Empty Closet, July 2017

HEADLINERS

SINCE 1972 - ONE OF THE FIRST LGBTQ PUBLICATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

Amanda Lee Peers

Ray Isaac

JULY 2017

Photo: Doug Meszler

NUMBER 513

PRIDE

The Empty Closet

Section 1: Equality Rally for Unity and Pride • Why do we need Pride? • Out & About

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JULY 2017

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Contents

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Equality for Unity & Pride rally • GO ART! • Sassy in the South Wedge • Why Pride? • Trans voices on GENDA • Big Queer Prom • Trans Town Hall • Pride Family Fun • Black Pride • Interfaith Spirit • Pride Festival headliners

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14 24 Rally marks Pulse massacre; two hate assaults occurred here in June Two recent instances of physical attacks involving antiLGBTQ hate speech in the city of Rochester have been reported to the Gay Alliance and the Rochester Police Department.

On June 12, Alliance Executive Director Scott Fearing called for alertness from the local LGBTQ+ community. “While all people of all identities should feel safe and secure to travel any street at any hour, we know that is far from reality. Nationally there has been a spike in biased assaults towards members of our communities. We remind our communities to stay vigilant; this is especially true after hours and when out walking at night.”

Managing Director Jeff Myers added, “Travel in pairs, use phones and apps to let your friends and loved ones know where you are, and be mindful of your surroundings. It is deeply unfortunate that we must ask people to do this but we want everyone to stay safe. Both of the recent incidents occurred late at night and in both cases the person was overpowered from behind and the perpetrators also stole their backpacks.”

On June 12, the Rochester LGBTQ community recognized the one-year mark of the Pulse nightclub massacre, with a memorial event at 679 University Avenue. Around 100 people and Mayor Lovely Warren attended the event. Above: Wanda Martinez-Johncox at the Pulse memorial. Photo: Manuel Peña

4 The Empty Closet is published by the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley 100 College Avenue, Rochester, New York 14607 © 2017, All rights reserved.

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

Submissions: For publication, submit news items, ads, photos, letters, stories, poetry, ads, photographs or art by mail or in person to The Empty Closet office by the 15th of the month. Design services for non-camera ready ads are available for a fee. 244-9030, susanj@gayalliance.org Publication Information: The Empty Closet is published 11 times a year (December and January combined) by The Empty Closet Press for the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, Inc. Approximately 5000 copies of each issue are distributed during the first week of the month, some by mail in a plain sealed envelope. The publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles is not an indication of the sexual or affectional orientation of that person or the members of that organization. For further information, please write to The Empty Closet, 100 College Avenue, Rochester NY. 14607, call (585) 244-9030 or e-mail emptycloset@gagv.us.

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

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

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

Letters to the editor: The opinions of columnists, editorial writers and other contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the collective attitude of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley or The Empty Closet.

We will print letters at the editor’s discretion and on a space available basis. Only one letter by the same writer in a six-month period is allowed. We will not print personal attacks on individuals, nor will we be a forum for ongoing disputes between individuals.

We reserve the right to edit for space and clarity. We will print anonymous letters if the name and phone number are provided to the Editor; confidentiality will be respected. Submissions are due by the 15th of the month at: The Empty Closet, 100 College Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607; e-mail: susanj@ gayalliance.org. The online edition of EC is available at www.gayalliance.org.

Perspective

JULY 2017

All Ways Authentic

SCOTT FEARING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR “Personal authenticity is often defined as being true and honest with oneself and others, having a credibility in one’s words and behavior, and an absence of pretense,” says Dr. Ben Yacobi in his 2012 article in Philosophy Now magazine.

Discussions of an authentic life bring forward thoughts of a life imbued with high personal standards, integrity, and honesty. Yacobi goes on to explain that “the social barrier to achieving authenticity (or self-realization) was emphasized by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78), who argued that personal authenticity is diminished by the need for the esteem of others in societies characterized by hierarchy, inequality, and interdependence.

According to Rousseau, authenticity is derived from the natural self, whereas inauthenticity is a result of external influences.”

Reading the words of this long dead philosopher may seem irrelevant in today’s googlfied, social media world, where so much of our “esteem of others” is based on a cyber-society that presents as egalitarian but is as full of “hierarchy, inequality, and interdependence” as any other social system.

The Gay Alliance has spent 44 years advocating for LGBTQ people to live authentic lives. We have worked to encourage people to be true and honest with themselves and others in how they live and love. As Yacobi explains, “authenticity is also essential for the discovery of the truth, and for finding fulfillment in life, making it more meaningful and comprehensible.”

For the LGBTQ communities personal authenticity has been summarized in the phrase “coming out.”

However, long before Harvey Milk called on LGBTQ people to “come out,” others had been called to come out, to live authentically.

Some of Rochester’s most famous residents, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony called on people to be “out.” They often did not use that word, but they encouraged people to come out from behind the diminishment put upon

them by society and to live honestly and authentically. There would be no National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) without people who are Deaf coming out. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) did not exist until people with disabilities came out.

Coming out is a personal and a shared journey. Being true and honest with oneself is critical, but coming out helps to create a community identity that challenges social expectations, shatters invisibility and encourages allies to help end bias and bigotry.

The Gay Alliance is Rochester’s “Champion of LGBTQ Life and Culture.” We do this in many ways, from providing a place for our communities to gather within the LGBTQ Resource Center to encouraging social change. All of our efforts focus on full LGBTQ equity and inclusion.

In 1973, a group of forward-looking students on the campus of the University of Rochester decided to move the student group “The Gay Liberation Front” off campus and create a nonprofit organization. At the time they debated what to call the new organization. Let me say that when they settled on “Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley” it was not without conflict, but because in 1970s America, the term “Gay” was the radical, yet palatable, way to include expanding views of gender and sexuality.

But times have changed… and so must we.

As identities of diversity and inclusion evolve we have worked hard to ensure that our programs and our language have evolved in all areas but

one… our name. In our LGBTQ Academy education classes, we tell participants that the secret to success with language is to ensure that what you say does not “demean, exclude or offend.”

Truth is that for a number of years, our name has done those things to members of our own communities.

In the spring of 2015, the leadership of the Alliance began conversations with community members, conducted focus groups and online surveys about a potential name change. We heard many suggestions and ruminated over them all.

I am very pleased to announce that beginning in the fall of 2017 we will change our name to the Out Alliance, a simple change of three letters, but a major change none the less. We will also be removing the geographic element of our name because our work touches lives well beyond the Genesee Valley.

We have co-sponsored clinics to help community members with name changes, but we now know how challenging the process is to complete! As we work through all of the legal steps, we will again turn to you for help.

You helped us select a new name, now we are looking for the community to help us select a new look. At ROC Pride Fest we will have a special tent where we will have a few final designs for a new logo. We will be presenting them and asking you for comments, suggestions and feedback.

After Pride we will take your feedback and work to complete our transition and thanks to your help, we will roll out our new inclusive name and look as we prepare to celebrate our 45th birthday.

“…fall of 2017 we will change our name to the Out Alliance, a simple change of 3 letters, but a major change….”

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PHOTO: DOUG MESZLER

PHOTO: BESS WATTS

PHOTO: DOUG MESZLER

Unity and action were the messages as area groups and individuals spoke at the Equality Rally for Unity and Pride on June 11.

ing “The Trump administration has erased LGTBQ seniors – this is identity genocide … We have to change the system.”

Rosemary Rivera of Citizen Action NY said, “I am a Puerto Rican lesbian! Married to this gorgeous Black woman! Living in a white world.

Yet I have a vision… We imagine a world where we can be what we truly are. My vision persists… “We build together, come together for equity, unity and love.”

The Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus sang and the rally ended with a Solidarity Dance.

PHOTOS: DOUG MESZLER

beings and that makes us all one. So we can live with each other in peace.”

Chris Hildebrandt, disability activist, spoke about the Trump administration’s cuts to Medicare and the Americans With Disabilities Act, which threaten the survival of disabled people. He added, “We are all under attack by Trump and his cronies, but are we united? …We must be a peace and justice army!”

Bess Watts of Pride at Work AFL CIO said, “Shouting isn’t a strategic plan. What is useful is being civilly engaged in our community and making our elected officials accountable.

We must reach beyond our comfort zone and reach out…”

Jaclyn Richards of Rochester NOW said, “We must stand in solidarity with marchers in D.C. and across the country. Now more than ever our voices must be heard. We are not going back.”

Christine Noble of Metro Justice, a trans woman, said, “Now rights we’ve begun to take for granted are under siege again. Our rights came from organizing. We need to advocate for ourselves and others… and stand in unity.”

Charon Settlers-LeBlanc from Moms Demand Action said that she has lost three people to gun violence.

She noted, “There are 20 hate crimes in America every day… It’s growing due to rhetoric targeting the most marginalized. Don’t agonize, organize!”

Mercedes Phelan of Rochester NOW read a poem by Maya Angelou, ending “Equality -- and I will be free!”

Anne Tischer, SAGE organizer, talked about LGBTQ elders, say-

PHOTO: BESS WATTS

By Susan Jordan The message was clear: unity, love and committed strategic organizing can defeat the politics of hatred. Each of the speakers at the Out for Equity Rally at Washington Square Park on June 11 agreed that America’s diverse communities must unite and organize to defend our civil and human rights.

Scott Fearing, executive director, announced that the Gay Alliance will now be known as the Out Alliance.

He said, “Live out, live authentically.”

Alliance Board President Colleen Raimond welcomed the crowd of 150 people. She said, “We will do what we have done since Stonewall – we refuse to be silent.”

Each speaker affirmed the need for solidarity and action. NYS Assemblymember Harry Bronson spoke about the Pulse victims and about Harvey Milk. He said, “Milk worked not only for gay rights but for workers, women, people of color… We must unify.”

Michelle Casey, CEO of Planned Parenthood, said, “We stand together and take the higher ground for love and justice. Our liberation is tied together.”

Mara Ahmed, representing the Muslim community, asked, “What is the meaning of equality?” and said, “We must imagine a new definition of equality” – one that includes all oppressed groups.

Corey Smith of TKITTS (trans resources) talked about his harsh experiences as a trans child and youth, and added, “If you see someone who needs help, step up and say something. We’re in this together.”

