Obama’s bold agenda to address the growing problem of income inequality in America,” said Rep. Pocan. “As our economy continues to improve and recover from the great recession, too many working Americans are still struggling just to make ends meet. The President’s agenda will help raise wages and build an economy that works for every American, not just the wealthy and privileged few. “The President laid out important initiatives to help hardworking Wisconsinites, like Arianna Goodwin, improve their lives through education tax credits and more affordable access to community colleges,” Rep. Pocan continued. “I am especially pleased President Obama pushed for critical infrastructure invest-
ments. These investments will provide good jobs for hard-working Americans and ensure our country has a 21st century transportation system to compete in the global marketplace “I also support President Obama’s plan to close the income inequality gap by raising fees on the largest financial institutions and restoring tax fairness by reinstating the Reagan era capital gains tax rate for the highest earners to 28 percent to pay for initiatives which will benefit the middle-class and tax breaks for hard working Americans,” said Rep. Pocan. “Investing in education opportunities will also ease the economic squeeze on working families. “While I support much of what the President had to say tonight, I am disappointed he pushed for an expansion of our nation’s flawed trade policies,” Rep. Pocan said. “I support fair trade, but I cannot support more bad trade deals that will hurt our American jobs and American industries. I hope President Obama and U.S. Trade Representative Froman are open to the concerns my colleagues and I have expressed about the consequences of fast-track legislation and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations. “Now that President Obama has laid out his agenda to help grow the middleclass and sustain our economic recovery, the onus is now on Congress to act,” concluded Rep. Pocan. “The American people cannot wait any longer for a gridlocked Congress to take action. It is time to move our country forward, but we can only make progress if we work together to increase opportunities for every single American.”
GOP homophobia ends ENDA’s chances On Dec. 3, a GOP-controlled panel in the U.S. House voted against attaching the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) as an amendment to a broader defense authorization bill, the Washington Blade reports: Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) introduced the amendment on behalf of Jared Polis (D-Colo.), who is gay and the chief
5 sponsor of ENDA, during House Rules Committee consideration of the fiscal year 2015 defense authorization bill. Polis is a member of the Rules Committee, but was absent when the amendment came up for a vote. The panel, which is heavily stacked in favor of Republicans, rejected the amendment 7-3 without discussion by a party-line vote. Had the Rules Committee accepted the amendment, it would have made ENDA part of the defense spending measure before it headed to a vote on the full House floor. Last year, ENDA was approved by the Senate in a historic, bipartisan 64-32 vote. The Senate is now controlled by anti-gay Republicans. Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3Kwk9SWLf Louise Slaughter voted yes Lawmakers who voted against the amendment were House Rules Committee Chair Pete Sessions (R-Texas), Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.), Rep. Richard Nugent (R-Fla.), Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) and Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas). Voting in favor of the amendment were Reps. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-N.Y.), James McGovern (D-Mass.) and Hastings. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) is one of eight House Republican co-sponsors of ENDA and a House Rules Committee member, but she wasn’t present during the committee session to vote on the amendment. -JoeMyGod.com
Gay rights leaders worldwide ask Obama for consistent policy By Joe Morgan on gaystarnews.com Gay rights leaders in some of the world’s most homophobic countries have written a letter to President Obama. They are calling on him to be more consistent with dealing with the governments that are passing anti-LGBTI laws. The letter, signed by people like Kenya’s Eric Gitari and The Gambia’s Pasamba Jow, suggest the way he dealt with Ugandan politicians should be the same as the way he deals with lawmakers from countries that do not receive the same media attention, such as Nigeria or Kyrgyzstan. Read the full letter below: Dear Mr. President: We are not citizens of your country. We write to you, with respect, because we appreciate your unprecedented public support for the fundamental human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals globally, and because we know that your country’s actions carry great consequence in today’s world. You have promised that the United States will stand with LGBT people in seeking fairness and equality in all of our countries. Many of us can speak to the positive efforts of U.S. embassies in our (Gay rights continues page 13)
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PAGE ONE (Intersections from page 3) For more information about this series or the Feb. 21 workshop, please contact Anne Tischer (585) 244-8640 x13 annet@gayalliance.org or Barbara Turner barbt@gayalliance.org. Rochester is poorest urban school district in state Anne Tischer commented, “I will admit to initial disbelief when I read that Rochester ranked as the ‘poorest school district in Upstate New York and the poorest urban district in the entire state’ in a report by Rochester Area Community Foundation (RACF) and ACT Rochester. Comfortable out in the suburbs, I was unable to reconcile my perception of a prosperous and progressive Rochester with such news. How can this be? How can so many Rochesterians be left behind? “But the RACF report, ‘Poverty and the Concentration of Poverty in the NineCounty Greater Rochester Area,’ which was published in 2014, presented startling statistics about Rochester’s intense poverty that could not be ignored. http://www.racf.org/CommunityImpact/CommunityImpact/tabid/164/ smid/605/ArticleID/101/reftab/36/ Default.aspx “The Schott Foundation for Public Education states that the Rochester City School District graduates the lowest rate of Black male students in the entire country. Only nine percent of Black and 10 percent of Latino males graduated in four years in Rochester. This is beyond shameful -- it is a moral failing of our community.” http://blackboysreport.org/urgencyof-now.pdf LGBT community is not affluent Anne continued, “It was likewise startling to me to learn that LGBT Americans are more likely than non-LGBT Americans to be poor. Like many people I never questioned the erroneous image of general affluence of the LGBT community that is projected in our media. It is simply not true. “A recent study points to three failures of law that are driven by stigma and anti-gay bias, which financially penalize LGBT people generating lower lifetime incomes and higher costs: lack of protection from discrimination, refusal to recognize LGBT families and failure to adequately protect LGBT students, which creates barriers to safe and affordable education for LGBT students and the children of LGBT parents. “These failures of law increase economic insecurity and poverty throughout the LGBT community, especially for people of color, trans people, LGBT older adults and LGBT people with children.” (Paying An Unfair Price: The Financial Penalty for Being LGBT in America, authored by Center for American Progress and Movement Advancement Project in partnership with the Center for Community Change, Center for Popular Democracy, National Association of Social Workers and National Education Association, September 30, 2014). http://
(Supreme from page 1) and a 59 percent majority of the American people, including Republicans under age 45, support the freedom to marry. Briefs will now be filed on both sides, oral argument will be scheduled, and the Court will likely hand down a decision by this summer, potentially bringing an end to marriage discrimination in the United States. Michigan couple reacts By granting the petition filed by Michigan couple April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, the Court will be considering Michigan’s ban on marriage as well as those in the other states still denying marriage licenses to gay couples. The move
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015 means the High Court will rule on the issue of marriage equality by the end of June 2015. The court has also agreed to hear cases from Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Friends who supported each other through nursing school and now a committed couple for more than 10 years, DeBoer and Rowse are both hospital nurses and the parents of four specialneeds children whom they fostered and then adopted. They originally challenged Michigan’s adoption code so that they could adopt their children jointly rather than as “single” individuals, and provide them the security of having two legal parents. They later challenged the state’s marriage ban since it keeps April and Jayne, as well as the children, from being legally recognized as a family and from the protections other families enjoy. They argue that state laws banning marriage equality violate the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and due process. “We are now that much closer to being fully recognized as a family, and we are thrilled,” said DeBoer. “This opportunity for our case to be heard by the Supreme Court gives us and families like ours so much reason to be hopeful.” The DeBoer-Rowse family is represented by Michigan attorneys Carole M. Stanyar; Dana Nessel of Nessel and Kessel Law; Kenneth Mogill of Mogill, Posner & Cohen; Wayne State University Law Professor Robert Sedler; and Mary Bonauto of the Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD). “By choosing to hear the DeBoer case, the Court now has the opportunity to end the injustices facing gay families in Michigan and so many other states, and to ensure that same-sex couples nationwide are free to move for work, school, or to care for elderly parents without jeopardizing their family’s security,” said Nessel. “Our families, communities and the schools all see us as a family,” said Rowse. “We juggle our jobs and a houseful of children and wouldn’t have it any other way. Soon, we hope to have the same recognition and share the same protections and responsibilities as all other families.” DeBoer et al v. Snyder was the only case to go to trial among dozens decided or pending nationwide since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Windsor v. United States in June 2013. In a nineday trial in February and March of 2014, Michigan District Court Judge Bernard A. Freidman heard expert testimony from the nation’s leading psychologists, sociologists, child welfare professionals, and historians. In a ruling on March 21, Judge Freidman struck down Michigan’s ban on marriages and “any similar union,” concluding the state “may no longer impair the rights of their children and the thousands of others now being raised by samesex couples” and “the guarantee of equal protection must prevail.” The state immediately filed an appeal, but in the interim, hundreds of couples in Michigan were legally married. Multiple other court rulings since Windsor have established marriage equality as the governing law. In October 2014, the Supreme Court declined to review rulings by the Fourth, Seventh and Tenth Circuits that all found state marriage bans unconstitutional. On November 6, 2014, two judges of the three-member panel in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Friedman’s decision and those of courts in Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky. Within weeks, attorneys for DeBoer and Rowse filed a petition for certiorari with the Supreme Court. “Families like April and Jayne’s have been deprived of the status, dignity, security, and stability that marriage brings for far too long,” said Stanyar. “This Court should hold that prohibiting same-sex couples from joining in marriage violates our nation’s most cherished and essential guarantees.” Bonauto reflected on the long struggle for marriage equality in the United States, asserting “In the 10-plus years since same-
sex couples started marrying in Massachusetts, thousands more have been able to marry across the United States, bringing them happiness and security -- and harming no one,” said Bonauto. “It is time to end the legal bans that single out samesex couples for disrespect and instead allow them to make this unique promise to one another and provide greater protection and security for their families.” Tennessee couples react The Tennessee plaintiff couples are Dr. Valeria Tanco and Dr. Sophy Jesty of Knoxville; Army Reserve Sergeant First Class Ijpe DeKoe and Thom Kostura of Memphis; and Matthew Mansell and Johno Espejo of Franklin. They are represented by Shannon Minter, Christopher F. Stoll, and David C. Codell of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Tennessee attorneys Abby Rubenfeld, Maureen Holland, and Regina Lambert, and the law firms of Sherrard & Roe PLC and Ropes & Gray LLP. “This is an important day because it means that our family will finally have an opportunity to share our story with the Court and explain how this discriminatory law hurts us each day,” said Tanco, who has a young daughter with Jesty. “We live in fear for ourselves and our little girl because we don’t have the same legal protections in Tennessee as other families. We are hopeful the Supreme Court will resolve this issue so we no longer need to live in fear.” Minter, who serves as NCLR legal director, said, “Currently, same-sex couples in many states face a constitutionally intolerable situation because their home states treat them as legal strangers. Even legally married couples can instantly lose the protections of marriage if they travel or move to a state that does not recognize their marriages. We hope the Supreme Court will finally bring an end to the harms that same-sex couples and their children face when they are treated unequally and excluded from marriage.” In a 2-1 decision on Nov. 6, 2014, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld marriage bans in Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio—creating a conflict with the four other federal appeals courts that have invalidated similar state marriage bans in recent months. The U.S. Supreme Court on October 6, 2014 declined to review federal appeals court decisions striking down marriage bans in Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Since the Supreme Court denied review in those cases, same-sex couples can now marry in 36 states and the District of Columbia. On Nov. 15, 2014, the Tennessee couples asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review their case, arguing: “Breaking with the otherwise uniform view of the courts of appeals, a divided panel of the Sixth Circuit upheld Tennessee’s Non-Recognition Laws. The court of appeals’ holding not only denies recognition to petitioners’ own marriages and families, but also establishes a “checkerboard” nation in which same-sex couples’ marriages are dissolved and reestablished as they travel across the country. That is the antithesis of the stability that marriage is supposed to afford. Equality Florida responds Nadine Smith, CEO of Equality Florida, said, “We are thrilled that the Supreme Court’s decision today brings us closer to national resolution granting the freedom to marry to same-sex couples. “The ability to marry the partner you choose brings great joy and happiness, provides important protections for couples and their families, and has no negative impact on others. “In Florida last week, when our own courts affirmed the freedom to marry, we saw an outpouring of thousands of couples ready to pledge their commitments and love. We look forward to the day when couples in every state have the same freedom that we Floridians now enjoy, and we will continue our work here to ensure the health and safety of all families.” In October, the last time marriage
cases reached the Supreme Court, the justices let stand decisions by three separate appeals courts that granted marriage to same-sex couples. That opened the door to marriage for same-sex couples in 11 more states, but it avoided a nationwide ruling. The decisions the Court has now agreed to review come from the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, covering Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan, from which a three-judge panel upheld those states’ bans on marriage for same-sex couples. That decision conflicted with favorable marriage rulings in four other appellate circuits. More than 50 federal and state courts have struck down discriminatory marriage bans in the past year and a half. Briefs will now be filed on both sides, oral argument will be scheduled, and the Supreme Court will likely hand down a decision by next summer, potentially bringing an end to marriage discrimination in the United States. Currently same-sex couples can marry in 36 states including Florida, where marriages began statewide on January 6. “This struggle has always been about winning the freedom to marry nationwide and today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case is a huge step towards equality,” Smith said. “We are hopeful this review means we will soon be able to enjoy the rights and protections associated with marriage. Because of Paul’s cancer, the potential for an unfortunate, untimely death has worried us that I would be vulnerable to discriminatory laws that do not recognize us as a family,” said plaintiff Randy Johnson. ACLU comments on Kentucky cases The American Civil Liberties Union and Stanford Law School Supreme Court Litigation Clinic are co-counsel in the two Kentucky cases, Bourke v. Beshear and Love v. Beshear, brought by lawyers at Clay Daniel Walton & Adams and the Fauver Law Office. These cases challenge Kentucky’s anti-marriage laws on the ground that they violate due process and equal protection provisions of the U.S. Constitution. The ACLU along with Lambda Legal and Gerhardstein & Branch are also co-counsel in the Ohio case, Obergefell, et al v. Hodges. “We are thrilled the court will finally decide this issue,” said James Esseks, director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & HIV Project. “The country is ready for a national solution that treats lesbian and gay couples fairly. Every single day we wait means more people die before they have a chance to marry, more children are born without proper protections, more people face medical emergencies without being able to count on recognition of their spouses. It is time for the American values of freedom and equality to apply to all couples.” The plaintiff couples in the two lawsuits are denied the freedom to marry the person they love, and denied recognition of valid marriages entered into in other jurisdictions. From the birth of children to the death of beloved partners, same-sex couples in Kentucky are unable to enjoy the rights, responsibilities, and privileges of married life that their different-sex counterparts in Kentucky take for granted. Paul Campion and Randy Johnson met in the summer of 1991 and have been together ever since. They live in Louisville and are raising four children together. When Paul was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 46, the family not only had to navigate the stress of his illness but was also faced with a host of legal questions about whether and how Randy would be recognized by medical providers during Paul’s treatment. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled November 6, 2014 to uphold four bans in Michigan, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky on the freedom to marry and the recognition of marriages between same-sex couples performed in other jurisdictions. It is the only federal circuit court after the Supreme Court’s watershed 2013 (Supreme continues page 12)
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
Interview NYS invites MOCHA Center to join AIDS Task Force... finally By Adam Young With offices at 189 North Water Street in Rochester and in Buffalo, the main goal of The MOCHA Center is to educate communities of color in methods to reduce their risk of HIV infection. Last year, the organization also began offering HIV testing to high risk clients. Their mission, according to Executive Director Bruce Smail, is to offer “high impact prevention.” Barriers in access to information and healthcare for racial minorities have fueled The MOCHA Center’s focus. “There have always been disparities amongst communities of color,” Smail said. Programs offered by The MOCHA Center include VOICES, aimed at HIV prevention education, and ARTAS, a program that links people who are HIV positive with proper healthcare. If clients require further medical care, the organization is partnered with Trillium Health and Anthony Jordan Health Center. The MOCHA Center remains as one of only two in the state that were originally founded by black gay men (MOCHA was founded by Gary English). According to Smail, black men who have sex with men (MSM) represented the largest percentage of new HIV infections in New York at 42 percent in 2012. However, the organization was initially overlooked in receiving an invitation to join Governor Cuomo’s Task Force to End AIDS in New York State by 2020. Smail was eventually asked to join the Prevention Committee of the Task Force halfway through their meetings. Conveying the unique perspective of The MOCHA Center was challenging among the 60 members in the wake of the late invite. “It’s difficult to really have much voice in that committee just in terms of timing and really not a lot of space for conversation,” Smail said. Task Force meetings have since been completed. According to Smail, over 300
Bruce Smail
recommendations were developed by the Task Force and then reviewed for submittal to the governor. Although The MOCHA Center was the sole organization on the Task Force with the primary focus of serving black MSM, Smail is mostly satisfied with the results. “It was definitely a great opportunity to be engaged with some of the big leaders across the state of New York… almost all of the major organizations [were] represented there,” Smail said. As the initial discussions of the Task Force come to a close, Smail is curious to see if the Task Force will continue to have a role in implementing the recommendations submitted to the governor. He hopes that smaller organizations like The MOCHA Center will have more options made available to them for treating clients in the future, perhaps with the inclusion of a PrEP medication program. The state government’s theory of ensuring that all HIV positive people receive treatment to the point of having an undetectable viral load, and thus reducing the risk of transmitting the virus to others, seems to hold water to Smail. “I think there is a concern, ‘can you really make that in 2020?’ We probably could, if we do it consistently,” Smail said. The MOCHA Center offers walk-in HIV testing five days a week to high risk clients. Each visitor is welcome to come in and speak with a counselor for assessment. For more information, contact the MOCHA Center at 420-1400, or visit mochacenter.org.
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
Making the Scene
From right: David Johnson, Ron Pawelczak, Mike Beavers at the Jan. 11 Sunday Day Party. Photo: Bess Watts Danny Deutsch, Abilene owner, with Amanda Profit. Photo: Ove Overmyer
TARA REUNION: Laura Marron and pianist Bob Dietch at the Tara piano bar throwback/Lick Events Sunday Day Party, held at Abilene on Jan. 11. Photo: Bess Watts
Photo: Ove Overmyer
Dennis Rosenbaum & Bob Caruso at the Tara Reunion at Abilene. Photo: Bess Watts
WINTER LIGHT: The Gay Alliance Library and Archive event took place Jan. 10. Around 50 people enjoyed the books, food and opportunity to meet local authors. Photos: Lorraine Woerner-McGowan
Shauna O’Toole was one of several local authors who were present.
Steven Farrington (left) was another of the authors at Winter Light.
