The Advocate April/May 2017 by Pride Media

WHY IT’S TIME TO STOP SHAMING BLACK BI & GAY MEN WITH HIV

SINCE 1967

APRIL / MAY 2017 ISSUE 1090

THE RESISTANCE WILL BE TELEVISED TALKING SEX, HEALTH, GENDER & #RESISTANCE WITH SAMIRA WILEY IN THE HANDMAID’S TALE MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS & IVORY AQUINO IN WHEN WE RISE CHIPS STAR DAX SHEPARD ASIA KATE DILLON IN BILLIONS AND BONES STAR MICHAELA CONLIN

WHAT IS GENVOYA®? GENVOYA is a 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years and older and weigh at least 77 lbs. It can either be used in people who are starting HIV-1 treatment and have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements. These include having an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL) for 6 months or more on their current HIV-1 treatment. GENVOYA combines 4 medicines into 1 pill taken once a day with food. GENVOYA is a complete HIV-1 treatment and should not be used with other HIV-1 medicines. GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses, you must keep taking GENVOYA. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body ﬂuids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body ﬂuids on them.

medicines that should not be taken with GENVOYA. Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. • The herbal supplement St. John’s wort. • Any other medicines to treat HIV-1 infection.

What are the other possible side effects of GENVOYA? Serious side effects of GENVOYA may also include: • Changes in body fat, which can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicines. • Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to ﬁght infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking GENVOYA. • Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking GENVOYA.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

The most common side effect of GENVOYA is nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away.

What is the most important information I should know about GENVOYA?

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking GENVOYA?

GENVOYA may cause serious side effects:

• All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection.

• Build-up of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat. • Serious liver problems. The liver may become large and fatty. Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turning yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; light-colored bowel movements (stools); loss of appetite; nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness in the right side of your stomach area. • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking GENVOYA for a long time. In some cases, lactic acidosis and serious liver problems have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions. • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. GENVOYA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking GENVOYA, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking GENVOYA without ﬁrst talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

Who should not take GENVOYA? Do not take GENVOYA if you take:

• All the medicines you take, including prescription and overthe-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other medicines may affect how GENVOYA works. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe to take GENVOYA with all of your other medicines. • If you take antacids. Take antacids at least 2 hours before or after you take GENVOYA. • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if GENVOYA can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking GENVOYA. • If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Please see Important Facts about GENVOYA including Important Warnings on the following page.

• Certain prescription medicines for other conditions. It is important to ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about

Ask your healthcare provider if GENVOYA is right for you, and visit GENVOYA.com to learn more.

GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

SHOW YOUR

POWER

Take care of what matters mostâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;you. GENVOYA is a 1-pill, once-a-day complete HIV-1 treatment for people who are either new to treatment or people whose healthcare provider determines they can replace their current HIV-1 medicines with GENVOYA.

IMPORTANT FACTS This is only a brief summary of important information about GENVOYA and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

(jen-VOY-uh) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT GENVOYA

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF GENVOYA

GENVOYA® may cause serious side effects, including: • Build-up of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat. • Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; light-colored bowel movements (stools); loss of appetite; nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness in the right side of your stomach area. • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. GENVOYA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking GENVOYA. Do not stop taking GENVOYA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months. You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking GENVOYA for a long time.

GENVOYA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About GENVOYA” section. • Changes in body fat. • Changes in your immune system. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. The most common side effect of GENVOYA is nausea. These are not all the possible side effects of GENVOYA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking GENVOYA. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with GENVOYA.

ABOUT GENVOYA • GENVOYA is a prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older and weigh at least 77 lbs who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before. GENVOYA can also be used to replace current HIV-1 medicines for some people who have an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL of virus in their blood), and have been on the same HIV-1 medicines for at least 6 months and have never failed HIV-1 treatment, and whose healthcare provider determines that they meet certain other requirements. • GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others. Do NOT take GENVOYA if you: • Take a medicine that contains: alfuzosin (Uroxatral®), carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR®, Teril®), cisapride (Propulsid®, Propulsid Quicksolv®), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45®, Migranal®), ergotamine (Cafergot®, Migergot®, Ergostat®, Medihaler Ergotamine®, Wigraine®, Wigrettes®), lovastatin (Advicor ®, Altoprev®, Mevacor ®), lurasidone (Latuda®), methylergonovine (Ergotrate®, Methergine®), midazolam (when taken by mouth), phenobarbital (Luminal®), phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek®), pimozide (Orap®), rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®, Rimactane®), sildenafil when used for lung problems (Revatio®), simvastatin (Simcor®, Vytorin®, Zocor®), or triazolam (Halcion®). • Take the herbal supplement St. John’s wort. • Take any other HIV-1 medicines at the same time.

BEFORE TAKING GENVOYA Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. • Have any other medical condition. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with GENVOYA.

HOW TO TAKE GENVOYA • GENVOYA is a complete one pill, once a day HIV-1 medicine. • Take GENVOYA with food.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about GENVOYA. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. • Go to GENVOYA.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit GENVOYA.com for program information.

GENVOYA, the GENVOYA Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: December 2016 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. GENC0126 01/17

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MICHAEL KENNETH WILLIAMS (AP PHOTOS/CHRIS PIZZELLO); HELGA ESTEB/SHUTTERSTOCK (WILEY); SHIRIN TINATI (DILLON)

F E AT U R E S 22 The Revolution Has Begun Again Dustin Lance Black’s ABC miniseries When We Rise chronicles 40 years of the LGBT rights movement. We talk with real life activists—and the actors who portray them—about the show, the intersectionality of the movement, and why our struggle’s history is so relevant right now.

ON THE COVER

34 TV’s Subversive Acts Actress Samira Wiley talks about the frightening totalitarian, fundamentalist regime in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Bones star Michaela Conlin on her bisexual legacy from that women-centric Fox series. And TV’s first nonbinary gender-identified actor plays the same on Showtime’s Billions.

38 No CHiPs Off The Old Block Dax Shepard stars in a remake of the 1970s TV show about motorcycle cops. We talk about his rebellion against “jock culture” and gender conformity, what to do in the face of the Trump regime, and whether Jon and Ponch will ever hook up.

Samira Wiley photographed by Jessica Yatrofsky

APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

s tay w o k e 9 Trumpocalypse Now

Here are some of the terrible things the so-called president did in a few short weeks

11 Asia Rises

Remarkable LGBT literature, and film rise from the East

12 Is Surgery a Right?

A judge said yes and ordered California to provide. You won’t believe what happened next.

15 Recruitment Is Up Meet some new members.

16 Stop Slut Shaming

Bi and Gay Black Men

Black bi and gay men may have highest rates of HIV, but the reason is not what you think.

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

sex

h e a lt h

40 Better Booty

Good bottoming takes practice. Follow these excercises to avoid injury and enhance pleasure.

42 Can Manscaping

Increase Your STIs?

The warning you need to read to believe.

44 Dive in Deep

Time to improve your skill.

46 Bi(Sexual) Health

How does playing for more than one team impact your sexual health?

63 t r av e l 48 Romancing Alone

Surrounded by couples, there’s still much for singles to love at this Mexican resort.

50 Resistance Recovery Activists to recharge in Key West or Coachella.

d a i ly d o s e 55 PrEP Without Stress Zachary Zane on getting free PrEP in five minutes flat.

bl ack ink 63 Marlon Riggs

Matters

The black gay filmmaker documented his community, thought intersectionally, and remains relevant today.

s p e c tat o r 56 Cuban Rebel

The Latina lesbian and teenage feminist on One Day at a Time is helping to raise visibility in an increasingly hostile climate.

57 Virtual Empathy

Francis, a VR documentary raises awareness about mental health in rural Africa.

64 “Please, Mr. Jailer”

Will & Grace star Megan Mullally’s new album has us singing her praises (and humming “Lock him up!”)

65 Between The Covers

Jane Crow intersectionality, America gets her wings, a Boy Erased by reparative therapy, and more to read.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: COURTESY GARDENS HOTEL; SHUTTERSTOCK; CALIFORNIA NEWSREEL(TONQUES UNTIED); SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (DEEP WATER)

Diane Anderson-Minshall

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IN A POST-TRUMP world of false facts and subterfuge, I could spend hours pontificating about who we choose to put in the magazine and why. Every choice these days, at least for me, seems to revolve around the concept of resistance. So for my first issue back at the helm of The Advocate, I wanted that to show in the pages the way it does in the streets. Not chaos, but pure raw emotion. And I couldn’t be more excited about the collection of voices we’ve assembled here, including Samira Wiley, who graces our cover and talks to us about the eerie similarities between Donald Trump’s vision for America and the dystopian world of The Handmaid’s Tale, in which she stars. The same could be said for the creator (Dustin Lance Black), the stars (Michael K. Williams, Ivory Aquino), and inspiration (Cecilia Chung, Ken Jones) we spoke to about their new ABC miniseries, When We Rise. I’m not often moved by television but the last time ABC programmed a miniseries like this was Roots, based on Alex Haley’s 1976 novel of the same name. Certainly the LGBT experience (except for those of us who are African-American, of course) is not comparable to Kunta Kinte’s enslavement to his descendants’ liberation. But there’s an air of greatness about this show, the magnitude of seeing the history of the LGBT rights movement airing every night for a week on a TV station we all grew up with, gives me chills. With Roots, we watched every night, 100 million of us in all, sharing in an experience that, for many, was part hope, part tragedy, but pure inspiration. When We Rise will inspire you as well. It feels particuarly timely as people are again taking to the streets and protesting injustice. Under the direction of editor in chief Lucas Grindley, our mission at The Advocate is to entertain, inform, and educate. But it’s also to be part of the resistance ourselves. Let us know how we’re doing at magazine@advocate.com. Yours in the struggle,

diane anderson-minshall, editorial director WHY IT’S TIME TO STOP SHAMING BLACK BI & GAY MEN WITH HIV

WHY IT’S TIME TO STOP SHAMING BLACK BI & GAY MEN WITH HIV

SINCE 1967

APRIL / MAY 2017 ISSUE 1090

SINCE 1967

TALKING SEX, HEALTH, GENDER & #RESISTANCE WITH SAMIRA WILEY IN THE HANDMAID’S TALE MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS & IVORY AQUINO IN WHEN WE RISE CHIPS STAR DAX SHEPARD ASIA KATE DILLON IN BILLIONS AND BONES STAR MICHAELA CONLIN

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

Our conversation with Samira Wiley was so deep we barely touched on life with her fiancé, Lauren Morelli (a writer on Orange is the New Black). But we did ask her whether being engaged to a writer makes her life funnier or more complicated.

I think so, very much both!” she laughs. “One of the things that you have to deal with when your partner is a writer is anything you say, anything you do, sort of ending up in a script of theirs. Sometimes I feel honored, and I’m like whoa, that means she thinks that was really funny, that’s awesome. And then sometimes we have to have conversations, bcause I’m like, I don’t know if I feel comfortable with being put in this script. But ultimately, I’m a big admirer of Lauren’s work, and I think she’s one of the greatest writers that I’ve ever worked with. And you know, it’s funny, its complicated—but I choose it every day.”

SO MANY GOOD CHOICES APRIL / MAY 2017 ISSUE 1090

THE RESISTANCE WILL BE TELEVISED

OVERHEARD FROM SAMIRA

Choosing between Samira Wiley and Michael K. Williams, two actors I admire a great deal, is a bit like Solomon splitting the baby. If you add in Ivory Aquino, the recently out transgender actress who portrays my friend Cecilia Chung in When We Rise, and the cover choice this issue was nearly unbearable. Here were two of our faves. What do you think? Did we make the right decision? Email us your feedback at magazine@advocate.com!

TRUMPOCALYPSE NOW

Some of the worst things the so-called president did in his first days in office. BY JAC OB A NDER S ON -MIN S H A L L

N OW I N G T H AT T R U M P and

Republicans would soon take a wrecking ball to everything he held dear, former President Obama used his last days on the job to preserve his progressive legacy by investing in AIDS relief, pushing healthcare enrollment, protecting trans inmates, making a record number of sentence commutations (including Chelsea Manning), ending oil exploration in the Arctic, and so much more. Trump used his first few weeks far less charitably. Here are some of his worst.

ANTHONY MERINO

DRAINED THE SWAMP RIGHT INTO THE WHITE HOUSE: In addition to

rolling back post-financial crisis regulations, Trump is rewarding his billionaire cronies with control over federal agencies that they wish to undermine.

Our new Secretary of Education, billionaire Betsy DeVos (whose family has given $200 million to Republicans), doesn’t understand the basics of the public education system she wants to dismantle. Climate change denier Scott Pruitt was picked to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Racist homophobe Jeff Sessions now runs the Justice Department as attorney general. Tom Price, the new Secretary of Health and Human Services, belongs to an AIDS-denialist group that doesn’t believe HIV causes AIDS. Not confirmed as of press time, fast-food magnate Andrew Puzder, who opposes worker protections, was picked to lead the Labor Department, and anti-public assistance Ben Carson was chosen to head the Housing and Urban Development.

GIVEN WHITE NATIONALISTS POWER: David Duke, the former head

of the KKK, is thrilled Trump is in power. Trump didn’t just tolerate his white nationalist supporters, he encouraged them; and now they are coming out of the shadows with new confidence. Worse, Trump empowered Steve Bannon, whose white nationalist ideology is evident in the way the administration spoke about the International Holocaust Remembrance Day but avoided mentioning Jews—and then claimed they did so out of respect for others who died in WWII. Trump gave Bannon unparalleled access to power, granting him a place on the National Security Council, allowing him to write and interpret policy. PUSHED A MUSLIM BAN: The lan-

guage of the executive order, the chaotic unveiling, the role Bannon played (including expanding the ban’s interpretation to apply to permanent legal residents), the insistence that it isn’t a Muslim ban (it is), and the fact that Trump apparently didn’t consult or even alert lawyers, experts, Congress, the Transportation Security APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

STAY WOKE

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Administration, or the border patrol—it all added up to a mess. Yet, the ban may turn out to be one of the best things for the resistance. That weekend as thousands protested, donations to organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union skyrocketed (it raised $24 million in two days from over 350,000 donors). QUESTIONED THE LEGITIMACY OF THE COURTS: Lashing out at the judge who issued an

indefinite stay of the Muslim ban, Trump tweeted, “Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!” Two queer experts were among those concerned. Nate Silverman of FiveThirtyEight warned, “Trump is tipping his hand as to a strategy if/when ‘something happens,’ e.g. a terrorist attack, and is very likely to exploit it to expand his powers.” When that stay was upheld by the Appeals Court, Trump called it “LawFare” (as in “warfare”) in a tweet— suggesting he views the decision as an act of aggression and could respond in kind. “He plans to ignore the judiciary and undermine the separation of powers,” Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, writes in a Facebook post. This is particularly disturbing because the courts are one of the only checks on an over-reaching, power-hungry would-be autocrat in the White House, especially as the Republican-dominated Congress seems unwilling to slow his roll. IGNORED DIPLOMATIC PROTOCOLS: “He will

destroy longstanding alliances,” warns Smith. Trump has blundered through international relations with all the diplomacy of a hungry toddler. He angered China by disregarding the “One China” policy and threatening a trade war. His insistence that Mexico will pay for his border wall one way or another has Mexicans outraged. His snarky phone call with the Australian prime minister irritated one of our closest allies. Diplomacy exists to help facilitate cross cultural interactions that are necessary in a global world. Trump’s ignorance or disregard of it has serious long-term consequences, not the least of which is the real possibility of sparking a war.

COZIED UP WITH PUTIN: Even if we don’t mention the role Russia’s hacking played in the outcome of the election, Trump has provided a long list of reasons to be concerned about his man-crush. He’s discounted concerns about Putin invading other countries, having people killed, and hacking the U.S. He’s rolled back Obama sanctions—and it appears (now former) National Security Advisor Michael Flynn assured Russia those sanctions would be undone before Trump even took office. “He has undisclosed financial entanglements with Russia,” Smith adds. “He will greenlight Russian aggression.” DOOMED THE ENVIRONMENT: The Trump

regime has suspended Environmental Protection Agency contracts (including safety testing on household chemicals); pledged to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change; and filled his administration with climate change-deniers. He put a former EXXON-Mobil CEO in charge of the State Department; expedited the Keystone and Dakota

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

Trump has only spoken the truth 4 percent of the time. His statement are ‘mostly true’ an additional 12 percent of the time. Everything else falls between halftruths and ‘pants on fire’ lies.”

Access pipelines (the latter will dig a massive tunnel under a major source of fresh water); repealed rules protecting streams from mining activities; reversed Obama’s commitment to alternative energy; rolled back EPA protections; and made moves to support drastically easing regulations around oil and gas drilling on federal lands. And he’s just getting started. NORMALIZED FALSEHOOD: Whether it is

Trump’s claims that his inauguration crowd was the largest despite evidence to the contrary or his (incorrect) insistence, “The murder rate in our country is the highest it’s been in 47 years,” our first reality TV president doesn’t seem to know (or care) about the truth. According to Politifact’s running tally, Trump has only spoken the truth 4 percent of the time. His statements are “mostly true” an additional 12 percent of the time. Everything else falls between half-truths and “pants on fire” lies. Meanwhile, Trump’s proxies like Sean Spicer twist the truth every time they speak. The queen of propaganda, Kellyanne Conway insisted that “alternative facts” were a thing and made up a terrorist attack that never happened. (For the record: One did happen in 1643 in Bowling Green, New York, when Europeans killed dozens of Lanape Indians.) Add in Trump and friends calling any critical reporting “fake news” and one thing is clear: whether you want to call them deliberate efforts to misinform, misstatements, falsehoods, or gaslighting, this regime is burning through pants daily.

ATTACKED SANCTUARY CITIES: Trump issued

an executive order on undocumented immigrants which may fuel massive arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It also aimed to punish sanctuary cities by ordering “that jurisdictions that fail to comply with applicable Federal law do not receive Federal funds, except as mandated by law.” Lawyers will be pushing to clarify the limit of that caveat. But trans author and former Naval pilot, Brynn Tannehill found another element of the EO “the most disturbing.” It orders the Department of Homeland Security to publish a weekly list of what it calls “criminal actions committed by aliens.” “It is effectively using a U.S. government agency to race bait, and justify hatred and discrimination,” writes Tannehill in her blog. “This is very similar to the ‘Black Crime’ section of Breitbart, designed to convince the public that black people are criminals and a danger to society … Trump’s executive order makes [race baiting] a federal function.”