Faziri Ndahiro of Global Refugee Services told the crowd, “We are labeled refugees… we are human

PHOTO: DOUG MESZLER

Equality Rally for Unity and Pride

Scott Fearing

Harry Bronson

Michelle Casey

Mara Ahmed

ChaRon Sattler-LeBlanc

Chris Hildebrant

Bess Watts

Jaclyn Richard

Colleen Raimond

Mercedes Phelan

Rosemary Rivera

Christine Noble

Corey Smith

Faziri Ndahiro

Anne Tischer

OUT & about 6

And that’s just the beginning. Everywhere you look across the state there are sandy freshwater beaches, amusement and water parks, museums and historic sites, open air dining and so much more. So, don’t sit at home, sweating it out while the summer passes you by. Get out and venture around New

JULY 2017

York State – it’s not too late to have the time of your life.

Ross D. Levi is Vice President Marketing Initiatives, Empire State Development / NYS Division of Tourism, and coordinator of I LOVE NEW YORK LGBT. More information on planning a NYS LGBT vacation is available at iloveny.com/lgbt.

When in NYC: Ferry Cross The City

Last Minute Beat the Heat Escapes: It’s not too late to break out for a New York State getaway

By Ross D. Levi So, you never got around to planning that amazing summer vacation for this year. OK, totally understandable; your life is crazy busy. You’re still a good person. But now it’s 92 degrees outside and your coworkers are jetting off to glamorous long weekends in beautiful country locales. Meanwhile, you are about to lose your hard-earned vacation days and your weekend plans consist of binge watching TV and a struggling air conditioner.

Fear not! One of the best things about living in New York State is that you’re never more than a couple hours away from a rejuvenating getaway that feels like an extended vacation without wasting half of five days traveling there and back.

You might decide to head west. Nothing cools you off like a walk under Niagara Falls at the Cave of the Winds or a cruise to the base of the falls onboard the historic Maid of the Mist. Add adrenaline to your experience with a jet boat adventure in the swirling whitewater of the Niagara Gorge.

Or maybe you want a more calming experience on the water, like a Summer Wind Cruise on Chautauqua Lake in Jamestown. There are outdoor performances at venues like the Chautauqua Institution, Canalside on Buffalo’s waterfront and Artpark in Lewiston. You can stroll the 450 acres of Griffis Sculpture Park or enjoy a weekend of activities at full service resorts like Holiday Valley and Peek’n Peak.

You may decide to head north. In America, the word “vacation” was first used for vacating the city to the cool-

ing forests of the Adirondacks. You can be active and go hiking, kayaking or whitewater rafting, or choose to relax by taking the Cloudsplitter gondola to the top of Little Whiteface Mountain, where the temperature is always a few degrees cooler.

In the Thousand IslandsSeaway, you can tour the Antique Boat Museum and ride on one of their vintage wooden cruisers. Join a scenic cruise to see the mansions on Millionaire’s Row and tour island castles. And there is lodging for all price levels, from high end resorts to comfortable mom-and-pop hotels, inns and B+Bs. The middle of the state holds charms as well. It’s always a cool 52 degrees when you’re twenty stories down at Howe Caverns in Central New York. The appeal of Cooperstown goes well beyond the Baseball Hall of Fame, with award-winning craft beer and outdoor concerts at Brewery Ommegang and lakeside opera at the Glimmerglass Festival. In the Capital-Saratoga region, it’s time for the annual running of the thoroughbreds at stately Saratoga Race Course, and outdoor music at Sara-

toga Performing Arts Center and theater in Washington Park in Albany. Craft beverages await at Nine Pin Cider Works in Albany, and at Brown’s Brewing Company in Troy and North Hoosick.

Down south, the Catskills has been drawing summer visitors for decades. Guests catch concerts under the stars at Bethel Woods; site of the Woodstock Music Festival, try their hand at fly fishing or tube or raft down the Delaware River.

In the nearby Hudson Valley region, art lovers take in the views from Olana, home of Hudson River School artist Frederick Church, or walk outside among the sculptures at Storm King Arts Center, The Fields Sculpture Park at Omi or at Opus 40. Others gaze down on the river from 21 stories up on the Walkway Over the Hudson.

If the ocean’s your thing, there is no substitute for the beaches of Long Island.

The island also has great shopping in places like the Hamptons and Americans Manhasset, and the award winning wineries on the North and South Forks only complement the fun.

For those who want to stay closer to home but still beat the heat, there are Finger Lakes summer wonders like stone paths among and behind the waterfalls at Watkins State Park, breezes through the “Grand Canyon of the East” at Letchworth State Park south of Rochester, afternoon trips on wine trails, air conditioned outlet shopping and dining at Destiny USA, and cruising along the Erie Canal.

By Merle Exit You may be familiar with the NYC Ferry that takes you from Staten Island to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Now, you can go to just about every borough of New York City for the price of a New York Transit bus or subway, thanks to the Hornblower company.

New York City has a new ferry system with 20 vessels operating at 22 landings. Hornblower has given the city the newest way to “Work, Live, and Play” throughout the New York Harbor.

One of the original purposes was to transport people to work and help alleviate the subway crowd. For instance, it is quite a long ride from Rockaway, Queens to the Wall Street area if you take mass transit, let alone the crowdedness. Instead, you can now hop a ferry from the 108th St. landing and arrive at Wall Street about an hour later. If you are not going to work and want to take the ride as a tourist, the South Street Seaport is blocks away in one direction.

This route first stops in a Brooklyn area called Sunset Park, where you can transfer to another ferry that takes you to other areas of Brooklyn. South Brooklyn route connects Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Army Terminal, Red Hook, Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1 and 6 and Wall Street, with an optional link to Governor’s Island.

Astoria, another area of Queens, will connect to Roosevelt Island (Cornell Tech), Long Island City, East 34th Street (in Manhattan) and Wall Street. The existing East River Ferry is now the East River route in the NYC Ferry network, with the cost of that service lowering to $2.75 per single trip, the same cost as single subway ride.

Soundview and Lower East Side routes will launch in Summer 2018.

I traveled the route from Rockaway to Wall Street just to feel it out and take photos. There is plenty of indoor seating as well as outdoors on the upstairs deck. So far snacks and refreshments that include wine and beer are available for purchase. However, you can bring your own food and drink on board, although I don’t believe that “hard liquor” is allowed.

In other words, if you come to New York City and are staying in Manhattan, you can go to the beach in Rockaway for $2.75.

If that landing doesn’t suit you, there is a free shuttle bus that will take you to other spots in the area including a fabulous Thai restaurant called Thai Rock (actually, you can walk there from the landing).

I will be continuing with this to include sites and restaurants.

My suggestion is to stay at a hotel or whatever in Queens. There is not only much to do here, I believe that accommodations cost less than in Manhattan. Visit www.ferry.nyc

The NYC ferry.

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You can adopt!

Adoption Information Seminar Presented by Adoption Place of Jewish Family Service of Rochester

Tuesday, August 8, 6-8pm The Gay Alliance 100 College Avenue Rochester, New York 14607

RSVP: lglasner@jfsrochester.org, 585-461-0110

NYS authorized adoption agency Made possible by

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JULY 2017

News to use Seneca Falls Convention Days Festival includes LGBTQ programs Exciting events will be happening at Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls this month. The largest event of the year, the Convention Days 2017 Festival, will take place July 14-16. This event will include a couple of LGBTQ programs.

Shauna Marie O’Toole from the We Exist Coalition of the Finger Lakes will be giving a book talk.

There will also be a special presentation from Megan Springate, who edited the National Park Service’s LGBTQ Theme Study.

Additional information can be found on Women’s Rights National Historical Park’s Facebook page or website.

Shauna Marie O’Toole

Local trans people talk about the need for GENDA

By Susan Jordan This spring the Republicandominated NYS Senate voted down GENDA, the bill which would codify basic anti-discrimination protections for trans New Yorkers. The NYS Assembly has passed the bill for

10 years, and the Senate has for nine years blocked it from coming to a vote on the floor.

This year, GENDA lead sponsor Sen. Daniel Squadron (a Democrat), forced the bill onto the floor, where it was voted down 6-3 by Republicans and Bronx Democrat Ruben Diaz Sr., described by Paul Schindler in Gay City News as “an implacable foe of LGBTQ rights”.

How does the continued blocking and rejection of this basic civil rights bill affect the personal lives of trans and gender expansive members of our community?

Shauna Marie O’Toole, Director, We Exist Coalition of the Finger Lakes: GENDA seems to be a sticking point in the Republican-held NY State Senate. All it does is add five words to already working antidiscrimination laws: Gender Identity And Gender Expression. All this fear seems to be centered on this made-up notion of bathroom issues.

It is not about bathrooms. Not really. This is a contrived issue that is no different than the controversy over water fountains and bus seats was in the ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s. This is about removing public accommodation of a minority group. Without access to public accommodations, we can’t work. We can’t shop. We cannot do anything that other groups do! All the easier to remove a People from the public eye and facilitate all forms of discrimination. Out of sight – out of mind, and out of luck. That is what is keeping GENDA from coming to the State Senate floor for a vote is all about. Fear.

Genesis Nunlee, trans activist: GENDA is important because as comfortable as you may be with your gender identity, and as much as you may not be trans, discrimination based on ignorant biases and stereotypes about trans people will still likely affect you as a cis queer person.

While gender and sexuality are not inherently related and gender expression is incredibly personal and nuanced, society as a whole has the habit of blurring lines for simplicity of understanding. What this translates into is mainstream society not

Genesis Nunlee

distinguishing cis queer people and trans queer people, which means that majority violence perpetuated against one is violence perpetrated against all.

However, inside the community there is a struggle, because while we seem to be able to unite in the face of violence and adversity (perpetuated by the heteronormative mainstream society), we stumble and fracture when we attempt progress which leaves behind the most marginalized groups in our community (anyone who isn’t white, cis, and traditionally masculine presenting) for a false veneer of unity.

The concern seems to be “how do I get my privilege back” rather than “how do I dismantle the systems of inequity that cause everyone to suffer”.

This is where education comes into play in a variety of ways. But if education is the sword then proactive legislation is a vital shield. As a trans person, I am willing (though often forced) to become my own weapon in the fight against ignorance. The passing of GENDA affords me at least some sort of armor when that fight inevitably gets ugly. The repeal of sodomy laws (and subsequent passing of hate crime statutes) certainly did not end homophobia in America but rather than having to rush naked into battle, de jure protections ensured there would be some kind of defense or net to fall back on. As a trans and gender nonconforming person I am currently not protected in my fight

and GENDA would definitely help in that.

Trans people cannot do this alone, and we need allies from all sides. We need our cisgender and heterosexual allies to speak to their communities and we need our queer siblings to recognize that our battle as trans people continues to rage on despite all the legislative progress that has been made. Painful words and actions will come from those who disagree with our humanity, but that is precisely why we need GENDA, so that those disagreements don’t turn into legally protected persecution and worse.