My Own Private Rochester: Sady Fischer By Susan Jordan Sady Fischer, independent diversity consultant, was born in Honduras. When she was 7 she and her family went to live in Germany, and partly in Switzerland. When she was 13 the family came to Rochester, where her stepfather had a job. Sady went to high school here and then to Empire State College, where she majored in gender studies. Sady told The Empty Closet, “I am currently working as an independent Diversity Trainer/Consultant and enjoy creating opportunities for honest, open conversations around feminist, racial and LGBTQ issues, from a sex-positive, feminist, queer-affirming perspective. I provide trainings and workshops for universities and colleges, businesses, organizations, community groups; I speak on issues related to sex and sexuality, diversity, power and privilege, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, being an ally, you name it! I also love to custom create workshops to meet people’s interests and needs, like the workshop I’m developing with the GAGV, MOCHA Center and NCBI that is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21.” (See page 1) Sady lives in Penfield with “my amazing 14-year-old son” and has just started her own consultant business. “Diversity training is mostly related to challenging societal expectations,” she said. “I have been doing this kind of work for over 13 years, starting in college.” About her favorite people, Sady said, “I
live with and next to some of my favorite people in Rochester! My partner, my son and I all live together; my sister, my brother-in-law and my niece and nephew live next door to us. I love having my family so close by! However, my all time favorite person in the whole wide world is and always will be my son.” She added, “I can’t mention all my favorite individuals because there are too many. I love that Rochester has so many people who are activist-based and focused on equality. We have a rich history and we’re still fighting for equality, and that’s something to be proud of. Intersections (or The Lens of Diversity) is part of that.” She said, “I try to be involved with groups I feel aligned to. I tend to support and volunteer for organizations that are connected to my own intersecting identities. The GAGV and MOCHA Center connect with my queer mind; Latinas Unidas and Ibero reach my Latino heart; and the Susan B. Anthony Institute and Planned Parenthood touch my feminist spirit.” As for her personal interests, Sady noted, “I’m an outdoor girl. I love how close a lot of the state parks are.” Her favorite things about Rochester are “All the things to do! The sun energizes me and I just love being outside. I enjoy hiking, biking, camping and kayaking. In the summer I enjoy the Lilac Festival and Park Ave Fest; visiting local state parks like Letchworth and Stony Brook. And I love being near the water – the pier by Seabreeze is one of my favorite spots to visit. I took my son and his cousins with me to watch a meteor shower there once. It was absolutely beautiful!”
Sady Fischer at Equal=Grounds. Photo: Susan Jordan
Coffee shops are probably her favorite hangout. She likes Equal=Grounds, Java’s and Boulder. When shopping she heads for Archimage, One World Goods and a new store called Zak’s Avenue, on South Ave. Sady’s favorite groups include Ambush Rochester. She said, “I am one of the organizers of Ambush Rochester. Ambush started in Buffalo, and Susanna Speed and I brought it here. I like to describe it as once-a-month barhopping for lesbian/bi/queer women and our male and straight friends and allies!” Ambush Rochester has just celebrated
its first anniversary. The group meets at a different venue every second Friday of the month. On an ideal Saturday night, Sady says, “I’d hang out with friends and family, ordering food in and watching a movie. For a night out with friends, my favorite pastime is dancing to Latin music. I go to Baila Fridays at Tilt, at 10 p.m. every Friday, organized by one of my best friends, Tato Contreras – it’s also an LGBT Night.” She would take out of town visitors to Archimage, a local park, any festival or event that is going on, and, inevitably, out for coffee. ■
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET AND... we are silent and invisible no longer… silent and invisible no more.” The Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester, a support and education group that has been providing education, support, resources and advocacy for trans individuals, our families, our allies in the broader Rochester community since 1997, invited the Empire State Pride Agenda, Gay The Trans March marking the Day of Remembrance took Alliance, Genesee Valplace Nov. 22 at Goodman and Monroe. Photo: Jill Frier ley Gender Variants, the LGBT Rights Project, The MOCHA Center, New York Civil LiberTrans March honors the ties Union, Open Arms MCC, and Pride@ lost, calls for equality Work AFL-CIO to be co-sponsors. On the evening of Nov. 20, over 25 By JoAnne Metzler people met at the Open Arms Community It started with this statement: Center for a sign painting party to observe “Why We Will Be Marching on Saturday, the annual International Trans Day of Nov. 22. Remembrance. They were joined by Nathan “We march to be VISIBLE because peoSchaefer, Executive Director of the Empire ple don’t know about us, even those who are State Pride Agenda, who, as one of the cotrans and live in Rochester still don’t know sponsors, provided pizza and soda for the about us. event. Anne Tischer, well known local activ“We march because we HAVE to, for ist, presided over the sign-making event. those of us who are too afraid to march with Then on the cold and windy afternoon us, because they could lose their jobs, their of Saturday, Nov. 22, over 50 people met families, their friends, their homes and even at the corners of Monroe Ave. and South their lives. Goodman St. and marched for an hour, “We march because we CAN -- we have crossing the streets, raising and waving their that right and freedom even though the signs that said things like “Trans People New York State Senate has refused for seven Are Real People”, “Trans Pride!!! Silent No years now to even recognize us as equals and More!!!”, and “All I want for Christmas is protect those rights. Gender Equality”. “Mainly we march because we NEED to One person who had been part of a simiremember and honor all the Trans people lar smaller march in November 2012 immewho have been lost to us because of ignodiately noticed the drivers’ responses to rance, fear and hatred by the thousands over the marchers. This person commented, “In the years. We march so they will NOT be 2012 when we did this march for the first forgotten. time maybe a dozen drivers honked for the “We march to let you know we are total hour we marched, this year it’s about HERE -- that we do exist and we are NOT a dozen drivers honking every 10 minutes going away. wow, what a difference!” ■ “We march because we are Trans
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PRIDE AT WORK AFL_CIO President Bess Watts and author David Cay Johnston on Human Rights Day, Dec. 8.
From right: P@W members Jeane Kennedy and Kendall Bell. Photo: Bess Watts
MARIE GIBSON RETIRES: On Nov. 22, Marie E. Gibson retired as Executive Director of the Greater Rochester Council of Churches (GRCC) Faith in Action Network. She is shown with her wife Reverend Peggy Meeker.
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PAGE ONE (Supreme from page 6) Windsor ruling to uphold such bans. “We appreciate the opportunity to present the stories of our clients, some of whom have been in loving, committed relationships for decades,” said Daniel Canon of Clay Daniel Walton & Adams. “They, like other couples in Kentucky and elsewhere, have been denied their fundamental rights for far too long. We are hopeful the Court will fully and finally invalidate the discriminatory anti-marriage laws of Kentucky and other states.” More information about the cases is available at: https://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/obergefell-et-al-v-hodges-freedom-marry-ohio https://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/bourkev-beshear-love-v-beshear-freedom-marrykentucky Center for American Progress comments Center for American Progress Executive Vice President for External Affairs Winnie Stachelberg said, “The Supreme Court’s decision to again take up the issue of marriage equality is welcome news to the thousands of loving and committed same-sex couples who seek a resolution to the cruel legal limbo that currently denies them the dignity and respect that all families deserve. We are confident that when arguments are heard, the Supreme Court will affirm that the fundamental right to marry is the right of all Americans, regardless of the person they love or where they live.” Attorney General Holder comments U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder stated, “After the Justice Department’s decision not to defend the constitutionality of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, the Supreme Court sent a powerful message that Americans in same-sex marriages are entitled to equal protection and equal treatment under the law. This landmark decision marked a historic step toward equality for all American families. “The Supreme Court has announced that it will soon hear several cases raising core questions concerning the constitutionality of same-sex marriages. As these cases proceed, the Department of Justice will remain committed to ensuring that the benefits of marriage are available as broadly as possible. And we will keep striving to secure equal treatment for all members of society—regardless of sexual orientation. “As such, we expect to file a ‘friend of the court’ brief in these cases that will urge the Supreme Court to make marriage equality a reality for all Americans. It is time for our nation to take another critical step forward to ensure the fundamental equality of all Americans—no matter who they are, where they come from, or whom they love.” ■
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
LOCAL AND STATE (NYC Council from page 3) ed-from accessing government benefits and health coverage, to getting a job and using appropriate facilities. I want to thank the advocates for their tireless work on this issue, and also Dr. Mary Bassett, Commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, for helping to make New York City a more just place.” “Today is a proud day for New York City as we celebrate the long-awaited passage of a bill that brings us one step closer to creating a safe and equal place for transgender New Yorkers,” said Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Nathan M. Schaefer. “We applaud City Council Member Corey Johnson, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the entire New York City Council for making this important issue a priority.” “As a native born transgender New Yorker, I thank Corey Johnson and the NY City Council for this bill that will make my life easier and complete a transition that realistically ended many years ago,” said New York Trans Rights Organization (NYTRO) Director Melissa Sklarz. “Now, trans New Yorkers, past, present, and future, know that New York City takes their lives seriously in simplifying this basic step of identity.” “The legislation that passed today is a foundational tool for advocates who seek to address the lifelong difficulties that transgender people experience with health, educational attainment and economic productivity,” said Glennda Testone, Executive Director of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. “We are grateful for this crucial step to put a stop to the appalling harassment, humiliation and discrimination that trans people face when they present a birth certificate that inaccurately reflects their gender. The Center applauds Council Member Johnson for introducing it and the Council for passing this vital legislation to ensure that transgender community members are able to have the basic human rights they are entitled to.” “Wealth should never be a prerequisite for equal treatment. The transgender youth served by the Ali Forney Center are destitute; they are far from being able to afford surgery, even if that is what they would choose,” said Carl Siciliano, Executive Director of the Ali Forney Center. “I applaud this bill, which takes an important step forward in bringing about fair and equal treatment for transgender New Yorkers.” The change brings New York City into line with New York State’s policy change implemented earlier this year and with a number of Federal agencies and states, and serves as model legislation for the rest of the nation. In 2010, the U.S. Department of State updated its policy regarding Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (a federal birth certificate for U.S. citizens born abroad) and U.S. passports to require that
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a person’s treating or evaluating physician write a letter certifying that the person has undergone appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition. No proof of surgery is required. The Social Security Administration has also eliminated its surgical requirement for amending gender markers. Other federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Veterans Health Administration and the Office of Personnel Management have adopted similar policies. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 40 percent of transgender people have faced harassment when presenting identity documents that did not match their gender identity/ expression. In addition, 15 percent report being denied entry or asked to leave because of gender mismatches, and three percent report facing physical assault due to mismatched ID.
“Fight for $15”: gay affluence is a myth Luis Torres and Colin O’Malley of Metro Justice are mentoring the movement to raise the minimum wage locally. A high percentage of LGBTQ people are taking the lead in the “Fight for $15” movement. (See the March EC for more information.) The latest studies that indicate that LGBT people (especially of color and/ or Trans) are more likely to be faced with poverty than non-LGBT people. Additionally the successes of the LGBT rights movement have probably influenced and empowered attitudes among low-paid workers who are willing to speak up though it puts them at risk of being targeted on the job. Movies and television shows frequently depict gay characters as rich, but despite images of affluence new studies find that families led by LGBT Americans have higher rates of poverty than those headed by heterosexuals. The reasons are complex, but three primary failures of law, driven by stigma and anti-gay bias, financially penalize LGBT people: lack of protection from discrimination, refusal to recognize LGBT families and failure to adequately protect LGBT students. These failures of law increase economic insecurity and poverty throughout the LGBT community. From the Williams Institute (the UCLA policy think tank): http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/ headlines/beyond-stereotypes-poverty-inthe-lgbt-community/ • African-American same-sex couples have poverty rates more than twice the rate of different-sex married African Americans. • Nearly one in four children living with a male same-sex couple and 19.2 percent of children living with a female same-sex couple is in poverty. This compares with 12.1 percent of children living with married heterosexual couples who are in poverty.
• African-American children in gay male households have the highest poverty rate (52.3 percent) of any children in any household type. • 14 percent of lesbian couples and 7.7 percent of gay male couples received food stamps, compared to 6.5 percent of straight married couples. In addition, 2.2 percent of same-sex female couples received government cash assistance compared to 0.8 percent of women in different-sex couples. And 1.2 percent of men in same-sex couples received cash assistance compared to 0.6 percent of men in different-sex couple relationships who received cash assistance.
NY Court of Appeals grants retrial in Lateisha Green hate crime case By Arthur S. Leonard at Gay City News The New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest bench, ruled unanimously on Nov. 24 that the Appellate Division had correctly reversed the hate crime manslaughter conviction of Dwight R. DeLee in the 2008 killing of Lateisha Green, a transgender woman, in Syracuse. Unlike the intermediate appeals court, however, the high court gave prosecutors the opportunity to resubmit hate crime manslaughter charges against DeLee to a grand jury. Judge Susan P. Read’s decision for the court reveals nothing about the nature of the charged offense and makes no reference to the fact that Green was transgender or that Lee was charged with murdering her because of her gender identity. Instead, the coldly analytical opinion focuses solely on an inconsistency in the jury’s verdict and the trial judge’s failure to correct the situation by explaining that inconsistency to jurors and asking them to resume deliberations. DeLee, who was 20 at the time of the crime, was convicted in 2009 by an Onondaga County jury in the shooting death of the 22-year-old Green and received a 25-year sentence. The prosecutor cited anti-gay statements made by DeLee — including “get you faggots, get out of here… get the fuck out of here” — in arguing the defendant was guilty of a hate crime motivated by animus toward Green’s sexual orientation. Bias based on gender identity — as opposed to sexual orientation — is not covered under the state’s 2000 hate crimes statute. The jury did not convict DeLee on second-degree murder charges, but instead found him guilty of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime. The jury proceeded to find the defendant not guilty on all the “lesser included” charges related to the killing, including simple first-degree manslaughter without the hate crimes penalty enhancement. After the verdict was rendered, DeLee’s attorney argued the verdict was inconsistent, since the acquittal on the manslaughter charge could be taken to mean that the jury found that the prosecution failed to prove all the elements of the
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET crime of manslaughter and so his client could not be found guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime. The Appellate Division, in July 2013, sided with Lee, though in a heated dissenting opinion, Justice Erin Peradotto focused on what she characterized as the jury’s obvious misunderstanding that if they found all the elements of manslaughter as a hate crime satisfied, they should not acquit on the simple manslaughter count. But Read found that the case “presents a straightforward application” of the relevant precedents. Since the jury in this case acquitted DeLee of manslaughter, it could be argued that it found the prosecution failed to prove at least one element of the hate crime manslaughter charge. “In making these determinations, it is inappropriate for the reviewing court to attempt to divine the jury’s collective mental process,” Read wrote. The Court of Appeals dismissed an affidavit from the jury foreman, presented by the Onondaga County district attorney, attesting to the jury’s intention to convict DeLee as “the opinion of just one juror.” At the same time, given the possibility that the jury acquitted Lee on the lesser-included manslaughter charge as an “exercise in mercy,” Read continued, its decision does not necessarily mean it “found that he did not commit an essential element.” The court concluded that permitting a retrial on manslaughter as a hate crime charge but not on the simple manslaughter charge “strikes a reasonable balance.” No unconstitutional double jeopardy problem would ensue from this court of action. In a concurring opinion, Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam explained how to charge a jury in a hate crime case to avoid such an inconsistent verdict. Trial judges, she wrote, should instruct “the jury to treat a non-hate crime as a lesser included offense of an equivalent hate crime allegedly committed via the same criminal acts” since “it is impossible to commit the hate crime without also committing the ordinary crime” on which it is based. The jury’s 2009 verdict was New York’s first hate crime conviction in the killing of a transgender person. Both the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Empire State Pride Agenda called on the Onondaga County prosecutor to pursue new hate crime charges against Lee. A written statement from TLDEF quoted the victim’s mother, Roxanne Green, saying, “While I would have preferred to put this behind me while Teish’s killer served out his sentence, I nevertheless welcome the chance to see justice served in his retrial.” Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Nathan M. Schaefer said, “We welcome the news that the New York State Court of Appeals has agreed to allow for a retrial in the case of Lateisha Green, a young transgender woman of color from Syracuse, who was murdered in 2008. We are hopeful that this development brings the possibility of justice in this case after Green’s assailant, convicted of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime, walked on a technicality in 2013. “All too often the perpetrators of violence against members of the transgender community are not held accountable for their acts, taking a life, or shaking the safety of an entire community. We are pleased to see the courts and the system rule on the right side of justice in this case, and are hopeful it will help set the precedent that transgender lives have value not only in the justice system, but in society as a whole and for other cases of transphobic violence that have yet to receive their fair days in court to bring justice and closure to the families who mourn the loss of their loved ones. “The renewed sense of hope that justice may yet prevail in the case of Lateisha Green presents a stark contrast to the Grand Jury ruling in Ferguson that the police officer who shot and killed 18-year old Michael Brown will not be indicted. This news comes on the heels of the
shooting of unarmed Akai Gurley in our own backyard in Brooklyn just last week, the death of Eric Garner in Staten Island in July, and the fact that the killer of Islan Nettles, a transgender woman of color who was assaulted across the street from a police station in Manhattan, still walks free. These incidents and more speak to the crisis around racial profiling and inequities in the criminal justice system. “From New York City to Ferguson and all across America, people of color are victims of violence, which is further exacerbated and complicated by a system that often further victimizes communities of color – most especially those individuals of minority sexual orientations and gender identities. This only increases the likelihood of facing violence and discrimination both on the street, and from the justice system itself. “We will continue to work closely with our partners and Lateisha Green’s family to ensure the trial is expeditious and fair, and that the man who so viciously killed an innocent woman is held accountable for his heinous crime. Our work continues until the day transgender women of color are no longer the most targeted victims of violence in our society and when all members of our community can fully realize equal rights and treatment under the law in New York State and can feel safe walking down the street in our own neighborhoods.” ■
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL (Gay rights from page 5) countries that have given local impact to that promise. But if the promise of equal and fair treatment is to be realized, United States policy must be consistent and clear. We ask that it be made so. When Uganda passed a new law threatening the safety, rights and well-being of its LGBT citizens, the U.S. responded clearly. We believe the steps that you took – to deny visas to those responsible for that law, examine how the law might impact U.S. programs, and ensure that no area of your country’s bilateral relationship was immune to a suitable response – have had a positive impact on Uganda’s actions. But no such actions have been taken toward Nigeria, where a similar law was also recently adopted and is now in effect. No action has been taken toward Brunei, or The Gambia, or Kyrgyzstan, or India, which have all recently increased or re-introduced harsh criminal penalties against LGBT citizens. Not that the response to those counties needs to be identical to the steps taken in Uganda, but surely some clear response is needed. How can we trust otherwise that the United States will, indeed, stand with us as we fight for our rights? Mr. President, we ask that the United States make clear, even now, that steps will be taken to respond, without fail, in any country where governments attack us and deny our rights. We believe that such a policy, clearly enunciated and triggered when dangerous new laws or discriminatory national programs are enacted and purposefully deployed against us, would deter the leaders of our countries from pursuing shameful national agendas that seek to deny the rights of our LGBT brothers and sisters. We ask that you stand with us in this struggle, not only for our sake, but also for yours. The better world we seek, and that we believe in, will benefit all of us through increased democracy, security and prosperity, and that vision cannot be achieved without a consistent partnership with the United States. Your leadership now will be viewed by history as an enduring legacy of your Administration. - See more at: http://www.gaystarnews. com/article/gay-leaders-worlds-mostanti-gay-countries-write-letterobama080115#sthash.ApeME7jd.dpuf
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UN Secretary General “staunchly opposes” India anti-gay law
Queen honors lesbian poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, LGBT activists
By Darren Wee on gaystarnews.com Photo via Wikipedia United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “staunchly opposes” India’s antigay law, which he said breeds intolerance in the world’s largest democracy. He made the comments on 12 January while addressing the Indian Council of World Affairs in New Delhi. “We are all different from one another, but we all have the same human rights,” he said. “I am proud to stand for the equality of all people, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. I staunchly oppose the criminalization of homosexuality. “I speak out because laws criminalizing consensual, adult same-sex relationships violate basic rights to privacy and to freedom from discrimination. Even if they are not enforced, these laws breed intolerance. “As you may know recently, last year, just a few months ago, I have made UN regulations change to allow the same entitlement to those staff who have different sexual orientations. “I am very grateful to the Bollywood celebrities who have joined the United Nations Free & Equal campaign, especially Celina Jaitly and Imran Khan. They have reached millions of people with a message of equality.” In December 2013, the Supreme Court reinstated Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which punishes “unnatural sex” with up to life imprisonment. Nearly 600 people were arrested under the law last year. Actor and UN advocate Nandita Das urged the secretary-general to pressure the government to remove the “archaic law.” - See more at: http://www. gaystarnews.com/article/un-secretary-general-staunchly-opposes-indiagay-sex-ban130115#sthash.HzyS4OgS. dpuf
Britain’s first female Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, has been made a Dame in the Queen’s New Year’s Honors list. Duffy, aged 59, is a Scottish poet and playwright, and is openly gay. She became Poet Laureate – an honorary position bestowed by the British monarch – in May 2009, since when she has penned poems to coincide with events of national significance. Speaking of the honor, Duffy said, “I am delighted that the long tradition of the laureateship and poetry in general are part of these celebrations. We have many wonderful poets in this country and it is a privilege to represent them.” A total of 1,164 people have been awarded honors by the Queen in her annual New Year honors – almost threequarters of who have been awarded for work in their communities. Among those receiving recognition this year are four LGBT rights campaigners. These include Jenny Broughton, the 80-year-old co-founder of Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (FFLAG), who received an MBE. An MBE also went to Nigel George Warner, ILGA-Europe’s Council of Europe adviser, for his services to the international movement for lesbian and gay rights. Dr. Jay Stewart, co-founder of Gendered Intelligence, received an MBE for his service to the transgender community. Also receiving acknowledgement for services to the trans community was JennyAnne Bishop, who was awarded an OBE. The Queen’s honors are awarded following nominations from members of the British public and government departments. A Cabinet Office committee then scrutinizes the nominations before an announcement is made each New Year’s Eve. Further honors are announced to coincide each year with the Queen’s birthday. - See more at: http://www. gaystarnews.com/article/queenmakes-britain%E2%80%99s-gay-poetlaureate-dame311214#sthash.ouXa2Jiv. dpuf
Trans woman barred from both male, female areas of Jerusalem’s Western Wall By Darren Wee on gaystarnews.com A transgender woman on Jan. 5 was barred from both the male and female sections of the Western Wall in Israel, the country with the most progressive trans policies in the Middle East. Stylist Kay Long from Tel Aviv visited Jerusalem with a friend from Madrid, but was refused entry to the female section of the wall by a “modesty volunteer” who said she was not a woman. She was then yelled away from the men’s area. The Western Wall, or Kotel, is the only remaining part of the Temple Mount and is the holiest site in Judaism. Long visited the wall in a black dress and is two meters (6’7”) tall “without heels.” “From an early age we are taught that if we place a note at the Kotel our prayers might be answered,” she wrote on Facebook. “All that’s left now is to take a picture and say a prayer from afar with the hope that it will be answered. Because God is everywhere and loves us all.” Elinor Sidi, director LGBTI community center Open House, said Long’s experience was not unique. “Gender separation at the Western Wall is harmful for transgender people. This is not the first story that we know of with transgender religious people that wanted to go to the Western Wall and pray and couldn’t,” she told the Times of Israel. - See more at: http://www. gaystarnews.com/article/transgender-woman-turned-away-westernwall-jerusalem080115#sthash.CHgB16su. dpuf
“Transparent” creator dedicates Golden Globe to Leelah Alcorn Transparent, the Amazon series that follows the various members of the Pfefferman family as they come to terms with their patriarch, Mort’s (Jeffrey Tambor) transition, won the Golden Globe for Best TV Series, Comedy. Joined on stage by the cast, creator Jilly Soloway dedicated the award to “the memory of Leelah Alcorn and too many trans people who die too young.” (Star Jeffrey Tambor also paid tribute to the trans community.) Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3OcPadxMq Leelah Alcorn, a trans woman abused by her Christian parents, walked in front of a tractor trailer and was killed in December. (See page 15.)
