Fab Las Vegas Magazine - Volume 22 - #5

24

YEARS

VOL 22, #5

Vegas’ #1 travel site for LGBTQ+

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Nevada’s first Holocaust Memorial Plaza opens in Las Vegas Ukraine - Giovanni Melton - Neve Campbell - Paul San Filipo - Bigger Vegas - Flex

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CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

By: Chris Azzopardi

-----------------------------------------------------------------------Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

A Survivor to Scream About As Sidney Prescott, fierce fighter of the knife-wielding Ghostface since the mid 1990s, Neve Campbell has represented strength and survival to generations of LGBTQ+ people. When she first appeared in Wes Craven’s groundbreaking “Scream” in 1996, Campbell’s Prescott wasn’t like other teen girls seen in slasher whodunits, ones who inevitably meet their demise.

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Neve Campbell on ‘Scream’ queer theories, and how Sidney still inspires the LGBTQ+ community Sidney was virginal, knew better than to run up the stairs, wasn’t saved by a hero, and quickly learned that horror movie villains never die an easy death. She hasn’t demonstrated just physical strength, but also, now five movies in, an aspirational internal strength that keeps her fighting the evil force (sometimes forces) against her. It makes sense that the character — a smart, strong heroine –– was created by

openly gay screenwriter Kevin Williamson.

Ten years after “Scream 4,” Sidney returns to Woodsboro again in “Scream” –– the fifth film –– after some horrific kills also draw back deputy sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and TV journalist Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox). They’re the legacy stars (which, in true meta “Scream” style, is acknowledged in the film), showing a new young

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CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

-----------------------------------------------------------------------cast of Woodsboro high schoolers how to survive the sick, twisted games of Ghostface. Games that Gale, Dewey and Sidney know all too well.

Though queer-coding has been noted in the franchise, particularly the longtime fan theory that original Ghostface killers Billy and Stu may have been closeted lovers, the new “Scream” knows this isn’t 1996 anymore. Consequently, there’s no reading between the lines, as one of the teens, Mindy, openly identifies as a queer Black woman (the actress portraying her, Jasmin Savoy-Brown, is also a queer Black woman).

While sharing her opinion on whether she thinks Billy

and Stu were actually in love, Campbell celebrated the new film’s explicit queerness and talked about LGBTQ+ fans finding the confidence and strength in Sidney to fight their own battles.

This is one of those rare moments for me when I can honestly say, if you told little, gay Chris at 15 years old that he’d one day interview the person who played someone who represented survival and perseverance to him, he wouldn’t have believed you.

Wow, honey. Thank you.

You must get that from gay boys.

I do, I do! But it’s always really lovely. It means a lot.

Did you ever expect that you would reach that demographic when you did the first “Scream”?

I had no idea what demographic I would reach.

Honestly, I had no idea of the success of these films or the impact that these films would have on people. I mean, listen, it’s an honor to play such a strong woman and someone who’s not a victim and someone who takes over and holds her own and won’t allow life to get away with her. But to realize the impact that has on other people’s lives and that it’s had a positive effect on people is the cherry on top.

We feel this way about Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

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Facebook.com/FreeZoneLV

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CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

-----------------------------------------------------------------------in “Halloween,” obviously, as well. So why do you think Scream Queens like yourself are revered so much by seemingly gay men in particular?

Yeah, but also I think it’s not just gay men. I think it’s people who have felt shut down in some way in their life or felt they’ve had [to] sort of push a glass ceiling or been misunderstood or been bullied. So I think it makes sense certainly for the queer community and gay men. But I think also just for anyone who has struggled with bullying or challenges, and in their youth especially.

It’s the underdog rising above, right?

Yeah, absolutely. And as Sidney does that or Laurie Strode does that, it gives people that confidence that they can overcome.

Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

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It’s always a real treat to see you back in the role of Sidney, because it does this sort of thing where I’m 39 now, but there’s a part of me that feels the same way that I felt when I was a teenager.

You carry that trauma with you.

Of course, of course.

And you know — you play this character who carries this trauma with her.

Absolutely. And I certainly had a level of bullying when I was a kid and struggled a lot, so perhaps that comes through in the character. And, of course, that is carried with us for the rest of our lives. But it’s sort of not letting it live you. That can be your history, that can just be a part of our tapestry, but that doesn’t have to be our present story.

It’s recognized in the new “Scream” that you are inspiring other young people.

Yeah, which is lovely. I mean, what’s great about these films is they’re very self-referential and they take a look at the genre itself, then they start to take a look at the characters within the film becoming icons themselves or characters that are portrayed in films.

There’s always a level of that.

I’m happy that Kevin Williamson recently divulged how the “Scream” movies are coded in gay survival. It’s obviously something that some of us have known for a very long time. Did you know from the beginning that Sidney was a manifestation of Kevin’s personal experiences as a gay man?

Not necessarily. I think you always know that a writer is writing from something

Photo Credit: HBO

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CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

-----------------------------------------------------------------------personal, some kind of experience that they’ve had.

I mean, good writing always comes from something intimate, or meaningful, or a part of a person’s story. So I had a suspicion. But he never said it clearly to me.

Had there been conversations on any other “Scream” movies following the first movie, given the fact that now he’s opened up about it?

We were actually just talking about it at a dinner a few weeks ago, and it was really the first time he revealed it to me that succinctly. I think he’s become clearer about it as well over the years. Probably because he’s been discussing it and talking about it, he’s able to express it more clearly.

Does it have you reinterpreting Sidney and what she means and what she stands for when you think about it through his very specific lens?