REINSTATED AN INTERNATIONAL ABORTION GAG RULE: To be clear, agencies were already

prohibited from using U.S. federal funds for abortions or the promotion of abortions. But this law means, for example, that a women’s clinic would risk losing funds by providing education about abortions, even if it doesn’t offer those procedures. Studies show these rules haven’t decreased abortions, but they do put women’s lives in jeopardy. Because many of these same agencies also provide HIV prevention and treatment, losing their funding could have a detrimental impact in that international effort as well.

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COURTESY OF HERE TV (PEOPLE LIKE US)

ASIAN AWAKENING Never before have we seen as much LGBT art and activism coming out of repressive Asian countries like China, Singapore, and Taiwan. Transgress Press (@trans_books) recently published Lei Ming’s Life Beyond My Body, the first book written by a transgender man in China. After a neglected childhood in a rural Chinese village, Ming left home at 16 to find answers to who he is in a culture that still doesn’t speak of men like him. Ming, who is in the U.S. for a spring book tour of the West coast, tells of using black market testosterone, being jailed over his identity—but most of all, of finding his place in the world. Meanwhile, in May, New York Review Book Classics (@NYRBClassics) releases Qiu Miaojin’s Notes of a Crocodile, with a new English translation by Bonnie Huie. Hugely popular among college-educated lesbian and bisexual women in Taiwan and mainland China (though she was never published there), 26-year-old Miaojin stabbed herself in the heart with an ice pick (or knife) in 1995. Her pre-suicide depression never tampered her brilliance, though, and just after her death she was given one of Taiwan’s most prestigious literary prizes for the book. Interest in Miaojin, who is credited with birthing the LGBT movement in Taiwan, crosses national boundaries. A Hong Kong filmmaker recently released a Chinese-language documentary on Miaojin as well. In Singapore, a group that promotes HIV education, Action for AIDS, developed the country’s first webseries about gay and bi men, People Like Us, which director Leon Cheo filmed in real gay clubs, bars, and bathhouses. “Sex between men in Singapore is still illegal and kept in the books to appease conservatives,” says Cheo, “but not actively enforced.” The series is now available on-demand in the U.S. on Here TV network (parent company of The Advocate) and Here TV premium channels (@heretv) on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and more. Seek McCartney, China’s first commercial gay movie was approved by the country’s movie regulators and will appear in theaters in late 2017. Director Wang Chao’s film follows the relationship between two gay men—one Chinese and one French—traveling through Tibet.—DIANE ANDERSON-MINSHALL

SCENES FROM REVOLUTION (Top): People Like Us (Bottom): Qiu Miaojin, author of Notes of a Crocodile

APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

TRANS RIGHTS

ORANGE IS THE NEW HACK This trans ex-con is changing how things are done. BY JAC OB A NDER S ON -MIN S H A L L

M I C H E L L E - L A E L NO R SWO RT H Y spent several decades in a men’s prison. Even after she came out as trans and began expressing her gender identity, she remained in gen pop with male inmates. Norsworthy had been convicted of murdering an acquaintance in 1985 and given a life sentence. In prison, she was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and her psychiatrist recommended she receive gender affirmation surgery. That request was denied. She filed appeals. Denied. In 2009, Norsworthy was brutally gang raped by several inmates. The attack was documented in official prison records, but, she says, prison guards did nothing to stop it. “[They] think that because you want to be a woman, you want that,” she says. “Because you wear lipstick or because you’re manufacturing these articles of clothing or are altering them in a manner to display your figure—that that is an invitation. So, their philosophy is, This is what you must want. The philosophy of the male environment inside the prison system is one that women are basically objects. That women live in an existence to serve men. So, rape is not really rape. That’s where we have to start. We have to start with [changing] that philosophy [so there is] the right to expression without violation.”

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

Norsworthy says the rape left her with hepatitis C, but without treatment. Prison officials “allowed it to progress to a place where … I was dying and I didn’t even know it. The department didn’t help do shit. From 2009 to the time I was released, they were just letting me wallow in my hep C and die.” Hep C’s impact on her liver became one more argument for surgery: removing her testes would be less damaging on her liver than a lifetime of hormone-blockers. In 2014, Norsworthy filed another lawsuit, arguing that denying her surgery was cruel and unusual punishment. U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar agreed, ordering California to provide her transition surgery. It was a groundbreaking decision. Norsworthy was the first person incarcerated in California—maybe the first in the U.S.—to win the right to gender affirmation surgery. But she never received it. Instead, she was suddenly paroled. “They basically denied me parole in 2013,” Norsworthy says. “I was ‘a danger to society.’ One year later … they couldn’t get me to the [parole] board fast enough. I mean, there’s no lifer in history in the Department of Corrections of California that got expedited more than I did.” The same day Norsworthy’s parole was finalized, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation filed a motion to toss out Judge Tigar’s opinion, arguing that since she’d been paroled, the ruling was moot. Norsworthy’s attorneys—from Transgender Law Center and Morgan, Lewis, and Bockius—went back to court, arguing the state was trying to make the precedent (not to mention the cost of surgery) go away by releasing her. That the state was desperate to avoid a precedent-setting ruling seems clear: after all, in August of 2015, they settled with Shiloh Quine, another trans inmate suing for gender affirmation surgery. California agreed to pay for Quine’s surgery, but only if all parties agreed her case could not set a precedent for anyone else. Quine agreed. In a blow to the state, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against California, writing that the timing of Norsworthy’s release implied “there was at least some chance that the defendants influenced the parole process.” Norsworthy’s case was allowed to set legal precedent for other inmates. (Earlier this year, Quine became the first Californian to receive gender affirmation surgery while serving time.) Since getting out of prison two years ago, Norsworthy has received treatment for her hep C. She’s now cured, but says she may have permanent damage to her liver. “It’s alright,” she said two weeks before her own gender surgery. “I’m 53. I don’t have that much time left anyway. As long as I die with my vagina.” That doesn’t mean Norsworthy has given up. The firebrand has a new goal in sight. She’s founded a nonprofit organization and is intent on opening Joan’s House Shelter, which will offer women and trans people (especially recent parolees) transitional housing and food. It’s another fight ignited by her own experiences. Released into the San Francisco Bay Area with what she calls a “1980s skill set,” Norsworthy learned the hard way that the tech boom has displaced the region’s trans (and working class) residents and sent real estate prices skyrocketing. There simply was no housing available for people like her. With a board of directors in place, legal paperwork filed and the marketing firm Three Girls Media on board, Norsworthy’s next hurdle is finding the funding necessary to buy property in one of the country’s hottest real estate markets. “A lot of groups—yes, they provide services, but they were not providing shelter or housing. There are no trans specific services when it comes to housing and food. So, like I did inside as a self-advocator, I just go, Fuck it. They don’t wanna do it? I’ll do it.

LISA WHALEN

STAY WOKE

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Ethical Shopping

COURTESY MAISON 10

Put your money where your cause is.

The heart of New York’s Madison Square Park has become a unique hub where talented designers and artists bring products to a wider market. Now one of the area’s boutiques offers even more reasons to shop: 10 percent of the purchase price is donated to charity. “We wanted to create a new retail concept that incorporated our three areas of expertise: fashion and lifestyle curation, brand direction and graphic design, [and] charitable causes and ethical consumerism,” Maison 10’s bi-continental founders Tom Blackie, Henri Myers, and Carsten Klein told The Advocate in a joint statement. Maison 10 carefully curates its products to offer a limited number of items for sale at any one time. Specifically they hand-select 10 items, one each from 10 set categories; which include art, fragrances, home wares, jewelry, men’s accessories, books, and “well-being” products. Each set of

items is featured in the storefront for 10 weeks. “Curating items that we love into small groupings of 10 made perfect sense to us,” Blackie says. “And building everything else around the number 10 to create our concept just flowed naturally from that! By changing and updating our selections every 10 weeks, we felt it would keep the concept fresh and [invite] customers to return.” Customers get to choose which one of 10 charities will receive the 10 percent donation. The options include the LGBT elders organization SAGE, and Housing Works—which helps the homeless (and people with HIV). “Our dream for the future is to open 10 stores in 10 different cities around the world and to make Maison10.com the destination online retail site for the ethical consumer looking for an incredible curation of lifestyle and design items,” says Myers. —DAVID ARTAVIA

TOP: Maison 10 founders (left to right):Henri Myers, Tom Blackie, and Carsten Klein. BOTTOM: Maison 10 storefront

APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

WHO SHOULD GET TESTED FOR HIV? EVERYONE.

POP CULTURE

STAY WOKE

RECENT OUTINGS Welcome to the tribe. Here’s your toaster oven. BY BRENDAN HALEY & SUSAN HERNANDEZ

T H E P E R S O N : Cody Alan. The host of CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown, and a popular personality in the country world, Alan wrote a moving open letter in a January Instagram post explaining his journey as a gay TV and radio personality. “This is not a choice I made, but something I’ve known about myself my whole life,” he wrote. “Here’s to being happy with yourself, no matter who you are, who you love, where you come from, or what cards life has dealt you.” T H E I M PACT : Alan was “overwhelmed” by support from

CMT (CODY ALAN); WIKI COMMONS (HERBST); SHUTTERSTOCK (ODIELE); FACEBOOK (BENNETT)

country stars—including Dierks Bentley, Maddie & Tae, Kacey Musgraves, and Dan + Shay—and his own kids, about whom he was initially worried. “But my son said, ‘You’re a great dad; it’s okay.’” Alan wrote. “To their generation, being gay is like your eye color—it’s just there—so they understood better than I thought.” Zeke Stokes, GLAAD’s vice president of programs, said, “Millions of radio listeners, television viewers, and country music fans love and look up to Cody Alan. And that’s exactly why Cody’s decision to come out matters—because visibility brings about acceptance.”

T H E P E R S O N : Jess Herbst. The mayor of tiny New Hope, Texas (population around 600), came out as a trans woman to her constituents via a letter. Her colleagues have known for months; her family even longer. T H E I M PACT : The town is small and rural, but since America lost it’s only other transgender mayor— Silverton, Oregon’s Stu Rasmussen—when she left office in 2015, Herbst stands as a reminder to trans people how much they’re needed in public office.

T H E P E R S O N : Taylor Bennett. Chance the Rapper’s 21-year-old brother took to Twitter to come out as bisexual. A hip hop artist and MC, Bennett wrote that he wanted to “be more open about myself to help others that struggle with the same issues. Growing up I’ve always felt indifferent about my sexuality and being attracted to one sex and today I would like to openly come out to my fans. I do recognize myself as a bisexual male and I do and have always openly supported the gay community and will keep doing so in 2017.” T H E I M PACT : It’s hard for anyone in the hip-hop

world to admit to being gay. Coming out as bisexual as a young African-American man takes even more courage—and it’s likely to have a keen impact on other young people who identify as bisexual, bi-plus, or pansexual. Bennett’s low key coming out also highlights the high percentage of bisexual folks who are people of color, something rarely portrayed in media.

T H E P E R S O N : Hanne Gaby Odiele. A fixture on the runways of Paris, New York, and Milan for over a decade now, the international supermodel announced she’s intersex, releasing a PSA campaign for interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth. “I have reached a point in my life where I feel ready to share this important part of who I am,” the 29-year-old Belgian said in a statement. “It is time for intersex people to come out of the shadows, claim our status, let go of shame, and speak out against the unnecessary and harmful surgeries many of us were subjected to as children. Intersex children born today are still at risk for these human rights violations. I will use my voice and platform to help end such abuses.” T H E I M PACT : Nearly 2

percent of the population is born with intersex traits, similar to the number of people born with red hair, but they still often receive harmful and medically unnecessary treatment. InterACT executive director Kimberly Zieselman, who is also intersex, said that by speaking out as a Vogue model—one of the highest profile celebrities to come out as intersex—Odiele will amplify the voices of the intersex community and work towards positive change. APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

BY JAC O B A N D E R S O N - M I N S H A L L

LET’S STOP SHAMING BLACK MEN Fifty percent of black gay men may become HIV-positive in their lifetime, but the cause is not what you think.

SHUTTERSTOCK

A ST F E BRUA RY, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report predicting that, if things don’t change, one out of every two gay or bi black men will become HIV-positive in their lifetime. This statistic has been repeated endlessly, usually in connection with reasons why HIV rates are higher among African-American men who have sex with men. To be fair, there are a wide range of factors that play a part in raising HIV risks, including poverty, drug use, childhood sexual assault, and depression.

APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

“We cannot separate the high infection rates among black gay men from several ills that continue to plague our society,” Greg Millet wrote for The Advocate in 2015. “Discrimination, poverty, stigma, and lack of access to health care all affect health care utilization for black gay men. As a result, a substantial proportion of black gay men remain undiagnosed, and others who are diagnosed and without the financial means to access medications will remain virally unsuppressed.” Many of these factors also impact heterosexual black men, so what’s at the root of the disproportionate HIV rates for their queer brothers? One prevalent argument is that—because of excessive homophobia in the black community— black gay and bisexual men have low self-esteem. That lower self-esteem leads them to be more promiscuous, engage in riskier sexual behaviors, and even use drugs; which explains why HIV rates among black men who have sex with men is so high. Makes sense? Problem is, it’s also wrong. The difficulty with this breakdown of causality is that it’s based on faulty premises, which many people— including leaders in the LGBT and HIV communities—keep sharing, over and over again. “Contrary to what was presumed,” Millet wrote, “multiple studies have shown that black gay men are less likely to have condomless sex than white gay men and far less likely to use drugs like poppers or crystal methamphetamine during sex, which heighten the risk of HIV infection.” “Greg Millett has done some really fascinating work about all these potential differences by race,” says Neal Goldstein, PhD, MBI, who has studied sexual behavior and the use of drugs among gay men, as well as HIV disparities. Goldstein is an infectious disease epidemiologist at Delaware’s Christiana Care Health System and he teaches at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University in Philadelphia. “Do we see this increase in risk among black [men who have sex

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

with men] compared to white MSM because they are more promiscuous?” Goldstein asks rhetorically. “No. In fact, based on the work by Millett’s group, you see that black MSM have even fewer partners than white MSM, so there is something else out there explaining the risk.” Published in the Lancet, Millett’s 2012 meta-analysis of nearly 200 studies also found that black men who have sex with men were only as likely to have “serodiscordant unprotected sex” as other MSM. In other words, black gay and bi men were not more likely to have anal sex without a condom with someone they believed to be of a different HIV status. A CDC study presented at the 2016 International AIDS Conference analyzed “sexual risk behaviors” among male high school students. Risk behaviors included having sex without a condom or having multiple sexual partners. The study, found “no significant differences” in the HIVrelated risk behaviors of gay, bisexual, or heterosexual self-identified male youth. Despite the fact that boys of all sexual orientations share similar HIVrelated risk behaviors, the rate of HIV transmissions is much higher among

“Multiple studies have shown that black gay men are less likely to have condomless sex than white gay men and far less likely to use drugs like poppers or crystal methamphetamine during sex, which heighten the risk of HIV infection.”

young men who have sex with men. In 2014, for example, gay and bisexual males represented 80 percent of new youth infections. The reason straight boys have lower risks of HIV? Although the study didn’t include different sexual positions as risk factors, Dr. Laura Kann, chief of CDC’s School-Based Surveillance Branch, speculated afterward that “the transmission risk for receptive anal sex is 17 times higher than [for] vaginal sex.” Teen boys who are only having insertive sex with their partners (be they male or female) have a significantly lower risk than boys who are on the receiving end of anal sex. (The same can be projected for transgender women and girls who have sex with gay or bi men.) So, if studies have shown that African-American gay and bi men don’t engage in riskier sexual behavior what is to blame? Smaller social circles. Millet argues that because HIV rates are higher among black men, gay and bi black men are more likely to date someone who is HIV-positive. He points to a study that “found that white gay men in Atlanta needed to meet seven sex partners to have a 50 percent probability of meeting an HIV-positive partner, whereas black gay men needed only 3.5 sex partners.” Goldstein agrees, explaining that the “social sexual networks” of black gay and bisexual men are likely to blame. “If you are a black man, [race] may effect the size of the potential number of other men that you could have sex with, that you would engage with in social context, and then you would further go on to have sex with. If your pool of men is smaller, then it’s a lot easier for HIV to move around in that smaller pool. You may not be having more sex—and you may even be having less sex—[but] because you have a much smaller pool of available men to have sex with, it makes [contracting] HIV a lot easier.” The impact of those smaller dating pools is compounded by racism. As The New York Times previously reported, at one popular dating site, 80 percent of contacts initiated by white members

SHUTTERSTOCK

were connections with other white members. Only 3 percent of contacts initiated by white members were with black members. The influence of social sexual networks also intensifies over time. Since the early days of the AIDS epidemic, gay and bisexual men have had higher rates of HIV than straight men. Men who have sex with men are in the minority, so every case of HIV impacts their community differently than one case in the straight dating pool. Add to that the fact that vaginal sex has a lower risk of transmitting HIV than anal sex—for a variety of reasons—and the rates of HIV among gay and bi men continue to outpace those of straight men. Some of Goldstein’s research takes into account whether disparities between groups are “real” or if they are hiding other influences, such as a tendency to underreport things that are socially stigmatized. For example, Goldstein says, “If you are black or African-American, you face more stigma in your community for disclosing that you are MSM. We thought, well maybe this is a prime reason why we see these divergent estimates in HIV risk.” In fact, many studies rely entirely on the self-identification of risk factors and sexual orientation. But Goldstein’s research team wanted to account for those whose sexual identity doesn’t reflect their behavior. He points out that the risk for a gay man who receives oral sex, is significantly different from a straight-identified man who is the receptive partner in anal intercourse with another man. In addition to “accounting for how risk is assessed,” Goldstein says his team also established who that risk is being compared to. Comparing black gay and bi men with straight black men, they found something surprising: the disparity between straight white men and white MSM is larger than the HIV disparity between black straight men and black MSM. This is, Goldstein simplifies, because the black community as a whole has higher rates of HIV than the white community.