Thailand to recognize third gender By Darren Wee on gaystarnews.com Photo via Wikipedia Thailand’s new constitution will recognize a “third gender” for the first time, a move that has been welcomed by the country’s large LGBTI community. A panel hand-picked by the military government began work on the new constitution this week after the previous one was scrapped following a coup in May. Panel spokesperson Kamnoon Sittisamarn on 15 January said the charter would ensure protection for all sexual identities and equal treatment under the law. “We are putting the words ‘third gender’ in the constitution because Thai society has advanced,” he told Reuters. ( Thailand continues page 14)
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ( Thailand from page 13) “There are not only men and women, we need to protect all sexes. We consider all sexes to be equal.” The measure still needs to be formally approved by the ruling junta. Thailand has a large and highly visible LGBTI community but society remains largely conservative. Parliament began debating gay marriage legislation in 2013 but the draft law was frozen after political protests broke out. Activists welcomed the decision to include third gender in the constitution. “It would treat all citizens equally and help to protect from discrimination in all areas including ease of doing business and also personal life,” said prominent gay activist Natee Teerarojjanapongs. - See more at: http://www.gaystarnews. com/article/thailand-recognize-thirdgender160115#sthash.t76obcyT.dpuf
Federal judge strikes down S.D. marriage ban On Jan. 12, U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier ruled that denying marriage for same-sex couples in South Dakota is unconstitutional. The ruling is stayed, meaning same-sex couples cannot yet receive marriage licenses in South Dakota. In a 28-page decision, Judge Schreier ruled that “Plaintiffs have a fundamental right to marry. South Dakota law deprives them of that right solely because they are same-sex couples and without sufficient justification.” From the ruling’s conclusion: In Loving, the Supreme Court addressed a traditionally accepted definition of marriage that prohibited Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving from marry-
ing. Because Virginia’s laws deprived that couple of their fundamental right to marriage, the Court struck down those laws. Little distinguishes this case from Loving. Plaintiffs have a fundamental right to marry. South Dakota law deprives them of that right solely because they are same-sex couples and without sufficient justification. Accordingly, it is ORDERED that plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment (Docket 20) is granted, and defendants’ motion for summary judgment (Docket 43) is denied. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that SDCL 25-1-1, SDCL 25-1-38, Article 21, § 9 of the South Dakota Constitution, and any other provision of state law that precludes people from marrying, or refuses to recognize an existing marriage, solely because the individuals are of the same gender are unconstitutional because they violate the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that defendants are enjoined from enforcing those laws or otherwise declining to issue a marriage license solely because the applicants are of the same gender. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a separate judgment will be entered and the effects of that judgment will be stayed until the judgment is final. Williams Institute numbers In South Dakota, there are approximately 714 cohabiting same-sex couples, of whom 21 percent are raising an estimated 302 children in their homes. Williams Institute research also suggests that 357 of these couples will likely marry in the first three years that samesex marriage is available in South Dakota, generating an economic boost of nearly $2.4 million in the state and an additional $140 thousand in sales tax revenue. Key national statistics include: More than three-quarters (75.8 percent) of same-sex couples across the country are living in the 36 states where they can marry (not including South Dakota)
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Nikon commercial features Chicago gay family Via the Grio: Last year, a photo of two gay fathers, Kordale and Kaleb Lewis, went viral. Today, the couple and their three children are starring in a heartwarming commercial for Nikon. The couple, who live in Chicago, tell their story as part of Nikon’s I Am Generation Image campaign. Last year, Kordale and Kaleb were shocked when a photo of them doing their daughters’ hair went viral. “What happened was, we were in the bathroom doing the girls’ hair and I said, ‘oh let me take a picture.’ It was a imple, innocent picture… and then next thing you know it went viral. I’m still amazed today,” Kordale explained. -JoeMyGod.com
and more than seven-in-ten (70.4 percent) Americans are living in states that allow marriage for same-sex couples. Williams Institute research suggests that there were 690,000 same-sex couples in the US in 2013 raising an estimated 200,000 children. As many as 30,000 of those children are being raised by married parents. Recent Williams Institute analyses suggest that the number of married samesex couples, estimated to be as high as 130,000 in 2013, has increased by more than 50 percent over the last three years. The six plaintiff families are from across the state and include veterans, nurses, a stay-at-home mom, a truck driver, a couple who have been together 30 years, and couples with children and grandchildren. They are represented by Joshua Newville of the Minneapolis firm Madia Law LLC, Debra Voigt of Burd and Voigt Law Offices in Sioux Falls, SD, and Shannon Minter and Christopher F. Stoll of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR). NCLR Senior Staff Attorney Christopher F. Stoll stated, “We are thrilled for our clients and for all same-sex couples in South Dakota, who have watched and waited as progress has been made in so many other states, and who can now see light at the end of the tunnel in their own state. We are also grateful to Judge Shreier for writing such a detailed and powerful analysis and for affirming in such strong terms that same-sex couples have the same fundamental freedom to marry as others. We hope this decision will hasten the day when the Supreme Court decides this issue for the country and ensures that all families are treated fairly and equally under the law.” Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement: “Today’s ruling out of South Dakota affirms what nearly every court in the past year has held: loving and committed same-sex couples are guaranteed the freedom to marry by the U.S. Constitution. Every day of denial is a day of tangible hardships for same-sex couples and their families. The Supreme Court should take up a case as soon as possible and end marriage discrimination once and for all.” In total, virtually every federal and state court has ruled in favor of the freedom to marry for same-sex couples with only one appellate court ruling the other way. GOP Attorney General vows to appeal GOP South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, in a statement posted to
his state website: “It remains the State’s position that the institution of marriage should be defined by the voters of South Dakota and not the federal courts. Because this case presents substantial legal questions and substantial public interest the Federal Court has stayed its judgment allowing South Dakota law to remain in effect pending the appeal.” Jackley was first appointed attorney general in 2009, winning reelection in 2010 and 2014. He is the president-elect of the National Association of Attorneys General, which is currently headed by Mississippi AG Jim Hood.
Judge rules Michigan must recognize over 300 marriage licenses U.S. District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith ruled Jan. 15 that Michigan must recognize more than 300 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples last March. Goldsmith stayed his ruling for 21 days. Freedom to Marry reports: Today’s ruling was in the case Caspar v. Snyder, which was filed on April 14, 2014 by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan on behalf of eight same-sex couples who received marriage licenses on the first day of the freedom to marry in Michigan. More than 300 couples received marriage licenses on March 22, after a federal judge struck down the state’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples. The ruling was stayed later that afternoon, and although the federal government said that it would respect the Michigan marriage licenses for all purposes, Governor Rick Snyder said that the state would deny respect to the licenses as the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals considered arguments in the original federal lawsuit. Judge Goldsmith wrote: “The alleged harm of impaired human dignity and denial of at least some tangible benefits have already come about, thereby establishing that the factual record is sufficiently developed, such that there is no need to await future events for adjudication of the issues in this action. And delaying judicial resolution of these issues would serve no useful purpose. To the contrary, such delay would compound the harms these Plaintiffs suffer each day that their marital status remains unrecognized.” Judge Goldsmith’s ruling, which is stayed for 21 days, means that all of the
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET same-sex couples who were married on March 22 before the ruling was stayed must soon be respected by the state. Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3Ouf3PiPy
Opinion
Japanese Zen Buddhist temple is first to perform symbolic same sex weddings The Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto, Japan has become the first Zen Buddhist temple offering to officiate symbolic same sex weddings within the country. Japan’s views on homosexuality and gender nonconforming individuals is a complex one. Despite artistic cultural exports that sometimes depict Japan as being a socially progressive society in regards to gender and sexual expression, the country still struggles with broad legislation that would ensure LGBT equality. A Pew poll conducted in 2013 found that Japanese citizens, while divided on the issue, were slightly more inclined to agree with the idea that homosexuality should be accepted by society. Nevertheless, change has been gradual. “It’s not like we have to keep tradition the way it is,” Takafumi Kawakami, a priest at the Shunkoin Temple said in an interview with CNN. “We welcome every couple regardless of their faith or sexual orientation.” Though there are a number of openly queer politicians in Japan, openly gay people run the risk of being evicted, fired, or denied access to Japan’s health care infrastructure. “Japan still has no LGBT protection laws, lawmakers aren’t even talking about it,” said LGBT activist Maki Muraki. “If more people come out and get married, it’ll increase LGBT awareness, marriage equality, and workplace equality.” Read more: http://www.towleroad. com/#ixzz3LJd1J6Cv ■
Mourning Leelah Alcorn: God doesn’t make mistakes By Sara Campbell Leelah Alcorn threw herself in front of an oncoming semi-trailer in Ohio. A lot of the news reporting has failed to talk about one of the root causes of this problem: the torture of young LGBTQ children by their parents in the name of Jesus Christ. I am a student studying to be a minister at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, in the ordination track with the United Church of Christ, and the Student Pastor at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church. I am a wife and a mother of a three-year-old son, and a devout Christian. The piece of the Leelah Alcorn suicide that tears me apart is her parents. Her
family believed that God wanted her to be a boy. According to Leelah, she was told repeatedly that “She was a boy, because God doesn’t make mistakes.” What saddens me is how misguided they were, willing to sacrifice what seems to me a caring, beautiful, amazing, articulate young woman, for an external shell. Her parents were right, God doesn’t make mistakes. Being Trans is NOT God making a mistake, being TRANS is a part of the full expression of God. God DOESN’T MAKE MISTAKES. The blame for Leelah’s suicide doesn’t belong squarely on her parents’ shoulders. It also belongs on the shoulders of the church leaders that were guiding her family. The church leaders that thought they could pray the girl out of her. The church leaders that thought they could full-submerge baptize her and bring her into new life in Christ. There is a perversion of the
15 Gospel. Jesus Christ asks us to live with him authentically. To force people to deny what God has created them to be and use Jesus as the draping that adorns this denial is sinful. An authentic life is one that lives into exactly who God has created you to be. The loving God I believe in loves us all just the way we are. Regardless of that, loving someone unconditionally is not a path to condemnation. Living an authentic life that is a full expression of self, that is rooted in healthy and a positive selfimage, is not a path to condemnation. However, human condemnation of people who are deemed to be different will create hell here on earth. The blame for Leelah’s suicide doesn’t belong squarely on her church’s shoulders either. It belongs on the shoulders of people like me, too. The liberal, non-bible literalists, LGBTQ loving, social justice minded church bears the responsibility for this too. We are not loud enough; we do not say enough into the dark places, God LOVES you unconditionally. God created you this way. God does not want or need you to change. We do not do enough to combat the hatred spewed forth in the name of our loving God. I am sorry. I am sorry for the trauma and pain that church has created in your life. I’m so sorry for the pain you have gone through. I am sorry for the slurs hurled at you, for not yelling the love of God loud enough. I am sorry that in the name of Christ, a loving Christ who ate with the people who had been cast out by society, you were told that you were subhuman. Unloved. I’m sorry that no one ever told you of the love of Jesus, the love that doesn’t require change. A love that says who you are is made in the image of God. God doesn’t make mistakes or junk. Being Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Queer, is all an expression of a loving God. You are the face of God. Amen ■
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Health LGBT Cancer Network starts the conversation about anal cancer Behind Closed Drawers: Exposing Anal Cancer When thinking about cancer, many people react with fear, confusion, sadness, and anger. Anal cancer can provoke all of these thoughts, along with additional feelings of embarrassment, uneasiness, and a sense of stigma. Now, it’s time to shed our anxieties (and our pants) to face anal cancer head on. The National LGBT Cancer Network in partnership with Tusk and Dagger is launching a campaign to raise awareness about anal cancer and create a directory of free/low cost LGBT-friendly anal cancer screening facilities across the country. The Network says, “We invite you to show your support by donating at bit.ly/BehindClosedDrawers or texting “UNDIES” to 41444. We then ask you to help spread the word by posting a photo of your underwear on social media and tagging it with #BehindClosedDrawers. We hope to use these photos to add a touch of levity to a subject that is difficult to talk about.” Tackling anal cancer is a natural fit for The National LGBT Cancer Network: while the incidence is relatively rare in the general population (about 1 in 500) it is up to 34x more prevalent in men who have sex with men, and increasing annually. While there is little confirmed data on transgender people, it is highly likely that those who engage in anal sex with men are also at a much greater risk for the disease. The majority of anal cancer cases are caused by the human papilloma virus
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
THE BEST THING TO DO TO KEEP YOURSELF SAFE FROM THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL DISEASE IS TO GET SCREENED. (HPV). HPV can be transmitted through both protected and unprotected anal intercourse and skin-to-skin contact, including manual stimulation. HIV-positive men and transgender people with a history of anal intercourse are at the greatest risk for developing anal cancer; risk factors also include being a transplant recipient, a weakened immune system, smoking, and age A growing number of physicians and health activists recommend that all men and transgender people who have anal sex with men, especially those who are HIV+, be screened every 1-3 years depending on their immunological well-being and CD4 count. They suggest that HIV negative individuals be screened every three years. This work is important, because most people know little about anal cancer, have never been screened for it, and don’t know that screening tests exist. You can help us change that! -National LGBT Cancer Network Local options and information Anal cancer prevention screening for all people is not but should be as readily available as the cervical cancer screening programs offered by gynecologists. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) causes both anal and cervical cancers, and they are treated in similar ways. High Resolution Anoscopy (HRA) is the screening procedure to determine if precancerous cells are present in the anal canal, and HRA has been provided by Theresa (Terry) Schwartz, NP at Rochester Colon and Rectal Surgeons since 2005. Any identified precancerous cells are then treated, and those cells are no lon-
ger a threat. Unfortunately, there is no treatment to eliminate the HPV from the anus, so routine screening of the anal canal is recommended, just as routine pelvic exams are recommended for anyone with a cervix. Initially available only for people with HIV, HRA is recommended for people who have a history of HPV and/or anogenital warts, regardless of whether they have anorectal symptoms. Think of all of the HIV negative women who died of cervical cancer in the 1970s before screening programs were available. There is no cure for HPV, which is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Some strains of HPV are known to cause “only” anal warts, and other strains are capable of causing cancers. Most people likely have a mixture of multiple types. While some people can clear HPV up until their mid-twenties, which is when the immune system is the strongest, any strains acquired from new sex partners after that age will likely persist. It is that persistence that makes people more likely to develop cancer. Other factors which can hasten the process are immunosuppression (either HIV or chronic steroid use, such as in people who have had organ transplants), tobacco use, stress, anal sex and other untreated sexually transmitted infections. It is important to note that while HPV, warts and cancer can be found in the anal canals of people who have never had anal sex, gay and bisexual men are at particular risk. Not everyone who has HPV will develop anal cancer, but there is no way to predict who will and who will not. The best thing to do to keep yourself safe from this potentially fatal disease is to get screened. New patients can self-refer to RCRS at either the Brighton or Irondequoit location (244-5670). Confidential, non-judgmental, sex-affirming, screening appointments with either a female or male provider require no enemas or preparation, take about 40 minutes, and patients
can immediately return to work. -Theresa M. Schwartz, NP, MS High Resolution Anoscopy for Anal Dysplasia Screening and Treatment Rochester Colon and Rectal Surgeons 585-244-5670
LGBT veterans find support at Canandaigua VA Healthy Living The Canandaigua VA offers LGBT Healthy Living, a support group for veterans who are struggling to come out and/ or wishing to connect with other LGBT veterans. The group provides support, perspective, and resources. It meets the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at the Canandaigua VA Building Room 8, Library Conference Room, from 10-11 a.m. For more information, contact Shirleen Bennett, 585-463-2713 or Wanda Martinez, 585-205-3380. ■
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
LGBTQ Living Gay Ski Week in Telluride runs Feb. 22-March 1.