I don’t think it would change my portrayal because, inevitably, my portrayal came from the words and came from a pained person, a person who was damaged, a person who was troubled, who’s trying to overcome. So, whether that be gay or straight or whatever, it’s a very similar story, you know? So I don’t think the portrayal would need to be different.

Well, I guess not the portrayal so much as going back in your mind…

Oh, yeah…

And looking at Sidney 10 Fab Vegas

differently knowing this information now.

I think only because of people like you, I’ve had a sense of that already. I’ve had a sense of the impact that she’s had in that way and that she touches people in that way, so I can, in looking at the films, see those moments where that would have that impact.

There’s this part in the new “Scream” where Sidney says, “I’m bored.” Which is so funny because it really is what you feel when you’ve gone through so much and you’re like, “Come on. “I’ve gone through this, do better.”

[Laughs.] Been there, done that, seen it before, come on.

Really? Give me more.

I obviously talked to a lot of queer friends of mine before our interview. They had a lot to say about the character as well, but a friend of mine wanted me to ask you: What do you have to say for yourself for bringing out all the baby queers in the ’90s?

Very proud, very proud of it.

[Laughs.] Listen, you know, I grew up in the dance world, so I was in National Ballet School by the time I was 9 and, to be honest, the majority of the boys in my class were gay, because a lot of your community are drawn to the arts and drawn to that world and feel more accepted and are more accepted in that world.

So that’s been my upbringing.

Also, I grew up in Toronto, which I think [has] the second highest gay community in North America, so, you know [laughs]. I love Toronto for

that. So listen, if I’ve had an impact in that way on that community, it means a great, great deal to me.

Yeah, and let’s note here that it’s not just with “Scream,” but “The Craft” too.

“The Craft” as well, I know.

And “Wild Things” and “When Will I Be Loved.”

There’s a slew of movies.

[Laughs.]

There are so many theories about “Scream.” I’m sure you’ve heard them all at this point, but there’s one in particular that I wanted to ask you about: the dynamic between Billy and Stu in the first “Scream.” You’re looking at me like you know where I’m about to go with this.

Are you wondering whether there was a burgeoning love relationship going on there?

Of course.

Perhaps, perhaps. Yeah, it’s very much a possibility, and now that Kevin’s out and talking more about that, I would imagine that’s a big part of his thinking.

When you say “perhaps,” what makes you think that it’s possible?

Well, I don’t know clearly, ‘cause Kevin hasn’t said to me clearly that’s what it is, but it is a possibility, right?

If you were to theorize…

If I were to theorize, I would say that there was perhaps some confusion with them.

Pretty confused guys.

[Laughs.] And that maybe some of their anger comes

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CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

-----------------------------------------------------------------------from not being allowed to be who they want to be, if you wanna go there. [Laughs.]

What do you think?

I do want to go there. And I think Stu was hotter for Billy than Billy was for Stu. Yeah, yeah. Yes. At the very least we can say that the first film was queer coded, and we don’t live in a world anymore where that’s acceptable. And that’s something I really appreciate about the new “Scream” — that there’s a queer woman of color in it and her sexuality is so matter-of-fact. What are your thoughts on seeing the progress we’ve made throughout five “Scream” films?

Well, thank god, right? We needed to get to this place

where it just becomes fact and it just becomes true, then we accept the fact that we’re all different, and we’re all here. We don’t need to pretend that certain groups don’t exist anymore. It’s a great progression. But at the same time, I was reading an article on BBC yesterday about that Bert and Ernie cake in Ireland that was ordered. It was a man who wanted to have a birthday cake and have Bert and Ernie represent his gay openness and strength, and the bakery refused to make the cake for him. It became a big court case and he won the first court case, but he just lost the second. So, we’re not necessarily there yet, obviously, in every country.

Hopefully that will shift in the future. But at least, in some places, it’s getting better.

The new “Scream” is an important step, culturally speaking. I think about how many people there are like me who are young and will see this movie and feel like, “That’s me on screen.”

Yeah, absolutely. And being represented clearly and openly and without shame — yes, a beautiful thing.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

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FabLasVegas.com

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Handwashing

at Home, at Play, and Out and About Germs are everywhere! They can get onto your hands and items you touch throughout the day. Washing hands at key times with soap and water is one of the most important steps you can take to get rid of germs and avoid spreading germs to those around you.

How can washing your hands keep you healthy?

Germs can get into the body through our eyes, nose, and mouth and make us sick. Handwashing with soap removes germs from hands and helps prevent sickness. Studies have shown that handwashing can prevent 1 in 3 diarrhea-related sicknesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections, such as a cold or the flu.

Handwashing helps prevent infections for these reasons: People often touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without realizing it, introducing germs into their bodies.

Germs from unwashed hands may get into foods and drinks when people prepare or consume them. Germs can grow in some types of foods or drinks and make people sick.

Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, such as door knobs, tables, or toys, and then transferred to another person’s hands.

What is the right way to wash your hands?

1. Wet your hands with clean running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.

2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap.

3. Scrub all surfaces of your hands, including the palms, backs, fingers, between your fingers, and under your nails. Keep scrubbing for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice.

4. Rinse your hands under clean, running water.

5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

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When should you wash your hands?

Handwashing at any time of the day can help get rid of germs, but there are key times when it’s most important to wash your hands.

• Before, during, and after preparing food • Before eating food • Before and after caring for someone who is sick • Before and after treating a cut or wound • After using the bathroom, changing diapers, or cleaning up a child who has used the bathroom • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing • After touching an animal, animal food or treats, animal cages, or animal feces (poop) • After touching garbage • If your hands are visibly dirty or greasy

What type of soap should you use?