Ultimately, GENDA is about being able to express yourself as you see fit and not having to worry about legally being discriminated against because of it. And while this is important to everyone, it is imperative to recognize that the trans and gender non-conforming community is currently unarmored and we need this protection if we are to survive, let alone thrive.

Justice Paul Feinman

Cuomo nominates out gay man to Court of Appeals On June 16, Governor Andrew Cuomo made judicial history by nominating Associate Justice Paul Feinman to the New York Court of Appeals.

He is the first openly LGBT per(Continues page 10)

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10 (Continued from page 8) son to serve on the state’s high court.

Lambda Legal applauds Governor Cuomo’s selection of Justice Paul Feinman to fill the vacant seat on the New York Court of Appeals left by the tragic death of Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam: “Justice Paul Feinman, who is openly gay, has a long and highly distinguished career as a jurist. With this historic appointment, Justice Feinman will become New York’s first openly LGBT person to serve on the high court.

“Justice Feinman serves on the Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission of the New York State Courts, where he has demonstrated his commitment to equality and justice for all New Yorkers.

“It is more important than ever that our courts reflect the rich diversity of our country. Justice Feinman brings not only integrity and experience to the New York Court of Appeals, but also groundbreaking diversity.

“Our courts are charged with providing every person with equal access to justice, and yet for some, justice has not always been a reality. A diverse judicial system improves the quality of justice and boosts public confidence in our courts.”

– Lambda Legal

Trans Town Hall: More education, visibility needed

By Shauna O’Toole On June 14, members of the Transgender/Gender Expansive (Trans/GE) and LGBQ Communities gathered at Trillium Health to discuss the status of Transgender rights and protections here in the greater Rochester area. The discussion was led by Juli Grey-Owens of Gender Equality New York.

Participants agreed that the goals and vision for our area remain constant – create a supportive environment that deals fairly with social and economic issues. There are numerous challenges that can affect this vision, not the least of which are education and visibility.

While there is a general increase of acceptance of Trans/GE people, there is still much education that needs to be done. Numerous communities outside of Rochester do not have coded protections. Nor are they as accepting of Trans/GE people. Again, this is something that can be overcome with education and visibility. The suggestion

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Juli Grey-Owens. Photo: Susan Jordan

was made to have public Trans-101’s at various locations. Not only would this address the public education concern, but would increase our visibility.

Economic issues remain a high concern. Poverty rates among the Trans/GE Community are significantly higher than the rest of the population. Accepted or not, finding employment can be difficult. Gentrification of neighborhoods in Rochester makes it harder to find a place to live. Job training and education in general is critical to moving forward.

On the other hand, there are many positive things happening in the City of Rochester. City laws protecting Trans/GE People have passed and are in the Human Rights section of the city charter. The Mayor and City Council are supportive and accepting.

Updated training for the Rochester Police Department on working with the transgender public has been instituted. Strong Memorial Hospital has a program for Transgender/Gender Expansive adolescents.

The Community has come a long way. There is much yet to be done.

Susan B. Anthony Museum to celebrate suffrage with flotilla of canal boats The National Susan B Anthony Museum & House has begun major plans to commemorate the centennial of woman suffrage in New York State in 2017. VoteTilla – a weeklong navigational celebration – will take place along the Erie Canal from July 16 – 22.

A core group of canal boats will set out from Seneca Falls and travel to Rochester, with a concluding celebration at the Anthony Museum on Madison Street.

LGBTQ COMMISSION: NYS is the only state to have a LGBTQ Commission addressing access in the courts. The Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission of the NY State Courts and the 7th Judicial District held a Pride event at the Hall of Justice on June 14. Above: Marc Levine, Executive Director, the Richard C. Failla LGTBQ Commission of the New York State Courts; Scott MacPherson, Staff Attorney, Volunteer Legal Services Project, Inc.; Amy Schwartz, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney, Empire Justice, Inc.; Ronald Pawelczak, District Executive, 7th Judicial District; Hon. Joanne Winslow, Associate Justice , 4th Appellate Department; Hon. Caroline Morrison, Judge, Rochester City Court; Maxwell Simmons, Senior Court Office Assistant, Wayne County Family Court; Hon. Craig J. Doran, Administrative Judge, 7th Judicial District.

Throughout the week, VoteTilla boats will dock at several towns and villages along the route. Local residents and partner organizations are invited to share in the celebration by offering programming and excursions or by adding their own boats to the traveling fleet. Current partners include Bristol Valley Theatre, Canal Society of New York State, the City of Rochester, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor,

the RIT Women’s and Gender Studies Coordinating Committee, Rochester Museum & Science Center, Susan B Anthony Neighborhood Association, the Seward House, and the University of Rochester’s Susan B Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership.

The VoteTilla celebration immediately follows both the July 4th Bicentennial Celebration of the New York State Canals and the Convention Days weekend in Seneca Falls.

H E A D L I N E S National and International News

Read the breaking national and international LGBTQ news five days a week on EmptyClosetNews/Facebook and gayalliance.org, click on Empty Closet.

Openly gay Leo Varadkar is elected Prime Minster of Ireland

An out gay man has now been officially installed as Prime Minister of Ireland.

A second House Republican backs the LGBTQ Equality Act

Following the lead of Florida’s Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, GOP Rep. Scott Taylor has become the second GOP lawmaker to support the Equality Act.

Illinois bans “gay panic” murder defense

Violent attacks on LGBTQ people will no longer be justified as “gay panic”.

Thousands march for LGBTQ equality in Warsaw

The 17th annual Equality Parade took place as Poland’s conservative government continues to oppose civil unions for same-sex couples.

Kenne McFadden of San Antonio, Texas is the 12th trans person of color murdered this year

Again this year most of the trans women murdered are African American.

Scott Lively, US pastor who exported anti gay laws, escapes “crimes against humanity” lawsuit The evangelical preacher’s Ugandan crimes against humanity case was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, but the judge made a scathing attack on Lively.

NCAVP report: 2016 the deadliest year for antiLGBT violence

NCAVP collected data on 1,036 incidents of hate violence against LGBTQ and HIV-affected people from 12 local NCAVP member organizations in 11 states.

Ithaca trans woman Josie Berrios is 13th victim

NCAVP mourns the homicide of Josie Berrios, a transgender woman of color killed in Ithaca, New York; the 13th reported killing of a transgender person of color NCAVP has responded to in 2017.

Lesbian police officer shoots DC attacker, saves lives of Republicans

Capitol Police officer Crystal Griner, one of three being hailed as heroes for intervening in a gunman’s attack on Republican congressmen at a baseball practice, is married to a woman.

JULY 2017

Bess Watts

Constitutional convention ripe for abuse

By Bess Watts, Pride At Work AFL CIO On November 7, 2017, New York voters will be asked if the state should hold a convention to re-write the New York State Constitution. Such a convention could cost taxpayers over 300 million and could allow devastating changes to our constitution. Who is driving this idea & why?

Those in favor cite the need for ethics reform and limits on gerrymandering while those against question the wisdom of opening the constitu-

Opinion tion up to alteration by the same corrupt big money players that currently hold the public good hostage in Albany. Well-financed pro-convention groups are trying to dominate the early discussion and mislead voters with false advertising claims that this will be a “people’s convention”.

There is currently a process in place to change the NYS Constitution that has been used over 200 times since 1984. The state legislature creates referendum questions for the ballot during general elections and citizens decide. A number of ballot questions were voted on in 2013 including the constitutional change needed to build the Del Lago Resort & Casino in Waterloo. When a process to change the constitution currently exists why risk giving entrenched politicians and big money influencers access to alter constitutional protections for workers, the environment, women, minorities and schools?

The Adirondack mountains are protected by a “forever wild” clause in the constitution. Lobbyists say that those protections are “unlikely” to be altered. Frankly, “unlikely” is not good enough when we see federal parklands being sold off, mined and privatized. The constitution also protects public education and the right for working people to organize

and collectively bargain. Women & LGBTQ people should be concerned about the introduction of “Religious Freedom” clauses and the use of tax funds for religious schools. Gun control, women’s reproductive rights and protective tax limits for the wealthiest would be on the table.

A constitutional convention is ripe for abuse. It’s a financial boondoggle enabling system-savvy politicians to make up to an extra $80,000 annually on top of the salaries they already receive. There is no timeline to complete delegate work or limitations on who they can pay to “assist” them. Taxpayers will get stuck with the tab. The money spent on a Constitutional Convention would be better spent investing in our schools, our crumbling infrastructure and vital public services.

Survey data has shown that when voters are presented with the facts regarding a constitutional convention, they overwhelmingly oppose it. I hope you will too.

I BELONG!

By Kennan Beckstrand Growing up LGBT many of us felt isolated, insecure, different, abnormal, and even lonely. We did not see or feel a part of a group similar to the way we are, feel, act, or live. Our gift made us feel like an island in a sea of humanity.

Saturday evening June 10, the College Ave. parking lot gradually began to fill with faces of strangers.

There was a sense of insecurity and unknowing as we wondered what the next 26 hours would hold for us and what we would be experiencing.

Names were gradually exchanged to help us feel less alien. We traveled in sleepy silence to the rattles, creeks, and bumps of our bus toward Syracuse where we had more strangers join our small group. We recognized the emotions and sense of wanting to belong in their tired eyes.

Symbolically the bus stopped in the middle of a very narrow and busy street. Directly in front of us was the Washington D.C. Human Rights Campaign building. Immediately we were greeted by loving and extremely welcoming beautiful people all dressed in T-shirts decorated with bright yellow equal signs in a field of blue. Their hospitality, patience, and genuineness were overflowing.

Then the miracle of this event began to really unfold. We were absorbed into the group and led to an enormous unit of people all convened on many streets. A marching band was playing to lift our spirits and really let us know that we were a part of something celebratory. Then it really

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began. “MAGIC”. Complete strangers from every category, state, community, and corner started to talk to each other, embrace each other, smile and welcome each other, encourage and ACCEPT each other. Differences of every imaginable classification were erased and eradicated.

It was a new emotion and sense of belonging that many of us had never imagined much less experienced. We were surrounded by thousands of people who were all there to support love and protest hatred. 32 people with signs of love for their friends and family victims of Pulse walked next to me. We chanted encouragement, calls for inclusion, challenges for resistance to hatred and bigotry, carried signs of our convictions, and waved flags of our united nation of love.

Throughout the parade there was energy from this unified love and support that I have never experienced as a gay man. Every single person was encouraging and accepting. We walked past the White House to see the contradiction of our group, as heavily armed militia stood surrounding a source of hatred as if we were the threat. The illustration of good vs. evil was not only visible but also palatable. We continued as a peaceful harmonious unit past the unit of hate to the Mall where we gathered to celebrate our strength in numbers, cause, and unity.