Winter sports, indoors and out By Susan Jordan There are many ways to stay active even in the depths of an upstate New York winter. Skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and skating are obvious winter sports, but there are also indoor activities like Zumba and volleyball that can keep us moving until spring. The Toronto Gay Ski and Snowboard Club has monthly evening socials and dinners, as well as parties and other events throughout the season. They hosted a “Super Ball” Jan. 30-Feb. 1 at Bristol Mountain in Canandaigua. TGSC says, “With the #proud support of I LOVE NEW YORK LGBT and the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection, TGSC is proud to combine great skiing and snowboarding with the exceptional culinary riches the Finger Lakes region has to discover!
“In association with the [LGBTQ] Center of the Finger Lakes, Rochester Pride, the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley and LORA • lesbians of rochester and allies, the Toronto Gay Ski & Snowboarding Club presents the second Super Ball: Bristol Mountain LGBTQ Ski
The Toronto Gay Ski and Snowboard Club hosted a “Super Ball” at Bristol Mountain on Super Bowl weekend.
& Snowboarding Weekend!” Also, each March, the members of TGSC team up with Supporting Our Youth in sponsoring a ski and snowboarding day for queer youth in Toronto. This event provides the opportunity for disadvantaged youth to have fun, escape the city and even get some exercise. It also allows young men and women to spend some time with positive role models in the community. This event is fully funded by the membership of the TGSC. Telluride Gay Ski Week: Gay Ski Week in Telluride, Colo. (Feb. 22-March 1) is a favorite destination for many. Their website says, “We listen to what our guests have to say and so once again we will plan some big as well as some intimate events so that you have a week of options. Our Après Ski parties have become a daily tradition for all guests as well as the annual White Night Party, which has become Telluride’s ‘celebration of the year’. “Be checking in with us and we will keep you updated on events and specials. Even with some fun evening options we know the most popular reason for the week is the skiing. Telluride is continually rated as the top ski resort in the country with some of the friendliest people in the world. The locals are almost fanatical about ski week and have been loud and generous in their support. We like that. Hmmm… there might just be a little gay in everybody.” Snowboarding: Rochester’s Jenna A. Vanas notes, “My roommate convinced me to buy a snowboard, boots and bindings in 2001. From there on out
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Sam Brett leads his Zumba class.
she was supposed to teach me, but instead was going back to Corning to visit family on weekends during the winter of 2001. “I broke down and bought a pass to Bristol Mountain for the season of 2001 and went on the mountain day in and day out, teaching myself how to snowboard. I spent about three to four days a week on the mountain. Finally at the end of the season of 2001 I learned how to snowboard and she was lucky enough to snowboard with me without teaching me how. “My favorite time to snowboard is during spring because the snow is soft and easy to maneuver in. Also, spring season snowboarding or skiing is less cold and if you fall you’re not falling on a sheet of ice. Besides you can wear less layers and it’s fun watching crazy people come down the mountain in shorts and t-shirts…. I still snowboard from time to time.” Zumba and volleyball: Not crazy about being outside in subzero temps? Try Zumba or volleyball to keep fit this winter. Sam Brett told The Empty Closet, “I teach Zumba at the
Downtown Fitness Club (50 Chestnut St.), every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., and every Friday at noon. The classes are open to members of the DFC, and also open to walk-ins from the general public (for a nominal fee). “Zumba is a fun dance fitness phenomenon enjoyed by men and women of all ages. You will love the combination of dance and exercise together. Zumba is all about great music and easy to follow moves. And although the program is based on international rhythms, especially Latin, all kinds of music are incorporated. The advantage of group exercise fitness is that you can always blend in with the crowd and always adapt your workout to your abilities and desired physical impact. No dance or fitness experience needed. We just move and have FUN and forget that we are actually getting a great cardio workout. “In addition to Zumba, I also play volleyball indoors (both hard court, and beach volleyball). There are year-round leagues running at Hot Shots Indoors Volleyball, and at the Main Street Armory.” ■
BISEXUAL/PANS 18
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
Bisexuality, pansexuality
and other non-monosexual and fluid identities involve the potential to feel sexually attracted to and to engage in emotional, romantic and/or sexual relationships with people of more than one sex or gender. A bi/pan/fluid person may or may not be equally attracted to different sexes, or may be attracted to persons regardless of sex or gender, and the degree of such attractions may vary over time.
Vocabulary Bisexual: A person who is sexually attracted to men and women. Pansexual: A person who is sexually attracted to people regardless of their gender identity, gender expression or biological sex. The term pansexual goes beyond a gender binary. Biphobia: Negative feelings, attitudes, actions, or behaviors against people who are, or are perceived to be, bisexual or pansexual. It may also be a fear of one’s own bisexual or pansexual attractions.
Christiawn Emmanuel I identify as a Pan-gender Pansexual. Pan-gender because I don’t identify as one gender or the other, instead I embody all of them. Pansexual because my attraction isn’t merely to one sex or the other. I’m a humble trail blazer who believes pansexuality is not our (my fellow Pan-sexuals) way of being defiant or just taking the opportunity to dip & dabble in everything. I own this! I own me!
Resources
End Erasure!
Bisexual Resource Center www.biresource.net
• Acknowledge that aren’t “confused” or
Bisexual.org www.bisexual.org
• Don’t exclude bi/p LGBTQ umbrella sim partner is not the sa
Myths Debunked! Myth: Bi/Pan people are cheaters. Bi/Pan people are not less faithful or less committed than any other group of people. Just like everyone else, bi/pan people are not attracted to everyone they meet. Myth: Bi/Pan people have multiple partners. People often confuse bisexuality and pansexuality with polyamory. Just because someone is attracted to more than one gender doesn’t mean they are sexually active with more than one person at a time. Myth: Bi/Pan people are just confused. It’s a stop on the way to coming out as gay. While some people do identify as bisexual or pansexual before coming out as gay or lesbian, for many people this is their real and valid identity! Calling someone confused for identifying as bi or pan only perpetuates hurtful stereotypes.
• Don’t assume that straight just becaus another gender, and that somebody is ga their partner is of the
• Work to end nega about bi/pan individ the LGBTQ commun
A Few Bi/Pans Celebrities
Angelina Jolie (Actre Anna Paquin (Actres Azealia Banks (Sing Bai Ling (Actress) Billie Joe Armstrong Clive Davis (Record Kate Bornstein (Auth Margaret Cho (Com Megan Fox (Actress Pete Townshend (M Sapphire (Author)
Laine I identify as pansexual because I am capable of being attracted to people of all genders, regardless of gender identity or expression. I used to call myself bisexual, but since coming out as transgender and being exposed to the broad spectrum of gender I realize that my sexual orientation is not defined by an arbitrary cultural binary.
as a bisexual man of color? intimate with a person and or a women I am okay with
SEXUAL BASICS FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
19
Books
t bi/pan individuals r “actually just gay”.
Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak, by Loraine Hutchins
pan people from the mply because their ame gender.
Bisexuality Resource Guide, by Robyn Ochs
t somebody is se their partner is d don’t assume ay/lesbian because e same gender.
ative stereotypes duals in and out of nity.
Bisexuality in the United States, by Paula C. Rodriguez Rust Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women’s Love and Desire, by Lisa Diamond Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution, by Shiri Eisner Bi Men Coming Out Every Which Way, by Peter Chvnay, Ron Jackson Suresha Bisexual Politics: Theories, Queries, and Visions, by Naomi Tucker
The Bisexual and Pansexual Pride Flags were debuted in 1998 and 2010, respectively. The Bi Flag was created by Michael Page. Blue and pink colors in each flag represent attraction to binary males and females. The purple in the Bi Flag represents the blending of the two, and the yellow in the Pan Flag represents attraction to nonbinary individuals.
sexual
ess) ss) ger)
g (Singer) d Producer) hor/Activist) median) s) Musician)
Movies Velvet Goldmine (Drama) dir. Todd Haynes Rent (Drama/Musical) dir. Christopher Columbus
The Gay Alliance represents people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions. This poster is an introduction to the bisexual/pansexual community, information and resources. Please contact us or visit our website for additional information. CHAMP
Cabaret (Drama) dir. Bob Fosse Shortbus (Drama) dir. John Cameron Mitchell Kinsey (Drama) dir. Bill Condon
IONS
TQ LIFE OF LGB LT U R E AND CU
875 E. Main Street, Suite 500, Rochester, NY 14605 585 244-8640 • www.gayalliance.org Poster created by Jeanne Gainsburg, Rowan Collins, Laine DeLaney and Jim Anderson.
Bruce
I remember my brother telling me “you don’t fit my definition of a bisexual.” Well what is your definition of a bisexual and is it more important than how I identify my experiences ? I am comfortable being if it happens to be a man h that. Love is Love.
Whitney I identify as pansexual. Honestly I didn’t know what my sexuality was called until only a few years about. I just knew that bisexual didn’t really describe who I was. When I found out what pansexuality is, I just felt that everything made sense and I had a sense of belonging when I knew there were others in the world like me. I feel like I found a missing part of myself. No, pansexual is not being sexually attracted to pans.
Kat I identify as a caucasian, Irish, cisgendered, pansexual, polyamorous female. I identified as bisexual until I learned there was a term for someone who was not attracted to just men and women, but people on all points of the gender spectrum. Pansexual does not mean I’m attracted to ALL people, it means I’m attracted to people based on things other than what’s is in their pants.
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
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Shoulders to Stand On Honoring 10 Shoulders Shoulders To Stand On honors 10 2013 Rochester Shoulders for their contributions to our struggle for equality and justice 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! Shoulders honors Lovely Warren, the 67th Mayor of Rochester and the first woman mayor, for inviting Scott Fearing, Executive Director of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, to speak at her public swearing in ceremony on Jan. 4 at the Auditorium Center, and for her announcement at the May 17 ESPA dinner that the city will extend transitionrelated healthcare coverage to transgender and gender non-conforming municipal employees. To this writer’s recollection, speaking at the Mayor’s swearing in ceremony was a first for the Executive Director of the Gay Alliance, and perhaps forany Rochester LGBT organization. Shoulders honors MuCCC, Multi use Community Cultural Center, and founder Doug Rice. MuCCC provides community groups with a turn-key, wheel chair accessible performing space with flexibility, normally set up for 90 seats. The list of those involved in making Doug’s dream a reality include Geri McCormick, Bobbie Oese-Siegel, Kana Kennedy, Bill Jones, Annette Dragon, Anne Lovely, Thomas Warfield, John Borek, Shawn Dunwoody, Curtis Rivers, Kevin Indovino and many more helping hands. Shoulders honors Evelyn Bailey, recipient of the Empire State Pride Agenda’s Community Service Award for being the Executive Producer of Shoulders To Stand On, the documentary on the history of the Rochester LGBT community. Evelyn also received the Community Leadership Award for Education from the American Association of University Women Rochester Branch, and was the Grand Marshal of the Rochester LGBT Pride Parade in July. LGBT Fund for Greater Rochester Angela Bonazinga, Co-Chair, and Cathy Lewis, Grantmaking/Evaluation Com-
mittee Co-Chair. Under their leadership the LGBT Giving Circle awarded $23,250 in grants to 13 non-profit organizations bringing the total of grants awarded in three years to $50,000. Angela and Cathy are among the founders of the LGBT Giving Circle at the Community Foundation created in 2011 to bridge diversity, improve the lives of LGBT individuals and cultivate a better community. Other members of the leadership team are James M. Stewart, Dr. William M. Valenti, Annette Miller, and Shirley Edwards. Lucinda “Cindy” Sangree was a friend and mentor to many, many people in Rochester. Longtime activist Cindy was involved in Take Back the Night marches and Women Against Violence Against Women in the ‘70s. Passionate about resolving conflicts peacefully, Cindy joined peaceful protests at the Women’s Peace Encampment in Romulus in the ‘80s. Her long involvement with the Society of Friends (Quakers) reinforced her commitment to a life of non-violence and harmony. In their crone years, Cindy and her lifetime partner, Marge Forth, pillars of the lesbian community, participated in a spirited and feisty group of women called the Raging Grannies, singing songs of peace and protests to end all wars. Can’t you hear Cindy singing now? Wanda Martinez: Working behind the scenes in her own quiet yet effective way, Wanda Martinez has brought visibility to LGBT veterans in Canandaigua, Rochester, and Puerto Rico. LGBT activities started at the Medical Center in 2009. A small group of VA staff “Marched out with Pride for our Veterans” for the first time by participating in the 2010 Rochester Pride Parade. The VA’s LGBT Special Emphasis Program lead by Wanda has 35 members. Wanda also serves on the VA’s National Special Emphasis Program Advisory Council (SEPAC) LGBT Workgroup. Wanda has also been an organizer for the LGBT Veterans presence in the Puerto Rican Parade held in August. Casey and Mary Ellen Lopata: On May 3, Casey and Mary Ellen Lopata received an award from Assemblymember Harry Bronson in celebration of their 10 year Fortunate Family ministry. Founded April 2004, Fortunate Families is a nationwide resource, networking, and story-sharing ministry to, for and with parents dedicated to seeking moral equal-
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
ity and justice for LGBT persons and their families. The Lopatas have spent the last couple of decades participating with local activist groups -- PFLAG, Dignity-Integrity and the Gay Alliance -- to remind parents their LGBT sons and daughters are considered God’s gift to their family, their community (especially their faith community) and the world, and to love each child as s/he is; encouraging them to be who God created them to be. Susan Jordan, the editor of the Empty Closet, faced her first deadline on July 15, 1989. The passage of the 275th deadline on August 15, 2014, marked twenty-five years of service to the Rochester LGBTQ communities. Susan has been a fixture in our community for more than thirty years – she worked with the 1970s feminist paper, The New Women’s Times, and was a member of the 1970s-‘80s feminist organization, Rochester Women Against Violence Against Women. NYS Rep. Harry Bronson stressed, “Susan has made a tremendous impact on moving our community forward toward full equality — and I can’t thank her enough for her dedication and service!” Harry’s words echo this community’s thoughts. 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 10 2014 Shoulders.
2015 Corporate Shoulders Receiving A plus grades of 100 percent on the HRC’s 2015 Corporate Equality Index are Bausch + Lomb, Eastman Kodak Co., Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, Nixon Peabody LLP and Xerox Corp. For the first time, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield joins the ranks of those Rochester companies that have scored 100 on the Corporate Equality Index for many years. “Bausch + Lomb will accomplish its global commitment to diversity by simultaneously nurturing the diversity of thinking, ideas, and outlook that already exists in Bausch + Lomb’s workforce, and through consistent and aggressive efforts to attract, develop and retain talented people with a variety of perspectives from all cultures and population segments. This commitment is made with the strong belief that as we strive to expand and access new markets that a diverse group of talented and committed people, working in an environment that enables them to apply their collective talents to our shared principles and commitments, delivers the greatest value to our customers, employees and shareholders alike.” Eastman Kodak Co.: Kodak’s Consumer and Film Division President and Chief Marketing Officer Steven Overman, who joined the company in October, noted: “Any company is stronger when it leverages the unique patchwork of backgrounds and perspectives in its workforce. As a gay man, it is important to me that the company I represent is committed to ensuring all employees are accepted as individuals.” Kodak was one of 13 companies to achieve a perfect score on the first Corporate Equality Index in 2002. Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield: “We are proud to be recognized by the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for our company’s progressiveness with equal treatment of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) employees and their families,” said Joseph Searles, corporate director of diversity and workforce inclusion, Excellus BCBS. “The Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley has been kind to us over the years by recognizing our presence and support of the LGBTQ community
overall which has also contributed to our achievement.” The health insurer also gives credit to their LGBTQ Employee Resource Group for helping to continually drive an inclusive culture for LGBTQ people. Nixon Peabody, LLP: “Diversity enlivens our workplace. It jostles traditional thinking and brings rich experience to our clients and communities. Our priority is to attract, retain and promote individuals of all genders. And our talent must reflect an array of racial, ethnic, social, economic, religious and personal backgrounds. Nixon Peabody is recognized as a diversity leader by important measures like the Corporate Equality Index. We are incredibly proud of our 100 percent rating and actively work to keep it.” Xerox Corporation: “Diversity goes beyond race and gender. It celebrates and values differences in age, outlook, cultural background, lifestyle and physical ability. Xerox is committed to fostering an environment where everyone can contribute and succeed at every level of the corporation. Our outreach into diverse employment markets for qualified individuals results in hiring a very talented workforce. We empower our employees to work collectively to bring different perspectives and innovative ideas to our business challenges and customers’ needs.”