You can use bar soap or liquid soap to wash your hands. Many public places provide liquid soap because it’s easier and cleaner to share with others. Studies have not found any added health benefit from using soaps containing antibacterial ingredients when compared with plain soap. Both are equally effective in getting rid of germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

How does handwashing help fight antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria resist the effects of an antibiotic – that is, germs are not killed and they continue to grow.

Sicknesses caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be harder to treat. Simply using antibiotics creates resistance, so avoiding infections in the first place reduces the amount of antibiotics that have to be used and reduces the likelihood that resistance will develop during treatment. Handwashing helps prevent many sicknesses, meaning less use of antibiotics.

Studies have shown that handwashing can prevent

1 in 3 diarrhea-related sicknesses and

1 in 5 respiratory infections, such as a cold or the flu.

For more information and a video demonstration of how to wash your hands, visit the CDC handwashing website:

www.cdc.gov/handwashing

SÍNTOMAS DE LA ENFERMEDAD DEL CORONAVIRUS 2019 Los pacientes con COVID-19 han presentado enfermedad respiratoria de leve a grave.

Los síntomas* pueden incluir

TOS

Consulte a un médico si presenta síntomas y ha estado en contacto cercano con una persona que se sepa que tiene el COVID-19, o si usted vive o ha estado recientemente en un área en la que haya propagación en curso del COVID-19.

FIEBRE

*Los síntomas pueden aparecer de 2 a 14 días después de la exposición.

DIFICULTAD *Symptoms may PARA RESPIRAR appear 2-14 days after exposure.

cdc.gov/COVID19-es CS 315252-B March 16, 2020, 1:35PM

SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 Patients with COVID-19 have experienced mild to severe respiratory illness.

Symptoms* can include

COUGH

Seek medical advice if you develop symptoms, and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or if you live in or have recently been in an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19.

FEVER

*Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.

SHORTNESS OF BREATH

cdc.gov/COVID19-symptoms CS 315252-A March 20, 2020, 12:51PM

LGBTQ+ WORLD INTERVIEW

By: Chris Azzopardi

Photo: Lenny Emson, KyivPride executive director, via Zoom

In Conversation with KyivPride

What LGBTQ+ people need to know right now about the Russian invasion of Ukraine Right now, in Ukraine, transgender people are forced to go without their prescribed hormones.

“Pharmacies are out of stock of pretty much everything,” said Lenny Emson, executive director of KyivPride, a nongovernmental organization in Ukraine’s capital city.

Emson is bigender and uses she/he and him/his pronouns.

On Saturday, March 6, day 10 of the Russian invasion, this reporter spoke with Emson via Zoom. For security reasons, Emson did not disclose his location. “I’m in a safe place,” s_he said.

The following interview has been condensed and edited.

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What do LGBTQ+ people in Ukraine fear most about the Russian invasion?

First of all, we are in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, so we feel about [the] Russian invasion that it never should happen, and we will fight to the last drop of our blood.

We will not ever live under Russian laws. We will never obey Russia. We will never be occupied and live as Russians do, without human rights, without any rights, and standing on [our] knees, literally.

Conditions for LGBTQ+ people in Russia are much harsher than in Ukraine.

Do you see that as a coming threat right now?

I think it’s not right for us.

It’s a big threat that they will really introduce some repressions towards LGBTQI people and human rights activists. That is our fear.

For now, as LGBTQI activists, we’re not thinking of “What are we going to do when Russia is going to occupy us?” Our line of thinking is different: What can we do to prevent this from happening?

So our work is kind of divided in two directions. One is to evacuate the most vulnerable population. We evacuate trans people, we have evacuated people with children from [the] LGBTQI community.

And those who can fight, those who can be in territorial defense or in the Army, they join…and they fight. I know, personally, trans people who are joining the military to fight against Russia, and queer

people now who are joining territorial defense units to help. I just want the world to understand that LGBT people in Ukraine [are] joining the fight. We’re not running from Russia.

How can we help? There is a post on the KyivPride Facebook page with a list of organizations providing direct aid.

I would be very grateful if you could spread it and you can spread the word. These organizations right now, they are concentrating their efforts in different parts of Ukraine. So KyivPride, we work nationally. We help all people all over Ukraine.

We help people with money for food and relocation, and we have transportation means organized by different organizations. [See links to additional organizations below.]

What are the conditions like for LGBTQ+ people in Ukraine right now? For example, I understand transgender people are finding that hormones are impossible to come by.

Pharmacies are out of stock of pretty much everything. We are working with our partners from abroad, and we are trying to get some medications from there and to get them to Kyiv and to other cities where people need them. It’s kind of at the very beginning; this happened within a week.

What would you like LGBTQ+ people outside

Ukraine to know about the LGBTQ+ community there?

We would like you to know that we have like 30 years of fight for LGBTQ rights behind our backs. We’re fighting for these rights and freedoms for [the] LGBTQI community, and we’re not going to just let it go. Last year, in 2021, KyivPride gathered 7,000 people on the streets of Kyiv.

We were marching together for LGBTQI rights, for human rights. So unlike Russia, we are really big and we really value our freedom. We are very different from Russia, and we are not going to obey Russian laws and Russian oppression towards human rights, [like] we see right now happening in Russia for the last many, many years.

Many of us here feel helpless.

What can individuals do?

How can our government help?

How can government help and how can individuals help, this is very much connected, ‘cause we would like individuals to go to the government and to ask people that have power to use this power for good.

We need our sky closed.

“Close the sky,” this is a narrative that has been around from the very beginning of the war. So “close the sky “ is literally to ban all [Russian forces] from flying above the Ukrainian territory. That means that Russia would stop bombing. And this is what we need right now…because we need to live. In order to fight for human rights, we need to be alive. This is number one.