We were empowered not by hate or power but by the most powerful weapon — unified love. Heat, sweat, dehydration, and exhaustion were the rewards of our trek toward finding ourselves with an understanding that we do belong and we are accepted for who we are and how we were created.

It was euphoric to realize you were with thousands of people without any judgments of each other.

We journeyed back to the HRC building in small groups to slowly define our roles in this newly understood emotion of belonging. The HRC staff of the D.C. office was exemplary in their care. Waiting for the bus was a time of bonding for our small group.

The bus ride home was filled with exhausted travelers but a family rather than a bunch of strangers. We realized that in 26 hours we went from being an isolated alien to a blessed member of a harmonious acceptance.

To my newly expanded family that participated in D.C. and across our nation — thank you for membership in an organization of individuals that I am proud to belong to and celebrate.

The bus arrived in the parking lot to a full moon’s light, signifying to this group of close friends that 26 hours can truly change your world and life forever.

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The Alliance Page

JULY 2017

RIDE FOR PRIDE was a big success again this year, raising $62,000 for the Alliance. On a hot day the dauntless Riders toured 50 miles of upstate New York. The Gay Alliance thanks Jeannie Gainsburg, the Riders, the volunteers, the sponsors and the over 1,000 people who supported the riders in so many ways! Photo: Marissa Kier.

Volunteer of the Month: Darrel Killingsworth

If you are one of the many volunteers for Roc Pride 2017, by now you have heard from our Volunteer of the Month Darrel Killingsworth. Darrel and the Pride Volunteer team have been busy recruiting volunteers and working on job assignments to make your volunteering experience one you can take pride in and have fun with all at the same time.

Darrel says: In November of 2010, I moved from North Carolina (the heart of the bible belt) to Rochester. I spent many years working in the food service and health care field. In 2005, I suffered spinal damage and I’m currently disabled. Aside from my disability, I do my best to try to live every day to the fullest.

At first my motive for volunteering was so that I could get in free to concerts and other events. However, after coming out my reasons changed drastically. Coming out in the south, particularly a state like North Carolina, is like suddenly being a ghost at your own funeral. You experience anger and crying but nobody can hear you or see you anymore. One by one your friends all turn their backs to you and walk away.

Darrel Killingsworth

When I volunteered, nobody cared about that, they were just glad to see me and happy that I was there to help. I felt accepted.

Not long after I moved to Rochester I found myself alone and starting over in a new part of the country. I was given tons of offers by friends across the globe to go live with them. I chose Rochester and I am extremely glad that I did. I can’t think of living in a better place I first started looking to volunteer at the Gay Alliance. I began working with the youth program and then began doing special events and dances. I’ve helped with SAGE, Pride, just about anything they have asked me to do, I’ve done my best to try to help. When I am volunteering at the Alliance I am Out and always authentic to myself.

The Alliance is not the only organization where I volunteer. I teach swimming at the local Y, teach CPR for

ARC, sing with Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus and volunteer for ImageOut. The LGBTQ community of Rochester has truly some of the most remarkable, amazing and fabulous people on the planet. Considering today’s political climate and a society that at times expresses hate, we need each other more than ever. Stepping up to volunteer and giving of yourself while being there for each other are extremely important. This allows us to break down the walls of isolation and to live a life Out and authentic. Have you signed up to volunteer for Roc Pride 2017? If not, there is no better time than now.

Meet the Board: Martin Murphy Martin says: I grew up in Newark, NY, lived in the metro NYC area for five years and moved back to Rochester three years ago. I like biking, camping, movies, and music.

I received my Bachelor’s degree in accounting from St. John Fisher and my MBA from University of Connecticut. I have been a CPA since 2010. I am currently an independent management consultant.

I first became involved with the Gay Alliance when my friend Tatiana invited me to the Ride for Pride fun-

Martin Murphy

draiser last year. We rode a week after the Pulse Nightclub shooting and so I wanted to learn more about what the Alliance did and how I could support it.

I also met Jeannie Gainsburg and her spirit and dedication deeply impressed me and I knew I wanted to be like her when I grew up! The next afternoon I happened to run into Scott Fearing at the Bachelor Forum and we discussed Board opportunities.

The rest is history.

I joined the Board because I wanted to learn to how to give back to the community better and so I offered my accounting and finance background and it was a need that the Board had.

My current focus is to make sure we can keep funding our many vital programs and keep to our budget. Like most non-profits, we have more demand for our programs than we have money and so we dig deeper and fundraise harder.

I see wide-open possibilities for the Alliance. We have a great staff, who are very dedicated and energetic. I wish we could clone everyone so we could expand services faster.

The current priority is to bring the LGBTQ community together and to work with other communities to spread a sense of cooperation and inclusion. We are currently facing a time where many groups, the LGBTQ included, feel attacked and marginalized. We all need to work together and support one another to keep safe and to keep our basic human rights.

Martin would say to anyone thinking of volunteering: Simply, just do it. I did not know what I had to offer until I stepped forth. Get hold of Jeff Myers, he will find something that will fit for you and put you to work.

PFLAG meets the 2nd Sunday of each month 1-2pm LGBTQ Resource Center 100 College Avenue Rochester 14605 585-993-3297 rochesterpflag@gmail.com

JULY 2017

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Interviews Defining ourselves for ourselves: The Why behind Rochester Black Pride

By Gatekeeper Adrian Why a Black Pride you ask?

Because 17 Trans women of color have been murdered in 2017.

Because Violence against Black Trans* people is at an all time high.

Because Pride was born out of black & latinx trans resistance.

Because Marsha, Sylvia & Stormé will not be written out of history.

Because Paris threw that ball.

Because James lit that fire… next time.

Because Bayard organized that march.

Because Bessie sang those songs.

Because Kiki was that Mother.

Because #BlackLivesMatter.

Because intersectionality is a thing.

Because we cannot separate our blackness from our queerness or transness.

Because we are more than just HIV. Because our greatest issue is not marriage because Love hasn’t won over Racism.

Because the future is black, fab & femme.

Because, like Auntie Audre so eloquently put it, “If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.”

Often times when I am asked “why does there need to be a black pride?”, I hear the same exact apathetic & insensitive tone I hear when white folks ask “why does there need to a #blacklivesmatter?”. I think what baffles me most, after my blood pressure returns back to normal, is that rarely do those folks think to ask “If it exists, there must be a need, so why do I have a problem with it?” What I find most interesting is how uncomfortable it makes white people to hear that Black & Brown folks are working to create their own spaces while, at the same time, they have no issue being in spaces absent of color.

JULY 2017 minority, that we sometimes forget who we are. We forget that there is nothing minor about us, nothing less than, or unworthy. We are standing on the shoulders of giants who have, since the dawn of time, been at the forefront of radical change and have fought for our right not just to survive, but to live fully and whole. So we are trying something different - not instead of, but inclusion to.

And in closing, I think Auntie Audre said it best: “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability

to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

So if you are interested in supporting our efforts & the movement, please can donate to: Paypal.me/rocblackpride Cash.me/$Rocblackpride Join us, Aug. 9-13 for Rochester Black Pride 2017.

For full schedules and to purchase passes check us out our website & on social media: www.rocblackpride.com Instagram: @Rocblackpride Facebook.com/rocblackpride

Why do we still need Pride?

The Black Pride logo

Rochester Black Pride was created with the purpose of creating safe spaces to educate, empower, & celebrate individuals navigating the intersections of their Black and Queer/LGBTQ identities. To provide an opportunity for our unique flavor, voice, aesthetic and experience to take center stage & to give a platform to those whose stories are too often ignored and overlooked. Not only that but a conscious and intentional effort is made every year to make sure all factions of our illustrious and diverse communities are a part of the conversation, are helping to plan events, and are also leading Black Pride festivities. And yes, when I say all factions, I’m talking about all those at the intersection of Black and Queer, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans*, Gender Non-conforming, non-binary, and Pansexual, etc. For some, when they hear the term “Black”, they immediately think skin color or pigmentation ignoring the rich culture, heritage, & international significance that Blackness represents.

It’s that culture piece, I think, that people just can’t seem to grasp, or should I say love to “forget”. You see the mainstream & masses love to forget that voguing was not birthed in a dance studio out in the suburbs, but in the

streets of Harlem by black and latinx queer kids who had no one to depend on but each other. They forget that before words like “shade”, “slay” and “yasssss” became trendy catchphrases of celebrities and reality stars, it was the language that brought us together - something that was ours. You see before being “out and proud” was a slogan, it was a daily reality that resulted in thousands of black & brown queer kids to being booted from their homes and ostracized from their families. I don’t know about you but this, and so much of our history, sounds a lot like a cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, & language - otherwise known as culture!

Despite all that we have faced in both our past and present, there is an incredible strength, beauty, resilience, culture, and camaraderie among us that cannot be challenged - and that is why we celebrate. With all of our struggles and all we have working against us, even within the larger LGBT community, we are still here. We are still triumphant. We are still creating. We still have joy. We still slay. For us, Rochester Black Pride is that reminder. I feel that we are so used to looking for a seat at a table that is not our own and where we are constantly the

Come worship among Friends…

Rochester Friends Meeting (Quakers) 84 Scio Street (downtown)

Sunday worship, 11:00 am (10:00 am from Memorial Day to Labor Day) Child care, Free parking, Wheelchair access www.rochesterquakers.org • 325-7260

By Susan Jordan After marriage equality became the law in 2011, some LGBTQ people asked, why do we still need Pride? Aside from the value of the visibility factor, Pride marches had become parades and Pride was more of a social event than a political action. Was all this really necessary now?

Since 2011, the conservative backlash against marriage equality has escalated to the point where over 130 discriminatory bills are pending in Republican controlled state legislatures, aimed at one or more of our civil and human rights, and based on “religious freedom.”

Paul Scheib was one of the founders of the Rochester Pride Parade in 1989. He and the late Martin Hiraga were both members of ACT UP in the late ‘80s and had held several ACT UP protests in Rochester. Paul told The Empty Closet, “We started Pride because we felt there was a need. We had gone to Prides in NYC and Toronto.

“In 1988 we held a KissIn at the corner of Monroe and Goodman, after marchPaul Scheib. Photo: Susan Jordan ing down Monroe from the church at Monroe and Rosedale. We had a death threat – a man said he was going to shoot us from the roof of the Genesee Co-op as we went by. We marched anyway and had about 50 people. That gave us the confidence that there were people in Rochester who weren’t afraid to come out and march.” The first Pride march took place the following year, on June 28, 1989.