Just as there’s this misconception that gay and bi black men have riskier sex, there’s a similar stigmatizing mythology around drug use. Increased drug use does play a part in compounding risks among gay and bisexual men of all races. The CDC found gay and bi men were five times as likely to try injection drugs (10 percent reported trying them). But, black gay and bisexual men have repeatedly been shown to be less likely than white MSM to have a history of substance use. Last year, International Journal of Drug Policy published Goldstein’s latest report, which evaluated usage of drugs among racial and sexual minorities. “When we examine drug use as a whole according to race it can be misleading,” Goldstein says now. “Which is why in our report in IJDP we further decomposed the data by sexual behavior, which I’m not sure anyone had done [up to] that point in a nationally representative sample. Thus, our comparisons are between racial groups with respect to sexual identity. For example, it’s not that white men are more likely to use amphetamines, compared to black men; it’s that white

gay men are more likely to use them compared to black gay men.” Goldstein maintains that the disparities between black gay men and white gay men lower dramatically when all factors are accounted for, including intersecting and compounding issues like racism, homophobia, and poverty. “We’ve done as good of a job as we can in accounting for how information is measured in surveys—whether it is sexual behavior information, whether it’s drug use behavior information— and we’ve accounted that really to the extent that we can go,” Goldstein acknowledges. But, even after factoring in all “these underlying risk differences between the groups,” Goldstein adds, “there really is something different between the racial groups, that we posit is related to the concept of a social sexual network.” But, the questions remain: How do we prove that? How do we solve that? Nobody knows, but that won’t deter researchers like Goldstein. “Overall, that’s where we’re at,” he says of the social sexual network theory. “Unfortunately we just don’t have good data on those because that is very hard to ascertain.” APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

Photographer TOM ATWOOD captured hundreds of LGBTQ people in their natural habitats, showing that “home” is wherever we want it to be.

TO M A T W O O D I S not only daring. He is arguably one of the most committed photographers in the country. His second book and accompanying gallery exhibition, Kings & Queens in Their Castles (Damiani), took 15 years to complete. During that time the lensman traveled across 30 different states, photographing more than 350 LGBTQ individuals— including nearly 100 celebrities—in the comfort of their own homes. There’s a reason Kings & Queens has been called one of the most ambitious photo series ever conducted of the LGBTQ experience in America. The roster ranges from actors, to farmers, drag queens, athletes, and everyday folks. For Atwood, it was more than a passion project. It was a duty. “I felt there was a need for a serious photo series of the LGBTQ community,” he says. “I wanted to create a body of work that would strengthen the identity of and be a source of pride for the LGBTQ community.” It was important to him to photograph role models; including news anchor Don Lemon on his balcony, director John Waters in his office, and graphic artist and Fun Home author Alison Bechdel with her wife Holly Taylor. Other luminaries include Meredith Baxter, Alan Cumming, George Takei, Kate Clinton, Leslie Jordan, Elizabeth Streb,

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

Michael Musto, Carson Kressley, Joel Schumacher, and Christian Siriano. But Atwood also captures other layers of the LGBTQ experience in America—including a transgender sheriff, local baristas, lesbian farmers, even a homeless advocate living in his car. In his photos, not only do we see the inner spirits of his subjects—we see Atwood’s as well. “What’s inspired my work more than the formal world of art and art history are my life experiences,” he

explains. “I’ve spent every day of my life interacting with and observing the world around me and this inspires the choices I make in my photographs.” He says, “For many LGBTQ folks, I think our homes sometimes represent fantasy worlds that allow us to blossom, to be who we want to be regardless of societal pressure. I think many LGBTQ people go to great lengths to draw distinction between the mainstream and ourselves, a difference that is often represented

CLOCKWISE:

LYDIA BROWN , a Georgetown University student and disability activist in Washington, D.C.

Ria’s Bluebird Café owner, RIA PELL (left),winner of Chopped and contestant on Top Chef, died unexpectedly in 2013. Here Pell is with her wife, KIKI CARR, a web developer, in Atlanta, Georgia. The Tony Award-winning star of Kinky Boots, BILLY PORTER, at home in New York City. Actor DOUG SPEARMAN (left), who you’ve seen in Charmed, Star Trek, Girlfriends, and Noah’s Arc, with his friend and fellow actor MARC SAMUEL .

visually through our living spaces. Whether consciously or not, I think [our design elements] are often used to show that we are unique. Many gay men and women have a flair for design and have crafted some of the most intriguing living spaces in this country, which appealed to me aesthetically.” Atwood aims for the book to be a celebration of difference, and of a unique LGBTQ sensibility. “One straight high school friend of mine mentioned after seeing the book

that she had no idea so many leaders in the arts, entertainment, and media were LGBTQ—that aspect of the series was really eye opening for her,” he says. “I’m hoping the book becomes a symbol of and source of pride for the LGBTQ community—that it might help shape and become a part of our identity. I also just want people to enjoy the book and have fun with the pictures.” View more at TomAtwood.com/kings-queens —DAVID ARTAVIA APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

#TVRESISTANCE

WHEN WE RISE

HOW DUSTIN LANCE BLACK, A GROUP OF QUEER AND TRANS FOLKS, AND A BEVY OF A-LIST ACTORS MADE A G R O U N D BR E A K I NG M I N I S E R I E S T H AT ’S A L OV E L E T T E R T O S A N F R A N C I S C O, A J O U R N E Y T H R O U G H 4 0 Y E A R S O F L G B T S T RUG G L E S, A N D A C O N T E M P O R A RY C A L L T O A R M S. BY D I A N E A N D E R S O N - M I NS H A L L

Empire star Rafael de la Fuente (front left) plays gay again in When We Rise

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

ABC/EIKE SCHROTER

CLEVE JONES landed in San Francisco too late for the Summer of Love. Fifty years ago, about 100,000 young people from around the country converged on San Francisco. They were flower children and hippies, queers and artists, radicals and draft dodgers. A generation of freethinkers looked to the city for change, with resistance, liberation, and free expression unfurling in every corner. Because of them, the city gave rise to movements in support of the rights of women, African-Americans, gays, farm workers, Native Americans, animals, and even the planet. Change was everywhere. A closeted gay teen living in Arizona, Cleve Jones dreamt of this utopia by the bay, where he imagined being welcomed with open arms. But by the time eager peace activist Jones made it to San Francisco, the Summer of Love had long given way to the winter of discontent. The hippies and tourists had gone back to college leaving San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district rife with homelessness, overcrowding, and drug addiction—issues that continued to plague the neighborhood for years to come. Those who remained in the ‘hood staged a mock funeral for the bygone days of the Summer of ’67, and urged others to stay home, take up the revolution in their own streets.

WHEN WE RISE

#TVRESISTANCE

APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

WHEN WE RISE

But the dream was too powerful and those who felt like outsiders in their own hometowns continued to flock to the city like moths to a flame. Men, women, trans people, folks like singer Sylvester who straddled identity lines before their boundaries had even coalesced—they all came to the city with little more than hopes and dreams. Roma Guy, a women’s rights activist from Maine, moved there from Africa’s Ivory Coast (a Peace Corp volunteer who met her future wife, Diane, there). Ken Jones (no relation), a black man of both faith and action, served multiple tours in Vietnam, landing in the Castro only to discover just how racially segregated it was. Cecilia Chung showed up in the mid-1980s, an immigrant who battled gender dysphoria and parental estrangement in the city’s Tenderloin, then a hub for street kids, drug users, sex workers, trans folks, and people of color. ABC’s groundbreaking miniseries When We Rise introduces us to the lives, loves, and struggles of these activists, covering a 40-year span in the long battle for LGBT equality. The last time ABC programmed a series this epic was when Roots was broadcast in 1977. Around 100 million people tuned in, making it a sweeping cultural moment that had a direct impact on race relations in America. Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk) watched Roots in his conservative Texas home, sitting in front of the TV night after night, wide-eyed. “It changed me,”Black says now. “It helped me grow.” He’d “never dare to make that comparison because Roots means so much to me,” but while no movement can compare to the struggles our once-enslaved ancestors went through, there’s little doubt When We Rise could have a similar impact on the American conscience. For those of us who made San Francisco our home during this period, who played roles in this movement, watching We Rise is a stirring emotional journey, a reminder of how

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

ABOVE: Activist Cleve Jones, right, helped inspire writer, producer, and director Dustin Lance Black (shown together at the 81st Academy Awards) ACROSS: (Top) Rachel Griffiths, Guy Pearce (as Cleve Jones), Mary Louise Parker, and Michael K. Williams as the older activists (Bottom): Austin P. McKenzie (as young Cleve, front left) and other youthful activists watch the news in Harvey Milk’s campaign office in When We Rise

strangers became family. It’s also a resounding love letter to a city that was an incubator for social change long before the tech boom and fiscal insecurity began pushing out the same ragtag collection of queers, trans people, and people of color who once made San Francisco what it was. Having lived in the Bay Area for almost two decades, I know or knew many of the activists, writers, and actors who have helped bring these stories alive. Black helped shepherd the story into being, but he’s not the only director involved. Others helmed one or two episodes in the series, including lesbian filmmaker Dee Rees, gay director Gus Van Sant, and Thomas Schlamme. How did Black sell ABC on an eighthour history of LGBT rights? “There had been several networks over the years who had expressed interest.” in LGBT book adaptations. But Black says he always worried it would take a lot of money and time and the only people who would watch would be LGBT allies. “What use is that?” This time it was ABC that showed interest. “ABC is a network I was allowed to watch as a kid in Texas, in a Mormon, conservative, military home. And I just thought, if they are truly serious about this, this is finally an opportunity to introduce my LGBT family to my real family. And to tell our stories in a way that I can communicate to my LGBT family but also to my family in the South. I couldn’t pass that opportunity up.” Black dropped everything else to give “all my time and energy to this. It’s been incredibly difficult, but I do think it’s perhaps a once in a generation opportunity to not only tell our stories, but to tell [it] to an audience where it might make a difference.” Step one was figuring out who to focus on and how their stories could be told so they would intersect organically. “I wanted it to be people who came from other movements,” he says. “I think it’s very dangerous how myopic the LGBT movement has become and I’m hopeful that we’re coming out of that period. And I wanted to help

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WHEN WE RISE

highlight that by depicting people who came from the black civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the peace movement.” He was also determined to find people who he could follow throughout the entire timeline of the series, “I wanted it to be people who have been activists their entire lives. Meaning I could start to follow them as youngsters and take them all the way to the present. Well, that’s a really big challenge. And that eliminated a lot of people.” And Black wanted to make sure that he was depicting—for the most part— people who are still alive. Not an easy fete when the AIDS epidemic took away so many gay and bi men and trans women who were emerging activists. And the filmmaker was determined to break the usual tropes LGBT charac-

ters are limited to, like “we’re allowed to be dramatic and serious, but only if we die at the end.” That doesn’t mean this series is without its share of death and loss. And Ken Jones shoulders a fair amount of it. When Jones served in the Navy, only 5 percent of his fellow recruits were African-American. The sailor was reassigned to San Francisco to spearhead a new training program to facilitate racial integration in the ranks. He began to see that LGBT folks could only gain rights if they joined together. Back then, he says, they had no idea that this was in their future: where marriage equality is the law of the land, tweens identify openly as gender-fluid, and the wholesome Disney-owned ABC network is airing a miniseries about queer and trans lives.

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“In all of our visioning, exercising, and our planning, this was nowhere on the radar,” he laughs. “And I tell you, it just breaks my heart that so many of the old gay liberationists are not with us at this moment to witness this. You know, it just makes me very, very sad. They worked so hard, and no one could have imagined ABC doing this.” Like Cleve Jones, Ken Jones has been HIV-positive since the early days of the AIDS epidemic, when he was taking care of homeless LGBT youth and other people with HIV. He cared for, then buried, his partner, losing his home and all his possessions in the process—not an uncommon experience in a time when gays had few legal protections and two men were rarely on a mortgage or lease together. “I spent a good deal of time preparing myself to die with dignity and grace,” Jones recalls of that time. “They had initially told me I had about 30 days. So, for about five years I sat there waiting to die. And then slowly this thought kind of dawned on me: Maybe I’m not going to die. So, then I had to go through this whole kind of re-shifting of my life. From preparing to die to starting all over again, and having most of my support network and contacts dead. Starting over again, with absolutely nothing.” His situation “went from bad to worse” in the early 1990s. After the Rodney King verdict came in, he says, “I actually broke down, and I guess you would say I started experiencing PTSD from Vietnam 25 years later. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving my house. I couldn’t cross the street. If I heard a car coming I would duck and hide underneath another car. I was totally insane.” Jones connected with PTSD specialists at the Veterans Affairs hospital in San Francisco who helped him through this critical period of his life. As did his faith. He understands why many young LGBT folks turn away from religion. “It is the church that is unsafe,” he says. “It is religion that is unsafe. But it’s the spirituality and the direct connection to God [that’s important] … that priAPRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

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vate relationship you have with God. This is such a crucial discussion right now because some people think that God hates gay people. I want to have a very honest conversation because that’s not true.” Ken Jones experienced the racism that lingered in San Francisco well into the 1990s. As a homeless 20-year-old living out of a VW bus, I recall Ken Jones fighting to develop a home for black, trans and queer street kids in the Castro. Ironically, the gayborhood worried a shelter would draw the wrong kind of people to the gentrified area. “And,” Jones recalls, “the biggest opposition came from the people who would love you at 2 a.m. in the morning, and don’t want to have anything to do with you at the crack of dawn.” But Jones continued to push, insisting that older gays needed to help the queer youth who continued to flock to San Francisco without money, support, or resources—often fleeing

hostile or even violent families. All the while, Jones battled racial prejudice within the gay community, while the women fought the sexism. “We had to literally fight in order to participate.” He says activists in those days “made a mistake. One of our misunderstandings in the beginning was, if there were eight to 10 people at the decision-making table, our thinking was since they’re all gay, white men, two or three are going to have to give up their seat for diversity. Now, they haven’t done anything wrong. They haven’t failed. They’re at the top of their game, they’re doing well, and they’re being asked to give up their seats. How crazy is that? So, some people left with a whole bunch of anger and resentment towards the people coming in taking those seats. Along the way, we realized it’s a lot more healthy if we add more seats to the table, as opposed to asking people to get up and surrender their seat for the sake of diversity.”

Cecilia Chung is one of those who earned a spot at the table, not just as a representative of diversity, but because she gets shit done. When she first came to San Francisco she was estranged from her immigrant family, experienced homelessness, turned to sex work and drug use to survive, and encountered no small amount of violence. “Toward the end, even though I experienced a lot of trauma and violence, I was able to reconcile with my family,” Chung says. “And that really made a big difference in my life. I know I have my family to support me no matter what decision I make. On top of that, my mom actually supported me on my gender reassignment surgery and gave me the funds I needed to fly to Bangkok to have my surgery. It’s hard to describe the joy and gratitude I have. That helped me make that commitment that I really want to do whatever I can to support … others APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

WHEN WE RISE

who may be experiencing similar challenges as I did. And to really help them find hope.” Jones has hope, too, but he recognizes that while things have gotten better, the struggle isn’t over. Racism is alive in our community. “I feel it every single time I’m in the Castro. And I can tell you, I’ve been called a nigger on every street in the Castro, but I’ve also been called a faggot on every street in the Castro.” He worries about the younger generation. “I think black lives are in trouble right now,” he explains. “And I say that because I meet so many young people who are living their lives with the absence of hope. Can you imagine, not having hope? That the shitty f’d up life you have today is the one you’re going to have tomorrow—and the day after, and the day after. And African-American men have it especially hard, because it’s an hourly occurrence. If you step into an elevator, you see a woman change her purse to another arm. You know that dwells on you; you feel unwelcome. If you cross the street and you hear that ‘tick tick’ sound of doors locking just because you’re crossing the street. It beats you up.” Actor Michael K. Williams is one of the famous faces in When We Rise, he’s most recognized for his award-winning turn as Omar, the Robin Hood-style gay criminal on The Wire. Williams, who plays Ken Jones in the series, says the older man has become like a big brother to him. Having Ken Jones on set, Williams says, “was like having a cheat sheet. I could go right to the source. He’s a very kind and beautiful human being … and he opened his life up to me. These are very painful parts of his life that he probably hasn’t thought about for a long time now. I think it was very hard for him. It’s like he relived it with me again in my performance.” “I look at his life as someone who is a real American hero,” Williams adds. “This is a man who has been on the front lines for our country. He’s a dark-skinned black man that was in the

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

BELOW: Michael K. Williams and Ivory Aquino, as Ken Jones and Cecilia Chung, offer two of the most moving performances in the ABC miniseries. ACROSS: (Top to bottom) Emily Skeggs as young Roma Guy. Later in the series, Rachel Griffiths plays her wife, Diane Jones.