That’s why “close the sky” is a FabLasVegas.com

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LGBTQ+ WORLD INTERVIEW very broad LGBT demand to the American government.

We need to be alive in order to be LGBT and be a community.

As well, we’re asking all individuals not only just to donate to us…but be on our side. When you go on social media, and when you see posts in support of Russian propaganda, for example, posts denying that there is a war in Ukraine, posts denying that people are dying, posts supporting Putin or supporting Russia, please report. Please complain. There must be no place for Russian propaganda in social media; there must be no place for Russian lies on the Internet.

Please. You can do this. This could be your big input in the fight against Russia.

Any final thoughts?

It’s hard to say anything because nobody has expected this. I know all the warnings from [the] American government…all these reports from the intelligence services…but who could believe this could happen in the 21st century — a ground war, really? Who could believe that this man would go and bomb Ukrainian cities? Who could believe? This is not real.

When you look at all this footage from bombed cities, your brain does not want to

recognize it as a reality, your brain tries to switch it off. It’s such a big stress to realize that this is happening in real time, so that’s why... no words here.

What can we say?

KyivPride is a Ukrainian nongovernmental organization that aims at contributing to full respect for human rights for LGBT+ people in Ukraine, at encouraging an appreciation for these rights by raising LGBT+ visibility and participation in social processes. In addition to its activities throughout the year, KyivPride organizes an annual event called the KyivPride-week. KyivPride accepts donations via 24 Pay, Google Pay and credit card.

Photo: KyivPride protest in Kyiv, Ukraine Photo Credit: Facebook Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures 20 Fab Vegas

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LGBTQ+ VEGAS NEWS

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Photo Credit: Henderson Police Department

Las Vegas father of 14-year-old Giovanni Melton found guilty in 2017 killing In 2017 Wendell Melton shot and killed his 14-year-old son, with people close to the victim saying his death occurred because he was gay.

Giovanni Melton of Henderson died on November 2, 2017 after being shot in the apartment where he had been staying without family. He succumbed to his injuries at St. Rose Dominican Hospital’s Siena Campus. Giovanni was a student at Coronado High School.

Henderson police charged his father, Wendell Melton, 53, with murder, child abuse and firearms possession.

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On Wednesday May 5, 2022 the jurors found Wendell Melton guilty on three charges.

The Review-Journal reported the following: The jury found Melton guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon; child abuse, neglect or endangerment with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm; and child abuse, neglect or endangerment.

Sentencing for Wendell Melton is scheduled for July 6, 2022 at 8:30 AM at the Regional Justice Court located

at 200 Lewis Ave Las Vegas, Nevada 89155.

Giovanni Melton’s mother Veronica Melton posted the following statement online: If you were Giovanni’s friend, a school friend from elementary school, middle school, or high school, his school teacher, relative, his church Bishop, church friends and parents, neighbor, or a friend of his mother and witnessed the devastation that his family went through please come and give your testimony.

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IN MEMORIUM

Photo Credit:

Dirty Sugar Photography ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Las Vegas legend Paul Anthony San Filipo

Paul was a member of the LGBTQ+ community and in 1994 he purchased Gipsy Nightclub Las Vegas which is recorded in history forever as one of the most famous and longest-running LGBTQ+ nightclubs in the world.

Forever a part of Las Vegas history, Paul Anthony San Filipo passed away on April 4th, 2022.

Paul San Filipo was born on March 5, 1964, in Burbank, CA at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. His parents Peter San Filipo Sr. and Marilyn San Filipo had three sons of which Paul was the youngest.

Paul attended Granada Hills Charter High School (class of 1981) in Granada Hills, CA, and was influenced by a family involved in the Hollywood entertainment business. His father Peter “Pete” San Filipo Sr. was known for working on shows like Seinfeld (1989), Cheers (1981), and Quincy M.E (1976).

Paul San Filipo decided to move to another exciting city full of entertainment and possibility, Las Vegas! He found employment at Boyd Gaming’s California Hotel and Casino where he would make lifelong friends.

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Gipsy nightclub became a family business with Paul’s mother, Marilyn ‘Mother’ San Filipo, helping to manage the Gipsy Nightclub until her retirement.

His mother Marilyn passing in 2001 at the age of 66 was extremely difficult for Paul and would leave a lasting impact on the rest of his life.

Dennis McBride writes in his book “Out of the Neon Closet: Queer Community In The Silver State” that Gipsy Nightclub got its groove back under Paul’s ownership in 1994 but would lose it again to “bigger and grander clubs such as Krave and Pure”.

It would take the determination of an LGBTQ+ business owner to bring the community back to Paradise Rd. Soon came Paul’s vision and creation of Piranha Nightclub in the former Angles and Lace space.

Piranha Nightclub became an LGBTQ+ hotspot with A-List celebrities visiting such as Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, and Janet Jackson. It

would be hard to argue that Paul San Filipo was one of Janet Jacksons number one fans traveling the world on Janet’s tours and eventually Paul was considered a friend of Janet.

As a larger-than-life figure in the LGBTQ+ community, Paul had many people who touched his life and in return, he had a major impact on many of us.

No matter what point of Paul’s life you were a part of, it is important to remember that you are a piece of the puzzle of someone else’s life. You may never know where you fit, but others will fill the holes in their lives with pieces of you.

At any given moment everything can change. So forgive often and love with all your heart. You may not have that chance again.

Paul was preceded in death by his mother Marilyn San Filipo, his father Peter “Pete” San Filipo Sr., and his brother Steven San Filipo.

Paul is survived by his brother Peter “Pete” San Filipo Jr. and nephew Nicholas San Filipo and is remembered by the many friends that will cherish only the best memories.