Paul said, “I can sum up why we need Pride in two words: Mike Pence.” Paul feels that Pence, unlike Trump, is a far-right ideologue who represents the agenda of politicized homophobia. Paul adds, “Pride is about our sexuality, love and families.

When you have someone who wants to take those basic rights away, you need Pride.”

He feels that in the mid-‘90s there was a dramatic change in Pride in Rochester and all over the country. “The political message was lost,” he said. “Prides everywhere became conformist and they didn’t want the drag queens or leathermen or Radical Faery Ariel in his camouflage skirt and bolero – even though Ariel had led a successful snake dance at Pride 1990. By the mid-’90s I got out of Pride organizing. My other problem was that when people have to pay to be in the parade, it’s not as inclusive anymore.”

Paul feels that most Prides this year will be more political.

“I think so,” he said. “The climate is such with the current administration, and the religious freedom bills everywhere, limiting our adoption rights, etc., that there’s certainly reason to be more political.

“And there’s also more reason to celebrate who we are.”

JULY 2017

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JULY 2017

JULY 2017

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Photo: Doug Meszler

ROC OUT

Section 2: Big Queer Prom • Rev. Yolanda • Sassy in the South Wedge

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JULY 2017

Scene

BIG QUEER PROM: Over 100 youth danced the night away at the Big Queer Prom on June 3, at MLK Jr. Park. Photos: Doug Meszler

PHOTO: SUSAN JORDAN

SECOND THURSDAY: The Human Rights Campaign hosted Second Thursday Networking at Constellation Brands on June 8, benefitting the Gay Alliance.

TRUE COLORS: Orezont Ragans of Action for a Better Community and Roscoe Skinner of Rochester National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS “tabled” at ABC’s May 24 event at the LGBTQ Resource Center.

LAKE CRUISE: Wanda Martinez-Johncox and Peter Mohr hosted a fabulous cruise on the Canandaigua Lady on June 11.

OUT FOR EQUALITY: NYS Assemblymember Harry Bronson, Gay Alliance Board President Colleen Raimond and Brighton Town Supervisor Bill Moehle at the June 11 rally in Washington Square Park. Photo: Susan Jordan

JULY 2017

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Columnists Letters

Pride is a profound virtue that demands of us to be magnanimous and noble with good character and a greatness of soul. It is devoid of arrogance, conceit and vanity, which wither in the presence of humility and gratitude. There is a vulnerability, a naked dissembling that recognizes healthy care, compassion and sweet unconditional love for one’s own soul and heart.

Rarely have I met someone in our community who has not suffered abuse or been traumatized and scarred at some point in their journey to authenticity. When we arrive at that moment of clarity, most of us rush to celebrate the release from prison, whether self-imposed or applied from outside. It can still be a struggle to give ourselves permission to fully enjoy this new freedom.

It serves us well to realize there are boundaries and limitations to this state of delight. It is all too easy to become offensive, overdoing our joy and giving the opposition fuel for finger-pointing. It is a delicate path to maneuver, made easier by displaying grace and respect for all. Having a little fun wouldn’t hurt, either!

This year our Pride Celebration is set to be a parade of purposeful possibility and promise that harkens back to the spirit of Social Revolution ignited in the 1960s. Across the country, many have seen this time as a return to the need to protest. I would suggest that despite the widespread panic and paranoia that have followed the unexpected election outcome, we are all still here and nothing draconian has appeared to change the way things are right now. We are blessed living in New York State, with clear legal protections for us all and Rochester, a city that embraces us more than most do nationally. We need to be grateful for our circumstances.

I am grateful that I live here (having just moved back to Rochester from Naples after 15 years) and proud to be a part of this vibrant and diverse community. I know that I am welcome and I am willing to do my part to add to the incredible cultural cornucopia and rich opportunities Rochester and Upstate New York have to

Unify in defense against a hostile administration To the Editor: In the opening months of his presidency, Donald Trump has demonstrated that his administration is openly hostile to our LGBTQ community.

This administration started by surrounding itself with individuals with a history of hostility toward our rights –often under the guise of religious freedom. It then rescinded guidance to the Department of Education and the Department of Justice which ensures public schools understand their obligation to allow transgender students to attend school safely in a manner that does not conflict with their gender identity. It has gutted enforcement of Obama-era orders that protected federal employees and contractors from being fired based on their sexual identity. Not stopping there, the administration has shoved LGBT elders back into the closet by removing any reference to their identity from the surveys which determine how the federal government funds programs for seniors. By refusing to acknowledge we exist, they deprive our community of the resources we are entitled to as Americans.

What can we do in this climate

where the federal government is not only fighting against our rights, but is also fighting against the environment, education, workers, criminal justice, and against the rights of women, immigrants and minorities?

We must look back to prior movements. The civil rights movement was fought with allies joining with people of color. Similarly, our community won our right to marry the person we love by inviting allies to join our fight.

The march for equality through unity was utilized by other leaders who came before us, leaders like Harvey Milk.

In his advocacy in the mid-70s, Harvey Milk built a movement around the idea of unity. He built a movement by bringing labor, and politicians, and religious leaders into the fold. He worked not only for gay rights, but for the rights of women, and minorities, and the “others” that had been held powerless for so long.

That’s what we have to do again today. We must unify with every other cause that is built upon the idea of social, civil, and economic rights. Congressman John Lewis, who marched side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., once said: “The fight for civil rights is not a fight of a day, or a week, or a month, or a year; the fight for civil rights is a fight of a lifetime.”

There is no time to waste. Let’s fight.

Harry Bronson, NYS Assembly

Local LGBTQ contingent marches for Unity and Pride in D.C.

GAY PIONEERS

Barbara Gittings, LGBT activist

Barbara Gittings (July 31, 1932 – February 18, 2007) was a prominent American activist for LGBT equality.

She organized the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) from 1958 to 1963, edited the national DOB magazine The Ladder from 1963–66, and worked closely with Frank Kameny in the 1960s on the first picket lines that brought attention to the ban on employment of gay, lesbian and bisexual people by the largest employer in the US at that time: the United States.

Gittings was most involved in the American Library Association, especially its gay caucus, the first such in a professional organization, in order to promote positive literature about homosexuality in libraries. She was a part of the movement to get the American Psychiatric Association to drop homosexuality as a mental illness in 1972. Her self-described life mission was to tear away the “shroud of invisibility” related to homosexuality, which had theretofore been associated with crime and mental illness.

By R.M. Cook Thirty-two members of the area LGBTQ community took a whirlwind, 26-hour, round trip bus adventure to Washington DC to participate in the National March for Unity and Pride on June 11. The intrepid road warriors departed Rochester near midnight on June 10 and arrived in DC eight hours later in time to have coffee and bagels courtesy of the Washington headquarters According to Lou Chibbaro Jr. on The Washington of the Human Rights CamBlade: Carrying rainbow flags and signs reading paign.

“Love, not hate, makes America great” and “Resist The parade stepped off Trump,” tens of thousands of LGBT people … nearly on time at 10 a.m. on marched from the White House to the National Sunday and wound its way Mall near the U.S. Capitol on June 11 in the Equality for a mile and a half through March for Unity and Pride. ~ Read more on The the streets of DC. The sun Washington Blade and heat were brutal under the cloudless blue sky as temperatures reached the mid-ninety degree mark and there was no breeze. Nevertheless, the enthusiastic marchers persisted. …

As the parade passed in front of the White House marchers chanted, “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Donald Trump has got go…”. The President was … vacationing at his New Jersey golf club. The Peoples’ House was well protected from the peaceful marchers by armed security guards too numerous to count, including what appeared to be armed guards on the roof. Without incident the crowd exercised its rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.

At the conclusion of the two-hour parade marchers gathered on the grassy lawn in front of the Capitol building for speeches and entertainment. …

At 6 p.m. the relentless, persistent, sleep deprived, hot, ardent Rochester LGBTQ road warriors boarded a bus for the eight-hour return to Rochester, arriving at 2 a.m. Monday morning. The adventure was organized by the Gay Alliance.

PHOTO: GAY ALLIANCE YOUTH GROUP

Both Sides Now

By Cora Treoir Duncan Defining Pride

offer. I know at least one family moving here this month for exactly that reason. I am proud that I had a small part in their decision and will join them in a new home that will allow them the freedom to express themselves and not force them to cower in a dark corner anymore.

Our Pride is well earned. We can share a humble and content sense of attachment towards our choices and actions. We have fought long to achieve what we enjoy today. We know we cannot become complacent.

We must maintain self-awareness through regular self-reflection and a fulfilled sense of belonging.

Aristotle called pride “the crown jewel of virtue”. He also added “it is hard to be truly proud, for it is impossible without nobility and goodness of character”. So, when you join the parade of humanity, gather your pride and walk tall and boldly! Wave to a stranger and your neighbor and blow them a kiss while you smile!

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Ongoing Calendar

DAILY

WEDNESDAYS

Free confidential walk-in HIV testing M/W 9am-5pm, T/Th 9am-7pm, F 9am-12:30pm Trillium Health 259 Monroe Ave. 585-545-7200

Alliance SAFE Journey.

A path to spiritual wellness 6:30pm, LGBTQ Resource Center. People of all faiths, traditions and spiritual paths are welcome to join in harmony, breathe in silence and connect across lines of faith. Held 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month.

Contact 244-8640 for more information.

Gay Alliance Library & Archives 9am-5pm. Tues./Wed./Thurs. 6:30-8:30pm 100 College Ave. Walk-in HIV testing At all Anthony Jordan health center sites including 82 Holland St. (See Resources)

MONDAYS LORA Coffee Social Equal Grounds Coffee House 750 South Ave. Monday evenings. 6pm. Contact: Regina Altizer: reginaaltizer@gmail.com Crystal Meth Anonymous Meeting Every Monday 12-1pm. Huther Doyle, 360 East Ave., Rochester. Starting Monday Oct. 5.

Rochester Historical Bowling Society 7pm. Empire Lanes SAGE Monday Movie Meet-up 1:30pm Dryden Theater 900 East Ave 14607.

Free to seniors. Please arrive early to sit together in right balcony. Contact Roger & Dave: rcfdjm@ gmail.com Movie Schedule: https://eastman.org/ film-series/senior-matinees 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 SAGE Senior Chair Yoga w/ Thomas Somerville 10:30-11:30am, LGBTQ Resource Center 100 College Ave 14607. $5.

SAGE Lunch and Learn 11:30am Catered Lunch $3. donation, LGBTQ Resource Center 100 College Ave 14607 Alliance Yoga with Tom 5:30pm Multi level yoga for all ages. $15. LGBTQ Resource Center 100 College Ave 14607 Craft Night Third Tuesday, 6:30-8pm, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. 244-8640.