Navy at a time when it was probably not that easy to get in the Navy. He hid his homosexuality while doing all of that, and then to have all that taken from him ... by the tidal wave and the front lines of HIV and AIDS.” Williams lost many of his own friends, he says, during the height of the AIDS epidemic. And it’s one reason he felt so strongly about being involved in When We Rise. “It was an honor to tell these stories—I would have done this for free. I have two nephews that are both deceased now. They had complications from AIDS. Michael Frederick Williams, Eric Williams. They were two gay men that I love to death. I felt this was my chance to use the performance as a love letter. To my family first, my two nephews, and to everybody else who suffered from this disease.” Williams says Jones has fought four battles—for civil rights, for gay rights, against HIV, and in Vietnam. “To have all that history behind his eyes, and to be in that presence it’s really humbling.” What he calls an “American story of people pulling together and fighting for what they believe in” is a reminder, too, that there’s still work to do. “We’re expecting an onslaught of backlashes and rolling back of some of our wins we have experienced in the last eight years,” acknowledges Chung. “But I think this TV series shows that we are very resilient. Hopefully people will get the message that we have done this before and, with a little organizing, we can do this again.” Williams agrees. “It’s a good time to tell a story about what people can do when we band together and fight for what we believe in—and at all costs, we don’t give up. No matter what, we don’t give up. It’s been done. It can be done again. We have some history to look back on, to see how things got done.” That the actors involved in the project can see themselves in their real life counterparts adds depth to the characters. Ivory Aquino will surely be remembered for her role as Chung. But she almost didn’t get the job. “I told my casting director that I only wanted to cast trans actors and

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WHEN WE RISE

actresses for the trans roles in When We Rise,” Black recalls. When Aquino’s tape came in, Black says, “I watched it and she’s like, a powerhouse, fantastic actress. I called up my casting directors and I said, ‘How dare you send me this tape? I told you to look [only] into actresses who are trans for this role!’ And they said, ‘Here’s Ivory’s number, you should call her.’ And Ivory came out to me as trans on our phone call.” Playing Chung in When We Rise could be a daunting task for a young stage actress like Aquino. Chung is now a senior strategist at the Transgender Law Center. She was the first openly HIV-positive person and first trans woman to chair of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. Aquino says the two hit it off. After meeting for dinner in New York, Chung invited the actress to follow her around as she attended a conference. “To have that peek into her life as she’s doing her advocacy work really was very valuable. It really affected me as a person and as a member of the community.” The two women are now fans of each other, having bonded over their similarities as trans immigrants (Chung from Hong Kong, Aquino from the Philippines). Chung says, “I feel that I can’t explain to somebody inner thoughts and experiences. But because we have so many similarities it puts me at ease. I think she understands [me].” While this miniseries is about the movement, the activists, and their work, it’s also about the relationships they build. The on-and-off-again love affair between Roma Guy and Diane Jones (no relation to either Cleve or Ken)—played by

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actresses Emily Skeggs and Fiona Dourif, respectively—is a bright point in the series. The creator and showrunner says he never thought about taming the sexuality of the characters either. “People are having sex. Gay people, straight people, bisexual people, you know, trans people. It ought to be depicted in some way or another, particularly when it’s connected to story. This is a story where people are falling in love. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the fact that desire is a part of that love. Our young Roma and Jean [played by actress Caitlin Gerard] are the cutest two characters and young actresses in the world. Even as a gay man, I was like, we need to see them go at it. I really am frustrated by mainstream depictions of lesbian relationships; it just seems like the sex has been zapped out of it. And one of the things I learned loud and clear in my research on this is that lesbians seem to really dig having sex.” The men in the series never tie up their desires, either. “The great tragedy,” Black says of the time, “is not that people were having sex. The great tragedy was that AIDS happened. And that a government didn’t give a shit. I’m not going to shame a generation of gay men who have been told their whole life that they could not express themselves sexually without being subjected to shock therapy or lobotomy or shame. I’m not going to hide the fact that for the first time they have found liberation and were expressing themselves.” Just as he wrote Milk for the kid he once was, he created When We Rise for his family “in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas,” folks who “probably voted for Trump.” “You want change a mind in that America, you’ve got to start with the heart,” Black says. “That means you better tell a personal story. You better tell an emotional story. You better tell a family story. And you better be damned good at telling a story, because that matters. If you can do that, you might change a heart. You change a heart, you can change a mind. You change a mind, you can start to change a community, and maybe build a bridge between our two Americas. I’m hoping the show uses a language that both Americas will understand.” APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

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BONES

NO BONES ABOUT IT T W E LV E Y E A R S L AT E R , W E ’ R E S AY I N G G O O D B Y E T O A B E L O V E D B I S E X U A L T V C H A R A C T E R . BY D I A N E A N D E R S O N - M I NS H A L L

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BEN COPE

HERE ARE A DOZEN different bisexual tropes that have been employed on television and film, with the “depraved bisexual” among the most common; although the power-hungry bisexual (think Cyrus Henstridge on The Royals or Chamberlain Milus Corbett in The Bastard Executioner) is fast on its heels. In a 2015 report on the state of LGBT characters in media, GLAAD’s Alexandra Bolles lamented the impact that has: “Though bisexual people make up the majority of the LGBT community, they are less likely than their gay and lesbian peers to be out to the people they love, because their identity is constantly misconstrued as either a form of confusion, a lie, or a contrived and hypersexualized means to an end. Perpetuating these tropes undermines the truth that bisexuality is real and that bi people deserve to be treated equally and fairly.” All of this helps explain why Angela Montenegro, a forensic artist on Fox’s crime dramedy, Bones, is so alluring. Played by the luscious, and compelling actor Michaela Conlin, Angela is the heart of the series, a character who bridges the gap between science and art, plain-spokenness and scholarship; and between the two main characters, genius anthropologist Temperance “Bones” Brennan and by-the-gut FBI agent Seeley Booth. Angela is also an openly bisexual woman who has loved both women and men during the show’s 12 seasons; never hiding or feeling forced to label herself. And when she did finally commit to one person (who happened to be a male scientist in the lab, Dr. Jack Hodgins), there was no waffling, no angsty tropes about being pinned down, no wild sexual acrobatics to prove that bi women are the most sexually experienced of all creatures. She just fell in love. Each week, Angela works miracles doing forensic facial reconstructions and creating 3D renderings of crime scenes that help the team solve how the murder took place. After five seasons of dating—including a committed live-in relationship with a woman, Roxie—Angela married Hodgins and gave birth to their

BONES

son. Last season, she dealt with something else rarely seen on TV: being the partner of someone suddenly disabled, coping with her spouse’s anger and grief while managing to keep herself buoyed. At times, it was brutal to watch. As the show wraps up, we spoke with Conlin—who is also one of the few Asian-American women on primetime TV— about Angela’s evolution. That first season, did you have any idea where Angela could and would go? No, we had no idea that the show was even going to get a full season. I did know that Angela’s sexuality was such a big part of that character. She was very comfortable with herself. The opening shot of the series is her flashing her boobs, but in a way that she knows that it’s ridiculous. But

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Conlin and the rest of the cast of Bones

she does it begrudgingly in order to get information, which I liked immediately. It wasn’t done in a cheesy way. It was like, I’ll do this so it can get me something, but that’s the only reason. The way that she was introduced in the beginning was very strong. I knew that that was part of her. But I certainly didn’t know that she was going to have all of these relationships. It’s been a great journey. Now she’s the partner to someone with a sudden disability. Where did you pull inspiration from for last season? I spoke to two women that I know, that are sort of friends of my family, peripheral family friends, who are in a similar situation. I spoke to the writers a little bit about it but I felt like they really got it. Really, the only thing [actor T.J. Thyne, who plays Hodgins] and I wanted was to make sure that the story line was not resolved quickly. That it wasn’t just in one episode, and then he was out of the wheelchair and everything was fine. The women that I spoke

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to really—the effect on their marriages, seemed initially to be pretty big. It didn’t, obviously, just impact the person that was disabled, but the whole family. [Hodgins] really was angry with her, even though he was really angry at himself. I was really happy with the way that they allowed us to feel a lot of different things.

Bones was a rarity in TV crime series, because

women made up much of the cast, and both of the big bosses—Caroline for Booth, and Dr. Saroyan for Bones—were women. Did that impact your work on set? Interestingly, on our set the offices for the women— Brennan’s office and Camille Saroyan’s office and Angela’s office—were much larger than [the men’s]. I don’t even think Hodgins had an office; he had a room. I remember the first season thinking, Well, this is unusual, this is continued on page 62 APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

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THE HANDMAID’S TALE

Samira Wiley arrives at Elle’s 6th annual Women in Television celebration at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Los Angeles.

TALL TALES? O

NE DAY YOU’RE a vivacious college student, flirting with cute girls, worrying about finals, finding a new car on Craigslist, and helping your bestie cope with an unexpected pregnancy. You’re happy. Then a repressive new political regime takes power in America and the life you planned for yourself no longer exists as an option. Sounds terrifyingly prescient, right? That’s what happens to Moira (played by Orange is the New Black star Samira Wiley) in Hulu’s shockingly relevant new original series, The Handmaid’s Tale. Based on the award-winning, best-selling 1980s-era novel by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale is set in the dystopian world of Gilead, a totalitarian religious society in what was once part of the United States. June (played by Elisabeth Moss) is one of the few remaining fertile women so she’s enslaved in reproductive and sexual servitude. It’s her duty to help repopulate the world. The fundamentalist leaders of Gilead have instituted a caste system in which nearly everyone (except straight cis

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men) lose, partly as a response to environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate. Except for a few, women are considered the property of the state. Renamed Offred (because her new owner is Fred, so she is Of-Fred), she is separated from her best friend Moira, a lesbian who is initially sent to be a handmaid as well but may or may not have been killed. The book, which was Atwood’s response to the Christian right’s full-on assault on reproductive rights in the 1980s and the rollback of rights gained by secondwave feminists (sometimes at the hands of other women, like Phyllis Schlafly). The Handmaid’s Tale feels even more prophetic today, especially for LGBT women, feminists, female scientists, atheists, and liberals. I’m not the only one to admit to crying through the first episode. “I did have some similar feelings to you,” Wiley admits of the first episode. “It’s a little too real, and it’s a little hard to watch.” Of course she felt pride, as well, knowing she and her co-stars—including Moss, Alexis Bledel, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, and others—“were really able to execute

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W I T H WO M E N, I M M I G R A N T S, P E O P L E O F C O L O R , A N D L G B T P E O P L E U N D E R AT TAC K I N A M E R I C A , S A M I R A W I L EY ’S N E W S E R I E S , T H E H A N D M A I D ’ S T A L E , F E E L S A L A R M I N G LY U R G E N T. B Y D I A N E A N D E R S O N - M I N S H A L L

THE HANDMAID’S TALE

what we wanted to. But also a little frightened. It does seem a little too close for comfort.” Created, and written by Bruce Miller—who was joined in executive producer duties by numerous others including The L Word creator Ilene Chaiken—The Handmaid’s Tale couldn’t feel more timely. “When we first started filming we were in the middle of the election,” Wiley recalls. “There was a sense of like, Oh gosh, when this comes out we’ll really see … what our country could have been. And then to have the election come to a close in the midst of us filming, you could feel it on set. You could feel that maybe the work that we were doing had a little more weight to it.” In some ways, Atwood’s novel has always felt frightenly possible, which is one reason it has never yet gone out of print. It was previously adapted into a film and an opera; and has spawned countless dissertations. A staple in women’s and gender studies programs, the title itself has become shorthand for life in a repressive regime. Young women tattoo themselves with quotes from the book, notably, “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.” (Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”) When Harold Pinter was writing the screenplay for the 1984 film adaptation, he reportedly sparred with star Natasha Richardson over the use of voiceover (Pinter hated it; Richardson demanded it). Pinter would hate Hulu’s new adaptation, because so much of Offred’s experience is told via her inner dialog through voice over. It’s through Offred that we learn bits and pieces of Moira’s story, too. But Moira’s a woman who needs no voiceover, because she refuses to be silenced. “I do think that Moira keeps her voice through[out],” Wiley says. “I think that we all have traits that are sort of just who we are, and that’s definitely the kind of person that she is. I think that … the memory and the friendship between June/Offred and Moira really bolsters Offred in some of

the moments where she is losing her touch, or losing the gumption … ultimately to survive.” After the first episode viewers see Moira in flashbacks, not knowing if she’s dead or alive but, Wiley says, “even through the darkest of times; somehow she … keeps her moral compass in the fight. She really truly believes that she can get through this.” It is, Wiley says, “sometimes miraculous,” the way in which Moira sees the world around her becoming a terrifying theocracy, more intolerable than imaginable, and yet still finds “it is her responsibility as a human being and as a woman to always stand up for what she believes in. She reminds me of a … woman like Joan of Arc who to the end, you know, just would not break. That’s the kind of person I feel like Moira is, just at her core.” The series comes just as leading political figures (especially those in the White House) have begun eagerly rolling back women’s access to sexual health information, contraception, abortions, and more; while also heightening access to discredited therapies aimed at “curing” lesbians like Moira and Wiley (and other bi, trans, and gay folks). Coming out at this moment, The Handmaid’s Tale feels a bit like part of the resistance movement, in the form of art. “Even though it’s art—a television show—art can really… [inspire] real change in people,” Wiley argues. “And I felt like we had a sense of responsibility to be able to bring real truth to this, and show it to the world.” Through a series of artful flashbacks, the show, explores how an autocracy, theocracy, or totalitarianism could “sort of just creep up on you, little teeny things happen and you think, well… this could never happen—and then it does,” Wiley explains. “And then, this could never happen, and then that does.” Wiley considers herself part of the resistance and says she doesn’t worry about a downside. “Artists are in the public eye … and I think that there is a responsibility when you are being thrust into the

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public eye,” she says. “I think you can really spring forth change, or at least spring forth people thinking in a different way. I’m a big, big, big believer [that] being aware is the first step of anything. We can’t move forward if we don’t have any awareness of what is going on in the world around us.” Wiley believes artists have a responsibility, “whether that’s through standing in front of a big crowd” or making “art that can change people. In my career, I want to be able to work with … writers and fellow actors and directors and producers that have that same kind of mindset—that we are doing this not just to do this, but because we have to, because the world demands it right now.” And for her, that means being a role model for young people, especially those who are LGBT. “It is an enormous amount of responsibility that I don’t take lightly,” she adds, saying that even with the intense media scrutiny around OITNB, she still hasn’t tired of it. “I have not been doing this for decades, as some people have. But I don’t feel tired. I feel honored, I really do. I feel honored to be in the position that I am.” On the set of The Handmaid’s Tale, Wiley isn’t the only person playing a queer character, but Moira sets a tone early in the series. She reminds us that the widespread acceptance Moira, June, and their multicultural friends felt in their melting-pot world doesn’t always lead to greater advances. As history has shown us, sometimes backlashes can lead a country down a dangerous path. In the first episode of Handmaid’s Tale, we see bodies hanging from the city’s walls, and learn men suffer too in Gilead: death penalty punishments are meted out for gay men and certain doctors. In a short span of time, Moira’s queer rights are gone and she’s being punished for deviance. I ask Wiley if she can imagine what that experience would be like. “Especially in the post-Trump world, I’ve had some real moments of panic,” she admits. “And I’m trying continued on page 60 APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

BILLIONS

SHOWTIME’S FORAY INTO GENDERLESS TV AC T O R A S I A K AT E D I L L O N I S T H E F I R S T NO N B I NA RY G E N D E R- I D E N T I F Y I NG AC T O R O N M A I N S T R E A M T V. B Y D A V I D A R T A V I A

I N O R D E R F O R a movement to flourish, you need to have a trailblazer. Asia Kate Dillon (who uses the pronouns they and them) has been blazing trails long before becoming the first nonbinary gender-identifying actor to be cast in a major television series. After a memorable role as racist skinhead Brandy on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, Dillon joined the world of high finance and politics on Showtime’s Billions, as Taylor. In a TV first, a nonbinary gender-identifying actor is portraying a genderless character. Before playing Brandy on OITNB, Dillon was already redefining the way casting directors and audiences look at gender. After graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), they were chosen from nearly a

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thousand actors to participate in a workshop of 50 new plays by Tony- and Academy Award-winning (and nominated) playwrights. It was there, at the Flea Theater in Manhattan, where Dillon really began to blossom. After playing Lucifer in The Mysteries and performing in The Tempest with The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Dillon landed strong roles on TV shows Master of None and Younger. The founder and producing director of MIRROR/FIRE Productions, Dillon is part of the artistic resistance. They are creator, curator, and director of US, a storytelling and talkback series at New York’s Dixon Place, which “puts a magnifying glass to racism in the United States using original and found text, audio, and video footage to drive the #BlackLivesMatter conversation forward.” Do you feel any kind of pressure on your shoulders? You know, if I’m among those leading the charge then I’m certainly honored and very grateful, and I will strive to embrace that role with humility and grace. The world of film and TV is full of gendered types—the ingénue, the masculine lover, the girl-next-door. I’m curious about your experiences with casting directors and agents. I’ve been fortunate that the roles I’ve auditioned for, I auditioned because I felt I was the right actor to play that

SHIRIN TINATI

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BILLIONS

part. I have disregarded gender when deciding which part to audition for. Let’s say for a play, when it was up to me, my agent certainly knows—and has sent me out on any number of auditions for any number of gender identities because they know that’s something that’s important to me. I find when I walk into a room I’m often the first person like me that anyone has encountered and that often leads to conversation, which often leads to understanding and acceptance. And, if on top of that, I’m the right actor to play the part, then I get the part. With Billions, did they call for a nonbinary gender-identifying actor? Yes. It was actually the first breakdown I had seen in that nature. Have you gotten any great advice? Predominantly, the advice right off the board—whether it was from my mother or a teacher or a professional of some kind—was stay true to myself. No matter what you do, be true to who you are. I really heeded that advice and was grateful for it. During your final semester at AMDA, you have to come up with a six-month plan. In that meeting, a teacher said, “Always know how you’re going to pay your rent.” Because a home—a safe place you know you can always go back to, a roof over your head, [where] you can go cook a hot meal—that would be the most important thing in a city where everything is happening around you. Having a calm center in the universe is the most important thing in the world. Tell me about your journey of self-discovery growing up in Ithaca, New York. Ithaca is sort of a populated and diverse area. There’s a wide spectrum of people living there. In that sense it was a wonderful place to grow up because it was a microcosm— ultimately, I would learn—of New York City. That being said, there is certainly violence anywhere, and I don’t mean just physical violence, but emotional violence. I was gender non-conforming in high school in terms of the way I dressed, the way I styled my hair, things like that [and] I probably had an easier time because I was living in Ithaca than say if I was living in a town where there was nobody else who looked like me. Once you made the move to New York City you had your first big break, right? I moved to New York after high school. After I graduated [college] I spent time working, trying to pay my rent, and ultimately I went back to Ithaca to finish a Meisner training program at the Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca. I spent some time there doing some theater, and at that point I realized I was ready to come back to New York City and I auditioned for the Flea Theater in downtown, and I was cast [as] Lucifer. I think I might refer to Orange is the New Black as my “break” as we think of it. But having come back to New York to audition for that

#TVRESISTANCE

theater company and achieving that, for me it felt like my break. It felt right. Taylor on Billions is unique because they’re one of the first nonbinary gender characters on TV. Could a role like this have been available 10 or 20 years ago? I can only speculate. Yes, there is a lot more visibility and there is a lot more understanding. We still have a long way to go. If a role like this had been on a major television series 20 years ago, my guess is that it would have been a story like a lot of the stories we’ve seen. A story that focuses on the person’s gender identity as the main focal point of the story, that didn’t create a fully-fleshed out character, and ultimately you see them having a horrible experience dealing with their gender identity and being rejected by family and friends. I feel like those are a lot of the narratives that I grew up with in the media regarding anyone who had a different sexual orientation, or who was gender non-conforming, or different. That’s what I admire so much about where we are as a culture, and about Showtime, in particular. The character of Taylor, their gender identity is just a small part that makes up the fleshed-out character they are, which is why I’m so excited to play the part. Has being on television affected your dating life? Dating has never been something I’ve done. It’s never been a part of my life. Having said that, I would say in my experience, in terms of hitting on people or being hit on, it’s similar to what happens when I walk into an audition room. I’m the first person they encounter that looks like me. It’s about communication and questions. I don’t think there’s ever been a time when I’ve been rejected in a derogatory way. It’s more been like, “Oh, OK, we’re just not vibing.” So, what celebrity would you Fuck, Marry, Kill? Oh gosh I have to think. I need a reference. I’d marry Hugh Jackman and fuck Joe Mangeniello. My instinct is to say that I would fuck David Bowie. I think I would marry Leonardo DiCaprio: We have very similar morals and ethics. And, I’m going to say slightly maim— not kill—who’s that girl on FOX News?. Only so she can take a break so that she can have time to go somewhere and heal herself out of the spotlight. @AsiaKateDillon on Twitter and @heeeysia on Instagram. APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

CHIPS

D A X S H E P A R D T A K E S A S W I N G A T J O C K C U L T U R E , T R U M P, A N D REBOOTING CHIPS. BY JACOB ANDERS ON -MINSHALL

PA R E N T H O O D ’ S DAX S H E PA R D wasn’t even born when actors Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox donned California Highway Patrol motorcycle cop uniforms as Frank “Ponch” Poncherello and Jon Baker on the hit TV series, CHiPs. And, at first, he wasn’t interested in a reboot of the cheesy late-’70s show. But then he happened on a photo of Ponch and Jon. “It was from the shoulders up and they were staring out over the distance like a thousand-yard stare,” Shepard recalls. “And I thought, wow, there’s perhaps a cool version of this movie that could be made.” The result is “a Bad Boys, Lethal Weapon type” Warner Bros film that Shepard wrote, directed, and stars in; and which highlights action sequences and motorcycle stunts (many of which he did himself ). But before you get the idea that Shepard is a particular kind of “guys’ guy” keep this in mind: he’s always hated “jock culture” and went to his high school homecoming game dressed as Tinkerbell— complete with a tutu. We asked Shepard about modern masculinity, marriage equality, surviving Trump, and whether Jon and Ponch will ever hook up.