Paul was an avid animal lover.

Donations in his honor can be made to American Humane.

A website honoring Paul has been put together by LGBTQ+ community members at www.PaulSanFilipo.com

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LGBTQ+ VEGAS NEWS

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Closed LGBTQ+ bar Flex Las Vegas still looking for new home On January 4, 2022 David Woodall, general manager for Flex Las Vegas announced online the closure of the popular gay bar.

The online post read: Ok guys, as promised here it is from the horses mouth. Flex will be closing its location at 4371 W Charleston after 30+ years of business.. as I promised Flex will go on in a to be 25 Fab Vegas

announced location, until then all of the bar will be packed away in Storage.

Stay tuned as I will let all of you know when all of that is secure and work begins to rebuild your favorite Las Vegas gay bar which will include all of your favorite Flex family of staff!!

A new chapter and a new beginning is on the horizon…. Our final day of business in this building will

be Sunday January 16 2022 I invite all of our family and friends to come celebrate the beginning of the next chapter with us that night!!! parties emphasize it is for all LGBTQ+ people and allies.

As of April 2022 there has been no online announcement on social media of a new location or of an approximate date of when an announcement should be expected.

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OUR VEGAS COMMUNITY

Photo Credit: Still frame of video for King David by Cashman Productions

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U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen speaks to those gathered for the dedication of Nevada’s first Holocaust Memorial Plaza

Nevada’s first Holocaust Memorial Plaza opens in Las Vegas On April 24, 2022, Nevada’s Jewish community and supporters gathered at the King David Memorial Chapel and Cemetary in Las Vegas for a Yom HaShoah memorial service and for the dedication of Nevada’s first Holocaust Memorial Plaza.

Yom HaShoah translated to English as Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day is observed as Israel’s day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, and for the Jewish resistance in that period.

Attending the dedication was U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen who acknowledged attending Holocaust survivors and their families of Yom HaShoah 26 Fab Vegas

and stated, “these holidays, well they connect us to each other, they are a reminder, a collective touchpoint, a time for us to pause, to share stories, reflect and in this case on Yom HaShoah, a time to turn pain into reflection and reflection into purpose and that purpose and that pain into promise and hope.”

At the memorial dedication soil from concentration camps was placed under each corresponding plaque.

King David’s general manager, Jay Poster detailed the memorial’s purpose, “We did this to preserve the story of the holocaust, to never forget.

We built this memorial so Rabbis and educators can teach each generation about the horrors of the Holocaust and how humanity can be cruel to humanity and also honor the lives of those who perished.”

There are many Holocaust memorials worldwide and even those that specifically honor the queer men and women murdered, tortured, and persecuted because of their sexuality.

In closing, Jay Poster quoted American artist, film director, producer, and gay icon Andy Warhol, “The idea is not to live forever, it is to create something that will.”

These LGBTQ+ memorials recreate symbols that were predominantly used throughout the Holocaust as each prisoner was required to wear a downward-pointing, equilateral triangular cloth

Photo Credit: HBO

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Holocaust survivor & Israeli artist Jehuda Bacon in Jerusalem (2008)

This plaque honors the memory of the homosexuals in Buchenwald between 1937 and 1945—650 of which wore the pink triangle.

badge on their chest, the color of which identified the reason for their imprisonment; a pink triangle to identify homosexual men, and a black triangle to identify lesbian women.

At the Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism in Berlin, Germany, the signboard reads, “In Nazi Germany, homosexuality was persecuted to a degree unprecedented in history. In 1935, the National Socialists issued an order making all male homosexuality a crime; the provisions governing homosexual behaviour in Section 175 of the Criminal Code were significantly expanded and made stricter. A kiss was enough reason to prosecute. There were more than 50,000 convictions. Under Section 175, the punishment was imprisonment; in some cases, convicted offenders were castrated. Thousands of men were sent to concentration camps for being gay; many of them died there. They died of hunger, disease and abuse or were the victims of targeted killings.

The National Socialists destroyed the communities of gay men and women.

Female homosexuality was not prosecuted, except in annexed Austria; the National Socialists did not find it as threatening as male homosexuality.

However, lesbians who came into conflict with the regime were also subject to repressive measures. Under the Nazi regime, gay men and women lived in fear and under constant pressure to hide their sexuality.

For many years, the homosexual victims of National Socialism were not included in public commemorations - neither in the Federal Republic of Germany nor in the German Democratic Republic. In both East and West Germany, homosexuality continued to be prosecuted for many years. In the Federal Republic, Section 175 remained in force without amendment until 1969.

Because of its history, Germany has a special responsibility to actively oppose the violation of gay men’s and lesbians’ human rights.

The Anguish of Liberation as Reflected in Art 1945-1947 by artist Yehuda Bacon on display at Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Rememberance Center

In many parts of the world, people continue to be persecuted for their sexuality, homosexual love remains illegal and a kiss can be dangerous.

With this memorial, the Federal Republic of Germany intends to honour the victims of persecution and murder, to keep alive the memory of this injustice, and to create a lasting symbol of opposition to enmity, intolerance and the exclusion of gay men and lesbians.”

In 2014 Tel Aviv joined Berlin, Amsterdam, Sydney, and San Francisco in building a memorial to the thousands persecuted by the Nazis for being queer.

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What You Can do if You are at Higher Risk of Severe Illness from COVID-19 Are you at higher risk for severe illness?

Here’s what you can do to help protect yourself: Get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Limit contact with other people as much as possible.

Based on what we know now, people who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 include: • Older adults

People of any age with the following:

Wash your hands often.