COAP Open volleyball, Tuesdays 5pm-dusk, Cobbs Hill Park near Lake Riley Lodge.

Teen Clinic at Planned Parenthood 114 University Avenue Rochester. Birth control, condoms, HIV testing, counseling. Weekly, Tuesdays 3-7pm.

Adult Families of Trans Youth (AFTY) A program of the Gay Alliance. First Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30pm, Open Arms MCC Community Center, 707 E. Main St. TransParent Support group for parents of trans youth. Third Tuesdays, 6:30-8pm, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. LGBT Veterans Healthy Living Veterans support. 2nd, 4th Tuesdays, 10-11am Canandaigua VA, bldg. 9, room 8, Library conference room. 585 463-2731, 585 205-3360.

Testing Tuesdays at Trillium Health FREE HIV Testing for everyone, STI/STD testing FREE for women and MSM. Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave, 5-8pm. 585-545-7200 Women’s Community Chorus Rehearsals each Tuesday, 6:30-9pm, Downtown United Pres. Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh Street. 2344441, www.therwcc.org Gay Alliance Youth Gender Identity Support Group First Tuesday. 5:30-6:30pm, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. Ages 13-20. 244-8640.

SAGE Men’s Group 50+ 7pm, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. 1st, 3rd Tuesdays. Topic discussion. rtony13@aol.com

Identity Group LGBT identified individuals who have a developmental disability diagnosis. The group meets Wednesdays 3-4pm at ARC Health Services (2060 Brighton-Henrietta Townline Rd. 14623).

The goal is to provide a safe space to discuss identity issues, share personal experiences and increase self-esteem. Facilitated by Delaina Fico.

LMSW. Contact Delaina Fico at dfico@arcmonroe. org or 585-271-0661 ext. 1552.

Line Dancing at 140 Alex Weekly on Wednesday, 7– 9pm. 140 Alex Bar & Grill, 140 Alexander St. Line dancing lessons upstairs. All types of music, relaxed group, beginners welcome! $2 a person suggested donation.

Lifetime Care LGBT Bereavement Group For loss associated with any type of relationship.

Meets 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month from 5:30-7pm at Center for Compassion and Healing (3111 Winton Rd S). No fee. Please call 475-8800 for more details.

New Freedom New Happiness AA Gay meeting, 7pm, Unitarian Church, 220 Winton Rd. Men and women. Open.

COAP Come Out and Play Wednesday game nights. 7-10pm. Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. coap.rochester@gmail.com Rochester Rams General Meeting 2nd Wednesdays, 7:30pm, Bachelor Forum, 670 University Ave. www.rochesterrams.com Positive Warriors Wednesdays, 11:30am-12:30pm. Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave. Positive Divas Wednesdays, 11:30am-12:30pm. Trillium Health, 259 Monroe Ave. Frontrunners/Frontwalkers 6pm, Eastman House parking lot. www.rochesterfrontrunners.org.

Gay Alliance Library & Archives 6:30-8:30pm (Also Tues. and Thurs.) 100 College Ave. Empire Bears Every Wednesday. 6pm dinner at various venues.

See Empire Bears Inc. on Facebook.

THURSDAYS SAGE Senior Chair Yoga w/ Thomas Somerville 10:30am, LGBTQ Resource Center 100 College Ave 14607. $5.

Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns 6:30pm, first Thursday. Ralph, 271-7649 Pride at Work & AFL CIO Meets third Thursdays, 6pm. LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. Bess Watts 426-0862.

Depression Bipolar Support Alliance Youth and young adults. LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. dbsa.monroecounty@gmail.com GLOB&L (Gays & Lesbians of Bausch & Lomb) Meets every third Thursday in Area 67 conference room at the Optic Center. Voice mail: 338-8977 Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh St. 7-9:30pm, 423-0650 NLIST Transgender Support Group 5-6:15pm, Trillium Health. Must pre-register.

HRC Second Thursdays Social/business networking, 5:30-7:30pm.

Changing venues.

Genesee Valley Gender Variants 7-9pm, Equal=Grounds, 750 South Ave. GV GenderVariants@yahoogroups.com Euchre Throwdown Thursday.

Monthly event, this month July 20. 6:30pm, Gay Alliance LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave.

FRIDAYS LGBT AA meeting Fridays, 7:30-8:30pm, Closed meeting. Emmanuel Baptist Church, 815 Park Ave. Gay Alliance Youth Monthly Special Event, LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave., 244-8640; Ages 13-20. youth@gayalliance.org. Check Facebook.com/ GayAllianceYouth Boyz Night Out Drag king revue. First Fridays, The Firehouse Saloon, 814 S. Clinton Ave.

SATURDAYS The Repair Shop AA meeting at the LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. 5:30-6:30pm, Saturdays. 244-8640.

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.

Sophia’s Supper Club First, third Saturdays, 25 Bernie Lane, 6:30pm.

Men’s Cooking Group Third, fourth Saturdays. 585-355-7664, mcgofrochester@aol.com.

SUNDAYS PFLAG (Parents Families & Friends of Lesbians And Gays) 585 993-3297, rochesterpflag@gmail.com.

LORA Women’s Brunch Third Sundays except holidays. 10am. Pixley’s Restaurant, 2235 Buffalo Rd., Gates. Contact Kerry at DressyFemme@aol.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., Services at: 10:30am. 271-8478.

Gay Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous St. Luke’s/St. Simon Cyrene Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. 8pm, 232-6720, Weekly. Closed meeting.

Resources page online at www.gayalliance.org

“I am a Puerto Rican lesbian! Married to this gorgeous Black woman!

Living in a white world. Yet I have a vision… We imagine a world where we can be what we truly are. My vision persists – able to celebrate our differences without… limiting the opportunities we get. We build together, come together for equity, unity and love.”

Rosemary Rivera of Citizen Action NY at the Equality for Unity and Pride rally on June 11.

JULY 2017

ROCHESTER AA/NA MEETINGS

Every week there are three regularly scheduled GLBTI AA and two inclusive NA meetings in Rochester.

TUESDAYS

Narcotics Anonymous AIDS and Recovery, 1124 Culver Road (Covenant United Methodist Church).

6-7:30pm.

This is an NA meeting that is open to all addicts who have a desire to stop using.

Although it is not specifically a gay-oriented meeting, it is welcoming to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as to anyone who is affected by HIV and AIDS.

FRIDAYS

LGBT Immanuel Baptist Church, 815 Park Avenue, 7:30pm.

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. Open meeting. Handicapped accessible.

SATURDAYS

The Repair Shop AA meeting at the LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. 5:30-6:30pm.

585-244-8640.

Saturday Night Special First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. 7pm.

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 and “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 1275 Spencerport Road (Trinity Alliance Church) 7:30-9pm.

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 St. Luke/St. Simon’s Episcopal Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh Street. 8pm.

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. ■

JULY 2017

July Calendar

SUNDAY 2

Dignity Integrity. Episcopal Mass/Healing Service, with music.

5pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.

TUESDAY 4

Out in the Sticks & SAGEVets Meetup 11am-5pm: Go Art! Picnic in the Park, Centennial Park 151 State St. Batavia 14020, “Summer of Love” theme featuring Britishmania Beatles cover band. 40 vendors, lots of fun.

Look for the Gay Alliance information table. annet@gayalliance.org (585) 244-8640x23

THURSDAY 6

SAGE Happy Hour, 5-7pm, Genesee Brewery 445 St. Paul St., 14605.

FRIDAY 7

Dignity Integrity Garage Sale.

For time, location, call the Hotline at 585-234-5092.

LORA Women’s Meetup: 6-9pm, First Friday in Gallery Q at the Alliance.

free; free concert in Star Alley, starting 6pm; Pride Youth Dance at German House, free, ages 13-20, 6-9pm; Adult Dance Party at German House, starts at 10pm. $5; The Good, The Bad and the Funny trans open mic at Equal=Grounds, 7-9pm. Free.

FRIDAY 14

ROC Pride Summer of Love Opening Ceremonies, 6-8pm, Cobbs Hill Park, 80 Culver Rd. Women’s Rights National Historical Park Convention Days Festival in Seneca Falls, including book talk by Shauna O’Toole of We Exist; presentation by Megan Springate.

Black Pride Prom at The Penthouse, One East Ave. 2-7pm. An evening of music, elegance, fashion, and fabulousness! For tickets https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/queer-enchanted-and-black-a-gay-prom-tickets35410544893#ticketcontact Empty Closet deadline for August issue. 244-9030; susanj@gayalliance.org

SATURDAY 8

Trillium Health White Party.

Wintergarden, 6-10:30pm. $150. Trilliumhealth.org/whiteparty Pride Float Building, WattsTischer home. 1-4pm. Directions: 244-8640x23 annet@gayalliance.org.

SUNDAY 9

Youth Tie Dying Party: 1-4pm, Roger Robach Community Center at Ontario Beach Park. We will be tie dying and decorating t-shirts for Roc Pride. This event is free and open to ages 13-20.

Dignity Integrity. Catholic Liturgy, with music. 5pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St. ROC Pride 5K run, Cobbs Hill Park,7:30am check-in, 8:30am Run. ROC Pride Kick-off Beach Party, Ontario Beach Park, 12pm.

ROC Pride Games Volleyball Tournament. Ontario Beach Park

MONDAY 10

ROC Pride Game Arcade Night, The Playhouse. 6-11pm.

TUESDAY 11

ROC Pride Euchre tournament.

Location TBA. 6pm.

SAGE catered lunch 11:30am-2pm, $3. “Cake Day” for July birthdays, Carol Ebersole-Weiss of Human Rights Campaign presents “LGBTQ Rights in the Trump Era”.

WEDNESDAY 12

Out in the Sticks Happy Hour: 5-7pm “Winging It” at Jack’s Place, 110 Main St. Dansville 14437. Information: (585) 244-8640 x23 annet@ gayalliance.org.

“LGBTQ Care-givers Support Group” 4-5:30pm, hosted by Lifespan & Alzheimers Association. Contact Mara Kouides (585) 244-8400 x239 for information.

THURSDAY 13

SAGE Breakfast Club at Denny’s 10am. 911 Jefferson Road, Henrietta.

RSVP by 7/11 to Gerry (585) 7308772 or gkrause@rochester.rr.com Sassy In The South Wedge.

HRC Second Thursday Networking at Lux, 666 South Ave. 5:30-7:30pm,

marching. Vets meet at beginning of parade. annet@gayalliance.org. Festival, 2-9pm, $10 weekend pass. Headliners: Amanda Lee Peers, Ray Isaac.