ABOVE: Dax Shepard (far left) as Jon in the action movie CHiPs. Michael Peña (left) as Ponch and Shepard as Jon.

When Jon and Ponch are alone on stakeouts, is there ever any chance they, you know, fool around? “[In the film] there’s a long scene where Ponch is explaining to me that this girl ate his ass. I’m shocked by that and he’s explaining to me that that’s pretty much standard these

I’m sure Jon and Ponch will be fucking half the movie!

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

OPPOSITE PAGE: Dax Shepard (left) and Kristen Bell arrive at the People’s Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

days and that I’ve been married too long. It’s a really long conversation about eating ass. Afterwards I walked up to Rick Rosner, who was behind the monitors, watching the scene. I said, “This must be a little surreal to see the evolution of this thing you created. If it makes you feel any better, I’m sure I’ll be your age someday and they’ll be rebooting CHiPs yet again and I’m sure Jon and Ponch will be fucking half the movie!” Beyond eating ass, is there a message to CHiPs? Ponch is a logical genius and Jon is an emotional genius … so the two of them together make one really good person. I’m fully emotionally intelligent and he is fully logically intelligent, which I think, can kind of mirror—generically speaking, not for everyone—but can mirror the male-female relationship. And I’m in the female role. [Laughs] I was going to say, that mirrors the best partnerships: people with opposite skills but who work well together. Yes! That’s certainly the case with Kristen and I. Our circles of knowledge almost don’t intersect. If we hammer it out and come to a compromise it’s probably the sane decision that neither of us would’ve come to independently. Let’s talk about another film you starred in, Idiocracy. Did you ever expect that movie to be so prescient? Yeah. I think even at its time there was

PETER IOVINO

#TVREVOLUTION

CHIPS

enough of the stuff that was being made fun of that was already kind of happening—even then, in 2004. That’s not to say [that] I’m not surprised that Trump won the election. If anyone had egg on their face it was me; I’d been comforting my wife for the previous four months, going, “It could never happen, it’s going to be a landslide!” And I was dead, dead wrong. Do you have any advice for how to make it through these four years? I do have a sincere thought on all this, which is, I think the way to not have a miserable next four years is to be very brutally honest about the things you have sway over and the things you don’t. Going forward, I could spend all my energy lamenting on every silly thing he does every 10 minutes, or I could pick the things that I might actually have some kind of impact on. [I can’t] just let myself live in this vortex of Trump updates. I don’t think that’s healthy. You know what it is? I got fatigued. Which is not to say I quit, but I definitely got fatigued by it all.

AP PHOTO/JORDAN STRAUSS

So what’s the answer? I’m a little bit of the opinion that the solution lies more in the center’s point of view than in my own inclination. The voice you’re not hearing at all— and I think it’s the vast majority of the country—is kind of the centrist point of view. They don’t say anything provocative enough to get those headlines, and so you start believing that the country is in fact split down the middle, with super far left leaners and super far right leaners. I don’t think that’s true. The left and right are married. There’s no divorce, there’ll be no succession from the union. We’re all one country. So, you can either continue trying to blow up the marriage, or you can start looking at how to resolve these things. Speaking of marriage, you and Kristen are sort of famous for waiting to marry until after Prop. 8 was overturned. Why was that important? I grew up in a pretty liberal openminded house, and my mother had

gay friends. My father, who was a very alpha car salesman, also had a ton of gay male friends, which was not super popular in Michigan in the ‘80s. I think also kind of having a knee jerk dislike for jock culture—which was very pervasive where I grew up—anything that was anti-jock culture appealed to me: whether that was artists, or skateboarders, or snowboarders, or gay guys, or, you name it. I was drawn to whatever the antithesis of the rah-rah jock culture was. I think we also felt like we had a very rare opportunity to be vocal about it in a way that [drew media attention to the cause]. It was something that did become headlines. And at the end of the day, we really did feel like it was morally incorrect to have a party celebrating a right that we had, that our friends didn’t have. It would’ve felt very weird to have a wedding and then invite all of our gay friends and go, “Come celebrate us do this thing you can’t do.” I love how in those Samsung commercials with Kristen, you don’t seem constrained by traditional gender roles in the home. In real life, I’m changing diapers and I’m doing tons of dishes. There’s a few reasons that’s our structure. One is, I was raised by a single mother. So, my brother and I had to do everything. We had to clean the house and wash our clothes and do dishes and cook. And we had to do all that stuff out of complete necessity because she was working a bazillion hours a week to support three kids on her own. That’s why I don’t have a chip on my shoulder about it. I’ve almost always embraced [nontraditional gender]— like in high school, at the pep rally for the homecoming game I was Tinkerbell and I wore a tutu. I wore headbands in high school and I had long hair. I’ve weirdly, or perversely, always enjoyed kind of fucking with

#TVREVOLUTION

those masculine gender norms. I found that that actually aggravated the jocks. I also was not afraid to fist fight, so to me it was an amusing recipe. That’s probably not a cool thing to say out loud. You’ve been remarkably open about things that a lesser man might worry would make people question his masculinity. You acknowledged you once thought that you must be “secretly” gay. You’ve come out about being molested, you even went public with your vasectomy. What’s the secret to your confidence? I do have a big man complex. I mean, I did love to fist fight when I used to drink. I race off-road and I ride motorcycles and I do do all this, you know, conventionally manly, Steve McQueen stuff. And I think maybe because I do do that stuff … I’m not nervous about how people might see me. It doesn’t bother me if someone thinks I’m secretly gay. That doesn’t bother me at all. I’m also 6-foot-3. I mean, I think that probably helps.

APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

HOW TO BE A BETTER BOTTOM Shame-free tips on increasing your sexual health and pleasure.

THE ADVOCATE APRIL/ MAY 2017

curious, let’s just address straight away that it won’t always just happen right then and there. Successful and pleasurable bottoming takes time and practice through dilation exercises, training of your selfawareness, and control of the pelvic floor. The good news? Bottoming shouldn’t hurt. Of course, it may be uncomfortable at first and you might initially question how there could ever be pleasure in it—something that happens with vaginal sex the first time as well— but like anything it takes practice, patience, and following a few simple guidelines to enhance this sexual practice. I often tell

patients that great bottoms have been doing it for quite some time, with many first experiencing it in their youth. Unfortunately, no one showed us the right way to bottom in our high school sexual education class. Still, it’s never too late to learn, and we all enjoy new and positive sexual experiences. Here’s my 101 guide to bottoming: BEGIN WITH DIL ATION

Get yourself an anal trainer kit, and start training for dilation two to three times a week (for as little as five minutes each time). Use a water-based lubricant and start with the smallest plug. Insert just to the point of pressure. Hold it there for a

successfully mastered a medium size plug, you’re ready to graduate to the real thing. Congratulations! It’s always best to start off with you in total control and a partner you trust to be patient in letting you decide the level you’re comfortable with. Some people use dilators first, either with or without a sexual partner, to “warm up” and remind themselves of the practiced techniques. Once the engines have been started, the bottom needs to sit on the tip of the penis, allowing control of entry. Use plenty of lubricant and remember the different sets of muscles that need to be released to allow access. Start off using the same technique of inserting until you feel

BILL NOLTE

READY FOR THE REAL THING When you’ve

BY DR . E VA N G OL DS T EIN

hile this is advice for those who identify as “bottoms,” anyone who has anal sex should have an understanding of the process involved in successful bottoming. It will help you be a better “top” and positively affect overall sexual experiences. The act of bottoming is a true art, and whether it’s your first attempt or you’ve been experimenting with it for quite some time, analyzing your readiness and the proper techniques not only allow you to reach heightened sexual pleasure, but also enable safe and enduring practices. If you’ve never tried bottoming, but you’re

few seconds, then try to engage the muscles. Allow yourself to relax before removing the plug, then re-lubricate and re-insert to the point of pressure. Repeating this process will prove successful over time, so don’t get discouraged if the first time you only get a small portion of the tip in. Repeat the process three to five times. The key is to remember there are three sets of muscles that need to relax for a successful entry. Think of it as a tunnel, and the entire tunnel needs to be a well-lubed cylinder. We don’t advise inserting the entire length of the plug and leaving it in on the first try, because removal may be difficult, which could cause tearing. If after four to five sessions you can insert that size without any issues, you’re ready to graduate to the next size. Don’t forget to enjoy it. If you become stimulated during the process, go for it! Not only is it a pleasurable side effect to your dilation training, but you can start to channel your orgasm anally and begin to gain control over time.

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BOOTY BASICS

pressure, hold it there, pull out, re-lubricate and repeat. The three to five-time rule applies here as well. Being on top of the penis really allows for you to determine your level of comfort. If pain occurs, you can stop, call it a day, and try again another time. It’s not worth causing pain or a potential injury. GRADUATING TO NEW POSITIONS Once you have fully

received the penis, the last hurdle is to add new positions into the mix, like doggy-style. Now, be sure to take this easy to begin with—it’s an intense position and tops can get a little eager. Make sure you have mastered receiving to minimize any injury and maximize pleasure. Start with you receiving on top and gaining control of your muscles before moving around to new positons.

INJURY HAPPENS TO THE BEST OF US Proper techniques are obviously a must, but even brand new cars can break down. The most common issue related to anal sex trauma are tears, also known as anal fissures. If this happens, take a break but don’t get discouraged. Most anal fissures will heal themselves with proper care, but fissures that become chronic will require surgical intervention. If an injury happens, it’s best to analyze why it did so you can plan to avoid reoccurrence in the future. BE HONEST WITH YOUR BODY Small, petite frames and pelvises just may not be able to accept those of the more wellendowed variety. Be realistic with your goals, and realize that you may need work up to this over several months. USE IT OR LOSE IT The key to continued ease of

bottoming is to be consistent in using the above dilation methods, even throughout sexual dry spells. We all

Does a Bare Bush Increase Your Risk for STIs? A recent study from Dell Medical School at the University of Texas has found a link between extreme pubic hair grooming and increased rates of sexually transmitted infections. The results indicate that high frequency shavers had a quadrupled risk of contracting an STI. One reason, researchers speculate, might be that infections can spread more easily due to tiny cuts or tears in the skin that occur from grooming. Another theory is that people who groom more often engage in more sex and are thus already at higher risk for contracting STIs.

— D ES I R E É G U E R R E R O

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have them so don’t fret, but just remember if you don’t use it, you lose it. Keep at it so the next experience is a pleasurable one. ENGAGE A SPECIALIST The process to becoming a

pro at bottoming can be daunting, but it is totally achievable if you follow the above process. If all else fails, see a specialist in gay sexual health and wellness, who can provide both medical—such as personalized dilation and Botox—and surgical options (including anal restoration) to help improve results and assist in relaxation of the muscles.

MEET OUR NEW SEXUAL HEALTH EXPERT

Dr. Evan Goldstein, founder of Bespoke Surgical (which has offices in New York and Beverly Hills), has extensive experience educating gay and bi men on health care issues specific to the community, including: anatomical and mental sexual dysfunction; the myriad of different same-sex relationship types and their evolving dynamics in the current social climate; HPV prevention, management, and treatment; anal Pap smear analytics and pertinence to cancer prevention; sexual education (i.e., proper techniques to minimize injury and enhance overall sexual experience); and how recent medical advances have revolutionized the way that gay men have sexually evolved. At Bespoke Surgical, Goldstein offers conciergestyle medical and surgical expertise with a focus on gay men’s sexual health and wellness. He’s dedicated to not only bringing the important issues surrounding gay sexual health to the forefront, but also eliminating stigmas around gay sexuality.

EVAN GOLDSTEIN; SHUTTERSTOCK

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ORAL AND AURAL

MAKING THAT KITTY PURR

Experts Alison Ash and Mina McQueen prove if there’s one thing we all can use a little brushing up on, this is it.

NEARLY A DECADE ago, Dr. Alison Ash was a Stanford University doctoral student researching why hetero college-aged women were orgasming less often than their male peers. Ash found that many women didn’t feel entitled to pleasure—especially in casual sexual encounters— and they felt uncomfortable receiving oral sex because they worried about how they looked, smelled, and tasted. Women were also more concerned about their partner’s enjoyment than their own. Fueled by her research’s findings, she made it her mission to help others find sexual empowerment; saving the world one orgasm at a time. Three years later, Ash created the workshop, “How to Be a Feminist in the Bedroom,” which teaches participants how to say “No,” and to ask for their needs to be met. The project was so successful it led her to launch “How to Eat Pussy like a Champ,” which teaches that prize-winning oral is more about intimacy and communication than anything else. To add another perspective on proper cunnilingus, Ash teamed up with dominatrix Mina McQueen. McQueen admits she didn’t know how to ask for what she wanted in bed until she started sleeping with women. She was surprised to learn that what she desired was often quite different from what other women wanted. “I think the things you can learn as a queer woman are really applicable to your own body and experiencing more pleasure,” McQueen says. After a sold out workshop at Burning Man, this queer duo brought it to the real world, where it continues to draw people from all walks of life—lesbian and gay couples, triads, single men and women, gender non-binary people—even couples on a first date. “We just make pleasure fun again!” Ash explains. “People get so serious about it; we infuse humor in a lot of different ways. When we talk about pussies, we talk about it in a way that’s very open, and I think that’s what makes our message sink in.” Thankfully, Ash and McQueen’s how-to workshop offers a shared vocabulary for talking about desires, while presenting a juicy menu of options. One tool, which helps people figure out what it is they crave, is a game called “This or That.” You give your partner two options (with various speeds, intensity, and pace) and ask them “Do you like this?” or “Do you like that?” The game helps you dial in on what your partner likes. “For a woman to reach deep climax, it takes a long time,” Ash adds.

THE ADVOCATE APRIL/ MAY 2017

FAVORITE MOVES?

Ash’s favorite move is a “come hither” motion with a slow countdown “kitty milk lap.” Right after a plateau, McQueen says she likes to throw in a “peekaboo” by lifting up the hood of the clit to the pubic bone to expose new angles (“It’s a game changer,” she adds).

WORD

The women like the slightly tongue-in-cheek use of the word “pussy.” Ash notes that everyone has a name for their anatomy; and vulvas belong to folks of many genders.

“And women start to feel they don’t deserve that much time. So if you’re down to make it a champ quality pussy eating session, you can relax and don’t feel like you’re fighting the clock.” McQueen agrees. “I think a lot of people have cultural baggage —reasons stemming from the patriarchy—that don’t give them permission to feel pleasure. It’s also true for people who might not think of themselves as sexual beings. We find a lot of people receive what’s being done to them without a lot of feedback … of course, that can also come from [emulating] porn.” One of the workshop’s goals is to open up the pleasure dialogue. The two queer sex educators reframe oral sex as a “co-exploration.” They educate receivers on how to become active participants and teach givers how to get their partners out of their heads and into their bodies. Ash and McQueen’s booklet, 5 Central Tenets of ChampQuality Pussy Eating, engages a mad-lib style; while Guide to My Pussy, offers fun muff diving games to try at home. Here are three of their top tips to help get you started: All vajayjays are different, and hers might like different things at different times. Communication and exploration is essential. Champ-quality oral is about so much more than just tongue. The first organ you need to engage is the brain. Grounding, connecting, affirming, teasing, and dirty talk can all get her engorged and ready to orgasm before contact. “Don’t stop!” means just that and no more. It does not mean speed up. It does not mean go harder. Don’t fix what’s not broken or try to race to the finish line. — DAV I D A RTAV I A

ALISON ASH is a sex educator who developed the workshops “How to Be a Feminist in the Bedroom,” and “How to Eat Pussy like a Champ.” MINA MCQUEEN is a professional dominatrix well-versed in the art of communicating and negotiating desires.