• Cancer • Chronic kidney disease • COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) • Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant • Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2) • Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)

Avoid close contact (6 feet, which is about 2 arm lengths) with others outside your household.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

• Pregnancy • Sickle cell disease • Smoking

Avoid all unnecessary travel.

• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Call your healthcare professional if you are sick.

For more information on steps you can take to protect yourself, see CDC’s How to Protect Yourself.

cdc.gov/coronavirus 316216A October 20, 2021 2:32 PM

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

LGBTQIA+ BOOK CLUB

By: Terri Schlichenmeyer

-----------------------------------------------------------------------are often excessively drunk, which almost totally mars the sweetness of this novel. Put aside endless Outback parties and repetitous beach forays, though, and you might be charmed by this familiar-notfamiliar boy-meets-boy tale.

“Ready When You Are” by Gary Lonesborough. $18.99 / 245 pages c.2022, Scholastic PUSH

In placing his novel in an Aboriginal community, author Gary Lonesborough gives U.S. readers a unique setting and immersion in a culture where life feels more relaxed than perhaps they’re accustomed – but yet, coming-out struggles for gay teens still exist.

Loud thunder-booms.

Spiders and snakes. The number thirteen, clowns, cemeteries, and heights. There are a lot of things that you can fear, just as there are a lot of ways you can overcome phobias, if you want. Vanquish those shivers by taking classes, being brave or, as in the new novel, “Ready When You Are”

by Gary Lonesborough, you can let someone gently help you.

If he had to admit it, seventeen-year-old Jackson Barley had a love-hate relationship with Christmas.

He loved its traditions, and because it was something out-of-the-ordinary. When hanging out with your mates on the Mish is all you normally do, it’s nice to have the holidays to break up the same-old. But over Christmas break, his Aunty Pam always brought his cousins around and the house was full of little kids. Jackson loved his younger brother and his cousins, but man, could they make a racket!

This year, another thing was unusual: Aunty Pam arrived Christmas Eve with a teenager she was caring for, a boy named Tomas who’d just 30 Fab Vegas

gotten out of juvie. Of course, Jackson’s mother said that Tomas could bunk in Jackson’s room and that wasn’t cool, not at first. Jackson’s mind was elsewhere: his girlfriend broke up with him for reasons he couldn’t discuss.

For most of his life, he had known that he was “different.”

He tried to be like other boys, but it just didn’t work that way and he was afraid to even think about his feelings. And now there was this outlaw kid, another Aboriginal boy like him lying on a mattress in Jackson’s bedroom and oh, Tomas was beautiful.

This leads to a story that, scene-for-scene, is predictible and common in YA romance novels –an aspect the genre’s most fervent readers passionately rely on. They’ll also love Jackson, a boy in a man’s skin who acts responsibly and genuinely, but who’s not yet too self-assured about it. Life through his eyes is the best part of this book.

Though you’ll likely find this novel in the Young Adult section, it’s absolutely appropriate for grown-ups with fond memories of first love. “Ready When You Are” has its lows, but it might also make your heart go boom.

But Jackson wasn’t gay, or at least he wasn’t ready to be. He wanted a summer with his mates, and girls, but he wanted Tomas to kiss him, too. How could he be true to himself?

And what would people think?

There are three main characters inside “Ready When You Are”: Jackson, Tomas, and alcohol. Lots of alcohol, and teenagers who

Photo Credit: Gary Lonesborough

------------------------------------------------------------------------

LGBTQ+ VEGAS NEWS

-----------------------------------------------------------------------Photo Credit: Facebook.com video still frame

Despite COVID-19 and inflation 8-day Bigger Vegas event for ‘gay men of size’ sold out BiggerVegas is an annual international conference and social gathering of gay men of size and their admirers.

This event serves the Chubs and Chasers community; a vibrant sub-culture of the gay community at large.

BiggerVegas.com shows that 1,707 registered guests from 31 countries are expected to attend the 8-day schedule of events put on by BC Productions Inc. BiggerCity is a dating service for gay men of size (Chubs/Bears) and their admirers (Chasers).

A global community with members from over 160 countries; BiggerCity offers a fun and accepting space 31 Fab Vegas

for big men and their admirers to flirt, connect and socialize. BiggerCity can be found on various mobile app stores including Apple and Google Play and at BiggerCity. com.

The schedule of events from June 28 through July 5 includes experiences at host hotel Tuscany Suites and all over the Las Vegas valley including Cowabunga Bay, the High Roller, Las Vegas Elite Offroad, and much more.

If you were interested in purchasing tickets to the event, not all hope is lost. According to BiggerVegas.com when cancellations occur it will free

up a package. Packages will be sold in person starting on Monday, June 27, 2022, at 3 pm, on a first come first serve basis. They do not guarantee any package or pass will be available. There is no waiting list for walk-up packages.

Hopeful attendees should plan to arrive on Monday for a chance to get passes.

Verify all information at BiggerVegas.com BiggerVegas is an 18+ Event. Must be 21+ to consume alcohol. A valid ID is required.

Vacúnese.

Tome su teléfono inteligente.

Empiece a usar v-safe.

10:18 AM

10:18 AM

Use su teléfono inteligente para decirles a los CDC si presenta algún efecto secundario después de vacunarse contra el COVID-19.

También recibirá recordatorios si necesita una segunda dosis de la vacuna.

Inscríbase usando el navegador de su teléfono inteligente en

vsafe.cdc.gov O Apunte la cámara de su teléfono inteligente a este código

Infórmese más sobre v-safe www.cdc.gov/vsafe 12/21/20

U. He Ce Co

Get vaccinated.

Get your smartphone.

Get started with v-safe.