SUNDAY 16

Drag brunch at Edibles Restaurant, 704 University Ave. $26.50 includes brunch & show; seatings at 12 & 2pm.

271-4910; ediblesrochester.com ROC Pride Festival Day 2, 12-6pm at Cobbs Hill Park. Free with weekend pass, $5 at gate.

ROC Pride Family Fun Day, Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave., noon-5pm.

Susan B. Anthony House VoteTilla, weeklong canal flotilla celebrating centennial of women’s suffrage. Through July 22, from Seneca Falls to Rochester. VoteTilla.org Dignity Integrity. Quiet Catholic Liturgy. 5pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.

TUESDAY 18

Mara, Lifespan Care Manager onsite for consultation, assistance for caregivers or patients suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia. 11am-3pm.

SAGE catered Lunch & Learn: 11:30-2pm. Leita King of Lifespan presents “Avoiding Frauds & Scams $3.

Transparent Group at LGBTQ Resource Center, 100 College Ave. Support group for parents of Trans Children. 6:30-8pm SAGE 50+ Men’s Discussion Group, a topic oriented peer discussion group facilitated by Tony. 7pm at Resource Center.

WEDNESDAY 19

SAGE Meetup: 6:30-9pm, Concerts by the Shore, Ontario Beach Park, Charlotte. The Skycoasters” Party Band. Come early, bring a chair, no pets. Anne is hosting. Look for the rainbow umbrella. 244-8640 ext. 23 ROC PRIDE FEST HEADLINERS Season 7 NBC’s The Voice, musical artist Amanda Lee Peers and Aussie Superstar, Singer, Songwriter Ray Isaac

SATURDAY 15

ROC Pride Parade to Festival at Cobbs Hill Park. Lineup at noon on Alexander St. Step off at 1pm. LGBTQ Veterans, SAGE & LORA, Roc Youth and the Alliance have contingents

THURSDAY 20

LORA Planning Meeting, 6-7:30pm at the LGBTQ Resource Center, all are welcome! Call 2448640 to register.

SUNDAY 21

Dignity Integrity. Prayers to start the Week followed by Potluck. 5pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.

Name

21

SATURDAY 22

LORA Women’s Contingent in 2017 Suffragist City Parade. 9am.

Downtown Rochester: Blue Cross Arena to Susan B. Anthony Square Park. Stepoff is 10:30am. annet@gayalliance.org.

Sign up at VoteTilla.org/Parade Out in the Sticks & LORA Meetup: Renaissance Fair “Highland Fling” weekend. 11am-7pm. Admission $25 online, $28. at door. Bring the kids, no pets. Check “Meetup” for carpooling details or CindyMarshall14424@gmail. com (585) 703-1100.

SUNDAY 23

LORA Women’s Brunch at Pixley’s Restaurant in Gates. 10am-noon. RSVP: Kerry at DressyFemme@aol.com.

MONDAY 24

SAGE Services Team Meeting.

6:30pm. All are welcome. LGBTQ Resource Center.

TUESDAY 25

SAGE catered lunch, 11:30am-2pm. Coffee & Karaoke! $3.

Resource Center.

WEDNESDAY 26

LORA Women’s Meetup: “Winging It” 5-7pm at Richmond’s 21 Richmond St., off Main 14607 $.50 wings and drink specials.

FRIDAY 28

SAGE Fabulous Fish Fry 5:30pm, at Mom’s Margios Diner at the Port of Rochester 1000 N. River St. Charlotte 14612. RSVP by 7/26 to Audet (585) 287-2958 or aprice002@aol.com you must RSVP to be seated with the group!

Roc Youth Book Club 6:30-9pm.

“Juliet Takes a Breath” by Gabby Rivera, contact ericam@gayalliance. org to register

SATURDAY 29

Puerto Rican Parade SAGE Out in the Sticks Picnic: 1-5pm, John R.’s homestead in Lima.

Miniature horses! Meat provided, bring a dish to pass. RSVP to Anne at annet@gayalliance.org or (585) 2448640x23

SUNDAY 30

Dignity Integrity. Catholic Liturgy. 5pm, St. Luke’s and St. Simon’s Church, 17 S. Fitzhugh St.

MONDAY 31

LGBTQ Veterans & Supporters Planning Meeting, 6:30-7:30pm, all are welcome, LGBTQ Resource Center.

7/17

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: Your annual Gay Alliance membership, aside from the good feelings, entitles you to a free subscription to New York state’s first gay publication: The Empty Closet – mailed to your home or work. There are also exciting privileges at each level. Phone: 585-244-8640 or mail to: The Gay Alliance, 100 College Avenue, Rochester, New York 14607.

22

JULY 2017

Goal Exceeded. Shift happens!

PHOTO: JOE YOKAJTY

RIDE FOR PRIDE 8 THE GAY ALLIANCE BIKE RIDE FUNDRAISER Thank you to our Ride For Pride Bikers! Tim Ackroyd, Paul Allen, Leslie Alvarado, Linda Bloch, AJ Blythe, John Braun, Anita Bruckers, John Burns, Alice Carver-Kubik, Tatiana Clader, Nick Dennie, Joe Doty, Charles Dye, Jamie Dye, Les Eisenberg, Scott Fearing, Sady Fischer, Ariel “Mook” Fischer, Cindy Fleischer, John Foxe, Ed Freedman, Laurie Freeman, Bob Freeman, Jeannie Gainsburg, Julie Gainsburg, Nancy Gardetto, Dana Glicksman, Aaron Gorelick, Shimona Gorelick, Bonnie Hallman-Dye, Dustin Hilton, Chad Hulbert, Matthew Ingalls, Jill Jackett, Shawn Jackett, Dawn Johncox-Martinez, Christina Keenan , Mike Kelly, Cailin Kowalewski, Matt Krueger, Michael Kutny, Josh Layfield, Karen Managan, Wanda Martinez-Johncox, William Merigan, Martin Murphy, Debra Ortiz-Pardi, Carolyn Paddock, Allan Phoenix, Anastasia Polashenski, Maya Polashenski, Pam Polashenski, Matthew Ragusa, Colleen Raimond, Pam Rogers, Craig Ronald, Lisa Rosica, Ronald R., Steve Sanow, Justin Schultz, Jennifer Schultze, Jill Schwartz, Michael Shuter, Ali Smith, Amanda Smrcka, Alan Smrcka, Deborah Trubatch, Tracy Vasile, Noah Wagoner, Sarah Ward, Jonathan Wetherbee, Alex Wirth, Chris Wooldridge, Sara Zacharias, Owen Zacharias and Alastair Zacharias Thank you also to those who did not ride, but who fundraised! Jamie Allen, Rowan Collins, Janet Donner, David Frier, Bruce Ingersoll, Kellie Ronald, and Laura Shum.

Thank you to our amazing support crew! Home base/Party Central: Kellie and Craig Ronald • Sag Hags: Tallis Polashenksi, Joe Yokajty and Ben Cook • Breakfast Rest Stop: Sue Delp, Walter Polashenski and Fred Weisbart • Lunch Stop: Bruce Ingersoll, Katharina Jackson and Rowan Collins • Party Central Assistants: Jamie Allen, Christopher Hennelly, Heather Shannon, Tina Burns, Josh Stapf and Alan Metelsky • Cheerleader: Kat Kat, Jeff, Steve, Martha, Bryan and Colleen • Road Painters: Ed Freedman, Owen Zacharias and Maya Polashenski • Massages: Mikelly Massage and Bodywork (Tree and Shannon) • Photographers: Manuel Peña, Marissa Kier and Joe Yokajty • Sweep Riders: Jeannie Gainsburg and Anastasia Polashenski Thank you to our official Ride For Pride sponsors • LeChase Construction • Freewheelers Bicycle Shop • Amiel’s Original Submarine • Guerilla Tees • MiKelly Massage and Body Work • Bachelor Forum • Long Acre Farms • Marshall St Bar and Grill • ImageOUT • Tryon Bike • Ronald Pratt Acupuncture • Bike Zone • Yellow Haus Bicycles • Barilla Pasta • Hot Shots Volleyball Club • PrintRoc • Lento Restaurant • Cat-Ears • Harris Corporation • HCR Home Care Thank you to the over 1,000 people and businesses who supported our riders through donations and use of space, including: Kellie & Craig Ronald • Pam & Walter Polashenski • Jeanne Gainsburg & Ed Freedman • Bruce Ingersoll • Jennifer Mathews • Sara Zacharias • Todd Gordon • Century Liquor and Wines • Wegmans • Mellow Madness Tattoo Parlor • Young Sommer Winery • Apple Country Spirits and Red Fern Restaurant Special thanks to our “first page” top ten fundraisers • Jeanne Gainsburg • Ed Freedman • Kellie Ronald • Colleen Raimond • Aaron Gorelick • Justin Schultz • Scott Fearing • Julie Gainsburg • Bruce Ingersoll • Pam Polashenski • Rowan Collins • Anita Bruckers * It’s not too late to donate! Rider’s pages will stay active until September 2017 at www.gayalliance.org/ride-for-pride

JULY 2017

LGBTQ Life

23

Rev. Yolanda Roger

Rev. Yolanda says, “I will be sharing wisdom from a book called A Course In Miracles. I’ll be sharing about how powerful our thoughts are.”

The Reverend Yolanda Roger of Brooklyn, NY will lead the Interfaith Service at Rochester Pride this month. She recently responded to some questions from The Empty Closet.

By Susan Jordan Rev. Yolanda says, “I was raised in church, in Alabama in the early ‘60s.

I understood my personal connection to Spirit (God, Goddess, Universal Life Source Energy) from a very young age without the help of the church. I had my own understanding of my personal connection to Spirit, therefore I wasn’t very susceptible to teachings that excluded groups of people because of race, differing religions, genders, or sexual orientations. I knew those teachings were not truth.

“I came out of the closet in the 4th grade after reading a Time magazine article about Homosexuality. At this point in my life 60 years later, I know myself as a Transgendered person, but at the time ‘homosexuality’ was the only word that I had ever seen that resonated with me in terms of my ‘difference’ from other people. Of course students and teachers bullied me, but I didn’t see that as hardship. I knew they were wrong in their opinions of me.

“In short, I have never much cared what anyone (including my parents or siblings) thinks about me. I have a strong understanding of my connection to Source and to those around me. I have certainly had difficult times and many ups and downs, but my default setting is that I am a Divine Expression of Universal Life Source Energy, and so are you. This perspective keeps me grounded during the difficult times and always has.”

Rev. Yolanda would send this message to today’s youth: “YOU are a Divine Expression of Universal Life Source Energy, and so are all of those around you. We are NOT born in sin.