“Shoulders To Stand On” documentary to screen at MuCCC on March 8 The documentary “Shoulders To Stand On: The LGBT History of Rochester NY,” will be screened at MuCCC on Sunday, March 1 at a 2:30 p.m. matinee. This will be a free screening for the Rochester community at MuCCC, 142 Atlantic Ave. Shoulders To Stand On will gladly accept any donations attendees wish to make, to be shared with MuCCC. In the 90-minute video, directed by Kevin J. Indovino, Rochester takes center stage in a documentary about a city that has always been at the forefront of social change and justice. “Shoulders to Stand On” begins by exploring a not-so-distant past: before Stonewall and before the birth of the gay rights movement. We discover a city at the height of prosperity, a city steeped in history and yet overshadowed by secrets. Before the 1970s, the fear of losing jobs and family kept gay men and women underground, living double lives. Meeting places and local watering holes were constantly under the scrutiny of police; raids and payoffs were common, unchallenged practices of the day. But in 1969, the Stonewall Riots would provide the spark that ignited voices across the nation. With the insight and courage of a small group of university students, Rochester’s Gay Liberation Movement was born. Their voices quickly propelled Rochester into one of the most progressive and influential LGBT communities in the country. Inspired by the spirit of a city renowned for the legacies of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, Rochester’s LGBT community would set the bar for gay activism and religious tolerance. It would lead the way to put the first openly gay candidate into an elected office in New York State. It would rise to the fight against AIDS, bringing together an entire community with care and education. The Flower City and its corporations would be one of the first to implement domestic partnership benefits and, more recently, it would be a key player in getting a gay marriage bill passed in New York. “Shoulders to Stand On” celebrates the brave men and women who had the courage to step out of the closet, allowing their voices to be heard, in the tradition of a city whose history is firmly grounded in freedom and equality for all. ■
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
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 CROP SHARING By Eric Bellmann I’m a terrible person. My big mouth gets me in trouble over and over. I tell myself to hold back, shut up, and then, as if I was a zombie robot, I do it again. I over-
share. I used to believe that there was significant merit in painting a detailed picture of the complex person hiding within my physical self. I guess I learned that in therapy. Claim your space, own your pain, become a complete, multi dimensional person. What that seems to produce is nothing short of the kind of annoying blather people just want to run away from, shut off or use as inspiration to circle in for the kill. Item Number One. I’m leaving exercise class walking up the hallway ahead of my dear friend Mary, a sweet, rather conservative soul. I pass the absolutely hottest body builder in the whole joint as he’s coming back from the water fountain. Impulsively (there’s the clue), I say to him, “Why don’t you smile to celebrate New Year’s?” He looks blankly at me. No surprise. Then he pops out his ear plugs, I repeat my request. And his eyes widen and his lips part with the biggest, warmest grin a gal could ever hope to encounter. Cute, huh? Then I turn to Mary and say, “I love to flirt!” TMI. I rarely leave well enough alone. Item Number Two: I’m a gossip. I hate people who gossip. Who doesn’t? Somehow I got programmed to believe that trading inside information, anything at all, was a way to ingratiate myself, become valuable to my audience. Like a traveler on horseback coming over the mountain with news of the outside world, I believed telling all would win me friends. It doesn’t. Sealed lips win confidence. Gossip mongers are never trusted. There’s another way to consider this habit/shortcoming. I have a Scheherazade complex. She was the Sultan’s mistress in the Arabian Nights who saved her life by maintaining his interest in the suspenseful tales she told. I figure as long as I’m talking, you will pay attention to me, not leave me, not abandon me. Pathetic, yes, transparent, yes, effective, now and then. When caught or cornered, lie and deny. A long time ago I heard that a person had been fired. No one liked him. So I scampered down the hallway, blithely singing, “Ding, dong, the witch is dead.” You know I was overheard. A major firestorm ensued. “What are you talking about? I’m gay. I frequently sing songs from The Wizard of Oz!” Frowns and scowls all around. I escaped, just barely. What could they do to me? I wasn’t an employee. They couldn’t fire me. I was just hanging out, a hanger-on with a big mouth. A lot of over sharing can be, I think, the by-product of effective therapy. You work up the courage to reveal yet another dirty little shame and, my goodness, your loving, thoughtful shrink says, yep, I did that, too. This mainly works for shoplifting, minor offenses, not the really awful shit you’d never admit. Anyway, on a certain level you grasp that it is safe to share. Actually, it’s encouraged. Therapy, however, ain’t the real world. Revealing conversations can lead to
difficulties if your audience, the person you are eager to win over, is shut down, a stoic, a clam. Then you have to ramp it up, blab more, get into it a little deeper. Misery lies this way. As it happens withholding people pose a great attraction for me. Blame it on Mom. Never could get any validation out of her. Not with dynamite. Well, never tried that. So I dig a deeper hole. Every time. The flip side of this situation is equally perilous, sometimes heartbreaking. A casual friend whom I was cheerily gossiping with about men, shared that he had been a not infrequent trick of Mr. So-andso. He did not realize that I had carried a torch for Mr. So-and-so, a torch that never ignited, never took flame, sputtered out. My heart sank. It got flattened when my “friend” revealed that the sex was ho-hum and that he had quickly grown bored with this man and dumped him. The very man I mourned and believed would bring me happiness and fulfillment. Yuk. In another season another “friend”, again with whom I was trading confidences, told me of the wanton behavior of someone with whom he knew I was close, someone whom I admired and trusted. I could not believe what I was hearing. I idealized the man in question, perhaps ascribing a moral purity to match his physical perfection. He’s a major hunk. When my “friend” realized my disbelief, what did he do? Back off? Nope. He went in for the kill, itemizing way too many details. Offering what he insisted would be proof. Was he trying to ingratiate himself to me with his knowledge? That did not work. I had to tell him to shut up, never speak to me of things that will only hurt me. That’s the first lesson I learned. The second lesson, when I found confirmation from my idealized heroic pal, was that all men are capable of complex lives and it is nothing short of dopey to think otherwise. Email: ericlbellmann@gmail.com
Cleaning My Closet DOO-WOP, DOO-WOP By Meredith Elizabeth Reiniger “If you retire and just sit in front of TV, you will die.” Presented as cause and effect by an Old Man sitting in one of Webster’s real-like-the-old-days garages with the actual-owner-working-under-the-Chevyraised-on-his-hydraulic lift. But Old-Man was not addressing me. Yes, two males plus female-me were sitting in a very small space, squished between a cash register counter and well-used motorcycle lift. For twenty minutes, Primary Speaker Old Man and soon-to-retire Nearly Old Man yak yaked together. “Hey,” little Merry-in-my-head grumbled, “Look! At! Me! I talk. I’m retired. And alive.” But, alas, I had been rendered invisible. (A long-standing tradition in tool and grease-filled MEN ONLY spaces.) “Well, never mind,” replied in-myhead-Wonderful-Womyn. “I will simply shift your babble into background noise and reconsider my life-support options.” Friends. Warm hands to hold when fear hovers near. Shoulders for tears. A car to drive you to the hospital when your thumb has lost a battle with a tin can. Hey, a 55” HD flat screen can’t do any of that. Friends’ laughter. Just last weekend,
we playful persons assembled our supplies. Crayola (no inferior copycats for us) crayons, still pointy, tidily stored in tiers, two boxes of 196. Plus 16 watercolor sticks, 250 artist-quality colored pencils, and 23 enthralling coloring books. Plus we-learned-it-in-kindergarten nice-nice sharing. First we had waves-of-wonder during page selection. Then tranquil concentration with intermittent activity-centered observations. And randomly injected wow-full wit, punitive puns, and riveting autobiographical revelations. This is longevity enhancement by crayon. Watching someone else work is another revitalizing, life-altering option. So I became a name-badge-carrying member of Geva Theatre’s 2015 Cohort Club. We Cohorts have the Secret Code to the Secret Door, which leads up to Geva’s rehearsal room, so we can watch the development of their mock-horror musical Little Shop of Horrors. We are free to come any time, requested to visit at least one hour twice a week, and then write (anything) about it and share it (any way) with our (anywhere) people. I posted my writings on my I-finally-figured-out-how-to-do-it Facebook page (techie me) and, of course, I sent emails to my peeps (modern me, I know now that my peeps are not edible like those only-yellow-sugar-chicks from my old days). The plot of the musical follows Seymour, a nebbish nobody notices, as he changes from woeful orphan to rising-star horticulturist. Oh, and a killer. Botanical star, Audrey 2, which… who needs blood and guts, eats people. Amusingly regurgitates Mr. Mushnik’s spectacles. Humorously devours nearly the whole cast. I loved sitting in front of live actors for hours, studying their comedic techniques of facial expression, hand gestures, timing. Liked to puzzle over changes director Sean wanted each time he said “Let’s run through that again.” I could hear choreographer Wendy explain moves as she fine-tuned singers’ body parts. It was exhilarating to witness the evolution of perfection in their re-re-re-rehearsals. This level of learning took me beyond the limits of a single, polished performance. Another level came from rehearsal notes. I saw how malleable words can be: We would like one of the trash cans to be standable. Are the railings on the staircases slidable? Where will the trash can live? We walked through the plan for eating people with puppets. Later I did a deep dive into dramaturge Jean’s sixty-five page packet. It was a tad jolting when this seventy-one-year-old womyn noticed that her life is someone else’s history book. First reality shock: there is a list of historical figures important in 1950s and 1960s. Historical? Those numbers seemed very recent to me. But when I realized that those dates and those people were in the previous OMG century . . . that made it clear that I and my life are really, really ancient history. I still remember ugly Howdy Doody, a red haired puppet with 48 freckles, and his right-hand man, Buffalo Bob. I was eight; they were hypnotic entertainers. I knew the answer to Buffalo Bob’s question: “What time is it, kids?” IT’S HOWDY DOODY TIME! I shouted to our tiny TV screen. I do have a mental picture of their lovely Princess Summerfallwinterspring, but for the life of me, I cannot recall a single thing she did except smile. (Ahh ha, the perfect girl of her times.) But wait. There’s more. The cast and crew are so young that the dramaturge’s research needed to identify antiques that my hands have actually held. Oh no, my hula hoop has become an artifact. (I must note that my hula hoop was never a toy for me. It was an insurmountable challenge.) And oh yes, of course I recognize another object from long ago. A tube of Vitalis hair cream. I know because my father devotedly and liberally applied it and then combed his hair into a duplicate of a wellplowed field.
The highlight of the timeline: Girl Groups. I sure do know those Girl Groups of the fifties and sixties. I swooned over those curvaceous beauties in ruffles, chiffon, sequined gowns, high heels, and long gloves caressing their otherwise bare arms. Of course, during my adolescence, my lesbian-self was buried under piles of Cinderella Fantasies and Sleeping Beauty Lies, so I surmised that my interest in Girl Groups was about costumes. Yep, crazy about sequins. Oh my, oh my, I do have fond, so f…o…n…d memories of those fine, so fine girls: the Chiffons, the Ronnettes, the Crystals. I can still feel the pulse of their rhythmic tales about the anguish of teenage love. I didn’t actually have any love events, but somehow my body and soul appreciated their songs, embraced tingles and torture: “Sweet talkin’ Guy”... “One Fine Day”... “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” And who among us denizens of Senior Centers could forget “Da Doo Ron Ron.” And girl, let me tell ya, I moved away, a-way from that TV screen. I am swingin’ and singin’ and not dead. What else can I say?... “shing-a-ling, shang-a-lang, Shala-la.” Just in case it is fatal, I heaved-out my TV. meredithreiniger@gmail.com
Faith Matters MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.’S EXPANSIVE DREAM By Rev. Irene Monroe Martin Luther King’s actual birthday is January 15th, and I believe if MLK were alive today he would be well pleased with Ava DuVer-
nay’s film “Selma.” Many people working for justice today stand on the shoulders of Martin Luther King Jr. and what he achieved in Selma. But I believe King’s vision of justice is often gravely limited and misunderstood. Too many people thought then, and continue to think, that King’s statements regarding justice were only about race and the African-American community. We fail to see how King’s vision of inclusion and community is far wider that we might have once imagined. And his vision always included lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. For King, justice was more than a racial issue, more than a legal or moral issue. Justice was a human issue. And this was evident in King’s passionate concern about a wide range of concerns: “The revolution for human rights is opening up unhealthy areas in American life and permitting a new and wholesome healing to take place,” King once told a racially mixed audience. “Eventually the civil rights movement will have contributed infinitely more to the nation than the eradication of racial injustice.” Moral leadership played a profound role in the justice work that King did. He argued that true moral leadership must involve itself in the situations of all who are damned, disinherited, disrespected and dispossessed, and moral leadership must be part of a participatory government that is feverishly working to dismantle the existing discriminatory laws that truncate full participation in the fight to advance democracy. And surely part of our job, in keeping King’s dream alive, is to also work to dismantle discriminatory laws and dehumanizing structures that we see young people now taking to the street to protest about across the country. But if King were among us today, he would say that it is not enough just to look outside ourselves to see the places where society is broken. It is not enough to talk about institutions and workplaces that fracture and separate people based on race, religion, gender and sexual orientation. We must also look at the ways that
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET we ourselves manifest these bigotries, how we are the very ones who uphold and are part of these institutions and workplaces. Often, we find that these institutions and workplaces are broken, dysfunctional and wounded in the very same ways that we are. The structures we have created are mirrors not of who we want to be, but who we really are. King would remind each of us that we cannot heal the world if we have not healed ourselves. So perhaps the greatest task, and the most difficult work we must do in light of King’s teachings, is to heal ourselves. And this work must be done in relationship with our justice work in the world. In “A Farewell to Arms,” Ernest Hemingway said that the world breaks us all, but some of us grow strong in those broken places. King’s teachings invite us to grow strong in our broken places - not only to mend the sin-sick world in which we live, but also to mend the sin-sick world that we carry around within us. And we can only do that if we are willing to look both inward and outward, healing ourselves of the bigotry, biases and demons that chip away at our efforts to work toward justice in this world. And our differences have been used to divide us instead of uniting us, so consequently we reside in a society where human brokenness, human isolation and human betrayal are played out every day. I know that the struggle against racism that King talked about is only legitimate if I am also fighting anti-Semitism, homophobia, sexism, classism -- not only out in the world but also in myself. Otherwise, I am creating an ongoing cycle of abuse that goes on unexamined and unaccounted for. We are foolish if we think we can heal the world and not ourselves. And we delude ourselves if we think that King was only talking about the woundedness of institutional racism, and not the personal wounds we all carry as human beings. Ironically, our culture of woundedness
and victimization has bonded us together in brokenness. The sharing of worlds to depict and honor our pain has created a new language of intimacy, a bonding ritual that allows us to talk across and among our pains. In exploring our common wounds, we sometimes feel more able to find the trust and the understanding that eludes us as “healthy” people. When we bond in these unhealthy ways we miss opportunities in ourselves for moral leadership, and to work collaboratively with others to effect change in seemingly small ways that eventually lead to big outcomes. Both Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. were leaders in the Montgomery bus boycott in challenging Alabama’s Jim Crow laws. Both were working together for a desired outcome, and they could not have done it without the other. Had Rosa Parks not sat down by refusing her seat to a white man that day on the bus in December 1955, King could not have gotten up to promulgate a social gospel, which catapulted the civil rights movement. Each year, I mark the Martin Luther King holiday by re-examining myself in light of King’s teachings. And in so doing, I try to uncover not only the ways in which the world breaks me, but also how it breaks other people. That keeps us fractured instead of united toward a common goal - a multicultural democracy. I believe that when we use our gifts in the service of others as King has taught us we then shift the paradigm of personal brokenness to personal healing. We also shift the paradigm of looking for moral leadership from outside of ourselves to within ourselves; thus, realizing we are not only the agents of change in society, but also the moral leaders we have been looking for. Our job, therefore, in keeping King’s dream alive is to remember that our longing for social justice is also inextricably tied to our longing for personal healing.
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A Few Bricks Short MORE BAD BLOOD
Trans*missions SUICIDE
By David Hull Wow! Big news for donating blood in 2015! The US Food and Drug Administration is finally ready to leave 1983 behind – and it only took them 22 years! After more than two decades, the FDA is finally considering lifting the ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. They claim the ban was installed due to the AIDS crisis. I guess the FDA just heard that the AIDS epidemic is under control and, even if it wasn’t, AIDS is not a “gay disease”. I’m sure lots of gay men are now thinking; “Cool! Awesome! Neat! Now, at last, I can help by donating blood!” Just like in Japan or Australia or the United Kingdom, the next time you see those signs that announce there’s an emergency blood shortage or that you can get a free T-shirt for donating, any gay man can just hop up on the table and extend his arm. Right? Not so fast, sissy! Yeah, OK, you can donate blood like the straight people – but the FDA is debating changing the ban only if you go 12 months without any male-on-male intercourse. That’s right, homo, no jiffy stiffy for a year. You’ll have to go the next 365 days without a hot beef injection. No playing hide the salami for the next 52 weeks! Don’t even think about taking that baloney pony out for a ride! So, apparently, the folks at the FDA still consider the gay blood… well, um, kind of icky. They think it’s OK if you’re a heterosexual male and have unprotected sex with a different woman every day of the year – you can still donate blood whenever you want. But, if you’re two gay men involved in some sick, depraved, monogamous marriage and occasionally, in the privacy of your own bedroom, you take the oneeyed wonder worm out to see the optometrist, then you can forget about donating blood. The FDA couldn’t possibly use that toxic fluid venom that’s sinuously creeping through your veins. OK, I’m going a bit overboard about this, but, honestly, it’s just ridiculous. Other countries don’t discriminate against gay blood. Don’t Americans look silly enough to the rest of the world for shooting each other and worshipping professional athletes who spend their free time abusing their significant others – do we also really need to be foolish enough to be biased against who is willing to donate their blood? My husband and I have been married for 23 years; we’re old, overweight and both have bad backs, and even we couldn’t go a year without sex! True, my husband sometimes considers it just another one of his unpleasant household chores; Take out the trash. Dry the dishes. Clean the litter box. Have sex with David. Regardless, I don’t think either of us could hold out for 12 months without it. This just seems like another, sneakier way to stigmatize gay men. And the FDA certainly isn’t proudly advertising this ban. Ask anyone you know and they probably don’t even realize that gay men can’t donate blood – people I talk who are ignorant of the ban agree it’s just silly. Let’s hope that while the FDA is “working as quickly as possible on this issue” that they’ll make the smart, appropriate decision and eliminate any ban against gay men donating blood altogether. Contact David at davidhull59@aol. com
By Laine DeLaney By now we’ve all heard about Leelah Alcorn’s suicide. Her note, deleted from her Tumblr account by her parents’ request, touched home for a lot of people. She’s not the only one, either - within the next week, two transgender people (that we know of) committed suicide in Pensylvania. This is an epidemic that those of us who are members of the trans* community have known about all along, but is just now starting to get public attention. We know how hard it is to live as who we are (or even worse, to feel that we can’t live as who we are). So few people who aren’t trans* grasp how difficult it is to get by in a world where it seems nearly everyone tells us that we are wrong about our very identities. That we are lying or insane or diseased because of this yearning to match the self that we can often explain no more clearly than simply to say, “This is who I am.” I’ve felt the pull of suicide -- and that’s one of the things that motivated me to come out. I still feel it, but less so, and for different reasons. I’ve felt it when people make disgusted faces at me when I walk into a public place. I’ve felt it when parents yank their children away from me. I’ve felt it when I make the grave mistake of reading the internet comments section on any story about trans* issues. I’ve felt it a lot, and I’m guessing that I’m not alone. It seems to be a pretty natural reaction to being told, by word or deed, that you don’t belong in this world. Again, it’s something that trans* people experience. A lot. What can we do? Leelah’s last request was to “fix society”. How do we do that? I can’t claim to have the answers. I don’t know how to make the grand sweeping social changes that would render our gender identities an innocuous part of life. I can, however, talk about things that can help someone who is feeling suicidal. I can talk about the things that have helped me, and the things that might be able to help other people. Some of these may be things that I’ve said in other columns, but they bear repeating. Carry a bubble of safe space around with you, and make sure that other people know it. Let people know that transphobic talk and actions are not something that you tolerate, and that you will stand up for trans* people and their identities. Speaking of identities, be accepting of people’s identities. This applies to trans* people as well as cisgender people. There are a lot of different paths and a lot of different ways to express and embody your gender. Acknowledge that not everyone is going to be doing it the same way that you are, and accept that that’s who they are. There are non-conforming cisgender people, trans* people who do drag, butch trans women, femme trans men, nonbinary, fluid, and agender people -- and that’s just a short list. Let people be themselves and let them know in whatever way that you can that how they live and express their gender is okay. Be the Mr. Rogers of Gender. Talk to people. When someone seems “off” or like they’re having a bad day, at least try and strike up a conversation with them. Ask them if you can help them, or give them something positive. I know people who have actually spared their own lives because someone came up and spoke to them when they were in the grips of despair. Simple human contact and connection are powerful things. Please, if you feel suicidal, get professional help. If you have a friend who is suicidal, help them to find that help. ometimes help feels like it’s a long way away, but there are lots of local and national resources, and there is always the
24 Trans Lifeline, staffed by trans* people for trans* people, at (877) 565-8860. Until we can “fix society”, we can only help each other out. Don’t let someone fall prey to the despair and anguish that so many of us do. Don’t let yourself, either. Every suicide is one too many. You are not alone.
