STATE OF THE WORLD Lena

AROUND THE GLOBE

Lena Waithe Takes on Outdoors So White

e star joins Jimmy Chin and North Face to increase BIPOC presence.

Out actor, filmmaker, and advocate Lena Waithe (Master of None) has been tapped to co-lead The North Face’s new Explore Fund Council. The fund has been around for more than a decade, incentivizing outdoor participation through grants to various nonpro ts, but North Face wanted to do more. The new council gives voice to traditionally underrepresented communities to increase access to nature and outdoor recreation that has been predominantly seen as the domain of cis, straight, white Americans.

Waithe joins Academy Award-winning director Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) to distribute $7 million in grants to organizations that will help Black, Indigenous, and other people of color venture outdoors in greater numbers.

Eric Raymond, The North Face’s director of social impact and advocacy, says they recruited Waithe to represent and speak to those traditionally outside the outdoor industry. “Lena’s experience in Hollywood is incredibly valuable,” Raymond says. “She brings a unique perspective on how to impact culture, create opportunities, and tell stories.”

The fund has already helped thousands of BIPOC experience the bene ts of nature. The star power of those involved in this new e ort will introduce even more folks to the joy of adventuring into the great outdoors.

Travelers Beware

These Caribbean countries still ban gay sex. Though rarely enforced, the Caribbean islands of Saint Lucia and Saint Kitts and Nevis (the latter are two islands but one country) have yet to legalize same-sex sexual relations. Instead, both countries still have laws on the books which ban and punish such acts between consenting adults, and which can carry a punishment of up to 10 years in prison. “You are not safe,” a 20-year-old man from Saint Kitts and Nevis told Human Rights Watch. “You have to hide who you are” or otherwise folks will “get physical.” Cristian González Cabrera, LGBT rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement, “Laws criminalizing same-sex conduct reinforce prejudices and provide social and legal sanction for discrimination, violence, and prejudice against LGBT people. Saint Lucia and Saint Kitts and Nevis should heed the recommendations of UN member states and provide their residents protection on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. LGBT people are part of the social fabric of the island nations and deserve the same respect and rights as everyone else.” — DP

Living on the Edge

The Lesbian Bar Project is a fundraising and education e ort founded by legendary lesbian actress Lea DeLaria. It began in 2020 to crowdfund for the 21 lesbian bars remaining in the United States, as they faced the unprecedented economic onslaught of the lockdown. Keeping those bars alive is about more than just keeping their (usually) lesbian owners and sta in business. As Lesbian Bar Project notes in their appeal, “Without space, we lose power, validity, communal safety, and access to intergenerational dialogue.” DeLaria also produced a short documentary about the plight of lesbian bars. Although fundraising e orts continue, the focus seems to have shi ed from collecting individual donations to engaging corporate partners like dating app Hinge, which donated $50,000 to the cause this summer. Ultimately, the best support is getting customers back into brick and mortar bars; until then, many are trying to keep connections and community alive online.

You’re The Worst

For their exhaustively researched index of the Worst (and Best) Countries for LGBTQ+ Travel, Asher & Lyric (Asher Fergusson from Sydney, Australia and Lyric Fergusson from Los Angeles) carefully examined LGBTQ+ rights for each of the 150 most-visited countries in the world. “We created our LGBTQ+ travel safety index based on a total of nine ranking factors,” the couple explains in their report. “We worked with academic researcher, Eliot Assoudeh PhD., to design the methodology and crossreference all data. We utilized a mixed methods research design to create the index. In this year’s update we also added transgender legal identity laws which weren’t included in our original 2019 study.” This map visually demonstrates that LGBTQ+ rights aren’t well protected in Russia, Africa, and the Middle East. Every traveler will assess their tolerance for risk before leaving home and plan accordingly, but Asher & Lyric believe we should all be armed with the data we need.—JAM

The Last Remaining 21 Lesbian Bars in America

A League of Her Own, Washington, D.C. Alibi’s, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Babes of Carytown, Richmond, Virginia Blush & Blu, Denver, Colorado Boycott Bar, Phoenix, Arizona Cubbyhole, Manhattan, New York Frankie’s, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Ginger’s, Brooklyn, New York Gossip Grill, San Diego, California Henrietta Hudson, Manhattan, New York Herz, Mobile, Alabama My Sister’s Room, Atlanta, Georgia Pearl Bar, Houston, Texas Slammers, Columbus, Ohio Sue Ellen’s, Dallas, Texas The Backdoor, Bloomington, Indiana The Lipstick Lounge, Nashville, Tennessee Walker’s Pint, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Wildrose, Seattle, Washington Wildside West, San Francisco, California Yellow Brick Road Pub – Tulsa, Oklahoma

Source: Lesbian Bar Project (lesbianbarproject.com)