That powerful understanding helps us

realize that we have more in common with ‘the other’ than we think. It’s our job to find ways to build bridges. It’s important to dismantle the ‘us and them’ mentality if we are ever going to create a better world for all of us. This is not an easy task, but it’s vital to the continuance of the human species.”

Rev. Yolanda combines music with messages. She states about her plans for the Interfaith Service, “I will be sharing wisdom from a book called A Course In Miracles. I’ll be sharing about how powerful our thoughts are. I’ll be sharing music and messages based on Lessons 50, 196, and 197 in the A Course In Miracles Workbook.

My ministry is based around my music. My events are more like concerts with a message rather than traditional ‘preaching’”.

In today’s climate of open hate for LGBTQ people, how should we resist?

“We certainly need to be tireless in standing up and standing FOR what we want to see in this world. Equality is for all of us. Never back down from our work as Sacred Activists. I do not condone violence as a course of action towards those who would show violence toward us. I truly think it is important to understand that those who hate us are also a part of The Oneness. ‘Hate cannot drive out hate -- only Love can do that.’-Dr. Martin Luther King.

“My personal goals involve: 1. Setting personal boundaries with whomever I need to, regardless of who they are (parents, well meaning friends, teachers, authority figures, siblings, etc.). 2. Knowing my legal rights in whatever subject is being discussed/ debated, and working to change unjust laws. 3. Doing Peace and Jus-

tice work in a peaceful and just way.

4. Being unashamedly myself always.”

We are living in Trump’s America now, where bigots and haters have come out of their closets. Can this actually strengthen the unity between diverse groups? Will the attack on the rights of everyone who isn’t a wealthy white heterosexual cisgender male contribute to increased connection between different groups -- and to what is being called intersectionality?

Rev. Yolanda says, “YES! I do believe that we are indeed creating increased connection between different groups! I see intersectionality all over the place with groups that realize our goals are ONE. I believe this intersectionality movement is a direct result

and response to our current leadership in this country. I don’t believe that the current administration expected this movement, but it IS happening.

“I know we live in NY State, but I also see this intersectionality building and growing in unlikely places like Tennessee and Alabama (places I travel to regularly).”

Rev. Yolanda has a message for Empty Closet readers: “Thank you so much for taking the time to read about me. I’d love to meet you when I am in Rochester. I am very interested in hearing your stories and creating community with you. Let’s find out how we can help each other along the way. Blessings to you and your family.”

24

JULY 2017

Culture

Gregory Hallock’s GO ART! in Batavia is a source for artists and support events.

Gregory Hallock’s GO ART! in Batavia makes art happen

By Susan Jordan A year and a half ago when Gregory Hallock began working at GO ART!, the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council in Batavia, New York, there was only one rotating exhibit space on premises, the Bank of Castile Main Gallery. Just over a year ago they opened a second space in the bar. Now they are in the midst of opening a third gallery space, in the Seymour Dining Room.

Gregory Hallock is originally from Delevan, N.Y. in Cattaraugus County, but he says, “I’ve lived all over – Hawaii, California and NYC.” When asked about his personal aspirations he says, “My dream is for my daughter to grow up in a community rich with diversity, culture and the arts. I went to college for theatre, moved to NYC (of course) and then to Hawaii to take care of a friend’s child while she was in the hospital and her husband in Iraq. I met my husband Joseph there.

“We wanted children, but I needed to be involved with the arts and be able to support a family at the same time; an arts management degree was going to be the answer. We got married, moved to Buffalo and I began grad school at UB. Upon graduation we adopted a baby girl; we

handed in the paperwork, got picked the next day, and two weeks later Cattaleya was born!” says Gregory.

He continues, “Now, five years later, Joseph is in school for animation, our daughter is getting ready to start Kindergarten and I run an arts council (GO ART!) in WNY. I have created a cultural committee all about outreach, specifically into under-reached populations. I am cooperating with Rochester’s Gay Alliance about the use of GO ART!’s space as a ‘safe zone’. I have… brought in drag queens

Live music happens in Star Alley, 6 pm.

Don’t miss this!

(Mrs. Kasha Davis, Aggy Dune and Darienne Lake) from RuPaul’s Drag Race. And I have begun diverse exhibits, such as Dream of America, about migrant farm workers, and #BlackOutPoetic: Poems Inspired by the Underground Railroad.

“I am making my dream happen. My daughter is growing up with the arts, culture and diversity.”

Anyone can apply to have a show in the Bank of Castile Main Gallery. The Bar Gallery is a members’ gallery; as a member of GO ART! you can submit one piece per show (three shows a year), in any media.

The Seymour Dining Room just put up its first show. Gregory would like to open space for the Gay Alliance to create a show.

As for Gregory’s personal taste, he says, “My favorite artist is my husband! I like abstract – and things that tell a story. I like to look at things and ask, why did the artist do this?”

GO ART! partners with the New York State Council on the Arts under the State and Local Partnerships program. Through this they administer the Decentralization Regrant Program.

Gregory says, “We are a source for artists and support events; we re-grant funding to the community. Our new motto is ‘Make Art Happen’!”

If you are interested in learning more about GO ART! or their partnership with Gay Alliance, please contact Gregory at (585) 343-9313 or ghallock@ goart.org.

Cammy Enahro

Claudia Hoyser

DJ Nick

Elephino

Get Sassy in the South Wedge, July 13

By Michael Lill Healthy Hedonist and Roc Pride would like to invite you to join us in celebrating Roc Pride 2017 at “Sassy in the South Wedge” on July 13!

This fantastic event will be taking place throughout the South Wedge.

The Pride Fest is in its 28th year and has become a fixture of Rochester’s summer festival scene. “Sassy in the South Wedge” is an evening to celebrate diversity, history, issues and goals of the LGBTQ+ and Allied communities and we hope you will all come out for the festivities.

Start out the evening with Second Thursday Networking event hosted by Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which will be held at Lux from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Stop to network with local LGBTQ+ professionals.

A live music event will take place in Star Alley with performances beginning at 6 p.m. It starts off with kickin’-it country with artist Claudia Hoyser, then a Rochester local, Cammy Enahro, a singer/song writer who brings the baritone ukulele along with a voice that envelopes the soul with a warmth, crispness and intentionality that’s not to be missed. Our closing act Elephino plays a blend of many styles, including folk, pop, bluegrass, Eastern European “gypsy” music, and indie.

At 6 p.m. there will be a Pride Youth Dance at the Historic German House featuring music from DJ Power Bear! This event is free and open for ages 13 to 20. It will go until 9 p.m. with no cover charge. Pizza and beverages will be provided. Please preregister and there is no re-admittance.

At 7 p.m. at Equal Grounds, “The Good, The Bad and The Funny” stories from the gender expansive/Trans community will bring out some amazing stories and life experience in the popular open mic event. This event is free.

After soaking up the energy of all events, head on over at 10 p.m. to the German House for a finale to “Sassy in the South Wedge”– our “Summer of Love” Dance Party – an end to the night like no other. DJ LCat will be opening this “Summer of Love” dance party right with some of the funkiest grooves to be coming out of the city. She’ll be blending a mix of the ’60s and ’70s nostalgia with a South Wedge flare to get the party started.

The Boys of Sole Rehab take to the stage after bringing together a diverse crowd of music and dance for lovers of all genres. They create an environment where partygoers can express themselves in ways they can’t at mainstream clubs. This one is for the booty shakers, two-steppers, and head-nodders. The cover is $5 and will go to the Gay Alliance.

So step on out and show us your sassy!

Take the kids to Pride Family Fun Day at MAG, July 16, noon to 5pm

Gregory with his husband Joseph and daughter Cattaleya.

Memorial Art Gallery is collaborating with the Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley to present Pride Family Fun Day on Sunday, July 16. The event will run noon to 5 p.m. and will be one of several community-wide events offered during Rochester Pride Week.

Family Days give adults and children an opportunity to learn about art and culture together in a welcoming environment. Featured activities for the day include guided tours of the museum, music and dance performances, handson-art activities, and more.

JULY 2017

SafeZone Trainings The LGBTQ Academy SafeZone Training

is a 4-hour, dynamic, interactive workshop that includes activities and discussion around: LGBTQ inclusive and respectful language, the process of coming out, understanding sex, gender and sexuality, taking action, respectful communication in the face of resistance, where to go for help and much more. This session will give participants the skills they need to provide support and to create environments that are safe and inclusive so that all people are empowered to reach their full potential. Note: Taking this training is the first step towards becoming an LGBTQ Academy Speakers Bureau Member.

Wednesday, August 9: 9am-1pm Thursday, September 28: 9am-1pm The LGBTQ Academy Education Center 100 College Avenue, Rochester, New York 14607 Free parking in the lot next to our building. $75. Includes a SafeZone manual, sticker, lapel pin & breakfast.

To register: www.gayalliance.org and click on the slide.

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CREATE THE LIFE YOU WANT Reiki Healing * Meditation | Laws of Attraction | Mind, Body, Spirit Balance | Setting Intentions

Rochester Light & Learning Wellness Center Paula Morisey, Spiritual Coaching 1790 NY RTE 441, Penfield | Roclightandlearning.com | Schedule a session: 585-857-7163 Advertisement

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE

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The Gay Alliance works to be champions for LGBTQ life and culture. We strive to ensure that all members of the LGBTQ communities, at all stages of their lives, are free to be fully participating citizens, living lives in which they are safe, stable and fully respected.

Board of Trustees

Colleen Raimond, President Jennifer Matthews, Secretary Martin Murphy, Treasurer Jason Barnecut-Kearns, Paul Birkby, Chloe Corcoran, Sady Fischer, Jeff Lambert, Milo Primeaux, Luis RosarioMcCabe, David Zona Executive Director Scott Fearing Managing Director Jeffrey Myers Development Director Josh Stapf Education Director Jeannie Gainsburg Education Coordinator Rowan Collins SAGE Program Coordinator Anne Tischer Database Kat Wiggall Bookkeeper Christopher Hennelly Administrative Assistant Jeana Bonacci-Roth

The Empty Closet Editor Susan Jordan susanj@gayalliance.org   Phone: (585) 244-9030 Fax: (585) 244-8246 Graphic Design Jim Anderson jimandersondesign@me.com Advertising Jennie Bowker jennieb@gayalliance.org.

(585) 244-9030

The Gay Alliance

100 College Avenue Rochester, New York 14607 Mon. & Fri., 9am-5pm Tues., Wed., Thurs. 9am-8pm Phone: (585) 244-8640 Fax: (585) 244-8246 Email: info@gayalliance.org Internet: www.gayalliance.org

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Bed & Breakfast

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