10:18 AM

10:18 AM

Use your smartphone to tell CDC about any side effects after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

You’ll also get reminders if you need a second vaccine dose.

Sign up with your smartphone’s browser at

vsafe.cdc.gov OR Aim your smartphone’s camera at this code

Learn more about v-safe www.cdc.gov/vsafe 12/01/20

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35

Information for Teens: Staying Healthy and Preventing STDs If you choose to have sex, know how to protect yourself against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

What are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?

STDs are diseases that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact. These include chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), syphilis, and HIV. Many of these STDs do not show symptoms for a long time. Even without symptoms, they can still be harmful and passed on during sex.

consider before having sex. It’s okay to say “no” if you don’t want to have sex.

•

If you do decide to have sex, you and your partner should get tested for STDs beforehand. Make sure that you and your partner use a condom from start to finish every time you have oral, anal, or vaginal sex. Know where to get condoms and how to use them correctly. It is not safe to stop using condoms unless you’ve both been tested for STDs, know your results, and are in a mutually monogamous relationship.

•

Mutual monogamy means that you and your partner both agree to only have sexual contact with each other. This can help protect against STDs, as long as you’ve both been tested and know you’re STD-free.

•

Before you have sex, talk with your partner about how you will prevent STDs and pregnancy. If you think you’re ready to have sex, you need to be ready to protect your body. You should also talk to your partner ahead of time about what you will and will not do sexually. Your partner should always respect your right to say no to anything that doesn’t feel right.

•

Make sure you get the health care you need. Ask a doctor or nurse about STD testing and about vaccines against HPV and hepatitis B.

•

Girls and young women may have extra needs to protect their reproductive health.

Talk to your doctor or nurse about regular cervical cancer screening, and chlamydia and gonorrhea testing. You may also want to discuss unintended pregnancy and birth control.

•

Avoid mixing alcohol and/or recreational drugs with sex. If you use alcohol and drugs, you are more likely to take risks, like not using a condom or having sex with someone you normally wouldn’t have sex with.

How are STDs spread?

You can get an STD by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has an STD. Anyone who is sexually active can get an STD. You don’t even have to “go all the way” (have anal or vaginal sex) to get an STD. This is because some STDs, like herpes and HPV, are spread by skinto-skin contact.

How common are STDs? STDs are common, especially among young people. There are about 20 million new cases of STDs each year in the United States. About half of these infections are in people between the ages of 15 and 24. Young people are at greater risk of getting an STD for several reasons: •

Young women’s bodies are biologically more prone to STDs.

•

Some young people do not get the recommended STD tests.

•

Many young people are hesitant to talk openly and honestly with a doctor or nurse about their sex lives.

•

Not having insurance or transportation can make it more difficult for young people to access STD testing.

•

Some young people have more than one sex partner.

What can I do to protect myself?

•

The surest way to protect yourself against STDs is to not have sex. That means not having any vaginal, anal, or oral sex (“abstinence”). There are many things to

36 Fab Vegas

against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

If Iare getsexually an STD, how will Idiseases know? (STDs)?

What transmitted STDs are diseases that are passed from one person to another Many STDs don’t cause any symptoms that you through sexual contact. These include chlamydia, gonorrhea, would notice. only way(HPV), to know for sure genital herpes, humanThe papillomavirus syphilis, and HIV. if you haveSTDs an STD to get tested.forYou can get an Many of these do notis show symptoms a long time.

Even without they can stillwith be harmful and passed STDsymptoms, from having sex someone whoonhas no during sex. symptoms.

Just like you, that person might not

even he or she has an STD. How are know STDs spread?

You can get an STD by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with Where can I get tested? someone who has an STD. Anyone who is sexually active can get an STD.There You don’t have that to “gooffer all theteen-friendly, way” (have anal or vaginal areeven places sex) to get an STD. This is because some STDs, like herpes and HPV, confidential, and free STD tests. This means that are spread by skin-to-skin contact.

no one has to find out you’ve been tested. Visit

How common to arefind STDs? GetTested an STD testing location near

STDs are common, especially among young people. There are you. about 20 million new cases of STDs each year in the United States.

About halfSTDs of thesebe infections are in people between the ages of Can treated?

15 and 24. Young people are at greater risk of getting an STD for Your doctor can prescribe medicine to cure several reasons:

some STDs, like chlamydia and gonorrhea.

• Young women’s bodies are biologically more prone Other STDs, like herpes, can’t be cured, but you to STDs.

can take medicine to help with the symptoms.

• Some young people do not get the recommended If STD youtests. are ever treated for an STD, be sure to

•finish Manyall young peoplemedicine, are hesitanteven to talkifopenly and better of your you feel honestly with a doctor or nurse about their sex before you finish it all.

Ask the doctor orlives. nurse

testing and treatment for your partner, •about Not having insurance or transportation can make it more difficult young people to access STD avoid testing.having too.

Youfor and your partner should until you’ve both been •sex Some young people have moretreated. than one Otherwise, sex partner you may continue to pass the STD back and forth. It is possible to get an STD again (after

What can I do to protect myself?

• The surest way to protect yourself against STDs is to not you’ve been you have sex with have sex.

Thattreated), means notifhaving any vaginal, anal, or someone who has anThere STD. oral sex (“abstinence”). are many things to consider before having sex. It’s okay to say “no” if you don’t want to What happens if I don’t treat an STD? have sex.

Some curable STDs can be dangerous if they aren’t treated. For example, if left untreated, CS287360A chlamydia and gonorrhea can make it difficult— or even impossible—for a woman to get pregnant. You also increase your chances of getting HIV if you have an untreated STD. Some STDs, like HIV, can be fatal if left untreated.