What’s Bothering Brandon? A HAPPY NEW YEAR IN THE CLIMATE OF SUICIDE By Brandon W. Brooks When a television show jumps right into the action of its storyline before the opening credits roll, it’s called a “cold open.” Just so I shall begin this year’s first fresh column, albeit with a slightly unsavory subject matter: suicide. Albert Camus, venerated editor and journalist, novelist, playwright and director, once asserted that suicide presents humanity with the “one only really serious philosophical question.” In his philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus (1942), Camus presented the 20th century with man’s futile struggle to find meaning, harmony, and lucidity in a universe that seems to lack all of these virtues, including an omnipotent God and collective absolutes. Camus parallels the life of modern man with that of Sisyphus’ fruitless efforts to roll that bolder up that hill. I think we all feel a little like Sisyphus every now and then. To see snow fall and cover a driveway that was only just plowed. To pay off all of our bills, only to find that we create more bills for ourselves soon after. To mow our lawns only to discover that grass, indeed, grows back again. Some aspects of life appear, at times, pointless or even mocking in regard to our feeble attempts to control and find meaning within them. Our lives, filled with errands and duties, can occasionally become quite tiresome or repetitive, just like Sisyphus pushing his bolder. But when our efforts appear to us as pointless, powerless or having no impact, this is where hopelessness grows. Suicide can be the tragic trajectory of persistent hopelessness, depression and perceived stagnancy, to say nothing of the countless other possible mediators of suicide. Perception plays an important role in our worldviews and where we see ourselves within this world. If we perceive the world to be a place replete with apathy, hopelessness or even acrimony I imagine we will also view our place in this world as equally futile. I am reminded here of the recent and tragic suicide of Ohio transgender teen Leelah Alcorn. Alcorn, who hailed from a reportedly religious family, noted that her parents did not support her decision to align her body with her true internal iden-
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015 tity. Her family rejected her identity as a woman, claiming their disapproval came from a place of religious responsibility. Her suicide has now gained international attention, both through its explosive public suicide note, as well as through its apparent cause; feelings of utter hopelessness and disempowerment experienced by many in the worldwide trans community. In her suicide note, posted to her Tumblr account, Alcorn cites many of the challenges she faced leading up to her decision to commit suicide, namely her mother’s extremely unsupportive and anti-LGBTQ views based upon her personal religious doctrine. Alcorn’s mother is quoted as saying Alcorn was “going through a phase” and that God had made her a boy, and there was no changing that. Upon her sixteenth birthday, Alcorn did not receive permission to undergo and begin her desperately needed transition from her parents. She is quoted in her posted suicide note as feeling entirely helpless at this point, feeling as if she would never be able to transition according to her personal plan, that it doesn’t simply “get better”, and that she would never be happy thereafter. This note was scheduled to automatically post on her Tumblr account, indicating Alcorn felt resolved in her heartbreaking end. She walked into a semi-trailer moving due south at high speeds shortly after. Alcorn’s death has spurred numerous reactions from the public, her family, and the LGBTQ community at large. Her death has indeed created a discourse on discrimination, specifically discrimination faced by those who identify as trans. In this sense, her dreadful death has worked as a uniting force within the LGBTQ and ally community, underlining the pain and alienation experienced worldwide by trans individuals. But Alcorn’s death was a different kind of death; it was a suicide. The publicizing of suicides has resulted, over the decades, in various reactions from the public and those who closely monitor the current cultural zeitgeist. One would think that publicized suicides, by their very nature, would act as fearful reminders of what could happen if hopelessness is left to grow unchecked, leading most to seek or lend support to those in danger of making this irrevocable decision. Sometimes, however, the exact opposite occurs. The Werther Effect, coined by American sociologist David Phillips, refers to the phenomenon where human behaviors, whether constructive or destructive to the self, are copied and continued between individuals through language, images, sounds or actions. In this sense, Phillips asserts that human behaviors can be “contagious” amongst communities of people. Phillips also specifically mentions that The Werther Effect can be acutely observed immediately following the nationwide publicizing of suicides, especially when suicides are broadcasted in a way that makes them appear glamorous, righteous or related to martyrdom. This worries me.
I am worried that other LGBTQ youths may perceive the current climate for change and acceptance as minimal, especially in the face of some much suicide coverage. I say “so much” suicide coverage in reference to contemporary society’s access to abundant communicative technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. Here we see images, news events, ideologies and countless posts whether we like it or not, usually repetitive due to “shares” and “retweets”, bombarding our newsfeeds with misguided and misdirected opinions, and general misinformation. I am worried that being continually reminded that many LGBTQ youths are killing themselves due to perceived or actual alienation, may actually work to intensify these feelings of alienation, misrepresentation, and that suicide is the only viable option left. Alcorn’s heavily publicized suicide note made it very clear to all of us that this how she felt during her last hours of
life. Alcorn may have hoped her suicide would incite the want for change, but our coverage and reaction to her suicide may have, in actuality, only reinforced the social and climatic forces responsible for making her feel that suicide was her only worthwhile choice. Talking about suicide is necessary to cope with the loss, as well as help prevent suicide in the future, but the ways in which we broach and carry out this discussion are just as important. We should be aware that broadcasting and talking about those who commit suicide as being martyrs may actually harm our fight for unity, strength and continued fortitude. It may darken our message of hope, and help to extinguish our flame. If it takes a little self-monitoring to accomplish a clearer and more honest message of hope, I say flame-on. Questions, comments or critique? Please feel free to e-mail the author at: brandonb@gayalliance.org ■
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
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Community Find the friends, fun, and common interests you’re looking for through the various groups listed here.
DIGNITY INTEGRITY For 40 years, D-I Rochester has been meeting weekly at 5 p.m. at St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St., at the corner of Broad St. We have the following services and activities for the month of February 2015. 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 Evening Prayer, followed by a Potluck Dinner! Since February’s potluck falls on the first Sunday of Lent, the theme is “Simply Soup”. Bring along your favorite soup recipe or a loaf of bread and join us for food and fellowship. No time to cook or shop? Don’t worry, there is always enough to share. 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. NEWS FROM THE PEWS: The 8th Annual Christmas Carol Sing was wonderful. Think about making it your new holiday tradition and join us next year. Tim Schramm always does a great job accompanying us in song… it really makes the Christmas season come alive! Saturday, February 21: Winter Cabin Party will be held at Buckland Lodge in Brighton. “Comfort Food” is the theme for the potluck dinner at about 6 p.m. Bring a dish to pass and a favorite game or two. It is a great way to beat the winter chill! Call the Hotline or send us an email if you plan to attend so we bring enough beverages and paper goods. 2015—Our 40th Anniversary! While March 30th is our “official” anniversary (that’s when we started worshiping together), we’re booked for AUGUST 15, 2015 for a FABULOUS 40TH REUNION PICNIC! We’ve started making lists of all the people we can remember, but we don’t want to leave anyone out. Please make sure you let us know how to contact you. It would be fantastic to see or hear from as many former members of DI as possible. Send us your current contact information via our email, info@di-rochester.org, or write to us directly at 17 S. Fitzhugh Street, 14614 so we can be sure to send you an invitation! You can call the Hotline at 585-2345092 or check our website at www.dirochester.org/ for updates on services and activities.
L.O.R.A KNITTING GROUP The L.O.R.A Knitting Group is now meeting the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 6 to 8 p.m. The group is open to the GLBTQI community and our allies; tuition also provided in knitting and crochet (bring supplies). For location and further information, contact Kerry at DressyFemme@aol.com.
OPEN ARMS MCC Open Arms MCC is Beyond Opening and Affirming… Beyond Welcoming…. A Place for ALL. Our Sunday Morning Celebration Services begin at 10:30 a.m. offering a vibrant, inclusive, progressive worship experience, blending elements of traditional and contemporary worship styles. Worship may include hymns, prayer, scripture, audio visual, special music and our own Open Arms ensemble. Pastoral Intern Brae Adams always
delivers a message that is both scriptural and socially relevant. During our Celebration Service, children are invited to participate in our Children’s Moment before heading off to our Rainbow Rangers (ages 5-12) and Rainbow Sprouts (newborn to five years old) Sunday School Program. Following the service you can join us in our Community Center for some social time. Our Contemporary Praise and Worship Service is held each Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Be assured that you will be Accepted, Honored and Loved. This contemporary and interactive service features our live Open Arms Praise Band and Pastoral Intern Sara Campbell leads your worship experience. Communion is served each Sunday in both services. In February we will use Sunday social time and evening praise and reflection time to make mittens which we will distribute to the homeless. Our monthly Agape Supper is held the second Sunday of each month at 5:30 p.m. In this service you experience worship while sharing a meal in fellowship with others. Please bring a dish to share in this intimate worship experience. Starting on Sunday February 1, Adult Sunday School begins at 9 a.m. each week. We will be studying “Living The Questions.” The focus for this Adult Sunday School will be how Christianity still has relevance in the 21st Century. Providing a variety of flexible resources, “Living the Questions” can help people explore the future of Christianity and what a meaningful faith can look like in today’s world. Monday February 2, Sara Campbell will hold a weekly book study on the book by Patrick S. Cheng titled “From Sin to Amazing Grace: Discovering the Queer Christ.” This book reclaims the doctrines of sin and grace for LGBT people and others who have been wounded by such doctrines in the past. This book study will meet each Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Equal Grounds Coffee House, 750 South Ave. Feb. 27 and Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. In honor of Black History Month Open Arms will be hosting a two part viewing of the Academy Award-nominated documentary film: “King: A Filmed Record From Montgomery to Memphis”. This film presents key events in the life of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. Beginning with the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, it follows King through major steps in his struggle to promote racial equality. Including footage of King’s stirring speeches, the documentary is a fitting tribute to his legacy. Light refreshments will be served. Also in the month of February, Open Arms MCC will be partnering with the Gay Alliance, TAGR, the Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester and GV2, Genesee Valley Gender Variants to host a candlelight vigil and call to action to support laws that will ban conversion therapy. Please check our website for date and time. openarmsmcc.org Updated Worship page: http://di-rochester.org/worship.html Updated Events page: http://di-rochester.org/events.html Our Social Justice team continues to support Dwayne’s House in Jamaica. Dwayne’s house is an organization that provides clothing and gives monetary assistance to the homeless LGBTQ youths in Jamaica. Our work continues in Eastern Europe as we fund travel expenses for our pastor emeritus Rev. Jim Mulcahy through our bottle and can collection ministry. Rev. Jim is building churches and teaching our LGBTQ siblings in Eastern Europe about God’s unconditional love.
Food donations can be made in our Community Center on Tuesdays or Sundays for our Open Arms Food Bank which provides food for those in need. Cash donations for our DUO fund (Do Unto Others) is used to assist the people in the Rochester community with urgent housing or medical needs. AFTY, Adult Families with Trans Youth, meets on the first Tuesday of every month from 5:30 pm to 6:30 p.m. in the Community Center. This is a support group for parents and other family members who want to understand and support what struggles and difficulties their trans child may be having and learn ways to best treat their child in a loving and accepting way. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings Rainbow Sage gets together with Tom Somerville for Yoga from 10:30 am to 11:30 a.m., and there is a $5.00 fee. Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. there is also Yoga with Tom Somerville, this is a mixed level class that welcomes all including beginners. BTW BYO mat [if possible]. Cost is $15 per class. PFLAG Parents, Friends, and Family of Lesbians and Gays (and trans and questioning). A support and activism group for anyone who supports the LGBTQI community, they meet on the third Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. in the Community Center. Open Arms MCC is committed to Building Bridges and Changing Lives and we are the only accepting church in Rochester. We are located at 707 East Main St., almost right across from Delta Sonic. There is free parking in front and to the side of our building. For updated information on these and other exciting upcoming events check out our website at openarmsmcc.org. Brae Adams has office hours on Mondays from 12 to 2 p.m. and by appointment. You can reach us by phone at (585) 271-8478 and our website is openarmsmcc.org
PRIDE AND JOY FAMILIES “Pride and Joy Families Weekend Conferences are a wonderful opportunity for adults and children in LGBTQ* families to experience a sense of community, celebrate together, and find the support and resources they need to lead fuller, healthier lives,” according to Claudia E. Stallman, Project Director for the Lesbian and Gay Family Building Project. The 2015 Pride and Joy Families Weekend Conference will be held Friday, March 20 through Sunday, March 22 at the Holiday Inn Arena and University Downtown Center in Binghamton. “The 2015 Conference promises to be both celebratory and educational for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) individuals, their children and other family members,” remarks Stallman. Keynote speaker Abbie Goldberg, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Clark University, will discuss how LGBTQ families navigate their identities in their children’s schools. Adult workshop sessions will address family building, parenting, gender, race, and many other aspects of living in an LGBTQ family. Children’s programs will be provided by Camp Highlight, a camp for children in LGBTQ families. The Pride and Joy Families Conference will also include intergenerational activities, a Family Dance Party, Resource/Vendor Fair, and off-site excursions to Binghamton-area attractions. A pre-conference educational program will be held for health and human service professionals, students, and the general community. Psychologist Dr. Abbie
Goldberg will address, “Contemporary Families: Lesbian-and Gay-Parent Families Across the Life Cycle and Implications for Practice” in an hour-long talk on Friday, March 20 on the Binghamton University campus. This event is free and open to the public. CEUs are pending. “We are thrilled to be hosting our fifth conference in Binghamton and to welcome a diverse group of LGBTQ families. In addition to LGBTQ-parented families and prospective parents, we warmly welcome LGBTQ couples and single adults of all ages and stages of life (no children required!), parents of LGBTQ children, and other allied adults,” adds Stallman. Organizers have kept registration and meal costs reasonable for participants and have secured a Conference hotel room rate of $89/night. “Our scholarship fund has just been seeded with a $3,000 donation, which will enable us to offer financial assistance to more families than ever this time around,” reports Stallman. The registration link is http://bit.ly/PrideAndJoyFamilies. This year’s conference will build on the success of four previous statewide LGBTQ families’ conferences, held in Ithaca, Binghamton, Utica, and most recently, Rochester, which attracted 250 people from Upstate New York and beyond. The Conference is sponsored by the Lesbian and Gay Family Building Project, with co-sponsors the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program at Binghamton University, Camp Highlight, Gay Parent Magazine, the Binghamton University Alumni Association, Out for Health, and the Binghamton University College of Community and Public Affairs.
ROCHESTER BUTCH FEMME CONNECTION Rochester Butch Femme Connection supper club will have one dinner night out in February. On Saturday, Feb. 21, we will meet at Jay’s Diner on West Henrietta Rd. (Route 15) at 7 p.m. For further information, call Max at (585) 957-6627 or email Kerry at DressyFemme@aol.com. Hope to see you there!
ROMANS Happy Nude Year! ROMANS members had a Holiday Celebration au naturel in December and that evening many members went to the first nude swim of the season at Harro East Athletic Club. We are pleased to announce that the monthly nude swim at Harro East organized by Naturist Rochester is back on schedule, to be held on the first Saturday of the month from now until April. At our December meeting members agreed to offer one year of free membership to all full-time students (over 21 of course) as an incentive to promote social nudism among the younger generation. To ring in the New Year, many ROMANS members joined the Syracuse Naked Men members for a toast to nude comradeship. January was a busy month for us nudists. Beside ROMANS’ regular meeting one weekend, we had the nude swim at Harro East, then we were invited to a nude bowling event in the Buffalo area by the Niagara Naturists and before the month was over we had the Men Only swim at Vassar Street organized by Naturist Rochester. Anyone interested in social nudism and wanting to join our activities in February and beyond, please check out our website at http://www.wnyromans.com. Rochester (Community continues on page 26)
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
Male Naturists (ROMANS) is a social club for gay and gay-friendly male nudists (or naturists) over 21. You can contact us at message line 585-281-4964, by E-mail wnyromans@yahoo.com or via regular mail at PO Box 92293, Rochester, NY 14692.
TRANS ALLIANCE OF GREATER ROCHESTER (TAGR) Our third annual Year End Party with a “dessertluck” and clothing exchange and drive was a huge success! We had some really unique foods thanks to Marilyn -- who knew you could put asparagus in a blanket?! Then the clothes! At one point we had over 60 feet of table space covered in gently used clothing! People had a great time looking through and trying on whatever and some people almost needed a truck to take home what they had chosen. Even though a lot of the clothing did get taken, we ended up with about a dozen large bags that with the help of Pam Barres were delivered to a grateful St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality on Jan. 15. Saturday, February 14, 3 to 5 p.m. is our second Saturday Planning Group meeting. Please come with your thoughts and ideas and hear what’s being planned for the next few months and the really exciting things for this year! Our LAST Saturday of the month meeting is February 28, 3 to 5:30 p.m. and is our education meeting. We will have Julia Saenz of the LGBT Rights Proj-
ect here in Rochester talking about what has been going with the Project for the past year or so and how she has been able to provide unprecedented legal assistance for our Greater Rochester (and beyond) Trans community. On Tuesday, March 31, to commemorate the International Trans Day of Visibility, we will hold our first ever Open House, which will include an award ceremony to recognize members of the trans and non trans community who have supported us recently and throughout the past years! All our meetings take place at the Open Arms Community Center at 707 East Main St., almost across the street from Delta Sonic and there is plenty of parking in front and side of the Open Arms building. Open Arms MCC, who graciously allows us to use their Community Center for our gatherings, needs donations for their ongoing food cupboard. Therefore we are asking TAGR meeting attendees to please bring at least one non-perishable food item for donation to our meetings as an ongoing thank you for allowing us to use their space. There will be refreshments and we will be asking for at least a $1 donation towards supporting TAGR and the work we need and want to do! “Trans...invisible and silent no longer… invisible and silent no more! Our website: www.rnytg.org rnytg. org facebook.com/rnytg info@ rnytg.org twitter: @rochestertrans Our phone # is: 585-432-0456 ■
The Avenue Pub 39 Year Landmark in the Gay Community
n o ARD
G
Gay Alliance on-line Resource Directory
GARD: the online community tool providing local, state and national resources, twenty-four, seven at: www.gayalliance.org
Updates are posted daily with drink specials & events
The Avenue Pub 522 Monroe Avenue 585-244-4960
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
Arts & Entertainment can wear five! EC: Where do you hail from and how/why did you get into theatre? CMB: Honestly I have been singing since age two and have
27 were so fortunate to be directed by the original 1977 Broadway director and lyricist Martin Charnin. Going to rehearsal every day and getting to work with such a legend and staple in the history of American Musical Theatre was a dream come true. I remember being a kid in the south listening to the Original Broadway cast recording of Annie and to think I am work-
“Annie” is at the Auditorium Theatre March 10-15.
Go glitz on Feb. 7 at the Red Ball Tired of your post-holiday slump and the seemingly endless Rochester winter? Valentine time is coming up, and the Gay Alliance will host its annual community dance, the Red Ball, on Feb. 7, with the theme this year of “Puttin’ on the Glitz”. Participants are encouraged to wear Roaring Twenties attire, namely “Gatsby, gangsters, and flappers”. There will be prizes for the best-dressed. Party-goers will be able to enjoy “speakeasy hooch,” hors d’oeuvres and a major raffle, dance to music by DJ Chuck Argento, and pose with their partners in a photo booth with props. The event will take place at Diplomat Banquet Center, 1956 Lyell Ave. 14604, and will run from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance at www.gayalliance.org, Equal Grounds, Outlandish (cash only), Parkleigh, and Hedonist Artisan Chocolates (where you can also pick up some sweets for your sweetie). Admission at the door will be $30. Forget the sub-zero cold – this is going to be HOT!
Cameron Mitchell Bell.