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LOVE SHARING

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BI WELLNESS

MAINTAINING BISEXUAL SEXUAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS Three experts share what it means to remain sexually healthy while bi. BY DE S IR EÉ GUER R ERO A ND JAC OB A NDER S ON -MIN S H A L L IN SOME WAYS, maintaining sexual health as a bisexual is just like maintaining sexual health as someone with any other sexual orientation. For example, Denarii Monroe of the Bisexual Resource Center says, “Staying sexually healthy for me personally means making sure that I’m getting regular STI and HIV check-ups, preferably before starting a new sexual relationship with someone.” “In terms of tips for the happy, healthy bisexual, my number one tip for sexual health is to maintain [it] by getting those exams,” says Amy Andre, who works with the Bisexual Research Collaboration on Health at The Fenway Institute in Boston. She argues that routine screenings and preventative medicine are essential for long-term health.

THE ADVOCATE APRIL/ MAY 2017

“Unfortunately,” Andre acknowledges, “studies show that compared to women of other orientations, women who identify as bisexual are less likely to get cancer screenings like Pap smears and mammograms.” It’s one of the many health disparities between bisexual women and men versus their non-bi counterparts. “Bi+ sexual health means recognizing the specific systemic obstacles that bi+ people have to [overcome] obtaining adequate healthcare, including sexual healthcare,” says Monroe, who prefers the more inclusive “bi+”—a moniker meant to include pansexual, polysexual, and other orientations beyond gay, lesbian, or straight. One of the main impediments for bisexual health is the “biphobia, bi-invisibility, and

the discrimination that people face who are out as bisexual,” says Andre. That stigma “impacts our physical and mental health, and even our ability to make choices around sexual health screenings.” Andre sees being out to healthcare providers as an essential part of maintaining sexual health, but acknowledges, “the unfortunate reality is that many people do experience discrimination in healthcare settings when they come out, so it’s kind of a double-edged sword.” Monroe says she fights this using “my community as resources to find doctors and other health professionals that aren’t just ‘LGBT’ friendly, but that are specifically bi+ friendly, so that bi+ antagonism doesn’t creep into my doctor’s visits so much when my sexual history and sexual desires are being discussed.” Andre says health care providers truly committed to serving bisexual clients should publicize that they are non-discriminatory— and then live up to that promise. “For so many of us, even within the LGBT community, there are still enormous areas of discrimination. Just because this doctor has a rainbow sticker, or the HRC equality sign, does that necessarily mean that I’m welcome? Or that I can come out to them as someone who has male and female partners? Or as someone who identifies as bisexual regardless of the gender of a partner? I think that healthcare providers really need to go the extra mile to make it very clear that they [offer] a welcoming environment for their bisexual patients and clients.” Preventative sexual health screenings are just the tip of the iceberg, when looking at the health needs of bisexuals, Monroe argues, because, “we have higher rates of poverty than both straight people and gays and lesbians, [and] lower rates of health insurance coverage.” Andre agrees. “There’s very little research on this, but what research there is shows that we tend to have less money, have higher rates of unemployment and underemployment. As we all know, healthcare in the United States can be expensive, and for many people, prohibitively expensive.” Meanwhile, Andre says, bi folks have perhaps even more need for competent healthcare. “Bisexual women in particular, have higher rates of being victims of domestic violence. We have higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicidality, alcoholism, and other addiction behaviors. We already have a whole mess of things that we’re dealing with, and then to think, Oh, I better schedule my mammogram. That might not be at the top of someone’s list when they don’t have money, and they’re trying to escape from an abusive relationship, and they’re feeling like shit, and they’re thinking about suicide. I think that all of these things kind of snowball on each other and make it difficult for us to take care of ourselves. That’s just the unfortunate reality.”

MANUELA CICCARONE

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PAPS FOR ALL

“The majority of bi+ people are people of color and the majority of transgender people are bi+,” adds Monroe, who notes that the unique socioeconomic issues that bisexuals face impact “how much we’re able to access to adequately address our needs in a very oppressive set of systems, especially when we’re multiply marginalized. For me, addressing bi+ sexual health means addressing these specific needs, which means specifically acknowledging and then tackling bi+ erasure, bi+ antagonism, and monosexism.” H. Sharif “Dr. Herukhuti” Williams, PhD, who co-founded both BiRCH and the Center for Culture, Sexuality, and Spirituality says he tries to “practice acceptance and self love for my sexual fluidity. Part of that also means being able to resist external societal pressures that aim to confine and limit my sexuality, and to pathologize it.” “If I choose to be with a particular person of a particular gender,” Herukhuti maintains, “the outside world will want to place labels on me that can be internalized. I must stand in the power of my own truth, and give myself the space to be moved sexually across genders.” Sexual health, for many bisexuals, also involves establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. “I make sure that I understand my own relationship needs so that I can communicate them clearly and confidently to my partner or partners,” says Monroe. “I stay sexually healthy by only engaging in sexual encounters with sober people when I’m sober.” Herukhuti adds that, “when seeking a relational partner,” he tries to be prepared “for their lack of knowledge, their biphobia, their fears and prejudices that have not been explored. Being able to counter those things and stand in my own truth is a part of my sexual health. I grew up in the ‘80s, in the height of fear-based HIV messaging, so I must continue to stand in the power of my own truth, to be rigorously honest about my own fears and anxieties in seeking a partner, and be able to work through those.” “There are different sexual cultures that exist in our society between men and women,” Herukhuti concludes. “I have learned how to swim in both of those cultures and recognize the problematics of both. The ways that men are not socialized to be emotionally intelligent, or how women are socialized to limit their sexual agency. That also has an impact on my social interactions and relationship possibilities. As a bi man, I am often challenged by the patriarchy and misogyny that men are socialized to uphold. I am personally attracted to women who are sexually empowered—who don’t limit their sexual agency—and to men who have developed their emotional intelligence in ways that are deeply moving. All of these things are involved in maintaining my personal sexual health and wellness.”

SEX & HEALTH

Gyno Paps Aren’t Just for Cis Women If you have a vagina, you probably need a Pap exam.

What is a gynecological Pap smear? In a Pap smear or Pap test, a sample of cells is taken from a person’s cervix or vagina. The sample is sent to a lab, which looks for abnormal cells that can indicate cancer and reveal conditions that may develop into cancer later, such as human papillomavirus (or HPV). Who should get a Pap? Anyone adult with a vagina—regardless of gender expression, sexual identity, or sexual activity— should be getting regular Paps. If you are sexually active, you should get your first Pap within two years of your first sexual experience. Although most cases of cervical cancer are linked to having HPV, there are additional risk factors. For these reasons, even if you have never had sex, you should start getting Paps by the time you hit 21. Lesbians Aren’t Exempt! Although some mistakenly believe HPV is only a risk for heterosexual women, there’s no evidence to suggest that rates are lower among lesbians. In addition, some lesbians have had sex with men, may currently have sex with men, or have partners who have had sex with men. HPV is commonly spread through skin-to-skin contact so the use of condoms and dental dams is only partially preventative. Bottom line: lesbians need Paps too. Trans Women, You Too Although little research has been done about the risk of cervical or vaginal cancers developing in trans

women, you may still be at risk. If you are a woman who has had a vaginoplasty, you should also have a Pap, or the less common “cuff” or “vault smear.” You Too Guys Trans men who still have a uterus, ovaries, or a vagina, should get regular Pap tests. But doing so is often a daunting experience for trans men, who may need to go to women’s clinics or ob-gyn offices for the procedure. As trans author Mitch Kellaway noted in Everyday Feminism, “Body shame, combined with fears over transphobic treatment from medical providers and an increased likelihood of gynecological care not being covered by health insurance, amounts to a potentially deadly health disparity that’s unique to trans men.” How often do I need a Pap? Generally, sexually-active vagina owners should get a Pap every one to two years. People over 65 can stop getting regular Paps if three consecutive Pap smears have normal results. If you have cancer in your family history, you may need them as frequently as every six months. How is a Pap smear performed? The patient lies down on an exam table and their feet are placed in stirrups. The healthcare provider gently places an instrument called a speculum into your vagina. This opens the vaginal canal slightly so they can see the cervix. The doctor then gently scrapes a sample of cells from the cervix using a very small spatula tool.—DESIREÉ GUERRERO

Why You Probably Need an Anal Pap Smear This simple test can catch anal cancer and prevent HIV.

Pap smears are a common part of gynecological health, but growing research suggests that gay and bi men should be having them as well. Here’s what you need to know. What is an anal Pap smear? An anal Pap smear or Pap test is when a healthcare provider collects cells from the wall of the anal canal and sends them to a lab to be examined for abnormal cell growth that could indicate cancer. Anal cancer develops slowly, beginning with minor cell changes, so it can be caught early, which greatly increases chances of survival. Why would I need one? The main reason to get an anal Pap test is to determine if the human papillomavirus (HPV), a widespread sexually transmitted infection, has sparked anal cancer, pre-cancerous cell growth, or lesions on the tissue of the anus that make you more vulnerable to HIV and other STIs. Unlike HIV, which is transmitted through bodily fluids, HPV is spread through skin-to-skin contact, so using condoms is only partially successful in preventing transmission. HPV may be symptomless. Factors that increase the risk of anal cancer include multiple sex partners or use of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. Being HIV-positive

increases the risk of HPV infection and vice versa. According to the Cancer Network, 95 percent of HIV-positive men who have sex with men already have anal HPV, as do approximately 65 percent of HIV-negative gay and bisexual men. (Note: there is now a vaccine for HPV available.) Who needs to get an anal Pap? Standards aren’t yet well established, unfortunately, which probably means your general practitioner isn’t going to recommend you get one unless you specifically ask for it. But there’s a growing number of physicians arguing Pap tests should be part of routine screenings for anyone who has anal sex. As with HIV, the receptive partners are at the greatest risk, but anal cancer is a rising cause of illness and death among all men who have sex with men, especially those who are HIV-positive. If a woman is having anal sex, she should also be getting a regular anal Pap. How often do I need an anal Pap? Again, standards haven’t been well established. But the recommendation is that all who practice anal sex, especially those who are living with HIV or HPV, be tested every one to three years.

—JACOB ANDERSON-MINSHALL

APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

ALONE ON A ROMANTIC COUPLES GETAWAY Still plenty to love at this Mexican retreat BY DAV I D DU R A N

just came back from this incredible trip to Mexico. It was a group trip, mostly couples, with some singles, like me, mixed into the bunch. There were also some on the trip who were open to sharing their significant other with me—for some much needed cuddles (but that’s another story). The trip was to a planned LGBT-friendly resort community within Riviera Maya, minutes from Playa del Carmen and an easy

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

flight into Cancun. These private resort communities are not uncommon in Mexico; in fact, I had visited Punta Mita in Riviera Nayarit recently and was kind of in love with the exclusivity of it all. This time, the destination was Mayakoba, and with the rowdy bunch I had enlisted to join me, I was looking forward to lots of tacos and tequila. I was taken aback by how deep into the resort complex we drove from the

MEXICO

TRAVEL

OPPOSITE: Banyan Tree HAAB, an amazing Mayan dining experience with fire performers. ABOVE: (clockwise from top left): Spa Rainforest Brine Cavern; dining at our villa; the Spa Rainforest Vitality Pool; a water taxi we used to get around

APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

KEY WEST

Traditional Mayan cuisine in Mexico

main entrance. There are checkpoints along the way, for security reasons and to maintain the resort’s exclusivity. Mayacoba is made up of residences as well as several hotels: The Fairmont, Rosewood, Andaz (the newest addition), and where we were booked, Banyan Tree Mayacoba. The four luxury resorts are connected via water pathways, and designated bike paths. Guests are encouraged to wander to the other resorts—where they can charge meals and other purchases to their rooms no matter where they are in the complex. This offers you the chance to experience more than just one hidden resort; here you have four. Banyan Tree is a collection of villas, each with their own private full-on legit swimming pools. Lush green vegetation and freshwater lagoons surround the villas, inhabited by a wide range of birds and wildlife. Some are friendlier than others. I was filming a spider

ESCAPE TO KEY WEST Even the resistance needs to relax and recharge sometimes.

Key West is the farthest you can get from mainland America and still be in the lower 48. The fact that it’s also a queer mecca makes it all the more tempting as a destination for anyone wanting to get away from it all. The gay-owned Gardens Hotel (gardenshotel.com) is the perfect boutique B&B when you want get away from it all. Choose their luxurious master suite— replete with two bathrooms, a sitting room, balcony, Jacuzzi tub, and its own private sauna (you’ll never want to leave)—or one of the pet-friendly cottages (especially if you’d like your own kitchen). Rooms have wifi and modern amenities, but you’ll spend more time lounging poolside, drink in hand (the onsite bar may be small, but it’s well stocked). Free continental style breakfast offers specialties from local artisans. In the evening a pianist serenades you. Wander through the gardens, following the winding path beneath a lush canopy and you’ll find beautiful sculptures, flowing fountains, and a plethora of lizards. During some months live jazz will accompany your stroll. Located just off Duval Street, the hotel is walking distance to local LGBT hot spots and a short drive to amazing beaches. If that’s not enough to forget the specter of the U.S.’s spiral into authoritarian rule, take advantage of their self-serve “wine gallery.” It’s a great way to taste different wines on your own for just a few dollar. If you’re lucky, the visit will be enough to have you asking, What President?—JACOB ANDERSON-MINSHALL

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

LEFT: The heated pool at the Gardens Hotel. RIGHT: One of the cottages at the Gardens Hotel in Key West, Fla.

COURTESY GARDENS HOTEL

TRAVEL

COACHELLA/THOMAS HAWK

COACHELLA

monkey swinging from tree to tree when he dropped down to the ground and started coming towards me! I’m a bit of a coward when it comes to monkeys, so I bolted into the villa and quickly shut the door behind me. I wasn’t going to take any chances. I didn’t want to share my delicious mango with anyone. Upon arriving with my excessive luggage via golf cart, I was pleased to see a pair of bicycles for my personal use throughout the stay. Guests can use the bikes and leave them anywhere on the property and employees will return them to the appropriate villa. I found this service especially useful after a few too many tequilas. Entering the private outdoor space of the Serenity Pool Villa, I was greeted by a heated swimming pool and hot tub with two separate buildings on either side. To the left was the bedroom, with an impressive wooden headboard that stretched to the top of a vaulted ceiling, and a bathroom larger than most Manhattan apartments. The shower was what I like to refer to as a “party shower;” spacious enough for multiple guests and featuring a glass wall looking out to the huge outdoor tub. The resort’s “bath butler” will happily set up a romantic evening bath, complete with candles, wine, and rose petals. I opted to have a solo bath set up during the day, with a bottle of tequila and some flowers. I also asked that they relocate the Bose music system within reach, so I could blast the sweet sounds of George Michael. “Careless Whisper,” may have been on repeat for an hour. The other building in my private complex was an entertainment room with a massive couch and television and enough space to host a mini-party. I threw a Saturday Night Live viewing party. Everyone came, fresh chips and guacamole were delivered and we all had cocktails in hand—only to discover that SNL wasn’t available on any of Mexican networks we had. (No Kate McKinnon!) The dining at Banyan Tree was over-the-top, and I felt like I ate more than I should have each day (possibly because I was distracting myself from not getting romantic). One night, we all experienced HAAB, an unbelievably unique dinner experience that incorporates true Mayan cuisine with an interactive dinner show, all while they overflow your glasses with tequila, mescal, beer, wine and cocktails. Drinks are unlimited and part of the set menu price, so they didn’t shy away from over-serving. My memory is thus a little hazy, but there was fire and dancing and lots of traditional costumes. This was also the night where I cashed in those free cuddles from a couple of the guys while we were lounging in a rooftop cabana after dinner. We didn’t leave the resort much during the visit except for a quick morning trip to Tulum to see the Mayan pyramid ruins and hang at the beach. There was also one dinner in Playa del Carmen, which validated our decision not to leave Mayacoba: it was a bit too touristy for us, and we missed our villas. Back at Mayacoba we hit the amazing, awardwinning Banyan Tree Spa Samui, and experienced The Rainforest, a private hydrothermal circuit compromising of alternating hot and cold thermal cabins. It was perfect way to end the weekend.

COACHELLA IS HELLA QUEER THIS YEAR

TRAVEL

ABOVE: The crowd at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival near Palm Springs, Calif.

Beyonce and LGBT artists grace the Coachella Music & Arts Festival stage

Spring is a fabulous time to visit Palm Springs, Calif., all the more so because the world famous Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival takes place nearby. The outdoor festival occurs over two consecutive weekends (April 14th–16th and 21st–23rd) in Indio, California, about a half hour drive from downtown Palm Springs. This year’s musical lineup is more diverse than ever, with big names and indie favorites, including LBGTQ artists like Shura, The xx, Miss Honey Dijon, and Kaytranada. This year’s headliners include Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar, and yes—the Queen Bee herself—Beyoncé, who by April will be very pregnant with her twins. The pop diva’s appearance is a special treat, as she rarely performs at festivals. Coachella’s also about art and the local desert environment is home to—and inspiration for—artists of all persuasions, from landscape painters to steampunk sculptors, and a craftsman who creates tree-like electrical burns on wood. There’s something for everyone. With seasonally gorgeous weather, and one of the country’s highest populations of LGBT residents, Palm Springs is the perfect place to visit while you’re enjoying all Coachella has to offer. (For more information visit coachella.com.) —DESIREÉ GUERRERO APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

WHAT IS ODEFSEY®?

What are the other possible side effects of ODEFSEY?

ODEFSEY is a 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years and older. It can either be used in people who are starting HIV-1 treatment, have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, and have an amount of HIV-1 in their blood (“viral load”) that is no more than 100,000 copies/mL; or in people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements. These include having an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL) for 6 months or more on their current HIV-1 treatment. ODEFSEY combines 3 medicines into 1 pill taken once a day with a meal. ODEFSEY is a complete HIV-1 treatment and should not be used with other HIV-1 medicines.