What if my partner or I have an incurable STD? Some STDs, like herpes and HIV, aren’t curable, but a doctor can prescribe medicine to treat the symptoms.

If you are living with an STD, it’s important to

tell partner before youyouhave sex. partner Although • Ifyour you do decide to have sex, and your should get tested for STDs beforehand.

Make sure that you and it may be uncomfortable to talk about your your partner usehonest a condom from start to finish every STD, open and conversation can help time you have oral, anal, or vaginal sex. Know where to your partner make informed decisions to get condoms and how to use them correctly. It is not protect his or her health. safe to stop using condoms unless you’ve both been STDs, knowwho your results, and are them? in a mutually If Itested havefor questions, can answer monogamous relationship.

If• you have questions, talk to a parent or other Mutual monogamy means that you and your partner both trusted be afraid be each openother. andThis agreeadult. to only Don’t have sexual contactto with honest with themagainst aboutSTDs, yourasconcerns.

If both you’re can help protect long as you’ve been and know evertested confused or you’re need STD-free. advice, they’re the first place to start.

After were young once, • Before you have sex, all, talk they with your partner about how too.you will prevent STDs and pregnancy. If you think you’re ready to have sex, you need to be ready to protect your

Talking about sexalso with parent or another body. You should talkato your partner ahead of time adult doesn’t need bewill a one-time about what you willto and not do sexually. Your partner conversation. bestyour to leave the forthat should alwaysIt’s respect right to saydoor no to open anything doesn’t feel right. conversations in the future.

• Make sure you get the health care you need. Ask a doctor It’s also important to talk honestly with a doctor or nurse about STD testing and about vaccines against or nurse.

Ask which STD tests and vaccines HPV and hepatitis B. they recommend for you.

• Girls and young women may have extra needs to protect

their reproductive health.information?

Talk to your doctor or nurse Where can I get more

about regular cervical cancer screening, and chlamydia

CDC and gonorrhea testing. You may also want to discuss

unintended birth control.

How You Canpregnancy Preventand Sexually Transmitted • Avoid mixing alcohol and/or recreational drugs with sex.

Diseases If you use alcohol and drugs, you are more likely to take www.cdc.gov/std/prevention/

risks, like not using a condom or having sex with someone

Teen youPregnancy normally wouldn’t have sex with. https://www.cdc.gov/ teenpregnancy/teens/ index.htm

CDC-INFO Contact Center 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) Contact wwwn.cdc.gov/dcs/ ContactUs/Form HealthFinder.gov STD Testing: Conversation Starters https://healthfinder.gov/ HealthTopics/ Category/health-conditions-and-diseases/ hiv-and-other-stds/std-testing-conversationstarters American Sexual Health Association Sexual Health and You http://www.iwannaknow.org/ teens/ sexualhealth.html FabLasVegas.com

37

STD (SEXUALLY TRASMITTED DISEASES) INFO SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES INFO, TESTING & RESOURCES WHAT IS A SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE? Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), are infections that are commonly spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex and oral sex.

WHAT IS HIV? HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system.It is usually spread by anal or vaginal sex or sharing syringes with a person who has HIV. The only way to know you have HIV is to be tested.

Everyone aged 13-64 should be tested at least once, and people at high risk should be tested at least once a year. Ask your doctor, or visit gettested.cdc.gov to find a testing site. Without treatment, HIV can make a person very sick or may even cause death. If you have HIV, start treatment as soon as possible to stay healthy and help protect your partners.

Nevada is the fifth highest state in the United States for rates of new HIV diagnoses and is #1 in Syphillis *According to CDC HIV Surveillance Report, 2017 and the CDC Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report, 2017 released in 2018

38 Fab Vegas

STD TESTING RESOURCE SOUTHERN NEVADA HEALTH DISTRICT ADDRESS 1: 280 S. Decatur Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89107 HOURS: Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (closed 12 – 1 p.m.)

ADDRESS 2: 4201 W. Washington Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89107 HOURS: Monday – Wednesday 9 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The following services are offered at the Sexual Health Clinic: 1.

Diagnosis and treatment of active or suspected cases of:

•

Chlamydia

•

Gonorrhea

•

Syphilis

•

HIV

•

Trichomonas (females only)

•

Bacterial Vaginosis (females only)

2.

Free condoms and instruction on how to safely use them (both male and female condom)

3.

Follow-up bloodwork

4.

Hepatitis screening, diagnosis and treatment

5.

High-risk behavior counseling

6.

HIV Nursing Case Management

7.

Injection series for syphilis medication

8.

Partner notification

9.

Referrals by private physicians

10. Sexual assault follow-up 11. Test results and couseling Clients seeking treatment at the Sexual Health Clinic should know that the Health District is required to report cases involving assault or abuse to appropriate agencies.

HIV Testing: HIV antibody testing is a simple blood test performed by a trained professional. This procedure is strictly confidential. Counseling regarding the meaning of the test and its result take place before the actual testing to ensure you understand HIV infection and the testing procedure.

HIV testing procedure: Blood Test – Blood drawn from a vein is tested for HIV antibodies. This test is available at the Sexual Health Clinic (280 S. Decatur Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89107 ), Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please call (702) 759-0702 for more information.

If you have questions, contact the clinic by phone at (702) 759-0702 or by email at SexualHealth@snhd.org.

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PRIDE FLAGS

PRIDE FLAGS

COMMUNITY RESOURCES 44 Fab Vegas

FabLasVegas.com

45

WWW.IRSCDEI.ORG

WWW.IRSCDEI.ORG

www.afanlv.org Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN) provides support and advocacy for adults and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada.

AFAN works to reduce HIV infection through prevention and education to eliminate fear, prejudice and the stigma associated with the disease.