Cameron Mitchell Bell talks about “Annie” By Susan Jordan Cameron Mitchell Bell (Bert, Ensemble) is in the cast of Annie, playing at the Auditorium Theatre March 10-15. His past career includes OffBroadway: Time to Kill. National Tour: Clifford the Big Red Dog LIVE, Disney Cruise Line. Regional: Chicago, Disney’s Aladdin, Candide, Oklahoma, Thoroughly Modern Millie, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. cameronmitchellbell.com. Empty Closet: Can you talk about the Bert Healy character you play and who he is? What are the biggest challenges and the greatest rewards for you with
this role? CMB: In the show I play Bert Healy who is a radio host of the “Oxydent Hour Of Smiles”. Annie makes an appearance on the broadcast in hopes of finding her parents. I am also so lucky to be a part of our amazing ensemble where I play a wide variety of roles from catching stray dogs, to living on the streets, to working in the mansion of a billionaire, to advising the president of the United States! The most amazing part about my job is being able to be so many different characters and getting to live a day in the life of such drastically different people! It definitely keeps you on your toes... not to mention all the amazing costumes I get to wear! Why would you wanna wear one when you
yet to stop. Growing up in professional theatre, I began my young career in opera choruses around the East Coast. In my teens, I was accepted to the prestigious South Carolina Governors School for the Arts and Humanities where I would intensely study my craft for last years of high school. Since then I have completed a Bachelors Degree in Vocal Performance and attended New York University’s Masters Degree program in Vocal Performance and Musical Theatre. An active performer throughout my schooling, I have been in numerous Off-Broadway and Regional Productions from Time to Kill, and Hotel for Criminals to Disney’s Aladdin, Chicago, Oklahoma, and Thoroughly Modern Millie to name a few. I was also on the National Tour of Clifford the Big Red Dog LIVE and on board the prestigious Disney Dream cruise ship, entertaining audiences world wide as some of your most beloved Disney characters including the Genie from Disney’s Aladdin. EC: Do you consider yourself a singer first or an actor, or both equally? CMB: Well it’s funny... growing up I always thought of myself as a singer and for much of my teens and early 20s, I was on a career path to be a professional classical singer. However my love of musical theatre grew and grew and as I started studying acting I realized, “Hey this is fun and I’m kinda good at it.” I began really studying acting throughout my undergraduate studies and then as the time came to decide what the next step was, I auditioned for musical theatre grad programs at Boston Conservatory and NYU. I was accepted to both and thought well that must be a sign that this is what I am supposed to be doing with my life. I feel my deepest love will always be rooted in singing, but musical theatre lets me take that passion and use it so many other ways and I love that! EC: What can audiences expect from this production of “Annie”? How does it differ from the past versions they may have seen? CMB: I can truly say I am honored and ultimately humbled to be a part of this production. We
ing with the man who penned such famous songs as “Maybe” and “Tomorrow” really brings my life full circle. This production is really something spectacular. Martin really wanted to return to the original concept of the 1977 Broadway version and give an audience a chance to see what made this musical such a hit. There’s really no need to try to make Annie into something new and modernized. I feel the original message of heart and optimism has always shown through
from the beginning and that’s what we are giving those audience members every night. EC: What performers have inspired and influenced you? CMB: I was so fortunate to be exposed to such amazing performers and singers throughout my life and each of them inspired me in different times through out my career. However, I will always and forever LOVE Whitney Houston. There is just something about her voice that was so organic and heart wrenching. She brought church to pop music and having sat every Sunday in a Baptist pew, that was just the kind of influence I wanted. Other than her I would say the typical divas Celine, Mariah, Christina, and then there’s the odd balls Sandi Patty, Renee Fleming and David Phelps. EC: Which do you think is more difficult – playing comedy or tragedy/drama? CMB: I think they are both similar and different in their own way. Some of the funniest actors I have ever met were terribly sad people and vice versa. We all have our own skill sets and some more than others. To each his own, I always say. EC: Anything to add? CMB: I am a heavy social media person and if you want to see all the fun we are having at Annie on tour, follow me on: instagram: cameronmitchellbell twitter: @thecameronmbell facebook: www.facebook. comcameronmitchellbell1 or -- check out my website cameronmitchellbell.com ■
Kasha Davis. Photo, RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Mrs. Kasha Davis heads for Hollywood By Susan Jordan Mrs. Kasha Davis (aka Ed Popil) is the third Rochester queen to make it onto national TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” — following in the glamorously high-heeled footsteps of Pandora Boxx and Darienne Lake. The seventh season of the program will premiere this winter (date not announced as of press time) and Kasha is among 14 finalists vying for the crown. The Empty Closet recently chatted with MKD (as RuPaul has named her) to get some insight into her dreams and journey. EC: What are your feelings as you embark on this adventure? What do you expect — or will you have to expect the unexpected? (Kasha continues page 28)
28 ( Kasha from page 27) MKD: My expectations have been met thus far and exceeded! We filmed on the original I LOVE LUCY LOT! HOLLYWOOD Ahhhhhhh!!! CHILLS. I have dreamt of this moment since I was a little one and now I have the fortunate opportunity to create “what’s next” in my life. For a while there I would stare in the mirror and think “It’s time to dream bigger, Edward”! Certainly RuPaul’s editors have had the opportunity to show the world Mrs. Kasha Davis as they see her, so my husband and I are taking this opportunity, while waiting for the season to start, to push out video and pictures and ensure we are expressing the Mrs. Davis that we have created. My audition tapes have been submitted for all seven seasons and I have been loving sharing my quirks and such with the Rochester audience, but now I can’t wait to expand from home plate! EC: What are your strong points, the talents you’ll rely on most in the Race? MKD: My age and experience. I’ve been doing this for 12 years. So many performers these days jump in a dress and hit a stage and call themselves a queen. You’ve got to EARN IT. I purposely look back at pictures of myself and learn from my mistakes, take video of every
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
Kasha and her husband Steve.
performance (thanks to Steve, my husbando) and critique myself, as I know the audience is doing the same. Not many queens can say they have worked and learned from the greats like Pandora Boxx, Aggy Dune, Darienne Lake, Ambrosia Salad, Naomi Kane, and Liza! We have an incredible history and story here in Rochester and I am very proud to be a part of that! I’m a man of excess so I have to keep my finger on the pulse of taking care of myself and being ready to battle these 20-year-olds! EC: Why do you love doing drag? MKD: Because I can share all the women I love most with the rest of the world and for the most part everyone can relate to the character. I am my mom,
aunts, ex-wife, grandmothers, sisters and a mixture of so many wonderful women over 40 I met and admired over the years. Mrs. Kasha Davis is a big scoop of Ed Popil with a dash of all these people I love and cherish. EC: What are your biggest challenges? MKD: In drag? In life? I think the answer can be summed up for me in one phrase — “Get out of the way of myself.” I can certainly say I can be my biggest obstacle. (I am my biggest pain in the NECK.) What I hope to accomplish with this journey is to encourage all ages, but mostly those of us up over the 40 mark, to be bold and be ourselves, DO NOT GIVE UP no matter what the goal! If you want to be a mountain climber get off the couch and climb it. If your desire is to run, start walking! No matter what you want just keep dreaming and working and trying because this experience is proof that with hard work, determination, and BRIBERY you can indeed make any dream come true! EC: Can you tell your fans what to expect? Or is it all top secret? MKD: I have the biggest mouth of anyone I know! Me keeping a secret is like Miley Cyrus keeping her clothes on … not gonna happen! But what I can say is the
competition will air in early 2015 and we will have viewing parties on Monday nights at the Forum with Darienne Lake and Aggy Dune, where I will spill the beans and tea and all that shade. (I will never get all this jargon that the kids use today.) EC: What would you like to tell your hometown crowd about RuPaul’s Drag Race? How hectic will it be? Will you have time for a cocktail? MKD: THERE’S ALWAYS TIME FOR A COCKTAIL. I absolutely LOVE Rochester. I have been here since 1999 and it is my home where I met the man of my dreams and have had the honor of participating in raising
his beautiful daughters. Aggy and I have taken THE BIG WIGS out of the bar scene and into the mainstream and we are both so grateful for Rochester audiences riding that train with us. I also can say I’m home and going on TOUR ASAP. But as for moving, I’m going nowhere, so as usual I will be running into you at Wegmans or Stein Mart. I look forward to seeing everyone at Edibles, The Forum, Rain Lounge in Syracuse, and any event that requires a man in a dress… inbox me and I’ll be there! Shameless plug: for appearances and special events, find me at www.kashadavis.com ■
Walt Whitman
Scholar finds new Walt Whitman poem
At the Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art.
Check out NYC’s Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art By R.M. Cook Providing a safe haven for art “…which is often excluded from main stream exhibitions and textbooks and looked upon as taboo or less important by historians and critics.” That’s the mission of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, located at 26 Wooster St. in NYC’s Soho district. In 2012 the Leslie-Lohman received official accreditation as a museum from the State of New York making it the “first gay and lesbian art museum in the world… dedicated solely to the study of lesbian and gay artists.” Evolving from the private collection of its founders, Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman, the trove moved to its current location on Wooster Street in 2006. Represented in the museum’s archives are works by Warhol, Haring, Coc-
teau, Hujar, Hockney and Mapplethorpe among many others. The permanent collection houses over 24,000 works; many are still being cataloged. The venue provides an interesting and informative side trip for those visiting Manhattan who are curious about gay and lesbian art and the artists who produce such works. The gallery anticipates 30,000 visitors this year. Other than a small pink sign over the door, the museum’s exterior is quite plain and provides no clue to the rich treasures of homoerotic art and gay history preserved inside the small venue’s collection of paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and sculpture. Floor space of 1,800 square foot is at a premium in the gallery as each square foot of real estate in NYC extremely valuable. However, the exhibit area is well utilized and provides an inspiring educational and artistic experience in a welcoming, professional atmosphere.
Owing to limited display area only a small portion of the collection can be displayed at one time. The museum mounts six to eight themed exhibits each year. A recent exhibit, Paul Thek and His Circle in the 1950s, featured photographs, drawings, and paintings of and about the life of artist Paul Thek and the young, artistic, beautiful and gay artists in the New York art scene long before Stonewall. An upcoming exhibit, scheduled for early 2015, is entitled Irreverent. According to preshow press the exhibit “…is inspired by the censorship of works of art by artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe…. It will explain how sexuality has been, and continues to be, used as a tool to censor LGBTQ cultural artwork.” Admission to the museum is free but donations are appreciated. Gallery hours are 12-4 p.m. Tues. –Sun., 12-8 p.m. Thurs. Closed Monday and all major holidays. Leslie-Lohman’s website is www.leslielohman.org.
By James Witherson gaystarnews.com Wikipedia (restoration by Adam Cuerden) There is a new Walt Whitman poem to memorize. University of Nebraska-Lincoln associate professor Wendy Katz was working her way through penny newspapers at the Library of Congress when she came across a work titled “To Bryant, the Poet of Nature”. The author was listed as W.W. “I was literally going through these newspapers page by page and fully expected to find some of Whitman’s journalism,” Katz said to the Lincoln Journal Star. “I didn’t expect to find a poem.” The 15 lines of poetry were published in the New Era newspaper on 23 June 1842. The title refers to New York Evening Post editor, and fellow poet, William Cullen Bryant. The professor notes the New Era’s editor was Parke Godwin, Bryant’s son-in-law. Katz also discovered Bryant, approximately a week before the poem was printed, wrote a piece about Whitman. All three men were friends and shared similar political views. Aside from the personal connection, “To Bryant” matches the style and tone of Whitman’s compositions at the time. “It thematically fits with other poems Whitman wrote,” Katz said to the Lincoln Journal. “Whitman’s newspaper poetry was always more conventional, and he would go back to the idea that the physical monuments we build to elevate people are never enough, that the marker of a great person must be how their achievements have elevated everyday life.” To Bryant, the Poet of Nature Let Glory diadem the mighty dead — Let monuments of brass and marble rise To those who have upon our being shed A golden halo, borrowed from the skies, And given to time its most enduring prize; For they but little less than angels were: But not to thee, oh! nature’s OWN, we should (When from this clod the minstrel-soul aspires And joins the glorious band of purer lyres) Tall columns build: thy monument is here — For ever fixed in its eternity — A monument God-built! ‘Tis seen around — In mountains huge and many gliding streams — Where’er the torrent lifts a melancholy sound, Or modest flower in broad savannah gleams. — W.W., New Era, 23 June 1842 - See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/us-professorfinds-lost-walt-whitman-poem021214#sthash.cSrtPt9i.dpuf
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
Travel
Low Country culinary chomping through Charleston By Merle Exit Charleston, South Carolina’s cuisine is more than just “shrimp and grits”. Bulldog Tours offers a walking culinary tour focusing on what is termed “low country cuisine,” beginning with Dixie Supply Bakery and Café for some good old plain creamy grits, a bite size sweet potato corn bread, and sweet tea. Sugar is added to the brewing tea, chilled and then served as iced tea. Continuing on to Charleston Cooks, a kitchen supply store, our guide, Fran Bennett, talked about Tomato Pie and Pimento
Cheese. Pimento cheese is one staple that is served on top of a dish or as a dip. It is basically a combo of shredded cheddar, sometimes other cheeses and pimentos along with other ingredients to flavor or spice it up. Charleston Cooks introduced us to Benne (sesame) wafers. Sesame seeds were brought from Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries. The wafers are a combo of the toasted seeds, sugar, butter or margarine, and egg whites. Market Street Sweets was preparing a batch of peanut brittle and we tasted it just as it cooled off. We then had pralines, sugar coated pecans, and bear claws, their take on those chocolate “turtles”. On to the Spice and Tea Exchange for mostly whiffs of a
vast amount of products. We did have a sample of whatever tea was being prepared, some dips, and a few green tea mints. Our next tasting was at A.W. Shucks, where we had blue crab dip, hush puppies with praline butter and fried green tomatoes. Actually the restaurant is well known for their oysters, of which there are some briny and delicious local ones. Jim and Nicks was the final foodie. They are all about barbecue. We sampled some of their pulled pork, collard greens, and cole slaw. Finding the collard greens much too spicy for me, I requested a small glass of milk to ease the pain. www.bulldogtours.com She-Crab Soup is a must in this area. What makes the difference is using the added roe from the crab. Everyone has their own style of this delicious delicacy. I sampled it at three restaurants beginning with a place called Amen Street. It was full of crab meat, as if the lumped meat were flaked. Sherry is poured atop prior to eating it. That is a com-
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mon aspect of this soup. I had the opportunity to do a small tasting with the chef from the Swamp Fox Restaurant located at the Francis Marion Hotel. Their She-Crab Soup was just as delicious, more “soupy” with a decent amount of lumped meat used more as the garnish. The third She-Crab Soup was devoured at Henry’s On Market that was kind of in between the two textures and equally savory. We also sampled Fried Green Tomatoes with pimento cheese, southern hot
chicken with a sweet tea glaze, some very salty collard greens, and fried grits cake. The final restaurant sampling was at the Blind Tiger Pub where I had: fried pickles, fried green tomatoes, crab cake and fresh tuna. The tomatoes were topped with goat cheese, basil aioli, and cucumber roasted corn relish. Needless to say, I didn’t JetBlue to Charleston just for the food. They were having a direct trip from JFK for about $70 one way. ■
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GAY ALLIANCE NEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2015
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
Denise Herrera
Volunteer of the Month: Denise Herrera We are thrilled to announce that Denise Herrera has been selected as volunteer of the month for February 2015! Over the past five years, Denise has donated countless hours of her interpreting services to the Gay Alliance, helping ensure that our workshops and events are accessible to as many people as possible. Volunteers like Denise are critical to the Gay Alliance’s efforts to be a more inclusive organization, and we are grateful for her contributions to the community. Providing interpreting services at events or workshops can pose a challenge for small non-profit organizations; the cost of contracting professional interpreters is often prohibitive. When skilled interpreters like Denise volunteer their talents they provide far more than simple linguistic access: they highlight the power of community and the value of genuine inclusion. Denise hails from Queens, and is an alumna of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf
ASL-English Interpretation program. She currently works on campus at RIT as staff interpreter. If you’ve been to one of our Pride festivals over the past several years, odds are you’ve seen Denise in action, on stage interpreting with drag queens, local bands, and headline performers like Betty Who in 2014. In addition to her time and energy at Pride, Denise has volunteered her interpreting skills at many of our trainings and workshops. Our deepest thanks go out to Denise for the invaluable contributions she continues to make to the Rochester LGBTQ and ally communities.
Registration opens for Spring SafeZone Trainthe-Trainer Certification Programs By Jeanne Gainsburg The spring session of the Gay Alliance SafeZone Train-theTrainer Certification Program
The January Appreciation Luncheon for key service and program volunteers, who all contribute at least 24 hours of service annually, took place Jan. 18 at the Diplomat.
will take place on Friday, March 20, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (check in at 8:30 a.m.) at the Rochester Red Cross. We can also bring this program to your campus or workplace. The SafeZone Train-theTrainer Certification Program is an interactive eight-hour course, which includes activities, small group discussions and opportunities for practicing skills as educators. During this course, participants will be coached in running SafeZone trainings and
offered opportunities to ask and answer questions in a supportive environment using the teaching skills that they acquire. Each participant will receive a SafeZone Training manual that will provide a complete course guide for running SafeZone Trainings, recommended exercises and activities, resources and suggested readings to extend knowledge, handouts to use in future SafeZone Trainings, a Gay Alliance SafeZone sticker and a certificate of course completion. Ongoing support will be
available to all participants through the Gay Alliance following the presentation, to offer assistance and suggestions for keeping programs fresh and upto-date. Our January train-thetrainer session filled eight weeks prior to the workshop date, so please register early! To register go to the Gay Alliance home page at www. gayalliance.org and click on the SAFEZONE slide. For questions, please contact me at jeanneg@gayalliance.org or 585-244-8640 ext. 14 ■
Winter SpeakOUT Training The Gay Alliance would like to invite you to participate in our Winter SpeakOUT Training: Providing Successful LGBTQ Education The Gay Alliance SpeakOUT Training prepares participants to educate others on LGBTQ issues in a respectful way, to successfully advocate for LGBTQ individuals and to address challenges to full LGBTQ inclusion. SpeakOUT participants become more confident and articulate while talking with others about LGBTQ issues. This is a great experience for someone new to LGBTQ issues or someone who has lived or worked with the issues for years. Think of it as professional development for your life. This training is also the first step in becoming trained as a Gay Alliance Speakers Bureau member. Facilitators: Jeanne Gainsburg, Gay Alliance Education Director and Rowan Collins, social justice activist and educator, join forces to bring you this fast-paced, dynamic and interactive workshop. A dynamic mix of interactive exercises and lecture make for a fastpaced, intense and valuable learning experience. The SpeakOUT Training will run on Friday, March 13 from 6-9pm and on Saturday, March 14, from 8:30am-5pm and is $75 per person. It will be held at Asbury First United Methodist Church at 1050 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14607. To register, go to the Gay Alliance website: www.gayalliance.org and click on the SpeakOUT slide. Please direct all questions to jeanneg@gayalliance.org or 585-244-8640 ext. 14. *ASL interpretation available if requested by March 27.