Serious side effects of ODEFSEY may also include: • Severe skin rash and allergic reactions. Skin rash is a common side effect of ODEFSEY. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get a rash, as some rashes and allergic reactions may need to be treated in a hospital. Stop taking ODEFSEY and get medical help right away if you get a rash with any of the following symptoms: fever, skin blisters, mouth sores, redness or swelling of the eyes (conjunctivitis), swelling of the face, lips, mouth, or throat, trouble breathing or swallowing, pain on the right side of the stomach (abdominal) area, and/or dark “tea-colored” urine. • Depression or mood changes. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you: feel sad or hopeless, feel anxious or restless, have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself. • Changes in liver enzymes. People who have had hepatitis B or C or who have certain liver enzyme changes may have a higher risk for new or worse liver problems while taking ODEFSEY. Liver problems can also happen in people who have not had liver disease. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your liver enzymes before and during treatment with ODEFSEY. • Changes in body fat, which can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicines. • Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to ﬁght infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking ODEFSEY. • Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking ODEFSEY if you develop new or worse kidney problems. • Bone problems, such as bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.

ODEFSEY does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses, you must keep taking ODEFSEY. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body ﬂuids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body ﬂuids on them.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about ODEFSEY? ODEFSEY may cause serious side effects: • Buildup of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat. • Serious liver problems. The liver may become large and fatty. Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turning yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; loss of appetite; light-colored bowel movements (stools); nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area. • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking ODEFSEY or a similar medicine for a long time. In some cases, lactic acidosis and serious liver problems have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions.

• Worsening of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. ODEFSEY

is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking ODEFSEY, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking ODEFSEY without ﬁrst talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

Who should not take ODEFSEY? Do not take ODEFSEY if you take: • Certain prescription medicines for other conditions. It is important to ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with ODEFSEY. Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. • The herbal supplement St. John’s wort. • Any other medicines to treat HIV-1 infection.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking ODEFSEY? • All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare

provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, mental health (depression or suicidal thoughts), or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection. • All the medicines you take, including prescription and overthe-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other medicines may affect how ODEFSEY works. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe to take ODEFSEY with all of your other medicines. • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if ODEFSEY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking ODEFSEY. • If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Ask your healthcare provider if ODEFSEY is right for you, and visit ODEFSEY.com to learn more. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see Important Facts about ODEFSEY including important warnings on the following page.

ODEFSEY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

SHOW YOUR

RADIANCE ODEFSEY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day HIV-1 treatment for people 12 years and older who are either new to treatment and have less than 100,000 copies/mL of virus in their blood or people whose healthcare provider determines they can replace their current HIV-1 medicines with ODEFSEY.

IMPORTANT FACTS This is only a brief summary of important information about ODEFSEY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

(oh-DEF-see) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ODEFSEY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF ODEFSEY

ODEFSEY may cause serious side effects, including:

ODEFSEY can cause serious side effects, including:

•

Buildup of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

•

Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; loss of appetite; light-colored bowel movements (stools); nausea; and/ or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area.

•

Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. ODEFSEY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking ODEFSEY. Do not stop taking ODEFSEY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking ODEFSEY or a similar medicine for a long time.

• • • •

• •

Those in the “Most Important Information About ODEFSEY” section. Severe skin rash and allergic reactions. Depression or mood changes. Changes in liver enzymes. Changes in body fat. Changes in your immune system. New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Bone problems.

The most common side effects of rilpivirine, one of the medicines in ODEFSEY, are depression, trouble sleeping (insomnia), and headache. The most common side effect of emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide, two of the medicines in ODEFSEY, is nausea. These are not all the possible side effects of ODEFSEY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking ODEFSEY. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with ODEFSEY.

BEFORE TAKING ODEFSEY ABOUT ODEFSEY •

ODEFSEY is a prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before and who have an amount of HIV-1 in their blood (“viral load”) that is no more than 100,000 copies/mL. ODEFSEY can also be used to replace current HIV-1 medicines for some people who have an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/ mL), have been on the same HIV-1 medicines for at least 6 months, have never failed HIV-1 treatment, and whose healthcare provider determines that they meet certain other requirements.

•

ODEFSEY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others.

Do NOT take ODEFSEY if you: • Take a medicine that contains: carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR®, Teril®), dexamethasone (Ozurdex®, Maxidex®, Decadron®, Baycadron™), dexlansoprazole (Dexilant®), esomeprazole (Nexium®, Vimovo®), lansoprazole (Prevacid®), omeprazole (Prilosec®, Zegerid®), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal®), pantoprazole sodium (Protonix®), phenobarbital (Luminal®), phenytoin (Dilantin®, Dilantin-125®, Phenytek®), rabeprazole (Aciphex®), rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®, Rimactane®), or rifapentine (Priftin®). •

Take the herbal supplement St. John’s wort.

•

Take any other HIV-1 medicines at the same time.

Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, mental health (depression or suicidal thoughts), or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. • Have any other medical condition. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with ODEFSEY.

HOW TO TAKE ODEFSEY • •

ODEFSEY is a complete 1-pill, once-a-day HIV-1 medicine. Take ODEFSEY with a meal.

GET MORE INFORMATION •

• •

This is only a brief summary of important information about ODEFSEY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. Go to ODEFSEY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 If you need help paying for your medicine, visit ODEFSEY.com for program information.

ODEFSEY, the ODEFSEY Logo, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: March 2016 © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. ODEC0026 06/16

DAILY DOSE

Five Minutes to PrEP

Even without insurance, getting the HIV prevention pill takes just minutes.

FLICKR/STEVEN KRUEGER; COURTESY OF ZACHARY ZANE

BY ZACHARY ZANE

I L OV E S EX . And I’m unashamed to say I have a lot of it, and with various men and women, many of whom are HIV-positive. However, I only feel comfortable having sex with HIV-positive folks because I strictly adhere to my daily Truvada as PrEP regimen in addition to using condoms (as an additional layer of protection from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections). I would be way too nervous to have sex with a poz person, even with condoms, if I wasn’t on PrEP. But, I’m not perfect. I get too drunk, I can’t maintain my erection with a condom on, or I get lost in the heat of the moment and say, “Screw it. Let’s go raw!” Shit happens, and I’m not going to shame myself—or anyone else—who periodically goes condomless. We’re all human. Still, we want to do our best to mitigate risk. We also want to be fully immersed in the moment. There’s nothing worse than losing your erection right as things are getting hot and heavy, because the thought enters your head that this could be the time you contract HIV. This is why I take PrEP and have been doing so for over a year: So I can have this peace of mind. So I can be empowered sexually. So I can live my life without fear while dating and sleeping with people regardless of their status. That’s why I was devastated when I learned, after days of researching insurance plans, that I couldn’t afford PrEP this year. I was sitting at my desk, taking deep breaths, attempting to calm myself down. Telling myself that I’ll just have to be 100 percent on it with my condom use. Telling myself that my life won’t change that drastically. Telling myself I’d be OK. But I knew they were all lies. I know me. I make mistakes, and without PrEP, I wouldn’t be able to have the unabashed sex life that I’ve grown accustomed to—and love. I also knew that I’d have to stop seeing a specific HIV-positive guy because I couldn’t psychologically handle sleeping with him without PrEP. But I didn’t want to admit defeat. Staring at my laptop screen, I started considering other options. I suddenly remembered reading that Gilead Sciences—the pharmaceutical company that makes Truvada—has a patient assistance program. I did a quick search, which took me to the Gilead Advancing Access Co-pay Program. The website made it seem simple: just

call them and see if you’re eligible. The only exclusion is if you’re enrolled in a state or federally-funded prescription drug program (e.g., Medicare). It seemed too good to be true. I didn’t hesitate, and in under 60 seconds I was talking to a live person. I told the woman my dilemma, and she told me not to worry. I provided the insurance plan I had decided on for 2017, along with my name, address, and all the usual information. I asked what exactly the co-pay program covers. She said up to $3,600 dollars of Truvada per calendar year. For me, this covered the total yearly cost, as it would have cost me about $2,500 that year, even with my insurance plan. I thanked her profusely, while she emailed me my card info. Six days later, I received the physical card in the mail. The day after I went to my pharmacy. I handed the pharmacist my card, as instructed, and twiddled my thumbs while the pharmacist called Gilead. Four minutes later, I paid a whopping zero dollars for 90 little blue pills. Then the pharmacist apologized to me. She said because of my insurance, she must call Gilead every time I fill my prescription, as a matter of protocol. But I don’t have to worry about ever being rejected. My mouth dropped. I was in complete shock. It had all been so easy. No hassle. Literally nothing with insurance companies has ever been this simple in the history of mankind. I’m not alone in my fears of getting HIV, and I’m not the only one out there who can’t afford Truvada, the only drug currently approved as pre-exposure prophylaxis. While it’s undeniably frustrating that Truvada isn’t yet generic, at least there is this simple affordable option for those of us who want to have the peace of mind and sexual freedom that comes with popping that blue pill daily. Even better? You can now enroll online. I just tested it out. It takes less than five minutes. Enroll at Bit.ly/GileadCoPay. ZACHARY ZANE is a Boston-based writer whose

work focuses on (bi)sexuality, gender, identity politics, relationships, and culture. He’s been featured in The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Out, PRIDE, The Huffington Post, and Bisexual.org.

APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

LATINA LESBIAN TAKES ON NEW MEANING IN TRUMP ERA Netflix’s One Day at a Time features one of the most refreshing queer characters on TV. BY Y E Z MIN V IL L A R R E A L

sabella Gomez, who plays Elena Alvarez on the remake of the 1970s series One Day at a Time, felt intimidated at first about playing a lesbian character, because she worried she might not get it right. Luckily, Gomez had a writers’ room that included LGBT scripters, like Michelle Badillo, who helped shape Elena’s storyline— including her coming-out story, based on Badillo’s own experience. The show reframes the groundbreaking Norman Lear original to focus on a Cuban-American family living in Los Angeles. Gomez plays the queer, 15-year-old feminist daughter who is headstrong, independent, and often clashes with her family. In one episode, Elena’s mother, Penelope (Justina Machado), makes an effort to connect with her newly out daughter by telling her that she spent some time reading Autostraddle, a queer women’s website; where she found out how much Eleanor Roosevelt loved monocles. Although Penelope struggles with accepting her daughter’s revelation, she eventually comes around after talking

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

to own her mother, Lydia, played by Rita Moreno. Lydia admits that she initially had reservations because of her Catholic background, but ultimately her love for her granddaughter outweighed everything else. Gomez was overwhelmed by the number of women, of all ages, who reached out after they saw her character’s coming-out story. She recalls women telling her, “Elena inspired a conversation within my family,” and “She gave me the courage to be able to come out to my parents and friends.” That the character’s mother and grandmother had different reactions to her coming-out was important to Gomez because it depicted the complexity of the experience. “A lot of times in media [portrayals of ] coming out, you see either one side of the spectrum, where they’re like, ‘Oh, we always knew, thank God you came out!’… or ‘You’re leaving our house now; don’t ever speak to us again!’ And that’s not always the case. As you see in the show, there’s a range of reactions, and I think that’s what makes it [ring] true.” Elena is something of an anomaly on television. Last year Autostraddle reported that 173 lesbian and bisexual women characters have been killed off on television. Queer women dying on TV shows is such a regular occurrence that it has become a trope, known as “bury your gays.” GLAAD’s annual report on the state of LGBT media representation last year found that in 2016 alone, 25 lesbian and bisexual-identifying female characters were killed. And that is without breaking down those numbers further into race and ethnicity. GLAAD’s report showed that around 72 percent of all LGBT characters on cable and streaming services are white. Only 8 percent are Latino/a, despite Latinos representing 17 percent of the the U.S. population.

With this gap in representation, Janet Quezada, a senior strategist for Spanishlanguage and Latino media at GLAAD, recognizes the importance of a lesbian Latina character like Elena on television. “It is so refreshing to see the inclusion of Elena, a Cuban-American queer young woman, on-screen because for so long the Latinx LGBTQ experience has been invisible or, if shown at all, reduced to shallow stereotypes,” Quezada says. “It’s important for Latinx LGBTQ people to be seen in our full authenticity,” she adds. “Without that visibility, the larger culture forgets we exist, and that has a lived impact through policies, legislation, and executive orders that impact us.” Gomez says the political campaign definitely had a presence on set. “The whole cast and the writers’ room were going back and forth, like who knows what this will mean later,” she says. The show has taken on a new relevance following Trump’s Muslim ban and anti-immigrant stance. One episode deals with Elena’s best friend, a teenager whose parents have been deported—and the reports Trump was considering signing a “religious freedom” order that could make it legal to discriminate against LGBT people. Gomez says. “We’re glad that we put it out there and we had a voice,” she says. She hopes the show comes back for another season, though it hasn’t been confirmed yet. Gomez says the intimidation set in when she realized the impact of her character’s coming-out story. But ultimately, she says, “I’m so proud to bring this representation to the screen and to have the chance to play Elena, and that is more important than the intimidation.”

COURTESY OF NETFLIX (ONE DAY AT A TIME); AP PHOTO/STEVE COHN

LEFT: The cast of One Day at a Time; BELOW: Isabella Gomez at the show’s premiere in West Hollywood, Calif.

WATCH

SPECTATOR

Murder Most Foul In 1988, when 27-year-old American mathematician Scott Johnson was found dead at the base of sea cliffs near Sydney, Australia, his naked body bruised and battered, police ruled it a suicide. Turns out it may not have been. Australian authorizes have reopened his case and the cases of 87 other men who were murdered between 1976 and 2000. The New South Wales police now think the men were victims of bands of teens who hunted gay men for sport, sometimes chasing them off the cliffs to their deaths. That real story inspired the powerfully chilling four-part Aussie crime drama Deep Water (now available on DVD, Blu-ray, and on Acorn.TV). Deep Water stars Yael Stone (Lorna on Orange is the New Black) and Noah Taylor (Game of Thrones) as detectives assigned a brutal murder case of a young gay man, who then begin to discover mounting evidence to suggest the killing is connected to a spate of unexplained deaths, “suicides,” and disappearances of gay men throughout the 1980s and ’90s that police overlooked because of their own homophobia.—DIANE ANDERSON-MINSHALL

THE EMPATHY MACHINE

COURTESY OF SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (DEEP WATER); COURTESY OF METTLE (FRANCIS)

A VR film takes viewers inside the mind of a man locked in darkness.

W H E N F R A N C I S , A T E AC H E R F R O M the African nation of Ghana, suffered a mental health crisis, his family and friends didn’t know how to help. In his small village, they only knew of one solution: to lock him away until his madness subsided. “[Francis] was treated much like anyone who suffers from a mental condition in a third world country,” says Chris Gernon, the gay CEO and founder of Fugitives, the firm behind the virtual reality documentary short, Francis. “They truly thought that strapping him to a log and locking him in a mud hut for two years was the best course of action. They didn’t have the knowledge or understanding of how to diagnose or treat his mental illness.” Kept isolated in near-constant darkness for years, Francis’s already fragile connection to the outside world deteriorated further. His family visited less and less often as they faced their own struggles to survive. His wife was forced to sell off all their livestock and possessions and put the children to work so they wouldn’t starve. Meanwhile, Francis was lost to the darkness. Gernon says that’s where Francis likely would have spent the rest of his life, if it hadn’t been for the intervention of BasicNeeds, a nonprofit that helps people living with mental illness and epilepsy in Ghana, a country of 26 million people that they say has only 14 working psychiatrists. “[BasicNeeds] was brought in to negotiate his release and rehabilitation,” Gernon explains. “Francis was given his life back, he returned to his family and began teaching school again. But more importantly, he was also given the support he needed to stay on his medication and to continue with his therapy group.”

So, how did a television marketing company that works with some of the world’s top brands end up doing a virtual reality documentary about Francis? They were tasked with creating a VR film to educate 500 of the worlds’ top health and finance ministers attending a Mental Health Summit in Washington, D.C. by the advocacy group Strongheart. “At our core we’re storytellers,” Gernon says about his own company. “And that’s what the Francis VR documentary was for us. It uses great storytelling to evoke change in the world. VR has gotten the reputation of being the ‘empathy machine’ and we use it to its fullest.” To take the film’s viewers into the mud hut and help them experience the emotional impact of Francis’s time locked away, Gernon used the walls as screens, allowing “scenes to play out as if in a memory, or in his mind, each one fading away, leaving nothing but the rough textures of the walls that surround him. As a viewer, you feel the isolation and despair.” The climactic scene engulfs viewers in darkness. Then the door opens. Light floods in. Francis is welcomed back to the real world. “Too many people are suffering and don’t know where to turn for help,” Gernon insists. “Francis’s story is not unique. There are thousands chained or locked away, with nowhere to turn, but with organizations like BasicNeeds and Partners in Health, they are moving towards solutions with education and advocacy work. But that alone will not solve the problem, we can all do more. Look at PIH.org for ways to get involved.”

— JACOB ANDERSONMINSHALL

Chris Gernon

APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

LISTEN

CALENDAR

QUESTIONS FOR MEGAN MULLALLY Thankfully, the bisexual superstar is everywhere these days.

I L L & G R AC E star Megan Mullally is as well known for her 14-year marriage to feminist funny man, Nick Offerman, as she is for the famously abrasive character, Karen. Mullally and Offerman (who grabbed his own pussy hat at the Sundance Women’s March earlier this year) bring their love affair to TV with the Epix original comedy special, Summer of 69: No Apostrophe (airing in May). But we love Mullally’s other new partnership almost as much. Teaming with Austin, Texas-based musician and actress Stephanie Hunt (who was a regular on ABC’s How To Live With Your Parents For The Rest of Your Life), Mullally created the awesomely retro women’s band, Nancy and Beth. Or as Mullally calls it, “the most magnificent duo that ever laid lung to a blues chord, conjoined together as one.” Their self-titled album, out April 7, offers reinterpretations of the music of George Jones, Gucci Mane, Wynona Carr, Rufus Wainwright, the Mills Brothers, and more. We asked Mullally about the band’s promise to “blow mouth sounds and shake their accessories like the ripest bags of produce until you go jingle-jangle in your juice-box.” Why the cover of “He Stopped Loving Her Today?” There must be a back story. Yes. I’ve had a lot of lovers who never got over me until the day they died, so it just seemed like a great fit. Is this album pure fun or part of the #resistance too? I mean, “Please Mr. Jailer” seems so timely. Everything is part of the resistance now.