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
GAY ALLIANCE NEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2015
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Youth
Our program empowers today’s teens to meet today’s challenges! It provides a safe space to explore their identity, make friends, build community, gain life skills, become a leader and have fun! Fabulous Fridays: 7-9pm. (Ages 13-20) Gender Identity Support Group: Tuesdays: 5:30-6:30pm. (Ages 13-18) More info: youth@gayalliance.org The Gay Alliance 875 E. Main Street, (5th Floor) Auditorium Center, Rochester, NY 14605 Phone: 585-244-8640 • Web: gayalliance.org Sage at Denny’s for a Christmas lunch.
Speaking Engagements November - December 2014 • Penguin Tango Talkback at Red House Arts Center, Syracuse • Respectfully Communicating with LGBTQ People at Bryant & Stratton College (4 presentations) • Caring For LGBTQ Older Adults at the Greater Rochester Collaborative MSW Program • LGBTQ Issues in Social Work at SUNY Brockport • Creating Safe and Inclusive Schools for Transgender Students at East Rochester School District • SpeakOUT Training at the Gay Alliance • LGBTQ Issues in Social Work at the Greater Rochester Collaborative MSW Program • Practicing Our Personal Stories at the Gay Alliance (2 trainings) • SafeZone Training at LeMoyne College • Shoulders To Stand On film and discussion at Lincoln Center, NYC • SafeZone Train-the-Trainer Certification Program at The College of New Jersey • SafeZone Training at West Irondequoit High School • LGBTQ Cultural Competence Training for Service Providers of Older Adults at the Gay Alliance • The LGBTQ Lifespan at the U. of R.’s School of Education • SafeZone Train-the-Trainer Certification Program at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine • SafeZone Train-the-Trainer Certification Program at the College of San Mateo, Calif. • Transgender Workplace Inclusion at Rochester Regional Healthcare Associates • Working with LGBTQ Older Adults at the Alzheimer’s Association, Central New York Chapter • LGBTQ Vocabulary and Respectful Language at Webster Thomas High School GSA • LGBTQ 101 at the Society for the Protection of Children • Tabling at Human Rights Day at Downtown United Presbyterian • Creating Safe and Inclusive Schools for Transgender Students at Twelve Corners Middle School • SafeZone Training at Eastman School of Music • Creating Transgender Inclusive Churches at the Irondequoit United Church of Christ • LGBTQ Coming Out Stories at the Barker Road Middle School GSA
SAGE FEBRUARY CALENDAR
Tuesday 2/3............. 10:30-11:30. Yoga with Tom Thursday 2/5............ 10:30-11:30. Yoga with Tom Tuesday 2/10............ 10:30-11:30 Yoga with Tom Thursday 2/12.......... No yoga Breakfast at Denny’s at 10:30 am 911 Jefferson Road. Please RSVP by 2/10 to 585-287-2958 Tuesday 2/17............ 10:30-11:30 Yoga with Tom. 11:30-3 pm Potluck; bring a salad or dessert. SAGE “Where are we going?” planning meeting. Your hosts Anne Tischer and Jessica Gibson. Thursday 2/19.......... 10:30-11; 30. Yoga with Tom 11:30. No Sage program. Tuesday 2/24........... 10:30-11:30 Yoga with Tom. 11:30 am-3pm Brown bag and beverage, Euchre. Your host Anne Tischer. Thursday 2/26.......... Lunch at the Green House café, 2271 East Main Street at noon. Your Host Ginny Dekin. RSVP by 2/20/15 to 585-287-2985. Bad weather days: if schools are closed all programs are canceled that day. Does anyone want to host an event or an outing? Please let Audet know. Also looking for ideas for March; will need any ideas by February 9. Rainbow Sage - For LBGTQ People 50 and over, meets at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Center of Western New York, 707 East Main Street Rochester, New York 14605. Yoga is from 10:30 to 11:30; $5. Per Person. Tuesday and Thursday. All programs are subject to change and Rainbow Sage members are responsible for setting up their own transportation to and from any program. All programs are open to the community and the Gay Alliance welcomes all to participate to enhance the quality of diverse, members-driven programming.
Feedback from evaluations: “She is absolutely phenomenal as a trainer and person. I have been to three other trainings… this was by far the best!!” “There was a focus on clear communication throughout. I feel like I will do better interacting with all kinds of people. It was great!! You two are awesome!!” “AWESOME! Best workshop we’ve ever had. So worth the time!” “Mind-blowing, skills-building, life-affirming. The best part was the way the facilitator helped attendees work together to come to new understandings.”
At the Sage Christmas Party.
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. The Gay Alliance, 875 East Main Street, Rochester, New York 14605 • Phone: (585) 244-8640 Fax: (585) 244-8246 Website: www.gayalliance.org E-mail: Info@gayalliance.org Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm • Board President: David Zona Board Vice President: Jessica Muratore Executive Director: Scott Fearing Education Director: Jeanne Gainsburg Database: Kat Wiggall Bookkeeper: Christopher Hennelly Office Administrator: Tristan Wright 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
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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 Advocacy for Abused Deaf Victims Mailing address: c/o ASADV, P.O. Box 20023, Rochester, NY 14602. 24-Hour Hotline: ASADVhope@gmail.com; VP: 866-936-8976; TTY/FAX : 585-232-2854. Lilac Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf (LRAD) Meets second Saturdays, 6-9pm. For location, information: rcoaster@rochester.rr.com Spectrum LGBTIQ & Straight Alliance RIT/NTID student group. <SpectrumComment@ groups.facebook.com
ELDERS Gay Alliance Rainbow Sage Many monthly get togethers, some at Open Arms MCC 707 E. Main St. 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. 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; 585-813-5081. 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.
THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
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: 122 Liberty St. Box 624, Bath, NY 14810 607-776-9166. The Health Outreach Project: 416 Central Ave., Rochester, NY 14605; 585-454-5556. Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley 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. (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 2448640 or visit: www.gayalliance.org. 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 Trillium Health See www.trilliumhealthny.org, www.everybodysgood.com LGBT Healthy Living Veterans support. Second, fourth Tuesdays, 10-11am Canandaigua VA, bldg. 9 room 8. 585 463-2731, 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.
TRANSGENDER Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester 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 Julia A. Sáenz, 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, jsaenz@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 Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 Gay Alliance office, 5th floor. 875 E. Main St., Ages 13-18. 244-8640 Genesee Valley Gender Variants Thurs. 7-9pm, Equal Grounds, 750 South Ave. GVGenderVariants@yahoogroups.com Guys Night Out Social group for transmen. Second Saturdays, 1pm, Equal Grounds, 750 South Ave. tguysnightout@gmail.com
WOMEN 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. Dr. Wende Logan-Young and an all-woman staff provide mammograms. Self Help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer (SHARE) Breast: 866-891-2392; Ovarian: 866-537-4273. Alternatives for Battered Women 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 Fridays, 7-9 pm. Gay Alliance office, 5th floor, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640; www.gayalliance.org Gay Alliance Youth Gender Identity Support Group Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 Gay Alliance office, 5th floor. 875 E. Main St., Ages 13-18. 244-8640 ■
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
Ongoing Calendar DAILY Free HIV Testing 9am-7pm. Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave. David Bohnett Cyber Center Gay Alliance 5th floor lounge, Mon.-Thurs. 11am3pm, Fri. 11am-1pm, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640; www.gayalliance.org
MONDAYS L.O.R.A. Coffee Social Weekly on Monday Nights, 7 pm. Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. Rochester. Family, Friends & Allies Welcome! Contact Person: Cathie Timian. More info: www.loragroup.org. Events: https://www. facebook.com/groups/L.O.R.A.14464/. Email: info@loragroup.org LORA Late Bloomers Coming Out Group for Women 2nd & 4th Mondays of the Month. 7 pm, Private Location. Call for info! Contact Person: Wanda Martinez. Email: sanlorenzena@yahoo.com. Phone: 585.414.9164. More info: www.loragroup. org. Events: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ L.O.R.A.14464/ Rochester Historical Bowling Society 7pm. Clover Lanes Gay Alliance Library & Archives, Every Mon./Wed. 6-8pm. David Bohnett Cyber Center, 5:30-7:30pm, First floor, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640 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. HIV Positive Men’s Support group Every Monday, 5pm, Trillium Health Center for Positive Living, 259 Monroe Ave. 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. Second, fourth Tuesdays, 10-11am Canandaigua VA, bldg. 9, room 8, Library conference room. 585 463-2731, 585 205-3360. Free syphilis testing Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave., 5-8pm. 442-2220. Women’s Community Chorus Rehearsals each Tuesday, 6:30-9pm, Downtown United Pres. Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh Street. 2344441, www.therwcc.org LORA Knitters Group 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the Month. 7pm-9:30pm, Crossroads Coffee House, 752 S. Goodman St. Rochester. Contact Person: Kerry Cater Email: dressyfemme@aol.com. More Info: www.loragroup.org Events: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/L.O.R.A.14464/
Gay Alliance Trans* Youth Support Group 5:30-6:30 pm, GAGV office, 5th floor, 875 E. Main St. Ages 13-18. 244-8640.
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. Gay Alliance Board of Directors Meets Third Wednesdays, 6pm, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640 New Freedom New Happiness AA Gay meeting, 7pm, Unitarian Church, 220 Winton Rd. Men and women. Open. Support Group for Parents who have lost Children First, 3rd Wednesdays, 11am-12:30pm, Third Presbyterian Church, 4 Meigs St. Genesee Region Home Care. Free. 325-1880 COAP Come Out and Play. Wednesday game nights. 8-11 pm. Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. 7pm, woody14619@yahoo.com. Rochester Rams General Meeting 2nd Wednesdays, 7:30pm, Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave. www.rochesterrams.com HIV+ Mixed Men’s Group Wednesdays, 11:30 am-12:30 pm. Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave. Frontrunners/Frontwalkers 6pm, Eastman House parking lot. www.rochesterfrontrunners.org. Gay Alliance Library & Archives, Every Mon./Wed. 6-8pm. David Bohnett Cyber Center, 5:30-7:30pm, First floor, 875 E. Main St. 244-8640 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 Free confidential walk-in HIV testing M, W, R, F 9 am-7 pm; T 9a,-5pm., Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave. 442-2220 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
Legal name change? Birth certificate amendment? You’ll need those forms notarized! Our Notary can help! Schedule a free appointment today! Call 585 244-8640 or email: info@gayalliance.org
LORA - Buffalo Women’s Coffee Social Weekly on Thursday Nights, 6pm. Spot Coffee, 765 Elmwood, Buffalo. Contact Person: Barb Henderson Email: Morningstar5588@yahoo.com More Info: www.loragroup.org. Events: https:// www.facebook.com/groups/buffaloles/
FRIDAYS Gay Men’s AA meeting Fridays, 7:30-8:30pm, Closed meeting. Emmanuel Baptist Church, 815 Park Ave. Gay Alliance Youth Fridays, 7-9pm, Gay Alliance, 5th floor, 875 E. Main St., 244-8640; youth@gayalliance.org GLBTQI Motorcycle Group Second Fridays, 5:30pm, Various locations. RochesterGLBTIQbikers@yahoo.com; 467-6456; bmdaniels@frontiernet.net. 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 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. Lilac Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf (LRAD) 2nd Saturdays, 6-9pm. rcoaster@rochester.rr.com 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) 585 813-5081; 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 LORA Sunday Brunch 1st & 3rd Sunday of the Month, 11:30am 1:30pm. Jays Diner, 2612 W. Henrietta Rd., Rochester. Contact Person: Cathie Timian. More info: www.loragroup.org. Events: https://www.facebook.com/groups/L.O.R.A.14464/. Email: info@ loragroup.org Gutter Gals - Bowling 2nd & 4th Sundays, 6:30pm - 9:30pm. Bowl A Roll, 1560 Jefferson Rd. $5.70 for 2 games & $2.50 for shoes. For more info: http://www. facebook.com/groups/guttergals/Contact Person: Cathie: Email: ctimian@l-o-r-a.com; Phone: 585.313.3037 ■
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ROCHESTER AA/NA MEETINGS Every week there are four regularly scheduled GLBTI AA and two inclusive NA meetings in Rochester.
ROCHESTER TUESDAYS
AA/NA MEETINGS
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 486 • FEBRUARY 2015
February SUNDAY 1
Imbolc, Candlemas. Ancient Celtic Fire Feast of Light. Sacred tree: rowan. Through Feb. 2. Open Arms MCC Adult Sunday School begins. 9 am, “Living the Questions”. 707 E. Main St. Registration opens for UR Healthcare Across the Generations, 7:30 am4:30 pm, April 25. grace_fuller@urmc. rochester.edu
MONDAY 2
Open Arms MCC weekly book study begins. Facilitator Sara Campbell. 6:30 pm, Equal Grounds Coffee House, 750 South Ave.
SATURDAY 7
The Red Ball: Puttin’ On The Glitz.” A Community Valentine’s Dance. 7-11pm. Diplomat Banquet Center, 1956 Lyell Ave. 14606. Tickets $20 advance, $30 at door. Purchase online www.gayalliance.org or at Equal=Grounds, OUTlandish (cash only), Parkleigh, Hedonist Artisan Chocolates. Everyone welcome. 1920s era attire encouraged – best dressed awards. DJ Chuck Argento, speakeasy hooch, hors d’oeuvres, photo booth and props, raffle.
SUNDAY 8
Dignity Integrity. Episcopal Mass/ Healing Service, with music, 5 pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.
THURSDAY 12
Out & Equal Second Thursdays Networking. 5:30-7:30 pm, The Lovin’ Cup Bistro & Brews, 300 Park Point Drive, Suite 101. RSVP Facebook Group Out & Equal Finger Lakes, oenyfingerlakes.groupsite.com.
SATURDAY 14
Trans Alliance of Greater Rochester (TAGR). 3 to 5 pm, second Saturday Planning Group meeting. Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St.
SUNDAY 15
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
SATURDAY 28
TAGR. Last Saturdays education meeting. Speaker: Julia Saenz of the LGBT Rights Project. 3-5:30 pm, Open Arms MCC, 707 E. Main St. ■
MONDAY 16
Empty Closet deadline for March issue. 244-9030; susanj@gayalliance.org. The Abominable Crime, documentary on Jamaican homophobia, airs on PBS (AfroPop 2.0 8pm, WXXI DT-21.2; WORLD 1275).
SATURDAY 21
“Strengthening our LGBTQ and Ally Communities through the LENS of DIFFERENCE: Race, Sexual Orientation, Gender and Gender Expression”. 8:45 am to 12 pm. MOCHA Center, 189 N. Water St., Suite 1, Rochester 14604. A $10 donation appreciated. RSVP: Anne Tischer 244-8640, x13, annet@gayalliance.org Dignity Integrity Winter Cabin Party. 6 pm. “Comfort Food.” Buckland Lodge in Brighton. Bring dish to pass and favorite game or two. Hotline at 585-2345092 or website at www.di-rochester.org/ for updates on services and activities. Rochester Butch-Femme Connection. Meet at Jay’s Diner on West Henrietta Rd. (Route 15) at 7 pm. For further information, call Max at (585) 957-6627 or email Kerry at DressyFemme@aol.com.
SUNDAY 22
Dignity Integrity. Episcopal Mass, quiet. 5 pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.
Classified ads are $5 for the first 30 words; each additional 10 words is another $1. We do not bill for classifieds, so please send or bring ad and payment to: The Empty Closet, 875 E. Main Street, Suite 500, Rochester, New York 14605. 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.
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.
Open Arms MCC film screening: “King: A Filmed Record From Montgomery to Memphis”. Also Feb. 28. 707 E. Main St. at (585) 271-8478; website openarmsmcc.org
Dignity Integrity. Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Word, with music. 5 pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.
Classifieds
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FRIDAY 27
Alan & Bill 585-204-0632 or cell 304517-6832. Martin Ippolito master electrician. Electrical work, telephone jacks, cable TV, burglar alarm systems, paddle fans. 585-266-6337. Wedding Space and clergy services available. Celebrate your special day at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church, 707 E. Main St. info@ openarmsmcc.org (585) 271-8478.
FOR RENT
House for Rent, 77 Whiteford Road (off Mount Hope near Rowe Photo). White Coat District. Walking/biking Distance to The University of Rochester and Strong Memorial Hospital. $1,100/ month plus Deposit. Quiet neighborhood, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, Living room, dining room, kitchen, Driveway, Private fenced back yard, Front Porch, Oven, Refrigerator, Dishwasher, microwave, fireplace, Central air conditioning, Washer/ dryer, Water included. 461-9184 ■
PFLAG MEETS
3RD SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH Meetings are at Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church 707 E. Main St., Rochester, NY 14605 from 1 to 3pm. Questions? Call: 585-813-5081 RochesterPFLAG@gmail.com Join us!
Do Good Work Make Good y e n o M The Gay Alliance is seeking a reliable, energetic self-starter to sell Empty Closet advertising for a generous commission. For more information, phone Susan Jordan at 2449030 or e-mail: susanj@ gayalliance.org
FEBRUARY 2015 • NUMBER 486 • THE GAY ALLIANCE • THE EMPTY CLOSET
The Empty Closet is published by the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley 875 E. Main Street, Suite 500 Rochester, New York 14605 © 2014, All rights reserved.
Bed & Breakfast
Editor-in-Chief: Susan Jordan Staff Reporter: Ove Overmyer Graphic Design: Jim Anderson 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, 875 E. Main St., Rochester NY. 14605, call (585) 244-9030 or e-mail emptycloset@gagv.us. The Empty Closet is the official publication of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, Inc., as stated in the bylaws of that organization. Its purpose is to inform the Rochester gay community about local and national gayrelated news and events; to provide a forum for ideas and creative work from the local gay community; to help promote leadership within the community, and to be a part of a national network of lesbian and gay publications that exchange ideas and seek to educate. Part of our purpose is to maintain a middle position with respect to the entire community. We must be careful to present all viewpoints in a way that takes into consideration the views of all – women, men, people of color, young and old, and those from various walks of life. The opinions of columnists, editorial writers and other contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the collective attitude of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley or The Empty Closet. The Empty Closet shall not be liable for any loss or expense that results from the publication (whether correctly or incorrectly) or omission of an ad. In the event of non-payment, your account may be assigned to a collection agency or an attorney, and will be liable for the charges paid by us to such collection agency or attorney. Letters to the editor: The opinions of columnists, editorial writers and other contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the collective attitude of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley or The Empty Closet. We will print letters at the editor’s discretion and on a space available basis. Only one letter by the same writer in a six-month period is allowed. We will not print personal attacks on individuals, nor will we be a forum for ongoing disputes between individuals. We reserve the right to edit for space and clarity. We will print anonymous letters if the name and phone number are provided to the Editor; confidentiality will be respected. Submissions are due by the 15th of the month at: The Empty Closet, 875 E. Main Street, Suite 500, Rochester, NY 14605; e-mail: emptycloset@gagv.us. The online edition of EC is available at www.gayalliance.org.
Say I Do! LGBTQ Wedding Expo – Sunday, March 8 • 1 - 4 pm Radisson Airport Hotel, 175 Jefferson Road, Rochester LGBTQ Wedding Expo will allow you to find planners, florists, photographers and more for your special day. At Say I Do! everyone is LGBTQ-friendly, no need to ask or wonder. Meet vendors who want to help you make your marriage celebration as grand as your imaginations can conceive. Phone: 585-475-1910
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THE EMPTY CLOSET • THE GAY ALLIANCE • NUMBER 486 • FEBRUARY 2015