Megan Mullally at the world premiere of Why Him? in Los Angeles

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

You have so much going on TV and film. How do you find time to tour and perform with Nancy and Beth? I’m a hologram. Since this is our sexual health issue, tell me how women can keep ourselves sexually healthy. Take care of that puss, ladies. Take. Care. O. Dat. Puss. —DIANE ANDERSON-MINSHALL

Her comedy special, Summer of 69: No Apostrophe, premiers May 19 on Epix

Mullally and James Franco starred in the recent film, Why Him?, and she has four other movies out 2017: Oh Lucy!, LEMON, The Masterpiece, and Infinity Baby.

Catch Nancy and Beth live! @nancyandbeth April 6 Los Angeles @ Largo April 9 Washington, D.C. @ U Street Music Hall April 10 New York @ Joe’s Pub April 11 Philadelphia @ World Café Live April 12 Boston @ The Wilbur Theater April 20 London @ Royal Festival Hall April 22 Manchester, UK @ Palace Theatre May 7 Charleston, West Virginia @ NPR Mountain Stage

AP PHOTO/RICHARD SHOTWELL (MULLALLY); STEPHANIE HUNT (NANCY)

SPECTATOR

READ

SPECTATOR

ON THE SHELF God Bless America

Jane Crow by Rosalind Rosenberg (Oxford): This is a fascinating look at the incredible life of Pauli Murray, a mixed-race, transgender, scholar, lawyer, activist, priest, and trailblazer who played a pivotal role in the civil rights and women’s movements of the 20th century. Though the book uses female pronouns as Murray did, it’s clear that while he deftly combatted racism and sexism, he was never able to reconcile his gender identity at a time before there was a word for trans people, and was relegated to a role given to any female who “felt” male, loved women, and tried unsuccessfully to get doctors to prescribe testosterone. Murray, the first AfricanAmerican to get a law degree at Yale, helped Thurgood Marshall challenge segregation, pushed Betty Friedan to found what became the National Organization for Women, and coined the “Jane Crow” theory, which Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg used to argue that the 14th Amendment protects people of color and women against discrimination. Murray, who died in 1985, didn’t live to see modern intersectional politics or the trans movement, but it’s clear without his impact we never would have either.

Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family by Garrard Conley (Riverhead): Growing up the son of a Baptist preacher in small-town Arkansas is tough on any kid, but for one struggling with his sexuality, it can be traumatic. Garrard Conley was still a teen when he was outed and forced into a monstrous course of reparative therapy, each night taking a moral inventory of his failures as a “real man.” All the while, he was wasting away, no longer interested in food or life, filled with shame, self-doubt, and suicidal ideation. That he persevered is a testament to the human spirit. And the memoir as a whole is a reminder that in a world where the Vice President of the United States advocates for reparative therapy, it is still a radical action to be openly gay in many families, religions, and communities.

Money, Murder, and Dominick Dunne: A Life in Several Acts by Robert Hofler (University of Wisconsin Press): Nobody has had a front-row seat to wealth, power, and privilege like journalist Dominick Dunne, but his life behind the scenes remained enigmatic. Author Robert Hofler details Dunne’s life from Hollywood producer in the 1950s to his many incarnations after: author of five best-selling novels, storied crime journalist at Vanity Fair, justice advocate (after his own daughter’s murder), and power player whose relationships with women included Princess Diana, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Walters. His own personal identity and his sexual and romantic relationships with other men is among the more fascinating stuff here (late in life, after his divorce, Dunne called himself alternately bisexual, gay, and celibate), as is how that identity impacted his opinions (for example, regarding the Menendez brothers murder case).

Abandon Me by Melissa Febos (Bloomsbury): This unflinching, lyrical, and often crushing memoir about love and the need for connection is a mustread. Abandoned by her birth father (who leaves only “an inheritance of addiction and Native American blood, it’s meaning a mystery”), Febos struggles to find connection and intimacy elsewhere, including a long-distance love affair with another woman that’s as obsessive as it is passionate. As with her prior memoir, Febos’s honest examination of her own life makes for quite an aggressive personal narrative about the search for love and identity.

This spring, young adult novelist Gabby Rivera (Juliet Takes a Breath) and artist Joe Quinones (Howard the Duck) continue the high-octane adventures of America Chavez. Marvel’s lesbian Latina powerhouse, Chavez punches her way through dimensions and faces off against an oncoming alien horde all while managing her social life and trying to attend various classes on alternate Earths. Since her introduction in 2012, Chavez has stood side-by-side with Marvel’s most powerful heroes and this year she’s ready to take the world by storm in her new series, America. We asked Rivera about her new series. How much does America’s sexual identity play in the series (i.e. will she be dating)? America’s a vibrant young, fierce, and gorgeous superhero babe. You can bet your Yeezys that she’s going to be dating. But it’s not going to be some heavy meditation on the stresses, inequities, and violence faced by LGBTQ people. We get enough of that in the news and in personal essays. That work is vital and important. But America’s series is meant to be a space of joy and fantasy. I also want it to be a healing piece of media/art so that folks who are being beaten down by the system and life in general, can laugh and cheer and get a moment to breathe easy in this chaotic world. We get to watch America, an unapologetically queer Latina, deal with everyday love stuff. I’m so ready for that, aren’t you? Comic creators, Marvel in particular, has amped up the representation game in comics. How do you respond to critics that say it’s too PC? I urge folks who are raging out about a lil’ baby lesbian Latina having her own comic series to reflect on their feelings. Like, why are you so mad? If it means that much to you to be a bully and revel in antagonizing and being violent towards people who are different from you, then that’s something you got to figure out within yourself. People like me—brown, queer, chunky, other—get called “special snowflakes” when all many of us are trying to do is make room for everyone. That means you have to share space, time, resources, attention...and like, are you really someone that just won’t share? Yikes. Aren’t we supposed to love our neighbors or something? There’s been a lot of suggestion that she is connected to a very big Marvel character. Is this going to remain a mystery? Totally. Mysteries make the Marvel Universe go ‘round. —SAVAS ABADSIDIS APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

THE HANDMAID’S TALE

continued from page 33

to quell that and keep that down because I don’t think that helps anything. I don’t think panic helps anything. I have been able to imagine what that would be like.” For Wiley, it’s a new experience. “It’s not something I’ve ever really thought of before, especially since we’ve had a president who made legal gay marriage equal throughout our entire country. I will never forget that, and I remember the White House being lit up in rainbow colors.” It’s disturbing how quickly things can change. “Living in a world—you know, just a few months ago—where I felt nothing but love, nothing but acceptance from the majority of the people who were living around me, and only recently have I started to imagine what that might be like… being persecuted literally for who you are as a person. Of course, there are a lot of people who believe that this is a choice. I think it’s not a choice, but I do think that there is a choice to live it openly and honestly. And that is what I strive to do every day. And if that is taken away, you know, it’s, it’s—” Wiley struggles for the words. “I don’t know. It’s hard to imagine, but recently my mind has slipped into those dark places.” The actress shares a wonderful theory about the protest that have sprung up around the nation—and sometimes around the globe—in opposition to Trump’s policies. “Someone explained it to me recently—in a way that really rang true for me—that people now are sort of like white blood

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

ABOVE: Samira Wiley as Moira in The Handmaid’s Tale. BELOW: Handmaids attend a rather terrifying cerimony.

cells. This spontaneous thing … where everyone’s going to LAX, everyone’s going to JFK, just because we’re hurting there. The people are like white blood cells,” she says, rushing to the nation’s body to defend our system from attack. That women are leading the charge in these protests from Standing Rock to D.C. is heartening too. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood wrote about a hierarchy in Gilead that offers a false sense of power to some women (the Stepford wives of powerful men). It was her nod to the way women are often pitted against each other in our culture. Wiley has seen this in action. “To be honest, I don’t know where it comes from,” she admits. “One of the questions that I would get all of the time when I was on Orange is the New Black since it’s such a women-heavy show, we would always get questions [like] ‘Is there cattiness on set? And did the women fight each other?’ Well, number one, it wasn’t like that, but number two, why is that the question that we’re getting? That has become the stereotype of women being together … that if you ever have a bunch of women together, there’s going to be [catfights].” The actress says Moira would have been front and center at those early protests, shutting down airports (“She would have been, absolutely; Samira was at the SAG awards,” Wiley laughs). But she does see commonalities between her character and her own life, noting that she can be “very stubborn” and “I do have a real sense of what I believe is right and what I believe is wrong. And I want to be able to … stand up for the things that I really believe in and have a voice. Moira is never standing idly by. She is in the midst of the protest. She’s talking for the little people, she’s talking for everyone… who [has] been forgotten, people who just don’t have a voice. I think that more than what we have in common—other than how stubborn we are—I really aspire to some of the traits of Moira.”

COURTESY HULU

#TVRESISTANCE

WE FOCUS ON HIV TO HELP YOU FOCUS ON

TODAY Ask your doctor if a medicine made by Gilead is right for you.

#TVRESISTANCE

BONES

continued from page 35 definitely not the norm. And that was 12 years ago. That was a long time ago for network television. The first scene in the show is with two women. The lead of the show is not only a woman but she is a very strong woman. I think the bosses on the show—I really like that those characters get to call the shots. I mean, what a breath of fresh air! I don’t hear many critics talk about what it really means to have a heavy female cast on a crime procedural. Yes, it’s true. And that stuff really gets in, you know, it gets in unconsciously without people even realizing it. That’s something I’ve realized over the years, because so many young girls stop me now—because they’ve been watching the show on Netflix. It’s really amazing to hear them all talk about that they love seeing this lady scientist, or that now they want to study forensic anthropology. It’s kind of amazing. It’s the coolest thing. At one point Angela struggles with what she thought she was going to do, and then eventually finds great meaning in what she is doing. Did you see any parallels with your own life? Yes and no. The only thing I’ve ever wanted to do was be an actor, which seems like such a cheesy thing to say, but it really is true. I haven’t been confused in that arena of my life. But I think all of us, as we get older, our ideas of who we thought we were and what we wanted change. Everyone on Bones is such an expert, and they all have all of these degrees and they’re really, you know, they’re over-qualified. Angela rolls in and doesn’t have any of those things. The audience, I feel, always got to breathe a little bit through her character [and] that she didn’t know the answer to everything. I felt like the audience watching at home could be like, Yeah, what the hell does stenographical algorithm mean? Angela’s one of the best bisexual characters in TV history because she’s treated like every other woman on the show. I’m wondering what does that kind of legacy mean to you? Well, I will say I don’t feel that there’s

THE ADVOCATE APRIL / MAY 2017

enough visibility with bisexual characters on TV, at all. When they are portrayed it always—I feel like it’s meant to show me that they’re bisexual, rather than just having them be bisexual. Hart Hanson—who created the show and was running the show at that time that that [the Roxie] storyline came about— really treated it as any other relationship on the show. The other characters were happy for Angela. They didn’t comment on the fact that who she loved was not a man. It’s very normal. That, to me, was such a relief. Network TV … doesn’t always get [that] right. How do I feel about getting to do that? I feel really lucky to have gotten to do a lot of the things that Angela did. She’s so brave and strong and honest. I haven’t thought of it in the context of playing someone that was bisexual. I think it was just being able to play someone who was free enough and strong enough to love who she loved, and that’s it. There was no thought about the fact that it was a woman or a man. Angela’s philosophy is that you love who you love and it’s not gender-based. So, where are you in that? Because we don’t hear a lot about your personal life in the media. I don’t talk about it very often in the media. I probably won’t talk about it here either. As much as I love this interview, and I do, I just don’t know if it’s important to talk about that, so I’m going to pass on that. The show’s been consistent at not portraying queer people as victims. Even in the trans woman pastor episode, everybody thinks that it’s leading up to, he killed his girlfriend because he found out she was identified male at birth. But, instead, he’s like, “No, I completely knew about her history and I loved her. She was all woman.” It’s so nice that you guys know about these very subtle things, because I do so many interviews and people just don’t see those things. Without sounding corny, I think we have such a group of decent human beings—Hart and the show runners that followed him. Whoever is at the top kind of determines how things go in a room and on set. I’m not sure who wrote the episode that you’re talking about, but our current show runners are the same way. They make it come from a very grounded place, which after 235 episodes or whatever we did, is kind of a tall order, every week. You’ve been Angela for over a decade. Are you ready to move on? Yes, I think I am. Those characters—I think every actor will say this, but certainly after playing something for so long— they’re just in you. There are definitely things she’s done that have rubbed off on me. Like just blurting out the truth. I remember when I started the show, I was like, Oh, my god, Angela should be thinking this and not saying it! Over the years, that’s definitely become more a part of my personality. But part of me never wants to let her go, because I’m so inspired by who she is. But all good things, you know, they must end, at least for now— who knows with this show? I feel lucky to have gotten to play her for so long and gotten to do so much. But, I think we’re all ready for change.

BLACK INK

Why Black Gay Filmmaker Marlon Riggs Matters Now

His work stands as inspiration for resistance to homophobia and racial hatred.

COURTESY OF CALIFORNIA NEWSREEL

BY CHARLES STEPHENS

DU R I NG T H E 1 9 92 presidential primaries, Pat Buchanan, seeking the Republican Party nomination, used an unauthorized clip from Tongues Untied, to blast the National Endowment for the Arts and attack George H. W. Bush. Documentary filmmaker Marlon Riggs’s masterpiece—exploring black gay identity and experience through storytelling, poetry, movement, and expression— premiered on PBS the year before. At least 17 stations refused to air it. The controversy surrounding the work revolved around some profanity, a drawing of a penis, and depictions of black men kissing. Buchanan, the Christian Coalition, and the American Family Association sought to use the film to defund the NEA. Tongues Untied would become weaponized in the culture war. The brilliant work was condemned as pornography by the right wing and debated in the halls of Congress, when Senator Jesse Helms, of North Carolina, used it to argue against funding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Despite the fact that only $5,000 in NEA funds was used to produce Tongues Untied, the film became front and center in the debate against arts funding. And Riggs became the lightning rod. Riggs—a talented master of rhetoric himself, and far from a shrinking violet— fired back with an op-ed in The New York Times. In “Meet the New Willie Horton,” he accused Buchanan of “ruthless exploitation of race and sexuality to win high public office.” (Riggs was referring to a deeply racist and exploitive ad run by Bush’s 1988 campaign against Michael Dukakis. It insinuated that the then-governor was responsible for letting convicted killer Horton out of jail, only for him to rape a woman and assault her fiancé.) By framing himself as “the new Willie Horton,” Riggs recast the public narrative from arts funding to how America’s racist fears are exploited by politicians. The condemnation of Tongues Untied was not just about art, but about stoking white fears of

Tongues Untied

black sexuality. White fear has been a winning strategy for conservative politicians since the birth of American democracy. And it is still working. For Riggs, who was a prophet as much as an artist, the culture war waged against him— and the blatant distortion of his work—was never just about arts funding; it was always about race, always about sexuality. Riggs was the rare black artist who created work not for white pity or pleasure, but for black affirmation. This is how a black artist responds to a repressive regime. Tongues Untied is exemplary of this, but it’s not his only work. In his stunning nonfiction films, Riggs provides a people’s history of 1980s and ’90s AIDS activism. In No Regret, for example, black gay men tell their stories and speak candidly about HIV. This counters the prevailing notion, from movement history gatekeepers, that black people were mostly silent around HIV in the early days of the epidemic. Riggs’s work provides both evidence and testimony of our existence. We fought on the frontlines, too. Like his contemporaries of the era: Craig Harris and Joseph Beam, Riggs was a pro-feminist black gay man whose work, particularly Black is... Black Ain’t, might be viewed as one of the early foundational texts of intersectionality. Black is… features such acclaimed scholars and activists as bell hooks, Angela Davis, Cornel West, and Essex Hemphill; critiquing the contours and borders of black identity and imagining broader and more inclusive possibilities of our race. I am troubled that a lot of emerging black HIV activists don’t know about Riggs and his legacy. Whenever someone says “there isn’t a black community, but black communities,” they are in part invoking his legacy. CHARLES STEPHENS is an Atlanta-based writer and activist. The founder and executive director of the Counter Narrative Project, Stephens co-edited the anthology Black Gay Genius: Answering Joseph Beam’s Call and his work has appeared in Georgia Voice, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Lambda Literary Review, Creative Loafing, and RH Reality Check, among others. @charlesdotsteph APRIL / MAY 2017 THE ADVOCATE

Take comfort in knowing we have your back.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grow Old Together See what life with HIV looks like from diagnosis through grandkids with a little help from Walgreens. Meet Gregg and Andrew and hear their story at Walgreens.com/LetsGrowOldTogether. ÂŠ2017 Walgreen Co. All rights reserved.

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Your pharmacist can make a

real difference People may know their neighborhood pharmacist as someone in a white coat who ﬁlls pill bottles. In reality, pharmacists can also be great sources of personal support and medication guidance. They are close by and able to answer questions without an appointment. Whether you are newly diagnosed or have been living with HIV for years, he or she can help you manage, afford and get the most from your medications.

Helping you stay on track Taking your medications on time, in the correct dose and in the right way can be big factors in making sure they stay effective. Your pharmacist can help you identify any barriers that may keep you from staying on track. Walgreens has convenient digital tools that can help, such as pill reminders and the ability to set up reﬁlls by email or text.*

A big part of my role now is getting patients through things like heart or cancer issues down the road more so than someone dying potentially from their HIV. Andrew MacDonald, HIV-specialized Walgreens pharmacist

Helping you afford your medications Many medications, including those for HIV, can be costly with high copays, which can make it hard to stay on your treatment plan. The good news is that there are copay assistance

sources and even manufacturer programs that can help bring costs down. Ask your Walgreens pharmacist about these programs. He or she can help you ﬁnd them and even help you apply.

Helping you manage multiple medications Because most people with HIV now live long lives, some may develop other health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease along the way. Pharmacists like Andrew can help you manage medications for all health conditions, and can even work with you to arrange a same-day reﬁll so you can pick up all your medications at the same time. To learn more about Walgreens HIV services, visit HIV.Walgreens.com.

*Message and data rates may apply. Ongoing texts may be sent using an automatic telephone dialing system when prescriptions are ready for pickup and reﬁll. Consent not required for purchase. Reply STOP to cancel or HELP for help. ©2017 Walgreen Co. All rights reserved.

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Love and let love.

The rest of the country has ďŹ nally embraced the openminded attitude that Key West has been committed to forever, but there will never be a more beautiful place to celebrate this historic achievement. ďŹ&#x201A;a-keys.com/gaykeywest 305.294.4603